Cleaning House - Spiritually Speaking

Cleaning House – Spiritually Speaking

I’ve been on a roll around my house.  Cleaning, organizing and tossing things out.  Some items that seemed important to keep only a year ago now must find themselves a new home.  The Wisconsin weather this summer has been unseasonably cool even for us and the frequent rains have made staying inside guilt free.  

Obviously I know that I am cleaning my physical house that I live in, but another part of me seems to be saying we must make room for future changes. Not necessarily physical ones. What I mean is, I feel the winds of change coming, and that I must take off everything that hinders and run the race marked out for me.

Hebrews 12:1-2  Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,  fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

This house cleaning is both physical and spiritual.  I read a journal entry that I wrote 17 years ago, 2 years before I came to know Christ. It made me shudder and part of me wanted to rip it up.  And yet I know it is a reality check to look back on the old degenerate me and see the changes that have taken place.  I will likely look back 17 years from now and see huge growth again.  I am being renewed day by day. I think to myself, how could God stand to be around me back then.  I was so unholy and self-focused that He had to work really hard to make a dent.   

As I move forward with my house cleaning I move forward, too, with a new understanding of the Bible.  I believe we were never meant to sit in churches on Sundays and then go right back into the world on Monday.  What I mean is this: we have power and most churches are not teaching the power of God.  Oh, they teach that Jesus had power, but that power is available to us as co-heirs of God because of Jesus. Sound like heresy?  Look again at your Scriptures, here are a few examples:

Ephesians 1:18-21  I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, ¹⁹ and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.  And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.  (emphasis added)

Romans 16:20   The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.  (emphasis added)

The bottom line comes down to this: There are four main groups or persons in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They are as follows:

Jesus

Disciples

Pharisees

Sick People

As we go through we can see where we are to fit in.  We are not to be the sick people, rather those laying hands on the sick.

We are not to be the religious Pharisees who were so caught up in the law that they missed and killed their Messiah.

Now there are only two left.  And most commonly thought is that we are to be disciples; well there is a problem with that.  The disciples in the Gospels had not received the gifting of the Holy Spirit yet.  It wasn’t until Jesus’ ascension to Heaven that the Holy Spirit was given at Pentecost.  Throughout the Gospels and before Jesus was crucified they had not been baptized with the Holy Spirit.  So if you have been baptized with the Holy Spirit to try to be like the disciples is like taking a step backward.

The only one to be like and learn from is Jesus.  He says numerous times in His word that we can ask anything in His name and it will be given to us.  Most preachers will say, “Well, He didn’t exactly mean that.”  I disagree with them; yes, yes He did mean exactly that.   The key is to operate in His power.  But you have to know who you are in Jesus first and you have to study Him regarding healing, miracles and signs and wonders.  To make room for what He has in store for us.

Ephesians 3:20  Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. (emphasis added)

This Christian walk isn’t simply a list of do’s and don’ts and be nice and kind, which build character. No wonder so many men and young people shy away from the traditional churches.  There is nothing wrong with character building; as a matter of fact, character is a large part of having your mind renewed. But so is the power.  And the pendulum has swung so far to one side for so long, I feel it making its move (if I can call it this) back to a balance of power.  

And I believe that is what I am cleaning house for.  

If you find Jesus boring, look again at the Scriptures, Jesus lived the dream and it is available to you, too.  By the dream, I mean He walked with constant communication with God and had the power to bring Heavenly resources to Earth.  He came here to show us how to walk, like the way God intended back in the book of Genesis.  Just saying….

Seeing Little Girls Through His Eyes

What did I learn from this visit to a women’s prison?

Well, for one I saw firsthand a section of humanity that is definitely seeking to know the Lord more.  About 60 beautiful ladies sat in a room where the temperature was about 95 degrees, without air conditioning and windows that didn’t open as the afternoon sun beat in all day.  They did not have to be there, they wanted to.  As they fanned themselves and wiped sweat from their faces it really made me wonder, if people on the outside knew ahead of time that these would be the conditions in their church, would they be so willing to sit for an hour and a half listening about Jesus’s love for them?

I am reminded once again that in a way the ladies behind bars are special and I can learn so much from their situation.  In my own life I know nothing better to chase after than the love of God.  With all the world’s distractions taken away from them they seek the One thing that can give them everything.  

Matthew 6:31-33  “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

What shall we eat?  They have little choice.

What shall we drink?  They have little choice.

What shall we wear?  They have only two choices.  They wore dark green pants and, because of a rare exception—a special event and the extreme heat, they were allowed to wear a gray T-shirt instead of the dark green top that matched the pants.

As I looked out while I spoke, I was touched by the fact that the playing field was leveled by everyone wearing the same clothes.  No makeup and no jewelry.  

But they wore a beautiful countenance as they soaked in the words the Lord gave me for them.  I have a couple copies of my book, Set Free From Darkness, in their library and I pray they know the love that God has for them.  I told them He set them apart so they would get quiet with Him and not to waste one moment.  As they are released to NEVER forget Him when the world gets busy.  Don’t let the world push Him out of the way; instead, keep Him first.  It resonated with some as they shared with me later or as they nodded their heads in agreement.  

I’ve known for a long time that I had a story to tell but the Lord has upped the ante, so to speak.  He has also given me His love for them.  I can’t explain it but I see them through His eyes. And their pasts, well, I can hear a lot of things and I am undaunted by it.  They are His little girls and somehow they may have missed that point all their lives, but He loves and adores them.  And I have been chosen to spread the message.

I feel very privileged to have them as an audience, what an honor it is. I told them we may never see each other again in this life but in Heaven, oh in Heaven we will be able to reminisce about how we met and they can tell me the rest of their stories.   

Matthew 6:33   “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

There were many women who touched my heart but I will share one particular story.  Prior to me speaking, they had a “choir” sing.  It was sweet and beautiful.  I sat in the front row listening to their music.  When it was time, I stood up to speak, which left a vacant chair in the front row.  So naturally when I was looking the around the room my eyes would fall upon the lady in the second row directly behind the empty chair.

I know it is next to impossible to “read” the faces of the audience but there was something about her - I really couldn’t tell if she was getting the message or disliking it.  I’ve learned to just move forward, keep speaking (as God is my audience) and let Him worry about the details.  

After the message, women were asking for personal prayer, etc.  This lady waited patiently for all the others to speak to me and then I found out the reason for the “look.”  She told me we were having a divine encounter/meeting.

A week ago the library books were brought to the ladies and she picked one that was “pretty.” She read it from cover to cover the following day.  Her sister sent her a church bulletin the same week.  One of the names on the credits of the book she read was also in the church bulletin her sister sent her.  She came to hear the “speaker” on this hot evening and it had not been announced who it was.  She had unknowingly picked up the book that was “pretty” and it was Set Free From Darkness, my book.  She told me when she read it, it spoke to her and she couldn’t put it down.

Yes, I do believe it was divine intervention.  I asked her if she knew how much God loved her to pick her out of the whole crowd.  And He did it so she would know how special she was to Him.  She was a bit in disbelief and awe.  He made Himself real and personal to her and she will never forget it or Him, and neither will I.  

So, my lesson from this encounter is that they may be dressed the same but they are each individuals that He knows; they are His little girls and I believe He has removed all the unnecessary distractions from their lives so they can see Him past the smoke screen the world has to offer.  I love that God is no respecter of persons. In God’s eyes every lady there is equal to the most powerful ruler, richest celebrity or talented athlete.  I love his economy.

If I may steal this from the Apostle Paul, here is my prayer for all of them and all of you:

Ephesians 3:14-19 “For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

Life Lessons From A Goat

I have two male goats, which are six years old. They weigh at least 120 pounds and are each the size of a very large breed of dog.  Their names are Louie and Alphie.  They met about a year ago and despite a rough introduction, they have become the best of friends.  

Louie is the leader and Alphie is happy with that. Alphie is actually a little bigger and stronger than Louie but Alphie is content to be the follower.  Louie has sort of a gimpy leg but remains the one in charge.

I always put them outside in their pen when the weather is nice if I’m going to be close to home. This morning I had a full schedule and wanted to keep things running on time so I hurried to put them in their pen.  I always put Louie in first, 100% of the time, but today I put Alphie in first as he was closer to me.  I had to go chase Louie down and I could hear Alphie calling loudly to him.  Much to my surprise Alphie effortlessly jumped over the fence and came running a hundred miles an hour to see his lost friend.  

So this tells me a few things.  Alphie can jump out any time he wants to.  But he decides to stay because his friend can’t leap the fence.  Okay that is friendship at a great level, he chooses to remain in the pen—away from freedom—to be with his friend.

Or maybe Alphie never had a reason to jump the fence and did not know if he could until the time when his separation meant more to him than his own self. Okay, that is deep.  He became distraught enough to do the “impossible.”

Is that possibly a start to live out John 14:12-14,  ^“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.   And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

I’ve heard you have to have motivation and be able stir yourself up enough to be able to heal diseases through Jesus’ name.  Does that sound farfetched?  I don’t know.  My goat Alphie never was able to leap over the pen before until it became the most important thing to him.  Being separated from his friend overcame any fear or doubt he may have had.  Could he do it again?  Sure, he just would need a reason greater than himself.  Maybe that is the key.  You must first die to self to be alive in Christ.  Could I forget myself enough, genuinely care about others, risk looking foolish and face rejection (die to self) to seek out people to pray for.  To lay hands on them in order to heal their diseases in Jesus' name?  Yes, it would be a great honor.

The journey continues….