You all know my great passion for reading. My favorite is obviously those of a Christian nature or historical. I recently picked up a copy of the Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom when I saw a copy on sale at a book store. I had read the book years before and remembered liking it, so decided to re read it. As I've been re reading it I realize it takes my two favorite subjects to read about and throws them in one book. A book with encouragement for believers, strongly routed in faith in Jesus, while telling a story with historical significance.
If you have yet to read this book, pick it up. Let me give you a little background. Corrie and the rest of the Ten Boom family lived in Holland during the Holocaust. As the Jews began to be persecuted they sought out help from their peers. The Ten Boom family by helping Jews as they came seeking help one day woke up and realized their house was a base for the underground escape of the persecuted in Holland and Corrie, the leader. This book is written by Corrie telling the stories as the Holocaust begins, as she and her family end up in prison, and the goodness of God through it all.
The Ten Booms had incredible faith. I would compare it to the likes of the Patriarchs as you read the stories of their undying devotion to the Lord even through the worst persecution. For example, Mr. Ten Boom, Corrie's father, was old and unstable by the time he was taken into prison, the officer in charge of sending people to prison looked down at him and said, you are old, you don't want to die in prison, i'll send you back home to your own bed, if you just assure me you will not harbor any more fugitives or cause any problems. Mr. Ten boom replies "as long as anyone has a need comes and knocks on my door, I will help them." He was sent to prison and later died there. Mr. Ten Boom would not even tell a lie to save his life, yet we tell lies for sheer convenience.
I could tell hundreds of stories similar displaying the character of each member of the Ten Boom family and I have been greatly encouraged by them all, but the simple fact is I want you to see the faith, trust, and dependence that this family has on their God.
Now I will get to what I actually want to talk about. I was reading along in the book when one particular thing Corrie said, just hit me in the gut.
Corrie's sister in law had delivered her a package with several things in it and hidden inside were four individual little booklets of the gospels. Corrie split among her cell mates the different things her sister sent and then offered the gospels. None of the prisoners would take it. They told her anyone in the prison caught with Christian literature especially the Bible was given kalte kost! Kalte Kost was a punishment that consisted of eating nothing but a piece of bread while in prison. In response Corrie wrote this
"Even Kalte Kost would be a small price to pay, I thought, as I stretched out my aching body on the foul straw, for the precious books I held between my hands"
Corrie Ten Boom, yearned for the Word of God, she risked health and later life, to have the Word of God to read.
Corrie knew the necessity of the Word. She lived in a sort of hell on earth in a dark prison cell where she wasn't allowed to talk, move, eat, sleep, without consent of a guard. A place where there were no windows and she saw no sky, everything around her did not seem to be formed by an imaginative beautiful Creator, but rather a dark evil.
I live everyday enjoying the blessings of a good God and yet do I prize His words so highly? Did I give a value that is worth life on the book that God has written for me? How much is it worth to me? I just paid $80 for a bible and I'm not going to lie I sort of cringed at the thought of spending $80 on a Bible. Is the Word of God not worth more than money?
How much worth do I put on the book that God gave to me as assistance, truth, help, encouragement, conviction, He gave it to me so that I can have His life on this earth. What is it worth?
A few chapters later as the war is getting worse and worse, as the Holocaust is becoming more brutal and spreading not just to Jews, but to other ethnicity alike. Corrie and her sister are moved to another prison. They have to strip naked and walk in front of Nazi guards showing that they have no possessions and then they are to slide into a prison gown at the end. Corrie and her sister Betsie see no possible way to take the now small little Bible they had acquired after giving away the gospels with those that had found the Love of Jesus in prison with them. They were in a horrible situation again. Give up the Word or keep it and risk their lives. As they found out they had to give up their clothes and their Word Corrie says this
"Betsie needed her sweater! But most of all, we needed our Bible! How could we survive without it? But how can we get it past so many watchful eyes... Dear God, I prayed, You have given us this precious book, You have kept it hidden through checkpoints and inspections, You have used it in so many lives..."
Corrie was cut off by the thrusting of guards. I'll shorten the story and tell you that God provided a miracle. They found a way to get the Bible on the other side of the naked checkpoint and then shove it inside her thin prison gown before being caught. The Bible bulged out of her prison gown and there was still great risk that any officer could tell that was not her body form and corrie says
"And all the while I had this incredible feeling, the feeling that this was not my business, but God's, and all I had to do was walk straight ahead"
Later on many became converted because of the reading of the Word that Corrie and Betsie did every night in prison. Corrie risked her life to have what was a necessity in her life. The Word of God.
I can't put into words the value of the Word. The Word has promises for us, it has truth, it gives you the facts of the gospel, why you and I have the chance to go to heaven. It tells of Jesus, the way the truth and life, the only way to heaven. The Word will boost your faith and carry you on when the world is crashing down.
As Corrie read the word to those around her in the prison they grew a faith that knew whatever the Word said was truth. They found peace and hope.
"The blacker the night around us grew, the brighter and truer and more beautiful burned the Word of God. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?... Nay in all these things we were more than conquerors through Him that loved us. I would look about us as Betsie read watching the light leap from face to face. More than conquerors, it was not a wish. It was a fact. We knew it, we experienced it minute by minute- poor, hated, hungry. We were more than conquerors. Not we shall be, we are"
The Word of God is truth. It's the guidebook, it's faith, it's hope, it's love, it's the gospel, it's God, it's encouragement. The Word of God was invaluable to Corrie. It was either death by it or death without it.
How much worth do you put in the word? It is a monetary figure, is it convenience, it is life or death?
I'll say one thing I know, it'll be evident by the amount of time you spend in it. I doubt many would die for a book they pick up once a week. But for a book that gives you hope, for a book that encourages you on, a book that helps to change you into the image of Christ, a book that connects you with the beautiful creator, for that, well i'd bet most would be willing to give up almost anything for that, wouldn't they?
Some thoughts today,
As always be blessed,
J. Tate
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
I'm not a beggar, I'm a Daughter
Isn't it exciting when God begins to teach you things and an hour, one day, or some relatively quick amount of time later you get this great opportunity to practice what you've learned. God uses life to teach us, to test our faith, to prevent greater disaster later in life, to make us more like Jesus, etc.
I learn so much from my friends as we experience life together and share in the journey of following Christ.
I was talking to my best friend that lives over in the Dallas area over a week ago now. She is attending grad school at UNT and was looking for a place to live in Denton. Most of you know Kayce and if you read my blog at all you've found out God uses her a lot in my life. She'll say one line in a story that will stick out to me, i'll write it down in my journal, and somehow I will need just that specific phrase in my journey. This happened sometime this past week.
Kayce was looking for a place to live in Denton as she prepares to move closer to her school. The whole story is a really awesome story of God's love and favor for His daughter, but I'm going to stick to the details that display what I want to talk about. As Kayce goes in to a garage apartment her realtor was sure she would love, she was, to say the least a little disappointed. It was nothing like what she wanted and didn't really fit kayce's adorable old fashioned little style. :) When she left she begin to talk to the Lord about it. She remembered something the Lord had been teaching her. I'm not a beggar. I'm a Daughter. She told God that she knew God's infinite resources and that she knew that He could give her something better. I LOVE WHAT SHE TOLD HIM! (her words summed up) "God it's not my favorite, I know that you have the ability to do better, I dont have to beg of You for more, but no matter what Your will, not mine, and if this is what you want for me, ok."
In most cases I'm not too much of a talker and I'm more of a listener, so as Kayce is telling me the story and I hear the words "i'm not a beggar I'm a daughter" I let her continue on with the story as I just wrote the words down, and made a mental note to pray through that a little later.
As I thought and prayed about it later, I realized how little I live into this concept. I "know" it. I've heard it similarly put 100 million times in church, but this is how we know there is a complete difference in head knowledge and heart wisdom. I'll simply throw a request up at the Lord and then continue to try and find my own way to meet my need, if I take the time to ask of the Father at all.
James 4:2 "You have not because you ask not"
I think about my own natural father. Though we've been through many rough things when I need something of him I simply go to him in confidence and ask. Many times when asking for money, I'll go up to him with my hand already out, laughing, as I say "daddy, money?" I know my dad. I know that my dad has money and I know that what he has, is also mine. I'm his daughter. Any need that my dad can meet for me, he will do. He'll never leave me stranded, he'd never say psshhh you've never helped me, he won't turn his back on me. My Daddy loves me. I'm his daughter.
Imagine as we take this to the scale of me and my Daddy, my Heavenly Father. Anything I could have need of my Daddy God can meet that need. His resources are limitless, His mercy never ending, His grace unfailing, His willingness and desire to show His love through me is in His innate character.
(I hope those of you that know me, know me well enough to know, that I am not talking about God giving you everything you "want". I'm not talking about this in areas of lust and greed or pride. I'm simply talking about the heart of our Father to fulfill all your needs)
Matthew 7:11 So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who keep on asking him!
Here we see this again. The first thing we must note is He wants us to ask. It's all throughout matthew 7. I could quote the entire chapter here, if you don't know it, go read it. Ask and you shall receive... over and over again. God wants us to inquire of Him and Him alone. This is where I pinpointed my lack of faith.
I'm not a beggar, I'm a daughter. As I walk up to my earthly Father I don't say Dad I need $30 to get my oil changed, ok now I'm going to go scrounge around the house to see if I can find $30 or where is my debit card, so that I can go pay for it myself. I go to my Dad, I ask him, and I wait. I wait until Dad pulls his wallet out. As I ask of my Heavenly Father I do not wait upon Him with the same faith, the same confidence, the same trust. Ok God here is my prayer request, well you may or may not help me out so i better go see what I can do just in case You don't come through. It sounds laughable doesn't it? That I trust Randy Tate to provide for me more than I trust God? Perhaps, but I have to confess, that many times, it's true.
Soon after I was convicted and learned this lesson. I simply began to make more conscious decisions to pray specifically for my needs. I was already reading a book by Andrew Murray titled "Waiting on God", so I incorporated that in and began to wait to hear the voice of my Father before taking actions. Then the test came.
I had a situation come up that really challenged me. It confused me. It messed with the plans I thought the Lord had given me and there seemed to be no natural way of resolving the situation. After one round of tears, i sat up, and remembered. I'm not a beggar, I'm a daughter.
I don't come to the table crawling not making eye contact whispering self consciously my requests of my Father. I come BOLDLY to the throne room of GRACE, stating my needs, and asking of my DADDY GOD, who DESIRES to meet my needs. I got in my car went for a little drive and said Lord, here it is, this is what I'm feeling, this is what I need, I'm not going to panic, I'm not going to have a break down, I'm going to wait here until you fix this situation or You give me confirmation that this is your will. Not my will but Yours. I called a few close friends let them in on the situation to have them praying with me and within 3 hours half of the matter was resolved and by the end of the weekend all of it was.
My God knows my needs and He desires to meet them. He can and He will. If we ask, if we have faith, and if sometimes we'll take our hands off. I like this line from the Jason Upton song Teach me How to Pray:
Not my will or my plans or the way I want it I’m so tired of my hands in the way So reveal to these eyes the true heart of my Father, today
Lord teach me how to pray
Kayce and I talked again and she told me some things the Lord was teaching her about not being a beggar. After the garage apartment she didn't like (amazing story details not mentioned) she got a little cottage that she LOVED. She told me how the enemy tried to attack her throughout the process. Different thoughts of you're never going to get any better than this so just settle for it, or you don't deserve this, but she said something very wise at the end
"I realized the enemy didn't care what I believed, as long as I never realized that I'm a daughter"
How true that statement is. We bounce from one side to the other, I don't deserve this, I guess I should settle for this, God won't help me with this because i've done this and this, ... We could wall paper the walls of the white house in 8pt font with the lies the enemy tries to sell us. The one thing he wants to make sure you don't realize is YOU ARE A DAUGHTER. or for you men it applies as well, YOU ARE A SON! Jesus Christ tempted and tried, spotless, blameless, sinless, died a horrific death, displayed on a cross for all to shame and humiliate him, with pain beyond my imagination, blood poured out, so that WE, could be fellow heirs. Sons and Daughters of the most High. The true Son, crucified, for YOU, so that you can be called daughter or son. Live into what Jesus paid for. He paid for your ability to pray, to go to heaven, to live as a child of the Most High.
I'm not a Beggar, I'm a Daughter.
Be Blessed,
J. Tate
I learn so much from my friends as we experience life together and share in the journey of following Christ.
I was talking to my best friend that lives over in the Dallas area over a week ago now. She is attending grad school at UNT and was looking for a place to live in Denton. Most of you know Kayce and if you read my blog at all you've found out God uses her a lot in my life. She'll say one line in a story that will stick out to me, i'll write it down in my journal, and somehow I will need just that specific phrase in my journey. This happened sometime this past week.
Kayce was looking for a place to live in Denton as she prepares to move closer to her school. The whole story is a really awesome story of God's love and favor for His daughter, but I'm going to stick to the details that display what I want to talk about. As Kayce goes in to a garage apartment her realtor was sure she would love, she was, to say the least a little disappointed. It was nothing like what she wanted and didn't really fit kayce's adorable old fashioned little style. :) When she left she begin to talk to the Lord about it. She remembered something the Lord had been teaching her. I'm not a beggar. I'm a Daughter. She told God that she knew God's infinite resources and that she knew that He could give her something better. I LOVE WHAT SHE TOLD HIM! (her words summed up) "God it's not my favorite, I know that you have the ability to do better, I dont have to beg of You for more, but no matter what Your will, not mine, and if this is what you want for me, ok."
In most cases I'm not too much of a talker and I'm more of a listener, so as Kayce is telling me the story and I hear the words "i'm not a beggar I'm a daughter" I let her continue on with the story as I just wrote the words down, and made a mental note to pray through that a little later.
As I thought and prayed about it later, I realized how little I live into this concept. I "know" it. I've heard it similarly put 100 million times in church, but this is how we know there is a complete difference in head knowledge and heart wisdom. I'll simply throw a request up at the Lord and then continue to try and find my own way to meet my need, if I take the time to ask of the Father at all.
James 4:2 "You have not because you ask not"
I think about my own natural father. Though we've been through many rough things when I need something of him I simply go to him in confidence and ask. Many times when asking for money, I'll go up to him with my hand already out, laughing, as I say "daddy, money?" I know my dad. I know that my dad has money and I know that what he has, is also mine. I'm his daughter. Any need that my dad can meet for me, he will do. He'll never leave me stranded, he'd never say psshhh you've never helped me, he won't turn his back on me. My Daddy loves me. I'm his daughter.
Imagine as we take this to the scale of me and my Daddy, my Heavenly Father. Anything I could have need of my Daddy God can meet that need. His resources are limitless, His mercy never ending, His grace unfailing, His willingness and desire to show His love through me is in His innate character.
(I hope those of you that know me, know me well enough to know, that I am not talking about God giving you everything you "want". I'm not talking about this in areas of lust and greed or pride. I'm simply talking about the heart of our Father to fulfill all your needs)
Matthew 7:11 So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who keep on asking him!
Here we see this again. The first thing we must note is He wants us to ask. It's all throughout matthew 7. I could quote the entire chapter here, if you don't know it, go read it. Ask and you shall receive... over and over again. God wants us to inquire of Him and Him alone. This is where I pinpointed my lack of faith.
I'm not a beggar, I'm a daughter. As I walk up to my earthly Father I don't say Dad I need $30 to get my oil changed, ok now I'm going to go scrounge around the house to see if I can find $30 or where is my debit card, so that I can go pay for it myself. I go to my Dad, I ask him, and I wait. I wait until Dad pulls his wallet out. As I ask of my Heavenly Father I do not wait upon Him with the same faith, the same confidence, the same trust. Ok God here is my prayer request, well you may or may not help me out so i better go see what I can do just in case You don't come through. It sounds laughable doesn't it? That I trust Randy Tate to provide for me more than I trust God? Perhaps, but I have to confess, that many times, it's true.
Soon after I was convicted and learned this lesson. I simply began to make more conscious decisions to pray specifically for my needs. I was already reading a book by Andrew Murray titled "Waiting on God", so I incorporated that in and began to wait to hear the voice of my Father before taking actions. Then the test came.
I had a situation come up that really challenged me. It confused me. It messed with the plans I thought the Lord had given me and there seemed to be no natural way of resolving the situation. After one round of tears, i sat up, and remembered. I'm not a beggar, I'm a daughter.
I don't come to the table crawling not making eye contact whispering self consciously my requests of my Father. I come BOLDLY to the throne room of GRACE, stating my needs, and asking of my DADDY GOD, who DESIRES to meet my needs. I got in my car went for a little drive and said Lord, here it is, this is what I'm feeling, this is what I need, I'm not going to panic, I'm not going to have a break down, I'm going to wait here until you fix this situation or You give me confirmation that this is your will. Not my will but Yours. I called a few close friends let them in on the situation to have them praying with me and within 3 hours half of the matter was resolved and by the end of the weekend all of it was.
My God knows my needs and He desires to meet them. He can and He will. If we ask, if we have faith, and if sometimes we'll take our hands off. I like this line from the Jason Upton song Teach me How to Pray:
Not my will or my plans or the way I want it I’m so tired of my hands in the way So reveal to these eyes the true heart of my Father, today
Lord teach me how to pray
Kayce and I talked again and she told me some things the Lord was teaching her about not being a beggar. After the garage apartment she didn't like (amazing story details not mentioned) she got a little cottage that she LOVED. She told me how the enemy tried to attack her throughout the process. Different thoughts of you're never going to get any better than this so just settle for it, or you don't deserve this, but she said something very wise at the end
"I realized the enemy didn't care what I believed, as long as I never realized that I'm a daughter"
How true that statement is. We bounce from one side to the other, I don't deserve this, I guess I should settle for this, God won't help me with this because i've done this and this, ... We could wall paper the walls of the white house in 8pt font with the lies the enemy tries to sell us. The one thing he wants to make sure you don't realize is YOU ARE A DAUGHTER. or for you men it applies as well, YOU ARE A SON! Jesus Christ tempted and tried, spotless, blameless, sinless, died a horrific death, displayed on a cross for all to shame and humiliate him, with pain beyond my imagination, blood poured out, so that WE, could be fellow heirs. Sons and Daughters of the most High. The true Son, crucified, for YOU, so that you can be called daughter or son. Live into what Jesus paid for. He paid for your ability to pray, to go to heaven, to live as a child of the Most High.
I'm not a Beggar, I'm a Daughter.
Be Blessed,
J. Tate
Thursday, November 5, 2009
The POWER in YOU!
I've been in a reading mode lately. On top of my Bible reading I've read 1-2 books a week over the past couple of months. I've read many classics, some novels, and from authors of many different views of theology. I've read 2 Andrew Murray, 2 Smith Wigglesworth, Maria W. Etter, Charles Spurgeon, A.W. Tozer, Brother Lawerence, Joyce Meyer, and of course my novels. For each book I've read, i've learned more and more about who I am in Christ. Who God says I can be, and what I can do with Him.
I wrote my last blog titled "Are you possessing" about the Lord giving me some revelation on Christians going in and POSSESSING the land. Conquering! These last few months have been an interesting new territory for me with my walk with the Lord.
Today the Lord asked me to call someone and repent for a mistake i made four years ago!!! Talk about an humbling experience, but as I spent time in my prayer closet the Lord spoke to me something that I just HAVE TO SHARE! The Lord said You have to repent, because i'm trying to make you like my Son, I'm trying to teach you. I have spent these last few months teaching YOU how to have POWER on this earth.
I have no problem admitting that this is where a little pride came in. God are you kidding me? I know how to have POWER in the kingdom of God. Just in the last year I've seen people healed, saved, miracles happen, i've had them happen to me, You've used me to do them, I went to another country to share the gospel. I've seen prayers immediately answered and prayers answered in Your perfect timing. God, I have no doubt that I have power!!!
The Lord spoke in His gentle, firm, way, "You have only seen the tip of my power, a tip of the power that I am willing to use through YOU!". The reason I'm writing this blog is because i'm a firm believer in, if He'll do it in me, He'll do it in you, If He'll do it through me, He'll do it THROUGH YOU!
Smith Wigglesworth said in one of his books (my paraphrase) "I believe we'll all be surprised one day when we get to heaven and realize that the Paul, Peter, David, they were all just people, like you and me". I was greatly encouraged and inspired when i read this. I was humbled. You mean the same Peter that people tried to get his shadow to touch them so they could be healed? The same Paul that it says in Acts 19 that when his handkerchiefs and apron touched the sick they were healed? The same David that cried out in psalms 27:4 One thing I desire to dwell in the courts of the Lord and behold His beauty ever more. The same David that Acts says is a man after God's own heart. You're saying they were just people!!?! Well, they were.
Today at work a man came up to me to ask a question, around his neck he wore a crucifix and I felt the spirit speak to me, do you know how much power you have because Jesus isn't on that cross anymore? wheww.. i wanted to leave work and go get on my knees!!
I've looked back over these past 4 years of college and I think I along with my friends in Lubbock, friends in Liberty, Youth at cstone, EG church, would say we have seen God's power. Salvations, healings, repentance, confession,demons casted out, realness. As I'm sure anyone reading this could say. They have seen God's power. And I thought to what the Lord said to me. I over these last few months have been teaching YOU how to have power. So what are a couple of the things I have learned. There is no way I could go through all the lessons i've been taught, miracles I've seen, or revelations I've been given this semester, so i'm going to sum it up.
First I've learned: It's not about me. It's all about Him. He chooses ME! He chooses to use me, to display His power in me, for HIS GLORY!
Next: If I see that it's not about me, I've seen God use me, then I have to know that God can and wants to give ME, POWER, for His glory and His use.
Then: I need to be real. If i mess up, fess up to God and to others. Pray and be honest with God. Ask for things you need, ask to be used. Don't hesitate to be real, vulnerable, humble, REAL.
I need to be available. Listen to the Spirit. He's speaking. He wants to use you, are you listening? Don't think of God's work as an inconvenience, no matter how small.
I need to do battle. The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy. He wants to destroy what God is doing in you, what God wants to do through you, and YOU in general. Pray, rebuke, intercede, read your word, IT'S YOUR SWORD!! For every great breakthrough and seed from the Lord, comes a desperate attempt of the enemy to steal it (yes yes i know i say this all the time, it's not a new one)!
I need to not believe the lies. This is part of doing battle. Guard your mind (Romans 12:2) The enemy will try to feed you lies, but God speaks truth. He says who you are in Him, what you can do with Him, He's not condemning. God will discipline His children, not condemn them.
There are many more obviously, but the greatest is that. I can be who God says I can be, I can do what He says I can do. If He says I'm a conqueror, I believe Him. If He says I can do all things through Christ, I believe Him. I see all through the Bible God using ordinary people like you and me to advance His kingdom.
It's time for us to step up and realize that God's power is in us, to advance His Kingdom. He wants to use us!! All it takes is loving God and loving others. Recognizing who you are in Christ! I have so much more I wanted to write, but sadly no more time to write it!!!
Be Blessed,
J. Tate
We need to realize that the promises that overflow our Bibles will overflow into our own lives only as we appropriate them through prayer. ~Jim Cymbala
I wrote my last blog titled "Are you possessing" about the Lord giving me some revelation on Christians going in and POSSESSING the land. Conquering! These last few months have been an interesting new territory for me with my walk with the Lord.
Today the Lord asked me to call someone and repent for a mistake i made four years ago!!! Talk about an humbling experience, but as I spent time in my prayer closet the Lord spoke to me something that I just HAVE TO SHARE! The Lord said You have to repent, because i'm trying to make you like my Son, I'm trying to teach you. I have spent these last few months teaching YOU how to have POWER on this earth.
I have no problem admitting that this is where a little pride came in. God are you kidding me? I know how to have POWER in the kingdom of God. Just in the last year I've seen people healed, saved, miracles happen, i've had them happen to me, You've used me to do them, I went to another country to share the gospel. I've seen prayers immediately answered and prayers answered in Your perfect timing. God, I have no doubt that I have power!!!
The Lord spoke in His gentle, firm, way, "You have only seen the tip of my power, a tip of the power that I am willing to use through YOU!". The reason I'm writing this blog is because i'm a firm believer in, if He'll do it in me, He'll do it in you, If He'll do it through me, He'll do it THROUGH YOU!
Smith Wigglesworth said in one of his books (my paraphrase) "I believe we'll all be surprised one day when we get to heaven and realize that the Paul, Peter, David, they were all just people, like you and me". I was greatly encouraged and inspired when i read this. I was humbled. You mean the same Peter that people tried to get his shadow to touch them so they could be healed? The same Paul that it says in Acts 19 that when his handkerchiefs and apron touched the sick they were healed? The same David that cried out in psalms 27:4 One thing I desire to dwell in the courts of the Lord and behold His beauty ever more. The same David that Acts says is a man after God's own heart. You're saying they were just people!!?! Well, they were.
Today at work a man came up to me to ask a question, around his neck he wore a crucifix and I felt the spirit speak to me, do you know how much power you have because Jesus isn't on that cross anymore? wheww.. i wanted to leave work and go get on my knees!!
I've looked back over these past 4 years of college and I think I along with my friends in Lubbock, friends in Liberty, Youth at cstone, EG church, would say we have seen God's power. Salvations, healings, repentance, confession,demons casted out, realness. As I'm sure anyone reading this could say. They have seen God's power. And I thought to what the Lord said to me. I over these last few months have been teaching YOU how to have power. So what are a couple of the things I have learned. There is no way I could go through all the lessons i've been taught, miracles I've seen, or revelations I've been given this semester, so i'm going to sum it up.
First I've learned: It's not about me. It's all about Him. He chooses ME! He chooses to use me, to display His power in me, for HIS GLORY!
Next: If I see that it's not about me, I've seen God use me, then I have to know that God can and wants to give ME, POWER, for His glory and His use.
Then: I need to be real. If i mess up, fess up to God and to others. Pray and be honest with God. Ask for things you need, ask to be used. Don't hesitate to be real, vulnerable, humble, REAL.
I need to be available. Listen to the Spirit. He's speaking. He wants to use you, are you listening? Don't think of God's work as an inconvenience, no matter how small.
I need to do battle. The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy. He wants to destroy what God is doing in you, what God wants to do through you, and YOU in general. Pray, rebuke, intercede, read your word, IT'S YOUR SWORD!! For every great breakthrough and seed from the Lord, comes a desperate attempt of the enemy to steal it (yes yes i know i say this all the time, it's not a new one)!
I need to not believe the lies. This is part of doing battle. Guard your mind (Romans 12:2) The enemy will try to feed you lies, but God speaks truth. He says who you are in Him, what you can do with Him, He's not condemning. God will discipline His children, not condemn them.
There are many more obviously, but the greatest is that. I can be who God says I can be, I can do what He says I can do. If He says I'm a conqueror, I believe Him. If He says I can do all things through Christ, I believe Him. I see all through the Bible God using ordinary people like you and me to advance His kingdom.
It's time for us to step up and realize that God's power is in us, to advance His Kingdom. He wants to use us!! All it takes is loving God and loving others. Recognizing who you are in Christ! I have so much more I wanted to write, but sadly no more time to write it!!!
Be Blessed,
J. Tate
We need to realize that the promises that overflow our Bibles will overflow into our own lives only as we appropriate them through prayer. ~Jim Cymbala
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Are you possessing?
I was at work the other day reading in Genesis. I read Genesis 15:7 as the Spirit quickened in me to stop and meditate on this scripture.
v7 And He said to him, "I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.
With my new handy Bible I looked up the Hebrew which in the context of this verse the word possess means to consume and conquer!
I sort of dropped it there until it came back up in my prayer time today. I began to look up more scriptures that dealt with possessing. Not surprising there were tons in Deuteronomy as the Lord instructs the Israelite people to possess the land promised them.
Deuteronomy 1:8 See I have placed the land before you; go in and POSSESS the land which the Lord swore to give to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to them and their descendants after them.
This is when the Spirit really began to speak to me about possessing. Notice this part: "go in and possess". See going in to the land wasn't fulfilling the instructions. They were to go in AND possess. We have gotten into a tendency as the Israelites did of thinking that going in IS possessing!!
How many times did God show the Isralites that He prepared a way for them, yet in their stubbornness they questioned God and in fear never took the land that He had for them.
I got interested and began reading over and over the exodus story and also Deuteronomy, where we see the same plot. God has this great land for them to not only live in, but to POSSESS. To rule to reign, without fear, without lack, having every need met by Father God, but they were scared, rebellious, a fearful people lacking trust and faith in the God who had already brought them out of slavery and prepared for them freedom.
The more I read the more frustrated I became. Stupid people, how many times does He have to lay it out for you! He wants you to live in this Promised Land. Stop wandering around slandering, rebelling, living in fear and doubt, and GO POSSESS THE LAND!! In Deuteronomy just the subtitles in my Bible are frustrating: Conquests recounted (God slaughters for them) Israelites urged to obey God (WHAT?) Promises of God, God's gracious dealings, Israel provokes God, Rewards of Obedience!! Yeesh. You don't even have to read the verses to get that God did work on their behalf, they mess up, He shows them grace, They mess up, He urges them to obey, They mess up, He forgives them then rewards them, etc. etc. etc. Then...
I was reminded. This is my story too. I believe in the promises of God given to each and every believer and I believe in the individual promises for each believer's purpose.
I have a calling and a purpose. That purpose is my land that i'm not just supposed to dabble in or live in, but supposed to possess! To conquer! I find in myself the very same "settle" stubborn mentality that brain washed the Israelite people. And what I see rapid in the body of Christ today is the enemy's deceptive tactics trying to convince us that we aren't meant to possess we should just be happy with dwelling in the land.
I have a friend here at Tech that everytime you say something she doesn't want to do or disagree with she just replies with "bump that". It always makes me laugh as we say something like "let's go work out" and the simple reply we all know is coming "bump that". I know you're wondering what this has to do w/ anything i've been talking about, but as I really begin to think upon this deception and lie from the enemy, the words that rise in my heart are "BUMP THAT!". We don't need to listen to no stinking liar telling us what is complete opposite of scripture.
God said go IN the land and POSSESS it. Stop settling with making it to the door of your dreams, to the door of victory, i'm not going to stand at the door. I'm going to go in and when i get there, I'm going to possess. The Word says we're more than conquerors through Jesus! So why aren't we conquering?
Begin to inquire of the Lord, WHERE IS MY LAND? HELP ME POSSESS IT!
Abraham had no problem being frank with the Lord.
v8 And he said, "O Lord God, how may I know that I shall possess it?"
We each have areas of our lives, visions, purpose, that we should be POSSESSING, CONQUERING, but for too long have believed the lies that we should just be glad we've made it this far, i should just sit here because obviously this is as far as God wants me to go. I don't know about you, but to me it just doesn't sound like victory, possession, and conquering.
You all know how much I like examples. The place I need to most apply this to is our youth group (Encounter God). We were called to go into a land of West Lubbock and I believe God handed that over to my pastors, the leaders of EG ministries, He's handing that over to me as a youth minister and to our youth workers. A land that we're not just given to go sit and dwell, with the awesome new building He provided, the Bibles, the new sound system, etc. We're to go in AND POSSESS it. To claim that ground to no longer be the rejected, hard knocks, area anymore, but the area on fire for Jesus, where revival begins and spreads to the city. As the drug dealers, prostitutes, etc. that reign over there where come to their knees in repentance. I don't want to settle with being happy that our students aren't getting shot. If possession is what is open to us, we're going to possess. And as the word says, not because of our righteousness, not because of our doings, not because we can do it, but because of God's mercy, because of His grace, and because He's already prepared the way, we just have to follow.
Find what needs possessing in your life.
Be blessed,
J. Tate
v7 And He said to him, "I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.
With my new handy Bible I looked up the Hebrew which in the context of this verse the word possess means to consume and conquer!
I sort of dropped it there until it came back up in my prayer time today. I began to look up more scriptures that dealt with possessing. Not surprising there were tons in Deuteronomy as the Lord instructs the Israelite people to possess the land promised them.
Deuteronomy 1:8 See I have placed the land before you; go in and POSSESS the land which the Lord swore to give to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to them and their descendants after them.
This is when the Spirit really began to speak to me about possessing. Notice this part: "go in and possess". See going in to the land wasn't fulfilling the instructions. They were to go in AND possess. We have gotten into a tendency as the Israelites did of thinking that going in IS possessing!!
How many times did God show the Isralites that He prepared a way for them, yet in their stubbornness they questioned God and in fear never took the land that He had for them.
I got interested and began reading over and over the exodus story and also Deuteronomy, where we see the same plot. God has this great land for them to not only live in, but to POSSESS. To rule to reign, without fear, without lack, having every need met by Father God, but they were scared, rebellious, a fearful people lacking trust and faith in the God who had already brought them out of slavery and prepared for them freedom.
The more I read the more frustrated I became. Stupid people, how many times does He have to lay it out for you! He wants you to live in this Promised Land. Stop wandering around slandering, rebelling, living in fear and doubt, and GO POSSESS THE LAND!! In Deuteronomy just the subtitles in my Bible are frustrating: Conquests recounted (God slaughters for them) Israelites urged to obey God (WHAT?) Promises of God, God's gracious dealings, Israel provokes God, Rewards of Obedience!! Yeesh. You don't even have to read the verses to get that God did work on their behalf, they mess up, He shows them grace, They mess up, He urges them to obey, They mess up, He forgives them then rewards them, etc. etc. etc. Then...
I was reminded. This is my story too. I believe in the promises of God given to each and every believer and I believe in the individual promises for each believer's purpose.
I have a calling and a purpose. That purpose is my land that i'm not just supposed to dabble in or live in, but supposed to possess! To conquer! I find in myself the very same "settle" stubborn mentality that brain washed the Israelite people. And what I see rapid in the body of Christ today is the enemy's deceptive tactics trying to convince us that we aren't meant to possess we should just be happy with dwelling in the land.
I have a friend here at Tech that everytime you say something she doesn't want to do or disagree with she just replies with "bump that". It always makes me laugh as we say something like "let's go work out" and the simple reply we all know is coming "bump that". I know you're wondering what this has to do w/ anything i've been talking about, but as I really begin to think upon this deception and lie from the enemy, the words that rise in my heart are "BUMP THAT!". We don't need to listen to no stinking liar telling us what is complete opposite of scripture.
God said go IN the land and POSSESS it. Stop settling with making it to the door of your dreams, to the door of victory, i'm not going to stand at the door. I'm going to go in and when i get there, I'm going to possess. The Word says we're more than conquerors through Jesus! So why aren't we conquering?
Begin to inquire of the Lord, WHERE IS MY LAND? HELP ME POSSESS IT!
Abraham had no problem being frank with the Lord.
v8 And he said, "O Lord God, how may I know that I shall possess it?"
We each have areas of our lives, visions, purpose, that we should be POSSESSING, CONQUERING, but for too long have believed the lies that we should just be glad we've made it this far, i should just sit here because obviously this is as far as God wants me to go. I don't know about you, but to me it just doesn't sound like victory, possession, and conquering.
You all know how much I like examples. The place I need to most apply this to is our youth group (Encounter God). We were called to go into a land of West Lubbock and I believe God handed that over to my pastors, the leaders of EG ministries, He's handing that over to me as a youth minister and to our youth workers. A land that we're not just given to go sit and dwell, with the awesome new building He provided, the Bibles, the new sound system, etc. We're to go in AND POSSESS it. To claim that ground to no longer be the rejected, hard knocks, area anymore, but the area on fire for Jesus, where revival begins and spreads to the city. As the drug dealers, prostitutes, etc. that reign over there where come to their knees in repentance. I don't want to settle with being happy that our students aren't getting shot. If possession is what is open to us, we're going to possess. And as the word says, not because of our righteousness, not because of our doings, not because we can do it, but because of God's mercy, because of His grace, and because He's already prepared the way, we just have to follow.
Find what needs possessing in your life.
Be blessed,
J. Tate
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