SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by MARSHA BURNS:
Be strong and steady as you watch and are amazed at the work I am doing in, around and through you, says the Lord. A deep work of healing and restoration is beginning and will be brought to completion. When this work is finished the trials and tribulations that you have endured will only be a memory and the pain will be gone. Trust Me to bring you through with a sense of wholeness and conclusion. Go forth in faith!
Philippians 1:6 "being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."
www.ft111.com
Thursday, October 31, 2013
The Elijah List published a great word by Dutch Sheets today!
One of my favorites parts of that word ...
Life's giants expose our hearts and character, revealing who we are. When we face crisis, trials or opposition, those circumstances either reveal and amplify the greatness of God within us, or expose our weaknesses.
To read the whole word go to www.elijahlist.com
Life's giants expose our hearts and character, revealing who we are. When we face crisis, trials or opposition, those circumstances either reveal and amplify the greatness of God within us, or expose our weaknesses.
To read the whole word go to www.elijahlist.com
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
And here's a great prayer by Joey LeTourneau ...
he prayed at the end of his terrific word posted on The Elijah List
... my family and I pray for you now – for the new lenses of your heart to come alive. In the name of Jesus, we release new vision over you and your circumstances, to see the manger around you the way God sees it, ready to give birth to the best prizes and promises God can measure.
Your manger is not insignificant, but strategic and purposeful. We break off the measuring lies of the enemy and bind your measurements to God's alone. May you see yourself, your life, your circumstances, and others as God sees. May your new eyes give birth to His everlasting promises to sow, to reap, and to join Jesus in the whitened harvest He has declared before us all. In Jesus' awesome name, Amen!
... my family and I pray for you now – for the new lenses of your heart to come alive. In the name of Jesus, we release new vision over you and your circumstances, to see the manger around you the way God sees it, ready to give birth to the best prizes and promises God can measure.
Your manger is not insignificant, but strategic and purposeful. We break off the measuring lies of the enemy and bind your measurements to God's alone. May you see yourself, your life, your circumstances, and others as God sees. May your new eyes give birth to His everlasting promises to sow, to reap, and to join Jesus in the whitened harvest He has declared before us all. In Jesus' awesome name, Amen!
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Another great message ...
|
by CB
|
Running Red Lifts, Stop Signs – A lack of
Character Change
A big reason for traffic accidents is running
red lights or running a stop sign. You run red lights and stop signs when you
are unaware of your surroundings. People keep driving and do not update according
to conditions. This "road hazard" pattern is particularly dangerous
in communities.
When you are unaware of your surroundings and
how you impact others; the result can be accidents and ruptures in
relationships. A lot of hurt and damage can come as a result. People go forward
as they have always gone forward struggling with the same old things—there is
no change to their character. When this pattern keeps happening some conclude
that "that's who I am and everyone will have to just accept me." Sort
of "my way or the highway." Others withdraw to protect people from
themselves--not helpful, then you live in your pain and there is still no
change. And some go on a quest to search out the cause of the pattern.
“What’s missing?” There has to be a reason for
it. What is missing there?
Lack of character change is a source of
frustration for many leaders. They give their people good solid biblical
teaching every week, provide small groups, there is all this stuff…and yet they
wonder, “Why aren’t my people changing?” Or, maybe, “Why am I not making those
changes? What is missing ?” And it is very frustrating.
So you keep doing the
same old thing because it is what you have always done. You blow past people’s
boundaries; run over feelings, not looking at what you could do differently.
Needs are not fully met. You have a lot of performance going on with this kind
of dynamic. You have to talk a certain way or look a certain way but deep down
inside it doesn’t feel real.
If you really want to get to know “me”, ask
the people I spend the most time with what I am like. They will know how I am
when I am tired. What I’m like when I am grumpy. How I am when my back hurts.
You need a joy based
environment where it is safe to be yourself and where people are glad to be
with you. That doesn’t mean that they endorse your malfunctions or your sinful
habits; it means they love you and they are glad to be with you
and that creates the kind of environment where you can actually start making
changes.
The Result of lack of character change means that people feel comfortable
where they are, the way they are and will avoid anything that threatens their
comfort zone.
God’ Solution -- One of the things that excites me as a
trainer and leader is that joy is God’s solution relationally. We have a God
who is glad to be with us. That is real. It is true and very biblical. God is
glad to be with us. Joyful relationships with God and others give us
resiliency.
Resiliency actually has two meanings. It means
rebounding or springing back. When problems happen or things go wrong, you
bounce back. You spring back to who you were created to be.
One of the biggest frustrations about low joy
is that it hinders you from being the person God created you to be. You can
become crispy with low joy; you can become rigid or fearful. You just hurt. You
are overwhelmed; you are not designed to stay stuck in those kinds of places
for very long. You are designed to spring back, to bounce back to joyful
relationship with God and other people. This does not negate the fact that you
hurt—painful things happen and things happen that aren’t supposed to. It just
means you are designed to bounce back into relationship with God and His
people.
The other neat definition of resiliency refers
to the physical property of a material that can return to its original shape or
position after deformation if it does not exceed its elastic limit. It means
that when things go wrong, and they frequently do, you return to the person God
created you to be. You remember what is important when there is a conflict or
things go wrong.
Low joy means you have a very limited ability
to recover from distress. Which results from a lot of fear based motivations
and a need to justify, which is also very toxic for pastors, leaders, and their
congregations. It is hard to work out problems with other people when there is
an incessant need to justify. When you bring an issue, a problem or a need to someone
and every time they justify it, refuse to take responsibility or they turn the
tables and say it is about you. That makes it difficult to grow in your
relationship.
Scripture shows us that when you try that
approach with God it does not work well. God’s solution is to be able to
confess your grievances to God and each other in a very humble way. It seems
that justification is not a very pleasing approach to God; therefore, it is
probably not a good approach for doing life in our communities.
What to do if you relate to low joy dynamics
in your life or ministry….
1. Introduce joy. Give people a language for joy—define it and use the language. People
intuitively know what joy is when you give them an example. I might say,
“My son this morning, before he left the
house, his face lit up and we gave each other a big hug.
His voice…he said, “Daddy, Daddy!” I was so
glad to be with him. It made my day!”
When you start giving examples of when you
experienced genuine, authentic real joy, people “get it.” But there can be a
lot of confusion or vagueness about what joy is. What it looks like…what joy is
not. So help to clarify with people what joy is and how you can use joy as a
springboard for life and health and growth in your relationships with each
other and with God.
With this new Joy Starts Here book
coming out many pastors have already started to preach sermons based on this
material. They are introducing joy as a way of life and as a value for their
congregations. One pastor locally, who was teaching and preaching this in his
church, called out his congregation to raise a banner for his people to be
protectors. He said, “I want my church to be a church of protectors, a
community of protectors. I don’t want us to be predators or possums, (which is
another thing that happens with low joy. That will make more sense when you
read the book). He has been taking active steps to make that happen both in the
leadership and the congregation.
2. Start Joy Starts Here groups. That is the fun thing about this new book. Every chapter has
assessments. Every chapter has exercises and bible studies. It is a great way
to start introducing this because for many people joy is foreign. We live in a
world where most people live in low joy. There are many reasons to have low joy
and so you want to work on changing the tide both personally and corporately as
far as starting some joy.
Three Ingredients necessary to create a
culture of joy in a transformation zone.
1. The weak and the strong interact.
2. There are tender responses to weakness
When someone brings a weakness no one says,
“Well, you really messed up, didn’t you.” Or, “shame on you.” That is not a
tender response. “Wow, this sounds really painful for you. What do you need;
how can I help you? How can I pray for you?” That is a tender response — we
want that kind of culture and …
3. Practice Emmanuel peace, Emmanuel Shalom whenever you lose your
peace. This means talking to God and asking Him to restore your peace when it
is gone. To learn more of the Emmanuel Way read the book Share Emmanuel.
May your joy be full,
Chris & Carol
Chris Coursey, MA Theology — Author, Speaker
and Thrive Trainer, www.thrivingtoday.com
Carol Brown, Author of The Mystery of
Spiritual Sensitivity and Highly Sensitive www.fromgodsheart.com
This post based on Pastor's Weekly, Sept.
12,2013
Monday, October 7, 2013
The message I received for today is DO NOT FEAR!
This is the theme for me today: DO NOT FEAR! As several prophetic words I just read attest to this!
THE TRUMPET by BILL BURNS:
Have I not said to you fear not? For, you have read that again and again in My word and yet you have fear and anxiety over some of the things that are going on in your life. And, I would ask you today, why? When My command is fear not, meaning that you are to trust Me with the whole of your life; you are to trust Me in the events that take place in your life. And, you are to trust Me even in the very circumstances that you live in and that you are going through. Trust in Me, says the Lord. For, if you trust in Me your faith will arise and you will become that which you are to be. You will be an overcomer; you will overcome these tribulations; you will overcome these matters. Why, you say? Because I am with you to bring you through into victory in every case. So, again I say, fear not. But rather be moved into a place of humility, allow My peace and joy to abide upon you, and surely everything will be all right, says the Lord.
Have I not said to you fear not? For, you have read that again and again in My word and yet you have fear and anxiety over some of the things that are going on in your life. And, I would ask you today, why? When My command is fear not, meaning that you are to trust Me with the whole of your life; you are to trust Me in the events that take place in your life. And, you are to trust Me even in the very circumstances that you live in and that you are going through. Trust in Me, says the Lord. For, if you trust in Me your faith will arise and you will become that which you are to be. You will be an overcomer; you will overcome these tribulations; you will overcome these matters. Why, you say? Because I am with you to bring you through into victory in every case. So, again I say, fear not. But rather be moved into a place of humility, allow My peace and joy to abide upon you, and surely everything will be all right, says the Lord.
And then this great word from The Elijah List by ...
John Kilpatrick:
"Victory Is Drawing Nigh As You Quietly Sleep...Have You Forgotten that My Name is 'The Lord of Hosts'?"
The Lord of Hosts Revelatory Word given to John A. Kilpatrick on September 28, 2013 at 2:22 AM:"My angels ride upon the circuits of the heavens. They do My bidding. Have you forgotten that they are mighty in power? They do not relent; they prevail! Be reminded that they are engaged and enter conflicts as a result of the salvation I have bought for you. It is a perfect salvation and a complete one. Do not fear or allow your heart to be troubled, for even now they are defending your interests and concerns while you sleep.
"Have you forgotten that My name is 'The Lord of Hosts'? I have given the word, and it is the word of deliverance. You will prevail! Every evil plot will be foiled, and every evil enemy shall fall before the sword of the Lord of Hosts. My Kingdom is sure. My will is determined. My name is your guarantee.
"Do not be double-minded, and do not doubt this confirming word; for these are the days that men's hearts will fail them as they see coming upon the earth the things that I revealed would come to pass while I walked among men. But did I not also caution, 'Do not allow your faith to fail'? Lift up your head, for your redemption – your victory – draws nigh. I say that victory is drawing nigh even as you quietly sleep. Can you see it drawing nigh? I ask you again, can you see it drawing nigh?
"Fix your eyes upon My prevailing army. It is My provision for My people, My heirs. You are not alone! I have told you it is not a few, but many, that ride the circuits of the heavens."Your salvation is sure; it was bought with a price. The battle is not yours, but it is the Lord's. See the salvation of the Lord. Rest in it, and rejoice in it. The greatest and most notable victories are even at the door.
"These are the days that you must learn to release the high praises of God. I say discipline your lips to release new, thought-out and thought-through praises – worthy of the Lord's works that He is working. Let the common, usual praises that you used yesterday remain there, for this is a new day; and the Lord is releasing new things – exploits not previously seen or experienced by you before. It is a day of long-awaited breakthroughs that are being won by the armies of Heaven.
"These are not the days of the faint of heart, but these are indeed the days of the prophet Elijah.
"Tend your heart. Awaken your heart. Quiet your spirit, and rest in the Lord your God; for your salvation is closer than you suppose."
Look Up!
I received this word on September 28, 2013 at 2:22 AM and concluded writing it at 3:10 AM sharp. As I went back to bed and attempted to return to sleep, the Lord evidently wasn't through. In conclusion, He gave me these powerful words that stirred my soul:
"My people know little of My chariots, and they do not comprehend My chariot drivers. It has not fully come into the minds of My people that all power and might has been given into My hands.
"The heavens are even now declaring My glory and revealing My great power. Watch the heavens and understand that My great power shall shake the heavens, and all shall know that I am the God of Heaven and Earth. My armies are riding in their chariots, and they are prevailing. They shall shake the heavens above and the earth beneath.
"Your redemption is drawing near very rapidly. Be sure that you draw near to your redemption. My word to you this night is, 'Look up! Look up!' The heavens are already declaring, 'Look up!'"
John A. Kilpatrick
John Kilpatrick Ministries
Email: info@johnkilpatrick.org
Website: johnkilpatrick.org
John Kilpatrick experienced firsthand the glory of God as Holy Spirit entrusted to him the pastoral oversight of the Brownsville Revival in Pensacola, Florida. John Kilpatrick Ministries was established in 1996 as a result of the Brownsville Revival. He now travels extensively across the nation spreading the fires of revival and impacting churches around the world through media ministry. After nearly forty years of pastoral ministry, twenty-two years of which was his tenure at Brownsville Assembly of God, he and his wife Brenda are fulfilling their apostolic call by establishing churches and mentoring ministers. His hunger and passion for God's presence awakens and stirs the hearts of many to cry out for a move of God.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
And here is an excerpt from a word in Francis Frangipanes' book 'The Three Battlegrounds'
The Stronghold of the Godly: Humility
... Our salvation is not based upon what we do but upon who Jesus becomes to us. Christ Himself is our righteousness. We have been justified by faith; our peace with God comes through our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:1). When Satan comes against you, he tries to deceive you by focusing your attention upon your own righteousness. The more we recognize that Jesus alone is our righteousness, the less the adversary can assault us in the arena of our failings.
Thus, when the accuser comes seeking to condemn you for not having enough love, your response should be, "That is true, I do not have enough love. But the Son of God died for all my sins, even the sin of imperfect love." Step out from the shadow of satanic assault and stand in the brightness of your Father's love. Submit yourself to God and ask for Christ's love and forgiveness to replace your weak and imperfect love.
When Satan seeks to condemn you for impatience, again your response should be, "Yes, in my flesh I am very impatient. But since I have been born again, Jesus is my righteousness and through His blood I am forgiven and cleansed." Turn again to God. Use the accusation as a reminder that you are not standing before an angry God but rather a throne of grace which enables you to boldly draw near to God for help (Heb. 4:16).
A vital key, therefore, to overcoming the devil is humility. To humble yourself is to refuse to defend your image: you are corrupt and full of sin in your old nature. Yet we have a new nature that has been created in the likeness of Christ (Eph. 4:24), so we can agree with our adversary about the condition of our flesh.
But do not limit this principle of humbling yourself to only when you are involved in spiritual warfare. This precept is applicable in other situations as well. The strength of humility is that it builds a spiritual defense around your soul, prohibiting strife, competition and many of life's irritations from stealing your peace.
A wonderful place to practice this is in your family relationships. As a husband, your wife may criticize you for being insensitive. A fleshly response could easily escalate the conversation into a conflict. The alternative is to simply humble yourself and agree with your wife. You probably were insensitive. Then pray together and ask God for a more tender love.
As a wife, perhaps your husband accuses you of not understanding the pressures he has at work. More than likely he is right, you do not know the things he must face. Instead of responding with a counter-charge, humble yourself and agree with him. Pray together, asking God to give you an understanding heart. If we remain humble in heart, we will receive abundant grace from God; Satan will be disarmed on many fronts.
Remember, Satan fears virtue. He is terrified of humility; he hates it because humility is the surrender of the soul to the Lord, and the devil is terrified of Jesus Christ.
http://www.frangipane.org/
... Our salvation is not based upon what we do but upon who Jesus becomes to us. Christ Himself is our righteousness. We have been justified by faith; our peace with God comes through our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:1). When Satan comes against you, he tries to deceive you by focusing your attention upon your own righteousness. The more we recognize that Jesus alone is our righteousness, the less the adversary can assault us in the arena of our failings.
Thus, when the accuser comes seeking to condemn you for not having enough love, your response should be, "That is true, I do not have enough love. But the Son of God died for all my sins, even the sin of imperfect love." Step out from the shadow of satanic assault and stand in the brightness of your Father's love. Submit yourself to God and ask for Christ's love and forgiveness to replace your weak and imperfect love.
When Satan seeks to condemn you for impatience, again your response should be, "Yes, in my flesh I am very impatient. But since I have been born again, Jesus is my righteousness and through His blood I am forgiven and cleansed." Turn again to God. Use the accusation as a reminder that you are not standing before an angry God but rather a throne of grace which enables you to boldly draw near to God for help (Heb. 4:16).
A vital key, therefore, to overcoming the devil is humility. To humble yourself is to refuse to defend your image: you are corrupt and full of sin in your old nature. Yet we have a new nature that has been created in the likeness of Christ (Eph. 4:24), so we can agree with our adversary about the condition of our flesh.
But do not limit this principle of humbling yourself to only when you are involved in spiritual warfare. This precept is applicable in other situations as well. The strength of humility is that it builds a spiritual defense around your soul, prohibiting strife, competition and many of life's irritations from stealing your peace.
A wonderful place to practice this is in your family relationships. As a husband, your wife may criticize you for being insensitive. A fleshly response could easily escalate the conversation into a conflict. The alternative is to simply humble yourself and agree with your wife. You probably were insensitive. Then pray together and ask God for a more tender love.
As a wife, perhaps your husband accuses you of not understanding the pressures he has at work. More than likely he is right, you do not know the things he must face. Instead of responding with a counter-charge, humble yourself and agree with him. Pray together, asking God to give you an understanding heart. If we remain humble in heart, we will receive abundant grace from God; Satan will be disarmed on many fronts.
Remember, Satan fears virtue. He is terrified of humility; he hates it because humility is the surrender of the soul to the Lord, and the devil is terrified of Jesus Christ.
http://www.frangipane.org/
Friday, October 4, 2013
I just love this about the Life Model ...
The LIFE model suggests that people need five things in order to thrive:
- A place to belong
- To receive and give life
- The capacity to recover from things that go wrong (desynchronizations)
- Maturation
- To live from their identities (hearts)
These elements develop when we share joy and sorrows together as natural and spiritual families in peaceful homes. The LIFE Model covers both our growth and recovery. These five elements apply whether we consider physical growth, emotional growth, family growth, community growth or spiritual growth. Taken in order from one to five, these elements are needed for strong and healthy human growth. Taken in reverse order, starting with living from our true identities, these same elements form an excellent diagnostic grid for a failure to thrive.
Excerpt from Dr Carolyn Leaf’s blog ...
Doing busy well means we are not shifting haphazardly between life events but that we are:
• interacting mindfully
• in a self-reflective way,
• thinking things through in a focused quality manner,
• listening, watching and reading intently,
• keeping our eye on one thing at a time and
• fixing it in our mind.
This does not mean that you slow down, it means the quality of how you spend each second of your time improves.
So instead of jumping haphazardly between the tasks, get disciplined and focused closure per task, saying to myself something like: “Lord help me remember where I was in this email and what should I respond to first - or shall I finish this email then look?” then intentionally and purposefully - and quickly - direct your attention in a deeply intellectual way to each task.
http://drleaf.com/blog/
• interacting mindfully
• in a self-reflective way,
• thinking things through in a focused quality manner,
• listening, watching and reading intently,
• keeping our eye on one thing at a time and
• fixing it in our mind.
This does not mean that you slow down, it means the quality of how you spend each second of your time improves.
So instead of jumping haphazardly between the tasks, get disciplined and focused closure per task, saying to myself something like: “Lord help me remember where I was in this email and what should I respond to first - or shall I finish this email then look?” then intentionally and purposefully - and quickly - direct your attention in a deeply intellectual way to each task.
http://drleaf.com/blog/
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