Sunday, November 27, 2005
Get fired up and bring in the sheep
Ezekiel 34 says:
1The word of the LORD came to me: 2"Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord GOD: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? 3You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. 4The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. 5So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. 6My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them.
7"Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: 8As I live, declares the Lord GOD, surely because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep, 9therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: 10Thus says the Lord GOD, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.
11"For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. 12As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. 15I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD. 16I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.
17"As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and male goats. 18Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture; and to drink of clear water, that you must muddy the rest of the water with your feet? 19And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet, and drink what you have muddied with your feet?
20"Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD to them: Behold, I, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21Because you push with side and shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad, 22I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep. 23And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. 24And I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the LORD; I have spoken.
25"I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild beasts from the land, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. 26And I will make them and the places all around my hill a blessing, and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing. 27And the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase, and they shall be secure in their land. And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I break the bars of their yoke, and deliver them from the hand of those who enslaved them. 28They shall no more be a prey to the nations, nor shall the beasts of the land devour them. They shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid. 29And I will provide for them renowned plantations so that they shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land, and no longer suffer the reproach of the nations. 30And they shall know that I am the LORD their God with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Lord GOD. 31And you are my sheep, human sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Lord GOD."
Don't you see, we are the Lord's shepherds, but it looks like we have been filling ourselves with knowledge. We take in so much of God's word, but we yet have gone out and try to gather the lost sheep. Are we really boasting in Christ Jesus? Or are we boasting in the knowledge that we gain each time we go to a meeting or open the Word of God? The bible was not meant to be abused this way. It is meant for us to get fed and then to share the bread with the sheep--the lost sheep--the sheep that are scattered about.
Later on in the passage, you see that God is tired of His shepherds not doing as they are called. He chose those shepherds just like He chose us. As you read in Ezekiel, God had to take over. He didn't work through His shepherds, He did the work Himself. Do we wnat to be like those shepherds? Do we want to get puffed up with knowledge just for our own sake? What is the purpose? Our purpose is to be a good shepherd--a shepherd who obeys the Lord's commands. We know the Lord is mighty to save, but for some reason He takes delight when we go out and share the gospel. He chose us and our response should be the choice of going out and rescuing the lost sheep. This is what glorifying God is--that's why He takes delight when we go out and share the gospel. Let's go out and bring in the sheep. Let's follow Christ's example and bring them in one by one.
Just a side note: As I was writing this, the words, "get fired up" came to my mind. I think these words hold a purpose. I believe we have let our flame die down a bit. We had this passion for Auburn, but somehow have mis-placed it. We want it back, but we don't know how to get it back. Hmm, this is good. The words, "get fired up" comes from and old cheer from back home. The cheer would go something like this, "Get fired up Aggies, get fired up!" To me this is very profound. Getting fired up starts with just us ourselves--it is a change of mind and saying, "Okay, I am tired of being so complacent, I am going to be fired up for Jesus." That is all it takes to bring the passion for Auburn back. It is kind of like cheering ourselves on as we cheer on Jesus in our lives. The reason why I think all of this is very profound is because instead of picturing my hometown's football field earlier, I pictured the Jordan-Hare stadium filled with a magnitude of people giving Jesus a pep-rallie. They were all cheering on our Savior! Praise Jesus! Right now there would not be a lot of people in that stadium cheering on Jesus, but I bet if we went out to bring in the lost sheep that are scattered about, I bet the stadium would be packed all the way to covering the football field itself. So, I say, "Lets get fired up and bring in the sheep!"
1The word of the LORD came to me: 2"Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord GOD: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? 3You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. 4The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. 5So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. 6My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them.
7"Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: 8As I live, declares the Lord GOD, surely because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep, 9therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: 10Thus says the Lord GOD, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.
11"For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. 12As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. 15I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD. 16I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.
17"As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and male goats. 18Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture; and to drink of clear water, that you must muddy the rest of the water with your feet? 19And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet, and drink what you have muddied with your feet?
20"Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD to them: Behold, I, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21Because you push with side and shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad, 22I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep. 23And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. 24And I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the LORD; I have spoken.
25"I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild beasts from the land, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. 26And I will make them and the places all around my hill a blessing, and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing. 27And the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase, and they shall be secure in their land. And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I break the bars of their yoke, and deliver them from the hand of those who enslaved them. 28They shall no more be a prey to the nations, nor shall the beasts of the land devour them. They shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid. 29And I will provide for them renowned plantations so that they shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land, and no longer suffer the reproach of the nations. 30And they shall know that I am the LORD their God with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Lord GOD. 31And you are my sheep, human sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Lord GOD."
Don't you see, we are the Lord's shepherds, but it looks like we have been filling ourselves with knowledge. We take in so much of God's word, but we yet have gone out and try to gather the lost sheep. Are we really boasting in Christ Jesus? Or are we boasting in the knowledge that we gain each time we go to a meeting or open the Word of God? The bible was not meant to be abused this way. It is meant for us to get fed and then to share the bread with the sheep--the lost sheep--the sheep that are scattered about.
Later on in the passage, you see that God is tired of His shepherds not doing as they are called. He chose those shepherds just like He chose us. As you read in Ezekiel, God had to take over. He didn't work through His shepherds, He did the work Himself. Do we wnat to be like those shepherds? Do we want to get puffed up with knowledge just for our own sake? What is the purpose? Our purpose is to be a good shepherd--a shepherd who obeys the Lord's commands. We know the Lord is mighty to save, but for some reason He takes delight when we go out and share the gospel. He chose us and our response should be the choice of going out and rescuing the lost sheep. This is what glorifying God is--that's why He takes delight when we go out and share the gospel. Let's go out and bring in the sheep. Let's follow Christ's example and bring them in one by one.
Just a side note: As I was writing this, the words, "get fired up" came to my mind. I think these words hold a purpose. I believe we have let our flame die down a bit. We had this passion for Auburn, but somehow have mis-placed it. We want it back, but we don't know how to get it back. Hmm, this is good. The words, "get fired up" comes from and old cheer from back home. The cheer would go something like this, "Get fired up Aggies, get fired up!" To me this is very profound. Getting fired up starts with just us ourselves--it is a change of mind and saying, "Okay, I am tired of being so complacent, I am going to be fired up for Jesus." That is all it takes to bring the passion for Auburn back. It is kind of like cheering ourselves on as we cheer on Jesus in our lives. The reason why I think all of this is very profound is because instead of picturing my hometown's football field earlier, I pictured the Jordan-Hare stadium filled with a magnitude of people giving Jesus a pep-rallie. They were all cheering on our Savior! Praise Jesus! Right now there would not be a lot of people in that stadium cheering on Jesus, but I bet if we went out to bring in the lost sheep that are scattered about, I bet the stadium would be packed all the way to covering the football field itself. So, I say, "Lets get fired up and bring in the sheep!"
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Are we a living sacrifice?
After a long and dreadful week, the Lord has shown me some things concerning being after God's own heart and being a living sacrifice. They are one in the same.
Friday night, the Lord led me to a passage in the bible:
18Now the angel of the LORD had commanded Gad to say to David that David should go up and raise an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 19So David went up at Gad's word, which he had spoken in the name of the LORD. 20Now Ornan was threshing wheat. He turned and saw the angel, and his four sons who were with him hid themselves. 21As David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David and went out from the threshing floor and paid homage to David with his face to the ground. 22And David said to Ornan, "Give me the site of the threshing floor that I may build on it an altar to the LORD--give it to me at its full price--that the plague may be averted from the people." 23Then Ornan said to David, "Take it, and let my lord the king do what seems good to him. See, I give the oxen for burnt offerings and the threshing sledges for the wood and the wheat for a grain offering; I give it all." 24But King David said to Ornan, "No, but I will buy them for the full price. I will not take for the LORD what is yours, nor offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing." 25So David paid Ornan 600 shekels of gold by weight for the site. 26And David built there an altar to the LORD and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings and called on the LORD, and the LORD answered him with fire from heaven upon the altar of burnt offering. 27Then the LORD commanded the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath.
28At that time, when David saw that the LORD had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there. 29For the tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were at that time in the high place at Gibeon, 30but David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the LORD.
1Then David said, "Here shall be the house of the LORD God and here the altar of burnt offering for Israel."
1 Chronicles 21:18-22:1
I thought about that passage for a while and I prayed to the Lord to help me give my all when I sacrifice. You see, David paid the price in full in order to honor his Lord. Then the words "living sacrifice" came to my mind and I knew the Lord wanted me to take those words seriously. I was convicted. I knew in my heart that I don't always give my all.
Anyway, I went about to my business and I knew I must head back to Auburn Saturday morning. For some reason I felt the Lord pressing in for me to come back. He knows that when I am in Auburn that I am not as distracted, so sorry Patio and Amy for not returning your calls...Imagine that, I had to drive 3 hours in order to whole heartedly listen to the Lord, my God, so, I did. I came back to Auburn around 1:00 this afternoon. I took care of all the business I needed to and made sure my apartment was quite. I turned off my phone and took the battery out of my ticking clock. Propped myself on my couch and said, "Okay Lord. I am here to listen. I am willing to sit here all day if I have to." Minutes went by and "the heart of David" entered my mind. I look down to my bible and ironically it is turned to 2 Samuel 24:18-25. Here's what it says:
18And Gad came that day to David and said to him, "Go up, raise an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite." 19So David went up at Gad's word, as the LORD commanded. 20And when Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his servants coming on toward him. And Araunah went out and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground. 21And Araunah said, "Why has my lord the king come to his servant?" David said, "To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be averted from the people." 22Then Araunah said to David, "Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Here are the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. 23All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king." And Araunah said to the king, "The LORD your God accept you." 24But the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25And David built there an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel.
Sound familiar? It's the same story!! What do you know? I believe the Lord is trying to say something here. The Lord is so good!! When He wants His point across, He gets it across. Here are some more thoughts:
So, Jimmy and Anne have submitted themselves over to the Lord and by doing that, the Lord brought them to Auburn, AL. He brought them here in preparation for a revival. They were sent to Auburn to serve the students and to send them out. The Nicholson's have sacrificed their old lifestyle in order that the Lord may be glorified, in all places, Auburn, AL. I believe the Lord sent the Nicholson's out here for more than a revival. I believe they are here as an example of what we are or should be growing up to be. A living sacrifice. Are we willing to give it our all to be a living sacrifice like Jimmy and Anne do? I really and truly think the Lord is telling me at least and maybe you all too that being a living sacrifice is vital.
More thoughts...So, we should be Christ-like right? He paid the price in order for us to be saved. We must be willing to pay the price by being a living sacrifice for our God so our community can see and receive Jesus. Now mind you, the Lord doesn't need us to do this in order to bring revival to Auburn, but He chose us to. What a honor! When we sacrifice, we must sacrifice whole heartedly. This means paying the full price. If the Lord tells you to give away all your possessions, give away the shirt off your back too. It was not ours to begin with. What we have is a gift from Him. It is not always about receiving. It is about giving back too. We have ourselves, our story, the gospel to share. What does the Lord want you (me) to give up completely? Maybe it's our own selves? Living sacrificially was the heart of David. It is the heart of his Maker. Are we willing to have a heart of our Maker? So, now I am reminded of Romans 12:1-2:
1I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Another thing that stuck out in my mind was the last verse in 2 Samuel 24. It said, "And David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel."
There is a plague going on in Auburn. Sex, drugs, alcohol, football, knowledge, so on and so forth are afflicting this town. We are in the need of praying sacrificially. We are in the need of serving sacrificially. We are in the need of loving sacrificially. When the Lord sees our plea, I believe that is when He will save Auburn. Why would Auburn turn her heart to Jesus if she doesn't see us, the body doing what God has called us to do? Let's cast our eyes on Jesus and be sent out sacrificially.
Friday night, the Lord led me to a passage in the bible:
18Now the angel of the LORD had commanded Gad to say to David that David should go up and raise an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 19So David went up at Gad's word, which he had spoken in the name of the LORD. 20Now Ornan was threshing wheat. He turned and saw the angel, and his four sons who were with him hid themselves. 21As David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David and went out from the threshing floor and paid homage to David with his face to the ground. 22And David said to Ornan, "Give me the site of the threshing floor that I may build on it an altar to the LORD--give it to me at its full price--that the plague may be averted from the people." 23Then Ornan said to David, "Take it, and let my lord the king do what seems good to him. See, I give the oxen for burnt offerings and the threshing sledges for the wood and the wheat for a grain offering; I give it all." 24But King David said to Ornan, "No, but I will buy them for the full price. I will not take for the LORD what is yours, nor offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing." 25So David paid Ornan 600 shekels of gold by weight for the site. 26And David built there an altar to the LORD and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings and called on the LORD, and the LORD answered him with fire from heaven upon the altar of burnt offering. 27Then the LORD commanded the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath.
28At that time, when David saw that the LORD had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there. 29For the tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were at that time in the high place at Gibeon, 30but David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the LORD.
1Then David said, "Here shall be the house of the LORD God and here the altar of burnt offering for Israel."
1 Chronicles 21:18-22:1
I thought about that passage for a while and I prayed to the Lord to help me give my all when I sacrifice. You see, David paid the price in full in order to honor his Lord. Then the words "living sacrifice" came to my mind and I knew the Lord wanted me to take those words seriously. I was convicted. I knew in my heart that I don't always give my all.
Anyway, I went about to my business and I knew I must head back to Auburn Saturday morning. For some reason I felt the Lord pressing in for me to come back. He knows that when I am in Auburn that I am not as distracted, so sorry Patio and Amy for not returning your calls...Imagine that, I had to drive 3 hours in order to whole heartedly listen to the Lord, my God, so, I did. I came back to Auburn around 1:00 this afternoon. I took care of all the business I needed to and made sure my apartment was quite. I turned off my phone and took the battery out of my ticking clock. Propped myself on my couch and said, "Okay Lord. I am here to listen. I am willing to sit here all day if I have to." Minutes went by and "the heart of David" entered my mind. I look down to my bible and ironically it is turned to 2 Samuel 24:18-25. Here's what it says:
18And Gad came that day to David and said to him, "Go up, raise an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite." 19So David went up at Gad's word, as the LORD commanded. 20And when Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his servants coming on toward him. And Araunah went out and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground. 21And Araunah said, "Why has my lord the king come to his servant?" David said, "To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be averted from the people." 22Then Araunah said to David, "Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Here are the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. 23All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king." And Araunah said to the king, "The LORD your God accept you." 24But the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25And David built there an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel.
Sound familiar? It's the same story!! What do you know? I believe the Lord is trying to say something here. The Lord is so good!! When He wants His point across, He gets it across. Here are some more thoughts:
So, Jimmy and Anne have submitted themselves over to the Lord and by doing that, the Lord brought them to Auburn, AL. He brought them here in preparation for a revival. They were sent to Auburn to serve the students and to send them out. The Nicholson's have sacrificed their old lifestyle in order that the Lord may be glorified, in all places, Auburn, AL. I believe the Lord sent the Nicholson's out here for more than a revival. I believe they are here as an example of what we are or should be growing up to be. A living sacrifice. Are we willing to give it our all to be a living sacrifice like Jimmy and Anne do? I really and truly think the Lord is telling me at least and maybe you all too that being a living sacrifice is vital.
More thoughts...So, we should be Christ-like right? He paid the price in order for us to be saved. We must be willing to pay the price by being a living sacrifice for our God so our community can see and receive Jesus. Now mind you, the Lord doesn't need us to do this in order to bring revival to Auburn, but He chose us to. What a honor! When we sacrifice, we must sacrifice whole heartedly. This means paying the full price. If the Lord tells you to give away all your possessions, give away the shirt off your back too. It was not ours to begin with. What we have is a gift from Him. It is not always about receiving. It is about giving back too. We have ourselves, our story, the gospel to share. What does the Lord want you (me) to give up completely? Maybe it's our own selves? Living sacrificially was the heart of David. It is the heart of his Maker. Are we willing to have a heart of our Maker? So, now I am reminded of Romans 12:1-2:
1I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Another thing that stuck out in my mind was the last verse in 2 Samuel 24. It said, "And David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel."
There is a plague going on in Auburn. Sex, drugs, alcohol, football, knowledge, so on and so forth are afflicting this town. We are in the need of praying sacrificially. We are in the need of serving sacrificially. We are in the need of loving sacrificially. When the Lord sees our plea, I believe that is when He will save Auburn. Why would Auburn turn her heart to Jesus if she doesn't see us, the body doing what God has called us to do? Let's cast our eyes on Jesus and be sent out sacrificially.
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Glory, glory to my Jesus
November 19, 2005, a historical moment of course. Auburn 28 Alabama 18. But, this will perish. Don't get me wrong, I had a marvelous time cheering on the Auburn Tigers yesterday, but as I was at the game, all I could think about was the Lord being glorified in the Jordan-Hare stadium. He was definitely there yesterday! I most certainly felt His presence. I could feel the Holy Spirit moving in that place. Usually when I go to a game I get chills from Tiger flying down to the field, but this time I had chills because I knew the Lord is going to do some amazing things in our near future. Things like Tiger and Aubie and cheering on the defense is not as special to me as they once were. Jesus, the Holy Spirit invading the town, and us lifting up the name of our Lord has become everything to me now. I am in just in awe of what the Lord is going to do.
As Jillian and I were waiting for the first quarter to start, a white feather came floating down from the sky just right above our heads. Of all things to see at an Auburn football game in the Jordan-Hare stadium...Wow! I must think for a moment...It was almost like a dream...like a vision, but it was real...it was a God thing.
So, the game comes around and of course me, Jillian, Matt, and John-Michael are excited to see Auburn winning. We were just having a great time hanging out with each other and experiencing the game. Well, you know the song that the Auburn band plays after a touchdown? Glory, glory to Auburn--A-U-B-U-R-N? I heard Jillian sing the same song, but she replaced Auburn with Jesus. I thought that was great! So, during the whole game I would sing, "Glory, glory to my Jesus! Glory, glory to my Jesus! Glory, glory to my Jesus! J-E-S-U-S Jesus!" So, there I was singing this song from the top of my voice praising my Savior and looking up to the sky. Wow! The sky was AMAZING! All I could think about was how beautiful the sky was. It was so glorious. The colors of the clouds were truly amazing! Then I was reminded of Jonathan's blog. If you haven't read it yet, you should. Jonathan talked about a cloud of smoke over the stadium. When I was there yesterday, I could totally see that. Of course there wasn't any smoke there, but the clouds had a smokey touch to them. And then later on during the game, it was like the clouds opened up. It was almost like I could see heaven coming down on the stadium. Wow, I wish you could have seen it. It was like the Lord opened up the sky to look down on us at the Jordan-Hare. Oh Jesus! You are amazing! Thank you Lord! Man, there are not words to describe how glorious the sky and the clouds were. It was like I could almost see what it is going to look like when the revival comes to Auburn. It was like the Lord was giving me a taste of what is to come. And then another amazing thing happened during the game. Another feather fell down from the sky. It was like the Lord saying, "Yes, I am coming and you will see." Oh Lord, come! Come!! So that we all may see!!
As Jillian and I were waiting for the first quarter to start, a white feather came floating down from the sky just right above our heads. Of all things to see at an Auburn football game in the Jordan-Hare stadium...Wow! I must think for a moment...It was almost like a dream...like a vision, but it was real...it was a God thing.
So, the game comes around and of course me, Jillian, Matt, and John-Michael are excited to see Auburn winning. We were just having a great time hanging out with each other and experiencing the game. Well, you know the song that the Auburn band plays after a touchdown? Glory, glory to Auburn--A-U-B-U-R-N? I heard Jillian sing the same song, but she replaced Auburn with Jesus. I thought that was great! So, during the whole game I would sing, "Glory, glory to my Jesus! Glory, glory to my Jesus! Glory, glory to my Jesus! J-E-S-U-S Jesus!" So, there I was singing this song from the top of my voice praising my Savior and looking up to the sky. Wow! The sky was AMAZING! All I could think about was how beautiful the sky was. It was so glorious. The colors of the clouds were truly amazing! Then I was reminded of Jonathan's blog. If you haven't read it yet, you should. Jonathan talked about a cloud of smoke over the stadium. When I was there yesterday, I could totally see that. Of course there wasn't any smoke there, but the clouds had a smokey touch to them. And then later on during the game, it was like the clouds opened up. It was almost like I could see heaven coming down on the stadium. Wow, I wish you could have seen it. It was like the Lord opened up the sky to look down on us at the Jordan-Hare. Oh Jesus! You are amazing! Thank you Lord! Man, there are not words to describe how glorious the sky and the clouds were. It was like I could almost see what it is going to look like when the revival comes to Auburn. It was like the Lord was giving me a taste of what is to come. And then another amazing thing happened during the game. Another feather fell down from the sky. It was like the Lord saying, "Yes, I am coming and you will see." Oh Lord, come! Come!! So that we all may see!!
Thursday, November 17, 2005
How the Lord moves in my life
I know it must look like all I do is blog, but I seriously am a very busy girl...I just love my Jesus so much! Although I am busy, I am always spending time with Him. He is my priority. I cannot live this life without Him. He is my God and He is my strength. There is no excuse in this world not to spend time with my Savior. He always gives me opportunities--whether it is in prayer walking to class, praying in my journal while I am in class, reading the Word at work--where ever I am, He is there too. And for some reason the Lord just speaks to me...I suppose this is where my counselor skills kick in (Thank you Lord for giving me these skills and thank you for the calling!)...I love to listen to Him. So, this is why I blog so much. I cannot get enough of Him. The more I share, the more I must receive from Him and share some more. So, once again, I must share more of what the Lord Jesus is doing in my life.
Romans 12:1-2
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be transformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Wow, I believe this sums up my blogs! Lord, you are so amazing!! Lord, it is my prayer that I present my body as a living sacrifice that is holy and acceptable to You. Lord, let me not be transformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of my mind, that I may test and discern what Your will is. Jesus, you are my God! Praise and glory to your Name most High! Be magnified!! Thank you Jesus!
I think discovering these two verses has totally confirmed in my heart how the Lord is working in me. Thank you Jesus! I would also like to share with you all what else the Lord has confirmed and thank you Jesus that I have focused on trusting and obeying you! So, last weekend a group of us went camping after the Georgia game. Of course we all had a blast and everyone saw a different side of me. I just had so much fun spending time with my brothers and sisters. So, the next morning, I decided to call my mom since I have not spoken with her in a few days. The conversation was going well until I told her what I had done the night before. I don't know why she got so upset with me for going camping...I have done it before. It was like all the sudden she didn't think I was responsible and that I had turned into the person I was before the Lord delivered me from a bunch of crap my Junior year at Auburn. She brought me back to that year for some reason and I knew in my heart I had not done anything wrong. I could not think of anything...nothing at all. She made me really upset and I had to get off the phone with her. She still had not forgiven me for that year and she still does not trust me. I asked myself, "What more does she want? What does she want me to do? What do I have to prove? I have been walking with the Lord! Oh Lord, reveal any wrong in me!" I sat there for a while and I knew I was right with the Lord. There was no conviction and believe me the Holy Spirit is faithful...He will convict my heart. Then the Lord brought me to Psalm 119:121-128:
I have done what is just and right;
do not leave me to my oppressors.
Give your servent a pledge of good;
let not the insolent oppress me.
My eyes long for your salvation
and for the fulfillment of your
righteous promise.
Deal with your servant according to
your steadfast love,
and teach me your statutes.
I am your servant; give me
understanding,
that I may know your testimonies!
It is time for the Lord to act,
for your law has been broken,
Therefore I love your commandments
above gold, above fine gold.
Therefore I consider all your precepts to
be right;
I hate every false way.
The Lord knew I had been striving to stay pure and holy before Him. He comforted me with His unfailing love through those verses. Thank you Jesus for loving me so much...so much that I cannot imagine! Continue to guide me in your Word because your Word is truth. I am not to be blamed or convicted by my mother or my friends or whoever. Only you Lord Jesus know my heart. You are faithful Holy Spirit to convict me. I thank you! Oh precious Jesus, I thank you! Continue to give me the strength to persevere. In Christ's Name I pray! Amen!
Romans 12:1-2
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be transformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Wow, I believe this sums up my blogs! Lord, you are so amazing!! Lord, it is my prayer that I present my body as a living sacrifice that is holy and acceptable to You. Lord, let me not be transformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of my mind, that I may test and discern what Your will is. Jesus, you are my God! Praise and glory to your Name most High! Be magnified!! Thank you Jesus!
I think discovering these two verses has totally confirmed in my heart how the Lord is working in me. Thank you Jesus! I would also like to share with you all what else the Lord has confirmed and thank you Jesus that I have focused on trusting and obeying you! So, last weekend a group of us went camping after the Georgia game. Of course we all had a blast and everyone saw a different side of me. I just had so much fun spending time with my brothers and sisters. So, the next morning, I decided to call my mom since I have not spoken with her in a few days. The conversation was going well until I told her what I had done the night before. I don't know why she got so upset with me for going camping...I have done it before. It was like all the sudden she didn't think I was responsible and that I had turned into the person I was before the Lord delivered me from a bunch of crap my Junior year at Auburn. She brought me back to that year for some reason and I knew in my heart I had not done anything wrong. I could not think of anything...nothing at all. She made me really upset and I had to get off the phone with her. She still had not forgiven me for that year and she still does not trust me. I asked myself, "What more does she want? What does she want me to do? What do I have to prove? I have been walking with the Lord! Oh Lord, reveal any wrong in me!" I sat there for a while and I knew I was right with the Lord. There was no conviction and believe me the Holy Spirit is faithful...He will convict my heart. Then the Lord brought me to Psalm 119:121-128:
I have done what is just and right;
do not leave me to my oppressors.
Give your servent a pledge of good;
let not the insolent oppress me.
My eyes long for your salvation
and for the fulfillment of your
righteous promise.
Deal with your servant according to
your steadfast love,
and teach me your statutes.
I am your servant; give me
understanding,
that I may know your testimonies!
It is time for the Lord to act,
for your law has been broken,
Therefore I love your commandments
above gold, above fine gold.
Therefore I consider all your precepts to
be right;
I hate every false way.
The Lord knew I had been striving to stay pure and holy before Him. He comforted me with His unfailing love through those verses. Thank you Jesus for loving me so much...so much that I cannot imagine! Continue to guide me in your Word because your Word is truth. I am not to be blamed or convicted by my mother or my friends or whoever. Only you Lord Jesus know my heart. You are faithful Holy Spirit to convict me. I thank you! Oh precious Jesus, I thank you! Continue to give me the strength to persevere. In Christ's Name I pray! Amen!
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Jesus takes away the pain
So, I just got through eating at the Nicholson's and I feel like I need to share once again today, so here goes.
Earlier tonight before the study started, I was praying with Jillian (of course). After we prayed, Jillian shared a vision she had Friday night. She will have to share it with you all, but as she was speaking and as we prayed some more, I was reminded of a dream I had last night--a dream that kind of disturbed me and I had no idea what it meant. I thought about it periodically all day today and after talking with Jillian, the Lord told me what the dream was all about. So here's the dream...
In my dream, I was in Auburn and it was very dark and dim--very cold. There was this girl that I did not know. Well, this girl had been raped. She was in so much distress and she dug a hole for herself and buried herself in it. It was not a complete hole; there was still an opening to where one could see her. I could tell she was in deep pain and she was also breathing very hard. For some reason, I went over to where she was and gave her an advil for the pain. Later on the police arrived and when they got there she had died.
I know this sounds very bizzarre, but this is what the Lord told me: The girl represents Auburn and satan has raped her. Auburn is in great pain right now, but here is the good news...Jesus is the advil. He will take the pain away. He will heal Auburn, AL. He will save Auburn. Not only did Jesus take the pain away, but Auburn had to die--completely.
Jesus! You are so amazing!! May the dream I had come to pass my Lord, my God! In the name of Jesus, satan has no authority over Auburn, AL. In the name of Jesus, take the pain away from Auburn. Heal Auburn. Save Auburn. May Auburn, AL die to themselves so they may live by your grace dear Jesus! I claim this in Jesus' precious name! Amen!
Earlier tonight before the study started, I was praying with Jillian (of course). After we prayed, Jillian shared a vision she had Friday night. She will have to share it with you all, but as she was speaking and as we prayed some more, I was reminded of a dream I had last night--a dream that kind of disturbed me and I had no idea what it meant. I thought about it periodically all day today and after talking with Jillian, the Lord told me what the dream was all about. So here's the dream...
In my dream, I was in Auburn and it was very dark and dim--very cold. There was this girl that I did not know. Well, this girl had been raped. She was in so much distress and she dug a hole for herself and buried herself in it. It was not a complete hole; there was still an opening to where one could see her. I could tell she was in deep pain and she was also breathing very hard. For some reason, I went over to where she was and gave her an advil for the pain. Later on the police arrived and when they got there she had died.
I know this sounds very bizzarre, but this is what the Lord told me: The girl represents Auburn and satan has raped her. Auburn is in great pain right now, but here is the good news...Jesus is the advil. He will take the pain away. He will heal Auburn, AL. He will save Auburn. Not only did Jesus take the pain away, but Auburn had to die--completely.
Jesus! You are so amazing!! May the dream I had come to pass my Lord, my God! In the name of Jesus, satan has no authority over Auburn, AL. In the name of Jesus, take the pain away from Auburn. Heal Auburn. Save Auburn. May Auburn, AL die to themselves so they may live by your grace dear Jesus! I claim this in Jesus' precious name! Amen!
Purity equals Love
I find myself discovering the importance of being pure before the Lord my Savior. I have found it important to strive to be pure and not to wait on the Holy Spirit to convict me. I have learned that when I wait on the Holy Spirit to convict me, I become more resistent in giving in and changing my mind. Of course there are times I feel I have to give in, but that is beside the point. When I do not change my mind, I find myself being comfortable in my walk with God. How dare I ever be comfortable? There is no love in being comfortable. There is only selfishness and pride. So, now that I have discovered this, I want to strive to be pure and holy before my Lord so that I may love.
Oh Lord, my God, search my heart. Search my inmost being. Find any wrong in me! Cleanse me! Make me pure! Deliver me! Reveal to me what is holding me back. I just want to be closer to you my Lord, my God! Refresh my spirit. Renew my mind. I want nothing but the love of Jesus inside of me. This is the cry of my heart. I will no longer be comfortable in my walk. My prayer is that I strive to be more like my Savior, my Jesus. All I want is to follow Him. He is my guide. He is my strength. He is my love. He is my rock. He holds my hand and guides me. He is my deliverer. By His grace I am set free. His Word is written on my heart because He is the author of Truth. Oh Lord Jesus, I love you so much! No words can express my craving for the Annointing. He protects me. He shields me. My Lord is my comfort. He picks me up when I fall down. Oh Daddy, I am at your feet. Let me kiss your feet. Let me rest my head in your lap. Oh my Lord, run your fingers through my hair. Hold me. Touch me. You are my love! You are my joy! You are where I find completeness. You are where I find fulfillment. Oh God, I pray that the lost in Auburn will know what it is like to finally be pure and to be loved by you. Oh soften their hearts. Open their minds. Make the blind see oh Lord, my God! May they confess with their lips that Jesus is Lord! Bring them to their knees. Humble them so that they may receive you. May your blood save them oh Lord Jesus my Friend, my Everything. Give us pure hearts. Give us clean hands. Let us not lift our souls to another. Oh God let us be a generation that seeks your face oh God of Jacob. Thank you Jesus! Thank you Jesus! My heart belongs to you and you alone! All I want is you! You are my treasure! May your kingdom come! May your will be done! On earth as it is in heaven!! All I want to do is to work your kingdom here on this earth. Show me. Guide me. Direct me. Use me. Teach me. Boldness. Confidence. Humility. I truly adore you my Lord Jesus! I will never let go of your hand! In Christ Jesus' Name I pray! Amen!
Oh Lord, my God, search my heart. Search my inmost being. Find any wrong in me! Cleanse me! Make me pure! Deliver me! Reveal to me what is holding me back. I just want to be closer to you my Lord, my God! Refresh my spirit. Renew my mind. I want nothing but the love of Jesus inside of me. This is the cry of my heart. I will no longer be comfortable in my walk. My prayer is that I strive to be more like my Savior, my Jesus. All I want is to follow Him. He is my guide. He is my strength. He is my love. He is my rock. He holds my hand and guides me. He is my deliverer. By His grace I am set free. His Word is written on my heart because He is the author of Truth. Oh Lord Jesus, I love you so much! No words can express my craving for the Annointing. He protects me. He shields me. My Lord is my comfort. He picks me up when I fall down. Oh Daddy, I am at your feet. Let me kiss your feet. Let me rest my head in your lap. Oh my Lord, run your fingers through my hair. Hold me. Touch me. You are my love! You are my joy! You are where I find completeness. You are where I find fulfillment. Oh God, I pray that the lost in Auburn will know what it is like to finally be pure and to be loved by you. Oh soften their hearts. Open their minds. Make the blind see oh Lord, my God! May they confess with their lips that Jesus is Lord! Bring them to their knees. Humble them so that they may receive you. May your blood save them oh Lord Jesus my Friend, my Everything. Give us pure hearts. Give us clean hands. Let us not lift our souls to another. Oh God let us be a generation that seeks your face oh God of Jacob. Thank you Jesus! Thank you Jesus! My heart belongs to you and you alone! All I want is you! You are my treasure! May your kingdom come! May your will be done! On earth as it is in heaven!! All I want to do is to work your kingdom here on this earth. Show me. Guide me. Direct me. Use me. Teach me. Boldness. Confidence. Humility. I truly adore you my Lord Jesus! I will never let go of your hand! In Christ Jesus' Name I pray! Amen!
Monday, November 14, 2005
Trust and Obey
Trust and obey. Sometimes easier said than done. The Lord has recently shown me how truly important it is to trust and obey Him. It is something I know and have always known since I have been a Christian, but certain circumstances lately have shown light to how important trusting and obeying my God really is.
So, for example the Lord puts desires in my heart and sometimes I put desires in my heart. You know how you have all these great desires that do not seem harmful? Well, I know all too clearly and they can be harmful if they are not in God's will. I have all these desires in my heart and one would assume by listening to what my desires are that they are from the Lord. Well, just because they sound good doesn't give me the excuse to say that they are from the Lord. It all depends on where my heart is. I am so glad I have trusted the Lord and have asked Him to search my heart, to search my inmost being, to find any wrong in me. This doesn't necessarily mean sin, but it could. I am specifically talking about sorting out which desires are from my flesh and which desires are from Him. My Daddy is so faithful! He snatches my fleshly desires out of my system all the time. He did it within this past week and He did it last night. He wants our hearts to be pure. He wants us to be obediant to His will. He wants us to follow the desires that He gave us.
I know there has been two desires I have had here recently. They are very similar, but at the sametime contradicting. I wish I could explain, but for the purpose of the blog and for my own confidentiality, I will have to be pretty vague on this one. So, I had to ask God which desire was from Him. Within five minutes He showed me. I suppose the reason they were contradicting was because of my heart and my mind. My flesh wanted to hold on to one because it seemed as appealing to the desire the Lord placed in me--even though I knew before asking God which desire was from Him. It's funny how much we (I) try to lean on our (my) own understanding. For about a week, I was fired up about knowing my Lord's desire. All the sudden, my thoughts were not consumed by the other desire. I was able to focus on my Jesus, my Savior. I had less headaches and lost the tension in my neck. Who would of thought that something as simple as a desire could give you a headache and tension in the neck?? Hmm.... Well, anyway, something happened where I doubted the desire the Lord placed in my heart. The old desire started haunting me again. I just wanted to give up and forget about both of those desires but at the sametime I wanted that joy back again of knowing what God had placed in my heart. Again, He is so faithful! He took away my distraction and put me back on focus and then confirmed it through scripture. Even though desires seem so small, our Friend loves us so very much that He wants us to have clarity in our lives.
Going through this experience has shown me that He is leading the way. He wants me to understand His will. That is why we must trust Him...That is why I must trust the desires He has placed in my heart. I also must obey His Word and obey what He calls me to do, no matter the circumstance. I pray that I will always begin my days trusting and obeying my Lord with a joyful heart. Life is so much clearer with Him as our mind, eyes, heart, feet, and hands. I also pray I believe in the desires He has placed in my heart. If I don't believe, then how will I receive? May my mind be on Jesus and Him alone. May your mind be focused on Jesus and Him alone. Make it a priority to trust and obey--He will show you the way.
So, for example the Lord puts desires in my heart and sometimes I put desires in my heart. You know how you have all these great desires that do not seem harmful? Well, I know all too clearly and they can be harmful if they are not in God's will. I have all these desires in my heart and one would assume by listening to what my desires are that they are from the Lord. Well, just because they sound good doesn't give me the excuse to say that they are from the Lord. It all depends on where my heart is. I am so glad I have trusted the Lord and have asked Him to search my heart, to search my inmost being, to find any wrong in me. This doesn't necessarily mean sin, but it could. I am specifically talking about sorting out which desires are from my flesh and which desires are from Him. My Daddy is so faithful! He snatches my fleshly desires out of my system all the time. He did it within this past week and He did it last night. He wants our hearts to be pure. He wants us to be obediant to His will. He wants us to follow the desires that He gave us.
I know there has been two desires I have had here recently. They are very similar, but at the sametime contradicting. I wish I could explain, but for the purpose of the blog and for my own confidentiality, I will have to be pretty vague on this one. So, I had to ask God which desire was from Him. Within five minutes He showed me. I suppose the reason they were contradicting was because of my heart and my mind. My flesh wanted to hold on to one because it seemed as appealing to the desire the Lord placed in me--even though I knew before asking God which desire was from Him. It's funny how much we (I) try to lean on our (my) own understanding. For about a week, I was fired up about knowing my Lord's desire. All the sudden, my thoughts were not consumed by the other desire. I was able to focus on my Jesus, my Savior. I had less headaches and lost the tension in my neck. Who would of thought that something as simple as a desire could give you a headache and tension in the neck?? Hmm.... Well, anyway, something happened where I doubted the desire the Lord placed in my heart. The old desire started haunting me again. I just wanted to give up and forget about both of those desires but at the sametime I wanted that joy back again of knowing what God had placed in my heart. Again, He is so faithful! He took away my distraction and put me back on focus and then confirmed it through scripture. Even though desires seem so small, our Friend loves us so very much that He wants us to have clarity in our lives.
Going through this experience has shown me that He is leading the way. He wants me to understand His will. That is why we must trust Him...That is why I must trust the desires He has placed in my heart. I also must obey His Word and obey what He calls me to do, no matter the circumstance. I pray that I will always begin my days trusting and obeying my Lord with a joyful heart. Life is so much clearer with Him as our mind, eyes, heart, feet, and hands. I also pray I believe in the desires He has placed in my heart. If I don't believe, then how will I receive? May my mind be on Jesus and Him alone. May your mind be focused on Jesus and Him alone. Make it a priority to trust and obey--He will show you the way.
Friday, November 11, 2005
Just Couldn't Wait...
Okay, I know, I am still at the Nicholson's, but I just couldn't wait to blog. The Holy Spirit is so amazing. So, let me tell you what happened tonight.
After I had my bowls of chili, I went outside to think, but instead, the Lord told me to listen, so I did. I began to pray and then I remembered the tree in my dream. Remember from the last blog?? Okay, good. Well, the tree wasn't moving and the blossoms were gone. Anyway, I followed the tree with my eyes all the way to the top and that is when I noticed that the branches were moving like the wind was blowing. Hmmm....all the other trees and branches were not moving. Just those branches. So, I thought...Holy Spirit. All of the sudden the Lord said, "Ask me to come and then you will go see." I was so amazed by that statement. I had to go tell Jillian. I think she was pretty amazed herself. After I told Jillian what had happened and what the Lord told me, I went to the office to pray. Once I was done praying I was led to go back outside and Jillian was there.
So, we are outside enjoying being in the presence of the Lord. We smell the blossoms from the tree that are no longer there. We notice that the branches are still blowing in the wind even though no other branches are moving. We are then in agreement that the Lord is calling all of us out in unity. So we pray and sing praises to the Lord. Okay, so, Jillian sings the Christmas song, "O Come All Ye Faithful" and then I remembered that earlier when I was outside, I had sung "O Come Let Us Adore Him." Well, silly us didn't remember that it was the same song until we sang through it. Amazing. So, we are out there praying and waiting. We just knew the Lord was going to send people out without us telling them. We just knew He was going to speak to them just like He spoke to us. We continued to pray and sing praises to the Lord. Before we knew it, people started leaving...thinking that they were being sent out...well, the Lord was definitely testing our faith. We would--could not give up. So, we waited. Finally, the Lord told both of us that Patio was going to be the first one to walk out--and he was!! The Lord is so faithful! You'll have to hear the rest of the story from Patio.
Of course you all know that eventually we all went out to the town and to the campus. Toward the end of our walk, it ended up being just me, Jillian, and Patio. We were walking and praying. Well, anyway, while we were walking around the stadium, I saw a leaf fall from a tree. I remembered it is fall. I remembered this is a season of dying. We must die to ourselves before we can live. It was like the Lord was saying that Auburn has to die to themselves. Which is so true. They must die, die, die before they can live, live, live. (Thanks Sam!) I shared this with Jillian and she kept saying, "Must get lower." What she said really sunk in. So, I got on my knees and began to pray. All I could think about was getting lower and lower. Then it occurred to me. Jesus lowered himself. So, we must lower ourselves. Jesus humbled himself. So, we must humble ourselves. Jesus died. We must die to ourselves. Jesus was raised from the dead. We will be raised from the dead. It is all about following Christ's example.
Later on, Patio was sharing about how practical the seasons are. Kind of like how things die in the fall and things are born in the spring. I was in total agreement with him. I knew exactly what he was talking about. This is what he was getting at: We (Auburn) must die to ourselves (themselves) right now--in the fall. In the spring, revival is coming--people will be getting saved. In the summer, people will be getting baptized. I have had this vision for a while, but for Patio to be in agreement with me was amazing. I suppose we'll see if it will come to pass. Only time will tell.
One thing I am sure of is that the Lord is good. He is faithful and He is going to do a mighty work in Auburn. All we have to do is go out and see. Ask Him to come so we can go see.
Until next time...
After I had my bowls of chili, I went outside to think, but instead, the Lord told me to listen, so I did. I began to pray and then I remembered the tree in my dream. Remember from the last blog?? Okay, good. Well, the tree wasn't moving and the blossoms were gone. Anyway, I followed the tree with my eyes all the way to the top and that is when I noticed that the branches were moving like the wind was blowing. Hmmm....all the other trees and branches were not moving. Just those branches. So, I thought...Holy Spirit. All of the sudden the Lord said, "Ask me to come and then you will go see." I was so amazed by that statement. I had to go tell Jillian. I think she was pretty amazed herself. After I told Jillian what had happened and what the Lord told me, I went to the office to pray. Once I was done praying I was led to go back outside and Jillian was there.
So, we are outside enjoying being in the presence of the Lord. We smell the blossoms from the tree that are no longer there. We notice that the branches are still blowing in the wind even though no other branches are moving. We are then in agreement that the Lord is calling all of us out in unity. So we pray and sing praises to the Lord. Okay, so, Jillian sings the Christmas song, "O Come All Ye Faithful" and then I remembered that earlier when I was outside, I had sung "O Come Let Us Adore Him." Well, silly us didn't remember that it was the same song until we sang through it. Amazing. So, we are out there praying and waiting. We just knew the Lord was going to send people out without us telling them. We just knew He was going to speak to them just like He spoke to us. We continued to pray and sing praises to the Lord. Before we knew it, people started leaving...thinking that they were being sent out...well, the Lord was definitely testing our faith. We would--could not give up. So, we waited. Finally, the Lord told both of us that Patio was going to be the first one to walk out--and he was!! The Lord is so faithful! You'll have to hear the rest of the story from Patio.
Of course you all know that eventually we all went out to the town and to the campus. Toward the end of our walk, it ended up being just me, Jillian, and Patio. We were walking and praying. Well, anyway, while we were walking around the stadium, I saw a leaf fall from a tree. I remembered it is fall. I remembered this is a season of dying. We must die to ourselves before we can live. It was like the Lord was saying that Auburn has to die to themselves. Which is so true. They must die, die, die before they can live, live, live. (Thanks Sam!) I shared this with Jillian and she kept saying, "Must get lower." What she said really sunk in. So, I got on my knees and began to pray. All I could think about was getting lower and lower. Then it occurred to me. Jesus lowered himself. So, we must lower ourselves. Jesus humbled himself. So, we must humble ourselves. Jesus died. We must die to ourselves. Jesus was raised from the dead. We will be raised from the dead. It is all about following Christ's example.
Later on, Patio was sharing about how practical the seasons are. Kind of like how things die in the fall and things are born in the spring. I was in total agreement with him. I knew exactly what he was talking about. This is what he was getting at: We (Auburn) must die to ourselves (themselves) right now--in the fall. In the spring, revival is coming--people will be getting saved. In the summer, people will be getting baptized. I have had this vision for a while, but for Patio to be in agreement with me was amazing. I suppose we'll see if it will come to pass. Only time will tell.
One thing I am sure of is that the Lord is good. He is faithful and He is going to do a mighty work in Auburn. All we have to do is go out and see. Ask Him to come so we can go see.
Until next time...
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Feathers and Dreams
Well, I could not wait long enough to share, so I thought before I would share stuff about my dreams, I must share the significance of the feathers, so here goes.
So, last spring, I was told by one of my friends that I should pray about receiving angel feathers because I have had seen angels and the Lord also speaks to me through signs of swans. Apparently, there have been several people who receive feathers from the Lord and it is believed to be angel feathers. So, I began praying for feathers and within a few weeks I received one. So, since then, I have been getting a few here and there and some of my other friends have too. Well, I knew there had to be more of a reason why the Lord has sent these so called angel feathers. It couldn't just be for my benefit. Late this past summer, another feather crossed my path and as soon as I picked it up, the Lord said, "revival." I was so excited! The angel feathers are a sign of the Lord's promise for revival! Praise Jesus! So, this is the story of the feathers. You'll see in a minute how this ties into my dreams about the revival that is coming to Auburn.
So, 2 to 3 weeks ago I had this dream about a tree being blown by the wind. Below the tree were these white specks and I thought at the time they were hail stones, but the Lord whispered in my ear that the specks were the petals from the tree. So, I looked up and I saw that the tree had blossoms. I was like "okay, that's cool." Then I noticed something about the breeze that was causing the tree to wave back and forth so much. It wasn't the wind at all, it was the Holy Spirit. I could feel it and I could see it. I was so amazed by the power of the Holy Spirit. I knew He was in my dream because the revival was coming soon. Well, anyway, I was at the Nicholson's a couple of days later and for some reason, I could not stay still inside, so I went outside to think and pray. All the sudden I turn around and there is the tree and the wind was blowing ever so slightly. Sure enough, it was the same tree in my dream. I had never noticed the tree before until that night. And below the tree were white petals. Now that is a sign and a confirmation that the revival is coming to Auburn and that the Nicholson's are suppose to be here.
Okay, dream number 2. Within a week or less from the first dream, I had another dream about the revival in Auburn. All I remember about the dream is that I am caught in a whirlwind and feathers are blowing around me. It was like I was trapped in a tornado made of tiny, tiny angel feathers that were white. The wind felt the same as the in the first dream. I could tell it was the Holy Spirit moving. I could feel the revival coming. I was so happy in that dream and I was in such awe of the Lord. I knew in that moment I wanted to go out and share Jesus. All I wanted to do was to praise the Lord, God Almighty!
Anyway, revival is coming. Victory will be claimed over the plains! Praise Jesus our Strength!
So, last spring, I was told by one of my friends that I should pray about receiving angel feathers because I have had seen angels and the Lord also speaks to me through signs of swans. Apparently, there have been several people who receive feathers from the Lord and it is believed to be angel feathers. So, I began praying for feathers and within a few weeks I received one. So, since then, I have been getting a few here and there and some of my other friends have too. Well, I knew there had to be more of a reason why the Lord has sent these so called angel feathers. It couldn't just be for my benefit. Late this past summer, another feather crossed my path and as soon as I picked it up, the Lord said, "revival." I was so excited! The angel feathers are a sign of the Lord's promise for revival! Praise Jesus! So, this is the story of the feathers. You'll see in a minute how this ties into my dreams about the revival that is coming to Auburn.
So, 2 to 3 weeks ago I had this dream about a tree being blown by the wind. Below the tree were these white specks and I thought at the time they were hail stones, but the Lord whispered in my ear that the specks were the petals from the tree. So, I looked up and I saw that the tree had blossoms. I was like "okay, that's cool." Then I noticed something about the breeze that was causing the tree to wave back and forth so much. It wasn't the wind at all, it was the Holy Spirit. I could feel it and I could see it. I was so amazed by the power of the Holy Spirit. I knew He was in my dream because the revival was coming soon. Well, anyway, I was at the Nicholson's a couple of days later and for some reason, I could not stay still inside, so I went outside to think and pray. All the sudden I turn around and there is the tree and the wind was blowing ever so slightly. Sure enough, it was the same tree in my dream. I had never noticed the tree before until that night. And below the tree were white petals. Now that is a sign and a confirmation that the revival is coming to Auburn and that the Nicholson's are suppose to be here.
Okay, dream number 2. Within a week or less from the first dream, I had another dream about the revival in Auburn. All I remember about the dream is that I am caught in a whirlwind and feathers are blowing around me. It was like I was trapped in a tornado made of tiny, tiny angel feathers that were white. The wind felt the same as the in the first dream. I could tell it was the Holy Spirit moving. I could feel the revival coming. I was so happy in that dream and I was in such awe of the Lord. I knew in that moment I wanted to go out and share Jesus. All I wanted to do was to praise the Lord, God Almighty!
Anyway, revival is coming. Victory will be claimed over the plains! Praise Jesus our Strength!
Monday, November 07, 2005
My Heart for Auburn
Okay, so the beginning of my senior year at Auburn was when I really decided to live my life according to how God intended me to live my life. I finally gave in and got plugged in with some Christian people through Chi Alpha and First Baptist of Opelika. During that fall semester, I learned so much of God's Word and His love and His forgiveness, it was totally not hard to fall in love with Him and to live for Him. The more I became grounded in His Word, the more I had a heart for Auburn. I began going on prayer walks and praying over buildings on campus. I began to hand out fliers to witness to people. I began to visit people's homes so that one person could be won over to God as their Savior. My heart was radically growing for Auburn. I remember praying after a football game my senior year and pleaing with God that there would be worshippers of Him and not worshippers of Auburn football. I wanted to see Jordan-Hare stadium filled with lovers of Christ Jesus alone. I also remember after doing a prayer walk with a few of my friends how the Holy Spirit began to move at my apartment complex. After we prayed throughout the campus, we prayed at my apartment complex. My neighbors who lived upstairs were drunk and partying out of their mind. All of the sudden I was on my knees right outside the parking lot praying in the spirit. My neighbors came down and started mocking me and falling on top of me as they were spilling their beer on me. I kept praying and I was rebuking the demons inside of them. The wind started blowing and howling harder and harder the harder I prayed. Within a few minutes, the wind slowed down and so did my neighbors. After my friends left, my neighbors apologized to me for the way they behaved before. Our God Almighty is so powerful. He has full control over this town. He will bring a revival to the plains. The revival is coming soon...sooner than I expected. I am totally excited! I find it so amazing that the soul purpose that the Nicholson's are here is for the revival that the Lord has promised for Auburn. There is definitely spiritual warfare going on in this town and Jesus is going to win--in fact, He has already won. We just have to wait in order to see the results.
In my next blog, I intend to share my dreams I have had about the revival that is coming to Auburn. I love all of you and I am excited to read about what the Lord is showing you. Take care and bless Him!
In my next blog, I intend to share my dreams I have had about the revival that is coming to Auburn. I love all of you and I am excited to read about what the Lord is showing you. Take care and bless Him!
Sunday, November 06, 2005
Dreams from the Lord
This is my first time on here. I am planning on sharing my dreams, insights, and revelations from the Lord pretty soon, so hang in there until I get to that point.
May peace be with you.
~Misty
May peace be with you.
~Misty
