What a marvelous thing that God continues to reveal His ways and His beauty to us. I've experienced 46 Easters this year. Easter has always been one of my favorite holidays. Of course, I am not very fond of the bunny rabbit, easter eggs or peter cottontail. I believe that those cultural trappings steal the real reason for the holiday away from our life. I respect anyone who chooses to continue in those traditions; I just simply choose not to participate. I want to hang on to the real meaning of Easter as long as I possibly can.
Sometimes Easter reminds me of the death of Jesus Christ and the price he paid for each of us. Who would do that? I don't think I would sacrifice my child for another human being, let alone send my child to suffer a very painful death. This would be so trying and would weigh me down.
This Easter Season...the Lord has blessed me with a new revelation, a fresh vision of His holiday. I was in church Sunday and the worship team was singing Chains be Broken by Hillsong:
I have decided I have resolved
To wait upon you Lord
My rock and redeemer shall not be moved
Ill wait upon you Lord
Pre Chorus
As surely as the sun will rise
You'll come to us
As certain as the dawn appears
Chorus
You'll come let your glory fall
As you respond to us
Spirit reign flood our hearts
With holy fire again
Verse 2
We are not shaken we are not moved
We wait upon you Lord
Our Mighty deliverer my triumph and truth
I'll wait upon you Lord
Bridge
Chains be broken
Lives be healed
Eyes be opened
Christ is revealed
I began to hear the Spirit speak to me "The grave is open" and saw the grave in my mind’s eye. Over and over, "the grave is open". The spirit was moving in church and people began to come to the alter for prayer, and healing. I went forward seeking freedom from the grave. A lady laid hands on me and prayed that the "grave is open, walk in my daughter, and walk back out in freedom." What a wonderful confirmation of what the Lord was speaking to me.
It was so precious to hear directly from the Holy Spirit. He was speaking to me, loud and clear. He can speak to you to. The closer we draw to Him...the more learn of who he is and how He operates, the more we will begin to walk as He walks, talk as He talks and move like He moves.
Lord, this is our desire, to move with you. To walk out of the grave with you. To have our Lazarus moment.
Praise be to Jesus....He is Risen, He is Risen indeed.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Building my Father's Kingdom
I went to Chicago for business this past week. I became very self-indulgent while I was there. My ugly old flesh reared its ugly head while I was there. I whined about everything. The training was bad, the people were rude, and the weather was horrible. If I could find it, I would whine about it, if I saw it, I whined about it. It was pitiful...after all that my Heavenly Father has given me and done for me, all I have to offer back is negative whining out of my mouth. Wondering why He brought me to Chicago to be miserable...because you know, it's all about me.
So....on the Wednesday evening, when everyone else went out to eat and didn't invite me...one more thing to whine about...I was going to stay in for the night, but I heard the Lord speak to me to go out. So I hired a cab, went and ate sushi, and hired a cab to go back to the hotel. Nothing exciting had happened, I had my normal spicy tuna roll, my one enjoyment of the day.
Then the cab picked me up, we were quiet at first, then he started to ask me questions. He asked where I was from, why I was in Chicago...and somehow we got around to speaking about religion. Hmmmm...Religion and politics, two of the most complicated and divisive subjects. But I listened as he shared his belief that Christianity and Islam are the same since they are descendents of Abraham, who is a descendent of Adam. He shared how he believes that Satan has played a game with all religions, causing division when God's ultimate plan was for us to be one big family.
To some extent, he is correct. God's original plan was for us to all be in His family, but because we sinned, and because we now live in a fallen world, we deserve to be damned due to the penalty of sin. But, as I explained to Mohammed, through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, because He suffered and died for our sins, we can be reconciled through our Savior to the Father. All men can be reconciled with their creator, their Savior, their Father. I had to make it very clear to Mohammed though, that there is a difference between Islam and Christianity. If I didn’t…and he continues in his belief, he too will be damned. I had to share the gospel as I know it.
We shared our Faith with one another for one hour, sitting out front of the hotel in his taxi cab. He shared his heart about the last days and how the catastrophes are signs of the end, per the Quran. I shared about the book that I had just read about the twelfth Imam and how it is significant to the return of Christ.
He shared how He felt that when Jesus returns he and Allah will come together and bring the religions together. Of that I know not, I spoke, but what I do know is that you have to believe that Jesus is the Savior and choose to follow Him to receive eternal life. How, when or if Jesus reconciles the millions of religions out there, is in His hands, not mine.
But then, the most awesome thing happened. Mohammed shared that he and his wife were having some financial issues and that he needed some answers. I asked him if I could pray for him...and he said yes...so here is the prayer that I prayed for him as I layer hands on him, and that I pray for you as well.
Mohammed, I pray that the Lord will pour out His favor upon you. That He will lead you and guide you. That he will speak His words to you and reveal Himself in new ways.
The amazing part of this? The Lord spoke to me after I left the cab that "this is what you are here for....it has nothing to do with the job, the training, the career, it was so you ride in the taxi of this man Mohammed and speak truth to him. What the Lord does with that truth is up to Him...it's simply up to me to be obedient and speak when He says speak. What I do know is that my Father loved Mohommed enough to bring me to his cab and pray with Him. That’s how my Father rolls.
What an honor to be used by the Lord God Almighty to do the work that He could do himself.
So....on the Wednesday evening, when everyone else went out to eat and didn't invite me...one more thing to whine about...I was going to stay in for the night, but I heard the Lord speak to me to go out. So I hired a cab, went and ate sushi, and hired a cab to go back to the hotel. Nothing exciting had happened, I had my normal spicy tuna roll, my one enjoyment of the day.
Then the cab picked me up, we were quiet at first, then he started to ask me questions. He asked where I was from, why I was in Chicago...and somehow we got around to speaking about religion. Hmmmm...Religion and politics, two of the most complicated and divisive subjects. But I listened as he shared his belief that Christianity and Islam are the same since they are descendents of Abraham, who is a descendent of Adam. He shared how he believes that Satan has played a game with all religions, causing division when God's ultimate plan was for us to be one big family.
To some extent, he is correct. God's original plan was for us to all be in His family, but because we sinned, and because we now live in a fallen world, we deserve to be damned due to the penalty of sin. But, as I explained to Mohammed, through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, because He suffered and died for our sins, we can be reconciled through our Savior to the Father. All men can be reconciled with their creator, their Savior, their Father. I had to make it very clear to Mohammed though, that there is a difference between Islam and Christianity. If I didn’t…and he continues in his belief, he too will be damned. I had to share the gospel as I know it.
We shared our Faith with one another for one hour, sitting out front of the hotel in his taxi cab. He shared his heart about the last days and how the catastrophes are signs of the end, per the Quran. I shared about the book that I had just read about the twelfth Imam and how it is significant to the return of Christ.
He shared how He felt that when Jesus returns he and Allah will come together and bring the religions together. Of that I know not, I spoke, but what I do know is that you have to believe that Jesus is the Savior and choose to follow Him to receive eternal life. How, when or if Jesus reconciles the millions of religions out there, is in His hands, not mine.
But then, the most awesome thing happened. Mohammed shared that he and his wife were having some financial issues and that he needed some answers. I asked him if I could pray for him...and he said yes...so here is the prayer that I prayed for him as I layer hands on him, and that I pray for you as well.
Mohammed, I pray that the Lord will pour out His favor upon you. That He will lead you and guide you. That he will speak His words to you and reveal Himself in new ways.
The amazing part of this? The Lord spoke to me after I left the cab that "this is what you are here for....it has nothing to do with the job, the training, the career, it was so you ride in the taxi of this man Mohammed and speak truth to him. What the Lord does with that truth is up to Him...it's simply up to me to be obedient and speak when He says speak. What I do know is that my Father loved Mohommed enough to bring me to his cab and pray with Him. That’s how my Father rolls.
What an honor to be used by the Lord God Almighty to do the work that He could do himself.
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