You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘spirit’ tag.
Have you ever had…just one of those days?
You know the ones don’t you? It’s that day that you’ve got to face your in-laws because of something you inadvertently blurted out, and now you’re getting called on it. Or maybe it’s a huge exam that you have to take because you want to advance your career and you know you should have put more time into your studies, but alas, the day of reckoning is here. This is the day of the exam! You get the idea.
I had one of those days today. There was something that needed my attention and I wasn’t looking forward to dealing with it. To me it was sort of like looking forward to a root canal…without anesthetic. Do you know what I mean?
It wasn’t so much about what was the issue was that was begging for my attention NOW, as realizing that I wasn’t alone. I really wasn’t.
I not only had people who supported me through this “testing of my heart” time, but I knew deep down that Papa God would be there. Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (NKJ)
I also realized that I can’t really trust my feelings all the time. I learned a long time ago that “Feelings are neither right nor wrong. They just are.” Or somebody else (famous I’m sure) said…“Feel the fear and do it anyway!”
And now in retrospect, I so realize that He was in the midst of what was happening. And I learned something new (again) today. And yes it comes right from scripture. I chose the Message this time.
Romans 31 – 39…”So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture.”
And so it wasn’t about other people as it was about my relationship with the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. And yes, keep me teachable. Thank you Papa.
Note to Self: The next time you’ve got something big to handle…read the above.
[Written by: John Lowe]
Also posted here.
I guess that kind of runs against the thinking of those who say, “I want it now!”
There was a book that I read a few years ago and, although most of what I recall is fuzzy, this I do remember: If you want to gauge the emotional maturity of someone, see if they can delay gratification.
Let me give you an idea of what I mean. Let’s say that I give my children (of which I have two) seven chocolates each and instruct them to only allow themselves one a day so that by weeks end, they’ll be enjoying the very last delicacy. My children are very different from each other and shall remain nameless, but one of them would do their level best to resist temptation, but, alas, would have consumed all seven chocolates before noon. While the other one would carefully meter out the one chocolate for the day and so would have something to look forward to each day.
It’s sort of like opening all your Christmas presents on Christmas Eve and then bemoan the fact that there were no surprises left for Christmas day.
And so for me there is much to be learned in “the waiting time.” Yes I would like things right away. And I know that my heavenly Father has good things in store for me. After all, scripture does say… Matthew 7:11 “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”
But it often comes down to timing doesn’t it? And to be more specific, it’s about His timing. It always has been that and I have to confess, I don’t always understand it. I have to trust in the fact that His ways are higher than my ways.
And when I approach the Throne of Grace and ask, sometimes what appears to be a “No” in fact is a “John, not just yet”. He’s not denying me (if what I’ve requested is Father’s will). He’s giving me an opportunity to build my character and to be in that place of developing a right heart within me.
For there is much to be learned in the time of waiting. And so the lesson becomes one of knowing that He has heard, but also, what am I doing during my time of anticipation? How is my heart attitude during this time of what seems like delay? It is during that time of waiting for “His presence” that I make my heart ready for His gift. Why, so I can approach the throne yet again tomorrow with a right heart and cry out Abba Father. Thanks Papa.
John Lowe
Rewards. Who doesn’t like them, look forward to them, want or need them? It is often what motivates children and adults alike. Whether we reward ourselves after a long hard work-week with a dinner & movie or take the family on vacation in summertime, rewards are part of our make up, built in so to speak .
Rewards are a big deal to our Heavenly Daddy who shares in Ruth 2:12, “ A full reward be given you by the Lord.” And in Psalm 103:2, we are encouraged or maybe even implored to “Forget not all His benefits/rewards.”
God is really big on rewards!! I believe He is reminding us today of all His rewards for us! We can’t pay a price in God that we don’t get greater back! Greater faith, greater hope, greater joy, greater love, greater strength, wisdom, friendship, healing, & wholeness………greater!!!
Bill Johnson says, “If we forget the rewards, we’ll exalt the cost.” Let’s deemphasize the price or cost and emphasize the prize, the reward, the hope! And hope is the confident expectation of good coming! Let’s wake up hope that is within us !! And we do so by believing in the promises of our reward giving God!
[Written by: Kristen Olynick]
Also appears here.
Living a Life of Passion
By: Bill Johnson
One of the warriors of old made this statement: “The purpose of war is victory, and the purpose of victory is occupation.” In the Kingdom, we add one more step to the process: The purpose of occupation is expansion.
The Lord would not give the Promised Land to Israel all at once because they did not have the ability to occupy all of the territory. By only giving them the amount of land they could occupy, He positioned them for expansion. Expansion is vital to advancing the Kingdom of Heaven. The man who was given the one talent and buried it simply occupied and protected that accomplishment but suffered tremendously because he did not take what he had and position it for increase (Matthew 25:15-28).
It’s important that we view life with the perspective of expansion and forward motion. When we think this way, we are positioning ourselves for increase and promotion. It’s not healthy to simply find a place you want to stay in and occupy. The moment you have found a leveling-off place is the moment you begin backsliding.
When your passion begins to decline, you already start to die. You were born to burn. Elisha came to the king and said, “Please strike the ground with these arrows.” And he struck the ground three times. The prophet became furious at the king and said, “If only you had struck the ground five or six times you would have annihilated the enemy, but now you’re only going to have three temporary victories.” Because the king did not live out of passion, he couldn’t carry the anointing that God wanted to give him, and it cost the nation. When leaders don’t have passion, it costs everyone who follows.
Passion and the anointing run in parallel courses. A person with passion will take risks. Everything you want in the realm of the Kingdom is found through this veil of difficulty by stepping into the realm of inconvenience. You don’t get it by coasting on yesterday’s breakthrough. You were born for expansion.
[Written by: Bill Johnson]
Originally posted here:
www.bjm.org
It is s beautiful day here in the Lower Mainland, even though we had snow last week (what’s up with that?) Both days were beautiful, each in their own way.
On Sunday, in the prayer room, I saw that God was blowing His fresh breath on us. It felt like when you have a peppermint and you drink water. You can’t tell if it’s hot or cold but you do notice a difference from your regular breath. It felt to me like those that needed a cool drink of living water would receive exactly that. Yet the ones who needed and wanted a blast of fire, they would get that.
The next day, He confirmed this to me with the unexpected snowfall. It felt like a robe of righteousness had clothed the land, purifying and cleansing it for what He is going to do in it next.
Today, allow the Father to lift your head and whisper in your ear that there is nothing that you and Him can’t tackle together! Hope deferred runs away at the first sign of His glorious light. Think on the things that cause you to feel bitter, the anger that came from a disappointment and forgive others, forgive yourself and if necessary forgive God. Don’t let the enemy have another moment in your heart. Your heart is God’s land, His territory if you will. He is doing a spring cleaning so He can decorate it with His fresh breath.
So breath in His goodness and kindness. It is His kindness that leads us to repentance, and be ready for this next season, it’s going to rock and roll.
I love children! I’ve worked with kids for over 2 decades and find their characteristics, such as curiosity, adventure, simplicity, passion, playfulness, love & affection, to name only a few, to be so refreshing!
One characteristic that stands out to me is that children under the age of 6 laugh an average of 400 times a day! In contrast, we adults statistically laugh a mere 15 times a day! A shocking comparison! And it’s no surprise that I enjoy being in the presence of children, with these kinds of stats! :)
I am seeing something wonderful while working/hanging with the kids and it’s that they are so hungry for God and His world. Often time, we will lay out together on our mats and listen to “soaking” music. After 10 or 15 minutes we sit up and one by one each child begins to share what they have experienced. For some it’s pictures they saw, others describe a sense of well being, feeling so loved and refreshed. They then go on to draw or paint what they have just encountered and the pictures are really incredible. God is speaking and revealing Himself and His realm!
As God’s children, we’ve been given a powerful gift. With this power, we are able to see different realms and different kingdoms that cannot be seen with our natural eyes. This gift is called faith.
Faith is like having eyes in our heart, our spirit. With these eyes we can see the invisible world. God is always speaking, one way and yet another. His desire to speak with us even outweighs our desire to hear from Him. Can you imagine that!
So today, become like a child once again, and allow those eyes inside of your heart to be opened in a fresh way! You God is speaking to you! And all it takes to hear what He is saying is childlike faith; the simple belief that He is who He says He is! Enter in to His world today!
[Written by: Kristen Olynick]
Click here to listen to the EG Podcast of this message
What does that mean? I’m not really too sure as this is the only place that I’ve ever known. I can only imagine that somewhere “out there” is perhaps another realm that Father has created for His own good pleasure. A debatable conundrum to be sure.
But as I think on it, I get to experience other realms…right here, right now.
For me some of those realities could be translated to reflect the seasons that I’ve been allowed to experience. Some of those seasons could be further translated to “opportunities” that Father has allowed me to be a part of. Those opportunities for me have names, names like “being Spirit filled”. Other seasons might be called marriage, children, the Ambulance Service (or other employment/career experiences). One of my most exciting seasons right now is that of Eastgate. Wow!
It is through this last season (Realm), that “more” make sense, or becomes clear. What things you might ask? Well, I’m now in that season/reality that allows me to see the miraculous made real. I hear my Heavenly Father more clearly (not perfectly…just with greater clarity), I see the lame walk, the blind see, hope restored…and on it goes.
It’s almost as if Papa pulls back another veil and beckons me to come, to explore, to step just a little more into His world, His realm, that place of intimacy. This is so very exciting.
I can hardly wait to see what’s behind tomorrow’s veil, what revelation is waiting for me to co-labour with God. Hummmm.
[Written by: John Lowe]
also posted here.
Lord, If You Will….
Jesus, being followed by massive crowds of people, is stopped by a leper who falls to his knees in front of Him and says, “Lord, IF YOU WILL, you can make me clean.” Jesus doesn’t hesitate for a moment, He immediately stretches out His hand toward this untouchable, and looking at the disease-ridden man with eyes full of compassion, Jesus says, “I WILL, be clean.” One encounter with Jesus and a disease that has defined his life becomes a distant memory, his identity is altered, his destiny changed… just one encounter…
So many of us are walking the streets of our city, looking at the injustices in our day and feel paralyzed from becoming HIS-story makers because this question plagues our minds, “Lord, If You Will…” Jesus revealed His will when He taught us to pray, ‘your WILL be done, on EARTH as it is in HEAVEN’, so if Heaven on Earth IS His will, the question we need to be asking is ‘What does Heaven look like in my life, in my family, in my neighborhood, in my workplace, in my city?’ The voice and heart of Jesus echoes throughout time, “I WILL,” forever silencing the doubts of His bride. Will you believe and be apart of Heaven invading Earth? Just one encounter with Jesus will change everything…
I find it absolutely fascinating how my Father in heaven reminds me that He is still with me, and that He loves me. It’s easy for me to think that part of my relationship is predicated on what He will do for me in the future. And yes, I understand that He is a good giver of gifts to His children…but I digress:
I have this little dog, a small but bossy Bishion Friesee to be exact, that takes me for a walk twice a day. We have a predetermined route that we travel and on my walk I pass a little red, not so new, Toyota. On this little car, firmly affixed to the bumper, is a sign that reads…”Did You Thank God Today?”. I don’t know why, but it seems to catch me by surprise each time. That little car sits in the same spot and so I asked Father why this was so. I felt Him saying…”So that it’s fresh, new and moves you to action.”
Now I know that you’re not that way, but I am. I’m in need of that little Holy Spirit “nudge” if you will and so I move into silent prayer, while I continue on my walk with “Ruffles”…my canine companion. Who says men can’t multi-task.
And although it’s good to be excited about the future, and that’s good, it is really easy to overlook my present; what I already have to gloss over it if you will, as that is already within my grasp.
Where are you going with this John? Well, let me escort you into a typical prayer walk with my Papa. I thank Him that I’ve just woken up from an eight hour sleep on a comfy bed beside the bride of my dreams. Thank you Lord. I then swing my legs over the side of the bed and then stand up. Thank you Lord that I have two legs that respond to my command and can carry me about. I look outside to get a peak of the weather that Ruffles and I will be in in just a few minutes Thank you Lord for my sight. Sometimes, I thank Him for my body, my lungs, my heart etc. This may sound kind of silly, but ask anybody who can’t breathe if they would be thankful for new lungs. Ask anyone who has just experienced a major heart attack if they would be thankful for a heart that works without compromise or complaint. And on it goes.
And one more thing Papa. Thanks for that little red Toyota that reminds me of all that You have already granted. It’s going to be a good day, despite what lies ahead of me. Thank You Father God!
Your Thankful son…John
[Written by: John Lowe]
Also posted on EG’s website.
Lady Gaga, Madonna, Oprah, Michelle Obama, Angelina Jolie, & my personal favorite, Ellen… Such amazing ladies, influential in their own right, commanding attention from a platform of global proportion. Ellen brings fun, joy, dance, something of such great importance in our all too serious adult world. I awoke from sleep with these names on my mind as I celebrated each lady’s unique giftings and influence. I then heard the soft whisper of Holy Spirit, “There is One, another Lady, to whom you must know, whom you must follow, who will have the greatest influence upon you Her name is Lady Wisdom.”
I’ve been drawn to the book of Proverbs, devouring and absorbing Wisdom; so practical; so every day. Page after page I take in all that She speaks; teaching me, mentoring me, leading me, influencing me….
I am making it a practice to read Proverbs everyday, like going to school as a young girl, strapping my books together flinging the bag over my shoulder and I’m off ready for the day and all that will come my way. Knowing Wisdom is walking beside me, guiding me, instructing me.
Lady Wisdom is calling out today. She is raising Her voice, taking Her stand, beside the city gates leading into the city. She promises riches & honor , enduring wealth and prosperity. Her fruit is better than fine gold; what She yields surpasses choice silver. She is a tree of life to those who embrace her and those who lay hold of Her will be happy!!
[Written by: Kristen Olynick]
Originally posted here.
ieastgate.wordpress.com 