Saturday, May 5, 2012

His Beauty

His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers.
­­--Song of Solomon 5:13
           
            The flowery month is here! March winds and April showers have done their work, and the earth is all adorned in beauty. Come, my soul, and put on your holiday attire; go forth to gather garlands of heavenly thoughts. You know where to go, for you know well the “bed of spices.” You have often smelled the perfume of “sweet flowers.” You will go at once to your Well Beloved and find all loveliness and all joy in Him. 

That cheek—once so rudely smitten with a rod, often wet with tears of sympathy and then defiled with spit—that cheek, as it smiles with mercy, is a fragrant aroma to my heart. You did not hide Your face from shame and spit, O Lord Jesus; therefore, I will find my dearest delight in praising You. Those cheeks were furrowed by the plow of grief and crimsoned with red lines of blood from Your thorn-crowned temples. Such marks of limitless love cannot but charm my soul far more than great quantities of perfume. 

If I may not see the whole of His face, I would behold His cheeks, for the least glimpse of Him is exceedingly refreshing to my spiritual sense and yields a variety of delights. In Jesus I find not only fragrance, but a “a bed of spices”; not one flower, but all manner of “sweet flowers.” He is to me my Rose and My Lily, my heart’s comfort and my healing balm. When He is with me, it is May all year round. My soul goes forth to wash its happy face in the morning dew of His grace and to comfort itself with the singing of the birds of His promises. 

Precious Lord Jesus, let me truly know the blessedness that dwells in abiding, unbroken fellowship with You. I am a poor worthless one, whose cheek You have deigned to kiss! Oh, let me kiss You in return with the kisses of my lips.

--Charles Spurgeon


Jesus, move me to action. I have been changed by Your love; Your beautiful love. Send me out in that love. Break my heart Jesus, break my heart for the very people who turn against You. Break my heart over my sin, and continue to heal my past, and pour Your grace out on me daily. I NEED YOU.


Thursday, April 26, 2012

Cry of Truth

For all of those in need of prayer:

I need to tell you this! 
You need to be praying! 
PRAY!!!!
That's how these situations are conquered. 
Through prayer! Your prayers and the prayers of others!
So stay in a spirit of prayer.
Do not let go of God; do not stop praying.

The accusations of the enemy are not valid in God's ears because you are covered with the blood of Christ. 

There is no condemnation through Christ. 

We are not conformed to this world,
 but we are transformed by the renewal of our mind 
taking every thought captive in obedience to Christ. 

You have been given authority over All the power of the enemy. 

We have crucified our flesh with Christ 
and God has given us a new life. 

No accusation against you can stand 
and I pray that no foothold will be gained by the enemy because of his work against you right now.
In Jesus name I tear down any stronghold of the enemy! 

God is before you and behind you 
and He has chosen YOU to fight, 
you mighty man or woman of valor. 

Stand firm in the power of Jesus Christ. 

God is with you. 
You fight in the power of Jesus name; 
therefore, nothing can stand against you! 

We fight in the Power of God! 
with the Armor of God! 
In the Spirit of God! 

God has put us on the high ground. 

He has placed us high upon a rock 
to see all the movements of the enemy. 

In fact, 
not only are the enemy's movement's 
and plans revealed to us through God's word, 
but we know the outcome! 

WE FIGHT FROM VICTORY, 
WE HAVE THE HIGH GROUND, 
AND WE FIGHT AGAINST A CRIPPLED ENEMY!!!!!!! 

I pray the cleansing blood of Jesus 
over your mind and your thoughts 
and more than anything
 I pray that YOU WOULD PRAY! 
I love you and I want you to pray 
whether or not you should be doing something else right now.


JESUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!









Thursday, April 19, 2012

What You Are Meant For

What if you could have Jesus the way Peter and John had him? The way Mary andy Lazarus did?

You get to.


You are meant to have this Jesus, 
more than you have each new day,
more than you have your next breath.
For heaven's sake--
he is your next day, your next breath.
You are meant to share life with him--
not just glimpse now and then at church,
not just a rare sighting. 
And you are meant to life his life. 
The purpose of his life, death, and resurrection 
was to ransom you from your sin,
deliver you from the clutches of evil, 
restore you to God--
so that his personality and his life could heal 
and fill your personality, your humility, and your life.
This is the reason he came.

Beautiful Outlaw, 161, 162


Sunday, April 15, 2012

May I Remind You...

We are in a war.
Did you forget?
Did it slip your mind?
Or has the wartime mentality been convinced out of you?

I could post about what we are fighting for, or who we are fighting against, or some of the strategies of war that we should be using, but the truth is, I have already posted about all of those things in some form or another.

This is a wake up call.
A siren.

We are at war, and you can be sure that the forces opposing you know it.
So while you may not know you're living on a battlefield, the enemy knows it full well and they are constantly preparing their forces to take you down.

Actually, the truth is:
If you don't have a wartime mindset, the enemy has already taken you down.
Makes sense right?
How can you stand against him if you don't think there's any fighting going on?
Get back in the fight.
Please.
Stand in the power of Jesus Christ the Wounded Warrior, and the Commander in Chief.
And FIGHT

Fight for you life, and the lives of those you love.
Your family needs you to fight.
Your friends need you to fight.
The body of Christ needs you to fight.

If you can't see this in the Bible, you may not be reading the Bible...
Look again...

The Lord is a man of war;
the Lord is his name.
(Ex 15)

Almost every single book of the Bible is filled with warnings, stories, and descriptions of...

a world at war.

We live on Battlefield Earth.

Either your in, or you've been taken down.

Your choice



Thursday, April 12, 2012

2 Huge Battles (J)

Joy...


"Wait...what?"
Is that what just popped into your head?
Or something like it?

It might have been something like: 
"What does joy have to do with God? My joy comes from _________."
(Insert dancing, music, video games, a relationship, friends, adrenaline, beauty, etc...)

Maybe more likely, others may have thought:
"Joy? No, you must have me confused with someone who makes their living backpacking through Europe; someone with free time, or with an exciting life.  I'm just looking for ways to find relief from the monotony and the stress that is my life."

Sound familiar?


Consider this:
You are sitting. Yes, just sitting. In an airport... You are waiting for your second of three flights for the day. You are super excited, and you still have much of the joy and excitement that you woke up with this morning. BUT, your second flight has been delayed... and delayed... and delayed...
You now realize how close you will be cutting it trying to make your third and final flight.
Where's your joy right now?


So you finally get on the plane. Wow.
And then...
You miss the third flight...
Where's your joy now?




There are 2 huge battles going on in this world. Battles that effect every single person, whether you know it or not...

The battles are for Joy and Surrender.

These names may seem vague, so I'll explain:

The battle of Joy, is really more like a campaign of the enemy against our joy.
When was the last time you experienced joy?
Not so common, is it?









"So there was much joy in that city." Acts 8:8 
Shout for joy to God, all the earth;" Psalm 66:1
"These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full." John 15:11
"And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit." Acts 13:52
"Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice." Psalm 51:8
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice." Philippians 4:4
"But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed." 1 Peter 4:13
"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." Romans 12:12
"This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24


We were meant to have Joy.


...We were meant to have Joy...

Thursday, March 22, 2012

2 Huge Battles (S)





"Just Do It"
Sound familiar?

How about these:
"Have it your way"
"Obey your thirst"
"Impossible is Nothing"
"I am what I am"

The list goes on...
These are just the few that come from big name companies, but there is one that may define the American Christian situation with more potency than the rest:

"You can do it. We can help."

We are convinced that we are the masters of this world. 
The masters of our environment,
of our schedules,
our futures,
and ourselves.


What if that's not the case?
What if we are living a lie?
And
What if that lie is destroying us..
as individuals,
as families,
as companies,
as a country,
and as the human race.


There are 2 huge battles going on in this world. Battles that affect every single person, whether you know it or not...


The battles are for Joy and Surrender.


These names may seem vague, so I'll explain:


The battle of joy, is really more like a campaign of the enemy against our joy.
When was the last time you experienced joy?
Not so common, is it?


The Battle of surrender is a little different.
In this situation, we are already convinced that we should surrender to no one.
Surrender means weakness, right?
Case and point.
The battle of surrender is real, and it's either fight or die.


See the point is, we are not in control.
No matter how much we try to be, we will be disappointed time and time again.
Doesn't this sound familiar?
Haven't you been trying to muscle through on your own strength?
To control your schedule?
To control the reactions of the people around you?
I sure have, and I still do.
And I fall flat on my face every time.


Here's what it comes down to:


 "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
(Matthew 19:26)



We can try to be the masters of our environment
our schedules
our families and friends
and ourselves,
but is that the best choice?




Jesus, I am yours. I am nothing without you. I am a mess when I try to be the master of myself. I surrender to you Jesus. Take my life in your hands. Mold me and change me. Use me and teach me. I surrender my schedule to you. I surrender my family to you. I surrender my day to you. I can't do this alone. I can't do this with just a little help. I surrender totally to you, because with man this day is impossible, but with you all things are possible! I love you Jesus; you are beautiful.














Thursday, March 1, 2012

Being Filled (#6)

Finally.
We have gone through identifying the foul spirit,
rebuking it in the power and authority that we have been given in Jesus,
searching for agreements and destroying them in that same power.
Now,
the best part is that we can ask God to fill us!
Like I said last time (wow that was a long time ago), God wants to heal us!
He wants us to have joy!

Can you just stop reading and accept that for a second?
God wants you to experience JOY!


"This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it."

Psalm 118:24 (ESV)


So what do we ask God to fill us with?
Some things, I believe, we should ask for in every situation:

Joy
Healing

After these two you can become more specific.
If you're being attacked by pride it would be natural for you to ask to be filled with humility.
I always like to add a verse if I can as well.  Here's an example for humility:

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand 
of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you."
1 Peter 5:6 (ESV)

If not humility, then asking to be filled with the fruit of the Spirit is another great direction:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, 
kindness, goodness, faithfulness gentleness, self-control."
Galatians 5:22+23 (ESV)


I am careful not to omit this part of the process.
Jesus tells us the following story:

"'When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, "I will return to my house from which I came." And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first.'"
Matthew 12:43-45


Did you notice that the house was left empty?
That is exactly why asking to be filled is ESSENTIAL.
Without this, we leave ourselves empty.
Clean, but still empty.


Again, this process is also about healing. I need this experience of God healing all of the torn flesh that has been left behind as a result of the attack; like the aftermath of a lion with a hunger for blood. 

Father, come into this situation. Fill me with your love that I may give it out and heal the wounds that I have incurred during this battle. My joy comes from You. Renew my joy, speak your joy over me. Wash me with your blood, Jesus, and sing your promises over me. I surrender my life to you.



Sunday, February 26, 2012

Sow What You Weep


Here's a short video by my good friend Chenzy Graziano. 
His dream is to change lives through film, and he's off to a wonderful start.
Please show your support for Chenz by liking this post or sending Chenz comments and encouragement.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Someone to Look Up to

This is J-J. Pastor Ron and his wife Linda (founders of Oasis Ministries) take in children to give them home and feed them. They do not adopt, because the process is very corrupt. Instead, they take the children in and give them guidelines that they must live by. As long as they live by these guidelines, they have a safe home filled with compassion. J-J is Ron and Linda's "grandson" - the son of one of the teenage girls that live with them.

Everyone needs a role model; especially little kids.
I bet you can still remember that person from when you were little.
You wanted to be like that person didn't you?
You wanted their clothes, their accent, their standing with others...
For some, that person was an actor, or artist, and others looked to their older sibling, or a wise relative or friend of the family.

Some regret looking up to that person, and others are still following to this day.

J.J. here has the awesome advantage of a role model who cares about others rather than themselves.
Is there any other reason why people would sacrifice their life and resources to care for people that are unrelated?

And i bet there's someone looking up to you right now...
You may not even know it...

So,
Are you the role model that people will regret looking up to later on in life, or are you the person that cares about others, before he thinks of himself?

The choice is yours.


A big thanks goes out to Ashley Steffens for providing these beautiful pictures!
To read more about her upcoming adventure in Hawaii go to www.focused-on-faith.com.

Or to acquire her service of photographical awesomeness, or donate to her mission, go to http://www.wix.com/ashleysteffens/captured

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Looking Deeper (#5)

Ok. We are beginning to see an attack as it's happening, we are getting better at naming and rebuking the specific medium of attack (anger, depression, lust, etc...).

Now it's time to explore the possibility that the situation has a deeper root than simply a coincidental attack. (One of these deeper possibilities involves being attacked because you are praying for someone else, this will be discussed later).

The root, the deeper problem is called an agreement.
Many Bible readers will find the word "stronghold" to be more familiar, but i have chosen "agreement" to portray a more specific meaning.
Agreements are literally statements, confessions, or...agreements that we have made in the past (recent, or distant) that have a strong effect on our present situation.
And, they can have a devastating long term effect if they are left in action.

Here are some examples:
"God can never love me."
"I can do this if I just push through."
"I will always eat too much."
"I will never get better."
"Well, I guess I won't be getting any sleep."
"I need to do this on my own."

Do you hear your own voice in any of this?
Just think for a second.
What are the agreements that you have made that may be guiding your life even in this very moment...

And can you see effects of these agreements?
Listen

Someone might have abandoned you when you were young, or even yesterday. Maybe there was a time when life felt completely hopeless and you felt abandoned by God.
In those moments, you might have made an agreement.
Maybe the agreement you made is that you weren't good enough for that person to stick around.
Maybe the agreement is that God abandoned you.

Do you see how much hurt, how much damage this can cause?

The result of those agreements might be that you can't trust the people closest to you. It's not that you don't want to; you just can't.

Or even worse, you can't hear God's voice because of the rift that has been created by that agreement.

These are powerful, and not to be taken lightly.

Please Listen!!

You, yes You are going through something like this right now.
You feel as if there is an unstoppable force working against you.
A wall of emotion and years of habit.

Not only that, but there are people who want to help you, and you even want help. But you're so scared to stop -- to step on the brakes and take a look under the hood.
You have tried this before and been hit with a wall of fear, anger, and tears.
It almost seems better just to be unaware of the damage, doesn't it?
As long as we don't have to go through the emotions of dealing with it, maybe we are better off.

No. Please see my heart in this. Please stop and look under the hood.
This is God's will. He wants to bring healing.

He wants to heal you!

Father, reveal and destroy any agreements I have made in the past concerning this situation. Jesus, I am scared to deal with this. Open me up to your healing. I welcome you into this situation. I surrender myself to you. I surrender my hurt to you.

Stop now. Search, listen, pray...