This is for all of you out there who love Jesus as much as I do. This link to the below song/video is INCREDIBLE. Raise your hands, fall on your knees - however you feel lead to worship your King, grab a tissue and enjoy! This is my new favorite song!! I've even included the lyrics for you.
,Brandi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoC1ec-lYps
"He loves us"
by Kim Walker
RingtonesSend "How He Loves" Ringtone to your CellRingtones
He is jealous for me
Loves like a hurricane
I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy
When all of a sudden I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by Glory
And I realize just how beautiful you are and how great your affections are for me
Oh how he loves us, so
Oh How he loves us, how he loves us so
He is jealous for me
Loves like a hurricane
I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy
When all of a sudden I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by Glory
And I realize just how beautiful you are and how great your affections are for me
And oh, how he loves us so,
Oh how he loves us, how he loves us so
Yeah he loves us
Oh how he loves us
Oh how he loves us
Oh how he loves
We are his portion and he is our prize
Drawn to redemption by the grace in his eyes
If grace is an ocean we’re all sinking
So, heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way
He loves us
Oh how he loves us
Oh how he loves us
Oh how he loves
Yeah, he loves us
Oh how he loves us
Oh how he loves us
Oh how he loves
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
He loves us
Oh how he loves us
Oh how he loves us
Oh how he loves
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
"Awake, Deborahs, Awake!"
Jill Austin: "Awake, Deborahs, Awake! Part 1"
by Jill Austin
Oct 28, 2008
The Body of Christ is in a radical transition time due to the global shaking that is happening all over the world. The acceleration and advancement of radical Islam throughout the earth, the new surge of power with the Hamas, and the critical dangers that face Israel every single day will only be won on our knees.
Intimacy with God is the highest purpose for which we were created, but are we REALLY seeking His highest purpose for our lives? If we really understood God's love and heart for us, we'd be making radical choices to be with Him more than any other activity in life! If we had a revelation of His true jealousy to have uninterrupted time with us, we'd turn the world upside down like His disciples did!
But instead, we've been lulled to sleep or are enamored with the trinkets of life while missing the real treasures of God. Many believers are experiencing "Hope deferred makes the heart sick," so they're leaving the Church because they have no passion, no purpose, no power, and no sense of His presence, but they have no secret life in God either! Will it take a crisis to bring us into an intimate relationship with Jesus?
What was it about Deborah that caught His gaze? Her uncompromising dedication moved the very heart of God and He changed the very heart of Deborah. She spent SO much time in the temple in prayer and worship that she was dripping with oil. Because of that, she could hear the Lord's voice clearly, operate with keen discernment for the times and seasons she faced as well as her daily decisions with the people, and when the call to battle came, she was absolutely ready!
Deborah was being prepared for battle in the secret place! This is where the true victory lies in communing with Him one-on-one. That is our place of safety and truth!
It is time to stop talking about intimacy with God - it's time to REALLY do it!
Who Was Deborah?
Imagine a teenage girl being elected as Pope and single-handedly tearing down all the walls of division between Catholics and Protestants. Hard to even fathom that possibility isn't it? Now imagine a middle-aged, gray-haired, Jewish housewife and mother being raised up over 3,000 years ago to lead Israel in one of the most improbable military victories of history!
Allow me to introduce to you our unlikely candidate and heroine of the faith: Deborah. I have heard very little being taught about her. I always hear about Gideon, Samuel and some of the other judges, but when I studied Deborah, I fell in love with her. Deborah is very unique and a little controversial because she was a woman who held the highest executive office in the land of Canaan, or Israel, at the time.
An ancient Joan of Arc, Deborah appears in the sacred annals of Israel's history as the nation's fourth judge, the third woman prophetess (after Miriam and Rachel) and a deliverer of God's people. Deborah was in a class of her own; her leadership role was unprecedented and unparalleled! She was a woman who led a nation to victory against all odds. And she did this in a patriarchal era where there was no precedent for women leaders.
Cycles of Israel's Rebellion and Deliverance
The whole book of Judges covered approximately 325 years. After the Israelites entered the Promised Land, Joshua and the elders died and the 12 tribes of Israel were separated in the land of Canaan. The tragic pattern of the Book of Judges is this: the people went into rebellion - they worshipped other gods and intermarried into pagan tribes.
The Lord brought judgment against them. They cried out to God for deliverance. The Lord would raise up a judge, there would be a battle, Israel would be delivered and peace would be on the land for a season. After the judge died, the people went back to rebellion and the Lord once again brought heavy oppression. This cycle happened six different times!
Gwen Shaw accurately pens in her book, Deborah and Jael:
"Their homes were raided and ransacked, their crops plundered, their maidens raped, their fathers mocked and their sons murdered. People could not walk in the highways anymore. They were locked up in their homes, and some even had to forsake their lands and dwellings because the enemy took possession of them. They lived in caves and dens. Their sheep and goats were stolen from them; their harvests were carried off as soon as they were reaped. They lost their olives, dates, figs, grapes, wheat, barley, and their pomegranates. This left them hungry, destitute, and desperate. They throw God out of their schools, laws, their hearts and lives, claiming they don't need Him. But when they are in trouble, they wonder where He is, and why He didn't save them and prevent tragedy."
The Lord is so jealous for each one of us to love Him and know Him. When we start to move away from Him, He allows evil kings to oppress us. The Word tells us that God is the one who appoints evil kings and magistrates, but He also raises up the godly judges and kings! Deborah was the fourth judge, and for the first 20 years of her 40-year reign, the nation was oppressed by one of history's most powerful and cruel Canaanite kings: Jabin, and his cunning military commander, Sisera (see Judges 4:1-4).
Deborah Captured the Gaze of God
What is astounding is that the Lord raised up a woman to deliver a nation! What is especially surprising is that it happened in the Middle East thousands of years ago! Deborah was not only a wife, mother, intercessor and prophetess, but also a judge and a national deliverer. This is not a bad resume for a middle-aged woman living in that oppressive Middle Eastern culture.
Against great odds, God used her powerfully. Deborah broke outside of her culture, but she wasn't in rebellion, she was in obedience - to her God. She was used radically and set her people free, and the people loved her. It's a wonderful story of faith in God, and it champions men and women partnering together in a war to save their nation from great oppression.
When we read about this radical prophetess and judge, it expands our theology of women being allowed to lead governmentally. But I really feel that God is raising up a company of end-time Deborahs. There is great global shaking that has only begun, and the Lord is calling not only the men, but also the women of God! The Lord is saying:
"Wake up, Deborah, be a part of the army of the Lord!"
God's eyes are searching to and fro over the earth looking for a heart that is fully His (see 2 Chronicles 16:9).
What caught His gaze when He came to Deborah? Was it the uncompromising fire of holiness, an unwavering faith, or an unrelenting love that set her apart? Was it something about the integrity of her character, the otherworldliness of her wisdom, and the richness of her kindness which bred confidence in both men and women?
There are two root words for "consecrate" in Hebrew: naver (separating from) and kadesh (separating unto). Deborah, like the other champions of the faith, was separated from the world and unto God. She did nothing on her own but spoke just what the Father taught her. This is where the true victory lies in listening to Him.
Jill Austin
Master Potter Ministries
Email: info@masterpotter.com
ElijahList Publications
310 2nd Ave SE,
Albany, OR 97321
www.elijahlist.com
email: info@elijahlist.net
Phone 1-541-926-3250
by Jill Austin
Oct 28, 2008
The Body of Christ is in a radical transition time due to the global shaking that is happening all over the world. The acceleration and advancement of radical Islam throughout the earth, the new surge of power with the Hamas, and the critical dangers that face Israel every single day will only be won on our knees.
Intimacy with God is the highest purpose for which we were created, but are we REALLY seeking His highest purpose for our lives? If we really understood God's love and heart for us, we'd be making radical choices to be with Him more than any other activity in life! If we had a revelation of His true jealousy to have uninterrupted time with us, we'd turn the world upside down like His disciples did!
But instead, we've been lulled to sleep or are enamored with the trinkets of life while missing the real treasures of God. Many believers are experiencing "Hope deferred makes the heart sick," so they're leaving the Church because they have no passion, no purpose, no power, and no sense of His presence, but they have no secret life in God either! Will it take a crisis to bring us into an intimate relationship with Jesus?
What was it about Deborah that caught His gaze? Her uncompromising dedication moved the very heart of God and He changed the very heart of Deborah. She spent SO much time in the temple in prayer and worship that she was dripping with oil. Because of that, she could hear the Lord's voice clearly, operate with keen discernment for the times and seasons she faced as well as her daily decisions with the people, and when the call to battle came, she was absolutely ready!
Deborah was being prepared for battle in the secret place! This is where the true victory lies in communing with Him one-on-one. That is our place of safety and truth!
It is time to stop talking about intimacy with God - it's time to REALLY do it!
Who Was Deborah?
Imagine a teenage girl being elected as Pope and single-handedly tearing down all the walls of division between Catholics and Protestants. Hard to even fathom that possibility isn't it? Now imagine a middle-aged, gray-haired, Jewish housewife and mother being raised up over 3,000 years ago to lead Israel in one of the most improbable military victories of history!
Allow me to introduce to you our unlikely candidate and heroine of the faith: Deborah. I have heard very little being taught about her. I always hear about Gideon, Samuel and some of the other judges, but when I studied Deborah, I fell in love with her. Deborah is very unique and a little controversial because she was a woman who held the highest executive office in the land of Canaan, or Israel, at the time.
An ancient Joan of Arc, Deborah appears in the sacred annals of Israel's history as the nation's fourth judge, the third woman prophetess (after Miriam and Rachel) and a deliverer of God's people. Deborah was in a class of her own; her leadership role was unprecedented and unparalleled! She was a woman who led a nation to victory against all odds. And she did this in a patriarchal era where there was no precedent for women leaders.
Cycles of Israel's Rebellion and Deliverance
The whole book of Judges covered approximately 325 years. After the Israelites entered the Promised Land, Joshua and the elders died and the 12 tribes of Israel were separated in the land of Canaan. The tragic pattern of the Book of Judges is this: the people went into rebellion - they worshipped other gods and intermarried into pagan tribes.
The Lord brought judgment against them. They cried out to God for deliverance. The Lord would raise up a judge, there would be a battle, Israel would be delivered and peace would be on the land for a season. After the judge died, the people went back to rebellion and the Lord once again brought heavy oppression. This cycle happened six different times!
Gwen Shaw accurately pens in her book, Deborah and Jael:
"Their homes were raided and ransacked, their crops plundered, their maidens raped, their fathers mocked and their sons murdered. People could not walk in the highways anymore. They were locked up in their homes, and some even had to forsake their lands and dwellings because the enemy took possession of them. They lived in caves and dens. Their sheep and goats were stolen from them; their harvests were carried off as soon as they were reaped. They lost their olives, dates, figs, grapes, wheat, barley, and their pomegranates. This left them hungry, destitute, and desperate. They throw God out of their schools, laws, their hearts and lives, claiming they don't need Him. But when they are in trouble, they wonder where He is, and why He didn't save them and prevent tragedy."
The Lord is so jealous for each one of us to love Him and know Him. When we start to move away from Him, He allows evil kings to oppress us. The Word tells us that God is the one who appoints evil kings and magistrates, but He also raises up the godly judges and kings! Deborah was the fourth judge, and for the first 20 years of her 40-year reign, the nation was oppressed by one of history's most powerful and cruel Canaanite kings: Jabin, and his cunning military commander, Sisera (see Judges 4:1-4).
Deborah Captured the Gaze of God
What is astounding is that the Lord raised up a woman to deliver a nation! What is especially surprising is that it happened in the Middle East thousands of years ago! Deborah was not only a wife, mother, intercessor and prophetess, but also a judge and a national deliverer. This is not a bad resume for a middle-aged woman living in that oppressive Middle Eastern culture.
Against great odds, God used her powerfully. Deborah broke outside of her culture, but she wasn't in rebellion, she was in obedience - to her God. She was used radically and set her people free, and the people loved her. It's a wonderful story of faith in God, and it champions men and women partnering together in a war to save their nation from great oppression.
When we read about this radical prophetess and judge, it expands our theology of women being allowed to lead governmentally. But I really feel that God is raising up a company of end-time Deborahs. There is great global shaking that has only begun, and the Lord is calling not only the men, but also the women of God! The Lord is saying:
"Wake up, Deborah, be a part of the army of the Lord!"
God's eyes are searching to and fro over the earth looking for a heart that is fully His (see 2 Chronicles 16:9).
What caught His gaze when He came to Deborah? Was it the uncompromising fire of holiness, an unwavering faith, or an unrelenting love that set her apart? Was it something about the integrity of her character, the otherworldliness of her wisdom, and the richness of her kindness which bred confidence in both men and women?
There are two root words for "consecrate" in Hebrew: naver (separating from) and kadesh (separating unto). Deborah, like the other champions of the faith, was separated from the world and unto God. She did nothing on her own but spoke just what the Father taught her. This is where the true victory lies in listening to Him.
Jill Austin
Master Potter Ministries
Email: info@masterpotter.com
ElijahList Publications
310 2nd Ave SE,
Albany, OR 97321
www.elijahlist.com
email: info@elijahlist.net
Phone 1-541-926-3250
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Anything can happen
Mark 9:23 (NIV)
" 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."
Mark 9:23 (The Message)
Jesus said, "If? There are no 'ifs' among believers. Anything can happen."
God has been showing me lately that anything is possible with Him. To me, this means a little more than just "I can do all things with God." It means that things I didn't think were possible for me, things I thought I would never do, He is saying I can do. Lately God has been encouraging me to open my mind and my heart to His possibilities. Don't put Him in a box! He wants to do great, even unthinkable things in and through me that I never dreamed of. He wants me to step out of fear and trust Him to show me what I can really do, in Him.
Psalm 77:19 (New Living Translation)
"Your road led through the sea,your pathway through the mighty waters—a pathway no one knew was there!"
Think about this for a minute..........God already knows everything that will happen. So, if He already knew, in advance, that His chosen people would escape the Egyptian army, by Him parting the Red Sea and them walking right down the middle of it, we can conclude that He always knew that footpath was there. But, did they always know it was there? Do you think they ever dreamed that that would be the path God would lead them down to reach their freedom? Years before this, did they ever look at that sea and think, "One day, God will part this and I will be walking through it on dry land". Of course not!!
I believe it's the same way with us today. There may be a path, a road, a ministry that God wants us to enter into that He has known about forever, but we have just not yet seen it. He has not yet revealed it to us. It may be something that we, in our limited thinking, would never, ever dream of, for ourselves. God is saying, "Think big, because I'm big and anything can happen with me!"
" 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."
Mark 9:23 (The Message)
Jesus said, "If? There are no 'ifs' among believers. Anything can happen."
God has been showing me lately that anything is possible with Him. To me, this means a little more than just "I can do all things with God." It means that things I didn't think were possible for me, things I thought I would never do, He is saying I can do. Lately God has been encouraging me to open my mind and my heart to His possibilities. Don't put Him in a box! He wants to do great, even unthinkable things in and through me that I never dreamed of. He wants me to step out of fear and trust Him to show me what I can really do, in Him.
Psalm 77:19 (New Living Translation)
"Your road led through the sea,your pathway through the mighty waters—a pathway no one knew was there!"
Think about this for a minute..........God already knows everything that will happen. So, if He already knew, in advance, that His chosen people would escape the Egyptian army, by Him parting the Red Sea and them walking right down the middle of it, we can conclude that He always knew that footpath was there. But, did they always know it was there? Do you think they ever dreamed that that would be the path God would lead them down to reach their freedom? Years before this, did they ever look at that sea and think, "One day, God will part this and I will be walking through it on dry land". Of course not!!
I believe it's the same way with us today. There may be a path, a road, a ministry that God wants us to enter into that He has known about forever, but we have just not yet seen it. He has not yet revealed it to us. It may be something that we, in our limited thinking, would never, ever dream of, for ourselves. God is saying, "Think big, because I'm big and anything can happen with me!"
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Satisfy the needs of the oppressed
Isaiah 58:6-12 (New International Version)
6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness [a] will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
"If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
11 The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness [a] will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
"If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
11 The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
Monday, August 10, 2009
.......that the God of glory would use us!
Christ's willingness to empower us can overwhelm us. Simon Peter already knew Jesus possessed extraordinary power, but he felt the real impact of Christ's power when that authority worked through his own hands. Suddenly the fisherman fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" (Luke 5:8)
What blessed condescension that the God of glory would use us! What humility the realization should bring! Isaiah cried, "Woe to me!...I am ruined" (Isaiah 6:5). Peter cried, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" (Luke 5:8). Both men were overwhelmed, not just by what they had done. They were overwhelmed by what they were: sinful men. Do not miss the fact that neither was prepared to receive their call until they confronted their sin.
I've certainly never experienced an encounter like Isaiah's or Peter's, but I have assuredly faced moments of such stark realization of my own sin that I felt unbearable pain. Interestingly, those moments did not come during times of rebellion, but rather, they came during close encounters with God when I drew close enough to get an eyeful of myself.
I will never forget the realizations that brought me to surrender to the crucified life. Suddenly I realized that even if I could cease all sinful behavior, I would continue to battle sin throughout my life because I don't just commit sin. Apart from God, I am sinful. My problem is not just what I do; it's who I am without His nature.
Those realizations were both harrowing and liberating. The surrender resulting from the realization of my own innate unholiness did more to activate the holiness of God in me than anything I've ever experienced. How like God! Even our painful realizations of sinfulness are to mortify us to new life.
- Beth Moore, "Jesus the One and Only"
What blessed condescension that the God of glory would use us! What humility the realization should bring! Isaiah cried, "Woe to me!...I am ruined" (Isaiah 6:5). Peter cried, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" (Luke 5:8). Both men were overwhelmed, not just by what they had done. They were overwhelmed by what they were: sinful men. Do not miss the fact that neither was prepared to receive their call until they confronted their sin.
I've certainly never experienced an encounter like Isaiah's or Peter's, but I have assuredly faced moments of such stark realization of my own sin that I felt unbearable pain. Interestingly, those moments did not come during times of rebellion, but rather, they came during close encounters with God when I drew close enough to get an eyeful of myself.
I will never forget the realizations that brought me to surrender to the crucified life. Suddenly I realized that even if I could cease all sinful behavior, I would continue to battle sin throughout my life because I don't just commit sin. Apart from God, I am sinful. My problem is not just what I do; it's who I am without His nature.
Those realizations were both harrowing and liberating. The surrender resulting from the realization of my own innate unholiness did more to activate the holiness of God in me than anything I've ever experienced. How like God! Even our painful realizations of sinfulness are to mortify us to new life.
- Beth Moore, "Jesus the One and Only"
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
"The Baffling Call of God"
"The Baffling Call of God"
(Luke 18:31, 34)
"And all things that were written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man shall be accomplished...And they (the disciples) understood none of these things."
If we are in communion with God and recognize that He is taking us into His purposes, we shall no longer try to find out what His purposes are. As we go on in the Christian life it gets simpler, because we are less inclined to say - Now why did God allow this and that? Behind the whole thing lies the compelling of God. "There's a divinity that shapes our ends." A Christian is one who trusts the wits and the wisdom of God, and not his own wits. If we have a purpose of our own, it destroys the simplicity and the leisureliness which ought to characterize the children of God.
- Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest
(Luke 18:31, 34)
"And all things that were written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man shall be accomplished...And they (the disciples) understood none of these things."
If we are in communion with God and recognize that He is taking us into His purposes, we shall no longer try to find out what His purposes are. As we go on in the Christian life it gets simpler, because we are less inclined to say - Now why did God allow this and that? Behind the whole thing lies the compelling of God. "There's a divinity that shapes our ends." A Christian is one who trusts the wits and the wisdom of God, and not his own wits. If we have a purpose of our own, it destroys the simplicity and the leisureliness which ought to characterize the children of God.
- Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest
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