“It was strictly forbidden to preach to other prisoners, as it is in captive nations today. It was understood that whoever was caught doing this received a severe beating. A number of us decided to pay the price for the privilege of preaching, so we accepted their terms. It was a deal: we preached and they beat us. We were happy preaching; they were happy beating us – so everyone was happy.”
Richard Wurmbrand
“That this love pursued us is a mystery
For the heart is base
And You are holy
Yet the streams of mercy
That flow over me
Will afford me grace to stand in glory
Where with men and angels
Where with slaves and kings
I will sing my praise to You alone
For there’s no heart greater than the Father’s heart
And there’s no love sweeter than the Son’s
Hallelujah, to my King
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Jesus Christ my Everything”
Praise God for Jesus!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SdzgwIErio
Said Jesus:
“Behold, a sower went out to sow…”
out to sow
out to sow
a sower went out to sow
and walked on down the road.
His eyes beheld the pastures
the sun beat on his head
he saw some dirt rocky,
he saw some dirt red.
But to him
it mattered not
what the ground
consisted of –
whether dry and dusty
or even full of weeds,
for where-ever he walked
he simply
scattered
seed.
From his breast/ into his hand
the precious seed was passed
but not for long
did he hold on
for that seed was soon cast
cast far
cast nigh
cast low
cast high
that seed was not spared.
For the sower knew
that fruit only grew
when that precious seed was shared
(The “seed” is the “word of the kingdom”, Parable of the Sower Matthew 13:1-23)
“Not called!” did you say? “Not heard the call,” I think you should say. Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear Him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father’s house and bid their brothers and sisters and servants and masters not come there. Then look Christ in the face — whose mercy you have professed to obey — and tell Him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish His mercy to the world.”
William Booth
I woke up one morning with this in my head, and wrote it in my journal:
The cross is ugly,
The cross is beautiful.
The cross kills,
The cross gives life.
The cross is God’s hatred towards sin,
The cross is God’s love towards us.
On the one hand, the cross deals a death blow to pride, vanity and selfishness
On the other hand it’s beauty is evident by the suffering of a sinless Saviour
Who can say whether it is one or the other?
It is both.
For Jesus is meant death, pain and suffering,
If we follow Him, it will for us too.
But this is the only way to life and hope
You can’t have the life of the Saviour
Without first, having the death of the Saviour
You can’t take a short-cut
First the pain, then the relief,
First the sorrow, then the joy,
First the death, then the life
“Truly, truly, I say to you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it stays alone: but if it die, it brings forth much fruit.” (John 12:24)
And He shows me His plan for me;
The plan of my life as it might have been Had He had His way,
and I see How I blocked Him here and I checked Him there
And I would not yield my will,
Shall I see grief in my Savior’s eyes;
Grief though He loves me still’
Oh, He’d have me rich, and I stand there poor,
Stripped of all but His grace,
While my memory runs like a hunted thing
Down the paths I can’t retrace.
Then my desolate heart will well-nigh break
With tears that I cannot shed.
I’ll cover my face with my empty hands
And bow my uncrowned head.
No. Lord of the years that are left to me I yield them to Thy hand.
Take me, make me, mold me
To the pattern Thou hast planned.
The Judgment seat “is meant for us professing Christians, real and imperfect Christians; and it tells us that there are degrees in that future blessedness proportioned to present faithfulness.”
Where there is no vision, the people perish…” Proverbs 29:18
If God has given you a vision of something He wants to do through you, then He wants to encourage you to keep going. Don’t be distracted or discouraged by the voices around you. When God births something through His Spirit and gives us a vision of what He wants to do, then no matter what comes against us, we must hold onto that vision and keep pushing through by faith.
If you do not yet know God’s will for your life or if you feel that God wants to bring you into your calling, then I would like to share with you what I have learnt:
1. Get into God’s presence and seek His face until you know FOR SURE that this vision He is calling you to is from Him and is for you. Do not speak to other people or seek human opinion. Speak to God and seek Him only. Ask Him to confirm it to you through scripture and the Holy Spirit and then wait. He may not show you immediately, but if you are patient and truly seeking His will for your life, then He will show you at the right time.
“Indeed, let no one who waits on you be ashamed…Show me your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; On you I wait all the day.” Psalm 25:3-5
(Important note: to “wait” on God is not passive – rather it is active, keep seeking Him.)
2. Once God reveals to you His vision for your life and confirms it through the Word, then ask Him for any specific instructions or guidance. It may be His will for you to hold on to the vision for a bit and wait till He tells you to move. We should never advance before God tells us to. Conversely we should never hold back when He tells us to move.
In 2 Samuel 5:17-25 the Lord not only gave King David instructions on how to defeat the Philistines, but also when to carry out His instructions, ie “when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then the Lord will got out before you….” (verse 24) In battle strategy, when is just as important as how.
3. Only speak to other people about the vision God has given you when it is absolutely settled within your own heart. And even then only speak to the ones He directs you to speak about it with. When Jesus revealed Himself to Saul on the road to Damascus He immediately showed Saul the vision and calling He had for his life “…For I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness….” (Acts 26:16). Paul did not speak to other men about it. He didn’t even speak to the apostles about it. Instead, Paul says “But when it pleased God….to reveal His son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood…” (Galations 1:16). Paul instead went to Arabia for an extended period. He needed time alone with God to establish this vision within his heart. God also need to prepare Paul for his life’s work, by learning dependence on God, rather than man or on himself.
You need to settle the vision with God and within your own heart before you bring it out into the open. This is because, unfortunately, as soon as other people know what God has spoken to you, inevitably it becomes subject to human opinion, discussion and negativity. Even the well-meaning and godly can be used by our enemy to bring discouragement and doubt.
I have had the below image in my mind all morning and felt I should create it. Here are some potential obstacles that the enemy will put in the path of God’s vision for your life in order to prevent its occurrence :
(I hope you can see it, I’m still new to blogging!!)
Never forget that God chooses “the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God (chooses) the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He (chooses) the lowly things of this world and the despised things–and the things that are not–to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29) Therefore do not be surprised if the vision He gives you:
4. The final point is – to keep going. Keep your eye on God, not yourself or others. Keep praying. Like Paul, do not be “disobedient to the heavenly vision” (Acts 26:19). No matter what the enemy throws at you, regardless of what doubts and fears you may have, or what other people say, if something has been birthed of God and by His Spirit, if we keep going on by faith, then nothing can stop it. If a door has been opened by God, then no man can shut it (Revelation 3:8). Let’s not shrink back, let’s move forward in faith – despite the outward circumstances, despite our weaknesses and inadequacies, and despite what others may think.
“For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” 1 Corinthians 16:9
I used to think that God has a special place in His heart for the poor and needy, the widow and the fatherless – and He does. But actually it is more than that. When God says to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the outcast to your home, to spend yourself on behalf of the poor (Isaiah 58) it is not just that He is being kind, it is because this is the very essence of WHO He is. This is God Himself, reaching down to us in our poverty, our need and our sin. When God came to earth as the man, Jesus, this was the ultimate act of sharing with the poor, serving the needy and clothing the naked. He could have stayed where He was, in the light and worship of glory, but He didn’t. He spent Himself on behalf of the poor, by coming to this dark, sin-sick, broken world. He not only identified with humanity by becoming clothed with human flesh, He went further. By His death on the cross He was numbered amongst the transgressors and although He never sinned, He took the punishment in the place of the transgressors of His divine law – you and me. This was the ultimate act of intercession. This was the ultimate act of giving.
Even a cursory reading of the Bible will show God’s heart towards the widows and fatherless, the oppressed and needy. Although we can never atone for the sin of humanity, that was His work alone, He does call us to share the burden of those who have been forsaken, trampled and broken. To allow ourselves to see suffering and need and not to walk on by. As Jackie Pullinger says “love looks like something”. Love can be sharing your food with the hungry, helping out a single mother, even inviting someone in for a coffee.
God is not interested in self-serving religion or religious activities that are devoid of His heart. In Isaiah 58 He condemns those who fast because “in the day of your fast you find pleasure, and exploit all your labourers…Would you call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord? Is not this the fast that I have chosen; to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free and that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh?” (verses 3-7)
Of course it’s not easy. It’s not easy and it’s rather uncomfortable to allow yourself to see and identify with human need. It wars against our fleshly nature which is constantly crying out to us “Comfort! Convenience!”
It’s been hard for me. I am not going to pretend that I have found it easy. The hardest part for me has been the intrusion upon my own time. I am naturally a bit of a hermit at heart. I like my own time and space, and my own company. But because we have a food
pantry that is operated from our garage we do often have people turn up unexpectedly and at inconvenient times. In particular God has used one lady with serious mental health issues to crucify my flesh. It has been painful. From the start the Holy Spirit told me to never reject her, even in my heart. That has been hard and I admit, I have not always been able to do it.
But today again she came. I invited her in for a coffee. We spent a lovely time together and she ministered to me by singing songs the Holy Ghost had given her.
“I refuse to give up
I refuse to give in
I keep hanging on to the King of Kings
The Lord of Lords…”
As she was leaving my home she turned to me and said “Thank you for always making me feel welcome. Don’t’ ever lose that. It is so important to people who have been rejected.”
OH God, help us to hear the cry of your heart and to do it! To become people of action, rather than just of words! To do something, anything!
Love looks like something.
He didn’t wait until I was perfect
He didn’t do it because I was good
Or a Christian
No. He died for me while I was still a sinner
An enemy
A rebel
That’s what gets me the most
Some may die for family, country or friend
But not Him.
He died for His enemies
For the ones who hated Him, shook their fist at Him, spat on Him, crucified Him
For me.
“This is how God demonstrates His love toward us:
While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
Please be blessed by one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard, sung to the Lamb.
Reflections of headlights flashed on the puddles as twilight set in.
I walked from the car-park looking for the others.
When I got to the corner where I was supposed to meet them, they weren’t there.
Where could they be?
I crossed the busy intersection to the other side, but they weren’t there either.
Hmmmm….
So down to the tunnel I went, the rain drops falling on my hair.
The entrance to the tunnel was busy but I made my way through.
Gosh, I didn’t realise how long this tunnel was. Past a busker winking at me, past the jostling crowds, out the other side.
I walked a little along the river, looked around, but, no, they weren’t there either.
Now I really don’t know what to do.
I stop to think. I turn slightly and that’s when I see Evie.
Although it’s not until later that I learn her name.
Sitting at the end of the bridge begging. Her head in her hands, behind the scrawled sign “Please help”.
She looks so young.
I go over and sit with her, behind her sign.
“Hi”
“Hi”
“What are you doing here?”
She is homeless, spent the last few nights on the street.
She tells me that everything has been stolen from her as she had slept, her purse, her jumper, even her sanitary pads.
She says that she has a permanent place to go into on Monday, but it’s Friday and she needs help to get through the next two days.
I sit with her. I tell her about Jesus. She says, “That’s funny, everyone keeps telling me about Him.”
Even as we speak someone walks past and drops a gospel tract into her begging container.
She points to a man begging in the middle of the bridge.
“He’s mad at me, I have to watch out for him, I’m in his patch and taking his business from him. He’s a druggy.”
We have dinner together and afterward I put her in touch with a women’s shelter, I say that I will pray for her and we part.
I walk back along the river, back through the tunnel.
Back to where I was originally meant to meet with the other street preachers.
And I see them. Right there. They have been there all along.
I had walked right by them and not seen them. Somehow.
But that’s not the end of the story.
Tuesday night I pray. I pray for Evie and other stuff. I wait on God.
He says to me, clear as anything, “Go to Evie.”
Huh?
“Go to Evie.”
But Lord, she moved into a place yesterday, she is fine now.
“Go to Evie.”
But Lord, she’s not there at the bridge anymore
“She will be there, go to Evie.”
Ok. If you give me an opportunity to go, I will go to her.
Thursday afternoon.
My parents drop in and say they will mind my son.
I drive into the city.
The whole way there I think that I must be crazy, what am I doing? I could be sitting child-free in a café somewhere…
But I go anyway.
The car parked, I get out, walk. Then, for some reason, I start to run. I run and run to the bridge. I come over the crest and look to see if she is there.
She is there. She is begging.
I run to her, out of breath.
“Evie! what are you doing here? You were meant to move in to a place on Monday!”
She looks at me and says “Why are you running?” as only a teenager can.
I laugh, embarrassed, because I don’t know why I’m running myself.
Then she says “The place didn’t work out”
We have lunch.
Turns out she had gotten to the bridge five minutes before I arrived.
Another time she met my husband and we went out to dinner.
She came to my home once.
She said she was bringing someone for me to meet.
(Please God don’t let it be a man.)
I go out to meet her in the drive-way and she’s carrying a baby girl.
18 month old Rose.
Rose had been removed, but was now returned to her mum, Evie.
Because, Evie tells me, a house has become available for her.
Her boyfriend is getting out of jail
and her mum is coming to live with them too.
They stay for a while. Rose is so sweet. Evie is too.
That’s the last time I see her.
She moved into the house with her daughter, boyfriend and mum.
It’s far from here.
But she texts me and tells me that they’re doing well.
…….God didn’t let me see the friends I was meant to meet that night
Instead He wanted me to meet Evie,
A young mum,
homeless
daughterless
penniless
hopeless
But He knew.
And He had His eye on little Rose the whole time.
Truly His mercy is from everlasting to everlasting.
Grace and Truth 