You choose...

There are two choices before us:

1.      We can have a life of discontentment, fear, be unfulfilled and passionless, feel defeated and wrestle with depression and powerlessness saying:

a.       “I can’t…”

b.      “I don’t have…”

c.       “I am not…”

d.      “I could never…”

e.       “You don’t know how bad I am, where I came from, etc…”

f.       Or any other excuse

OR

2.      We can choose to IGNORE ourselves, look full into the heart of our Beloved Savior and Friend and say:

a.       Galatians 2:20: I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

b.      Philippians 1:20-21: according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.  For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

c.       Colossians 1:27: …Christ in you the hope of glory. 

It is 100% up to you….I can’t stop short of exhorting you – beseeching you – imploring you – even begging you with everything that is within me to take the Lord’s way! 

This is the birthright of you daughter of God.

This is your destiny.

This is what you were created for…

And it’s going to be glorious…

Beyond your wildest dreams,

Richer and more miraculous than anything you can imagine!

You will step into your own book of Acts. 

Why wait another second…

Bow before Him NOW!

Relinquish yourself to His Majesty and rise!

Dare to be a David!

Look at how many of our heroes of the faith responded to God’s call: 

Moses: was afraid, he was looking to his own inadequacies and I meet women everyday who make that exact mistake. 

Gideon: is another example in the Bible of a man we was almost paralyzed as he relied on his own abilities or lack thereof. In Judges 6-8 we read his story. When the Angel of the Lord came to Gideon he was threshing his harvest at night because of fear, but the Angel looks at him and says, “The Lord is with you, Oh mighty man of valor!” 

Jeremiah: There in chapter one we see God speaking to this young man…he declares, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” Can you imagine hearing God say that to you? But Jeremiah says, “I can’t speak, I’m just a kid.” God says, “Don’t say that! For you will go where I send you and say all I tell you to. Don’t be afraid for their faces, I am with you to deliver you!” God patiently slays every argument by taking Jeremiah’s eyes off himself… 

Now contrast these three examples…and trust me the Bible is full of hundreds more like them, with one man…. 

David: a simple shepherd, the youngest son of Jesse, so unassuming even his own father did not think to call him for Samuel to look at as a potential king. Yet David when he reached the front line and heard the blasphemous threats pouring forth from Goliath did not shrink back. He never considered Himself for even a moment. I suggest to you that David knew the secret of a life lived in Christ…

Not just with Christ,

Not just for Christ,

But literally hidden in Him…

            Utterly consumed in His living flames of LOVE!

I believe that is a major reason God said, “David is a man after my own heart who will do all MY will” Acts 13:22. I want the Lord to say that about each one of us and I think He will if you be just willing to grasp onto this Intimate Invitation to be hidden in Him! 

What are you waiting for?

Step out of the flow of the WORLD…

Take God at His Word and see what it’s like to LIVE! 

“Faith does three things:

1.      Reckons, “God is able!”

2.      Risks all without hesitation

3.      Rests knowing God never fails!”    Leonard Ravenhill 

Jesus is today offering each of us an intimate invitation to be like David, or the Apostle Paul, or any other hero of the faith you can remember….this is our generation, this is our time….This is a clarion call, will you join the great host of women who carry the Word?  We can do this ladies…because Jesus is in us….Psalm 68:11: The Lord gave the Word and great was the company of women who proclaimed it.

Christ in you the HOPE of GLORY!

Here is the whole deal….It’s so NOT about us!

Can you all say that out loud!  

When you were intimately admitted into the kingdom of God old things were passed away. Everything about you was made new. Your heart was replaced, your spirit was revived, and the sin that had dominion over you was destroyed. All record of your failures was washed away in the blood of Jesus. You got a clean slate – you are justified, standing before God “just as if you never sinned! Even more amazing than all that is the Spirit of the Living, Loving God came to dwell forever in your heart. 

The Holy Spirit enables you to experience intimate adoration of your Savior 24/7. Your being, as we read back in Psalm 86, every fiber of your being to be exact, is united to worship Him. When you don’t have the words to say, the Spirit intercedes for you, when you don’t know what to say or do, He whispers, “This is the way, walk ye in it”…. 

Your life, your whole existence became one of worship! Worship frees you because it’s based on Him. You get to be experiencing Him moment by moment – no interruption, no distraction, no disappointment - and then we get to go and be Jesus with skin on to this lost and dying world! You have the privilege of touching them in His name, leaving that beautiful fragrance of His life, allowing the lost to see by your lifestyle exactly what agape looks like…..and I could go on and on. Can you stop a second and praise the Lord for this!!! 

The intimacy you have with Jesus goes deeper, gets richer, until it literally permeates every part of us. Jesus intimately instructs us through His word. He shows us, teaches us and leads us…and we realize that He inescapably in love with us….we never stop growing in grace and in the knowledge of who He is. Every day is an adventure and will bring forth fruit for His glory if we will just live in radical obedience! 

When we are this crazy in love with Jesus we start to year for more…we feel this urgency to take the love and hope of the gospel to anyone who will listen….we want others to share in the intimacy we have and we start to ask him for greater measures of His Spirit. Once we are intimately intoxicated there is no stopping us ladies….The Spirit is available to us in unlimited measure and nothing is impossible for God. The apostles changed the world - twelve men filled with the fullness of God reached the WORLD -with no airplanes, cars, phones, or the internet!  

How much more can we do….I am excited to see the fruit that will come. I believe your city can be won for Jesus, your state can experience revival, and it will spread like wildfire from you to reach your nation, your continent and even to the uttermost ends of this earth!  Yes, you can be part of revival…because this is an Exchanged Life! 

Jesus in us is the Hope of Glory…

        We die and HE Lives!

What God is looking for....

1 Corinthians 1:26-29: For you see your calling brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.

·         Study the scriptures; see the men and women God chose:

o   Elisha - farmer

o   Nehemiah - cupbearer

o   Peter, James & John – fishermen

o   Esther – orphaned girl

o   Mary Magdalene – demon-possessed woman

o   Priscilla & Aquila – tent makers

o   God is not looking for the person with the best resume, qualifications, or experience to fulfill His will…He is looking for a surrendered heart that recognizes everything we are and everything we have is HIS and HIS ALONE!

o   2 Chronicles 16:9: For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.

·         To God:

o   Availability is worth more than aptitude

o   Smarts are superseded by true surrender

o   He wants your love and loyalty more than your quickness and qualifications.

God is looking for you…

                                        will you in simple faith respond today?

Intimate Absolution Part Three

Relinquish our feelings in order to stand in submission to the Biblical promises about forgiveness

·         There are times when you need forgiveness and the other person withholds it from you. What do you do then?

o   Our natural response is to get hurt, to be bitter

o   To retaliate, to blame, to press the issue

o   What would Jesus have us to do?

·         Matthew 5:23-24: Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. Be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

·         Psalm 41:9-13: Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely, the one who shared my food, has turned against me. LORD, have mercy on me. Make me well again, so I can pay them back! I know that you are pleased with me, for you have not let my enemy triumph over me. You have preserved my life because I am innocent; you have brought me into your presence forever. Bless the LORD, the God of Israel, who lives forever from eternal ages past.

·         There are times when a relationship is so damaged that it feels hopeless. One pastor described it as a heart with Jericho sized walls protecting it.

o   Remember that God can cause those walls to crumble. Stop trying to force it and pour your heart out to God in prayer. He may ask you to do something crazy…like march around a heavily fortified city without weapons…Just do it!

o   Jacob and Esau were reunited after a lifetime of rivalry, deception and hatred.

o   Corrie Ten Boom was able to shake hands with one of the guards who mistreated her in a concentration camp and say from a heart of love, “Jesus forgives you and I forgive you too!”

o   LOVE always prevails…it never runs dry…

·        I know many of you are dealing with pain and that this pain was inflicted upon you by someone else. It’s not your fault, it’s unfair, and you are justified in being upset about it.

o   This is a common, nonetheless debilitating, barrier to trust.

o   I need to tell you

§  Surrendering your situation to the Lord DOES NOT mean that the sins committed against you are ok.

§  Surrendering your situation to the Lord DOES NOT mean the person will get off “scott” free

§  Surrendering your situation to the Lord DOES mean to walk in obedience because you LOVE and TRUST God.

§  Surrendering your situation to the Lord DOES mean you get out of God’s way so He can deal with the other person

§  Surrendering your situation to the Lord DOES mean you can be set free and trust can be restored EVEN IF the situation doesn’t immediately change

Mercy triumphs over judgment James 2:12-13: So whenever you speak, or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law of love, the law that set you free. For there will be no mercy for you if you have not been merciful to others. But if you have been merciful, then God's mercy toward you will win out over his judgment against you.

Respond to the LORD right now. If your heart is touched dont walk away until you make things right.

1.      See unforgiveness as your enemy: Purpose in your heart to follow all three steps prayerfully. Journal your thoughts, let the Spirit speak to you, seek our guidance in the Word where you have diffivult relationships. Be diligent and Do the Word!

2.      Unforgiveness Breeds bitterness: Ephesians 4:29-32: Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. 

3.      Bitterness brings forth death: James 1:14-16: But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.  Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved sisters.

Don’t take this lightly…..it cost our Savior EVERYTHING!