You Don't Always Get What You Want

Last night my parents took me to see the new house that they have decided to buy. It is really nice and I joked around with them about it being their little cottage for when they are old and grey and all their grandkids will come to see them. It's only like five minutes away from the church which is really conveniant. So, the first thing my dad says to me this morning is "hey, your mother and I were talking and instead of having to find a place, which you are wanting to do, you could just stay here and rent this house and just have three other girls move in and split the cost." My first thought was "sweet!! I could get the master bedroom." LOL - but, my dad informed me that they are going to see if my sister would want to move back up here and move in. Dangit!! That means I wouldn't get the room I want.


But, today I want to talk about "not always getting what you want." Who has that ever happened to? Well, let me see .... yeah - everyone. It's funny how we spend so much time thinking about the future and planning everything out until you finally get there and the ducks you thought were in a row are scattered in every direction on this pond of a life. It's like going to the dentist thinking "yeah, I have been taking pretty good care of my teeth if I might say so myself" and then finding out you need an "extensive" cleaning that takes over an hour. My boss would say "It's the Devil!!! He's always trying to get me!" Yeah, well, whatever it is, it isn't fun. But, think about it, if everyone always got what they wanted in this life there would be mass chaos going on everywhere. "I want your car!", "I want that house!", "I want (fill in the blank)!" Yeah, complete chaos. "Ah, but, I want to be married by this age, have this many kids, live in this house, have this car, with this dog..." Hmmm - can we say "Have you thought about the other people involved in this equation?" One reason things don't always happen "when" you want them to and "how" you want them to is because other people are affected by what happens. Have you ever stopped running long enough to think about that? The reason why something didn't happen when you wanted it to is most likely do to the fact that someone else wasn't ready for it. That's why God is so stinkin' awesome!!! He knows the exact moment we are ready and He doesn't let anything happen before it is time. WOW! We are just a small piece to this enormous puzzle. Have you ever noticed that when you are putting a puzzle together you usually have a certain "formula" to it? I always find the edge pieces first and I put them together. Then I start putting similar pieces like the "sky pieces" together in a pile. Then once I have done that, I start working on putting it all together. Now, if I had just picked up a random piece and said "here, that is where that goes," well, it just doesn't work that way. The great part about God is that He already knows what the finished project looks like, so, He sees that and pieces together the puzzle according to what He knows. A good lesson in this is that, have you ever noticed how frustrating it gets when you keep trying to put pieces together, but they just don't fit? You may go through this ten times just trying to find one matching piece. You cannot be in a hurry when you are trying to put together a puzzle. It takes work, time, and patience. That is like life. You cannot just "breeze" through life as we all know and things don't always happen when or how we would like them to. I get this picture of God standing over our shoulder urging us on but at the same time saying "patience" because we get frustrated. Putting together a puzzle is pretty much an individual project and most people cannot stand for anyone else to help. We may not have a stinkin' clue where that one piece is at that you really really need, but you aren't about to ask for help, let alone allow someone to help. God wants to help. Why not let Him? He already knows what it's going to look like in the end. Allow Him to place pieces that you cannot.


Rom 8:25 "But if we hope for that which we do not see, then we wait for it with patience."


2Th 3:5 "And may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patience of Christ."


Eph 4:15-16 "But that you, speaking the truth in love, may in all things grow up to Him who is the Head, even Christ; from whom the whole body, fitted together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working in the measure of each part, producing the growth of the body to the edifying of itself in love."

Superhero

My favorite show is Smallville (for those of you who don't know). Why? My favorite superhero was Superman growing up. I mean, what's a better name than Super-Man (laughs)? But, seriously, I thought he was the greatest. I used to think that my dad was Superman when I was a little girl, but I found out that he couldn't fly.


I was thinking about this today and I realized that even though "super-heroes" aren't real, I have an assurance that my God is. He can do all the things Superman could never even fathom doing. Who needs something made-up when you can have the real thing? Every time I cry out for help, He is already there. Every time I get myself into trouble, He's already on it.


Rom 10:13 For everyone, "whoever shall call on the name of the Lord will be saved."


We have no reason to doubt God. When He says something, it is a binding word. So, if He says that if we call upon Him we will be saved, then that's how it is, no questions asked. There is no "hidden agenda" to God. He isn't trying to trick people into believing in him. Every thing that He has ever spoken is the truth and nothing less.


It's sad that the world is so quick to accept "super-heroes" and yet when God came down to earth as a man to save the world, we crucified Him. To this day I hear people say, "I just don't believe that Jesus was who he said he was." Why? Because you weren't there to see him heal the blind and the lame, feed the masses with a boy's small lunch, raise the dead, walk on water, be crucified and rise on the third day and be seen ascending into heaven? All of these things are true, they are facts. They are recorded in history. There is nothing made up about them. I can understand if you feel like you have to see the facts written out for you. Well, I challenge you to a history lesson. Believe me, it will be well worth it. Let me ask you a question. Growing up, did you wish for a hero? Well, you aren't going to find him on any tv show. He's not made up for your imagination. In a world that has lost faith in God, He still saves. He isn't a bird, or a plane, or even Superman. He is the Creator. You don't believe that? Have you ever heard a bird sing? Sure, you have. Now tell me, did that bird just happen to be able to sing a beautiful song by chance or did someone give that song to that bird? In a world that is filled with so many intelligent people, why is it so easy to believe in chance? I don't think it is a coincidence that the sun rises and sets every day and that the stars and moon come out at night. It's a system that works together and if it was even the slightest bit off, it wouldn't work. THAT is not by chance. Think about that today.

Silly Fact (5)

If you are an average American, in your whole life, you will spend an average of 6 months waiting at red lights.

Wow - ok - that is such a waste!!! 6 stinkin' months! There is something wrong with that .... LOL - so, if the average is 6 months here for an American, I wonder what the average is in like Japan or China .... hmmm.

My Testimony

I was thinking about testimonies today. I have had the opportunity to hear so many people's stories. It's hard to forget a testimony. Have you ever noticed that? When someone tells you what they have or have not gone through, you remember. A person's story "testifies" of their life, victories, failures, and blessings.


I was thinking about my testimony and how there isn't a lot of "wow, drama stuff" in it. I can pretty much scale out the biggest parts of my life pretty easily. Let's see, I have been raised in Church. I was saved, baptised, filled with the Holy Ghost at five. I started seeing angels at seven. I started hearing God's voice when I was eight. I was your typical Christian kid growing up. I went to a Christian school for a few years when I was in grade-school, so that is mostly where I learned the Word of God. Something I didn't realize until recently is that when I was a kid I used to sing propheticaly. Wow, at the time I didn't even have a stinkin' clue what the prophetic was. Yet, I would sing what I heard God speaking or what I was praying.


Then I got up into Jr. High and those were not so great years. My best friend started to spread lies and rumors about me around the Christian school we were going to. I lost everything, including my reputation. I learned a lot through that. First lesson: it's not about saving your reputation. Yet, I went through two years of depression because of it. I would sit in my room for hours and read. That is when I started to love reading, but I did it for the wrong reason. I read to forget about my problems and worries and to shut my life out. I praise God for the youth pastor and his wife that I had at the time. They knew what was happening to me, even if no one else did or they simply didn't know how to help. They challenged me every week at church and youth group. I made some commitments because of them that I haven't broken to this day. I made a commitment to God that I wouldn't date until He sent me the one I was supposed to marry and He specificaly spoke to me that they were the one. Even though that was the darkest time in my life, I have learned the most lessons from it.


Then, I moved to Bloomington. I had come out a lot from the previous state I was in, but I was still very confused and I began questioning God. I had spent my life fearing Him. I grew up in the "all fire and brimstone" period. Yet, I knew that there had to be something more. Every time God had ever spoken to me, He didn't sound angry, no, He sounded the complete opposite. Yet, I didn't know what I know today, that God truly loves me. Then, the first day we came to the church I am attending now was the day I found the love of my life. For over two hours He spoke to me and I was completely changed that day. My entire life I had walked in fear. I was afraid of everything, especially having to talk in front of people. He broke that fear that day. That is when He started to give me visions and dreams. LOL - all those years of standing back were over and I wanted to be a part of everything. I was still in High School at the time and so, I started up a prayer meeting every morning before school, a worship team for chapel and assembly, and I even joined the stinking cheerleading squad. Yeah, I went from one extreme to the next and I had never felt so alive. I was still in youth then and I did everything I was asked. I loved it! Prayer, drama .... It's so funny to see how completely nuts I went for God when I realized how much He loved me. Yet, something happened and I got hurt. I started to shrink back again and I recognized that "old" Nickie that I used to be. I prayed and fasted and God said to trust Him and wait. So, I fought against becoming who I used to be and I focused on who God was creating me to be, like Christ.


I will stop there. The point I am trying to make is that if God had given up on me and threw up His hands saying, "she's not worth it," I wouldn't be here today. God doesn't give up on us. The only reason I made it through those dark years of my life were because of God. He used to sit there with me and I would try so hard to ignore His presence, but I couldn't. Every time a lie rose up in me, He immediately would speak the truth to me. It was all Him keeping me going and not giving up completely. He never gave up even if I wanted to. I love Him because He loves me. Whatever you are facing, however hard it is, don't give up, because God isn't going to give up on you.

The LORD's Prayer

So, I started to read this book by Cleddie Keith called Praying The LORD's Prayer. I would definitely recommend that you read this book if you want to go deeper in your prayer life. I got a lot out of the introduction and forwards alone.


As I prayed the LORD's prayer this morning, it had new meaning to it. It wasn't just a repetitive prayer, but, I could make it a personal prayer. I found myself crying as the reality of this prayer that I have prayed for many years really sunk in. It is a prayer from the Son of God to the Father. Who knows the Father more than the Son? Jesus said to "pray this way," so, that is what I want to do. It isn't about "having" to do something, it's about "wanting" to do it. To say a prayer just because you are told to is not what the LORD longs for. To pray just to pray is a bunch of empty words. To pray with passion touches the Father's heart.


It's funny because sometimes I will be in a prayer meeting and I forget anyone else is there and they may all be soaking and I am interceding or they may all be interceding while I feel the urgency to just listen for God. Some people would say that is disunity. I don't believe that. The Father moves in people's lives in different ways and at different levels. One person may be at a level where God doesn't want them to say a single word and He just wants them to listen to Him, while another person may be drawn by God to intercede because He has already spoken to them and now it is time to speak out what God is giving them. I used to think that everyone had to be moving in the same way and if I saw that they weren't I automaticaly put a stamp of "confusion" or "disunity" on it. But, now I am learning that God can speak the same word to people in countless ways. One time I was weeping and crying as God began to reveal His heart as I interceded for my city and I opened my eyes and noticed that one person was not shedding a tear and they just sat there staring at the floor. I couldn't understand. But, I talked to them later and they had heard the voice of God speak to them and they had sat there so overcome that they couldn't move. Wow. So, just think about that today. Instead of becoming frustrated in a prayer meeting or worship service, rejoice that God is not limited to touch someone in "one way only." I find myself weeping in His presence at one moment and laughing with Him in the next ....

1 Timothy 4:12

Hmmm - I don't know where to begin....


Father, you are so worthy. There is no one else like you. LORD, I want to pray for purity to arise in this generation. It is being bombarded by the world and all it really needs is You. Dad, just come...


1Timothy 4:12 "Let no one despise your youth, but be an example of the believers, in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity."


My heart breaks when it comes to this verse. I cannot imagine how God must be feeling.


I had a conversation with a good, Christian friend of mine a week ago. She is struggling with a relationship that she is involved in. She couldn't understand what was going wrong and she asked me for advice. I told her that first of all, the "relationship" (one-on-one knowledge of who each other is as a person) is the most important part of any relationship, but especially in a dating relationship. She said that her relationship with her boyfriend involved a lot of intimacy, but nothing more. I told her that this is a bad thing, first of all, because the intimacy she was thinking of should only be shared in marriage (period), and secondly, a relationship cannot be solely built on intimacy. A serious relationship is meant to be structured after Christ and His Church. I gave her the example of how when we first came to know the LORD, we did not immediately feel intimate with Him, but we focused on building a relationship with Him by talking to Him, listening to Him, and just spending time with Him. Then, once the relationship was built we came to the realization that we are in love with Him and our relationship with the LORD goes even deeper into one of intimacy. This is what happened to me. I have been a Christian since I was five years old, but I didn't truly 'love' the LORD until four years ago. A ten year relationship with someone you don't even love? Imagine that!!! But, anyway, I told her that a lot of marriages even fail for lack of "relationship." A lot of relationships are built on intimacy and those tend to fall. It's sad, but it's the truth. I told her to focus on the relationship and save the intimacy for marriage, because really intimacy is the "icing on the cake" once you are married.


It just saddens me that most "Christians" don't agree with waiting for marriage. A lot of Christians have a worldly mindset when it comes to relationships. They would save themselves a lot of pain and heartache if they only listened to the Word of God.

A Place With God

I was thinking today about the beach. I love the beach, especially on the East Coast. There was this island we used to visit called Block Island. You had to take an hour long trip on a ferry boat to get there. I loved to sit up front and feel the splash of the waves. Sometimes, you could see the island clearly and then other times it was covered in fog. We would take our bikes over on the ferry, so once we got there we would ride them to "the bluffs." It was nice to be able to take a nap on the beach after a long, exaustive ride on our bikes. I never swam in the water though, because there are great whites out there. It is just a nice place to think and pray. I think God created places like this on purpose for that reason. When the LORD fasted and prayed, He got away from the "hum-drum" of the world and went to a place where He could be alone. We need a place where we can just be alone with God. God is always speaking, I have learned, but the times when I can shut out all distraction is when I hear him the strongest. Don't make your heavenly father compete with everything going on in your life. Give him priority because you come first to Him.

Silly Fact (4)

One click of a mouse burns 0.0000024kcals of energy, so if you eat a chocolate bar you'll need to click your mouse 765,551,000 times to burn it off.

Wow, isn't it fun learning useless information?

No, really, isn't it?

I mean, come on, how many people can say they know how many calories are burned by clicking a mouse as you sit and stare at a computer screen?

Family

I have been thinking a lot about my grandparents lately. My grandfather is very sick and the doctors seem to think that he is dying because he is bleeding internaly. It is a scary thought of losing someone you love. My grandmother died several years ago. She was one of the most amazing people I have ever met. She was over six feet tall and could scare the life out of anyone. But, she also had the greatest sense of humor. She was so funny. She had a very sarcastic sense of humor that some people didn't quite get. She also played the guitar and harmonica and sang too. I loved it when she would sit on the porch and play and sing to us when my cousins and I were just kids. She sang mostly old time gospel music. Funny thing is that I am not a fan of that type of music, but I loved it when she played it. I can still hear her singing, "Just a little closer, dear Jesus..." My family, relatives and I all have a little bit of her in us. We all have that sarcastic humor that rises up when we are all together. I will never forget the time when we were all at her house on the farm. Mark (Bubby), Matthew, Mariah (Sissy), Amanda, Josh, Nathan, Kyle, and I were playing around in a little kid's pool my grandmother had and Josh thought it would be funny to throw a cup of water on her. OHHHH, badddd - she chased him all over that yard until my uncle caught him and she shoved him in the water. LOL - there was only a few inches of water and he started screaming and crying that she was drowing him. It's all on tape! He was always a big baby. I have some really great memories of my grandmother and my relatives. I don't want to lose my grandfather, but if I do, there are some great memories of him too. When I was really little, he used to hold my hand and teach me how to plant vegetables in the garden. He was also a tobacco farmer for years and I can remember being about five and playing with the big green tobacco worms and how they would tickle me and I would giggle and he would laugh.
I have a great heritage. I am truly thankful for that. God has blessed me with wonderful memories and I trust that he will bless my grandparents for their faithfulness. Don't take your family for granted. You could lose them in a split second. Love them and let them love you. Don't allow disagreements to come between you. Family is something created by God. I pray that you will draw closer to yours.

His Words

It's hard to believe that I haven't written a post in a week! But, I have a good reason.

My faith was tested this week. My faith in what God is speaking. I would be lying if I said that I don't question anything God says to me. There are times when it is hard for me to believe that all things are possible...

God gave me a vision last Saturday. I was praying about something that I truly needed to hear from God about. The first part of the vision I came into his throne room and began to bow. I couldn't stop kneeling and bowing. I kneeled at His feet and cried. I could not speak. He touched my hair and the top of my head and then He touched my face and said for me to look at Him. I did and said to Him, "I am broken and undone." He smiled and said, "This is what I have been waiting for." He took my hand and lead me to a place outside and He began to sing to me. He sang about His words and asked if I could "see his words." I did not quite understand what He meant and He sang, "My words are like the angels descending. My words are like the light that surrounds us." As He sang this, I watched as angels descended and stood around us and light shown down on us. He said, "I have one word for you...love."

I have never realized that God's words cannot always be heard, but they can be seen. He continued to show me another part of the vision, but I am not free to tell. It all made me realize that He has been speaking all of this time and I haven't been watching to see it. Then, even the things which I have seen, I have questioned.

Thursday and Friday were very rough days. I needed an answer from God and I finally realized that He was speaking all along. The load I was carrying was lifted off. I had His answer.

So, don't just listen for a voice to speak...also look around you and see what God is saying. The answers you have been looking for may have been there all along!

The Hurricane

Hurricane Katrina .... every time I turn on the television I cry. New born babies, orphans. That breaks my heart. I saw a picture on the enternet of this woman crying next to a wrapped up body. The story with that is that the woman's husband was not legaly aloud to leave New Orleans and so she stayed with him. Well, they survived the hurricane, but he lives off of an oxygen tank. The lady's husband ran out of oxygen before they were found and helped. I can't imagine the pain that woman must feel.
Today we were at Wal-Mart with a truck to load up supplies to send down. Most people are very generous and brought in carts full of cases of bottled water. Every time I would look and see baby food and formula, I would start to cry. The reality of the whole situation hits you. Thank God for all of the people who have risen up and given even out of their own needs. I don't know how long this is going to take for people to get back on their feet again, but for as long as it takes, we cannot give up on them. I keep thinking about how it would feel if I were in their place and I know that I would truly appreciate all the help I could get. Most of these people have lost everything. All that a lot of them have now is the clothes on their backs.
I was asked to go down with a group of volunteers to help pass out much needed supplies. Unfortunately, I cannot make this trip. But, I am helping out all that I possibly can here until next time. But, I keep thinking how hard it will be to actually be there with them. It would take everything in me not to want to take them all home with me. Especially the children.
So, I would strongly encourage you to give. Even if it isn't much, at least it is something. I can understand if you have your own needs, but, God will bless you and He will provide for you. By us helping these people out, we are answering their prayers. God will answer yours.
If you are interested in giving, there are several organizations out there. FEMA, People Helping People .... most likely your local radio station is announcing places to drop off items. Or go on the enternet at:
http://www.fema.com

Don't pass up on this opportunity to help save a life.

(Galations 2:10)

Only they asked that we remember the poor,

the very thing I was eager to do.

Music Site

So, I found this really great site for listening to music. Anyone who has ever seen my cd collection knows that I LOVE soundtracks from movies. Well, the site I have fallen in love with plays all the greatest songs!!! It's like I don't have to live anymore, I could die today happy ... jk - I have a lot left to live for!!! But, I am really excited!
Anyway, what does this have to do with God? Nothing, but I just thought I would share with you how very happy I am to get to listen to non-stop soundtracks as much as I want. It's great, isn't it?
http://www.live365.com

Watch

You know that feeling you get sometimes of complete helplessness? You really cannot do a thing but pray. Yet even when you pray, your prayers tend to "bounce off of the walls," so to speak. I think that the whole feeling of "you can't do a thing" is God's way of saying, "trust in me." We are always trying to take matters into our own hands. We cannot do that. I was talking to someone the other night about faith. I used that old analogy of faith being like the wind, you cannot see it, but you feel it. The person described faith as being like a wirlwind of leaves. You can see the shaking up, but you can't see what is shaking it. Wow. Maybe what is shaking up the situations we face isn't at all what we think. Maybe God is causing the wirlwind. It could be His way of saying, "look! I can do all things." We tend to try and make sense of everything we go through. We try to put a logical formula to it. But, to this day, I haven't met anyone who can tell me that everything that they go through and are going through in their life makes sense. I have a tendencey to ask God, "what are you doing now?" He just says, "watch what I can do." When He says He is going to do something totally out of the box I tend to ask, "umm, how do you plan on making that happen?" He says, "watch what I can do." So, what am I learning to do? Take a guess. :-)

Silly Fact (3)

The names of Popeye's four nephews are Pipeye, Peepeye, Pupeye, and Poopeye.

You know, that's just weird. I don't understand cartoon creators. Yet, they seem like "interesting" people to talk to.

What is the Prophetic?

I have been reading and studying from a book called The Apostolic Revolution by David Cartledge. It's a book about "The Restoration of Apostles and Prophets in the Assemblies of God in Australia." It really lays out the basic principles of how the prophetic works and what it is. I have personally learned a lot from this book and I want to share with you some of what I have read from this book.


"It was the prophetic promise of Joel that prophecy would be the motivating element of God's new people. God is essentially a speaking God. Prophecy is as basic to the Church as air is to the act of breathing. The major difference between the Old and New Testament eras is that the exclusive anointing of the (prophetic) Spirit has been expanded into a universal anointing. It is no longer for an elite few but is promised to all flesh. Would that all the Lord's people were prophets. (Numbers 11:29) The new era of the Spirit is not about emotion, sensation or manifestation. The motive power of the new anointing is the stream of prophecy that impacts and undergirds every believer's relationship with God. The idea of a prophetic community - a people who all know the ways of God is a concept that has been aspired to in Church history but never achieved. Spiritually blind and deaf people can never fulfil the purposes of God in the earth. The prophet is called to sensitise the believers to a speaking God, and enable them to hear His holy Word thunder in their hearts so that there is a divine compulsion to do the will of God. Then the prophethood of all believers will be achieved."


"The continuance of the prophetic ministry in the church is determined by the existence of a God who expresses Himself. In time past He not only spoke to His people through natural events and signs in nature, but aslo supernaturally to men through other men. The very nature of a personal God who has made creation and men in order to express Himself in and through them, establishes the idea that the prophetic ministry could never cease until the need for revelation ceases. While it is true to say that God has spoken fully and finally to us through the manifestation on earth of His Son, it is also true to say that His Son is still speaking. He does this by appointing prophets as divine spokesmen to His Church. While genuine prophets will never add anything to the total revelation already contained int the Scriptures, they do amplify the message so it will be heard, adapt it to the contextual situation, and then apply that revelation to the Church. The written Word of God and the spoken word will never contradict each other, and the prophetic word will never deviate from the essence of the written word."


Definition - A prophet is one who Jesus Christ inspires and enables by divine revelation to know and proclaim His purposes and plans for both the Church and individuals.


"The prophet functions in two main ways - he sees, knows, or feels, and then he also speaks. The knowing is only a means to an end. Eventually there will be a declaration or announcement of what he sees, feels and knows by revelation. His divine visions will drive him to communicate the heart of God to the people he is called to minister to. His commision is to communicate, to act as God's spokesman. It is this heart of God that motivates the prophet more than the needs of the people. He is keenly attuned to the desires of God and is involved in the process wherever, and whenever God is speaking or acting. God's will is therefore clearly expressed through the prophet. The purpose of God and his ultimate intention are the foundation of a true prophet's ministry. Prophets see what God is doing and saying before he makes it known in other ways. He has chosen to show His purpose to the prophet. Other ministries would be unaware of the purpose of God if it were not revealed first to the prophets. This has a lot to do with the prophet's orentation to God in an ongoing and personal relationship. He receives God's word for the Church, or the people, because he is listening continuously to God. His heart belongs to God in a distinct way, and like the Messiah his ear is disciplined to hear God before he hears other voices."


"This demonstrates something of the compulsive nature of the prophet's ministry: There are messages from God that cannot be restrained. He is driven by the Word of the Lord, and once having received it he is impatient until it has been delivered. He is unsatisfied until God's desired intent in the lives of His people has been achieved."

"The prophet is a seer. He sees into the invisible realm of the spirit and comprehends things that are not apparent to others. He stands on the edge of time and sees into two worlds. He is aware of eternity as much as the present. The prophet is blessed and challenged by the fact that he sees into the natural world as well as the spiritual world. He often does so simultaneously, and this can be confusing to him. It is not unusual for his prophecies to contain elements of both perspectives, and for this reason he will not always fully understand everything that he prophesies. The prophet attempts to interpret the things he sees and knows in the spirit to the natural world, but this is not always clear."


"The ministry of the prophet is not always in preaching, declarations and prophetic announcements. It has its roots in prayer, and it is this that particularly identifies the prophet as 'a man of God'. The prophet is unique in the manner of his message. He transmits it as he receives it. Other ministries prepare their message from their understanding and study of the written Word. The prophet, however, makes his announcements and pronouncements by Divine inspiration. He often speaks from the impulse of a sudden inspiration, from the light of a sudden revelation at the moment. The idea of speaking from immediate revelation seems to be fundamental to the prophets' ministry."

"The prophet can be expected to be somewhat emotional, for he is not merely conveying a message. He is interpreting and conveying the desire and burden of the Lord to the people. He will "feel" his message."


"The ministry of the prophet tends to be unbalanced if it stands on its own. It has a tendency to severity or tangency that needs to be compensated for by other ministries, and particularly by apostles. Prophets tend to be hard on others, but they are even more severe on themselves. They set high standards, and generally feel uncomfortable with the status quo experienced by other Christians. While they appear outwardly "tough" and severe, most prophets are inwardly sensitive, and can be easily be hurt or discouraged."


"Jeremiah was driven by his prophetic anointing. He felt as though he had a fire in his bones. It was consuming and compelling. He and others with this gift are generally overwhelmed by the message they bring. It is not possible for a genuine prophet to be detached from what he says. He will often feel the message he brings to others to the point that he experiences the heart of the person he ministers to."


"Prophets often unsettle others and disturb the status quo. Their ministry tends to polarise people or bring things out into the open where they must be confronted. He is not always diplomatic in the delivery of the message since he is even more aware of the heart of God than he is of the recipients. Prophets are known to bring their message with urgency rather than thinking about the implications and effects. For this reason the Church tends to be more comfortable with scribes than prophets."


"The prophet is generally out of step with the Church because he is one stage ahead. He is dislocated from what is current because he tends to live in the future. When the Church is rejoicing, he is weeping for the Church's insensitivity and need to repent. When the Church comes to the stage of cleansing, he is already rejoicing as he sees the blessing that will flow out of it."


"The prophetic is generally under Divine training for long periods. It takes many years of personal revelation and prophetic experience for him to become a credible vessel for such dynamic and potentially destructive ministry. The prophet has a tremendous need for personal insight to determine what is the Word of God, and what is his own bias. He has to avoid being manipulative, or using his power to get his own way. The mystique of his ministry may become its own impediment."

To Be Continued

Heaven

When I was a little girl, I was fascinated with the book of Revelations. That was my favorite place to read in the Bible. I would read every word, looking for anything that described Heaven. My mom says that I used to scare her because at five years old I would talk about going to Heaven. I was always staring at the sky trying to catch a glimpse of Heaven, angels, or God. I had more of a sense of "being away from home" than I do now. Now, I pray for Jesus to come but I tend to add, "But, don't come until I have had a family and I am old and grey." When I was little, I only prayed, "Jesus, please, come." It seems that as we get older, the more "attached" we become to the world. We lose our sense of "childlikeness." Children don't worry about what is going to happen a day from now, let alone a year. Growing up I watched the skies like the Word of God says to do, but, now I tend to not even look up. The only time I even look at the sky is if something there catches my attention or I am bored. Wow. As a little girl I was afraid of missing something...


Where are your eyes fixed today? What are you searching for?

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

Revelations 21:1-7