Day #4 A Torrent That Surpasses Our Wildest Dreams!

Here we go! If there is one subject that is my absolute favorite, it's worship! For me, more than any other place of encountering the Lord, worship is not only the easiest and quickest route, but it is the most intense place I encounter Him. By worship I mean a time when music is on and songs of love are pouring out of our heart and song; probably some dancing happening as well! Worship is a huge part of my identity; it probably is for you as well! I was reminded again today how important worship is to my life and how I honestly don't feel "normal" if I haven't had good worship time with the Lord. (For the record, worship doesn't always have to be with music. Even as I write this, my heart is yearning, longing for Him; pulling Him closer just because He is on my heart and mind. I can barely write as I can feel His nearness. Worship is so much more than a song, but I'm choosing the one facet of song just for today!)

There is something about worship that goes deeper than any other place. Worship takes us past the place of distraction, even when there are multitudes around us, and we bring Him love. Just love. His love moves our hearts and our love moves His heart. Take a moment right now - take a deep breath and close your eyes and imagine Him sitting right there with you and tell Him how much you love Him. Just focus on Him and expect that love to be reciprocated! Ah! The more we love Him and pour out our love, the more it increases! Sometimes it can be so intense we wonder if we can possibly contain more - but we can. 

The place of love is the place where fear, anger, pride, and so many other fleshly things disappear. My Pastor, Bill Johnson, reminded us today of that old song, "Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace." He talked about when we choose to focus on His face, His beauty, how all the things of earth grow dim. That is SO true!

The possibilities in worship are deeper than we can imagine. No matter how close to the Lord we have come, there is always a closer place. We have to be careful that we don't become comfortable with the levels of worship we have experienced. There is more - always more! I'm looking for the face to face encounters. I'm looking at Him, I'm loving Him, but I'm anticipating it to get deeper every time. Our worship goes into the Holiest of all places, straight to Him, accepted by Him, enjoyed by Him.

I try not to make my blogs long, because I know people don't like to read long things. But how can I possibly talk about worship and leave it with so few words? And yet how can my many words possibly describe the indescribable pleasure of encountering this love?  My heart is to pull you into a place where you finish reading this and all you want is to go worship Him; all you desire is His presence! Worship is the love we pour out on Him, and yet He can't help Himself as His love becomes a torrent that surpasses our wildest dreams!

Here is what the Lord is saying to you:

"You have ravished My heart. You have inflamed My being My beloved one, My equal, My bride. I am undone by your love. Merely a glance from your worshipping eyes and you have stolen My heart. Just gazing into your heart, joined to mine, and I am overcome! Conquered! Ravished! Held hostage by your love!" 

Song of Solomon 4:9 The Passion Translation

Parenting Messes & Victories- No Domestic Foo Fooey'ness Included!

We've been looking at different ways we encounter God. Today however, I want to talk about parenting. (You know, when I think about it, God actually has used my daughters many times to speak to me and to teach me a great deal about His love. I have encountered Him through my kids countless times!)

A few weeks ago I met one of the leaders at the Youth group in which two of my girls attend. She asked me what I did to raise girls so in love with the Lord and told me I should write a book about it. I smiled, but thought, "Oh if you only knew! It hasn't been me, it's been all God." No false humility about it. I'm as shocked as anyone. Our daughters are 20, 18, and 15, and while I am incredibly amazed by their relationship with the Lord, I have no thoughts of writing a book on parenting. Today I only want to offer you my testimony. No sugar coating, no stories of home baked cookies, and domestic foo fooey'ness, but just a very candid look at our journey and the struggles that turned into triumphs. (I suppose that alone could be a book, but I promise a condensed version today!)

The only thing I can say I have been good at, is loving our girls and directing them towards encounters with the Lord. When they were little and having tantrums, or misbehaving, there was one thing I always did - send them to their room to ask Jesus how He felt about the situation and not to come out until they heard from Him. Almost every time they would come out having encountered

Him. When things were going good, I would remind them to spend some time pouring out their love and thankfulness to Him. It was never about religious dos or don't s, it was always about getting to know Him. To this day, tucking themselves away with the Lord to hear His heart has become a habit for them.

When our oldest was 8 years old and the youngest was about 2, we moved our family to Puerto Rico to become missionaries. We spent a total of 8 1/2 years in Puerto Rico, moving back and forth between there and the States in a total of 6 moves. The more we moved and the older they got, the guiltier I felt with each move. Though some years on the mission field were incredibly awesome and fruitful, many years were very difficult and lonely. Most of the time my home-schooled girls had no friends and we had no money to enroll them in extra curricular activities. We even considered putting them in school, but the schools would have put them a few grades down because they didn't know much Spanish, so we declined. Every time we moved we got rid of everything we owned. When they were little it was rough making them give away their toys, but when they were older, rough took on a whole new meaning as giving away furniture meant sleeping on pool floaties and using boxes as furniture for indefinite periods of time. Many times we had no running water for days, no electricity, and never any AC in blistering humid heat. Such is missionary life and we had it easy compared to many who are missionaries in third world countries. I have so much respect for them!

Those years were filled with many tears, many doubts about my parenting skills, and a lot of guilt as I would hold my daughters and assure them that God would bless them with their hearts desire. (I was reassuring myself as well.) The sacrifice my children had to make wasn't something I anticipated when we first moved them as little children. I expected my husband and I to be the ones to pay for what I considered our call. It wasn't until recently that I have seen the extraordinary plan of the Lord to use those seasons of solitude as a setting that facilitated great dependance upon the Lord. The very thing I felt so guilty about, was the very thing the Lord used to ignite passion in our children. I have often stood amazed because I know our lifestyle could have pushed them away from us and the Lord, but He knew it would do the opposite.We all have areas in parenting where we feel we could have done better. But as we keep our hearts and direct the hearts of our children to the Lord, we see Him go way beyond the expected and do the extraordinary. There were 3 things I have prayed over them since conception: 1- That they would have a close relationship with the Lord all of their lives, 2- A close relationship with us, their parents, and 3- That they would be best-friends all of their lives. I just did not expect Him to answer my prayers the way He did.

 At the last church we were  a part of in Puerto Rico, nobody went up front to worship except the dance team, even though there was a lot of space. My girls and I have always loved being up front in worship. It is a place where we are undistracted and can really lose ourselves in worship. I taught our girls that true worshipers carry an anointing to break things open and at this church they discovered the power of that truth for themselves. To the front we would go, knowing people were wondering what we were doing, and get totally lost in worship. It wasn't long before others started to join us and by the time we left, each service had a number of men, women, and children worshiping freely up front. The anointing we carried, and just being us, helped free others to worship.

To this day, people go up to my girls requesting prayer because of the way they see them worship. There is a depth to their relationship with the Lord because of the things they have had to walk through. I am incredibly thankful to the Lord for taking our obedience to Him, as hard as it sometimes was, and proving Himself faithful. My girls are growing into women we are incredibly

proud of. It wasn't because of anything specific we have done other than loving them unconditionally and continually leading them to the One who loves them more than we do.

Today, be encouraged. God knows how to take what we think are big messes and turn them into beautiful victories.

Day #3 The Secret Power of.....

Fasting

Yep, I said the "f" word, but don't stop reading! As I meditate on the various ways I encounter the Lord, the subject of fasting has been swirling around in my spirit. Let me first say that I'm writing on each subject as the Lord prompts, with no particular order of importance to me. There are so many different ways to fast and I was thinking about the fact that in different seasons of my life, I also fasted in different ways. It's not my intention to discuss a current trend in small groups that fasting isn't for today. The Bible is chock full of proof that we are to fast - period. 

For many years I did full fasts with water and juicing only. Those were some of the most amazing fasts I have ever done in my life. There was something about the feeling of physical emptiness that enabled me to hear the Lord very clearly. It's something I don't fully understand, but the hunger and weakness quieted my mind. During those years of fasting I received such clarity on situations where I truly needed His leading. For me the times of my full fasts were times of delight because of the ease of hearing Him in them.

The second season of my fasting consisted mainly of Daniel Fasts. These were actually harder fasts at times, than the full fasts; partly because my flesh wanted to eat what it craved and partly because the encounters with the Lord weren't as amazing, so there wasn't as much incentive. The ability to control my food cravings and give my body was it needed instead of what it wanted was symbolic of what the Lord was doing. There was no clarity of His voice in these fasts; no immediate reward of His

presence, and I had to push through by faith. At the time I didn't realize how much that would help me to persevere through some very difficult seasons in my life where the Lord was only giving me what I needed and not what I necessarily wanted. For me it was about strengthening my spirit and being led by it, instead of being led by my flesh. 

The other main way I have fasted has been by shutting out distractions in my life. I would cut out things like Facebook, email, TV, etc., in order to keep my free time focused on Him. For me the decision to fast these things was much harder than actually doing it. These have always been times of deeper revelation because my mind isn't as cluttered with useless information and I am intentionally listening more.

Obviously there are many other things we can fast - fasting words of criticism or sarcasm, fasting video games or talking on the phone - the list is endless. However, there is one thing I know - fasting always does something within us even when we aren't aware of it. During a fast we don't even have to have a great deal of set apart time to make the fast worth our time. Something happens within our fast that causes us to become more aware of Him and our attention is constantly drawn back to Him because of the sacrifice we are making in our bodies. 

Don't let fasting scare you. If the Lord is calling you into a season of fasting, it will be worth it - promise!

Day #2 Joy - Let's Have Another Round!

I've been thinking quite a bit on these seasons of change we all go through and specifically how the Lord encounters us in them. In Day #1 I encouraged you to think about the ways He touches you and to find out for yourself what is the most prominent way for you at the moment.

As I was doing that today, I remembered one of my favorite seasons. Back in the 90's when revival hit Toronto and parts of FL., I was blessed to live in FL and got hit hard by the joy of the Lord. I spent a lot of time during those days in meetings and on the floor, laughing uncontrollably for hours at a time. I would wake up the next day and start laughing again. Wow! That was so awesome! I know some are still in that season...laughing and drunk all of the time, but I'm not. I fully believe it is not a stopping place, but something to catapult us to even deeper things in the Kingdom. Although I think it is accessible ALWAYS!

I'm very happy in this season of my life, but I haven't been experiencing that drunken, blissful JOY like I did for those years back in the 90's. Sure, it comes in waves, but nothing like it used to. Being happy is one thing, but JOY...hahah! Yes, that's a different thing and I could go for another season of it. How about you? How about taking some of the deeper encounters we have had, coupled with the wisdom that has come out of hard times, and have another round of joy?

Most things worth having in the Kingdom are accessed by faith. His joy is accessed the same way. On one hand we can't force a season upon ourselves that the Lord isn't ordaining. On the other hand, we can! Just take a look at John chapter 2 and how even though Jesus said it wasn't His time, His Mom was able to change the time table. There is something to be said for tenacity! And I for one have decided to plunge head first again into the reality of His joy in me and for me. I have noticed that the things we study, listen to, honor, etc., become more and more real in our lives.
 

So, how about it? Anybody else ready to have another round?

Day #1 - Embracing The New

I've been pondering the many ways we spend time with the Lord. While I firmly believe that communing with Him throughout our days is indispensable, set apart time is equally important. A marriage that didn't have time exclusively set apart for the husband and wife to be alone, would suffer greatly. The same is true in our relationship with the Lord - there must be time to be with Him, and Him alone.

Many of you know that since our move back to the States from Puerto Rico, our lives have changed drastically. In my season of adjusting to this incredible new life, I began to wonder if I was doing something wrong because my time with Him had changed quite a bit. I have found that we tend to become so accustomed to the "normal" way the Lord encounters us, that we downplay noticeable shifts, especially when the "norm" has been outrageously good. Too often we want to camp at specific encounters not wanting the present glory to lift or change. But He has promised to lead us from glory to glory! Letting go of one season, no matter how glorious it was and trusting Him to lead us is key in this amazing relationship. If every meeting, every encounter, was always the same, this beautiful friendship would become stale and boring. Realizing this has brought me a lot of freedom and I can enjoy this new juncture in my life without forcing myself to replicate an experience, the way I approach Him, or even the manner I expect Him to meet me. 

In light of some of these revelations I began to think of you, my friends, who also have burning hearts for greater intimacy with the Lord. For those of you who would like, let's journey together through some of the specific ways we spend time with the Lord, how they affect us, and how we can better facilitate what He is doing in our lives in the seasons we find ourselves. 

At first I was going to set a specific amount of time, perhaps 2 weeks, but I don't want there to be pressure in what we are doing. So, while I will write Day #1, etc., it is only to assist you in keeping track of our journey. I truly mean "our journey", because I would love for you to share in the conversation, here and/or on FB. (Either on my personal page, or The One Who Waits page.)

To start out, I encourage you to take some time and think about the many different ways you truly enjoy spending time with Him. Then we will talk about how we encounter Him in those ways. For example, at the moment, I encounter Him mostly in 3 ways: worshiping Him in song (with music playing), reading, and dancing. For others it may be through contemplation, painting, or Bible reading. I would love to hear how you spend set apart time with Him, and if you are having a hard time getting time alone with Him, feel free to say that too!

Just Let It Out!

The last time I wrote a blog, I was standing in the waiting line for breakthrough. Now, here I am having tea with breakthrough and quite enjoying our time together! At times it seems almost surreal to be walking out things that I have believed for, for so long, and at other times it feels the only natural conclusion to faith.

There have been a few times lately in corporate worship, that tears of thanksgiving catch me by surprise. Most of the time I wipe them away and replace them with a great big smile and words of thankfulness to the Lord. (Surely a smile much more effectively communicates the joy that I feel, right?) However, the other day the Lord began to remind me of the beauty of tears.

"Pour them out upon Me. For I long to receive your tears of joy and thanksgiving. Just as you used to pour out tears of worship, so determined to trust Me regardless of what seemed like unanswered prayers, so you must freely let your tears of thanksgiving flow. They are a beautiful offering of love to Me," I felt the Lord speaking to my heart.

I know that God has enjoyed my happy dances of joy, but I wanted to enjoy the sweetness of His presence in breakthrough, to the same degree that His presence sustained me in pain. Until you have experienced His love and nearness in pain, the fulfillment that His closeness brings in blessing, isn't the same. It isn't that we have to cry to show our appreciation! But taking the time to pour out our heart in thanksgiving, to the same degree we poured out our hearts in petition, is a reflection of the level of intimacy we have with the Lord. 

The Lord knows the deep workings of our heart. To hide or lessen the emotions He gave us, in order to give Him what we think will move Him or be acceptable to Him, is to turn off an avenue of beautiful and unique expression that nobody else can give Him. We aren't to allow our emotions to lead us into disarray, but when they are a natural result of our intimacy with Him, we can be sure that they are pleasing to Him. 

Regardless of which side of breakthrough you are on, know that your nearness to Him and the outflow of your hearts expression, is beautiful in His sight. Take the time to allow your heart to burst forth with whatever His closeness pushes to the surface. Bring Him your song, your tears, your joy, your tightly gripped hand on His garment, but whatever you do, come with your heart's expression of love.

Breaking Free From the Monotony

Here in Puerto Rico it is normal to see stray horses walking the roads. However, seeing them run down the Interstate is not something you see often. Recently, my husband and I saw just that - two big horses running scared with their small foal. They were running on the side of the highway in the same direction as the four lanes of traffic we were on. A construction worker was waving a flag at them, trying to scare them back into the grass, away from traffic, but there was no safe place for them to go for at least half a mile. All we could do was pray that they wouldn't head into traffic and cause an accident.

I imagine these horses were either tied to some trees in a nearby field, or kept in a stall, but the monotony of their unchanging circumstances drove them to break free in hopes of finding something better. That sounds very familiar to me! How many have found the dullness of circumstances (pain of trials, etc.) driving them to break free and run ahead of God into something new? One can get weary of waiting for the promises to come to pass, and instead of shaking off the frustration, exchange the safety of one place for the danger of another. Sometimes it feels like ANYTHING would be better than our current situation! However, becoming exposed to the freedom we have longed for must come in God's timing, not ours, or we will find ourself running scared and though someone may wave warning flags in our face, not knowing what to do or where to go. Suddenly, the safety of monotony becomes desirable.  

This reminds me of Isaiah 30:15-16, "For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: 'In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.' 'But you would not, And said, 'No, for we will flee on horses' -Therefore you shall flee!"

It's always the point just before the breakthrough that feels the hardest. It's then that so many have done their own thing and decided that because God didn't do what they expected Him to do, when they expected Him to do it, that He must have forgotten. But it is in the place of quietness and confidence, or we could say, relaxing and continuing to trust Him, that we find strength to continue. Let's look at what verse 18 of Isaiah 30 says, "Therefore the Lord will wait, that He maybe gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him."

Today if you have been feeling discouraged by what seems to be a delay in your answered prayer, take a deep breath, release your care once again, and remember that God has it under control. Breaking free from your situation before God releases you, may be just as dangerous as those scared horses on the highway, longing for the safety of home. Though we often do not understand God's timing, we must trust in His love for us above all else.

I pray today that you will find yourself drenched in the tangible goodness of God, where you can rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory as you wait. (see 1 Peter 1:8) In His presence is fulness of joy! (see Psalm 16:11)

Pondering - to encourage you!

Today's blog may be a bit different than my usual, but I pray my candid pondering will encourage you! 

The other day I was told that a friend of mine met someone who read my blog (whom I have never met) and how the Lord ministered to her through it. Hearing about the situation made my day! It is one thing to journey through life's trials and triumphs with the Lord, but it's entirely different when we go beyond ourselves and minister the revelations we've received to others. I've found that many times I don't realize how much I have learned in a particular season until I use the truths I've "owned" to minister life and encouragement to others. When I say "owned", I am referring to when we go past head knowledge of the Word and experience it for ourselves. (See "Experiencing the Word", blog below)

It's like we get tunnel vision in the midst of the things we go through and though we are doing our best to keep our hearts and minds on the Lord, sometimes we just feel stuck, with no natural knowledge of how or when things will change. But then, in the midst of our trials... our discouragement, sickness, failing hope, our deserts...our CRUD...whatever you want to call it, HE COMES! Sometimes He comes with nothing more than His overwhelming love, but that alone has the strength we need to take a deep breath and face another day. Somewhere in the midst of a glory encounter, we get our fight back. It isn't that we are looking to always fight the enemy, but the INNER fight we need to shake off self-pity, fear, worry, or whatever we deal with, and say, I WILL BLESS THE LORD AT ALL TIMES, HIS PRAISE SHALL CONTINUALLY BE IN MY MOUTH! (Psalm 34:1) Faith and hope rise as we remind ourselves of His love, His faithfulness, and His Word. As we continue to encourage ourselves and set our mind on things above (Col 3:2), something changes within us and ultimately, around us.

We were created to BELIEVE! That's why we are called "Believers", not doubters! 

James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded." Sometimes He comes and surprises us with His love and strength, but USUALLY the awareness of His presence comes because WE are purposely focusing on Him, drawing near to Him. We purify our hearts by choosing to be single-minded; deciding to believe regardless of what we see or feel in the natural and shaking off the double-mindedness. Without faith we aren't pleasing Him (Hebrews 11:6). You cannot mix faith and doubt - it just doesn't work. Sometimes our greatest battles are not the ones we have with the enemy, but with ourselves. We must CHOOSE to believe!

After hearing about someone who "stumbled" across my blog and encountering the Lord, I was so encouraged. Not only does the Lord see when we live as "laid down lovers" (those who have surrendered all), but the world sees as well. Be encouraged that what you do in secret is having an affect on people even when you are not aware of it!!

I want to encourage you today that regardless of what you are going through, regardless of how long you have gone through it, He holds the answer. We access the answer first by faith. We choose to believe. We choose to thank Him in advance. We choose to worship Him and bring Him love even when we don't understand. When we do these things, we choose well. 

If you are doing these things, YOU have chosen well. 

The Lord has told my family that we are moving to the States. We chose to believe that we are moving BEFORE we could see any evidence in the natural. Now, as people are being moved on by the Lord to sow into us, we are starting to see the manifestation of what He said. But, it isn't fully there. HOWEVER, in our hearts, we are convinced this move will happen and SOON & we are beginning to pack. YOU have promises from the Lord too! Begin to praise Him for the answer and if there are steps you can take in the natural to step into the answer, do so as He leads. 

Remember, your current trial is your future strength that will be used to minister to many!!

Experiencing the Word

Today in my quiet time with the Lord, He spoke something to me that I know was not for me alone.

It's awesome! He was explaining to me why we sometimes have to go through hard situations. Here is what He shared. I pray it blesses you as much as it blessed me!

"To believe My Word is true is one thing, but to know it experientially, is another. This is why sometimes I allow you to go through difficulties - to bring you through an EXPERIENCE of the Word; to bring about the manifestation of a truth into your life. 

Over-comers are allowed to walk through difficulties in order to overcome them and gain AUTHORITY in an area. My purpose is not for you alone, but for those I will bring across your path to minister freedom to as well. The way is not always easy, but for those who will believe, victory is eminent. You heard Len say, (Len is my husband) "View every unwelcome situation as an opportunity for God and not a problem." Sometimes in order to truly EXPERIENCE MY WORD and My faithfulness in that Word, you must walk in a place where you and the Word are intertwined. This is the place where you are using the Sword of the Spirit to cut away what is not of Me and to bring yourself and your circumstance into alignment with It. 

My Word is ALIVE and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. It goes into the deep places, dividing light from darkness. (Hebrews 4:12) If you have already been established in a truth, then the Word is manifesting light in and through your life. But when you aren't truly established in a truth, then when the Sword of My Word comes, it goes in deep and cuts through and separates what is darkness (doubt, unbelief, fear, etc.) from what is light (His truth). Until you experience certain situations that cause you to embrace My truth and live My truth, you aren't full ESTABLISHED in it; it hasn't become a part of you."

So, we become established in a truth, where it goes DEEPER than a head knowledge and into a spiritual embracing, once we experience it. Life is released, truth is embraced in the EXPERIENCE of it. This helped me to understand why He allows us to go through seemingly long seasons of trials, etc. It is for us to become one with a particular truth in order to really "own" it. Once we do, it's ours! We can then minister the strength of this truth from a powerful place that the enemy can never steal. It goes beyond a belief, where we then are ESTABLISHED in this truth. 

How awesome is that?? 

Got Problems? (by Len Rodriguez)

Let's start with a couple of Scriptures : John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” 

John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

When facing a situation that is getting ugly and big, we call it a problem. In the dictionary one meaning of the word  problem is "a matter or situation regarded as unwelcome or harmful and needing to be dealt with and overcome." The explanation is that a problem is something we create ourselves, because of how we regard what is happening. It is a problem when we view it, or regard it as a problem. However, when we view these things as opportunities, instead of problems, trusting God to create a testimony, then we are completely resting in God's ability. 

When we do not have peace and cannot rest in the midst of battle, it denotes that there is fear which forces us to use our own strength and skill to achieve a solution to the problem. Having fear is the opposite of faith.1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” If we struggle instead of abiding in peace, we are ready to be defeated quickly.

The point is HOW we view the problems, circumstances, trials, and afflictions. Even doing spiritual warfare, must be done from a platform of trust, peace, and love. The Lord said in John 16:33, "Take heart, I have overcome the world." Take heart also means “be a good cheer, be encouraged” and implies trust. Trust in the dictionary means "let a thing be settled by another, without intervening directly in it; or a firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something." What God means is that we must live our lives from a place of love and peace because He has overcome the world. That we should live from a place where we do not rely on our own strength, knowing that  when we are weak, He shows Himself strong. 

Here's the challenge: to live our lives in peace and confidence, even if we have problems and troubles because Jesus has overcome the world. ~Len Rodriguez

Waiting on the Lord

Some of you have joined my page on Facebook called The One Who Waits. For those of you who haven't, I encourage you to join us in August, as we set aside at least 15 minutes each day for focused, quiet time, waiting on the Lord. If you do not have Facebook, I will post articles and encouragements here on my blog as well; please join us either way. If you are a part of the FB page, I encourage you to interact with us on the wall, sharing what the Lord is doing, questions you may have, or Scriptures that have been ministering to you. Or, you may interact here via the comment section below.

Today I want to share a few things to encourage us as we prepare ourselves for this time of waiting. What exactly is waiting on the Lord, what do we DO during this time, and what should we expect?

The word wait in the Bible means: To wait, or look eagerly for, to linger, to bind together, to collect, and to be collected. Waiting on the Lord is a time when we eagerly look for Him to speak to us through our spiritual senses. We linger in His presence and as we do, we are binding ourselves with focused intention to His Spirit. We are not only receiving from Him, but He is receiving from us as well!

If waiting on the Lord is something you haven't done before, or done often, it's important to know that this is a time of fine-tuning our spirits. Sometimes you will truly feel His presence, hear His voice, and begin to have His Word open up to you in great revelation. However, sometimes it may feel that all you see is the back of your eyelids, and all you hear is your own breathing. Don't be discouraged! If you are not accustomed to being still in His presence, it takes time for your mind to finally dial down in peace in order for you to hear. James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." This is a promise!

A couple of ideas to help you:

~Waiting on the Lord is a time where you aren't praying, you aren't singing, you are just still, allowing HIM to take the lead. It isn't emptying ourselves, it is filling ourselves with Him. We let go of worry, stress, and the cares of this world and focus on Him. (If it is hard to sit with no noise, it's okay to have some soft music playing in the background, but the Lord is your main focus.)

~It may help to spend some time before waiting, to worship and enter into His presence and then get quiet. This helps you to get focused on His presence. It also may help if you read the Word before getting quiet. You can then take a portion of Scripture that speaks to you and meditate on it as you wait before the Lord. Many times revelation on that Scripture will come when you do that.

~Keep a notebook at hand. Many times I jot down the important things He is saying, or what I am seeing, scriptures He brings to my remembrance, etc., while waiting. 

~Many times you will just have a strong sense of the Lord's presence - enjoy it! Some of the things we experience in His presence go BEYOND words and BEYOND our understanding. These are the things of the spirit! Being in His presence prepares us to handle even deeper encounters with God.

I will continue to write more on this subject, so check back often!

Love!

For many years one of my favorite verses has been John 14:21, "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." I have focused most of attention on the last part of this verse that says because we love Him, He will manifest Himself to us. But recently the Holy Spirit brought my attention to the first part of this verse.

Our love for Him, according to this scripture, is determined by knowing what His commandments are and by keeping them. It isn't the 10 Commandments He is referring to. No longer are we dutifully following Him to earn His favor. We live with a NEW commandment - the law of  LOVE.

When asked what the greatest commandment in the law was, Jesus answered: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." - Matthew 22:37-40

So, while our heart yearns for the manifestation of the Lord to be fully revealed in our lives, we must ask ourselves if we are walking in the pure light of His countenance. Are we walking in love? Are we loving Him with every ounce of our being- our thoughts, our motives, our actions? Are we loving each other - those who are a part of the Body and those who aren't? Jesus said the way we LOVE will show the world that we belong to Him. (John 13:35) 

Jesus doesn't promise to manifest Himself (show Himself openly) to us because of how great we preach, how anointed we are, how badly we desire the manifestation, or even because we heal the sick, or win the lost to Him. No! It is the incentive behind these things that matter. Jesus was moved with compassion and THEN healed the sick. Our actions must flow out of our love walk with the Lord and as an extension of our love for others. Motive matters and nobody knows what your motives are besides you and the Lord. 

He loves to be around burning hearts. Hearts that are so full of His love but at the same time cry out for even greater love. He longs to be around those who extend His love into the deepest, darkest places of the human soul. God IS love and we were created in His image. You carry a unique facet of His love on this earth that nobody else carries. You are called to be the extension of His love everywhere you go and in everything you do. If you don't SHINE with His love, the facet of the Lord's love that you were designed to share, will not be  released! 

Bob Jones, a powerful Prophet of God, once died and went to Heaven. The question the Lord asked him and the others that were waiting to get into Heaven was, "Did you learn to love?" As we draw closer to the Lord, let us ask ourselves this same question. 

"These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full." John 15:11

The Posture of Grace

The other day I stumbled across some notes that I had written in January about grace. I never shared my written pondering, because I wasn't sure if it was good enough. However, the day before I found these notes, my husband and I were listening to Bill Johnson teaching about the same exact thing. I was so surprised! 

The reason that I started delving into the subject of grace was because I felt like some ministers I heard were taking it a bit out of context. I truly enjoy some of the things these people carry, but I needed to hear for myself what the Lord was saying about it. Yes, we are under grace and not the law, but that doesn't mean that we no longer have to "do" things. (Fast, pray, etc.)  It just means that instead of our "doing" leading to righteousness, our "doing" comes out of our righteousness; it comes from a heart posture.

Where the law said, "You shall not murder, not commit adultery, etc.," (Exodus 20:13-14) Jesus said, "Don't even be angry without a cause."(Math 5:22) He also said that if you look at a woman and lust, you have committed adultery in your heart. (Math 5:28)

Jesus actually took the law one step further and didn't address the outward actions of the law, but the heart intentions! All throughout Matthew 5, He explains it is your heart, your motives that must be pure and led by love.

Galatians chapter 5 talks about things like not becoming entangled with yokes of bondage and how we have been called to liberty. But it goes on to say that if we live according to our flesh we will not inherit the Kingdom of God. The remedy is to walk in the Spirit so we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. He is talking about the fact that we are now free to go beyond the law by being led by His Spirit within us! We are led by love instead of law. 

Before Christ the law was our teacher and master, keeping us in action - doing the right things, striving for righteousness. But now the Holy Spirit is our Teacher and Master, keeping us focused on the righteousness we have received by grace through Jesus. Our heart keeps us doing the right things out of our relationship with Him. 

Before - led by the law - accessed by our actions. 

Now - walking in the Spirit - led by our heart - accessed by grace. 

Grace goes beyond the law and deals straight with our heart. 

We don't obey God now only in action; that is the law (religion). But this doesn't mean there aren't actions! We obey God now because of love (grace). It is the love of Christ that compels us! (2 Cor 5:14)

We still make it our aim to be well-pleasing to Him. We will still be judged by things we do - good or bad. (2 Cor 5:9-10) The difference is we are motivated by love! The message of grace goes deeper, it isn't an excuse to stop "doing", it just examines our motivation behind it. 

This is the message of grace!

Where Do You Belong?

I just realized that in a lot of my blogs I quote a song. It's not surprising really, since music is one of the ways the Lord speaks deeply to my heart. Realizing the different ways God speaks to us is very important. Sometimes He speaks through His written word, at other times through things we see, through others, or through something we read online, and even through music. I've heard so many people say in frustration that they don't hear the Lord speak to them, when in fact they just didn't realize the plethora of ways that He does!

I was thinking about a song that Cory Asbury sings in which he says, "I finally found where I belong, it's to be with You, to be with You." In light of my personal situation right now- waiting on a move back to the U.S for the past year and not feeling at home where we are now, this song hit the spot! 

So many of us find ourselves in situations that are uncomfortable. Whether you are believing for a spouse, ready for a new job, or hoping to move to another State, there is one place we can be comfortable calling HOME - in His presence. I've realized in my journey that it isn't UNTIL we come to terms with the situations we find ourselves in, that the Lord moves us to the next phase. Trusting Him is both the greatest form of worship and the greatest weapon of warfare. Perhaps your calm attitude in the midst of a bad job is something that will touch the heart of a coworker, opening them up to the Lord. Or perhaps once you find peace in being single, the Lord will bless you with your spouse. 

The point is, our joy isn't based on our circumstances, it is based on finding that our HOME (our peace, our strength, our security) is in His presence. In His presence is FULLNESS of JOY!

All other points of life must flow from this one location - IN HIM!

Living Words

I shed all thoughts and distractions of this world. They fall from me like broken pieces of a cumbersome, restrictive shell. As my heart rises in worship, now free from all that impedes it, I find the intoxicating delight of His gentle yet immediate nearness.

His Words draw me in closer and my senses become flooded with the living substance of His love. Oh how He loves us! I swim in the ocean of His love, though it is only the two of us, I'm aware of the countless multitudes that flood His heart as well. There is room for all of us in in this love -so deep and wide. 

His living words breathe faith into my spirit and in this place of immersion, I receive His instructions. This is where we hear His heart - here in this place where nothing else matters but our total abandonment to Him. 

Do you hear it? Deep is calling unto deep within you. Let's go closer.....