Real Opportunities 2 - The Value of "Go!" and "Stay!"

Recently, as I was worshiping, I received the following:

"Change the world - go home and love your family."

The Holy Spirit went on to explain that, as we engage in and pour the love of Christ into our home, we change the DNA, heritage and legacy of our family. As future family generations carry forward the love of God, the "world" is changed. 

Photo by Anna Kolosyuk on Unsplash

Additionally, the words "More" and "New" have been increasingly released in messages and exhortations all throughout the Body over the past number of months creating an anticipation for new anointings and assignments. As I have asked God to reveal more about this, He opened up the following.

Real Opportunities

Recently, I heard the following statement made by the pastor of Washington D.C.'s National Community Church, Mark Batterson:

"Chase the opportunities from God that are impossible without God."

Great word with much to unpack! As I was reflecting on it, the Lord highlighted the word "opportunities" and began to reveal a few things. Most of us have the tendency to interpret "opportunity" as something fun, exciting and adventurous - a chance to do, receive or become something great. I sensed the Lord saying that's how He sees it too, but not necessarily in the same way we do. No surprises there - His ways and thoughts are higher than ours and He desires outcomes for us way beyond all we could ask, think or imagine!

Photo by Jack Ward on Unsplash

A Great Sale!

Recently, as I was reading Luke 12, I was drawn to the following verse:

  “Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it." (Luke 12:33, NLT)

Photo by Harsh Jadav on Unsplash

Jesus said this immediately on the heels of instructing His disciples to not give in to worry (Luke 12:22-32). As I re-read it several times, it occurred to me that worry is a possession! Have you ever heard someone say, "I'm just a worrier, that's what I do, it's how I'm made"? Yet Jesus encourages us to let all of that go. He came to free us of every bondage, including worry.

Worry is not a personality, it is a possession.

The Transaction

"Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’" (John 3:5-7)

"And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." (3:14-16)

"This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" (2 Corinthians 5:17)

"For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives." (Romans 6:4)

 Photo by Jonas Kaiser on Unsplash

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ and we are raised up from the dead, (resurrected to a completely new life), by the power of the Holy Spirit within us. (Romans 3:22 & 8:11) Like Lazarus, however, we come out of the grave still tightly bound in grave clothes. (John 11:38-44) Jesus gives the command to Lazarus' family and friends to "unwrap him and let him go" (v. 44). As followers of Christ, we continue to help one another unwrap from the things that had bound us in death, but each of us has to be willing to cooperate with that process...

Who Stole the Joy of Work?

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2) 
Recently, the Lord began to challenge my thinking regarding a pattern of thought that multitudes of individuals, myself included, have been subject to for many years. It's one that seems to be deeply entrenched in so much of our culture that it is considered the "norm" and is rarely questioned. It is a prevailing mindset that work is something we have to get through and endure in order to get to something we would really enjoy. We learn this early and it is reinforced continually throughout our lives.

But what if drudgery isn't the "norm"? What if there's something more?

A House of Cards and the Governor of Peace

In this post, I would like to share some things that can help keep us on track to live and love with consistency as we travel along sharing the goodness of God in our every day lives. 

I'll begin with something the Lord opened up earlier in 2017 during a time of united corporate worship with multiple churches from our community. As we worshiped, I saw in my spirit an enormous fortified steel structure. It had the appearance of a high rise under construction with heavy scaffolding attached to it. All I saw was the steel framework - it wasn't finished but it was massive and intimidating. Suddenly, the building disappeared and in it's place stood a precarious house of cards. Out of nowhere, a powerful wind blew and the cards were scattered everywhere. The house of cards was completely destroyed in an instant. As I saw this, I immediately heard in my spirit, "At the blast of His breath..." and the Lord brought to mind Exodus 15:8,

"At the blast of Your breath, the waters piled up! The surging waters stood straight like a wall..." 

A Mighty Redwood - Trunk, Branches and Fruit

In the previous post, A Walk in the Garden, we touched on the responsibility that comes with accepting the invitation to dwell personally with God. The love He pours into us is designed to flow out through us to refresh and nourish others. Recently, a dear friend shared a vision of how we are to carry that out without being weighed down by the enormity of the needs around us. The revelation began with a conversation we were having about the physical and mental exhaustion that can set in as we intercede on behalf of others. I would like to take a moment to insert here that, if you are a professing follower of Jesus Christ, you are an intercessor. This is not a designation reserved for an elite group of "prayer warriors"! As born again and regenerated believers, we have the Holy Spirit within us and, as He intercedes for us according to God's will, so we are all called and equipped to intercede for others as He directs  (Rom. 8:26-27, Eph. 6:18). Sometimes that intercession is direct prayer, other times it is just our presence in a room or a simple act of kindness and grace. All of it is powerful and effective. The needs are many and, as intercessors, we often feel in the physical the weight of what's going on around us in the spirit.

As we talked and prayed about this, my friend saw a vision of a large tree. A believer was carrying a branch, but Jesus was carrying the tree. She said it looked like a gigantic Redwood. The message of the image is that it is our part as believers to carry the branch, not the whole tree, lest we be crushed under the enormity of the weight of it. This really stirred something in my spirit and, over the course of the next few days, the Lord expanded on it and opened up the following.

Overcoming Part 3: Strategies of Goodness - Revelation & Paradox

In the previous posts of this series (Part 1, Part 2), I shared the Lord's call for us to take out the enemy's fortress and how to position ourselves to do that. For many of us in the Church Body, including myself, we've had it backwards for far too long. We are a new creation in Christ designed to be the head and not the tail (Deut. 28:13). We are royalty, God's royal priesthood: 

Overcoming Part 2: Positioning for Strike

In the previous post we learned the importance of personally taking our own thoughts, words and attitudes captive so that we can rise above the barrage of fiery darts from the enemy and begin positioning ourselves for an offensive strike. Transitioning from everyday citizen to fully equipped "warrior" doesn't happen, however, without some training. Soldiers and athletes alike understand the importance of excellent training before they ever set foot on the field of active duty, whether it be combat or sport. What's true in our natural surroundings, holds true in our spiritual walk as well. As Believers, all of us are called and recruited. Every gift and qualification required has already been placed within us by our Father. If we're breathing, we have purpose, mission and something valuable to bring to the field. So, what does this training look like for us?

Overcoming Part 1: Pulling the Counterfeit Out of Circulation

This post begins a progression of thoughts regarding overcoming. The Lord has been opening this up and walking me through process for months...and we're still walking and talking. What a wonderful, patient, kind Father He is! There is so much yet to learn but I have felt the prompt to begin sharing what I've experienced so far to bring encouragement and help to those who may be feeling more "overwhelmed" than "overcoming". Please comment and add your own experiences of how God is helping you to overcome. Big or little, we'd love to hear your stories! Every one of them is a testimony to the goodness of God and carries the power to help others.

Several months ago, I had an interaction with a friend that kick-started a fresh, personal conversation with the Lord about positioning ourselves for overcoming. The individual  had watched a television program that, at least initially, appeared to be a fairly straightforward recounting of the last days of Jesus but ended with strong statements dismissing Jesus' death and resurrection and the validity of the Bible as the Word of God. Nothing was known about who produced the program but the network it was aired on has a track record for releasing material that stirs controversy - perfectly within their license to do as we, thankfully, live in a nation of free speech and press. As a fellow believer, however, my friend was rather disturbed by what he saw. I asked him what he expected to receive from this media outlet and he responded, "I know, but we have to know our enemy. We have to know their tactics."  This seems to be a fairly common mindset, so I asked the Lord what He thought about it. This was His response:

"Why study the false when it's the Truth Who will set you free?"

The Goodness of God Part 5: Nothing Wasted

Recently, as I was spending time just enjoying God's presence, He released the following word of encouragement and promise:

"Nothing is ever wasted. I use everything. You have heard My promise that I work all things together for good, for those who love Me and are called according to My purpose. Beloved, nothing is wasted - the good and even what you perceive to be bad. In My sovereignty, I work it all together for good. It is a by-product, a consequence, of My great love for you. It's what I do and who I AM. It's My part. Your part is to believe Me. To trust, to receive and to rest. No worries for tomorrow. No anxieties for today. No regrets for yesterday. Let that all go and rest...assured that I am working all of it together for good. I am the same yesterday, today and forever.

The Goodness of God Part 4: A Different Kind of Memory Loss

Throughout the years I have observed that, as generations age, many tend to look back and long for the "good ol' days", as though things were only good in a previous time. Even younger individuals bemoan the days we are currently living in, wishing we could go back to a "simpler" way of life. A couple of months ago, the Lord started to speak with me about this mindset. It began with the following word:

"The good ol' days are not gone! They are right here. Right now. Today is good! My goodness is not bound by time or space. There is a tendency to look back and say the old days were good because it usually takes the passage of time for you to see things from My perspective and see how My goodness has been present all along.

The Goodness of God Part 3: Blind Spots & Obstacles

For the past several months I have been observing many people entering into a time of significant change, including myself. Many of these are unexpected, "suddenly", rapid moving events. Everything being shaken and rearranged from health status to relationships, careers, financial situations, etc. It's as though many of the things we have perceived as the foundational "plate tectonics" of our lives are being moved. As I personally started to experience a time of major shifting, I began to sense that, whatever God was leading me into in the next season, those close to me would understand by the spirit of God within them and He would personally see to removing any resistance I may encounter along the way.

The Goodness of God Part 2: How Then Shall We Build?

A few days after receiving the revelation about the "Wheat and the Tares", the Lord released the following word continuing this exhortation to focus on all that is good (scripture links came as I meditated on this word):

"Speak only that which is worthy of repeating and that you would want repeated. Words take on a life of their own and they go on - either building up or tearing down (Prov. 18:21). There are some people of discretion who will let a negative word from you bounce off and not pass it on to others. Most, however, absorb negative like a sponge, marinate in it and let it drip all over everyone they come in contact with. Many of those same people will actually deflect the positive things you share. Do not let the disposition of their "receiver" deter you. Share only that which glorifies My goodness and builds up others (Ephesians 4:29). 

The Goodness of God Part 1: How Will Your Garden Grow?

It is late April and, in Wisconsin, the layers of snow and ice have at last given way to green grass, budding trees and blooming daffodils. Thoughts turn toward the planting of flower beds, vegetable gardens, new trees and shrubs. Soil is prepared, seed is sown and plants are fed and watered. It is with the backdrop of Spring and the promise of refreshing, new life that I want to share this next post. It's the first in a series of messages about the goodness of God. These were received over the course of two weeks in March while I was home recovering from surgery. Even in the midst of physical issues, God is good!

The Rescue

It doesn't take much effort to find bad news and the worry, fear and anxiety that accompanies it. It seems to be readily available everywhere, prepackaged and ready to consume on the fly - kind of like fast food. But I recently had a powerful encounter in which I was reminded that God is also everywhere and ready to share a different kind of meal with us all the time - even, appropriately, in the grocery store. (Psalm 139:1-12) The following is taken from a letter I wrote to a local television station sharing what I experienced that day. Hope, encouragement and life are available to us, 24/7, if we will choose to look up and reach up!