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Deuteronomy 31:8

"The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

Praise You in This Storm by Casting Crowns

About Me

McAlester, Oklahoma, United States

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Correction to post..."Glory to Glory"

As I reread my post, I realized that I mistyped that "God does lie." I want to correct and say that I meant "God does not lie." This is a very important correction because my Lord NEVER lies to me! Praise God!

Sarah

Glory to Glory

I don't know about you all, but I am a person who likes to know what is going on all around me. I like to analyze my life and the lives of others. It has always been enjoyable for me, and brought me a sense of security to know what is coming up in the future. I am a planner, even though some would call me completely spontaneous. Even though my house is always unorganized, I enjoy organizing my stuff, my life, and my future plans. I love having a plan to follow. You get the point, I do not like to be surprised when it comes to major decisions in life. In the world, this can be a great quality, and it can even have its benefits in the kingdom of God....which brings me to my point for the day. God asks us to follow Him one day at a time. He asks us to trust Him, and know that He is God. We are commanded to not worry about tomorrow. I have never liked to label my analysis of life as worry, but many others have along the way. They have told me that I worry too much about what is going on around me. Worry. I do not even like to hear that word, but it just might be true. Maybe I am a worrier, and I have just labeled it something else...being analytical.

God has been helping me with this "worry." I am at a place in my walk with Christ where I am beginning to understand that he only gives us enough light for the step we are on. The scripture that I have been considering for awhile now is:

Psalm 119:105 (NASB)

"Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path."

I began to think about this scripture and realized that when I am walking in the dark (with a lamp), I can only see a very short distance in front of my feet and all around me. There are many things lurking in the dark which I do not even WANT to see. I feel comfortable and secure with the light from my lamp. But when it comes to my spiritual walk with Christ, I want to see way out in the future. I want to see his great master plan and how I fit into it, so I will not be afraid of what is to come. He protects me from being overwhelmed and even fearful by NOT showing me the master plan all at once. He gives me what I need for today. He commands me:

Phillipians 4:5-7 (NASB)

"Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

Matthew 6:34 (NIV)

"Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

God is clearly telling us that we should not be anxious, or worry about what will happen tomorrow. Even with all the amazing things I have witnessed my God do, why do I still have trouble accepting this? It is because of my own insecurities and remembrance of the times I have trusted man and have gotten burned. This is a stronghold in my life that must be broken down. Lack of trust. But I am encouraged by God's Word as it tells me:

Numbers 23:19 (NIV):

"God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?

So, God's Word clearly shows that God is not like an old boyfriend who broke our heart when he decided he no longer loved you, or lied to you, or cheated on you. He is not a father who is never there, or a mother who never cared. He is not a bad business partner, or a betraying best friend. He is not an abuser, or a tyrant who is wicked. He does not murder, or steal, or commit betrayal of any kind. He is what we hope to find in others. He is the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV):

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."

He does lie, He does not change His mind. So what is there to worry about? If everyone in the world was like Him, there would be no sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkeness, orgies and the like (Galatians 5:19-21). He warns in verse 21 that "those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God."

On the other hand, if we trust God, then we have an amazing journey of becoming Christ-like to look forward to. We can wake up every day with purpose and hope. In the process, we become the fruit of the Spirit and the whole world around us benefits from the presence of God in our lives. God showed me this morning what it means to go from "glory to glory" as spoken of in His Word. This is what God is doing in my life. He is taking me from one glory to the next, and he is making me more Christ-like in the process. One day, I pray that I will be able to stand before Him and be a mirror image of Him. The scripture he revealed to my heart was:

2 Corinthians 3:18 (NKJV):

"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."

Each day holds a new glory, a new experience of God which reveals who He is, and where I am going in my path of becoming Christ-like. I live each day to find out what new glory he will reveal to me, and to know Him better.

Lord,

Today, I thank you for the continuing journey that you are taking me on. I thank you for waking me up each day with gladness and rejoicing, and that I always have something to look forward to in hope. I thank you for your great love for me, and your daily interactions in my life. I thank you for guiding me each day and encouraging me not to worry, for everything is in your mighty hands. I thank you for each reader that has joined me on my blog today, and I pray your blessings would be poured out upon their lives. Bless the hearing of your Word. Show them who they are in your kingdom, and whether or not your Spirit is in them. If they find they do not have your Spirit, give them the strength, wisdom and faith to accept you as their Savior and Lord today! I pray that you would guide them with your Light and your Word, and that they would find peace in you that surpasses all understanding. Give them a better understanding of your Word, and continue to reveal your great love for them. I confess today my own anxieties about the future, and I ask that you help me to trust you more each day. Please forgive me for my sin. Giving you great honor, praise and glory, I ask these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.

From glory to glory,

Sarah

Monday, September 15, 2008

Manifestation of God

As I was reading scripture today, and thinking about my wonderful Lord, and beautiful Savior, Jesus...I came across a scripture that spoke to my heart (as many of them do!) The scripture today is:

John 14:21 (NKJV):

"He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."

My eyes stuck on the word "manifest." I hear people in my service talking about the manifestation of God's giftings and gifts of the Spirit, but I decided to look up a definition from Merriam-Webster dictionary and this is what it said:

"manifest" - 1. readily perceived by the senses and especially by the sight
2. easily understood or recognized by the mind

So...going back over this scripture, I realized that if I have the commandments and I keep them, I love God, and if I love God, then I am loved by the Father, and Christ will love me and "manifest" Himself to me. This is one of those scriptures that I have to chew on, but it confirms the current state of my relationship with Christ. You see, over the past year, I have been seeing God make Himself more real to me every day. He continually reveals Himself to me on a daily basis, and he lavishes on me His presence and His love. Every time I think he has become completely real to me, He reveals something new about His nature and character, power and grace. I am floored right now by the infinite nature of God's ability to interact with us as another human would, but on a deeper spiritual level. God is showing me how much he loves me right now, and it is an amazing time of realizing how I am cherished by God. What an amazing thought to know that God desires me. He shared a scripture with me other day via a sister in Christ's gift of prophecy. He told me that he desired me and was "enthralled by my beauty" (Psalm 45: 11, 13). And I thought I was the one worshipping Him! It sounds to me like he values me very much, but it is important to say that he values every person this much. This is not something that is exclusive to me because I am special.

John 3:16 (NKJV) says:

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life."

God loves everyone in the world so much that he gave His only Son to die for our sins, so that we could have everlasting life. And because we are reconciled to God through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, we can also see him "manifest" in our lives. He becomes more real through the senses. Lately, he has been doing this through his manifestations of healings, speaking in tongues, and prophecy in our church. He has spoken things to me from my own heart through others in the church (that were unknown to them) by word of knowledge, and he continually pleasantly surprises me as I delight myself in His presence. There are times when I close my eyes in church, worshipping him in song, and I can feel Him all around me. His presence is something that I can hardly explain to anyone, but he constantly reminds me just how real he is. And His presence NEVER gets old, or boring, or leaves me feeling dissatisfied. All that is found in His presence is JOY.

It is better than any drug or temporal pleasure the world has to offer. There is no special drink, cigarrette, drug or sexual activity that can even come close to how I feel in the presence of my King. His presence can make me laugh, cry, shout, sing, fall down, spontaneously give love to others, and it can definitely heal. Sometimes, I feel like David in the psalms dancing around almost naked with unrestrained joy in His presence. I could dance naked in front of my Lord and feel unashamed. He sees me for all that I am, and all that I can be, and he loves me. Who wouldn't want to know God if he makes life a joy every day? I love my Lord, and I want the whole world to know about his goodness! I pray that every person comes to know my Lord the way I do, and even on a much deeper level than I may ever experience. I truly have no regrets in life when I am walking with Him.

Lord,

Today I pray for all these people who are reading this blog. I pray that you would continue to seek them out if they do not know You. I pray that if they do know You, You would draw them closer to You, where You can manifest Yourself in a greater way. I pray that the spiritual darkness in their lives would not keep them from your glorious presence, and from the joy that is set before them. You know each of them intimately, as you created them in your image. You know their comings and goings, and all their deepest thoughts, desires and fears. Please reveal Yourself to them today in a new way. I thank you for the joy of being in Your presence and I ask that you would bless them today with salvation, and a knowledge of who You are. I pray all this in Jesus precious and holy name. Amen.

Rejoicing in Him,

Sarah