the troops are ready

“The troops have been made ready. The troops are ready. They are waiting  for orders to go.”

Last Sunday as we were praying and worshipping, the presence of the Lord moved through our service.  I heard the voice of the Lord speak. “The troops have been made ready. The troops are ready. They are waiting  for orders to go.  Pray”  
This week I have prayed on that and asked the Lord what He meant.  I went to the Bible and found myself in the book of Daniel chapter 9.  Daniel had been reading the books and words Jeremiah had given and was moved to pray and fast.  Verse 3 “And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:”
This prayer goes on through verse 19. He really prayed for the mercies of God, for God to fulfill His word and move for the nation of Israel.  In verse 21 we see that the angel Gabriel came to him and began to speak to him.  Verse 23 really stands out to me. “At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to show thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, consider the vision.”
When Daniel began to pray, the command came forth.
This tells me that when we begin to pray, heaven moves. God gives command to his angels concerning us. He gives command and the angels go forth.

We can read in 2 Kings 6 about Elisha and his servant facing an army.  The servant was afraid, Elisha answered, “Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.”  He prayed for the servant’s eyes to be opened. When he looked around, he saw that the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. God moved. The oncoming army was struck with blindness.  The were subdued at the mercy of Elisha.

Psalm 34:7 The angel of the Lord encamps around them  that fear him, and delivers them.

I am certain God is telling us that when we pray, he is able to give the command. He is able to say “Go forth! Go forth!! Go forth!”  “My child needs an army to move!”  He dispatches the angels of heaven to perform in the spirit what we cannot do. He sends the messengers and the armies of angels to fight the battles and win the victory.  He is waiting to hear from us.  He is waiting to hear us cry out against the enemy. He is waiting for the prayers to come. We always hear the saying, “Prayer changes things.” This is truth. Prayer opens up the heavens, brings forth the charge, sends the angel army. Heaven moves when we pray.  James 5:16 says “- The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”  Prayer is effective. Prayer is how we find victory. Prayer is how we bring on the fight.

If we want God to give the command, “Go forth!” to the angel armies, we need to engage in prayer, fasting and making supplications before the Lord.  Send the troops, Lord.  Send the troops.  They are ready to go. It reminds me of an old song that says, ‘When mama prayed, heaven paid attention.’  I want heaven to pays attention when I pray.  I want to know the troops receive their orders when I pray.  Thank you Lord for showing me that my prayer is powerful. My prayer brings about a spiritual move that can only come because of my prayer.  Prayer brings the command: Go forth!

stay on the path

 This has really been on my mind the last few days, so I will write about it. 

When I was a little girl, I had a very vivid dream that I have never forgotten. In my dream, I was walking on a beautiful, white sand path. The sand nearly glowed it was so white. It was fine, soft sand. I was following behind my mother and my grandmother was in front of her.  Behind me, I was aware that my siblings were there. On each side of the path, there were dark, thorns and brambles.  There were dark, tiny serpents in the brambles attempting to reach me.  When the serpents would touch the white sand, they would hiss and jump back as if it stung or hurt them. I was feeling very frightened, especially since I fear snakes.  My grandmother looked back and said, "Stay on the path and they cannot hurt you."  I immediately understood and looked at that beautiful path. 

Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. Psalms119:105

When I awoke, I knew immediately, even as a child, that God had given me that dream.  My grandmother and mother were both strong Christian women.  They were prayer warriors and studied the Word. They did not back down on the importance of knowing Jesus as their personal Savior and having a deep personal relationship with Him. They were shining examples in my life. 

Righteousness will go before Him, And shall make His footsteps our pathway. Psalm 85:13

I understood that God was showing me that there are spiritual things that are an enemy.  There are things of this world and of the enemy of our soul that are trying to steal, kill and destroy.  I understood, then, that I needed to look at the examples laid out before me by my grandmother and mother, as well as those in the family of God to stay strong on in faith, to live the life God has purposed. I needed to trust in the Word of my Lord and know that His path leads to life, joy and peace.  Staying on that path of righteousness can only bring good things, peace and light. 

Uphold my steps in Your paths, That my footsteps may not slip.Psalms 17:5

I am thankful that I have never forgotten that dream.  When I think of that dream, I remember to keep my focus on Jesus. I remember not to be afraid of the things of this life. I remember that joy and peace come from serving God. I remember that I can be blessed when I walk in the understanding of who God is and His purpose for me. I may sometimes get my focus on the cares of life. I may sometimes forget to keep my eyes stayed on Him.  But he reminds me.  I am thankful for the reminders. I am thankful for the examples God set before me.  I pray I can live up to their expectations. I pray I can live and walk in that path. I do not want to stray from it.  I do not want to turn away.  I want to live it and be an example to the next generation and to the ones around me.  May God keep me and make me the kind of example He needs me to be. No matter what comes our way, God is always our protector, our provider, our peace, our comfort, and our everything. 

You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess. Deuteronomy 5:33

am I a fool?

Am I fool?
I hope not.  The Bible has a lot to say about fools and what  a fool is. I looked up fool and came up with 182 uses of the word fool or foolish.

Psalm 53:1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good.
A fool denies God. A fool is full of self-pride. A fool is vile and corrupt.  A fool goes against wisdom and instruction.  They are rebellious, wicked, harmful to others, lack wisdom, and shameful.  Look in Proverbs.  It describes a fool many ways and warns of being a fool, being around a fool or listening to what a fool says.
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Believing and fearing God is the beginning of knowledge. If we are to even have knowledge, we are to begin with God. True knowledge is knowing God. There are those who may disagree with this.  But knowledge without God as the source is useless and foolish.
Proverbs 12:15 The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.

A fool is going to assume they are wise. They are going to assume they already know truth. A fool is going to assume they might even be wise enough to determine God's very existence or His goodness, justness, righteousness, etc.
I really truly do not want to get into the thinking that I might even know better than God. Do I question God at times?  Yes. Should I?  Probably not.  According to His Word, He is always faithful, always just, always good, always has our best interest in mind, always knows all things and always loves us. Always!  Why do I think I can even begin to doubt that?  I am a foolish human that is why.

I am a fool at times.  I do not want to stay a fool.  I do not want to find myself doubting God.  I do not want to find myself in the position of denying God or denying His power.  I do not want to ever question His love, His faithfulness, His righteousness, or His authority. Life gets the better of me at times.  When I am frustrated, overwhelmed or confused, it is easy to wonder about God.
I think that is human nature.  However, if we truly rested in Him and knew Him in that deep intimate relationship that He has proposed to us, we would not find ourselves in the position of ever wondering or questioning.  We would immediately go to Him and trust that no matter what, he is still loving, faithful, just and righteous.

I do not ever question my husband's love and faithfulness.  If someone were to try to point out a questionable moment, I would believe in the love and faithfulness of my husband above all else.  I have a deep intimate relationship with him and I know him better than anyone else in this world.  I have faith in his love for me and in his promises to me.

Shouldn't it be the same with God? Shouldn't we trust him most because we have developed such a deep, intimacy with our God that nothing would sway our faith in who He is?  That is why He chose to describe His church as a bride.  That is the deepest intimate relationship on this earth that even comes somewhat close to describing the intimacy He desires to have with us.  Oh to be in deep intimacy with my Savior. Oh to be in arms of the One who can hold me closer than I ever dreamed. Oh to be able to hear His breath and feel His heartbeat.  That is intimacy.
Growing up, I always remember a picture on the wall of my great-grandparents.  It was hard for me to figure out which one was which.  They looked so similar to my young mind. There is the saying that as you grow in marriage, you become more alike.  I can say my husband has influenced me. I can say I have influenced him.  He has helped me and encouraged me to be more bold, to stand up for myself when I need to, and to not be so shy.  I have helped him to see things differently, to see himself as a valuable and to see that he is a strong person.  This influence comes from spending time together, sharing our lives and thoughts, through intimacy.  Time with God, sharing our lives and thoughts with God and intimacy with God will bring about changes in us. He will influence us, change us and help us become who we are supposed to be in Him.

Lord lead me to that place of deep intimacy that keeps me grounded in faith, unshakeable on a foundation of truth, and deeply devoted to you in understanding of who You are.

I John5:20 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

Lead me away from being a fool into understanding what is true.

a little mouse in the house

I am embarrassed to say it, "There is a mouse in the house!!"  I really don't like a mouse who thinks he can sneak in here and chew on things. We found a hole in the bag of frosted mini wheats and knew immediately we have a mouse!  I cannot stand the thought!  My husband immediately put out traps.  I guess this goes with living out in the country.  But I don't have to like it. He has to go!!!
A mouse is a tiny little thing.  Generally, they go unnoticed. Most people don't realize they are there.  The damage they do is little and can be hidden. We may not even realize what a mouse has done. But they chew here and there, and dig into tiny places.  They get into little nooks and crannies yoy may not even realize were there.  Before you know it, some important has been ruined, maybe a wire to a lamp or a whole bag of food. You can choose to accept this and do nothing or you can trap them, fight them, get rid of the little creatures ruining things in your home.

This applies on a spiritual level.  We all have little things sneaking into our spiritual lives. We may not notice them right away. We all have little things that come in and eat away and chew in the nooks and crannies of our heart. We may see little evidences in our attitude or how we react to situations. We may even get glimpses in our response to the move of God. But those little things can be hidden away for a while. Unfortunately, little things become big problems.

Have you allowed something little like doubt, fear, hurt, pride, covetousness, frustration, to come into your heart and hide in the nooks and crannies?  These little things can turn into bigger problems like, turning away from God, depression, bitterness, becoming a hater of others, becoming a thief, or becoming one who sows discord in the body of Christ.

Galatians 5:9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump.

A little bit of something can affect your entire walk with God. A little lie, a little hurt, a little pride, a little fear or doubt can change how you think, feel and how your respond to God's voice.
All it takes is feeding those feelings to bring about larger changes. Before you know it, a doubt can become a heart and mind that no longer believes.  Before you know it, a little hurt can become crippling bitterness that ruins relationships and can destroy a church body. Before you know it, a little fear can become debilitating and crippling to a life lived in love and peace.

Most often, we don't even realize the little things that are creeping in and hurting ourselves. We might recognize them in others, but no ourselves.
Matthew 7:3-5
 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

This does not bode well for us.  We are first needing to take a look at our own hearts and minds. Examine ourselves. Ask God to examine us and show us anything that is causing a problem. Second, we need to root it out, fight it, and allow God to do His work to remove it.
When we do not deal with our own hearts, we are not allowing God to mold us and make us in His image. We are hindering God's will and plan. He wants to make us whom He wants us to be.  He wants to do so much more, but little things are chewing and eating away at His plan, keeping it just out of reach.
Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties;

1Chronicles 28:9 “As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.

God knows and searches our hearts. He already knows our thoughts and intents. He is well aware of the little things that are keeping us from truly serving Him. He knows what we are holding back.
He will bring it to light and show us our needs, if we just ask and listen.  God does not want hindrances in our lives. He wants us to be pure and holy. He wants us to be filled with His Spirit. He wants us to be righteous.  1 Peter 1:16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

My prayer is Psalms 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
I want to please God, not disappoint him. Please, Lord, search my heart, let me not hide the little things. Clean them out and remove them so they do not ruin my life in you. Let me not be deceived by little things.
p.s. The little mouse got caught and removed from this house. Thank you to my husband.