I am setting right now in a healing school in Iowa. Last week I was in Lakeland FL at the Florida outpouring. It is a wonderful and awful thing to chase the Lord and His healing power. I have not been healed but have had numerous encounters with the presence and love of God. It is not a simple thing to reconcile outside of our personal relationship with God.
I come to believe that no matter what we "believe in our theology" we live from the reality of our life in God. The more we truly have a daily relationship with God the more we are stable in all the things that life brings to us and through us. Our pain and longing are all filtered through that relationship with God. This is what allows us to pray for others while we ourselves are in a place of need. This is what allows us to suffer while living in hope and love, we can have a need for money to pay our bills and yet be giving to others because we have a security that is not in this world, it is in our heart and in our relationship with God.
My pain sought to be me
Yet I found life coming to me
Not in my situation
But beyond it
The love I needed
Was freely supplied
Not through my labor
But through graces desire
It was not my work to be free that set me free
Even my desire to be like God failed
All that comes from man fails
To bring life eternal, power unfailing
All that we need
Only in Him, from Him, with Him
Grace and love are freely given to me
Through the Son who love through Calvary
Free eternal because His first and always loves me
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
The Significance of Insignificance
Most of us are aware of times when we try to be noticed, valued and a part of what is happening. I even know of some people who sit and silently listen to others so that they will be noticed as someone who listen to others. I’m not like that. I like to be known right up front. My personal struggle with self-love vibrates from nano-seconds of giving and taking, humility and seeking popularity, the fear of God and the desire to please man.
Lately the Lord has been leading me to the place where it does not matter. Often this is both a physical and spiritual place. It is not a place of care-lessness. It is rather the place of surrender to “things” and joy in being. If the Lord takes you to this place you will find out how little joy you have in being (existing) and how much happiness you have because of stuff, things. It is not bad to be happy because of things, this world and everything in it was made for us to enjoy. We all should be happy people. Yet when the things are the main source of our happiness, we are no longer attached to God as the source. Stuff is out source of joy. So that means our personal joy and happieness is directly tied to things.
What I am trying to point out is that living in such a way that things are insignificant takes you to the Significant One. God stays enthroned upon out hearts and we find that we have a source of joy and peace that transcends doing and having. Now comes the hard part.
At first in our self-love form of Christianity we do not want God, but rather His things, His power, His giftings, His favor, His unlimited grace. These in themselves are so great that we could spend out whole lives enjoying them. Many people do just that. They live in the place of significant things and even will argue that there is no other place. But to the person who has moved beyond significant into that other place, the argument is not just wrong, but deceptive. Do we really what the love of things to keep us from the Love of God? Not the “knowing about” the love of God but the “entering into” the love of God. The hard part is that you have to transition from the “good” to the “best” by faith.
When we voluntary give up the good things in the hope of entering in the love of God, we have taken a risk, or we have exercised our faith. At these moments we must deal with a God who is Lord and deal with our personal selves full of expectations, desires and even judgments as to what God is like. Many people never enjoy the “God who is there” because they labor to know the “God of their personal desires.” The way that God reveals this deception to us or tries to open our hearts toward Him is to offend us. The pathway to entering into the love of God is through the gate of offence and upon the pathway of insignificance of things.
Lately the Lord has been leading me to the place where it does not matter. Often this is both a physical and spiritual place. It is not a place of care-lessness. It is rather the place of surrender to “things” and joy in being. If the Lord takes you to this place you will find out how little joy you have in being (existing) and how much happiness you have because of stuff, things. It is not bad to be happy because of things, this world and everything in it was made for us to enjoy. We all should be happy people. Yet when the things are the main source of our happiness, we are no longer attached to God as the source. Stuff is out source of joy. So that means our personal joy and happieness is directly tied to things.
What I am trying to point out is that living in such a way that things are insignificant takes you to the Significant One. God stays enthroned upon out hearts and we find that we have a source of joy and peace that transcends doing and having. Now comes the hard part.
At first in our self-love form of Christianity we do not want God, but rather His things, His power, His giftings, His favor, His unlimited grace. These in themselves are so great that we could spend out whole lives enjoying them. Many people do just that. They live in the place of significant things and even will argue that there is no other place. But to the person who has moved beyond significant into that other place, the argument is not just wrong, but deceptive. Do we really what the love of things to keep us from the Love of God? Not the “knowing about” the love of God but the “entering into” the love of God. The hard part is that you have to transition from the “good” to the “best” by faith.
When we voluntary give up the good things in the hope of entering in the love of God, we have taken a risk, or we have exercised our faith. At these moments we must deal with a God who is Lord and deal with our personal selves full of expectations, desires and even judgments as to what God is like. Many people never enjoy the “God who is there” because they labor to know the “God of their personal desires.” The way that God reveals this deception to us or tries to open our hearts toward Him is to offend us. The pathway to entering into the love of God is through the gate of offence and upon the pathway of insignificance of things.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Lost and still lost
If someone finds a XPS computer with hundreds of prayer files and a vast list of intercessors, would you let me know. I had mine st olden from me a couple of weeks ago. I set up the room I was going to minister in at 8 a.m. and returned at 10 and find that my computer was accidental stolen.
I should have eaten breakfast at Hardees and not went home to eat that oatmeal. Doing the right thing always cost doesn't it. Well now I am busy pretending that I actually did back up my data. I especially feel the lose of "Delight yourself in the Lord, a cartoon prayer manual". If you find someone publishing a cartoon prayer manual - let me know.
Dear Lord:
Thanks for helping me not get attached to earthly things.
Thanks for help in learning to love and forgive.
Thanks for the data entry practice.
Thanks for helping me not to even think about it,
whatever it was.
You best friend,
in need of a computer
Rod
Why does God give us what he gives us?
Family, children, friends are given to to love. We need not make a demand upon them that they love us - but we should see each person in our circle of life as someone to love.
By loving each one we ought, we partner with God in allowing His divine love (Holy Spirit) to flow through us. The very spirit of revival is the Spirit of the Holy Spirit flowing through humanity to humanity. It is God having fellowship with others through us.
So why did God give "this one" or "that one" to you to love? Why has God withheld someone from you? Trusting God fully that "no good thing will He withhold from those who love Him" brings us not to the point of disappointment, but highest fulfillment. The lack of mates, children and friends is not a curse, but a stage in the journey to Christlikeness. When we grow in love, we also grow in family, friends and children. Christ guaranteed this in the gospels.
God also gives us unique people to love. When we find ourselves among "difficult to love" people we should ask, "What aspect or need of love does this person have that God has chosen me to supply for Him?" This is easy if we need only love for a moment. It is much more "loving" to be called to love these people for years and decades. :) We will find that most of those we are called to love for God, we are called to all the days of our lives. God has chosen us to live among them as He would.
Usually at the point of frustration in loving others is the point at which we are weak in Christlineness ourselves. The more we are transformed the "easier" it is to love. So our calling to love others is also a blessed tool of transformation!!! Do not be denied your transformation by pride, sloth, insecurity, greed or envy. Do not let the Devil himself to cheat you out of your transformation. Do not be hindered by envy, jealously, anger or foolishness.
When you are overwhelmed with all the need and demand of others for your love - rejoice. It is not "your love" they need or seek. It is God's love dispensed through you. These demands become your blessing as the need for bread for your neighbor leads you often to the dwelling of the Lord. Most always He requires us to "dine" with Him before we run off and do His will. Eph. 3:14-19
By loving each one we ought, we partner with God in allowing His divine love (Holy Spirit) to flow through us. The very spirit of revival is the Spirit of the Holy Spirit flowing through humanity to humanity. It is God having fellowship with others through us.
So why did God give "this one" or "that one" to you to love? Why has God withheld someone from you? Trusting God fully that "no good thing will He withhold from those who love Him" brings us not to the point of disappointment, but highest fulfillment. The lack of mates, children and friends is not a curse, but a stage in the journey to Christlikeness. When we grow in love, we also grow in family, friends and children. Christ guaranteed this in the gospels.
God also gives us unique people to love. When we find ourselves among "difficult to love" people we should ask, "What aspect or need of love does this person have that God has chosen me to supply for Him?" This is easy if we need only love for a moment. It is much more "loving" to be called to love these people for years and decades. :) We will find that most of those we are called to love for God, we are called to all the days of our lives. God has chosen us to live among them as He would.
Usually at the point of frustration in loving others is the point at which we are weak in Christlineness ourselves. The more we are transformed the "easier" it is to love. So our calling to love others is also a blessed tool of transformation!!! Do not be denied your transformation by pride, sloth, insecurity, greed or envy. Do not let the Devil himself to cheat you out of your transformation. Do not be hindered by envy, jealously, anger or foolishness.
When you are overwhelmed with all the need and demand of others for your love - rejoice. It is not "your love" they need or seek. It is God's love dispensed through you. These demands become your blessing as the need for bread for your neighbor leads you often to the dwelling of the Lord. Most always He requires us to "dine" with Him before we run off and do His will. Eph. 3:14-19
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