Excellent Teachings

• 1 Peter 31-6 from Courson
• He's Still on the throne: Proverbs 21:1 from Jon Courson
• We beheld His glory from John Piper
• Don’t waste your life John piper
• Don’t waste your kids from Mr. Harris
• 2 Samuel 7 Part 2 from Jon Courson

Redeeming the time,

Sorrry... I promise my personality doesn't change as often as my blog look! It's just that I've had my eye on this cutie at Amy's Spit Decisionz and now she's giving it away for free!!!

I don't look ANYTHING like that homemaker in the header, but I do think it's such a fun and cute template theme for my blog.

I really liked the one I've had up from Amy here for the past couple days though too! The problem with all these cute free templates is I keep wanting to try them all on my blog and I loose all my widgets when I do so and have put 'em back. So this time, cute new free template or not, I'm stickin' with this one till Christmas at least! :)

Redeeming the time,

I'm just a tissue sample

There's many things the Lord has been speaking to my heart over the past several years about how I am just a tissue sample of the Church in America. As He's exposed my heart and His word has done a surgical-dividing of my thoughts and intents, I've seen my "diagnosis" and the remedy my Great Physician has prescribed for my spiritual condition. As He's dealt with me I've begun to have that "log" removed from my eye and have begun to notice that many of my dear brothers and sister have just a speck of what was blinding me in their eyes.

I see the same lukewarm-a little mixed in with the world-a little mixed in with the church-a little politically savvy-condition I've had in us as a body nationally. With the election of a president who violates the neat system we've become comfortable with, and who carries with him abominable beliefs about unborn babies, we've come face to face with our remedy, and it's up to us to embrace our Lord's chastizement and correction as His loving hand and deliverance for us.

Today, I was listening to this message from Jon Courson titled, He's Still On the Throne- Proverbs 21:1. In the teaching Jon really speaks what God has been doing in my heart over the past three years, not really in regards to politics, but in regards to my marriage and the path He wants me to walk in and is leading me in. Courson shares from an AWESOME section of scripture-Isaiah 44 and 45. You have to go listen to the message, but in short, he shares about how God chose, as HIS annointed, a brutal king Cyrus, to be the one He would use to ultimately deliver His people out of the bondage THEY had chosen. In Isaiah 45 God says these things about the pagan king Cyrus:

Thus says the LORD to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held... I will go before you and make the crooked places straight... I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the LORD, who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel. For Jacob My servant's sake, and Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me... I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways; He shall build My city, and let My exiles go free, not for a price nor reward, says the LORD of hosts. - Isaiah 45:1,2,3,4,13

Our thoughts are not God's thoughts. And His ways are so much higher. He chose a pagan king to take His people into bondage for the purpose of ultimately revealing HIMSELF to the king and for the purpose of delivering His people from their bondage. It was through Cyrus that we have the story of Ezra.

God has been doing this work in my marriage and I see His hand at work in my nation similarly! We chose a little (or a lot) of the world, and now we suffer it's bondage, but ultimately God will deliver! He has raised up Barrak Obama for OUR GOOD! And for HIS GLORY! The more we trust in that, the more we can focus on being a good witness of Christ to our future president, and the more we can pray for Mr. Obama with true love and desire for Him to know the Lord. And also, the more we trust in God's soveriegnty in appointing our coming president and congress, the more we will grow intimate with the One who sees our condition and loves us too much to leave us that way.

Oh my LORD, my Treasure, my LOVE! You have humbled me so through my husband! You have said, "He's right, listen to him," when I've protested, "But he believes this, and he does that!!!" You've showed me Your heart through my worldly man and You've made me to see my bound-up, legalistic, luke-warm condition. You've used my precious husband to deliver me from so much! You've shown me such favor in his eyes... a favor I haven't deserved or earned! And it thrills my heart that you said to king Cyrus, "... that you may know that I, the LORD, who call you by your name, am the God of Israel..." I pray you would call my husband by name! I pray you would say, " 'Here I am, here I am,'" to a person who is not called by Your name (Isaiah 65:1). I pray you would say, "Here I am, here I am," to my precious husband who You have used to bring healing and to rebuild ruined-me! I pray that he may know that You, the LORD who calls him by name, is the God of his wife!

And I pray to You, my KING, for precious Barrak Obama and his family, who You went to the cross for! I pray You would also show us, Your people in America, our condition and Your loving remedy! I pray we would embrace the cure You have for us and receive Your reproof. For whom You rebuke and chasten You love! I pray you would use Mr. Obama to open our eyes and show us what true riches are and to give us total satisfaction in the white robes of Your righteousness! I pray you would also reveal Yourself to Mr. Obama and his family. I pray He would know that You, the Lord, who has called him by name and raised him up, is the God of Your people in America who You are humbling!





Redeeming the time,

It's your kindness Lord...

I may not get to get on here and post the things that have been on my heart these past few days, but I wanted to at least share this song my heart is singing this morning!

Your love is better than life JESUS!!!!!

Redeeming the time,

Join me in prayer

Tomorrow begins the International Day of Pray for the Persecuted Church. If you click on the image above you'll find yourself at the IDOP website for 2008. There are great resources there for you and your kids (younger and older kids) to focus yourselves on praying tomorrow.

Here's an excerpt from the IDOP's theme devotional by Elizabeth Kendal:

If we are to be a holy nation (1 Peter 1:13 – 2:12), separated from all that is worldly and devoted wholly to God, then we must do as the bride is instructed to do: 'Forget your people and your father's house, and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him' (Psalm 45:10,11 ESV). Yet we cling to the world, and our beauty is marred by the dross of worldliness, idolatry and unfaithfulness. Those who think this is not the case are deceiving themselves (1 John 1:8). We find it so hard to forsake the world, but God does not leave us to struggle in weakness. No, the gracious and faithful master craftsman is working on us all the time, as individuals and as a Church (local and global). Nowhere is this more evident than in the midst of persecution and suffering.

And so we pray: not only for religious liberty and for justice, deliverance and peace for the persecuted Church, but also for insight into what God is doing in the life of his people so that we can 'get on board' and actively participate in, rather than proudly resist, this wonderful sanctification.

God is purging idolatry, forging unity and removing those sources of worldly strength upon which we so adulterously depend. He is increasing our love and our faith. We must never despair over the loss of political power or influence, for the hope of the Church was never to be found there (Zechariah 4:6). An abundance of earthly lights (light pollution) causes the stars in the heavens to appear dim. It usually takes a power blackout or a trip into the wilderness for the glory of the heavens to be revealed. The same is true concerning advocacy for religious liberty and the persecuted church. An abundance of earthly powers may cause us to forget or neglect the greater power and love that is in heaven. A political-power blackout or a trip to the political wilderness may be God's gracious way of drawing our attention to him and reminding us of where the true power lies. Prayer is not a lesser form of advocacy, it is the greatest. So let us pray!

Redeeming the time,