Saturday, July 28, 2012

Abide (Shekinah)

The time is coming when watchmen will call out from the hilltops of Epraim: on your feet! Let's go to Zion, go to meet our God. Jer 31:6

One of the responsibilities God has requested of me is to be His watchman.  I love standing in the gap for those He has called me to serve,as the watchmen did while the workers were rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, but there is more to this responsibility then just protecting the workers as Jeremiah states the watchmen are to also to lead the way for people to meet with God.

In my own walk I am  learning to become more intimate with God.  I love it when He speaks to me and shows me who I am and the plans He has for me.  I love to sit in His presence and just feel Him.  Recently at church during a time of worship we experienced more of His presence then ever before and as great as that was I still desire more and more of Him.  I want to walk in the continual power and glory that only His Holy Spirit can provide.  Dear ones don't you just want what Moses experienced on the mountain top, to radiate His glory so much that those around us are affected?  I know I do.

The first step towards intimacy with God is learning to abide with Him.  Awhile back I learned that to worship is to abide.  When we worship God He comes to dwell among us and to abide with us.  When you look at the definition to abide in the dictionary you will see that you can sojourn or you can dwell.  To sojourn is a temporary stay while to dwell is to take up permanent residence.  Which would you have?  Would you temporarily stay with Him and only worship Him once a week at church or would you take up permanent residence with Him and worship Him continually?

Worship is not always about the music but about the attitude of the heart.  Below is what God gave me awhile back when He first began to speak the word abide to me.

We must learn to honor God with more than our mouths (give Him lip service).  We need to learn to permanently dwell with Him to await in eager expectations for Him to come and dwell with us as He did with Adam and Eve in the garden.  Worship is more than music, although music is a good conduit of worship we must learn to give our hearts fully to God.  To dwell with Him until our faces radiate His glory.

Which would you have?  Would you continue to temporarily stay in His presence or will you take up permanent residence?  The choice for me is not a hard one, I want more and more of God.  He is so good and until I typed the last part of this I realized last night He gave me the desire of my heart.  He came and walked among us as He did with Adam and Eve in the garden and it was so glorious.

When I first began this blog over a week ago I went one way with this but as I prayed and typed this is what God brought to me.  I believe the song that I have chosen speaks to what God is doing in our midst individually and corporatly at church.  I am praying that this will become your hearts desire.  If you just take that first step towards Him, give Him the little time that you have and He will muliple it greatly.






Saturday, July 7, 2012

Redeemed

This week I have become aware of an amazing song by Big Daddy Weave called Redeemed.  I posted this song on Facebook but am feeling a need to blog about this song as well.  Maybe because this week I have been battling identity issues.  It is amazing how awesome we feel when we are under the influence of the power of the Holy Spirit and then soon after we realize all we are not and begin to doubt all that God has said about us.  I can totally identify with Elijah at this moment.  He came up against the prophets of Baal and God showed Himself mighty and more powerful then Baal through Elijah.  The next day Elijah discovers Jezebel wants to kill him and he runs away and hides afraid for his life.  I have heard so many preachers ask how Elijah could be walking in so much power one day and then the next he runs away in fear.  The answer is easy, we tend to forget who we are in God and who we are not becomes so magnified that is all we see.  Overcoming old mindsets is a process and I am thankful that the trip around the mountain is getting shorter but I am ready to not take this trip anymore.  Thankfully the story of Elijah does not end with him hiding in fear from Jezebel.  God shows up and appears to Elijah and puts him to work.  I know God is dealing with me now on reminding me of all I am in Him, who He says I am, and what He is anointing me to do.

Now to bring this all together.  I have listed the words of the song Redeemed below.  Please pay attention to them as they are amazing lyrics and reminders of who we no longer are.  Where we are weak God is strong and if we could do all He is asking and requiring of us in our own power and might we would want to take all the glory and credit instead of trusting and relying on Him and give Him all the glory honor and praise.

Seems like all I could see was the struggle
Haunted by ghosts that lived in my past
Bound up in shackles of all my failures
Wondering how long is this gonna last
Then You look at this prisoner and say to me "son
Stop fighting a fight it's already been won"

I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, now I'm not who I used to be
I am redeemed, I'm redeemed

All my life I have been called unworthy
Named by the voice of my shame and regret
But when I hear You whisper, "Child lift up your head"
I remember, oh God, You're not done with me yet

I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, now I'm not who I used to be

Because I don't have to be the old man inside of me
'Cause his day is long dead and gone
Because I've got a new name, a new life, I'm not the same
And a hope that will carry me home

I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, 'cause I'm not who I used to be

I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe every stain, yeah, I'm not who I used to be
Oh, God, I'm not who I used to be
Jesus, I'm not who I used to be
'Cause I am redeemed
Thank God, redeemed
Now so you can hear it to:  Big Daddy Weave Redeemed. (sorry Youtube has added commercials now)