The Road to Nowhere is paved with Good Intentions!

January 13, 2013 by 1 Comment

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Many talk of New Year’s resolutions but very few follow through on them. This leaves us disillusioned and trusting ourselves a little less. Instead of the resolution bringing us some order and peace, thinking we now have some solution and some control over problems in our lives, it brings disappointment, hopelessness and added stress. This hopelessness and stress is due to not living in harmony with ourselves, realizing we lack integrity when it comes to making a promise to ourselves! The more we lie to ourselves the easier it becomes because we stop believing ourselves and the voice of the conscience becomes quieter and quieter. 

How many New Years have you been breaking promises you have made to yourself? We are creatures of habit, so the more we do it the easier it becomes! Without integrity, we are a divided person because “integrity” means a quality or state of being complete and undivided. When we make a resolution in haste while our hearts are saying “ no way!” we have become a divided person. To have a heart of integrity we must say what we mean and mean what we say! Shakespeare said it well “To thine own self be true”. 

When we are not true to ourselves, our consciences convict us. But what do we do with that conviction? If we ignore it or try to drown it out with activity or entertainment, so we don’t have to spend time alone with inner selves, that voice of conscience will become quieter and quieter, until we have no integrity left. With that integrity will go our peace because we have come to a place where we no longer live in harmony with our own conscience.

1Tim.1:19  Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:

Our world is searching for answers, but they are looking for answers from real, authentic people with integrity. I dare to say that if we have not integrity with our own beings, it is very unlikely that we will be able to authenticate our Christian walk to others. If we break promises and lie to ourselves, it is more likely we will break promises and lie to others because we will have silenced the voice of our conscience. 

For the year 2013 the Lord has impressed upon my heart to grow in INTEGRITY and be a whole person, body, soul and spirit. In order to be that whole person I need BALANCE in each area of my being, body, soul and spirit. It will involve external discipline. Moving along the upward spiral requires us to LEARN, COMMIT, and DO on increasingly higher planes. We deceive ourselves if we think that any one of these is sufficient. To keep progressing, we must LEARN, COMMIT, and DO –LEARN, COMMIT, and DO — LEARN, COMMIT, and DO again…..This year promise yourself that you will not be “all talk” but will keep your word to yourself.

Wherever the year 2013 takes you, may the road be paved with solid commitments, placed with balance and cemented in integrity. As a step towards this assignment of pursuing integrity and balance, I want to encourage each of us to make one realistic commitment to ourselves in each of the three areas of our being, body, soul and spirit.

Job 31:6  Let me be weighed in an even balance that God may know mine integrity.

CHALLENGE: 

1.  What one thing are you willing to commit to do in 2013 to mature spiritually?

2. What one thing are you willing to commit to do in 2013 to take better care of your body?  

3. What one thing are you willing to commit to do in 2013 to improve your emotional well being?

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Gifts with a Prophetic Meaning

December 12, 2012 by 1 Comment

Matthew 2:11  And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

Over two thousand years ago wise men offered Him gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh.

This Christmas we can also offer Him gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. But these gifts have much more than monetary value for they cost us the treasures of our hearts.

GOLD prophesied His royalty as King of Kings

And he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. Revelation 19:16

Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, [be] honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. I Timothy 1:17

We present unto Him the Gift of Gold out of the treasure of our hearts when we submit to his Kingship and Lordship in our lives.

FRANKINCENSE prophesied of His everlasting priesthood after the order of Melchizedek

Whither the forerunner is for us entered, [even] Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek Hebrews 6:20

But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;  Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption [for us]. Hebrews 9:11

We present unto Him the gift of Frankincense as we daily offer Him our thanksgiving, prayers and praise at the Golden Altar of Incense where we present ourselves as living sacrifices holy and acceptable. It will be a sweet incense to Him.

MYRRH prophesied His suffering as the Lamb of God.

The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. John 1:29

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. I Peter 2:24

We present Him the gift of myrrh as as we willingly identify with His suffering and take up our cross daily and follow Him.

CHALLENGE: Make the Christmas pageant come alive this year in your heart as you present unto Him, gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. As you confirm that He is your King, great High Priest and the Lamb of God that takes away your sin.

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“The Seed of the Woman”

December 5, 2012 by Leave a Comment

 

The protoevangelium, the plan of redemption, is first mentioned, in Genesis 3:15 and talks of the seed of the woman bruising the serpent’s head. But how can this be since a woman doesn’t have seed? Over the years as I read this it confused me since a woman doesn’t have seed in her womb. God led me to the story of the annunciation of Mary when the angel gave her the word that she would conceive of the Holy Ghost. Suddenly as the Lord opened my spiritual eyes, I saw that ‘the seed of the woman’ talked about back in the Garden was the Word, the Rhema, that was given to her. 1Peter 1:23 writes of the Word being the seed of God that He plants in our hearts. According to the parable of the sower in Luke 18:11 the seed is the Word of God.

Luke 1:38 uncovers the mystery to us! “Behold the handmaiden of the Lord! Be it unto me according to thy Word”. Note she didn’t say “Be it according to my seed.”

At the time of the miraculous conception what was the seed of the Father that Mary received?

It was the Word that was conceived in her womb. The gospel of John tells us that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.That’s the real meaning of the Christmas story, Emmanuel, God with us. Mary was obedient although she could not fathom how this could be but in faith she declared, “Be it unto to me according to thy Word”. Although the seed is full of life it is powerless until believed and obeyed. Then the seed mixed with faith becomes a Rhema word. Faith gives the Rhema substance. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen” Hebrews 11.1 The Rhema will become incarnate just like the seed of Mary’s womb, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us”.

Have you ever become pregnant with a Rhema and thought but how could this happen? Have you believed and cherished it until it would become flesh? Or have you neglected the fetus in your spiritual womb? Or maybe through discouragement or doubt you have tried to abort it? Maybe right now you are having labor pains, that’s a sure sign that birth is on its way! Although that seed is of the spirit it needs the physical part of you to become incarnate and be a witness to the world.

When we receive a Rhema word into our hearts, we become pregnant with a vision or a purpose and as we are faithful to feed, guard and protect that seed, one day it will give birth, it will be brought to fruition. Feed it with stubborn, ever increasing faith regardless of fear of rejection or unbelief from others for if this seed is of God the Father, the day will come when He will claim what you are giving birth to as His own! Others will see that this was the Lord’s miraculous doing.

God’s part is to give life and breathe to the seed which He planted within us.

Our part is to nourish it through faith during the long months or maybe even years of pregnancy and then when labor pains begin, hang in there and deliver it to the world.

CHALLENGE: Surrender your whole being, body, soul and spirit and in faith declare as Mary did “ Behold the servant of the Lord! Be it unto me according to thy Word”.

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The Gift of Christmas

November 28, 2012 by 1 Comment

 

Dear Child, 

During this season share with others the gift of My love, displayed by the most priceless gift ever given. When the hustle and the bustle of the season has died down, My gift of love is still there to fill their lives with hope and meaning. 

 

Everyone loves a gift with a meaning.

Everyone loves a gift that meets a need.

Everyone loves a gift that expresses the giver’s love.

Everyone loves a gift with thought and planning behind it.

 

My gift meets the need of man in bondage to sin. 

My gift to the world was planned from the foundation of the world. 

My gift cost me everything, it cost My only Son leaving heaven knowing He would one day be rejected and lay down His life for His enemies. His life for your life.

My gift is a gift of pardon, forgiveness, reconciliation, grace, mercy, peace, joy, and everlasting life. It is the only gift that truly keeps on giving.

 

What will you do with My gift?

Receive it with a grateful heart?

Reject it?

Say you don’t have time to open it?

Abuse it?

Or simply not appreciate it?

                                                    Thus saith Papa


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How to be 80% Happier

November 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Dear Child,

If you appreciated all My blessings in your life, your heart would overflow with joy! Giving thanks causes you to be reminded of what you are grateful for and this gives you a fresh appreciation.

If you are thankful for My blessings, you will enjoy them, if you take them for granted they will not give you joy, for they will be like a discarded gift.

Enjoy life, it’s My greatest gift, when you enjoy life you have a thankful heart, a thankful heart is pleasing in My sight!

                                               Thus saith Papa

But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.(Psalm 5:11)

A modern day psychology book, “The Law of Life” states ” We are not made happy by what we acquire but by what we appreciate!”A survey in the book revealed that we usually take for granted 80% of the blessings in our lives, therefore we are only 20% as happy as we could be!  Consequently the degree to which we are thankful determines our happiness.

What has robbed us of our joy especially as Christians? May I suggest a lack of gratitude?

Do you take your blessings for granted or with gratitude?

Since we are only made happy by what we appreciate, why should we wonder, what happened to our joy, when we begin to take the blessings in our lives for granted. Therefore if we want more joy in our lives we need to appreciate more that which the Lord has provided for us. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: (Psalm 103:2)

When we cry unto the Lord, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation;” (Psalm 51:12) we are really crying out for a grateful heart! A complaining heart soon becomes a heart drowning in self-pity that will quench your joy. The fruit of thankfulness is joy and joy results in spiritual strength. …neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength. (Neh.8:10)

We bless and please the Lord when we are thankful!

 I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.(Psalm 69:30)

CHALLENGE: Be thankful lest the enemy steals the joy of the abundant life.                      

“How can I say thanks for all the things that you have done for me,

Things so undeserved yet you gave to prove your love for me,

The voices of a thousand angels could not express my gratitude,

All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe it all to thee.

To God be the glory for the things He has done.” / Andre Crouch

Read more in my book “Developing a Secret History with God” in chapter nine Pressing into His Presence

Available from Amazon/ Barnes&Noble/ Kindle/ Nook/ Ibooks/ Lulu or a bookstore near you.

 

 

 

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