Don't Forget

"And He said to them, 'Come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest a while'" (Mark 6:31). Have you gotten to a quiet place with the Lord lately? Just you and Him? "And they all ate and were satisfied" (Mark 6:42). Have you eaten of His Word until you were satisfied? If you've been down and discouraged or feel like you are far from victory, the FIRST thing to ask yourself is...have you spent time with Jesus? Real time. Time in His presence where His Word jumps off the page and into your heart?
If you feel far away from the Lord right now, remember... "For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You" (Psalm 86:5). Call upon the Lord...be refreshed in the REALITY of His presence! The more we live day by day apart from experiencing His presence, the more we live weak and hungry lives. We all are going to find a way to meet our souls needs somehow...let's not turn to idols but to the true and living God!
If there is one MAIN THING the enemy goes after...it's your time spent with the Lord. Remember that...

Esther

"Esther couldn't do everything, but she could do something; and what she could do, she did." -Warren W. Weirsbe

Proverbs 16:3 "Commit your works to the LORD, and your plans will be established."

Proverbs 16:9 "The mind of man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps."

Words of Wisdom Concerning Ministry

Are you in a season of preparation? Here are some words of wisdom from Pastor Jon Courson about ministry that have been encouraging me greatly lately.

"To you, who, like me, want to be used by God, I would say as did Zechariah, 'Don't despise the days of small things" (4:10). You may be on the backside of the desert, going through boring times or difficult situations, but know this: It's part of God's preparation."

"In this offering of consecration [Lev 8:25-27a], Aaron's and his sons's hands were initially empty. The Hebrew word translated 'consecration' means 'to fill the hands.' We usually think of consecration in terms of what we can bring to the Lord, what we can give Him, what we can do for Him -when in reality consecration means we come before the Lord with empty hands and let Him fill them as He chooses."

"Ministry is like the measles. You can't give it unless you've got it. You can't give blessing unless you're blessed. And you won't be blessed until you're locked in, tucked away, set aside -for how long? Until God's preparatory work in you is complete. Aaron and his sons were no doubt eager to begin, but they were to wait in order that they die not. Many ministries die because people don't know the meaning of a personal devotional life, of spending chunks of time locked away in the presence of God."

-taken from Jon Courson's Application Commentary

-Get into God's presence. Learn how to spend time with Him and receive fresh words from Him. Ministry will be an overflow of that. Stay connected to the vine and bear fruit that lasts.

Not Doing But Being

Ever wonder what your "purpose" is? Sometimes it is much simpler than we think. The burdens we carry in trying to have purpose and live out purpose can drain and confuse us. Let's meditate on God's main purpose for us. Let this one thing be swimming around your mind today and feel the freedom it brings. Ephesians 1:4 says, "just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him." God chose us for the purpose of holiness and blamelessness. Why? What does that mean? It means that God does not want you to just "do" this thing. He wants you to "be" this thing. Colossians 1:21-22 says, "And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach-" Again here we find God's purpose of holiness and blamelessness. Why? I think it can be said in one word...GENUINE. God always does as genuine work. If it is not genuine, it is because we are hindering Him. Imagine a REAL and AUTHENTIC life for God. Where the life in the home is not different from the life in the church. Where the desires of the heart are to seek God whether there is a "problem" to bring Him or not. You see, if we let God into the innermost places of our hearts and minds and do a deep work of miraculous change, we can be what Philippians 2:15 is talking about..."that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,"
We need to let God work IN us so that He can work THROUGH us. WE are witnesses. It's who we are. Holiness shines in this world. And holiness is NOT what we do...it's just who we are. Spend some special and intimate time with the Lord. HE will do the work inside you and then through you. Living for Him will be natural. It will be an overflow. God does not desire you to be burnt out and burdened. If you are...ask yourself the question. How's your time with God been?