THE TREE OF LIFE

Herein lies the message of the Gospel:

I  have received the gracious gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. In turn, He must truly become the only Lord of my life. Confession, repentance, healing, restoration and a divine calling all spring from this gift of grace.  To bear fruit for His glory, I must continually go through the process of dying to self, establishing Him as Lord over everything in my life. Everything! True freedom from the things of this world that entangle us and lead us, deceptively, down the road to destruction.

The roots of my salvation grow and dig deeper as I am developing my relationship with Him through much prayer and fasting. I must remain on bended knee and entrenched in His Word to remain grounded in His truth. Continually feasting on His Bread of Life and His Living Water. 

He will bring me through that gate and down the narrow road that leads to the New Jerusalem. I will rid myself of sin and idols through obedience, submission, relationship, suffering sacrifice, shepherding and surrendering ALL. For His glory. If I remain grounded, humble and continue to grow, I will inherit the Kingdom, by His work on the cross and through the empowerment of His Spirit within me! 

This life is the abundant life: submission, transformation and devotion to our God bearing much spiritual fruit in my life for His glory! 

Galatians 5:13-22

13 For you, brothers, were called to freedom. Only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity to gratify your flesh, but through love make it your habit to serve one another. 14 For the whole Law is summarized in a single statement: “You must love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, be careful that you are not destroyed by each other. 16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will never fulfill the desires of the flesh. 17 For what the flesh wants is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit wants is opposed to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, and so you do not do what you want to do. 18 But if you are being led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.

19 Now the actions of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, promiscuity, 20 idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, rivalry, jealously, outbursts of anger, quarrels, conflicts, factions, 21 envy, murder, drunkenness, wild partying, and things like that. I am telling you now, as I have told you in the past, that people who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. 24 Now those who belong to the Messiah Jesus have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, by the Spirit let us also be guided. 26 Let’s stop being arrogant, provoking one another and envying one another.

The Beautiful Sacrifice of Prayer & Fasting Part II

"Prayer is reaching out after the unseen; fasting is letting go of all that is seen and temporal. Fasting helps express, deepen, confirm the resolution that we are ready to sacrifice anything, even ourselves to attain what we seek for the kingdom of God." ~ Andrew Murray


Love this quote! What a powerful statement!  Bringing heaven and earth together.  Bringing the temporary condition of our lives on this earth in alignment with the eternal, everlasting domain and the will of the Almighty. Coming before the throne of grace and power in surrender. Drawing close to Him. Expressing our love and trust in Him. Knowing Him more intimately. Prayers with power behind them. Spirit-led and Spirit-filled. Don't miss this wonderful opportunity!

The Sacrifice

The power and beauty in the sacrifice of prayer and fasting...

Praise

Repent

Ask

Yield

Focus

Acknowledge

Sacrifice

Thanksgiving

Praise Him. For all He is, all He does and His willingness to humble Himself to commune with us.
Repent and Release your heart. Come before Him with a humbleness and a willingness to learn and grow. Embrace His forgiveness. Surrender.
Ask Him to guide you in Spirit (rather than flesh) as you pray for your heart’s desire for yourself and others.
Yield in submission to His perfect will and in anticipation to His answer to your request whatever the outcome.

Focus on the power and provision of God, His Spirit and the gift of redemption, reconciliation, and salvation rather than on perceived needs of the flesh.
Acknowledge His sovereignty in all things. He is our ALL in ALL; we would not, could not exist without Him.
Sacrifice something of significance such as food, a stronghold or a bad habit. The sacrifice should be something you feel you need but must do without to increase the realization of your weakness and dependance upon Him. Sacrifice your time to be used in prayer.
Thank Him continually during the fast for providing spiritual strength and sustenance during your time of surrender and moments of weakness and revelation. Thank Him for His unfailing love and provision.

Reasons to Pray and Fast
To seek God’s guidance and wisdom
To seek deliverance or protection
To express grief or remorse
To strengthen prayer
To express repentance
To rededicate your life to God
To humble yourself before Him
To overcome temptation or conquer a stronghold
To seek His provision spiritually or physically
To ask for healing emotionally, spiritually or physically

“Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.” Daniel 9:3, seeking guidance and deliverance

“Now, therefore,” says the Lord,
“Turn to Me with all your heart,
With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”
 So rend your heart, and not your garments;
Return to the Lord your God,
For He is gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger, and of great kindness;
And He relents from doing harm.” Joel 2:12-13, in repentance and mourning.

“Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?
 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;
When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ Isaiah 58:6-9, fasting pleasing to the Lord.


Scripture References for Prayer and Fasting
http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Bible-Verses-About-Fasting-and-Prayer/

The Beautiful Sacrifice of Prayer & Fasting

Another absolute favorite story of mine from His Word comes from 2 Chronicles 20.  It is a story of angst, danger, desperation and deliverance. It is a story of prayer, power, community,  and perseverance. It is love story sacrifice and deliverance.

A summary of the story goes something like this:
 
King Jehoshaphat of Judah was told that his enemies were coming to make war. Jehoshaphat was terrified and begged the Lord for guidance. He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting. So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the Lord’s help.

Jehoshaphat stood before the people.  He prayed before the people giving the Lord all the praise honor and glory. He also took claim to God’s promise of protection for his people. He said, ‘We can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and rescue us.’ In humility, Jehoshaphat prayed, “ We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”

Then the Spirit came upon Jahaziel, a man in the crowd.  He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.  Then King Jehoshaphat bowed low with his face to the ground. And all the people of Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the Lord. 

 Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness to face their enemies. On the way Jehoshaphat stopped and said, “Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm.

(And, here is the best part!) After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang:  “Give thanks to the Lord; his faithful love endures forever!” (Can you imagine singers leading you into battle?!)

 At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves. The armies of Moab and Ammon turned against their allies from Mount Seir and killed every one of them. After they had destroyed the army of Seir, they began attacking each other.So when the army of Judah arrived at the lookout point in the wilderness, all they saw were dead bodies lying on the ground as far as they could see. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped.

 King Jehoshaphat and his men went out to gather the plunder.  It took the people three entire days to gather the plunder! It is still called the Valley of Blessing today.  When all the surrounding kingdoms heard that the Lord himself had fought against the enemies of Israel, the fear of God came over them.  Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.

Valley of Blessing

I love this moment in history because it memorializes the beauty of relationship with God Almighty.  The king loved his people and his people loved him. The king loved God and God loved him. The people loved and worshiped God. There was beauty in the sacrifice of prayer and fasting and coming before God with surrendered hearts.

Jehoshaphat had a sense of urgency in approaching the Lord; rather than trying to solve the problem himself, Jehoshaphat went straight to the Creator of the Universe. He approached the throne with humility before God and his people, relying on God alone. The king seized God’s power in collective fasting and prayer demonstrating his trust, reliance and dependance on Him alone. His prayers and demonstration through fasting with his people were answered, he gets an added bonus of peace on every side during his reign, and God gets the glory!

The sacrifice of prayer and fasting, with a yielded heart, can move mountains. It is a beautiful way to demonstrate our love and trust in the Living God. It is one the most powerful tools of spiritual warfare yet one of the least used.

May we grasp the power of prayer and fasting, may we seize the opportunity to gather together in coming before Him to offer this sacrifice in submission, worship, trust, and dependence. And, may we utilize this tool in our toolbox of faith often just as we put on our armor to face each day!

THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS Part I

Not long ago, our pastor gave a sermon on a particular topic of which I now cannot remember...  Not highly unusual for me these days (which is why I take notes)! Nevertheless, one thing that he mentioned during the course of his talk was 'the beauty of holiness.' THE beauty of holiness.  I instantly had a mental picture of hundreds of men in priestly garments standing in the temple of God in Jerusalem singing praises and making offerings to our Great God!

It really did strike a cord with me causing me to wonder what exactly is this beauty, this holiness, and how is it is manifested in our lives today...?  As I started to dig into His Word to find out more, I began to understand just how deep and how important it is to understand the mystery of this beauty.  His definition of beauty, as with most things, is not our definition of beauty. It is a true reflection of His beauty and holiness.

I'll just touch the surface of this beauty in today's post and continue on as His Spirit leads....

The first scripture I came to:

"Give to the Lord the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!" 1 Chron. 16:29

1) Give to the Lord the GLORY DUE His name.  What does that look like?!

We are to give Him the glory due His name. To give glory to Him in all things, whether we are in good times or in bad. Whether we are suffering or celebrating. He gets the glory ALL OF THE TIME as "we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28.) It is not always easy. We must remember that He reigns; Let the earth rejoice; Let the multitude of isles be glad! (Psalm 97:1) Even when we don't feel like it!


2) Bring an OFFERING, and COME BEFORE Him. What does that look like?!

Here is the dictionary definition of offering:  

1. something offered in worship or devotion, as to a deity; an obligation or sacrifice.

2. a contribution given to or through the church for a particular purpose, as at a religious service.

3. anything offered as a gift.
 

Okay, so I wasn't far off with the offering part! A sacrifice, a gift. Something we give Him, for Him, that He desires with no expectation of receiving anything in return. Our service, our time, our money, our desires, our plans, our resources, our lives. Something that doesn't come easy to us to give and feels contrary to the desires of our flesh. Something that is, yes, difficult for us to give and should, in fact, make us feel a bit uncomfortable. It is not about us but solely about Him.

His beauty. His holiness. Your beauty. Your holiness. It is the way He sees you now through the looking glass of righteousness and sanctification through our Savior, Lord and King Jesus the Christ. He wants us to look in the mirror and see Him rather than ourselves. He wants us to manifest this beauty and holiness in our lives today so that others can see Him in you. So that you can lead others to Him!  

It is a slow process of surrender and conversion of the heart, mind and spirit. With each step taken, the road becomes a little easier. Remember that bag of carrots? To be continued...

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2