Pour Water On It, Lord!

"He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood. Do it again, he said, and they did it again. Do it a third time, he ordered, and they did it the third time. The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench." 1 Kings 18:33-35

Pour water on it! Let's make sure everybody knows beyond any shadow...beyond any hint of a doubt that God did this! Soak it! Drench it! More jars! More jars! More jars! Give the water some time to soak in! Hey prophets of Baal, why don't ya pour some flame retardant on it! You arrogant blasphemers of the Most High God!  Let’s make sure no fire can burn so the fire of God can fall and everyone will know the truth!

Can you hear Elijah's passion? Can you hear his voice thunder as it rips through and terrorizes the prophets of Baal? Can you feel the false prophets' fear as they tremble at what's about to happen? Can you sense the eminence of God's Kingdom and all its forces ready to explode out of the sky to encroach onto the scene...like gates rattling, before the thoroughbreds are unleashed to run the track...his chariots of wrath...stomp in place...suck breath into their nostrils...even the horses burn passionate with his righteous, angry justice.

"I must decrease, he must increase."

This is my continual prayer to God...

Pour water on it, Lord...soak it...destroy it....rip it to shreds...make sure it fails!!! Make sure every one of my human efforts fail...every self-promoting, self-exalting, self-worshipping, fleshly works be utterly destroyed...root out the dark worship of Baal...in me...that YOU would LIVE...in me...that YOUR work would be accomplished and not mine…"the flesh profits nothing, the Spirit gives life"...did you read that? Nothing! Your works count for nothing! It is the SPIRIT that gives life! “Flesh gives birth to flesh; the Spirit gives birth to spirit”.

Jesus' flesh was ripped to shreds from scourging and it hung on display for the entire world to see...that our flesh profits nothing! It actually....destroys...he was destroyed by fleshly men. How many of us desire so much to truly move in the power of the Holy Spirit that we would pray...for cross-work...to pray..."I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me"…crucify me Lord…not for ourselves, although there are AMAZING benefits...no, we pray to die...FOR HIM...and for the world...we follow in his footsteps..."pick up your cross and deny yourselves"...we are his SLAVES...and I love it!

"unless a kernal of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it produces no fruit"

I have a friend who has an amazing voice...she gets lots and lots of compliments on how wonderful her voice is...she sings all the time and people love it. But a few Sundays ago something different happened...psalm 22:3 says in the KJV that God inhabits the praises of his people; literally translated...he sits down and dwells among his people...a few Sundays ago it was as though he sat down and dwelled among us. She was unaware that the entire congregation who was sitting at the beginning of the song were now standing...voices full volume...hands lifted...worshipping the Lord…God had arrived and it was astounding...she was unaware of our standing because her eyes were closed...she was captivated by her Savior and unaware of what was happening around her. 

The compliments were different after this time she sang...I know because I read some of them on facebook...they were more like, "God really moved when you sang...and...I really sensed the anointing when you sang"...her voice didn't matter quite as much this time. People came hungry for God…and they were fed.

What I know about this person is that her life has been ripped to shreds and put back together again...she's been to the cross...and continually welcomes it again and again in order that God is glorified...knowing she has much growing to do...much more self-worship to die to…as all of us do...she prays daily to die…and God honored that prayer in a special way that day.

That is only one example…has anyone ever brought you food and brought the presence of God with them? Has anyone ever visited you when you were in deep depression…and they brought with them a mysterious light that penetrated your darkness when nothing else could?…has anyone ever hugged you and it was as though Jesus, himself, just hugged you?…has anyone ever patted you on the back, spoke a few words to you and it was as though God, himself, just spoke to you?

“God works supernaturally through natural means”, author unknown.

Pour water on it, Lord! May my efforts fail so yours would live through me, SO THAT ALL WOULD KNOW THAT IT IS YOU AND NOT ME…SO THAT THE FIRE OF GOD WOULD FALL ON ME...

Paul said, “I come not with eloquent words but with a demonstration of God’s power”.

It is a supernatural life that we are called to live. We are called to walk in a DIVINE calling but there’s only one way to get there…it’s not by having lots of “mystical, ecstatic” experiences and dancing around an altar flailing and frantically prophecying. 1 Kings 18:26-28 

It’s by answering the call to come and die…continually…before the throne…in the workplace…in the marketplace…it’s by embracing the cross, the struggle…it comes by wrestling, like Jacob, with the Angel of the Lord until you receive your new name…the name of someone who walks “not by might, nor by power, but by His Spirit…”

Watchmen On The Wall

"I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest,"  Isaiah 62:6

I can hear the cadence...the drum beat...it's almost fearful...it forces breath into me...exploding in me...kingdom coming...kingdom coming...it's soon...it's very soon...cries of intercession...thru the night...keeping watch through the night...gripping the altar...unceasing...knees aching...fire falls...warring hosts advancing...trumpets blasting...hosts of wickedness wailing...like a mist his Spirit descending...weaving in and out and through the streets, the homes, the factories, the offices, the farmhouses, skyscrapers, restaurants, drug addicts, prostitutes, clerks, CEO’s, farmers and firemen...and those that reject him...and those that reject him...and those that reject him...and those that reject him...would he still move if we didn't pray?

There's only one army that advances on its knees...in secret...where there is no tangible battlefield and no stage for generals...and no plunder for the victor. The watchmen on the wall.  Those that allow no sleep to come until they have completed the King's orders. Those awakened in a moment to move and breathe as the Holy Spirit navigates them through cities, towns, and homes. Their hearts beat with his...their cries pierce the heavenlies...ascending the throne like incense...their ears attuned to his whispers...gentle...intoxicating...commanding. They have only one yearning...that the breath of intercession would fill their souls and the heart of God would be made known to the nations...that scales would fall...that eyes would be opened, hearts softened, and minds enlightened...to know the true saving knowledge of God through Jesus Christ, his son, our Savior. That the church would breed true lovers of God...and worship him in Spirit and in truth.

Watchmen live their lives awaiting the next call to arms...contemplating the next battle, the next move, the next charge, the next flank...there's only one kind of person who spends his day searching for a new angle to pray...how to be more effective, how to thwart the enemy, how to advance his kingdom, his church. The watchmen is truly God's friend. There is no limelight, no praise, no pats on the back, no recognition....no glory....sometimes even little or no evidence of his labors...only evidence of need...for so much more...for so very much more....need.

But he keeps God's work alive...he's granted that honor, “work prepared in advance" for him to accomplish through his Lord, Jesus Christ...and it's his passion...no need for reward or recognition...for that comes from the throne...and he knows it...the Father's good pleasure wells up deep in his spirit and he is full...he wrestles with revelation...and he is astonished.  He shares in a heavenly delight that few know...that few care to labor to know. He lives in the Word and finds his heritage, his lineage, his heroes, his teachers, his trainers, his mentors.

His chamber is sacred...holy ground...wet with cries for God's people and wet with the dew of heaven...

His sin?...despicable...ever before him...tempting him...taunting him...and at times...seizing him...so what does this mighty, valiant warrior do?...knees...altar...prayer....his ever-increasing awareness of his own sin causes his burden and his love for his brothers and sisters in Christ to ascend  new heights and new depths.

"sin is ever crouching at your door, you must learn to master it"

"together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ"

Deliver us oh Lord, deliver us...this is the watchmen's unceasing prayer....deliver us oh lord, deliver us...

"deliver us oh lord, from every sinful and inordinate affection and from the sin that so easily entangles us...by thine agony and bloody sweat...by thy cross and passion, by thy resurrection and ascension...deliver us" Book Of Common Prayer

"God's purposes and the Church's praying are the combination of all potent and omnipotent forces" E.M. Bounds

The watchmen knows he stands at the door of eternity...and it is his unceasing, spirit-filled, Word-centered praying that unites the purposes of heaven and the hope of God's created. He is captivated with the weightiness of his God-given responsibility.

As he makes his way through his city where he lives...the divine beckoning never ceases...the highways lead him, entangle him, and wrap his heart around the buildings, the businesses, and the homes that scream with agony of those still lost and hurting and dying...and he stands in the gap...with joy and passion...knowing God is moving...mightily! He knows because he can see it...because he asked to see it...he prays not for riches but only for his Father's heart...and for the souls of unregenerate men.

“all creation groans”

The watchmen's personal struggles are also great. He is no stranger to the sufferings of his fellow man, but he knows that somehow the sufferings of this life, united with his striving after holiness, and united with his ceaseless intercession and worship is bringing about the righteousness of God in Christ…and his efforts are not futile for others either. He is an intercessor…every action matters…every growth spurt counts…has “corporate” effect on God’s beloved.

Make me your watchman oh Lord; share with me the secrets of heaven, the yearnings of your heart. May your heart beat like a cadence in mine. May your heart beat like a cadence in your people. Help us to hear the mighty drums that lead the charge of your advancing Kingdom…and may the unquenchable fire of God burn in our hearts…

“From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.” Matthew 11:12

We Have Come To The Mountain

"We have come to the mountain of the living God, take a good look around us, what we see is what we've got" Jason Upton

I've been in Tucson, Arizona for a few days and I just love the mountains. Granted, these aren't like Everest or Fuji but they'll do! I find when I look at them I can't seem to take my eyes off of them. They're mesmerizing! It's as though my eyes are glued on them or locked in on them by some powerful force. I can actually feel power coming from them and filling my chest with new breath and strength.

Now, before you think uh-oh-weirdo earth worshiper dude, just know I love God's creation but I would prefer to worship Him! Anyway...as I would walk in and around the very large... and crowded resort I was staying at, my eyes always found themselves fixated on the mountains. The crowd, the chaos, the confusion, the pressures I faced from the job that I was there for...staring me right in the face....didn't seem to matter so much when my eyes were on these mountains. I felt lifted above the stress. I felt energized for the battle that raged around me. I felt like an overcomer!

For a moment, the mountains were the only thing that mattered.

"Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith"

Of course, as you've probably already guessed, I couldn't help but think of the mountain of the living God. If only we could lock in on him like that! If only we could walk in such victory, locked onto our Mighty Leader.

Well, the truth be told, eventually I got hungry, needed some coffee, grew tired, was annoyed by the crowds, drained by the job, etc.,...and etc...annnnddddd holy moment gone, mountains not so important anymore.

...but...they were still there...

Quiet but still so powerful...they surrounded the city...watched over it...protected it...When you woke up in the morning and looked out the window, they were there, and when you went to bed at night they were there...sleeping giants...these guardians of the city were immovable...

"he never sleeps nor slumbers"

I guess you just kinda get used to them and they become invisible...mmmhhhh

"so we fix our eyes not on what is seen but what is unseen"

The song at the beginning of this page, says "we have come to the mountain of the living God, take a good look around us, what we see is what we've got"...I'm not sure if he's speaking of the present or the future but for now let's assume, present.

Take a good look around us, what we see is what we've got!!!

What we've got is nothing less than astonishing. I take a good look around me....and I see the cross. I see a God who dearly, passionately loves me and thinks I'm the most special thing that ever walked the earth...I realize there's a few billion others he thinks that about too but that makes it no less amazing...I see a cross that gave me life through a man that died and somehow supernaturally, mysteriously, and completely...transformed me. I died! And he lives...in me!

I see through the cross...to the other side...where I live...hidden with God in Christ...I hide in the secret place of the most high....sheltered by him…under the shadow of his wings...and as I embrace the cross...with all its sufferings, all its hopes, all its glory, all its love, all its sacrifice, and all its stripping, shaping, forming and transforming, I see eternity...I see the mountain! I see his glory! I see forever! I see him!

And like the woman at the well I want to go and tell...actually RUN and SCREAM! He's there! I can see him! Come on! Before it's too late!

I also take a good look around me and see an enormous and overwhelming amount of suffering that causes me to realize I am so blessed! The cross has been unveiled for me. I've been in the Holy of Holies and tasted his beauty.  "I have seen you in your sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory". I have seen the Lord! How can I not spend every moment...no...minute...no...SECOND...serving Him?

And whether the mountain I come to is one of suffering that requires great faith or a "mountaintop experience" that brings new hope and wisdom and mystery and strength, I will stand on the rim of the visible world, look to the cathedral in the sky and know the sanctuary is always open!

"on the rim of the visible world...cathedral in the sky...the sanctuary's always open" Jason Upton

And as I look around to see what we've got, I will run to serve him...whether it's in the soup kitchen or behind a pulpit...if they are true...then they are one in the same...God help us to run to the suffering...I know you’re there, I know you’re there...

Maybe if we ran to the suffering then we would find the mountaintop. Maybe if we ran to the hurting then the mountaintop wouldn't matter....because with the suffering, he is there...you are there, Lord and I want to be where you are...

I will exalt my God, the King! For he is like the mountains. He is an immovable force! Look with favor on your anointed ones. Look with favor on us! In the multitude of your mercies, let us rejoice. Keep our eyes fixed on you, Lord. Grant us the secret knowledge of your Kingdom. That which is only reserved for your beloved. Strengthen us...that we might press into the suffering and hurting...to find you our beloved, Jesus.

Cause us to come to the Mountain of the Living God and to look around and see what we've got...for now and forever!!!

Eternal Awards Banquet

"Surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses."

As I watched them, one by one, go up for their awards at my company meeting, I couldn't help but wonder what it will be like at the wedding feast of the Lamb. It was the "ole timers" they were honoring. Doctors and consultants who had worked hard and made extreme advancements for fracture care and orthopedic product design.  They had helped heal and possibly save the lives of 1,000's of hurting and broken people. As each veteran went up to the stage to be honored, slides and videos were shown of the person's life, family, accomplishments, and special awards earned along the way.

Will it, in some similar way, be like this as we sit down with the King? As we begin to feast and worship and honor our Lord, will he stop us at some point and say something like, "now we have a few matters to take care of...a little "business" to attend to...then we'll get back to dinner."

One by one, Jesus calls up each of his children...his warriors...princes...

princesses...veterans...co-laborers that prayed (I mean really prayed), those that preached, fed the hungry, clothed the naked, gave money, built houses, listened to heartaches, checked on widows, loved on orphans, took care of elderly, embraced the lonely, and those that did whatever they could for the despised and dejected....the outcast.

"Whatsoever you do for the least of these...."

One by one he calls each one of us up and as we come, a great video (state of the art of course) begins a "documentary" of the life we lived and the lives we affected. The documentary shows the hurting and broken people we might not have helped with orthopedic implants but with "holy implants" imparted with our hands, our feet, and our hearts through the love of the Lord Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.

You are there. You have made it! Jesus calls the next person up and you see yourself in his video as someone he helped...funny...you don't recognize him...then the video plays on and suddenly you recognize the scenario...you didn't know that he did that!...that's how that bill got paid!..that's why my family wasn't evicted!....you didn't even know him...you weep...with joy and appreciation...you honor him with a standing ovation...much like the many standing ovations that took place at my company meeting that night.

  “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done." Revelation 22:12

Some of the doctors and consultants had long lists of accomplishments behind their names. They had worked really hard. They were very highly decorated and very well respected and honored. This made me wonder if the heavenly awards banquet will share this likeness. Will some people take a lot longer to honor? Will some receive more awards, more handshakes, more HUGS from people they helped?

Some of the doctors were about to undertake new assignments and take on greater responsibilities. Promotions were announced for consultants. This, of course, made me wonder if there will be a time like this when we will receive our heavenly assignments...our special name, rank, and serial number, if you will...Our new clothing, armor, vestments, stripes, tools, musical instruments, etc.

"To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it." Revelation 2:17

I love all the scriptures like pressing on toward the mark, running the race like a marathon, fighting the good fight, and men of force laying hold of the kingdom. We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses and while much of what we do for his glory, we think, is in secret...it isn't really at all. We are, indeed, in an arena and thousands, if not millions, are cheering us on. And while we try to humbly say the rewards shouldn't matter or "another jewel in our crown" shouldn't cause us to do what we do; it actually should. It's what they represent! I want lots of stripes! I want lots of medals! I want lots of vestments! Because they will represent, HOPEFULLY, all the times I brought my precious Lord honor and glory. They will represent how much MY FATHER was pleased with me. They will represent, hopefully, someone I was granted the honor of helping in some way....even if it was little. Not only that...I want all my friends to receive tons of medals. They loved greatly for Jesus and did great things in his name and I want to give them a standing ovation, shake their hands and hug them for loving me in his name!

"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." 2 Corinth 4:17

I haven't made any great advancements or accomplishments like these doctors and my fellow consultants have. My name is not on "the list" as one of the great ones. I don't have a great title in my company and probably never will...but I am extremely proud of one thing....I will let the Word of God tell you what that one thing is...

"I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death" Philippians 3:8

A Place Near Your Altar

Justus: "dad I miss you even when I'm with you...because I know that soon you'll have to leave me"

"I don't want to move...I don't think I could". David Crowder

"a place near your altar Lord" 

Have you ever been there? Near his altar? Enamored by his presence? Unable to move. Not wanting to move...to leave. Words fail me when I feebly attempt to describe the density of his Spirit in those times and the fiery warmth of his love. The mystery when he gives us glimpses of that which "no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has perceived" is well...a mystery.

 Father I don't want to leave here...I don't want you to leave me. I already miss you because I know soon you'll leave me. Give me another scripture, another verse, another prayer, another "secret duty".
You made me your priest...grant me another cup to wash, another garment to fold, another sacrifice to prepare...another verse to sing...anything...I don't want to leave here.

I'm not talking about goose bumps or  "swinging from chandeliers". I'm talking about sitting at the feet of the master, a PERSON, Jesus, and washing his feet with your tears and begging him for one more embrace, one more word, one more powerful breath of intercession, one more peering into the unknown. I love my father! He is my God and I am his son! I love when he shares his thoughts with me! "how great are the sum of them"

Can you imagine it? Jesus looks to his Father and says  something like "dad I miss you already because soon I know you'll have to leave me".

"as the deer pants"

Have you ever ached for him? Missed him so terribly that every breath seemed difficult? Of course we know "he has made his tabernacle to dwell with men" and he has been birthed in us...lives in us. But if we have been following him long, we know there's no escaping those desert seasons. There are times we get to hang out with Dad at the altar only to be followed with the commission to go...and do...

I wrote a song a long time ago about Mary Magdalene, whom I believe truly beheld him in this way. Here are some of the verses....

She comes in the room, she knelt down at his feet and washed him with tears
She comes in the room, she knelt down at his feet and washed him with love

She comes in robes of scarlet, suddenly turned white by the touch of his hands
She comes dancing madly, I can see the place where she used to roam
She comes in a breath of silence, she lost herself in the eyes of love never known

And all of her tears flowed into his hands
And all of her smiles, they wrapped around his heart

I want to know Him!!! And though I'm here for yet a little while longer, walking this dimly lit earth...he has made the light of his countenance to shine upon me...and I know that soon I will see him face to face and I will know him fully as I am known!!!

No matter how treacherous this life can be I know I carry about in my body the dying of the Lord Jesus Christ, the resurrection life of the Lord Jesus Christ, and a sweet, holy, sacred, intimate communion with him that no one can ever take away from me. I hold it close. I guard it with a vengeance.

"God you are my God, earnestly I seek thee"

...I set my face like flint to the cross...

I, like so many others in the Body of Christ, struggle to describe what has and what is taking place in us. And though we horribly misrepresent Him sometimes, we still so desperately want the world to know what we have, who we know, and what has happened inside of us...

If we could only, adequately, describe this treasure!

Suffice it to say...we walk...secretly shaken.

Like a Mighty Rushing Wind

 

"my soul is restless til it finds it's rest in thee" Augustine

Been reflecting on my conversion a lot lately. Words cannot describe the sheer mystery and power of His revealing on that great and glorious day.

I've never stopped marveling at His visitation that took place 21 years ago. I was living in Austin, Tx, 1989, 23 yrs old on a destructive path as a musician in a very dark, alternative rock band.

....partaking of ALL the fruits and chemicals this world had to offer...

I was horrifically alone and totally empty inside...

He literally swept into the living room of my apartment that day. 3rd floor, sliding glass door to balcony open...hot summer day in the middle of the afternoon.

Like a mighty rushing wind He breathed into my home as I sat facing the balcony. It is no exaggeration when I say the room was suddenly filled with the presence, the power, and the mysterious, divine, glory of God. In an instant my eyes were opened and I believed!

In an instant I went from utterly empty, miserable, and hopelessly lost to being totally filled with a strange but wonderful, new presence...person.

Like dew from heaven...except I was drenched and my soul was very...very satisfied.

I went from complete atheist to complete believer. It was as though He came into the room and, literally, my first thought was...hello God. Nice to meet you! I think your son's name is Jesus...?

I felt as though God turned to all of heaven and said...it's time...let's go get him!...and they came! With a mighty, indescribable force!

"he parted the heavens and came down"

"he reached down from on high and took hold of me and drew me out of deep waters"

"he rescued me because he delighted in me"

Psalm 18

I had a pocket Bible and hurried to my bedroom to find it squeezed between Nietzsche, Camus, Sartre, Hinduism, Buddhism, and every other "ism". Those books had been fascinating to me but the Bible was dead, boring and irrelevant.

Not this time...

I opened it and for the first time in my life, the WORDS WERE ALIVE. They trembled. The book trembled as I held it in my hand. I had discovered the hidden treasure of the ages and it had been right in front of me for years. He removed the scales and I was in love.

This is literally what the book opened to...the first scripture I had ever read...well with the scales removed...

"The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." John 12:25

Now, I had no idea what that meant but I knew one thing for sure...the words were food for my soul and I couldn't stop eating!

It seems the once dead religion reserved only for the weak, straight-laced and well...nerdy...was now an adoption into the holy mystery of a God who was very much alive and MIGHTY to save.

What a day! The delight of heaven filled my heart and filled my home! I know beyond any doubt that the same cloud of glory that led the Israelites through the desert was in my little apartment on that historical and ETERNALLY significant day...and I knew at that moment I would passionately follow him for the rest of my life...no matter what the cost.

What a magnificent God that he would save me from such utter DARKNESS in such an extraordinary way…divine fire consumed me…”zeal for your house consumed me”.

I remember wandering those streets in Austin night after night almost disoriented from the “aloneness”, stress, confusion, and despair from a life bound by the "prince of this world" "who is now at work in those who are disobedient".  Funny...all my clothing...BLACK...was an obvious reflection of not only how I felt inside but literally who I was inside. “Dead in my transgressions and sins”.

It is so clear to me now that the darkest forces of hell were bent on doing everything possible to drag me with them to share in their eternal inheritance. I believe they came awfully close…especially with my endless contemplations of taking my own life.

"the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers"

"we wrestle with spiritual wickedness in high places"

He is so very good!

I think about how I so often worry about so many trivial…and some important…matters invading my thoughts on a daily basis. Then I remember this amazing day and hundreds of other remarkable days where he has moved so mightily and so unmistakably in my life. It reminds me of how my life is so completely vulnerable in his presence, purpose and will …and this brings me rest…great rest…oh how he loves me!

“and I-in righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness”. Psalm 17:15

Inwardly Groaning Eagerly Expecting

10/23/10
If we have an enemy that wages war 24/7 does it not make sense for us to do the same?

Such a struggle walking interwoven with light and darkness, the spirit and the flesh, the natural and the supernatural, the mundane and the divine. We really all do inwardly groan with all creation eagerly expecting the manifestation of the sons of God....agonizing to be set free from this fallen world...another reason to pray without ceasing...blessed be His name he has caused us to walk upon the heights like "hinds feet in high places". "Not by might nor by power but by His Spirit!"

...deep in the prayer chamber...

God you are truly marvelous. Thank you for granting me assistance in prayer today. Thank you for captivating my heart for you today and "sitting down and dwelling with me" (psalm 22:3 kjv) as I worship you. Holy are you Lord! I worship you! In the hour of plenty I worship you. In the furnace of affliction my soul cleaves to you, to your embrace! I cleave to your altar and my affections are set on You, Lord Christ. May the sufferings of this life be used as a weapon to slay my enemies...the things of this world that my flesh calls friend..."though He slay me, yet shall I live".

My soul desires only to please you, to serve you, to know you, Jesus. O how I love you my Lord, my God, my King. You are my Holiness, my sweet delight.  As this world corrodes and is corrupted more and more each day, my eyes are fixed on thee, fixed on you as I  gaze upon your sweet eternal majesty. "in thy perfect beauty, I adore thee. In thy boundless power I adore thee".

We behold...and it is marvelous in our eyes!

What splendor!

Can you see Him?!?!?

Consume my heart with the same fire that Jesus walked in and consumed His heart and drove him to His wounds...that drove him to crucifixion.

Oh the mystery of sharing in His sufferings. What a gift to somehow mysteriously know Him through this constant encounter. Eagerly we await you Lord, inwardly we groan.

Sister and brother in law are here. How good it is to have family who truly love and serve the Lord. Such encouragement and strength.

How good it is to be in real fellowship. Something "mystical" about it. Powerful and delivering just to be in the presence of other believers. Sometimes I have found this to be the only thing to deliver me from the stress of life and the warfare of the enemy. Isn't that amazing? When prayer, word, or worship do not bring deliverance, go and dwell with your brothers in unity. Amazing how the enemy flees and the mind and heart are refreshed.

As we press in to Him we should make every effort to press in to each other. We should make every effort to knit our hearts together intimately with Him and intimately with one another.
How we desperately need to link arms as the battle rages! So pathetic how we divide over such trivial matters and petty offenses. Lord unite us. Lord help make us the city on a hill. Burning bright with your divine and holy love...divine and holy fire.

Woke up 1st thing this a.m. praying for the souls of unregenerate men. Those lost and dying, without hope, without God and in danger of losing Him forever. Prayed that God would pour out upon and so drench them with his Holy Spirit that their eyes would be opened, their minds would be enlightened and their hearts would be softened to come to the true saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior! Prayed for revival in the church and a great end time harvest of souls in the earth. "snatch them from the fire" as the world grows darker may we grow brighter and let all men be drawn to His name.

Cherishing the Church

10-22-2010
Cherished the Church in intercession thru the night. His beloved...keep close to your heart at all times...his dear ones...keep watch for them...love them in prayer. That Christ would be formed in them, that we would decrease and he would increase, that wisdom revelation and fire would continually burn in there hearts. How I pray with everything within me that God would consume us with his holy spirit, revive us, glorify His bride and cause us to walk in crucified lives to the glory of his name.  Deliver us from all lies, deception and false doctrine. Deliver us from division and cause us to dwell in TRUE unity of the Spirit. Deliver us from EVERY evil and make us to be that pure, holy, spotless bride of Christ prepared for the groom and his return. This mystical, eternal, beautiful Body of Christ adorned with holiness, adorned with Him...keep it etched deep in your heart always, saints.   Wage war for His most cherished treasure, the object of His greatest affection! I LOVE the Church!!!  O my King my God my glory grant me the honor of wrestling for your church...grant me the fervor to embrace your beloved thru the day and thru the night without relent as the times are reaching their fulfillment and your purpose in will is being accomplished! Maranatha Lord please come quickly.

Prayer Journal - Random and Unedited

October 21, 2010

In the midst of much warfare, strife and stress thru the night. God mysteriously, quite supernaturally welled up in my "belly" with power and said he would take care of me and it would be in an extraordinary way. Words cannot describe how he moved within me! Comfort came and I was reassured I had nothing to worry about.
Then mid morning He had me open my Imitation of Christ book by Kempis. It asked why are you so troubled, because things don't happen as you think they ought? The man with the favor of God is the man who gladly suffers for him.

Give no heed to worldly pleasures but rather eternal ones. It has been appointed unto us who believe to suffer much. Thessalonians. How much more for those who strive after the spirit.
It was as though the words leaped off the page and he was speaking directly to me. How great thou art. To consider the lowliest of men so much as to impart His spirit and life and wisdom to him. I love his word! Like fresh baked bread from the oven...for the spirit.

"A strong and faithful lover of God stands unshaken in all adversities, and gives little heed to the deceitful persuasions of the enemy."  Kempis

Though there has been great affliction, darkness and even sense of failure (maybe even sense of failing God) thru worldly attempts (which unfortunately desire to consume so much of your life and who u are) I have to stop and look at the extraordinary victory that has been granted to me...Annaliese on her own accord starting a neighborhood bible study at 10 yrs old. Justus consumed with the Holy Spirit at 8 yrs old last week prayed and read the word ALL day and felt called to preach and is now going to be baptized. Deep in the Spirit some 1-2 yrs ago I was up late praying and had a vision of great joy in my home because all who dwelt there were wholeheartedly serving the Lord...the whole family in ministry. I watched us coming and going filled with joy as our entire family was being used to advance his kingdom.

Must remember I am in constant battle and the battleground is the MIND!!!  Satan illegally has control of the world and he is seeking whom he may devour....never at rest...for his time is short.

Continual victory over the world flesh and devil is possible...we can master it... If we use the tools he gave us. Word, prayer, worship, prayer books, fellowship, journals.

Many are the plans of a man's heart but the Lord directs his steps.

What is important? Great success in the world...or success in mastering ourselves through the power of the Holy Spirit and living a sacred life wholly devoted to him? He has called me out of this world though I still live in this world I have been born from above and grafted in to the kingdom of priests unto our God. Thank you Lord for the greatness of your glory that you have revealed unto me. Thank you Lord that it has been granted unto me to know the secrets of the mysteries of the kingdom of God.

Kempis says when you are granted the grace of devotion stay humble and don't speak much of it. Blessed is the man that maintains prayer and study and other spiritual disciplines in the dry times. Blessed is the man who maintains his faith unshaken through the times when there is no fervor.

What great faith when you remain steadfast and unshaken when God's hand strikes you in your weakest areas and his hand of affliction is heaviest upon you. When you learn not to compare yourself to others and remain in his word and revelation truth for your life.

Do not compare yourself to others. If you pray for his affliction in order to shape you then expect him to work where you are most vulnerable.

What a glorious day this has been! Started the day consumed with all sorts of inner strife and warfare. Pulled through and was able to spend most of the day in what my dearest hero of the faith, David Brainard, calls secret prayer and secret duties of intercession. Oh that we would strive at all times with every ounce of strength to discover Him in the secret place! We have the once in eternity opportunity to see him and know him in the beauty of his majesty through the eyes of FAITH. Today I have truly tasted and seen that the Lord is indeed....good.

Sean