Victory Is The Lord's

So many times we read the story about the miracles Israel experienced within and outside of their Egyptian captivity (Exodus). I believe, sometimes, we take this and superimpose it over our own stories or situations and expect the same outcome; we want the wealth of Egypt BEFORE our desert time. 

But, what if the Lord wants to get “the Egypt” out of you BEFORE weighing you down with the provision for the promise? What if God needs to teach you how to walk following His cloud by day and fire by night? What if He needs to show you how to eat daily and not store up for tomorrow? What if He wants to show you how He plans to give you a miraculous path to safety? What if He is showing you how to not build idols in the midst of your waiting and/or frustration? If we can’t embrace, learn and walk in our desert; we will never properly steward the wealth of the Promise. 

We also need to stop boxing God into the ways we believe and give Him free reign; we need to simply believe He will handle all things in His perfection. He promised it, it will be.

Just thinkin’ out loud...

We all like to talk about Saul’s conversion to Paul. Because it was so out-of-the-blue crazy and amazing; but we tend to skip over key verses. In Acts 9:15, the Lord declares to Ananias who he has called Saul to be. Then in verse 16, we breeze over the sentence of the Lord saying, “I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

So many people want the amazing and miraculous ministry that Paul functioned in, yet they don’t want to walk through the suffering that Paul walked through. Paul rejoiced in every single bit of his persecution, blindness and imprisonment. This is where the verse Philippians 1:21 is birthed! You know, the one we flippantly quote yet don’t want to walk in the fullness of? This verse (and the ones surrounding it) is Paul’s realization that nothing in this earth’s tangibility has more value than to live as Christ lived...sacrificially.

In our current society, our wimpy, wishy-washy “Christian” life; we have been functioning like a dimmer switch deciding how brightly we want to shine or lowering it down because we don’t want to offend. We look for the loopholes and the gray areas that we can comfortably walk in, rest in and live in. But we need to be living like a regular switch; pick one!! You are off or you are on! This life is black and white, vastly contrasting, no mixture; no luke-warmness! There cannot be mixture if you want to live and function in the miraculous, in the calling the Lord has set upon you! We are called to be set apart; going out into the world, not to become it. We have to live like Paul wrote, “to Live is Christ, to die is gain.”

Paul did not become Paul until after the death of Saul. He had to die to his flesh, he had to die to the life that he once knew n order to live the life that he was called into. That old life of his put fear into other people, but his new life brought hope. What life are you living? Is it a fleshly one or a Holy Spirit filled one?

“But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.” Acts‬ ‭9:15-16, 21-22‬ (‭NIV‬‬)

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:21‬ ‭(NIV‬)

February 9, 2021

Church, Are you building Kingdom or your own “livelyhood”? The shaking has not ceased, the purifying fires are being turned up hotter than ever! Are you ready to declare “but if not” to leave everything you know behind you to step forward into the unknown?  

#prioritycheck #upsidedownkingdom #audienceofone

“So the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered together for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up; and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.”

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated.”
‭‭Daniel‬ ‭3:3, 5-6, 16-19‬ ‭(NKJV‬‬)

I heard someone sharing some historical details the other day that left me in awe and I really wanted to share it with you.

In our Bibles, we read of the night Jesus was born. These scriptures are read year after year and yet, this year, after hearing this new bit of knowledge; I'm undone.

"So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:4-12 (NIV)

Back in that day, in the Jewish culture, the manger was made of stone and chiseled in it was the well where they would put the hay for the feeding trough. However, when the lambs were born, the most pristine, unblemished lamb would be taken, wrapped and placed in that manger to keep it safe from predators. This protected, pristine, unblemished lamb was to be for the annual sacrifice; the atonement for the household's sins. 
So, when the Angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds and told them their long-awaited Messiah was born, wrapped and lying in a manger; they knew exactly what that meant. 
The Messiah born was the pristine, unblemished lamb that would be the atonement for the sins of the world. The King of Kings, not wearing a crown but born in a barn and laid in a feeding trough; protected from those that would hunt Him down. 

Not one detail of the Scriptures we read is without God's multi-faceted purpose woven and breathed into them. The only thing missing from these living words is our revelation of them.
What a gift!

I pray as we close out this year and move into the next one; we walk humbly, we speak boldly, we remain surrendered to God's Voice and open to all the revelation, wisdom and discernment needed to take each step forward. 
May our Lord continue to bless you, keep you, HIs Beautiful Face shine brightly upon you and wrap you in His Peace.

Merry Christmas to you all.