What do you do?
I am so certain that we, as a church, are in a moment of dire calamity. It seems as though everywhere I look there is death and destruction. Ministry is no longer a show from a stage in a building, but rather a case of life and death... and unless we are awoken to the state of affairs we will miss out on the great opportunities that have been placed before us. There is a great plague that is killing off the children of God... and instead of being enraptured by the love of the Father, they are entangled in sin. And dying.
The last year of my life has been in witness of the fact that things have become drastic. Or maybe they've always been drastic, and my eyes were not yet open to that truth. As my feet have tread upon waters of uncertainty I have become brokenhearted as I've realized that I am the one that carries truth, and yet have kept it within the confines of my heart. Herein lies the greatest revelation... if He's in you, you've got to let Him out.
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There has been a spurring of my heart towards these convictions and I would like to pay tribute to someone that I never met, and yet my life has been impacted by her life so greatly. Her name is Tam, and for a long time she was just a Facebook friend to Jen that I heard about occasionally, but as time went on she became a sister that I felt ever so kindred to. And although I never once got to see her face, hug her neck or even speak with her, I feel as though I knew her quite well. Her fight was short, yet not in vain... and I can honestly say that she impacted my life forever.
Tam went to meet Jesus today and to see her baby Levi and Carrie again. I am torn by great joy and deep sorrow because I understand the contrast and fragility of life in this moment. She may have only been given months with Jesus here on this earth, but she has stepped into eternity with her savior. The beauty of imagining that moment alone is so precious for me... to imagine her seeing Jesus for the first time, and feeling his tangible love for the first moments... how powerful. She may have not had the opportunity to really feel the love of God here on this earth, but I know for sure that she is being ravished by His amazing love right now.
I am looking forward to the moment when I will be able to sit near her in heaven, and tell her the impact that she had on my life.
Girls like Tam are my motivation for ministry... lives that were once in disarray and yet God came in and changed everything. Just as in the book of Ruth, I watched as Tam and Jen were a modern day Ruth and Naomi. These girls are just looking for someone that they can follow, and for someone who carries the love of “your God”. The simplest, yet most complex emotion on the face of the earth is the one that pulls them out of the depths of depravity and into life every time, and I know that lives like her's are so fragile... and if there is one there are thousands more. We must take up the same ministry that Jesus himself carried... to seek and save that which is lost.
If we have not love, we have nothing at all.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
For such a time as this.
As I sit here on my last night in the Big Apple I am struck by a thought that I believe, could change everything. As long as we understand that we have the power to change the world but never do it, our circumstances will forever remain the same.
This week in New York City has been eye-opening and awe-inspiring to say the very least. Standing before men and women at the United Nations has made me realize that there are so many out there that desire change, and have great ideas to see great change, but yet we are still seeking the same answers year after year. After all this was the 55th Commission on the Status of Women thus far. If we had great ideas to change the world in which we live then I do believe we would not need 55 yearly conferences on the status of women in the world around us. This week I listened as men and women from around the world presented ideas on how to make our world a better place, and yet I was slightly confused as to why nothing had yet changed.
I suppose therefore lies the truth of the matter... only the power of God can ultimately change the world around us, and until the church is awakened to this truth nothing that we have desired to see will take place. God we need you to change us so we can change the world! A simple prayer to a most complex problem...
So... from the beginning.
Arriving in New York City I couldn't quite get over the fact that I had been brought to the very place that I had been dreaming about since I was a child, and not only were my dreams fulfilled, but the Lord had brought me forth as a voice to speak on behalf of those that could not speak. Initially I dealt with a lot of fear and feelings of inadequacy as I tried figure out, in my flesh, the plan that God had for me over the week that I would be in New York City. But as I sought after His heart for the nations of the world, I realized that never in my own adequacy would I be able to speak on behalf of the many voiceless throughout my generation and the nations of the world. A journey that would spark change in my life was about to begin.
As our team got together to pray we were asking God for such divine moments, and strategic plans to take down the enemy in such a high sphere of influence. From the first time I entered into the United Nations God was giving me incredible divine appointments, and I couldn't quite grasp who He brought me into contact with. I was speaking instantly with delegates and ambassadors from over nearly 50 nations of the earth, and not only was I speaking with them, but we were brainstorming over the magnitude of violence against women and children in their nations (i.e. trafficking and abortion)... in those moments we were coming together with like minds trying to figure out a solution to the many problems that are plaguing our world today. Of course there were those that were not so like-minded, but God was so intentional in who He set me up with over the week. Our team together was set on a path for influence... God was taking “nobody's” to “somebody's” in merely moments.
Collectively our team was able to come before ambassadors, delegates and NGO's with a workshop that would inform those attending on the real horrors of Sex Trafficking and the world of pornography. To see the faces of those attending the workshops I realized that they were being made aware of the depravity of the world that we are living in today. Reality was sinking in deeply as our panelists shared the incredible wealth of knowledge that they had on the subjects at hand, and I was praying that now that there was a realization of the problem maybe there would come a great responsibility to fix the issues that we were presenting. Holy Spirit was using our words as a loud speaker to rouse the ears of a deaf world. And they were listening...
Not only were we able to present on bringing life and liberation from bondage, but we were also able to sit in on other NGO led sessions to hear their agenda for bringing world wide change. As I attended the other sessions (apprehensively, I must add) I watched as the presenters were full of a passion much like mine... whether they were on the other side of the fence or not, I realized that there was no longer a “us” and “them” mentality ruling my mind. Here we encountered men and women who very much believed with all their hearts the different agendas that they were standing for. There was a passion to see change that transcended all of the issues and no matter what you stood for, you were there because you wished to see great change take place in the world, whether that change was right or not. I understood in these moments the importance of biblical world views and the blue print for a biblical run government. Passion without a God sent vision will always send the people into confusion and disarray. I have come to a great understanding that desire fueled by everything but God will bring you to a place of frustration and emptiness every time. Hence the great number of Commissions on the Status of Women. It is time for the bride, His church, to awaken with great passion to see change take place in our governments all over the world. Now is our Esther moment.
My prayer after leaving New York is that we would come together as a body to see biblical examples come forth in the governments of the world around us, and that together we would arise as a generation of righteous, holy saints with a great desire to see the Kingdom of Heaven manifest on the earth. I believe with my entire heart that God is calling us as voices to speak on behalf of those that cannot speak... and even more that He is extending His scepter for us to come before Kings and Judges to proclaim freedom to the captives. Our voices will be heard, and God will come forth in righteousness and judgment... He's just waiting for us to speak.
This week in New York City has been eye-opening and awe-inspiring to say the very least. Standing before men and women at the United Nations has made me realize that there are so many out there that desire change, and have great ideas to see great change, but yet we are still seeking the same answers year after year. After all this was the 55th Commission on the Status of Women thus far. If we had great ideas to change the world in which we live then I do believe we would not need 55 yearly conferences on the status of women in the world around us. This week I listened as men and women from around the world presented ideas on how to make our world a better place, and yet I was slightly confused as to why nothing had yet changed.
I suppose therefore lies the truth of the matter... only the power of God can ultimately change the world around us, and until the church is awakened to this truth nothing that we have desired to see will take place. God we need you to change us so we can change the world! A simple prayer to a most complex problem...
So... from the beginning.
Arriving in New York City I couldn't quite get over the fact that I had been brought to the very place that I had been dreaming about since I was a child, and not only were my dreams fulfilled, but the Lord had brought me forth as a voice to speak on behalf of those that could not speak. Initially I dealt with a lot of fear and feelings of inadequacy as I tried figure out, in my flesh, the plan that God had for me over the week that I would be in New York City. But as I sought after His heart for the nations of the world, I realized that never in my own adequacy would I be able to speak on behalf of the many voiceless throughout my generation and the nations of the world. A journey that would spark change in my life was about to begin.
As our team got together to pray we were asking God for such divine moments, and strategic plans to take down the enemy in such a high sphere of influence. From the first time I entered into the United Nations God was giving me incredible divine appointments, and I couldn't quite grasp who He brought me into contact with. I was speaking instantly with delegates and ambassadors from over nearly 50 nations of the earth, and not only was I speaking with them, but we were brainstorming over the magnitude of violence against women and children in their nations (i.e. trafficking and abortion)... in those moments we were coming together with like minds trying to figure out a solution to the many problems that are plaguing our world today. Of course there were those that were not so like-minded, but God was so intentional in who He set me up with over the week. Our team together was set on a path for influence... God was taking “nobody's” to “somebody's” in merely moments.
Collectively our team was able to come before ambassadors, delegates and NGO's with a workshop that would inform those attending on the real horrors of Sex Trafficking and the world of pornography. To see the faces of those attending the workshops I realized that they were being made aware of the depravity of the world that we are living in today. Reality was sinking in deeply as our panelists shared the incredible wealth of knowledge that they had on the subjects at hand, and I was praying that now that there was a realization of the problem maybe there would come a great responsibility to fix the issues that we were presenting. Holy Spirit was using our words as a loud speaker to rouse the ears of a deaf world. And they were listening...
Not only were we able to present on bringing life and liberation from bondage, but we were also able to sit in on other NGO led sessions to hear their agenda for bringing world wide change. As I attended the other sessions (apprehensively, I must add) I watched as the presenters were full of a passion much like mine... whether they were on the other side of the fence or not, I realized that there was no longer a “us” and “them” mentality ruling my mind. Here we encountered men and women who very much believed with all their hearts the different agendas that they were standing for. There was a passion to see change that transcended all of the issues and no matter what you stood for, you were there because you wished to see great change take place in the world, whether that change was right or not. I understood in these moments the importance of biblical world views and the blue print for a biblical run government. Passion without a God sent vision will always send the people into confusion and disarray. I have come to a great understanding that desire fueled by everything but God will bring you to a place of frustration and emptiness every time. Hence the great number of Commissions on the Status of Women. It is time for the bride, His church, to awaken with great passion to see change take place in our governments all over the world. Now is our Esther moment.
My prayer after leaving New York is that we would come together as a body to see biblical examples come forth in the governments of the world around us, and that together we would arise as a generation of righteous, holy saints with a great desire to see the Kingdom of Heaven manifest on the earth. I believe with my entire heart that God is calling us as voices to speak on behalf of those that cannot speak... and even more that He is extending His scepter for us to come before Kings and Judges to proclaim freedom to the captives. Our voices will be heard, and God will come forth in righteousness and judgment... He's just waiting for us to speak.
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