COME HOME TO ME
In July 2007, I went on a three day prayer retreat . I traveled with two of my friends who wanted to rest in the Lord and of course talk, laugh and eat. We went to the island of Lanai and stayed at the Koele Lodge. My friends had previously visited the island and stayed at the Lodge. For me, it was the first time. Before the trip, God interrupted my thoughts several times and told me that on the trip I would be coming home. I didn’t know what that meant. Upon my arrival at the Lodge I thought maybe He meant the trees, mountains and cool freshness of the place. My dream would be to have a home in the mountains with lots of trees. Some how though I instinctively knew that He meant something else.
The first afternoon at the Lodge we decided to go on our own and find a quiet place to be with God. My friends quickly found their places. I couldn’t settle anywhere. That in it self perturbed me. Here I was in a beautiful , dream of a place and I couldn’t find that spot to curl up. I finally went back to my room and sat on the window seat. I began to write and asked Him what He had meant regarding me “coming home.” He didn’t answer me. So I praised Him and thanked Him. And, as I started to read scripture, He said: “You came home.” Instantly, I knew what He meant. I hadn’t been reading the Bible and praying as much as I should . How sad and dumb is that. I had drifted away from Him without fully realizing I had done so. I became busy with other activities and some of them were His work. However, to live this life I need my relationship with Him. A relationship where I sit in the quiet with Him, read his word and hear His voice everyday. I repented and asked for forgiveness. The next three days with Him were rich with peace because I spent time with Him. I was rested and my life was ever so full. I had come home to my Father’s House.
In John , Jesus spent a lot of time teaching his disciples before His death and resurrection. Since we know that Jesus came with limited time and great purpose, teaching must be important. He wants to teach us and He calls to us as His disciples, to teach us so we can come to His likeness and minister to others. How will we be taught if we don’t spend time in the His word and praying? It simply follows: the more time spent with God the more we will learn from Him.
Look at John 14:23
“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make our home with him.” Do you want to live in His promise?
Jesus says, “I am the bread of life; I am the light of the world; I am the gate; I am the good shepherd; I am the resurrection and the life; I am the way and the truth and the life; and I am the true vine.” I don’t think it gets any better then this: “To be with and learn from the One who is all those things: the One who preexisted and the One with eternal deity.” Why would we chose not to spend time with Him?
My dear brothers and sisters Come Home To Him.
Dear Father,
I stand before you today and tell you that I want to “Come Home.” I want to keep Your word and have the life that You intended for me and my family. I know that You are sitting in my living room everyday waiting to spend time with me. I don’t want to walk past You anymore. I lay down the distractions of my life and choose You. Make your home with me. Amen
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Alert and Pray
Know that you will be tempted. Know that you have stuff--areas of our life where you will fall into sin. Know that you have to look for the areas of your life where God wants to grow you. To know all those things you have to be alert and watch for the schemes of the devil to tempt you, to entice you to fall into sin and to stunt your growth. You have to daily pray and desperately seek God to give you the strength to resist temptation, to keep you from sin and to grow you.
They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter , James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. “My soul is over whelmed with sorrow to the point of death,“ he said to them. “ Stay here and keep watch.”
Going a little further, He fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from Him. “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but
what you will.”
Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
Once more He went away and prayed the same thing. When He came back, He again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to Him.
Returning the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come.
Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
Mark 14:32-42
Jesus asked something simple--watch and pray. He asked three times because His disciples fell asleep three times. In the end even they didn’t have an excuse for their behavior. In the end it was the very hour that Jesus needed them to pray for Him. The very hour is here. Don’t fall asleep. There is no excuse.
Jesus said, “the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” We can’t afford to be weak. We are in the middle of battle with the enemy. Satan’s schemes will change in the battle. Your job is to be alert and pray. Alert means to be watchful and ready. Pray means to implore or beseech--desperately seek God.
In Ephesians it says…Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible this is why it is said.
Wake up, O sleeper
Rise from the dead,
And Christ will shine on you.
Our Heavenly Father is light. Wake up and stay awake and be filled with light---filled with the Holy Spirit.
Dear Father give me a hunger to stay awake. If there are areas in my life where I am sleeping wake me up. Surround me with friends who are awake. I don’t want to miss the very hour. Fill me with light and use me to give that light away. In Your precious name I pray. Amen
They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter , James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. “My soul is over whelmed with sorrow to the point of death,“ he said to them. “ Stay here and keep watch.”
Going a little further, He fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from Him. “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but
what you will.”
Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
Once more He went away and prayed the same thing. When He came back, He again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to Him.
Returning the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come.
Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
Mark 14:32-42
Jesus asked something simple--watch and pray. He asked three times because His disciples fell asleep three times. In the end even they didn’t have an excuse for their behavior. In the end it was the very hour that Jesus needed them to pray for Him. The very hour is here. Don’t fall asleep. There is no excuse.
Jesus said, “the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” We can’t afford to be weak. We are in the middle of battle with the enemy. Satan’s schemes will change in the battle. Your job is to be alert and pray. Alert means to be watchful and ready. Pray means to implore or beseech--desperately seek God.
In Ephesians it says…Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible this is why it is said.
Wake up, O sleeper
Rise from the dead,
And Christ will shine on you.
Our Heavenly Father is light. Wake up and stay awake and be filled with light---filled with the Holy Spirit.
Dear Father give me a hunger to stay awake. If there are areas in my life where I am sleeping wake me up. Surround me with friends who are awake. I don’t want to miss the very hour. Fill me with light and use me to give that light away. In Your precious name I pray. Amen
Friday, July 4, 2008
Ground Breaking
In the last few months I’ve had moments where I sensed the ground breaking. I am not saying that it is physically breaking and moving but an actual sense that God is moving the ground, the earth. The sense of this is stronger over the last few weeks. He is telling me that the ground breaking is about change. Actually He has been saying for the last year that big changes were going to take place. The emphasis of this message is that it is now. Doing things differently and doing things that have not been done before. One of those things is a shifting of money and businesses to Christians who are going to help His people. I believe we are to expect the extra ordinary. To see dreams come true. To hear over and over again that prayers are being answered. To see people healed . To see people restored to wholeness and moving in their God given passions.
As He breaks up the ground you may not understand what is happening or how the huge , unattainable situation in front of you can possibly come together. Our job is to stay focused on God and believe His word. Peter walked on water and he was the only disciple that walked on water. He begin to sink into the sea when he took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the impossible situation beneath him. So fix your eyes on God and not on the situation. Not By Sight.
Three days ago when God again interrupted my thinking about ground breaking He reminded me of a teaching Carl, my husband, had given about 8 years ago. What I could remember about the teaching was
something Carl said about the Holy Spirit hovering. And then God brought me to the scripture in Genesis that Carl had referenced when he taught. My dear brothers and sisters thinking about and remembering something that Carl taught 8 years ago is not me remembering. This was God having me remember so that I was clear that it was Him and also to emphasize the importance of delivering His message.
Genesis 1:1-2
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”
I believe what God is saying is that He is and will be making new beginnings . You can read this and say that He does that all the time so that’s nothing new. However, you will see this at a faster rate. There are people and places on this earth that are empty and dark. God’s desire has always been to fill those people and places with His light. For those who are willing to look at themselves and come out of darkness and into the light the blessings are waiting. For those who are not willing to be filled with His light God is going to expose their corruptness and lies. So it’s imperative that we all look at ourselves and look at how we are living our lives.
Our job is keeping our eyes on Our Father. Read and study the Bible, pray and fast .
Dear Father,
We come to you as your children and we want to be a part of the ground breaking. Show us and direct us as to the steps you want us to take. Help us step out boldly and know that it is ok if we are uncomfortable, especially when we are standing on new ground. Father, help us look at the lies we believe, what we need to repent of and who we need to forgive. Remove the obstacles in our path. Help us see and believe that You are standing by our side hovering over us directing and guiding us into the people that you created us to be. Lord we believe that we will see signs, wonders and miracles. Amen
As He breaks up the ground you may not understand what is happening or how the huge , unattainable situation in front of you can possibly come together. Our job is to stay focused on God and believe His word. Peter walked on water and he was the only disciple that walked on water. He begin to sink into the sea when he took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the impossible situation beneath him. So fix your eyes on God and not on the situation. Not By Sight.
Three days ago when God again interrupted my thinking about ground breaking He reminded me of a teaching Carl, my husband, had given about 8 years ago. What I could remember about the teaching was
something Carl said about the Holy Spirit hovering. And then God brought me to the scripture in Genesis that Carl had referenced when he taught. My dear brothers and sisters thinking about and remembering something that Carl taught 8 years ago is not me remembering. This was God having me remember so that I was clear that it was Him and also to emphasize the importance of delivering His message.
Genesis 1:1-2
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”
I believe what God is saying is that He is and will be making new beginnings . You can read this and say that He does that all the time so that’s nothing new. However, you will see this at a faster rate. There are people and places on this earth that are empty and dark. God’s desire has always been to fill those people and places with His light. For those who are willing to look at themselves and come out of darkness and into the light the blessings are waiting. For those who are not willing to be filled with His light God is going to expose their corruptness and lies. So it’s imperative that we all look at ourselves and look at how we are living our lives.
Our job is keeping our eyes on Our Father. Read and study the Bible, pray and fast .
Dear Father,
We come to you as your children and we want to be a part of the ground breaking. Show us and direct us as to the steps you want us to take. Help us step out boldly and know that it is ok if we are uncomfortable, especially when we are standing on new ground. Father, help us look at the lies we believe, what we need to repent of and who we need to forgive. Remove the obstacles in our path. Help us see and believe that You are standing by our side hovering over us directing and guiding us into the people that you created us to be. Lord we believe that we will see signs, wonders and miracles. Amen