Verse and Message (Week of June 22-28, 2008) June 26, 2008

 

I couldn’t resist sharing the post below that was emailed to me by Wendy Parsons, a strong sister in Christ. I wrote about authority a few weeks ago, but this message places additional emphasis on the power that we all have within us due to our precious Lord and Savior.  So many of us operate as if we are living by our human nature alone.  Our human nature can almost become completely exempt if we choose to walk in the Spirit each day.  Due to our body and soul, as long as we are here on earth, we will have a struggle when it comes to our flesh.  But, it’s not impossible to assume our full inheritance of the King by claiming what is ours. (I paraphrased and edited the message below with some additional thoughts.)    Numbers 13:33 “And we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”     2 Corinthians 10:4-5 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.   How does the enemy see you?  Does he see you as a terrifying and mighty warrior of God?  Or does he see you as a wimp that he can whip in a minute?   The answer to that question depends on you.  If you study the children of Israel and their failure to enter the Promised Land, you might grasp that it is up to us to determine if we will walk in timidity or walk in power.  The key to their failure is found in these words:  “And we were in our own sight grasshoppers, and so we were in theirs.”   The reason the Israelites were so frightened to fight the giants in Canaan wasn’t because those giants were so big.  It was because the Israelites saw themselves as so small!  It was what they were in their own sight that defeated them.   The same thing is true for you as a believer.  It’s what you are in your own sight that makes all the difference.  If you perceive yourself as a weak and powerless Christian, the devil will run over you three or four times a day or more.  However, when you begin to view yourself as the Lord sees you, as a conquering son or daughter of the Almighty God equipped with the very power of God Himself…..the devil will want to steer clear of you.  The enemy wants nothing to do with the praises of Jesus and the reflection of His Light in you.   Satan would rather do anything than to come against somebody who’s bold and courageous in words and actions.  You see…the devil is a coward himself.  In fact, ever since Jesus Christ rose from the grave, the enemy shudders and every demon bows at the sound of the sovereign Name of JESUS.    If you are not strong in the Lord in your sight, you can change that.  You need to get so full of God’s Word and so filled with the Holy Spirit that you indeed become a giant for Jesus. In order to maintain that strength, we must live in complete obedience to the One Who has given us all we need. Listen to the voice of God. Refuse to be manipulated by the author of lies. Turn the tables on the devil and let him discover what it feels like to be a grasshopper for a change.   Embrace His POWER within you! Never fail to put on the Armor of God daily! (Ephesians 6:10-18) SUSIE MC

Verse and Message (Week of June 15-21, 2008) June 18, 2008

Colossians 3:14

And over all these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

 

John 13:35

By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

Church of the Highlands is partnering with hundreds of church homes globally to do a series simultaneously called “One Prayer.”  The series began the first week of June and will continue until the end of July when our worship home will be taking part in a city-wide outreach project.  Hundreds of small groups within Church of the Highlands are meeting each week to discuss this topic of “One Prayer” and will each decide on their respective outreach plans to participate in on July 26. If you are interested in finding more about “One Prayer” you can go to www.oneprayer.com and  you will be able to unite with other believers from all over the world. Together, we will fast, pray, give, and serve. We will be the Church that God has called us to be. We will stand together like never before in perfect UNITY.  The premise of the series is, “If God would answer ‘one prayer’ for the church at large, what would you pray?” 

This past weekend, Pastor Craig Groeschel of LifeChurch.tv, discussed the following:

 

LORD MAKE US ONE

He asked the question,“What would it take to unify believers?”

 

He shared that we all have ONE ENEMY who attacks the cause of Christ.  This is a common enemy no matter what church or denomination anyone belongs to. The devil simply wants to bring division in the church.  Groeschel discussed the different styles of worship, what people wear to church, what version of the Bible each studies etc as points of conflict in the Church at large.  Well, it simply shouldn’t matter what we do as long as we are united with the cause of Christ our King! 

 

It’s amazing to me how many Christians stick their noses up when someone else is different in how he/she relates to the Almighty Creator!  This is crazy….this is exactly what our enemy relishes.  The prince of darkness wants to steal our unity, kill our church homes, and destroy Christianity.  He wants non-believers to be disgusted with Christians. Unfortunately that reality exists in many ways.  We should embrace our differences, because everyone is different and every lost soul who comes to Christ will receive the Lord by way of a different style and different time of life. We all have different testimonies. There is indeed ONE WAY to the Father – but the avenue in which one gets to God the Father through Jesus is different for each individual. God works on individual hearts. Some come to Christ due to an event.  Some find Jesus through the love of Christian friends.  Some find Jesus at a revival.  The time and style is God’s choice way of reaching each individual soul.

 

This leads me to the next point of Groeschel’s message….In order to unify believers, we must have ONE HEART.  There is strength in diversity.  As long as we have one heart for Jesus and believers, our fruit will reflect Who we belong to. The world will know Christians by their love for the Father and each other! 

   

Lastly, we must seek ONE PURPOSE.  The church doesn’t exist for us, it exists for others.  It exists for those who do not know our Lord.  Christ died on that wretched cross for ALL. Our objective is to make that fact known to the world.  As a Christian we wear the same team jersey.  It matters not the name on the back of the jersey (mine being McCullum), but for our TEAM in Jesus Christ.  It’s crucial that we reflect not just the facts about Jesus, but the power of our Father and the love He has for all of us, as well as, the desire He has to know each one of us personally. He excludes no one.  This invitation is for ALL of us! He has chosen us for His TEAM.

   

In closing, I wanted to share something I found from A Gentle Thunder by Max Lucado that remarkably applies to this message:

 

“God has only one flock.  Somehow we missed that.  Religious division is not His idea.  Franchises and sectarianism are not in God’s plan.  God has one flock. The flock has one Shepherd.  And though we may think there are many, we are wrong.  There is only one.”

  

“Never in the Bible are we told to create unity.  We are simply told to maintain unity.  Paul exhorts us to preserve ‘the unity which the Spirit gives.’ (Ephesians 4:3) Our task is not to invent unity, but to acknowledge it.”

 

Lucado has two sisters and a brother.  He says,”We are siblings because we came from the same family.  We have the same father and the same mother.  I’m sure there have been times when they didn’t want to call me their brother, but they don’t have that choice.”

  

“Nor do we. When I see someone calling God ‘Father’ and Jesus ‘Savior,’ I meet a brother or sister – regardless of the name of their church or denomination.”

 

“By the way, the church names we banter about?  They do not exist in heaven.  The Book of Life does not list your denomination next to your name.  Why? Because it is not the denomination that saves you.”

  

“What would happen if all the churches agreed, on a given day, to change their names to simply “Church”? What if any reference to any denomination were removed and we were all just Christians?  And then when people chose which church to attend, they wouldn’t do so by the sign outside…..they’d do so by the hearts of the people inside.”

 

“And then we Christians wouldn’t be known for what divides us;  instead we’d be known for what UNITES us — OUR COMMON FATHER.”

 

So, wouldn’t it be cool if we could UNITE the common love of the ONE who saved us and UNTIE the division that the enemy works so hard to stir?

 

EMBRACE EACH OTHERS DIFFERENCES

LOVE IN CHRIST IS WHAT TRULY MATTERS

  

UNITE IN CHRIST

SUSIE MC

Verse and Message (Week of June 8-14, 2008) June 11, 2008

Ezekiel 47:9

Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows.  There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live.

  

Matthew 26:39b

“Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

  

John 15:5

“I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

 

Last semester when I participated in “prayer force training” I was reminded of a message Pastor Chris had delivered in the past regarding “control.” It’s origin can be read in Ezekiel 47:1-12.  The prophet Ezekiel had a vision in which a river symbolizes the presence of God. The bottom, or the ground, which includes the bank of the river, represents the world. 

 

When our Lord asks us to be obedient…partial obedience won’t cut it. Partial obedience is not obedience.  Our Lord expects us to fully surrender every area of our lives to Him….not just the parts that we feel we require assistance. 

 

This past weekend as I was preparing the lesson for the ”prayer force” small group I am leading this week on “The Presence of God,” this passage hit me in the face.  God revealed something significantly profound to me that changed the posture of my perspective in a particular area of my life.  I now comprehend more clearly that I must “sell out” to God in order to sense the full presence of the Lord in my life.  This attitude of “surrender” or “sacrifice” will allow more freedom than I could ever imagine.  In turn, when I release my hold on anything in my grip……I can be assured that it’s in God’s grip….and really always was….but I had to ”let go” in order for Him to manifest His power.  Who am I to think that I am more qualified to handle a challenge in my life than the Creator of the Universe and the Author of my beautiful Salvation?

  

Picture yourself in the following four positions. This may apply to control in any area of your life.  The four levels of control can fall under “control in worship” “control in finances” “control in relationships” ”control in outcomes of any form” ETC …..check it out:

 

Ankle Deep – We can enjoy refreshing in God’s presence, but we are in full command at this level.  We are able to splash and play, then choose to walk out of the river with no lasting effects on our lives.

 

Knee-Deep – The current of God, His manifest presence, can be felt, but we maintain restraint.  It’s still relatively easy to subdue the flow.  In knee-deep water, we can view the “fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11), but the riverbank is still our security.

 

Waste-Deep – Here the stream of His presence is strong.  We’ve walked out into the river into deep water, fighting the current and struggling to keep contact with the bottom, or the world.  Often fear of man or fear of losing control will tempt us to go back to the river bank.  It is at this place that we make a crucial decision:  “Who will be my master, me or the Spirit of God?”

 

The Middle of the River – This is where we are out of control!  We give up control to Him and sever the influence of the world.  We let go of our own will and desires.  At this place we are going wherever He is!

 

(Material above taken from Church of the Highlands Prayer Force Manual 2008)

 

When the Jewish people offered sacrifices to God, the animals were killed and the meat was presented to God.  As Christians, we are the “living sacrifices” to present to God.  Like rams, goats, and lambs that were once presented at the alter, we, too become His.  The only problem is that because we are LIVING sacrifices, there is the temptation to crawl off the alter.  That’s why we must make it a practice to “die to self” every single day in order to be in full submission to our Father!

 

We become “living sacrifices” when we choose His will over our own and we follow Him instead of the world. (Romans 12:2)  Everyone worships something or someone……but who will we worship?  When we present ourselves to God as living sacrifices, this act clearly demonstrates our desire to follow God.  When we lay down our lives and our desires, and trust and depend on Him completely, He will carry us, and He is eager to bless us and favor us with anointing and fruit more than we could ever fathom.  When we allow the Lord to take us completely, we find TRUE LIFE.

 

“Christ is the way…Sometimes we feel so torn in two.  Our human flesh cries out for comfort and direction, for some control, and yet we are called to live above that…Surely, it is on the path with Christ that we will find rest.  And when we are there, we will no longer wonder about God’s will for our lives — WE ARE LIVING IN IT.” (Sheila Walsh)

 

HIS SPIRIT SMILES AT OUR SACRIFICE!

  

RELEASE CONTROL, AND YOU WILL FIND TRUE FREEDOM!

GO WITH THE FLOW OF THE SPIRIT!

SUSIE MC

Verse and Message (Week of June 1-7, 2008) June 6, 2008

Exodus 4:10

Moses said to the Lord, “O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant.  I am slow of speech and tongue.”

  

2 Timothy 1:7

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.

 

Have you ever been intimidated to step out of your comfort zone for Christ?  I am not timid about meeting people, communicating the Word of God, inviting others to my worship home, or even writing these messages. However, I must confess….before I participated in a study at Church of the Highlands known as “prayer force training” I was terrified to pray over others in a group or one on one. 

 

I know you might think it is crazy, somewhat hard to believe, since you all know my fearless communicative style with others.  It is true…..in the past when someone has asked me to lead a prayer out loud, I felt as though I had forgotten how to speak. My assertive outgoing nature suddenly would be shocked with the thought…”oh the cat’s got my tongue.” When I began praying over the greeter team last year, I would ask others to lead us in prayer, or if I somehow planned to muster the courage to go for it, I would still stress over what I would say at least and hour or two before that time had arrived.

 

One thing I have learned in the past few months is that God is not going to give us an assignment that He won’t enable us to accomplish.  When we enter into salvation and receive the Holy Spirit, He provides us His multiple benefits.  In fact, we are equipped with EVERYTHING of the HOLY SPIRIT.  In addition, when we allow Him to consume us, He will provide supernatural qualities that would be impossible to attain on our own.

 

For the first time in my life, I am leading a small group at Church of the Highlands.  If you had told me a couple years ago that I would be a small group leader not to mention entertaining the idea of a small group focused on intercessory prayer….I would have said…”Nope, that’s not my gift.” 

 

My purpose in this message today is to encourage all of you who are on the ledge and desire His Power…..but refuse to be obedient to His call because you are scared….or you don’t have time…..or you don’t have the talent or anointing….whatever!  I am here to tell you that YOU ALL HAVE THE POWER WITHIN YOU.  But, our Lord is a gentlemen…He’s not going to force anyone to do anything…He operates in our spirit with promptings and convictions. 

 

God is so cool, because He takes over.  No matter what I utter, if my heart is open to Him and if I relax and let Him use me as His vessel…..His POWER and PURPOSES will be made known. 

 

I may be worried about a person not approving of what I am praying….or I may be concerned that I sound foolish or I may fear that I appear that I don’t know what I am doing….but guess what?  That’s the Enemy.  The Devil knows the POWER we possess because we are children of the KING.  Therefore, he uses the same bag of tricks to attempt to convince us that it’s nonsense.  If GOD says you can do it…..YOU CAN DO IT.  You are ready for leadership.  You are ready to pray over others.  You are ready to boldly step out and proclaim your faith.  You are good enough…..BECAUSE OF JESUS CHRIST, the ULTIMATE INTERCESSOR.

 

Again, the Enemy wants us to back down and make us feel incompetent.  If we depend on our own ability and strength…..we can expect to feel insecure.  Satan wants to distract us into taking our eyes off the One Who is working within us.  Don’t believe the lies.  Satan wants to steal the opportunities that we are given to build the Kingdom.  Speaking in Jesus Name and claiming the Promises of Scripture will demonstrate that the Enemy is wasting his time……”Don’t give him and inch or he will become your ruler!” (I have heard that quote but not sure who coined it).

 

A sister in Christ, Wendy Parsons, emailed me an excellent devotion on becoming free of fear written by one of her pastor friends in Missouri.  He wrote a profound statement in the message: “God moves in response to faith.  Satan moves in response to fear.  Faith is developed by meditating on God’s Word.  Fear is developed by meditating on Satan’s lies.”

 

Our Mighty God is passionate about manifesting His Power!  The Presence of the Holy Spirit in our midst should give us amazing confidence.  We are called to be fishers of men.  We are called to love people.  God changes hearts.  God is the performer.  We are His conduit to the world. 

 

Also, remember that when you deny the chance to be an instrument for the Lord….you are not cheating God…..you are cheating yourself!  He created each one of us in His beautiful image, and He equips us to be “more than conquerors.”  He is able to do far more than we could ever hope for or imagine. 

 

Another sister in Christ, Jennifer LeMaster, sent me the following quote this week:  “When God leads you to the edge of the cliff, trust Him fully and let go- only one of two things will happen; either He’ll catch you when you fall, or He’ll teach you how to fly.”

 

 

SO JUMP!! HE’S YOUR PARACHUTE!

  

SUSIE MC