Here is a good shot of hope for us, who are in the world but not of the world.......
2 Corinthians 4:7 (The Message)
"If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us. As it is, there's not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we're not much to look at. We've been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we're not demoralized; we're not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we've been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn't left our side; we've been thrown down, but we haven't broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus' sake, which makes Jesus' life all the more evident in us. While we're going through the worst, you're getting in on the best!"
Friday, July 30, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
Who are you delighted to see?
Wise words from a wise man......Bobby Arnold:
I'd challenge anyone to spend time star gazing and not come away with a greater awe of and trust in God. He simply lays a bit of Himself out before you.
It is like living the below scripture:
Psalm 37:4 - "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."
ponder this... who are you delighted to see? who makes you smile, or enjoy the moment a bit more. Likely someone with whom you're very familiar. therefore, the more we know about God, stands to reason the more we'll delight in Him.
and therein lies the call to Christians. the more we delight in Him, the more others will see Him in us. suddenly, every victory or defeat becomes an opportunity for His glory to shine in our daily lives.
makes sense, then, that we constantly and consistently immerse ourselves in opportunities to become more familiar with God. some combination of things: star gazing, reading bible, service, prayer, gathering together, etc...
without a doubt such Delight will change us from the inside out, influencing the very desires of our heart.
I'd challenge anyone to spend time star gazing and not come away with a greater awe of and trust in God. He simply lays a bit of Himself out before you.
It is like living the below scripture:
Psalm 37:4 - "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."
ponder this... who are you delighted to see? who makes you smile, or enjoy the moment a bit more. Likely someone with whom you're very familiar. therefore, the more we know about God, stands to reason the more we'll delight in Him.
and therein lies the call to Christians. the more we delight in Him, the more others will see Him in us. suddenly, every victory or defeat becomes an opportunity for His glory to shine in our daily lives.
makes sense, then, that we constantly and consistently immerse ourselves in opportunities to become more familiar with God. some combination of things: star gazing, reading bible, service, prayer, gathering together, etc...
without a doubt such Delight will change us from the inside out, influencing the very desires of our heart.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
The Marriage of the Lamb has come.............WOW!!
Revelation 19
The Sound of Hallelujahs
1-3 I heard a sound like massed choirs in Heaven singing, Hallelujah!
The salvation and glory and power are God's—
his judgments true, his judgments just.
He judged the great Whore
who corrupted the earth with her lust.
He avenged on her the blood of his servants.
Then, more singing:
Hallelujah!
The smoke from her burning billows up
to high Heaven forever and ever and ever.
4The Twenty-four Elders and the Four Animals fell to their knees and worshiped God on his Throne, praising,
Amen! Yes! Hallelujah!
5From the Throne came a shout, a command:
Praise our God, all you his servants,
All you who fear him, small and great!
6-8Then I heard the sound of massed choirs, the sound of a mighty cataract, the sound of strong thunder:
Hallelujah!
The Master reigns,
our God, the Sovereign-Strong!
Let us celebrate, let us rejoice,
let us give him the glory!
The Marriage of the Lamb has come;
his Wife has made herself ready.
She was given a bridal gown
of bright and shining linen.
The linen is the righteousness of the saints.
9The Angel said to me, "Write this: 'Blessed are those invited to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb.'" He added, "These are the true words of God!"
10I fell at his feet to worship him, but he wouldn't let me. "Don't do that," he said. "I'm a servant just like you, and like your brothers and sisters who hold to the witness of Jesus. The witness of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
11-16Then I saw Heaven open wide—and oh! a white horse and its Rider. The Rider, named Faithful and True, judges and makes war in pure righteousness. His eyes are a blaze of fire, on his head many crowns. He has a Name inscribed that's known only to himself. He is dressed in a robe soaked with blood, and he is addressed as "Word of God." The armies of Heaven, mounted on white horses and dressed in dazzling white linen, follow him. A sharp sword comes out of his mouth so he can subdue the nations, then rule them with a rod of iron. He treads the winepress of the raging wrath of God, the Sovereign-Strong. On his robe and thigh is written, King of kings, Lord of lords.
17-18I saw an Angel standing in the sun, shouting to all flying birds in Middle-Heaven, "Come to the Great Supper of God! Feast on the flesh of kings and captains and champions, horses and their riders. Eat your fill of them all—free and slave, small and great!"
19-21I saw the Beast and, assembled with him, earth's kings and their armies, ready to make war against the One on the horse and his army. The Beast was taken, and with him, his puppet, the False Prophet, who used signs to dazzle and deceive those who had taken the mark of the Beast and worshiped his image. They were thrown alive, those two, into Lake Fire and Brimstone. The rest were killed by the sword of the One on the horse, the sword that comes from his mouth. All the birds held a feast on their flesh.
The Sound of Hallelujahs
1-3 I heard a sound like massed choirs in Heaven singing, Hallelujah!
The salvation and glory and power are God's—
his judgments true, his judgments just.
He judged the great Whore
who corrupted the earth with her lust.
He avenged on her the blood of his servants.
Then, more singing:
Hallelujah!
The smoke from her burning billows up
to high Heaven forever and ever and ever.
4The Twenty-four Elders and the Four Animals fell to their knees and worshiped God on his Throne, praising,
Amen! Yes! Hallelujah!
5From the Throne came a shout, a command:
Praise our God, all you his servants,
All you who fear him, small and great!
6-8Then I heard the sound of massed choirs, the sound of a mighty cataract, the sound of strong thunder:
Hallelujah!
The Master reigns,
our God, the Sovereign-Strong!
Let us celebrate, let us rejoice,
let us give him the glory!
The Marriage of the Lamb has come;
his Wife has made herself ready.
She was given a bridal gown
of bright and shining linen.
The linen is the righteousness of the saints.
9The Angel said to me, "Write this: 'Blessed are those invited to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb.'" He added, "These are the true words of God!"
10I fell at his feet to worship him, but he wouldn't let me. "Don't do that," he said. "I'm a servant just like you, and like your brothers and sisters who hold to the witness of Jesus. The witness of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
11-16Then I saw Heaven open wide—and oh! a white horse and its Rider. The Rider, named Faithful and True, judges and makes war in pure righteousness. His eyes are a blaze of fire, on his head many crowns. He has a Name inscribed that's known only to himself. He is dressed in a robe soaked with blood, and he is addressed as "Word of God." The armies of Heaven, mounted on white horses and dressed in dazzling white linen, follow him. A sharp sword comes out of his mouth so he can subdue the nations, then rule them with a rod of iron. He treads the winepress of the raging wrath of God, the Sovereign-Strong. On his robe and thigh is written, King of kings, Lord of lords.
17-18I saw an Angel standing in the sun, shouting to all flying birds in Middle-Heaven, "Come to the Great Supper of God! Feast on the flesh of kings and captains and champions, horses and their riders. Eat your fill of them all—free and slave, small and great!"
19-21I saw the Beast and, assembled with him, earth's kings and their armies, ready to make war against the One on the horse and his army. The Beast was taken, and with him, his puppet, the False Prophet, who used signs to dazzle and deceive those who had taken the mark of the Beast and worshiped his image. They were thrown alive, those two, into Lake Fire and Brimstone. The rest were killed by the sword of the One on the horse, the sword that comes from his mouth. All the birds held a feast on their flesh.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
The war is on!
Revelation 12:7-17 (The Message)
7-12War broke out in Heaven. Michael and his Angels fought the Dragon. The Dragon and his Angels fought back, but were no match for Michael. They were cleared out of Heaven, not a sign of them left. The great Dragon—ancient Serpent, the one called Devil and Satan, the one who led the whole earth astray—thrown out, and all his Angels thrown out with him, thrown down to earth. Then I heard a strong voice out of Heaven saying,
Salvation and power are established!
Kingdom of our God, authority of his Messiah!
The Accuser of our brothers and sisters thrown out,
who accused them day and night before God.
They defeated him through the blood of the Lamb
and the bold word of their witness.
They weren't in love with themselves;
they were willing to die for Christ.
So rejoice, O Heavens, and all who live there,
but doom to earth and sea,
For the Devil's come down on you with both feet;
he's had a great fall;
He's wild and raging with anger;
he hasn't much time and he knows it.
13-17When the Dragon saw he'd been thrown to earth, he went after the Woman who had given birth to the Man-Child. The Woman was given wings of a great eagle to fly to a place in the desert to be kept in safety and comfort for a time and times and half a time, safe and sound from the Serpent. The Serpent vomited a river of water to swamp and drown her, but earth came to her help, swallowing the water the Dragon spewed from its mouth. Helpless with rage, the Dragon raged at the Woman, then went off to make war with the rest of her children, the children who keep God's commands and hold firm to the witness of Jesus."
I've heard many people say they are frightened at the book of Revelation, afraid to study it because it is too "weird". I am studying it, once again now and I agree, it is nothing short of a freaky sci-fi movie. Who knows why God chose to reveal just enough of it to us, much of it through symbolism so that could possibly get our minds around it. It really is a mystery!
But is not a book of fear, for children of God, it is a book of hope. It encourages me when I see spiritual warfare literally happening all around me. Everything from suicide bombings in the beautiful nation of Uganda, which I love, to persecution to conflicts in relationships; I can see it so clearly for what it is. Satan cannot take our salvation so he will stop at nothing to discourage us, distract us, condemn us and accuse us! And the above verse encourages me so much because it tells me why all of this is happening, in our generation. Revelation reassures me that, yes, the enemy is mad, but even still, he is no match for God. God will win! God has already won; we have already won the victory because of Jesus death on the cross. It is finished!! The Babylon in which we live is getting worse and will continue to get worse. But the fact remains that God placed us here, in this generation for a purpose. We can survive and thrive here, as we keep our eyes focused on our King of kings, and what He has for us.
I love how, throughout scripture, God reveals just enough to us. He gives us the exact amount of wisdom that we need to live and then He speaks to us through His living, breathing Word. We are fully equipped and we must continually study His Word and pray without ceasing. That is our ultimate weapon in warfare. Honestly, I have so many things to pray about, I could pray without ceasing and still never cover them all.
God has recently opened my eyes to the great need for prayer. He has reminded me of so many more things I need to be praying for. Why do I try to fight this battle on my own strength? I need God in my every day! I need to pray more than I currently do! It is time for me to exercise my authority as a daughter of the King and fight, fight, fight with my greatest weapon, prayer! There are so many people I love, depending on my prayers!
We truly are warriors. As Rita Springer sings in her song, "Beautiful You"....
"God, who are you that you speak into our shame and you see a warrior. You see a mother on her knees and whisper that she will raise warriors."
My almost 7 year old daughter truly loves Jesus. She has compassion in her heart that comes from the Holy Spirit within her. Who knows what will occur in our world in her generation, all the more reason why we must raise warriors, who love Jesus!
God is good all the time. All the time God is good!
I believe that and I trust Him, no matter what!
7-12War broke out in Heaven. Michael and his Angels fought the Dragon. The Dragon and his Angels fought back, but were no match for Michael. They were cleared out of Heaven, not a sign of them left. The great Dragon—ancient Serpent, the one called Devil and Satan, the one who led the whole earth astray—thrown out, and all his Angels thrown out with him, thrown down to earth. Then I heard a strong voice out of Heaven saying,
Salvation and power are established!
Kingdom of our God, authority of his Messiah!
The Accuser of our brothers and sisters thrown out,
who accused them day and night before God.
They defeated him through the blood of the Lamb
and the bold word of their witness.
They weren't in love with themselves;
they were willing to die for Christ.
So rejoice, O Heavens, and all who live there,
but doom to earth and sea,
For the Devil's come down on you with both feet;
he's had a great fall;
He's wild and raging with anger;
he hasn't much time and he knows it.
13-17When the Dragon saw he'd been thrown to earth, he went after the Woman who had given birth to the Man-Child. The Woman was given wings of a great eagle to fly to a place in the desert to be kept in safety and comfort for a time and times and half a time, safe and sound from the Serpent. The Serpent vomited a river of water to swamp and drown her, but earth came to her help, swallowing the water the Dragon spewed from its mouth. Helpless with rage, the Dragon raged at the Woman, then went off to make war with the rest of her children, the children who keep God's commands and hold firm to the witness of Jesus."
I've heard many people say they are frightened at the book of Revelation, afraid to study it because it is too "weird". I am studying it, once again now and I agree, it is nothing short of a freaky sci-fi movie. Who knows why God chose to reveal just enough of it to us, much of it through symbolism so that could possibly get our minds around it. It really is a mystery!
But is not a book of fear, for children of God, it is a book of hope. It encourages me when I see spiritual warfare literally happening all around me. Everything from suicide bombings in the beautiful nation of Uganda, which I love, to persecution to conflicts in relationships; I can see it so clearly for what it is. Satan cannot take our salvation so he will stop at nothing to discourage us, distract us, condemn us and accuse us! And the above verse encourages me so much because it tells me why all of this is happening, in our generation. Revelation reassures me that, yes, the enemy is mad, but even still, he is no match for God. God will win! God has already won; we have already won the victory because of Jesus death on the cross. It is finished!! The Babylon in which we live is getting worse and will continue to get worse. But the fact remains that God placed us here, in this generation for a purpose. We can survive and thrive here, as we keep our eyes focused on our King of kings, and what He has for us.
I love how, throughout scripture, God reveals just enough to us. He gives us the exact amount of wisdom that we need to live and then He speaks to us through His living, breathing Word. We are fully equipped and we must continually study His Word and pray without ceasing. That is our ultimate weapon in warfare. Honestly, I have so many things to pray about, I could pray without ceasing and still never cover them all.
God has recently opened my eyes to the great need for prayer. He has reminded me of so many more things I need to be praying for. Why do I try to fight this battle on my own strength? I need God in my every day! I need to pray more than I currently do! It is time for me to exercise my authority as a daughter of the King and fight, fight, fight with my greatest weapon, prayer! There are so many people I love, depending on my prayers!
We truly are warriors. As Rita Springer sings in her song, "Beautiful You"....
"God, who are you that you speak into our shame and you see a warrior. You see a mother on her knees and whisper that she will raise warriors."
My almost 7 year old daughter truly loves Jesus. She has compassion in her heart that comes from the Holy Spirit within her. Who knows what will occur in our world in her generation, all the more reason why we must raise warriors, who love Jesus!
God is good all the time. All the time God is good!
I believe that and I trust Him, no matter what!
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