Whose Kingdom?

The 23rd Psalm reads... "thy Kingdom come, thy will be done..." How many times have we read that, prayed that? Do we really mean it though? Am I more concerned about His Kingdom or my kingdom? Whose Kingdom and I building? Whose kingdom am I investing most of my money in? Whose kingdom am I more consumed with? Just a thought...

Confidence

Confidence is defined as "full trust". This definition was brought to my attention recently in a church service and I caught myself fumbling for a piece of paper to jot down some thoughts. Could it be that when we are struggling with confidence, feeling intimidated, that maybe we aren't fully trusting Him? It seems that in those moments when we're feeling so confident, it's because we are doing things that display our complete trust in Him. Next time you have a wave of self confidence, stop and notice the situation. You are probably operating in the natural gifting He has given you or you are probably being obedient to something He has asked of you. If we can ever get to the place of trusting Him completely in all things, there will be nothing to intimidate us and therefore, nothing to stop all the things He wants to accomplish through us, His children, the objects of His affection!

"Isaiah 30:15 "For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength..."

What Kind of Vessel Am I?

Jeremiah 2:13 "For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the Fountain of living waters, and they have hewn for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns which cannot hold water."

He has really been dealing with me lately about being a vessel. I feel as if He's saying "I long to speak and move through empty vessels... those who fill themselves with My words, My Spirit and then pour it out to those whom I choose. It must be a continual flow... a river.

John 7:38 "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."

If a river stops up, it begins to stink... life is taken from it streams. I don't want to be a stagnant stream. I want to be a vessel of living water. I want His words to flow from my innermost being. I want them to be such a part of me... digesting them continually. I want to be His voice to a hurting, trouble people.

Holy Frustration

The closer we get to Him, the more we are troubled and sensitive to things that aren't right. ...things that don't align with His Word, His will and His purpose. We shouldn't feel discouraged by this or condemned. It's just an indication that we are aligning ourselves with His purpose, His plan, His ways.

Galatians 2:21 from The Message: "Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God's grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily."

I know this thought and this verse don't necessarily seem to go together but I'm taking this straight from my prayer journal since I've been neglecting my blogging lately. I don't question the way He directs me on any particular day. I'm trying to just "go with the flow" of His Spirit.

I don't want to be a rule keeper! I want to be in complete relationship with Him... completely loving and pursuing His will in every detail of my life! Frustrations are bad... holy frustrations... that's a good thing!

He is FOR Me!

This last week or so I've been in a lot of transition in my life... changing jobs... I have felt Him speaking... “I’ve trusted you with every trial up until this point. I have prepared you. Each day as you see My plan for you unfold, you will recall each part of the journey that was necessary for your training. I have all the details. Just move forward each day in Me. Trust as Peter trusted when he stepped out of the boat into the water. Eyes fixed on me won’t sink, won’t fall. Seek Me daily for instruction. Even on days when I’m silent, I will be ever leading you, guiding you.”

Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” (Heb: I will counsel thee, mine eye shall be upon thee.)

Even in “oversights”… things we label as mistakes are sometimes the very things He has allowed to work out other details to our favor. Don’t discount any small thing. Trust that I’m always working FOR you!

Set on Him

Luke 9:51 “Now when the time was almost come for Jesus to be received up [to heaven], He steadfastly and determinedly set His face to go to Jerusalem.”

And to Isaiah 50:7 “For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.”

Setting our face, setting our heart… what are we set on? What are we fixed on? Do we have a determined look at the destination? A firm stand… not moving to the left or the right…

I want to have my every affection set on Him... my heart and mind guided by Him... not affected by circumstances or voices around me.

Never Forsaken

I have watched several friends go through some really tough, gut-wrenching things this past week. My heart has felt so heavy... so burdened, so emptied out for them. There is one thing that I know for sure. Our God makes no mistakes. He will never forsake us no matter what. His plan is always at work. We may not always understand or see how or why He's doing something, but He is always at work on our behalf. We have His blessed assurance!

Isaiah 43:2 "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not overtake thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee."

Prayer Request

Yesterday I was called to come pray for a friend who, unless God intervenes, only has days left on this earth. She is a single mom with 3 teenage girls and is battling cervical cancer. Please pray for her today and the days that follow. Her name is Jennifer Gillette.

I know that the same God that healed Tanner in April of this year is able to raise her up to walk in health and strength! Thank you for believing and praying with me! By His stripes we are healed!

Faith Test

So many times we grumble and complain about the trials we go through but without them we are just conveying words instead of circumstances and experiences. Personal experiences carry so much more weight because we have LIVED out what we're saying. We can assure others that they too will make it... God WILL come through. It's a faith walk! It's in the trying of our faith that our greatest testimonies are birthed.

James 1:3-4 "Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."

I love how The Message translates this passage: "Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way."