so here's what's been on my heart the past few days... reading the story of esther has been stirring my heart... this woman was prepared for her date with destiny. when her opportunity came, she was ready - she had been focussed on this moment for the past one year.
when opportunity meets preparation, the extraordinary happens...
opportunities rise but am i prepared for them? i've really been taking stock of my desires and requests and asking myself this question, "am i ready for the answer to that prayer?" have i invested in getting ready for the breakthrough?
when the woman with the alabaster jar anointed Jesus, she didn't walk into His presence saying, "Lord, i've got some serious issues and i need You to sort me out." no, she was prepared. she had invested greatly into her moment with Jesus. she came with the right heart, with the right actions... she did not just assume that since "Jesus is Lord" then all the responsibility was on Him to "work the miracles." she came ready to give. ready to pour out EVERYTHING. ready to humble herself. her attitude was prepared. her heart was prepared. her priorities were right - she did not elevate the opinions of men over her need for redemption and grace.
the result? in that moment, she received a new identity. we don't remember her as "the prostitute" or "the whore"... we remember her as the woman who anointed Jesus' feet... once out of the two times Jesus used the word "beautiful" was in regard to what this woman did for Him... He changed her reputation. her preparation led to a new reputation....
we are asking God for great things... and He is MORE THAN ABLE ... but are we ready? if God DID bring that husband right now, are you prepared to be the awesome wife? if God DID bring the millions, do you have everything in place to handle the new responsibility of wealth?
never undervalue the season of preparation. never assume it's only up to God to wave His magic wand and grant your list of desires... be READY for the breakthrough... be RESPONSIBLE in the time of waiting for it.
are we ready? or not?
Friday, September 17, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
audible worship vs. visible worship
so this is what i've been thinkin about lately - we, as worship leaders, followers of Christ, members of His body... we make the gospel audible. we preach it. we write lyrics and then sing about it. we have bible study and discuss it. we update our facebook status' about our faith, our convictions, our message... (which are all good things)
but can the message be SEEN? is our worship VISIBLE??
"God's Way is not a matter of mere talk; it's an empowered life." - 1 corinthians 4:18
"dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? for instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "good morning, friend! be clothed in Christ! be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?"
- james 2:14
if my mouth was to be taped shut, my talking and singing silenced, would the love of Christ and the message of truth still be evident and obvious in my life? would i be marked as a believer in Jesus? would i still be "a worshipper"?? do my actions reflect my relationship with God?
like st. francis of old said, "preach the gospel to all the world. if necessary, use words."
help a friend. do something kind that isn't expected of you. meet a need. compliment. encourage. take the time to find out the street kids name instead of just waving him off. identify places you can be the solution and be it. forgive. speak good about others. defend the defenseless. do what needs to be done without waiting to be asked. bring your office mate a cup of tea. pray for God to give you creative ways to show His love.
we are the Body of Christ - that includes the hands, feet, heart, ears.... not just the mouth.
selah.
but can the message be SEEN? is our worship VISIBLE??
"God's Way is not a matter of mere talk; it's an empowered life." - 1 corinthians 4:18
"dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? for instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "good morning, friend! be clothed in Christ! be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?"
- james 2:14
if my mouth was to be taped shut, my talking and singing silenced, would the love of Christ and the message of truth still be evident and obvious in my life? would i be marked as a believer in Jesus? would i still be "a worshipper"?? do my actions reflect my relationship with God?
like st. francis of old said, "preach the gospel to all the world. if necessary, use words."
help a friend. do something kind that isn't expected of you. meet a need. compliment. encourage. take the time to find out the street kids name instead of just waving him off. identify places you can be the solution and be it. forgive. speak good about others. defend the defenseless. do what needs to be done without waiting to be asked. bring your office mate a cup of tea. pray for God to give you creative ways to show His love.
we are the Body of Christ - that includes the hands, feet, heart, ears.... not just the mouth.
selah.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
feeling burdened...
it amazes me and puts the renewed fear of God in me when i'm reminded of the story in the old testament of achan... a man who disobeyed his authority's instructions and took something from the spoils of war. he hid them under his tent. (you can read about it in joshua 7). when joshua sent his troops to what seemed an easy and obvious victory, they were defeated... defeated and confused. why would they lose? had they lost God's favor? when joshua cried out to God and asked Him why they had been defeated, God answered, "there are cursed things in the camp."
there are cursed things in the camp.
"cursed" - evil, ungodly, disgusting, forbidden, wicked...
why aren't we winning the battle? there are evil things in the camp... why aren't we succeeding in our attempts? there are ungodly things in the camp... why is the seemingly simple turning into the complicated? there are disgusting things in the camp... forbidden things, wicked things.
and they are hidden. under the tent. no one can see them. only we know if they are there in our own lives...
and the battle will NOT be won as long as something is hidden...
i cannot tell you how that makes me take my life into account again... what am i hiding? what is ungodly? what is forbidden?
we hate words like that in the church now... words like "forbidden. wicked. evil." those words are so NOT politically correct, so "judgemental," and not at all "tolerant." we sometimes prefer words like "unwise." or we like to say, "i'm struggling," instead of "i'm sinning."
one of the things that is hardest for me to overcome is the ability to get "smart" with what i know. i can so easily justify and explain things...i can come up with scriptures and arguments and reasoning... i can convince myself that i am ok, that i am alright. i start filling my journals with the scriptures about "His mercy is new every morning," and "God is faithful and just to forgive us..." (which are all true, but i use these verses to hide all the more, not to expose and heal). i can hide behind knowledge. knowledge puffs up. knowledge gives me false security. knowledge gives me false spirituality...
i know it's not just me... when God says, "be holy as I am holy," how do we somehow take that to mean that it's ok for us to watch programs on tv that are about adultery and fornication?? yes, maybe there are no "scenes," but we're being entertained by the drama of SIN. we're being entertained by music about SIN.
we're being entertained by the very things that put Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary... we're laughing at it, being amused by it... how it must hurt His heart...
why isn't "the Church" winning the battles? maybe because we have the forbidden in our tent. we can't say, "it's in my tent, it's my business, my personal choices are not affecting anyone else." oh yes, they are.
my pastor said something powerful this past week - authority is there to keep you from sin. sin will keep you from your authority. is there ANYTHING AT ALL in your life that you would not want to show your pastor or tell him/her about?? i can almost guarantee you that that thing, whatever it may be, is not of God. anything we want to hide is not of God. yes, there are things in our lives that are private and personal... i would NOT want to expose every detail of my life to any passer by. but my authority? my pastors? my leaders?? that's what they are THERE for... to keep me safe, to walk with me, to help me be the overcomer!! when i say that anything we want to hide is not from God, i'm not talking about personal things that we keep from the general public... when surgery is done, it's not done in the public square. we don't want to expose our problem or our hurt to anyone and everyone. there is a place. there is a team. there is the Great Surgeon (God) and His nurses (our leaders) who are there to expose the sickness or the problem and deal with it. they bring it to the light... they uncover it so that it might be corrected and then healed and then covered (but this time, it's God, in His mercy and His unfailing love, that covers the wound so that it might heal...He gives the nurses (the leaders) the instructions on how to care for us and follow it up...). the Great Surgeon tells His team what to do and what not to do (trust your pastors...)
oh God, let it not be me... let me not be the one hiding something in my tent, something forbidden, something evil, something unholy...and causing defeat. help me, Lord, to have the boldness to TRUST YOU and TRUST those that YOU have given to help me... help me to lay aside pride that would keep me from exposing what i need to...
...help me to be holy as You are holy...
there are cursed things in the camp.
"cursed" - evil, ungodly, disgusting, forbidden, wicked...
why aren't we winning the battle? there are evil things in the camp... why aren't we succeeding in our attempts? there are ungodly things in the camp... why is the seemingly simple turning into the complicated? there are disgusting things in the camp... forbidden things, wicked things.
and they are hidden. under the tent. no one can see them. only we know if they are there in our own lives...
and the battle will NOT be won as long as something is hidden...
i cannot tell you how that makes me take my life into account again... what am i hiding? what is ungodly? what is forbidden?
we hate words like that in the church now... words like "forbidden. wicked. evil." those words are so NOT politically correct, so "judgemental," and not at all "tolerant." we sometimes prefer words like "unwise." or we like to say, "i'm struggling," instead of "i'm sinning."
one of the things that is hardest for me to overcome is the ability to get "smart" with what i know. i can so easily justify and explain things...i can come up with scriptures and arguments and reasoning... i can convince myself that i am ok, that i am alright. i start filling my journals with the scriptures about "His mercy is new every morning," and "God is faithful and just to forgive us..." (which are all true, but i use these verses to hide all the more, not to expose and heal). i can hide behind knowledge. knowledge puffs up. knowledge gives me false security. knowledge gives me false spirituality...
i know it's not just me... when God says, "be holy as I am holy," how do we somehow take that to mean that it's ok for us to watch programs on tv that are about adultery and fornication?? yes, maybe there are no "scenes," but we're being entertained by the drama of SIN. we're being entertained by music about SIN.
we're being entertained by the very things that put Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary... we're laughing at it, being amused by it... how it must hurt His heart...
why isn't "the Church" winning the battles? maybe because we have the forbidden in our tent. we can't say, "it's in my tent, it's my business, my personal choices are not affecting anyone else." oh yes, they are.
my pastor said something powerful this past week - authority is there to keep you from sin. sin will keep you from your authority. is there ANYTHING AT ALL in your life that you would not want to show your pastor or tell him/her about?? i can almost guarantee you that that thing, whatever it may be, is not of God. anything we want to hide is not of God. yes, there are things in our lives that are private and personal... i would NOT want to expose every detail of my life to any passer by. but my authority? my pastors? my leaders?? that's what they are THERE for... to keep me safe, to walk with me, to help me be the overcomer!! when i say that anything we want to hide is not from God, i'm not talking about personal things that we keep from the general public... when surgery is done, it's not done in the public square. we don't want to expose our problem or our hurt to anyone and everyone. there is a place. there is a team. there is the Great Surgeon (God) and His nurses (our leaders) who are there to expose the sickness or the problem and deal with it. they bring it to the light... they uncover it so that it might be corrected and then healed and then covered (but this time, it's God, in His mercy and His unfailing love, that covers the wound so that it might heal...He gives the nurses (the leaders) the instructions on how to care for us and follow it up...). the Great Surgeon tells His team what to do and what not to do (trust your pastors...)
oh God, let it not be me... let me not be the one hiding something in my tent, something forbidden, something evil, something unholy...and causing defeat. help me, Lord, to have the boldness to TRUST YOU and TRUST those that YOU have given to help me... help me to lay aside pride that would keep me from exposing what i need to...
...help me to be holy as You are holy...
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
reality check
we live in a day and age when what used to be black and white has somehow become all kinds of shades of grey... things that would've rarely, if ever, been heard of happening 25 years ago in the church are now commonplace and ordinary. further still, those who might question what is happening are many times deemed "old fashioned" or "still bound to the law" etc etc... i find myself often in a struggle...wanting to be relevant, current and real yet fearing having the "form of godliness but denying its power." isn't everything about who we are and what we're doing as believers meant to be centered around loving God, holiness, purity, being set apart?? i once read, or heard someone say (can't remember) that "the closer you get to fire, the more you will burn." so it would seem to me that the argument of "i've been a Christian for so long, i can handle that now" (eg. watching tv shows with vulgar language, suggestive scenes, listening to unChristlike music, etc)...is woefully backwards. shouldn't it be the reverse? shouldn't it be that the longer i walk with God, the LESS of the worlds ways i tolerate?? the closer i get to the Fire, the more the flesh burns??
john 4:23 "a time will come, however, indeed it is already here, when the true (genuine) worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth (reality); for the Father is seeking just such people as these as His worshipers." (amplified bible)
the greek word for "truth" is reality. God is looking for people who worship in reality. worship... a word that is now sadly confused with a genre of music, "slow Christian songs", the segment of our church services when we sing... is that what it is??
romans 12:1 "so here's what i want you to do, God helping you: take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering..." (message bible)
the amplified translates it "this is our spiritual worship." everyday, ordinary life - sleeping, eating, going to work, walking around....THIS is our spiritual worship??? man...where did we get confused? when did we start teaching that slow songs is worship?
God is looking for people who give Him their lives in REALITY - work, family, words, thoughts, the dvd's i watch, the way i talk to my siblings, my attitude towards authority, handling finances... THESE are the worshippers the Father is seeking...
and when you think about it, so is the world.... the world is looking for REALITY. why do you think reality shows have become so popular? why do you think secular music is so popular?? because of its great singers with great bands and great production, etc... NO! it's because it's REAL!!! those singers are LIVING the message, walking it out to the fullest!! their singing about sex, money, drugs and they are doing ALL of it!! it's not just words in their mouths, it's reality in their lives... and yet here is the church, here is ME singing about joy but i'm sad and singing about provision but i'm broke, singing about purity but i'm compromising... and the world (even the church) sees right through my phony song (skilled though it may be) and they get disillusioned and discouraged. they want something that WORKS, something that is REAL!! real joy. real love. real purpose. the world is DESPERATELY searching for it... are they finding it in me?? are they finding a REAL Jesus in me? a REAL love in me? a REAL peace in me?? or just words, vain hope, empty promises...?
God wants something real. He wants someone real. genuine. not just a singer. not just a dancer. not just a church-goer. He wants a worshipper... a man or a woman, a boy or a girl who is LIVING the truth... walking the talk... someone who's LIFE is their SONG....
it does get confusing sometimes to know what is right or wrong in this day and age... but i'm being challenged to remember this... God wants me to be a real worshipper. that often helps me separate the black from the white... whatever conversation is true, whatever dvd's are noble, whatever decision is right, whatever music is pure, whatever attitude is lovely, whatever friends are admirable...dwell on them...
reality? check.
john 4:23 "a time will come, however, indeed it is already here, when the true (genuine) worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth (reality); for the Father is seeking just such people as these as His worshipers." (amplified bible)
the greek word for "truth" is reality. God is looking for people who worship in reality. worship... a word that is now sadly confused with a genre of music, "slow Christian songs", the segment of our church services when we sing... is that what it is??
romans 12:1 "so here's what i want you to do, God helping you: take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering..." (message bible)
the amplified translates it "this is our spiritual worship." everyday, ordinary life - sleeping, eating, going to work, walking around....THIS is our spiritual worship??? man...where did we get confused? when did we start teaching that slow songs is worship?
God is looking for people who give Him their lives in REALITY - work, family, words, thoughts, the dvd's i watch, the way i talk to my siblings, my attitude towards authority, handling finances... THESE are the worshippers the Father is seeking...
and when you think about it, so is the world.... the world is looking for REALITY. why do you think reality shows have become so popular? why do you think secular music is so popular?? because of its great singers with great bands and great production, etc... NO! it's because it's REAL!!! those singers are LIVING the message, walking it out to the fullest!! their singing about sex, money, drugs and they are doing ALL of it!! it's not just words in their mouths, it's reality in their lives... and yet here is the church, here is ME singing about joy but i'm sad and singing about provision but i'm broke, singing about purity but i'm compromising... and the world (even the church) sees right through my phony song (skilled though it may be) and they get disillusioned and discouraged. they want something that WORKS, something that is REAL!! real joy. real love. real purpose. the world is DESPERATELY searching for it... are they finding it in me?? are they finding a REAL Jesus in me? a REAL love in me? a REAL peace in me?? or just words, vain hope, empty promises...?
God wants something real. He wants someone real. genuine. not just a singer. not just a dancer. not just a church-goer. He wants a worshipper... a man or a woman, a boy or a girl who is LIVING the truth... walking the talk... someone who's LIFE is their SONG....
it does get confusing sometimes to know what is right or wrong in this day and age... but i'm being challenged to remember this... God wants me to be a real worshipper. that often helps me separate the black from the white... whatever conversation is true, whatever dvd's are noble, whatever decision is right, whatever music is pure, whatever attitude is lovely, whatever friends are admirable...dwell on them...
reality? check.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
...this chosen road...
so, needless to say, it has been a long time since i last wrote...
silence seems a better fit for some seasons,
but by the design of a wise God, seasons change...
winter doesn't last forever...
there's no way to fully capture all that i've learned in the past year or so... sadly, sometimes lessons are learned the hard way and i bear the scars of foolish choices, disappointment, failure and frustration - and yet, i also wear the crown of wisdom gained, trust renewed and determination to walk the road that God has mapped out for me.
let it suffice, for now, for me to simply share the lyrics of a song that i wrote some time back... the anthem of my journey now...
"this chosen road"
i hear Your voice calling me to follow where You lead
but sometimes surrender is harder than it seems
if i could know where this would end, maybe then i'd take Your hand
can i learn to walk by faith with You?
can i follow and surrender to this path You lead me on?
can i trust You even though this road seems hard and long?
can i let go? can i let You be God?
can i walk this narrow road?
i hear the call of yesterday and the shame of all that's been
but the call of my tomorrow is echoing within
can i leave the past behind, and trust You one more time
and be embraced by arms of grace that reach for me?
can i follow and surrender to this path You lead me on?
can i trust You even though this road is hard and long?
can i let go? can i let You be God?
can i walk this narrow road?
i hear the song of heaven singing over me
yet i'll never fully understand this Love that rescues me
it doesn't matter where it ends, i will surrender to Your plan
i've got to learn to walk by faith with You
so i'll follow and surrender to this path You lead me on
i'll trust You even though this road seems hard and long
i will let go, i will let You be God
i will walk this narrow road...
...i will walk this chosen road...
silence seems a better fit for some seasons,
but by the design of a wise God, seasons change...
winter doesn't last forever...
there's no way to fully capture all that i've learned in the past year or so... sadly, sometimes lessons are learned the hard way and i bear the scars of foolish choices, disappointment, failure and frustration - and yet, i also wear the crown of wisdom gained, trust renewed and determination to walk the road that God has mapped out for me.
let it suffice, for now, for me to simply share the lyrics of a song that i wrote some time back... the anthem of my journey now...
"this chosen road"
i hear Your voice calling me to follow where You lead
but sometimes surrender is harder than it seems
if i could know where this would end, maybe then i'd take Your hand
can i learn to walk by faith with You?
can i follow and surrender to this path You lead me on?
can i trust You even though this road seems hard and long?
can i let go? can i let You be God?
can i walk this narrow road?
i hear the call of yesterday and the shame of all that's been
but the call of my tomorrow is echoing within
can i leave the past behind, and trust You one more time
and be embraced by arms of grace that reach for me?
can i follow and surrender to this path You lead me on?
can i trust You even though this road is hard and long?
can i let go? can i let You be God?
can i walk this narrow road?
i hear the song of heaven singing over me
yet i'll never fully understand this Love that rescues me
it doesn't matter where it ends, i will surrender to Your plan
i've got to learn to walk by faith with You
so i'll follow and surrender to this path You lead me on
i'll trust You even though this road seems hard and long
i will let go, i will let You be God
i will walk this narrow road...
...i will walk this chosen road...
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