Before I get started I should cover an issue that has come up during ministry time. The issue of inmates cussing while in service. I will first say that people like Mark Driscoll and others who advocate this are wrong. Making one group more comfortable by using crude language makes another group uncomfortable and is counter productive. I don't use foul language when teaching, however, I don't shut down inmates who are talking and slip into it. You must understand that this is the most 'seeker sensitive' ministry out there. The service it's self is evangelistic. To limit people based on bad habits really is unhelpful. However if it becomes excessive or aggressive I will stop it.
The reason I mention this is so that if you welcome these individuals into your church you are not expecting the 'fish to be clean'. Understand that our part is to introduce them to a Holy God who, the closer we are to Him, the closer we want to be and this inspires us to be holy.
I have made it up twice this month but once was for personal ministry time with an inmate that was known to a local congregation who are friends of mine, that is why this is the first ministry post this month.
Continuing our rotton fruits teaching we get to despair, opposite of joy. I am making sure they understand that the fruit of the Spirit is just that, fruit of THE SPIRIT. You cant give yourself joy. In fact, this is what often leads to despair. Buying things, unhealthy relationships, etc. that we think will give us joy, actually bring us into despair.
Our scriptures were Psalm 77:7-12, and Lamentations 3:17-18, 24-25.
God layed on my heart that despair points down. You cant see God while in despair because despair never points you to God. Despair never fixes the problem. You get tunnel vision and cant see God when your life is consumed by your situations. This is why it is often so hard to fix, because you cant see a way out, that is the nature of despair.
The key, then, is to step outside of your situation and view it from God's point of view. Begin to look at your situation in faith. This is a hard first step, but it is a necessary one. This is what king David did in Psalms. David was a man who had to often stop living in his circumstances and begin to just praise God.
Praise and Thanksgiving move us into the realm of faith and prepares our hearts to receive the grace of God. Knowing that our proximity to God directly affects our outlook on life is one of the first steps to a life that is free of despair and full of hope.
Praise is acknowledging the character of God, Thanksgiving is acknowledging what He has done for you, and worship is a result of the Presence of God being ushered in by both. If praising God is hard for you then stay in that place until it becomes full of God's presence and you start to enjoy it.
Of course the first step is knowing where your hope is, where your portion is. This took us to Lam. 3:17-25. Our portion must be in God before we can walk in His provision. This means that we have committed our lives to our Savior and we live and breath by the words from His mouth. Our hope is no longer in this world, but in God and in His kingdom. This gives us the ability to look beyond our disappointments and positions us for joy.
One of the most difficult things about ministering to these men is to challenge them to believe God for help. They are accustomed to trust no one. The Holy Spirit showed up during this part of the teaching, however, and at least one raised his hand for salvation and others wept during prayer.
We did have on man stay behind who told me that he did not believe in God, but wanted to. He did not want to ask for Christ to change his life, but I did pray for opened eyes and a revelation in his life of who God is and how much he loves this man. I enjoyed praying for him, knowing that God will work. I can plant and water, but God brings the harvest.
I had 7 sign up for newsletter which will go out tomorrow. Remember the hearts of these men, that they would be receptive to God's grace.
Thank you and God bless.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
What does a "truth stronghold" look like?
First of all when you hear "stronghold", you probably think of an evil influence in some one's life. The enemy's stronghold. That's what we think of, and rightfully so. But, anytime the enemy uses something it is simply a mockery of what God has.
We know what a stronghold of the enemy looks like from my last post.
A troubling event happens, then we believe the enemy's lie about that event so we build a defense mechanism such as anger or rejection. Then when we use that defense we have built and it triggers another event, which just gives strength to the lie. And the whole things starts over again and turns into a vicious cycle.
Once we confront the truth about that event, expose the lie, destroy our defense, and let God heal us, we have the opportunity to put in a stronghold of a different kind. A stronghold of truth. We see this often in deliverance and inner healing by praying what is normally called a prayer of replacement. If someone struggled with rage, we pray for peace. Struggle with lust and we pray for right relationship with your wife and purity.
A stronghold has often been defined as a lie that has a "strong hold" on your mind. So a truth stronghold would be a truth that has a "strong hold" on your mind. How does one arrive there? How do we recognize a truth and let it sink in?
I think the process looks like this.....
You get a word (this can come by a prophetic word, by preaching, by reading, etc). Lets say you read a scripture on love and you want more love for other Christians in your life. So you take this word and you meditate on it. That means you read it again and again. You think about it all day. You write it on your hand. You repent of where you have failed in this area, if it is appropriate. You read it morning and night (and keep in mind this can be a number of scriptures about love, not just one.). You pray about it, and ask God to give you a revelation, because that is the next step.
Matt. 13:1-23 has an excellent example. It talks about a sower sowing seed. Most people say that the sower is Jesus and the seed is salvation. This has some truth to it, but is incorrect in its scope. The Sower is the Holy Spirit, and the seed is the word. Christ makes this plain. The Holy Spirit is not just sowing a word of salvation, but He can sow a word about finances, family, freedom, etc. Christ then says once you get a word that you need to understand it, then you must bury it deep in you because that word will be challenged, then you must hang onto that word regardless of your situation. THE ONLY WAY TO DO THIS IS TO HAVE THE HOLY SPIRIT GIVE YOU A REVELATION OF THIS WORD!!!
It is not through memorizing it or how many times you recite it. The Holy Spirit illuminates "love" in your heart and when that happens you receive an anointing for greater love. You understand it properly, its now buried inside you, and there is a power to it to help you resist the enemy in this area of your life.
Once you have that revelation it moves you into greater fellowship with the Lord. You are thankful for more of His Spirit in your life. You spend more time with Him in prayer, worship, fasting, and.....in His word. Hearing and reading what God has said.........and then the whole thing starts over again.
Sometimes you get a revelation instantly. Don't let that be an excuse to skip meditating on that revelation or you will miss a great opportunity for intimate fellowship with God.
Get words from the Lord before a situation arises. Take a honest inventory of yourself. How do I stack up to the fruit of the Spirit? Where can I use more of God in my life? Or, just simply ask Him "Father, where do you want to be in my life that I haven't allowed you to be before?" Listen for a word from Him, meditate on that revelation, and let it draw you into greater relationship and fellowship with your creator.
Grow in God and in truth. Receive His word with thankfulness, and honor it.
We know what a stronghold of the enemy looks like from my last post.
Event - Lie - Defense - Response - Event.
A troubling event happens, then we believe the enemy's lie about that event so we build a defense mechanism such as anger or rejection. Then when we use that defense we have built and it triggers another event, which just gives strength to the lie. And the whole things starts over again and turns into a vicious cycle.
Once we confront the truth about that event, expose the lie, destroy our defense, and let God heal us, we have the opportunity to put in a stronghold of a different kind. A stronghold of truth. We see this often in deliverance and inner healing by praying what is normally called a prayer of replacement. If someone struggled with rage, we pray for peace. Struggle with lust and we pray for right relationship with your wife and purity.
A stronghold has often been defined as a lie that has a "strong hold" on your mind. So a truth stronghold would be a truth that has a "strong hold" on your mind. How does one arrive there? How do we recognize a truth and let it sink in?
I think the process looks like this.....
Word - Meditate - Revelation - Relationship - Word
You get a word (this can come by a prophetic word, by preaching, by reading, etc). Lets say you read a scripture on love and you want more love for other Christians in your life. So you take this word and you meditate on it. That means you read it again and again. You think about it all day. You write it on your hand. You repent of where you have failed in this area, if it is appropriate. You read it morning and night (and keep in mind this can be a number of scriptures about love, not just one.). You pray about it, and ask God to give you a revelation, because that is the next step.
Matt. 13:1-23 has an excellent example. It talks about a sower sowing seed. Most people say that the sower is Jesus and the seed is salvation. This has some truth to it, but is incorrect in its scope. The Sower is the Holy Spirit, and the seed is the word. Christ makes this plain. The Holy Spirit is not just sowing a word of salvation, but He can sow a word about finances, family, freedom, etc. Christ then says once you get a word that you need to understand it, then you must bury it deep in you because that word will be challenged, then you must hang onto that word regardless of your situation. THE ONLY WAY TO DO THIS IS TO HAVE THE HOLY SPIRIT GIVE YOU A REVELATION OF THIS WORD!!!
It is not through memorizing it or how many times you recite it. The Holy Spirit illuminates "love" in your heart and when that happens you receive an anointing for greater love. You understand it properly, its now buried inside you, and there is a power to it to help you resist the enemy in this area of your life.
Once you have that revelation it moves you into greater fellowship with the Lord. You are thankful for more of His Spirit in your life. You spend more time with Him in prayer, worship, fasting, and.....in His word. Hearing and reading what God has said.........and then the whole thing starts over again.
Sometimes you get a revelation instantly. Don't let that be an excuse to skip meditating on that revelation or you will miss a great opportunity for intimate fellowship with God.
Get words from the Lord before a situation arises. Take a honest inventory of yourself. How do I stack up to the fruit of the Spirit? Where can I use more of God in my life? Or, just simply ask Him "Father, where do you want to be in my life that I haven't allowed you to be before?" Listen for a word from Him, meditate on that revelation, and let it draw you into greater relationship and fellowship with your creator.
Grow in God and in truth. Receive His word with thankfulness, and honor it.
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