June 2013
“God you are getting bigger and bigger in me!
You rescue me and my famine has ended and You are the feast!” —Mary (Luke 1)
You rescue me and my famine has ended and You are the feast!” —Mary (Luke 1)
Priests Commune & Kings Conquer
Priests commune and Kings conquer.
“And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.” -Rev 5:10
I slept under thundering heavens last night, lightnings & voices. My sleep was filled with prophetic themes and I awoke with a number of scriptures and words rising out of my heart and mind. Prayer, worship and proclamation arising out of the truth of heaven’s pictures of filled bowls, pouring fire and the epicenter of impact created when the earthly and heavenly touch and God’s purposes erupt!
Revelation 5:8:
“And when He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, having each one a harp, and golden bowls full of incense which are the prayers of the saints.”
Revelation 8:3-5:
“And another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand. And the angel took the censer; and he filled it with the fire of the altar and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.”
Kingdom ministry and mission is ignited when God’s Heart and God’s Hand are reached out for with passion and longing. A fire is kindled when the awoken and burning embers of Spirit breathed flame and wind combust on the dried up human altar of fleshly inability. The rains of heaven soak our altars to show us it’s not of us…but of God.
Our union in Him is the position from which we reign not our abilities, powers or proficiencies. It IS NOT by might, not power but by His Spirit, says The Lord.
“But God, rich in mercy, for the great love he bore us, brought us to life with Christ even when we were dead in our sins; it is by his grace you are saved. And in union with Christ Jesus he raised us up and enthroned us with him in the heavenly realms” -Ephesians 2:4-6
I heard the word “Hidden Treasures” in my spirit and looked it up and found this verse:
Isaiah 45:1-3:
“This is what the Lord says to his anointed…
whose right hand I take hold of
to subdue nations before him
and to strip kings of their armor,
to open doors before him
so that gates will not be shut:
2 I will go before you
and will level the mountains;
I will break down gates of bronze
and cut through bars of iron.
3 I will give you hidden treasures,
riches stored in secret places,
so that you may know that I am the Lord,
the God of Israel, who summons you by name.
Those who ask, seek and knock…find.
What ‘hidden treasures’ is our Heavenly Father about to uncover for us?
What glorious truth, what keys of the Kingdom is He revealing to you that will ‘unlock’ doors that cannot be shut?
What mountains will be ‘leveled’ that have stood in defiance to His glory and your rest and joy?
What fresh ‘anointing’ is being poured out upon you right now that will finally “subdue enemies and strip kings” that have opposed the purposes of God in your life, family and ministry or mission?
Rest for your Soul →
samstorms.com
“Jesus did not come simply to replace the fruitless efforts of one religion with the successful efforts of another. Rather he came to fulfill on our behalf the very demands that God’s holiness and law place upon us, and to give us eternal rest!” -Sam Storm
“I saw God before me for all time.
Nothing can shake me; he’s right by my side.
I’m glad from the inside out, ecstatic;
I’ve pitched my tent in the land of hope.
I know you’ll never dump me in Hades;
I’ll never even smell the stench of death.
You’ve got my feet on the life-path,
with your face shining sun-joy all around.” —David (quoted in Acts 2:28)
Nothing can shake me; he’s right by my side.
I’m glad from the inside out, ecstatic;
I’ve pitched my tent in the land of hope.
I know you’ll never dump me in Hades;
I’ll never even smell the stench of death.
You’ve got my feet on the life-path,
with your face shining sun-joy all around.” —David (quoted in Acts 2:28)
Still Believe by Kim Walker-Smith
God in this little woman…is so BIG.
“Today five out of six non-Christians in our world have no hope unless missionaries come to them and plant the church among them.”
—
~Bryant
This info is important to remember, especially when we keep the tension of mission. We must all understand we are missionaries to our zip-codes but not all are called to live out mission in a local, home grown place. Gospel is available here but for many over ‘there’..it is not.
“But the wisdom from above is…open to reason…”
—James 3:17
Prayer request...
Pray…that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel,(Ephesians 6:19)…that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ (Colossians 4:3)…that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified (2 Thessalonians 3:5)…that I would ‘Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.’(Timothy 2:25-26).
“May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.”
—2 Thessalonians 3:5
Soaking Sounds
A Spirit-Filled life has a dimension of contemplation where we cultivate a listening heart. How can we claim to be Spirit led people if we don’t learn to listen for the voice of the Holy Ghost? Being a contemplative person doesn’t mean you have to be a quiet person but a hearing person. Any parent knows that you can ‘hear’ your child’s ‘voice’ in a crowd. We become aware of the ‘sound’ of their voice. Silence is a gift in the Spirit attuned life but don’t fall for the lie that a certain disposition or style of spirituality is the only definitive posture of cultivating a listening heart. We are not led by fleshly dictates such as time and place, posture or volume level. I am a city dweller and as such I have the unique gift and challenge of being an internal listener who can carry silence even in loudness. It’s about the ear of the spirit not the volume outside. Spirit is just that spirit. So don’t conform to fleshy patterns, values and practices that ground your life in some type of person or pattern. Life is free, love not law should guide.
I am finding the band “United Pursuit” to be a good source of assistance in leading a more prayerful life in word and worship, particularly some tracks off the cd “FOUND” and “Radiance”. (Current songs on my playlist: Swing Wide, Fill Me Up, Call Me, Give Me Your Eyes, Come Away, Set A Fire)
United Pursuit Band – A musical collective bound together by friendship, united in vision, and living together in community…United Pursuit Band defies today’s worship genre norms, always reaching for more . Their sound is diverse as their members, ranging from soaring worship anthems to powerful ballads, mixed in with folk influences and even a bit of gospel soul. What started as a dream, now has found its expression in a destiny-driven group of friends spanning this nation. Band member Nathan Fray states their purpose clearly: “Our mission is to create a culture of worship and of hosting God’s presence, all centered around community living. It’s in this place of God’s life-giving presence that our songs are born and we pray will stir the heart of a generation to love Jesus and pursue Him with everything. This is our united pursuit. (http://unitedpursuit.com/)
“I saw God before me for all time.
Nothing can shake me; he’s right by my side.
I’m glad from the inside out, ecstatic;
I’ve pitched my tent in the land of hope.
I know you’ll never dump me in Hades;
I’ll never even smell the stench of death.
You’ve got my feet on the life-path,
with your face shining sun-joy all around.” —David (quoted in Acts 2:28)
Nothing can shake me; he’s right by my side.
I’m glad from the inside out, ecstatic;
I’ve pitched my tent in the land of hope.
I know you’ll never dump me in Hades;
I’ll never even smell the stench of death.
You’ve got my feet on the life-path,
with your face shining sun-joy all around.” —David (quoted in Acts 2:28)
Guts, Gatherings & The Ghost
“Then, like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks…” -Acts 2:4
Oh great golly wouldn’t it be stupendously scrumptious to see a “house 2 house” Holy Ghost Burn!?! Not just a meeting, a group, a get together or study…but an encounter with the Living One. Gatherings where Christ is worshipped with hearts and minds awakened and alive by the Holy Spirit. These are not merely programed parts of an organization flow chart but the overflow of life-spilling out of people’s inner lives or ‘guts & bellies’ as I imagine the working man, blue-collar Jesus put it in John 7:37-39.
God give us Jesus meetings…not just people gathered around sharing stuff, but people being cracked open, spilled out [AND] filled up, being wrecked by Your love and set on fire with Your purposes. Grant us Miracle Moments where the beautiful ordinary is transformed into the EXTRA-ordinary! True Jacob’s Ladder revelations where we all say:
“God is in this place—truly. And I didn’t even know it!” He was terrified. He whispered in awe, “Incredible. Wonderful. Holy. This is God’s House. This is the Gate of Heaven.” (Gen. 28:16-17).
Our homes are where we truly need to see the demonstration of the love, life and power of the gospel. Our neighbors and kids need to be caught up in the firestorm of His coming. Barns are for storing the harvest that we gather and everyone knows that has been in a barn, they are dangerously combustible!
How’s your House..is it a fire waiting to ignite?
Acts 2:46-47:
“They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity— all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.”
“For under the smooth legal surface of our society there are already moving very lawless things. We are always near the breaking-point when we care only for what is legal and nothing for what is lawful. Unless we have a moral principle about such delicate matters as marriage and murder, the whole world will become a welter of exceptions with no rules. There will be so many hard cases that everything will go soft.”
—G. K. Chesterton
Misty Edwards: Word & Worship
This concert takes some fresh ground for artistry, prophetic worship, new music, the gift of blending scripture, song and sound. A must listen where you can soak it in and receive. Listen beyond the first song, the diversity of style, tempo, instrumentation and proclamation is awesome. Think of this as spoken word, song and performance art…a modern offering of the prophets burden.
“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your…daughters will prophesy.” -Acts 2:17a
Set me as a seal upon Your arm
“You Won’t Relent” song by Jesus Culture: “I don’t want to talk about You, Like You’re not in the room, I want to look right at You, I want to sing right to You.”
“Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm.” - Song of Solomon 8:6
In scripture we find, somehow we are sealed. A metaphor which would ring powerfully to those under Roman rule. Yet God’s sealing is never coercive. Never forced. A free will decision is made. An imprint is then formed within us. Our souls bear his mark, His letters, His image, and all powers are duly informed: we belong to God. In His timing, many times unknown to us, He opens us as a scroll, and reads aloud what He has written inside, we become a living decree, a love letter and invitation for others to receive the forgiveness offered in Christ, and to be sealed forever by the gentle all-powerful Holy Spirit of God. The Signet is hard and makes a deep impression, but only on soft substances like clay, wax or humility. It cannot leave its mark on stone, or metal or pride. (http://www.bible-history.com/sketches/ancient/seals.html)
In Him you also who have heard the Word of Truth, the glad tidings (Gospel) of your salvation, and have believed in and adhered to and relied on Him, were stamped with the seal of the long-promised Holy Spirit. -Ephesians 1:13
“Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” -1 Corinthians 1:21-22
“And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” - Ephesians 4:30
“There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise,”
—Proverbs 21:20a
“Wherefore doth the Lord make you cup run over, but that other men’s lips might taste the liquor? The showers that fall upon the highest mountains, should glide into the lowest valleys. “Give, and it shall be given you”, is a maxim little believed.”
—William Secker
“How exquisite your love, O God!
How eager we are to run under your wings,
To eat our fill at the banquet you spread
as you fill our tankards with Eden spring water.
You’re a fountain of cascading light,
and you open our eyes to light.” —Psalm 36:7-9 (The Message”
How eager we are to run under your wings,
To eat our fill at the banquet you spread
as you fill our tankards with Eden spring water.
You’re a fountain of cascading light,
and you open our eyes to light.” —Psalm 36:7-9 (The Message”
“If the gospel you’ve heard is not too good to be true, it probably isn’t.”
—John Crowder
“These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.” —Jesus
but their hearts are far from me.” —Jesus
The Impossible
Oh my this movie was intense, heart breaking and deeply moving. It had the most terrifiying natural disaster scenes I have watched on film about the SE Asia 2004 Tsunami. Of course I am not sure if it was wise to watch this the same night we discussed visting my brother Matt, who now lives right where this movie story takes place! Ugh.
