LIFE...

Am I just Naïve, or is this possible…

2008-11-19T11:31:00.003+02:00

Moses said, "Please. Let me see your Glory."
GOD said, "I will make my Goodness pass right in front of you; I'll call out the name, GOD, right before you. I'll treat well whomever I want to treat well and I'll be kind to whomever I want to be kind."
GOD continued, "But you may not see my face. No one can see me and live."
GOD said, "Look, here is a place right beside me. Put yourself on this rock.
When my Glory passes by, I'll put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with my hand until I've passed by.
Then I'll take my hand away and you'll see my back. But you won't see my face." Ex. 33:18-23 -Msg-

When uncle Moses came down from the mountain, the Israelites where afraid, because his face was GLOWING… Glowing, because of the glory of God. Because he was in the presence of God. The Israelites were afraid of God’s glory, glory that was already fading. Moses started to wear a veil to cover His face, but when ever he entered the presence of God he removed the veil.

After I read this for the first time, I asked myself when last God’s glory was GLOWING in my face, so much so that people look at me with fear… Is this possible?

I know I am no theologian, so I humbly apologize if I by accident quote things out of context, but I would still like to mention some things that stood out to me.

Moses covered His face, but unveiled himself every time he entered God’s presence. Since then, God’s Spirit has been released within us… SO we are ALWAYS in the presence of our Lord. Therefore we should and can live with unveiled faces!

Do I cover my face? Am I ashamed of the Gospel from time to time? Am I TRULY shining God’s glory in the darkness?

But we all, with our face having been unveiled, having beheld the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are being changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Lord Spirit. 2 Cor. 3:18 -MKJV-

My real question is if I am truly seeking God’s face with all my heart? I believe there is still some parts of my heart that I am trying to keep for myself. I want to seek GOD’s face with ALL my heart. I believe that it is possible to GLOW, REALLY GLOW with God’s glory… Am I being changed from glory to glory? I want to seek God’ face, I want Him to pass me by, close my eyes and allow me to see him from behind… I want to shine His glory… And I want to shine because of His glory! I want to be changed from glory to glory!

The message says it beautifully,

All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him. 2 Cor. 3:18 -Msg-

I also realized that it is not about shining faces, but about the reason the face glows!! The more time we spend with our Father, the more we will become like Him. The more we become like our Father, the clearer people will see Him, His glory, His fullness.

I think it’s time we should start worrying about what really matters in life… Spending time with the Creator of life… Spend time with Life itself, so we can give life to others! Its time to GLOW! It’s time to be changed from glory to glory… We can’t be in the presence of God and NOT be changed by His glory…

I believe it’s possible… So go and glow… Be the light in the darkness…

Guess who's back...

2008-09-25T21:51:00.002+02:00

So, I hope my 3 readers haven't lost all hope in me, because I am about to return!!!

I will start next week and will start new and fresh... I hope I will keep up this time round!

Grace and peace to all...

Mmmm...

2008-06-05T14:07:00.000+02:00

So this might be close to cheating, but I tried for an hour today to write something, but I need more time to think and ponder on Part 2... So it is coming, just not yet!

Meanwhile........ I am still in thought on an interesting question in my mind. I was hoping ALL my (all 3 of you...) readers could help out and lift their humble opinions and answers...

If you do, why do you serve/love GOD? Why are you a Christian? If you are not, why not?

I am not gonna lift my opinion, yet, so that yours won't be contaminated with mine! I will wait in peace for all the answers...

Part 2 will come soon, don't worry!!!

Ok,
Grace and peace,
Till Part 2, "Take Up Your Cross" comes around...

Easier said than done: Part 1 (Follow Me...)

2008-05-20T11:55:00.000+02:00

Before I start… I figured we live in a society where we want everything quick and easy. I realized that my blogs sometimes get really long and dragging. So for the 3 people that actually read my blog  I will try to shorten them and write in parts… This also helps me to have something to write about in the weeks to come, seeing that I sometimes run out of ideas! (How sad is that?!)

I get so irritated with how easy Jesus make some things appear and how loaded and difficult it is in reality!! I say this with all the respect in the world… But just listen to this:

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone wants to follow me, he must deny himself, pick up his cross, and follow me continually.
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
For what profit will a person have if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what can a person give in exchange for his life? Matt. 16:24-26 -ISV-

Easy!! Isn’t it?

I find it interesting that Jesus uses the same words here that he originally used to call His disciples, “Follow me…” In Rob Bell’s book “Velvet Elvis” he explained a bit of the culture of those times and being a disciple. As a Jew after your study of the Bible for many years and being the best of the best in your class, you go to a Rabi and ask if you can be his disciple. If the Rabi think you are good enough, he will say, “Follow me…” This means that the Rabi think you are good enough and able to be like him. The disciple will then follow the Rabbi where ever he goes and study the Rabbi’s every move. Interesting that Jesus called His disciples with “Follow Me…” He is saying that we CAN be like Him. Jesus has the faith in us that we can be like Him.

Side note… An interesting thing that caught my mind is that in most pictures GOD uses, following happens automatically. A sheep follow the shepherd, a son follow his father, a servant follow his master…

Here Jesus is saying , "If anyone wants to follow me… If anybody wants to be like me…” He is not saying, “try your best to follow me and to be like me…” GOD believe in us and have faith in us! But what can we do to “be like Him”…

We should deny our selves.
We should realize and accept the fact that we are fleshly beings and DENY living in it!

For if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die, but if by the Spirit you continually put to death the activities of the body, you will live. Rom 8:13 -ISV-

There is a big difference in breaking yourself down and denying your self! We as Christians should NOT break ourselves down, we should just deny living in the flesh!

The greatest thing for me is that GOD believe in us and ask us to follow Him. If He believe it’s possible, THEN IT IS!! This is a continuous journey though, so don’t break yourself down if you fail. Remember, failure doesn’t mean you haven’t accomplish something, it means you have learned something!

Peace and Grace to you…

Sorry, this was also a long one, I will get it right one day… I am learning 

Please leave your comments and thoughts, it truly makes me happy if someone says something! Even if it is bad and attacking!! And if you like it, (or if you don’t) tell your friends and family to read it!

ONE for all, and all for ONE (Part TWO)

2008-05-06T21:26:00.000+02:00

The Church… Also known as the bride of Christ…

Please know that I don’t want to talk bad about her in anyway. I want to voice my opinion in the most respect possible, because I don’t want to bad-mouth Christ’s bride!! It is in NO way my intention to hurt her, but rather to build her up and see her become what she is meant to be on earth.

The past few months I though a whole lot about the church. I was bitter towards her, blamed her for a lot of things and definitely reacted in disrespect towards her in works and deeds. The one day GOD told me that even though she might be broken and in “pain” in some places, IT IS STILL HIS BRIDE!! And who am I to break her down with my words…

I sometimes do wonder though if we as church has lost the meaning of why she is here on earth? I am voicing this, because it is me and you that have to stand up and change this. We are part of the church. We ARE the Church. We ARE the Bride of Christ. I have though a lot about what to write the past 2 weeks (even longer) about the Church. Today I am going to steal a theory and tell an old story with a new ending that I heard a week and a half ago. It summed up my thoughts better than what I could ever voice it!

The church should be like Baywatch… Ok, more like the life guards of Baywatch… If a life guard see someone in trouble, they won’t stand on the beach and yell, “Come here so I can save you!!!” No, they will jump right in the ocean, swim and struggle to get to the person and drag them to safety!! They will give up their lives to save those in trouble… Their job is to jump right in the danger and save… We as church sometimes tend to stay on the beach. We gather a whole lot of life guards, trained to save, and have a party on the beach while people are drowning! When we see people drown we wait for them to come to us. How ridiculous?! Sometimes we are not even to be seen on the beach, we switch off and go off duty for a month or two!

It is time to jump right in the danger!! What are we so afraid of? What am I so afraid of?! We are called to save the lost! Its time to jump in and do it!! Why am I not in the ocean?? The job of the church is not to fill the seats, but to empty their seats and send people into the “ocean”.

The job of the church is also to be a safe community and celebrate those lives that are saved, to pray and support one another. (My previous blog!!) It is the job of the church to intercede for one another and to hold one another’s arms in the air and wave Christ’s Banner! We should stand together… ONE for all, and ALL FOR ONE!!!!

I know most of us have heard the story of the millions of star fish that washed out on the beach and the boy that was picking them up one by one and throwing them back. A man came up to the boy and said, “You will never save them all, it doesn’t make a difference?!” The boy picked up a star fish looked at it and threw it in the ocean and said, “To that one I made a difference…” Cute story… But were are the rest of the church? The church are suppose to be right there on the beach. Not just one boy!! It will make it a whole lot faster and a lot more will be saved…

It is our job to make the Bride of Christ pure vessel on earth!! It is our job to get her in the ocean and save lives…

Lets do it…

(The guy whom I stole the theory and ending to the story from, is Brett FISH Anderson... I just thought I had to give him credit!! :-)

ONE for all and all for ONE (Part ONE)

2008-04-25T09:46:00.000+02:00

The past week I thought a lot about this scripture. I will share my thoughts. Some of it might sound far off and not related to the story, but just hear me out. This scripture is actually a part of a story that starts in verse 8. Israel is at war against the Amalek, Moses was standing on a mountain:

It turned out that whenever Moses raised his hands, Israel was winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, Amalek was winning.
But Moses' hands got tired. So they got a stone and set it under him. He sat on it and Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on each side. So his hands remained steady until the sun went down. Exo. 17:11-12 (Msg)

I want to talk about 2 things. First thing is:

POWER of INTERCESSION.

The common definition for intercession is “to stand in the gap”. Here Moses is standing in the gap for Israel… He is not physically part of the war, but is under more pressure than the soldiers actually fighting. The battle he is fighting, is the spiritual one. The spiritual battle is more real that the real battle!! The spiritual battle IS the real battle. Moses has the most influence of what is going on… When he lower his hands, the Israelites loses, when he raises his hands, they win.

Intercession (and prayer) has the power to change outcomes of ANYTHING!! We underestimate what we can achieve through intercession. We should also remember that Moses was on top of the mountain, for EVERYBODY to see! When you are interceding, you are stepping on a mountain and Satan KNOWS this. He will make your arms tired! This is why I think intercession is most powerful when it’s more than one person. (Jesus said, “And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there." Matt. 18:20 Msg) Intercession can be done alone too, don’t get me wrong!! The Holy Spirit is there with you. I just think it is safer to do it with more than one. If you are more than one, you can keep each other’s hands in the air!

This brings me to my second point…

Are some of your friends in “battle”? Are they struggling? You can change the outcome of your friends’ battles… When last have you interceded for your friends in need? When last have you REALLY stepped in and stood in the gap for them and proclaimed victory over their battles? GOD gave us the ability to do it, yet we choose not to. Our culture became a place where everyone fights their own battles. We became solo flying individuals! We only cry with our friends and listen (which is also needed). We don’t stand up and take victory over their battles. We don’t intercede for one another!

Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day's out.
Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ's law.
If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived.
Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare yourself with others. Gal. 6:1-4 (Msg)

GOD gave us an order to carry one another’s burdens, to step in the gap for one another… Why am I not doing this?? It is so funny. GOD gave us the power and ability to live in victory, in our own lives, and to help our friends live in victory, BUT WE CHOOSE NOT TO?? I don’t understand…

I am not trying to say it is all a quick fix… I do believe that it can sometimes take years to change situations. But it is needed to pray, intercede and persevere… This is what makes the difference!! In Thessalonians it says “Pray CONTINUOUSLY.” We should keep on praying, NOT loose heart and trust GOD!

One last point…

Moses built an altar and named it "GOD My Banner." Exo. 17:15 (Msg)

This is how the story on the mountain ends… I realized that we can choose what banners we are waving over our struggles and obstacles… Are you waving a banner of despair, hopelessness, bitterness, hatred? Or are you waving the Banner GOD!! The banner you are waving will determine the outcome…

When life gets tough, take a moment, breathe and:

WAVE THE BANNER OF CHRIST!!!

Not only in your life, but also in the lives of those around you!

Peace to you all…

Next week’s will kinda follow on this one. I will share some thoughts on the bride of Christ…

Pieces

2008-04-10T11:30:00.001+02:00

Today’s blog is a bit different… I am not going to say much (partly because I’m not so inspired to write much)

I’ve been thinking about how screwed up I can be and GOD’s grace through all my mistakes. I sometimes feel so dirty and messed up, that I am too ashamed to go to GOD… Even though it is exactly what I need… I sometimes feel like my whole life is in pieces and I have NO idea how to put them all together. In these cases I am also too afraid to take the pieces to GOD!!

This is a song by RED that I’ve been listening to on repeat for a while and it’s SO amazing:

Pieces - Red

I'm here again
A thousand miles away from you
A broken mess, just scattered pieces of who I am
I tried so hard
Thought I could do this on my own
I've lost so much along the way

Then I'll see your face
I know I'm finally yours
I find everything I thought I lost before
You call my name
I come to you in pieces
So you can make me whole

I've come undone
But you make sense of who I am
Like puzzle pieces in your eye

Then I'll see your face
I know I'm finally yours
I find everything I thought I lost before
You call my name
I come to you in pieces
So you can make me whole!

I tried so hard! So hard!
I tried so hard!

Then I'll see your face
I know I'm finally yours
I find everything I thought I lost before
You call my name
I come to you in pieces
So you can make me whole
So you can make me whole

The amazing thing about our Heavenly Father is that we don’t have to try and put everything together ourselves before we approach Him… He wants us to go to Him, pieces and all. After all, He created us, He knows BEST how to put us back together… Even better than what it were before! I think I‘ve been trying to hard to fix myself instead of going to GOD. Oh how I long to see His face, to hear Him call my name… How I long to be whole!

GOD makes sense of who I am… WOW!!

Sorry about this short blog, but it’s what has been on my mind! It’s a bit late as well… I know…. but the week is not over yet J

Leave your comments (or ideas what to blog about) I appreciate your comments SO much! It brighten up my day when I see there’s a new comment! So thank you from the deepest part of my heart.

Grace and Peace

What Is This All About?

2008-03-31T14:25:00.000+02:00

Lately I have been struggling with this question: What is this all about? Life… A lot of times I feel like I am failing at life… I guess this is what started the thinking process. If I know the meaning of life, I will know if I am failing at it…

I still haven’t figured it all out (actually far from if, and we probably never will until we are with our Father), but my findings thus far are surly interesting!

The one night I was pondering the reason why I am placed on this earth… The first thing that popped in my head was “Because GOD is…” Just me existing is evidence of GOD’s existence. If there was no GOD, there would be no me. What does this mean? I don’t want to put life in a little box and give it only one meaning -seeing that Jesus is Life (John 14:6) and He definitely doesn’t just have one meaning- but if our existence is evidence of GOD’s existence, one thing life is about is being the BEST replica of our Awesome GOD which existence we are reflecting!

Reflect GOD’s existence to the best of your ability! And even BEYOND your ability…

After all, we are made in His image (Gen. 1 :26).

-Just a side note on the “BEYOND” I believe that we can live a life beyond what we are capable of, if we engage with our Creator…-

Ok, before I lose track completely, I would like to stop and focus on something else… A very interesting scripture that is challenging me immensely! This is a HUGE thing with which I am struggling… But I am striving to get to this.

Matt. 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.

This might not be the meaning to life, but this WILL give your life meaning! I am realizing more and more that life is about GOD and His Kingdom. A Kingdom is about the people otherwise its just walls and empty buildings. It’s the same with GOD’s Kingdom, it’s all about His people… We should live a life, seeking GOD’s Kingdom. Seeking His people, looking out for His people, figuring out ways to help His people, bless His people… Especially those who aren’t yet in the Kingdom of GOD!! We should give our life to Christ and His people. We should do this in RIGHTEOUSNESS!! Not in a self seeking way. Give of yourself only to give, not to get something in return! Live a life of righteousness. I think that when we start living to make a change in GOD’s Kingdom, when we allow GOD to use us in His Kingdom, to let people know about this amazing Kingdom, our perspectives on life will change. Your life wouldn’t be a failure. Your life CAN’T be a failure, even if things don’t work out the way you’ve intended. When you live according to this, you live to make a difference WHERE EVER YOU ARE!!!! So if you’ve planned to go to India and it didn’t work out and your mission “failed”, life is still a success, because you have lived to make a change in the lives of people you get in contact in!! This you can do where ever you are, in what ever you do! I’ve also realized if we live with this mentality a lot of frustrations and pain would be worth it. Because we are living beyond ourselves. We are living for GOD and His Kingdom!

I am not just talking about BIG things, sometimes this change is just a conversation with a stranger next to the road, to stop and take a while to encourage them. To give love to complete strangers. To see a need and act on it! To PRAY with people.

It’s funny how most of my time go into stressing about where I will get my food, money to buy a house and (hopefully one day) take care of my family, where I will get a car, where I will find a job… When actually we should worry about the people that won’t be in heaven with us… “Worry” about the Kingdom… The scripture ends with “and all these things shall be added to you…” Take time and read the whole chapter 6 of Matthew. “These things” that Jesus are talking about are things like clothes, what to eat, drink, earthly worries!! Jesus says that if we seek His kingdom IN RIGHTEOUSNESS (not in self seeking way) He will give these things to us. So we DON’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THESE THINGS!! (Matt. 6:34)

I am in no way trying to say that I can sit back and do nothing and GOD will clothe me and give me food and water…

I am currently without a job, my plans for the next year have “failed”. This is my reality. I am trying to trust GOD in it, but I am struggling!! I am trying to seek His Kingdom, but catch myself being self seeking. I will not stop trying though… One more thing… Life is a journey, not a destination. Not living like “perfectly” DOES NOT MAKE YOU A FAILURE!!! I am learning this every day. We make mistakes, that is how we learn. GOD knows this and support us in this. Don’t be to hard on yourself and break yourself down! This is to encourage you, not to condemn you. Engage on the journey, and KNOW it’s a journey, not a destination…

Enjoy the ride.

Trust GOD.

Be yourself.

Be blessed.

Peace and Grace to you…

Soon...

2008-03-29T11:54:00.000+02:00

Dear reader, I greet you with Grace and Peace,

I don't even know if anybody ever visit this blog, but if anybody does, keep coming back, because I will hopefully start to write once a week!! That is my goal, I hope I will get around to it. It has been a while since I posted a blog, and this one doesn't count, but I will try my best to do this more regularly!

Please read my previous blogs and leave comments and your opinions, I would LOVE to hear it!

Peace Out...

Rejoice ALLWAYS

2007-06-27T07:17:00.000+02:00

Lately GOD has been hard at work to help me understand a very simple principle. I just wish it was as easy to do. Its so funny, GOD gives us such clear ways to live and things to do, but somehow we just miss these things and make our own lives MUCH more stressful than what GOD intended.

GOD said, "Praise Me...!" What is so difficult to understand about that?

1 Thes. 5:16-18 " Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." (New Living Translation)

I think we sometimes write our own little Bible...
"...Be joyful when ever you feel like it and everything is going your way. When things start to go wrong, try praying. Be thankful when things are going great, this is how GOD wants you to live."

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The one thing that stands out to me in GOD's Word is that He uses definites. "ALWAYS", "NEVER", "ALL circumstances".

GOD's will for your life is to be joyful ALWAYS.

NEVER to stop praying.

Be thankful in ALL circumstances.

Phil. 4:6-7 "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." (New Living Translation)

In this scripture GOD gives us some good advice. Instead of stressing and instead of worrying we should use our time wisely and PRAY!! Rather thank Him for all He has done than wasting your time moaning about all the things that is going wrong! The cool thing is that GOD promises His peace if we do this. Peace is the presence of GOD, not just the absence of stress and worries. His peace will guard our hearts and minds... WHAT MORE DO WE WANT THAN GOD PROTECTING OUR HEARTS AND MINDS!!!!! Isn't our hearts and minds the source of life?? We don't need anything more than the GOD of the universe to protect us...

Rom. 8:28 " We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are chosen to be a part of His plan." (New Life Version)

If you love GOD, He says that ALL THINGS (even your mother dying of cancer, your dad abusing you, your sister's addiction to drugs... ALL THINGS) He will use it for the good!! How much do you trust GOD?? How much do you trust His Word? He WILL make it work together for good. He is bigger than ANYTHING that could happen to us. He WILL what ever come our way to bring glory to HIS name!! He want to use it. He can and will use even the most horrible thing and turn it into something good. Don't you think it is something worth praising GOD for? That He is bigger and better than what ever happens to us. That HE loves us so much that He will use the most horrible thing to bring glory to His Name.

Praise GOD in ALL circumstances... It's worth trying...

I just finished reading 2 books that inspired this blog. The author said it much better that I ever will. So if you can get hold of the 2 books, I suggest you read it.

"Prison to Praise" and "Power in Praise" by Merlin R. Carothers.

Child's Play...

2007-06-24T07:10:00.000+02:00

I just returned from a summer camp where I helped out as a counselor. The summer camp was from Sunday to Friday and for Gr. 2-4 children. On Sunday afternoon my stress levels reached a scary hight. I am not one for responsibility, not even to mention responsibility for children that belongs to other people... At least my stress helped (rather forced) me to pray. I asked GOD to help me with this responsibility, to help me be patient, to help me love the children. I added one more thing... I asked GOD to break my heart for the children.

GOD, as always, was faithful and answered my prayers quickly and sufficiently. He helped me carry responsibility, He helped me to be patient, and made me fall in love wit the little ones. This was done in less than 24 hours!! All my prayers, accept for one was answered.

Thursday evening arrived and we had time to pray with some of the children that wanted to give their lives to Jesus, or recommit. I had about 8 children and took them 1 for one and prayed with them. In this time GOD took my heart and slowly started to break it for this children. ALL children... After I prayed with all of them, I went to sit in a corner and cried for 30 minutes. I got up and walked outside. One of my team members give me a hug (didn't know I just stopped crying) and as i hugged them, my tears started to roll down again... For all the pain that these little children will still experience as they grow up. For all the punches that life will throw at them, for all those that will fall down because of the punches and won't be able to get up... For all the children that is already drowning in life's pain.

It was an interesting evening...

Later that evening, after all my children went to bed, I went to the lake, sat on a chair and watched the moon and asked GOD to speak to me... He did. He told me to be a child. His child. I would like to share more about this. I am not gonna say much, cause I won't be able to stop. So I will share the 3 scriptures and you can go ponder about them!!!

Matt. 18:1-7 "At about the same time, the disciples came to Jesus asking, "Who gets the highest rank in God's kingdom?"

For an answer Jesus called over a child, whom he stood in the middle of the room, and said, "I'm telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you're not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in. Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God's kingdom. What's more, when you receive the childlike on my account, it's the same as receiving me. 6-7"But if you give them a hard time, bullying or taking advantage of their simple trust, you'll soon wish you hadn't. You'd be better off dropped in the middle of the lake with a millstone around your neck. Doom to the world for giving these God-believing children a hard time! Hard times are inevitable, but you don't have to make it worse—and it's doomsday to you if you do." (Msg)

Mark 10:13-16 "The people brought children to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus was irate and let them know it: "Don't push these children away. Don't ever get between them and me. These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom. Mark this: Unless you accept God's kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you'll never get in." Then, gathering the children up in his arms, he laid his hands of blessing on them." (Msg)

John 1:12 "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God!" (NIV)

It is CLEAR that GOD loves children and wants us to be like them. Children are simple, believe easily and have faith in their Father... They don't over complicate things!! Isn't it AMAZING that GOD see us as His children. Children are innocent, pure and clean!!

I can say much more, but would leave it here... Go think about this and put the 3 scriptures together. Let GOD speak to you.

Ps. The pictures is not the children that was on our summer camp, its random children... Yet they are of HIGH rank in GOD's kingdom!! What are we doing to help these children of GOD??

Boxed...

2007-05-09T07:08:00.000+02:00

The biggest battles we fight in this age, is happening in our minds. World Wars are happening daily. Fights won. Fights lost. Battles won. Battles lost.

Apart from the obvious fights and battles in our mind like self hate, low self esteem, lust and the list continues, there's one I believe we sometimes miss. Its maybe because the attack is so sly and under ground that we are attacked without noticing it. Its like poison in our drinking water! This poison is keeping us as Christians from being who and what we re suppose to be.

I see this poison as a box. Satan is boxing in our minds. He is boxing in our way of thinking. He makes us afraid of thinking (and being) different. He makes us afraid of change and keep us stuck in our set ways. The way I see it, is that we are created in the image of GOD, GOD the creator, a creative GOD...

Genesis 1:26-30
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

We are made in GOD's image, therefore we are creative beings and needs to create. Create new ideas, and put it into action. NEW!!! Creativity and create is all about NEW!! GOD created us to think new, think BIG and out of our box. GOD created us free. With NO box. No limits. We limit ourselves in our way of thinking.

Sometimes we find ourselves thinking outside the box, but then we are so caught up with our ideas that we forget to listen to others who might also be thinking outside the box. STOP. LISTEN. Don't be so caught up in your own ideas that you miss those of others!!

Allow GOD to renew your mind, be obedient to GOD's voice. Think BIG. Do BIG. Be creative.

GET OUT OF YOU BOX!!! No matter how big it is, it is still limiting you.

You are created to be free...

Garnish vs Main Meal (or Garnish and Main Meal... or Anointing vs Relationship... or Anointing and Relationship

2007-03-01T06:58:00.000+02:00

The other day I came upon an interesting, scary, yet exciting revelation. I hope I find the right words to put my thoughts down, cause in my mind it is pretty cool!! I sometimes struggle to put my thoughts into words though...

The name of the article kinda gives it away, but here goes:
I often get angry with GOD, usually about stupid things. The other day I was angry at GOD again for trusting me enough to use me for His work. How ridiculous is that?! The reason for my anger is that I don't find myself trustworthy enough for GOD, the Maker of the universe, to trust me. (This issue itself can be a whole article... Why does GOD trust us so much?) To make matters worse, I was at a phase in my life where I ignored GOD for about 2 months, maybe even more. So He REALLY had NO reason to use me for His work. Yet He did. I started talking to GOD again a while ago, so don't worry. Still, may relationship with GOD is not close to where it should be, can be or where I want it to be. It has never been. I started thinking about why GOD uses me inspite of myself, or my lack of relationship with Him in a different way. Here is what I have found:

I am only operating out of my anointing...

If you are a GOD Follower (also known as a Christian) you have an Godly anointing on your life. Even if you are not a GOD Follower you probably have an anointing or Godly plan on your life, but that is for now besides the point. I think we often as GOD Followers find ourselves in a place where we only operate out of our anointing, whereas we SHOULD operate out of our intimacy with GOD...

Your ministry should flow out of intimacy with GOD...

This is where my fear kicked in... If I up until now was only operating out of my anointing which GOD has placed upon my life ( by His grace, because I do NOT deserve His anointing) and He still does SO much through me inspite of where I am standing with Him, how much more can GOD do through me?! Even more scary, how much more does GOD WANT to do through me... How much more can I handle of GOD's power? Maybe that's the wrong question, because with asking that question, I am making it about myself. IT IS NOT ABOUT ME!!! We should lose ourselves, die to ourselves daily (1 Cor15:31), only then will there be NO boundaries for GOD, because then it is ONLY GOD working. This is just the thing, I cannot handle much... And for as long as I think and wonder about how much of GOD's power I can handle, I am limiting GOD's power to work through me to the extent to which I understand it. And we as humans can't even get CLOSE to comprehending the power of GOD. I should die to myself so that Christ can rise in me!
Gal2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer i who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (NKJV)

I am the only thing that is limiting GOD's fullness working through me.

Let me get back to the point of operating out of anointing... I always think in pictures, so here is the picture:
It is as if I only have garnish on a plate, when there is actually a WHOLE meal in the fridge, with steak, potatoes, vegetables, etc.
The garnish is suppose to be just the final touch, but I make it my meal. The garnish is like the anointing on my life. The main meal is my relationship with GOD. I don't make time to prepare the main meal... I don't make enough time with GOD to get to know Him like I should. I am not intimate with GOD. Out of what is my ministry flowing then?? Can you imagine a full plate of food, with the garnish only giving the finishing touches, like it is suppose to?? Sjoe...

GOD has so much install for all of us, but we are too focused on ourselves and that which we already have, our anointing. So many of us are content with just eating the garnish... We are not seeking for the real food. It is so sad!! It is time that we start to forget about ourselves, that we seek GOD and let Him work through us. Prepare your main meal and see what GOD has planned for you... Don't be satisfied with the garnish!!!!

This reminds me of the scripture in John 14:12-14 "¹²I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. ¹⁴You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."

To ask something in GOD's Name you actually need to understand the power (ok, we cannot understand GOD's power, but you know what I mean) of His Name. You need to know GOD by His name... KNOW GOD!! And you will see "greater things..." Can you even imagine?!

Can you imagine the power of a whole ministry if it is based on intimacy with GOD and not just on the anointing... I know its difficult to make time (quality time) with GOD... But just imagine if what we are seeing now is only the beginning of what GOD has install for us?! If this is still only the anointing that GOD has placed on your ministry?? What if we start to operate out of intimacy?

Let your mind go... Allow GOD to speak to you about this and think BIG!!!!!

Ok, I rushed it a bit, but I hope it makes sense!? May you be encouraged by it. GOD WANTS TO USE YOU IN BIG WAYS!!!!!

Just a last thought...
Don't let your intimacy with GOD flow out of your ministry... Let your ministry flow out of your intimacy with GOD...