NO LONGER A BUZZARD

Revelation 2:17 He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.  To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a NEW NAME which no one knows except him who receives it.”

Sunday morning, sitting on a fence, by the side of the road, sat a huge bird.  “A BUZZARD,” said Steve and a chill went down my spine.  A beautiful Hawk; a majestic Eagle and my reaction would have been totally different.  I would have pulled over just to view it and tried to capture its beauty by taking a picture, but this was a Buzzard.

It really isn’t that the bird looks so horrible that I draw back in horror; no, it is because of its Nature. A Buzzard doesn’t catch the wind and soar majestically to the heights; a buzzard flies low and rides on thermals.  A Buzzard doesn’t have the sweet voice of the song bird or even the tweet of the Robin, welcoming the day; instead it only vocalizes grunts and hisses.  Buzzards lurk, fly low, looking for dead and decaying things on which to feed. ITS NATURE is to desire smelly, rotten flesh…IT IS A BUZZARD.

1 Samuel 4:21 Then she named the child, Ichabod, saying “The glory has departed from Israel!”

In 1 Samuel 4, we read that Israel went to battle and carried the Ark of the Covenant into battle with them, against the plan of God.  The Ark was captured by the Philistines and the two sons of the Eli, the Priest were killed.  When Eli’s pregnant daughter in law heard that her husband was dead and the Ark had been captured, she went into labor.  She was so overcome with grief, that when her son was born, she would have nothing to do with him and named him “The glory has departed from Israel: ICHABOD.” 

Can you imagine, an innocent child, forever bearing and proclaiming the shame of Israel, each time he heard his name.  I have often wondered, what kind of childhood did he have?  Was he teased and ridiculed?  Did his nature come to reflect his name?  Did he resent his Mother for making him the symbol of one of the darkest days in Israel’s history, just because of his name?

WHAT IF YOUR NAME REFLECTED THE PERSON YOU ARE DEEP DOWN; YOUR NATURE? 

Would you want to be called by the “Nature” you portray to the world around you?  Yes it would be horrible to be called by our nature; to be known around town by the name of your worst deeds. 

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

GOOD NEWS….You are not “stuck” with the name ICHABOD…You are no longer a BUZZARD, feeding on the dead and decaying carrion of this world…You do not have to be known eternally as ICHABOD…Jesus made a way. 

When you come to Jesus Christ; when you have been baptized and received His Holy Spirit, you take on HIS NAME and HIS NATURE.  The stain of ICHABOD, “the glory has departed,” is removed and JESUS, the Glory of God is applied…

YOU ARE A NEW CREATION….WITH A NEW NAME!

Wear His Name proudly; proclaim your New Name and let your New Nature reflect who you are in Christ Jesus!

WHEN GOD ASKS THE HARD THING

John 6:60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying, who can understand it?”

“I want a Word from the Lord.” Deep inside all of us is a hunger to hear God “speak.”  We need to hear Him for guidance, direction, revelation or just to know that He is still there…We need a Word from the Lord.

God still speaks through Prophets; men and women that have a special call and through much communication with God have trained their ears and heart to hear His voice.  There are actual “schools” that “teach” you to hear from God and they all sit around just waiting for God to speak to them.  Many of these “Prophets” have a following of people that just hang around those waiting so they can hear a second-hand account of what God is speaking.

Now before you get all outraged and self-righteous, let me assure you I believe in Prophets and I believe that there are times God speaks a Word of encouragement, edification and even correction through called Men and Women.  BUT…I also believe that God speaks His Word to every Spirit-filled Man and Woman who is seeking His Presence.

When a trusted brother or sister comes with a Word from the Lord especially for us, we rejoice and our heart is filled with gladness when that Word assures us of God’s love, that we are exactly where God wants us to be and that He has “great plans” for us.  We love to hear promises of “we have a hope and a future,” “we are the head and not the tail,” and “we are about to be blessed in the city and in the field, BUT…what about the times that God asks the “HARD THING?” What about the times God doesn’t have a word that feeds our flesh because He is more concerned with feeding our spirit?

Matthew 19:22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Matthew gives us the account of a rich young ruler that came seeking a “Word” from Jesus.  His question, “What good thing can I do to inherit eternal life?”  Jesus began to speak; the flesh of the young man rejoiced and his head expanded as he mentally checked the things Jesus was saying, off his list.  Keep the commandments…CHECK.  don’t murder…CHECK; don’t commit adultery…CHECK; don’t bear false witness…CHECK; honor your father and mother…CHECK; love your neighbor as yourself…CHECK AND CHECK!  “Feeling good, Jesus, I’ve done all that since my youth.” 

Then Jesus asks the “HARD THING”… “Sell all you have, give it to the poor and come follow me.”  WHOA….WAIT JUST A MINUTE!!!  What about the nice vacation I had planned?  Surely you didn’t mean my kid’s college fund.  I worked hard for this beautiful home and the car, well it is the envy of the neighborhood.  I’ve kept all the law, “religiously,” isn’t that enough?  The Bible tells us that when Jesus asked the “HARD THING,” the young man went away sorrowfully.

Are you still sure you want to hear a “WORD FROM THE LORD?”  Are you prepared to hear the “HARD THING” that God may ask of you?  It will not feed your flesh and sometimes may actually hurt your pride.  It will not elevate you in the eyes of man but it will bring Glory to God.  There WILL BE sacrifice and the reward may not be exactly what you expected…

But your spirit will soar as you reap the harvest God has sown through you.  Your faith will expand exponentially because the “HARD THINGS” will prove that “GOD IS ENOUGH.”  The anointing realized through the “HARD THINGS” will take you places you never envisioned.  You will speak words that are not of your own thinking and you will accomplish Kingdom work that only you could accomplish for Him.

When God asks the “HARD THING,” I want to submit…I want to trust….I want to say, “Here am I, send me.”  I desire a Word from the Lord.

GO ON A LITTLE FARTHER

Genesis 22:5 Stay here with the donkey, Abraham told the servants.  “The boy and I will travel A LITTLE FARTHER.  We will worship there, then we will come right back. (NLT)

Early this morning, I had a dream.  I cannot remember all the details of the dream but the words, “GO A LITTLE FARTHER,” were dropped into my spirit. 

Genesis 22 relays the story of Abraham’s trek up the mountain, with his son Isaac, to offer sacrifice.  It wasn’t unusual for Abraham to offer sacrifice; he was a man of great faith and worshipped often.  But this time it was different, the sacrifice was to be his “only” son, the son of promise.

How heavy his heart must have felt. Every step became more laborious than the next because every step brought him closer to obeying God’s command.  His thoughts were going crazy…“God I can’t do this.” “Not my will but yours.” “What will I tell Isaac?”  “Nevertheless, I will trust in You.”

Then Isaac asks the question…

Genesis 22:7 But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am my son.”  Then he said, “Look the fire and the wood, but WHERE IS THE LAMB for a burnt offering?” (NKJV)

There it was, the hard question…Abraham could have stopped right there and said, “You’re right, let’s go hunting.” But no, his next statement is not only prophetic but it was at that point Abraham PASSED THE TEST; it was at that point he WENT ON A LITTLE FARTHER.

Genesis 22:8 And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.(NKJV)

God has asked you to do some of the “hard things.”  You’ve said, “Yes, Lord, here I am” but now you’ve come to the mountain.  You look around as you prepare to climb…Here’s the wood, you are carrying the fire, the knife is sharp and the sacrifice…The sacrifice…God really asks that of me?  Your thoughts run wild as you try to make sense of it all.  The mountain is tall and your legs are already weary. The tears flow as you take the first step.

How many times have we come to the “mountain” and we stop…the climb is too hard and the cost is too great. But this time, God says, “GO ON A LITTLE FARTHER.  It may seem that it is just you and Isaac climbing up this mountain but I am leading you into your promise.”  God knows you have what it takes to obey, now He wants to show you His Greatness; His faithfulness, but you have to “GO A LITTLE FARTHER.”

Don’t give up, yes the mountain is high; yes the task is great but GO ON A LITTLE FARTHER, God has a “lamb caught in the thicket.”

I'M WORN OUT

Daniel 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the Most High and shall WEAR OUT THE SAINTS of the Most High and think to change times and laws…

“I am so tired.” “I have no energy.” “Sometimes, life is such a struggle.”  “I just can’t face people today.”  Have you ever felt like this; ever said these words?  I have.  Sometimes life can be exhausting.

We returned home after a weekend conference, to which I wavered back and forth in even making the decision to go…I was tired, depressed….exhausted.  Of course, I am so thankful that I chose to go because the best antidote to exhaustion is spending time in the Presence of the Lord, hearing the Word of the Lord and fellowshipping with God’s people.

In the course of Friday night’s sermon, the preacher said, “he’s wearing out the saints.”  It spoke to my spirit, “You are not really exhausted, Satan is messing with your mind, your world and everything in it to WEAR YOU OUT! “

WE ARE IN A SPIRITUAL BATTLE LIKE NEVER BEFORE AND THE SAINTS ARE GROWING WEARY.

Remembering back to church as a child, I know life wasn’t easy for some of the people in the congregation but I felt their joy; I felt their faith.  I remember Old Brother Johnson, from Sweden.  He would stand to testify and usually it was the same testimony, in fact 50 years later, I can quote some of it.  As his heavily accented voice spoke, tears would run down his cheeks in gratitude to his Savior….I FELT HIS FAITH.

We didn’t have a Praise and Worship Team, we had Sister Frieda.  As her rich voice lead the church in a selection from the hymnal, the Spirit would fall.  I can still see her hands raised toward Heaven, her head thrown back, as she laughed for joy in the Spirit.  We didn’t need a band or lights or graphics on the screen, we had Sister Frieda and I FELT HER FAITH.

Today, we drag ourselves out of bed and into church because it is Sunday.  We sing a song or two, give an offering, hear a brief sermon and leave the same way we came, WORN OUT!  We are praying there is enough “gas in the tank” to last until the next Sunday because the reserves were depleted long ago. 

We had the latest Praise and Worship song on the screen, the music was just right, I paid my tithes, I heard some words, I checked this weekly obligation of my list, BUT….NO ONE FELT MY FAITH…because…I AM WORN OUT.

I NEED REVIVAL!!!  WHAT IS THE ANSWER?

Isaiah 28:11-12 For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people.  To whom He said, “THIS IS THE REST with which you may cause the weary to rest,” and THIS IS THE REFRESHING;” yet they would not hear.

LISTEN TO THE WORD OF THE LORD…THE ANSWER….THE SOLUTION TO YOUR DEPLETED RESERVES…THE REST YOU NEED IS A FILL UP OF THE HOLY GHOST.

The only way to fight spiritually is to use Spiritual Weapons…and the only way to keep your Spiritual Weapons in “fighting shape” is to spend time allowing the Holy Spirit to clean and sharpen them.

Take time today, RIGHT NOW, your spiritual life depends on it…spend the necessary time in the Presence of the Lord.  Let the Holy Spirit wash over you and fill you until it is overflowing into the reserves.  Don’t wait until Sunday, let the tears flow; throw back your head and let the joy spring forth in holy laughter. 

Take a 5 day dose of the Holy Ghost and I guarantee you that come Sunday Morning, the whole church will FEEL YOUR FAITH!!!

THE SOUND OF PRAYING

Proverbs 15:29 The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.

It’s two o’clock in the morning and I am sleeping deeply but when God wants to speak, a little bit of sleep isn’t going to stop Him.  Now, I am wide awake with these words rolling over and over in my mind, “I HEAR THE SOUND OF PRAYING.”

The rest of my night was filled with Biblical examples of when prayer was made and the results…God answered because GOD HEARS THE SOUND OF PRAYING.

In the Old Testament we read about the Children of Israel’s cry for deliverance, God heard their cry and led them out of bondage. Hannah prayed so desperately for a child that the Priest thought she was drunk, but God heard her plea and Samuel was born. Job prayed and had his health, children and wealth restored. Elijah prayed, God heard and sent fire to consume the sacrifice. Hezekiah’s prayers extended his life for 15 years.  And who can forget Daniel.  His dedication to prayer three times every day, even defying government orders, saved him from the mouth of lions and gave him insight and revelation from God.  Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Jonah, David, Moses and the list goes on and on.

THE EARLY CHURCH WAS BUILT ON PRAYER.

Acts 1:14 These all continued with one accord in PRAYER and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus and with His brothers.

Before His ascension, Jesus gathered His followers together and told them to “Wait for the Promise.”  120 gathered together in an upper room and I can assure you they were not discussing, debating, taking selfies or sharing Facebook gossip…no, Acts 1 tells us they were PRAYING.  And as they prayed, THE SOUND OF PRAYING collided with THE SOUND FROM HEAVEN and they were all FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.

Acts 2:2 AND SUDDENLY there came a sound from Heaven, as of a mighty rushing wind, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

Paul and Silas were in Philippi, preaching Jesus, baptizing people and casting out spirits.  Not everyone appreciated the demonstration of the Power of God, so Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown in jail; their feet securely fastened in stocks.  Instead of pleading their case before God, asking, “what did we do to deserve this?” or “We were just trying to obey God, where is He now?” The Bible tells us they began to PRAY and SING HYMNS to God.  Well God heard THE SOUND OF PRAYING and…

Acts 16:26 SUDDENLY there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.

Acts 10 tells the story of Cornelius, a Gentile.  He feared God, gave alms generously, and PRAYED to God always.  One day God heard THE SOUND OF PRAYING and sent an angel to Cornelius, who informed him that his “PRAYERS HAD COME UP FOR A MEMORIAL BEFORE THE LORD.”  At the same time, God sent a vision to Peter to go to Cornelius’ house with a message of Salvation.

 

Acts 10:44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.

Not only was Cornelius and his house filled with the Holy Ghost but the message of Salvation was now available to all Gentiles, all because God heard THE SOUND OF PRAYING from one man.

GOD’S CHURCH IS STILL BUILT ON PRAYER!

Matthew 21:13 And He said to them, Is it not written, My house shall be called a House of Prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.”

Men and women of old and the early Church understood the Principle of Prayer; God has not changed. There will be no revival without Prayer.  There will be no deliverance without Prayer.  We cannot reach our world with the Gospel without Prayer. God still responds to THE SOUND OF PRAYING! 

In Matthew, Jesus declares, “My house shall be called a House of Prayer.”  NOT a Concert Hall, NOT a Friendship Club, Not a Event Venue of Entertainment, Not a Donut Shop and Coffee Bar, NOT even a House of Preaching, because God hears and responds to THE SOUND OF PRAYING!

As a mom, I hated the sound of whining and I learned to tune it out quite well.  But you let me hear a fervent and sincere cry of “MOM, I NEED YOU!” It could be in the middle of the night, from the backyard or in a crowded mall, everything stopped because my child needed me and I heard the cry.

So it is with our Heavenly Father.  Whatever you lack, whatever your need, PRAY because God hears THE SOUND OF PRAYING!

THE DAY GOD ALMOST HIT CTRL-ALT-DELETE

Ahh, technology…a wonderful tool when it works but the most frustrating piece of equipment on earth when there is a glitch.  If you have used a computer more than an hour or two, you know what I’m saying. Sometimes it just seems to have a “mind” of its own and no matter how skilled the user, programmer or even the creator of the device may be, it will not cooperate…so there are 3 little buttons, that when pushed at the same time take you back to the beginning; CTRL-ALT-DELETE.

God had skillfully created the earth and all its inhabitants.  Everything worked in harmony and the Creation was a delight to God…until one day, there was a glitch in the program and God’s greatest creation decided to get a “mind of its own.”

Genesis 6:5-7 Then the Lord saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  6 And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth and He was grieved in His heart. 7So the Lord said, “I will destroy man who I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, both creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry I have made them.”

And God had His fingers on “CTRL-ALT-DELETE.”  Man had become so evil that God was sorry He had created them and the only way out was to go back to the beginning

BUT…

Genesis 6:8 NOAH found grace in the eyes of the Lord!

Just a few generations later, we read of a man named Abraham and his nephew Lot.  Abraham had left all of his family except for his wife and a nephew named Lot, to follow after the commands of God.  As the families and possessions grew, there arose disagreements between Abraham’s household and that of Lot, so they separated.  Lot chose the well watered, lush plains of Sodom. 

The Bible describes the men of Sodom as “exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord.”  Not only did the worship other gods but their wickedness and sinfulness knew no bounds.  Once again God reached for “CTRL-ALT-DELETE.”

BUT…

Genesis 18:22 Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but ABRAHAM still stood before the Lord.

Abraham pleads for the life of his beloved nephew and because of the faithfulness of a praying uncle; Lot and his daughters are delivered out of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Genesis 19:29 And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that GOD REMEMBERED ABRAHAM, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot dwelt.

The years passed and we find the Israelites in bondage to the Egyptians.  A faithful God hears their cries and raises up a great leader to deliver them from the bonds of slavery to the freedom of the Land of Promise.  God performs great miracles, leads them through the Red Sea to safety and destroys their Egyptian pursuers. 

As the journey continues, their dissatisfaction with their circumstances builds. Moses goes up the mountain to receive instructions from God and the whiney, unthankful nation of Israel decides to cause a glitch in the program by building their own god and worshiping to their own tune…and God reaches for the “CTRL-ALT-DELETE.”

Exodus 32:9-10 And the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people and indeed it is a stiff-necked people! 10 Now therefore, let me alone that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation.”

BUT…

Exodus 32:31-32 THEN MOSES returned to the Lord and said, “Oh these people have committed a great sin and have made for themselves a god of gold! 32 Yet now, if you will forgive their sin—but if not, blot ME out of Your book which you have written.”

Oh God, I thank you for the Noahs, the Abrahams and the Moses’ that you have placed in my life.  Thank you for the times they have been moved with compassion to intercede for me and because of their faithfulness, You have removed your fingers from “CTRL-ALT-DELETE.”

Is there someone in your life that has such a glitch that the only way out is “CTRL-ALT-DELETE? Allow the Holy Ghost to speak a spirit of Intercession into your heart today.  Your prayers could “change” the mind of God and move His fingers from “CTRL-ALT-DELETE” to the “BACKSPACE” or perhaps the “REFRESH” button.

Hebrews 11:7 By faith, NOAH…Hebrews 11:8 By faith ABRAHAM…Hebrews 11:23 By faith MOSES….Hebrews 11:3-13-2018 By faith SUSAN…still to be written!

You could be the NOAH that builds the way of escape or the ABRAHAM that intercedes for their salvation or the MOSES that reveals the way out of bondage. 

YOU COULD BE THE ONE THAT MOVES THE FINGER OF GOD!

FOREVER FRIENDS

Ephesians 6:10-11 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil

I mistyped and FRIEND became FIEND because I missed typing the R.  Losing the “R” can get you into all kinds of trouble; consider this….

Satan may come to you pretending to be your FRIEND but don’t allow him in your inner circle….look a little closer, he is missing an “R.”  Satan is a FIEND!

Satan doesn’t want a RELATIONSHIP with you, his plan is to drop the “R” and draw you into an ELATIONSHIP!  An “ELATIONSHIP” gives you a momentary high before the big let down. An ELATIONSHIP is selfish; while Satan has you drunk with elation, he will steal everything he desires then leave you empty and broken.  An ELATIONSHIP is riddled with empty promises; promises of fame, fortune, fun and bright lights but as the light fades, we realize the promises were really an entryway to the road leading to destruction.  An ELATIONSHIP is unfulfilling, unsatisfying and unrewarding….the end, thereof is death.  Satan doesn’t want a RELATIONSHIP with you; he is a FIEND.

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

Jesus is your FRIEND…He embraces the R…He is the RESURRECTION.  It is through Jesus we have eternal life.  Jesus is the REVELATION OF GOD, because of Him, we can know and see God. Jesus is TRUTH; His REALITY promises RESTORATION; a new life.  He is the Light in the Darkness; He fills the empty with His Spirit.  He promises to NEVER leave you broken, wounded and hopeless.  He has even provided for you with “After-life Insurance.” A special place just for you, with Him because Jesus is your FRIEND and desires a RELATIONSHIP with you; to give you everlasting JOY…not an ELATIONSHIP  of temporary PLEASURE!

 Look to Jesus; He is Faithful and always your FRIEND.