Relentless

Our Pastor preached on this passage of scripture yesterday, and it lit a fire underneath me!

Luke 18:1-8
Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart,  saying:

“There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’”


Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

Verse 1, which sets the tone for the whole parable-ALWAYS pray and don't lose heart!
So many times I pray once or twice, and then wonder if God is even listening, and whine because I haven't received my expected answer yet! I am learning to be consistent with fervor!

But then, the next verses really get me...So here's a widow, who is determined to not only have her case HEARD by this ungodly, uncaring judge, but she also demanded that she be avenged by what her adversary had done against her. She wasn't mousy or timid, she wasn't even polite or well mannered. She was at a point in her life where she knew the judge had the power to answer her plea, and she was not about to take no for an answer. She badgered and bothered and just plain wore that judge's ear out, by her constant petition, until he couldn't stand it any longer and granted her request. It wasn't her faith that moved him. It wasn't her knowledge of scripture or her social position that made the judge act. It was sheer relentlessness on the part of a woman who had been wronged, seeking justice.

Then, God relates this parable to our life, and said: (paraphrased) If that judge, who had no regard for God, and cared nothing for people can bring a swift judgement in favor of the widow, HOW MUCH MORE can our Lord in heaven hear our prayers and act on them in our favor to avenge us against what the adversary has stolen from us? If we continue to pray always for our answer, and don't give up hope, and be relentless in our drive to hear from God and see His justice in our situations, he WILL come through for us! I think our culture has taught us not to beg, and to keep our manners and stop repeating ourselves. Dear Abby has made a living out of telling us how we should behave and the way we should speak. If the truth be told, this widow, in modern times, would be treated as someone with a mental condition who is a little off her rocker. Clearly she would not have been featured on any etiquette magazine. Especially down here in the South, where you hear people always quoting quaint sayings like "Well, you catch more flies with honey." But this passage reminds me that there are times we need to fight persistently, without letting up or giving in, for the situations where we have been wronged-where the devil has come in and robbed us in broad daylight, and we in ourselves have no power to do a thing about it, except to be passionate and determined in asking God, day and night, to bring justice to that situation. Whether it be a loss of a job, years robbed by disease, or any other way the enemy has come against us and the ones we love. And then, when we have persevered, and our justice comes, the adversary is bound to pay back seven times what he stole in the first place! (Proverbs 6:31).

So I am determined to:
PRAY
PRAY without giving in
PRAY believing that God will act
EXPECT justice
EXPECT restoration of what was stolen times seven
and be RELENTLESS until I see it come to pass!

What are you believing for? God is able-Don't give up!

Against All Odds

Yesterday during praise and worship at church, the Lord dropped a word in my heart: "Speak the things which aren't as though they are." I began to declare things in my life that align with God and His plan for my life, even though I can't see it happening yet. When I got home, I looked up that scripture and found it in Romans.

Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.”He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and

calls into being things that were not.

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. Romans 4:16-24

Since we are called to be imitators of Christ, (1 Corinthians 11:1), and Jesus spoke the words of the Father, (John 12:50), we too should speak what the Father has spoken to us, even when we haven't seen even a trace of it coming to pass. I love in the verse above how it says, "Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him." Against all hope! Is there anything that seems to be against all hope in your life? I think about my Dad, and how his physical condition is right now. Looking at his situation logically and pragmatically, it seems that all hope is lost. I suppose Lazarus being dead for four days posed that same perplexing state. I suppose Sarah at the age of 90, well past childbirth years did as well. I guess Naaman and his incurable leprocy adds to the list. And don't forget Shadrach, Mechach and Abednego..and Daniel with those lions...and even Jesus, as he hung, lifeless, on the cross. What do you need to speak today, AS THOUGH IT WERE, even though at the moment it most definitely is not? Let's do it, and see what the Lord will do. Let's provoke the Lord with our faith and watch Him work miracles in areas that we had previously deemed hopeless.

New Eyes

I finished reading our Pastor's new book, The Necessity of an Enemy in three days. For those of you who know how much I love to read (note the sarcasm), that's saying something in itself about the book! Part of it's attraction is that it was written by Pastor Ron who has been our Pastor for almost a year now and has deposited so much life changing word in us it's unbelievable. But more so, this book has revolutionized the way I view the reasons for enemies and difficult situations in my own life.

Today, in my daily Bible reading, I read the part in Genesis about the story of Joseph. (If you are unfamiliar with this story, I encourage you to click here and read it again.) I have read this passage probably hundreds of times, as I really love the old testament accounts. But this time, I read it with new eyes. Let me explain. If you recall the passage, it starts with Joseph, and his dreaming self. It made me remember all the dreams I have had...all the words spoken to me from God that I have hidden in my heart even though I still see no way for some of them to come to pass. Sometimes I just resolve that maybe it wasn't really from God, maybe it was just my imagination and my own desire to be used by God. I try to dismiss it, but deep down inside, there is just an unshakable feeling that it is still part of the plan God has for me to walk through. I imagine Joseph might have felt the same way, especially when he was riding in the caravan of merchants to Egypt as nothing more than a slave. I bet he was saying something to the effect of, "Why did I open my mouth to my brothers in the first place? Look at the mess that my dream has gotten me into now!" But looking back on it, his brothers, appearing as enemies, were actually the tools needed to reposition Joseph-to bring him to a place where he never would have reached, had he stayed in the comfort and security of his father's house. When we view enemies in that light, they appear to be more of a friend than a foe! Of course, this made me think of the time when Luis and I moved to Arizona. At that point in our newly married life, we were in desperate need of a complete overhaul. Every road in South Carolina lead to a dead end. There was no help in sight. Then God used what appeared to be a bad situation to reposition us so that we could stay on the path intended for us. Oh, I am sure that many people would say that we were in rebellion, not hearing from God, and ignoring Godly counsel, but the fact of the matter was that God had something for us in a different place, and ultimately, our trials and conflicts were the very stepping stones that put us on the right path again. I no longer detest the conflict that we experienced, although it was so painful at the time. I know that because ultimately we loved God and wanted to follow him completely, He worked the seemingly horrible situation into something beautiful. I don't view the people who came against us as enemies, but rather tools that God used to move us on to our next position on the pathway towards the destiny planned for us. When we take this view, and look back at Joseph, suddenly everything changes. Potipher's wife, who tried to seduce Joseph, was merely a tool used by God to move Joseph from the position of being a servant to one of Pharaoh's officials (which was probably a pretty comfortable place to be) to being second in command of all of Egypt after Pharaoh (which is where he was destined to fulfill the dream God had given him many years prior.) In our fleshly minds, we think it would be so nice if life was pleasant and comfortable all the time, but what if in settling for comfort, we never reach the destiny God has for us? NOT WORTH IT!!

So, in looking at my life right now (and yours), are there things that are acting like enemies in the way?  Does it seem like there is a road block and no way out? As Pastor Ron says in his book, be thankful! It's a sign that you're season is about to change and your position is shifting. That gets me so excited because we have been facing a tough battle for a while now-and it may be the same for you, too. Hold on! Don't give up! Don't settle for comfort, but push through the tough times, the pain and the frustration! The season is about to change!
 

Heaven on Earth-David and Nicole Binion

This song really epitomizes what I have been feeling for the last few days. There has been a shift in the spirit and I feel like something is about to break loose. Here are the lyrics:


Heaven on Earth
David and Nicole Binion

The spirit of the Lord is upon me
His anointing is empowering
The Kingdom of the Lord is within me
And He’s calling me to the heavenlies

Be seated in heavenly places
Just like Heaven, just like Heaven on Earth
To be walking in His favor and grace is
Just like Heaven, just like Heaven on Earth

Heaven, Heaven on Earth
Heaven

Marching in the spirit of unity
To our community, show His ability
The will of the Lord for His children
Is to demonstrate perpetuate

Be seated in heavenly places
Just like Heaven, just like Heaven on Earth
To be walking in His favor and grace is
Just like Heaven, just like Heaven on Earth

Heaven, Heaven on Earth
Heaven

Something’s moving! Something’s changing!
See His glory! Feels like Heaven on Earth!
Something’s moving! Something’s changing!
See His glory! Feels like Heaven on Earth!

Lightning and thunder! Miracles and wonders!
The sound of many waters! Heaven on Earth!
Lightning and thunder! Miracles and wonders!
The sound of many waters! Heaven on Earth!

Heaven; Heaven on Earth

Heaven is calling for you to come higher!
To see everything from a new point of view.
To be seated with Jesus in Heavenly places
From His perspective everything is made new

There is Lightning and thunder! Miracles and wonders!
The sound of many waters! Heaven on Earth!