Wake up, Fill up and Get Going!

‘The Power of Possibility is within the Reach of Every Man’, Smith Wigglesworth
Ephesians 4:7-14 New Kings James Version
Ephesians 4:7-14 New Living Translation
7 However, he has given each one of us a special gifts through the generosity of Christ.8 That is why the Scriptures say,

"When he ascended to the heights,
he led a crowd of captives
and gave gifts to his people."

9 Notice that it says "he ascended." This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world.10 And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.
11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.12 Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won't be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
I know when I say to myself, ‘that’s not for me, that’s the job of an evangelist or someone with the gift of healing, of administration, of . . .’, hello excuses! We are all able to operate in most of the gifts (eg evangelism and healing) - there is a level of gifting and a growth into gifting . .
I find it hard if I am with a sick person to pray or, to even suggest it, even with close Christian friends! I was remembering yesterday about a picture I had a while ago. I thought at the time it was to do with strengthening me to cope. It was as if I was looking at myself and I was split top to bottom, peeled down to the left and right and a wooden statue was removed and an exact replica in stainless steel inserted – now I believe it was to do with courage, because since then I have been more courageous in offering to pray with people and lay on hands – though a way to go, for instance, just missed an opportunity to pray with a girl who may have had a stroke recently . .though she is further down the train, if only I had the courage – I should have gone and sat with her instead of writing this! Philipians 4:13 ‘I can do all things through Him who strengthens me’ and the all things is listed in Ephesians 4. (buy some baseball/basketball shoes with this verse on here)
We have a maker who is ready to do anything through us as we yield to Him, our potential is vast! ‘He who believes in me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do because I go to My Father’ John 14:12 And although Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, for example, ‘greater’ in this verse, in the Greek, refers to ‘quality’ not quantity . ..so what that could be, I don’t know!
In Wigglesworth’s time they tended to ‘tarry’, examine themselves for yieldedness, purity, unity, etc, whilst seeking the baptism of the Holy Spirit, these days, seeking the baptism or for more filling we tend to lay on hands – both together is probably good! Now what happens here is debated – is there an impartation through the person laying on the hands or else is something else going on – doesn’t really matter – we must seek it, we must get ourselves overflowing – what else are we living for? To hide in some corner of the church, getting comfortable and sleepy? Because, it’s no good you know, something will wake us up and better it’s the Lord with more of his gifts, more of His power! So come on Lord, shake us up, shake your church, ruin our plans, wreck our agenda’s, we want you and nothing else! We want to stand with you in the heavenlies, captives, getting clothed as apostles, pastors, teachers, healers, comforters, joy givers, world changers. Give us a warrior spirit, stop us pretending we are wounded, you are charging in from heaven with your warrior hordes, make us want to join, get mounted on a battle horse, swing our swords and defeat the enemy! Wake us Lord, open our spiritual eyes, I pray (Ephesians 5:14)

There is nothing more fruitfull than the promise of God. Isaiah 55:11 'It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit.
It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.' http://www.youversion.com/bible/nlt/isa/55/11



In His hand is the thing we desire, in our hand is the thing we cannot let go of. If our hand already has something in it, God cannot easily put something new in it . .

Dear Lord,

Reveal to me the things I cannot let go of

. . .
. . . . have a quiet think under the Lord's direction


I pray that the power of _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ may be broken over me, loosed from me and bound in a place where it can never be loosed again, in Jesus name.

Thank you Lord that, unlike the things I find hard to let go of, your promises are not counterfeit and you truly satisfy my every need. Nor do your promises corrupt me or leave me bereft, you are my comforter

The good things you plant in me are mine forever, like a strong tree taking root. Thank you Lord that, though the ground has to be prepared in me, you are a gentle tiller, an easy hand on the plough.

Shake from me Lord, the dust of distraction, heal the wounds of those words that have hurt me, soothe my heart from the worries that take my eyes off you. Settle me so I can receive from you.

And give me a heart for all these kinds of things in other people, Lord. Let me be a worker of peace, a giver of encouragement, ready to pray with people for their healing and blessing, a breaker of despair and a bringer of salvation.

Just as your word to me produces fruit, may my words to others produce good fruit also

Amen

Rest assured, God IS doing a work in you

A friend was saying how recently she had been feeling vulnerable and less confident than normal. During prayer we realised that feeling like this can be a good reminder that we do rely on God for everything. Being weak we often forget this, especially when everything seems good. I have felt like this in the past, I remember feeling quite tearful every morning for a number of months, seemingly for no reason. What can we do when we feel like this?

Philipians 4:6-7 Lays out some steps for us and tells us what we can expect as a result! " 6 Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.7 Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."

1. We can tell our Father how we're feeling or the particular thing that is worrying us. So, let worry be a prompt to pray, promise yourself that every time that thought comes into your head you're going to pray - your new reminder to pray!
2. Thank Him, as well as the 'counting our blessings' kind of thanking we can also thank Him for the particular bad circumstance or way we are feeling. Now this might sound strange at first, because we know that God does not bring bad things to us. However, when we thank God for something, we sanctify it and bring it into line with God's good purposes for us.

Not only do get to experience God's peace, he also guards our hearts from further worry!

Something else we can know in these circumstances is that God is doing a work in us. In my younger days instead of choosing to submit I would rebel. Later I tried wallowing in it, still rebellion, I just thought I had a good excuse! So we do have a choice, we can submit to God, whatever our circumstances, and at these times we are particularly 'melted' as it were and God can really change us! It's doesn't feel good at the time, but, it's exciting to know that, unlike people who aren't Christians, we are growing more like Jesus, we're on an exciting journey! If we are growing more like Him we can expect to do more of the things that He did when He was on earth, and that's exciting too!

Something else I noticed during bad times was that after pouring my heart out to God I was ready to listen to some worship music (for me this was in the car on the way to work). Emma and I have said to each other recently that if you don't fill you're heart with the good that space often gets filled by something else that might not be so good

So

Let it all out to God
Thank Him
Worship
Submit and let Him change you

And don't forget you're on an exciting journey where God wants to use you more and more - let Him get you ready for that!

Don't hold onto those things that give fear

Psalm 14:5

There they shall be in great fear [literally--dreading a dread], for God is with the generation of the [uncompromisingly] righteous (those upright and in right standing with Him). Amplified Bible
There is something about this verse that is nudging my spirit, but I don't know what it is, some truth I can't quite get hold of . . I can see there is a comparison of people without God and people with God, but, there is also a link because of the word 'for' (almost a 'because') and I'm not sure what this means

Are people living in fear? Apparently we are in more fear than we were, we fear accidents, even though there are less than there used to be, we fear ill health even though medicine has taken great strides, we fear crime even though crime against people has decreased. People are less willing to just chat with strangers on the train or in the park, why? Are people 'dreading a dread'? What is it that people are keeping so busy to avoid? Perhaps the link is that just being without God causes this fear, this dread
But we, however, have a great confidence, we have peace instead of fear, for we are the 'generation of the righteous', through our repentance and acceptance of Christ and what he did for us. We are not orphans, we have a father, God himself. Imagine if as a child you had no parents, then of course, you would be fearful.
Thankfully we have a Father God who provides for us, forgives us and heals us.
Ephesians 1 from The Message, puts it like this: 4 Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love.5 Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!)


I just love the way my son Sam wants to be with me, it amazes me. Tonight he said 'I love going places with you Daddy' When we think of our father, our hearts say the same, 'We want to go where you're going Daddy' And where is God going? He's going after more orphans to get them into His family and He wants us to be part of it!
The Glory of our King, by Matt Redman
Sing it out, Sing an anthem to His name
A generation worshipping unashamed

We will run, we will run after your heart
We believe you are all that you say you are