681 - Don't Tickle Me

Dear Father - There is a lot on my heart today and yet there are so many things that I need to be doing.  Nothing that should surpass my time with you today, but still so many things to do!  It is a little hard for me to focus this morning.  

I have been at 2 locations in my quiet time this morning.  Luke 15 with prodigal son and the famine that the Lord brought the whole country.  Could it be that He brought the whole country famine so that one guy would realize his need for the "father"?  God can do things like that certainly.  The famine may not have been the sole purpose for one guy, but it could have been - HE loves us each individually that much!!  But what I kept thinking in this story was that there are times that God will bring a famine so that an appropriate hunger will come!!!  

The other place I have camped out was in 2 Tim. 4:3-5  "3For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry."

I know what I am thinking, feeling, and even being led by the Spirit to say will not be popular to many.  But this has been on my mind for some time.  After reading this scripture today and after much, much prayer I must speak out to all 10 of you that read this blog.  

All over the WWW i am seeing more and more and more conferences that are getting bigger and bigger and bigger.  Even churches these days are getting bigger and bigger!  But I think one might conclude that we as a people are getting more and more shallow spiritually.  One indication to that IN MY OPINION is by the president we as a country just put in office.  On his first week in office he has done major abortion changes that I know the Lord will not bless.  And yet we as a country - even if you personally did not vote for him - put him into office.  I know our pocketbooks are hurting and we want that kind of change, but there were major moral things Obama was very clear about that go against the very core of our Savior and we as a country, the whole country, will be held accountable.  Again, IN MY OPINION.  

I think another indication that we as a people are getting more and more shallow is the kind of preaching we hear and the kinds of conference "they" are creating for us.  There has to be a fashion show, there has to be a big spread of food, there has to be a meet and greet with the "show stopper", there has to be tons of resources offered to make sales big, etc.  It seems like even though the hearts are probably good and the intentions are well meaning, we are creating a society of Christians that can not worship on their own and can not "survive" without a conference that has more than just some good preaching from the Word.  

Everyday it becomes more and more clear to me one of the reasons God has called me to Southern Illinois is to have more of Him.  There are days that I long for the big church to worship in.  There are days that i feel so left out because I am too far from Atlanta to go to things, to far from Houston to go to conferences, too far from Nashville to get away............. I feel very left out.  But when those things have been taken away from me I see that while yes I was worshipping the Lord in those avenues, it was more about worshipping a feeling that I got from those experiences.  Like i was saying - the intentions are good of those that are creating all these big experiences, but I can see that at least for me those kinds of things made me want more of an experience than want more of Him.  I was thinking that I wanted more of Him, but when it gets down to the heart of the matter I was wanting more of that stuff and feelings.  

It seems to me that the ears are still needing to be tickled to get people in the door.  I am shocked how often people will have speakers to their church that can tell them what looks good on their bodies as far as colors and clothes.  I do know that there has to be a starting point to possibly get the lost in the door, but at the same time why is Jesus not enough?  Of course the non-Christian does not know He is enough yet, but our actions as believers are telling them He is not enough either by all this shallow inventions.  Yes, yes, yes God can still and will bring good out of it, but I have to wonder if we are not slowly doing ourselves in by this tickling of the ears - even with good intentions!  A Christian Bible teacher and hero in the faith told me it was all cotton candy Christianity and we as a nation are paying and will pay more for it!!  We have really come to a point of walking a very fine line and this one thinks we may have step over and gone too far.  I agree.  

Oh Lord - help me to not be caught up in the mess of candy.  I want to be one that delivers sound doctrine.  I want to be one that fills others with the Truth even when it is not popular.  I know this is what my heart cry is.  Lord, help me to know your will.  Help my head to know I am doing as You would have me to do.  Lord, help me to feel your validation and completeness.  Yes, the big stuff has such a lure and such an excitement and offers such a validation that is surreal and not of you at times - who wouldn't want to be part of it.  But Father if I am not offering sound doctrine and I am adding to the problem i see of believers not being to worship you in the darkness or "aloneness" without the masses......... or we can not study the Word without a book to read or a video to watch or a ipod to listen to or.......Lord as scary as this may be to say - don't let me be part....  Direct my paths and keep me accountable.  Lord, oh Lord, give me a mentor!!!  Jesus, my heart longs for you - all alone and with no big production to go to!!  I want you!!!  I love you!!!  

The End

Wow Lord - I just finished my Daniel study. I still have so many questions. I still have so many things that i never knew were going to happen...

1) Satan will be captured and then loosed for a short time.

2) We will be judged on what we have done - pure motives, missed opportunities, etc.

3) There is a whole lot of stuff that has to happen before the end ever comes and this is after Christ actually returns!

4) During Christ's reign there is the possibility of someone to reject Him and not get saved.

5) Death is Christ's worst enemy and what he will destroy last!!

6)There will be a time when Satan is captured and man will still reject Christ. This is to prove that man is "rotten" (in my words) and can not blame Satan for their own rejecting of Christ.

Lord Jesus - i know there has been no other study where i have gotten more of a healthy fear for you than this one! I see Your power and creativity and Your massive control and unbelievable timing! I am so impressed - if that is ok to say - and in just awe, reverence, and fear of You! Praise You Lord and Savior. I think the most important thing i have learned from this whole study is that i know nothing, You know everything, I know You and You certainly know me! I am Yours and that is all that matters. I am excited to see Your Face and touch Your hand! Thank you Lord!!

Protect Toyia and I as we travel to Highpoint. Thank you for yesterday in Cary and getting to see my old college room-mate - CC. Wow, what a neat ride You have her on!

I love you , Lord!

Bring it all together

Good Morning Jesus! It is a great cool, brisk morning, but one that i was glad to see come. I have soooooooooooooooooo much to do and so little time to do it, but with each day passing it just means one day less of worry about getting it all done. I think that is great!

We went to my mom and dad's for thanksgiving and absolutely had a fantabulous time. I did get the yucky virus my kids had for one day, but it passed within 24 hours and we were good. We went to Dollywood with the rest of Southern America - at least all of Tennessee. It was incredibly crowded! We only had one disappearing act and it was my dad with Tucker. But all is well and we had a great time. We found them and all was good.

Lord Jesus - I am at the very end of Daniel. In fact i have one day left. It is kind of weird kind of ending. I mean we are ending on a topic that really there is not much in the Bible about. The time that Christ will come and reign on the earth. His 1000 year reign. But it is going to be so incredibly exciting! Just think - no road rage, no fussing, no complaining, no fighting, all peace, all getting along, and all liking it! That is really exciting to a momma of 4 kids doing the fussing and fighting, etc. But also to know there will be a place for them to grow up in that is completely safe and peaceful!

I know there had to be many things that Daniel dreamed and prophesied about and he wondered how it was ever going to play out and if he even thought himself crazy at times. I too have felt the same way about things that i had been given "visions" or ideas or even strong leadings on. I can not let go of my "Nehemiah Mission" or the fact that i feel called to go to Africa some day. I do think the Nehemiah Mission will have some place in Illinois, but i am not sure how. Even Clay can see that one. But here is a cool thing. I was talking with my good friend Courtney from Norris City the other day and she happened to mention she was making some fried catfish for a friend from Africa that comes to stay with them or in their church often. I didn't have time to get a lot of details on it all, but she also mentioned that he wanted to bring a team back with him some day to do some missions work. Could it be, Lord - is that how you are going to "bring it all together"? You also played that song in my ear this morning (by Natalie Grant) as a reminder i am sure! Thank you and i wait in expectation!

Lord, i still know there are many things You have for me to do in my days left in Charlotte. Please help me to order my time and be diligent to do all You want. Make me sensitive to Your leadings! But on a much bigger scale help me to be ready to walk in Your way. I want to walk where You would walk and be where You are working. I don't want to be a pretender and i certainly don't want to be false! I want to be where You are going and right in the center of Your will. I want to be used in any way and in any capacity You see fit. Help me to not try to see more into things than You really intend. I want to be on Your highway of life!!! I love You!

Is. 35:8 And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it.

The Antichrist

Oh Lord, I know I have learned so much in this Daniel study, but i am wondering if it is all going to come together and make sense? I love things concrete and very simple. Prophesy, especially that which has not taken place yet, is not simple or concrete. So i am not going to get definitive answers and many things are interpretation. Beth Moore encourages us to go and study for ourselves to see what interpretation we would agree with - yeah right! I can not even spell eschatology! It is like i want to be smarter, but i am scared i won't get there so why try! I know pitiful!!! There is always amazing power when you pray before trying to study something and I know You could do that for me again and again!

So today's lesson ended in Matt. 25: 31-46. This is a common passage, i just never knew it was about end times! Today she repeated again that the antichrist will most likely come "from the people of ancient Rome". This is found and Daniel 7 and 9. But Chapter 11:36-45 tell the most about him. Evil - we ain't seen nothing yet folks! But anyway, back to Matt. it states, "the Son of Man comes in all his glory". From what i think i have learned this is after the tribulation. It refers to the "nations being gathered" and separated - good from bad. What this means is that after the rapture all the Christians will be taken to heaven to await judgement. The tribulation will be taking place and satan will have been unleashed. During this time people will come to know the Lord. I can imagine those that thought they were Christians, but really knew the truth or those that always played church and yet never committed or those that were just lost and come to realize where everyone has gone and the Jews have the chance to come to know Him personally!!!!!! Those are the ones that might confess He is Lord. But this will not be without a great price. One like we have never seen! So then Jesus comes back His final time to take away those new in Christ and totally destroy Satan - yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The whole point of this is that there will a chance for those "left behind" to come to know Him. But those that are left and come to know Him will not be judged on what works they did, but "their works will (helping others come to know Him and that means putting their lives in REAL danger) will prove they are redeemed" - saved. This is so cool - the JEWS are not forgotten!!! But the thing to not forget is that we know nothing as to when this is all going to happen. Is it today Lord? Tomorrow, next year, who knows.... He does! Even more importantly, we don't know when our time will come. We don't know if we will make through the tribulation or be killed before - those that are unsaved now. So if anyone reading this right now does not know Him as Savior - Jesus Christ only - you need to get that right!! Please i beg you!!

1) Confess you are a sinner
2) Confess you need a Savior - Jesus Christ
3) Acknowledge that He died for You to pay the penalty for your sins
4) Ask Him to come and live in your heart and that He is the Son of God
5) Thank Him for dieing for you and you will live for Him.
6) Believe and go tell someone - anyone!!!

It is that simple and amazing!!! He will save you, from terrible times now and ones to come!

Thank you Jesus for my salvation! I can not wait to see You face to face!! I love you!