The Intrusiveness of Christ

I don't know who wrote it but today's devotional on my e-sword was very timely and powerful. I needed to place it somewhere that hope may have it's way. Come in all your glory Lord!

A Time of Conflicting Emotions:
When the doors were shut…for fear of the Jews, came Jesus— John 20:19

This was a very memorable Sunday evening, one of the most memorable that history has known. The grave was empty; Christ Jesus had arisen, and slowly the glad truth was reaching the disciples. First had come the tidings of Mary Magdalene, then the thrilling experience of Peter, and now the two travelers to Emmaus had come in and had just finished telling what had befallen them. Can we not imagine what a conflict of emotions surged and throbbed in the disciples' hearts? Some believed instantly; some could not crush their doubt; some passed in swift alternation through glory and despair. And it was then when the doors were shut for fear of the Jews, that Jesus came and stood in the midst of them. How exquisitely fitting was His first word, "Peace!" Peace was the very thing which they lacked that evening. We may always trust Christ, in His unerring tact, to say the right word at the right moment. But the words I ask you especially to consider are these: "when the doors were shut for fear of the Jews." They suggest to me two lines of thought which I shall ask you to follow for a little. The first is, we may close the doors on Christ unwittingly. The second is, though we close the doors on Christ, we do not shut Him out. May God grant us His guidance as we proceed.

We May Close the Doors on Christ Unwittingly:
First, then, we may close the doors on Christ unwittingly; that, you see, is what the disciples did. When they shut and locked the doors of the upper chamber, they never meant to bar them against Jesus. They were afraid of the Jews, the Gospel frankly tells us—and there are few books so frank as the Bible is. They had not been born yet into the heroism of Pentecost; they had not been baptized with the Spirit of fearlessness. Had they heard the trampling of Jewish feet upon the stairs and the beating of Jewish staves upon the door, I daresay they would have thought that all was lost. So they made fast the door for fear of the Jews. That was their only object when they barred it. Yet you and I, reading the story together, detect that they were doing more than they imagined, for unwittingly they closed the door on Christ. Now there is a lesson in that thought on which you and I do well to ponder. It is that we may close the door on all that is best and worthiest, and yet we can honestly say we never meant to do it. I do not think there are many who have deliberately resolved to shut out Christ. This is an age of such uncertainty that most men are too uncertain even to be skeptics. But there are doors we may close, never thinking of Christ Jesus; there are lines of conduct in common life we may pursue, and we never dream that we are raising barriers between ourselves and the highest and the best. But in the end of the day for us, as for the disciples, it will be found that we have done more than we imagined—we have closed the door unwittingly on Christ..........I beseech you, see that you are not living and acting as the disciples did upon that Lord's day evening when for fear of the Jews they shut the door, and unwittingly closed it on their Lord.

Friendships and Choices May Shut the Door on Christ:
There are many ways in which men commit this error. Think for example of the formation of friendships. Many a young man is ruined by his enemies, but more young men are ruined by their friends. It is amazing how easily some people form their friendships, how they make them on the line of least resistance, how they fail to realize what is implied in that mystical and mighty name of friend. So friendships are lightly and improvidently made, and slowly and secretly character degenerates; until at last that friendship (unworthy of the name), begun in the comradeship of some light-hearted hour, closes the door on a hundred noble things, and among them on the beauty of Christ Jesus. Or think again of the choices that we make—and we exercise our noblest prerogative in choosing. Every morning that we rise and every day that we go forth, our choices make us or our choices mar us. Someday a choice more momentous than usual comes. We are face to face with one of life's great decisions. And we have not been living on high levels, and so we choose amiss, for a man's whole life is in every choice he makes. Then the days pass, and the issues show themselves, and the choice works itself out in life and character, and a hundred glorious things are tarnished and are tainted as the result of one disastrous choice. We never meant to shut out power and purity, but they have receded into the dim distance ever since. We never thought to grow heart-weary and world-weary, but that may follow from one mismanaged choosing. Like the disciples beset by some poor fear, unwittingly we have closed the door on Christ.

Levity Can Close the Door on Christ:
But perhaps the commonest of all causes of this great error lies in the spirit that will not take things seriously. I would never ask a young man or woman to be solemn, but I would always urge a young man or woman to be serious. We read the parable of the marriage feast, and we note how the invited guests made light of it. Do you think these guests had been serious and earnest men up to the hour when they received that invitation? God does not tamper with character like that. No man begins to be frivolous by mocking kings. When they were children they had made light of home and had thought little of a mother's love; when they were youths they had made light of purity, for they thought that to be immoral was a manly thing. Now comes the invitation of the king, the crowning and decisive moment of their lives, and in that moment all their past is concentrated, and Scripture tells us they made light of that. One thing is certain, they never meant to do it. They never thought that it would come to this. Thoughtlessly they closed the door on reverent feeling, on devoutness and on chivalry and on purity. But the curse of such levity is that it involves far more than we shall ever know till the years have unrolled their story. In tampering with the least we touch the greatest. We begin by closing the door on little decencies, and unwittingly we close the door on Christ.

Though We Close the Doors on Christ, We Do Not Shut Him Out:
But now I pass on (and I do so very gladly) to the second and evangelical message of our text. That message is, though we close the doors on Christ yet we do not shut Him out. That night in Jerusalem the disciples found it so. Suddenly, though every lock was turned, Christ was among them. They had closed the door on Him not knowing what they did, yet for all that they did not shut Him out. In studying the life of Christ on earth I have often been struck with that note of the inevitable. Men tried to escape Him—adjured Him to depart—yet though all the doors were shut, Jesus confronted them. I think of the Gadarene demoniac in the tombs. He was an object of terror so that all men fled from him. He had shut out his nearest and dearest by his wildness, but for all his wildness he could not shut out the Lord. "What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God—art thou come hither to torment us before our time?" He could escape from his chains; he could not escape from Jesus. Lo! he is sitting clothed and in his right mind.

For the Jews, Christ Was Unavoidable:
Or I think of Christ in relation to Jewish history, and I feel once again that He was unavoidable. For the whole struggle of scribes and Pharisees and priests was to close the door on Christ and keep Him out. They refused to acknowledge Him and they would make no place for Him; He was a gluttonous man and a wine-bibber; not this man -but Barabbas! Everything that malevolence could do was done; everything that spite could suggest was swiftly practiced to discredit the name and sully the reputation of this prophet who mourned with tears over Jerusalem. Did it succeed? Was the door really shut? Was Christ barred out from the destinies of Judaism? Ah, sirs, every page of Jewish story reveals the futility of that endeavor. The most potent influence in Judaism is Christ Jesus. He has determined its fortunes and its fall. He is inextricably blended with its blood and anguish. He is the daystar of its only hope. They closed the door on Him—beat Him off—said He is done with now: but for all that they could not shut Him out.

You May Shut the Door, but Christ Can Still Reach You:
If that was true in history I want you to believe that it is true now. For weal or woe, whatever walls you raise, Christ passes through them all and gets to you. There are deeds that we did long since, perhaps twenty years ago, but to this hour unexpectedly they rise and meet us. There were moments of exquisite happiness in our past, and even today their memory is like music. You cannot shut out the thought of intense hours; no change of years will prevent them winning through. And like the ineffaceable memory of such scenes is the presence and the beauty of the Lord. Christ is inevitable. Christ is unavoidable. I want that thought to sink into your hearts. Close every door against Him if you will; the mystery is that you do not shut Him out.

To Avoid Christ Is an Impossibility:
Sometimes He comes through the closed door just because all life is penetrated with Him. We talk of the Christian atmosphere we breathe, but the atmosphere is more than Christian, it is Christ. This is the Lord's day—who then is this Lord? We may have closed the door on Him, but He is here. We cannot date one letter in the morning but we mean that so many years ago Christ was born. He meets us at every turn of the road, in every newspaper, and in every problem. Our life is so interpenetrated with Christ Jesus that to avoid Him is an impossibility.

We Meet Christ through a Genuine Christian:
Sometimes He meets us in a noble character, in a man who is a living argument for religion. And though we have resolved to have nothing to do with Christ, yet we feel in a moment that Christ is by our side. Creeds may mean nothing to us; we may have left off church-going; the dust may have gathered thick upon our Bibles; but accidentally we meet some man or some woman, having the hallmark of the genuine Christ, and through the shut door we know that Christ is here.

We Meet Christ in Our Moments of Sorrow:
And sometimes it is in our deeper hours that He so comes. It is in the darker and more tragic moments of our life. It is when the sun has ceased to shine, and the birds have ceased to sing; when we are baffled and broken and disappointed. We closed the door on Him when we were strong and vigorous, for we did not want the intrusion of the Cross; but when life's deeps are uncovered then it is God we need, and through the shut doors Christ is in the midst.

Christ Can Break Your Hopelessness:
In closing let me say this single word: am I speaking to any whose sin has made them hopeless? It may be there is someone who seems to have closed every door upon Christ Jesus. Have you been living for years in secret sin? Or has one great sin besmirched and blackened everything? The result of it all is that you seem utterly callous, incapable of faith, cold as a stone. My brother or sister, things are not utterly hopeless. Even now you may have the benediction. Through every barrier—in the teeth of every obstacle—that presence which is life and power may be yours. Christ is a spirit—nothing can hold Him back.

There is no road-maker in all the world like love. Cry out, "Thou Son of God, come to my heart!" and though all the doors have been shut, He will be there.

The days are short

"Because of the present crisis I believe it is good for people to remain as they are. Do you have a wife? Don't seek a divorce. Are you divorced from your wife? Don't look for another one. But if you do get married, you have not sinned. If a virgin gets married, she has not sinned. However, these people will have trouble, and I would like to spare them from that. This is what I mean, brothers and sisters: The time has been shortened. While it lasts, those who are married should live as though they were not. Those who have eyes filled with tears should live as though they have no sorrow. Those who are happy should live as though there was nothing to be happy about. Those who buy something should live as though they didn't own it. Those who use the things in this world should do so but not depend on them. It is clear that this world in its present form is passing away. " I Corinthians 7:26-31

We are nearing no less a crisis (though different) than Paul's day, here in the Western culture. And so I pondered what Paul could mean. And then I saw that it was plain and clear.I believe the issue is one of TIME. There is so much "stuff" in daily living. Especially the stuff that is so important to us. And yet the Lord is calling us....with trumpet sound, to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

Awaken me. Prepare me. Cause me to be watchful and attentive to Your need Lord and not so focused on me. Time has been a familiar call but I've let it slip away to attend to the many things. Will I lay down my time...Will I give you what is really yours. Do I believe that you hold this world in your hands, that time is really YOURS? Will I throw off the encumberence of false timetables that mean nothing in light of eternity?

Blessing

Just wanted to thank you Jesus for my precious family.

Thank you for giving my honey to me. Increase your favor over his life. Pour your love on him lavishly. How extravagently you are FOR him. I love you sweetie!

Thankyou for blessing me and believing in me...knowing that you would give me all that I needed to nurture them in their destinies as son's of the King. I declare that you are warriors. Open Heaven over them Lord! May they know you more and more and have a heart after you. Keep exploring boys....Seek and you will find!

Thankyou for blessing me with such an amazing daughter. What a treasure you have here Lord.

Increase your vision in her life and open her eyes to see how precious she is to You! I speak forth wonder and joy on you my love. You are beautiful. :)

These blessings of mine, these gifts that are Potters tools in your gentle hands. To know my heart, to know Yours. To fall in surrender again. You do all things well my Lord.

I know you walk on the water

I know you ride on the wind

I know you clothe yourself with light

So why do I find it so hard to comprehend

Directions to the other side

A cloud by day a fire by night

I’ll keep moving on

It may seem strange but I know it’s right

I’ll keep moving on

I’ve got my friends here to help me

I’ve got my wife here to hold me

I’ve got my children by my side

Although they do make me happy

I know they’re to make me holy

Each day they raise the cup of Christ

© 2004 Jason Upton & Key of David Ministries.

Process

Ahh, the wilderness. Life's cocoon.
Favor's mantle. A son's reward.
A lover's passion,
for me.

Season of lonliness.
Hidden transformation.
Where destiny is nurtured,
then birthed.

Dark night.
In the midst of death and resurrection.
Slow, painful emergence
between what is by faith and what is;
your promise.

And you, not worried, not hurried.
I wrestle and weep.
You love and listen.
Faithful. Watchful.
I choose trust.

Your life, your blood
coursing through my being
Strengthening this frail frame.
Forming me in your image
Overcoming, becoming.

Withdrawal

In this desert season when the Lord seems so silent and I feel alone and cower in fear....here's a timely word from a brother in the KOD community who goes by the name Areios:

"And immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the multitude away. And after bidding them farewell, He departed to the mountain to pray. And when it was evening, the boat was in the midst of the sea, and He alone was on the land. And seeing them harassed at rowing, for the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night He came to them. But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed that it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were frightened. But immediately He spoke with them and said to them, "Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid." And He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were greatly astonished, for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened."-Mark 6: 45-52

The disciples have just witnessed the heart of Heaven. The love and passion of the Father, the immeasurable maginitude of His Kingdom has been manifested, as Jesus feeds a crowd of five thousand with five loaves and two small fish. And now everyone is convinced that Jesus has come to be King over Israel again, and as human beings often do, in our own understanding, in what we THINK God is trying to do, we miss the point all together. But Jesus is OK with that. So He sends the disciples off, because there is more to accomplish, more revelation of the Father to reveal, and as He often does, He withdraws by Himself, after He sends the disciples across the lake. The disciples now are heading across the lake, but the wind blows against them, and as they struggle and try to fight the wind, Jesus sees them from the mountainside, and comes out after them... walking on the water.

Recently, I've felt like God has withdrawn from me... Like He's distanced Himself, and I find myself like the disciples. My numb dumb heart has been hardened. I've been so quickly to forget what He's said, and what He's done. I don't think it's un-natural for us to respond the way we do, when God withdraws... In fact, God spoke to me about when He withdraws... "Son, you're getting so busy... when I withdraw, it's because I want you to withdraw with Me.... It's an invitation, it's not a rejection."And so that's what this is all about... The first time Jesus is led out into the wilderness, it's because the Spirit leads Him out there... I don't think much changed over the course of His life... But why is it that when He withdraws, we miss the invitation and think He's rejected us... and we find ourselves striving and trying again? Working to earn His affection... I know the theme of identity has been preached to death by the millions of pastors and preachers out in the world today.... Surely when it feels like God withdraws, when it feels like life is falling down all around us, that it's just the cup the Father has set before us now. That in this season we need to withdraw to the lonely places with Him? You know, as I listened to Jason share the story of the tornado in Tulsa, the Lord spoke to me and said, "if you only knew how much My favor rests on you... If you only knew how much authority you have... if only you knew how much I love you." I have this theory, that when Jesus was talking about faith that moves mountains, He wasn't talking about the "prophetic mountains that hinder us from our destiny..." I dont think His audience would have deduced that from His message. I think Jesus sent the disciples out ahead of Him, so that they could withdraw. He knew they would be alright. In fact He was so confident in this because He intended to walk right past them as they were rowing on the lake... It wasn't confidence in the disciples... He was confident in the favor He had on them...You see, what happens is when God withdraws, and He invites us to withdraw with Him, He knows we can handle life. Not because of ourselves, but because we are His son, His daughter, and His favor rests on you and I. If we only knew the favor God had on our lives, and the authority He's endowed us with. I believe that God doesn't want us to be independant of Him, but He wants us to be His companions, so He entrusts us, and gives us favor, and authority, and He has confidence in us as Sons and daughters. You see, Jesus walks right past the disciples while they struggle against the wind. I think He was going to wait for them on the other side. But when they see Him coming, and they cry out in fear, He stops and gets into the boat with them, and then the storm stops, and the wind is calm, and the water is calm. See I don't think that Jesus wants us to be independant, but He wants us to have a revelation of the love and favor of the Father on our lives... The confidence of the Father on us to overcome, and to be a church that overcomes, even when we don't overcome. Father, may I have such confidence in Your favor upon my life! See the disciples were left in awe because Jesus calmed the storm. But they still didn't get it... They forgot the favor of the Father, the love of God that we cannot be separated from, the provision of God to feed five thousand plus hungry people... the compassion of Jesus that will never let us be tempted beyond what we're able, but has to help us to find the "able" in ourselves. So when God withdraws, and the winds beat and blow, it's the Father's invitation. When water floods your boat, and the winds beat against you, pushing you the opposite direction, don't forget the favor of the Father. Who said, "because you have favor with Me, because you have relationship with Me, and I can trust you, speak to the storm, and watch it dissipate. Tell the mountain to move, and watch it get up and move, tell that cancer to die, and watch it shrivel and die, dont forget, it's the favor of the Father on His sons and on His daughters. "

Indeed there is power in our words....
It is time to sing over the barren places and speak to the wind, the waves and the mountains.
Father let the favor that rests on me pour forth from me.

In the barren place

I've been struggling with this empty, barren space in my heart.
The desire for more children has been growing in me. I grieve when I remember I put a stop to that. I was afraid. I didn't trust in Your providence and provision. I didn't trust in your strength. I was afraid to fall. Afraid to fail. I didn't know who you are. But this desire is crossing every portion of my being. I am empty of relationship, connection with believers and heart outpoured for unbelievers. This desire for intimacy and for fruitfulness grows....aching...crying....like Hannah, I am not satisfied.

And then you exhort me with this promise:

"Even if the fig tree does not bloom and the vines have no grapes, even if the olive tree fails to produce and the fields yield no food, even if the sheep pen is empty and the stalls have no cattle- even then, I will be happy with the LORD. I will truly find joy in God, who saves me.
The LORD Almighty is my strength. He makes my feet like those of a deer. He makes me walk on the mountains. " Habakkuk 3:17-19

I don't know how, or when.....but I give it all to you.You know my heart. Your desires once lay as a seed when the ground was fertile. Did I miscarry your dreams? Did I abort your promises? Did fear stop your flow of life in me?


"My beloved put his hand through the keyhole. My heart throbbed for him.
I got up to open for my beloved. My hands dripped with myrrh, and my fingers were drenched with liquid myrrh, on the handles of the lock. I opened for my beloved, but my beloved had turned away. He was gone! I almost died when he left. I looked for him, but I did not find him. I called for him, but he did not answer me."

Song of Songs 5:4-6

Have I wounded you? Neglected you? Lord, draw me back to your feet. Let me see your eyes. All I ever wanted was to be fully yours. All fruitfulness flows from intimacy.

Parched

I'm waiting here for you
Listening for your voice
Speak your word over me
and my soul will live
Great are your mercies Lord
new for me everyday
You faithfully parden Me
I hear you say

Come to the water
Come to the river
Come to the well
Come if you're thirsty
Come if you're broken
Come and be healed

As sure as the rain comes down
As sure as the snow falls from heaven
your promises are fulfilled
I hear you say

Come to the water
come to the river
Come to the well
Come if you're thirsty
Come if you're broken
Come and be healed

Come and drink from the Saviour's cup
Come and be cleansed by the Saviour's blood

Oh I will go out with Joy..I will go out with peace...the mountains and hills sing praise
I hear them say:

Come to the water
Come to the river
Come to the well
Come if you're thirsty
Come if you're broken
Come and be healed

Kate Miner (Come to the water)

Learning a new language

I feel like the Israelites when they left Eygpt and came to the wilderness, the place between slavery and the freedom of the promised land.... the place where God wanted to reveal His heart, his name, his face to his beloved.

This struggle between structure and freedom is unnerving. I've longed to know life lived naturally, uncontrived ; not forced and mandated. Life that is not based in obligation but in passion. But when you've lived in that for so long, it feels safer than the world without the boxes. This one is unfamiliar territory and I feel frozen in terror. My tongue is tied. My mind fumbling.

In the beginning was life. Without ritual or structure. Just the Father and his children in relationship. In the Son we see this lived. Jesus did not 'go to church' for life and fellowship, he communed with the Father and brought life to the lost and the broken. Jesus did not attend a school, he was taught by the spirit of God. Jesus did not impress his authority on those who followed him, he simply carried it. Jesus did not require submission from his followers, he inspired them to it. Help me see you more. Help me hear you more. Help me live unhindered...ready to fly. Teach me your way.

There is a road

that leads to peace that leads to life

But few will follow

We’re at the crossroad

Which way will we go

There is not today a more holy way than the steps that lead me to the cross

where my will can’t be the priority

and these crowns I’ve gained I count as loss

When I hear the spirit say

that this is the true King’s way

Jason Upton (Great River Road)

"Scientists say if you help a butterfly escape its chrysalis, you actually kill it. God designed the process so that the struggle itself actually strengthens the butterfly so she will be able to fly away when she is finally free. Our struggles accomplish the same thing. They are part of what God uses to invite us deeper into him."

Wayne Jacobson

Simplicity

Jesus answered him, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'
This is the greatest and most important commandment.
The second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as you love yourself.'
All of Moses' Teachings and the Prophets depend on these two commandments."

Matthew 22:37-40

You mortals, the LORD has told you what is good. This is what the LORD requires from you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to live humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8

Of no reputation

It's still there; this creeping need to be approved. A fear of being wrong. To know that I'm not going off the deep end. But......

If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.? (Galatians 1:10)

"God's nonsense is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength. Brothers and sisters, consider what you were when God called you to be Christians. Not many of you were wise from a human point of view. You were not in powerful positions or in the upper social classes. But God chose what the world considers nonsense to put wise people to shame. God chose what the world considers weak to put what is strong to shame. God chose what the world considers ordinary and what it despises-what it considers to be nothing-in order to destroy what it considers to be something. As a result, no one can brag in God's presence. "1 Corinthians 1:25-29

"The craving for approval devours our spiritual passions by putting our focus on what people think of us rather than what God does."

Wayne Jacobson

On being a facilitator

The greater danger....being God's voice for others rather than equipping other's to hear God's voice for themselves.

Wondering, asking, learning.......What does it mean to be a friend of the bridegroom? How can I prepare the way for you my King? How can I facilitate your presence?

In silence I wait

Even a stubborn fool is thought to be wise if he keeps silent.

He is considered intelligent if he keeps his lips sealed.

Proverbs 17:28

If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceieves himself and his religion is worthless.

"We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says he is a perfect man able to keep his whole body in check....... The tongue is a small part of the body but it makes great boasts. Consider how a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire and is itself set on fire by hell...... With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers this should not be. No spring of water pours out sweet water and bitter water from the same opening. " James 3:2-11


"...Woe to me! I cried. I am ruined; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty." Isaiah 6:5


Shaming, Wounding, Bitter, Cutting, Critical and ....just completely thoughtless and careless. My words more often than I want to remember have been filled with a poisonous sting. Words are powerful. The tongue indeed has the power of life and death. We bear the fruit of what we have sown. And every word counts.

Reckless words pierce like a sword but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Proverbs 12:18

The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life but a decietful tongue crushes the spirit. Proverbs 15:4

"For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and does not go back again, but gives water to the earth, and makes it fertile, giving seed to the planter, and bread for food; So will my word be which goes out of my mouth: it will not come back to me with nothing done, but it will give effect to my purpose, and do that for which I have sent it. " Isaiah 55:10-11

How blessed I am that your words to me are words of life! How treasured and protected I am. My Jesus, you lift me from the ashes....you strengthen me and heal me. You kiss me to life. Restoring me. You refresh me, you soak your love into those dry and barren places preparing the ground of my heart to recieve the truth. Truth that is growing. Truth that you are nourishing that one day there may be life to give the hungry ones. Oh Jesus how I long to be like you. How deaf I have been to your song for so long. How much damage I have done! Have mercy my Lord!

"Come my children, listen to me;I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Whoever loves life and desires to see many good days - Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies." Psalm 34:11-13


There is only one truth and it exists in You, my God. To intimately know You is to know truth.To speak of you without knowing you is a lie. You are so pure that my veiled glimpse is but a muddy proclamation. I speak lies when I say that you are something that you are not. I tell lies when I know not the preciousness and worth of those I meet and those I live among, the ones you love. To honor is to speak of and speak to You and others with love, respect and admiration. Take these words that dishonour You and dishonor your loved ones. Touch my lips with your burning coal. Consuming fire burn in me. Cleanse me of this dishonour.

"The good man out of his good store gives good things; and the evil man out of his evil store gives evil things. And I say to you that in the day when they are judged, men will have to give an account of every foolish word they have said. For by your words will your righteousness be seen, and by your words you will be judged. "Matthew 12:35-37

Faith sees past the external. Faith sees what God sees, so faith is the truth. To speak the truth is to speak with the language of faith. All else remain lies. So my mouth must refrain from speaking if it is not speaking from the perspective of truth. When I speak with doubt and mistrust , when I grumble, complain, slander or critisize - I particpate with evil. I join hearts with the accuser.

I cannot go. I cannot speak. I cannot be your vessel unless you cleanse me and fill me with your words alone!

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight. Psalm 19:14

May my cry come before you, O Lord, give me understanding according to your word. May my supplication come before you. Deliver me according to your promise.May my lips overflow with praise, for you teach me your decrees. May my tongue sing of your word, for all your commands are righteous. Psalm 119:169-172

"For this cause I will make my name clear to my people; in that day they will be certain that it is my word which comes to them; see, here am I. How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who comes with good news, who gives word of peace, saying that salvation is near; who says to Zion, Your God is ruling! The voice of your watchmen! their voices are loud in song together; for they will see him, eye to eye, when the Lord comes back to Zion. Isaiah 52:6-8

"Let the words of Christ be in you, in all their richness live in your hearts and make you wise. Use His words to teach and counsel eachother.Sing hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus"..... Colossians 3:16,17

A wise man's heart guides his mouth and his lips promote instruction. Proverbs 16:23

The Sovereign Lord has given me an intructed tongue, to know the word that susatins the weary. Isaiah 50:4

Oh Lord, may it be said of me " Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb, my bride, milk and honey are under your tongue. " (Song of Songs 4:11)

Missing you

It's quiet enough. My soul is still enough. For one brief moment again I feel my longing. It's still there. That faint feeling of heartache, and desire. Abba. Papa. Father God I miss you! I'm tangled up, bogged down. But I love you. Free me to love you freely.

Let me say again that I need you
let me say again that I'm thankful for you
every breath I have is yours
do what you will
Now say again that you love me
say again that you're so proud of me
tell me you'll never leave me alone

How will I know it's you?
Will I recognize your face?
It's been so long since I have sat at your feet
Will you recognize me?

Forgive me
I know I've let you down
Then for repentence, kindness is measured
but I'm thinking I should lie in ashes
Then I remeber you are the faithful one
and you remember I'm so well intentioned
and your grace pours out over me again

How willI know it's you?
Will I recognize your face?
It's been so long since I have sat at your feet.
Will you recognize me?

Kate Miner (Prodigal Martha)

The diciple

"A student is no better than his teacher. But everyone who is well-trained will be like his teacher."

Luke 6:40

A student has not learned by simply listening to his teacher and studying the concepts addressed but by living what he is learning. A disciple is quite simply one who has learned.

The call to discipleship: Am I ever hearing but never obeying?

The Invitation:Come and learn of me

The Instructor: I am gentle and humble of heart.

The Requirements:You cannot be my disciple, unless you love me more than you love your father and mother, your wife and children, and your brothers and sisters. You cannot come with me unless you love me more than you love your own life. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me, he cannot be My disciple. So then, everyone of you who does not forsake all his possessions, he cannot be My disciple.

The Diploma: They will kow you are my disciples by your love for one-another

The Instruction: "...I tell everyone who is listening: Love your enemies. Be kind to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who insult you. If someone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other cheek as well. If someone takes your coat, don't stop him from taking your shirt. Give to everyone who asks you for something. If someone takes what is yours, don't insist on getting it back. Do for other people everything you want them to do for you. If you love those who love you, do you deserve any thanks for that? Even sinners love those who love them. If you help those who help you, do you deserve any thanks for that? Sinners do that too. If you lend anything to those from whom you expect to get something back, do you deserve any thanks for that? Sinners also lend to sinners to get back what they lend. Rather, love your enemies, help them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then you will have a great reward. You will be the children of the Most High God. After all, he is kind to unthankful and evil people. Be merciful as your Father is merciful. Stop judging, and you will never be judged. Stop condemning, and you will never be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and you will receive. A large quantity, pressed together, shaken down, and running over will be put into your pocket. The standards you use for others will be applied to you."

"Why do you call me Lord but don't do what I tell you?"

Luke 6:46

The one claiming to rest in Him ought so to walk himself as that One walked. 1John 2:6

Anyone who claims to be intimate with God ought to live the same kind of life Jesus lived. (MSG)

Growing in his likeness..... Thoroughly prepared. Fully restored. Well trained.

Blessing in the least obvious place

"Why not go out on a limb? That's where the fruit is!"
Mark Twain

"Bethlehem in the land of Judah, you are by no means least among the leaders of Judah. A leader will come from you. He will shepherd my people Israel." Matthew 2:6

".....The shepherds said to each other, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about." They went quickly and found Mary and Joseph with the baby, who was lying in a manger. " Luke 2:15,16

The hidden places, the forgotten and depised places.....the place of humility. Is this what I envisioned? This is Jesus, is it not? His garmet is humility and His glory is revealed through humility. And so He calls me to come up...... to the lowest place.

Blessed are those who recognize they are spiritually helpless.
Blessed are those who mourn.
Blessed are those who are gentle.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for God's approval.
Blessed are those who show mercy.

Blessed are those whose thoughts are pure.

Blessed are those who make peace.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for doing what God approves of.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, lie, and say all kinds of evil things about you because of me. The prophets who lived before you were persecuted in these ways.

"If anyone wants to follow me, he must deny himself, pick up his cross, and follow me continually. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and for the gospel will save it. For what profit will a person have if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Indeed, what can a person give in exchange for his life? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes with the holy angels in his Father's glory." Mark 8:34-38

How heartbreaking to think that my mistrust, my unbelief is no more than scorn or shame. My refusal to receive his words and offer to life and admit that in him alone we find all that we need dishonors him as the giver of all life. Living in trust means that I trust in him so much that I am willing to face and endure the shame myself.

"We can’t play it safer than Jesus did. No servant is greater than His master (John 15:20). If obedience cost Jesus His whole life, it will cost us nothing less."

(Watchmen for the Nations)

My desire to control my life with my ideas, my agenda, and my way of getting there only keeps me in bondage to fear.....the way of self is the path to death. My desire to fit snuggly into man's ideas, man's agenda and man's way of getting there only keeps me in bondage to sin....the way of humanity is the path to death.

"Fear is certain evidence that I'm moving out of my own wisdom and expectations, instead of moving out of trust and security in the Father's watchfulness over and care for my life.....Jesus rules to the extent that I let go."

( Wayne Jacobson)

On the other hand......."The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death. "Proverbs 14:27

My Child,

The kingdom of heaven belongs to you.
You will be comforted.
You will inherit the earth.
You will be satisfied.
You will be treated mercifully.
You will see God.
You will be called God's child.
The kingdom of heaven belongs to You!
Rejoice and be glad because you have a great reward in heaven!

Love Your Daddy

Such a wonderful promise from you Father. Wooing me to life.What more could a girl ask for?

"Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." 2 Corinthians 7:1

"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death- even death on a cross!" Phillipians 2:5-8

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 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. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3

I must come to a place where I embrace the whole journey, not just the promises I have in you but the pain and fellowship of your sufferings. I in you as you are in me.

The joy of your salvation

Oh the freedom of new birth. As a brand new baby in you I trusted you with wild abandon....I would go anywhere and do anything! I gave you all! I saw you with such clarity. And why wouldn't I, for your word says: "How blessed are those who are pure in heart, for it is they who will see God! Such joy in Salvation. Such joy in complete abandoned trust.

" Who may go up the LORD'S mountain? Who may stand in his holy place?
The one who has clean hands and a pure heart and does not long for what is false or lie when he is under oath. This person will receive a blessing from the LORD and righteousness from God, his savior. This is the person who seeks him, who searches for the face of the God of Jacob. Selah"

Psalm 24:3-6

"Let us go right into the presence of God, with true hearts fully trusting him. For our evil consciences (unbelief) have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean and our bodies have been washed with pure water." Hebrews 10:22

Oh my Father my heart is free in you, my heart is clean through you, and so you call me and welcome me to come up, to come in......

but it is tainted by man's ways and man's thoughts. You alone know how many words of unbelief I've allowed to pierce and blemish this heart; the lies that hold me back. "Renew my mind. Remove this yoke that I have allowed myself to come under, the bondage I've willingly become enslaved to. Restore the joy of your salvation. The joy of fully trusting you. Restore to me child-like innocence and freedom.....

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

(Create in me an innocent heart, Father, free of fear and unbelief and make new again that place of abiding)
Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

(Hold me closer, whisper your tender mercies, how I need your guidance and your comfort, I am helpless without you)

Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

(Let me walk in the inheritance you paid for, resting in your finished work, trusting you so much that I live for nothing but your will)

Psalm 51:10-12

Will of God
I’m tired of living in this world of sin
Tired of living in this game we’re in
Been to town and now I’m back again tired of living for the lust of men
And the world may think I’m crazy when I don’t run with them
But it’s just plain idolatry, when God can’t have all of me

I want to live for the will of God
Oh Lord, I want to follow
With all of my mind, all my heart and all my soul
I want to follow you Oh Lord

How much time will I keep wasting?
How much cheap wine will I keep tasting?
Been to church and now I’m back again
Tired of living for the pride of me
And the world may think I’m crazy when I don’t run with them
But it’s just plain idolatry when God can’t have all of me

© 2002 Jason Upton & Key of David Ministries. All rights reserved

"I'm telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you're not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in. Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God's kingdom. What's more, when you receive the childlike on my account, it's the same as receiving me. But if you give them a hard time, bullying or taking advantage of their simple trust, you'll soon wish you hadn't. You'd be better off dropped in the middle of the lake with a millstone around your neck."

(Matthew 18:3-6)

"He was in the world, the world was there through him, and yet the world didn't even notice. He came to his own people, but they didn't want him. But whoever did want him, who believed he was who he claimed and would do what he said, He made to be their true selves, their child-of-God selves. John 1:10-12

A Song of Ascents. Of David. O LORD, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forevermore.

Psalm 131

True Courage

"I have commanded you, 'Be strong and courageous! Don't tremble or be terrified, because the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.'

Joshua 1:9

"Here is a critical juncture. Will we risk our comfort to follow what we know in our hearts to be true? Many don't make it past this point, preferring to co-exist in silence rather than pursue their passion. I understand why people do that, but also know that they miss out on a journey whose joys far outweigh its risks and its cost."

Wayne Jacobson

In exploring fear and faith's wrestle I came across this article written by Marc Brisebois. Definetely a word to meditate on and take to the Lord in prayer. In this struggle of fear, I tend to think its all about me.....fear always points back to me. But its all about you Jesus, your glory and your fame.

Lines in the Sand
by Marc Brisebois

How far will we follow the Lord? As Christians it is too easy to say ‘all the way’. History tells us that few, if any, have fully finished their course. And so while we would like to think we are more committed than others we should ask ourselves what is the reality of our heart? Where is the line of demarcation for us? At what point will we say enough is enough, I am unwilling to pay a higher price to obtain what I cannot understand? We have all heard the saying, ‘every man has his price’. But what price is too much for us to pay? This line is different for each of us. But in order to fully follow the Lord, we must discover that there is indeed a line, where it lies in relationship to the Lord’s.

The Journey:
When Columbus sailed to present day North America there were some who believed the world was flat. The prevalent fear was that at some point they would drop off the end of the earth. The level of fear each man possessed would most certainly be different. For some, the vision of another land was a vague, untrustworthy idea. Had each man had the opportunity to turn back, the question is 'at what point would that have occurred?' Had they been on a train instead of a ship, you can be sure many sailors would have gone ‘awol’ in the night. The point of departure comes as each one reaches the limits of their faith. Once we reach the capacity of what is believed possible, the urge to exit begins to grow. This is very much the case for every great and perilous adventure. It most certainly applies to the Hebrew’s exit from Egypt in pursuit of the famed ‘promise land’. While they left as one man there were many hearts and various expectations. The scripture records that a mixed multitude went out. This is an appropriate description of the vast diversity among them. Though each had heard what Moses promised, not all believed. The signs of power shown to Moses drew their attention but few were fully convinced. The promise was like a very distant line being drawn in the sand. Though the line was delineated by the promise, not all could see the line, neither could every heart extend that far. Generations of crushed hope had left them with a hollow tradition of faith. While they spoke of freedom and liberty, in the depths of their hearts, they had resigned themselves to perpetual slavery. Yet when it came time to leave, all left Egypt in the pretense of holding the same vision. They really should have counted the cost before departing, but one does not plan for what he does not intend. And so hidden from the eyes of man, in the secret places of the heart, something was missing. It is in this place where there is no faith, that the vision cannot take root. The doubts will go unstated but they live hidden from all scrutiny. Like most of us today, Moses’ contemporaries were ignorant of their own faithlessness. Unbelief only comes to light when we have journeyed to the limits of our capacity to believe. Until then we talk as though we are journeying to the end, but somewhere the lines are drawn and the limits are predefined. Of course these limits remain a non-factor until the journey brings us to them. Only then will they come into play. It is only when we approach them that our discomfort begins. Suddenly a sense of anxiety and a desire for safety overtakes us. We may not even have the capacity to articulate the problem because we are ignorant of our heart’s condition. These are issues of the heart and not the mind. Nevertheless, we suddenly feel uneasy, unstable and unsafe. For all the rhetoric of ‘going all the way’, the truth is we never really knew the journey would take us this far. It is at this point where we become a liability to the corporate vision. We invisibly shift from being on board to dragging our feet. Even though the problem is clearly our lack of faith, we conveniently point to pseudo-problems in order to justify our misgivings. Now comes the murmuring and complaining, which are the unmistakable qualities of unbelief (Hebrews 3:7-19). When we stop believing we begin looking for tangible reasons to bail out. The reality is small problems now become the outlet of choice for the growing tension over having gone further than we believed possible, or simply further than we understood.

The Lines:
The real problem is with the lines that are drawn in our heart. The lines are the limits of our faith – the most we can possibly foresee or hope for. The lines begin to be drawn the moment we first hear the promise. For the Hebrews it began when a man called Moses appeared on the scene articulating a grand vision. “God spoke to me and promised a land flowing with milk and honey”, he says. For most it is too good to be true. After 400 years of slavery the thought of true liberty had long died. Sure, a tradition of hope existed, but it was the talk of old men and dreams of the uninitiated youth. Yet, the passion and conviction of this leader was too much to dismiss. And throughout the nation people began to entertain a ray of hope. Nevertheless outside of a few notable exceptions, the people were quite prepared to settle for less. They did not actually believe in the final destination but perhaps there was something else for them. For some the promise meant simply a life without toil. The thought of a house and a small piece of land without the threat of oppression was the most that could be hoped for. Others may have believed for a strip of land on the side of the desert– a place where their children might somehow realize a normal existence. Still others could see a little further and envisioned a city with it’s own government. Maybe, just maybe a tiny bit of self-determination. All of which fell far short of the spirit of prophecy circulating over the nation. It is not that these things would have been wrong or not part of what the Lord was wishing to give. The problem was that these limitations came from not being able to hear the Word of the Lord. “And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.” (Hebrews 3:18-19)“…but the word did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.” (Hebrews 4:2b) Dreams had previously been crushed and they were unable to heed Moses word because of cruel bondage and anguish of spirit (Exodus 6:9). “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” and for many the idealism of youth had long ago melted away. The scar left on the heart impeded them from seeing that this was far more than idealism. It was the sound of inevitability looking for a heart in which to rest. For many the heart had already ventured to believe once too often, only to be disappointed again and again. So now when the promise of a land flowing with milk and honey comes, it is too much to fathom. The result is that in the shadow of this larger vision, a lesser vision is nurtured. We exchange a wonderful plan for something far less. “I cannot believe for a land flowing with milk and honey, but I believe we can find a place just beyond the reach of Pharaoh”. Our willingness to settle for less remains hidden for a time. It is only when we approach or cross the threshold of our expectations that the tension becomes apparent. At that moment faith gives way to fear.

Fear:
When a man goes beyond what he believes possible fear rises. Faith enabled him to behold what he could not see with his natural eyes. But now, without faith there is no sight and no understanding. Faith provided the substance (dry land) when substance was unavailable. Now without something to hold onto my flesh requires a replacement. Like a fearful sailor the urge to return to dry land consumes me. This is exactly what happened to the nation of Israel. “Why does this Moses want to destroy what we have? Were there not enough graves in Egypt that he had to bring us to this desert to kill us?” Their fear caused them to continually prophesy their demise. The fact that they now possessed a freedom they did want to lose meant they were tormented all the more.The problem is that the challenge of believing for greater things seems to put in jeopardy the hope of lesser things. For those who never believed they would leave Egypt alive, it was time to cut their losses. “Why risk the first chance at a normal life for what I do not believe possible. Why should we go to battle against other nations and risk having our children become slaves once again?" “I do not believe ­– I cannot go further.” For those that are satisfied with a plot of land and a house just beyond the reach of Pharaoh every step beyond them is a death they cannot bear. They neither want more nor are they prepared to sacrifice further to go farther. As such they are truly a mixed multitude – one people with multiple visions. Someone once said this is the recipe for division. Without a common vision the people are easily fragmented as spirits of fear prey on their unbelief. Now that they had achieved what most believed improbable, it seemed unwise to risk it for what seemed truly impossible? It is out of this fear that rebellion was born. The people would not believe and so chose something less than the promise and defied those who would have them face their fears. Had this been primarily about God delivering them from the hand of Pharaoh this would not have been a problem. But God was not so limited and His ultimate intention was far greater. As a nation they were a beginning point for the work of God in the earth – a kingdom of priests that would become the expression of His heart to the nations.“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep my covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is mine. And you shall be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Exodus 19:5-6) As His own special people they would be the scepter of redemption for the nations. His intention was not to merely occupy a small strip of land east of the Mediterranean Sea. Rather, He anticipated doing what He had always intended – to fill the earth with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord. This is the ultimate line in the sand. The anger of the Lord’s displeasure was in the fact that Israel constantly interpreted the promises of God in the light of their own need for security and comfort. Their refusal to enter the promised land almost resulted in them being annihilated. The truth is they feared losing their children to captivity. In His judgment the Lord declared that these very children would walk in faith and possess it. Of that present generation all would perish save Joshua and Caleb. The Lord declared them to be of a ‘different spirit’, and that Caleb ‘fully followed the Lord’. On the other hand, the unbelief of the rest of the nation meant they were putting the intention of the Lord in jeopardy. Since that time the Lord has only looked for, and been pleased by one thing: Faith. The Lord is pleased by those who believe His Word. This Caleb did! Thus the Lord is only asking for us to do one thing – to not lean on our own understanding and to be willing to let Him draw the line.

The Pattern:
The consequences of this truth are many. Today in churches and lives throughout Christendom this pattern is repeated again and again. While the Lord says ‘all the earth is mine’ few believers actually believe it. Though the Spirit has drawn a line in the sand that encompasses the nations, Christians are content to draw their own lines. According to our limited gifts and abilities we imagine what we might do and where we might go, and there we draw our line. We are quickly satisfied by the achievements that distinguish us in the eyes of others and abandon the greater hope. For some, the lines are drawn in terms of professional advancement or material acquisitions. Others cannot see past being a father, wife or husband. Pastors and spiritual leaders, while still in the midst of training and development, set the boundaries of their hope by the ministry they visualize. For many the apex of success is to become the senior pastor of any congregation. When that ambition is realized they spend the remainder of their days guarding their achievement. In the church new believers are discipled into corners by the lines drawn by those they respect. Theology and ministry becomes defined by what is known and what is safe. We are taught that the highest order of Christian life is to be a tithing regular church attendee. ‘If you are faithful enough you might one day get on the board’. All of these become demarcation points for our zeal and limitations to our faith. In the midst of this great company of people exist others still who once envisioned the impossible and ventured. Prayer warriors heard the cry, believed and advanced. Great things happened and the fulfillment of still greater things appeared on the horizon. But in the midst of promise came the disappointment. Leaders fell, friends were wounded, churches were divided and movements became still stagnant waters. In the wake of disappointment we settle for something less, inoculated against a greater vision. Not unlike those Hebrews who once believed and lost hope. “…but they could not heed Moses, because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage." (Exodus 6:9) Even so the Spirit of the Lord calls to those who once believed to awaken to a fresh hope. The challenge of the Lord is to lift up our eyes to Him who calls those things which are not as though they are. He is calling us to repentance over the lines we have drawn in the sand, and urging us to look to the greater promise. As He said to Moses when they would not enter the land, “I have pardoned according to your word; But truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.” (Numbers 14:20-21) This is the one line to which all others must yield. For in as much as every knee shall bow, ultimately, every line will yield.

©2005 Watchman on the Wall Ministries. All Rights Reserved

A meaningless gift

"You take no delight in sacrifice or offerings. Now that you have made me listen ,I finally understand......." Psalm 40:6

"For when I tried to keep the law, I realized I could never earn God's approval. So I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ. I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So I live my life in this earthly body by TRUSTING IN THE SON OF GOD, who loved me and gave himself FOR ME. I am not one who treats the grace of God as meaningless.For if we could be saved by keeping the law then there was no need for Christ to die." Galatians 2:19-21

My "gift of sacrifice" makes Your incredible gift of sacrifice meanigless. This whole journey isn't about sacrifice or to bring me to a place of sacrifice....it's about love. Love is where I'm headed....rooted, grounded, and straight to your heart of love Oh Father! All true sacrifice and surrender are birthed BY YOUR SPIRIT and come through the wooing of your Spirit. You wooed me to a deeper intimacy, until I wanted you MORE than the pleasures of this earth. You woo me still until I will desire you more than earthly praise. You will continue to woo me until I desire YOU more than the comforts of this earth. Wooing me, romancing me until I am consumed with you and enraptured by your love! What a joy this journey!

I must decrease and He must increase

"......not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith..." (Phil 3:9)

There is a certain righteousness that we can attain...but it is futile and dangerous. It has all the right "looks" but it leads me and all others who observe me AWAY from true life. MY righteousness is a heavy load and it is actually quite ugly. It leads others to idolize me, compare themselves to me...look AT ME. And it grieves your heart.

Wayne Jacobson writes: "Jesus knew that the only way to live is by following the voice of his Father, initiating nothing out of his own desires or even need. This was a life lived in trust, and that trust only had expression where it responded to God's voice alone......The sin of assumption is probably the most deceptive of all sins, because it allows us to act in God's name, thinking we are doing his will when in fact we do things that harm his work in us and others at the same time. But the only way for us to overcome such temptation is to live the same way Jesus did. That is, we stop doing anything just because it sounds good, meets our need, is Biblically justifiable or because someone is pressuring us to do it. Instead, the only question we need to ask is whether or not God has spoken this to us.....Without an ear that listens to God's voice what we call trust is nothing more than presumption; what we call obedience, nothing more than legalism."

There is only one way to life. There is only one way to lead others to your streams of living waters. To listen, trust and follow your voice! It is all about intimacy with you.The righteousness FROM GOD that depends on FAITH has this result : ".... that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. " Phi 3:10,11

"All the appetites, attitudes and anxieties that held sway in my life all resulted from the fact that I did not trust that Jesus was big enough to watch over my life and lead me into his fullness. Because I couldn’t trust him to do it without me, I always found myself wandering back to the trail of self-effort......He does not conform us by obligation, but transforms us by sharing his love with us and showing us how we can trust him.......The righteousness that flows from trust is incredibly resilient. Once you’ve tasted of it, everything else loses its appeal.....trusting a Father’s love and depending on him is the only way to walk." (Wayne Jacobson)

It all comes back to trust. In trust we surrender completely because we know his deep love for us. Why would I want any other way?

Entering and abiding

“For the law made nothing perfect, and now a better hope has taken its place. AND THAT IS HOW WE DRAW NEAR TO GOD.”

“Come into his presence with thanksgiving, enter his courts with praise.” Psalm 100

Worship is an out pouring of a life. Worship is spirit to spirit communing. Worship is the result of revelation. I do not worship you oh Lord that I may touch you, see you and know you more…you reach me, touch me, see me and I am undone. You have taken away the veil and there is nothing but thanksgiving to offer! Being with you is my hearts desire and you have made it so simple, so accessible.

“For no one can be made right in God’s sight by doing what the law commands. For the more we know God’s law the clearer it becomes that we aren’t obeying it. But now God has shown us a different way of being right in his sight – not by obeying the law but by the way promised in the scriptures long ago. We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins.” Romans 3:20-22

“And so dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heavens most holy place BECAUSE OF THE BOOD OF JESUS.” Hebrews 10:19

“Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come fearlessly INTO GOD’S PRESENCE, assured of his glad welcome.” Ephesians 3:12

“let us go right into the presence of God, with hearts fully trusting Him. For our evil consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.” Hebrews10:22

“So let us COME BOLDLY to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy and we will find grace to help us when we need it.”

Now all of us, both Jews and Gentiles may come TO THE FATHER through the same Holy Spirit BECAUSE of what Christ has done for us." Ephesians 2:18

Boasting in the beauty of his holiness

"The person who wishes to boast should boast only of what the Lord has done"

" This is what the Lord says: "Let not the wise man gloat in his wisdom, or the mighty man in his might, or the rich man in his riches. Let them boast in this alone: that they truely know me and understand that I am the Lord who is just and righteous, whose love is unfailing, and that I delight in these things." I the Lord have spoken." A time is coming", says the Lord, " when I will punish all those who are circumcised in body but not in spirit....." Jeremiah 9:23-25

Jesus has clearly warned "Unless your righteousness surpasses (exceeds) that of the pharisees, YOU CAN NOT ENTER the kingdom of God at all." (Matthew 5:20)

Jesus said: "You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, 'Never murder. Whoever murders will answer for it in court.' But I can guarantee that whoever is angry with another believer will answer for it in court. Whoever calls another believer an insulting name will answer for it in the highest court. Whoever calls another believer a fool will answer for it in hellfire. "So if you are offering your gift at the altar and remember there that another believer has something against you, leave your gift at the altar. First go away and make peace with that person. Then come back and offer your gift. "Make peace quickly with your opponent while you are on the way to court with him. Otherwise, he will hand you over to the judge. Then the judge will hand you over to an officer, who will throw you into prison. I can guarantee this truth: You will never get out until you pay every penny of your fine. "You have heard that it was said, 'Never commit adultery.' But I can guarantee that whoever looks with lust at a woman has already committed adultery in his heart. "So if your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose a part of your body than to have all of it thrown into hell. And if your right hand leads you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose a part of your body than to have all of it go into hell. "It has also been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife must give her a written notice.' But I can guarantee that any man who divorces his wife for any reason other than unfaithfulness makes her look as though she has committed adultery. Whoever marries a woman divorced in this way makes himself look as though he has committed adultery. "You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, 'Never break your oath, but give to the Lord what you swore in an oath to give him.' But I tell you don't swear an oath at all. Don't swear an oath by heaven, which is God's throne, or by the earth, which is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, which is the city of the great King. And don't swear an oath by your head. After all, you cannot make one hair black or white. Simply say yes or no. Anything more than that comes from the evil one. "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you not to oppose an evil person. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn your other cheek to him as well. If someone wants to sue you in order to take your shirt, let him have your coat too. If someone forces you to go one mile, go two miles with him. Give to everyone who asks you for something. Don't turn anyone away who wants to borrow something from you. "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.' But I tell you this: Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. In this way you show that you are children of your Father in heaven. He makes his sun rise on people whether they are good or evil. He lets rain fall on them whether they are just or unjust. If you love those who love you, do you deserve a reward? Even the tax collectors do that! Are you doing anything remarkable if you welcome only your friends? Everyone does that! That is why you must be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect. "(Matthew5:21-46)

Your ways are not my ways, your thoughts are higher than mine oh Lord!

The thoughts, attitudes, motives and heart of Jesus super-exceeded any outward, external deed or "goodness" that any human ever will do or has ever accomplished. The only righteousness that exceeded that of the pharisees was the righteousness of Jesus, who was WITHOUT sin. He was fully human, like all of his own creation and yet perfect in full and complete dependence on the Father and obedience to His will. (Hebrews 2) Therefore, the only one worthy and acceptable of entering the Kingdom of God was the son of God.

Jesus your life, death and resurrection are my ONLY hope of entering the life and rest of God....my ONLY hope of acceptance and favor with God. Hallelujah! Jesus you alone are my source of righteousness. Jesus you alone are my covering and access to the Holy of Holies. You are the way, the truth and the life. Only through you can I come boldly as a child to my Father's lap. What joy! What freedom! What amazing restoration! You are my gate to lush green pastures and to life in all it's fullness. You are my door to the kingdom of God!

"How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jeus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ. Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the wonderful kindness he has poured out on us because we belong to his dearly loved Son. He is so rich in kindness that he purchased our freedom through the blood of the Son, and our sins are forgiven. "Ephesians1:1-7

" Tell me, you who want to be under the law, don't you hear the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave and the other by a free woman. But the one by the slave was born according to the flesh, while the one by the free woman was born as the result of a promise. These things are illustrations, for the women represent the two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai and bears children into slavery--this is Hagar. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. For it is written: Rejoice, O barren woman who does not give birth. Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor, for the children of the desolate are many, more numerous than those of the woman who has a husband.
Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. But just as then the child born according to the flesh persecuted the one born according to the Spirit, so also now. But what does the Scripture say? Throw out the slave and her son, for the son of the slave will never inherit with the son of the free woman. Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman." Galations 4:21-31

"The law of Moses could not save us, because of our sinful nature.But God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent His only Son in a human body like ours, except that ours are sinful. God destryed sin's control over us by giving His Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the requirement of the law would be fully accomplished for us (who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit)." Romans 8:3,4

All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. My belief and trust in you will show itself through dependence on and obedience to your Holy Spirit.

"And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness." Genesis 15:6

" For we are the circumcision, the ones who serve by the Spirit of God, boast in Christ Jesus, and do not put confidence in the flesh--although I once had confidence in the flesh too. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised the eighth day; of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, persecuting the church; as to the righteousness that is in the law, blameless. But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ--the righteousness from God based on faith. My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead. Not that I have already reached the goal or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God's heavenly call in Christ Jesus. "Philippians 3: 3:14

Oh my sweet Jesus, you are my righteousness and I openly sing your praises!

The law

"Yes, you know what He wants; you know right from wrong because you have been taught his law. You are convinced that you are a guide for the blind and a beacon for the lost in darkness without God. You think you can instruct the ignorant and teach children the ways of God. For you are certain that in God's law you have complete knowledge and truth."

Romans 2:18-20

"They want to be experts in Moses' Teachings. However, they don't understand what they're talking about or the things about which they speak so confidently. We know that Moses' Teachings are good if they are used as they were intended to be used. For example, a person must realize that laws are not intended for people who have God's approval. Laws are intended for lawbreakers and rebels, for ungodly people and sinners, for those who think nothing is holy or sacred, for those who kill their fathers, their mothers, or other people. Laws are intended for people involved in sexual sins, for homosexuals, for kidnappers, for liars, for those who lie when they take an oath, and for whatever else is against accurate teachings. Moses' Teachings were intended to be used in agreement (partnership) with the Good News that contains the glory of the blessed God. I was entrusted with that Good News."
1 Timothy 1:7-11

"Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for it's purpose is to keep people from having excuses and to bring the entire world into judgement before God. For no one can ever be made right in God's sight by doing what his law commands. For the more we know God's law, the clearer it becomes that we aren't obeying it. But now God has shown us a different way of being right in his sight - not by obeying the law but by the way promised in the scriptures long ago. We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done." Romans 3:19-22

"Certainly, there is a curse on all who rely on their own efforts to live according to a set of standards because Scripture says, "Whoever doesn't obey everything that is written in Moses' Teachings is cursed." No one receives God's approval by obeying the law's standards since, "The person who has God's approval will live by faith." Laws have nothing to do with faith, but, "Whoever obeys laws will live because of the laws he obeys." Christ paid the price to free us from the curse that God's laws bring by becoming cursed instead of us. Scripture says, "Everyone who is hung on a tree is cursed." Christ paid the price so that the blessing promised to Abraham would come to all the people of the world through Jesus Christ and we would receive the promised Spirit through faith......... What, then, is the purpose of the laws given to Moses? They were added to identify what wrongdoing is........If those laws could give us life, then certainly we would receive God's approval because we obeyed them. But Scripture states that the whole world is controlled by the power of sin. Therefore, a promise based on faith in Jesus Christ could be given to those who believe. We were kept under control by Moses' laws until this faith came. We were under their control until this faith which was about to come would be revealed. Before Christ came, Moses' laws served as our guardian. Christ came so that we could receive God's approval by faith. But now that this faith has come, we are no longer under the control of a guardian. You are all God's children by believing in Christ Jesus." Galations 3:10-14, 19, 21-26

Joy

"Sing for joy, Daughter Zion; shout loudly, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem! The LORD has removed your punishment; He has turned back your enemy. The King of Israel, the LORD, is among you; you need no longer fear harm. On that day it will be said to Jerusalem: "Do not fear; Zion, do not let your hands grow weak. The LORD your God is among you, a warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will bring you quietness with His love. He will delight in you with shouts of joy." Zephaniah 3:14-17

Joy is an emotion unfamiliar to the territory of fear. Joy is extravegant. Fear is constricting. Under the bondage of fear I have even found myself suspicious of the joyful. One of the most
incredible aspects of this daily deliverence from fear is the bubble of joy finding its way out of my heart. I'm both surprised and delighted. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom!

"The Sovereign LORD has filled me with his Spirit. He has chosen me and sent me to bring good news to the poor, to heal the broken-hearted, to announce release to captives and freedom to those in prison. He has sent me to proclaim that the time has come when the LORD will save his people and defeat their enemies. He has sent me to comfort all who mourn, to give to those who mourn in Zion Joy and gladness instead of grief, a song of praise instead of sorrow. They will be like trees that the LORD himself has planted. They will all do what is right, and God will be praised for what he has done.

Isaiah 61:1-3

The following is a pharaphrase of a message Mike Bickle gave on moving from duty to enjoyment. It is the perfect portrait of the sweet joy I'm discovering in the heart of my Saviour and King:

"All that Jesus taught us was to lead us to joyful freedom.The greatest commandment given to us to love as He loved is an invitation to joy. "If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full." John 15:10-11

Holiness and Gladness are not a contradiction. Joy is an expression of the Lord's Holiness:" You have been a lover of righteousness and a hater of evil: and so God, your God, has put the oil of joy on your head, lifting you high over all other kings"Psalm 45:7 God is not shocked when our flesh is weak. Therefore he is not shattered and withdrawn from us, withholding approval and affection. No, he exposes our immaturity that he may discipline and train us because He has a heart of gladness towards us. "Now to Him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of His glory, blameless and with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now, and forever. Amen." Jude 1:24-25 We must behold Him in this light so that we will run to Him in our failures rather than away from Him. The revelation of the Father's tender love and enjoyment of us awakens our hearts. His songs of love and joy over us quiet our inner storms of insecurity, rejection, striving, uncertainty and fear. We are being prepared as a bride for the wedding feast of the lamb. ( A time of great celebration and rejoicing! ) My bridegroom King will be glad on His wedding day and He rejoices in anticipation. He calls me to rejoice with Him! "A voice came from the throne, saying: Praise our God, all you His servants, you who fear Him, both small and great! Then I heard something like the voice of a vast multitude, like the sound of cascading waters, and like the rumbling of loud thunder, saying: Hallelujah--because our Lord God, the Almighty, has begun to reign! Let us be glad, rejoice, and give Him glory, because the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has prepared herself." Revelations 19:5-7

"Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and joy are in His place. Ascribe to the LORD, families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory of His name; bring an offering and come before Him. Worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth. The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, "The LORD is King!" I Chronicles 16:27 -31