"Process." It can be an icky word for some. For others, it inspires hope. Everybody is in a process. God is working in everyone whether we know it or care to acknowledge it. He has a special purpose and plan for everyone. In order to see that plan fulfilled, certain events are allowed in one's life, not all at the hand of God however. One of the most fundamental beliefs for anyone to accept and believe wholeheartedly is that God is good. Life events might not reveal this truth. Some Christians may not reflect this truth. But does falsehood alter truth? Definitely not. Lies exist because a liar exists. Evil exists because free will and sin exist. Do these things affect or change the goodness of God? Nope. Not at all.
I realize that there are many truths that people can hear but not really trust or understand until they experience it for themselves. Encountering God is a very personal matter. He knows how to reach everyone, and everyone is redeemable.
Initially I started writing this post because I felt excited after reading 1 John 2 where he talks about knowing all things because you have an unction/anointing from God. Later in the same chapter, John says that the anointing teaches you to abide in God. I want to emphasize that the anointing teaches. God gives you something that you hold inside. I'd like to think it's Holy Spirit and His enabling ability. But the awesome thing is here that God Himself wants to teach us. There is still a need for the five fold ministry gifts of pastors and teachers. There is a need for fellowship with other believers because of our inherent desires to love and be loved. But God, with His awesome Triune-being self, wants to teach us. Wisdom can come from anywhere. He's given us ears to hear Him. Romans 10:17 says faith comes by hearing. It's our job to hear His voice.
This relates to your process because sometimes a man won't have your answer. A friend may not drip with the wisdom of God. We have to remember that God wants to teach us, wherever we are. He's good. Vital truth #2: God loves me. Before we can change the world and affect the masses for kingdom advancement, I pray that God, in His sweetness, will teach us these truths and cement them in our core: God is good and He loves me.
He doesn't leave you alone in the process. You've been redeemed and you have hope. Grab His hand, if you're not already squeezing it tightly, and don't let go.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Hope defined... kinda...
I feel like there are a lot of words we use in Christianity today that we might think we understand but not really know how to put into words (i.e., faith, hope, love, honor, etc.). Well, if this is the case, I'd like to propose we don't really know what those words mean. In some instances, you may not have the language for it yet. But for me, I know that some things the Lord has to reveal or define before I really comprehend it with my soul and my mind.
The Lord had been highlighting the word "hope" to me for months in closing of 2011 until the present. There are quite a few scriptures that I've read that talk about hope, but I couldn't really find one that defined it for me. I think that was because God wanted to do it Himself. You can have a head knowledge of ideas,words, etc., but until God enlightens your thinking and encounters your heart, it simply just an idea, something you don't necessarily integrate into your life.
Until my actual encounters and revelations from God about hope, Bill Johnson defined it for me in one of his podcasts from iBethel (available on iTunes) called 2012 - A Year of Promise. Bill Johnson and several other teachers from Bethel Church in Redding, CA., often speak about things the Lord has pre-heated me for. He warms me up to receive the heavenly downloads so I'll know in my heart that He's talking through these men of God. He said (paraphrased), "Hope is not a wish. Biblical hope is the joyful anticipation for good. It is the absolute rock solid assurance that something wonderful is about to happen and I am leaning into it. I am in expectation for this to happen." He further encouraged, "Position yourself as a warrior of hope, learning how to cultivate an abiding faith." This teaching brought further insight into what the Lord was working in me.
My pastor, Tony Brazelton, said something awesome about hope during an altar call where he encouraged many of the people who responded by coming to the front for prayer. He said (paraphrased) those that feel hopeless are often called to bring hope to others. Often what God calls you to do and graces you to do seems like the opposite of what you experience. Without divine insight and a relationship with Holy Spirit, it is possible to be unaware of what you're called to do or release to others.
As one who has experienced depression, low self-esteem, and hopelessness, it somehow makes sense that I would be chosen of the Lord to release hope to the hopeless. It's something He deposited in me. It's not something I worked up. It's now something I can release because of the Holy Spirit at work in me, as I work with Him.
Luke 4:18-19 (KJV) ~ The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. (...the day when salvation and free favors of God profusely abound - AMP).
This statement was made as Jesus recognized His personal mission statement and assignment from the Father. It is important that we all get our purpose and identity from Him. No one else can correctly identify who you are except the God that made you. And really... really, ALL He made was and is good.
So what about hope? The definition I now take as my own, until more is revealed to me, has become more personal and simplified. I define hope as, "my expectation to experience God's goodness in my life.... (and the lives of others." I realized that I must experience hope for and in my own life before having real hope for others. And it is the way of the Father to spread goodness to all. No one is excluded from it. Once you've been converted, strengthen your brethren (VCMI vision).
My friend, Ernest, has been on this hope journey too. Through various scriptures and God encounters, he shared his definition of hope:
"HOPE: the act of believing and expecting that GOD [the greatest and richest father imaginable] will reach into HIS infinite treasury of GLORY [and] place in our hearts (our personalities) strength, might and power through HOLY SPIRIT, making our hearts CHRIST'S home; believing that HE will deeply root and ground us in HIS love; apprehending and comprehending by experience GOD's love beyond our natural knowledge or our wildest dreams until we are completely filled and overflowing with HIM; the utter rejection of fear!"
If God has been highlighting, or drawing your attention to certain truths, He is the best one to tell you what He means and how it relates to your life. Other great men and/or women of God may be able to assist you in this process, but ultimately this Christian walk is about your own personal relationship with the Lord. Relationships with others are significant. The five-fold ministry has its place. But God has been consistently telling me, "It's about you and me." He's the One I can hope in.
The Lord had been highlighting the word "hope" to me for months in closing of 2011 until the present. There are quite a few scriptures that I've read that talk about hope, but I couldn't really find one that defined it for me. I think that was because God wanted to do it Himself. You can have a head knowledge of ideas,words, etc., but until God enlightens your thinking and encounters your heart, it simply just an idea, something you don't necessarily integrate into your life.
Until my actual encounters and revelations from God about hope, Bill Johnson defined it for me in one of his podcasts from iBethel (available on iTunes) called 2012 - A Year of Promise. Bill Johnson and several other teachers from Bethel Church in Redding, CA., often speak about things the Lord has pre-heated me for. He warms me up to receive the heavenly downloads so I'll know in my heart that He's talking through these men of God. He said (paraphrased), "Hope is not a wish. Biblical hope is the joyful anticipation for good. It is the absolute rock solid assurance that something wonderful is about to happen and I am leaning into it. I am in expectation for this to happen." He further encouraged, "Position yourself as a warrior of hope, learning how to cultivate an abiding faith." This teaching brought further insight into what the Lord was working in me.
My pastor, Tony Brazelton, said something awesome about hope during an altar call where he encouraged many of the people who responded by coming to the front for prayer. He said (paraphrased) those that feel hopeless are often called to bring hope to others. Often what God calls you to do and graces you to do seems like the opposite of what you experience. Without divine insight and a relationship with Holy Spirit, it is possible to be unaware of what you're called to do or release to others.
As one who has experienced depression, low self-esteem, and hopelessness, it somehow makes sense that I would be chosen of the Lord to release hope to the hopeless. It's something He deposited in me. It's not something I worked up. It's now something I can release because of the Holy Spirit at work in me, as I work with Him.
Luke 4:18-19 (KJV) ~ The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. (...the day when salvation and free favors of God profusely abound - AMP).
This statement was made as Jesus recognized His personal mission statement and assignment from the Father. It is important that we all get our purpose and identity from Him. No one else can correctly identify who you are except the God that made you. And really... really, ALL He made was and is good.
So what about hope? The definition I now take as my own, until more is revealed to me, has become more personal and simplified. I define hope as, "my expectation to experience God's goodness in my life.... (and the lives of others." I realized that I must experience hope for and in my own life before having real hope for others. And it is the way of the Father to spread goodness to all. No one is excluded from it. Once you've been converted, strengthen your brethren (VCMI vision).
My friend, Ernest, has been on this hope journey too. Through various scriptures and God encounters, he shared his definition of hope:
"HOPE: the act of believing and expecting that GOD [the greatest and richest father imaginable] will reach into HIS infinite treasury of GLORY [and] place in our hearts (our personalities) strength, might and power through HOLY SPIRIT, making our hearts CHRIST'S home; believing that HE will deeply root and ground us in HIS love; apprehending and comprehending by experience GOD's love beyond our natural knowledge or our wildest dreams until we are completely filled and overflowing with HIM; the utter rejection of fear!"
If God has been highlighting, or drawing your attention to certain truths, He is the best one to tell you what He means and how it relates to your life. Other great men and/or women of God may be able to assist you in this process, but ultimately this Christian walk is about your own personal relationship with the Lord. Relationships with others are significant. The five-fold ministry has its place. But God has been consistently telling me, "It's about you and me." He's the One I can hope in.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Reconciled
Recently the Lord has been speaking to me and highlighting the subject of reconciliation. A relatively large amount of Christians I know do not approach God from the standpoint of already being reconciled, but still separated from a loving Father, unsure of His will towards them to do good. The definition of reconcile (dictionary.com), paraphrased by yours truly, simply means to bring back into good relationship (definitions 2-5 from the referenced website are good reads). It's the bridging of the gap between two parties or two people that were once separated by something. Many people approach God as if they still need to be brought back into right standing with Him. Statements of unworthiness and songs with lyrics that illustrate this press, having to put forth some kind of arduous effort to be heard or seen of Him prove that there is some kind of deception lingering in the minds of many. The Amplified Bible version of 2 Corinthians 5:19 says it so well: "It was God [personally present] in Christ reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against [men] their trespasses [but cancelling them], and committing to us the message of reconciliation (of the restoration to favor.)" He's not an angry God who sits up in heaven counting our sins of the past, present and future. He is a loving Father awaiting our attention so that we can hang out (aka fellowship).
My stance towards God in my relating to Him and my prayer life change when I realize in my heart that I'm already reconciled by His efforts and not my earning it. It allows me to come boldly to the throne of grace (Heb 4:16) as opposed to sheepishly saying, "Lord, if it be Your will..."
So, to briefly sum up til next time: Ask Holy Spirit if you're approaching God from the proper standpoint. Do I already view myself as being reconciled? Do I interact with God as if He's an estranged Father? Let Holy Spirit reveal truth to you and allow Him to minister to your heart if there's any corrections or adjustments that need to be made in your heart so that you can relate to God better.
I realize there are many factors in relating well to God. This is just one topic He started to speak to me about. It changed how I came to God. I was no longer bringing feelings of shame or guilt, but realizing I'm already in right relationship with the Father because of what Jesus did for me. Without touching the subject of repentance, our overall view of God affects how we approach Him. Let this new aspect of being reconciled permeate you heart so He can take you deeper into hope and His vast love for you.
My stance towards God in my relating to Him and my prayer life change when I realize in my heart that I'm already reconciled by His efforts and not my earning it. It allows me to come boldly to the throne of grace (Heb 4:16) as opposed to sheepishly saying, "Lord, if it be Your will..."
So, to briefly sum up til next time: Ask Holy Spirit if you're approaching God from the proper standpoint. Do I already view myself as being reconciled? Do I interact with God as if He's an estranged Father? Let Holy Spirit reveal truth to you and allow Him to minister to your heart if there's any corrections or adjustments that need to be made in your heart so that you can relate to God better.
I realize there are many factors in relating well to God. This is just one topic He started to speak to me about. It changed how I came to God. I was no longer bringing feelings of shame or guilt, but realizing I'm already in right relationship with the Father because of what Jesus did for me. Without touching the subject of repentance, our overall view of God affects how we approach Him. Let this new aspect of being reconciled permeate you heart so He can take you deeper into hope and His vast love for you.
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