Day 3

I didn't write anything yesterday mainly because I didn't have anything to write, but also I was busy working on electrical outlets and drywall. I was ready to go to bed when I finished my work last night and decided to just rest instead of writing. Today I went to church hungry for the Lord and expecting to hear from Him and guess what? When we hunger and thirst for the Lord, He does not disappoint. When we come expecting, God shows up. I went expecting and the Lord had a word for me. I had a difficult time getting into worship and then felt the need to leave before the message started because my flesh didn't want to hear what pastor was going to minister on.

I am so glad I don't always follow my flesh and I learn to walk and listen more and more to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Had I left early today I would have missed out. The message was a continuation of last Sunday's message. It was mainly on following the call of God on our lives and listening to His voice and not others. There are too many scripture references to even begin to list, but the main one that was touched on last week and today was John 21:15-22 where Jesus was speaking to Peter and asked if he loved Him and Peter of course replied that he did....the scripture goes on to tell how Jesus asks Peter twice more if he loves Him and in the end Jesus wanted to see where Peter's commitment was and how dedicated to Him he was. He wanted to see what Peter was made of. Pastor spoke on different loves we have and what keeps us from truly loving God. We love stuff, we love people, we love money more often than we love the Lord. We often say we Love Him, but we don't really show it. We say we Love Him, but we aren't being completely honest. We often say things that we don't really mean or cannot commit to. We say that we will serve the Lord in every possible way and that we are ready to be used by Him, but then when He tells us to go somewhere or do something we make excuses. We say we want to spend more time with Him and get into His word, but then when we get home we spend all of our time watching tv or being on the Internet. We say we want to hear from Him, but then we don't fast and pray and seek His voice. The word says to "be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10.

Our pastor stated that if he had always listened to his mom, that he would probably have gone to Presbyterian seminary and have been a presbyterian minister, etc. He stated that we must love God more than those around us. We must listen to Him first and foremost and if God is speaking something to us and other's don't agree with it we must follow what He is telling us to do. We cannot always do what is popular or expected. We must be committed to Him and be different. After the message pastor encouraged us to come forward if we wanted to have prayer and hands laid upon us to seek God deeper and go to a higher place with Him. Again, my flesh said I needed to go and leave, but I didn't. I stayed and am glad I did. As I was praying and asking the Lord to just show me what He wants for me and to be more committed in my walk, several began to pray for me and ministering to me. Long story short, one of our elders began to intercede and pray heavily in the spirit for me and then God gave him a word for me. He said that the Lord is forming a stronger backbone in me and that I will walk in a newness and have a boldness upon my life that I have never had before or knew that I had within. I will see things not with my eyes, but with the father's eyes and have a deeper understanding what is around me. There will be things I don't even need to ask for because God will already provide it for me. The majority of what I heard and received was the boldness I will walk in. That confirms some things that have already been spoken over me. I know that there is a boldness that is in me and that is going to be released. Many will not like this, but the Lord has spoken it over me and I will listen and obey.

I have continued to be faithful in my fast from Facebook and television and will continue to fast from these things as well as 1 meal a day to seek the Lord more clearly and hear the voice of the good shepard. I have noticed more of a hunger for Him as I have fasted from these things and know that it is only going to get stronger before my trip to Israel.

It is my desire to hunger more after Him. To let go of my grasp on things and let God be in control.

Trust in the Lord

This past week has been a very interesting one. Last Monday, I was called by my HR Manager and my new boss, the new VP and was "let go". While it was a bit of a slap in the face, it wasn't completely unexpected. The Lord has been preparing me for this day for the last year and so I have been putting my trust in Him, but not enough. The Lord has been hammering me the last several months and has been confirming and re-confirming that He is our source, not Obama, not corporations, not the world and not big salaries. If we put our focus on these things, we will fail.

The Lord is refocusing my priorities and asking me to put my eyes back on Him. He is desiring me to not look at the desires of my heart, but to look at Him and just worship. He put those desires in my heart and will grant them when I choose to look to Him rather than what He will provide. The Lord is reconfirming the calling He has on my heart. That calling is a calling to be a minister of the gospel. I have received certain confirmations in the past as to what I am supposed to do and they have varied between music ministry and youth ministry.

This past year I begun to follow what the Lord called me to do. I began to work at the Christian school where Alexis attends. Junior High and High School kids is a big time youth ministry. I am entrusted to impart things into these young souls and to train them up in the ways of the Lord. I have felt a peace ever since I went there and started teaching and coaching. God has confirmed that in my heart and only He knows what else will come of it this next year. There are some big opportunities that lie before me, but God spoke to me yesterday and said to be patient. I dont want to rush anything and I want to wait upon the Lord. He will renew my strength. I want to not lean on my own understanding, but to completely trust in the Lord. He is my only source, He is my strength. He is my strength and song. He has become my salvation.

While I am at a crossroads, I am at such peace. I know I have a family to take care of, but i also know that I have a God who is bigger than any circumstance or issue that I face. My God shall supply all of my needs according to His riches in glory. I know that He will provide all that we need. Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Nothing will I fear!
I am excited to see what the Lord is going to do in the next couple of weeks and months. I know that the joy of the Lord is my strength and I will pull from that as often as I need to. I am not going to just sit on my hands and do nothing, but I am going to sit, listen and wait upon the Lord.

Jobs will come and jobs will go, as will the things of this earth, but nothing shall seperate me from the love of Christ. His love endures forever!

Out of the mouth of babes

After I brought my daughter home from school yesterday, we were sitting in the living room talking and she shared something with me that I thought was very awesome. It isn't the first time that she has shared something with me like this before, but this time it seemed more "truthful" and "realistic". You want to know what she told me? "i met a boy and i'm gonna get married." No, not really, not that yet, I just had to put that in there to throw you off. :)

What she told me was that God spoke to her during chapel yesterday morning. From what I have heard of the service yesterday morning it was very powerful and so I have no doubt in my mind what she is saying is the truth. While I do believe my daughter tends to exaggerate the truth at times, I know that her heart is pure and she means well.

So I asked her what He said and she told me that He said to "Go and preach the gospel to all the world." I am thinking, AMEN! That is awesome..and then she added this part..."Then He said to go to Colorado." I was like wow, where did that come from? She knows nothing about Colorado, but okay, I am going to take it as gospel truth. Then she proceeded to say that He also said Texas and Mexico. While I am a bit skeptical about the additional "states", I do not doubt that He spoke to her and she heard the voice of our Creator. Children are so pure and so innocent and not influenced by all the things us adults have been that they can hear more clearly.

I continued to ask her questions because I wanted to hear what she had to say. So I asked her what His voice sounded like and she said that it was full of power and then described it as a deep voice and that was it.

It just blows me away what my children will say to me, but here is the important part....I got quiet and listened. Just as the word says, "Be still and know that I am God." You better believe it that I am going to listen to my daughter and hear what she has to say. I know that God can use anyone at any time regardless of the age or situation. It just goes to show you that we need to lean our ears closer to our "little" people because we just may hear something that will change our lives. Jesus loved children and still does and He knows they will listen to anything He says. The more we listen to our children the more we will learn.

Thank you Lord for speaking to our children and revealing your power to them so that we may believe.

Be blessed!

When you least expect it

I have learned a lot in my walk with God and it is this....when you least expect something, God delivers. When we begin to quit looking for something, He blesses us in a big way. Why? Well when our focus is on other things then it is hard for God to speak to us and for us to hear Him. Our focus and priorities must be right. Last night I was at The Burn in Shawnee, Oklahoma and was worshipping my Lord and Saviour. In the past I haven't come to the Burn's like I should and came away disappointed. Why? Well my focus and my desires were not what they should be. The Burn isn't something that you go to expecting to receive something, it is where we are to go and give back to God. It is a time of intercession and worship. In the past I have gone with the attitude that I wanted to get something out of it and I have never gotten what I was looking for because it was all about me. You will never get anything from God if you are seeking personal gain.

As I was worshipping last night I began to intercede for others. We were having the Burn at the Salvation Army, so I was calling in the hurting, bruised, broken, lost and homeless. I wanted them to come and be ministered to. I want them to realize that God is bigger than the circumstances they are facing. My God is bigger than anything we face. As I was interceding I felt someone lay hands on me and they began praying for me. As soon as I took the focus off myself, God laid it on the heart of someone else to begin praying for me. See how easy that is?
This person began to prophesy things over me and speak things over me and then moved to my feet. I wasn't focusing on what was being said as I was continuing to pray as well. At first I didn't know who this person was, but later I discovered it was someone from my church that I have a lot of respect for and I know that they are not one to just speak something out to just be speaking something. This person allows God to speak through them and waits upon the Lord to speak and is careful when doing so.

They later wrote down what they had prayed and prophesied over me and you know what? It wasn't just words this person wanted to say to sound good. The words that were spoken confirmed many things that I am going through and what God is doing in my life. God is so awesome and answers us. His word states, "Call unto me and I will answer thee and show you great and mighty things that you do not know." Jeremiah 33:3. I often call out to God and ask Him to speak to me and He is always faithful in doing this. He will either speak something to my spirit or He will speak to me through someone I know. Nonetheless...God speaks and we must be willing and able to listen and receive.

While I was writing this I had intended on writing what was spoken over me, but the Holy Spirit told me, "No." It is not meant to be shared with anyone else. Some things are better left unsaid. I will just say again that when we change our focus from ourselves and point them to God, things happen. When we least expect something, God delivers.

Amen!

Be blessed.

Coach