Monday, December 31, 2007
TheCall-Florida Prayer & Fasting Blog
"Now, therefore," says the Lord,
"Turn to Me with all you heart,
With fasting, with weeping,
and with mourning."
So rend your heart,
and not your garments;
Return to the Lord your God,
for He is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and of great kindness;
and He relents from doing harm.
We are gearing up for TheCall-Florida on February 2, 2008 by fasting and praying from January 2 - February 2 for the event. Please click the comment button below to post your thoughts, prophetic words, tips, prayer meetings, etc.
All comments are subject to approval and will be reviewed and considered before posting.
Happy Fasting!
Kim
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Dream the Impossible Dream
This modern day prayer movement did not start out haphazardly. It has been divinely fueled and birthed through dreams, visions and prophetic words. These dreams were bigger than the ability of the dreamers. The mandate was greater and above and beyond one man or woman’s abilities. These people stepped into the realm of impossible dreams with courage and determination. Hillsongs Australia summed it up well in their song “All the Power You Need”:
I’ve got dreams turn them into plans, too big for human hands.
Trust Him and see He’s got all the power you need.”
I am an active dreamer. I have been ever since I was baptized with the Holy Spirit. Immediately the mantle of the seer activated in my life. With this gift came visions, dreams, and a dimension of understanding in the Spirit that was non-existent before coming back to the Jesus twelve years ago. My desperation and surrender placed me on the path of awakening that has never led me astray. If I am honest, sometimes I am scared to carry out the direction given to me because it seems impossible. But, when all is said and done, the Lord’s ways are higher than mine. So, who am I to question the plans of the Almighty?
Calling All Dreamers
Who has a dream?
Who has a word?
Who can comprehend
the mysteries of God?
Joseph arise.
What will you do with your dreams? Will you discard them as delusional or realize that God is trying to tell you something? Over and over in the Bible there are accounts of strategic dreams that changed nations. One famous dreamer that comes to mind is Joseph. The dreams of his youth were fulfilled years later after much trial, tribulation and waiting. His dreams kept a nation from starvation and saved the very household that betrayed him. Thank God that he ran with the revelation, otherwise the nation of Israel would have died in famine. Joseph stayed true to his calling.
I, like Joseph, must be true to my calling. With that said, I must run with the mandate of heaven and stir up the Body of Christ to fall in love with our Bridegroom King Jesus and run in the fullness of who she is as His bride. This means equipping the saints for kingdom rule and reign, stirring up the fire of love within their hearts and releasing the Word of the Lord for this generation and the generations to come. I must go where He leads and say what He says. I am answering the call. Will you?
It is God’s desire for you fulfill your destiny in your lifetime. It is time to walk in the revelatory realm of God and run in your purpose. Each of us has a different destiny. We are created for a uniquely specific purpose. If we are void of destiny and purpose we live life lost and unfulfilled. This is not the Lord’s plan for your life.
I challenge you to dream the impossible dream and go beyond what you are capable to do in your own strength. Awaken beloved – the Lord has need of you!
Lord, stir up the gifts You have placed within me today. Be my strength and courage to fulfill my destiny and run the race You have set before me in a pleasing manner to You. I want to bless You with radical love and obedience. I want to dream the dreams of Your heart and run with Your vision. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Kill Me, God!
For the first twenty-eight years of my life I was a clueless Christian. Baptized Catholic, then later raised Episcopalian, my perception of Christianity was going to church, singing in the choir, attending the women's group, being kind to my neighbor, and wearing a cross around my neck. Year after year I went to church oblivious of the fact that God wanted my life, not just my actions. I had learned how to perform the outward acts of Christianity. Unfortunately, this left me as a shallow person, void of the foundational relationship with God that I needed to be spiritually successful. I thought faith was all about me: my salvation and my guarantee to heaven. I had the winning ticket to heaven: Jesus, and if I just did the right thing, I would stay on His good side and control my final destination.
Now, I know that I am not alone in this perception. I have met too many other Christians who have fallen into this deception. Usually, they come to me upset because things are not going the way they think they should according to their life plan. They feel like they are failing because everything is not going perfectly. They are not satisfied with life and not happy with themselves. This was where I was when God invaded my life and changed my course forever.
Lack of the knowledge of the love of God sent me in a direction far from God's will. For the most part of my early adult years, I wandered in a spiritual wasteland of self-seeking satisfaction in life. Isn't that what we are taught? Make your own way. Dress for success. Lead to succeed. The list of slogans for success go on and on. Performing is indoctrinated into our innermost being from the day we are born. So, when my "performance" was failing, I found myself bewildered by life's circumstances. I was out of ideas. Everything I tried to do failed. In desperation, I decided to leave the wasteland of self-indulgence and go back to church. Surely, God could do a better job than me, was my thought!
By the time I turned my life to Jesus, I was twenty-eight and suicidal. My health was out of control. I had done so much methamphetamine that I had ruined my immune system. I couldn't breathe. I became allergic to everything - grass, dust, medicines, even air bothered me. I would lie on my bed in my middle-class suburbia home and beg God to kill me. I would have thoughts driving home from work to drive off the overpass onto the interstate below just to end it all. I was miserable. My marriage of one year was a disaster. I dropped out of college where I was on scholarship for an Engineering degree. I was having a hard time doing my job of eight years. Everything I worked for was falling apart.
I was taught that if you kill yourself you will go to hell, so suicide wasn't an option. God would have to kill me. That was the answer. God quickly acted upon my prayer. In my quest to find an answer, He began to kill me - not physically, but He began to tear apart my misconceptions of life in general. At my place of desperation, He met me and started His excellent work of killing my false perceptions of Christianity and performance. He had me right where He wanted me. It was at this point of surrender that I realized that my life was not my own, but bought and paid for through God's only Son, Jesus.
If I was truly going to let God handle things, my agenda must go. My dreams must go. It was time to see what God could do, and I learned quickly that His ways are much higher than mine. In Isaiah 55:6-7 it says:
Seek the Lord while He may be found,
Call upon Him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way,
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
Let him return to the Lord,
And He will have mercy on him;
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.
My life changed dramatically when I surrendered twelve years ago. God's glorious pardon changed my life forever and set me on the path I am on today. I never imagined that I would be a minister of the Gospel when I was growing up. Now, I can't imagine my life any other way. In one day everything changed.
Perhaps today you are struggling with your walk with God. Maybe, it's not what it used to be. Maybe you've never known Him as more than a big judge in the sky waiting to condemn you for what you've done wrong. Maybe you forgot where you came from. Whatever your case, I encourage you to take time today to seek Him and call upon Him. It is at the point of surrender that things change. It is the submitted life that God uses. Isaiah 55 goes on to say in verses 8 and 9:
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord.
"For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts. (NKJV)
Today, seek the higher way. The death of your agenda and false perceptions will do you some good!
Lord, forgive me for trying to make my own way. Today I surrender my plans to you and lay them at Your feet. Everything is Yours, God - my family, finances, ministry, health, and dreams. Evaluate me Lord and kill the perceptions and agendas that do not line up with Your thoughts and ways. I choose to seek You and call upon You and forsake my former ways. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Are You Bound to the Profound?
Neither do I concern myself with great matters,
Nor with things too profound for me.
- Psalm 131:1
Too many times I find myself looking for a magnificent revelation that will blow people away. If I am truly honest with myself, I find that in my humanness I want to be remembered, quoted and put on a pedestal for what I know, sing, write, say and do. I want to be profound, remarkable and impressive. However, in my spirit, I long to live my life totally submitted to the Spirit of God and reflect who He is in me to the world around me.
This struggle between soul and spirit can be overwhelming at times. My fallen nature is strengthened when I strive to make my own way and impress people. The spirit part of me thrives when I purpose to connect to God, the All Knowing One, and learn from His Holy Spirit. However, when presented with the multitude of best selling Christian authors, televangelists, conference speakers, etc., the standard of successful Christianity becomes confusing when it is delivered in such a profound manner. Do I have to be profound to be of value in this Kingdom? Shouldn't my ultimate goal be to please God?
In our society we are taught from a very young age how to jump through hoops to please people. Our parents and teachers along the way have taught us to perform for acceptance. Grades determined how good we were. Trophies and awards made us special. What you wore gave you your place in the social network at school. We were encouraged to be self-centered and to please people. As adults, we struggle with this man pleasing and self-centered issue that has been woven into our very being. We become too concerned with the opinions of man rather than the opinion of our Creator. Eventually, this behavior will cause our spiritual death if we entertain it for too long (see Proverbs 29:25).
God is looking for people who will lay everything down: knowledge, agendas, striving, people, possessions, etc. You get the idea. He wants us to stop wasting our time and energy on pleasing people and change our focus to pleasing Him. What is He looking for? He is looking for pure hearts who are determined to know Him in the fullness of His glory. It is the heart that is free from haughtiness and loftiness that God will use. It is the heart that diligently seeks Him that pleases God.
King David had many trials and tribulations in his life. He had kingdom resources at his disposal - the best teachers, treasures, prophets, and more - yet he chose to stay humble before the Lord. He learned to draw from the Lord's presence while keeping his soul in check. In Psalm 131's short three verses, David gives us insight on how to deal with our soul's desires and to place our hope in the Lord alone:
Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty
Neither do I concern myself with great matters,
Nor with things too profound for me.
Surely, I have calmed and quieted my soul,
Like a weaned child with his mother
Like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, hope in the Lord
From this time forth and forever.
Psalm 131:1-3 (NKJV)
Quieting and calming our soul takes discipline. Think about a baby who is being weaned from his mother. This process usually is not an easy one. This child will learn to drink for himself and then eventually eat solid food, first with assistance then on his own. No longer is mom the one who supplies every bit of nutrition for him. Mom becomes a source of love, guidance and acceptance now. This child can rest comfortably and peacefully in his mother's arms and enjoy her presence. In this place of embrace, he gains acceptance, love and security. In return, the mother takes great joy in pouring out love to her young one and teaching him from this place of contentment.
The Lord longs for us to come to Him with a quieted soul. He wants to fellowship with us and not just be our provider. He longs for us to enjoy His presence and place our hope in Him all of our days. It is the simplicity of drawing from His presence that revelation is born. It's not from studying and studying for hours to find something that no one else has ever seen. Successful Christianity is when we are consumed with knowing our God and pursuing a relationship with Him. Seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness is what we are called to do. The rest of our life falls into place from our relationship with him.
If you can identify with this struggle, I encourage you to seek the Lord on this matter. Here is my prayer to the Lord, use it if you like, but pray your heart, not mine:
Lord, forgive me for seeking acceptance from man. In You, Lord, I am satisfied. In You I find acceptance. As Your vessel, open my mouth to speak forth the message You desire to be released through my life. Let me not add or take away from Your Word. I want to rest upon You and see You as my love and provider. Awaken my heart to this understanding. Let my hope be in You and You alone. Let my soul be calmed and quited within me. In Jesus' Name I pray, amen.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Transition
Recently, the Lord spoke to me that this is a time of transition for the Body of Christ. I, personally, am in a season where realignment is taking place. I have noticed that I am not alone in this shift. God is moving many of you out of your comfort zones and onto a new path of ministry that will set you on your course of destiny.
My journey with the Lord has been one of continual transition since the day I was filled with the Holy Spirit twelve years ago. I have learned through experience that as I move through this life from glory to glory, and increase in the knowledge of who God is, the fast track of the Kingdom can become bewildering. Wisdom and understanding are needed to proceed successfully.
Let's look at the word "transition". It is an interesting word, with several meanings that all basically mean CHANGE!!!! Webster's defines it this way:
1 a: passage from one state, stage, subject, or place to another: change
b: a movement, development, or evolution from one form, stage, or style to another
2 a: a musical modulation
b: a musical passage leading from one section of a piece to another
3 : an abrupt change in energy state or level (as of an atomic nucleus or a molecule) usually accompanied by loss or gain of a single quantum of energy
Although, transition is a noun/thing, it is dependent on timing and obedience. For example, when worship begins to transition from one song to another, the moment of transition must flow in perfect timing in order to be successful. The team must follow the worship leader's direction to flow to the next phase of worship. Without perfect timing, the result is disastrous! In fact, it can be painful to experience for the musicians as well as the listener! The flow is lost. The focus is diverted to the noise. The initial purpose of the transition is aborted.
We must learn to flow in God's divine timing. He is, after all, the Master Conductor. The grand music score was determined before time began. It was during creation that divine timing was set in motion. In fact, your specific plan was fully set in order by the end of the sixth day of creation. Your life, your purpose and your destiny in God is a sure thing when you follow His lead. He has never changed His mind about you. He is pleased with what He has created and planned.
God finished the great music score of the Kingdom and it is a masterpiece I might add! He has orchestrated each and every note of the created realm. We are each an instrument playing our part in the symphony of life. Sometimes we play with excellence. Sometimes we need to "rehearse" a few more times to get our part right. The great thing is He is faithful to bring us to fulfillment of the part we are to play. He knows what instruction we need. He knows which instrument He designed you to play. He destined you to play a distinct sound in the song.
Now, the Word says that God rested after the sixth day of "creating/ composing". His confidence in His accomplishment should give us the faith to trust in His plan. His divine providence allows us to rest in His finished work.
Hebrews 4:9-10: "There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His." (NKJV)
We must learn to enter into His seventh day rest to participate in the Kingdom song. Rest does not mean to cease. It simply means to stop striving for that which is already accomplished by the Lord - in Him, by Him, through Him. Today, He is calling you to seek His perfect timing for the transition on the horizon. Wait for His cue. You will not miss it. He is the Master Conductor and Creator of All Things, and He is faithful to lead you in your portion of the song.
Transition on! A new sound is about to be released through you!
(c) 2007 Walk in Light Ministries, Inc.
