Can You See The Wind?

You cannot see the wind, but evidences of it are obvious. You can see if it is strong, you can see it's force. You can see the direction it is coming from. You can feel it's effects too.

Can you see the Holy Spirit? No, but like the wind, you can see evidence of Him. You can feel Him. I went to a confrence last weekend called "Set Apart". It takes place at Northwestern College in Roseville, Mn. This was my 7th year attending, and it is the 7th year that the Lord has renewed my mind, and refined my heart. This years theme was "Refined". The keynote speakers were Lois Evans, and Sylvia Hurney. Wonderful truth came to us through their life experiences and what God has done. Great teachers and Sylvia is sooo funny!!

The Spirit was very evident there. We have 3 workshops to choose on Friday and 3 on Saturday. As it happens...they all dovetail together and seem to go in order for exactly what the Lord wants to teach me, or root out of my life. In a couple of the workshops, we were given time to write out/practice listening to the Lord. It is so profound to put your pen to the paper and trust the Lord to give you a message. So sweet to hear from God!!

It is God's desire to purify us, to make us more like His Son. To break away the outer man (our old self) and expose the fire of the Spirit within us. The process requires painful breaking, but produces eternal life in us and those the fire touches. As the gold is refined by fire, and the impurities come to the surface, so are our hearts refined and purified. Put under the heat of the flame of God working in our lives, allowing circumstances that are uncomfortable, the "dross" in our hearts rises to the surface and the Refiner can remove them as we yield to Him.

The lesson (fire)I was given was on the Wednesday before, I was on my first day of jury duty. I had no idea if the trial could go to Friday (when I was to be at the confrence), and was fighting anxiety about what to do. I also had asked my daughter to take work off so that she could work for me. My giftshop is open Friday and Saturday and I don't have any employees. The gal I used to be able to call got a full time job so she is unavailable. Well Kayla (my daughter) kept forgetting to ask her boss, and the week before when I checked again to see if she was able to work for me, her boss was out of town until the Thursday before I needed her....In my head I knew I should not be anxious but my heart was NOT in agreement. I kept trying to reprimand it, but to no avail. I gave the Lord the ticket if He wanted someone else to use it, that didn't help either. I still had such an anxious heart. Not until the Judge dismissed another juror for playing the organ that night did I realize I had freedom to say something if I needed to. Instantly my heart calmed down. Then wouldn't you know it??? Kayla did get work off and the Lord showed me mercy and loving-kindness despite my failure not to fear...Amazing grace.

Self-reliance is a battle I fight often, and this weekend I was given alot to help me see the Soveriegnty of God and learn to rest a little bit more. God is Good!! The evidence of His Spirit after the confrence (in my life) was an absence of anxiety in me on Sunday when I had back-to-back engagements (nearly overlapping) and walked in joy and freedom all day. Restin' in the Lord!!

Balance

Trust and Obey...Faith and Works...Rest and Tremble... Heads and Tails...All of these are two sides of the same coin(s). I could add more: Faith and Repentance (necessary for salvation)...Rebuke and Encourage... Can you see it?

God wants us to walk in the balance. To avoid extremes. I find it hard to do. It is like walking on a tightrope sometimes, you must be attentive. Scripture calls us to "pay more careful attention to what we have heard..." Hebrews 2:1; "Be alert, and always keep on praying for the saints." Ephesians 6:18; "Watch and pray" Matthew 26:41

I woke up one day, and the Lord was speaking to me about this. I was thinking about the fact that we are sudposed to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in us to will and act according to His good purpose." Phillipians 2 :12,13 Noah came to mind. He was building the ark as the Lord had instructed him to. He was putting action to his faith. He trusted the Lord knew what he was talking about (faith) and put his hand to the saw and hammer for about an hundred years (work). He was instrumental in the working out of his salvation. It was God who enabled him to do it. God sent the animals, God gave Noah skills and materials, God closed Noah in the ark after all was completed.

It is the same with us. We have to pursue our salvation by meeting with God daily(prayer and study), taking up our cross daily (dying to self), cleansing daily (confession) and daily obedience (doing the works He prepared ahead of time for us to do). Oh, it takes work! But in our work we rest in Him knowing it is His work. Can we figure this out? Can we ever really "get it"? But by faith and by the grace of God.

Trust and obey, for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey.

Past Midnight

Okay, so I am into tomorrow already. I found music somehow. Blogworld is amazing. I just go on these journeys and land on "how to" and ta-da! I have music! Feel free to pause it, or click on a different song. Really, I could have been at this all night it was so fun to find songs I like. I was glad they even had some oldies. Check out The Coloring Song by Petra. It was songs like this in my beginnings with the Lord that bring me back to that first love time...rekindling. Kind of like if you and your hubby had "a song...our song" back in the day. If you hear the song, the feelings come back somehow.

Well, I had my "heart transplant" (Ezekiel 11:19)back in January 1989 when I was pregnant with my first baby. We grew up together, her and I. When she was crawling I was crawling (in the Spirit) too. When she was stumbling in learning to walk, I was too. When she was trying to be independant at the age of 2, I found I still had alot of that urge as well...And oooh the teen years. Turbulance, insecurity. Unfortunately, I had a teen spell too in my journey in the Lord. It is amazing what you come out of the teen years with though. Alot of pain, but oh so much gain for the way. Wisdom, understanding...of our need, our weakness, others' effects on us, etc. We couldn't jump over that area of life could we? Our God is so wise. So good.

I am so thankful for Jesus rescuing me from the dominion of darkness and transfering me into the kingdom of Light. New life. Eternal life. If you have time to listen, go over to the playlist and listen to "Deep Enough to Dream" by Chris Rice. Let the lyrics transport you to the eternal. The wonder of Heaven. Seeing and touching His loving and gentle, sweet face. Oh, what will it be like?
I just thought of another song I will have to go back and add to the list by Mercy Me..."I Can Only Imagine"... Will I dance? Or be so weak in the knees that I will fall at His feet?

Halleluiah!! This world is not my home, I am just passing through...For now though, I better pass on to bed:)

The Spoils of Warfare

As many of my close friends are going through times of testing/valleys right now, I am reminded of a newsletter I recieved when I was in a very difficult time. It was by David Wilkerson. He talked about the Israelites going to war, conquering the promised land. Many times as they took a city, they returned with spoils from thier warfare which were then dedicated to the Lord and used in His service.

I was so encouraged to know that God was producing something in my life in the darkness that He would use for His glory. It gave me hope. Hope gives endurance. I have great joy now as I comfort others with the same comfort that the Lord gave me in my trials. What I learned, He is using for His purposes.

He is so faithful and good. I will even say that I count it a privelege now that I went through the valley because it gives me such joy to lift others up. To be able to understand and relate to what they are going through. To know how to fight for them with the Word of God and Praise. Oh the things He taught me when I was helpless and frail, buffeted by the enemy, sifted and upheld only by the Savior interceeding for me and the power of His blood.

Amazing Grace!! Oh I'll sing it again!! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me...
and then chooses to allow me to be yolked with Him in His Kingdom building.

And we know in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

Many times when I need encouragement from the Lord it comes on the radio...Today, "I can feel your Presence here with me..."

Sometimes in my daily tasks, I can forget the nearness of God. I forget that He is ever-present with me. That He lives inside of me. Then other times I am overwhelmed with His nearness. Usually it is when I am vulnerable that I sense Him the strongest. I am so thankful for that grace. When my brother died 2 years ago. He carried me. When my son had surgery @ 6wks old, He carried me. I know He did, because I am too weak. I would have crumpled up without Him.

Tonight I went to a visitation. My little brother's sister-in-law was killed by a gunshot in the face. No one knows if it was suicide, homocide or an accident in a scurmish with the gun. All that is known (I think) is that her and her husband were having troubles and they were together when it happened (in their house) last Friday.

As I went around the funeral home looking at the picture boards, I saw a typical family. I saw pictures of her wedding. They looked so happy, like a typical couple on their wedding day, and I thought HOW? How does it go from happy beginnings to such tragic endings? Sorrow filled my heart when I thought of the hope we have in our Savior and how that hope must have been missing in this couple's home. Oh, how grieved I am. O Jesus, please wrap your arms around their family and bring them awareness of your Presence with them. Help them find comfort in your arms. Help them understand that You are good. Thank you that you know what happened. I pray that the truth would come out and there would be healing and restoration.

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3

By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me-a prayer to the God of my life.
Psalm 42:8


The Lord is for me.
The Lord is on my side.
The Lord watches over me.
The Lord rejoices over me with singing.
The Lord will never leave me or forsake me.

I am reminding myself of very basic truths that seem to be lost on days when I feel a "cloud" overhead. I think I had a bit of a virus the past few days. Headache, bodyaches...and I kept having to fight off a gloominess or a fearful feeling. Alot of times when that happens I feel guilty. Or I feel like I am a victim of the feelings. Yesterday, I prayed. I recalled that the Lord remembers that I am dust and can't overcome without Him, so I prayed. I asked Him to give me freedom from the feelings.

He did. He encouraged me. Today I am feeling free. It helps that the sun is out and it is warmer outside. I think the long winters in Wisconsin can feed into a feeling of gloominess. But I know I am supposed to rejoice in the Lord always. And every day is one He has made. Oh that I could remember to look above the clouds on those days to see the faithfulness of the Sonshine...

Another reminder of my humanity. My need for Jesus. I am so grateful for His mercy. His grace. His loving-kindness. I am so thankful for His word recording the prayers of His servants in Psalms. That I know I am not alone in this struggle.

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. Psalm 42: 5,6a

Garments of Holiness

I am currently reading the KJV of the One Year Bible. I love the one year versions. This is my 6th or 7th year of reading through the Bible;  it is a rich experience. If you have not done it, I recommend it and you will keep going. Such satisfying daily bread. I have also read NIV, and NLT.

Today's OT reading is in Exodus 28:1-43. In verse 2 God is talking to Moses:"And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty." My heart landed on those words holy garments...for glory...for beauty...That is Jesus, what He is and what He has clothed us with. His garments of righteousness (holy garments) for glory and beauty.

Then He goes on to say; "And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office." (v.3)

Following is the description, in glorious detail, of how they are to make the priestly garments. Including a description of the ephod with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel engraved on two stones, which will be worn on the shoulders of the ephod. The priest carries the burdens of the beloved on his shoulders. "for a memorial" (v.12) Reminding the Lord whose are His. We, His beloved, can picture Jesus with our names written on Him as he lives to make intercession for us before God. (see Hebrews 7:25) So this picture is of Jesus, but also of us who are of the royal priesthood. (1 Peter 2:9) We are called as well to make intercession, bearing the names of His people as we come to the throne room. We cry out, "Lord, remember these..."

We, like the OT priests, need to prepare ourselves by cleansing (with confession), we too must be clothed in holy garments, the robes of Christ's righteousness. We too represent His glory and beauty. Oh the wonder of our calling!

Some of the elements of this garment are: gold, blue, purple, scarlet and fine twined linen. Kingly colors and textures. Do we really appear as royalty before our God? YES! Oh what we have in Christ! What a high calling! What a privelege!

Now look at verse 29, "And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually." Jesus...continually bearing our names before the Father, us...continually bearing one another before the father (Ephesians 6: 18). Have you ever prayed unceasingly? I'm sure you have, when there is a situation in a dear one's life that is beyond human ability to aleviate or help. We pray, pray, pray. I have a couple of situations right now that are constantly on my mind and I am continually bringing them to the Lord.

Now, look at v.36,38 "And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD."...And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord."

We know that Jesus is our offering, our "Holy Gift" and that as we wear the inscription upon our foreheads (as we are set apart, made holy,) we are accepted before the Lord. Read v 41; And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office.

What a profound picture of our Savior as well as our calling. We are to be consecrated (distinct, holy, set apart) and pursuing the throne of our Father on behalf of the Church. This encourages me and challenges me to be more diligent. To be more prayerful. To have a greater understanding of what the prayers of the saints mean to God. May He increase our knowledge of Him and fill us with the spirit of wisdom and revelation.

Thank you, Father for all you have given us in ability to see and understand Jesus and all He has done for us. Thank you too for your high call on our lives which can only be fulfilled by the Holy Spirit living in us and the garments you have clothed us with. We love and adore you. Amen.