There are many challenges that face men and women who have committed their lives to building the church. These are the hidden curriculum that you never learn at bible college or at a ministry training college. This week @ Elevation we lost a great man that we had been praying for over an extended period of time. We had special prayer meetings, days of fasting, anointing with oil and yet our good friend still went home to be with Jesus. How do people reconcile this?
I am reminded in Jn 11:1-44 that when Jesus heard about his friend Lazarus being gravely ill the bible tells us that Jesus loved him so much that he waited an extra two days, by then Lazarus was dead, before he went to him.
“Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.” John says that Jesus delayed because he loved them. He loved them all: Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed.” It was his love that let Lazarus die. In these last 16 months, Jesus has not ceased to love this family.
Its easy to feel unloved at moments like these, where is God? But we cant bring God down to our level of experience. He is Lord, He is sovereign and He is in control.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Move toward your goliath
1 Sam 17:32 And David said to Saul, "Let no mans heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine".
That thing you see as an obstacle God is seeing as an opportunity...bigger problems mean more glory for Him...face that giant today!
That thing you see as an obstacle God is seeing as an opportunity...bigger problems mean more glory for Him...face that giant today!
Saturday, February 6, 2010
No Limits
Matt 13:58
And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.
I have heard it said that you can tell what you really believe by what you do when you aren't thinking. This will be our core belief. When we hear of a need do we automatically move towards God's unlimited power to meet that need or do we tend to give sympathy and understanding only?
Henry Ford said,
"I am looking for a lot of men who have an infinite capacity to not know what can't be done"And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.
I have heard it said that you can tell what you really believe by what you do when you aren't thinking. This will be our core belief. When we hear of a need do we automatically move towards God's unlimited power to meet that need or do we tend to give sympathy and understanding only?
Henry Ford said,
Isaiah 9:7 (MSG)
7 His ruling authority will grow, and there'll be no limits to the wholeness he brings.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Day 15
Mal 1:8
8 When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?" says the LORD Almighty.
The priests in Malachi's day thought their sacrifices were sufficient. They had spotless animals but chose to keep those for themselves and give their lest desirable animals to God. They assumed that God was pleased because they had sacrificed something. God wasn't happy. Just as He isn't happy when we offer him our leftovers. Our leftover money, our leftover time and our leftover devotion. Why not make a decision as this fast enters its last day, Jesus I want to give you my best, not my leftovers but my best.
8 When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?" says the LORD Almighty.
The priests in Malachi's day thought their sacrifices were sufficient. They had spotless animals but chose to keep those for themselves and give their lest desirable animals to God. They assumed that God was pleased because they had sacrificed something. God wasn't happy. Just as He isn't happy when we offer him our leftovers. Our leftover money, our leftover time and our leftover devotion. Why not make a decision as this fast enters its last day, Jesus I want to give you my best, not my leftovers but my best.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Day 14
Its a little late in coming but here we are. I'm in the Qantas club again waiting for a plane to Cairns as I have a funeral tomorrow morning for one of our network pastors who died of a heart attack last week.
Matt13:44
44"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
In this account the man gladly sold all he had in order to purchase something that really mattered, he knew that what he had stumbled upon, the Kingdom of Heaven, was more valuable than anything he had, so he went for it with everything in him.
A good friend of my wife gave her heart to Christ at Elevation on Sunday night and on Monday she received a TXT about her excitement of finding Christ. Certainly much better than some Christians response who cant even be motivated to worship! Are we still this passionate about obtaining the things of the Kingdom?
Matt13:44
44"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
In this account the man gladly sold all he had in order to purchase something that really mattered, he knew that what he had stumbled upon, the Kingdom of Heaven, was more valuable than anything he had, so he went for it with everything in him.
A good friend of my wife gave her heart to Christ at Elevation on Sunday night and on Monday she received a TXT about her excitement of finding Christ. Certainly much better than some Christians response who cant even be motivated to worship! Are we still this passionate about obtaining the things of the Kingdom?
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Day 13
Australia Day! Another glorious day at the Gold Coast. Went to the early morning prayer meeting this morning for a time of passionate praying with others and then off to the beach to hang out with some friends for the morning.
I have been thrilled and inspired by the amount of people that have taken up the fasting challenge over these 14 days. In fact some are actually going to go longer. The testimonies that I am hearing of tension in marriages as people try and get their lives centered back around Christ, physical "kick back" as bodies are told that they are going without and spiritual darkness nervously trying to see this season out so hopefully we will return to "normal". One thing I am sure of and that's no one and I mean no one is worse of for doing this fast, we all benefit.
This what Isaiah 58 says about fasting.
11 The LORD will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
12 Those from among you
Shall build the old waste places;
You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,
The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.
Raising up the foundation of many generations means that what dysfunction we have can be broken off our lives so that the future generations don't have to walk in it. Remember "What walks in the father runs in the family". This fast you are making decisions that will impact generations, Well Done!
I have been thrilled and inspired by the amount of people that have taken up the fasting challenge over these 14 days. In fact some are actually going to go longer. The testimonies that I am hearing of tension in marriages as people try and get their lives centered back around Christ, physical "kick back" as bodies are told that they are going without and spiritual darkness nervously trying to see this season out so hopefully we will return to "normal". One thing I am sure of and that's no one and I mean no one is worse of for doing this fast, we all benefit.
This what Isaiah 58 says about fasting.
11 The LORD will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
12 Those from among you
Shall build the old waste places;
You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,
The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.
Raising up the foundation of many generations means that what dysfunction we have can be broken off our lives so that the future generations don't have to walk in it. Remember "What walks in the father runs in the family". This fast you are making decisions that will impact generations, Well Done!
Monday, January 25, 2010
Day 12
Prov 29
Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained,But happy is he who keeps the law.
There have been some great praise reports coming in about what has happened over these days of prayer and fasting. Healings, financial blessing, jobs, children coming to Christ even a wedding dress that had been lost for a year at a dry cleaners was found on the second day of the fast. We are so thankful to God for all that's happened but to be truthful I would still be thankful to God even if no prayers had been answered. Its good to remind ourselves that fasting doesn't bring about the answers it simply positions us in our relationship with Christ where He is central.
But its amazing what will happen when we do it.
Acts 10:30
30 So Cornelius said, “Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God.
Vision gets birthed in the heart of people who will dedicate themselves to a lifestyle of prayer and fasting. So if you feel like your life is floundering then apply the discipline of fasting.
Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained,But happy is he who keeps the law.
There have been some great praise reports coming in about what has happened over these days of prayer and fasting. Healings, financial blessing, jobs, children coming to Christ even a wedding dress that had been lost for a year at a dry cleaners was found on the second day of the fast. We are so thankful to God for all that's happened but to be truthful I would still be thankful to God even if no prayers had been answered. Its good to remind ourselves that fasting doesn't bring about the answers it simply positions us in our relationship with Christ where He is central.
But its amazing what will happen when we do it.
Acts 10:30
30 So Cornelius said, “Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God.
Vision gets birthed in the heart of people who will dedicate themselves to a lifestyle of prayer and fasting. So if you feel like your life is floundering then apply the discipline of fasting.
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