As Christians, our goal is to continually grow in our spiritual walk with God. We should always be focused on walking in deeper levels of understanding and revelation. We crave this, we pray for this, yet often we resist and rebel when God tries to take us to that new place with Him.
What? Resist and rebel? Why would we do that?
The truth of the matter is, in order to walk at a deeper level with God, we have to die daily to self. The Bible refers to this as denying ourselves. Self does not readily give up its [perceived] control and tries to avoid discomfort and inconvenience at all costs. This is where we frequently resist and rebel… in an attempt to persevere comfort and convenience.
Luke 9:23-25 “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?”
If you find yourself in seasons of discomfort or inconvenience, or have instances of this occurring frequently in your day to day life, you may want to prayerfully consider the source:
1) Are you in disobedience to God? Being in disobedience will cause feelings of discomfort. The conviction of the Holy Spirit will not allow us to stay comfortable if we are not in the will of the Father. Disobedience can be intentional sin, or it can be subconscious resistance to denying self. God may well have orchestrated your difficult, inconvenient situation to do an inward work in you, and your resistance prolongs the discomfort. Take a prayerful look and see if God may be trying to teach you:
How to love the unlovely
How to sacrificially give (time, money, resources, etc)
How to submit to authority
How to lay down your own selfish desires
How to be humble
(just to name a few)
2) Perhaps you are not in disobedience, but simply experiencing discomfort as a result of cooperating with this inward work that is being done in you. Death to self is a PROCESS. It can be painful even when you understand what is happening. But the Holy Spirit will comfort you in your time of need.
My prayer is that you would desire to know God so much more deeply, and that you would be willing to give up any and everything necessary to do so.
We make adjustments and sacrifices all day long to please “self.”
Why not make adjustments and sacrifices for that which can truly satisfy?
Stop running from the pain of the inward work and PRESS INTO IT instead…. And die, that you may truly live.
Luke 14:33 “…any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”
Proverbs 4:7 “Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.”
Isa 55:2-3 “Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live.”
I was visiting my parent’s house recently and my attention was drawn to this plaque in the living room. (See picture on right) I recall seeing this, or one similar, many times even as a child and could never “see” what others were seeing.
This time however, every time I walked in the room and saw the plaque, I could see nothing but what others had always been seeing.
Take a hard look at it now. WHAT DO YOU SEE?
I was reminded of two things:
Helen Keller’s quote above …“It is a terrible thing to see and have no vision.”
and
1 Corinthians 2:14… “…the man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
The word “discerned” means: “to properly scrutinize, investigate or determine.” Further breakdown of the definition implies that discernment involves “repetition and intensity in concluding and determining”
There is a new perception that one obtains as they receive the gift of salvation and walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. They begin to see and “discern” things they have always seen in a brand new way, and can reach a point where they cannot even see it the old way anymore without conscious effort. The level of repetition and intensity in which you seek the Kingdom of God determines the speed at which you’re perception changes and the depths to which the changes permeate your soul.
According to 1 Thessalonians 5:23 we are SPIRIT, SOUL and BODY.
1 Thess 5:23“…May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
SPIRIT: When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we become “new creations” in our Spirit. (2 Cor 5:17) This is called POSITIONAL sanctification. Positionally we become 100% righteous and are seated with Christ at the right hand of the Father.
But there is also PROGRESSIVE sanctification where our soul and body must go through the lifelong process of being transformed.
Rom 12:2 “…Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed…”
SOUL: Our soul consists of our MIND, WILL and EMOTIONS. They all need to be transformed, which is a process. I personally believe that MIND is listed first because our belief system is what drives our WILL (decisions) and our EMOTIONS. Romans 12:2 just quoted above continues on to say…
Rom 12:2 “…Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
BODY: Our body consists of our physical flesh. This includes our appetite, physical sexuality, anatomy and physiology.
The Bible often refers to the soul and body combined as FLESH and we are warned that our spirit and flesh war against each other:
Gal 5:17 “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.”
The good news is that we alone are not responsible for this progressive sanctification. As we seek God and open ourselves up to the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit, it is God who does this incredible work in us. By looking more thoroughly at 1Thessalonians 5:23 quoted above, we see confirmation of this:
1 Thess 5:23-24 “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.”
So am I saying that if you don’t see what others see in the above picture, you are not saved? Absolutely not. But it is an example of how once we are transformed to see the Truth, we struggle to see the former view we once had. In the case of this picture it is through repeated, intense seeking that we are able to see a “new thing” in the same old picture.
And through repeated, intense seeking of the Kingdom of God, we open the door for God to transform our whole SPIRIT, SOUL and BODY and sanctify us through and through.
If you still don’t see anything in this picture, click here to message me and I’ll help you out.
The last 2 – 3 months have been EXTREMELY busy. We’ve added 40 more beds to our transitional housing at my job, plus added two new staff and brought on an AmeriCorps member. So between training people and all the additional homeless clients coming in to our housing, I’ve been SWAMPED. But it’s all good! GROWING PAINS are GOOD! I am in awe at what God is doing in our midst.
But truth be told, something happened to me in the last month or two in the midst of this busyness. I’ve been SO busy that I’d forgotten to pay attention to God in my midst. Let me explain.
My typical day on the job can normally be summed up as “journeying with God.” Usually as I go about my days, meeting new clients, managing existing clients, etc. I am usually very aware of God in my midst. I can sense His presence and I am able to work fast enough to get everything done, but slow enough to be listening for Him to speak along the way. Frequently I hear God whisper in my ear and give me a word or direction for a particular client or particular situation. My days are charged with LIFE, as His Spirit leads and guides me.
But this past weekend I found myself crying out to the Lord… “WHERE ARE YOU?” I suddenly realized that my days had become dry and stagnant. They were very mechanical and task driven. There was so much to do, I shifted into “Mary mode” and began to operate in my own strength. No longer was I even conscious of the fact that God was with me (of course He was there,) but I wasn’t intentionally listening for His voice or being comforted by His sweet presence around me throughout the day. I was busy, busy, busy and driven to get it all done.
Upon my realization of this I instantly repented for my feeble attempts to go it alone, and for not seeking first the Kingdom of God in the midst of my days (Matt 6:33). Don’t get me wrong, I was still spending time with the Lord in the mornings, but suddenly it was like I’d “leave Him at home” and go about my day on my own. (Again, I know He was with me, but I was ignoring His presence.) I managed to get very exhausted and even sick on more than one occasion. My defenses were down… physically and spiritually. But now I saw the problem and let the grace and Blood of Jesus Christ refresh and renew me.
Yet this week, I managed to start it off in the old mode of “going it alone.” Not even realizing it, I fell right back into the same pattern because I was not INTENTIONAL to seek first the Kingdom. But then today…. Ahhhh. Today!
We did 5am outreach in the streets of downtown Atlanta this morning and brought in 7 new clients. Often, clients are somewhat resistant to coming into housing. (Think about it… someone is waking you up at 5am with a flashlight saying “Come with me.”… yeah right!) But today the very first man we woke up IMMEDIATELY said yes! As he sprung to his feet and began to pack his belongings, I noticed his Bible in his bedding. I said “John, is that your Sword?” “Yes ma’am!” he replied. John then got on the bus.
As we were doing intakes, John decided he didn’t want to stay. He wanted to go to a different agency. So I called the other agency to see if they still had room and they did. I offered to give him a ride and on the way there, he pulled out His Bible and began to read. We began to talk about the goodness of God and how gracious He is to rescue and redeem us when we don’t deserve it.
As we arrived and walked in the lobby, the staff behind the desk immediately recognized the client. He had been in their housing a few months earlier and didn’t leave on good terms. You could feel the tension building as the staff member recapped the events of the past and pretty much told John “You’re not welcome here.” (He did end up saying “If you have absolutely no where else to go but the street, we’ll take you. But in all honesty, I don’t really want you to stay.) I could see John’s anger rising. In fact the staff member commented that he wasn’t comfortable with the way John was looking at him. And for a brief moment, I wasn’t sure I wanted to get in my car with his guy and his bottled up anger. So I said, “John, let’s go outside and talk about what to do.”
As we got outside, John said “I guess I just need to humble myself and go back in and apologize.” So as we headed for the door, he stopped and said, “No, I need to walk by faith and not be afraid of something new and uncertain. It’s a new day and a new way of doing things. I want to go back to your place. Can I?” Truth be told, in the natural I wasn’t sure if I wanted him in our housing after what I heard about his past adventure at this other agency. And I’m sure John could sense it. But I heard God tell me to take him in.
As we got in my car John said, “So how am I doing?” Confused I said, “What do you mean?” He said, “With passing my test. This is a test of adversity that I’ve been reading about. I hope I’m passing it today. This is new for me.” I assured him he most definitely was as I had just witnessed his anger be diffused by putting his trust in Jesus and acting out that trust. John then picked up his Bible and began to read for the rest of the ride.
God then told me that John needs to be in a location with other clients who are actively studying their Bibles and going to church. The particular location I immediately thought of was on the other side of town and did not have a vacancy. So I began to make some phone calls and long story short, God made room for John. I arrived at the original location and another case manager took John to his new home.
It could have ended here for me. You see, for the first time in a long time I saw and heard God in the midst of my busyness. This alone was so refreshing to me and renewed my passion for the work that I do. I have found that if I do anything for any reason other than God’s eternal purposes, it leaves me empty and very dissatisfied. At this moment I was feeling very satisfied and was very aware of God’s presence around me.
A few hours later I was at our office when the case manager who took John arrived. We began a conversation in which I shared the above testimony of how I had been ignoring God in my day to day busyness but had seen him mightily today. That’s when the case manager told me the most amazing thing…
When they arrived at the new location, Jack, a Peer Support Assistant for our agency was there to greet John. When they saw each other, they immediately embraced each other in a GIANT BEAR HUG! They had known each other over 10 years ago when both were homeless and addicted. In fact, the last time they saw each other, John was sleeping in a dumpster and almost got picked up by the big sanitation trucks that empty the dumpsters. Thank God he woke up when the truck began to dump the dumpster! Upon seeing Jack’s restored condition and sobriety, John was encouraged with a renewed sense of hope for himself. Jack loves the Lord and often leads other clients in Bible study and John will now sit under his wing as God begins to restore his life. We saw the POTENTIAL in John, and now John began to see it for himself! At this point I could do nothing but come to tears. Had I been alone I probably would have started sobbing but I managed to hold myself together. BUT GOD….!!!!!
Then on the way home, a song came on that I’ve been listening to frequently (HEAVENLY PLACES) and I realized how much this song sums up the heart of the work we do at Atlanta Outreach Project (www.atlantaoutreach.org). As these lyrics suggest, our number one goal at Atlanta Outreach is to SPEAK TRUE IDENTITY to our new friends. We are not there to judge them and tell them all they’ve done wrong. But with God’s eyes and God’s heart… we see MERCY, JUSTICE, TRUTH and LOVE. If we are INTENTIONAL to ask God to show us His thoughts for a person, He will faithfully show us His heart. We know that self-focus is so overrated and that we can tend to be quick to point out someone’s flaws (and our own), but when we look at Him and then look at someone else… we see someone who is WORTHY, someone who has PURPOSE and VALUE… we see WHO THEY’LL BE. Thank you Lord for loving us just the way we are, and being patient with us as you transform us into all you intend for us to be.
May you too be blessed by this song (lyrics below).
(HEAVENLY PLACES LYRICS)
You above, seated in the Heavenlies.
Who am I? Who am I to You?
Speak to me, my true identity.
Speak to me, speak to me
You’re not waiting to come down and judge me, or tell me of all I’ve done wrong
But when I look at You… Oh when you look my way…
I see mercy, I see justice, I see truth and love
I see passion, I see wonder, I see holiness
You above, seated in the Heavenlies
Who are You? Who do I say You are?
Reveal to me, even in Your majesty
Your true thoughts, let me see Your heart
You’re not waiting to come down and judge me, or tell me of all I’ve done wrong
But when I look at You… Oh when I see You…
I am seated with You in the Heavenly places
Heavenly places with You
I am seated with You in the Heavenly places
Heavenly places with You
Self-focus is way overrated. I’m so quick to point out my flaws
But when You look at me… Oh when You look my way…
You call me worthy, You see beauty, You see purity
You see purpose, You see value, You see who I’ll be
I am seated with You in the Heavenly places
Heavenly places with You
I am seated with You in the Heavenly places
Heavenly places with You
You call me worthy, You see beauty, You see who I’ll be.
1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, speak to your people and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, 3 and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, 4 then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head. 5 Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, their blood will be on their own head. If they had heeded the warning, they would have saved themselves. 6But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.’
7 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 8 When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for[a] their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 9 But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved.
10 “Son of man, say to the Israelites, ‘This is what you are saying: “Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of[b] them. How then can we live?”’ 11 Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’
12 “Therefore, son of man, say to your people, ‘If someone who is righteous disobeys, that person’s former righteousness will count for nothing. And if someone who is wicked repents, that person’s former wickedness will not bring condemnation. The righteous person who sins will not be allowed to live even though they were formerly righteous.’ 13 If I tell a righteous person that they will surely live, but then they trust in their righteousness and do evil, none of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered; they will die for the evil they have done. 14 And if I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ but they then turn away from their sin and do what is just and right— 15 if they give back what they took in pledge for a loan, return what they have stolen, follow the decrees that give life, and do no evil—that person will surely live; they will not die. 16 None of the sins that person has committed will be remembered against them. They have done what is just and right; they will surely live.
17 “Yet your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But it is their way that is not just. 18 If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, they will die for it. 19 And if a wicked person turns away from their wickedness and does what is just and right, they will live by doing so. 20 Yet you Israelites say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But I will judge each of you according to your own ways.”
Jerusalem’s Fall Explained
21 In the twelfth year of our exile, in the tenth month on the fifth day, a man who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me and said, “The city has fallen!” 22Now the evening before the man arrived, the hand of the LORD was on me, and he opened my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer silent.
23 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 24 “Son of man, the people living in those ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land. But we are many; surely the land has been given to us as our possession.’ 25 Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Since you eat meat with the blood still in it and look to your idols and shed blood, should you then possess the land? 26 You rely on your sword, you do detestable things, and each of you defiles his neighbor’s wife. Should you then possess the land?’
27 “Say this to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: As surely as I live, those who are left in the ruins will fall by the sword, those out in the country I will give to the wild animals to be devoured, and those in strongholds and caves will die of a plague. 28 I will make the land a desolate waste, and her proud strength will come to an end, and the mountains of Israel will become desolate so that no one will cross them. 29 Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I have made the land a desolate waste because of all the detestable things they have done.’
30 “As for you, son of man, your people are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, ‘Come and hear the message that has come from the LORD.’ 31 My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to hear your words, but they do not put them into practice. Their mouths speak of love, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. 32 Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice.
33 “When all this comes true—and it surely will—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”
I’ve been pondering my life’s journey lately and been overwhelmed by the sovereignty and faithfulness of God in spite of myself. While I didn’t even know Him (or care to know Him), He was still strategically orchestrating things on my behalf…all designed to bring me to a place of knowing and desiring Him. WOW!
Once that happened in my life, it happened in a BIG way. I didn’t just decide to start going to church so I’d have somewhere to “belong” on Sundays… I didn’t just decide I should go to church or be a Christian because it was the right thing to do… I didn’t just decide to alter my behavior to line up with what the Bible says pleases God. No… I was RADICALLY CHANGED ON THE INSIDE, which continues to MANIFEST DAILY ON THE OUTSIDE. (you can read my full testimony here:http://www.maryloveslife.org/about.html )
In 2006, God told me to start blogging my journey. The RADICAL journey He began to take me on back in January 1999 was now going to be recorded for others to witness. This can be a good thing and a bad thing. The good thing is that others can learn from what I go though. The bad thing is that there is a price for transparency.
In recent days I have been thinking about what it means to be SOLD OUT for CHRIST. What does it mean to be RADICAL? I have often quoted the definition of RADICAL in my blog posts (departing markedly from the usual or customary; extreme) and today I want to list SEVEN THINGS a RADICAL LIFE FOR CHRIST will get you. Of course it requires us to SURRENDER many things, but here are some things you will GET.
(I’m sure there are more, but here are seven I could think of off the top of my head – in no particular order. This blog post has not come from any particular experience, but many. It’s something I’ve found myself pondering often over the years and thought I’d share.)
A RADICAL LIFE FOR CHRIST will get you…
CRITICIZED. You will be labeled as being “overboard,” “extreme,” “weird,” or “too religious.”
LONELY. Let’s face it, not all Christians are ready for RADICAL. You may even stand out among “church-folk” as being extreme…lol. Others should be excited for you and wish they were as radical, but sadly, some get convicted and criticize you. Don’t worry… God will be faithful to bring you other RADICAL friends so you don’t feel so alone, but in most larger church gatherings, you’ll be a loner.
A RADICAL SPOUSE. [FOR THE SINGLE FOLKS] It may take patience to wait for them, but RADICAL attracts RADICAL and is attracted to RADICAL. You can’t match up a SOLD-OUT believer with a LUKEWARM believer or you’ll be miserable. (So FYI…you won’t likely find your RADICAL spouse in a WORLDLY place. ~ CAUTION: RADICAL often attracts non-radical too because they secretly admire your “radicalness” and secretly desire it for themselves. They can roll with you for a while, but in the end, they may not be willing to lay it all down. Make sure you test the fruit! YOU WILL KNOW THEM BY THEIR LONG-TERM FRUIT!)
OFF THE INVITE LIST. There are plenty of events that friends, family & church-folk won’t invite you to because they know you “won’t go there” or your presence will make them uncomfortable while they have their fun…lol. It’s just as well. It saves you from having to decline the invite. Not being included can be considered an honor in many cases.
PHONE CALLS DURING LUNCH BREAKS OR AT MIDNIGHT. Okay, so they think you’re “extreme” or “overboard” but that’s only when things are going good for them. Let them have a crisis or tragedy and you’re the first one they call for prayer and counsel. They know the real deal when they see it and truth be told they’re glad you’re there ‘just in case’. (Oh, and they secretly hope you’re praying for them too. Make sure you are!)
PEACE THAT SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING! There is nothing like RADICAL OBEDIENCE to Jesus Christ. When the whole crowd goes left and God says go right, you may feel left out for a brief minute, but the PEACE that floods your soul is priceless!
JOY UNSPEAKABLE! As you embark on an unusual, extreme journey that departs markedly from the customary, you will come to know and hear the Lord in an incredible way. Your relationship with Him will BLOSSOM and BLOOM and become more intimate than you could ever know.
ARE YOU READY TO BE RADICAL FOR CHRIST?
Luke 14:33 – In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
2 Cor 6:17 – Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord.
Matt 16:24-26 – If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?
John 17:14-15 – I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.
This week marks the beginning of a new season for me! As many of you already know, after a few months of much prayer and fasting, my season at Hope Church (a church I helped start – http://www.Hope-Church.tv ) has come to an end. This decision did not come easily as I have been under the leadership of my pastor Maurice Stargell for 2 ½ years, and both he and Hope Church are very dear to my heart (and always will be!). I have experienced so much growth and healing during this past season and been blessed by probably the best preaching/teaching I’ve ever heard!! (thank God for podcasts…lol)
But beginning this week I am now an official member of the Atlanta Dream Center under the leadership of Pastor Paul Palmer (http://www.atldreamcenter.com ). I have no idea what my assignments here will look like but I am certain I have been positioned by God for my good and His great glory! I am very excited to see what the future holds. There is nothing more exciting or satisfying than obedience to God!
As I step into this new season, I am reminded of a blog post from May 2010 (a few months before I got my job at Atlanta Outreach Project (http://www.atlantaoutreach.org ). While I definitely was about to face a new thing with starting a new job, I knew there would be even more on the horizon. Lately I’m feeling like I’m ready to step into another level of “newness” which, of course, can be somewhat intimidating! This reminder has encouraged me greatly!
Perhaps you too are embarking on something NEW and need some encouragement for the journey! But don’t forget… DON’T FEAR THE NEW THING! –> CLICK HERE TO READ THE PREVIOUS POST
God has been showing me some things about this topic lately through some books He has led me to read, but when I woke up this morning before my feet hit the floor I heard this loud and clear:
In 2012 God is going to realign church government for those who have ears to hear. Proper governmental alignment is necessary for the next release of POWER. Preparation has already begun.
The call for PREPARATION is a call for ALIGNMENT, just as it was before:
A voice of one calling in the desert, “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.” Matt 3:3
Let us humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, allowing him to ADJUST and ALIGN us in proper biblical alignment so we the church can be useful vessels to reveal His glory. Tradition, status quo and normal have to go. We must be open to RADICALADJUSTMENTS if we want to see RADICAL POWER. (Read more about making adjustments here: http://maryloveslife.wordpress.com/2011/06/28/caution-total-surrender-to-christ-may-cause-controversy/)
“And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the remnant whom the LORD calls.” Joel 2:28-32
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar-when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene- during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert.
While many things seem unrelated or unplanned, God is very intentional about PROPHETIC ALIGNMENT. There may be things you are waiting on that just don’t seem to come to pass. There may be various aspects of your life and circumstance that seem unrelated and random. You may even think you missed God on some issues.
But hold tight!
SUDDENLY… one day you will see that ALL ALONG, God was intentionally lining everything up for a manifestation of His greater purpose.
Luke 3:1-2
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar…
…when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea…
…Herod tetrarch of Galilee…
…his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis…
…Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene…
…and during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas…
THEN… the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert.
Be patient, my friends. The Lord is at work in your midst, lining everything up for His glory.
Jer 29:10-11
This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
I’m still weeping over watching God move in the life of a client on Friday… 52yr old Terry, who looks 72, has been homeless for 20+yrs. He has major health issues including diabetes. In the four weeks he’d been with us, the ambulance was called three times, the last of which he ended up hospitalized and could have been fatal. He’s been rejected from numerous housing opportunities over the yrs & we too had to put him back in the care of hospital social workers to find him appropriate care. On Thursday I prayed with Terry and told him he would be leaving us on Friday and that God said to tell him He had something big for him.
On Friday I packed him and all his belongings [everything he owns, packed in numerous garbage bags] into my car to take him back to the social worker but it turned out they dropped the ball and had no place for poor Terry. We unloaded his stuff at one place only to be rejected and told he could not stay. So we reloaded my car and I was supposed to drop him at the social workers office where they said “We have no idea what we’ll do with him. We have no options for him. Just drop him off and we’ll have to figure something out.” I couldn’t just drop Terry on Friday afternoon, unsure if they would let him fall though the cracks again. [they were supposed to have found him a personal care home while he was hospitalized and technically he wasn't supposed to have come back to our housing in the first place.] I couldn’t bear the thought of him facing the street yet again. INFURIATED, I refused to participate in treating him this way. I called my boss in tears and though Terry is a medical risk and our housing is not appropriate for him b/c we have no staff to monitor him, my boss agreed to let him stay the weekend. I would take him personally to this social worker on Monday morning while they found a place for Terry.
Once I stopped crying, I called the social worker to let her know I wasn’t bringing him, when she said she found a personal care home that would take him immediately! (THIS DOESN’T HAPPEN EVERY DAY! Usually there are applications and red tape… a real process to get in one of these places) Turns out it is a Christian personal care home for disabled men. He was supposed to have income to stay there, but the woman took him in! I said to Terry “TERRY! Look what God has done!” and he said “Yeah, and we prayed yesterday too, remember?” I HAD FORGOTTEN! LOL! I told Terry… GOD has moved mountains on YOUR behalf because of his great love for you. No matter how many people have ever rejected you or left you … GOD NEVER WILL! The look on Terry’s face in my rear view mirror was priceless. He had the look of “WOW, God really did do this… for ME.” TERRY SAW GOD THAT DAY!!!!!!!!!!!! Then I explained to Terry that we were never trying to “get rid” of him from our housing, that all along the reason he had to leave was to go somewhere that could serve him better, it’s just that they failed to find him a place. Now this new place will have medical staff, cook his meals and not put him on MARTA to take care of all his own business, but actually take him to his appointments. Terry said “WOW! Someone will really care for me. This is good because I tend to get confused a lot and seem to always end up in a bad way.” TERRY FELT VALUED for the first time in a long time… if ever in his life. Wow. You could see it on his face.
After getting Terry settled he said “You’re going to come visit me, right?” I said “ABSOLUTELY!” Then we joined hands to pray before I left. As we stood face to face praying with our heads bowed, Terry leaned forward and pushed the top of his head/forehead against mine and began to shake. After we prayed he said “I felt something going up both of my arms when you prayed!” I told him “That was the presence of God, Terry! HE LOVES YOU AND IS RIGHT HERE WITH YOU! HE WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU! I inquired if he had ever asked Jesus to be his Lord and Savior, and he said OH YES. But TODAY, Terry experienced God’s love for him like never before.
Within 30 minutes of dropping Terry, I got a call that Terry had been approved for his SSI back on MARCH 1 but they could not locate him! SO NOW TERRY HAS INCOME AND WILL BE ABLE TO STAY AT THIS HOME INDEFINITELY!
Lots of warfare this wk. Wow...waking up exhausted. Need prayers 4 strength in the journey & 4 clarity about an opportunity presented 2 me. 13 hours ago
My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer. Ps 45:1 22 hours ago
Reach in past my hiding...reach beyond my running... oh Lord... come flood my soul with Your love <3 http://t.co/7wq68jyp23 hours ago
As Christians, our goal is to continually grow in our spiritual walk with God. We should always be focused on walking in deeper levels of understanding and revelation. We crave this, we pray for this, yet often we resist and rebel when God tries to take us to that new place with Him.
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING….