Isaiah 52:13-15
"See, my servant (Jesus) will act wisely; He will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. Just as there were many who were appalled at Him - His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and His form marred beyond human likeness - so will He sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of Him. For what they were told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand."
Isaiah 53
"He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed Him not. Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed...and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth..For He was cut off form the land of the living; for the transgression of my people He was stricken. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death, though He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.
Yet it was the Lord's will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, and though the Lord makes His life a guilt offering, He will see His offspring and prolong His days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in His hand. After the suffering of His soul, He will see the light of life and be satisfied; by His knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and He will hear their iniquities. Therefore, I will give Him a portion among the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He poured out His life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."
So tonight I thought about Jesus undergoing the "suffering of His soul" and I am now undone. Scenes from the Passion of the Christ gripped my heart and I wept. I wept because a man who knew no sin became sin on MY behalf, so that I could become the righteousness of God. Jesus bore the wrath of God instead of me; me who totally deserves to be stricken and smitten by God because I am the worst of sinners and I have fallen short of the glory of God. Before His flesh was ripped open, before a crown of thorns was placed on His head, before the nails were driven into His hands and feet, before blood dripped from every inch of His body, before He was lifted high on a cross to endure THE most painful and excruciating death known to man, Jesus thought of me. Jesus withstood all of that...for me....and for you. I am undone. A good heaviness overwhelmed me and my heart rate rose as images of the perfect light of the world was silent before His torturers. And what for? He desperately wants to be with me and He desperately wants me to be with Him and His Father. I am undone.
From the fall of man in the Garden of Eden we see the story of God's redemption being played out. There has to be sacrifice and shedding of blood for forgiveness. But, no more bulls and no more lambs...Jesus' ultimate and perfect sacrifice tore down the veils and made a way for me to enter the Holy Place. He did it once and for all and will not do it again. I am undone. He suffered and died...for me...and for you.
Before the truly despicable and horrendous acts were done to Him, Jesus said to His Father, "I am Your servant, my heart is ready...not my will, but Your will be done." Wow, His heart was ready. His heart is for you Beloved! His desire is to be married to you; forever betrothed to you! I am undone.
Hebrews 12:2
"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
I find it one of the most difficult things to comprehend; that there was joy in Jesus' heart as He endured so much pain and so much suffering. The joy was in Him paying the way for our eternal pleasures, which are at His right hand. His joy was in the justification of us all who would believe. His joy was an eternal marriage. His joy was me. His joy was you.
So let us remember Him; let us remember the cross. The cross is where we find everything we will ever need or want...love, joy, peace, comfort, freedom, deliverance, healing, our very life. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus and on the cross. I want to be found hidden behind that rugged cross.
I am undone.
Grace and peace.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Must Read, Trust Me
In today’s world, especially in the Western world, a massive strategy of the enemy that keeps us in torment, in sickness and affliction is the mirror we look in. We come into agreement with the lies of the enemy in front of the mirrors in our bedroom and our bathrooms. We build altars to devils and come into agreement with the evil one.
You see, the enemy hates us because we are made in the likeness of God. There is no other creature that Jesus Christ joined Himself to forever. There is no other creature in heaven or on earth that is like you.
A 1/3 of the angels rebelled against God and He did nothing. However, 100% of humanity rebelled and God said, “No! Not my prized creation!” Not the ones He fearfully and wonderfully made. “No! I’m going after them!” He joined Himself to us in a human body forever, Beloved. In Isaiah 53 it says that Jesus had no beauty at all, that nothing about Him would catch our eye. He was just like us. The enemy hates our physical frame.
Most people believe God wants to save your soul but very few of us believe He loves your body. We begin to hate and despise ourselves by saying; “I hate this or that about my body.” This is too big or that is too small, or I wish I didn’t have this quality or that quality. In James 3 it says that with the same mouth we praise God we curse ourselves and we judge ourselves. By doing so, we build altars to the devil and allow him entry to torment and to inflict sickness. The Lord does NOT want us to open ground for the enemy to bring depression, anger, self-hatred, cutting, starving ourselves, throwing up, sickness, etc.
A majority of people, especially Believers, lives with the torment of what our future spouse is going to think about our body. For those of you who are married, you live in torment about what you think your spouse thinks about your body. If your spouse thinks anything different than what the King of the Universe thinks, then they are idiots! Your spouse is going to love you one day!
In Isaiah 62 verses 6-7, the Lord is releasing night and day prayer. However, prior to that, He releases a voice and a declaration over His people; He declares over us a NEW NAME:
- Hephzibah – The Lord delights in you. This includes your soul and your body. BUT, with your mouth you curse yourself who is made in HIS likeness
- Beulah – He’s married to you. You are fit to be married to the King of kings, the King of the Universe, but you are wondering what your spouse thinks or will think about you.
Beloved, you were made to be filled with His glory and not any foul thoughts. If we are to live in freedom, we must tear down the altars in our bedrooms and bathrooms. You must never worship another demon at a toilet again by throwing up!! Do not build an altar there. You must never come into agreement with a demonic thought again, but instead come into agreement with what the Lord thinks about you. You are beautiful, you are fit for a King, you are Hephzibah and you are Beulah!
I imagine some of you have sickness or infirmity in your body because of this issue. When you get set free from self-hatred, your body will be healed. When you come into agreement that you are lovely to Him, physical healing will occur.
God did not join Himself to angels, but to you. You are the aristocracy of the Kingdom to come Beloved! You will reign with Christ forever. You are co-heirs with Him, and you are co-heirs with Him in your body and your spirit. Do you realize what is to come? You are destined for resurrected bodies!
The enemy hates your body, no matter the body type. Some want to look like the skinny supermodels, but you know what, they are probably some of the most tormented people out there. He hates your body. Why do you think FOUL spirits want to come and possess or oppress a human body? He doesn’t care if you are skinny, overweight, have a big this or small that! The enemy hates you.
Now I do not have kids, but just imagine a father’s heart and thoughts when his son or daughter says they hate something about themselves. An earthly father’s heart is broken when they hear these words because he took part in making them. Imagine the Heavenly Father’s, the One who knitted you together in your mother’s womb, sorrow when His son or daughter looks in the mirror in self-hatred.
An earthly father cannot get into his children’s heads, but God can. He can get into your head and He will speak Hephzibah and Beulah over you, and you will stop listening to the demonic thoughts inside your head.
Today He is raising up a worship and prayer movement. We will worship Him in purity, not worrying about what the guy or girl next to us thinks about our bodies. We will worship Him in the truth of who we are to Him.
Beloved, tear down the altars and hear the voice of the Father and Son in your head. Tear down those idols; burn those mirrors (not literally unless you want to!)! You may want to write "Hephzibah" and "Beulah" on your mirrors to remind you of how the Lord feels about you. You are lovely just the way you are. He has your future, trust Him and trust His leadership. Do not worry about what your spouse thinks or will think. He delights in you; you are beautiful to Him. Oh if you only knew what He thought!! You are Hephzibah! You are Beulah! You are fit for a King and He is going to join Himself to you forever!
Grace and peace.
*Reference: Allen Hood
You see, the enemy hates us because we are made in the likeness of God. There is no other creature that Jesus Christ joined Himself to forever. There is no other creature in heaven or on earth that is like you.
A 1/3 of the angels rebelled against God and He did nothing. However, 100% of humanity rebelled and God said, “No! Not my prized creation!” Not the ones He fearfully and wonderfully made. “No! I’m going after them!” He joined Himself to us in a human body forever, Beloved. In Isaiah 53 it says that Jesus had no beauty at all, that nothing about Him would catch our eye. He was just like us. The enemy hates our physical frame.
Most people believe God wants to save your soul but very few of us believe He loves your body. We begin to hate and despise ourselves by saying; “I hate this or that about my body.” This is too big or that is too small, or I wish I didn’t have this quality or that quality. In James 3 it says that with the same mouth we praise God we curse ourselves and we judge ourselves. By doing so, we build altars to the devil and allow him entry to torment and to inflict sickness. The Lord does NOT want us to open ground for the enemy to bring depression, anger, self-hatred, cutting, starving ourselves, throwing up, sickness, etc.
A majority of people, especially Believers, lives with the torment of what our future spouse is going to think about our body. For those of you who are married, you live in torment about what you think your spouse thinks about your body. If your spouse thinks anything different than what the King of the Universe thinks, then they are idiots! Your spouse is going to love you one day!
In Isaiah 62 verses 6-7, the Lord is releasing night and day prayer. However, prior to that, He releases a voice and a declaration over His people; He declares over us a NEW NAME:
- Hephzibah – The Lord delights in you. This includes your soul and your body. BUT, with your mouth you curse yourself who is made in HIS likeness
- Beulah – He’s married to you. You are fit to be married to the King of kings, the King of the Universe, but you are wondering what your spouse thinks or will think about you.
Beloved, you were made to be filled with His glory and not any foul thoughts. If we are to live in freedom, we must tear down the altars in our bedrooms and bathrooms. You must never worship another demon at a toilet again by throwing up!! Do not build an altar there. You must never come into agreement with a demonic thought again, but instead come into agreement with what the Lord thinks about you. You are beautiful, you are fit for a King, you are Hephzibah and you are Beulah!
I imagine some of you have sickness or infirmity in your body because of this issue. When you get set free from self-hatred, your body will be healed. When you come into agreement that you are lovely to Him, physical healing will occur.
God did not join Himself to angels, but to you. You are the aristocracy of the Kingdom to come Beloved! You will reign with Christ forever. You are co-heirs with Him, and you are co-heirs with Him in your body and your spirit. Do you realize what is to come? You are destined for resurrected bodies!
The enemy hates your body, no matter the body type. Some want to look like the skinny supermodels, but you know what, they are probably some of the most tormented people out there. He hates your body. Why do you think FOUL spirits want to come and possess or oppress a human body? He doesn’t care if you are skinny, overweight, have a big this or small that! The enemy hates you.
Now I do not have kids, but just imagine a father’s heart and thoughts when his son or daughter says they hate something about themselves. An earthly father’s heart is broken when they hear these words because he took part in making them. Imagine the Heavenly Father’s, the One who knitted you together in your mother’s womb, sorrow when His son or daughter looks in the mirror in self-hatred.
An earthly father cannot get into his children’s heads, but God can. He can get into your head and He will speak Hephzibah and Beulah over you, and you will stop listening to the demonic thoughts inside your head.
Today He is raising up a worship and prayer movement. We will worship Him in purity, not worrying about what the guy or girl next to us thinks about our bodies. We will worship Him in the truth of who we are to Him.
Beloved, tear down the altars and hear the voice of the Father and Son in your head. Tear down those idols; burn those mirrors (not literally unless you want to!)! You may want to write "Hephzibah" and "Beulah" on your mirrors to remind you of how the Lord feels about you. You are lovely just the way you are. He has your future, trust Him and trust His leadership. Do not worry about what your spouse thinks or will think. He delights in you; you are beautiful to Him. Oh if you only knew what He thought!! You are Hephzibah! You are Beulah! You are fit for a King and He is going to join Himself to you forever!
Grace and peace.
*Reference: Allen Hood
Sunday, January 10, 2010
What I'm listening to...
I just wanted to write a post about what worship artists/bands/etc I'm listening to now. I will give you my top ten and they are in no particular order...they are all #1 to me. And I must say that these are all "must-haves"!
Ok, so here it goes...
1) United Pursuit Band - They are a worship team out of Knoxville, Tenn and they are incredible. I strongly encourage everyone to check out their stuff.
2) Christian Lewis - IHOP - Atlanta worship leader. I've had his cd on repeat for a long time now...
3) Cory Asbury - IHOP Kansas City worship leader = so good
4) Matt Gilman - Another IHOP KC worship leader. And also his stuff = so good
5) Bethel Live - This is a live worship cd from Bethel Church out in Redding, California. Amazing.
6) Hillsong/Hillsong United - You CANNOT go wrong with any of their cds. I just saw United at the Passion 2010 Conference and I was overwhelmed by the presence of the Lord. Kind of made me want to up and move to Sydney, Australia! Seriously...
7) Jesus Culture - Another worship group out of Bethel Church in California. They have 4 cds out and each one is anointed. Worship leaders are Kim Walker Smith, Chris Quilala and Melissa Wise How.
8) Jake Hamilton - Woah! Man is he anointed!! I get so fired up listening to his stuff...
9) Johnathan David Helser - I've been listening to his cd "The Reward" lately and I'm loving it. The prophetic anointing on his songs is incredible! The song "You're Never Giving Up" has become one of my new fav's...
10) Phil Wickham - Enough said...
Ok, I'm going to add a few more because each one of these worship leaders/groups are inspiring and encouraging me to new heights and spurring me to new levels in worship leading...
11) Daniel Bashta - The past year of having him as our church's worship leader has been instrumental for my walk with the Lord and cultivating the worship heart inside me. His full-length cd should be out in the spring...
12) Tim Hughes - In a way he is a worship leader mentor of mine. He has his finger on the pulse of the worship movement the Lord is raising up all over the world. The worship leader training conference I went to a few years ago still resonates in my spirit!
I realize there are so many more worship leaders/artists out there...so I would love to hear who is influencing and moving your hearts right now. Please respond with their names so I can check them out!
Grace and peace.
Ok, so here it goes...
1) United Pursuit Band - They are a worship team out of Knoxville, Tenn and they are incredible. I strongly encourage everyone to check out their stuff.
2) Christian Lewis - IHOP - Atlanta worship leader. I've had his cd on repeat for a long time now...
3) Cory Asbury - IHOP Kansas City worship leader = so good
4) Matt Gilman - Another IHOP KC worship leader. And also his stuff = so good
5) Bethel Live - This is a live worship cd from Bethel Church out in Redding, California. Amazing.
6) Hillsong/Hillsong United - You CANNOT go wrong with any of their cds. I just saw United at the Passion 2010 Conference and I was overwhelmed by the presence of the Lord. Kind of made me want to up and move to Sydney, Australia! Seriously...
7) Jesus Culture - Another worship group out of Bethel Church in California. They have 4 cds out and each one is anointed. Worship leaders are Kim Walker Smith, Chris Quilala and Melissa Wise How.
8) Jake Hamilton - Woah! Man is he anointed!! I get so fired up listening to his stuff...
9) Johnathan David Helser - I've been listening to his cd "The Reward" lately and I'm loving it. The prophetic anointing on his songs is incredible! The song "You're Never Giving Up" has become one of my new fav's...
10) Phil Wickham - Enough said...
Ok, I'm going to add a few more because each one of these worship leaders/groups are inspiring and encouraging me to new heights and spurring me to new levels in worship leading...
11) Daniel Bashta - The past year of having him as our church's worship leader has been instrumental for my walk with the Lord and cultivating the worship heart inside me. His full-length cd should be out in the spring...
12) Tim Hughes - In a way he is a worship leader mentor of mine. He has his finger on the pulse of the worship movement the Lord is raising up all over the world. The worship leader training conference I went to a few years ago still resonates in my spirit!
I realize there are so many more worship leaders/artists out there...so I would love to hear who is influencing and moving your hearts right now. Please respond with their names so I can check them out!
Grace and peace.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Extravagant worship
I was listening through a old podcast by Mike Pilavachi today and after spending an incredible night at RiverStone where extravagant worship erupted, I felt led to share a little from the podcast. I'm not going to add anything to it. It should speak for itself:
In Matthew chapter 2, we read of the extravagant worship of the Magi. They came to bring the new king of the jews extravagant worship with extravagant gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. When they arrived in Jerusalem they asked King Herod, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." This was a BAD mistake...telling the current king of a coming king that will replace him. The king's response was, "As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him." But he wanted to kill him, not worship him.
Extravagant worship also has an equal and opposite reaction in some hearts. Those that cannot call Him king because they want to stay king of their own lives, sometimes under the guise of worship, they want to kill.
Then we read at the end of Matthew's gospel the story of the sinful woman pouring the expensive perfume on Jesus' head. She was showing extravagant worship of Jesus. What happens when she does this? The very next scene is Jesus eating with the 12 disciples [the Lord's Supper]. While they were eating, Jesus says that "one of you will betray me." Then the disciples were in disbelief saying one by one, "Surely not I, Lord" (v. 22). Each disciple said this until Judas. Judas says, "Surely not I, Rabbi" (v. 25). Why does Matthew put this in? To tell us a story. The story is, 11 disciples knew Him as Lord and one didn't. That is why Judas betrayed Jesus. At the beginning of Matthew, the extravagant worship of the Magi led to Herod, under the guise of worship, to try and kill Jesus because he didn't know Him as King. At the end of Matthew, the extravagant worship of the sinful woman led to the Judas' betrayal of Jesus to have Him killed because He did not know Him as Lord.
How does Judas betray Jesus? With a kiss, an act of homage, an act of intimacy, an act of worship [but it wasn't]. So Jesus goes to the cross and on the cross He offers the Father perfect worship. Why? Because the worship of the Old Testament, central to the worship of the old Tabernacle and Temple, was sacrifice. Jesus offered the one, ultimate and perfect sacrifice. Through Jesus' perfect act of worship of the Father on the cross, we too can come to worship and we too can come boldly before the throne. And as we do, as we gaze into His presence, we touch the Holy of Holies.
In Exodus 29 it says, "If anything touches the holy things that are not holy, it defiles the holy things. But if anything unholy touches the Holy of Holies, it becomes holy."
The woman who was bleeding for years, who was ceremonially unclean, touched Jesus, she was made clean because she touched the Holy of Holies. When we come to worship, we touch the Holy of Holies. We are cleansed, we are made whole and we become the people of His presence. And that is THE hope for a broken and hurting world...the ONLY hope. We don't need to get smarter, or more equipment, or better looking, we need more of Jesus! And then, we will be a light to the Gentiles.
Worship is the best evangelism and our greatest example of worship is Jesus. I long to have the aroma that comes with extravagant worship; that comes with spending loads of time with Him in His presence. When alone, or in congregational worship, or when we are out amongst the poor, feeding them and praying for healing. The call is to engage in extravagant worship without considering the cost. There is nothing more useful than spending time in His presence. Because if we don't, when we go out, all the people will be touching is us...and us isn't good enough. If all people touch is me, then they are in big trouble. We long they touch Jesus in us. We long they touch the Treasure that is in our little jars of clay.
If we love Him, then it will come out of every part of our being. We will not be able to shut up about Him. We will bore the world to death [in the best possible way!] talking about the One we love. THAT is what worship is all about!
Worship is the best evangelism.
Grace and peace. Merry Christmas to all!
In Matthew chapter 2, we read of the extravagant worship of the Magi. They came to bring the new king of the jews extravagant worship with extravagant gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. When they arrived in Jerusalem they asked King Herod, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." This was a BAD mistake...telling the current king of a coming king that will replace him. The king's response was, "As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him." But he wanted to kill him, not worship him.
Extravagant worship also has an equal and opposite reaction in some hearts. Those that cannot call Him king because they want to stay king of their own lives, sometimes under the guise of worship, they want to kill.
Then we read at the end of Matthew's gospel the story of the sinful woman pouring the expensive perfume on Jesus' head. She was showing extravagant worship of Jesus. What happens when she does this? The very next scene is Jesus eating with the 12 disciples [the Lord's Supper]. While they were eating, Jesus says that "one of you will betray me." Then the disciples were in disbelief saying one by one, "Surely not I, Lord" (v. 22). Each disciple said this until Judas. Judas says, "Surely not I, Rabbi" (v. 25). Why does Matthew put this in? To tell us a story. The story is, 11 disciples knew Him as Lord and one didn't. That is why Judas betrayed Jesus. At the beginning of Matthew, the extravagant worship of the Magi led to Herod, under the guise of worship, to try and kill Jesus because he didn't know Him as King. At the end of Matthew, the extravagant worship of the sinful woman led to the Judas' betrayal of Jesus to have Him killed because He did not know Him as Lord.
How does Judas betray Jesus? With a kiss, an act of homage, an act of intimacy, an act of worship [but it wasn't]. So Jesus goes to the cross and on the cross He offers the Father perfect worship. Why? Because the worship of the Old Testament, central to the worship of the old Tabernacle and Temple, was sacrifice. Jesus offered the one, ultimate and perfect sacrifice. Through Jesus' perfect act of worship of the Father on the cross, we too can come to worship and we too can come boldly before the throne. And as we do, as we gaze into His presence, we touch the Holy of Holies.
In Exodus 29 it says, "If anything touches the holy things that are not holy, it defiles the holy things. But if anything unholy touches the Holy of Holies, it becomes holy."
The woman who was bleeding for years, who was ceremonially unclean, touched Jesus, she was made clean because she touched the Holy of Holies. When we come to worship, we touch the Holy of Holies. We are cleansed, we are made whole and we become the people of His presence. And that is THE hope for a broken and hurting world...the ONLY hope. We don't need to get smarter, or more equipment, or better looking, we need more of Jesus! And then, we will be a light to the Gentiles.
Worship is the best evangelism and our greatest example of worship is Jesus. I long to have the aroma that comes with extravagant worship; that comes with spending loads of time with Him in His presence. When alone, or in congregational worship, or when we are out amongst the poor, feeding them and praying for healing. The call is to engage in extravagant worship without considering the cost. There is nothing more useful than spending time in His presence. Because if we don't, when we go out, all the people will be touching is us...and us isn't good enough. If all people touch is me, then they are in big trouble. We long they touch Jesus in us. We long they touch the Treasure that is in our little jars of clay.
If we love Him, then it will come out of every part of our being. We will not be able to shut up about Him. We will bore the world to death [in the best possible way!] talking about the One we love. THAT is what worship is all about!
Worship is the best evangelism.
Grace and peace. Merry Christmas to all!
Friday, November 27, 2009
A Head Scratcher
So I have been pondering something for a few weeks now of an encounter me and Biddle (my roommate) had a few weeks back. We were at the As Tall As Lions and Mute Math concert (which was stinkin' awesome by the way!) and as we were trying to decide what to eat, a homeless man name Derrick came up to us to help us out. We knew right away what his motives were. He wanted to show us a good place to eat so that we would give him a few dollar bills. Well, as we were walking behind him, we noticed that he walked with a significant limp. I immediately felt that the Lord wanted to heal him...because God is good like that! Amen?!
Anyway, we reached our destination (some diner down by the Tabernacle) and Derrick asked for some change so he could go down to Hooters and eat some wings. We approached him and asked what happened to his leg. He proceeded to tell us that when he was younger he got shot in the leg and has walked with a limp ever since. Biddle and I both shared the Gospel with him and that God, in His vast goodness, grace and mercy, wanted to heal him. We asked if we could pray for him because the Lord WANTED to heal him right then and there. Then, much to my surprise, he said no, but repeatedly asked us for some money so he could go down to Hooters! What?! We said that what the Lord wanted to do that very moment was SO much better than a few dollars; yet, he still said no! He would rather go to a restaurant full of debauchery instead of having the power of God rush over his body and be able to walk normally without any pain! I just don't get it?! Maybe some of you can offer some insight...my only guess is that the enemy has a hold over him and has blinded his eyes to God's goodness and mercy. The Word says that the whole world is under the control of the evil one (1 John 5:19). Or maybe it was just too foolish for him to imagine that he could be healed that very instant? Because the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing (1 Corinthians 1:18). The cross, where everything was purchased (our salvation, our healing, our power, our lifeline, our reconciliation to God, etc), was foolishness to him...
So again, I just don't get it...thoughts? So we prayed for him as we continued to walk to the restaurant that the Lord would heal his leg. And again I ask right now, Lord, for Your glory and for Your fame, will you heal Derrick now in the Name of Jesus. Lord move in power right now in his life, bring healing, bring restoration and I ask that salvation would spring up from the ground so that his name may be written in the Book of Life! In Jesus Name...
Grace and peace
Anyway, we reached our destination (some diner down by the Tabernacle) and Derrick asked for some change so he could go down to Hooters and eat some wings. We approached him and asked what happened to his leg. He proceeded to tell us that when he was younger he got shot in the leg and has walked with a limp ever since. Biddle and I both shared the Gospel with him and that God, in His vast goodness, grace and mercy, wanted to heal him. We asked if we could pray for him because the Lord WANTED to heal him right then and there. Then, much to my surprise, he said no, but repeatedly asked us for some money so he could go down to Hooters! What?! We said that what the Lord wanted to do that very moment was SO much better than a few dollars; yet, he still said no! He would rather go to a restaurant full of debauchery instead of having the power of God rush over his body and be able to walk normally without any pain! I just don't get it?! Maybe some of you can offer some insight...my only guess is that the enemy has a hold over him and has blinded his eyes to God's goodness and mercy. The Word says that the whole world is under the control of the evil one (1 John 5:19). Or maybe it was just too foolish for him to imagine that he could be healed that very instant? Because the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing (1 Corinthians 1:18). The cross, where everything was purchased (our salvation, our healing, our power, our lifeline, our reconciliation to God, etc), was foolishness to him...
So again, I just don't get it...thoughts? So we prayed for him as we continued to walk to the restaurant that the Lord would heal his leg. And again I ask right now, Lord, for Your glory and for Your fame, will you heal Derrick now in the Name of Jesus. Lord move in power right now in his life, bring healing, bring restoration and I ask that salvation would spring up from the ground so that his name may be written in the Book of Life! In Jesus Name...
Grace and peace
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Long overdue
Hello all (or all 2). I feel like I am a broken record when I say that it has been a long time since I last blogged. So kill me. A lot has been going on, but I will start off with the mission trip to Scotland. I've had several people ask me to post a synopsis. I will do my best to summarize and hit the key points without being too long-winded!
Where to start?? Ok, let's start with some of the miracles that happened while we were there. A young man, let's call him Thad (random I know but go with me) hurt his back during the obstacle course on Wednesday where he could barely stand up, walk, his ribs hurt and he could barely breathe. Leading up to this, the Lord was definitely moving in his heart. Anyway, we stopped the obstacle course and prayed for Thad. Immediately his ribs stopped hurting and he could get a full breath of air, but his back was still hurting and he couldn't walk. We pressed in harder in prayer and I had my hand on his back. As we prayed, I literally felt his back move, almost as if the Lord was realigning his back. When we finished, he was able to walk back to his room and the next morning had ZERO pain. Praise the Lord! The next story is about a girl named, we'll call her Lucy. She had been dealing with an injured leg for several years, so much so she could not run or do the activities she was used to doing (sports, etc). One night during worship (Tuesday I believe), some of our team prayed for her and took her outside to test her leg. Before then she could only run a very small distance before her leg would start hurting. After they prayed, she was able to run all over the grounds there without any pain or discomfort! She even ran the obstacle course the next night! Praise be! The other miracle that happened during the week was that several of the youth there gave their lives to the Lord. They realized that God was real and He loves them with an unending, unrelenting love! All of heaven was rejoicing (having a party) in heaven over these youth!
Worship. Was. Intense! Every year the Lord blows me away in His goodness when it comes to how He is so faithful to show up during worship! He completely honors His promise that if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. Before we left, a very good friend of mine prayed over me and prophesied that the songs that we will sing will be songs directly from His heart. Fast forward to Tuesday of camp. That day I was taking a walk with Lord, talking and listening to see what He wanted to do during worship. As I walked, the Lord laid on my heart several songs He wanted me to do. Excellent, right? Well...not so much. You see, the songs HE wanted me to do were very intense songs. These songs had full bands...we had me on a guitar, 2 BV vocals and a beginner percussionist (who did great for being thrown into the fire so to speak! - Way to go Walker!). So how was I going to pull off a set list consisting of songs that almost have to have a full band. The set list included You Never Let Go by Matt Redman, Awakening and Like a Lion by Daniel Bashta and The Anthem by Jake Hamilton. Intense, huh? I was talking with Tom Tanner before the service started and I told him that the worship was either going to be amazing or it was going to be a complete bust! I prayed and pleaded for Him to show up because if He doesn't, it was going to be really bad. Well I'm sure you know how the story ends...the Lord definitely showed up! It was as if the Holy Spirit provided the energy a full band would provide. We worshipped in complete unity how God has not forgotten Scotland (more specifically, the youth of Scotland) and how a light is definitely coming! Then we joined together and sang prophetically how God was bringing an awakening to that nation and how heaven is roaring over Scotland and revival is going to fall! Then came the most intense song of the night. Here are some of the words:
"Wake up child, it's your time to shine. You were born for such a time as this."
"This is the anthem of our generation! Here we are God, shake our nation!"
"I am royalty, I have destiny, I have been set free, I'm gonna shape history!"
Can I get an amen??!!
Then, after Tom spoke we had some great ministry time. After a few songs into it, heaven came even closer. The time was around 11:30 pm and "lights out" was supposed to be at midnight. I asked the leaders what they wanted to do...keep going or end it. Then some of the youth started yelling out "worship!" For the next hour and a half or so, we worshipped and danced all over the meeting hall, crying out for this generation!! It was beautiful!!!
Afterwards, the pastor of the church we partner with came up to me with tears in his eyes. Listen to this...he tells me that when I started singing "wake up child, it's your time to shine" the Holy Spirit overwhelmed him. He said it was as if we were singing the heart of God!! That was word for word what my friend prophesied over me before I left! Man how the Lord is faithful!
Worship the rest of the week was equally as amazing. I hit just some of the highlights. Scotland is near and dear to my heart. Even more so to the Lord! Revival is coming to Scotland (again) and it will be a burning flame engulfing the hearts of both young and old alike. I believe it with all of my heart. I love those youth and cannot wait to see them again. Greater things are still to be done in their hearts and in Scotland!!
Grace and peace.
Where to start?? Ok, let's start with some of the miracles that happened while we were there. A young man, let's call him Thad (random I know but go with me) hurt his back during the obstacle course on Wednesday where he could barely stand up, walk, his ribs hurt and he could barely breathe. Leading up to this, the Lord was definitely moving in his heart. Anyway, we stopped the obstacle course and prayed for Thad. Immediately his ribs stopped hurting and he could get a full breath of air, but his back was still hurting and he couldn't walk. We pressed in harder in prayer and I had my hand on his back. As we prayed, I literally felt his back move, almost as if the Lord was realigning his back. When we finished, he was able to walk back to his room and the next morning had ZERO pain. Praise the Lord! The next story is about a girl named, we'll call her Lucy. She had been dealing with an injured leg for several years, so much so she could not run or do the activities she was used to doing (sports, etc). One night during worship (Tuesday I believe), some of our team prayed for her and took her outside to test her leg. Before then she could only run a very small distance before her leg would start hurting. After they prayed, she was able to run all over the grounds there without any pain or discomfort! She even ran the obstacle course the next night! Praise be! The other miracle that happened during the week was that several of the youth there gave their lives to the Lord. They realized that God was real and He loves them with an unending, unrelenting love! All of heaven was rejoicing (having a party) in heaven over these youth!
Worship. Was. Intense! Every year the Lord blows me away in His goodness when it comes to how He is so faithful to show up during worship! He completely honors His promise that if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. Before we left, a very good friend of mine prayed over me and prophesied that the songs that we will sing will be songs directly from His heart. Fast forward to Tuesday of camp. That day I was taking a walk with Lord, talking and listening to see what He wanted to do during worship. As I walked, the Lord laid on my heart several songs He wanted me to do. Excellent, right? Well...not so much. You see, the songs HE wanted me to do were very intense songs. These songs had full bands...we had me on a guitar, 2 BV vocals and a beginner percussionist (who did great for being thrown into the fire so to speak! - Way to go Walker!). So how was I going to pull off a set list consisting of songs that almost have to have a full band. The set list included You Never Let Go by Matt Redman, Awakening and Like a Lion by Daniel Bashta and The Anthem by Jake Hamilton. Intense, huh? I was talking with Tom Tanner before the service started and I told him that the worship was either going to be amazing or it was going to be a complete bust! I prayed and pleaded for Him to show up because if He doesn't, it was going to be really bad. Well I'm sure you know how the story ends...the Lord definitely showed up! It was as if the Holy Spirit provided the energy a full band would provide. We worshipped in complete unity how God has not forgotten Scotland (more specifically, the youth of Scotland) and how a light is definitely coming! Then we joined together and sang prophetically how God was bringing an awakening to that nation and how heaven is roaring over Scotland and revival is going to fall! Then came the most intense song of the night. Here are some of the words:
"Wake up child, it's your time to shine. You were born for such a time as this."
"This is the anthem of our generation! Here we are God, shake our nation!"
"I am royalty, I have destiny, I have been set free, I'm gonna shape history!"
Can I get an amen??!!
Then, after Tom spoke we had some great ministry time. After a few songs into it, heaven came even closer. The time was around 11:30 pm and "lights out" was supposed to be at midnight. I asked the leaders what they wanted to do...keep going or end it. Then some of the youth started yelling out "worship!" For the next hour and a half or so, we worshipped and danced all over the meeting hall, crying out for this generation!! It was beautiful!!!
Afterwards, the pastor of the church we partner with came up to me with tears in his eyes. Listen to this...he tells me that when I started singing "wake up child, it's your time to shine" the Holy Spirit overwhelmed him. He said it was as if we were singing the heart of God!! That was word for word what my friend prophesied over me before I left! Man how the Lord is faithful!
Worship the rest of the week was equally as amazing. I hit just some of the highlights. Scotland is near and dear to my heart. Even more so to the Lord! Revival is coming to Scotland (again) and it will be a burning flame engulfing the hearts of both young and old alike. I believe it with all of my heart. I love those youth and cannot wait to see them again. Greater things are still to be done in their hearts and in Scotland!!
Grace and peace.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Scotland here I come...
So in a few short hours (9 to be exact) I will be leaving with a team of 20 others to Paisley, Scotland to put on a youth camp. This will be year number 3 that we have done this. I am super excited about going back! Seeing old faces and meeting new ones. The Lord has BIG things in store for this camp. This youth. This country. Be praying for us as we go overseas and partner with God's heart to bring revival (again) to Scotland. We believe (like truly believe) it is coming and it is coming through the youth of Scotland.
If you want to check out more of what we are doing in Scotland (more importantly what the Lord is doing in Scotland), then check out the BLOG.
You will also be able to watch the services online through the blog. So hopefully everyone will tune in!
Alrighty folks, can't wait to share what the Lord is going to do over the next couple weeks! Until then....
Grace and peace.
If you want to check out more of what we are doing in Scotland (more importantly what the Lord is doing in Scotland), then check out the BLOG.
You will also be able to watch the services online through the blog. So hopefully everyone will tune in!
Alrighty folks, can't wait to share what the Lord is going to do over the next couple weeks! Until then....
Grace and peace.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Potential
The Lord has been doing some pretty interesting and sweet things in my life recently. I'm not going to bore you with all of them but I do want to share some thoughts that I've had recently [or that the Lord has given me].
The word potential has been a key word lately. This word has both positive and negative connotations attached to it. The positive side is usually associated with younger children or teenagers. "Bobby Sue has so much potential...". On the flip side, the negative aspect of the word potential typically is used when talking about older folks. "Stan had all of that potential but blew it when he did...(fill in the blank)".
I will add a third category of potential...Kingdom potential. This goes much farther than your Kingdom destiny or calling. Here's how: In Genesis 1 and 2, God gave Adam the authority over everything on earth. Genesis 1:26: "...let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." God then put the man in charge of the Garden of Eden [2:15], which to me is a HUGE responsibility. Man was in charge of the grounds where God walked and talked! Anyway, in chapter 3 we read where Adam and Eve are deceived and the fall of man occurs. Adam had all of the potential yet he blew it! He had authority over everything and in one decision he brought a curse to mankind.
Now the rest of the Old Testament was God setting up the coming of His One and Only Son [the "Second Adam" - read 1 Corinthians 15 and Romans 5] to come and fulfill all of the potential the first Adam had and lost. Jesus walked with the authority of heaven...perhaps the same authority Adam could have had. Read all through the Gospels and you read where Jesus healed every sickness and disease, cast out demons, set the captives free, made blind eyes see, made deaf ears hear, turned water into wine, walked on water and so on and so on.
Now we, as co-heirs with Christ [Romans 8:17] and who walk with the same power and authority Jesus did, are called to fulfill all of the potential the first Adam had [just like Jesus]. It is in my opinion that God is raising up a generation that are to be known as "fulfillers of the Kingdom potential." A generation that will encompass believers walking down the streets performing signs and wonders through the Holy Spirit. Some will be preaching the Gospel with the fire of heaven in their bones and unction in their words. To some, the gift of worship and prophetic singing is released. To others, prophetic utterances and words of knowledge. And some, because of their unquenchable love for Jesus, will become martyrs for their faith.
However, this is not just for some. Every Believer is called to fulfill this potential. But to do so, we need to live by the culture of the Kingdom, not by the culture of this world. No longer can we tolerate the things of this world [abortion, murder, slander, gossip, fornication, idolatry, etc]. We must live by the culture and value system of the Kingdom of God that is soon coming. This value system is found in chapters 5-7 in Matthew's Gospel. Billy Humphrey of IHOP-Atlanta says that these chapters not only describe what Jesus is like, but they also describe what Jesus likes! These chapters unveil God's heart.
There are 8 core values of the Kingdom which are described in the Beatitudes. We must be poor in spirit knowing that Jesus is all that we need and that He alone provides for us. We must be ones who mourn [or long and ache] for His return just as Jesus longs and aches to be reunited with His Bride. We must be a humble people. We must hunger and thirst for righteousness, holiness and the pleasures of God. We must be a forgiving people full of mercy. We must live lives of purity and not condone the acts of this world. We have to be a people that bring peace and live a life full of peace because this world is about to get a little hairy during the end of this age. And beloved, we must be prepared to be persecuted. A time is coming [and has already come] where many are ridiculed, beaten and put to death for their belief in Christ. In fact, more people have died because of their faith in the past 100 years than have died in the previous 1900 combined!
We must be cheerful givers and lovers of the secret place with God. We must be a people that bow our hearts and bend our knees to seek the face of God in prayer, fasting and supplication. In doing so, we will undoubtedly hear the voice of God and learn what is burning on His heart for today.
So I encourage each and everyone of you to study chapters 5-7 of Matthew. Take it slow. Digest it. I also recommend Billy Humphrey's book, "The Culture of the Kingdom." It is a valuable resource and study guide for the value system of the Kingdom of God.
Grace and peace.
The word potential has been a key word lately. This word has both positive and negative connotations attached to it. The positive side is usually associated with younger children or teenagers. "Bobby Sue has so much potential...". On the flip side, the negative aspect of the word potential typically is used when talking about older folks. "Stan had all of that potential but blew it when he did...(fill in the blank)".
I will add a third category of potential...Kingdom potential. This goes much farther than your Kingdom destiny or calling. Here's how: In Genesis 1 and 2, God gave Adam the authority over everything on earth. Genesis 1:26: "...let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." God then put the man in charge of the Garden of Eden [2:15], which to me is a HUGE responsibility. Man was in charge of the grounds where God walked and talked! Anyway, in chapter 3 we read where Adam and Eve are deceived and the fall of man occurs. Adam had all of the potential yet he blew it! He had authority over everything and in one decision he brought a curse to mankind.
Now the rest of the Old Testament was God setting up the coming of His One and Only Son [the "Second Adam" - read 1 Corinthians 15 and Romans 5] to come and fulfill all of the potential the first Adam had and lost. Jesus walked with the authority of heaven...perhaps the same authority Adam could have had. Read all through the Gospels and you read where Jesus healed every sickness and disease, cast out demons, set the captives free, made blind eyes see, made deaf ears hear, turned water into wine, walked on water and so on and so on.
Now we, as co-heirs with Christ [Romans 8:17] and who walk with the same power and authority Jesus did, are called to fulfill all of the potential the first Adam had [just like Jesus]. It is in my opinion that God is raising up a generation that are to be known as "fulfillers of the Kingdom potential." A generation that will encompass believers walking down the streets performing signs and wonders through the Holy Spirit. Some will be preaching the Gospel with the fire of heaven in their bones and unction in their words. To some, the gift of worship and prophetic singing is released. To others, prophetic utterances and words of knowledge. And some, because of their unquenchable love for Jesus, will become martyrs for their faith.
However, this is not just for some. Every Believer is called to fulfill this potential. But to do so, we need to live by the culture of the Kingdom, not by the culture of this world. No longer can we tolerate the things of this world [abortion, murder, slander, gossip, fornication, idolatry, etc]. We must live by the culture and value system of the Kingdom of God that is soon coming. This value system is found in chapters 5-7 in Matthew's Gospel. Billy Humphrey of IHOP-Atlanta says that these chapters not only describe what Jesus is like, but they also describe what Jesus likes! These chapters unveil God's heart.
There are 8 core values of the Kingdom which are described in the Beatitudes. We must be poor in spirit knowing that Jesus is all that we need and that He alone provides for us. We must be ones who mourn [or long and ache] for His return just as Jesus longs and aches to be reunited with His Bride. We must be a humble people. We must hunger and thirst for righteousness, holiness and the pleasures of God. We must be a forgiving people full of mercy. We must live lives of purity and not condone the acts of this world. We have to be a people that bring peace and live a life full of peace because this world is about to get a little hairy during the end of this age. And beloved, we must be prepared to be persecuted. A time is coming [and has already come] where many are ridiculed, beaten and put to death for their belief in Christ. In fact, more people have died because of their faith in the past 100 years than have died in the previous 1900 combined!
We must be cheerful givers and lovers of the secret place with God. We must be a people that bow our hearts and bend our knees to seek the face of God in prayer, fasting and supplication. In doing so, we will undoubtedly hear the voice of God and learn what is burning on His heart for today.
So I encourage each and everyone of you to study chapters 5-7 of Matthew. Take it slow. Digest it. I also recommend Billy Humphrey's book, "The Culture of the Kingdom." It is a valuable resource and study guide for the value system of the Kingdom of God.
Grace and peace.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Hilarious!!!
As a little comedic interlude between Revelation discussions, check out this amazingly funny bit from a comedian named Brian Regan. If you haven't heard of him, do yourself a favor and search him on youtube and watch some of his clips. You might have to change your underwear....
Grace and peace.
Grace and peace.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Conclusion of Revelation 1
Alright, so we are down to the final 2 verses of Revelation 1:
"Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches."
Growing up, or I guess I should say, in my early years of being a Believer, I always avoided reading the book of Revelation. I avoided it because I thought there was way too much symbolism for me to understand. But as I've studied it recently, I've realized that yes, there are a bunch of symbolic figures and visions, BUT I've found that most of them are explained right in the text. And we are seeing that here. In these 2 verses, Jesus is explaining to John what the vision of the seven stars and the seven golden lampstands are. A few verses earlier John sees "someone 'like a son of man'" walking among the lampstands and having seven stars "in his right hand."
The seven stars, according to Jesus, are the "angels of the seven churches." The word angels could also mean "messengers." Now there are 2 explanations for the word "angels" [or messengers]: It could be taken literally and that these seven churches actually had angels assigned [I guess that's the right word?] to their churches. Then I guess you can assume that there could be angels assigned to churches in today's time? The other possible explanation is that the word messenger refers to the pastors/preachers that are over the churches. I tend to go more with this explanation, but that's just me...
One of the most encouraging parts of this vision is Jesus ["son of man" - which is how Daniel described the person in his vision recorded in Daniel 7] walking among the lampstands. Here we can imagine Jesus walking between each lampstand, probably stopping by each one with a smile on His face. Maybe He reaches out and places His hand on the lampstand. You see, Jesus longs to be with His church, loves to reach out and touch His church, and for sure He loves it when His church welcomes Him in. The sad part is that there are many churches out there that have four walls, but Jesus is not found in them. The Holy Spirit is not taught on and He is certainly not allowed to minister. These churches are dead. They have the appearance of being alive, but in fact are quite dead. The Spirit is not living and dwelling within them! These churches have the fluff and flattery [ie. seeker-friendly] but lack the truth. It makes me so thankful to belong to a church where the Lord is free to do what He wants, when He wants and how He wants. I pray that the Lord would grab ahold of the messengers of these dead churches and put a fire in their bones to preach the Word, and to preach it boldly! If not, then it is my opinion that these will be the ones to fall away during the End Times that Jesus talks about in Matthew 24 [see also 2 Thess 2, Revelation 17]. Wake up churches!!
So I pray that wherever you are at, that Jesus would walk near you and reach out His mighty hand to touch your life exactly where you need/want Him to. I pray that you would see Him smile at you! There's nothing better...
Grace and peace.
"Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches."
Growing up, or I guess I should say, in my early years of being a Believer, I always avoided reading the book of Revelation. I avoided it because I thought there was way too much symbolism for me to understand. But as I've studied it recently, I've realized that yes, there are a bunch of symbolic figures and visions, BUT I've found that most of them are explained right in the text. And we are seeing that here. In these 2 verses, Jesus is explaining to John what the vision of the seven stars and the seven golden lampstands are. A few verses earlier John sees "someone 'like a son of man'" walking among the lampstands and having seven stars "in his right hand."
The seven stars, according to Jesus, are the "angels of the seven churches." The word angels could also mean "messengers." Now there are 2 explanations for the word "angels" [or messengers]: It could be taken literally and that these seven churches actually had angels assigned [I guess that's the right word?] to their churches. Then I guess you can assume that there could be angels assigned to churches in today's time? The other possible explanation is that the word messenger refers to the pastors/preachers that are over the churches. I tend to go more with this explanation, but that's just me...
One of the most encouraging parts of this vision is Jesus ["son of man" - which is how Daniel described the person in his vision recorded in Daniel 7] walking among the lampstands. Here we can imagine Jesus walking between each lampstand, probably stopping by each one with a smile on His face. Maybe He reaches out and places His hand on the lampstand. You see, Jesus longs to be with His church, loves to reach out and touch His church, and for sure He loves it when His church welcomes Him in. The sad part is that there are many churches out there that have four walls, but Jesus is not found in them. The Holy Spirit is not taught on and He is certainly not allowed to minister. These churches are dead. They have the appearance of being alive, but in fact are quite dead. The Spirit is not living and dwelling within them! These churches have the fluff and flattery [ie. seeker-friendly] but lack the truth. It makes me so thankful to belong to a church where the Lord is free to do what He wants, when He wants and how He wants. I pray that the Lord would grab ahold of the messengers of these dead churches and put a fire in their bones to preach the Word, and to preach it boldly! If not, then it is my opinion that these will be the ones to fall away during the End Times that Jesus talks about in Matthew 24 [see also 2 Thess 2, Revelation 17]. Wake up churches!!
So I pray that wherever you are at, that Jesus would walk near you and reach out His mighty hand to touch your life exactly where you need/want Him to. I pray that you would see Him smile at you! There's nothing better...
Grace and peace.
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