WAIT!

"From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it."  (Matthew 11: 12, niv)

That verse excites me.  It tends to get my adrenaline flowing.  Especially during the last few years.  I have seen men and women developing a pursuit of God; to become more Christ-like in deeds, not just in word and the result has been watching more of heaven beginning to flow on the earth.  When people carry the fragrance of Jesus with them, people who have never had much desire for God are suddenly being drawn to Him.  That is good, good stuff.  Among the true followers of Jesus, momentum is gained.  With this momentum we need to

PROCEED WITH CAUTION!

I am a huge hockey fan.  I've watched the game close enough and long enough that I can almost predict how some games will be played out  after only 5-10 minutes are played, especially if a team comes out with a high level of adrenaline.  I've watched a lot of games where a team will start the game with such adrenaline and emotion that they seemed determined to completely dominate and destroy the opposition, but then gradually something begins to suddenly happen.  If that flow of adrenaline is not tempered and even controlled, it eventually burns down.  When that happens the game often quickly turns.  I've watched teams play invincible hockey for a solid 10 minutes.  Problem is there is another 50 minutes to go and when that burn out hits, the ice level begins to tilt the other way.

There is an expanding number of people who are becoming more excited about the Lord.  A lot of energy is being renewed.  Spiritual battles between good and evil; light and darkness are being played out right before our eyes on both the local and national fronts.  It's as if we have suddenly been inserted right into the middle of a Frank Peretti book.  People are seeking miracles, signs and wonders like I've never experienced before in my lifetime.  For those who are really after the heart of Jesus it is very easy right now to experience that extra rush of energy and passion.  We are really wanting to make a strong push to make sure that others will see the powerful love of God and in itself that is a good thing. But also in the middle of all this I believe God is bringing a warning.   We need to make sure that before we move and act, even if something appears to be logical, or even of common sense, time needs to be allowed to hear plainly from the Lord.

"There is a way that seems right to man, but its end is the way of death." (Proverbs 14:12)

In other words let us make sure that our thoughts, plans and actions are endorsed by the Lord.  Last Sunday morning as I was contemplating how a certain situation needed to be handled, I felt the Lord reminding me to wait on Him and to rest in Him.  We need to give the Lord time to make it plain to us if the paths that we think we should take, are the paths that He wants us to take.  We need to follow the example of Jesus and take the time to spend time alone with the Father, seeking His guidance and strength.  If we forget, or refuse to do this we will end up like in the hockey team scenario that I described above.  We can't forget to "selah," as the psalmist would often instruct.

Within the last 5 minutes and while writing this, I believe the Lord just revealed something else to me.  In these days there will be times for many of us when God's path doesn't make sense to us, but He will ask us to do it anyway.  When we have an idea, a thought which seems right, we hope for confirmation from Lord that we are hearing correctly.  If we get it then it becomes easy and maybe even fun to do.  Now what if God shows us a way that doesn't seem right, or doesn't make sense?  That's a bit more difficult.  If we want the full blessing of God in our lives then we better be obedient.  In this case it may even have a cost to it, but the reward will be great.  It is only in finding times of waiting and meditating on the Lord that we will have that strength and peace to be obedient and to have peace that we are indeed hearing correctly from the Lord.  I will never forget something that I heard Bill Johnson of Bethel Redding say:  "Show me somebody who will earnestly pray without a crisis and I'll show you someone who will solve the crisis when it comes."  We need to earnestly pray BEFORE critical situations arise and then we will be fully equipped to face them when they come.

 While talking to a friend this week on the phone about the frustration and hurt of dealing with a really tough situation, the Lord reminded me of a time where He cautioned Israel, but they would not listen.  Let me take you for a moment to Isaiah 30:15.

"This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel says: "Only in returning to Me and resting in Me will you be saved.  In quietness and confidence is your strength."  (God was letting Israel know what they needed to do so that they would come out on top of a difficult situation.  Israel, however, had their own plans, which I'm sure at the time seemed like common sense ideas to them.  Let's find out what the Lord said next.)

"......But you would have none of it.  You said, 'No, we will get our help from Egypt.  They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.'  But the only swiftness you are going to see is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you!  One of them will chase a thousand of you.  Five of them will make all of you flee.  You will be left like a lonely flagpole on a hill, or a tattered banner on a distant mountaintop."  (And then the Lord concludes with this bit of understanding, showing His patience and grace.)  "So the Lord must wait for you to come to Him so He can show you His love and compassion.  For the Lord is a faithful God.  Blessed are those who WAIT for His help."


It's so easy to get excited about the times we are in.  On another extreme, people can get so excited about going after the miracles that they forget to spend time seeking the ONE that makes the miracle possible.   It's so easy to want to make things happen.  But even if our intentions are good, if we forget to wait and hear from the Lord; if we forget to spend time in the Word, meditating on the scriptures and the Lord, then we will find that many of our labors will be in vain.  I remember one time telling the Lord that I wanted to see and experience great  miracles and healings.  I wanted to see them so badly.  I  remember the answer that the Lord came back to me with.  "If you concern yourself with the things of My heart and the things that  matter most to Me; the rest will follow."  I took that message from the Lord to heart and have tried to do as the Lord instructed me.  As a result, I have seen more of my prayers answered quickly and in many cases the intervention from the Lord has been even  more than I expected.

I believe this is a timely message from the Lord that He wants many to hear.  Many who read this are relating right now to the struggle of not knowing what to do while in the middle of a difficult situation.  Go back and meditate on the scriptures above and let me encourage you with this well loved passage of scripture:

"Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary.  His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to [those who have] no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the LORD Shall renew [their] strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31)

Be encouraged!


Waiting with you,
Mark S.

"....and when you FAST....."

"Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them....................................."

"And when you pray you shall not be like the hypocrites....................................."

"Moreover, when you fast, you shall not be like the hypocrites, with  a sad countenance................."

The above are three different topics that Jesus addresses in Matthew 6.  Giving.  Praying.  Fasting.

Which of those three is seldom, if ever, talked about today among Christians or in most churches?  Then, I ask the question why?  You hear often about giving.  It's a given that we are supposed to have a prayer life.  But fasting?  Really?  Yet in that chapter Jesus addresses each issue as if it's a given that His followers would participate in all three.

To be honest with you I never fasted all that much.  Occasionally, maybe, but with great distance between and often I would  lose focus during my day or time of fasting.  That has all changed this year.  Too be honest, many of the thoughts I share with you now are out of a book that I've fallen in love with, but they are thoughts and convictions that I now embrace.

Let me explain as to how this came to be.

Immediately after the New Year, I felt compelled to visit a new church in Madison (where I live in Ohio).  I told my wife and friends that I was only going to check it out and see what it was all about.  I've never left.  There were three things that stood out to me when I visited HOPP (House of Prayer and Praise).  First, I experienced an incredible passion for Jesus coming off the pastor and the people there.  It was very real and the people were sincere in their worship.  There didn't seem to be an urgency to create a certain atmosphere or setting, but that was left up to the Holy Spirit.  There was kind of a pursuit of Christ that I could sense inside the building.  Now, it's hard to explain the second, but I felt like you do when you go back home after being away for a very long time.   I also heard the Lord whisper to me, "This is where I want to use you."  Like we often foolishly do when the Lord speaks, I remember thinking that what I "thought" I heard was only my imagination, because I was enjoying the service so much.  Was I ever mistaken on that.  But the third thing that stood out was when  Pastor Steve held up a book and announced that it was the churches book of the year and that everyone should read it.  It  was a book on FASTING.  How different.  We are in an era where there are church movements embracing what I've come to call a "feel good gospel," where sin is rarely addressed because Jesus loves us so much that He covers over any sin; because we are really royalty in God's eye.  Now I agree with that..................100% and I will often preach that myself.  There is another element though, that seldom gets addressed  and that is that while the previous sentence is true, sin is still sin.  Christ will cover it, but we need to stop the sin, and that part of the message often gets a gentle touch at most.  Because of that people either think they can stay in their sin. or have no knowledge as to how to get out of it.  As a result many miss out on God's best for their lives, or think they have security when they really don't.   So often it's all about what Jesus can do for you.  Seldom is it about what you can do for Jesus.

Anyway, I'm chasing the rabbit down the trail and need to stop.  I'm 50 years old and have been trying to become more and more like Christ, especially with more urgency over the last several years.  Over the last few months, however,  my relationship with God has grown much deeper and it's much more personal.  I told someone recently that I can actually feel God's presence everyday.  That is so hard to explain and it may even be harder for some to understand.  You know that feeling you get when you think someone is watching you?  That's exactly it.  I can feel the Lord and know that His presence is with me.  What has happened?  Why the difference?  FASTING!.  Now some religious spirit will say right about now that you should never tell people that you fast.  Not really true.  We talk about praying.  We talk about giving or tithing.  Why not fasting?  Jesus expected His followers to fast.  It was a part of life.  What Jesus said was that when you fast don't make it obvious.  Don't look sad and miserable.  There are only a few close people that know on which day of the week I fast and I guarantee that I will never let people that I am around everyday see a difference in my character on those days.  I recently told my wife that I actually sometimes get excited the night before I start.

Why?

Fasting has made me more aware of God's heart.  I want what God wants.  I know that I will experience more of God.  It's unbelievable how I see the Lord's hand in my day to day life.  I have some pretty amazing testimonies from people that I've prayed for since starting to fast on a regular basis.  The peace I have, even in more difficult moments that arise is indescribable.  On days I fast and even in the days that follow I feel stronger spiritually, not weaker.  I don't worry about wondering if I'm in God's will.  Instead, He seems to make things more clear.

Now why am I telling you this?  To boast?  No and God forbid.  If you've read this blog or known me for very long, you know why.  I desire to encourage you.  If you've been struggling, maybe wondering why God doesn't seem to be involved in your life, or maybe everything just seems to be in a confused state around you: may I encourage you to look more into this lost act of worship.  Fasting will help you stop living with one foot in the ways of the world.   It will change everything.  I am so confident that it will.  My only caution would be if you have a medical condition, then you need to seek the Lord on this, or find some other way to fast other than to give up food.

I could go on and on, but I will close by simply encouraging you to get a copy of the book, "FASTING" by Jentezen Franklin.  This book makes fasting make sense.  Every question you could have on the subject is answered in this book.  If you've thought that there is no need to fast in our era, this book will show differently.  You will understand how we've been missing blessings from God because we've misplaced this act of obedience and worship.  One of the things that  kept me drawn to this book is that it is built around scripture, which is very important to me, especially when I try to discern what is and what is not pure to God.

A lot of the faith heroes fasted.  Moses, Daniel, Ezra, Paul and the Apostles are just a few that come to mind. Great results followed them.  Mostly, I think of Jesus fasting.  If the Son of God felt as though fasting needed to be a part of His life, how much more should it be for me?

Jesus said: When you give ........(charitable deeds)
                   When you pray........
                      When you fast.........

Prayerfully,
Mark S.

"CRY FOR THE DESERT"

"I will cry for the desert
When He's bleeding from His heart and soul
Die for the desert
And remove my hands from what I hold

Deeper in my heart I will hear Him call
Deeper in my heart I will give it all
Deeper in my heart

I will cry for the desert"

I was in Christian radio when Twila Paris released the album "Cry for the Desert" somewhere around 1990. I was instantly drawn to the title song. I can't remember what inspired Twila to write the song, nor if there was a specific scripture that she took it from, but I can tell you how it spoke to me. Besides being able to feel the passion that went into the song, it caused me to think of how the Father must feel at times as He watches His children run after temporary pleasures. Seeking them for fulfillment while very seldom seeking Him. I would wonder if God would bleed from His heart at all the corruption, hate and crime in the world, too. His beautiful creation. Think of how a good earthly father or mother feels when they pour their heart and soul into their children, loving them with everything they have, only to see that child in constant trouble or making painful mistakes. Like it or not, it happens a lot in society. It's gut wrenching and heart breaking. It will rip into your deepest places.

I'm not trying to be a downer today, but I do think that we need to consider God's feelings more than we do. We don't like to have our feelings hurt. Do you think with God that's different? Is it possible to break God's heart? Is it? People in general are pretty self centered. Here in the states it's the American way. When people get hurt, they take it very personally, sometimes wanting to inflict pain right back. When bad things happen we want an explanation. "If God is such a loving God then why did (you can fill in the rest) happen?" Today isn't the day for me to get into some theological debate about that, but God doesn't like it when horrible things happen anymore than we do. In fact it probably bothers God even more.

What exactly am I trying to say? I'm not even sure to be honest other than this:

I think we should consider God's feelings a whole lot more than we do while we are alive on the earth. I'm 49 and I still want my dad to be proud of me. I want him to be able to say, "That's my boy!" To this day I still hate knowing of times in my life, especially when I was younger, when I ripped dad and mom's heart out. It's made me never to want to do that again. How much more should I feel that way about ABBA? (That's not the singing group either!!!!!!!!!!!)

I've been reading the book of Ezekiel which isn't the easiest book to read, but I keep finding golden nuggets to hold on to as I work my way through. I came across this verse that reminded me of that Twila Paris song. In regards to His beloved chosen people who constantly found ways to be unfaithful to Him, God says "I was crushed by their adulterous heart which has departed from me............." When I read that word "crushed" it really made me ponder how we are capable of actually hurting God by our choices. Another verse, which would seem to tie in with that song by Twila Paris is Psalm 78:40: "How often they provoked Him in the wilderness and grieved him in the desert."

(In case you have never heard it, I will embed the song and video at the end of today's writing. If the instrumental music is playing don't forget to pause the mix-pod on the right side of the blog.)

I'm not trying to make anyone feel bad or convicted. I am simply saying that we need to consider God's heart  before we make certain choices. Relationship with God shouldn't be one sided with us always wondering what more God can do for us, even though it is His heart's desire to constantly bless us. We should want to also do things for God and desire to please Him and to do it with purpose and passion. That's what makes for a great relationship. The best kind of relationship. That, my friend, will help us to do an even better job of bringing heaven to earth, because we will have captured the Father's heart.

Even before Jesus came to earth the Father allowed His heart strings to be exposed in many different ways, many of which we can find in the scriptures. One of my new favorites is also in the book of Ezekiel. If your one of those tough guys who squirms a lot when someone talks about intimacy and tenderness, well............tough. Just remember what it is like for a 3 year old to want to climb up into a parent's lap of safety. Put your guard down a bit. That's exactly what God wants to do in relation to His children. Hear the richness and intimacy of God's love.................

"LATER I PASSED BY, AND WHEN I LOOKED AT YOU AND SAW THAT YOU WERE OLD ENOUGH FOR LOVE, I SPREAD THE CORNER OF MY GARMENT OVER YOU AND COVERED YOUR NAKEDNESS. I GAVE YOU MY SOLEMN OATH AND ENTERED INTO A COVENANT WITH YOU, DECLARES THE SOVEREIGN LORD, AND YOU BECAME MINE." (Ezekiel 16:8,NIV)

When I read that verse it reminds me of one of my favorite lines in that Twila Paris song: "Deeper in my heart I will hear Him call; Deeper in my heart I will give it all."

And I will cry for the desert. (sorry if there is an advertisement first)