God so loved the world that he gave..

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion- to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified." Isaiah 61:1-3

I got a new job that I'm pretty stoked about!! Freedom for Youth recently hired as the new "house mom" for the girls transitional housing. I will get the opportunity to live with the young women, be a vessel that Christ can use to love and teach them through me.

If you think about it, I ask that you pray for this ministry. Pray in advance that God softens these girls hearts, that they have a willingness to change their lives. The girls will be from 18-22 years old. They will come from a variety of different ways.. whether they are homeless, recommended by a school counsel or youth pastor, from prison, aged out of the foster care program but not ready to live on their own.. ect. I'm sure these girls have been beaten up by the world, they will have experienced things that I haven't even dreamed about, been lied to their entire lives. Pray that God would radically change their lives. Pray that they will understand the truth and that the truth will set them free!

Pray also that my heart and my emotions will be in sync with what Gods heart is like. To break my heart for what break His heart. The heart of God is for sinners, for the broken-hearted, for the outcasts of society. I pray that God would give me his heart for his people. To open my eyes to things that I don't see. To be a vessel that He can mold and shape to be used for his glory. Here I am, Lord, send me!

"For God so loved the world that he gave..." John 3:16

As we continue to grow in our love for Christ, that should be our response to His love. That his love would compel us to give. To give ourselves completely. To who? To the world.

If you want, you can read up on what God is doing through Freedom for Youth.

Are you Exhausted Spiritually?

God gave me this at a critical time last year. Its one of Oswald Chambers devos from "My Utmost for His Highest"..


The everlasting God . . . neither faints nor is weary —Isaiah 40:28

Exhaustion means that our vital energies are completely worn out and spent. Spiritual exhaustion is never the result of sin, but of service. Whether or not you experience exhaustion will depend on where you get your supplies. Jesus said to Peter, “Feed My sheep,” but He gave him nothing with which to feed them (John 21:17). The process of being made broken bread and poured-out wine means that you have to be the nourishment for other people’s souls until they learn to feed on God. They must drain you completely— to the very last drop. But be careful to replenish your supply, or you will quickly be utterly exhausted. Until others learn to draw on the life of the Lord Jesus directly, they will have to draw on His life through you. You must literally be their source of supply, until they learn to take their nourishment from God. We owe it to God to be our best for His lambs and sheep, as well as for Him.

Have you delivered yourself over to exhaustion because of the way you have been serving God? If so, then renew and rekindle your desires and affections. Examine your reasons for service. Is your source based on your own understanding or is it grounded on the redemption of Jesus Christ? Continually look back to the foundation of your love and affection and remember where your Source of power lies. You have no right to complain, “O Lord, I am so exhausted.” He saved and sanctified you to exhaust you. Be exhausted for God, but remember that He is your supply. “All my springs are in you” (Psalm 87:7).

Mind of Christ

I read a book by A.W. Tozer and he used this analogy that I often think about.

God did not give us eyes to hear how beautiful a song was. He gave us ears for that. He did not give us ears to see how beautiful a sunset is... he gave us eyes. In the same way, God did not give us a brain or intellect to understand the things of God. He gave us a spirit!!

"'What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him'- these things GOD HAS REVEALED TO US THROUGH THE SPIRIT. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ."

Wow! How cool is that? We have the mind of Christ. Because of the Holy Spirit, we are able to understand the things of God, the things of the supernatural.

Divine Revelation

Have you ever had an experience reading the bible and the light bulb in your head turns on? A concept that you have known intellectually for years, but finally it makes sense. For example, a concept like being a new creation in Christ. I have heard tons of messages and have had discussions over the issue.. I could quote verse after verse about it. But one day, its almost like God opens my eyes and lets me see my identity in Christ in a whole new way. Then I want to go run and tell everyone but yet I can't explain it, I can't explain the difference that has occurred.

Since I have been a christian for along time, its easy for me to believe that some how I understand who God is. But I realize that I intellectually know who God is, but have not come close to REALLY KNOWING God. I have found that the closer I get to knowing Christ, the more I realize how far I really am. Will I ever get a grasp of who God is? Of the love that surpasses knowledge? Of the undeserved grace that he constantly pours out on me? The concept that I am a new creation in Christ? That all my sins were nailed on the cross? That my old self was crucified with him on the cross 2000 years ago? That in Christ, all the fullness of God dwells? That I have the spirit that raised Christ from the dead living inside of me?

I know that I am a christian. There is nothing that someone could do to convince me that I am not. Why is that? Because the Spirit revealed it to me, and there is something in me that could not believe otherwise. What about these other truths?

I need divine revelation! I need the Holy Spirit to reveal concepts and things that I intellectually have known for years, but have not fully grasped in order for it to change me. God gave us His Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth. To open up our eyes so that we can see Him as He really is.

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." John 14:25

"I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie- just as it has taught you, abide in him." 1 John 2:26-27

"When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth." John 16:13

Don't you sometimes wish that there was a formula to knowing God? That he could of told us to do this plus this.. and then we can understand Him? But God is not a God who uses formulas. He is a God who longs to have a relationship with us. How badly do we want it?

"My son, IF you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understand; yes, IF you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, IF you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, THEN you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God." Proverbs 2:1-6

Here is a quote that I wrote down in my journal a few months ago, not sure where its from but it kind of relates..

"Jesus defines the realm of eternity as touching God in the Spirit. This is not some second-rate event for weak people who need experience to increase their faith-- the experiential knowledge of God is the foundation, the basis, the rock of our faith.. Every founder of faith encountered something of the Spirit that launched them in the realm of faith. They endured because they saw Him who is invisible. Paul prayed that the church of Ephesus would know the love of Christ which passes knowledge. How could they know something which passes knowledge? Yet Paul prayed it and God caused it to be recorded in His word, so it must be a real thing in the grace of God. Paul was talking about an experience with the love of God. Something that surpasses our human capacity to comprehend and process, something supernatural. He was talking about a mystical encounter with God through the Holy Spirit."

Lord, OPEN MY EYES, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law!!

Obedience

I have been learning a lot about obedience lately. I desire so badly to hear from God, to be in step with the Spirit each moment of every day. I pray that God would speak to me and direct me in which way to go.

I've been thinking about 1 Samuel 15 a lot lately. God told Saul to "go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction ALL THAT THEY HAVE. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey." v3

So Saul went and did what God commanded.. for the most part. He spared the best of the animals. His intent was to "spare the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction." v15

How often do we do that? God commands us to do something, we do it partially and for the rest we put some "christian excuse" on why we didn't completely obey.

"Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams." v22

God desires complete and utter obedience. That is what pleases him. That is such a hard concept for me to get my head around. Lets say that God calls me to move to Haiti. If I decided that it would be too hard and didn't go, but rather decided to support a bunch of missionaries finically, I would not be pleasing to him. God desires obedience. OR lets say that I do move. I sell all of my possessions, go into a foreign land, leave behind family, friends, comfort, everything and go God would be pleased. But what pleases him isn't the sacrifices that it would take to obey him, rather the simple obedience. The size of the sacrifice is a measurement for us to see our level of commitment but it is not a leveraging tool to please God. God is only pleased by obedience.

I've been reading the book "Hinds Feet for High Places". It is SO good. Here is a quote from it that relates..

"Whenever you are willing to obey me, Much-Afriad, and to follow the path of my choice, you will always be able to hear and recognize my voice, and when you hear it you must always obey. Remember also that it is always safe to obey my voice, even if it seems to call you to paths which look impossible or even crazy."

Dang! It has been a heck of a long time since I have blogged. Well.. I'm going to see if I can start up again. I got a new job that will allow me more time to do things like this.. so we'll have to see how it goes :).

I have been thinking about Psalm 86:11 a lot lately.

"Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name." I love that! Some other versions say "give me an undivided heart so that I may fear your name." Jesus, that is my prayer for the rest of my life. That I would have an undivided heart, that my King alone would have my heart, my desires, my passions, my joys. EVEYTHING. So, that is why I decided to change the title of this blog.

As I was praying that this morning, this song "One pure and holy passion" came into my head. This is my prayer..

"Give me one pure and holy passion

Give me one magnificent obsession
Give me one glorious ambition for my life
To know and follow hard after you
To know and follow hard after you
To grow as your disciple in the truth
This world is empty, pale, and poor
Compared to knowing you my Lord
Lead me on and I will run after you"

THE VISION

I got this from KBs blog.. and LOVED it :). Enjoy!



THE VISION
FROM RED MOON RISING
by Pete Grieg

So this guy comes up to me and says, “What’s the vision? What’s the big idea?”
I open up my mouth and the words come out like this:

The vision?
The vision is Jesus:
obsessively, dangerously, undeniably Jesus.

The vision is of an army of young people.
You see bones?
I see an army.

And they are free from materialism—
They laugh at nine-to-five little prisons.
They could eat caviar on Monday and crusts on Tuesday.
They wouldn’t even notice.
They know the meaning of the Matrix, the way the West was won.

They are mobile like the wind.
They belong to the nations.
They need no passport.
People write their addresses in pencil and wonder at their strange existence.
They are free yet they are slaves of the hurting, dirty and dying.

What is the vision?
The vision is holiness that hurts the eyes.
It makes children laugh and adults angry.
It gave up the game of minimal integrity long ago to reach for the stars.
It scorns the good and strains for the best.
It is dangerously pure.

Light flickers from every secret motive, from every conversation.
It loves people away from their suicide leaps—their Satan games.This is an army that would lay down its life for the cause.
A million times a day, its soldiers choose to lose that they might one day win the great “well done” of faithful sons and daughters.

Such heroes are as radical on Monday morning as Sunday night.

They don’t need fame from names.
Instead they grin quietly upwards and hear the crowds chanting again and again: “COME ON!”
And this is the sound of the underground, the whisper of history in the making, foundations shaking, revolutionaries dreaming once again.
Mystery is scheming in whispers, conspiracy is breathing…
This is the sound of the underground.

And the army is disciple(in)ed—
Young people who beat their bodies into submission.
Every soldier would take a bullet for his comrade at arms.
The tattoo on their back boasts “for me to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

Sacrifice fuels the fire of victory in their upward eyes.
Winners.
Martyrs.
Who can stop them?
Can hormones hold them back?
Can failure succeed?
Can fear scare them or death kill them?

And the generation prays like a dying man with groans beyond talking, with warrior cries, sulfuric tears and great barrow loads of laughter!

Waiting.
Watching.
24-7-365.

Whatever it takes they will give:
Breaking the rules,
Shaking mediocrity from its cozy little hide,
Laying down their rights and their precious little wrongs,
Laughing at labels,
Fasting essentials.
The advertisers cannot mold them.
Peer-pressure is powerless to shake their resolve at late-night parties before the cockerel cries.

They are incredibly cool, dangerously attractive on the inside.
On the outside?
They hardly care!
They wear clothes like costumes: to communicate and celebrate, but never to hide.

Would they surrender their image or their popularity?
They would lay down their lives, swap seats with the man on death row, guilty as hell: a throne of an electric chair.

With blood and sweat and many tears, with sleepless nights and fruitless days, they pray as if it all depends on God and live as though it all depends on them.

Their DNA chooses Jesus.
He breathes out.
They breathe in.
Their subconscious sings.
They had a blood transfusion with Jesus.

Their words make demons scream in shopping malls.
Don’t you hear them coming?

Herald the weirdoes!
Summon the losers and the freaks.
Here come the frightened and forgotten with fire in their eyes!
They walk tall and trees applaud.
Skyscrapers bow.
Mountains are dwarfed by these children of another dimension.

Their prayers summon the Hound of Heaven and evoke the dream of Eden.

And, this vision will be.
It will come to pass.
It will come easily.
It will come soon.

How do I know?
Because, this is the longing of creation itself, the groaning of the spirit, the very dream of God.

My tomorrow is His today.
My distant hope is His 3-D.
And, my feeble, whispered, faithless prayer invokes a thunderous, resounding, bone-shaking, great “AMEN!” from countless angels, from heroes of the faith, from Christ himself.

And He is the original dreamer, the ultimate winner.
Guaranteed.