I Thought I Had No Vision.... Part II

(from Pinterest)

PART II

In part one, we read scripture from the Old Testament book, Habakkuk 2:2. I’m continuing to explore what it says in various translations. This one from The Message Bible, makes it pretty plain and simple to understand, and this time I’m including the following verse as well.

“And then God answered: “Write this.
    Write what you see.
Write it out in big block letters
    so that it can be read on the run.
This vision-message is a witness
    pointing to what’s coming.
It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait!
    And it doesn’t lie.
If it seems slow in coming, wait.
    It’s on its way. It will come right on time.”

Digging in to chew and digest what I’m reading, I’ll pull it apart like I would the turkey from its bones.

God says to write what you see, meaning what He is showing ME, as He wanted Habakkuk to do all those years ago. Why do I presume that God is speaking to me the same instructions he spoke to an Old Testament prophet? I don’t make that presumption with the instructions God gave to all the writers of the Bible. I’m taking this one personally because I believe that He has certain instructions for all of us, some instructions that are for only specific individuals. But His vision for His people involves all of us. We are on a co-mission with Him. Even in the Garden of Eden, Adam cultivated the garden, but God provided the life for every living thing in the garden. Adam could have done all he did to cultivate a garden, but if God didn’t make or allow the plants to grow, it would all have been in vain. If God provided the life but Adam refused to do his part in the garden, he would have been in disobedience. I’m born again, I am in Christ, I’m in covenant with God Himself, through the blood of His Son Jesus. I joyfully choose to obey God, because I have a revelation of how much He loves me – and you. He has more to reveal to me (and to you) and I want us to get to the place of continuous revelation. Surely in our lifetime we won’t exhaust the knowledge and wisdom of the God of everything.

(theheavenguy. org)

So, what do I see now that I didn’t see before? The way I’m going to explain this is that I now actually understand that I have a role to play in all of this. I knew it before, intellectually. Of course, we all understand that we’re responsible for how we live our lives. Well, let me take that back, as I look at the behavior in the world around me, it’s evident that this isn’t true. Many people refuse to take responsibility for their own lives. I am not one of them. I choose to be a part of what happens in my life. God has great plans for me (Jeremiah 29:11), but I have my part to play. I DO NOT provide my own salvation – I needed Jesus to redeem my life just like everyone else does. But fulfilling His will in my life isn’t an automatic thing. “Whatever happens happens” is not how life works. We have input as to what happens. Now that Jesus HAS redeemed my life, I belong to Him. I’m His daughter and He wants only the best for me. Note: what is best for me is not always what I think is best for me. Coming to this point of recognition is a huge part of finding God’s vision for my life and life for all of us.

(from slideplayer .com)

I’ll wrap up today’s thoughts with a place to ponder this. A space to think about how we fit into God’s plans. Take a minute right now to ask God what He wants to do with your life – then give Him a few minutes of your time to listen to what He wants to say to you – right now, today.

Looking forward to part III!

I Thought I Had No Vision.... Part I

 

(picture from pinterest. com)

Publish the Good News

PART I

Okay, it’s time to “write the vision and make it plain….”

“Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions.” – Psalm 119:18 NLT

Not feeling like I have a vision has helped me to procrastinate about writing one down. But the vision is already there, I just need to discover it or uncover it.

I’ve always thought about vision as in a vision board that crafty women and people desiring to be high-powered go-getters created to help them focus on what they wanted to get out of life. I actually made one once. A change in my thinking has begun to occur simply because of a book I read, helping me to understand and focus on what God wants to do with me. Pastor Mark Cowart, of Church For All Nations, in Colorado Springs, Colorado wrote the small book, The Power of Vision, Charting Your Spiritual Course. (The book is available here: The Power of Vision )

Hopefully the desire to quote directly from the book can be dismissed. But he provides some very tasty nuggets you’ll want to read for yourself. Revelation comes through a myriad of channels. But the revelation of God and His Kingdom come only through His Word, both logos and rhema. (The written word of God is (the Greek word) logos. It becomes (the Greek word) rhema when we believe it. Reading the Bible and believing what it says are two different things. Mark Cowart goes into much more detail about this in his book.) God can, will and does speak to us through whomever and whatever He chooses.

Knowing that I want whatever lot God has prepared for me, good or scary, easy or requiring more faith than I think I have, I’ve left things up to Him. I’m, by nature, a Pantzer; one who flies by the seat of my pants. I detest calendars filled with plans and appointments. My brain just isn’t made that way, I’m not generally organized. I try to be from time to time, and it works for a project or two, like cleaning and organizing a drawer or the kitchen. But life? How can I put into finite, detailed plans what God destines to do with me? Especially since from day to day, that may change. Or will it? My movements or daily assignments will change. But the vision does not.

Vision is there waiting to be uncovered. Like new life sprouting from the ground before the snow has melted, it’s already there. Now, the snow is melting and I’m beginning to see the tiny sprout poke through. In the past when this happened, I looked away. Was it fear? Was it laziness? No matter. Today that all changes.

The Lord has instructed us, even from the Old Testament.

“And the Lord answered me, and said, ‘Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that reads it.”  - Habakkuk 2:2 KJV

When I read that, I’m straining my brain to understand what looks like it should be simple to grasp. I’m sifting through the grate of various translations to discover what God says to ME through those verses. The Complete Jewish Bible reads this way, a little easier to understand: “Then Adonai answered me; he said, “Write down the vision clearly on tablets, so that even a runner can read it.”

(from 9newsng. com)

So, write it clearly and LARGE! If I were to run, the words on the paper would jiggle around and my focus would be unclear, jumping up and down, making it hard to read. So, when I write out this vision the Lord unveils for me, I’ll write it down plainly and in a very large font, so that I cannot ignore it at all. Hopefully He intends to show it to me in plain, easy to understand language. However, it kind of feels like a significant part of the vision is in the unveiling of it – because there I am becoming more intimate with Him, I’m allowing Him to express Himself inside of me! This is time well spent; time and experiences meant to be savored.

The Amplified, Classic Edition puts it this way: “And the Lord answered me and said, Write the vision and engrave it so plainly upon tablets that everyone who passes may [be able to] read [it easily and quickly] as he hastens by.”

So, where are these tables or tablets that everyone can pass by and see them? A week or so ago, God spoke to me, “Publish the Gospel”. So far, what I’m getting from that is to write – and let people see what I write. Coincidentally, that’s the premise of the life group I facilitate. Is this that tablet?

It’s easiest for me to write here on my laptop. But no one sees what I write here unless I share it through social media or through my blogsite. I consider myself a writer. Maybe God does, too! Publish doesn’t necessarily mean to publish a book. Publish means to make known. Paul Revere published throughout the land that the British were coming on horseback with his bellowing voice. Words painted on the side of a barn publish a message.

(fromzazzle. com)

The Good News Translation makes it even clearer to me. It says, “The Lord gave me this answer: “Write down clearly on tablets what I reveal to you, so that it can be read at a glance.” In place of the word vision, it reads “what I reveal to you”. I love this! So, everything that God reveals to me (through His logos and rhema word)– is part of the heavenly vision! Part of the picture that God sees when He sees man and His plans for man – includes me. I’m a piece of the puzzle that’s still being put together right now. Look, on the table before God’s comfy chair is a puzzle. He has the box; He knows what the picture will look like when it’s complete; when His bride is perfect and His story continues with her. I’m one of those pieces! And so are YOU! You share a piece of this vision, too. Without you and me, the puzzle is incomplete.

More in part two. Stay tuned as I “publish the Gospel [the Good News]”.

Do You Dare to Believe?

 

“You will ask Me nothing, most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My Name He will give you.” – John 16:23

This verse, and others like it intrigue me. What am I missing? What am I “doing wrong”? I pray, like many others, in Jesus’s Name – and yet, sometimes fail to see my prayers answered. Or, at least, that’s the way it appears to me. And let’s face it, the way it appears to me effects my faith, and can stir up doubt and unbelief.

Knowing Jesus doesn’t want me filled with doubt and unbelief, but with the faith of God He’s given me, I need understanding.

As I pondered this today, it occurred to me that I’m not just using or borrowing Jesus’s Name.  He’s given it to me; I am Christian, Christ-like. He is in me and I am in Him, in the same way that He is in the Father and the Father is in Him. That’s why when I ask the Father for something in Jesus’s Name, I have the authority to use the Name of Jesus. Because He said so.

I’m not supposed to just slap on the phrase, “In Jesus’s Name. Amen.”

I am supposed to be in Christ; in Jesus, in the shadow of the Almighty, in His presence, in His Word, in HIM!

Am I abiding (staying) in Him?

Yes, I am.

Satan will try to weaken my resolve with whispers of lies and tell me I’m not in Christ. Sometimes my heart listens.

“You didn’t spend enough time in the Word today, your prayers won’t be effective.”

“You must be harboring some unforgiveness in your heart, you’ve been praying for this same thing for years now and yet, you see nothing.”

“You missed church last Sunday, don’t even expect God to be listening while you pray for your friends.”

“You were critical of that person yesterday, and you think your prayers for them today will be effective? Ha!”

“I heard you say a bad word this morning. You can’t pray with that mouth.”

“You fell asleep while praying last night. If your prayers are THAT uninspired, do you really think God was listening?”

Satan has all sorts of lies and they’re all meant to tear us down and steal our faith. Fortunately, we always know when he’s lying to us – when his lips are moving. I know, old joke. And we can’t even see his lips moving.

The fact of the matter is, God is not negative or confusing. He is not the author of confusion; He does not condemn us at all. When He looks at us, He sees the blood of Jesus, nothing here to condemn! Hallelujah! So, when our mind tries to tell us otherwise, those thoughts come from the evil source, not from ourselves, and certainly not from God.

Dismiss them.

Once we’ve submitted ourselves to God, He hears every prayer we pray – and He answers them.

When we are in Christ, when we STAY in Christ and keep His Word in our hearts, His Words will always fill our minds. We may be pulled away from them for a minute or two. Okay, in the midst of a pity party, we may be pulled away for even longer. But His Words are always there to return to.

With His Word in our minds and in our hearts, we can pray effectively because we can pray with authority.

(picture from branham.org)

A woman once told me that she would pray for me. Then she quickly tacked on, “Not that I believe or anything like that….” What? Why would you even pray if you don’t believe that your prayers are being heard or answered, or for that matter, if you don’t believe in the very God you claim to be praying to?

God wants us to believe IN Him and to rely ON Him and to snatch up the authority He’s holding out for us to grab ahold of and use.

We can do things our way.

Or we can do things His Way.

What is His Way? Jesus said, “I am the WAY, the Truth and the Life, no man comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6NKJV)

When we submit our hearts to Him, His Way becomes our way.

This is abiding in Christ. This causes the authority of Jesus Christ to operate in our lives.

Jesus didn’t tell us that once we reach a point where we never mess up, THEN we can use His Name.

We are perfect in Him; not as in we will never again make a mistake, but as in perfected, completed in Him. Once the blood of Jesus is applied to our lives, nothing can make us holier, and nothing will separate us from His love. Nothing else is necessary to gain access to God’s throne room.

What holds us back?

Believing those stupid lies.

We DO have the authority Jesus gave us, whether we missed church last week or not, whether we used inappropriate language or not, whether we read God’s Word today, or not.

(picture from etsy.com)

But we have to believe that in order to operate with the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. It’s that Spirit that fills us with the authority of Jesus Christ, Himself.

But, Helen, you don’t know some of the things I’ve done! God would never extend that kind of authority to ME!

Lies. Lies. Lies.

The Bible tells us this beautiful truth: “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 (NKJV)

He’s seen our sin and knows the blood He spilled at Calvary is enough to pay the cost.

Who better to believe than the One Who gave His life so that we could be free from sin?

Dare to believe.

 

(picture frp, etsy.com)

Using Our Talent - Not What You Might Think

(picture from thecrackeddoor.com)

Sometimes you get a nugget of revelation dropped into your soul. Your spirit already knows the truth of the matter, but you may need to ponder it for a while, to accept it and apply it to your life. Here’s a tasty morsel to chew on.

In the Bible we can read the parable of the talents. Here are the scriptures if you’d like to read it (Matthew 25:14-30); I’ll quickly summarize for those who haven’t.

A rich man gives of his fortune to his servants before he leaves for a journey. In the time the master is away, one servant greatly multiplies what he’s given, another doubles it, and one simply buries it, expecting to return it to his master, for whom he has no respect, later. Those who compounded the talent of money, are rewarded. The one who did nothing but bury his talent is cursed and has his share taken from him.

The parable has much to teach us, but let’s focus on the talent; the measure of money (called a mina in Luke’s account of the parable, found in Luke 19:11-27). It was given to each servant according to their ability. Since Jesus used parables to explain kingdom principles, what could that talent represent?

Since God has given us all varying gifts, we might conclude that these talents of money are actually God-given gifts of talent. Our western brains take things as we read them, so it would be easy to make this assumption. Perhaps you can sing, or you have a knack for teaching. Maybe you’re graced with the gift of hospitality, blessed with a talent for entertaining and meeting the needs of others.

But, what if the talent isn’t merely a talent? It’s a gift from our Master, whatever it is.

(picture from mobavatar.com)

My nugget says that the talent is actually authority. In our case, Kingdom authority. Some of us use our God-given authority like we believe it’s ours to exercise. Some of us use it only when we are desperate and feel forced into using it. Some of us bury our authority, because we don’t believe it’s ours at all, because we’re not believing and trusting our Master.

Since the talents were given according to the servant’s abilities, they shouldn’t have been overwhelmed; nor should we.

How different would our lives look if we consistently used our God-given authority? Would we rise above sickness, which is a curse from the enemy? Would we not be struggling in our finances? Would we more boldly share the gospel message?

Ponder, if you will, what you do with your God-given authority. What does our authority look like? How can we put it into action?

Are you walking in fear? In lack? In sickness?

Jesus Himself, said, “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” - Matthew 16:19 (NKJV)

 

(picture from clip-library.com)

“Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” – Revelation 1:5-6 (NKJV)

 

(picture from pinterest.com)

Song - I've Got A Key to the Kingdom