What Are We Offering?

      When I offer something to someone I first consider if they will value it. Many times I receive gifts that are of no use for me.  It is thoughtful, but it would be more appreciated if they took the time to consider what I really need.

      In Leviticus 22:1-2, The Lord says to Moses to be very careful with the sacred gifts that the Israelites set apart for Him, so that they do not bring shame on His holy name.

     What can I really offer God when He owns it all? Well the offerings that were given in the old testament were animal sacrifices.  What good could God do with dead animals?  The Old Testament was a type and shadow of what was to come in Christ.  In the New Testament Christ became the ultimate sacrifice and we now who are in Him are His offering to God.

     These special gifts in the Old Testament had to be spotless, perfect, or God would not receive them.  In Christ we are now a spotless and perfect bride. Therefore as Romans 12:1 says we must daily present ourselves to God as living sacrifices which is our reasonable service.  If we choose not to draw near to the Father and therefore abide in Christ then we are no different than the world.  We have spotted blemishes and bring shame to His name.

    My son recently told me that I am someone who gets irritated alot.  In 1 Corinthians 13 the bible says love is not irritable.  So I am misrepresenting God, bringing shame to His name.  This happens because when I am home I don't always draw near to God, I spend too much time watching television, working on the computer, playing video games.  I am behaving like a sluggard.  The only way love can be evident is when I am in Christ.

     We are called to be holy as God is holy.  I cannot just put on holiness when I am at church.  I am the church, my home should reflect holiness as much as anywhere else.  God's nature should be evident in my life at all times in all places.

     In the Old Testament a sacrifice was brought to a tabernacle to be presented to God.  In the New Testament we are the sacrifice and we are the tabernacle.  We are Christ offering to God through His sacrifice for our sins.  Giving a sacrifice is no longer something we do but who we are.

    Father right now I repent for bringing shame to your name, for not presenting myself to you as a living sacrifice.  Not fully enjoying what I have in Christ but having a double standard in my private and public lives. I thank you Lord for forgiving me and accepting me in Christ as a spotless offering.  May I honor you and bring Glory to your name in all I say and do.

Challenge:  Let's ask those closest to us what character flaws we hold, asking for their forgiveness and repenting before God.

Biblical Reference:  Leviticus 22, Romans 12:1, 1 Corinthians 13, Hebrews 10:11-18, Galatians 3:27

New Standard

God is no respecter of person's He loves us all equally, but He does hold a higher standard for leaders because of the greater responsibility and influence they hold. One is a leader because others follow them. So if a leader is taken out many will fall with them.

This is the plan of the enemy to take out leaders. A leader cannot expect others to follow what they do not practice. As leaders we must lead the way. A leader is always to blame for lack of productivity. We are the driving force behind seeing objectives reached, goals achieved, missions completed.

Change does not transpire without it first starting with leaders. As leaders we would love to blame those we are leading but we are really to blame if things aren't going as planned. Children are a reflection of the parents, employees are a reflection of their employers, a congregation is a reflection of their Spiritual leadership.

The plan of the enemy is to hold back the day of final judgement. He does this by weakening leaders. Keeping us from our main task found in Ephesians 4:12-13 of equipping God's people to do His work and build up the church, the body of Christ, 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. So as in Ephesians 4:14-15 they will no longer be immature like children, tossed and blown by every wind of new teaching, influenced with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, they will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 

As leaders we should expect a deeper conviction, their should be no gray areas, things should be either black or white, we must no longer live questionable lives, we must be blameless. With what God is speaking to the church in this hour it must first begin with us. We must no longer compromise. It is time to raise the standard. We must let everything in our lives that can be shaken removed so that the Kingdom can come forth.  The kingdom advances as leaders equip and followers work.  We are in the Army of God and we must no longer live like civilians, each of us must complete what God has assigned to us until the enemies of our God have become His footstool.

I repent right now as a leader for not living up to this standard. For letting my guard down. Being involved in questionable activities. Not following my convictions. I pray like David Lord do not take the Holy Spirit away from me. Change me, make me, mold me, form me into you. Use me to prepare the church your bride for the marriage supper of the lamb, in Jesus Name.  Amen.

Challenge: As leaders let's examine our hearts to see if there are any questionable activities in our lives and repent?  If you are not a leader repent for not praying enough for those who are leading you.


Biblical Reference:  Leviticus 21, Romans 2:11, Isaiah 9:16, 1 Cor. 4:16, Ezekiel 34, Proverbs 20:23, Ephesians 4:12-17, 2 Timothy 2:4, Psalm 110:1, Acs 2:35, Hebrews 1:13.

Spiritual Prostitution

     We were created for fellowship with God, sin is what breaks fellowship, but through the work of the cross fellowship has been restored through the forgiveness of sin.  In Christ there is now no separation between us and the Father.  We have continual fellowship and partake in all Heavenly Blessings. Spiritual Prostitution is when we have experienced the goodness of God yet give ourself over to lesser things.  

     When my wife first came into my life all I wanted to do was be with her, we would spend hours and hours together just talking. With time I have taken her for granted, not being as affectionate, just going through the motions of marriage, being easily distracted with the cares of life, and giving my attention more to electronic devices, like cell phones, computers, television, video games, etc.

     My relationship with my wife reflects the relationship I have with God.  The relationship I once had where I would spend hours in prayer and bible study has declined.  Not that I am blatantly in sin, but I am distant.  I can say I have lost my first love.  The passion has dwindled.  I go through the motions and outwardly everything looks fine, but inwardly I know things are not the same.  I get so easily distracted I give myself over to lesser things.  

     In the new covenant God judges the state of the heart not just our actions.  He through the Holy Spirit now works within us.  It is hard to admit that I have committed Spiritual Prostitution but it is necessary if I want what I once had restored.  I do not want to be luke warm, I want to be on fire for God.  So as the letters to the churches in Revelations state I must repent.

    When my relationship with God is what it should be everything else follows.  When I abide in Him I bear His fruit.  His character is seen, and every relationship, especially with my wife will be for the better.   In Christ I love my wife as Christ loves the church, I give myself fully to her.  

     So I repent right now for being lukewarm for committing Spiritual Prostitution!  Taking for granted the blessings I have in Christ.  Not being a good steward of what He has given me.  I choose to return to my first love, let the fire of God be ignited within me.  May every relationship I now have reflect the relationship I have with you God, in Jesus Name.

Biblical Reference:  Leviticus 20, Gen. 5:23-24, 1 John 1:7, Ezek. 23:30, Hosea 1:2, Col. 3:2, Prov. 5:18, 1 Cor. 7:3-4, 1 Cor. 7:33, Eph. 5:23-30, John 15, Rev. 3:15-23, Rev. 2:21

Set Apart

To be holy means to be set apart, to be different, unique, to stand out.  We are no longer an imitation of the world we are an imitation of God which is where we discover our true identity.  We were created for holiness, our consciousness bears witness.  

Our conduct reflects who we model ourselves after.  If we model ourselves after God we follow His ways.  I cannot say I am something and my actions prove I am not.  We are saved by faith, not works, but our works justify our faith.

I keep telling my son that I love him, but my impatience with him causes me to yell and makes it hard for him to believe.  Love is patient.  So I cannot say something and mean it if my actions don't back it up.  The consequences of this will be, He will distant himself from me and most likely God because of the wrong image I portray.

Our family will bear witness how holy we claim to really be.  It is easy to have an appearance of something amongst mere acquaintances.  It is those who really are able to observe us often that see how we truly conduct ourselves.  Our family is the hardest to reach because of the lack of holiness in our lives.

We all want to be able to reach our closest loved ones so how do we become holy?  We must know His ways and through obeying His commands follow Him. The law is now written in our hearts.  When I read the word it quickens to my spirit what is already deep within me. The more I read it the stronger my conscience becomes. Meaning Ignorance is now exposed and the truth is placed at the fore-front of my mind.   This is the process of renewing our minds.

It is in the nature of the born-again Christian to live holy it just takes the peeling off of the old man and the putting on of the new man for this to take place.

 Traditions are hard to overcome, these are practices that have been passed down generationally that cause the word to have little effect.  So alot of our conduct takes time to change because of how deeply rooted these practices are within us.

God is faithful what He has begun He promises He is able to complete. All we can do is continue to present ourselves before Him and trust that through the Spirit and the Word we will change and become more holy.

I want to give up hope at times when I continue to repeat the same mistakes over and over, and say it just who I am, but I choose to believe the word.  I have seen much of my ungodly conduct change and I will allow God to perfect me until complete holiness is attained.

Reference:  Leviticus 19, Lev. 20:7 & 26, Deut. 14:2, Heb. 7:26, James 2:19-24, 1 Timothy 1:19, Romans 9:1, 1 Cor. 8:9, Heb. 13:18, 1 Cor. 13:4, Romans 2:15, Romans 2:14, Gal. 3:27, Mark 7:8, Matthew 15:3-6, Mark 7:13, Gal. 6:5, Heb. 3:14, Phil. 1:6,

Imitation!

When I think of something being an imitation, I think of it as cheap in value. Like imitation cheese or cologne. The quality is just not the same. Most people are an imitation of other people. We imitate what we see in order to fit in. Very few people are real and genuine.

Things that are rare are what others value, they can even be priceless. We treat things with value carefully. Things that have little value we treat carelessly. Many of us are careless in regards to life decisions because we don't value ourselves.

The maker of something is the one who has the authority to place the value on it. If we had the authority of placing value on the things we buy we would not pay the cost that we do. If our worth comes from others and not the one who made us our self-worth will always be under valued. When someone does not have self-worth the choices they make reflect it. They allow themselves to be used and abused.

Our worth is so great to God that He sent His only begotten Son to die for us. We are His only creation that is made in His image. We are priceless in His sight. He sees us not as we are but as we can be. If this truth can be believed then self-worth will follow.

If I have something that is rare and precious I am not going to just let anyone touch it. So when we have self-worth we don't just let anyone touch us. Sexual sin is no longer worth the price of devaluing ourselves. Our bodies our no longer just objects for others pleasure. They are temples of the Holy Spirit, and we will not allow God's temple to be defiled.

Our worth comes from being in the hands of our maker. Obedience is our love for God acted out. As we obey Him we remain in Him and His value is made evident as His glory radiates from our skin like sun light shining on a jewel.

Apart from God all we can become is an imitation of others. In Christ we become who we were created to be. No longer fakes, frauds, and phonies, doing whatever it takes to just fit it. We become the real deal. Each of us reflecting God in our own unique and rare way. Just like there is no snowflake that falls from heaven that is exactly the same neither are we His most prized creation. God created each of us to reflect how great He is.


Reference:  Leviticus 18, Deut. 20:18, 1 Kings 14:24, 1 Kings 12:32, 2 Kings 17:15, Matt. 13:44-46, 2 Cor. 1:17, Matt. 16:26, John 3:16, Luke 7:46, Song of Solomon 5:9, 2 Cor. 6:14-18, Is. 43:7, Rev. 4:11, Jer. 13:11, John 1:3, 

Our Scapegoat!

Since Adam it is our nature to make excuses and blame others for our sins.  We don't like to have to fes up, we want to be seen in a certain light where others have a positive perception of us even if it is false. 

We have all sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. None are righteous no not one.  We do not need to live a lie, to play the hypocrite.  We just need to be real and honest.  We are all in a process and purity does not happen overnight.  If we ever reach perfection then our purpose on earth is complete, only Enoch and Elijah born in sin ever reached this place and were taken up without experiencing physical death.

God provided a way for the Children of Israel to be in His presence.  Once a year a scapegoat was provided in which the Priest would confess the sins of the people of Israel upon it and then the goat would be driven into the wilderness carrying the people's sins away with it.

Christ became our ultimate scapegoat, He has taken our sins away, as far as the east is from the west.  The blood of Jesus has washed our sins away and we are pure in Him.  We can now boldly come before His throne daily and receive mercy and grace.

The children of Israel had to wait until this ceremony once a year to be free from the guilt of sin.  We no longer have to wait for a ceremony.  Christ is our High Priest and we can confess our sins as soon as we commit them.

The process of purification depends on our willingness to repent through the confession of our sins.  God can only work in our life to the degree of our transparency. We must not let our pride get in the way of change.  All sin will be exposed it will be less shameful to be honest now than to get caught in the act later.

Freedom only comes when we have nothing to hide. Darkness in our life keeps us bound.  We can be free from sin all we have to do is confess and Christ our scapegoat takes our sin away.

Biblical Reference:  Leviticus 16, Romans 5:12, Romans 3:23, Romans 3:10, 1 John 3:5, Romans 11:27, Rev. 1:5, 1 John 1:9, Hebrews 3:1, 1 Cor. 14:25, 

In & Out!

    To be holy means to be set apart.  Holiness is not an outward appearance but an inward characteristic.  How does one reach holiness therefore?  We cannot copy, imitate or act out what we think holiness is for it is impossible for man to achieve.  God alone is holy and His holiness can only be attained through Him.  It is an inward transformation through the manifestation of His Glory.  As we encounter Him we are changed.

    The only work necessary in the process of holiness is seeking.  He never will enforce Himself on us, we must seek Him for Him to be found.  If we draw near to Him He draws near to us.  It is like when I play hide and go seek with my son, he hides in order to be found, the pleasure of the game for my son is my desire to find him.

     Sanctification is the process of God changing us from the inside out.  Holiness is a state of the heart.  How do we know where we are at in this process?  Through examining the heart.  The bible says out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  In the midst of pressure, when we are squeezed, what comes out of the mouth will determine the state of the heart.

    So if evil comes forth then repentance must follow.  Once one repents, cleansing takes place, we then need to replace evil with good, the renewing of the mind.  Replacing worldly thoughts with the mind of Christ, the word of God.  Once we are continually brought through the fire of trials and tests.  The Word we have placed in our minds will transform the heart and holiness will be the result.

    The old covenant was the outward form of the inward transformation we now in the new covenant have in Christ. In Leviticus 15 it talks about bodily discharges, and the rituals that must follow to be ceremonially clean.  It was all part of the purification process.  We see the purpose of these laws and rituals were to lead the children of Israel to Christ.  They were bound to fail so that Christ could be received.  The laws and rituals are wise in the areas of good health, but true holiness can only be found through the process of sanctification by the Holy Spirit in relationship with Jesus Christ.

Holiness cannot be seen in the way we dress, or what we eat or drink, Holiness is all about character.  The fruit of the Spirit evident in our life.  Holiness and fruitfulness go hand in hand.

For further Reference and Study:  (Mark 7:1-19, Leviticus 20:26, 1 Peter 1:15, 1 Cor. 15:50-58, Matt. 15:8, James 4:8, Psalm 26:2, Psalm 17:3, 1 Tim. 3:10, Luke 6:45, Matthew 12:34, 2 Thess 2:17, Luke 3:3, Eph. 5:26, Romans 12:1-2, James 1:1-2, Gal. 2:16, Gal. 5:16-26

The Process of Purification!

God our great High Priest has a way of purifying us.  Everything we go through is for the purpose of purity.  Each trial we face is so that we can be more like Him.  The bible says the pure in heart shall see God!  The more we see God the more He is seen in us.  The more pure our heart is the more God can entrust us in His service.  With each test comes promotion.  God is the one who promotes us not man.  

Our personal accomplishments can elevate us to positions of authority but our ability to maintain these positions will be determined only if we can pass the tests of purity.  Character is what God uses to qualify us not mere knowledge and experience.  If we are not where we want to be, we got to ask ourselves, how well have we handled life's tests?  Jesus was promoted in ministry through being tested and so will we.  

Our ministry is be based on what we have been through.  God takes us through so we can lead others through.  I have been tested to the core this year, I have failed at times, but I have not given up, and therefore I believe this next year will bring me great promotion.  Each year we should be at a higher level that the previous one.  Each level means more devils but more grace and greater Glory! 

God has been purifying every area of my life especially at home.  I must first be a minister in private before God promotes me in public.   My home is my proving ground, it reveals who I really am.  Unless my home is pure of all defilement, I cannot expect to be God's agent in purifying others.  I see myself in my children, their weaknesses are a reflection of my own.  My ability to train them in the right way to go will determine if I am qualified to train others.  The bible says to love my wife as Christ loves the church.  If I cannot love right those closest to me how can I expect to give genuine love to others.

How far I go in fulfilling my call will be determined by how faithful in being a good steward in what He has already given me.     

We must pass the tests of the wilderness before we enter into the Promised Land, or defeating the Giants in the land will not be believable.  Since 2001 the church in America has been under serious attack.  God is calling us in 2011 to no longer just be on the defense but to get on the offense.  The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof.  It is time to walk in our dominion mandate, until the kingdom's of this world have become the kingdom of God.

Read Leviticus 14  

Have You Been Examined Lately?

I have never been one to go to the doctor often, except for mandatory physicals over the years.  I actually don't even have a physician.  I have only went to the hospital a few times when I couldn't stand throwing up anymore or itching because of a rash.   Over the last few years I did have a few appointments with a skin doctor to have my moles examined but I didn't show up for the follow-up to get the results.  I do know that it is wise to be examined in order to catch the spread of possible diseases.  I just choose to ignore wisdom and believe everything will be okay as I walk in blind faith, what I need is a balance between faith and common sense.

I take my spiritual health much more seriously I meet monthly with experienced leaders who I am accountable to and I have credibility through.  I believe by doing this I am ahead of the game, I am able through their experience correct things in my life before they grow and I am able to be prepared for the things I may face ahead.

In Leviticus 13 it talks about how to deal with skin disease.  The individual is brought to the priest to examine the condition and see how affected the rash has become.  If the affected area is only skin deep the person will only go through a short period of quarantine and if the disease does not spread the person is pronounced ceremonially clean.  Now if the skin disease develops to something more serious and has spread and become an open sore the person must tear their clothes, leave their hair uncombed, cover their mouth and call out, 'Unclean! Unclean!'.  As long as the serious disease lasts, they will be ceremonially unclean and must live in isolation from the rest of the camp.

Certain sins have different effects, some sin we can easily get free from while other sin seem to be more difficult.  When I got saved certain things left me, I no longer had the desire for them, these were surface sins.  While other sin would be harder to shake, it seems that no matter how many times I asked God to forgive me, I repeated the same sin.  These are deeply rooted sins. The born-again experience is like buying a new field.  God the new owner of my heart wants to uproot my worldly ways and plant His righteousness within me.  The surface sins are easy to clear while the deep sins that are brought on because of hurt and pain go deep and need special attention.

If wounds are not bandaged up they become infectious and spread throughout the body.  Hurting people hurt people.  One bad apple can spoil a bunch.  When a wounded individual is placed in leadership and they were not thoroughly examined much division can take place.  Many times anyone who seems to be available is used and it can cause much more damage than good.

Each ministry needs to have in place proper training where each individual is processed through and proven to be healed and whole before they participate in leadership.  The goal is not to get rid of those found in habitual sin but to lead them through a process of restoration.  So they will be ones who unite the body not divide it.  Hurting people operate in the flesh and manifest the works of the flesh, Healed people operate in the spirit and manifest the fruits of the spirit.  Each believer needs to be placed where their works can be properly examined by a proven leader in a position that has little interaction with others so sin doesn't spread.   Even when we are found to be free of our past as long as we have flesh and blood we are prone to sin and need to continue to have regular examinations by proven Godly leaders.

Read Leviticus 13, Gal. 6:1-3, Psalm 147:3, Psalm 38, Gal. 5: 16-26, Jer. 8:18-22, 1 Cor. 11:31-32,

The Temple of The Holy Spirit

     I cannot expect God to bless my health if I don't eat according to His ways.  I cannot expect my body to function right and eat and drink things that are wrong for it.  Sickness can be an attack of the enemy but it can also be the natural result of bad health.  Lack of physical movement and bad eating habits.  Just like it takes discipline to keep a house clean it takes discipline to keep the body right.  My spiritual health should be my most important concern but neglecting my physical health will bring imbalance and my spiritual health will eventually be effected too.


   We are accountable to God for what we have done with what He has given us. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit, do we honestly think that there is no ramifications for neglecting what is His? Our bodies need to be treated as precious gifts, they are what has been given to us to bring glory to Him. 


     My health is important to God, I cannot expect to enjoy all that He died for me to have and not take care of my own body. I often feel convicted for not taking the time to exercise and eat right, but I take it for granted and not follow through with my conviction and continue to live in sin, with the excuse that I am too busy. Whatever I am too busy doing will not last if my body is not in good shape. So I better balance things out or the things around me will begin falling apart starting with my own body.  I take such care in preparing a message to give others in a church building but such little care in taking care of my own body which is the Temple of the Holy Spirit.  My inconsistencies will catch up to me.    I need to buffet my body, put it asunder, so it does not get in the way of what the Spirit wants to do in and through me.

Well what does the bible say we can eat? Check out this link: http://www.naturalphysiques.com/cms/index.php?itemid=156


Scriptural Reference:  Leviticus 11, Deuteronomy 14, Isaiah 38:16, Job 21:24, Psalm 38:3, Proverbs 18:9, Ecc. 5:19, Pro. 5:12, 1 Timothy 4:8, 1 Cor. 6:19

More of His Glory!

I want like many of us more of God's glory in my life (2 Cor. 3:18).  I have fasted, prayed, worshiped crying out for more of Him and yet I don't see much of a difference, I am in a place of holy frustration.  We have entered into a new season, celebrating Rosh Hashanah in early September, and into the day of Atonement in med September where we examine our hearts letting go of any sin that we have not confessed or unforgiveness we have held onto from the previous year.  This week we have just finished celebrating the feast of tabernacles, where we reflect on what it means to be His permanent dwelling place and believe through prayer to receive a greater glory for the new year.

God has been speaking to me to have more of His glory is more than just prophesying, preaching, healing, and evangelizing more effectively but to walk in His ways all of the day.  Meaning to allow Him to order my footsteps (Ps. 17:5), acknowledging Him in everything so that He directs my path (Pr. 3:6).  I can say I have allowed Him to do that primarily in a church setting, but not so much in every other part of my life.  I can be so lazy, so loose.  Is God glorified in my finances, is He glorified in how I treat my wife and children, is He glorified in the condition of my vehicle, or the condition of my yard, or home, is He glorified when I am alone, in what I watch on television?

God is not glorified in the things I neglect, He has called me to be a faithful steward (Lk. 14:2) over all that He has entrusted into my care.  God cares about each area of my life and I cannot expect Him to be glorified in some areas and not in others.  Being too busy is not an excuse He will except.  The reason there is neglect in our lives is because He is not directing our path (Luke 11:42).  When God is in control everything that is His brings Him glory (1 Chr. 29:11).

We have taken grace and cheapened it (Gal. 2:21).  We have taken what Jesus did on the cross and made it as just a way to get away with sin (1 Cor. 1:17).  Jesus said He didn't come to do away with the law but to fulfill it (Matt. 5:17).  We see in the book of Leviticus God taught the children of Israel what it meant to be set apart, to be holy.  The law involved all aspects of life.  God is leading me on a journey to understand what it means to be holy, what it means to be a temple that is filled with His glory, what it means to benefit from His grace, what it means to be a citizen of His kingdom.  The children of Israel had the law on stone, we have the law written in our hearts (Ro. 2:17) .  They were bound to fail in the flesh, we are able to succeed through the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:23) .

Over the next few months I will be digging into the book of Leviticus hoping to discover what it means to have my life ordered by God.  I pray that you take this journey along with me.

The Greatness of God!

     I am tired of having areas of my life that don't show how great God is.  I don't want things to just be good I want them to be great.  I want what I do to be better than the world and not 2nd class.  We are not perfect but like Paul we are to strive after perfection (Phil. 3:12), for we serve a perfect God.
     It is one thing to want something it is another to do what it takes to achieve it.  How do I continue to perfect what I do?  First of all am I really taking the time to examine my failures and shortcomings so I don't repeat them.  Next am I choosing now to take what I learned and apply it.  I do not want to continue to repeat the same mistakes over and over again living in an unending cycle. 
     It is not just the big things I am talking about but the little things, that which others don't notice or don't think much about.  The bible says we must first be faithful over the little before we will be given the more (Matt. 25:21).  How faithful am I to what He has given me?  When one is unfaithful it usually means they are not satisfied with what they presently have and they desire more.  I must trust that God's timing is best.  I must be willing to wait on Him and be thankful for whatever has been given.  God knows what I can handle and He only gives me what I can be responsible for.  I should not blame God or others for what lack I have or what desires are not yet fulfilled but just trust God that when I am ready it will be given.
     Why some areas of my life are not right is because I am ahead of myself, doing to much, trying to achieve beyond the grace that has been given.  God is not after my achievements but after my faithfulness.  God wants me to perfect first what He has put before me and not jump ahead.  My primary purpose in life is to walk with God, to be intimate with Him, and to work with Him to accomplish His will.  Nothing I do apart from Him therefore amounts to any good.  As soon as frustration sets in, disappointments amount, confusion, chaos, feelings of being overwhelmed, lack of understanding, unsolvable problems, then I can count that God is not with me.
     I serve a God of order.  It is His perfect timing and His perfect ways I am after.  To do things right.   God is calling His church to advance His kingdom, we must stop pursuing all things, for they will be only added when we are seeking His kingdom and righteousness first.  We have been in a season of shaking and whatever has been shaken off our lives is not of the kingdom, for the kingdom can not be shaken.  We need to now take whatever remains in our life and allow Him to perfect it.  He must have complete order of every area of our life if His greatness is going to be seen.  What I am seeking God for is what am I to do with my time.  A book I am reading to help me is called Re-ordering your Day by Chuck Pierce.  I would encourage anyone who is in the same place as me to get this book.
    

From Pressing to Possessing

     How bad someone really wants something will be determined by what they are willing to go through to get it.  We ask God for many things and have no idea what we are really asking for.  We pray we want more of Him, we want more love, we want to go deeper, we want to step into our calling, but it is one thing to want it is another thing to achieve.  For many of our prayers to be answered it takes going through the fire.  Something in us must die to have more of Him!  The bible says to count the cost (Lk. 14:28).  We spend so much time blaming others for our misfortunes when it was our own prayers that brought our situations to being. 

     For one to receive promotion from one grade to the next it takes passing tests.  Are we passing the tests of life?  This is determined by what comes out of our mouths, until we can Praise God in everything we are not fit for the next level.  It is our heart that God is after.  He wants a people that have a heart after Him.  So when He gives us what we ask for we will use it for Him and not for ourselves. 

     We have gone through a time like Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 1: 8-9 "we were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it.  In fact, we expected to die. But as a result. we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely on God, who raises the dead.  He is manifested in our transparency, when we have nothing left to hide, have allowed Him to expose and remove all darkness, then He can be now fully seen.  All of the earth is moaning and groaning for the manifestation of the sons and daughters of God, and we believers are looking forward to being fully delivered from sin and suffering.  We are getting closer to that day but we can begin seeing a foretaste even now through the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:22-23). 

     We are in transition from the wilderness to the Promised Land.  God is calling us to put away childish things (1 Cor. 13:11), to stop complaining and start Praising, to remove fear and walk by faith, to no longer wrestle with flesh and blood but to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power, to be clothed in the armor of God and take our rightful authority in Christ Jesus until the enemies of God have become His footstool (Eph. 6:10-13, Heb. 10:13).  We must put off the grasshopper mentality and now believe God we can go forth and slay the giants of our land (Numbers 13), until earth and heaven are one, His will has completely been done (Matt. 6:10). 

    

In the Press

     The news is good for one thing informing us of the problems that is in the world.  Those who listen often to the news usually have a negative slant on the things in life they are facing.  If I look at my life over the past few months I can see many things that a news reporter could broadcast on.  On the surface things have not looked very good, and it has been so easy to complain.  God promises He will never give me more than I can handle, but boy things have sure been close lately.

What has helped me the most through these difficult times has been His whisper in my ear, His understanding that He has given me of the times we are in.  First of all I have discovered I am not alone most if not all believers I talk to seem to be dealing with similar stuff.  So I have others who can relate with me!  Second there is something positive God is doing in the midst of what seems negative.  He is maturing His bride.  He is taking us out of adolescents.  Removing our childish, selfish, complaining, whining, critical attitudes with His character as true sons and daughters that reflect Him right. 

So I am being pressed on every side to squeeze all the world out of me until there is nothing left but Him.  He wants a people that are strong in Him and in the power of His might who will go forth and do great exploits for the glory of His name. Strength is seen when nothing can move us but the hand of God.  That means even if the state of the economy has effected us, or loved ones have turned against us, whatever it may be we still offer God nothing but praise. 

The bible says out of the abundance of heart the mouth speaks.  So when we are being squeezed what comes out of our mouth is the condition of our heart.  If we are not praising God in everything then we have issues in our heart that need to be taken to the cross. 

The Children of Israel were taken on a journey from Egypt to the Promised Land via the wilderness.  God took them on an extended journey not to just physically deliver them from Egypt but to deliver Egypt from their hearts.  He could not entrust them to represent Him as a nation if they were not yet set apart from the world.  A whole generation died in the wilderness never experiencing what God had promised them because they never got beyond complaining.  When our complaining becomes Praising we have the weapons now in hand to take the land He has promised us.  Our greatest weapon is praise!  We can not face the giants before us if we are not able to be delivered from the giants within us.

God's will is that His kingdom come, His will be done, here on earth as it is in heaven.  The kingdom is within us, for it to manifest through us, it is determined by what comes out of our mouth.  Until we are praying to God about everything and praising God through it all, we are not yet ready to enter into what He has promised us.  The call of God in this hour is to take the land, advance His kingdom, until the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdom of our God.

Over the next few weeks I will seek God for devotions that go along with this theme from complaining to Praising.  Please subscribe to this blog if you want to be in this journey with me.

Scriptures to meditate on this week:  (Matt. 16:3, 1 Cor 13:11, 2 Cor 1, Eph. 6:10, Luke 6:45, Numbers 13 Matt. 6:10, 1 Thess. 5:17, Psalm 34)