I had a conversation with a friend tonight who asked me what I was leaning. I've actually been learning a lot, but have been unable to put it into words. Here's part of what I shared...
I am realizing how much stock I put in certain revelations about God or doctrines I've recently heard... and its kinda given me tunnel vision. I'm seeking to know Gods nature to the point where it can fit anywhere, in any conversation, with any Christian belief system. It's humbling. I got so prideful about stuff. If I have read all of Bill Johnson's book and it changes nothing about how I love people... then why? If it actually creates narrow minded views that cause me to judge others, then I just want simplicity. I just want God. So I'm not praying for cool revelations or for exciting words... My only prayer is for intimacy with God. To know his heart. And for my heart to break for the world. Very simple things. But things I have missed and need so much more of. The nations have been on my heart lately. The broken and the hurting peoples of this planet who God is in love with. Am I? No. I say that I am, but does my life? Saying that it will in July or August or when I am on Spring break doesn't count. Here's something from my journal today:
"I want to love the world the way God does, to weep for the hurting and the broken and be burdened by injustice to the point that it changes me. Changes the way I pray, the way I act, the way I spend my money, the way I buy coffee and groceries. My whole existence. My whole life for this cause. He gave his. Why can’t I wholly give mine. Seriously... what is more precious than their lives? My clothes? My food? Would I fast for them? Do I believe I can make a difference? What is the application here?"
You see, if there is no application, then what's the point? If truth does not change me deeply, is it still truth? If revelation does not have unconditonal love as its foundation, then is it still revelation? I can read book after book and discover amazing truth in my head, but if I still find it hard to come in low and serve those closest to me then I've missed the point.
All I want is to love. The nations. My family. My roommates. I want to love sacrificially and to learn to give out of my own place of need. To lay down my pride and die to the need to be right. And to become alive to giving, patience, serving, compassion as an overflow of intimacy with the Father. That's all I want. That's my only prayer. I told my friend today, I don't have any New Year's resolutions. I just want deeper intimacy with God and to be broken for the lost and the hurting in the world. That's it. Simplicity. Maybe Jesus was on to something when called us to become like little children.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
processing again...
howdy.
So... on dts, I would use this blog lots of times to help me process what I was learning and get to share it with people all at the same time. I thought I'd give that a go again. Why not? I'm reading a book I've been wanting to pick up for a while now by Bill Johnson called "Dreaming with God." Here's a few quotes that stuck out to me to think about (there's kinda a lot! feel free to skip some :) ...
"Toward the end of His earthly life, Jesus gave His disciples the ultimate promotion. He told the twelve that He no longer called them servants, but FRIENDS. (John 15:15)... Servants don't know what their master is doing. They don't have access to the personal, intimate realm of their master. They are task-oriented. Obedience is their primary focus- and rightly so, for their lives depend on success in that area. But friends have a different focus. It almost sounds blasphemous to say that obedience is not the top concern for the friend, but it's true. Obedience will always be important... But friends are less concerned about disobeying than they are about disappointing. The disciples focus shifted from the commandments to the presence, from the assignment to the relationship, from "what I do for Him" to "how my choices affect Him." This bestowal of friendship made the revolution we continue to experience possible." (Dreaming with God, p. 24-25)
"Instead of working for Him, we work with Him. We work not for His favor, but from His favor." p. 25
"Christians who live out of who they really are cannot be crippled by the expectations of others. They don't work to fit into people's expectations, but burn with the realization of who the Father says they are." p. 25
"While much of the Church is waiting for the next word from God, He is waiting to hear the dream of His people. He longs for us to take our role, not because He needs us to, but because He loves us." p. 28
"When unbelievers lead the way in inventions and artistic expression, it is because the church has embraced a false kind of spirituality." p. 37
"I am strengthened in hearing God speak. I am nourished through my own obedience to His voice. The situations of life take on meaning and purpose because of the abiding faith to follow Jesus. Hearing from God is the essential element of the Christian life." p. 70
Revelation 19:10 "The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." "This says that if God has done it once, He is ready to do it again. The spoken or written record of whatever Jesus has done carries the prophetic anointing to cause a change in events in the spirit realm so that the miracle spoken of can happen again." p. 83-84
"We have been given authority over this planet... But Kingdom authority is different than is typically understood by most believers. It is the authority to set people free from torment and disease, destroying the works of darkness. It is the authority to move the resources of Heaven through creative expression to meet the human need. It is the authority to bring Heaven to earth. It is the authority to serve." p. 87
"Jesus ruled served with the heart of a king, but ruled with the heart of a servant... Royalty is my identity. Servanthood is my assignment. Intimacy with God is my life source. So, before God, I'm an intimate. Before people, I'm a servant. Before the powers of hell, I'm a ruler, with no tolerance for their influence. Wisdom knows which role to fulfill at the proper time." p. 88
"Prophetic ministry is not to be focused on the sins of the world. It takes very little discernment to find the dirt in people's lives. The prophetic in its purest form is designed to find the gold in people's lives and call it to the surface." p. 89
"Heaven is what we want. Every creative dream is fulfilled in Heaven. The great news is that we have access to the realm of Heaven through prayers of faith. For example: There are sounds in Heaven that earth has never heard. When a musician taps into that reality and communicates that sound here, Heaven will have found agreement and will invade." p. 99
There is heaps more, but there's just some of the stuff I've been reading. Waaaayy to exhausted to tell you all my comments on those things. Maybe sometime soon I will. :)
k, blessings.
peace
Christy
So... on dts, I would use this blog lots of times to help me process what I was learning and get to share it with people all at the same time. I thought I'd give that a go again. Why not? I'm reading a book I've been wanting to pick up for a while now by Bill Johnson called "Dreaming with God." Here's a few quotes that stuck out to me to think about (there's kinda a lot! feel free to skip some :) ...
"Toward the end of His earthly life, Jesus gave His disciples the ultimate promotion. He told the twelve that He no longer called them servants, but FRIENDS. (John 15:15)... Servants don't know what their master is doing. They don't have access to the personal, intimate realm of their master. They are task-oriented. Obedience is their primary focus- and rightly so, for their lives depend on success in that area. But friends have a different focus. It almost sounds blasphemous to say that obedience is not the top concern for the friend, but it's true. Obedience will always be important... But friends are less concerned about disobeying than they are about disappointing. The disciples focus shifted from the commandments to the presence, from the assignment to the relationship, from "what I do for Him" to "how my choices affect Him." This bestowal of friendship made the revolution we continue to experience possible." (Dreaming with God, p. 24-25)
"Instead of working for Him, we work with Him. We work not for His favor, but from His favor." p. 25
"Christians who live out of who they really are cannot be crippled by the expectations of others. They don't work to fit into people's expectations, but burn with the realization of who the Father says they are." p. 25
"While much of the Church is waiting for the next word from God, He is waiting to hear the dream of His people. He longs for us to take our role, not because He needs us to, but because He loves us." p. 28
"When unbelievers lead the way in inventions and artistic expression, it is because the church has embraced a false kind of spirituality." p. 37
"I am strengthened in hearing God speak. I am nourished through my own obedience to His voice. The situations of life take on meaning and purpose because of the abiding faith to follow Jesus. Hearing from God is the essential element of the Christian life." p. 70
Revelation 19:10 "The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." "This says that if God has done it once, He is ready to do it again. The spoken or written record of whatever Jesus has done carries the prophetic anointing to cause a change in events in the spirit realm so that the miracle spoken of can happen again." p. 83-84
"We have been given authority over this planet... But Kingdom authority is different than is typically understood by most believers. It is the authority to set people free from torment and disease, destroying the works of darkness. It is the authority to move the resources of Heaven through creative expression to meet the human need. It is the authority to bring Heaven to earth. It is the authority to serve." p. 87
"Jesus ruled served with the heart of a king, but ruled with the heart of a servant... Royalty is my identity. Servanthood is my assignment. Intimacy with God is my life source. So, before God, I'm an intimate. Before people, I'm a servant. Before the powers of hell, I'm a ruler, with no tolerance for their influence. Wisdom knows which role to fulfill at the proper time." p. 88
"Prophetic ministry is not to be focused on the sins of the world. It takes very little discernment to find the dirt in people's lives. The prophetic in its purest form is designed to find the gold in people's lives and call it to the surface." p. 89
"Heaven is what we want. Every creative dream is fulfilled in Heaven. The great news is that we have access to the realm of Heaven through prayers of faith. For example: There are sounds in Heaven that earth has never heard. When a musician taps into that reality and communicates that sound here, Heaven will have found agreement and will invade." p. 99
There is heaps more, but there's just some of the stuff I've been reading. Waaaayy to exhausted to tell you all my comments on those things. Maybe sometime soon I will. :)
k, blessings.
peace
Christy
Monday, January 4, 2010
live fully
Back in Birmingham. First class today. Taking music appreciation and yoga over January. I'm excited because with only two easy classes, it will be a month of friends, creating, resting, reading, and just immersing myself in God's presence. Hopefully a season of learning and revelation. I'm loving the Message version of the Bible... it always brings the Word alive for me. Here's an amazing verse God gave me today...
Ephesians 3:20-21
“That you’ll be able to take in the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. God can do anything, you know- far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.”
Love that.
Be blessed,
christy
Ephesians 3:20-21
“That you’ll be able to take in the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. God can do anything, you know- far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.”
Love that.
Be blessed,
christy
Saturday, January 2, 2010
happy 2010
Happy 2010! As I have been looking back over the past year, I can hardly believe only a year has passed. So much has happened. I have learned so much, grown so much. Back in August, God gave me a verse in Romans as a promise and a piece of my inheritance for this season to give me hope. It’s from Romans 8:26-27, but the Message version has been what's been really speaking life. Here are several verses from the whole of Romans 8 that I've been reflecting on...
”Instead of redoubling our own efforts, simply embrace what the SPIRIT is doing in us. Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life.”
"The resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike, ‘What’s next, Papa?” God’s spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us- AN UNBELIEVABLE INHERITANCE! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!”
“That’s why I don’t think there’s any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what’s coming next. EVERYTHING IN CREATION IS BEING MORE OR LESS HELD BACK. GOD REINS IT IN UNTIL BOTH CREATION AND ALL THE CREATURES ARE READY TO BE RELEASED AT THE SAME MOMENT INTO THE GLORIOUS TIMES AHEAD. Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens. All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the word are simply birth pangs. But it is not only around us; its within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We’re also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, do not see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.”
-> “Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.”
God has spoken so much through these verses in 2009, and I am convinced that I have not received the full measure here, and there is so much more to unpack from this in my life and my inheritance for 2010. The specific words God gives us are the very things he sees when he looks at our future. He pulls them down, breathes life into them, and they become the very words he uses to bring us into destiny. They will change how we live if we let them.
This word has changed my entire perspective in 2009. At first, it was hard for me to be in the states, and I struggled with contentment and a restlessness to see the world and meet its needs. I kept praying through Romans 8, reminding myself that the waiting was enlarging me. The whole time I did not see the enlarging, just as growth is only seen in retrospect. However, looking back with that retrospective perspective, I can see how the Lord beautifully taught me and gave me so much of His heart during this season of my life. He has taken me so deep in intimacy with him and taught me about life in the Spirit, about the importance of community, and about unconditional love.
I know now with great joy, that he is enlarging me and equipping me here for an incredible inheritance. He is building deep things in my Spirit, things that I don't even see yet, only to be fully realized and seen later. So because of this word, I can say with great joy and hope, that I am content. This season of waiting doesn't diminish me any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant woman. You see, there is LIFE in the waiting. Life that is becoming fuller and fuller with every passing day... growth! And there is a season in the future, where everything God has been reining in will be RELEASED. Heaven on earth. That is what I am looking forward to. What a promise. What a word from God! Can't wait to see further fulfillment and unpacking of this in 2010. Happy New Year!
Be blessed,
Christy
”Instead of redoubling our own efforts, simply embrace what the SPIRIT is doing in us. Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life.”
"The resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike, ‘What’s next, Papa?” God’s spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us- AN UNBELIEVABLE INHERITANCE! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!”
“That’s why I don’t think there’s any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what’s coming next. EVERYTHING IN CREATION IS BEING MORE OR LESS HELD BACK. GOD REINS IT IN UNTIL BOTH CREATION AND ALL THE CREATURES ARE READY TO BE RELEASED AT THE SAME MOMENT INTO THE GLORIOUS TIMES AHEAD. Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens. All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the word are simply birth pangs. But it is not only around us; its within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We’re also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, do not see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.”
-> “Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.”
God has spoken so much through these verses in 2009, and I am convinced that I have not received the full measure here, and there is so much more to unpack from this in my life and my inheritance for 2010. The specific words God gives us are the very things he sees when he looks at our future. He pulls them down, breathes life into them, and they become the very words he uses to bring us into destiny. They will change how we live if we let them.
This word has changed my entire perspective in 2009. At first, it was hard for me to be in the states, and I struggled with contentment and a restlessness to see the world and meet its needs. I kept praying through Romans 8, reminding myself that the waiting was enlarging me. The whole time I did not see the enlarging, just as growth is only seen in retrospect. However, looking back with that retrospective perspective, I can see how the Lord beautifully taught me and gave me so much of His heart during this season of my life. He has taken me so deep in intimacy with him and taught me about life in the Spirit, about the importance of community, and about unconditional love.
I know now with great joy, that he is enlarging me and equipping me here for an incredible inheritance. He is building deep things in my Spirit, things that I don't even see yet, only to be fully realized and seen later. So because of this word, I can say with great joy and hope, that I am content. This season of waiting doesn't diminish me any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant woman. You see, there is LIFE in the waiting. Life that is becoming fuller and fuller with every passing day... growth! And there is a season in the future, where everything God has been reining in will be RELEASED. Heaven on earth. That is what I am looking forward to. What a promise. What a word from God! Can't wait to see further fulfillment and unpacking of this in 2010. Happy New Year!
Be blessed,
Christy
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