Monday, February 27, 2006

Whip into Shape

I had a busy weekend. Well, I guess it started last week with the trip to New Orleans and then my in laws came to town and I left again on Saturday to speak in the Asheville area and then again on Sunday in Marshville. Wow - that was a lot and I am sure quite tough on my family. Clay is the best!!! I wish I could really tell you all about him, but I can not even begin to put it in words!!

So I go to these events and they went fine. I was not emotional very much and they ladies were not just turned upside down with conviction. That is a confusing time for me. I want to know that the Lord worked there and I also want to know that I did as I was suppose to according to the Lord. I don't want everything to be an emotional rollercoaster, and I never want anything to be fake or look staged or certainly not led of the Spirit. So how can I know if it was successful in His eyes and if it was profitable to the kingdom? I heard Beth Moore say the other day that she wants her private passion to be as much if not more than her public passion. Oh that is my prayer. I want to sit at my computer and get excited about His word, I want to just open the Word and be flooded with sincereirty like He brings out of me "when two or more are gathered" so often! I want to be real to Him and for Him!!

So I was praying this subject to the Lord today and look where He took me. Deut. 18:17-20.

17 The LORD said to me: "What they say is good. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. 19 If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account. 20 But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death."

Hear me now, I am not saying I am prophet - no, no way, not at all. In everyday mainstream Christianity, we believe that Jesus was the final prophesy fulfilled and completed with His coming, He was the "fullness of the law". That is if I understand scripture and commentaries correctly. There are no other prophets, just prophesy to be fulfilled. But anyway... I think the Lord was telling me that as long as I am delivery the message He has prepared for that day, then the rest is up to Him. Now I have a responsibility to find out what the right message is to deliver, but it is up to Him to do the work in the hearts "I myself will call him to account" and for me not to judge by responses or reactions or even feelings how effective it was. I know preachers have to learn this very early in ministry, but it is just now coming to me maybe because I do not consider myself a preacher either!!! What am I??

The verse 20 has a very sobering tone to it. It said to me that if I go to deliver a message and it is not what He had planned or I just speak for the sake of speaking or hearing myself talk then there will be consequences. He may not kill me as the scripture states "must be put to death", but He very well might put my ministry to death or at the very least, to sleep!!

Lord, I thank you for speaking to me through these scriptures today. I am thankful that you have once again confirmed my calling, but you have also given me a warning about the seriousness of this calling. I may not be technically delivery a new prophetic message as in the days of old, but I am delivery a message of old to the people of new!! Wow - what a responsibility. I am going to Spartanberg to my biggest event to date. They are expecting around 500 people and I am so excited to see You move!! Thank you Lord for allowing me this opportunity and this privilege. I want to make you proud and I want to not hinder your Spirit at all. Do what you have to do to ready the ladies and me for this evening and all my upcoming events! Please help my childcare to come through, I am down to the wire!! Something has got to give! Protect Clay as he is on his way out of town. Give him a safe trip, successful time, and a calming experience he so desperately needs!!

I love you Lord!! May my actions show it!!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hey Leigh,
Thanks for that blog. A friend reminded me last week of the same thing from Beth about not letting your private passion exceed your public passion. Isn't it so sweet, His yearing to be close to us individually and privately. He is so intimate! I am honored to pray for you this week. I am asking the Lord to show you His glory and to allow you to be a blessing to the people of Spartanburg. I am praying for you to take a new step of faith in your walk with Him as you follow Him to Spartanburg. And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. I know that is is your hearts deepest desire to simply please Him, so I am asking God to show you your "step of faith" in Spartanburg so that you can go in the confidence that your faith is pleasing to Him. I love you!