Being Set Free

I Corth. 12:4-11

2008-11-09T14:40:00.000-08:00

gifts - charisma , grace , one receives without any merit of one's self.
ministries- administration, act of over seer- service
activities- operation or a work, a demonstration of power

Jesus is LORD when He is the owner .

the gifts are to profit the body of Christ.
if we misuse or deny that these gifts exist , we are misrepresenting the spirit of the living God.

the gifts are given by the same spirit .

next week we will get a better idea about how we all fit together as a body.

my notes that I took Nov. 9 , 2008 while listening to Pastor Richard .
There was something in this lesson that is of the greatest importance.
I trust God to reveal to me how He would want me to use the gifts and how to not deny the power of the Spirit.

Princess

2007-10-15T22:08:00.000-07:00

Story shared with me from Peggy P

Her name was Princess, and it suited her perfectly. She was half German shepherd and bore the beauty of that breed. She had a sweet and gentle nature but could be very protective of those she loved if need arose. She wasn’t easily provoked, but she did have her limits, and a pesky, ugly, neighbor’s dog harassed her to no end. The dog would stand in the middle of the street and bark continuously at Princess. She usually ignored the dog completely, but I guess one day she’d had enough because the neighbors told us they had to take the dog to the vet to stitch up her stomach after Princess got through with her. They threatened to shoot her if she came back into their yard. We didn’t have a fence to keep her in and the agitator out so we had no choice but to chain Princess to her doghouse in the backyard. This was humiliating to Princess, and not acceptable because you see her “other half” was Red-bone hound, and she loved to hunt…rabbits, in particular. We had found this out some time before this happened. She had quit eating her dog food, and we couldn’t figure out why until another neighbor (this one lived behind us) told us that Princess went out early every morning into the woods behind our house and caught her a rabbit for breakfast. I guess dog food seemed mighty bland after that. I’m sure as she lay there day end and day out all she thought about was how good those rabbits tasted because one day she broke free and ran away, taking her chain with her. She didn’t come back, and we looked and looked and called and called. Princess belonged to my son, Jeff and he was devoted to her. He was determined to find her. I don’t remember how long it was before we found her, but we finally heard her barking and followed the sound as it led us into the woods. We found her bound tightly. Her chain had wrapped around a tree and held her to it. She couldn’t move. All she could do was bark, calling out for help. She and my son had a joyous reunion.
I wish I could tell you that the story ended happily ever after, but it didn’t. Chaining wasn’t the answer (we hated doing it anyway), and we certainly didn’t want her shot. We took her to my dad’s house, and he gave her to a man who rode her around in his pickup truck and bragged to every one he saw about her great hunting skills. This was a mistake because one day someone stole her out of his truck. I just hope whoever it was treated her well and gave her the respect she deserved. She was a very special dog and was loyal to my son and our family. I know he still thinks about her and misses her. I know I do.
I was thinking about her this very morning and God used that memory to teach me something. He’s so good at that. You know that dogs were not meant to be chained up. Neither were we, but we come into this world exactly that, born in Adam, chained up to the god of this world, Satan and under the authority of his kingdom. But, praise God, Jesus Christ has set us free from him. All we have to do is ask Him, and He will cut us loose. We run free, not realizing we still have that old chain dragging behind us just looking for an opportunity to trip us up and get a stranglehold on us. What is that chain? Well, it could be childhood abuse, rejection, addiction, or our own bad choices. I could go on. Every link is designed by the enemy to cripple and hold us down. Remember Princess? All she could do was call for help from someone who cared about her. We do the same things, but sometimes it looks and sounds strange. We may reach for a drink or a drug, overeat or look for love in the wrong places. All are calls for help; all futile attempts to get free. God says He has good plans and special purposes for our lives. How does one get free enough to accomplish that? We loved Princess enough to pursue and rescue that beautiful creature. How much more does God love you and want you free from all that would keep you from your destiny? He’s given us Jesus, His wonderful Word full of His promises, authority to us the name of Jesus and the Holy Ghost. Plenty to untangle anyone and everyone.
You do know that if you belong to Jesus you are royalty, King’s kids, don’t you? There’s a popular secular song entitled, “Unchained Melody.” It’s a very popular song and my husband and I love it and claim it as our own special song, but the real “Unchained Melody” comes straight from the Father’s heart. He wants His sons and daughters (Princes and Princesses) to walk free, free from Satan and his kingdom, free from the past, with head held high, and showing forth His glory. Halleujah!

Blessed Be the Name of the LORD

2006-12-22T19:28:00.000-08:00

A conversation with a fellow the other day prompts this blog. In one way what he said , sounded okay. Only it was not okay. Someone was stressed out and he commented about how the stuff that was going on , it was nothing compared to what his life had been like just a year prior.
I do this sometimes, I think , how much better today is compared to when.......
It is better and I do not want you to think I am not grateful.
What I want you to hear, is that I am grateful for back then ..............too.
Blessed be the name of the LORD, He gives and He takes away, I choose in my heart to say, blessed be the name of the LORD.
This means I believe He was a good God then, He is a good God now, and I believe He will be a good God for ever more.
If this sounds hard to do, looking back, may I suggest don't look back.
The next time you are stuck in the slowest line at the grocery store, do it then.
Blessed be the name of the Lord, last time You helped me pick a fast line, blessed be the name of the LORD , this time you took away that favor, I choose in my heart to say, Blessed be the name of the LORD.

Waiting On the Holy Spirit

2006-09-08T08:02:00.000-07:00

So what happened to the Bible Study?
Actually no one asked. So I guess this was not a group effort after all. However, there is a group and we are praying. I personally find it liberating to have an avenue to express what I sense the Holy Spirit is revealing to me. It is as though my willingness to share is blessed by even more of His Spirit and as one of those boats I talked about in the last post, the wind seems to hit my sails and off I go.
The posts from the Breaking Free workbook may not be posted as a daily post. There is a desire in my heart to be set free and when I sense that there are still strongholds that need to be broken , I want to come back and work through my Breaking Free workbook. In it is a treasury of God's word that ministered and helped Beth Moore and many others see the truth. That truth is that Jesus did come to destroy the works of the devil. He did come that we might have life and life more abundantly. There are not to be any strongholds able to change that. It is the truth. The truth does not change with levels of our faith. It does not change with levels of our obedience to God. Truth is truth. The culture that we live in has completely taught us to ignore truth as fact. It is that re-training of our minds that we so desperately need. It is called , the renewing of our minds actually. It is called, learning to bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
There is only one way that I know this process can be done correctly. That is that it line up with God's word . The Holy Spirit is vital to the word of God being a living word . Study and fact finding alone will never lead you to the truth that will set you free.

2006-06-01T04:28:00.000-07:00

Our boats are ready . We are on the water, our sails have been cared for and made ready for a long trip. (allegorical analogy , water : accepting Jesus as the Way . sails : minds filled with God's word.)" Go ye out and be fishers of men, " comes the cry. So out we want to go . Is our boat moving ? Well, slowly , I seem to be rowing instead of sailing. Could it be that my sails are not up ? Could it be that I by myself can not raise them high enough to fully catch the wind ? When I am with others and I pray a wonderful thing happens . As one begins to pray and then another and another their words are coming up as mirrors to line up with the will of our Father. My turn will come, "what should I pray ?" I think of a prayer and decide when the time is right , I will say my prayer. A silence, I hesitate, someone else begins to pray. She is praying the prayer that was in my mind to pray. She is saying the things I had thought about to say. Oh, how wonderful and joyful is my soul. The Holy Spirit had given me a prayer that would line up with the will of our Father ! In my mind and heart I readily agree with her and in our spirits we are of one accord. There is "Joy in the Holy Ghost !" There is joy when we allow the freedom for the Holy Spirit to flow ! What if we never prayed together ? Of course it is not a must. You can row a boat even if it is made for sailing.
Another wind giving opportunity is when we share the bread of life with one another. Jesus, of course is the bread of life.When I share what He has shown me in His word , I feel that I have shared Jesus with whoever listened. Jesus is the best thing that ever happened to me , I want to share ! When I share what He has given me I feel that I have done something akin to what is done during group prayer meetings. I have spoken out what the Holy Spirit showed me, now possibly someone else is being blessed . In group Bible Studies when I share what answer I put for the question , I am saying ,"I am willing to share what I have." It might be wrong. Always remember that. However, it might sound a lot like your answer . Oh what a blessing it would be to the group if you would share your answers too !
I exhort you to find at least one prayer partner and have at least one person you are willing to share "some " of your answers to the questions with. Annette and I are always hoping to increase our circle of friends ,either one of us would be delighted to be that prayer partner or Bible Study confidant. However, if you would like us to pray with you that the LORD help you find that person with whom you can share, consider it done. Tell one of us that you want us to pray though. We are led by the Holy Spirit , but we do not read minds.
Join with us now ! The more the better !

Hezekiah

2006-05-18T21:09:00.000-07:00

What I got out of reading about Hezekiah :
He really had a pride problem. I just recently discovered that I to have this problem and it shows up a lot like it did for Hezekiah.
I always want to have the answers. Even when I try to not have the answers, I am there , with the answers.
Beth Moore said she has gotten so that she just asks God everyday to forgive her for her pride. Whether she realizes it or not.
Later on we are going to study the removing of obstacles,and oh good, one of those obstacles is pride.
Actually , I think my problem started a lot like these guys problem.
They just did not understand the whole offering and sacrifice thing.
Unfortunately a person can go to church for years and no one know, not even one's own self know that "they just haven't got it."
Since I did not understand from the beginning that it was His sacrifice for me , that I was to do nothing but be thankful, there was no right way and wrong way to do that. Years and years of pride have built up in me.
What didn't happen overnight, seldom is removed overnight.
I did say seldom. I do not doubt those stories of people who are radically changed when Jesus comes into their hearts. But I know a whole lot more who are going through a process of being transformed by the renewing of our minds.

Reign Of Ahaz (cont.)

2006-04-30T21:30:00.000-07:00

The question is:

Why do you think we make this kind of choice at times ?

Here are some of the reasons I have come up with .

I want credit for my victories.

I want approval for getting my own victory.

I want to prove it can be done by "the rules."

I want to feel valuable and important.

I want to prove I am smart.

Is 7: 13 (my comment) will I weary God by continuing to do it my way ?

Question:
Why is God so patient according to 2 Peter 3:9 ?

He is wanting all to come to repentance.

Question:
Why were the high places accessible to the young and impressionable Ahaz?

King Ussiah had not removed them.

As I reflect on our Bible Study this past week I think how it must be a human trait to worship idols. Worship and how you do it has been a great concern of our LORD's from the beginning and I know I still have a lot to learn. Making Him a God that wants me to do certain things to please Him, takes away from Who He really is. Almost like making Him an image. Letting Him be a the God Who accepts me just as I am, and lets me worship Him in Spirit and in Truth gives me freedom and joy.

Day 3 A

2006-04-15T06:27:00.000-07:00

How I came to have this to share : I asked the Holy Spirit to show me if any of these people or circumstances were similar to anything in my life.

Temptation to worship idols. Man pleasing , worshiping and serving my God not by how the Holy Spirit was leading me, but by the way my peers were suggesting I do it.
Reading about Ahaz just reminded me of where I had been, (and am still being set free from.)
The attitude the Northern Kingdom, before and after their dealings with the South Kingdom jolted me.
How easy it is to become no better than your worst enemy.
If you do not keep a right heart before God the very ones you are so against , their ways, start creeping in to your own life and start becoming your ways.
Maybe this is what David was aware of when he definitely made limits as to what he would say and do , when it came to dealing with King Saul. "Touch not God's anointed ,do my prophets no harm." was his reason for not ending a life of harassment and persecution from an enemy that wanted to destroy him.
This temptation to think I know what God would want for people really is one I have to guard against.
Like the Northern Kingdom , more than once I have found out, my attitude was not lining up with God's.
Present day, read the sermon on the mount, Matt 5. All of that doesn't make sense in a world like ours. Just like it did not make sense to the Northern Kingdom probably. Some guy might of thought, "aren't we suppose to get to make slaves from those we conquer ?" And God said, "NO !"
The other line of thought that came to me was "what to do after you have already fallen into temptation and realized you have made a big mistake." Oh , I am not suggesting God is not sovereign and that He is not going to work everything together for good. Actually that is where I use to start meditating on His word was when some calamity had befallen me and I would quote that scripture over and over. It was not for years that I began to see that God expects us to love Him with our minds ,our gift of reason ,is for a reason.
And I began to ask God to show me if there was some reason for this problem. When the Holy Spirit would bring conviction , it felt good. I would confess my sin to God ,Who is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse of all unrighteousness.
Then I knew I had given into a temptation but I was forgiven .
Then I needed to know "my way of escape." He was and I know He will always be faithful to reveal that "way" to me. It is what is referred to as finding "the Lord in your situtation." Jesus is the WAY.
I know that the words in I Corth 10:13 mean for me ,that even if I have fallen into temptation and now have problems that I would not have if I had not fallen. He still is my help in time of need and will make a way of escape for me. For His grace is sufficient for me in my weaknesses. If I look to Him, the author and the finisher of my faith, He will start right where I am and begin a way for me.
Those guys in the North were tempted to keep all that they had gained from battle but when God said "NO." They gave it up. Praise God. We too can give up whatever we think we would gain by doing things the worlds way. We can give it back and say, "Here you can have it." And we can turn around and go towards the kingdom of heaven. Though our free gifts of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost may not buy many groceries, it won't have to. We can count on our God to keep us, for He has created us to do His will.

Breaking Free Day Two

2006-04-12T20:55:00.000-07:00

Knowing exactly what the LORD would want me to do each day use to be a real concern for me. Then as I realized , it is not so much "what " I do but "how" I do it that mattered most to the LORD, I knew rather than seek His "word" on "what to do " my time would be better spent on seeking His "Holy Spirit" to come and nurture me so that I could do, "as He wants me to do."

When you have loved ones in need it is very tempting (there is that word from yesterday) to attempt to do stuff that will benefit them.
I could picture myself, a little Uzzaih taking my oil and going in to bless the LORD , in my own strength, in my own way.
I know the far better way , is to let " the LORD build the house, or we labor in vain."

As I am waiting for the Spirit of the LORD to come upon me, and then "do"something, I am at peace because He will be faithful to build the house and it will be a house that will stand and not fall down when the winds of adversity come.

I think "leprosy " was a sign that signified rebellion, as that was what Marian ( remember Moses sister ) was smote with when she spoke up against him. She was forgiven and pardoned. So can we be for our times when we have gone ahead and done something in our own power (and idea ) rather than waiting on the Spirit .

Breaking Free Day One

2006-04-12T20:51:00.000-07:00

As I was doing day one I just had a little something I wanted to share.
Hopefully when you see just how little it is , you will also be encouraged to just share little insights you get.

Proverbs 8:13 The fear of the LORD [is] to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

Write your thoughts on how a person can avoid falling to the temptation of pride when he or she meets with success. Conclude by giving prayerful consideration to the example we've seen today.

How does God want you to respond to what He showed you today?

I have realized you can not be Christ like, with out Christ within you, pouring His Spirit through you to do those thing.

So when I think about avoiding temptation I think, "what did Jesus do ?" Then I ask Him, to do that in me, through me.

Jesus was able to speak to the tempter, and say, "It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God."

Jesus was able to say, "Get thee behind me satan, for it is written , thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve."

Jesus also said, "thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God."

I believe in those three statements somewhere Jesus gave me the victory over the temptation of pride. Jesus was a success. He did exactly what His Heavenly Father wanted Him to do.