Fine Wine in 2009

We the people voted in the White House CHANGE! And I am sure it will be Change that we shall get. I pray the Hand of God is on our President and his staff. We shall all pray! May God's guidance, love and mercy be upon us and those who are our nation's leaders. So we voted for Change! God is all about Change. Are we ready for the change that is to come and are we ready to Change?

As we leap into 2009 remember CHANGE is at hand.

Fine Wine in 2009

Mighty, mighty fine 2009
Change your whine
Toward the divine
Change your state of mind!
And have some fine, fine wine
Reminding you this—As the Son shines
You will have peace of mind
In 2009

Be conscious of your traditions and the Lord's. Change your atmosphere into a climate where you and He can abide. The Stronghold of His presence will make a rest in the habitation of praise. There you and He will cultivate a harvest of fine wine.

Blessings of Greatness in 2009.

For the Lord is our shelter, He is our peace and our rest, and in Him we shall take refuge!

Traditions

Are you a living contradiction: Do your traditions portray your beliefs?

Sometimes we are held in bondage by our traditions, religious mindsets, or the family traditions we have grown up with that are not in line with the Bible or our beliefs.

When we became a believer our life was destined for change. Believe it or not change happens if we want it or not. We are born; we grow old (hopefully), and then die. From the beginning of life we begin our change. Some call that growth. Yet others have a hard time when they reach the age of 30 or 50 and so on. I remember our daughter Lori telling me she did not want to grow up. She did not want to have the responsibility that adults have! Interesting for a ten year old to say, yet at that age she knew she did not have a choice and she would have to CHANGE!

Today I am speaking of spiritually change. When a caterpillar becomes a butterfly it is called metamorphous! What a change! It is similar to what God does to us. He causes a death to the old to bring forth something new.

If you live in New England you can watch the trees change! The turning color of the leaves is called photosynthesis. They begin as buds, turn to green leaves, and then end the process by changing to the multicolored leaves ultimately dying leaving the tree barren until spring.

Change for Christians involves the hunger and longing we have for His Presence, His Love more than we have ever had before!

Contradiction occurs in our lives when our internal man presses forward to into God’s loving embrace and our old man continues in the same traditions and lifestyle it always had. Our mind can become paralyzed because of the traditions we confess oral. There is always a contradiction when we obtain new revelation in Christ Jesus. The revelation we obtain causes us to want CHANGE. With revelation we create a new TRADITION! We give up our old customs of culture and beliefs, surrender to the Lord and He leads us in a new life, a new way of living, and a new way of celebrating life. Therefore, our traditions should reflect the Word. Unfortunately most of our traditions are a contradiction to our New Life in Christ.

I wonder how much of what has been orally passed on through our generations has caused us to believe error—a contradiction to the Living Word. How much of what we believe today is an exaggerated truth that became unbiblical?

The way we "traditionally worship" has been passed down through the generations, and even though I changed my idea of worship over the years a lot of what I do is out of tradition. How about you? Is it Biblical or traditional? If we really stop and ponder this point, we can surmise that many areas of our life are carved out by tradition. In this Christmas season, I am reminded of how we celebrated Christmas as Children and then how we changed tradition to fit our own blended family.

As our children grew, it was tradition at Thanksgiving dinner that we would all say what we were thankful for. Now I think of those things each day! Is it tradition for you to attend Sunday service to receive from the preacher? Or is it now tradition to sit at the Lord’s feet yourself? Unfortunately, this is a mindset for most of the Church - many sit in the pew and allow another person to hear from God for them, rather than hear daily for themselves. There you have it – another tradition!

Today however, I am breaking OUT from tradition. I believe we can have church any day of the week - because we are the Church! I am not advocating that we stop attending worship on a weekly basis, but rather break out of tradition and have "church" every day. How can we do this? By worshiping God every day and acknowledging Him in our hearts on a daily basis. Our hearts must be intimately involved in worship - or else it is simply tradition. Again, it is a HEART issue. If our hearts are not engaged, then our worship becomes religious tradition. And when we attend a church service our hearts and minds need to be engaged.

I want to encourage you today to break out of the tradition of man and enter into the presence of the Lord. Enter into His tradition. If we were engaged with the heart of Christ, we would witness more and more of His presence supernaturally manifested in the world in which we live!

Let's look at Mark 7:6, 7, and 13 to better understand how Jesus felt concerning religious tradition:

He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: "'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.' …Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that." (NIV)

In other words, a relationship with God that is only through tradition can be hazardous and can hold us in bondage!

Be Prepared for Controversy and Contradiction.

Get ready for a shaking. Our mindsets concerning God and Church are going to be confronted by Heaven. The more we pray for His perfect will to be established, the more our traditions will be challenged to CHANGE.

RESPONSE TO: HARD WORK

Dear Dianne,

 

I could relate to the things that you asked if we could relate to. . .

 

Only recently have I had a breakthrough.  I've battled with depression for years and am finally realizing that the missing link was a "daily" walk with God and for me that is work.  Although, I am beginning to find it a pleasure to be "invited" into God's presense daily.  And I'm finding that as I "draw nigh to God, He is 'drawing' nigh to me." 

 

This is not only helping with the depression, but it is helping my relationships with people, as well as, my work ethics.  I can now say that I am "working as unto the Lord."  My current job is working with elementary age children in an after school program.

 

Although, the children are great, I don't believe working with children is my gift.  The burden God has put on my heart is for those who battle with depression.  He has brought me through a long journey to where I am to today and I believe God wants me to share with others my story in order to encourage them. 

 

I don't know as yet, how God is going to use me in all this.  However, at least for the time being, I encourage who I can on a one-to-one basis.

 

I mentioned above that God "has brought me through a long journey."  One of things I can relate to in your message is "laziness."  In the depression, I had the tendancy to "sleep to avoid life and pain."  And while in this state, I spent much time in bed.  In addition, I isolated myself from people who could have been there to help me, if I'd only take a "step of faith."

 

Thankfully, I've found a loving, caring group of people at my church.  Also, we recently had a "life course" (a course on various subjects for instance - budgeting) on "Overcoming Depression.  It was very, very helpful and I truly believe that I've had a breakthrough after suffering with depression for many years.

 

I look forward to how God is going to use me in my "work" with others.

 

Thank you for another message that I can "ponder in my heart."

 

God bless,

Joan

Food for Thought

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." (2 Peter 1:3-4)

 

Thinking and meditating on this scripture causes an explosion within my being.

 

His divine power has given me everything I need for life. His divine nature that I am a partaker of from the beginning of my walk with Him-Christ Jesus. I have that same divine nature—that tree of life growing within me! Yes, in me and in you. All who believe on and in Jesus the Christ. Those things we need are accessible to us. Come on now, you must have some thoughts on that yourself.

 

Everything I need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us

Ok, now I have the rights (the keys) to obtain godliness? Yes we do, because we are made in the image and likeness of Christ. That does include godliness, does it? Yea, the secret is that it comes through our knowledge of Him. To know Him is to love Him and our walk is determined by what we know of Him. Our relationship with Him defines the power, godliness, and life supply we receive.

 

This is the process I take to chew on the Word. Meditating on what it means to me, for me, and how I can relate it to others..

 

Who called us by His own glory and goodness. It does not have to do with my worth, my goodness, or even my holiness. Jesus did it all at and on the cross. He gave us the right away for a relationship with the Father. It began in the Father's heart, His glory, and His goodness alone called us! I think of any of our children and grandchildren. I love them all. All differently, because of their personalities, yet all with the same love and affection. It does not matter if they behave the way I think they should, or do what I think they should do. There are no rules or hoops they need to go through to receive my love. Our Father God is even better than that.

 

Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises. So I think of those promises He has given me. To live a healthy, fruitful life. To be able to love the un-lovely and care for those He instructs. That me and my household will serve the Lord. Those are just a couple.  Do you have your own special promises maped out for yourself? I know I will serve the Lord with the rest of my life and that by putting Him first He shall take care of all my needs.

 

So that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." This is so awesome. We all get to participate in His divine nature. And to do so we must know His nature and His ways. That can only happen by reading His Word, praying in our prayer language, and consulting and communicating with the Lord for ourselves. Looking to God and not man for answers. To know when to flee from temptation and to recognize His voice and to obey His divine purpose in our lives is top priority. Then and only then do we escape the devastation and calamity of life around us.

 

This is just food for thought. Now it is your turn to chew on this scripture and dig for yourself the oil He has for you and your life.

Blessings, Dianne

 

Hard Work

 It takes hard work to get anything done in this world. If you want to do something significant, you must do significant work.

 

Those who do the minimum, the status quo— who continually think of how to contribute as little as possible in any given situation — always remain minimal in their impact on the world around them. If a person wants to be successful or impacting in life, they must be willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish the task that they has been asked to perform.

 

As Paul continues to tell us about his life experiences in Second Corinthians 11:27, he lets us know he was willing to do very hard work. For him, there was no clock to punch with his time card, nor any employee manual to specify how many days of vacation he takes off each year. Paul's whole life was his calling. He could not separate who he was from what he was called to do.. Paul took ownership. Can you RELATE?

 

His identity and purpose for living was wrapped up in the life assignment God had given him. Because of this, every minute he lived and breathed was devoted to fulfilling his divine assignment. Paul was willing to do anything required to fulfill that call.

 

In Weariness

Paul uses the words "in weariness" to describe the incredible effort, toil, and physical exertion he put forth to fulfill God's calling on his life. It is also used in Second Corinthians 11:23, where Paul told us that he worked harder than anyone else he knew. To combat weariness means that one would have to endure, muscle strains, struggles of fatigue, and emotional anguish to push forward and complete the job. This effort requires total concentration and devotion.

 

Many people have the misconception that ministry is primarily comprised of sitting around praying and reading the Bible. The truth is there is a price to pay. It is the sacrifice of one's life. This is why Paul referred to it as "the work of the ministry" (Ephesians 4:12). A great deal of hard work is required to fulfill one's ministry effectively and responsibly. Submission of my will to His will.

 

One must be willing to give their life to the task of pushing back the kingdom of darkness and establishing newly saved people into a stable and mature Christian walk. Effective Christian walk requires a person to work hours, to be focused, to crucify his flesh, and to do whatever is necessary to see God's Kingdom furthered.

 

One must fight off the devil's attacks with the living Word of God, deal with people's instability, deliberately decide not to be hurt or wounded by those who disappoint him, and spend enough time with God to always have a fresh word from Heaven.

 

Let me tell you from personal experience— to do all this effectively demands my entire life. This is why Paul called it the "work of the ministry." To prepare for a healing workshop or a time of speaking to the body takes concentrated effort, before and after engagements, to remain in fellowship with Chirst—to empty my mind of self talk, self needs, and personal family desires.

 

In Painfulness

Paul uses the phrase "in painfulness" to tell us the extent to which he had worked to achieve God's purposes. The word painfulness has to do with the idea of struggle or to work so hard that he is about to collapse. He is exhausted from physical labor. His job demanded a level of physical commitment beyond what is considered normal. But the job needed to be done, so he kept pushing, pushing, and pushing himself further and further. Like it or not, it was not a time to rest.

 

I believe I have just begun to understand the ministry as Paul describes.

 

Paul's entire life was consumed with and committed to fulfilling what God called him to do. It was the driving motivation of his life and the purpose for his existence. NOT A 9 TO 5. GOTTA MAKE A LIVING. 

 

The only thing "painful" about Paul's consuming drive to obey God was the toll ot took on his body. Our flesh always wants to take an easier, lazier course of action.— can you relate?

 

You must understan that when you come to the end of yourself God takes over. His grace is sufficient for us all. We need to rejoice in our weakness, knowing that His power will kick in. God's power enabled Paul to push beyond a normal capacity of human strength. Because Paul had a heart to never fail or give up, God's power came upon him and empowered him to do what other men and women could not physically do—that is the heart motivation I want!

 

Do you want to be super successful in life? Then you must go above and beyond what everyone else is doing. In order to achieve something spectacular, you have to do something spectacular. Think beyond yourself. I am considering Paul for a role model!

 

I urge you today to take a good look at your work habits and to evaluate what kind of worker you really are. If you continue at the same pace and level of excellence you are working at today, where will you be in five years?

 

To get to a place of greater responsibility, authority, and blessing, what changes do you need to make in the way you work?

 

These Days

For me,  I do judge the world according to the  Word of God and apply it to my own life walk. Love the sinner and not the sin. Give Cesar what is his and give the Lord what is His. What comes to mind is Jesus as he is dying on the cross and crying "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do".  That is not only for the unbeliever but for the believer as well.  Often I find my life with sin that I did not realize it.

 

After reading the end of Jonah, I believe we are ultimately responsible for our own lives.  Hopefully that by living a "good" life in Christ we will be able to persuade others into the faith. Again in John, it is because we have the Living God within and we are listening to Him.

 

John 14:17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world at large cannot receive him, because it isn't looking for him and doesn't recognize him. But you do, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.

 

Therefore, I continue to pray for the veil to be removed from the eyes of the unbeliever and believer alike,for ears to be open and hearts to be softened to the hearkening of the Spirit's call and command to us as we live this life.

 

 

Jonah 4:10  Then the Lord said, "You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there.  It came quickly and died quickly.  But Nieveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals.  Shouldn't I feel sorry for such a great city?"

 

These are going to be times of great trials and devastation's and we have the answers within our spiritual hearts.  Go deeper and see the width and breath of His love and provision for us and our families.  The other side of the boat is where they caught the fish.  We are to listen and go to the other side of provision and not consider the condition of the world.

 

 May we all do our part to increase His Kingdom and strengthen those believers we are in relationship with.  May the Grace of God, that flows from the Mercy Seat, touch and strengthen you today.

     

 

Once Again

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In my Heaviness In my business In my loneliness I come to be filled   You alone satisfy You alone magnify Bringing Your goodness within me   So Lord here I am again Pleading for your touch Repenting of the chaos in which I live Repenting for my wondering heart.   I know your loving kindness Once again takes me in  Captures my heart Makes me whole To serve You with a blazing fire Once again.   Bring it on Lord Pour on the fire Ablaze in me again.   Like a tuning fork you call forth Divine timing Divine clarity   My divine purpose Once again brings about the heralding   Of Your wondrous works     Psalm 119:29  I lie in the dust, completely discouraged; revive me by your word.   Ezekiel 36:26 And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart.