It’s Raining!

It’s raining this week! Why is it that when it rains, people run in to their houses to keep dry? Jesus wants us to get wet!

Sometimes, things that happen in the physical realm often reflect what is taking place in the spiritual realm, so what is God saying to us through the rain storms?  Imagine the number of raindrops or dew drops that fall from heaven during a shower. That is how much God’s word ‘flows’ from His mouth to us. Think about it in terms of the “volume” of words God speaks. Imagine each drop of rain being a word from God to you personally! Don’t you just love the “sound” of the rain? Can you hear Him? Do you know what He is saying to you? He always instructs us to LISTEN, so it is obviously something that we don’t naturally do very well.

“Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. Let my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, as raindrops on the tender herb, and as showers on the grass”.
Deut 32: 1 & 2

The word ‘distill’  in this verse means to remove impurities, to wash clean. His speech is so plentiful that it soaks us, which then cleans our spirits and teaches us. But, the rain only has this effect when we are correctly positioned to get wet by ‘listening’ to His words, His teaching, His rain.  

The next time it rains, stand in the rain. Listen to the sound as it falls and imagine God’s voice whispering to you, His beloved child. He has so much He longs to say.

Be profitable!

In recent posts I’ve shared some of God’s thoughts concerning our relationship to Him. We are to cling to Him like a sash, hear His voice, and we are not to walk in the imagination of our heart. Otherwise we are like a dirty, decayed sash which ”…is profitable for nothing.”  OUCH!

6 Now it came to pass after many days that the LORD said to me, “Arise, go to the Euphrates, and take from there the sash which I commanded you to hide there.”
7 Then I went to the Euphrates and dug, and I took the sash from the place where I had hidden it; and there was the sash, ruined. It was profitable for nothing.
8 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
9 “Thus says the LORD: ‘In this manner I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.
10 This evil people, who refuse to hear My words, who walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be just like this sash which is profitable for nothing.
11 For as the sash clings to the waist of a man, so I have caused the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to cling to Me,’ says the LORD, ‘that they may become My people, for renown, for praise, and for glory; but they would not hear.’
Jeremiah 13:6-11. NKJV

God designed us to be profitable for Him and Him alone, clinging to him like a clean sash. We do this by surrendering every area of our lives to Him, worshiping Him at all times, even through life’s storms, listening to His voice and responding appropriately.

Let’s be more profitable in 2010!

Imaginations of our Hearts

God doesn’t ask us for much does He?  Compared to all that He has done, is doing, and will do for us, we have it easy!  So, when He asks us to truly surrender everything to Him, He expects and deserves no less.

But, what about the “imaginations” of our hearts?  What are they and how do they affect our relationship with God?  They are our own self-centered agendas, desires, and plans.  Sometimes we even manipulate ourselves into  believing that our “imaginations” are actually from God!  How many times do we think that God has placed a desire in to our hearts, or that we have heard Him speak to us about something, and we run around trying to do what we believe we’ve been told to do, and yet we never surrender those thoughts or actions to Him in prayer? 

Our imaginations can cause  our hearts to be mislead away from God’s will.  Then, when our own imaginations become our focus, they become as “other gods” which are elevated above Our Heavenly Father’s plans.

 This is how God describes “those who walk in the imagination of their heart.”
“This evil people, who refuse to hear My words, who walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods to serve them and worship them…” Jeremiah 13:10

He clearly says that they are evil people who walk after other gods! That’s idolatry!

Let’s not be known as evil people who refuse to hear His words, but rather “good and faithful servants”. Let us surrender all of our imaginations to Him who promises to lead us in to His perfect will, for His glory!

“Knowing” God in new ways.

What changes can we make in our hearts in 2010, that would draw us closer to Jesus, so that we become more like Him?

Over the next few days I will post a few ideas that clearly show us God’s heart towards the relationship He designed us to have with Him. God calls us to do all that we can to ensure that our lives reflect Jesus, to walk closely with Him, and be in His presence at all times,  listening to His voice constantly. We are to “know” our God.

The scriptures used for the next few posts will be from Jeremiah 13: 1 to 11. NKJV.

In Jeremiah 13:11., God uses a sash or girdle to describe the “depth” of intimacy He longs for, and causes us, to have with Him. 

  ¹¹ For as the sash clings to the waist of a man, so I have caused the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to cling to Me,’ says the LORD, ‘that they may become My people, for renown, for praise, and for glory; but they would not hear.

The sash demonstrates God’s desire for us to cling to Him, just  as a sash clings to the waist of a man.  It is in “clinging” to God so tightly that we fall in love with Him deeply, and begin to “know” Him as intimately as He desires us to.  We are listen to His voice and obey Him; not to be like the Israelites who would not hear!  

How does this passage encourage you to “focus” your heart on Jesus in 2010? How can you “cling” to God in new ways every day?

Jesus, the great “Host”

Hospitality means different things to different people and there are different kinds of hospitality.  Everyone has their own understanding of what it means to each of them. However, to Jesus, hospitality is far greater than most of us could imagine and it encompasses so much more than just inviting ‘friends’ to your home for a meal.  Simply put, it is purely the basis on which all that Jesus teaches us, is built. 

Pure and unconditional hospitality opens, or is in advance open, to someone who is neither expected nor invited. It is central to our lifestyles as followers of Jesus.  One of the key Greek words for hospitality is ”philoxenia”. It combines the word for love, phileo, and the word for stranger, xenos.  This is exactly what Jesus demonstrated to us over and over again.  It is not a choice that is ours to make.  Hebrews 13:2 tells us not to neglect hospitality towards strangers. We are to be willing to open our homes, offer a meal or refreshments at all times, to anyone in need.   

There is so much to say about this subject, so over the next few days I will share what I have learnt about it.  Have a look at my new Hospitali-Tea page. I hope it inspires you to ‘host’  someone in your home, especially this week.  Do you know any lonely people who would appreciate being invited to your home?  Share the love of Jesus this Thanksgiving with those around you who need it!

Hospitali-Tea?

 I am going to post  some new pages about Hospitality soon. They are going to be titled  ‘Hospitali-Tea” though, because I love a good spin on words and of course  it’s going to have some articles about tea, as well as other fun things.  

There is absolutely NOTHING more refreshing than a good ol’ cuppa!  Well, if you appreciate tea that is. Tea is good for our bodies, full of antioxidants and good for the soul. 

I am sure Jesus would have enjoyed tea with his discples if it was available back then. I can just hear him now, as he pours the tea for his beloved friends, being the perfect example of a  host as always….”One lump or two ?”  he’d ask each of his disciples.  That is what we say in England when we are enquiring as to how many sugar cubes our guests would like in their tea. I wonder why the guests were ever only offered one or two lumps of sugar? Someone may want three!  Mmmm…I will have to investigate that and will give you a full report on my first page – the detective side of me will be coming out more now, I can just feel it!

So, I invite you to join me as we journey together in to a deeper understanding of Jesus’ heart for hospitality and how we can be loving, welcoming hosts to friends and strangers in our own homes, and have fun too!  Look out for my first page which will be available soon.

If you have any fun hospitality stories that you would like to share, please feel free to leave a comment below.  Maybe I can add them to the Hospitali-Tea pages!

Shout joyfully to the Lord!

Shout and sing with joy from the roof tops!

I love David’s words in Psalm 98:4. Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Break forth in song, rejoice and sing praises!

Have you ever woken up, and just wanted to SHOUT His praises at the top of your lungs from the highest peak?  Have you ‘broken forth’ in song and just sung your heart out to Him?

This morning I woke, and broke forth with song! Last night a prayer was answered. A painful, difficult situation that I had been praying about for some time was resolved.  A damaged relationship was healed in  His perfect timing, in His perfect way, and of course, with the most perfect results. Isn’t that just ‘perfectly’ typical of the Lord? When He is in total control of all aspects of life, the outcome is nothing less than ‘perfect’.

What can you praise Him for today? Let’s give Jesus ALL honor, glory and praise for never leaving us or forsaking us, especially in the midst of life’s battles.  He is so deserving of  our praise!

Hospitality, Warfare and Worship in Fasting.

In Isaiah 58:6-9 God outlines His “Chosen Fast”. He couldn’t have told us more clearly how powerful fasting  is.  Fasting incorporates hospitality, warfare and worship. It goes and in hand with prayer. It loosens the bonds of wickedness, undoes heavy burdens, sets the oppressed free and breaks EVERY yoke! Allelujah!   Therefore it is a powerful weapon, appointed by God to break the enemy’s hold over our lives. It is God-annointed warfare!  He then goes on to tell us what we are to do when fasting.  We are take our eyes off ourselves and our own needs, and are to share our food with the hungry, invite homeless people in to our homes and clothe the naked. This is hospitality, and is something Jesus teaches us to do daily, whether fasting or not.  However,  it is interesting that God saw fit to include it in this passage. He is making a point!  Fasting is also worship. It is denying ourselves of food, drink or activities, for a time,  that “feed” our own pleasures, as we surrender our desires, needs and motivations to His will rather than ours.   

Isaiah 58:8 says “Then your light will break forth in the morning, your healing will come quickly, and your righteousness will go before you. The Glory of the Lord will be your rear guard, you will call out to God and He will say ‘Here I am”.  What abundant promises our beloved Father has made to us, His adored children.  These are some of the amazing breakthroughs that we can experience after fasting in line with His chosen fast.

Many of us have been conditioned to believe that fasting just means to go without food for a period of time, and that certainly is the most common fast that many practice. Other kinds of fasts require us to refrain from certain activities so that the time we normally spend on that activity can be spent with the Lord instead. What is God not saying in this chapter? He’s not telling us that we are to go with out food. He isn’t telling us how long to fast for. He just tells us about the amazing power that fasting will produce in our lives if we fast according to HIS promptings and directions. This is followed by a description of how we are to reach out to those less fortunate than us. Interesting don’t you think? 

In verse 6 we can see that God “chooses” the fast. He views fasting as a very private, personal and intimate interaction between us and Him. I believe, based on these verses, that God desires to speak to each of us individually about the kinds of fasts that He wants us to commit to. It is going to be different for each person, according to our circumstances, but more importantly, according to His plans and purposes at the time. The Holy Spirit will prompt us individually.  He will reveal the Father’s plan each time, and also what kind of fast to enter in to. Therefore it makes sense that one fast can differ from another.  This isn’t to say that a family, or a church body can’t enter a specific type of fast for a  mutual purpose  or agreed length of time. It is scriptural that several people can all fast together, but it isn’t meant to be a rigid, legalistic practice.

Finally, in Matthew 4:4 Jesus tells us that we are not to live by bread alone, but by EVERY word that proceeds from the mouth of God. This is our Manna from heaven that feeds our spirits. The focus is on spiritual nourishment as well as physical nourishment. So, let me ask you this.  Are you hungry?  What kind of nourishment are you in need of?   What breakthroughs have you experienced through fasting?

Birth of a New Dawn

In this season, we are in Spiritual Transition. Transition in childbirth is the stage of labour just prior to the baby being born.  It is a time when a woman can lose  focus, become confused, angry and often wants to give up. The pain and frequency of contractions during this stage are the most intense and can be overwhelming. It is the toughest part of labor, and certainly the most exhausting!  But, if that woman  has a good labor or birthing coach who keeps her focused, and can talk her through each contraction, she will be able to endure transition until the baby is born. 

This is what is happening all over the world.  God is shaking the world, preparing for the birth of a new dawn and the ONLY way we will get through it without becoming confused, angry, exhausted or wanting to give up is to keep our eyes on Him. Keep our ears tuned to His voice. God is asking us to FOCUS on Him, not on the turmoil around us. He is our ‘birthing coach’ during this transition phase, and promises to guide us through these difficult times. He is our Deliverer, our High Tower, our Shelter and our Peace.  It is only in HIM that we find true rest. Are you listening? Are you watching? Are you ready?

Time for Thanksgiving

As 2009 comes to an end I am very aware that this year has been one of the most difficult years I have ever experienced. Yet, I focus my heart on all that I can be thankful for as Thanksgiving draws near, such as the need to be thankful for everything that I have learnt through the year. Life changing experiences which, although hard, were so invaluable that personally, I wouldn’t change my past year for anything. However, I experienced so much that I want to share, so, I decided to start writing a blog. I love to write and I love to share my thoughts, dreams, experiences and passions with anyone willing to hear my stories, or in this case, read them.

The most painful thing I faced this year was the news that my dear Mum was diagnosed with lung cancer. She has been so ill, and I have been so incapable of doing anything to help, other than loving her with all that I have in me to pour out, and support her and my Dad as best as I can. I also had a misunderstanding with one of my dearest friends which I am still working through. However, these painful experiences taught me that no matter how I feel about a situation and no matter how dire the situation appears to be, there is someone Mightier than I, one more powerful than I am who knows everything, and is in total control. All I have to do is to position my heart, my spirit and emotions in total submission to Jesus, and allow Him to lovingly guide me, and others involved,  through this season, whilst at the same time leaning on Him for complete emotional and spiritual strength, understanding and wisdom. It is during this time that I have truly learnt what it means to totally trust Him with all of my cares, and through that I have found a complete peace and rest in Him, that words alone can’t adequately describe.

So, this Thanksgiving I am eternally grateful to Jesus for never leaving me or forsaking me. I am Thankful that He has blessed me with amazing parents who I adore, and friends who stand by me, no matter what.  I am thankful that during the hardest moments of my life, the Holy Spirit has taught me what it really means to surrender ALL my plans, hopes and dreams to MY KING, and in doing that, I have found a complete rest that is beyond description.  Thank You Lord!