Currently Reading Dead Man Walking By Helen Sister Prejean see related

Prayer, the Holy Spirit, and Christian Action

I struggle with consistency in prayer, especially when I am so busy...but God keeps convicting me to pursue it.  He reminds me of how important and necessary it is.  Prayer distributes the already accomplished work of Christ!!  When I think of prayer, I often think of the Holy Spirit who helps us to pray and then Christian action because hopefully we are praying for those people in our lives who we are concerned about.  Prayer makes me more humble and concerned with the things God's concerned with (which are people), and as a result, challenges and convicts me to reach out.  What I have discovered about Chrstian action over the past year or so is that when I am focusing on God and praying regularly, the people who I am praying for and concerned for actually bring up God and ask me questions.  Jesus draws the lost to Him.  If you are a Christian and filled with the Holy Spirit, people will be drawn to you because of Jesus' drawing power IN YOU.  They may not even recognize that they are drawn to you, but I am assured that they are and it's because of God.  I've been in too many circumstances when non-church-going(or whatever you want to call them) people come to me and we end up talking about God...and they are the ones who bring it up, not me.  : )  (By the way, the Holy Spirit totally takes over when I'm answering questions and discussing things of God in these situations because there's NO WAY i could come up with the stuff I say that quickly!!)  God calls each Christian to pray and act because that's what Jesus did.  Iencourage you to embrace the power in prayer by praying for those people in your life who need the knowledge and love of God...and who need for some strongholds to come down (pride, bitterness, rejection, hurt, guilt, fear, etc.)!  Read the promises of God below and please act!  May the Holy Spirit open your eyes as you read!

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there."               ~2 Chronicles 7:14-16 (Remember that we are now the temple of the Holy Spirit!!)

"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.  If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."                                        ~Jesus' words in John 14: 12-21

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.       ~Romans 12:12 (Paul's guidance to the church)

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.       ~Colossians 4:2

Currently Reading Dead Man Walking By Helen Sister Prejean see related

Rest

Last Sunday, I went to church with my friend, Elizabeth (yes, we have the same name! lol).  Anway, I heard a sermon about the importance of sabbath rest.  As I was listening, i was also planning out the rest of my day, thinking about the many tsks that would need to get done this week, and daydreaming a little.  I remember thinking that I wish I could sit still, but all I wanted to do at the time was stand up and move around.  Lately, I have noticed a definite problem with sitting still and focusing and I wondre i9f it's due to my lack of rest--my busyness. 

I just started a new bible study called "Disciple 2".  Everyone in the group has assigned readings to do throughout the week, and before the first meeting i was playing "catch up" on my reading.  In that 30 minutes, God showed me that I need to slow down.  See, the theme for that first week was "Respect" and we read the first few chapters of Genesis and a few Psalms.  What I kept noticing as I read along, especially in the Psalms, was that God promises rest to the weary and tired.  He promises strength.  And I need to breathe in that breath of life He's offering to me and trust Him. 

I think it's amazing how God teaches me to rest in teh midst of my chaotic, busy life!  While I was in the Word, I felt rested, even though I was rushing around to get it done in time.  What I've learned is that obviously, I need to take more time to be with God--to listen..to just be.  And what's amazing is that when my motivfes are wrong, God still works, still loves, still cares.  He is faithful.  It's about time for me to take time to look around at God's creation--his people, nature, all of the beauty that surrounds me everyday--and to respect it and rest in the peace of that beauty. 

REST reminds me who I belong to, that my life is a gift, that I am dependent on God, and that the Lord sets me free! 

God, set me free through joyful obedience! 

Read Isaiah 40:12-31 if you get a chance.  I hope everyone has a great week!!!

Currently Listening Lifesong By Casting Crowns see related

ATTENTION:  POWERFUL SONG ALERT!!!  (Pay close attention to the last two stanzas)

"While You Were Sleeping" by Casting Crowns

Oh little town of Bethlehem
Looks like another silent night
Above your deep and dreamless sleep
A giant star lights up the sky
And while you're lying in the dark
There shines an everlasting light
For the King has left His throne
And is sleeping in a manger tonight

Oh Bethlehem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
For God became a man
And stepped into your world today
Oh Bethlehem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping
While you were sleeping

Oh little town of Jerusalem
Looks like another silent night
The Father gave His only Son
The Way, the Truth, the Life had came
But there was no room for Him in the world He came to save

Jerusalem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
The Savior of the world is dying on your cross today
Jerusalem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping
While you were sleeping

United States of America
Looks like another silent night
As we're sung to sleep by philosophies
That save the trees and kill the children
And while we're lying in the dark
There's a shout heard 'cross the eastern sky
For the Bridegroom has returned
And has carried His bride away in the night

America, what will we miss while we are sleeping
Will Jesus come again
And leave us slumbering where we lay
America, will we go down in history
As a nation with no room for its King
Will we be sleeping?
Will we be sleeping?

Currently Listening Dying Star By Jason Upton see related

"This is your life.  Are you who you want to be?" (Switchfoot)

If you were asked to write down the top 10 characteristics in a friend that are most important to you, what would they be?  Do you have all of those qualities?  Lately, I've been thinking a lot about the church and the fact that we aren't the unified body of Christ that God's called us to be.  I'm tired of just ok.  I want above and beyond.  It's time for us to step up and lay down our own plans and our pride.  If I were to ask you who you really WANT to be, what would you say?  I'll tell you what I'd say...I'd say that I want to be inspiring, encouraging, a servant, humble, loving, full of joy, patient, kind, faithful, self-controlled, selfless, and SO MUCH MORE THAN I AM RIGHT NOW!  I want to "live like there's no tomorrow, dance like no one's around, sing like nobody's listening, give like I have plenty, love like I'm not afraid, be the way I was meant to be...be the way I was made" (Chris Tomlin). 

I long to see the body of Christ radically changed.  Why would anyone want to become a Christian if the church looks like the rest of the world?  It's time for us to ask God for clean hands and pure hearts.  It's time for us to seek His face and desire the things He desires...it's time to go deeper into intimacy with the Creator of Love.  When the church radically changes, others will see and want to take part in it.  Let us allow the Holy Spirit complete control!! 

This is a prophetic song by Jason Upton called "Dying Star".  This is God speaking to the church.  It's time for us to cast down our idols, and that's ANYTHING that comes before Him in our lives.

"Dying Star" by Jason Upton

You've got your best man on the front side
You always show your best side
And evil's always on the other side
You say this is your strategy
But son I hope you take it from me
You look just like your enemy
You're full of pride
We better trash our idols if we want to be
In the army of the Lord
And the greatest idol is you and me,
We better get on the threshing floor
When will we learn that God's strategy
Is giving glory to the Lord?
We better trash our idols if we want to be
In the army of the Lord

Star how beautiful you shine
You shine's more beautiful than mine
You shine from sea to shining sea
World-wide is your strategy
But shinning star I hope you see
If the whole wide world is staring straight at you
They can't see me...

I want people to see God, not me!  If we keep trying to "reach" the world without God, we're doing it in vain, and the truth is--we're misrepresenting Jesus.  I don't want people to get the wrong impression of God because of me!  I long to be holy as He is holy; I long to be real and passionate and authentic so that the world will know that God is worthy to be praised...so they'll actually know "we are Christians by our love"...so they'll realize that there's so much more to life...that Jesus is life!

Come, Holy Spirit!  Restore the church!  Come with your holy fire and let freedom reign!  Have your way, Jesus...

Let me just remind you one more time:  This is your life.  Are you who you want to be?

***By the way, this sound clip is a sermon from fireonthealtar.com and Katie recommended that I listen to it a while ago.  I love it because the word of God is brought forth with such a womanly authority (which is so much different than the kind of authority men have) and passion!  Listen to it and tell me your thoughts!

Currently Listening Arriving By Chris Tomlin see related

I listened to this song as I was sitting in the Bell Street parking lot a few days ago before class.  Each day before I leave my car, I make a promise to myself and to God to live like there's no tomorrow...to be the person He's made me to be FOR TODAY.  This song reminds me that God has such a larger plan for my life than I have for myself and that I'm meant to be so much more than I am right now--I'm meant to worship the Creator of Love in freedom.  I'm meant for intimacy...

The Way I Was Made by Chris Tomlin

Caught in the half-light, I'm caught alone 
Waking up to the sunrise and the radio 
Feels like I'm tied up, what's holding me? 
Just praying today will be the day I go free 

I want to live like there's no tomorrow 
I want to dance like no one's around 
I want to sing like nobody's listening 
Before I lay my body down 
I want to give like I have plenty 
I want to love like I'm not afraid 
I want to be the [wo]man I was meant to be 
I want to be the way I was made 

Made in Your likeness, made with Your hands 
Made to discover who You are and who I am 
All I've forgotten help me to find 
All that You've promised let it be in my life