Worship and Purpose

All that I am, praise the LORD; everything in me, praise His holy name.

~Psalm 103:1 (NCV)

     "I see you dancing in God's hands..." Words from a great man who passed suddenly from this life a few days ago. In 2003, I attended a dance conference held at Bahamas Faith Ministries where Dr. Myles Munroe was speaking. He was teaching on Worship and Purpose, and the importance of understanding why we worship God. Dr. Myles spoke about creation and God's plans for us, and becoming like Christ. I was one of the last people he prayed for at the altar call. I was standing in a corner and he called me over to where he was, all the way across the platform. He asked me where I was from, paused, and with that great big smile that he will always be remembered by, said those words to me, along with some other things that only God would have known. That brief moment was so amazingly powerful. I remember running around the entire sanctuary!

     It has been many years since that prophetic word was given to me, and everything Dr. Myles said on that day has come to pass. I count myself fortunate to have had something personally imparted into my life from God through him. Some say his passing away was untimely, some say it was his time and he died empty. The truth is, only he and God know. We offer prayers for the families of all who were with him in the catastrophic accident that marked the end of his life and the lives of others who died including his wife and fellow ministers, that God would comfort the grieving, give them peace, and that people would only speak words that give strength and encouragement.

     Whenever someone leaves this realm, it is always a reminder to us that life is temporary, and we are only here for a brief moment on the continuum. God has promised to redeem and restore years that were taken from us, but there is no promise in the Bible to regain time that we waste. What are we doing with the goals that we set out to accomplish this year? How are we spending our time, our finances, and our gifts and talents? Have we finished anything that we started, have we even started, or are we still talking about starting? Dr. Myles once said: "One of the greatest tragedies in life is to watch potential die untapped". "What will you do with your dash?" is a message that many ministers and motivational speakers use to describe the time we have between our birthday and our last day. Our dash represents everything we do with our lives, our opportunities, resources and abilities that we have been given. If you are reading this blog, that means you still have a chance to make the most of the time you have in this world. We were all created by God to fulfill a unique purpose in this life, not to be like anyone else, or for anyone's approval. Once we find it, we must run with it until the race is over, so that when we are finished, we can hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant!"

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

~Psalm 90:12

                                                      

House on Fire...

I know what you have done, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. But since you are lukewarm and not hot or cold, I’m going to spit you out of my mouth.  You say, ‘I’m rich. I’m wealthy. I don’t need anything.’ Yet, you do not realize that you are miserable, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.  I advise you: Buy gold purified in fire from me so that you may be rich. Buy white clothes from me. Wear them so that you may keep your shameful, naked body from showing. Buy ointment to put on your eyes so that you may see.  I correct and discipline everyone I love. Take this seriously, and change the way you think and act.  Look, I’m standing at the door and knocking. If anyone listens to my voice and opens the door, I’ll come in and we’ll eat together. ~ Rev. 3:15-20 (GW)

 a house is on fire
and its foundation is burning to the ground
its frame engulfed by flames...
like Ichabod the glory has departed from its inner chambers
and its honor is long gone
respect has been destroyed
its faith has fallen out of context with reality
souls are dying inside of well -dressed bodies on display
with camera ready smiles on cue
but who is watching TV when the TV is really watching you?
people are tired of the games, the show and fakery
money changing hands like dozens at the bakery
going through the routine with nothing ever changing
except for the scenery
God is judging his people
from the pulpit to the walls
His spirit is grieved for us
because we fail to recognize and follow His way
we make mockery of His words and use them for unjust gain
mega ministers backslidden and living in sin behind closed doors
trying to decide which side of the fence to play on
being blindly followed by those who only shout and say "Amen"
with no real respect for holy things or love for others
titles have taken the place for real power
the hungry are expected to feed themselves
and blamed for their own demise
spirituality is just a game we play to get by
while the children are lost and forgotten
you have been commanded to care for the sheep
and devour them instead
a house is on fire
it’s just a social institution
a meeting place
a breakfast with no prayer at a table with no meal
a gathering with no oil
no real word
and a place to wander in and out of freely with no purpose
but remember that time is running out and this world will pass away
eternity waits at the end…
and where will you be then?

selah

Spiritual Safety!

...In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out my Spirit

even on my servants --men and women alike --and they will prophesy.

(Acts 2: 17-18) NLT

  
     It's no secret...we are in the Last Days! It's summertime, and there are always a lot of public service announcements about water and heat safety because of the many tragedies that happen during this season. But what about our spiritual safety? If you haven't noticed, there are things happening all around us, good and bad-- that have been foretold thousands of years ago in God's Word. One thing that has become very active is the amount of prophecy that is being spoken. The Word clearly states that God has called some to be prophets, to reveal the mind and will of God to great numbers of people, or many have the gift of prophecy, to exhort, build up, and encourage others. But there are also some who misuse these gifts, either out of ignorance, or out of some other motivation that is not of God.

A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.  To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge.The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said.  It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.

(1 Cor 12: 14-17) NLT

     According to the Word, spiritual gifts are given by God to help people. They are not to be used as a means to control, manipulate, or dominate them. No one can decide what gift they will have, because God is the One who distributes spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts are part of the true worship of God, because during worship, God reveals Himself to people and sends the blessings that are needed at that time according to His will. When God speaks a word into your situation or circumstance that no one could know but Him, that word will always agree with the Word of God that has already been written, and the spirit of the word will always agree with the Holy Spirit. Even if it's a word of correction or a word that seems "hard", it will always agree with God's Word and God's Spirit, and carries peace. And, a  true word from God will never tear you down, belittle, or embarrass you.

...Worship only God. For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.

(Rev 19:10) NLT

     Worshippers, if you are ever in the presence of someone who wants to "read" you, if you see someone fixating on you as if they are trying to "see" into you, if you feel some type of "energy" trying to pull on your spirit, causing you to feel agitated, disturbed, distracted, fearful, confused, weakened or any other feeling that is not of God, LEAVE immediately! If it's the Holy Spirit, the only things that He brings are power, love, and a sound mind. There are a lot of people who mix God's Word with their own doctrines and imaginations, and even practice what is called Charismatic Witchcraft*. That being said, you have to spend enough time with God to be able to know what is true. When bankers are being trained to know counterfeit bills from authentic ones, they spend hours learning how real money feels and looks, so that when they see a suspicious one, they recognize it right away.  Be careful of those who come into prayer gatherings announcing themselves as "Minister so-and-so" or "Prophet or Prophetess so-and-so" as soon as you meet them. A person who has a true prophetic gift does not need to do those things to call attention to themselves, because their gift will announce them!  Be aware of your spiritual environment. Be prayerful and watch what is going on around you. Don't be quick to run to every revival, prayer meeting, church service or conference looking for a "word". Allow God to lead you, and take your Bible with you to make sure that what is being said is the same thing that God says.  This is not to cause fear, but just as you would protect yourself on the streets, you must protect yourself in the religious community. Remember...we are in the Last Days. God has given us everything that we need to defend ourselves against spiritual attacks from inside as well as outside of the church, but we have to use the information that we have been given:

 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant:

1 Cor. 12:1 (NKJV)

Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.

Matt. 7:15 (NLT)

Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.

I John 4:1 (NLT)

Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.

John 10:5 (NKJV)

     God loves us and does not want any of us to be deceived. He has people strategically placed to minister as He chooses. But just as God uses His people, the enemy has people that he uses to try to confuse us, or cause us to stumble, either because of lack of knowledge, or pure wickedness. Think of it in this way: the 5-year old who brings a gun to school, plays with it and causes it to go off, injuring another classmate, and the adult who deliberately shoots and injures someone has still done the same damage, even though the intentions were different. Don't become a spiritual casualty! Know when God is speaking to you, listen carefully to what is being spoken to you by people, test it against God's Word, and follow what He says about what you have heard. It's the only way to be spiritually safe in the last days.

    
Footnote:
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*Charismatic Witchcraft -Charismatic witchcraft is exercising control over other Christians by leaders or anyone within the church. Charismatic witches use personal prophecy to control others.

Something to Think About...

      I heard a message one Sunday morning entitled: “When It All Falls Apart, What Will You Do?” In light of  recent events, what is really important? The things that happen in one part of our world could happen anywhere, at any time, to anyone. The devastation in Japan is one of many that have literally rocked the foundations of unsuspecting people, and no one has the right to say “This is God’s judgment on them because…(fill in the blank)”. In fact, the Word says the opposite:

Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
 (Luke 13:1-5 NIV)

     No one understands why these things happen but when they do, they affect us all. We are all connected to others in some way, whether it is by blood, friendship, aquaintance or just because we all share the earth as our temporary home to carry out our God-given purpose. This is not the time to make comparisons of how one group of people respond to tragedy vs. another, or to start making doomsday prophecies. It is time to stop, think about the direction that we are going in, and make sure that we are found doing God's will. Let the pettiness go...if you have something that you need to settle with a friend, enemy or family member, do it today! Because when it all falls apart...what will really matter?

     Please enjoy this thought-provoking video of "Homeless" by Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Sarah McClachlan...