I struggled with peace last year and had more problems with confusion and defeat, but peace is powerful warfare against the enemy of our souls because we are centered in Jesus. Jesus is my rock and He held me, but I had very limited access to His manifest presence. I was walking around in the world I experienced before I came to Christ. He seemed unreal. I was battling unbelief. Still, I KNEW that His promises would get me through. I insisted to Him in prayer that He promised that His grace was sufficient for me, so He had to see me through.
I remembered that my cup is OVERFLOWING, that His burdens are light, that nothing is impossible with Him. That is mercies are new every morning and that He never leaves me. The challenges in my mind were intense. And it is glorifying Him in the midst of the storms that really grounded me in the truth of His Kingdom reality which is greater than my experiences. My behavior was not lovely and I was terribly inefficient, but I was loved and carried.
and whenever I am discouraged, I consider the battles my friends in Kenya endure daily. The little children in the villages without much food or without their parents and the old and sick without medical care or comfort. These put my own suffering in perspective, til I always seem to be able to look around me and say, "These are not problems." Others may be experiencing something I do consider a real problem..... the death of a child, severe pain in the body, circumstances that appear to have no solution, or multiple crisis situations that overwhelm the capacity to carry on daily. I extend comfort and I pray for their comfort and circumstancial solutions AND ETERNAL SALVATION. God is always faithful, but it doesn't always feel hopeful. Yet....we set our heart fully on the grace to be given us when Jesus Christ appears (http://bible.cc/1_peter/1-13.htm multiple beautiful versions.) I praise God that Jesus revealed Himself to ME! He can get me through anything.
After going through a VERY serious storm--a hurricane, I looked around and saw such destruction. It had not touched me but seeing 1000 on my side and 10,000 at my right hand and it not coming near me still seemed threatening. And I realized I needed to go deeper. January came and God answered my prayer and made me hungry for only HIM. I put away my ministry thoughts and my goals, dreams, and desires to be sure everything was only focused on HIM and HIS GLORY alone. I prepared my heart acknowledging that I am set apart for Him. He was faithful to show up and shower me with love and His Presence. Come near to God and He will come near to you. Resist the devil and He will flee from you.
We cannot just name the name of Jesus, we have to come humbly and repent. We have to see our sin in light of God's holiness and under the safety of the cleansing blood of Jesus, we admit that we have this sin in our heart. We allow the life of Christ to come live through us. This drives the devil away. He cannot stand humility. Demons cannot stand the presence of Jesus!
Although I have often commanded demons to leave, I realize that it is the flesh which must be crucified. All those struggles we have are rooted in our flesh. I think one new lesson (among many) is my critical judgment. I studied a book by Francis Frangipane (http://www.amazon.com/Three-Battlegrounds--Depth-Spiritual-Heavenly/dp/1886296383/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1359478925&sr=1-1&keywords=francis+frangipane ) that showed me that my discernment is evil--and I have grown in discernment and studied ways to read body language and understand behavior and prayed and asked God to show me this or that---and it was rooted in my desire to understand the world and control my environment. I WASN'T LOOKING WITH THE LOVE OF GOD!
In the past several years (maybe my whole Christian walk,) God has been training me to love others, serve others, submit to others and that love covers a multitude of sins. He has shown me that often when He shows me the sin of another, that it is to reflect upon that VERY sin within me. BUT this book helped me take it another step deeper that Jesus has been TRYING to speak and I wasn't willing to listen because I was defending myself. Across this last year, He has been emphasizing that I am to DIE for another person's sin. I am to SO INTERCEDE for their sins that I would die for them as He did. Okay, suddenly, NOT having critical judgment seems FAR EASIER because I acknowlege that I have not grown so Christlike as to die for someone else's sins. I still struggle when people are mean to me, although New Yorkers are helping me throw that one off easily since interaction with strangers here could leave plenty of room for personal offence---AND makes an easy practice ground for loving others when they are rude. (because there is not much invested in a stranger, so it is so easy to just forgive them and love them. but those people in your life? oh we expect so much deference and RESPECT , right?!?)
With Les Miserables out, I am reminded of the book and the most beautiful part where the priest says, "But Jean, you have forgotten the candlesticks I gave you." How beautiful is that. Jean injured the priest and stole from him, the priest not only forgives, HE GIVES MORE. Oh Jesus, so like you. Come and let us do spiritual warfare by allowing You to conform us into Your image. You, Oh Lord, are not shaken up when others mistreat you, YOU HAVE PEACE AND YOU GIVE MORE. So, let us fight the demons who have found a place in us by giving them no place but displacing them with the Holy Spirit living through us.
All Glory to You, Jesus, for Your Glorious Kingdom of Love! Come and Reign in our life here, Lord. Your Kingdom come and Your will be done, here in ME. Because you are EVERYTHING!
You reign in me. You reign over all the earth.
Another good book by Francis Frangipane:
http://www.amazon.com/Holiness-Truth-Presence-God-Penetrating/dp/1616382031/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1359478993&sr=1-3&keywords=francis+frangipane
and this was the one referring to repentance from critical judgment:
http://www.amazon.com/Three-Battlegrounds--Depth-Spiritual-Heavenly/dp/1886296383/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1359478993&sr=1-1&keywords=francis+frangipane
and here is a great CD for worshipping Jesus--very loud and overly complicated music at times, but exalting Jesus:
http://www.jesusculture.com/music/albums We Cry Out (scroll to bottom, click, then sample songs.)
or amazon
http://www.amazon.com/We-Cry-Out-CD-DVD/dp/B003PIUCB6/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1359482134&sr=1-1&keywords=we+cry+out
I remembered that my cup is OVERFLOWING, that His burdens are light, that nothing is impossible with Him. That is mercies are new every morning and that He never leaves me. The challenges in my mind were intense. And it is glorifying Him in the midst of the storms that really grounded me in the truth of His Kingdom reality which is greater than my experiences. My behavior was not lovely and I was terribly inefficient, but I was loved and carried.
and whenever I am discouraged, I consider the battles my friends in Kenya endure daily. The little children in the villages without much food or without their parents and the old and sick without medical care or comfort. These put my own suffering in perspective, til I always seem to be able to look around me and say, "These are not problems." Others may be experiencing something I do consider a real problem..... the death of a child, severe pain in the body, circumstances that appear to have no solution, or multiple crisis situations that overwhelm the capacity to carry on daily. I extend comfort and I pray for their comfort and circumstancial solutions AND ETERNAL SALVATION. God is always faithful, but it doesn't always feel hopeful. Yet....we set our heart fully on the grace to be given us when Jesus Christ appears (http://bible.cc/1_peter/1-13.htm multiple beautiful versions.) I praise God that Jesus revealed Himself to ME! He can get me through anything.
After going through a VERY serious storm--a hurricane, I looked around and saw such destruction. It had not touched me but seeing 1000 on my side and 10,000 at my right hand and it not coming near me still seemed threatening. And I realized I needed to go deeper. January came and God answered my prayer and made me hungry for only HIM. I put away my ministry thoughts and my goals, dreams, and desires to be sure everything was only focused on HIM and HIS GLORY alone. I prepared my heart acknowledging that I am set apart for Him. He was faithful to show up and shower me with love and His Presence. Come near to God and He will come near to you. Resist the devil and He will flee from you.
We cannot just name the name of Jesus, we have to come humbly and repent. We have to see our sin in light of God's holiness and under the safety of the cleansing blood of Jesus, we admit that we have this sin in our heart. We allow the life of Christ to come live through us. This drives the devil away. He cannot stand humility. Demons cannot stand the presence of Jesus!
Although I have often commanded demons to leave, I realize that it is the flesh which must be crucified. All those struggles we have are rooted in our flesh. I think one new lesson (among many) is my critical judgment. I studied a book by Francis Frangipane (http://www.amazon.com/Three-Battlegrounds--Depth-Spiritual-Heavenly/dp/1886296383/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1359478925&sr=1-1&keywords=francis+frangipane ) that showed me that my discernment is evil--and I have grown in discernment and studied ways to read body language and understand behavior and prayed and asked God to show me this or that---and it was rooted in my desire to understand the world and control my environment. I WASN'T LOOKING WITH THE LOVE OF GOD!
In the past several years (maybe my whole Christian walk,) God has been training me to love others, serve others, submit to others and that love covers a multitude of sins. He has shown me that often when He shows me the sin of another, that it is to reflect upon that VERY sin within me. BUT this book helped me take it another step deeper that Jesus has been TRYING to speak and I wasn't willing to listen because I was defending myself. Across this last year, He has been emphasizing that I am to DIE for another person's sin. I am to SO INTERCEDE for their sins that I would die for them as He did. Okay, suddenly, NOT having critical judgment seems FAR EASIER because I acknowlege that I have not grown so Christlike as to die for someone else's sins. I still struggle when people are mean to me, although New Yorkers are helping me throw that one off easily since interaction with strangers here could leave plenty of room for personal offence---AND makes an easy practice ground for loving others when they are rude. (because there is not much invested in a stranger, so it is so easy to just forgive them and love them. but those people in your life? oh we expect so much deference and RESPECT , right?!?)
With Les Miserables out, I am reminded of the book and the most beautiful part where the priest says, "But Jean, you have forgotten the candlesticks I gave you." How beautiful is that. Jean injured the priest and stole from him, the priest not only forgives, HE GIVES MORE. Oh Jesus, so like you. Come and let us do spiritual warfare by allowing You to conform us into Your image. You, Oh Lord, are not shaken up when others mistreat you, YOU HAVE PEACE AND YOU GIVE MORE. So, let us fight the demons who have found a place in us by giving them no place but displacing them with the Holy Spirit living through us.
All Glory to You, Jesus, for Your Glorious Kingdom of Love! Come and Reign in our life here, Lord. Your Kingdom come and Your will be done, here in ME. Because you are EVERYTHING!
You reign in me. You reign over all the earth.
Another good book by Francis Frangipane:
http://www.amazon.com/Holiness-Truth-Presence-God-Penetrating/dp/1616382031/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1359478993&sr=1-3&keywords=francis+frangipane
and this was the one referring to repentance from critical judgment:
http://www.amazon.com/Three-Battlegrounds--Depth-Spiritual-Heavenly/dp/1886296383/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1359478993&sr=1-1&keywords=francis+frangipane
and here is a great CD for worshipping Jesus--very loud and overly complicated music at times, but exalting Jesus:
http://www.jesusculture.com/music/albums We Cry Out (scroll to bottom, click, then sample songs.)
or amazon
http://www.amazon.com/We-Cry-Out-CD-DVD/dp/B003PIUCB6/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1359482134&sr=1-1&keywords=we+cry+out
