Seek My Face

Beloved, you are Mine, called out from among.
               (Have you answered that call, opened that free gift?)


You are each uniquely different FOR My purpose.
                (Give yourself and others grace to be different.)


Keep seeking My face, and it will be My face you will find. "When You said, 'Seek My face,' my heart said to You, 'Your face, O Lord, I shall seek." Psalm 27:8


      Care only what I think, My Child.  I am FOR you (not against you), and the praise and acceptance of this world cannot even begin to compare to 'My pleasure in you'.  Do not live for today.  Deny these worldly desires (of not being looked at, criticized, talked about, OR of being praised and lauded by men), and look for and live for the age to come.


Titus 2:11-14 "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds."


     There are many examples of men afraid and ‘unable’ in their own eyes: just consider Moses or Gideon. Who you ‘think’ you are, with your limitations, is NOT the issue--it is all about Who I am and what I have planned to do with you.


      As you pray for revival, obey and do your part as I use you to answer that prayer.  You forget that I am what people are longing for, what people are hungry for (even My people).  GIVE ME AND MY WORD.  LEAD THEM TO THE RIVER OF LIVING WATER TO DRINK FOR THEMSELVES.  Make their hearts long for the PURE word: living and powerful and active and judging even the intentions of hearts.  Give it out.


 Allow Me to use the gifts I have given you for their purpose. 

Fragrance of Life

The Sweet Aroma of the Knowledge of Him in Every Place 


“But thanks be to God, 
who always leads us in triumph in Christ,
 and manifests through us the sweet aroma 
of the knowledge of Him in every place. 
For we are a fragrance of Christ to God
among those who are being saved and
among those who are perishing;
to the one an aroma from death to death,
to the other an aroma from life to life.” 
2 Corinthians 2:14-16

As disciples of Christ we are promised to be a fragrance of death to some, but we are also promised to be a fragrance of life to others.  And what we are, a fragrance of life or death, doesn’t need to concern us.  We are just called to follow Him, taking no consideration/ no responsibility of what He spills over into people’s lives or how they respond.  We are only responsible for the obedience; leave the rest in His hands. 

Are you worried about offending someone, bothering someone?   Think this through:  is it better to give out life and have it rejected and yet have planted a seed for His later use or to keep it stored inside of you, rotting just so you don’t ‘offend’ anyone’?

                Keep throwing out His seed- in word, deed, relationships, and, yes, just like His Word says, some will be snatched away or choked out, but SOME will hit a good and honest heart and will produce a crop one hundred times as great.  (Oh let us always be willing to take that risk.)
 

(Luke 8:11,15- the Word of God (seed) falling into good soil (those who hear the Word in an honest and good heart), who hold it fast and bear fruit with perseverance= that seed will produce a crop 100x as great.)

Isaiah 55:10,11      
“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth
And making it bear and sprout,
And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;
It will not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”

V 11 in the Amplified “So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth; it shall not return to Me void [without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

Being a part of His purpose in someone’s life to produce a crop
           or keeping it to yourself so that you don’t bother anyone-
                                                                 
                                  which will you choose?

Woe to Me?

“Woe to you when all men speak well of you,
for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.”  Luke 6:26

         
       Woe to me?!  Woe to me when all speak well of me?  Is that not what I strive for and am afraid of not having?!  Therefore, my heart attitude is contrary to the Word of God here.  I lay this sinful attitude at the foot of the cross to die.   

      We strive toward the goal of not giving anyone anything to speak ill against us, do we not?  And that is a noble goal; we are told to keep our behavior excellent.. so that in the thing in which people may slander us as evildoers, they may on account of our good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of Christ’s coming. _{1 Peter 2:12}   And we are by no means to suffer as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed, but in that name let him glorify God. _{1 Peter 4:15}

But if we let that goal (the goal of people only having good things to say about us) silence us when we need to speak the truth in love or silence us when we need to speak of the hope that we have in Christ Jesus or silence us when our hearers need to know that Jesus loves them and has a plan for their lives and that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one comes to the Father but through Him, then woe to us.

       What else does the Word have to say about this issue?

“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12

“If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.”  1 Peter 4:14

“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.  If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.  Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’  If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”  John 15:18-20

                May we suffer for the gospel unashamed.
           May we KNOW whom we have believed, and may we be convinced that He is able!  We have been entrusted with a great treasure; may we entrust it to the faithful who will be able to teach others also, and may we suffer hardship as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.   (2 Timothy 1:8,13-14, 2:1-3)

Lord, show us specific areas where we need to change in regard to this attitude. 

One Who Puts My Trust in You

Psalm 56:3 "When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You." 
               (or a literal translation):
 "In the day I am afraid, I am one who puts my trust in You."


       That can be your motto; that can be who you are.  That is the privilege and strength that you have in the Lord.  Allow Him to be your Protector.  He has not given you a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but He has given you a spirit of power and love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.  (2 Timothy 1:7 AMP)  You need no longer allow the fear to keep you stuck.  You are not stuck; that is not who you are.  


      "Allow Me to be your Stronghold, your Rock of Strength so that you will not be greatly shaken in these unstable times.  I am your rock and fortress, and I will lead you and guide you for My name's sake.  Run into the strong tower of My name and be set on high in safety.  Do not be afraid of man. On the day you call out to Me, I answer you and MAKE you bold with strength in your soul so that you may indeed speak the word of God with boldness.  Unafraid.  Take courage, My child.  Be one who puts your trust in Me."


----------------------
"For You are my rock and fortress; for Your name's sake You will lead me and guide me."  Psalm 31:3


"On the day you call, I answer you and make you bold with strength in your soul."  Psalm 138:3


"..and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness."  Acts 4:31


"The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever leans on, trusts in, and puts his confidence in the Lord is safe and set on high.  Proverbs 29:25


"He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken."  Psalm 62:2


"The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runs into it and is safe (set on high)."  Proverbs 18:10

Proclaim Him

      You are God, and there is no other!!  May we proclaim You and lift You high.. above all worldly things….worldly fears, worldly desires..(even the desire to be loved and agreed with)… May we stand for truth…that often seems harsh and ‘narrow-minded’ in our day and age…  May those who are tempted to feel that they are too narrow-minded follow the example of the NOBLE-minded Bereans (Act 17:11) who tested the word by scripture to SEE if what they were being taught lined up with Scripture… "examining the Scriptures daily".  Lord, we trust in You and Your STRONG leadership! and will follow!  You are trustworthy.  

Paul knew his purpose.  May we know ours as well.  "And we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete in  Christ.  And for this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me." Colossians 1:28,29

"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus; who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.  These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority.  Let no one disregard you."  Titus 2:11-15