Grace to Forgive, Grace to Forget

Happy New Year!

Welcome 2015! Here we having begun this New Year. For many, including myself, 2014 was challenging to say the least, but God brought us through it and saw fit to let our eyes behold 2015. I know that this year is a year to walk with Jesus upon the waters, and see the hand of God do great things despite the momentary afflictions that must be. There is a heavenly momentum preparing the people of God to streamline, shred away, and skim off what needs to be left behind us. As the Apostle Paul writes in Philippians 3:13-14:

...but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. NKJV

The Lord is speaking so much to my heart.. One thing He wants us to remember is that there is grace from Him that helps us to forget. What the Apostle Paul says above sounds really good...but how to attain to it is not always easy. Therefore, we do what children of God do, we cry out to our Father to help us; we find out what He said about it, and by faith believe He will bring His promise to fruition in our lives. He possesses the power to forgive and forget our sin when we believe that His son, Jesus, died on a cross taking our place for fallen man and every wrongdoing we have committed and shall commit; and then raised up Himself from the dead by the power of His Holy Spirit. As believers, the Lord says to us in Psalm 103:12-14:

He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust. NLT

Elsewhere, the Lord says that he cast our sin into the sea of forgetfulness; He causes Himself to forget. He says that He remembers our sin no more! This is the incredible grace of God that lifts our head when our memory caches what we have said and done, and the things others have said and done to us. The Father erases that from His heavenly memory chip. Then, He heals our spirit, cleans up the cookies that want to trigger that thing over and over again and crumble our faith. He has done this in my life and continues to do so.

This year, I choose to draw upon this grace as often as necessary that the Lord died to give us. Others may choose to be the best record keepers. As a writer, I can keep a detailed scroll too...but there is grace to forgive and forget because we are created in the image of God. We are not random happenings. As a sister and I shared recently, there was a "Big Bang" in the beginning of creation. A very Big God spoke the word, and Bang...it happened! Yet with mankind, He formed and fashioned us with His very own hands from the dust, tenderly. We are but dust...and Jesus thought you and I were worth it. 

I pray in Jesus name for anyone reading this post who does not know the love of God, to ask Jesus to reveal Himself to you, and forgive you. He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. He bore our sin and bears our burdens when we believe on Him and trust in His sacrifice to pay the ultimate price so that we can have peace...peace with God, a relationship with Him day by day, a meaningful life, and eternal life.

May we continue this new year leaving old baggage behind. We pray Lord for the grace to seek your face more than ever before, love you more, and be your bride on the earth to do your will. I pray for anyone struggling to forgive and forget that you would help us, remind us of your love, and give us the power to be your sons and daughters in this area of our lives. As we dine with you in your word, the Bible, please nourish our souls so that we may be like you, and invite others to this great feast of life, peace, and hope. We choose to dine with you Jesus and not on the things that this world and the devil try to serve. You are the bread of life and your love fully satisfies the hungry soul. I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen!

If you have been encouraged by this post, please send a note. What do you want to leave behind? What do you look forward to? How do you want God to help you?

God bless you!

A City Shaken to Prayer

This is an updated repost for these times.

2012
A Year to Restore, to Know God More

  

Praise God for bringing us into this (Jewish) New Year! No matter the joys and trials of life, we are here to begin again. I no longer make resolutions, but offer prayers to the Lord to prioritize and direct my heart according to His will. 

I do not usually publish dreams, but want to repost one that came alive as I was reading the Bible in 1 Kings 18. I am blessed by reading how the Lord speaks to individuals and oftentimes have some of the same thoughts in my spirit. Unless the Lord directs me to ponder, be still and know, I  want to share what he has given and perhaps someone else will be blessed and share something that will help me.

Dreaming...

A few weeks ago while in prayer to hear a word from God of direction for my life, family, the body of Christ, and the nation about what He wants to reveal in 2012, I had a vivid dream about a major city, perhaps even the one in which I live. I was going about the day on the way to the bank, however, the state of the city was different, and the structure and foundation of the city drastically changed. The atmosphere was  that of the aftermath of a major natural incident, perhaps an earthquake or something of that nature. People went about the day at a much slower pace as each and every city block was taped off with yellow police tape because there was a 1.5-2ft. gulf from the curbside to the actual city block. Every block in essence was almost an island, only there was no water in the gulf. The only place to cross the street was at the corner, so people walked slowly and carefully. These trenches around  each city block were deep and unfilled; any any small child or adult could slip down into it easily if they crossed the tape boundaries. As I was walking to the corner to cross the street, an elder woman literally grabbed onto me as I was about to cross at the corner and would not let go. I told her that I needed to run to the bank, but she dismissed it and instead I accompanied her to her destinations.

1 Kings 18

While reading 1 Kings 18, the Holy Spirit downloaded a few thoughts that I will share with you. If it resonates in your spirit, or if the Holy Spirit gives you a few thoughts, do let me know. In a time of severe famine, Elijah called the people back to true worship on Mt. Carmel. God is calling the body of Christ today back to Himself. The wood represents the cross on which Jesus Christ died. The bullock, or sacrifice was cut into pieces laid upon the wood. Jesus was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, whipped, scourged and died upon the cross.

What does this all mean? We must ensure that Jesus Christ has his rightful place as Savior and Lord of our lives. In Leviticus 6:8-12, God  gives instruction to the priests to burn wood upon the altar every morning and lay the offering in order upon the altar. We are kings and priest before the Lord. We must rearrange the sacrifice  upon our altar of worship to keep Jesus first and keep the fire burning in our hearts. This is what Elijah did and what we too should do.

The people at large worshiped at pagan altars as many do today...the gods of mammon, lust for fame, success, and for the flesh forgetting the boundaries of the Lord and believe that there are no consequences to their lifestyles.  Elijah repaired and rebuilt the altar of worship. just as the Lord is calling us to do today in the body of Christ. He is calling us to return to Him, to our first love. He is calling us to that place of love so that we may know Him intimately and others may see His beauty and be drawn to Him. 

When we see water in the word, it often represents the presence of the Holy Spirit. In this dream, the water represents the prayers and intercession of the saints for the lost of the city who do not know the Lord, are ignorant of His ways, His boundaries, and judgments. Our prayers are to fill the trenches again, and again with water as Elijah did in 1 Kings 18:33, so that whoever falls into them might be saved because we have filled them with intercession for their very souls.  If need be, we stand by to pull them out.

The natural event happened to cause us to slow down and consider our ways. It was not allowed to occur for destruction, though it completely changed life as we know it. The disaster was a mercy cry from God to have us walk more carefully and not carefree in the ways that seem right to us. The gulf was deep, if one crossed the boundaries that were clearly established, they would suffer the consequences. Likewise, when we cast off the ways God has given us to live in his word, the bible, we suffer unnecessary consequences. As a loving parent, God does not leave us to ourselves to live any way we choose. The Lord left us his eternal word as a guidebook that never gets old.

I accompanied the woman to her destinations because she wouldn't have it any other way and she alluded to the fact that one of her rings would have sufficed for whatever I was going to retrieve from the bank. When we forget our agenda for a moment and reach out to help others, we will find the treasure of God. Let us pray for the Lord to give us His burden for the people in our cities, towns, villages in which we live. Block by block, we must take it back, and fill the trenches with prayers and intercession. As believers in Jesus, we have to be willing to help others cross over to safety in the presence of the Lord. When we do, as the Lord did in 1 Kings 18:38, He will visit us with fire and consume our offerings. He will answer prayer like never before. Elijah prays in 1 Kings 18:37-39:

v37: Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.

v38: Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

v39: And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God.

Let's Pray:

Heavenly Father, thank you for your word which is a light unto our feet and a light unto our path. As we are upon a New Year, we pray that you would draw us to yourself like never before. Please open your word to us and give us an ear to hear what your spirit is speaking. We want and need to hear your voice above all else. You said that you would show us things to come before they spring up (Isaiah 42:9). We want to be found waiting at your feet for your slightest move (Psalm 123:2). We desire to be vessels you can use in this hour in history. Please help us to be pure in heart that we might see you and worship you in spirit and in truth in all we say and do, for you seek such worshipers (Matthew 5:8)

You said in 2 Chronicles 7:14: If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and see my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

We ask your forgiveness for how we as a people have worshiped your creation and denied your person. Bring restoration to Zion again...let us see your glory in the earth as the waters cover the sea. Thank you for drawing the body of Christ together in these turbulent times. May we be joined as Ezekiel 37 and John 17. Help us to be about your business which is sharing the gospel!

If there be some who do not know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, may they ask for forgiveness of their sins by His death on the cross, burial, and resurrection. Thank you for bringing them into a relationship, communion with you. Thank you that those that be in Christ are new creations and you have given them power to be a child of God and live a different life...an life of purpose as you desired before creation. Fill them with your Holy Spirit and mark them for eternity with you in Heaven. I love you and ask this in Jesus' name.

Eternally yours,
Amen.

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