this side of revival!!!

Well...it has been an amazing week...a week full of difficult truth to hear, absorbed and begin to apply to my life...We had a fine young man come to share God's truth with us...we would highly recommend this young man. It is obvious that he loves the Lord with a passion we don't get to see nearly as much as we should see...beginning in our own love for the LORD! His name is Richard White.

We began our week with a very special night of prayer...I think that is the last I shared here with you...then the next time we were challenged with the questions...did we REALLY want to be in the Presence of the Lord? Would I call my desire for His presence desperate...a daily reality or a Sunday formality? Very challenging...you know the quick "church" answer is of coarse I want to be in God's presence but the reality is...I see very quickly who I really am in His presence...because I see who I am in light of who He is...

The next night...The cost to Follow our God...the number one truth I go this night is that Jesus is not suppose to be number one in our lives...which is what I always thought it was suppose to be...He is not number one...He is to BE my life...He isn't and add on to our lives...He is to be our lives...Am I willing to crucify my comfort to follow Jesus...everyONE and everything must be surrendered to Him and I must love Him more than it all...again...allow Him to be my life...am I willing....do I REALLY want this??? Something that occurred to me today as I was writing this is...they say sin will take you further than you wanted to go, keep you longer than you ever intended to stay and cost you more than you wanted to pay...could the same be said about your lives sold out to Jesus...am I willing to go as far as He calls, stay as longs as HE desires and give up what He ask me to give up...again...my life and all in it~

How do we approach God??? With clean hands and a pure heart...the hands are the outward things...what other people see and know about us...the heart is the deepest part of me...truth...the hands reflect the heart...Jesus always addressed the heart matters...why....because if we get the inward right it will fix the outward...Does my heart reflect my words and actions...God does NOT exist for me...I exist for HIM...God's ultimate purpose is NOT to save my soul...it IS to bring glory to Himself...I pray thru saving my soul He is glorified~

Last message...but NOT the end of my revival...it is on going...Consider your ways...again we are talking about matters of the heart...personal priorities...worship of one affects worship of all...and the sin of one affects the worshipo of all...worthless working and pointless pursuits...the american dream...we work but we don't purse the presence of God...Jesus can't be number 1 on my life...He must be my life....required repentence...repentence is rooted in the knowledge of what my sin has done to the heart of God...it is not guilt...so what will I do...

Surrendered my whole heart to God...know that He will require a great deal from a surrendered heart...I'm I a little scared...yes but my fear is greater to continue in disobedience...

The beginning of revival...

Just some thoughts...we are beginning our first revival at our church for many, many years. Everyone is so very excited. We have had prayer meetings for the past few weeks and we have already seen revival in hearts begin to breakout. I've been so very surprised at the number of people who have never been part of a revival! We have one gentleman in our church who was saved as a small boy and he just retired and he has never seen a revival...I think my prayer for him, me and our entire church is that we don't see revival but we experience it in a very real and personal way....

Last night be began the services with a special prayer night...our church, Emmanuel will be 20 years old this summer...it was birthed thru some pain, confusion and much prayer! Over the years God has done great things there, taught us great and might lessons...some not easy to learn...but I would say because we prayed...we knew the importance of seeking Him before decisions were made...and then we lost that...we forgot our first love maybe...but we stopped seeking Him in the little things first then even some or several of the big things...I think I can say over the past year we have been returning to the call to prayer...God has been reminding us HE is the one we need to seek...BUT last night I was so very humbled, blessed, amazed as this sweet time of restoration God gave the body of Emmanuel and myself as a member...He is the ONE who needs to be our guide...I believe God began something great last night and I'm so very excited to be a part of this time...

I would ask you to join us in prayer for Michael as he leads us in worship, Richard White as he brings the messages God lays on his heart and for each person that will come each night. I know that satan doesn't want this week to happen so pray that each of us will be able to look at things or people that irritate or just plain make us mad or upset...that our battle is NOT with flesh and blood...the word tells us in Eph. 6:12 "for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms..." We must hang onto this truth and the truth that we do have an enemy who whole purpose is to steal, kill and destroy...it is so easy to be on a spiritual "high" if you will but then the first time we get "bumped" then we fall from that mountain top time...it's so hard to see things this way according to scripture...but it is truth...our battle is not with flesh and blood...our enemy will throw things our way be on the alert...and then we will be able to hear and apply what God has for us this week....my last prayer now is that in 5 days I will have great and mighty things to share on my blog concerning this week...until then...

Oh Glorious Day!

Well, Easter 2010 has come and gone but it was a beautiful day! I prayed the night before that the Lord would wake me up early to see the sunrise...we didn't have a sunrise service this year (which I was so fine with) but for some strange reason I wanted to see it this year...so...He did...He woke me up and I sat on the back porched and watched this amazing sunrise...hope for a new day! That was probably a first for me...to even care enough to get out of bed and see the sun...but I wanted to meet with THE SON!

This was another first for me this year...the first real holiday without all the kids here...but in His graciousness He allowed it to be a holiday that isn't about us anyway....it's about HIM...We had a sweet day in the Lord's house with good worship and a good Word...then off to the in laws for lunch...and home again to hide eggs with the twins...and play a game of cards with good friends and family...in Florida God filled several days of activities for them as well...coloring eggs, a day at the beach (we tease them about suffering for Jesus there!!), egg hunt then yesterday they had church and an afternoon with a sweet family that loves them like their own! To say it wasn't a little sad would not be honest because it was but for the greater glory...you know???

The Lord is teaching me so many things right now...some lessons are still very hard...I have seen the old temper sprout up again...I hate it but He is there convicting me of it...learning to focus on Him and not this life...or my surroundings OR the way I feel in any given circumstance! He is also teaching me that my focus is on way to many things and or people...I've always wanted Scott to be my best friend...the one I could talk to...but God is teaching me that Scott is to be #2...HE wants and deserves the #1 spot...He wants to be the first one I run to and talk to...another thing He is teaching is to pay attention to the details of His word...I read but I miss sooooo much because I dont' take the time to see the small details...the things that at times teach us the greatest lessons...I cheat Him and I cheat myself by not slowing down and paying attention!

We are well into ladies bible study now and God is really doing amazing things thru the study in my life...revival is one week and one day away to offical begin at the church...and I am SOOOO very excited...I believe God is already beginning revival in our hearts...and I cannot wait to see what He has...may we be willing and ready...for me the words of this song say it all...I'm personalizing it for my life...I confess, I've lived in sin....please show Your power once again!

Ayden is still having a hard time being away from here...last Wednesday was really hard for him...BUT Wednesday night a teen in their youth group was saved...so my prayer for him...for all my kids, grandkids and the generations to come that I'll never know...is that we see again, God's greater picture...if Jesse and Cassie had chose to disobey...to stay here...that teen may have never surrendered their life to Christ...we are studying Esther and the words...For such a time as this comes to mind...we must be willing to be uncomfortable...because...who knows...God...enough said...God, the beginning and the end...Love you all...until next time...have a blessed day....