Monday Morning Restoration

"There comes a time in the life of every believer when propositional truth is no longer enough.  It will always remain central, the foundation for our faith.  And sometimes it is all we have, and we can run far and long on it.  But we are made for intimacy with God, not just knowledge about him."

This was in the study notes on Captivating last week.  My eyes were really opened to the fact that a lot of us haven't really discovered the relationship that Jesus really desires and created us for.  I was talking to the girls at my study last Wednesday about how I used to feel a very heavy burden in my relationship with God; I felt that if I didn’t do what was right I’d feel the wrath of God.  I know quiet a few christians have this "Old Testament" view of God. The love of Jesus wasn’t the center of my relationship and true passion, Bridegroom passion, is lacking in so many of us.  For a long time I was very dry, I was ready to be burnt up and blown away like chaff.  I only had my fire insurance.  I went to church, served, and “played the part” of godly mother.  But I had no passion. 

I was tired of the emotional highs and lows that seemed to follow the charismatic services.  All of my life was riddled with such people who would have these great experiences at the alter, and there would be no change, nothing to show for it, no true, lasting heart change.  I didn't want to be one of those people, I decided I wouldn’t peruse or go any deeper then I needed.  I didn’t want my relationship with Jesus to be based on shallow emotion or heavy burdens.  I didn’t want to put in the work it required to have true devotion and passion beyond the alter experience, so I stayed stagnant.  But I was tired.  I wasn't putting anything into my relationship with God, but what I didn’t realize was that the more I would give, the easier it would get.  So now, I know there is no other option but to be real.  To be the one to lay on the alter, pouring my life out to Him, but I will not allow my life to stay the same.  No, this is not easy, it takes real effort to not fall back into the same ways of coping.  I need to allow my heart to stay open to Jesus long after I leave the alter.  My life needs to be an alter, set up before Him.  Only then will we allow Him to restore our hearts, to have true heart changes that last past Sunday morning. 

Ezekiel 33:31
My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain.

Jesus my Bride

I have had some amazing revelation over the last few days.  I was listening to Mike Bickle’s teaching on what it means to be Christ’s bride, and him our bridegroom.  –Highly Recommended-  You can find it at http://www.mikebickle.com/. 

I'm so glad God showed me these things.  I was having a hard time wrapping my head around Jesus as the bride groom, God my father.  Eww.  Maybe that doesn't wierd you out, but I really don't want to marry my dad.  But it really isn't anything like that.  Not that I've found yet.  I've only listend to the first installment of the teaching.  I'm so excited to see what else God shows me.

So what I learned yesterday was that God made us for one purpose, as a prize for his son Jesus, to provide him eternal companionship.  As if God wasn’t enough.  But He knows Jesus’ heart and what would mean most to him.  So he gave him US!  The entire history of the world was planned and arranged in a way so Jesus could have us, a pure bride to commune with for eternity.  Everything that has happened has happened to open our human eyes, and point to Jesus.  In the end all will have to obey Jesus, weather voluntarily or forced.  God doesn’t want to force us, all of history has been thwarting us to find our savior, your history and pain has allowed you to see who will fill your needs.  I don’t want to be forced to be Jesus’ bride; I don’t want an arranged marriage.  I want one filled with passion and joy, not judgment and obligation.  I want to give him what he desires, what he deserves. 

When he died, his eyes were on the prize.  Do you know what that prize was?  You!  When we stop looking for our place in God’s kingdom, take our eyes off “me”, put our focus on Jesus, when we get a clear view of who Jesus is, what God had planned the whole time, our purpose is evident, our place is reveled,  and revelation of his love will overflow.  Then we will be willing to give everything for our Bridegroom.

God's Initation

^{Isaiah 62:1-5
1} Because I love Zion,
      I will not keep still.
   Because my heart yearns for Jerusalem,
      I cannot remain silent.
   I will not stop praying for her
      until her righteousness shines like the dawn,
      and her salvation blazes like a burning torch.
 ² The nations will see your righteousness.
      World leaders will be blinded by your glory.
   And you will be given a new name
      by the Lord’s own mouth. ³ The Lord will hold you in his hand for all to see—
      a splendid crown in the hand of God.
 ⁴ Never again will you be called “The Forsaken City”^[a]      or “The Desolate Land.”^[b]   Your new name will be “The City of God’s Delight”^[c]      and “The Bride of God,”^[d]   for the Lord delights in you
      and will claim you as his bride.
 ⁵ Your children will commit themselves to you, O Jerusalem,
      just as a young man commits himself to his bride.
   Then God will rejoice over you
      as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride.

I have been dwelling on this verse for weeks now.  It is so powerful on so many levels, and every few days it seems that the Holy Spirit is revealing something new to me. 

Last night I was reading in "Wild at Heart" about how God initiates us, and calls us by a new name.  John Eldredge gave several examples of men whose names he changed, Abraham, and Paul, and how He took these and other wise men off to uncharted country to teach them His ways.  This was mostly pointing to men, but I am now asking how this pertains in my life.

God has been revealing to me how He sheds our earthly comforts, He thwarts us so we can truly find Him.  Long ago when boys were initiated they were told to go on extravagant missions to find, explore, and come back "men", mature adults capable of supporting their community and eventually their own family.  God does the same to us so we can support His family, the Church, and seek lost souls.  He calls us into the wilderness, places without comfort so we can find Him.  These desolate places require us to lean on God alone.  He shows us our weakness so he can make them stronger. 

When God initiates us, he removes the names(wounds of our youth) we came to him with; burden, worthless, ugly, trouble, whatever you are carrying on your heart.  Then as verse 2 says "you will be called by a new name , that the mouth of the LORD will bestow".  This is a new name, your initiation has started.  The new name is truth, splendor, beauty. 

Now, I'm realizing his initiation is a very long process called life.  We often ask the wrong questions of Him.  "Why did God allow this to happen?, Why won't God let me succeed in this?"  But as initiation continues, we now need a new set of questions, "what are you teaching me here?  What issues in my heart are you trying to raise through this?  What or How do you want me to see?"  But now that we have our new name in Christ, we have put aside our wounds of our heart; we can handle things differently.  We rely on God and not self.  And when old wounds surface, remember your new name verse 4; Your new name will be “The City of God’s Delight” and “The Bride of God,”[for the Lord delights in you! I can't think of any better initiation.

Restoration

This may not be news to many of you.  But I stumbled across a new concept, for me at least.  We all know Jesus came to earth as the ultimate sacrifice for us.  To save us from death and to allow us the gift of Heaven upon our physical death.  But did you realize, that is only part of it!  Jesus is far more then "fire insurance", a way to keep us from Hell.  His main purpose is to restore us. 

When Jesus first entered the synagogue to begin his earthly mission, He opened the Scriptures and read from Isaiah 61.  It says:  
¹ The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me,
      for the Lord has anointed me
      to bring good news to the poor.
   He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted
      and to proclaim that captives will be released
      and prisoners will be freed.^[a]
 2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn
      that the time of the Lord’s favor has come,^[b]
      and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.
 ³ To all who mourn in Israel,^[c]
      he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
   a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
      festive praise instead of despair.
   In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks
      that the Lord has planted for his own glory.

That is what He has come to do!  Are you broken, morning the loss or your youth?  Do you feel like ashes, charred up remains of who you once were?  He has relief for all of that and so much more.  He offers to take all of our hurts and heal our hearts, but there is a catch.  He won't barge in and take them, he has to be invited.  It says in Revelation 3:20 ²⁰'Behold, I stand ^(A)at the door and ^(B)knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, ^(C)I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. 

He doesn't stop knocking after He is Lord over your life.  He is knocking for access to your whole life, your whole heart.  Then, and only then, can and will he begin to renew, restore, refresh who he created us to be.  There is far more enjoyment to be had on this earth.  We don't need to wait for heaven to feel this peace and release of pain.  As for me, I'm not waiting until I die to know the true Glory of my God.  He is inviting you to the same.  Will you open the door?

Whats My Motivation?

Kind words and encouragement are always nice to hear.  But it makes me think "why do I do what I do?"  Does that make any sense?  Why did I start this blog?  Do I just want to write so I can hear the kind words of my friends?  Honestly, I love to be encouraged, but its almost too much attention.  I really shy away from it and I feel its not deserved.  The only real encouragement I seek is from God.  I want to be like Abraham, to be called a friend of God.  That is the only acceptance I need.

I say this because, even if now I have my friends backing me up, it may not always be that way.  Many of the prophets of the old testament were not listened to.  I think of Ezekiel when God told him in Chapter 2 verse 5, "as for them, whether they listen or not -for they are a rebellious house- they will know that a prophet has been among them."  When God gives us words, it may not always be well received, and you will likely be hated and very unpopular.  This is shown over and over again throughout the Bible.

I have to remind myself, Proverbs 3:26, for the Lord will be my confidence and will keep my foot from being caught.  God is my assurance, backbone, boldness, certainty, courage, determination, fearlessness, fortitude, reliance, spunk, tenacity.  These are all synonyms of confidence and all things that my God is for me.  I don't need men's approval, but God alone.  It sure makes it easier when you have others on your side, but its not the reason I do what I do.    

 

Proverbs 3:26 (New International Version)

 ²⁶ for the LORD will be your confidence
       and will keep your foot from being snared

Did You Ask?

Have you ever volunteered for something at Church because you saw a need and knew somone had to do it.....and then, you hated it!? What! Jesus said His burden was easy and His yoke was light. Why is volunteering at church so much work, and why is it so hard to get anyone involved. I think they go hand in hand.

So many of us have experienced this senario. It scares us off, why would we want to be involved with anything else in church if its going to be so painful? A few years back our Church moved into our own building and we needed childcare workers. I love kids, so I volunteered for the nursery coordinator. I hated it. I loved those babies, but my heart wasn't in the work. I became resentful because it was so much work.

Recently I came accross a verse I know well.

Psalm 127:1 Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.

But this time, I saw another level to the verse. Unless the Lord builds the house, you labor in vain. Unless the Lord does the work, unless God has told you to do it, its all for nothing. It was an ah-ha moment. No wonder I didn't like being the nursery coordinator. Besides the fact I was in there every week, I had never even considered asking God if it was a job I should do. I just thought we were supposed to do whatever needed to be done. And that is true to some point, but we are only to do what God asks us to do. Imagine if we were all obedient, just think how smoothly Sunday morning would run.

The other day, My friend brought some light to the Mary and Martha story. It wasn't that Jesus didn't want Martha to clean, and cook, but He wanted her to do what He asked. Mary would have been more then happy to make Jesus a meal had he asked. But what He wanted, at that moment, was for them to come and spend time with Him. God had showed me over the summer that my desire for a clean home wasn't a problem until it interuped my time spent with Him. And for years it did. I had the Martha spirit of busyness. Until I realized this, I could never just sit and enjoy Him, I wasn't able to sit and let Him love on me. It took practice, God had to teach me how to be still in His presence. And now that I have learned to let Him love me, learned to sit at His feet; I have found a real place of rest. No matter what my house looks like.

I still clean, but when He asks, I sit at His feet, and I try to do it before He has to come calling. Before I jump in and serve in one more area, I ask God first. "Is this what you want me to do?" Because His burden really is easy, and His yoke is light, when you ask Him first.

Little Blessings

My husband and I took a few days off from the parent world. My wonderful parents came up and stayed with the kids for 2 nights. Ah, such sweet bliss to be able to eat dinner and actually have an adult conversation, not to mention sleeping in. If you call 7:30 sleeping in.

This last weekend was so much fun, but more than that, it was a chance for God to remind me of how much he cares for me. Remember on Friday how I said God searches the whole world for you. He reminded me again how he does this in so many ways.

We were at the Mall of America, I wasn't really planning on buying anything for myself, but when I stumbled across a pair of Levi's Jeans that fit perfectly, for $15 I couldn't pass them up. I remember trying them on in the dressing room and thanking God because they were such a blessing. I lost about 40 lbs, give or take a few, last year and I had to get an entirely new wardrobe, that is expensive. But God has helped me find some amazing deals along the way. I told my husband that God was just helping me obtain clothes since I was obedient and changed my eating habits. He kind of laughed it off.

Side note: My husband always asks me to pray for things he needs because he tells me "God hears your prayers better then mine". Not really, but I really think God wants to prove Himself to those who are searching for Him. He is fighting for me, even in my shopping trips, God is on MY side.

So, we continue shopping and stop at Old Navy. Lewis finds some really great shirts $8 per shirt, and I found a great deal on winter fleece sweaters. 2 for $16! The best part, it was Saturday only. Thanks again God, I was needing more sweaters. :)

Okay, but this really has to be the funnest part of the story. After a day of seeing God bless me this just knocked our socks off. We were at the Cheesecake factory, waiting our 40 minute turn. We really wanted to eat outside, but they couldn't guarantee a table. So just after we put our name in, I asked God to save us a table outside. Yep, 40 minutes later we were outside, AND, they messed up our order and we got our cheesecake for FREE! That's $16 in free cheesecake! HA!

Now, you may think these are all just lucky coincidences, and I probably would have thought that months ago too. But lately, I've been seeing God romance me in ways I never really gave Him credit for before. And I really feel that as soon as you begin to notice the things He does for you, He will begin to do more. Weather its because He will actually begin to give you more, or you'll just start to notice it, I'm not sure. But He loves to see our faces light up at the gifts he gives us. Weather its just a bright blue sky, or free cheesecake. He loves to bless His daughters.

Remember this verse?
Matthew 6:26
26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?

A Daily Fight?

Okay, first off, I'm not committing to writing everyday. Unless God intervenes somewhere, it just isn't going to happen. But, God has been showing me how He restores us, daily. So, theres the name, plus nothing else was available. I guess He saved this one for me.

Over the last few weeks I have had an entire new outlook on my relationship with my Creator. I always knew him as gentle, loving, and caring. But I guess I forgot that God is also a fighter. I was reading "Wild at Heart" a few weeks back and I about wanted to jump out of bed! I highly recommend reading that book, even if you aren't a man. Its a window into who our God is, placing half his heart into man, and half into Women( Which is in the Captivating book).

Anywho, This concept of fighting for me consumes me. Just read this verse here:

Chronicles 16:9 The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

Amplified: For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong in behalf of those whose hearts are blameless toward Him (same verse, in the amplified)

Wow! He isn't just going to fight when you ask, He is actively seeking to give his strength and fight for you! What an increadable God we serve.

Oh and how about Psalms 18, my friend Carol pointed this one out to me. Amazing!

4 The ropes of death entangled me; floods of destruction swept over me.
5 The grave[a] wrapped its ropes around me; death laid a trap in my path.
6 But in my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears.
7 Then the earth quaked and trembled. The foundations of the mountains shook; they quaked because of his anger.
8 Smoke poured from his nostrils; fierce flames leaped from his mouth.Glowing coals blazed forth from him.
9 He opened the heavens and came down; dark storm clouds were beneath his feet.
10 Mounted on a mighty angelic being,[b] he flew, soaring on the wings of the wind.
11 He shrouded himself in darkness, veiling his approach with dark rain clouds.
12 Thick clouds shielded the brightness around him and rained down hail and burning coals.[c]13 The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded amid the hail and burning coals.
14 He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; his lightning flashed, and they were greatly confused.
15 Then at your command, O Lord, at the blast of your breath, the bottom of the sea could be seen, and the foundations of the earth were laid bare.

He not only Hears your cries, but it makes Him so angry when others are harming His daughters. He opened the heavens! He moved the entire earth because of his anger. See, He doesn't just do something when you ask, He seeks YOU out, He doesn't just do what you ask, He moves the Heavens and the Earth to protect the ones he loves.

I heard a quote recently from Gianna Jensen, an abortion survivor,

"Be nice to me, My Father rules the world"

I couldn't have said it any better myself. So today, ask yourself, how does He fight for you? Because if your heart is His, He already does.