After writing in my blog last night I had an experience with the Lord that I felt I should blog about as well. If you read the last blog you'll appreciate this experience.

I went to bed last night and was fast asleep when I was awakened by a knock on the wall above my bed.  It sounded as if someone was outside my house and knocked hard on the wall above my head.  I have been awakened like this before and the Lord has always had something profound to show me or tell me.

So I knew when I heard the knock the Lord wanted me to wake up.  I looked over at the clock to see what time it was because He has spoken to me through the time on the clock before. The clock said 12:25 am.

My first thought was the time represented December 25th and that maybe the Lord wanted to tell me something about Christmas.  So I asked the Lord what He was saying and I felt He said to look at Hebrews 12:25, "So see to it that you do not reject Him or refuse to listen to and heed Him Who is speaking [to you now]. For if they [the Israelites] did not escape when they refused to listen and heed Him Who warned and divinely instructed them here on earth [revealing with heavenly warnings His will], how much less shall we escape if we reject and turn our backs on Him Who cautions and admonishes us from heaven?

After reading this scripture I knew the Lord was confirming to me what I had written earlier that night in my blog.  We must turn and position ourselves so that God can bless us and we can escape the consequences of our actions.

Sorry it's been a long time since I last posted here, however, I've been about the Father's business else where.  I wanted to take a few minutes and just jot down some of my thoughts so I hope you'll give me grace for that.

This year has been an amazing year, so much has transpired and yet I feel there'll be so much more to come.  I feel the Spirit moving in so many ways the urgency inside my spirit continues to grow larger and larger until some days I find myself crying out for the Lord to break through and reveal Himself completely!  I find myself continually frustrated. Not out of being in the wrong place but out of knowing God is moving in the earth but feeling the need to push Him a little to make Him move faster. I know, I can't push God!

At times I feel my spirit will explode with His goodness and yet I still see so much anguish and heart ache all  around me.  This frustration seems to center around the next move of God and how it'll be manifested in the earth as well as in my life.  I feel revival is already here, many are turning their lives around and following fast after God, but then I see so many who are struggling with the very foundations of their beliefs because of injustice, heart ache, broken relationships, and not having a clear understanding what God's doing in this move.

I don't know if anyone can fully understand what God's doing and where He's taking us as a body of believers, but what I do know is I don't have to understand it.  He's in control and He knows right where we are individually.  He's very aware of our struggle, of our lack of understanding, and it doesn't hinder His movement in any way.  One of the things He continues to remind me on so many levels is the nature of my part in His movement.  My part is only to OBEY!  Nothing more, nothing less.  I'm continually reminded of the way Jesus obeyed the Father when He was here. He did nothing apart from the Father, (John 8:28, 5:19) He only did what He saw the Father doing.

So what's the Father doing today? Romans 4:17 says He's calling those things that are not as though they already existed.  I believe this is what He was doing when Jesus was here on the earth and I believe He's still doing it today. He did it for Abraham and He's doing it for you and me.

So what should we be doing?  Calling those things that are not as though they already exist in our own lives as well as in the lives of others.  We need to be calling our country back to who God created it to be, calling our leaders to who God says they are, and calling our families, friends, and neighbors to who God created them to be.

Part of my frustration is the urgency I feel for this country to turn back to God.  Our leaders have made some grave decisions that have postured this country in a position of having our backs to the very One who brought us to this land and gave us the freedom to create a nation under God and for the people.

Unfortunately we can't entirely blame the leaders, after all we're the ones who voted them into office in the first place and we're the ones feeling the consequences of that action. It's our job to stand in a place of repentance and turn our hearts back to the Father and pray for mercy.  It's also our job to seek out truth and life in every place even in our voting in November.

This election isn't about a man it's about truth and life.  It's not about who's right and who's wrong it's about life and death. (and I'm not talking about pro choice or pro life)  Jesus didn't come to judge the world, He came to bring life. (John 5:24)

As we decide who we'll vote for in the coming election we need to explore our values and morals, the places we see life and death.  Our standard should not come from a party or a man but should come from the written Word of God.  If the Bible is our standard to measure against those running for the highest office in our government we should be able to put aside parties and men and what they do or don't do and vote accordingly.

We're not electing a pastor, we're electing an administrator who will facilitate our morals, values, and beliefs and bring life back into this country.  Life comes from God, no where else!  If we vote according to what brings life the decision will be clear.

I urge each and everyone who reads this blog to get on their knees and pray for this country, pray for your own hearts, and pray for mercy.  We have turned our backs on God and we must stand in a place of repentance and turn back to Him our only source.  This should be our only posture in this urgent time and as we position ourselves toward Him, He promises us in 2 Chronicles 7:14 He will heal our land.  It's time to position ourselves!

Transition can be a scary thing, but if we can lay back in the Father's arms trusting that the waves won't over take us we can be like a leaf floating down river coming upon rocks but not crashing into them, falling over waterfalls but never going under, or rushing through the water at speeds that seem overwhelming but knowing we are protected from every element we are whizzing by. We can lie back and rest knowing He is in control and letting Him guide us through. Knowing we will come to a stop in the place that will give us the most satisfaction and joy because that is His heart for us.

The Lord is my Shepherd

     Sorry to take a break from Revelations but I feel the Lord wants me to post about what  I am going through now.  Recently I have felt like I am in transition.  I know a lot of people feel this way so I thought the comfort I have been receiving from the Lord may also help others through this time. 

     My life feels like it is going through the valley of death, death to dreams, death to finances, death to identity.  Everything seems to be ending at once with no clear vision of the future.  My youngest child has turned 18 and is growing into a godly young woman, although I should be happy about this, she is my last child and I feel we are both moving into a whole new stage in life and I will no longer be "mommy".  Most of my life I have been "mommy" to someone, that has been my identity for so long I am not sure that I know how to be anyone else.  Also I have had three sources of income for many years now and this year those sources have either begun to dry up or will dry up over the next few months.  I went to college for 8 years in order to find a job in the field that I love, helping people and have been working steadily for the last two years toward building up that job.  Now all of a sudden over the last three months I have seen a steady drop in business to the point of barely having any income.  I have also felt all the life I once received from helping people slowly dissipating.  I no longer gain any satisfaction or life from what I felt called to do.  It feels like a part of me that has always been there, including my dreams for the future in this field, is dying right before my eyes.  I could go on and on this way as there are so many other areas this death seems to be touching in my life.  But God!  

     He is so good and faithful!  He never leaves me and I can always depend on him to be there for me.  Last Sunday at church during worship I got a vision of myself as a little girl and I was holding my hands up to Father God, like a kid would who wanted to be picked up by their daddy.  I saw him reach down and pick me up in His arms.  He wrapped His arms around me and I felt so comforted and safe.  I looked at His arms and they were very big and muscular it was almost as if just one of His arms was bigger than me.  As I looked at His right arm I saw a word tattooed on it in large letters, it said DEFENDER. Then I looked over at His left arm and it also had a word tattooed on it in large letters, it said RESTORER.  I knew these words were for me.  I knew also He was saying He was my Defender and Restorer and I could feel safe in this huge arms because they would fight for me and restore everything I felt was dying.  After that encounter I felt His peace come into my heart and I knew that even though I did not have a vision for my future it would be safe in those arms.  

     Yesterday I was feeling that sinking feeling again, and my mind began to question my circumstances and God about my future and the seeming death of what seems like everything around me.  I was talking with God about what I should do about finding another source of income and He said rest and let me take care of it. But Lord, shouldn't I work with you, isn't that what you ask of us to work with you.  Then I heard the familiar scripture running through my head, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.  He makes me to lie down in green pastures, He leads me to the still waters, He restores my soul."  So I went to my amplified Bible and looked it up and this is what I found.

       Psalm 23

          1.The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack. (I had written in the

              margins here -I shall not shrink, fail, or get ripped off) 

          2. He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful

              waters.

          3. He refreshes and restores (I had added in the margins - He renews) my life (my self); He leads 

              me in the paths of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him - not for my earning it, 

              but] for His name's sake.

          4. Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread

              no evil, for You are with me;  Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me.

          5. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.  You anoint my head with oil; my

              [brimming] cup runs over.

          6. Surely or only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and 

              through all the length of my days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling

              place.

     Through this Scripture the Lord re-emphasized what He was saying to me on Sunday, He will take care of me, He knows my future, and He is my Defender and my Restorer and He is yours as well.

     Again today I was thinking about my how my income is drying up this year and I have no idea how I will pay my bills and cannot seem to get a clear picture of what I should do next or where I should look for a job.  I have known for some time that this was coming but was hoping that God would prosper the business I have been trying to build up, the business I felt He called me to do so that it would cover the loss of income I would have this year.  It looked as though that would happen as through the months of October to January I had more business than I have had since I began.  Then February came and March and April with little or no business at all and little or no income at all.  Then the Lord said to me, "This is 2012, 12 is the year of government.  I am setting up My government over your life.  Some things have to come to an end in order to make room for other things to begin.  My government is so much wider and fuller than what you have been living under and it will now reign over your life in that fullness and power because I am making room for it.  I have your future in my hands, trust Me to be your Defender and Restorer."

     So today I again put my toward God, looking beyond my circumstances and listening for His voice to lead, guide, protect, restore, and bring me life.  I hope you can too.

 

Revelations From the Book of Revelation

Post 2

John begins the book of Revelation as, “a revelation of Jesus Christ”. He said God gave this revelation to Jesus so that we could know the things that were to come to pass.  Jesus then made them known to John through a messenger so that he could write them down and we could know as well.  John makes it clear in Revelation 1:4-8 that this vision of the things we need to know is coming from God the Father, Holy Spirit, and Jesus. He goes further by identifying the very nature of each one so as to not be misinterpreted (Revelation 1:4-8).

Starting in verse 12 John states that while he was in the vision he turned to see who was speaking to him and it is here where he begins to relay what he saw; which are the very attributes of Jesus given to the churches.

“Then I turned to see [who was] the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands [One] like a Son of Man, clothed with a robe which reached to His feet and with a girdle of gold about His breast. His head and His hair were white like wool, [as white] as snow, and His eyes [flashed] like a flame of fire.  His feet glowed like burnished (bright) bronze, as it is refined in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, and from His mouth there came forth a sharp two-edged sword, and His face was like the sun shining in full power at midday. When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as if dead.  But He laid His right hand on me and said, Do not be afraid! I am the First and the Last, and the Ever-living One [I am living in the eternity of the eternities.] I died, but see I am alive forevermore; and I possess the keys of death and Hades (the realm of the dead).” (Revelation 1:12-12 Amplified)

What did John see?

            John first saw the seven golden lampstands; these represent the seven churches to which John was to send the vision.  He saw Jesus standing in the midst of those lampstands.  Jesus always stands in the midst of His people so that they may have free access to Him as well as to the Father.  He is our bridge or connection to Father God.  “…I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) 

John goes further to describe this One, Jesus, and His appearance is unlike anything we could imagine.  As we read each physical attribute that John relays; the picture that forms in our minds can seem a bit unreal even frightening.  But, if we take each aspect one at a time and ask ourselves “Why does He look this way, is there some reason behind His appearance?” we may find peace in knowing each one of His physical attributes are there for our good, our safety, and our provision.

Just scanning the description we can see correlations between the wordings in these verses to the wording John uses in other chapters as he addresses each church.  “His eyes [flashed] like a flame of fire.  His feet glowed like burnished (bright) bronze” (Rev. 1:14-15); these are the same words used to address the church in Thyatira in Revelation 2:18.  "In His right hand He held seven stars"  (Rev. 1:16) are also seen in addressing the church of Ephesus in 2:1 and the church of Sardis in 3:1. "From His mouth there came forth a sharp two-edged sword" can be seen in 2:12 as John states to the church at Pergamum that Jesus "has and wields the sharp two-edged sword." Then in 1:17-18 John says Jesus is "the First and the Last, and the Ever-living One" which he also relates in 2:8 to the church in Smyrna and again in 3:14 to the church in Laodicea as he states Jesus as the "Amen...the Origin and the Beginning..."
John also begins each address to the churches with other descriptions of Jesus beyond those similar to the first chapter which give more insight into the provision we have in Him for what He is asking from us.  We will continue to examine each one of these aspects of Jesus' character seen in chapter one within the next post.

Revelation from the Book of Revelation

Post 1

For the next few posts I felt the Lord wanted me to write out the insight He has been giving me from the book of Revelation. This insight is long and includes each church that John wrote about in the first three chapters so I am going to divide it into 7 or 8 posts one for each church and maybe a follow up post to conclude. I hope those who read these posts will be encouraged and intrigued enough to look to the Word of God and find out what the Lord is saying to them through these verses.

The insight the Lord gave me regarding the first three chapters of Revelation began as I was reading about each church and trying to determine if I could belong to one of these churches in my heart. Most of the churches have good qualities that God encourages them in as well as bad qualities that He points out and asks them to change. However, the one thread that I noticed running throughout was the fact that before God told them what He held against them He told them who He was for them. As each church is addressed God reveals an attribute of His nature that directly correlates to the very thing the church needs in order to change their behavior. So not only is God encouraging them in the things they are doing right He is also offering them attributes of Himself to help empower them to change their destructive behavior even before telling them they have destructive behavior. He is such an awesome God full of love and mercy. His mercy towards us does endure forever.

In order to understand the fullness of this insight I want to begin by directing you to Revelation 1:12-18 where John describes Jesus’ attributes.

"Then I turned to see [who was] the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands [One] like a Son of Man, clothed with a robe which reached to His feet and with a girdle of gold about His breast. His head and His hair were white like white wool, [as white] as snow, and His eyes [flashed] like a flame of fire. His feet glowed like burnished [bright] bronze as it is refined in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, and from His mouth there came forth a sharp two-edged sword, and His face was like the sun shining in full power at midday. When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as if dead. But He laid His right hand on me and said, "Do not be afraid! I am the First and the Last. And the Ever-living One [I am living in the eternity of eternities]. I died, but see, I am alive forevermore; and I possess the keys of death and Hades (the realm of the dead)."

Each attribute he mentions in these verses also appears to be one or more attribute that God has revealed to each church as provision for them to utilize in repenting and changing their behavior.

As I looked at each church, their strengths, weaknesses, and the power available to them through Jesus, I realized the issues addressed, both good and bad, were ones we, as churches and individuals, encounter even today. Holy Spirit also showed me that just as Jesus was revealed in specific attributes for each church listed, we today also have access to these same attributes. This provides us with strength and wisdom to flourish in those things God is encouraging in us so that the inheritance of Jesus can be revealed on the earth. As we walk in these attributes of Jesus, making them a part of our lives, we then become a part of the will of God for this earth and we will see the promised inheritance of Jesus, which is the Kingdom of God on earth, be fulfilled in and through us.

The following post will examine these attributes of Jesus seen in Revelation 1:12-18. We will take a look at the way John sets the tone for the next few chapters introducing the provision of Jesus for each church even before he addresses them. As we continue on our examination of each church and the provision both physical and spiritual through Jesus’ attributes we will then be able to see how relative those attributes are to the needs of the churches and how that translates to us today. I hope you enjoy discovering these attributes of the nature of Jesus that are available to you through His Word.