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
Friday, 23 April 2010
Wednesday, 14 April 2010
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!
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!
Saturday, 10 April 2010
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
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
Wednesday, 31 March 2010
Emanate from the Yielded Life
(some thoughts after listening to Bill Johnson, Healing out of Intimacy)
That is, the things we do for Jesus need to emanate from our yielded life.
All of me filled with all of you, Jesus. We must learn to host more of the person of the Holy Spirit, give place to Him. Every step must be with the presence in mind, continually connected to what He is doing, what He has in mind. We can return to principles if we have to, but only to prime the pump for the return of our hosting the presence.
Yielded, sanctified, used by Him
Jesus provided for forgiveness of sin and provided for healing
The biggest reason for healings not to occur is that there are spiritual realities around an infirmity that we do not yet know how to dismantle. We must keep on practising
Learn to heal because Jesus told us to, often people only wake up to the need to heal when a family member becomes ill. This is a very hard place to learn to get a breakthrough. Rather practise healing because jesus said so http://www.youversion.com/bible/nkjv/matt/10/8
A breakthrough often comes through our being inconvenienced, taking a risk. The Kingdom comes through tribulation, that can be persecution or as simple as inconvenience.
That is, the things we do for Jesus need to emanate from our yielded life.
All of me filled with all of you, Jesus. We must learn to host more of the person of the Holy Spirit, give place to Him. Every step must be with the presence in mind, continually connected to what He is doing, what He has in mind. We can return to principles if we have to, but only to prime the pump for the return of our hosting the presence.
Yielded, sanctified, used by Him
Jesus provided for forgiveness of sin and provided for healing
The biggest reason for healings not to occur is that there are spiritual realities around an infirmity that we do not yet know how to dismantle. We must keep on practising
Learn to heal because Jesus told us to, often people only wake up to the need to heal when a family member becomes ill. This is a very hard place to learn to get a breakthrough. Rather practise healing because jesus said so http://www.youversion.com/bible/nkjv/matt/10/8
A breakthrough often comes through our being inconvenienced, taking a risk. The Kingdom comes through tribulation, that can be persecution or as simple as inconvenience.
Monday, 15 March 2010
Psalm. 118 1-18 Mathew Henry
1-18 The account the psalmist here gives of his troubles is very applicable to Christ: many hated him without a cause; nay, the Lord himself chastened him sorely, bruised him, and put him to grief, that by his stripes we might be healed. God is sometimes the strength of his people, when he is not their song; they have spiritual supports, though they want spiritual delights. Whether the believer traces back his comfort to the everlasting goodness and mercy of God, or whether he looks forward to the blessing secured to him, he will find abundant cause for joy and praise. Every answer to our prayers is an evidence that the Lord is on our side; and then we need not fear what man can do unto us; we should conscientiously do our duty to all, and trust in him alone to accept and bless us. Let us seek to live to declare the works of God, and to encourage others to serve him and trust in him. Such were the triumphs of the Son of David, in the assurance that the good pleasure of the Lord should prosper in his hand.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Bolton,United Kingdom
Friday, 12 March 2010
Our words causing Life and Spirit ?
Taken from my comment on Exodus 15:26 on youversion.com http://www.youversion.com/bible/nkjv/exod/15/26 "and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.”
An earlier comment on this verse was, 'Is there such a thing as a permissive vs. causative verb sense as championed by a lot of WoF teachers?' (WoF = Word of Faith)
I took causative to mean, can words spoken by the spirit and/or from the bible cause healing, salvation, blessing, etc? Although there is another theological context below . .
I feel myself defending the Word of Faith movement though I am not in that 'stream', I am in a C of E, evangelical, occasionally carefully charismatic, church!. God has many streams coming into His river and I guess all of them have their cul de sacs, even stinky backwaters! However, all of them have their wonderfully fresh, revelatory truth water and what I love most is people who seek to learn and live in as many of these streams as possible! And it's from here that we can move on, stand on the shoulders of past giants from these streams . .
I think most of us have experienced reading the scripture when suddenly they seem alive? Bill Johnson has described this in his book 'Release the Power of Jesus' about Revelation 19:10 http://read.ly/Rev19.10.NKJV ". . For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." which inspired him to write a book about the power of testimony. Anyway he described how he read it and it seemed as if his spirit first understood and he had that 'wow' feeling and new it was really significant. At that very moment, however, he could not articulate to himself any understanding. He describes it like this at the beginning of chapter one,'One day I was sitting in my office, reading the Book of Revelation, when I felt something unmistakeable-the feeling I get when the words seem to jump off the page and I know I am hearing a present word from the Lord. I thought, 'Wow! That is so powerful! I have no idea what it means, but it's powerful!' (As usual, my spirit was getting it much faster than my mind)'
http://read.ly/John6.63.NKJV Here Jesus says that 'The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.' later http://read.ly/John6.68.NKJV Peter says 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life' So these aren't just plain old words that we can only read in some emotionally or spiritually disconnected way, though they can be and we do sometimes read like that, ie just with our mind. And of course this is one excellent way of learning/being/doing, but only one way. A Smith Wigglesworth favourite was, 'So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.' http://read.ly/Rom10.17.NKJV
If we are meant to model Jesus, then, can we too can speak words that are 'life' and 'spirit' to people ?
ps Here is an explanantion of permissive vs causative by looking at orginal Hebrew Text taken from http://tinyurl.com/yb9ww8m (if you want to look into this further)
""In The King James Version, Exodus 15:26 says, "I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians." The Hebrew text says, "I will not allow any of the diseases to come upon you that I allowed to come upon Egypt."
You see, the diseases were already there because of the curse. God allowed them to overtake Egypt because the Egyptians didn't have a covenant with Him. God did not cause the sickness and disease; He simply allowed what was already there to take place. The King James version distorts the true meaning of these verses.
God gets no glory from our sickness or disease (except our being healed!). He takes no pleasure in harming us, and He never will.
Jerry Savelle Ministries International
All rights reserved. Used by permission.""
An earlier comment on this verse was, 'Is there such a thing as a permissive vs. causative verb sense as championed by a lot of WoF teachers?' (WoF = Word of Faith)
I took causative to mean, can words spoken by the spirit and/or from the bible cause healing, salvation, blessing, etc? Although there is another theological context below . .
I feel myself defending the Word of Faith movement though I am not in that 'stream', I am in a C of E, evangelical, occasionally carefully charismatic, church!. God has many streams coming into His river and I guess all of them have their cul de sacs, even stinky backwaters! However, all of them have their wonderfully fresh, revelatory truth water and what I love most is people who seek to learn and live in as many of these streams as possible! And it's from here that we can move on, stand on the shoulders of past giants from these streams . .
I think most of us have experienced reading the scripture when suddenly they seem alive? Bill Johnson has described this in his book 'Release the Power of Jesus' about Revelation 19:10 http://read.ly/Rev19.10.NKJV ". . For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." which inspired him to write a book about the power of testimony. Anyway he described how he read it and it seemed as if his spirit first understood and he had that 'wow' feeling and new it was really significant. At that very moment, however, he could not articulate to himself any understanding. He describes it like this at the beginning of chapter one,'One day I was sitting in my office, reading the Book of Revelation, when I felt something unmistakeable-the feeling I get when the words seem to jump off the page and I know I am hearing a present word from the Lord. I thought, 'Wow! That is so powerful! I have no idea what it means, but it's powerful!' (As usual, my spirit was getting it much faster than my mind)'
http://read.ly/John6.63.NKJV Here Jesus says that 'The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.' later http://read.ly/John6.68.NKJV Peter says 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life' So these aren't just plain old words that we can only read in some emotionally or spiritually disconnected way, though they can be and we do sometimes read like that, ie just with our mind. And of course this is one excellent way of learning/being/doing, but only one way. A Smith Wigglesworth favourite was, 'So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.' http://read.ly/Rom10.17.NKJV
If we are meant to model Jesus, then, can we too can speak words that are 'life' and 'spirit' to people ?
ps Here is an explanantion of permissive vs causative by looking at orginal Hebrew Text taken from http://tinyurl.com/yb9ww8m (if you want to look into this further)
""In The King James Version, Exodus 15:26 says, "I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians." The Hebrew text says, "I will not allow any of the diseases to come upon you that I allowed to come upon Egypt."
You see, the diseases were already there because of the curse. God allowed them to overtake Egypt because the Egyptians didn't have a covenant with Him. God did not cause the sickness and disease; He simply allowed what was already there to take place. The King James version distorts the true meaning of these verses.
God gets no glory from our sickness or disease (except our being healed!). He takes no pleasure in harming us, and He never will.
Jerry Savelle Ministries International
All rights reserved. Used by permission.""
Wednesday, 3 March 2010
Release the Power of Jesus
"We came from joy, we were made for joy. Any plan for life that does not involve being perpetually joyful is in contradiction to God's design for us" Bill Johnson, Release the Power of Jesus http://tinyurl.com/yjoa3fl
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