Power to Shut Him Up

Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

Revelation 12:10-11 NKJV

Oftentimes, phrases such as "Power in the Blood," "Blood of the Lamb," "Plead the Blood," are heard and maybe even used, but many times without true understanding. I wonder what would happen if we truly understood the power in the shed blood of Jesus the Christ.

The purpose is to cleanse us from ALL our sin and unrighteousness - to proclaim God's authority in our lives and over our lives. How do we have victory over the accuser of the brethren? By the Blood of the Lamb (Jesus shed His Blood on the cross for us) and the word of our testimony. In other words, we declare the Truth about the redemptive work of Christ's Blood in our lives! We are forgiven. We are set free. KNOW WHO YOU ARE in Christ - a NEW creation!

We can shut the mouth of the accuser by the power of the Blood of the Lamb (Jesus) because by the Blood of the Lamb, we won't be giving the enemy of our soul anything to talk about! Let's shut him up!

Prayer:

Father,
            Open our spiritual eyes of understanding to see and to know the Truth of the power in the shed Blood of Jesus. Remind us to daily apply it to the doorposts of our hearts. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

The Who and the What

...a voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.' And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
Mark 1:3-4 NIV

In fact, if you know the right thing to do and don’t do it, that, for you, is evil.
James 4:17 The Message

I have been guilty of wanting to just lay back and take it easy. Not overt tolerance of wrong, but definitely a mindset of resignation - of not being able to change anything, so why bother? After so many times of hearing the "you can't change city hall" mentality, I started to believe the lie...

However, during the last week, I have prayed for passion, for focus, for COURAGE. For God to break the selfish pride, the lie that the absence of confrontation equals peace, the self-preservation tactics to not rock the boat. Every song in my spirit has been about Who and what this life I live is supposed to be lived for... and I'll give you a clue - I am not the Who or the what.

Then today, I thought about the famous quote of Martin Niemoller. I wanted to make sure I got it right, so the following version actually comes from the text of an Address he gave to the United States Congress in 1968 and it appears in the Congressional Record, October 14, 1968, page 31,636.

"When Hitler attacked the Jews
I was not a Jew, therefore I was not concerned.
And when Hitler attacked the Catholics,
I was not a Catholic, and therefore, I was not concerned.
And when Hitler attacked the unions and the industrialists,
I was not a member of the unions and I was not concerned.
Then Hitler attacked me and the Protestant church --
and there was nobody left to be concerned."

I keep thinking about the words of Jesus, "If you've done it unto the least of these my brethren, you've done it unto Me." Good or bad - I've done it unto Him. Can I live with that? Can you?

I can no longer be bothered by who thinks what. In fact, if you know the right thing to do and don’t do it, that, for you, is evil.

Father,
             Passion. Focus. Courage. Clean hands and a pure heart, Father, these are who and what I want in You, in Jesus' Name I pray. Amen

Good Advice and Common Sense

I, Wisdom, give good advice and common sense. Because of my strength, kings reign in power, and rulers make just laws. I love all who love me. Those who search for me shall surely find me. 

Proverbs 8:14-17 The Living Bible

There are all kinds of anecdotes floating through cyberspace about common sense and the lack thereof. More and more, it seems there is less and less of it. When I read this passage, I finally understood why.

It's in seeking the Lord and His wisdom that we receive common sense. If they're not seeking, they're not finding, and they're definitely not receiving. There is a huge difference between asking for something and actively seeking it. However, they don't know where to look unless we point them to Christ.

Mark 16:15-16 TLB reads, And then he told them, “You are to go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere. Those who believe and are baptized will be saved. But those who refuse to believe will be condemned. 

 It's on us to tell them. That's just using the common sense God gave us.

Prayer:

Father,
           We ask for divine appointments to do exactly that. Give us wisdom to know what to say and the common sense to say it. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Overlooking the Details

These patriarchs were jealous of their brother Joseph, and they sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But God was with him and rescued him from all his troubles. And God gave him favor before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. God also gave Joseph unusual wisdom, so that Pharaoh appointed him governor over all of Egypt and put him in charge of the palace.
Acts 7:9-10 NLT

If Stephen's recitation was all we knew of Joseph's story, we might think everything was hunky-dory... After all, God was with him and rescued him from all his troubles, and gave him favor and also gave him unusual wisdom. Four sentences to cover 13 of the worst years of Joseph's life. He went from favorite son to betrayed brother, sold into slavery, to house servant, was falsely accused, and thrown into prison, then later appointed governor whereby he was in a position to save Israel and her patriarchs... the same patriarchs who sold him into slavery to begin with. This is Stephen's abbreviated version of Joseph's story from the pit to prison to the palace... basically to hell and back.

Four sentences to cover 13 years of obedience to God in every situation, despite all the suffering for doing the right thing, making the right choices in spite of great adversity, and following God's commandments. It's an incredible story. You can read it for yourself, beginning in Genesis, chapter 37.

The first time I ever read this I wondered why Stephen included Joseph's story if he was going to leave out all the pertinent details. Then the Holy Spirit pointed out that Stephen had included the two most important details...God was with him and rescued him from all his troubles.

We would do well to remember those same details when we feel like all hell has broken loose in our lives. That in spite of everything, God is with us and He will rescue us from all our troubles.

Prayer:

Father,
            Keep our eyes ever focused on You. Keep our hearts pure before You. Let us not be found faithless in the face of adversity. We want to faithfully serve You and care for others so that we are where You'd have us to be at the appointed time to fulfill Your purpose for our lives. Help us, O God. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Taking Care of Business

So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?"

He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere - in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 1:6-8

These are the last words spoken to His disciples while on Earth – a repeat/recap of things He said previously. A reminder of what's important.

Kingdom restoration (or coming into power) is not our business. What IS our business is waiting on the Holy Spirit – waiting to hear Him speak, walking in the Truth He supplies, walking in the power He provides. What IS our business is witnessing to the world. 

Are we taking care of business?

Prayer:

Father,
             Open our eyes of understanding to be able to see what You are saying to us and to walk it out. Give us divine appointments and opportunities to witness for You. Let all we do or say be a witness of Your great love. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen

Where He Leads - In Remembrance of Ralph and Jenny

 For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

Esther 4:14 NKJV

Today, I learned of the passing of Dr. Ralph Berkeley. He would have been 93 next month. I met Ralph and Jenny almost 30 years ago. Lovely people. Genuine. A delight and honor to know and both will always hold a special place in my heart.  Jenny passed away in March of 2011. They are together again. In remembrance, I post this once more. 

Where He Leads

When Jenny got sick, she invited our mutual friend, Darleen, and me to come visit. It seemed unbelievable that it had been seven years since the three of us had been together. Years before, we met originally because we were all in a tough time in our lives that had us grasping earnestly for God. Even though our lives and careers were - and still were - so vastly different, we had one common denominator – our desire for more of the Lord. 

We were not raised the same. We were not born in the same state of the U.S. We didn’t go to the same schools or colleges. We were not the same age. We didn't look anything alike. We all loved music, but not the same kind (one loved traditional hymns, one loved the Hillsong-type, and one loved Southern Gospel). We didn’t even have any friends in common who brought us to that place. Only God could have gotten the three of us together in the same place at the right time and connected our hearts.

We shared the Reader’s Digest© version of our lives of what God had done since last we saw each other. In each instance, we marveled at how God constantly - strategically - placed (and continues to place) people in our paths 'for such a time as this.' We talked for 3 hours straight about the miraculous and loving way God does this – and that was with shortened versions! 

Have you ever stopped to think about this God phenomenon in your life? People you would never have met if God hadn’t intervened. Let me tell you one of my favorite stories - Ralph and Jenny - as Jenny told it to me. Jenny and her husband would have celebrated their Diamond Anniversary in September of 2011 – married 60 years and they were still crazy about each other. A sixty-year marriage is a definite orchestration by God, but logistically, they should never have had the opportunity to meet.

Jenny was in college in Houston when her friends convinced her to go to school in Austin, so she checked out and finished her semester in Austin. She didn’t like it and came home to Houston to try to beg her way back into her former school. Well, her grades from Austin were not what they needed to be and the Houston registrar told Jenny that she had to return to Austin and take summer school courses to bring up the grades in order to be able to return to Houston for the next semester.

Jenny was NOT happy. The fraternity houses were closed for the summer – her friends were gone until the Fall – she was sure it was going to be absolutely miserable.  Meanwhile, over in El Paso, Ralph needed to get to Austin, but he didn’t have a car. A friend of his was heading to Austin to see a girl he had fallen in love with at the college, but the girl was only allowed to double date (my, how times have changed!). Ralph's friend agreed to give him a ride, but in exchange, Ralph would have to go on a blind date with whoever the girl "drug up."

Six hundred miles later, Ralph really tried to back out, but the friend wouldn’t let him out of the car until Ralph gave his word that he would show up. Jenny was the blind date and it was the LAST blind date for both of them. Jenny and Ralph never dated anyone else and were married in September 1951.

The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand. Psalm 37:23-24 NLT 

Prayer:

Father,
          Thank You for every mountain, every valley, every blocked road and raging river of life …for You were there and lovingly placed one of Your children to be Your hand extended. Thank You for all the paths You have caused to strategically cross in order to fulfill Your divine plan for our lives. Help us to comfort others as You have comforted us. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen

Never Once

 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20 NLT

Jesus has ALL authority and He's with us always. What excuse do we dare to offer for not fulfilling His command? This song just keeps rolling around in my spirit... It's Never Once by Matt Redman. My hope is that the Truth of it will drive deep into your heart and come alive in you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=722zPX1npcA&feature=share

Verse 1
Standing on this mountaintop
Looking just how far we've come
Knowing that for every step
You were with us

Verse 2
Kneeling on this battleground
Seeing just how much You've done
Knowing every victory
Is Your power in us

Pre-Chorus
Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Yes, our hearts can say

Chorus 1
Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Repeat Verse 2
Repeat Pre-Chorus

Chorus 2
Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Bridge
Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Never once did we ever walk alone
Carried by Your constant grace
Held within Your perfect peace
Never once, no, we never walk alone

Ending Chorus
Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Every step we are breathing in Your grace
Evermore we'll be breathing out Your praise
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Prayer:

Father,
          Every step we are breathing in Your grace! Evermore we'll be breathing out Your praise! You are faithful! God, You are faithful! Change our hearts, O God, to be faithful to Your will. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen