Litany of Humility

O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, hear me.

From the desire of being esteemed, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being loved, deliver me, O Jesus
From the desire of being extolled, deliver me, O Jesus
From the desire of being honored, deliver me O Jesus
From the desire of being praised, deliver me O Jesus
From the desire of being preferred to others, deliver me O Jesus
From the desire of being consulted, deliver me O Jesus
From the desire of being approved, deliver me O Jesus

From the fear of being humiliated, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being despised, deliver me, O Jesus
From the fear of suffering rebukes, deliver me, O Jesus
From the fear of being calumniated, deliver me, O Jesus
From the fear of being forgotten, deliver me, O Jesus
From the fear of being ridiculed, deliver me, O Jesus
From the fear of being wronged, deliver me, O Jesus
From the fear of being suspected, deliver me, O Jesus

That others may be loved more than I, O Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I, O Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That, in the opinion of the world, others may, increase and I may decrease, O Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside, O Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I unnoticed, O Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything, O Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should,
O Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

O Jesus, deliver us from pride and grant us the grace to desire true humility

This prayer was written by Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val (1865-1930), the secretary of state for Pope Saint Pius X.

May All Your Expectations Be Frustrated

I heard his little prayer a few weeks ago while at a talk on Spritual Authenticity and thought I'd post it on the blog. I realize this can be a slap in the face to someone in great pain, but for folks on the other side of it, it is a powerful affirmation of what God does in his people. Only as we lose our agenda to put our lives together the way we think best, can we enjoy Father in the midst of our trials and tragedies…

This ‘blessing’ was prayed over Henri Nouwen by his spiritual mentor:

May all your expectations be frustrated.
May all your plans be thwarted.
May all your desires be withered into nothingness.
That you may experience the powerlessness and the poverty of a child and sing and dance in the love of God the Father, the Son and the Spirit.

Take Up Your Cross

Your pain is deep and it won't just go away. It is also uniquely yours, because it is linked to some of your earliest life experiences. Your call is to bring that pain home. As long as your wounded part remains foreign to your adult self, your pain will injure you as well as others. Yes, you have to incorporate your pain into yourself and let it bear fruit in your heart and the hearts of others.

This is what Jesus means when he asks you to take up your cross. He encourages you to recognize and embrace your unique suffering and to trust that your way to salvation lies therein. Taking up your cross means, first of all, befriending your wounds and letting them reveal to you your own truth....

.... Once you have taken up that cross, you will be able to see clearly the crosses that others have to bear, and you will be able to reveal to them their own ways to joy, peace, and freedom.

~ Henri Nouwen

Suffering and Worship

Several months ago, I started a new series of messages in my church on worship. As I looked at Scriptures and all the books on worship, I thought maybe I would speak on how to give thanks to God, how to worship God, how to love him, how to praise him, how to sing, how to pray, how to wait upon him—all the different elements of worship. But I sensed that the Lord wanted me to speak first on the connection between suffering and worship.

Usually, when we reflect on worship, when we think about worship, we do not put suffering and worship together. Some of us have a certain idea about worship. We think that it is so esthetic, that it is a very deep spiritual experience with God. And so it is. But I believe that if we are to understand what worship is all about, if we are to be moved by the Spirit of God deeper into the very core and heart of God himself, we have to understand that, as fallen human beings, we live in a fallen, sinful world.

We all know theologically that the Kingdom has come—but that it is not fully come as yet. We have glimpses of heaven to come, but heaven has not fully come on earth yet. We long for heaven to come. We long for that day when we shall see the Lord face to face. Then there shall be no more pain, no more sorrow, no more tears, no more suffering. But until then, we are living in a fallen world.

We Christians too, even if we are redeemed, are fallen people. So in order to understand and to know God in a deeper way, in order to worship him, we need to understand the place of suffering in our lives.

I have only one main point today. (The homileticians will say that this is not good homiletics, I know.) The one point I want to share with you from our text in First Peter is this: Jesus himself suffered in the flesh, not in terms of the sinful nature, but in the body (see the NIV translation). He suffered in human suffering when he was on earth. And First Peter tells us we are to arm ourselves with the same attitude toward suffering. We are to understand that there is a special place for suffering in our lives that enables us to move deeper into worship of God. If we are open to the place of suffering in our lives, our suffering will enable us to cease more and more from sin and to obey more and more the will of God. Then, ultimately, we will come to know him the way that he wants us to know him. Than we will find our deepest satisfaction in God.

John Piper wrote that God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in him. As human beings, we derive our deepest satisfaction and fulfillment in God himself. We are to have no other gods, no other idols, no other substitutes before us.

So my point is this: We must learn to embrace suffering, whether allowed—or even appointed by God. Whether we understand that such suffering is sent by God, or allowed by God, we are to yield to God and embrace our suffering and cooperate with the Holy Spirit's work in our school of life. Then our suffering will enable us to become more purified, more purged from sin, and we will be able to live more within the will of God. Then we can be driven (in a good sense of the word) deeper into the very heart of God and his love—into deeper worship of God.

As a psychologist, of course I would be one of the last people on earth to try to glorify suffering. We must not misunderstand the text and the point I am trying to share with you. If we know anything about pain in human hearts and human beings, we know that we do not want to wish suffering on anyone. I am not trying to glorify suffering.

We know that there is some suffering that needs to be healed. And there is some suffering that God will give us grace to overcome. Our text, however, is talking about suffering that comes after we have chosen to follow Jesus—and then suffering happens. Trials and tribulations. The ups and downs of life. Suffering that is there, given, allowed, or appointed by God. What do we do about such suffering? Is there a place for suffering in our lives? Can suffering help us in our worship of God?

In chapter 1 of the book of James, in verses 2 to 4, we read: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

In the school of life, this is not an elective course. Chuck Swindoll pointed out one time that "suffering is a required course." And we will move from suffering 101 to 201 to 301 and beyond. As long as we are on earth, suffering will exist. But there is something about suffering that can purify us and drive us deeper into the very heart of God that nothing else can do.

As I visit with people (especially the terminally ill) and as you face illness in your own life, or as I face illness in my own life, or my family's life, or in other people's lives—there is something about suffering from physical disability or illness or infirmity that reminds us that life is frail, that life is fragile, that life is not going to last forever on this side of the Kingdom.

There's something about physical suffering that enables us to realize that we are 100 percent dependent upon God. And all the things that we hold so dearly, all the things in life that can become idols, that can become false gods in our lives, will tend to fade into mere insignificance. For example, the idols of money, sex, pleasure, or power oftentime become gods in our lives. Only a certain amount of suffering in our lives can help us let go of those false gods and idols in our lives. Suffering will make us realize that those things are not what ultimately satisfy us. And suffering will enable us, as we respond appropriately to God, to be driven deeper into the heart of God, into deeper worship of him.

I want to share just a few thoughts that John Piper has written in Let the Nations Be Glad: The Supremacy of God in Missions. In chapter 3 he says:

"We need to make the call even more clear. Peter says, 'Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same thought' (1 Peter 4:1). The suffering of Christ is a call for a certain mindset towards suffering. Namely, that it is normal and that the path of love will often require it. Thus Peter says, 'Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you to prove you, as though something strange were happening to you' (1 Peter 4:12). Suffering with Christ is not strange. It is your calling, your vocation. It is the 'same experience of suffering required of your brotherhood throughout the world' (1 Peter 5:9). This is the 'thought' that we need to put on like armor, lest we be vulnerable to suffering as something strange."

This is why suffering is so central to the mission of the church. The goal of our mission is that people from all the nations worship the true God. But worship means cherishing the preciousness of God above all else, including life itself. It will be very hard to bring the nations to love God from a lifestyle that communicates a love of things. Therefore, God ordains in the lives of his messengers that suffering will sever our bondage to the world. When joy and love survive this severing, then we are fit to say to the nations with authenticity and power: Hope in God.

I believe that these words are powerful and true. And based on First Peter, and on James, and many other passages in Scripture, we know that the Bible does teach us that there is a place for appropriate suffering and trials in our lives from time to time. Because God knows that there is no other way to prune us, to purge us, to purify us to the point where we love God for who he is, and not just for the gifts that he gives us.

Roger Helland, senior pastor of a New Life Vineyard Fellowship in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, wrote in The Revived Church:

"The key to pure spiritual power is humility. As Jim Cymbala declares: 'God is attracted to weakness. He can't resist those who humbly and honestly admit how desperately they need him.' The Bible says, 'Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life' (Proverbs 22:4). As in Saul's case, we can be filled with the Spirit and still be no good. We can look for God's power, but not his presence. We can seek his hand, but not his face. God doesn't build revived churches with powerful people. He builds them with pure people. Again, Gene Edwards says: 'What does this world need? Gifted men [and women] outwardly empowered? Or broken men [and women] inwardly transformed?'"

And so suffering and worship are connected. Because suffering, if we cooperate with God in the process, enables us to become purer people—and humbler people. It is the pure and humble who have truly learned to love God for who he is and to worship him most deeply.

I want to share with you a true story, published in Leadership Magazine recently, in an article titled, "Taking Care of Busyness" (Fall, 1998). It is about a friend of mine that many of you know. He is on our Board of Trustees at Fuller Seminary—Dr. John Ortberg. He is also a graduate from our School of Psychology. Dr. Ortberg is a pastor. A few years ago, he and I wrote a couple of books together on depression. And shortly after we finished one manuscript, he accepted a call from Bill Hybels to become an associate pastor at Willow Creek Community Church near Chicago. Every Wednesday night he teaches the Bible to thousands of people. That's lot of people to minister to! So, one day, John called one of his spiritual mentors long distance, and this is what he asked his spiritual mentor:

"What do I need to do to be spiritually healthy?" There was a long pause. This very wise mentor told John, "You must ruthlessly eliminate hurriedness from your life." John then asked, "What else should I do?" There was another long pause. And then this very wise spiritual man said to John, "There is nothing else that you should do. You must only ruthlessly eliminate hurriedness from your life."

John Piper emphasized that missions is not ultimate—worship is ultimate. Missions exists because worship doesn't. Once we are all worshipers, missions will be over, and we will be in heaven worshiping God forever. But in order to learn to worship like that, we must have time and solitude to be with God. We therefore need to ruthlessly eliminate hurriedness from our lives.

I'm going to close with two "S's" for us to consider. The first S refers to the spiritual discipline of solitude--to take time, long periods of time, to just bask in the presence of God, to be in the wilderness alone with him. There's no other way to really know God and worship him except to practice the discipline of solitude. So we need to make time for God, and ruthlessly eliminate hurriedness from our lives.

Solitude alone, however, is not going to cut it. The second "S" is the S of suffering. Embrace it. Thank God for the trials and tribulations that come from time to time. And thank God that they do not come all the time. God is gracious; God is merciful. But go through that suffering. Let us ask the Spirit of God to help us become better people, not bitter people, through all of our suffering, with a deeper and more purified worship of God himself.

We tend to have two other S's in our church life here in America. We tend to go after self-esteem, and satisfaction. But God is calling us to embrace solitude and suffering, so we can come to know him and worship him more deeply, Then satisfaction and appropriate self-esteem will come to us as side effects.

May God bless us and help us, by his Spirit, to learn to grow in redemptive suffering and worship of him.

SIANG-YANG TAN, Ph.D.

Exchanging the Glory of God

These sermon notes written by John Piper are a very good expository on Homosexualtity..Part 1 and Part 2

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TopicIndex/80_Homosexuality/1053_The_Other_Dark_Exchange__Homosexuality_Part_1/

Help Here…Help Now! - Tom Barnard

“He heals the brokenhearted, binding up their wounds.
He counts the stars and calls them all by name.
How great is our Lord! His power is absolute!
His understanding is beyond comprehension.”
(Psalm 147:3-5)

“Only an Infinite God can be equal to the infinite needs of individual men.
But a limitless love can be a refuge for the least and lowliest.”
(James Reid, in The Springs of Life. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1936)

Someone has said, “When we really think about God, we have our hand on a door which will lead us out into a new world.” If this is true (and I believe it is), why is God the second or third or even fourth source to whom we look in times of trouble? It doesn’t make sense to me. If you knew someone whose understanding was “beyond comprehension,” why wouldn’t you turn to him at the first hint of a problem? If you knew someone who was willing to “heal the brokenhearted, binding up their wounds”—and he was willing to do it now, why wouldn’t you turn to him when you are hurting? If you knew someone who was so infinite that he not only knows how many stars there are in the universe but also calls them by name, why would you read a horoscope to discover what good or bad things might (or might not) happen to you today?

The fact is that we tend to trust our stockbroker more than we trust our future to God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. I wonder if the timing might be right to dig out one of Isaac Watts’ old hymns and sing it today. You start, and I’ll join you on the second stanza.

O God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast, And our eternal home!

Under the shadow of Thy throne, Still may we dwell secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone, And our defense is sure.

Before the hills in order stood, Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God, To endless years the same.

Heavenly Father, I have been listening to news commentators far too much this week. Their “spin” on the events of the day is depressing. They are so persuasive; their views are so reasonable; their reputations are so solid; they are so easy to believe. But they don’t know one galaxy from the next. Their words have never healed anybody. They have no clue about what the future holds. And they don’t care one bit about me. I need help here, and I need it now! Please listen to my heart’s cry, and whisper confidence in my ear. Point me in the right direction, and lead me there. I’m ready to follow you wherever you take me. Amen.

The aim of gospel ministry

“To cut off the sinner from all reliance upon himself, his merits and his powers; and throw him, naked and helpless, into the hands of the Holy Spirit to lead him to Christ in faith; should be the one great aim of the ministry.”

- Ichabod S. Spencer

A new song..can you hear it?

Shine - Shannon Noil

Get up, get up, get up, get up, lift your head
Come on, come on, get up out of bed
Today's the day you hold the world with your song
Go now, go now, go now, help escalate
Angels come down, help with this parade
To hear your voice ring out
Come on and shout it
Let your song be heard

This is the time
This is the day that we've been waiting for
All the world will stop to watch you shine

Hey now, hey now, hey now, hey now sing your hymn
This is the new national anthem
We will all stand on guard to let you be heard
Let go, let go, let go all the cannons
How beautiful this world has become
Now everyone will see what I believe
That these words should be sung

This is the time
This is the day that we've been waiting for
All the world will stop to watch you shine
This is the time
This is the day that we've been waiting for
All the world believes that you will shine

And if you fall
And if you fall
And if you trust and
Yes it will come true

Hey, hey Yeah!

This is the time
This is the day that we've been waiting for
All the world will stop to watch you shine
This is the time
This is the day that we've been waiting for
When all the world will stop to watch you shine

Another good quote:

“God’s clean up operations are very strange.”

“A deep spiritual walk with God does not usually happen immediately after conversion. When the Holy Spirit invades the enemy territory of our lives and sets up Jesus Christ as King in the capital city of our heart, his strategy for conquering the rebel forces of the flesh that keep up their guerrilla warfare is different for each person. It may be fast or slow. God’s clean up operations are very strange.”

- John Piper, “The Danger of Being Merely Human“

The Vision for The Warriors

The vision is Jesus- obsessively, dangerously, undeniably Jesus. The vision is an army of people, intergenerational, all ages all races. You see bones? I see an army. And they are FREE from materialism. They laugh at 9-5 little prisons. They could eat caviar on Monday and crust on Tuesday. They wouldn't even notice. They are mobile like the wind; they belong to the nations. They need no passport. People write their addresses in pencil and wonder at their strange existence. They are free yet they are slaves of the hurting and dirty and dying.

What is the Vision? The vision is holiness that hurts the eyes. It makes children laugh and adults angry. It gave up the game of minimum integrity long ago to reach for the stars. It scorns the good and strains for the best. It is dangerously pure. Light flickers from every secret motive, every private conversation. It loves people away from their suicide leaps, their Satan games. This is am army that will lay down its life for the cause. A million times a day its soldiers choose to lose that they might one day win the great 'Well done' faithful sons and daughters. Such heroes are as radical on Monday mornings as Sunday night. They don't need fame from names. Instead they grin quietly upwards and hear the crowds chanting again and again "COME ON!" And this is the sound of the underground. The whisper of history in the making. Foundations shaking. Revolutionaries dreaming once again. Mystery is scheming in whispers. Conspiracy is breathing…

And the army is disciplined. People who beat their bodies into submission. Every soldier would take a bullet for his comrade at arms. The tattoo on their back boasts for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. Sacrifice fuels the fire of victory in their upward eyes, Winners, Martyrs. Who can stop them? Can hormones hold them back? Can failure succeed? Can fear scare them or death kill them? And the generation PRAYS like a dying man with groans beyond talking, with warrior cries, sulphurous tears and with great barrow loads of laughter! Whatever it takes they will give. Breaking the rules. Shaking the mediocrity from its cozy little hide. Laying down their rights and their precious little wrings, laughing at labels, fasting essentials. The advertisers cannot mould them. Hollywood cannot hold them. Peer pressure is powerless to shake their resolve at late night parties before the cockerel cries. They are incredibly cool, dangerously attractive inside.

On the outside? They hardly care. They wear clothes like a costume to communicate and celebrate but never to hide. Would they surrender their image or popularity? They would lay down their very lives- swap seats with the man on death row- guilty as hell. A throne for an electric chair. With blood and sweat and many tears, with sleepless nights and fruitless days, they pray as if it all depends on God and live as if it all depends on them. Their DNA chooses Jesus. (He breathes out, they breathe in). Their subconscious sings. They had a blood transfusion with Jesus. Their words make the demons scream in shopping centers. DON"T you hear them coming? Heralds the weirdo's! Summons the losers and the freaks. Here comes the frightened and forgotten with the fire in their eyes. They walk tall and trees applaud, skyscrapers bow, mountains are dwarfed by these children of another dimension. Their prayers summon the hounds of heaven and invoke the ancient dream of Eden.

And this vision will be. It will come to pass; it will come easily; it will come soon. How do I know? Because this is the longing of creation itself, the groaning of the Spirit, the very dream of God. My tomorrow is his today. My distant hope is his 3D. And my feeble whispered, faithless prayer invokes a thunderous, resounding, bone-shaking 'AMEN!' from countless angels, from hero's of the faith, from Christ himself. And he is the original dreamer, the ultimate winner. Guaranteed!

Date: January 01, 2000 Author: Kim Clement

QUOTE

"Watch out when the music of your nation changes. A new kind of music upsets every department of living—both public and private. The beat of the music changes first and everything else falls in line with the beat—fashions, language, customs and morals."

The character, Fred Fisher, "quoting" Plato in the movie "O You Beautiful Doll" (1949).

Prayer and Providence

“Coming events cast their shadows before them, and when God is about to bless his people his coming favour casts the shadow of prayer over the church. When he is about to favour an individual he casts the shadow of hopeful expectation over his soul. Our prayers, let men laugh at them as they will, and say there is no power in them, are the indicators of the movement of the wheels of Providence. Believing supplications are forecasts of the future, He who prayeth in faith is like the seer of old, he sees that which is to be: his holy expectancy, like a telescope, brings distant objects near to him.”

- Charles Spurgeon, The Holy Spirit’s Intercession

Henri Nouwen quote

My pastor sent me this from Henri Nouwen...

"A part of you was left behind very early in your life: the part that never felt completely received. It is full of fears. Meanwhile, you grew up with many survival skills. But you want your self to be one. So you have to bring home the part of you that was left behind. That is not easy, because you have become quite a formidable person, and your fearful part does not know if it can safely dwell with you. Your grown-upself has to become very childlike - hospitable, gentle, and caring - so your anxious self can return and feel safe. You complain that it is hard for you to pray, to experience the love of Jesus. But Jesus dwells in your fearful, never fully received self. When you befriend your true self and discover that it is good and beautiful, you will see Jesus there. Where you are most human, most yourself, weakest, there Jesus lives. Bringing your fearful self home is bringing Jesus home."

Recognizing a True Movement of God

By Carol Madison

When we pray for and speak of revival and transformation, what are the benchmarks we are using to identify a true move of God? Because those terms mean different things in different venues, we need to identify characteristics of a move of God that are supernaturally leading toward true revival and transformation. We should desire nothing less of God!
After traveling to Almolonga, Guatemala, to walk the streets of a completely transformed community, I experienced firsthand a new level of understanding of true transformation. This community was once known for idolatry, crime, drunkenness, and poverty some 20 years ago. Through the power of prayer, God’s presence is so manifest in this mountain village of 19,000 people that more than 85 percent now identify themselves as followers of Jesus Christ. Most of the 30-plus bars have been replaced by more than 30 churches. The four jails have closed, and crime is so nonexistent that the police no longer carry guns. And most amazing, God has literally healed the land in such a way that Almolonga is now known as the “Valley of Miracles.” The people raise vegetables of biblical proportions. There is no denying that God has miraculously transformed this community!

When we speak of a transformed community, we need to uphold Almolonga and other similar places around the world as the benchmark of a true movement of God. The danger is to define transformation according to our own perceptions or experiences, and in the United States that will most often sell transformation very short!
What Does a True Movement of God Look Like?
What is meant by a true movement of God? Very simply, if it is God, then it defies natural, simple explanations. It is God interrupting the flow of history for the sake of His glory.

Nancy Leigh DeMoss, a recognized speaker on brokenness, repentance, and revival, states: “It is a divine moment when there is a supernatural outpouring of God’s Spirit on His people that cannot be explained in human terms” (Is This Revival? Pamphlet published by Revive Our Hearts).

Duncan Campbell, who helped give pastoral leadership to the revival in the Hebrides Islands in the late 1940s, described the outstanding characteristic of a movement of God: “First, the presence of God.”

John H. Armstrong expands on that definition: “God is always present and reveals Himself in many ways. But a true movement of God is when His presence overwhelms masses of people with an awed sense of Him. It is the manifest presence of God—coming to His people beyond normal experiences—to advance His Kingdom” (When God Moves, Harvest House Publishers, 1998).

Criteria for Determining Reality of a Movement of God
A movement of God can be personal, as in a transformation of a single person. But when we speak of transformation of an entire community, we need to be more discerning of His movement. Here are some criteria that I believe can help in this discernment process.

1. Who should get the credit: God or man?
Not everything that we claim is a move of God truly is. Often things are done more in the flesh than in the Spirit. Guard against declarations of God’s hand that are really the result of our own energies and efforts.
A movement of God is not necessarily measured by numbers of books sold or churches participating in a program. We can very adequately run programs and market products, but only God can bring true transformation of the heart. It’s about heart transformation!
I’ve heard many claims that revival is here, but as revival expert Richard Owen Roberts says, “If you live in the Western World and were born after WWII, you have not witnessed a genuine move of God in revival.” You may or may not agree with statement, but it sets a high standard for definitions of true revival.
A caution on overstatement: I once heard someone state, “We shared the gospel with 10,000 people on Saturday.” That is a powerful claim, but truth is that they sponsored a float in a parade and passed out tracts. Don’t overstate a movement. If it is of God, one doesn’t need to make any greater claims than what God is truly doing. To truly be a movement of God, it needs to have changed or transformed something. God is about transformation, not numbers.

2.Revival movements are characterized by a deep conviction of sin and repentance.
God has established an “If….then” pattern in Scripture that gives a general principle.

2 Chronicles 7:14: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their land.”

Malachi 3:7: “Return to me and I will return to you.”
James 4:8-10: “Come near to God and He will come near to you.”

A move of God should include a sober recognition of the holiness of God. Isaiah pretty much sums this up when he says in Isaiah 6:5: "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."

If repentance, brokenness, and humility are not a part of it, then I find it suspect. Scripture indicates that God moves in response to obedience. If there is flamboyancy or prideful declarations, perhaps it is not from God.

A true movement of God should also result in a deep hunger for the Word of God that penetrates the heart, brings conviction, and leads to transformation of the heart. It transcends the person preaching or the program.

3.Can you discern a clear “before and after”?
Is there a significant difference, even in the physical realm? I’ve seen people change in physical appearance when they have found freedom and transformation in Christ. Whether physical or spiritual, some change must be evident.

Are there redeemed places you can identify? Pastor Moriano (Almolonga, Guatemala) placed his hands on side of bar in Almolonga and prayed that God would redeem for His Kingdom purposes—and now thousands worship on that very spot in a church that has been established there.

4.Do you see evidences of abundance and restoration?

Psalm 65:5-13 speaks of God-given abundance:
You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness, O God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas, who formed the mountains by your power, having armed yourself with strength, who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations.

Those living far away fear your wonders; where morning dawns and evening fades you call forth songs of joy. You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it.

You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops.
You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.

The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing.

This passage declares the abundance and restoration that God delights in bringing. This describes God doing His best work—a true movement!

I saw the contrast between Quetzaltenango and Almolonga, Guatemala—towns just minutes apart from each other. In Quetzaltenango, it was common to see guards with automatic rifles in front of stores and banks—and even McDonalds! Crime was high and it was not safe to walk the streets at night. In contrast, police in Almolonga (just a mile or so away) did not need to carry guns because of God’s protection over the community. Even the marketplaces of the two communities were dramatically different, with an overabundance of produce filling the streets of Almolonga. The vegetables were scrawny and sparse in Quetzaltenango.

5.What are the specific indications that something has changed in the spiritual realm?
People often say, “We prayed, and God gave us a breakthrough.” That may very well be, but what are the evidences? If God broke something, that means something has changed. If God did it in the spiritual, then you should be able to see some manifestation in the natural. Those are the indicators that truly God has moved in a profound way.

6.Is God getting ALL the glory?
So often you see advertisements that state: “Come and see Prophet so and so, and experience miracles?” Notice who is getting the bigger headline—the main speaker, or the manifest presence and holiness of God. Is the focus on sensationalizing something or on some unusual manifestation, or is it on a life-giving encounter with Jesus Christ?

7.Can you verify through a variety of sources?
If it is truly a movement of God, it will touch scores of people. Is there some acknowledgment by others that a change has taken place? Can non-Christians see an objective change?

People might not agree with how or why the change has occurred, but they should be able to see a difference. Almolonga is now called the valley of miracles—you cannot deny that something has happened. I picked up a secular travel book that identified Almolonga as a place with lucrative vegetable export business, a village that has abandoned religious traditions in favor of “evangelism.” More than 25 “evangelist” churches; residents attend at least once a day…The new religion is credited for lowering the rate of alcoholism, as well as for area’s beautiful crop (Hunter Travel Guide to Guatemala, page 171).

8.Do you see some level of community transformation?

Transformation does not mean perfection. But a true move of God cannot help but have an impact on society. It’s not something that happens just within the walls of the church.

If people are continually being drawn to a church because unusual things are happening or they are experiencing emotional encounters, but nothing changes in society—then it is good to question of much of that can be attributed to a movement of God. It may or may not be—but you need to be discerning.

Habakkuk 2:14 holds up a high standard for community transformation: “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.”

The bottom line for a true movement of God is that Jesus’ name is famous and God is glorified in the community. Let’s believe and pray for nothing less!

Spiritual Warrior

I'm going through the book by Graham Cooke "Qualities of a Spiritual Warrior"..

Here's a quote from what I'm reading right now:

"Relentlessly, day after day, the Holy Spirit showed up with immense comfort, deep joy, and rest - pure sweet rest. I felt my anger leave. Resentment and bitterness were reduced so radically. I misplaced them for months at a time. When they returned on days, I just smiled and refused......He taught me how to see people and events His way....and His lovingkindness wore down my flesh until it died - overwhelmed by grace.

He showed me myself and then proceeded to love me so outrageously that it broke my heart. I was worse than anyone I knew, and He touched me, kissed me, loved on me until I capitulated......

I began to learn about being preoccupied with Jesus. I learned to understand thet if I defend myself, whose self was I defending? I became silent towards people and vocal towards God. I discovered a wonderful thing - how to die quickly!...

In the lovingkindness of God, I let it all go....Silence opresses the enemy, Rest infuriates him, the Cross debilitates him...."

Happy Are You Poor

Recently, I was reading through Jaeson's Journal blog and chanced upon this quote below from a book written by Thomas Dubay called “Happy Are You Poor.”

“It must be noticed that the values of the kingdom are just about 180 degrees removed from the values of the world…What are the world’s basic values?...It is assumed that every one knows them and that most people live by them. What are these premises: prestige is a primary value… bodily comfort and pleasure are indispensable… this life is all we have, and so let’s enjoy it to the full… impressing people with one’s possessions and accomplishments and attractiveness is important… sexual excitement and satisfaction are crucial… success is ‘coming out on top’ in relation to others… money is a must, for without it one can have very little of anything else worth having in life.

“If we turn to the pages of the New Testament we find a picture as opposite as it could be: humility, being last, unknown, hidden in Christ, is a condition for getting into the kingdom… prestige is worthless and even an obstacle to greatness… the hard road and the narrow gate, carrying the cross every day is immensely important… dying to our selfishness and crucifying our illusory desires are indispensable… impressing people is of no importance at all, whereas being pleasing to the divine eyes is everything… virginity is a favored and privileged state, and chaste fidelity in marriage mirrors the very union of Christ and his Church… one may not try to best others; rather he is to serve them as though he were a slave… it most difficult, indeed it is humanly impossible, for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of heaven…It takes little imagination to see that one who freely chooses to be poor is far more prepared to understand the previous paragraph than one who is surrounded with luxury, comfort, pleasures of sense, who basks in prestige and position, who lives only for the good opinion of other human beings.”

-Thomas Dubay, Happy Are You Poor, pp. 57-58

Spiritual Orphans

By: Donna J. Kazenske

What is a spiritual orphan? A spiritual orphan is one who feels alone; one who feels that they do not have a safe and secure place in the Father's heart where He can affirm, protect, provide and express His love to them. They feel as if they do not belong. They are full of fear, anxiety and insecurity.

Spiritual orphans cannot receive the love of the Father because they have been personally abused, hurt, rejected and wounded by their earthly fathers or those in authority over them. They cannot receive the love of their heavenly Father because they cannot bring themselves to a place of being able to trust Him. Trust involves vulnerability. Trust involves receiving. Spiritual orphans cannot trust or receive until the unhealed issues and hidden cores of pain are attended to. Basic trust is a real issue in the life of a spiritual orphan.

Trust involves opening your heart to others. Spiritual orphans have closed their hearts because they are afraid of being hurt. They refuse to make themselves vulnerable to others because of past hurts and pain. Their spirits are closed to a love relationship with their heavenly Father because they do not trust Him. Instead of running to God, they are continually running away from Him.

Spiritual orphans are dysfunctional because they lack the basic trust needed to have healthy relationships with those in authority. They find themselves battling with fear, control issues, independence and pride. They are not able to have intimate relationships because they are not able to receive comfort or love from God or others.

Spiritual orphans are those who remain in the outer court of God's presence. They do not have the capability to enter into the Holy of Holies because they fear intimacy. They have closed their hearts as a type of protection.

They are not able to submit to authority because of fear. Submission involves having an open heart. Submission involves vulnerability, closeness and honesty in relationships. Submission is an act of humility and receiving that releases God's grace and abilities in our lives. Submission has the power to set us free from our fears and insecurities.

Spiritual orphans have an independent spirit which often causes them to hide or deny pain. They like to control relationships with anger, passivity, isolation or various other means. They keep their distance from those who are in authority or from those who are able to help them.

Spiritual orphans often find comfort and identity in money (by possessing material things), addictions (to alcohol, drugs, food and other forms of immorality), position (looking for acceptance by obtaining the praise of man or striving to be seen by man), and power (by controlling their own lives).

Spiritual orphans focus more on God's acts than on His ways. They tend to keep themselves busy doing religious activity out of duty instead of relationship. In their limited understanding, love is not received, but earned. Their ungodly belief system tells them that they need to do more and more in order to be accepted by God. They are deceived into believing that they will never measure up to God's standard because they can never do enough to attain His love and acceptance.

Have you ever seen a hamster running around and around in a circular exercise toy? This type of activity is very similar to the lifestyle of a spiritual orphan. They have no sense of direction or destiny. They live their lives by just going through the motions.

Spiritual orphans are servants only and not sons or daughters of God. Servants perform duties, while sons and daughters receive the love of the Father.

I believe that we are in a season of becoming the true sons and daughters of God. The Holy Spirit is putting His finger in the hidden places of our hearts so that we can be healed and restored to a deeper relationship with Him. He desires more than and outer court relationship with us. He desires intimacy which involves inner court relationship. Inner court relationship involves trust and vulnerability.

Sonship is a matter of attainment and with it comes the privilege of authority in God. The body of Christ has not been fully operating in the authority of God because we are still functioning as spiritual orphans.

Jesus was declared the Son of God by His Father on the day of His baptism. Baptism represents death and resurrection. Baptism is a going down, a submitting unto death and an immersion into it. Resurrection can only take place after a death experience.
We must die to this orphan spirit. We must die to any independence of doing our own thing or doing our own will. We must die to any and all ungodly beliefs that keep us from becoming sons and daughters of God.

Spiritual inheritance is obtained only after death.

Hebrews 1:3 - ".....when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they."

What is this verse saying? What name did Jesus obtain through His death and resurrection? He obtained the name, "Son of God."

Luke 3:22 - And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased."

After Jesus was baptized, symbolizing His death and resurrection, the Father made a decree from heaven to the world that Jesus was His beloved Son.

The Father in heaven is now waiting to decree our sonship to not only the world, but also to the principalities and powers of hell. When God the Father decrees our sonship as a result of our spiritual death and resurrection, the demons in hell will tremble because we will walk in the true authority and power of God.

It's time for us to get right with God. We need to repent and receive forgiveness through His blood because we have chosen to remain as spiritual orphans instead of sons and daughters of God. We must allow the Holy Spirit to have full rule and reign in our lives so that we can be set free and healed by His supernatural power. We must give ourselves completely to the Lord, withholding nothing from Him.

James 4:7-9 - Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up

The father wound

By Alfred C.W. Davis

We all come into the world helpless, dependent and needing acceptance, to be treated as worthy, and to be blessed. The father wound is the absence of this love from your birth father. The wound can be caused by:
neglect -- I am unimportant;
absence -- divorce, separation, death;
abuse -- mental, physical, sexual, spiritual;
control -- domineering;
lack of blessings -- at various stages of life; and
lack of affirmation -- that leads to a lack of self-acceptance.

The effect of a father wound is low self-esteem, a deep emotional pain inside and a performance orientation that makes us 'doers' rather than 'beings.' While salvation makes us new creations in Christ, it does not necessarily address this wound inside. We tend to have four barriers that inhibit the healing of this wound:
Pride -- no will to confront or change -- "I'm alright"
Sin -- no will to confess or receive forgiveness
The wound itself -- emotional hurt inside
Lies -- misconceptions about self, birth father and Father God
Instead of going to the pain and receiving the healing that we need, we tend to respond to life events by creating a misconception about our "Self".

Relationship to Our Birth Father
When we hold a conception of our birth father as angry, violent, uncaring, indifferent, distant/withdrawn, absent/abandoning, alcoholic, condemning and/or critical, we tend to believe the following words about ourselves: I'm unworthy, stupid, incompetent, unloved or unlovable. As long as we accept these words as truth, we will experience depressed, anxious and angry lives.

Relationship to God the Father
Often a person's image of God the Father is contaminated by the personal experience he or she has with the birth father. When there is a misconception that God is: watching, judging, angry, unhappy with my sin, fearsome, legalistic, and a discipliner; the words that we tend to believe are: 'I am not good enough,' 'I am guilty/shameful' 'I must work harder to justify myself.' As long as we accept these words as truth, we will seek to perform and prove our worth through perfectionism and materialism, or seek addictions to cover the pain.

Addressing the Father Wound
There are three steps to addressing the father wound:
* understand the heart of God
* invite Jesus into the wounds created by the birth father
* accept the truth about one's self as a child of God

1) The Heart of God
* as seen in the prodigal son*
- we are free to choose our own path
- the Father waits patiently for us to return to him
- when we return, he accepts us unconditionally
- he runs to accept and embrace us
- he values us by celebrating

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*God's provision for salvation*
- he loves us first
- we are his beloved creation
- he offers salvation for our sin
- he wants a relationship with us

*Jesus as the wounded healer:*
- he was tempted by Satan to know our temptations
- he experienced suffering to know our suffering
- he was rejected, mocked, beaten and crucified
- he fully understands our pain and wants to help
- 1 Peter 2:24 "By his wounds you have been healed"

*Jesus heals*
- when invited into memories, he comes
- when he comes into memories, my clients describe him as: gentle, kind, caring, loving, warm, friendly, hugging, accepting and healing.

When you understand his love, confess to Him the misconception you have had, receive His forgiveness and His love.

2) Invite Jesus into the wounds created by your birth father
*Do inner healing for the memories*
- invite Jesus into the specific memories
- understand the words that you accepted at the time
- ask Jesus to reveal his truth to you.
- receive His truth about who you are

*Choose to forgive your Birth Father*
- for hurtful words
- for hurtful actions
- for not loving you
- for not blessing you
- for affecting your image of God the Father

*Accept Yourself as a Child of God*
Receive the words of truth:
- I am accepted
- I am chosen
- I am loved
- I am God's creation
- I am precious in His sight
- I am forgiven
- I have been redeemed
- I will never be left or forsaken
- I have an eternal inheritance
- Nothing can separate me from the love of God

As you understand the truth about God's love and know your True Self In Christ, it frees you to let go of the pain and forgive your birth father. The new perspective that is created enables you to see your birth father through different eyes and allows you to live in freedom.

God's Heart

There is a mother's heart in the heart of God. And 'tis his delight to break the bread of love and truth for his children.

Celtic Blessings and Prayers
by Brendan O'Malley

First Love

Prophets are called to inspire people, to awaken them to listen and look for God. Sometimes, the church has to be provoked away from its programs, ministries, and routine life, and its attention turned to what God is doing now. These distractions are usually completely understandable--but it is inexcusable to resist the provocation of the Holy Spirit. When He offers us the opportunity to gaze upon the person of Christ, we need to leap at the opportunity. Our highest ministry priority is to adore God, and minister to Him.

This is the same challenge which God laid out before the church of Ephesus in Revelation 2:2-5-
I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place-unless you repent.

Ephesus had to be provoked to return to its first love. They needed to be inspired by a word of prophecy because they had lost an essential piece of who they were. They had lost the capacity to really enter into worship, to see God as their first love. From there, it's just a short fall into religiosity. The tragedy for many churches is that we lose sight of our first love very easily. A new program, a new vision, a new trend: suddenly we're swept away. We get into ministry and social action and just keep working and working and working. In that moment, God delivers a word of exhortation: "Return to Me, your first love."

We have to keep returning to our first love. Our doing, busyness, and ministry are legitimate-until they become our primary focus. The Greatest Commandment-"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind"-is more important than the Great Commission.

Prophets call Christians to put the Greatest Commandment first. Out of that flows the Second Commandment and the Great Commission call to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

The prophetic has to inspire. We may see things that aren't right, but we have to ask God what He wants to speak into those situations. What does the Lord want to accomplish? How do we get over the hurdles separating us from that goal? What does He want to emphasize? How do we speak to this hindrance so we can make sense out of it? How will we respond to Him?

We are not called to put something into people-we are called to bring something out. We ought to focus on what God is already doing and lay claim to it prophetically. "This is what God is doing in you," we prophesy, "this is who you are in the Spirit. This is you, as Christ sees you." When we call on the life of the spirit within, we inspire it to come into bloom. We create an environment, a greenhouse, where God can release things on His terms. It is an explosion of fresh faith and purpose.