Revived . . .

“Lord Jesus – I hear You telling me that all You have destined my life to be, all that You once whispered to my heart, all that You’ve spoken to me from the pages of Your Word – even though I’ve lost it through sleep and carelessness and action – it’s all still mine.   The only thing that You require of me is to get up and start heading back to rebuild the testimony of Your glory in my life.  

And my response is, “Yes, Lord.  Lead me from this captivity.  You led a procession of people to rebuild Your temple in Jerusalem in Ezra’s time and You made it greater than the former temple.  And Jesus came to it.  

Jesus, turn my captivity.  Whatever I have embraced and settled for … I put away.  I want to be a temple where Your presence will dwell.  I believe that You will make my future testimony greater than anything of my past.  I believe that every gift of the Holy Spirit, every promise in Your Word, everything that You’ve ever promised to do in my life will come to pass.  From bankruptcy, I come Lord.  You are speaking to my heart and You are faithful.  Your love and mercies to me are never-ending.  Thank you, Lord.  I know that all You do in my life has nothing to do with me.  All I can do is stand in my own poverty and give myself wholly to You to be made rich in the imperishable things that only You can give.  Peace.  Joy.  Love.  

From this day forward – for better or  worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health – I give  myself completely to You.  May Your name be glorified in my life forevermore.” 

signs . . .

yesterday i was sitting by the pool at the clubhouse reading my Bible.
the Lord was really speaking to my heart through the Word.  i felt like i was like drinking
a big glass of water that was quenching a desperate thirst that i'd had for so long!  
as i was reading and praying, i suddenly heard a noise above my head and looked up
to see a small airplane writing the name "Jesus" in the sky above me!

oh how i love the amazing ways that God shows me that He is near.  i guess He knew
that my measly faith needed a boost … a sign from Him!

thank you Jesus!

exposure . . .

my life is one of continual growth through seasons of exposure

. . . of perpetual movement from darkness to light.

seasons full of ups and downs . . .

seasons of doubt and seasons of faith . . .

seasons of despair and seasons of joy . . .

seasons when i feel close to the will of God

and seasons when i can't find His will.

2014 … 

and i've decided to start blogging again.

i'm in florida for the entire month of february and have

a lot of time on my hands to seek the Lord and re-focus on the important things in life.

Jesus is awakening my heart again.

my biggest desire is only to know Him.

to know Him intimately . . . 

to recognize and be sensitive to His voice . . .

to have the love and compassion that only He can give me . . .

to be a good and faithful servant . . .

these things are what i seek.

christian 'doing' is a bankrupt pastime at most.

i don't want to fill my days with empty endeavours.

all my schemes and plans pale apart from really knowing Jesus.

"Lord, draw me into Your presence.

give me a thirst to spend long hours alone with You.

give me hears to hear your voice.

and faith to do Your will."

Jesus wants all of me more than He wants my 'service.'

to know Jesus  is the purpose of my heart.

may every single thing in my heart and life to be

exposed in the Holy Spirit's refining fire.

"change me, Lord.

purify my motives.

re-arrange my priorities.

fill me with Your unconditional love.

i give myself wholly to You."

i thirst, Lord . . .

it is God who puts this hunger & thirst in me.
i hunger for something substantial ... 
     i do not want my ears tickled 
     i do not want to be at ease in zion
     i long for a living Word in the house of God
     i long to hear the whole counsel of God
alone in that secret place
i am satisfied ...
there, the Spirit of the Lord convicts me 
there, God continues to create in a clean heart in me
but my heart is hurting ... and longing for the ancient paths
longing for more.                        
WHERE DO WE GO TO EAT?
by David Wilkerson
[May 19, 1931 - April 27, 2011]
The seventh chapter of Micah contains one of the most powerful messages on the
new covenant ever preached. In this incredible sermon, Micah is speaking to
natural Israel—yet he is also speaking to the church of Jesus Christ in these
last days. He begins his sermon with a heartbroken cry—one that is still being
heard from spiritually starved believers around the world today: “Woe is me! .
. . There is no cluster to eat” (Micah 7:1).
Micah is describing the effect of a famine in Israel—a famine of food and of
God’s Word. It echoes the words of an earlier prophecy by Amos where the Lord
says: “Behold, the days are coming . . . that I will send a famine on the
land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words
of the Lord. They shall . . . run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord, but
shall not find it” (Amos 8:11–12).
It was harvest time in Israel and the vineyards should have been bursting with
fruit, but there were no clusters hanging from the vines. Micah watched as
people went into the vineyards looking for fruit to pick and finding none. In
his prophetic eye, Micah saw multitudes in the last days running from place to
place, seeking to hear a true word from God. He envisioned believers scurrying
from church to church, from revival to revival, from nation to nation—all
seeking to satisfy a hunger and thirst for something to nourish their souls.
The cry is still heard, “Woe is me—there is no cluster!”
There is a great famine in the land. Yet, in spite of multitudes running about
looking for spiritual food, those who truly desire God’s Word comprise only a
remnant (see Micah 7:14, 18). This is certainly as true today as it was in
ancient Israel. Few Christians today truly hunger to hear the pure word of the
Lord. Instead, the majority fatten themselves on Sodom’s apples, feeding on
the straw of perverted gospels.
"come Lord Jesus ...
revive me ...

please ... revive Your church."

raised from the dead . . .

it's no secret that i love daisies.
and i especially love this banner . . .
look at it carefully.  what's unusual about it?
reading the picture from left to right (as we do in this part of the world)
it's backwards
inverted
paradoxical.
it starts with a wilted, almost dead daisy . . .
progresses to one that is recovering . . .
and finally
becomes a perfect daisy in full, healthy bloom.
it was a dead daisy that came to life.
i think that it must be a christian daisy.
it is a picture of our christian walk.
we must die before we live.
only when we are dead to ourselves . . .
only when we have come to the end of ourselves . . .
our ideals
our plans
our self-worth
our lusts
our worldliness
our self-dependence
(the list could go on and on . . .)
only when we wake up and realize the dead state we've allowed ourselves to slump into
do we see our need for revival.
only then are we ready to be raised from the dead.
then we become Potter's dust
and He gives us beauty for ashes.

draw me . . .

draw me, oh, draw me, please draw me, my Jesus.

into your presence, where i cannot lie.

my soul is so thirsty, i cannot endure it.

and if i can't get closer, i surely will die.

take me, oh take me, please take me, my Jesus.

quickly, before i forget that I'm lost.

for so many times, my mind has deceived me,

that i really don't have to carry the cross.

i just need to know how to pray.

my wicked desires block the way,

sometimes i have grieved you away,

i don't want to do that today.

help me, oh help me, please help me my Jesus.

save me from sins that i thought were all gone.

kill me with kindness, and break through my blindness.

i know till i'm dead, i can never live on.

(Keith Green)

open up . . .

"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: 

if any man hears my voice, and opens the door,

I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."

Revelation 3:20

open up . . .
don't lock Him out.