For The Sake Of The Call... Night 1

This weekend we are having a Native Ministers conference called... For The Sake Of The Call. Last night was the start of it and it was a true success and blessing. I came to realize quickly the true love, passion, and loyalty our District has. As we are blessed to have the guest speaker Bro. Chavis and his wife Sis. Chavis we were also blessed with many other godly men and women who are in our own district.

As I stood at the front door greeting people who came in last night I was amazed at the true depth our district is blessed with when it comes to godly examples. I use the word depth but I truly don't think that is the proper word but the only one that comes to my mind at this time. We have so many who truly have given their life and time to give to the kingdom of God.

Last night was a great start to a wonderful weekend. Brother Chavis preached a very powerful message on the importance of knowing the Father's grace and mercy on our lives. Remembering where He brought us from and how he gave us a second chance. We may not have deserved that but how He loves us so much that He gave it to us in love for us. He spoke some powerful words from the Word of God and that was "God does not take pleasure in destroying us".

I was blessed by the Word last night and will take this powerful revelation with me. I will live it and remember just where he brought me from.

My life wasn't full of drugs, alcohol, and sex, in fact I wasn't involved in any but my life was filled with an idle god. The older I got the less I believed in God and truly at one place in my life I didn't believe there was a God. As I look back to that time in my life I am ashamed and think how much love God had when I hated Him. It puts a new concept on loving the unlovable. I was the unlovable one... I may not have sinned in ways that people could see but in my heart I committed the unforgivable sin if I would have known Him. Oh how grateful I am for His hand to reach passed the miry clay and into a life who was unworthy of His presence. A young girl who thought she was ok because of success, popularity, and outer blessings.

I am thankful for that message last night and for the reminder of the love of the Father. I'm also thankful today for all the wonderful ministers from our district who came to support the conference and the ministry of the native people. We are truly blessed and I never want to forget that.

Thank you Brother and Sister Chavis, Brother Fortalaza (unsure on correct spelling), Brother and Sister Stower, Brother and Sister Wittmeier (Kenora), and Brother and Sister Wittmeier (Thunder Bay). Also thank you to those from the Kenora church who came as well as those who came from other areas. May God bless you all for your giving heart and servant hood.

Comforter and the Healer...

Pray for Healing and Comfort

Acts 3:6
Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I non; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.

 

In years passed I knew no one close to me who had died, no one who was battling a terminal illness, and very few I knew who had lost loved ones. Since that time of innocence I've seen much loss, experienced my own heartache of terminal illness, and seen many broken by the unknown of why. In that time I've never felt as strong about helping the grieving as I do now. Not because of my own heartache but because of the revelation the Lord has given me through the Word.

 

We often pray for healing for the external need as Peter did in Acts and many others throughout the Word. But what about when those prayers are not answered? What happens to those who spend hours praying and never see the fruit of those prayers? 

 

I was praying about this the other day and God brought me back to my time of need of healing. We so often pray for the actual sickness in someones life and for a restoration of the body but Jesus said after He healed the sick and lame that they were made "whole". Makes me think that when we pray for the the sick and their needs sometimes there is some internal healing that needs to come too.

 

My heart goes out to those who are grieving the loss of a loved one and even those who know their days are few. We will never understand the reason of God for the Word even says "lean not unto your own understanding". In our own understanding we can't make sense of it all but when we lean on the comfort of the comforter and the healing of the healer we can get through the tough times. Go to the God who is the comforter and the healer... go to Jesus.

In a world that is filled with grief and sorrow we are in desperate need of the comforter and healer. Why both? Because without an internal healing we can't receive the comfort we so need and with out the true complete healing we can't get passed the reasons why.

Today when you are praying I ask for you to pray for the hurting in your life and for those who are deep in grief and can't get passed it. God brings us to our lowest places and shows Himself worthy in them, but we must pray that those who are angry don't allow themselves to put up a wall and never receive all they can from the Comforter.

 

Prayer is a powerful weapon that God gives us to use in battle. We know that in the last days that much sickness will come but that doesn't mean that we stop praying for the healer and comforter to work His miracles. God is in the healing business but sometimes we forget to pray for the WHOLE healing. Sometimes it is even us who needs the healing of internal for those who are hurting around us so that we can be the light of Christ in the mist of the trial.  

This is the Day...

I'm convinced today that no matter what the weather and no matter what the storm I will be thankful for the day that I have. The other day I spoke about good thoughts and keeping my mind on track so that it can't become the enemies play ground. I'm grateful today and everyday that I remember that because it makes days seem so much more enjoyable. Even the snow seems beautiful in its cold nature.

My thought for the day...This is the day that the Lord has made... will YOU rejoice and be glad in it?

So often the situations of the day can cause us a little trouble. The weather can get our mood a little blue, the sun can be just a little to bright, and sometimes the things waiting for you at home can be a little to real.

Today is a beautiful day and it is the one that God has made... I will rejoice in it because it is another day to be able to thank God for life. It is another day to bring a sick person some encouragement, another day that I can help a co-worker bandage up a cut, another day that I can bake some cookies for my neighbors who need to see someone cares, another day to sing unto the Lord a great song of worship when no one is watching, just another day to give back the blessings that I've so unworthily been given.

What a day to realize just how beautiful the day really is. Today is the day to rejoice don't wait until tomorrow to give back to God the beauty that He has given you. I know for myself I'm not going to just look at it as just another day but look at it as being "THE DAY" that the Lord has made. It is special in its ways, special in its beauty, and special in its results.

Not another day but the day to rejoice and be glad in.

Mind full...

This morning I woke up to a mind that was full of way to much stuff. It was bogged down by things of the passed, things of no value, and things that I'm trying to make sense of but can't. As I'm writing this I've came down to one truth and one thought....

I Cor 14:33
For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

No matter what I must remember this truth of the Word of God. No thought in my head should ever be that of confusion. It must be that of a sound mind. When I get to the place where I find myself confused or full of thoughts I must... pray and clear my thoughts.

Our minds are such a powerful tool that can truly become the playground of the enemy. If I'm not careful with the thoughts that I allow to swarm in my head I will become a puppet to the emotional roller coaster that the enemy wants me to be in.

So what am I saying? I'm saying don't allow your mind to be full of confusion and idle to the thoughts that are NOT true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of a good report. (Phil 4:8) When we can get our minds off the things that are of importance we can be taken away from a sound mind.

Today I challenge you to think of the things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of a good report. Focus on the things that are of value and you will find the peace that God desires for us to live in.

I guess this is just my thought for the day. Hope it blesses you and reminds you to keep your thoughts of things that will keep your day filled with smiles.

The role of the family...

This weekend I was able to be with the Central Canadian District for their 2012 Youth Convention. Which doesn't say much being that I'm a part of the district, but my ability to go was a blessing. This year I was able to take my Pastor's son and daughter to their very first district event without their parents. To me that is an honor as most parents, I know, don't let their children just go with anyone.

With that said I was reminded three times this weekend on the importance of the parents role in a child's life. I say parents, plural, because God designed the family to be balanced and that is to have a father and a mother.

This weekend God showed me a beautiful picture of the role of the family and of the church and its role as the mother towards the Father. The best way for me to describe this is by explaining my role as a child to my parents.

Most people don't know that when growing up my mom was a stay at home mom. She did this until I was old enough to go to preschool and then at that point she went back to school to become a teacher.

I learned at a young age to respect my mother's authority in my life. She was the one who was with me for most of the day so for me to ever mature and grow I needed to have a constant teacher, ironic enough that was my mother and her later occupation in life. Now that authority didn't make her like my father or the head of the house, she was and always will be still my mother. When she told me not to do things I knew that I should respect her because she had my best interests at heart. Don't get me wrong I'm sure I was mad at her when it hurt my feelings but I still knew that I was to obey my parents and those who they had put to watch over me.

I was raised that you respected your father AND your mother (Exodus 20:12) as well as all that have the rule over you (Hebrews 13:17). That included my teachers, adults, parents of friends who I played with, police officers, and anyone who was given the "responsibility" of my safety or watching over me. I knew better than to be disrespectful or to ever play the "you are not the boss of me" card or my favorite "you're not my mother".

Everyone who my parents gave permission to watch me as a child was given the authority to "boss" me. I was to listen to those people and if I didn't well I can't remember a lot of those times so I must have learned fast.

Now God reminded me of this as the role of the church. The Word calls us the bride which any bride that has children becomes a mother. The church is the mother of the saints but that does not displace the role of the Father in our lives. Even though my mom was the one who had to discipline us the most didn't displace the importance of my dad or make me think that I could play my parents. I always knew that TOGETHER they were a force that was teaching me to become a child that the family could be proud of. Not just my mom be proud of me but my dad as well.

Why did my mom have to discipline us? Because the whole.... "you wait until your father gets home" isn't good for the relationship with a child and their father. If the only thing my dad ever did was discipline me I would have really not liked having my dad around nor would I have respected my mom or wanted her to be around. So instead my mom handled the issues when they happened and that taught us two things. 1) You are to respect whoever is watching you and listen to them and 2) my parents were not there in my life to make life miserable or to be dictators. They were there to teach me and to help me not make mistakes that could cause harm to my future. They together helped me become a child to be proud of. Which I must add is still a working progress... I still need to respect my parents and respect them as they don't lose the role as parents in my life.

So what am I saying here. I'm saying... the role of a father and a mother are important to work together, as one flesh (Gen 2:24). Not to take away or to add to either side or confuse the headship in anyway. They are to work together to build and mold godly children of God who understand and know who it is that they are serving/pleasing.

Mary gave birth to Jesus, she was his mother, but He was first and for most to please HIS Father. That didn't take away from the role of Mary in His life and didn't make her less of an authority in His upbringing but working together they built up who He was as a man. With the spirit of God our parents help us become who God truly desires for us to be. Just like the church with the spirit helps us become the child of Christ that we are called to be.
I am expected to obey the authority that God places in my life. The mother, which is the church.... that includes my pastor and my brothers and sisters in the Lord who give me godly counsel (Psalms 1:1). If I am to ever grow into the child of God that I am called to be I must obey those who have been given the authority over me. Who are watching over my soul and responsible for leading me. I must learn to listen to godly counsel and take it even if it is to discipline me.

WHY? Because I will never understand or fear my Father, Jesus Christ, the right way without obeying my mother, the church, in my life. How can you know what the Father wants but through the one who is training you up WITH the Father? That one to be spoken of is the mother, the church.

For example if a mother does not have the respect or authority over her children, in a healthy way, then she will bring all discipline to the father and make him the bad guy all the time. Which in the long run will cause dis function in the relationship with the child and their father. If we as the church do not teach our children in the church, the saints of God, about what pleases the Father we will cause an unhealthy relationship with the Father when correction or judgement come from Him OR we will become their savior/ Father and confuse the roles. This will cause the body, family, to be divided and not of one accord or as one flesh (Phil 2:2). The church will be then battling with the Father, Jesus Christ and we will never be fulfilling the will of God.

Another thing that God revealed to me this weekend was the role the mother has in teaching her children what is pleasing to the father. As a young girl I knew that if I was to ever get pregnant that it would break my dad's heart. I knew that if I stayed away from premarital sex that I would be pleasing both my earthly father, who didn't want me to have a child out of wedlock and the responsibility of that, as well as my heavenly father, who didn't want me to have to pay the consequence to sin either. With that said you can imagine that my dad didn't have the sex talk with me but through my mother I knew what my dad expected of me. Of course there were things he told me that he didn't want me to do but not everything was so clear or spoken. In stead learned that if I desired to please my father and be the daughter that I knew he had raised me to be I needed to search him out and watched how he talked with people. I listened to my mom and the things she would say that my dad didn't like as well as in conversation hear him say to others things he believed in or didn't. I didn't do this because I wanted to be someone I wasn't I did this because I wanted to PLEASE my dad. I wanted him to be proud of me and to be the daughter that I knew he deserved.
This concept applies with our Heavenly Father. God doesn't have to speak to me everything He doesn't want me to do. I, as His child, need to listen to what He speaks to others, which can either be by my brothers and sisters in the church (mother), or even by what He spoke through His Word. Why do I do this... I do it so that I can PLEASE my Heavenly Father.

I'm so grateful for this revelation this weekend and so thankful to understand the role that I play in my own walk as well as others. My responsibility as a brother or a sister to those who are in the body of God is just as important as those that are in my home church. The picture is so much bigger and no matter if I'm at a Youth Convention or a Sunday night service I must make sure that what I'm teaching to others is the truth.
It's time to be the mother and to realize that we are hear to teach the children of God our brothers and sister to PLEASE the Father. To work WITH the Father through the Holy Spirit to help every soul become one with the body and one with their love.

Just a little love..

It hurt me to see all the posts yesterday on Facebook regarding Valentines Day being an overrated holiday and people verbally showing there dislike for the holiday with words of true hatred. So here is my turn to speak my mind on the holiday of love....

....Yesterday was the day of love. A day when Hallmark makes a killing on their $3.00 cards, floral shops go crazy from all the deliveries of millions of roses, and single people sit complaining about there current relationship statues as if no one can really recognize that their true hate of this commercialised holiday is not because of its racket but because it is hard to get passed ones self to truly have a heart of compassion for those who have something we don't have.

As I looked through all my friends and family that are on my friends list and those who were showing and sending love to others. I see a young mother of two who is my age and is currently spending Valentines Day away from the man she loves who is at War fighting for my freedom, my Cousins and Aunt who just lost my Uncle, my Cousins who are trying to enjoy every minute they have with my Aunt who received news that her cancer has taken over in her body, and many friends who are far from their loved ones. Now did these people write hateful things about this day that has brought up so much hurt and pain, no. Instead these people are expressing their love for their missing and lost loved ones. They are enjoying the day they have and the life they have to express to others their true gratefulness for love.

OK so now I'm off my soap box. I know that everyone battles their own way and that each person handles situations differently but I'm here to express to my readers that each day is to short to live with such a negative outlook even if it was just for one day that is about commercialism. There is no sin in showing love to someone in the appropriate way. Plus what wasted energy on something that has no eternal value whatsoever.

If you are really living for God... life isn't worth wasting on worthless emotions. Life isn't that bad when you are not leaning on your own strength to get you through and your own love to express to others. Just a little faith will move a mountain and I'm here to say that just a little of God's love could heal a nation.

Just a little of your strength goes a long way when you mix it with God's... its when you put in a lot of your strength and expect God to put in the rest that you really fail. It's time to evaluate the feelings we have that make us hate or have great anger towards. Why do I feel this way and why have I turned something that could be good into something that is bad? What is it that has made me feel so alone and disappointed in life? And lastly why do I feel that this has anything to do with me?

Christ put everyone else before himself and sometimes we need to learn to take care of ourselves but to not be focused on ourselves. Just a little love can go a long way if we only would turn it towards others...

We have been called to a mission... will you carry it out!

missionsplural of mis·sion (Noun)

Noun:

An important assignment carried out for political, religious, or commercial purposes, typically involving travel. A group of people taking part in such an assignment.

Burn in me...

Have you ever felt that burning feeling inside your soul when you speak of something that is about God?

Last night at service I was speaking to the church regarding the goal for the Youth. We are working to help the youth MARK there schools.

M- Memorize the Word so that we can have it be the source in which we gather all our information.
A- Act out the Word and be the example that we need to be.
R- Read the Word so that it isn't just something we hear but something that lives in us.
K- Kneel before we go to the Word so that we allow the spirit to speak to us and not our own ideas.

This is truly my true burden for our young people. I received this idea from a source online but have changed some of it so it will apply to our youth. They need to feel like they are capable of making a MARK in their communities and not just with their friends but with everyone around them. God will do everything they need Him to do if they truly apply these things to their lives.

We are in need of a burning inside passion for all of us. We need to feel that anointing in us burn every time we speak of the goodness and miracles of God. There is always something to give God glory for and in everything we should give Him the glory. I'm so excited to see what God is going to do in our young people when they each get that burning feeling that they are able to do great things.

I'm going to pray more than ever that our young people experience that rush of excitement every time they are speaking of God. That they will feel a burn inside them as they walk in the ways of God. It is about time that our young people feel they can step into the shoes that have been placed before them. There is some great things that are going to happen when these young people grab a hold of their purpose and truly start making a MARK in their homes, communities, and schools.

I'm expecting great things to come... and can't wait for the day that one of the young people comes up to me and says.... it works!

Get me out of this comfort zone..

James 1:22-24

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your ownselves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

I have found in my life that I will hear something and want to do it but it just is so out of my comfort zone that I just can't do it. Sometimes I can hear someone say the right things to me and agree what they are saying is true but when it comes to changing those ways in my life it is just not as easy.

Like this scripture states I see in the glass what I want to see but I forget what I once was or forget to see what I should be. We always want to do all the right things but it isn't always that easy. We want to do all the right things and dream big but we can't really apply them to our lives. Dreams are always wonderful but it is only a dream if not put into reality. Or in a spiritual sense it is only a dream until we make the step and God does the rest.

As I pray regarding my life and the new adventures that are to come I'm reminded of these scriptures. It is so easy to hear the Word and know the Word but it is so hard to actually apply it. Oh Peter step out on that water and try the power of God. If Peter would have never stepped out on that water he would have never walked on water, but he did and that is all that matters.

During the CCD Family Camp in July of 2009 God spoke to me clearly. He said to me I will make you walk on water. Instantly I knew that there was significance in the word make and that is if I wanted to do the will of God in my life I was going to need to step out of my own comfort zone.

That August I went to my Pastor and said I feel a call to Sweden. At that time in my walk I was so scared that my Pastor would say no that I prayed and fasted for a month before getting the strength to speak to him... getting out of my comfort zone.

After I spoke to my Pastor he told me that the Lord had told him prior to us talking that I needed to go. He didn't know if it was Bible School or what but he knew that God spoke regarding me going and now it is history.

I went to Sweden January of 2010 and I was completely out of my comfort zone.  There I learning to trust in the Lord in every minute of every day. During my trip I didn't see people filled with the Holy Ghost but I did see an angel and I did see the hand of God move. I learned so much from my brothers and sisters there. Learning the true meaning of servant hood and the importance of trusting God.

I share this with you again to say I don't believe that God is done pushing me onto the water. I don't believe that He is done stretching me in the box that I've become so comfortable in. If I am going to be anything for God I need to be a doer of the Word and not just a listener of the Word.

If I am going to be a vessel for God I need to make sure that I don't stand on the side of the ship looking at the horizon knowing that I could have it if I just would step out of my comfort zone. God will take care of us if we are walking in His will. We can walk on water if we know that the man who is guiding our footsteps is God and not us.

This is going to be my challenge for myself. I'm going to have unfailing faith in God's ability to do the miraculous, getting me out of this comfortable box I live in. I'm going to pray like Hannah and being diligent like Jacob that the things I think as impossible become possible through Christ.

I'm no longer going to limit the hand of God in my life and allow myself to walk in a comfort zone. Sometimes I limit myself because of life and I believe that it is time for me to allow God to MAKE me what He wants to MAKE me.

I believe that in each person we have our own weakness. There is something that God wants us to do that we just can't do. We know that we should be doers of what we hear but we seem to not want to get out of the comfort zone. So I challenge you all today... lets get out of our comfort zones and apply the things we hear and know.

Chess....

Today I spent the afternoon with my mom and like always we spoke of the things of God. I love to share with my mom what is going through my head because she is always quick to put me on the right track if I'm not thinking right or if I am she puts me at ease. I'm grateful for having such a wise mother and one whom I can share godly things with.

Our topic of conversation today was regarding my burden for the people of Sweden and specifically the church in Falun. While in Sweden I realized quick that God had placed a special burden on my heart for Falun and for the saints of God whom are laboring there. Leaving was difficult but at that time in my life it was God's time for me to return home.

It has been close to two years since I was in the beautiful country of Sweden and since then I've prayed for an opportunity to go back if only for a visit. So far that has not happened but I do believe that God will make a way for me to return.

The other night I was given this beautiful vision of God placing me in a chess game and each box being a certain journey in my life. As I rode the horse through the game I saw myself going through each journey in my life as God put every move into place as He desired, in one of those boxes I saw Sweden. Prior to this vision I had been constantly reminded of Sweden as I walked through the snow and put on my boots God would bring me back to the many days I spent walking the snowy streets of Sweden praying for a sign of why I was called there. During the time spent in Falun I quickly received my answer regarding why God wanted me in Sweden. It was sad to know that by that time I only had a month left.  I realized after some great sorrow that God was putting things into play so I could return and return with a greater purpose and preparation. As often said by many others... God's timing is never our timing and His ways not our ways. He knows the beginning from the end and He knows what other things need to be put into place for me.

In 2012 I want to make sure that every decision I make is with God at the center. I want to make sure that when it is His time to open doors that I am ready to walk through them. I want to make sure that I am spiritually ready for the tasks ahead of me and want to make sure that I am physically prepared. God can't always do all the work sometimes we need to take the time He gives us to take care of business.

I share this with you today to say this... God has a chess game for each one of us and the fact of the matter is that we can either ride the horse or be the horse. If we allow God to play the game we will find ourselves ready and prepared for the tasks ahead. Let each task stretch you, let each experience bring you closer to God, and lastly use the time you have wisely.

I believe that each person has a special calling in the kingdom of God but if we never grow or change we will just continue to start over at the beginning of the chess game.

Emotions...

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Matthew 5:4

When reading this passage of scripture today I am reminded of the power of emotions and the significance they play in our walks with God. Many people call the female gender emotional and as much as I do believe this to be true I also believe they are important for our spiritual health.

I know I've probably read this Scripture a million times in my life, but I have never put together a thought regarding it before today. Yes we mourn when we have lost or our hearts are hurt, however, I believe that Jesus was saying something very important than just the basic.

Studies show that if we do not mourn the loss of a loved one that it could have major affects on our physical and mental health. The more people try to make sense of life situations and take control with their own power the more you see the importants of walking with God. We say walking with God all the time but when it comes to letting our feelings speak to God we can't do it. As if we are like in a love relationship with God and we can't tell Him how we really feel. It sounds silly when you say it out loud but it is so true.

Last year at Ladies Retreat Sister Chavis spoke about how the Lord had told her when praying that she needed to turn her emotions back on Him. When she was lonely she was to pray those feelings back to God as if He was feeling distance from her. This idea was very powerful to me and when I applied it to my life allowed me to get passed my own lonely feelings.

If we never show or speak of our emotions to God, He can't always give us what we need. You receive not because you ask not. Sometimes we are so quick to talk in life when it comes to what we want in a vehicle and what we want in a house or even in a relationship, but when it comes to Jesus and us we can't really speak up. We can ask Him to heal our marriages and find us the perfect husband or wife but when it comes to just mourning about how bad we've treated Him, that's not going to happen.

Last night my friend asked for some advice and when we finished she said to me, "I never know what to say to people who are struggling because the only answer I have is prayer. Why is it that when we are struggling that is the last thing we want to do or can do?" I thought about this much in my time in the church and I've came to this conclusion. When it comes to us speaking to God and telling Him our heart, the enemy will do everything in His power to keep us from talking to God. If He can take away to extension cord to the power source he can take away the power.

So what am I getting at today? I'm saying that blessed are those who bring their hearts to God and truly mourn about their relationship with Christ because those are the ones who will be comforted.  It isn't any different than those we love, if we never tell them we love them or speak words that make them know that, then we will never give them the peace they need in trusting that love. God is the same way if we can't go to Him and speak our hearts and show Him the love then He can't give us the comfort in knowing His love. Don't let the enemy steal what you have by taking away your power source. Stay connected to your love and keep telling Him how wonderful He is. Life isn't worth living if you can't love.

Lord bless you all and keep you in this daily walk. I pray your blessed by this revelation I received and pray that it speaks to the hearts of those who read it. God is coming back for a spotless church and in that church for a bride that is in love with Him and His coming.