Mother’s Day 2008
A word of hope for your mother:
At the Apple Retail Store ‘Genius Bar’, we were talking about the care and situations surrounding visiting
his mother at the hospital. A woman overheard us and said: “I wish I were you, for my mother died two years ago very suddenly.” I asked her if it was hard for her on Mother’s Day and she said: “No, I know she is in heaven.”
These moments make you stop and think. They are moments where time seems to suspend and the moment makes a deep impression on you.
My mother will be 88 this year and most of all, she is a woman of God. When it all comes down to it, this is the most important thing in God’s eyes for eternal rewards… knowing Him, living for Him and following His plan in your life. You can stay married for 50 some years, raise your children, be a good employee, be a good employer, be a friend and be respected. Without being saved and living for God, they are just good things to have done in life, but you have missed everything in your goodness… goodness of God is much greater.
God outlines this “case” against the Jewish moralist in Romans - the ones who do good, but not unto God. Not God’s way, but their own way.
Rom. 2:17: “But if you bear the name of Jew and rely upon the Law and pride yourselves in God and your relationship to Him, 18 And know and understand His will and discerningly approve the better things and have a sense of what is vital, because you are instructed by the Law; 19 And if you are confident that you [yourself] are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, and [that 20 You are] a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the childish, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 Well then, you who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you teach against stealing, do you steal (take what does not really belong to you)? 22 You who say not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery [are you unchaste in action or in thought]? You who abhor and loathe idols, do you rob temples [do you appropriate to your own use what is consecrated to God, thus robbing the sanctuary and doing sacrilege]? 23 You who boast in the Law, do you dishonor God by breaking the Law [by stealthily infringing upon or carelessly neglecting or openly breaking it]?”
It’s very interesting what God is saying here. How many people do we know who are a law unto themselves? Sometimes when we are faced with goodness, it is very hard for us to understand that it will not stand up with God, unless it is unto Him, and through Him.
My mother has prayed me through so many dark hours, backslidden hours and especially very successful times. She would send me God books each and every holiday, and many “cassette tapes” (she’s not really into the CD thing.) I think I have boxes of her tapes to this day; each and every one that she sent she said was ‘life changing.’ I would put them under the bed or in the closet. Out of respect I would not throw them away. She kept praying, reading the word and believing God’s best for me and my family.
Life has not always been easy for Mom. She has been married almost 50 years to a man who loves her very much, but does not call Jesus his Savior (YET!). She has other children who also are not saved and this breaks her heart. But she keeps on praying, believing, and prophesying their complete healing, deliverance and salvation in Jesus. She has been an example to me, my children and my church in her strength, dedication and hope in the Lord.
Asking her what she would pray for other mothers, she simply said: “That they know Jesus”.
Take a moment this Mother’s Day to ask you mother if she really knows she is saved. Read her Rom. 10:9: “Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation.”
Tell her God loves her and you want her to be in heaven with you and all the family. Pray and the Holy Spirit will help you find the words. Love on her, be a gift to her in yourself. Honor her, and believe she is saved.
A word of hope for mothers……
If you are facing unsaved children, let my mother’s example encourage you. Keep on keeping on in presenting the gospel to them. Try Beth Moore books – they are an easy read and light but powerful. Ask the Holy Spirit - He will guide you, but don’t stop putting Christ in front of them.
And if you are raising the ‘righteous seed’ as God calls them, get them in the house of the Lord. Stay planted and don’t let them see you church hop from place to place. Do devotions each and every day out loud and set a standard in your home like Joshua. Teach your children to hear the voice of the Lord like Samuel and start to journal. Get them under the Anointing as much as you can. They will stay with God all the days of their lives.
k
PS: If you have high speed Internet, take a look at what God is doing in Florida - many healings. It was prophesied to me by my blessed mentor Fuchsia Pickett that I would also see the fountain head of revival, refreshing, renewing … a ‘gully washer’ ☺ as she called it, in our GCIC services. For this reason and many more I watch and receive what is happening with God’s move of the Spirit. http://www.freshfire.ca/
MMQ May 2008Your Season is Springing Forth!
His mercy is new every morning.
Psalm 5:3 – "In the morning You hear my voice, O Lord; in the morning I prepare [a prayer, a sacrifice] for You and watch and wait [for You to speak to my heart]. [Like prayer] I hoped in Your word."
Psalm 130:6 – "I am looking and waiting for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, I say, more than watchmen for the morning."
Life comes at you unexpectedly, around many different corners and lurking in the dark… things that need to be taken care of just seem to jump out from no where. You have a list, and it always seems to be growing with things that need to be done. You may cross one off the list, but then it seems like you add three more.
I am a person of lists, but lately my list has been suffocating me. It seems I don't have time to breathe my schedule is so tight. If I can stop for ten minutes I think to myself, "Finally I have ten minutes of unscheduled time." I just stay still and think "This is what free time feels like." In this, I felt the Lord leading me to still waters and saying to me, "Don't schedule your time, schedule your life." Not understanding this at first, my immediate reaction was, "Well, that would be a very long list."
In bible school I remember hearing the statement that God uses busy people because He knows it will get done. I find this to be true in my life; just when I think I have more then enough to do, God will add more to my responsibilities, my vision, and my family dynamics. Hmm, so how does this work?
The key to this is to extend my vision outward, get my eye off the daily grind and onto the vision of my life. I started to evaluate everything in the light of value. How did each and every responsibility add up in value to God, my family and me?
Every time I start to panic about all there is to do in life, I now settle myself down and think 'value'. Now, I know you are thinking – "This does not get rid of all the day to day things that have to be done." Yes, you are correct, but I think King David's words from the above scriptures in Psalms have the keys from the Spirit. I am learning to watch and wait in the Spirit for my Lord to speak to my heart and in the process, His mercies are new every morning for me to accomplish all that has value that day.
So don't be overwhelmed, beloved of the Lord, stay excited about life. You only have it to live once and nothing you can do will give you more time. We all have equal amounts; it's just how we use it that differs. I read somewhere that time is like suitcases, we all have the same one, the same size, but some of us pack more in them then others. Become more like David, expecting your sure word every morning.
This is a short excerpt from John Maxell's book 'Leadership Gold.' It has greatly impacted my thinking and I believe will bless you:
Parable - written by Jeffrey Davis
I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know the kind, he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whoever he was talking with something about "a thousand marbles."
I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say. "Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. Too bad you missed your daughter's dance recital"
He continued, "Let me tell you something, Tom, something that has helped me keep a good perspective on my own priorities." And that's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand marbles."
You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years.
"Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3,900 which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now stick with me Tom, I'm getting to the important part.
"It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail," he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy.
"So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round up 1,000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside of a large, clear plastic container right here…next to my gear. Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away.
"I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight.
"Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took out the very last marble out of the container. I figured if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little extra time.
"It was nice to meet you. Tom, I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band."
My mother at 88 has outlived all her marbles. I do believe I will give her an extra long call today. Blessings-
k
February 2008
This was written by a very good family friend and humble pastor in Long Island NY.
I would like to bless you with his insight.
k
Abraham fell on his face and laughed… Sarah laughed to herself … Genesis 17:17a; 18:12a
Let’s not overlook God’s personality or character.
Many are happy to overlook the way God has revealed Himself in the sacred histories. They prefer to view God through inspired statements made about Him. Then they define His actions in view of those declarations. This is a good principle, but we should not neglect to watch carefully to see how He interacts with people that He loves. Perhaps statements about God might be seen through the revelatory record of His relationships. For example, look at Abraham and Sarah’s unbelief.
First look at Abraham: 15 Then God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16 "I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her." 17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, "Will a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?" 18 And Abraham said to God, "Oh that Ishmael might live before You!" 19 But God said, "No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. (Genesis 17:15-19)
At least Abraham kept his derision to himself. He only spoke in his heart. God didn’t reprove him. God continued to declare His purposes for Abraham. Yet, look at Sarah. Really, this couple just goes from bad to worse…
10 He said, "I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son." And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing. 12 Sarah laughed to herself, saying, "After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?" 13 And the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am so old?' 14 "Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son." 15 Sarah denied it however, saying, "I did not laugh"; for she was afraid. And He said, "No, but you did laugh." (Genesis 18:9-15)
Here’s a woman who actually laughs in disbelief at God’s promise. When she’s called on it, in fear and disbelief in God’s goodness, she lies directly to God’s face.
Why wasn’t Sarah turned to ashes where she stood? In the very next chapter (the inexorably severe judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah) we read of Lot’s wife being turned into a pillar of salt just for disobeying the word of an angel.
Not only did God not destroy Sarah, but He didn’t rescind His promises to her. Not only did God not respond in wrath, but Sarah didn’t disqualify herself for His purposes for her. In fact, the gentle reproof He offered did not even receive a repentant response.
This is as poignant and merciful interaction as anything we read about in the New Testament. In fact, where else in the Sacred Text do we see this type of behavior?
Have you ever received a promise that you believe was from God, but now, if it is mentioned, the very sound of it brings pain? If the Lord, Himself, was to draw near to you and restate His purpose, would you bitterly laugh? Have you done that? If so, take heart. He is the God of Abraham, yes, but He is also the God of Sarah.
5 Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 Sarah said, "God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me." 7 And she said, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age." (Genesis 21:5-7)
Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also love you…John 15:9
I was speaking to a friend today about Father Abraham and Sarah. We were discussing God’s response to Sarah when He said that Sarah would bear a son. Sarah laughed in God’s face and He called her on it. And she lived to tell about it and go on to fulfill the promise. Hebrews says that she received faith to conceive.
I said to my friend that I would have laughed. A 90 year old woman! A 100 year old man! I am not that old but I know where babies come from. I would have laughed too. As I thought about this I realized that I stand in the very same dilemma. I have this promise cited above. I have countless promises in the Scriptures that are before me. The Word says that I am lovely to God. That just as the Father loves Jesus, Jesus also loves me. I am blameless before Him. He likes, delights in and enjoys me. And I must admit, I can sense a sardonic chuckle rising in my soul. Me? Come on God. I know that you are good and gracious but I also know that you are Holy. Nothing escapes your gaze. You know every thought and intention of my heart. I want to respond in kind even a little bit but … well look at me! I am hundred years old for crying out loud! You’re joking right?
Jesus said that if you only love those that love you…what reward do you have? Love your enemies! I am trying, and failing to even love those who have loved me and just as the Father loved You ..you love Me? Jesus…you’re Jesus! I’m …well you know who I am.
That’s funny … really funny.
“And without becoming weak in faith (oh but he did.. see Genesis) he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead. . . and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief(oh but he did), but grew strong in faith giving glory to God and being fully assured that what He had promised, He was able also to perform.
These things were written for our sake.
Just as the Father loved Me, I have also loved you…
Live there…
Funny right? I think so.
Pastor David Harwood
www.loveofGodproject.org
Lessons from Hezekiah
January 2008
This is a beginning of something new in our lives for 2008. There is a political race on that is unparalleled in history in its “grayness”, meaning that the issues seem to change as the wind of media blows them around. The economy is coming to the forefront and with it, serious repercussions of our nation’s overspending. It seems like foreign powers that were nowhere close to being a world power previously, are now buying pieces of our banks and investment institutions just to hold up our economy. In the natural, it’s a mess.
But in the Spirit, it is different. None of this is taking God by surprise. His plans will still march forth with the power of the Holy Spirit, and with a remnant that believes God will do what He says He will do and He will use us to do it.
There was a time in history that Hezekiah may have felt as overwhelmed in the natural as we do today. He was surrounded by two large super powers and they wanted all that he had. They had successfully taken Israel and now they were after Jerusalem. He was mocked, ridiculed and insulted as the representative of God on earth. His people were openly engaged in the abusive threats as they listened. His father had not left him a good legacy or example, but he had one thing… the history of God’s powerful deliverance for his people. He was a righteous king who followed after King David. He had torn down the high alter and burned the idols. He had opened up the boarded down tabernacle and started the feast days again. His heart had to be to see the God of Moses, Abraham and David. He may have thought that since he was making all these moves towards God, that surely God would give him rest.
Not without a fight in the spirit realm. An ambassador was sent to inform him that he and his God were done, and they would drink their own urine and eat their own flesh if they continued to think that God would deliver them. Strong words - maybe they sound like some you may be hearing? Well, maybe not the urine and flesh part.
He fasted, prayed, gathered the people together and inquired of the Lord. He listened to the established prophet of his day and God delivered him and his people without them even lifting a sword.
When I was overseas for the holiday season with my children, the Lord impressed upon my heart that this year would be one of rearranging. Like Hezekiah, we may need to stop the same pattern and inquire of the Lord on His direction. I feel God’s people will face great opposition, but if we wait before the Lord we will see great provision.
Be blessed in the Lord
k
We will be posting this complete message on the web front page (www.kathleenquick.com). Please look for it.
Holiday Time
11.30.07
This time of year many thoughts go through our hearts and minds. Some of you are faced with difficulties that you may never before have experienced in your life. Just listening to the news about the vast number of foreclosures in America makes my heart very sad. So many people having to leave their dream home and find other places to live….such a reflection of the state of our society.
Difficult times come upon all of us, and let me encourage you that the Lord sees them all. He will, in His timing, right every wrong. Let me open the Word of God and show you that He will help you, even if you are the one who caused the problem.
You are standing in His reputation, His power and especially His grace.
Take this day and put behind you whatever is difficult for you to maneuver or even rise above. One of the most powerful weapons of the enemy is to keep you in your problem. God has all the answers for you, and He wants you to live for today and put the past behind you.
Ps. 20:6-7: “Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; he will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand. Some trust in the boast of chariots and some of horses, but we will trust in and boast of the name of the Lord our God.”
Many know my life, but just as David, I must deal with it straight up and know that the Lord has a plan out of every situation where the enemy wants to stop me. Lately the Lord has been speaking to me about the ‘accuser of the brethren’. He led me to preach on this at our church, and it was life changing for me personally. We have the sword of the Spirit that not only divides the intent of our heart, but it also is a weapon against the evil one.
Remember that we are in a battle against evil, dark and light, righteousness against the works of Satan. The enemy wants to kill, steal, and destroy your life. He will try to use anyone where he can get an open door. This may be family, friends, relationships, the legal system, and the government system….wherever he can get a foothold in and try to come against the saints of God.
For a lack of knowledge many fail because they do not understand their enemy. You must realize this and set up your guard against it in your life.
God is a high tower you can run into to be refreshed, renewed and receive the wisdom on how to fight your battles. When I come out of my time with God I always feel recharged, always! This is what allows me to smile and pray for my enemies, for the evil one is just using them and they need an encounter with Jesus. Then my blessings become more important then my trials, and my praise more important then my pain.
It is not what happens to you in life, but how you respond to it that matters. Press in and praise Him.
k
For a complete teaching on the “Accuser of the Brethren” go to the shopping cart and order this message today. (pray if it is still under construction)
06.27.07 MMQ
Luke 18:8… when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
There are so many questions that burn within me. Will my Lord find faith in me? Will I be standing when all else fails? This narrow gate, will I have trouble staying in it?
Are the pressures of this life molding me or am I molding them?
I wonder if God is watching today. So many choices I am facing. I would like to just sit and watch the birds for a while. Listen to the wind blow the leaves around and watch the dabbled sky march over head, just chill.
As I take a deep breath I think of all the good the Lord has blessed me with, overwhelming joy and blessings. Then I think of all the struggles He has won and thank Him that he brought me back from sickness that was marching towards death, set me on high ground, let my feet not slip.
Then why do I feel like I have to keep fighting? I know the battle is the Lords, it is my job to just take orders, but my orders keep putting me on the front lines. And it is not just ice tea under a tree either it is work, hot sweaty, intense work to see the heart of God implemented in the life of family, church and myself.
I keep seeing this darkness hovering over America, this evil plan brewing. I lay to rest and am filled with unrest to pray, and seek His face. What is this I am sensing Lord? We have a job assignment that never un-enlists us. If we are to be his voice, His hands we have to be willing to pick up our cross daily.
I have found that the key is to fight the good fight. When I have done all to stand, I roll it over unto the Lord. The next day I start it all over again. Each day I am renewing myself in the Lord. Each day expecting the miracle of his deliverance, healing and restoration in the lives of whom I am praying for.
This must be the narrow road with the gate so few find. The question the Lord asked, when in Luke he addresses us, is to ask if He will find faith on the earth? In Him?
Faith is knowing God. If you know him you will love him and if you love him more and more you will be looking for ways to pick up His cross and carry His work on until He returns. It says in Ecc. 5:3 “A dream comes when there are many cares…”
Well I am Gods dream and so are you! We carry his dream with much work, many cares.
So do not weary in well doing little one. You are carrying the dream of God today. Take time to breathe in all He has given you, then suite up in the armor of the righteous and go about His work. I know, by the power of the Holy Spirit He will find faith… in us.
MMQ
05.23.2007
Just like any other day, I reach for my clothes and feel around for my sandals. They say Jesus is coming around today. I wonder if there is any chance of seeing Him? That’s a funny thing for me to say ... I can’t see ... but figuratively, I would so love to see Him. They say He is a miracle worker, one with a heart for the real people.
“My cup runneth over...” No, my cup is for begging. I am marked, blind and forced to hold out this cup for shame and not for blessings.
What do you feel forced to do? At this time in your life are you settling for what life has handed you? Or are you ready to reach out for that which is greater, that which requires God, not just your own motivation?
Blind Bartimaeus will open a new world of vision for you if you are just looking.
I believe from the passage Mark 10:46-52 that Jesus is asking all of us a question today, “What do you want Me (Jesus) to do for you?”
Faith and healing are caught up in and around these two sentences in this reference:
“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.”
“Son of David, have mercy on me!”
You have not because you ask not. Bartimaeus decided that what he had heard about Jesus was true. Somehow on this very regular, hot Jericho day he was going to apprehend God.
He hears the crowds, feels the electricity in the air and he cries out. From deep inside himself he cries out for Jesus to help him.
Silence from Jesus. He is overlooked and underfoot. Nothing happens.
Many voices now are speaking to him but not the voice of Jesus. They are telling him to be quiet, seemingly saying, “Just stay as you are, and don’t bother the Great Teacher.”
Do friends and family ever tell you not to believe? Do you tell yourself not to believe? Bartimaeus had been blind a long time … not recently sick. The long haul can be so discouraging when you have dealt with something since birth or for many years.
Faith is an action that requires our participation, and that was in motion that day in Bartimaeus’s life.
Not once, but twice he called out, and then the miracle happened. Jesus stopped, apprehended by the call of one who was looking to Him for help. And those now famous words, “’What do you want Me to do for you?’ Bartimaeus said, ‘I want to see’ and that moment, immediately he received his sight.”
Keep asking, seeking and knocking until the word of the Lord is performed in your life. Don’t give up little one, press forward.
K
This whole message is free on the home page www.kathleenquick.com. Scroll down and click on the message “No More Change.”
MMQ
04.30.07 (part 2)
Getting out of town on a day off is always therapeutic, and I just needed to clear my head. What had just happened in my city was beyond my understanding. Why is it so hard to adjust to change? I had thought he was to be our king. Now he is in the grave, this Jesus, son of Mary. His words hang over me, why do I not understand, he is not alive to enforce them. Although Mary had been to the tomb and said he was alive, how can that be?
Leaving the family behind a friend, I decided to head towards the village of Emmaus. The familiar sun beating down on us did not seem to brighten the day. My hopes were dashed to pieces and I was not shaking my dismay and utter hopelessness. I thought he was a good man, prophet, miracle worker, and teacher, but deep down I believed he just might be the messiah, the Son of God.
My friend keeps bringing up the subject, it’s like we can’t stop going over every detail to see what we could of missed. Someone casually joins in on our conversation and he seems totally unaware of what has just happened in Jerusalem. He genuinely looks interested, but somewhat at odds at our intense dialogue. My world just came crashing down on me and this stranger wants me to tell it all over again.
“About Jesus of Nazareth”…passion fills our voice as we recount the powerful words and deeds of this man. We had hoped he would be the one to redeem Israel, but it seemed everyone had become hysterical and handed him over to be crucified. Now it has been three days and we hear stories of angels and visions and tombs being opened. My eyes start to mist over as my emotions fill with the sights and sounds of the crucifixion, the darkness, the thunder, and the shaking of the heavens…surely this was the Son of God. In one minute I am feeling confident and the next I am questioning. I keep asking myself, why did it have to end this way? My hopes for my children are all dashed because I don’t know what their future holds.
I seem to be rambling on to this stranger who has joined us, feeling like broken pottery under my feet. I just did not know how to pick myself up.
This stranger with these caring eyes tells us we are foolish, and how much will it take for us to believe. Did we not know from the prophets of old that the messiah must suffer these things? From the time of Moses to the present he starts to bring sustenance to the writings so familiar to us.
We are rounding the corner to the village and this stranger seems to go on as if to continue straight ahead. Oh no, we cry! It is late and the day’s end is upon us, stay for supper. Deep in my heart I wanted him to keep talking about Jesus.
We sat at the dinner table, he took the bread, broke it and gave thanks, then I saw with new eyes, the resurrected Jesus had been talking to us the whole time, and then he vanished.
How my heart burned within me, it was he, The Son of God. He had broken the bread as if to say, “it was I” broken for you.
2007
I ask myself, how often has the Lord walked with me and I had not known it? How many times had He opened the scriptures to me and I have not realized he was right there beside me.
This is the day to seek the Lord while He may be found. Be encouraged, Jesus came to them in their despair, disbelief and dismay. How much greater is He coming to you who has His spirit in you. Do not grow weary in well doing… but finish the course.
k
Reference: Luke 24:13-32
With heart felt sorrow; because of a serious accident a friend of mine was in I was unable to post until now with time constraints. Be blessed and look for a new message each week.
MMQ Monday Morning Quarterback (Part 1)
04.03.07
With my family awaiting I slowly walk home feeling separated and alone. I can’t seem to shake it; everything just seems so empty to me.
Something draws me to retrace my steps to the eastern gate of my small city. What just happened two days ago, who was this man I saw ride into town? Life seems to be going on for everyone, all the talk about this man Jesus, God, politics and money, why can’t it just go on for me?
I think of my wife and children and the blessings I should be so happy for, but I just can’t find voice for that today. Fresh baked bread is in the bakery window, the smell of savory lamb cooking on the stove comes down from an upstairs window, it is dinnertime and I’m just wondering the city aimlessly.
As I continue to walk something catches my eye swept up against the water drain of the street. These yellowed palm branches seem to find voice, such sadness, and such loss. They’re just pieces of plants… so why am I drawn to them. Then I see one lone withered palm branch and it holds my complete attention. It’s still wedged between the stones of the building. I had put it there, when I lifted little Nate on my shoulders to see the King. I reach up to take it and the memory floods back to me. I thought we would get a King that day, a good King, a great King. One who would drive the Romans out and set us free. We had all heard of this miracle worker, this great teacher and I had wanted to get a look at him. I had left home early that day with the children to join in with the singing. I don’t like crowds but this day I pressed in just to take a look, this was the man to set us free… I just knew it. There was a way made in front for me to step up to the parade line, being careful not to upset little Nate on my shoulders I stepped forward and looked up. Our eyes meet and time seemed to stop. He looked deep within my soul and I saw that he knew something I did not understand. My song stopped for just a moment, time stopped. The sounds of the flute now have an eerie remembrance. I feel like something very dark is about to happen but he seems so calm, like he knows…
What was it about this man; I keep walking with my lone palm branch in my hand. It would be good to get out of the city, anywhere to escape this heaviness in my heart.
To be with my family at dinner but not mentally there was hard for me. I would answer Sarah’s questions, and bounce little Nate on my knee but my smile was only skin deep. I had stuck the withered palm branch in the beam of the fireplace and it kept pulling my gaze. My wife Ana could tell something was wrong with me so she suggested I go to temple and pray.
Temple was crowded everyone talking about this Jesus being imprisoned, prayer was impossible; all I could see was those eyes of the man on the donkey. What did he know that I did not? Why was he not saving us?
He said he is the Son of God; I want him to be King.
He seems to know where I was going in life, I don’t have it figured out but he seems to know, somehow I know he knows. These questions deep in my heart seem to separate me from all the debate going on around me.
I want truth, I want life, and somehow this man holds the keys I just don’t know how. Why does he not fight? Call on the power of God? I am so filled with despair, and have no answers.
K
Pray this “passion” week God will reveal to you the truth about where you are in life and who you really believe Jesus to be in your life.
Look for part 2 to be posted the day after Easter, April 8, 2007
John 12:13 reference to Palm Sunday.
MMQ (Monday Morning Quarterback)
02.26.07
Everyone wants a miracle, whether they admit it or not everyone is created in God’s image and by that definition they are designed with a hunger for the supernatural.
Psa. 77:14 “You are the God who does wonders; You have demonstrated Your power among the peoples.”
As I went through 7 years of testing, as I fondly call them, it was firmly etched in my heart that miracles have foundation stones of righteousness, joy, and peace.
The things money can’t buy can only be acquired by the spirit of God.
We may have the winds of adversity coming at us from all different sides, but if we have a foundation in Christ we will not be shaken. God’s spirit provides us with the power to build, even if it cannot be seen. Deep down inside our soul we are being transformed if we respond to trials and testing God’s way.
We are speaking about the covenant of God in our lives and His promises to us personally to bring about miracles. The difficult thing about the principles of God is that they require a response from us, that most of the time must be implemented by discipline.
The promise:
2Cor. 5:17 “Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!”
The condition:
Rom. 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].”
The Battlefield:
1Tim. 6:12 “Fight the good fight of the faith; lay hold of the eternal life to which you were summoned and [for which] you confessed the good confession [of faith] before many witnesses.”
We are body, soul, and spirit. As we study the word of God and Pray, our spirit receives greater revelation of God in our lives. As we meditate on the word we face choices on whether we will believe God and put His principles into action. You can have a glass of water in front of you to quench your thirst, but unless you reach out to lift the glass to your lips you will still thirst.
Our mind, will and emotions are under the title of our soul. This is where you decide to sin, operate in unbelief, sink in past misery, OR decide to let your spirit control your actions. The only way to operate in the promise is to condition your soul to be obedient to the word of God. That requires discipline and work.
This is the battlefield. Your body will not do anything your mind does not tell it to do, so it is just tagging along in the form of our housing.
So here we enter the battlefield everyday of our life and chose life or death. Fight or flight. Live holy or sin.
Your soul can be under attack from the enemy, and those the devil uses to keep you distracted from the plans of God. The only way to fight this is with the word of God and prayer. If you are dealing with this get prayer and have a strong victorious believer stand with you.
It is a fight, no easy way out. But let me tell you … it is so worth it … because God gives you what no man can give you.
I have found a peace that surpasses all understanding, a joy that no one can take from me, and a right standing in Christ. Not of my own, but taking on Christ, and putting off my soul’s desires. It is possible. I am not a special person, but I work on it everyday. I am tempted to just get out of Dodge sometimes, but that is not what life is all about. We must stand and fight for what Christ died for, victory.
Mark 10:27 Jesus glanced around at them and said, “With men [it is] impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God”.
How can we fight in this battlefield?
1. Pray, even if we don’t feel like it.
2. Study, even if your day is jam-packed.
3. Speak God’s word into your life, not your own.
4. Expect the answer from God to every situation, no matter what you see or hear.
You can do this, if God be for you who can be against you.
Miracles are from God, walk in them on this side of eternity.
k
All scriptures referenced are from The Amplified Version of the Bible. The full teaching of this message is available with the title: How to be a beacon of Light.
Monday Morning Quarterback (MMQ)
01.31.07
When the end comes, it’s just another beginning in your life.
I look ahead when I read a book…I only have a few pages left. How can this book be coming to an end? I slow down, savor each page, decipher each line, ponder and meditate. Well, I can’t read any slower…I’m going to get to the last page. I am filled with such sadness. Why does it have to end? My strength, my hope is on the ink and page of this one book.
When I was a little girl, I would escape into books. I worked at a library and all the time I would look for books to bring home. I did not necessarily look by author or familiarity, but by size. The larger the binding, the longer it would take me away from reality.
My home life was not one I knew how to deal with or was equipped to handle. As I would read, I kept looking at how much of the book was left. I would be filled with anxiety as I saw the pages become fewer and fewer. I was not allowed to keep the light on after a certain hour, so I would turn on my heating blanket and read line at a time by its little yellow glow. Reading was my passion, my escape. I became a literature major in college, always pursuing my greatest love, books. Growing up very poor, I seldom had a new book (I can’t remember one) but I was very familiar with the library and could lose myself in one shelf after another. When I was at a bookstore with new books, I would just smell them.... not buy them, just hold them and smell them, almost to drink in the aroma of the life that they held.
I am very upset this day…. I want more and it has just ended. Revelations 22:21 has ended with the word “Amen.” I look at this book so fondly; it has been through a lot with me throughout the past year. I took it everywhere. It went to court with me on a very tumultuous day. It traveled overseas and across country many times. It lay on my bed, lost somewhere in the covers or beside me all the time. Its corners are worn, the cover is coming off and it is colored in yellow (my favorite color to mark up books.) It feels like a friend…like it is a part of me.
I know you’re thinking, “Well, just start over. That’s what you’re supposed to do, right?” Yes, I will. You know that I will. But this time it was different. This time I walked into the pages and have not come out…this time my heart has been captured in a new way.
I prayed over each day’s reading this time, “Lord let me feel Your heart, teach me Your ways”… and He did.
The bright morning star, my Lord and King Jesus.
It is a time to seek the Lord while He may be found. A time of an open heaven for those who will draw near to Him.
I want more, and I know He will give me more as I travel time and time again through His Word. But I want Him to return, I want to see Him. Funny thing time… He created it for us, but He does not live in it. He lives in eternity.
One time in the winter, I was praying by a window very late at night. All my children and my husband where sleeping and I had waited all day to spend time with the Lord. I knelt down beside the window and looked at the star-flocked sky through the very high branches of a massive tree. I started to pray and this urgency came up inside of me to see the Lord. I kept praying, and I knew I was in the throne room itself. All of a sudden a Voice came to my spirit and I heard “You don’t know what you are asking. If you continue, I will have to take you home.” I knew instantly that He was listening to my every word, and if He answered my prayer, that would mean I would have to leave this world. I thought of my little babies sleeping down the hall and my husband in the bed not to far from me. They needed me. I could not leave yet. But I saw something, felt something. It was so very real, but it was not to be that night.
Today my babies are grown, and my circumstances have changed. But there is still this part of my soul that does not want to stop; it just wants to march across the line into the Lords presence. But again, someone has need of me. The harvest is white and the laborers are few and the time is now.
These books that are talked about in Revelation…. boy, would I like to get my hands on them. But knowing they are about our lives makes me think about many who do not know the Lord, and the lives that are hanging in the balance. My children are all serving the Lord and living for God, but what about others I know that I am destined to influence? Some plant, some water, some harvest for the kingdom. Do you have more to do?
God’s Spirit is more real then the natural if you just give it a chance.
Get in a full gospel church and stay grounded. Surround yourself with strong Christians to keep your spirit sharp. And above all, seek God with all your heart. You will find Him, and your life will never go back to the way it is today.
Run after the Lord today.
1Chr. 16:10-11 “Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord! Seek the Lord and His strength; yearn for and seek His face and to be in His presence continually!”
James 4:8: “Come close to God and He will come close to you. …”
You may not love books the way I do, but if you seek Him, you will love His book.
k
01.15.07
Monday Morning Quarterback (MMQ)
The simple truth of victory is to do it God’s way. Simple in its plan, very difficult in its application. Why do we seem to struggle with a simple principle and feel more enriched with a complex one?
When I was in college, if I studied exhaustedly for a test and ‘aced’ it, I was pleased. If I just scooted in under the wire and ‘aced’ it, I never felt the same…. like I did not deserve it. Lucky, but not deserving. For some reason, our nature likes to complicate things to feel deserving, and in that lies our misunderstanding of a simple truth.
Can it be as simple as speaking the word of God to the situation and watching it change? If that is so, why is it so challenged by our mind? Our days are filled with important things....school, jobs, children and responsibilities. So why is one of life’s most powerful tools so difficult for us to apply? Speak the word of God audibly over the situation, believe by faith that God has heard and answered it, and then stand on it.
There are many reasons for our ability to complicate things. All of us come from different backgrounds and we are under different pressures, but there is a common ground for this reasoning:
1. Can God really do what He says He will do for us?
2. Does God love us enough to answer the desires of our heart?
3. With all the ‘God issues’ He is taking care of, does He really have time to invest in us?
We all have a basic need to be loved and to give love. Without that, we are always looking to have that need filled. With this driving need, it is not in our nature to wait for God’s timing. If we don’t get an answer, we will try to find one. If we don’t feel like it is working, we will try to fix it. If we don’t feel hope, we will despair and stop searching for God’s special touch in our life.
Back to our simple truth of speaking the word. This year, 2007, is a prophetic year of God’s presence, an open door. I believe He is looking across our nation and seeking those whose heart is fully committed to believing Him. Look in your Bible, ask God to reveal to you by His Holy Spirit and lead you to the living word for your situation. Speak God’s word to your circumstances rather than your own words, and believe He is making a way.
God is the same yesterday, today and forever. Remember David and Goliath. One man against an army with a hand full of rocks. God will reveal Himself to you in the impossible situations. The children of Israel and the Red Sea….impossible to man and more than possible with God. Moses floating down a river in a basket. If you were his parents, wouldn’t you think of every possible calamity that could come from putting your baby in a basket?
To let go and let God handle it…..pray these verses with me this week:
Rom. 8:39 – “Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Thank you God that your love is flowing over me, leading me, speaking to me and comforting me.
Psalm 23:6 – “Surely only goodness, mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and through the length of my days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place.”
Let Your goodness and mercy be over me and my household, let me not be able to walk out from under Your presence.
Gen. 26:3 – “Dwell temporarily in this land, and I will be with you and will favor you with blessings; for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.”
Thank you for the blessings of your covenant, that I am called special, favored and loved.
I Sam. 2:26 – “Now the boy Samuel grew and was in favor both with the Lord and with men.”
The favor of the Lord is upon my family and me; it is evident that I have been with the Lord.
Psalm 90:17 – “And let the beauty and delightfulness and favor of the Lord our God be upon us; confirm and establish the work of our hands, yes, the work of our hands, confirm and establish it. “
Thy will be done on earth, as it is heaven, establish the work of my hands in everything I set my hand to do. Let wisdom be mine from your throne directly to my life.
If you want to go places with God you have never been before, you need to do things with God you have never done before.
He cannot lie. It is not in His character. If He says He will reward you for following after Him, He will.
It is our choice to live our life God’s way, and in that, we can choose how much of our life we will live for Him.
You can do this…speak God to your situations and watch Him move.
k
To hear this entire message, e-mail: info@kathleenquick.com and request a copy of “To Change My Life” #011407.
Year End Review
12.31.06
To seize the moment, to seize the day. This time of year, we look back if we are self-evaluating and chart our progress for the past year. It is a common dilemma to look at your wallet, weight, relationships, etc. and somewhere come up with the sum total of accomplishments or lack.
Being a very goal oriented person, I have a tendency to see myself through the eyes of my corporate background. What were the gross sales, the net profit, how many new employees were hired and how low was the turnover with the existing staff. Everything at that time in my life could be put down on paper, in the black or in the red (accounting wise) clear to the staff and to me. I could look at the figures and get fired up one way or the other.
This is a good thing, but of itself, it can be very misleading spiritually. Everyone should evaluate themselves, whether or not they own a company, to get a picture of where they are in all these areas. But the most important aspect of this evaluation must be the revelation that we have a spiritual life that cannot be equated by the same standard. Not only can it not be viewed in the same way, but you must see yourself through God’s eyes. The spiritual part of your life must be laid like a transparency over the natural part to get a true evaluation of your progress.
Joseph in prison, holding onto a dream….where was his purpose?
Psalm 105:17-19 - “and he sent a man before them, Joseph, sold as a slave. They bruised his feet with shackles, his neck was put in irons, till what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the Lord proved him true.”
That is the cliffhanger in our lives, God’s purpose perfected in us.
Let’s look at some principles from the word of God that we can use as transparencies:
1. How important has God’s house been to us this year?
1Kings 9:3- “The Lord said to him: I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.”
In the life of Joseph God was concerned about his life, but also a nation. In our life he is very concerned about us, but what about our nation, and His church.
2. Has the urgency of our witness increased?
Luke 10:2- “And He said to them, ‘The harvest indeed is abundant [there is much ripe grain], but the farmhands are few. Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
3. Have we drawn closer to our Lord?
Psalm 40:16 - “Let all those that seek and require You rejoice and be glad in You; let such as love Your salvation say continually, ‘The Lord be magnified!”
Psalm 63:1- “O God, You are my God, earnestly will I seek You; my inner self thirsts for You, my flesh longs and is faint for You, in a dry and weary land where no water is.”
4. Have we learned how to hear His voice more clearly?
John 10:3- “The watchman opens the door for this man, and the sheep listen to his voice and heed it; and he calls his own sheep by name and brings (leads) them out.”
5. Have we mastered praying and studying everyday?
Mark 4:24- “And He said to them, ‘Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you—and more [besides] will be given to you who hear.”
2 Tim. 2:15- “Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.”
These are eternal questions that everyone should evaluate year around, but let us take special time to question our spiritual growth with this turning of the new year.
Like Joseph, you may be in irons tied so tight you can’t breath, but the question is… what is God doing on the inside of you? You can only do so much in the natural, and then it is all spiritual. Beloved if you are His, you are in the world but not of the world.
Here is what I do this time of the year, and maybe you can take some guidance from it. I list everything I am dealing with in the natural, good or bad, and then I lay it before the Lord. I ask for wisdom and direction, for I want to be a diligent servant over the areas the Lord has given me as responsibilities. I believe in a spirit of excellence, and keep the testimony of Daniel ever before me as I plan to accomplish everything victoriously.
I make a list of the prayers God has answered in the previous year and what areas still need prayer. I then go to that place with the Lord that is very deep within my soul. I set aside time to let Him tell me how I have done in the spiritual realm.
I ask myself the questions listed above and many more questions that I know are important to God. I pray a simple prayer in preparation: “Lord make me willing to be willing. Thy will be done in my life.” Then I get still and let the Spirit lay those transparencies over my life.
This is my character, what I do in private, my thought life; this is what will go on to eternity with me.
The Lord, being the best Parent of all, does not give me all correction. Many times He will encourage me, and say He is pleased with my decisions and dedication. But then He will skillfully lay out my goals in the spirit, show me where I am today and where He is taking me.
Like Joseph, many things may seem to be a total mess in the natural, but believe in the suddenly, the supernatural, and in Him. Or maybe you feel like David and have accomplished much, both in the natural and in the spiritual, but as with David in Psalm 51:11- “Cast me not away from Your presence and take not Your Holy Spirit from me.” The more I find God, the more I realize I know very little and my hunger for Him increases.
He will make a way when there does not seem to be a way. His plans for you are good.
You will find joy and happiness with Him that you never dreamed possible, if you follow His plan.
Take time with Him this week, take hope, and keep standing on His promises.
Happy and blessed New Year.
k
Monday Morning Quarterback (MMQ)
12.12.06
Life was good, the Lord’s blessings who could deny. But that sad look that moved across my wife’s eyes was a subtle reminder that the children playing around us were not our own. The table we set every week for the Sabbath was for our beloved family of nieces and nephews, and even some of their children, but no place would be set for a child of ours. Over the years, how we took pleasure living through their lives and enjoying them. Maybe, after all these years, this is what God wanted for us….to be just Uncle Zechariah and Aunt Elizabeth.
There was the old story of Hannah from the writings of the Tanach (Old Testament). She also was without child, and sought the Lord with such intensity that He opened her womb. But Hannah had also been younger, and we have been praying for such a long time…
Luke 1:5 - “In the day of Herod King of Judea….”.
History is about to unfold like a scroll opening from heaven. The mighty plan of the Godhead is being ushered down by the power of the Spirit and the accompaniment of angels.
Both Zechariah and Elizabeth were descendents of the priestly line of Levites, righteous, and worshiping God, but unaware the supernatural was coming to them. The Spirit was going to personally visit the husband of this couple with the appearance of Gabriel.
The Archangel Gabriel in v. 19 says, “I stand in the presence of God…”.
How many times does our life seem to be just the normal routine? This time of year, being twelve days from Christmas, it may not seem normal with the intense pace that everything is moving at, but it is still familiar to us.
Are you looking for the suddenly? The unfamiliar to take hold of you, the supernatural? The word of the Lord to come to you? The answer to your prayer?
In verse 6, it says that both Zechariah and Elizabeth were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly.
I want my children to say this about my life, but I don’t want it to end there. I want my life to count for God. I want my faith to be so stretched I feel like I am going to explode in purpose. I want a visitation.
V. 7 - “Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.”
Let’s look at this with spiritual insight. If you feel barren spiritually you are in a good place. I think I will always feel this way, because I know there is more…. The more I learn of God’s ways, the more I realize I don’t know. I always want to be in a place of hunger for God’s presence, His glory, His voice in my life.
V. 13 – “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard.”
Elizabeth was older, not able to have children, the prayers over this situation have been many and long, and the petition is one of weariness. Why pray anymore? It must not be God’s will.
Take hold of this parable of Jesus. Luke 18:2-8 - There is a judge in this city that does not care about the things of God or God Himself. A widow in the town will not stop asking him for justice, over and over she pleads her case until he answers her out of sheer frustration to get rid of her. In walks the supernatural…and Jesus says, v. 6-7 : “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off?”
Stay desperate for God and hold on. He is on His way to you this day.
Blessings,
k
If you would like a copy the this entire message, e-mail us at info@kathleenquick.com and reference 12.10.06 “The Time is Now To Apprend God.”
Monday Morning Quarterback
12.06.06
All around you shopping is in the air, it’s Christmas time, and everyone is looking for something. Even if you don’t want to participate in the frantic drive to shop, you can’t help but feel the energy.
My spot at Panera Bread is warm and cozy, as I eat my food, read my Bible and watch the people coming and going. I am reflecting on what God said to us Sunday.
We have been thinking about a scripture this week that is very probing to our comfort level.
1Cor. 14:24 -25 But if all prophesy [giving inspired testimony and interpreting the divine will and purpose] and an unbeliever or untaught outsider comes in, he is told of his sin and reproved and convicted and convinced by all, and his defects and needs are examined (estimated, determined) and he is called to account by all. The secrets of his heart are laid bare; and so, falling on [his] face, he will worship God, declaring that God is among you in very truth.
How do we ask God to use us in this way? Then, how do we monitor it so that there is no reproach to the gospel with what we may say?
1. Be established in Him. Make sure you have His Word deeply entrenched in you. Know in your heart you are totally dependent on God, before you attempt to move in this gifting.
Rom. 11:20 - That is true. But they were broken (pruned) off because of their unbelief (their lack of real faith), and you are established through faith [because you do believe]. So do not become proud and conceited, but rather stand in awe and be reverently afraid.
1Cor. 1:6 - In this way [our] witnessing concerning Christ (the Messiah) was so confirmed and established and made sure in you.
Col. 2:7 - Have the roots [of your being] firmly and deeply planted [in Him, fixed and founded in Him], being continually built up in Him, becoming increasingly more confirmed and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and abounding and overflowing in it with thanksgiving.
2. Always minister in groups of two, and be certain you are covered in prayer.
Mark 6:7 - Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits.
Luke 10:1 - After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.
1Tim. 5:19 - Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses.
Heb. 6:18 - God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged.
3. Work with a church and believers seasoned and mature in Christ, so that you keep your heart humble under submission and accountable.
As I was sitting there at Panera, the Spirit starting reveling to me several issues in people’s lives. However, I hid them in my heart until I feel I am covered spiritually in prayer for this moving of the Spirit, and have someone with me (this is the Lord's way) as I consider talking to the people God wants to reach.
Ponder these things in your heart, beloved.
K
Monday Morning Quarterback
11.27.06
What we value and hold precious can change so quickly in our lives. This is the holiday season with pressure from all fronts to look like the perfect family, parent, and person.
Everything gets covered with some sort of decoration to make it look better than its present condition. In some ways, by the recognition it receives from friends, family or strangers passing by, it seems to have more value because it is noticed as new, decorated, or magical.
My thoughts go back to a time when….
….the laundry room floor was hard under my feet, the pane of the window small, but I could capture the look and feel of Christmas from my little watchtower. I was not invited to share in the holiday season; I could only experience it in my dream world. It looked perfect to me, as the wet Oregon air chilled my ankles; it looked warm and exciting in our neighbor June’s living room next door. The tree glistened as they opened beautiful packages and it looked like a fairy tale. At first it took my breath, then my shoulders sank a little bit, and a sigh came slowly from my eight year old mouth.
As God blessed me with three precious children, I made a firm commitment to establish memories and traditions. I never wanted my children to experience what I felt as a child. I wanted the fire to be real, the laughter to be sincere and the season one of confidence as they realized they were always welcome at home.
As we grow older, we realize life rains on the just and the unjust alike, making its way into our lives in the form of problems and trials. Recently the Lord dropped a word into my spirit. Psalms 34:19 (NIV) - “A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; …” For many years this could be a description of my life, and maybe yours.
Family dynamics have changed for me in the last seven years. My oldest daughter has married, expanding our family in a delightful way. We have suffered divorce, sharply bringing to my attention why God hates divorce. Remember there are always two sides to every story and everyone involved comes out wounded in a divorce. My children’s father suffered a horrible motorcycle accident, and I have been challenged by tuberculosis, surgeries, embezzlement and betrayal.
All this to say - there is something inside of me that could not be touched by these attacks to my family structure or me. It is something deep inside; it is the “oil” of the Lord’s presence.
What do I mean by this? In Matthew 25:1-13, we have the parable of the Ten Virgins. Tucked in the middle is verse 8-9, “The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ ‘No’, they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves’.”
There is an oil that was so precious to five of these women that they would not let anyone have it, borrow it, or come anywhere close to taking it away from them. I am learning to guard and treasure this oil within myself. I see this as my own private supply; without it, I may not have a chance of being of use to God or to anyone else. Hard words, but they are not my own. They are the warnings of Jesus. As you read on in this parable, you find the women who did not guard and store up this “oil” were shut off from the presence of the Lord. Verse 11-12 - “Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said, ‘Open the door for us!’ But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I do not know you’.”
I still treasure the holidays and the traditions of our family. But I know that there is only one thing deep down that is keeping the real fire burning in our lives and our hearts…this precious Presence that we hold and guard within us.
As the world spins out of control with ‘coverings’ giving the appearance of perfection, don’t let it deceive you. Take some time this week to seek the Lord about your own “oil” supply, just between you and the Father. If it is not there, ask the Lord for it. If it is there, ask for more and above all, set a guard over this “oil”, and let no man or devil take it from you. Be like the five wise women in the parable of Jesus; when you are asked for your supply of oil, just say no.
As people and circumstances change in your life, one thing will remain for eternity, one thing of great value - your relationship with your Creator.
1. Make a decision to be with God alone. Realize that with God, you are never alone.
2. You cannot give what you do not have. If you have this oil, you should not give of it; you should give only from your overflow.
Blessings,
K
Monday Morning Quarterback
11.22.06
I look at that stark mountain ahead of me, how is it possible? It’s not impassable, but austere as it looms over me. How am I going to find my way up this mountain?
I glance at my Bible laying beside me. How do I get God to speak to me? I mean speak to me the way He did with Moses? If only I could understand the spirit world as clearly as I can see the natural world.
The Voice was clear, “Go to Mt. Sinai.” I was in Israel and the Lord was very insistent with me; I was not sure why, but this was very important to my understanding His way of communicating with me.
Now I lie in this ice-cold monastery of St. Katherine’s, in Egypt. Obedience, a simple word but so very hard to live. Under the covers, I have on every bit of clothing possible; it’s so cold that the clothes seem wet. There is no hot water, and you can see your breath. This is not easy.
What if I were Moses? Would I be cold, would my joints ache, would my body shake with cold, or was he at a higher level of the spirit and I am just weak? I think not. I mutter to myself, “You know God, I have had some severe surgeries and sicknesses, and I’m a girl.” Silence.
It’s the middle of the night and a knock at out door signals it’s time to get up and start walking. There are people everywhere. Where did they all come from? I wasn’t aware, since God had spoken to me so personally, that this was an attraction to those seeking a spiritual experience from all over the world. We had been one of the few spending the night, so I believed it would be a guide, my two children and me.
There are camels everywhere… they are nasty in my book of ‘pets.’ I will take a donkey any day. No donkeys.
I don’t want a camel for the first section of the trip; they hurt my back with their sway. I have to get on a camel, no choice. The man says he has a saddle for a fat lady. Nice. Now I’m cold, sea sick from the swaying, and scared that the other camels are going to bite me. As we are riding, I look down the dark abyss of the side of the cliffs and I think, “How did I get here?” Obedience. I don’t feel spiritual or empowered. Quite the opposite. I feel so lost, like I am hanging on by obedience alone. Every time a camel passes me I am squealing, convinced they are going to take a bite out of my leg. Lindsey, my daughter, is telling me to have the peace of the Lord. Yea, right.
Off the camel. The walk is 750 steps straight up. Big steps. I’m a little person; big, giant steps for me.
I’m hanging over the edge, trying to disappear in the rock, as I vomit for the third time…..dry, gut wrenching heaves. My body is shaking from cold and exhaustion. People walk by me. My daughter quietly waits as I wipe my face with my filthy hands. “What am I doing? Am I nuts? I could be in bed.” Lindsey says, “Well, God may have told you to do this but not me,” as she wraps her arms around her to keep warm. Jared, my son, is walking up with another guide. O God, don’t let him fall somewhere in the pitch dark. This is miserable.
I continually ask our guide, “How many more steps?” He starts to get tired of me asking. He takes my dirty, vomit hands and starts to pull me up the steps. Oh, this is dignified. He keeps telling me I can make it. Now my prayer is reduced to step by step. I just want to live. Maybe I will have a heart attack. Oh stop it K… you will be ok, don’t be so dramatic.
We are huddled under blankets, the wind is fierce and the people in front of me are in a sleeping bag. Nice planning. The wind, the cold, the black. Where is this God of mine? If He speaks, I will be far to weary to listen or receive. In fact, I am just about convinced I will receive nothing… God was just testing me or something. I start to think, “Just get me out off this mountain.”
The sun starts to rise; ok, it’s a sun rise. But then the stillness comes over me, greater then anything around, and I hear, “The sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings.”
This is my passion, my heart. This is what keeps me pressing in….. healing. God will do it again, I am sure. I don’t really know why He tests me as He does, but He is God and I am not, so I just submit. I know for sure He is listening to my prayer. He is moving my life towards Him.
Take heart brave ones. It may be hard, lonely, and totally lacking in natural understanding, but God is speaking if we just climb to reach Him. I don’t know what your mountain is; mine was a literal one, but I know God is calling His people to ascend the mountain of the Lord today.
Pastor K
P.S. Blessings for Thanksgiving
Malachi 4:2 NIV But for you who revere My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.
Ex. 24:12 TAB And the Lord said to Moses, Come up to Me into the mountain and be there, and I will give you tables of stone, with the law and the commandments which I have written that you may teach them.
Monday Morning Quarterback
11.08.06
The master is sorting the stones to be crafted; his gaze falls upon a burned, old stone in the corner of the field. Joy wells up in his heart as he fondly picks it up. “Here you are,” he says, “I have just the place for you.” Then he takes out his chisel and starts to craft this special stone into a form too beautiful to describe. He is meticulous; rubbing fine oil on the stone each time he makes a cut. To onlookers, it may seem like it is taking forever for the stone smith to carve, but for the stone itself, it is simply glory. The stone finds voice for its feelings.. “all this love and attention feels so wonderful.” When the master finishes, he stands back and calls for the city to take a look. He simply says, “Look, this is my treasure.”
While the stone smith was carving, I had been commissioned to cut down a tree for the house of the Lord. Excitement rose inside of me as I daydreamed about how happy I would be to work for God. The sun was hot overhead, with the leaves slightly blowing around my feet as I hiked on. History is all around me. I see the Jordan River off in the distance; I think of all those who have come before me and everything God had done here. Now I am one of them, I’m commissioned! I am so excited; I can’t really believe God picked me for this job. I started to be energized as my pace increased; I could not wait to get there. Finally the riverbank appears in front of me. I search for just the right tree for the house of the Lord. It must stand tall in strength, this tree must be perfect. One tree caught my attention, standing over by the edge of the water. That’s it, that’s my tree.
I see others busy cutting their trees, but it did not discourage me. I have my eye on the perfect tree and I am going to do the best. I’m thinking about my ax. I had just borrowed a new one; it had a red iron blade. I know it would cut the same as my old one, but I wanted to be different, special, so I ask a friend to use their red one.
I take out my water bottle from my backpack, and throw down the cool water. Ouch, my shoulder is a little sore, but it’s ok. Once I start chopping, it will all be fine..God will help me.
I am so happy, I reach into my backpack for my ax. With my feet planted in a type of golf swing, I take all my strength and swing. My shoulder seems to pull away. My eyes catch a glimpse of shine as the red ax head flies into the river. I fall right into the tree trunk. Overwhelmed with dismay, I call out to my leader. What will I do? For a split second, I see my life go before me and hear familiar words, “You will never amount to much”, “You could not do this anyway.” Is it true? I felt lost, worthless; I would never be able to do something for God again. Besides that, my friend was going to have my “hide” as payment on their ax head. What made me think I could do anything right?
Just then my faithful friend and mentor comes up and says to me, “Let’s get your ax head back.” Startled out of my dismay, I watch as he carefully puts a twig into the water and commands my metal ax to swim up stream. Is it possible God can really help me? A miracle of a floating piece of bright red iron.
When godly people do ungodly things....take hope, God has a plan; He is calling for all the burned stones, and connecting all the ax heads to the handle. All for His purposes, the Kingdom. His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Are you a special stone? Then God has a work for you to do.
It has been said that God will use you to minister where you have walked. What that means is that whatever trial you have been through, God has a plan for you to bless others out of your strength. When they see the treasure God has made of you, they will be encouraged, uplifted, and it will help them hold fast to their confession of faith.
Pastor K
Reference: Burned stones: Neh. 4:2
Ax head: 2 Kings 6:1-7
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