"Campfire, Candle & Cole" -Three Pictures of Fire
My husband is in Nigeria. He just texted me that the place he is staying has no electricity or running water. I am so thankful that I'm sitting here typing this out on my lap top instead of there with him. Is that bad? Probably. But I'm just being honest. As you can see, God still isn't finished with me yet. I have a ways to go before I'm like my Lord. I will be flying to Turkey in less than a week to meet my husband there for a retreat/conference. This mission's trip will be held on the seashore. A little different venu. It will be a nicer setting, but it is still a very important trip. We want to be a blessing to the church in Turkey which has experienced their first martyrs for the faith. I ask that you will join with me in prayer that God's purposes will be accomplished in us and through us. I so want HIS love to flow through us. I want to make a difference. How about you?Picture…a campfire with people sitting on the ground surrounding it. You can tell that the fire once burned hot and bright, but that it is starting to dwindle. The people are still illuminated by the glow of the flames, but just beyond the circle of light there were wolves snarling and waiting to pounce. You can’t quite see them, but you can sense that they were there. The people sitting around the fire are looking over their shoulders into the darkness, obviously afraid of what lies out there.
Hear…the Lord say, “What are my children doing looking out into the darkness fearing what is still unseen when they should be building the fire? If they will keep the fire burning bright there is nothing that is going to approach them. NO danger or harm will fall upon them. It is only if they focus on what is going on in the darkness to the point of neglecting the flame and doing the things they know they are suppose to do that they will ever find themselves in danger.
Consider: Have you neglected to keep your focus on Jesus and keep your fire burning bright with prayer, worship and the Word. You can’t get spiritual enough that you can neglect the fire. There is no level in God where you can neglect the fire; whether you are a new convert or someone that has been serving the Lord for 50 years. You have to keep your eyes on Jesus. Keep building the fire by adding wood or whatever you need to keep the fire burning bright within you. When you keep your focus where it belongs, nothing, no matter how it snarls or growls, is going to harm you.
Pray: “
Lord, I’m sorry that I’ve allowed myself to be distracted by the problems and struggles of my family and friends. I’ve been so afraid that I wasn’t going to be able to help them that I’ve forgotten that it is not up to me anyways. It’s up to you. I need to keep up my time in the Word, prayer and praise and release you to keep them safe. I’m even more sorry that I’ve been focusing on some potential disasters in the making rather, than focusing on you, the one who can nip it all in the bud. I am going to focus my attention on you, and let you handle the rest. Thank you. In Jesus Name, Amen.”
***
Picture…a very small candle being carried by a woman. They are just standing outside of a closed door of a room complaining about how little light the candle was giving off. They say to themselves, “This is not enough to do anyone any good.” But God hears them and challenges them, “Just go…go ahead…do it! Open the door and shed your light.” Reluctantly the woman opens the door and sees that the room is very dark and there are many people huddled in fear. But as the woman walks into a room with her little candle, it sheds just enough light to remove their fear. The people stood, and lifted their own candles to be lit from the original. When all the candles were finally lit, the room was ablaze with light.
Hear…the Lord say, “Do not complain about how little you have to give to others. Give and it will be multiplied over many times. Did I just need a little boy’s lunch to feed a multitude? Can I not use what you have to accomplish great things?”
Consider: It all started with one little candle. Even though the woman thought her flame was insignificant, it was enough to start a blaze. You might be thinking that you came up a little short when the talents and gifts were given out. You might be thinking that your prayers aren’t as powerful as others. You might be thinking that you are too old, or young, or shy, or spiritually weak to accomplish anything of significance for God. But God wants you to know that you are strategically important to His plans and purposes. He can and will use your little fire to change the lives of many, if you will be obedient to His directives. Give Him what you have; no matter how small and He will make sure it is enough. So be bold. Walk through the door of ministry. Lives will be forever changed.
Pray: “
Yep, I’ve been guilty of comparing myself to others lately and I’ve not liked what I have seen. I know that you are not supposed to do that, but it comes so naturally. I’m sorry I’ve slipped up in that again. I know that you used a donkey to correct a straying prophet, a small smooth stone to bring down a giant, a big black bird to feed your man for over 2 ½ years as well as that little boy’s lunch. I also know that if I will give you the little that I have, you can do remarkable things with it. ‘Cause it really isn’t about my little, it is about your great power. I give myself unreservedly, everything that I am, everything that I have, everything that I can do to you. You use it as you see fit. In Jesus Name, Amen.”
***
Picture… a fire that is burning on a golden altar in the heavenlies. An angel uses a tong to take a burning coal off the blazing altar and he walks directly towards you.
Hear…the angel say, “Whoever will receive this…whoever will take it and not be afraid, that person will be healed of their insecurities, attitudes, relationships, emotions and body.”
Consider: God wants to do a significant work in your life today. Do not be afraid. Although we are grown-ups, we still deal with a lot of fears. Instead of being afraid of the monster in the closet or under the bed, we are afraid of the unknown, of failure, of rejection, of people. Do not allow any of these fears keep you from receiving all that God has for you. Do not put God in a box. Do not limit Him to “this much” of your life and no more. Be brave enough to say, “Here I am, use me. Cleanse my lips. Cleanse my heart. Start a fire within me that cannot be quenched. Burn your purposes in my heart.” If you will give God permission, He will heal your heart, mouth, mind, body. Receive that coal of fire that the Lord is making available to you. TAKE IT!
Pray: “
Lord here I am…I’m saying it one more time…use me. Cleanse my attitudes. Cleanse my thinking. Cleanse my heart of the hurts that have been residing there. Cleanse my heart and mind of unrealistic expectations both of others and myself. Wash me with your precious blood. I give to you my fear of the unknown. I give to you my concern about what people will say and think. I give you all of my worries about not getting it right or not finishing what I start. Use me for your purposes until the day I stand before you face and face and hear the words, ‘Well done.’ In Jesus Name, Amen.”
“Run!”
I've been telling friends that it feels like I'm drinking from a fire hydrant right now. So much is coming at me, I am tempted to say, "Hey, God, slow down, will ya." But I have been in seasons of life painfully devoid of momentum, so I am not about to ask God to slow down. But I have been asking Him to help me not "mis-step" in all of this. We are adding our third campus in South Bend which is a couple hours away. We are launching a capital campaign to raise 15 million dollars for the three campus'. But most exciting for me is that we are launching Heart to Heart, our small group women's ministry as a non-profit...with wonderful open doors being opened by God. I'm sure I'll be sharing some of those in blogs to come. I am sensing that the GO season is not only for me and the CLC family. I believe that we are all in a season of God's blessing and purpose. The challenge I want to leave with you is...are you going to run with it. Or are you going to excuse yourself from the race for personal reasons...like fear and selfishness. The choice of course is yours. God doesn't twist arms. He just opens doors and asks you to run...
“
Run!”
Picture…a pair of broken-in running shoes.
Hear…the Lord say, “On your mark, get set, go…it’s time to RUN!”
Consider: It’s time to run the race that God has set before you, so put on your running shoes.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward. Now he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God's throne in heaven. Heb 12:1-2 (NLT)
I’ve never been into racing; the only running that I ever do is on a treadmill. So I don’t know a lot about the sport, but I do know that if you are going to run a race, you will need to prepare yourself physically and mentally for the challenges ahead of you. Those preparations will depend upon what type of race you are running, a sprint or a marathon. With a sprint you are going to want to pull out all of the stops and run as fast as you can until you reach the finish line. Today God might be telling you to run a sprint, away from the enemy. If you have placed yourself in a tempting situation, you need to run from the situation hard and fast. God is warning you that you are in a dangerous place. Do not walk…run! You may think that you are strong enough to deal with this, but you are flirting with trouble. God doesn’t want you anywhere near the temptation. Run away from the enemy, and run straight into the arms of the Lord. God is telling to you, “I am your strength and I am your help; I will make all things clear to you. The enemy has put a film over your eyes clouding your vision and your reasoning. I will remove that film so that you can begin to see things clearly. Then you must run, run to me. Run with all that is within you. There is a prize set before you and it will be worth every sacrifice you must make. Run.”
God might be telling you to run a marathon. That means that you will need to put off every weight that might slow you down in the long haul. A marathon requires endurance, and even the smallest weight can mean the difference between winning the race and not even finishing it. There are things in your life that have the potential of holding you back, weighing you down. The Lord is asking you to forsake those attitudes and relationships that have hindered your walk with Him. For now that the pace is about to pick up, they can cause real damage. Many runners have injured themselves because they did not prepare themselves adequately for the race that was before them. If you aren’t sure if something is race worthy or not, ask your coach or spiritual mentor. They have the experience necessary to make sound judgment calls. You are not in this race alone. There are those who have run before you and are waiting at the finishing line, cheering you on. The Lord has great things in front of you, so run your race with patience until you hold the prize.
Pray: “Lord, I love it when you encourage me. I enjoy just resting in your presence. I can’t say that I really like it when you correct me, but I know that I need it from time to time. So thank you. I’m in this for the long haul. I want to run this race all the way to the end. Please show me any dangerous traps that the enemy has laid for me so that I can run as fast as I can away from them. Don’t ever allow me to get so self-righteous that I can’t see the truth that is right before me. Please alert me to any weights that I might have been carrying around with me. Clearly show me the attitudes, actions, habits, relationships and thought patterns that will slow me down and wear me out in the race that you have set before me. Show me through your written or whispered word to me. If you can’t get through, then please have someone ready to speak into my life. Help me to rely on my mentors, leaders, and life coaches that have more experience than I. I am excited to see where this race is going to take me and even more excited to receive the prize at the end. I love you…that is why I’m willing to run. I’m ready; I’m on my mark, let’s go! In Jesus Name, Amen.”
“Drops of Blood”
My mind is swirling. My mother is in Rehab recovering from hip surgery. When she gets home I am going to Michigan to take care of her. But of course that doesn't mean that everything here is going to stop just because I'm needed there. So I am trying to figure out how I can take all of my projects to my mom's to work on when I can. God is opening so many doors right now and of course the enemy is doing all that he can to distract at the same time. This week I've really had to battle with my mind, forgiving and releasing, forgiving and releasing. It's not as easy as some preachers lead you to believe. Who do you need to forgive? Family, friends, God...yourself. What do you need to let go? Consider the possibilities while you read this word.“Drops of Blood”
Picture…I was trying to look out a windowpane that was awash with rain. It was very hard to see through. But what I could see through the rain was a landscape that was dreary and barren. As I continued looking through the window, the drops became opaque in color making it even harder to see through. The drops continued to change color until they became a bright crimson red, totally obliterating the view. It was like it was raining blood. Although it sounds unpleasant, in an odd way it was rather beautiful. I asked the Lord, “What is this?” He said, “This is my blood that covers your sin, past failures, and disappointments. You cannot see the past because it is covered with my blood. You need to stop looking for it. You need to stop remembering it. You need to stop savoring it. I immediately protested, “Lord, there is no way that I am savoring the hurt and failures of my past.” I had briefly forgotten that arguing with God is futile. He has all knowledge, wisdom and understanding, and I, well, I don’t. He corrected me, “Yes you do. Every time you bring it to remembrance, you are savoring the past. I want that past to be gone for you just like your past is gone for me.”
Hear…the Lord say, “Whatever is in your past, it is over. When you repent it is removed from your record. It is removed from my memory. It saddens me when you repeatedly bring the same offenses back to me. Do you not realize that I paid the ultimate price to have those removed for you? I allowed my blood to flow freely so that it could flow all the way to you. When you constantly think on those painful failures of the past you are telling me that my blood was not enough. Do not grieve me by keeping in remembrance all that I have paid with my blood to remove from you.”
Consider: Not only has God removed your past failures and sins from His memory, but He wants to remove the sting of it from your memory as well. He wants you to see it through the blood so that it becomes something to rejoice about. Rejoice that you have a clean record before God because of Christ’s death. Rejoice that it no longer has the power to hurt you or keep you back. Right now receive the peace and joy that God wants to give you today in place of the guilt and shame. And now back to the picture. It finally stopped raining blood and I was able to see through the window once again. The rain of blood had formed a river. Everywhere the river flowed, everywhere it touched, new life began to spring up. Flowers, trees and grass sprung up. Not only can the blood of Jesus heal your wounds, sins and failures, but it can also heal whatever sickness is in your body right now. Jesus blood can heal you physically, as well as emotionally, mentally and relationally. Apply that blood to your life now, for whatever is ailing you.
Pray: “Lord I am so sorry that I keep asking you to forgive me of the same thing over and over. I didn’t realize that it hurt you for me to do so. I was just feeling bad about it, and automatically said that I was sorry, again. I realize now that it was just the enemy trying to stir up guilt in my life. Your blood is efficacious; it is sufficient to wash away all of my sins and failures. Thank you for your blood. Thank you for washing my sins all away. You are so good to me. Now I apply your blood to an area of need in my life. Heal me of ______________________. I receive the healing that you have already prepared for me and are presently holding for me until it was needed. Thank you for your forgiveness, your grace and your healing virtue. Thank you. In Jesus Name, Amen.”
Change Your Mind
Although Brent and Sol are now married and adjusting to married life, things are not really slowing down. There are so many ministry opportunities that I feel like I'm caught in a whirlwind. One of things I'm doing is preparing some of my writing to be published. I've been writing small group curriculum for our women's ministry, "Heart to Heart, for several years. I've been working on a book I'm calling, "Out of the Septic Tank" for twelve years. I like writing. I like the whole process of putting thoughts into words on paper. But everything shifted last week after a seminar our church hosted about writing and publishing books. In a fit of madness I gave a sample of my work to the teacher, who has written over a dozen books and has been in the publishing business himself. When he text my husband to ask me to call him to talk about it, I freaked. When I made the call and he told me that it had great potential and what I needed to do next, I freaked even more. My panic revealed something about myself. I was comfortable in the creating stage. I loved to be the person that was "writing" a book. But I was afraid of being the person that actually finishes AND markets a book. I was afraid of rejection, the unknown and failure. Imagine that! After all these years, I'm still struggling with some of the same fears. I was shocked. So now God is helping me change the way I think. Maybe you need to have your mind changed as well. Whatcha think?
"Change Your Mind”
Picture…a cartoon picture of a man’s head sitting on a mechanism that some garbage cans have at their base that enables you to lift the lid without touching it. You just push the mechanism with your foot and the lid opens. That is exactly what happens with this mans head. When the mechanism is pressed, the top of the man’s head flips up. You can see the man’s brain, but remember that it is in cartoon form so that it is not at all unsettling to see. Large hands reach into the opening and removes the brain, and replaces it with a brain that is golden and has the word, “mine” clearly written on the top.
Hear…the Lord say, “I want to change their minds”.
Consider: Continue to picture that golden mind as you consider the fact that God wants to give you a new mind. He wants to change the way you think. You have this mindset that if God is going to reveal something to you or bless you in any way, he is going to do it in a certain way. This criterion was developed as you observed how God moved in your past. So now you believe that if God is going to do something, he is going to do it in a specific manner. The problem is that this type of mindset, radically limits what God can do in you and through you. Just because God answered prayer a certain way in the past does not mean that he is going to do it the same way this time. In fact, knowing God, he wants to do something entirely different. He doesn’t want to be limited by your expectations. He wants you to open up your mind and understand that he has innumerable ways to release his power, glory, anointing, revelation, purpose, finances and healings. Consider the accounts of healing in the gospels. Sometimes Jesus would just speak. Sometimes he would touch. There was one occasion that he spit on the ground made mud and put it in a man’s eyes. Talk about gross, but Jesus doesn’t ever want you to limit him with your expectations. There are a number of ways that he can go about answering prayer. Don’t tell him what to do, and don’t tie his hands by expecting it to be done in a certain way and in a certain time period. Allow God to be God. Change your mind and give him permission to work in any way that HE sees fit. When you think about God, it is wise to expect the unexpected.Besides the manner in which he moves, there is something else that God wants to change your mind about. He doesn’t want to you look for things to get better. It is altogether possible that things are not going to get better. What God wants you to do is to begin to think like HE thinks and recognize that the things that are coming into your life are coming through HIS hands for a purpose. That purpose may be to correct, or change, or even to give you the wisdom that comes through experience so that you can encourage others. Rather than looking for God to change your circumstances, begin to look for God in your circumstance. Ask yourself, “What is God trying to do in me or through me?” Ask God, “What is it that you are trying to teach me? What is it that you are trying to prepare me for?” Change your mind about problems. Rather than being something that needs to be removed, think of problems as something that God can use to create HIS likeness in you. So rather than crying, begging and pleading, approach God with praise and worship. When you approach God with praise and worship in the midst of life’s struggles, in effect you are saying, “God, I trust you with my life.” When you release that kind of faith through praise and worship, God releases HIS power in you. I’m sure that you already know that anointing is released in praise and worship. Answers are received in praise and worship. Chains of bondage are broken during praise and worship. But did you know that you could also get that new golden mind in praise and worship? When God meets with you, he doesn’t come to patty-cake with you, he comes to change you. You can take ahold of that changed mind when you trust him enough to worship him with your whole heart, soul, mind and spirit. It really doesn’t matter if you are a quiet person, withdrawn person or the biggest, loudest extrovert on the planet. When it comes to worshipping God in the midst of your struggles, you need to it with everything within you.
Pray: “I worship you God, I lift you up, I praise your name. To me you are glorious, you are holy, you are righteous, you are worthy, and you are the truest thing there is. You are truth. I worship you. Holy, holy, holy, is your name, oh God, my hope, my redeemer and the “changer” of my mind. If there is anything that I need to do to change my mindset, new thought patterns that I need to create, then tell me. Show me my part in this, for I know that we are partners in all your work. I’m not asking you to just say the magic words and change my mind. I am asking you to help me to partner in the process. For I know when my thoughts travel along with yours, really great things can happen. Help me to change my thoughts about how you operate. Help me to change my thoughts about the nature of problems and what should be done with them. Help me to worship you through every one of them in Jesus Name, Amen.”
Labels: Change Your Mind
I was in Michigan this week to visit with my mom and to help her prepare for hip replacement surgery. She will not be able to bend more than 90 degrees and required some rearranging of house hold supplies, plus a bit of shopping. Even with her knee newly replaced 6 months ago and her hip NEEDING to be replaced, we enjoyed our shopping and more importantly, the swimming. She has a built in pool which is great for physical therapy, and also great for daughters visiting from Chicago with the dogs. They love the water. Our big Chocolate Lab doesn't even wait for an invitation, he just jumps in with abandon. Our little "hot dog" is much more reticent. However, he did discover a new game. While floating on a raft, he now has learned to play a combination volley ball and baseball game. For those who know Pedro, yes, it involves a ball. But it was cute rather than anoying. My mother and I laughed so hard that we cried. I was thinking of how the big guy threw himself into the water and how the little guy spent hours playing volley ball. I was also remembering how my mother and I laughed without reservation. I think that is the way to live. Totally giving yourself to whatever it is that God has for you. Giving yourself without reservation to enjoy the things that God has prepared for you. Living water...let it pour.
Picture…a torrential downpour; a rain that is coming down so hard you cannot see a foot in front of you. The rain begins to form a stream and within moments the stream becomes a raging river that sweeps everything in its path.
Hear…the Lord say, “I want to open the floodgates of Heaven and pour my Spirit into your life. I’m not interested in giving you a gentle mist that is sweet and comfortable. I want to pour out my Spirit in a flood of water, a torrential rain that washes away every pain, every difficulty, and every frustration. There are times when I need you to partner with me in change. There are times when your actions will determine my own. But today, at this very moment, I need nothing from you but your permission. Tell me whether or not you want me to drastically altar the landscape of your life. If you let me, I will. If you are fearful and you do not want the move of My Spirit in such a life changing way, I will not do it. It’s up to you.”
Consider: This morning I looked outside at dawn and I saw that the ground was wet. It had been raining through the night, a gentle rain that over a period of time soaks the ground. How many of you have ever been out in that kind of rain? I have experienced that gentle misting in Ireland, London, and Hong Kong – it happens worldwide. It’s the type of rain that just refreshes everything and makes it smell new and clean. It’s hard to even tell if it’s raining unless you put your hand out and feel it. But there is another kind of precipitation that leaves no doubt whether or not it’s raining outside. It is a torrential downpour that comes down so hard and fast that it is dangerous to drive. The windshield wipers cannot go fast enough to clear off the window so that you can see where you are going. This type of rain brings with it storm winds so strong and flood waters so strong that the typography of the ground is forever changed. That sounds scary, so most of us prefer the gentle rains that really don’t affect that much change in our lives. We can go to a church service, a small group meeting or have a private time with the Lord and leave that place feeling good but unchanged. We walk away feeling positive because we have spent time with the Lord, but we have the same thought patterns, relationships, and lifestyles as before the meeting. And honestly, some days, that is okay, but not today. Today the Lord wants to pour out His power in such a way that it changes you. It is possible that God wants to change your finances, your relationships, your commitment level, your self-talk, your priorities, your work ethic, or your whole outlook on life. But He is not going to burst through your life without your permission. God is a gentleman and He does not strong arm anyone. If you want radical change in your life, not just some little blessing that has not affect in your life three days from now, ask Him!Oh, that we might know the LORD! Let us press on to know him! Then he will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring."Hos 6:3 NLTAsk the LORD for rain in the springtime; it is the LORD who makes the storm clouds.He gives showers of rain to men, and plants of the field to everyone.Zech 10:1 NIV
Pray: “Lord, on one hand I love the idea of your blowing through my life in a radical way to affect change in the very core of who and what I am. But you know that I also like white water rafting and parasailing. I like to explore and experiment and live life a “little” on the edge. That’s one side of me. However, I know that you are aware that there is a whole other side to me that likes to stay home and read books by the fireplace. That side of me is cringing at the thought of what you might want to do in me. So I surrender my fears to you along with my life. Do what you know that I need done. I do trust you. I know that you will only do what is for my best and will bring you glory. Send the rain. Send it in downpours. Do not hold back. Do whatever you need to do in me to make me a healthier and more production Christian. In Jesus Name, Amen.”
Labels: Torrential Rains
Labels: Torrential Rains
