I read this article in Charisma Magazine by J Lee Grady and had to say amen! Jesus is LORD of Lords and yet on earth he wore no title! Let’s use descriptions and don’t get hung up on titles!
Fire in my bones!
When you have Jesus
you have everything, and you realise you don’t need ‘every thing’.
Life is about more than things!
Build My Church
Build my church
Not your career
Not your family
Not your reputation
Not your wealth
Not your network
Not your ministry
Build my church
JesusBlogger, The Jesus Blog, 2011
I got some news that was upsetting today, something I’d invested a lot of time and effort was pulled from under me. It was something I loved, something I was passionate about.
I was sad.
Then I rembered the word: “if in this life only we had hope we would be of all men most miserable”. How right Paul was when God inspired him to write these words.
If you feel upset about the loss of anything, or anyone today take a moment to remember that our hope is not in this life. Our hope is in God, as it is written: “hope thou in God”.
They that trust in the LORD shall never be moved! It built my Spirit to realise how Great our God is and that I shouldn’t get my hopes set on things on earth. No, much better to build my hopes on things eternal!
Hope thou in God, and no disappointment will move you. It may rock your body, it may nudge you, but you SHALL NOT be moved!
“seven days without fasting and prayer makes one weak” (anon)
This is sooooo true. The songwriter said: “I can’t even walk without you holding my hand”. I agree, if ever a time we needed to stay close to God it is now.
Universal truth: the day you forget to pray bad things happen because we expose ourselves to demonic attack, or haven’t submitted our flesh to the will of God.
Holidays are wonderful!
While snorkling in the mediterranean sea I realised how the sea makes for a wonderful analogy of the christian’s preparedness to search the uttermost reaches of the Spirit of God.
Ezekiel pictured waters that were first to his ankle, then to his knee, waist, shoulder and finally totally submerged.
1.The Ankle Deep Christian
Those living at the shoreline only ever wet their ankle, they are more into the things of this world than the things of the Spirit of God. When you are ankle deep much flesh is on display, the same flesh the LORD showed us should be obliterated at the Brazen Altar of the Mosaic Tabernacle.
Ankle deep living is a life lived where we are master of our own actions and reactions, at ankle depth the waters of God’s Spirit are too shallow to control us.
The other grave danger of the shallow end is that this is where the muck is pushed by the tide, so an ankle deep believer lives in the mess of sin and carnality e.g. gossip, argument, nightclubbing, drinking, smoking, swearing, sexual partners, porn, drugs, unforgiveness, and so on.
2. The Knee Deep Christian
At knee depth it is again very easy to step out of the flow of the Holy Spirit’s tide. However, the knee deep saint takes pride in being able to look back at the ankle deep Christian and say: “I’m deeper than you!”. Full of spiritual pride but devoid of spirituality.
3. The Waist Deep Christian
The Christian who is waist deep is more faithful, but they are still living in a comfort zone. The danger of being waist deep is that fellowship is shared with those who do not live under the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, “evil communications corrupt good manners”.
It doesn’t matter how deep we go if we spend our time looking back to those on the shoreline shilly shallying with uncommitted Christians. After a while the tide will have pushed us back to the muck at the shoreline.
4. The Shoulder Deep Christian
Shoulder Deep Believers have almost mastered submitting to the will of God. Their flesh is mostly under the blood of Jesus, they live their lives as a Christian ought. They are people in the word, they know the Word, they worship, they do good. But, one thing is lacking! Faith (Forsaking All I Trust Him).
The shoulder deep still does not have their head under the total influence of the Spirit’s control. The first lesson God teaches when He fills us with the Holy Ghost is that we need to surrender our minds to Him. We must “let this mind be in us” (the mind of Christ).
The issue of the shoulder deep is one of faith. I see myself in this. How willing am I to become totally, utterly, completely sold out for Jesus? What sacrifices am I holding back on making, what am I afraid to give up?
To become totally submerged takes a bowing of the knee in humility and a surrendering of our lives into God’s hands. It looks like certain death to be totally plunged under the ocean, but this is what God requires – only those who have died to self can see His face.
5. The Submerged Christian
“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
We can do this!
Is God at service today?
The Tabernacles of Moses and David can teach us a lot about worship.
I’ve spent the last couple of months studying the Mosaic and Davidic Tabernacles. Â In the days of Eli God allowed the Ark of the Covenant to be captured by the Philistines. Â It was a tragic event that showed God’s displeasure with Eli for allowing his sons to corrupt and defile the priesthood. Â There is a lesson in the life of Eli for all of God’s leaders i.e. don’t be partial in judgement. Â Eli was the High Priest and a Judge in Israel, yet he allowed his own sons to get away with pimping the priesthood, extorting money from worshippers and taking sexual advantage of vulnerable women (1 Samuel 2:12-36). Â Â What is also striking is that God chose to raise Samuel in the cursed house of Eli, only God can raise a blessed man in a cursed house (1 Samuel 3:1)!
Having a symbol of God’s presence without the reality of His presence is a dangerous deception.
If you think you’re the last person anyone would call to ministry, I have a word for you!
“I’m the last person anyone would call”
It always surprises me how many gifted, anointed, ministry laden folk say these words of doubt.
The belief is held on the basis that we aren’t the most vocal, the best looking, or the one that usually gets asked to do things. It all boils down to us saying we don’t think man can see anything resembling ministry in us.
How we forget that man looks after the outward appearance but God judges a us according to our heart – the inward appearance is that inner chamber man can not see. It can only be revealed to a man full of the Spirit at the desire of the Divine One. Even with the Holy Ghost and discerning Spirit if God does not show a man of God by revelation He can’t see what is in us.
Think of David, he was the last man called. He was the last person his father thought of, after some prompting! And yet He was always God’s first choice.
Before you were formed in the womb, God knew you and ordained you to a special work!
Saints! My mouth is full! I swallow but it is still full. I can’t seem to empty my mouth, there is something lodged in my throat.
“I will bless the LORD at all times, and His praise shall continually be in my mouth”. Ps. 34:1
:o)
When you’ve gone driving along the motorway you’ve probably seen birds sitting on electric cables that connect pylons. These cables are so powerful that if a human stands by one they risk death by electric shock. Yet, a bird seems able to sit on the cable all day long and doesn’t feel even the slightest jolt.
There are some Christians like that!
They can sit in the midst of a powerful holy ghost anointed service, with the Holy Spirit of God moving all around them and not feel anything.
Lord, help me never to be a “bird like” Christian!
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