What is the Good News?

From the moment I was saved, I have had a burning passion in my heart to reach the lost. The funny thing is, I wouldn’t consider myself an evangelist. Some may make the argument that we are all called to be evangelists, in accordance with the Great Commission in Matthew 28. I whole-heartedly agree! Evangelism may look different to each of us, though. We may not all be called to stand on a street corner proclaiming the gospel to strangers, or hold crusades and tent revivals, but we are all called to be proclaimers of the good news in some form. 

I used to beat myself up, because I could never force myself to preach at people about how their sins are leading them on a path to hell, and only Jesus can save them from it. I would hear hard messages about how if we don’t save our loved ones and friends, who will? They will go to hell, and it will be our complacency that sent them there. It would make me feel so convicted that I was not doing my part. It made me miserable. I used to think that I needed to pray for more boldness, and to just step out in faith and do it. After all, they wouldn’t be rejecting me, they would be rejecting God. I felt that if I could just share the message, I would have fulfilled my responsibility to the gospel.

One of the hardest things I discovered, is that you can’t preach a gospel about saving people from their sins, if they don’t believe they sin. Suddenly, my evangelism efforts seemed pointless. Convincing people that they are sinners didn’t feel like good news to me. As I began to encounter God’s love more and more in my personal worship times, I began to dream about sharing that news with people- the news that God loves them, unconditionally, no strings attached, whether they receive Him or not. I began to see that a gospel that scares people into salvation causes new believers to start their Christian walk with an unhealthy paradigm of God. So, how was I going to put this new revelation into action?

My strongest gift is the prophetic. I used it often in my church to give encouraging words to other believers. It was satisfying for a time, but as I began to study the prophetic in scripture, I began to feel restless. I felt that the whole point of spiritual gifts is to build up the body and equip the saints, as well as to reach the lost. I had been building up the body, but not reaching the lost. In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul talks about the prophetic being for the unbeliever. He said that when an unbeliever hears a word of prophecy, the secrets of his heart will be laid bare, and he will proclaim that God is among us. It started a hunger in me to use this gift to reach the lost. 

In 2008, I decided to step out. I set up a booth at a local health and wellness fair, and offered ‘free spiritual readings’, and dream interpretation. (If this makes your skin crawl because it reminds you of psychics, just remember that people outside the church don’t speak ‘christianeze’. They have no paradigm for ‘prophetic words’/’prophecy’, or if they do it has to do with predictions about the end of the world. Most people do have a paradigm for the supernatural, and we need to meet them where they are at.) I have had a booth at the local health and wellness fair for that past four years, and it has continued to grow. We usually have the busiest booth at the fair, and two prophetic teams giving readings at once.

Early on, the Lord taught me that it is important to work as a team with other believers, and that He really isn’t interested in numbers. Some may view success at this sort of outreach by numbers of people who receive Christ as their savior. I now view success by how people were impacted by the love of God. When people encounter the love of God, they are changed forever, and it is an encounter they will never forget. We have people that have come to our booth every year, because they remember their first encounter, and are hungry for more. If people are truly searching, they will find Jesus. It is the most satisfying work I have done in the Kingdom, because it is such a joy to be able to reveal God and His heart of love to people who never knew He loves them. His love is so amazing, He will love us even if we never love Him in return. He will keep pursuing and loving us, even if we reject Him over and over again. He will never give up, and He will keep offering the gift again and again. That’s what prophetic evangelism is all about- giving people a taste of God’s love, stirring a hunger in them for more. 

I am always in awe of how merciful and kind Jesus is. Through the prophetic, He lays the secrets of someone’s heart bare, but it is usually a secret desire or longing that He wants to fulfill. He reveals their destiny. He never exposes people in a shameful way, but His love covers a multitude of sins. Sometimes we have people sit in our booth long after they have received their ‘reading’, because they feel so at peace. If God is love, it is no surprise to me that this is one of the ways He has chosen to reach people- by revealing His love.

Dream Big!

I feel like the Lord is saying:


"It's time to dream big again! Dream bigger than you have! Ask Me to share My dreams with you! I am fully able and willing to give you immeasurably more than you can ask or even imagine! Forget what is behind, and press forward. Focus on Me, and allow hope (true hope, that is not just a possibility, but a definite) and faith to rise up inside of you! Know that I am faithful and good, and I will do what I have promised! Though it seems to have taken longer than you expected, and you feel discouraged, know that I am never late. I will fulfill the word at the perfect time. Trust Me, trust Me, trust Me! I love you! You are My dearly loved child, and I will be faithful to what I have promised you. When you ask for something good according to My word, I will respond with the Kingdom answer. Do not lose heart, and go for it! Dream Big!"

A Sonnet of Faith...

A Sonnet of Faith

                     by, Erin Dawson

Created in Your image, may I reflect You as You really are.

May the world see You when they look at me.

May your glorious light and compassion be visible from afar-

Like a city on a hill, shining for all to see.

May I err on the side of mercy, as You did,

And may judgment be far from my thoughts.

Under the shadow of Your wings, may I be safely hid,

For intimacy with You, is the reason I was bought.

May I see the opportunities to love, every place I tread;

And inspire others to boldly approach Your throne.

May I share the words on which I have been fed

And help to lead Your lost sheep safely home.

Dearest Jesus, great is Your mercy and grace.

May I reflect You clearly, as I gaze upon Your face.

Just a Random Picture...

A perfect circle rainbow...

Sean took this picture on the plane, on the way to the DR for a mission trip. It really encouraged us! 


Ask the Lord to remind you of promises He's made to you, and let Him encourage you with His plans for you! He loves to encourage His kids! He might remind you of something you've forgotten, or even make a new promise to you! 


Post comments (if you don't mind sharing) of things the Lord encouraged you with today!

Get Above It!

For the past couple of years, I have celebrated Rosh Hashanah- the Jewish New year. It happens in September or October by our calendar, and it takes place during a very solemn time of year. Although it is a celebration, it is also a serious time to judge yourself- examine your attitude and the motives of your heart. Traditionally, it is believed that the way you close one year will directly affect God’s judgment for your next year. For example, if you end one year with great faith, God will give to you according to your faith in the next year. By the same principle, if you end your year complaining and in a negative attitude, you may find the next year challenging until you can overcome that negative thought pattern/attitude. You may be wondering why I am telling you all this- it’s spring, and Rosh Hashanah was months ago.

I was thinking this morning that we should be checking our heart all year. What if there are times throughout the year when God is asking us, “Do you want to continue on in this destructive pattern, or can we change it?” It’s like in Joshua, when he said to the people, “Choose this day who you will serve...” (Joshua 24:15) I have started the past couple of years with that thought in my head. I have declared in my heart that I don’t want to end the year complaining. I don’t want to start the next year with bitterness in my heart. I want to walk in faith and love and joy. It has really helped. I feel like examining myself at that time of year has directly impacted what is laid out for me in the coming year. Even more, it has prepared my heart to react more positively when challenging times have come. 

I wouldn’t want to mislead you into thinking that a positive attitude about the coming year will make that year be all sunshine and roses! I have had some of the most challenging years of my life since determining to change my heart. The thing is, some of the strongest attacks and circumstances to tempt me to be bitter and negative have happened around that time of year. Why would that be? Well, how much of a test of your character is it, if everything is peachy and you love everyone? I believe the enemy is trying to end my year with me whining, so that the next year will be even more challenging! 

I am seeing more and more that, while this is an important principle about ending a year, it is equally as important to be examining your heart all year long. When problems arise, and you are so frustrated you could spit, and people are driving you bananas, this is the time to take a step back and examine yourself. As wrong as the other person(s) involved may be, God is most interested in your reaction! Choose this day! Will you serve God, who is Love? Or the accuser of the brethren, who has come to steal, kill and destroy us and our relationships? 

In my experience, God is never feeling as negatively about what we are going through as we are! We tend to whine about it and ask God to see our side. What He wants is to show us how He sees it! His perspective is so much different than ours, it literally has to be seen to be believed. I’m not saying that God is oblivious to your pain, and that He doesn’t care if you’ve been wronged. I’m saying that He has the answer for you. He wants to show you how to forgive, and how He sees the other person(s) involved. He wants to help you become just like Jesus.

Have you heard the saying: “So heavenly minded, that you’re no earthly good”? Well, that’s just plain stupid. The only way you can truly be any good on the earth is to be heavenly minded. When you realize that you really are seated in Christ in heavenly places, (right now!), and you begin to see circumstances from above- from His perspective, you will have a completely different outlook on life. It’s something that I can’t explain in a blog. It’s something that I encourage you to try for yourself. When you see things the way God sees them, suddenly life becomes more hopeful, relationships become more based on pure love, and attacks from the enemy don’t seem as devastating as they once did. But it always comes back to asking God to show you His perspective. When you look at stuff from down here, it can be pretty ugly! Get above it. See it like Jesus does!

The Meaning of Life

 A few weeks ago, I overheard a conversation that has troubled me ever since. They were discussing having children, and one of the people said, having children is what gives life meaning. Seriously? Passing on DNA is the meaning of life? Now, don’t get me wrong, having children is a blessing, and definitely gives life more meaning, but is it THE meaning of life?

What about those of us who have been unable to have children? (approximately 15% of couples in North America and Europe suffer infertility) Does our life have less meaning? And what about those who have lost children? If the child is what gave their life meaning, no wonder they can’t move past the pain of the loss. It’s also a lot of pressure to put on a child when you have them- the underlying thought that they gave your life meaning. 

No, I think there must be a deeper meaning to life. One where the addition of children blesses that meaning, but isn’t the sole purpose. Now, I’m not claiming to know the meaning of life- a subject philosophers have pondered through the ages. I do, however, believe that the meaning is found through a relationship- just not the relationship we have with our children. The joy of having children is to teach them to experience this meaningful relationship for themselves. Then, as they grow, it is a joy you can share together as you each experience the relationship in your own unique way. 

For those of you who haven’t figured it out, I’m speaking of the relationship I have with Christ. I suppose in one sense, the meaning of life is found in a relationship between Father and children. But we are all the children, and He is our Heavenly Father. We were created to live out of that relationship. If you believe in evolution, I guess it would be easy to believe that passing on DNA is the meaning of life, and that infertility is natural selection at work. I am so thankful that I have encountered the Truth, because believing that kids are the meaning of life would be a most discouraging, and disappointing path to walk. 

As I pursue that relationship- the one with my Heavenly Father, I am confident that He will reveal the true meaning of life. Because our life does have a purpose, and I do have a destiny. Whether that destiny includes having children or not, my life still has meaning greater than I can imagine, and I know it will be mine and God’s great delight for Him to reveal it.

Hot Or Cold?

Just a random thought from Redding...

This morning, when I was taking a shower, the water kept changing back and forth from scalding hot to lukewarm. It was very frustrating, and the first morning it has happened since I've been here. (This was the third morning.) But it did also get me thinking about something Jesus said in Revelation. To the church in Laodicea, He said, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm- neither hot nor cold- I am about to spit you out of my mouth." Yikes! This is one of those scriptures that makes me uncomfortable. But the truth is, this morning I knew exactly what Jesus was talking about. I kept thinking: "Pick a temperature already!" It truly would be better to be either hot or cold, and to stop being so inconsistent. Just some food for thought...

Why a dove?

Another recycled post, but I feel new light on it today...

I grew up on a ten acre farm. It was a great place to grow up, with tons of fun animals crawling, waddling and flying around. When I was around ten years old, my mom found a baby turtle dove that had been abandoned. After trying unsuccessfully to put it back in the nest, we decided to raise the naked, ugly chick ourselves. It was time consuming, messy, sometimes too frustrating and tiring, but like raising any baby, it was definitely worth it. We named the little bird Abdul- (an eccentric old British lady suggested the name, and it stuck). Right away we began to see the most interesting little personality emerge. Anyone who says animals are not intelligent, has never spent any time getting to know one. He was so funny and cute, (yes, cute- pinfeathers and all!) We had Abdul for about ten years, and he spent endless hours flying around our house, riding on our shoulders, holidays exploring the Christmas tree, and sometimes irritating us, but always devoted and affectionate. I am extremely grateful for the time we spent with him, and even more now in recent years as the Lord has taught me about Himself through that wonderful bird. 

A while ago, I was pondering the story of Jesus baptism. I wondered out loud why the Holy Spirit came down to Jesus in the form of a dove. I've heard many theories on this, and none of them seemed to satisfy the question in my heart. (Not saying they're wrong, but I felt there was more to it.) The prophetic part of me was like: "Lord, why didn't you swoop down as a mighty eagle, with penetrating eyes, and a booming, thunderous voice declaring: 'THIS IS MY SON!!!!!'" I had heard such theories as how a dove is easily frightened, so Jesus was gentle and did not frighten the bird away. He was, but also cleared the temple with whips- an image that is frightening when you think about it. I've heard how a dove symbolizes peace, and Jesus is the Prince of Peace. True, but I felt there was more. The Lord reminded me about Abdul in answer to my question, so I spent some time thinking about this bird who was a family member, and whom I knew extremely well. 

When Abdul was grown, he decided that he would like to start courting. He chose many different objects, animals or people at different times. He would coo and do his courting dance for hours, and once he had chosen his 'true love', he had undivided focus on that one. He was a very persistent courter. If you were the object of his desire, he would pursue you tirelessly. no matter how far you would run, or where you would hide, he would find you and try his hardest to get through to you that you were what he desired most in his life. Along with that, he was extremely jealous for your attention. This became a nuisance when he would choose you for that day, and you would have to talk on the phone, or wash dishes, or any task where your attention would not be on him. He would pursue all the harder, even pecking at you if he had to, to get your attention! This is far from the easily frightened, peaceful bird theorized about at Jesus baptism. I'm sure there's a lot more profound reasons why God chose a dove to represent His Spirit that day, but I am extremely encouraged and excited about the things God showed me through our time with Abdul. 

I am extremely thankful that Holy Spirit pursues us persistently and tirelessly, no matter how we feel, how distracted we get, and where we try to hide. He is right there with us, trying to get through to us how much He desires intimacy with us. Wow, we are His heart's desire- no matter what. He is not easily frightened or pushed away, he keeps courting us. 

Where can I go from your Spirit? 

Where can I flee from your presence? 

If I go up to the heavens, you are there; 

If I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 

If I rise on the wings of the dawn, 

If I settle on the far side of the sea, 

Even there your hand will guide me, 

Your right hand will hold me fast. 

Psalm 139:7-10

To Be Changed!

I’ve spent some time pondering what I would write for my next blog. I was starting to feel a bit sorry for my readers, because everything I write tends to come back to the same point. If you’ve had enough of my message, feel free to skip this one. The thing is, every believer has a life message. It’s the thing that God plants in your heart when you are awakened into His Kingdom. For some it is simply a message that is lived out- a witness by example. Your life IS the message. For others, (like me), it is a message that burns in your heart in such a way that you must speak it out. Jesus modeled both, and we should strive to BE and SPEAK the message God plants in us. 

The message that burns in my heart is that we can truly KNOW God. We are not victims of an ‘arranged marriage’. Too often in the western church, the Wedding Feast of the Lamb is some obscure metaphor from the book of Revelation. There is a tendency to minimize that aspect of our relationship with God. If we do talk about it, we tend to picture something of a traditional arranged marriage. That the Father chose us for the Son, and that we will be the shy, new bride, timidly walking down the aisle to an unknown groom. The veil is lifted, and we see Him for the first time. The first part- the Father choosing us for the Son- is true, but sadly for many, if the wedding were to happen today, the rest is how they would feel, because they haven’t taken the time to get to know Jesus. We truly are His bride. Praise God, there is an awakening to this relationship in the Body. The difference is, the Father chose us, but when we said yes in response, an amazing thing happened. The Son, our Groom, began to pursue us! The relationship we should strive for with Jesus is close, intimate friendship. He will pursue you, regardless, but imagine what joy could be yours, if you would turn and let Him catch you. He wants to share His plans with you. In fact, He wants you to be a part of the planning! Anyway, like I said, the message burns in my heart and must come out. I will reign it in for now, and get on with what I wanted to talk about today.

I was remembering something that happened when I went on my first mission trip. I feel like God gave me some fresh revelation about it. I went to Haiti in 2002 for two weeks. It was completely set up by God. I had no desire to go, and in fact I was scared to go. God confirmed several ways that it was definitely His plan, (an amazing story I’ll share some other time), so I began to pray into going. I began to picture revival hitting Port-Au Prince, and I could see a vision of God’s presence with us like a mantle as we flew to the island. I was stoked. I expected conversions and healings, and all sorts of power encounters and miracles. After a week in Haiti, I was depressed. I had prayed for very few people, with no obvious results, and I felt like I wasn’t having an impact at all. During worship at a church service, I was asking Jesus about it. I was whining, really. I was thinking, “You sent me here for this? I haven’t done anything!”

Then Jesus said something to me that changed my whole trip- and my life. He asked: “Did you come here to change the people, or to be changed?”

I was so messed up at that point, that I didn’t even know how to answer. I had become too discouraged by my expectations not being fulfilled to see the point of why God had taken me there. The recent revelation I had is that God took me there to change me. Feel free to groan and shake your head that it took me almost ten years to get it. I wanted Him to change me, I just didn’t realize that changing me was the whole reason He took me to Haiti. The thing is, when God leads us to do anything, it is to change us as much as for any other reason. I needed a paradigm shift. I got it in Haiti, I just didn’t understand fully the lesson God was giving me. 

Too often, we approach things like missions and ministry focused on how we are going to change people. Like I have some magic revelation that they don’t, and they definitely need it to be more like me. Like I have it right, because otherwise God wouldn’t send me to them- obviously they need to be more like me. Hopefully, you don’t think I’m a horrible person. I don’t really approach ministry thinking this, but obviously, subconsciously, the thought was there. I went to Haiti thinking I was going to save people. I was going to change the world, starting with Port-Au-Prince. My motivation was wrong. Going with expectations was wrong. God couldn’t line up power encounters and miracles for me, because it would have reenforced my bad paradigm. Instead, when I was humbled and ready to be changed, He was able to show me how wonderful the Haitian people are. He broke my heart for that nation, and gave me a deep love for them. 

Our motivation for ministry- ALL ministry- has to be based out of our love for the Father, and to please Him. We should do all mission and ministry work with our gaze focused on Him. I should want to pray for people and to see people get healed because it will please the Father, and so that the people will encounter Him. It seems so basic, but ministry is not about us or the one we minister to. It’s all about revealing God’s love to people, because we love Him. Bill Johnson says, “Evangelism in it’s purest form is an overflow of worship.” So ministry should be an extension of adoring the Father. 

Okay, I better throw some scripture in here, like a good Christian preacher.

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is- his good, pleasing and perfect will.” -Romans 12:2

The pattern of this world is self-glorification. It has been since the fall. The pattern of the world is to please self, and to change everything around you to please you. I agree one hundred percent that the renewing of your mind is studying God’s word, but I believe there is way more to renewing your mind than reading the Bible. First of all, (back to my life message again), we are in a relationship, not a religion. Seek His face. “...we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” -2 Cor. 3:18. It’s about gazing into His eyes, and hearing what He is saying right now. 

I can know all about a person, and not truly know them. I happen to really admire Audrey Hepburn. I have read biographies about her, I own movies she starred in, and I have even painted a portrait of her. That doesn’t mean I know her. It just means I know about her. If I were to meet her on the street, (she’s dead, but let’s just say if she weren’t), I would know who she was. I would know some things about her, possibly even personal things, but if I approached her, she would say, “I don’t know you.” How many of us live our Christian life as a ‘fan’ of Jesus- knowing all about Him, but not really knowing Him as a friend. I don’t want to get too heavy here, but that’s the scary part about Jesus’ story about separating the sheep from the goats. (Matthew 7:21-23 & 25:31-46) They were both ‘saved’ by outward appearances. It seems that the ‘goats’ have pretty powerful ‘ministries’, too. They prophesy, cast out demons and perform miracles. The scary part is how Jesus says, “I never knew you. Go away from me.” The important thing is not the doing but the relationship.

One last thought on renewing your mind. When we say to renew your mind in the Word, the common paradigm is to study the Bible. Please don’t think I am opposed to this. The Bible is awesome and I love it. But what if we could renew our mind in the ‘current’ Word? Ephesians 6:17 says that our sword is the word of God. The word ‘word’ here is the greek word ‘rhema’. Rhema is a word that is spoken right now. It is an ‘utterance’, or a ‘pouring forth’. So, if our weapons have divine power to pull down strongholds, it is important that our sword is sharpened as much (or more) by what Jesus is saying right now, than with the Bible alone. It is important to engage in conversation, so that we get to know His voice. In each situation that requires you to stand against the enemy, don’t picture your sword as yanking out your Bible and quoting scripture at the enemy. Instead, ask Jesus what He wants to say to that situation. That’s real power. The power is in Who you know. Renew your mind in your relationship with Christ, and you truly will be transformed.

Anyway, I really am changed. And I’m ready to change more and more, from glory to glory, until I have been transformed into the image of Christ. What makes my heart happy is to know that the transformation happens through beholding Him. *blissful sigh* Man, I love Jesus!! God bless you!!

Where Are You, God?

Sometimes life just sucks. It’s not like some huge catastrophic thing has to happen and turn your world upside down. Often, it can just be a small series of annoying or painful or sad things that add up to a great big feeling of ‘life just plain sucks’. Sometimes it feels like no one is looking out for you. Sometimes it isn’t even that deep, you just feel sad or tired. Period.

In a way, what makes it harder is being a believer. If I didn’t know Jesus, I could just think that the universe was out to get me, or that I’d done something to mess up my karma. I could eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die. But, knowing what I know, I also know that Jesus has a place of peace for me if I can find it, or figure out how to get there. I know that Jesus’ plans are to prosper me and not to harm me. I am supposed to live the victorious life as a child of the King.

Will bad stuff still happen to us. Yup. The fact is, when you are born into the Kingdom, you were born into the middle of a war. Worse yet, you were born behind enemy lines, surrounded by a world of hurt and temptation. And we have a real enemy. Don’t ever take it for granted the devil wants you dead. He will take you out the first chance he gets, any way he can. Sorry to sound all doom and gloom, but the Bible says that people perish in their ignorance. Don’t be ignorant of the war! And don’t be ignorant of the tactics the enemy will use to sidetrack you into slipping up. 

I’ll leave it up to you to figure out what he uses in your life to keep you from entering God’s peace and rest. For me, it’s busy-ness, and reminding me of painful things that have happened to me. He likes to paint events in a light that makes the Father look indifferent to my suffering, rather than the One who is trying to pull me from the pit of despair. I have had things in my life that made me feel like Job. What I can’t seem to get is how Job went through it without sinning. Sometimes I am SO angry with God. He could have prevented the bad stuff that happened in my life. I mean, He’s God, right? Seriously, WTF? (that’s ‘what the fart’, in case you were offended.)

Hmm. If Jesus is our perfect example of how to live victoriously in God, did He ever go through this? Did He ever feel like God didn’t give a rip about His situation? Yup. That’s why He cried out from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” On the cross. Yikes. I’ve never had it that bad. But I have felt like Crying out at times, “WHERE ARE YOU, GOD??”

Sadly, we have built an entire theology around how God turned away from Jesus on the cross. We say, “Well, you know, God can’t look at sin, so when Jesus took the sin of the world, God had to turn away. That’s why Jesus cried out. Because God left Him.” Ummmmm... I have a serious problem with that. The more I get to know the heart of the Father, the more I KNOW that what He said is true- “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6) Jesus said it again after His resurrection (and He only spoke what He heard the Father saying) “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

We include in our ‘theology’, how this was another prophetic sign that Jesus was the Messiah, because He said what David prophesied He would in Psalm 22. (Psalm 22 is a prophetic psalm about the coming messiah.) The very first line of the psalm is “My God, my god, why have you forsaken me?” And it gets more depressing from there. Thank goodness it doesn’t end with the depressing stuff, though. Here’s the part we seem to ignore when we are applying it to Jesus on the cross. 

“I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you.

You who fear the Lord, praise him!

All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!

Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!

For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one;

he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.”

-Psalm 22:22-24

So, the psalm goes on to say that God didn’t turn his face away, but listened to his cry for help!

Why do we always think the worst of God? Oh yeah. The enemy. Right. 

Satan will try his hardest to get you to think the worst of God. If we start to listen to the enemy, we withdraw from God’s love. You see, the gospels are only telling us what the disciples heard and saw. Matthew describes Jesus on the cross, but he was only able to describe one side of the conversation. He could only tell us what Jesus said, but I believe there was more going on than what the disciples could sense with their natural senses. 

In my experience, when I have been at my lowest and cried out to God, He always answers with a reassuring word- a word of comfort. I have even more respect for Job- knowing that he didn’t sin in his pain, and he didn’t have the indwelling Holy Spirit to help him! What excuse do I have when I think the worst of God and throw myself a pity party, believing that He must have left me to fend for myself this time? He will never leave me. He will never forsake me. Will bad stuff happen? Yes. Will I get wounded in the war? Yes. Will the Father turn away from me in my time of need? Never. Will He answer me with love and comfort? Yes, but I have to receive it. I have to be open to Him, and kick the devil in the teeth when he accuses God of being indifferent or even negligent in His care for me. What kind of loving parent would leave their children to fend for themselves in the hardest trials of life? When you are going through the hardest, most painful times of life, God is just as present as when you are getting blessed at a conference. HE WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU.

So, what was the example Jesus gave us on the cross? He cried out from His pain. But then what? If God answered Him, it wasn’t with a booming voice from heaven, because the disciples would have heard that. Is it possible that Jesus was in God’s rest, even on the cross? Was he able to quiet His soul enough to step into His spirit? Could He hear God while He was in agony on the cross? I wouldn’t be sure, if Matthew was the only disciple to describe the crucifixion.

Luke describes how Jesus asked the Father to forgive the ones who were crucifying Him. He told the thief He would see Him in paradise. (Was he blowing smoke, or do you think He could have had a word of knowledge?) He also made sure His mother would be taken care of by John when He left. (And do you think He could have known without a Word from the Father that John would be the only disciple to survive the persecution, and therefore take care of His mother?) Put the stories together, and you get a picture of Jesus coming to a place of peace, and hearing the Father, even on the cross. 

So, when life sucks, (and dying on a cross definitely sucks), the key is to step into God’s peace and rest, and let Him speak words of love and comfort over you. The key is to be stepping into rest and peace, communing with God’s Spirit in the good times, so that when the trials come you know how to do it. That’s why Jesus spent so much time alone   throughout the gospels. It says over and over again, (even when there were crowds of people who needed ministry), that Jesus withdrew to a quiet place to commune with the Father.

And hey, life sucks sometimes, but I’m still breathing! There’s a reason for the things that happen. One thing I know for sure though: God is still GOOD, and His plans are for my good. And He will never leave me to suffer through it alone. Don’t ever forget, God doesn’t cause the bad things to happen. But He’s right there with His hand held out to you, ready to help you through it. (And give you a great big hug!!)

Oh, and one more thing, a big thank you to Brad Jersak for busting some of my paradigms. I didn’t come to all these conclusions on my own. Thanks for making me read all of Psalm 22. God bless you. :o)

Who Do You Say I Am?

Peter’s Confession of Christ

When Jesus came to the region of Caesaria Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Simon answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Who do people say the Son of Man is?

We are bombarded today with opinions. Everywhere we turn, especially in media, we continually hear what other people think about pretty much everything. Even the news, which is supposed to be offering unbiased information, is full of opinion and propaganda. (But that’s just my opinion.) If you pay attention, you will hear a lot about what people think about Jesus, and who He is. There are continually references to Jesus in all sorts of media, from sitcoms to documentaries and everything in between, it fascinates me how Jesus always seems to come up. The question is, do we let what other people say about Jesus influence who we think He is?

The reason Jesus comes up so often, even among people who claim not to believe in Him, is that all of history is His story. He is continually there, convicting by His Spirit, loving by His Spirit and through His servants, reminding through creation that there is a God, so that man is without excuse. Of course He comes up in conversation and media, because He is always present and presenting Himself as the answer and the way to change.

The problem is, that He is misrepresented so much of the time, that there is a lot of confusion around who He really is, and what He’s really like. Not to digress, but I don’t believe for one second that Jesus would have burned a copy of the Quran after putting the book on trial. Not when the commandment He gave is to love. It can be confusing for people who are searching for truth about Jesus, no matter which side they are on.

That’s what happened in Jesus time. He asked His disciples what people were saying about Him. He wasn’t trying to puff Himself up or hear the latest gossip, but He was making a point to His followers. If you try to base what you believe on public opinion, you will never come to a solid foundation. You will be blown here and there by every wind of doctrine. (Ephesians 4:14) The public didn’t know Jesus, so they didn’t know what to make of Him. He preached repentance, so He must be John the Baptist come back to life. No, no, look at the signs and wonders He performed! He must be Elijah! Well, He preaches with such authority, He must be a prophet... They had never taken the time to get to KNOW Jesus, so they could only base their opinion on what they knew ABOUT Jesus. 

Then Jesus asked His disciples a key question. “Who do you say I am?”

But what about you?

I believe Jesus asks us regularly, “But what about you? Who do you say I am?” The reason He asks us, is because it is important to re-evaluate what you believe once in a while. Have you been swayed by public opinion? Are you believing something that is contrary to the nature of God? Did the pastor in Florida cause you to have a crisis of belief? Other people’s actions, sermons, comments, opinions, attitudes, etc. can all affect how we see other people. 

There have been many times in my life, when my belief about someone has changed, because of someone else. I will befriend a person, and think they are super nice, and trustworthy. All it takes is another person to come along and say, “Oh man, did you hear about that person? They are so dishonest! And mean! Let me tell you what they did!” My view of the first person has become colored. All of a sudden, there is some doubt in my heart about whether that person really is nice and trustworthy. Really, I should be doubtful about the one gossiping. The only way this doesn’t affect your opinion of your friend, creating doubts, is if you KNOW the friend really well. And if it does create doubts, and you are close to the friend, you can always ask them for the truth.

Do you see now, why it is so important to be in a relationship with Christ, and not in a religion? The closer you are to a person, the more you will see the truth about them. That’s why the ones closest to us see the worst and the best of us. When you are close to a person and spend a lot of time with them, you can’t keep hiding who you really are. That’s good news for us. The closer you get to Jesus, the more you will know about Him, because He delights to reveal the deep mysteries of God to us.

Simon (Peter) was able to answer with the truth about Jesus. He declared, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” The reason He could answer with the truth is because he knew Jesus. He had heard what Jesus said about Himself, which was confirmed by the way Jesus lived His life. He had spent enough time with Jesus to know what was true.

Revealed by the Father

There is more to this passage. In a way, I saved the best for last! After Peter’s confession, the passage goes on.

Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”

I love how Jesus affirms to Peter, that his confession, “...was not revealed to you by man...”, was not based on public opinion. I can hear the underlying “Well done!” in Jesus’ statement. The even more encouraging part is that Jesus says it was revealed by His Father in heaven. We don’t have to depend on public opinion or our own powers of deduction, because the Father will reveal who Jesus is. Jesus said in the book of John that Holy Spirit would guide us into all truth. (John 16:13) James 4:8 says “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.” As in any healthy relationship, the more you pursue the other person, the more they will respond in kind. It’s the reason we were made- to know God. His desire is for relationship.

When we receive the revelation of who Jesus really is, we will have a new identity. (Yay!!) That’s why Jesus gave Simon a new name. “And I tell you that you are Peter...” We will begin to see ourselves as Jesus sees us. As with Peter, we will have to walk it out, but we will grow and grow into who God intended us to be as we go deeper in our relationship with Jesus. 

The gates of hell will not overcome it!

The final statement I want to discuss, is Jesus declaration, “...and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” Now, I don’t want to get into some deep theological discussion about whether the church was built on Peter, because that’s not the life or death issue here. I believe that the rock Jesus was referring to, is the revelation of who He is. The Bride of Christ, His church, will be built on the revelation of who Jesus really is. He said He will return for a Bride without spot or  wrinkle. He will make us ready, and the only way that will happen, is for us to allow ourselves to be transformed into the image of Christ. 

Have you ever noticed that people who hang out together a lot start to speak the same way, and have some of the same mannerisms? I believe that the way we become more like Jesus is to spend more time with Him. Instead of letting public opinion change how we see His church, and who He is, we should spend enough time with Him, that we are transformed, and we radiate the truth like light. Instead of being conformed to the ways of the world, we will be transformed by Him! Then people will be influenced by what is true. When the body of Christ comes into our true identity, the world will take notice, and long for what we have. There is a hunger in the world that only Jesus can satisfy, but we won’t draw people to Him by burning books or picking fights. We draw people to Him by loving Him and walking like Jesus walked- only doing and saying what the Father does. Everything we do has to be for Him. That’s what the gates of hell won’t overcome. They can’t. It’s impossible.

God bless you as you seek to know Him more!

Man! I LOVE JESUS!!! :o)