#chasinggod

[swarehime73]

Thank you Lord for a great meeting of PCM Church (Philippine Christian Ministry Church) as we started our study of Genesis. May God be glorified. Happy Sunday.

[healingword]

Show Me Your Glory

(Exodus 33.12-23)

By the time we arrive at this passage, Moses had already experienced God in powerful and unique ways. He knew God and he knew the manifest presence of God like no one else. He had seen God in the burning bush. He had seen God work the 10 plagues in Egypt. He had seen God open the sea, provide water from a rock, manna from heaven, and birds miraculously appear overnight. He had seen the finger of God write on the stone tablets, the earth shake, the mountain burn, and the cloud descend right before his very eyes. He had heard the voice of God speaking to him in the Tent of Meeting. He was no stranger to the presence of God. In fact, verse 9-11 tell us that God spoke with Moses face to face “as a man speaks with his friend.” Yet, despite this, Moses was not satisfied. He wanted more. He didn’t just want the presence of God, or the fingers of God, or the miracles of God. He wanted God. All of God. He wanted God’s glory. The glory of God is His face. There was a hunger in Moses that just kept growing. The more of God he experienced, the more he needed more. It was like an addiction. He just couldn’t get enough. And it wasn’t about seeing God doing miraculous things. It was about being with God. God told Moses, “I’m sending My presence with you.” And Moses responded, “That’s great, but I want you. Show me your glory.” Many times, we ask for more of God because we want to see Him work and perform. We want His anointing, what He can give us. But not often do we just want God. If He doesn’t give us anything, do we still want Him? In fact, if He takes everything away, do we still want Him? What if, like Job, he took away everything we had? What if, like Abraham, He asked us to sacrifice that thing that is most important to us? Would we still want Him no matter what? Would we still want to hear His voice? That’s the point that Moses had reached. He didn’t care anymore if everything was taken from him. He didn’t care about the promised land. He just wanted God. That’s why he said, “If you don’t go with us, we are not going anywhere.” In other words, “I’d rather have you than the promise. I don’t need the promised land as long as I have you, God!” But God said no. God told Moses he couldn’t have more, he couldn’t see his glory. Only dead people see God. And Moses still had too much flesh. He was still too alive. God told him he would have to settle for his backside. He explained that He would pass by and cover the eyes of Moses until after He had passed. Then, God would allow Moses to look upon the residue of His glory, what was left behind after God had passed. This was so powerful that Moses received a “download” of history that enabled him to write the book of Genesis. He had seen the “history” of God, what God left behind as He passed. Moses saw the footprints of God. How often we ask for God’s glory and then settle when he gives us a glimpse of historical power. He lets us see a little of what He left behind at Wales, Azusa, Argentina, Brownsville, Toronto. He allows us to learn about historical events like the Great Awakenings, the Reformation. And we get excited saying, “Yes! Look at the glory of God!” All the while, not realizing that we are only seeing traces of His glory. This was not enough for Moses. He understood God, but after he died, his prayer lived on until Jesus invited three young men up the mountain with him. As Peter, James, and John sleepily followed Jesus, he was suddenly transfigured right before their eyes and the Bible says that Moses and Elijah appeared talking with Jesus (Matthew 17.1-5). It may have taken a few years, but Moses got to see the glory of God in full splendor! God remembered his prayer and answered it. Peter saw a little bit and responded like we do, “Lord, this is so good! Let us stay here with you, build you a house so that you would stay.” But Peter only caught a glimpse before the cloud covered Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. It was as if God was saying, “Peter, you’re not ready to see me in full splendor yet. You’re still living! But Moses can see me now.” The cloud that Moses was so familiar with now enveloped him as he looked upon the face of the living God! Too often we settle for the gifts of God, but we don’t want the Giver! Too often we want the hands of God, what He can give us, and not His face. We are like little children whose father returns home after a trip. As soon as he walks through the door, they jump on him and yell, “Daddy!” excited that he’s finally arrived. But after a few moments of hugs and kisses, they quickly ask, “What did you bring me?” The father, of course, gives them the gifts he brought expecting and hoping that they will appreciate him and spend time with him, but instead they run off to play with their new toys forgetting all about how much they missed him while he was gone. We do the same thing with God. We are so “desperate” for Him, but when He arrives, we suddenly want only the “anointing” and the “gifts” He gives us and run off to focus on those things rather than spending time with Him. We need to hunger for God. Not revival, not anointing… God. Just God. This yearning hunger is one of the biggest keys to real revival. As long as we want revival, we don’t want God, but once we don’t care about anything else and all we desire is God, then revival can come. If the anointing is like the hands of God, then the glory is the face of God. Salvation doesn’t cost a thing, but the glory of God will cost us everything. Like Peter, we often want to experience God’s glory without paying the price. You see, Moses had already died, but Peter had not yet died. Peter was trying to get in on Moses’ sacrifice. We have to pay our own price. We can’t see the glory of God on the coattails of someone else’s sacrifices. Whitefield and Finney paid the price. Parham and Seymour paid the price. We might be able to “inherit” some of their anointings, but we won’t see the glory of God without paying the price ourselves. That price is death. We must die to our flesh, just like Paul said, “I die daily.” We must do the same if we want God. Our culture is obsessed with speed. From microwave dinners to “Fast and the Furious” we want everything quickly. When our “fast food” orders take longer than 5 minutes, we get upset. But we can’t have “fast food” glory. We don’t get “microwave” presence. There are no shortcuts. The path to the glory of God is the path of death to self and there is no alternative route. GPS (God’s Positioning System) will not “recalculate” when we take a turn we weren’t supposed to take. There’s only one way and it is the way of the cross. That’s why Jesus said, “Whoever will follow me must deny himself and take up his own cross and follow me.” Only burnt sacrifices attract the presence of God. That’s why Paul wrote that we must be “living sacrifices.” We constantly pray and ask God to change our cities and our nation, but God says, “That’s why I put you there.” We want God to work in some miraculous way, but He placed us where we are to carry His glory. As we carry His glory, we will change our cities. We want to change our cities with our votes, our policies, our influence, but all we need is His glory. I leave you with this question: Are you willing to give up everything you have for God? Would you seek God if He decided not to bless you or give you anything? Would you still hunger for God if he took everything away from you? Are you willing to pay the price for His glory? I am. Lord, show me your glory!

[healingword]

Dismantle Your Glory

(Luke 7.36-50; John 12.1-8)

In Luke 7, Jesus had been invited to a Pharisee’s house. He was the guest of honor. This was a place where a bunch of church folk were “fellowshipping.” But then a woman showed up… One of those. A “sinful” woman. The disciples got nervous and immediately went into protective mode just in case they needed to take her outside. Simon, the host, became judgmental. “If he were really a prophet, he’d know what kind of woman that is. He would not let her touch him.” But this woman did not even open her mouth. She didn’t say a word. All she did was worship. She fell at His feet and began to weep. She was most likely weeping because she knew she was a sinner and did not deserve to be near Jesus. But there is another possibility. Perhaps, she wept because she saw how they were treating Him. She noticed that they were not giving Him the attention He deserved. After all, Jesus was still wearing His sandals. Nobody washed His feet as per the cultural norms of the day. She noticed that His feet were still dirty, and she thought, why hasn’t He been taken care of? Perhaps her heart broke when she realized that Jesus, the Lord, was surrounded by church folk that were not paying attention to Him. You see, in those days, when a special guest arrived at your house, you immediately took off their sandals and washed their feet. In most homes, they had the lowliest servant wash the feet. This is because there were no paved roads like there are today. And back then, there were no cars. People got around on horses, and camels, and mules. Today our vehicles emit fumes we call exhaust. Their “vehicles” released a different type of “exhaust” that was often stepped in and the host did not want that all over the house, along with the aroma of the day’s travel. Often, when a special guest arrived, the host would greet them with a kiss. Yet, none of this took place at Simon’s house. It was as if he wanted Jesus there, but did not want to honor Him as a special guest. We seem to have a similar problem in our churches today. We want God, but we don’t want to deter our programs and agendas. We want Him to visit us, but only between 10 and 10.30 on Sunday morning. The rest of the time is ours. And when He does show up, we get upset because He’s messing up our schedules! Oh, the hypocrisy of Simon judging the woman for her sins, all the while, ignoring the Savior! Is it possible that we are just like Simon? Jesus quickly set the record straight and told Simon, “Leave her alone! Don’t judge her. She’s doing what you were supposed to do!” So many times we get jealous of others that encounter the Lord instead of breaking our own boxes of self-righteous “alabaster.” We have lost the art of adoration. We no longer worship God just for the sake of being with Him. We worship to get something back. Like the child that quickly learns that cuddling Daddy will get them a gift of some sort. We no longer cuddle Daddy just to cuddle. Just out of pure love. We may spend time with Him, but out of duty, responsibility, or discipline. We pray because we have to, not because we want to. We read the Bible as a chore, memorizing trivia, but not in a relationship with the author. We go to church to be blessed and ministered to, but we no longer “bless the Lord” or “minister unto the Lord.” We seek revival, but not the Reviver. It is time for us to be like the sinful woman and break our alabaster boxes at His feet. Our brokenness is a sweet-smelling aroma to God. This woman undid her hair to wash the feet of Jesus. The Bible says that a woman’s hair is her glory. She dismantled her own glory to wash the dirty feet of the Messiah. She took upon herself the job of the lowliest servant to serve the Lord Most High. We need to stop being Simon and start being this woman who did not care what anybody thought of her and poured onto Jesus extravagant worship. We often want God’s presents but we need His presence. We act like the crowds that followed Jesus for His miracles like He was some sort of magician. We chase God for His tricks. Even as disciples we sometimes miss the moment. The disciples of Jesus quickly fell into the trap of stopping the woman. They were trying to do ministry just like we do. We get so caught up in the busyness of ministry that we quickly forget that He doesn’t actually need us. He is the Creator of the universe. He wants us, but He doesn’t need us. We want to be anointed, but we don’t want to anoint Him! We need to break the box and lavish Him with our love. If we really want to see His face, there are no shortcuts. Brokenness is the path to His glory.

[healingword]

The Purpose of His Presence

(Acts 4.13) When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.

When Charles Finney walked through a city or factory, the people around would be so convicted by the Holy Spirit that they stopped whatever they were doing and broke out in tears! Many people would fall to their knees and beg God for forgiveness or come to the man of God and repent of their sins. In the book, The God Chasers by Tommy Tenney, there is a story of Duncan Campbell, the famed revivalist of the Hebrides Islands. Tenney describes a time that the police called Campbell into the station because there were so many people confessing that they didn’t know how to handle it. As Campbell walked with the police to the station, he saw people all over town on their knees in repentance before God. When he arrived at the station, there were people all over crying out that they knew they were guilty but didn’t know what to do about it. Campbell knew just what to do. He preached a simple gospel message and revival broke out!

In Acts 4.13 it says that the people “took note that [Peter and John] had been with Jesus.” They could tell because everything about them had changed. Just like Matthew says about Jesus, “that he spoke like one with authority,” (Matthew 7.29) Peter and John spoke with boldness. The anointing had effectively transferred, and they carried the glory of the Lord with them. When we spend time with Jesus, people will notice. The anointing on Peter had become so tangible that his shadow would cause spontaneous healing! (Acts 5.15-16) It was not really his shadow, but the power of the Holy Spirit emanating from him. Mark tells us about the time that Jesus went to Gadara. The moment he arrived and stepped off the boat onto dry land, a demon-possessed man came running to him (Mark 5.1-20). You see, when Jesus steps into a place, we don’t even need to do anything. There is no need to do spiritual warfare or march around the city. There is no need to hold crusades or “revival campaigns.” We do not need marketing, public relations, or even social media. Jesus shows up and the demons know they have to go! (Psalm 68.1) All Jesus had to do was speak and the demons, a legion of them, fled immediately! Oh, how I long for this to happen again! I want to see this take place in the Church today. In cities across America, that God would just show up! We won’t need politicians or celebrity pastors or even “seeker-friendly” churches. We won’t need hipster preachers or rockstar worship bands! Jesus said, “If I am lifted up, I will draw all men to myself.” (John 12.32) Jesus, we lift you up in our cities and in our churches and in our lives. Draw them to you, Lord!

Tommy Tenney calls this “presence evangelism.” We have tried programs and power evangelism. We have tried using TV and media. Let’s try something new. Let’s try things the old-school way. Prayer and fasting. Fasting and prayer. Let’s go back to the basics and spend time with Jesus like Peter and John. Maybe people will notice that we “have been with Jesus.” Perhaps a co-worker will see, or better yet, feel the difference in you and come to you asking you to lead them to Jesus. When God shows up, demons will flee, and people will be healed! All without us having to do anything! The purpose of His presence is evangelism. The whole point is to set the captives free and break the chains of those in bondage. If we carry even a little bit of His presence wherever we go, we wouldn’t even need altar calls! The people would be repenting at Walmart and in the grocery store. His presence brings unity and unity brings revival (John 17.21-23).

Isn’t it interesting that we have 24-hour pharmacies and grocery stores and fast food restaurants, but no 24-hour churches? How can we ever expect to meet the needs of the people when we don’t even stay open long enough to have a meaningful conversation? If we want true revival, He needs to show up. For Him to show up, there are no shortcuts. We, the Church, must repent and be broken. We must spend time in intimacy with Him. We must be holy and pure. I believe that when the Church stops faking it and begins to repent, the world will too. In some occupations, there is a saying: “fake it ‘til you make it.” Not so in the Church. The world can tell we are faking it. We need to be real and show the world that we need Jesus just as much as they do.

What is God’s favorite fragrance? What attracts God? Paul writes that “…God uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of Him everywhere.” He goes on, “For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved…” Can that be said about you? I want it to be said about me! I want to smell like Jesus!

[dailystill]

CHASING GOD 

Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you: your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. —Isaiah 26:8-9 

I read these words and I’m reminded to turn my attention to God first thing in the morning — with my very first breath. 

I'm not a morning person by nature, but the sunrise fills my home, inviting me to start my day with the Creator of the Universe. 

Because the truth is -- I’m easily distracted by many things vying for my attention. 

But there is One who sees the true desires of my heart and calls me into His Presence, filling me with peace and joy and purpose. 

I want to celebrate each new morning — delighting in the gifts of daylight, and lingering in the sunset with a grateful heart for my God who is with me always. 

Fully alive and present in all of life's moments. 

To live this one life chasing God with all my heart, soul, mind and spirit. 

And the best part? 

The chasing is done in quiet and stillness. 

Slow time.

PRAYER: Thank you Lord for a brand new day. Help me to slow down and live to honor You, noticing Your Presence with me always, living in Your perfect peace. 

MOMENT OF STILLNESS: 

Find a moment to step outside and whisper this prayer: 

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! —Isaiah 26:3 

[dailystill]

CHASING GOD Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you: your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. Isaiah 26:8-9 Today I read these words and I’m reminded of the need to seek God first thing in the morning with my very first breaths. I’m not a morning person by nature, but my new home is filled with the dawn’s glow, inviting me to slow mornings in the Light. So many things vie for my attention. My soul longs after many things. Yet there is One alone who sees the true desires of my heart and fills me with peace and settledness. I want to celebrate each new morning – delighting in the gifts of daylight, lingering in the sunset, overflowing with a grateful heart at night to my God who is with me always. Fully alive. Fully present in the moments. To live this one life chasing God with all my heart, soul, mind and spirit. And the best part? The chasing is done in resting and stillness. Slow time. PRAYER: Thank you Lord for a brand new day. Help me slow down and live to honor You, noticing Your Presence with me always, living in Your perfect peace. MOMENT OF STILLNESS: Step outside and whisper this prayer: You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trust in you. Isaiah 26:3 #chasingGod #slowmornings #thedailystill #devotional #franklintn #Light #daylight #peace #perfectpeace

[heyimsadie]

Speak Life

I am courageous. I am unstoppable. I am victorious. I am loved. I am blessed. I am gifted. I am anointed. I am sucessful. I am healed. I am healthy. I am beautiful. I am whole. I am confident. I am forgiving. I am grateful. I am generous. I am strong. I am fovored. I am able. I am powerful. I am fruitful. I am GODS MASTERPIECE!

[heyimsadie]

This should be the motto of every follower of Jesus Christ. Never stop praying no matter how dark and hopeless it may seem.

Billy Graham