This past Sunday, while at the jail, I had two men out of 12 stay behind for personal prayer. The Holy Spirit gave me words for both of the men.
The first, I saw him standing on the carpet and it was pulled out from underneath him. He landed on it and God grabbed the carpet and pulled him along. I told him what I had seen and he said "I am an alcoholic. I have not been able to get back to the man I once was because I couldn't get my life straight. I want to be the man for my family that I should be, but I didn't know how." Through the leading of the Spirit I told him that God had him in the situation he was in, although it feels like the 'rug had been pulled out from underneath him' , God was using this time to bring him back to where he needed to be. I told him to trust God, and love Him, and allow God to move in his situation.
The next man I seen a wheel turning, and the Holy Spirit said "this man already has plan B in his head, thought out, for when he fails the Lord. The wheels are already turning in his mind for how to fix his failure." I spent some time unpacking this for the man and he said that he always failed God and his family in the past, and that he wanted to stay true to God this time.
I prayed for these men and blessed them in Jesus name for their respective situations.
I could not have guessed any of these things. I have seen models of prophetic prayer work very well in two different ministries, both approaching the prophetic in different ways. Prophetic ministry is simply hearing God and then responding to what was heard. For follow up, for the men I minister to, I am setting aside two Sundays a month for visiting the jail, and the other two Sundays I am making available to meet with these men who are back on the streets. This is a jail ministry, not a prison ministry, and the men I have been led to minister to go back out into the county very quickly, often after they have only spent one Sunday with me in service.
I will minister to these men based on their need. I will meet them where they are at with what limited resources I have, but spend time with them one on one giving them words from the heart of God.
I have no 12 step program. I have a two step program. Hear God, and respond in faith. I think there are many great things about 12 step programs, and they should not be written off. In fact, parts of those programs I will use to touch lives. But as the old saying goes "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, but teach him to fish and you feed him forever." I will show these men how to hear God, and how to respond, and I will trust that the Holy Spirit can do a much better job in teaching these men than I can..........
Monday, January 30, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
These men are the treasure of God, and stewarding your broken past.
I have not updated in a while but things are going fantastic at the Jail services! God has defined this ministry further for me during times of prayer and really made me even more excited about what He is going to do.
In prayer, I heard God say this to me about these men, and I wrote it down...."The jails will produce the fruit that only these men's lives can yield. They have been plowed in such a way that their fruit will be more then most men could yield any other way. Watch as they go out and bear harvest disproportionate to themselves because of the plowing (the trials) of their field."
God treasures these men. And because of what they have been through these men, regardless of intelligence, social stature, financial resources, or ability, will go out and be more for Him then they ever could be by themselves. A heart that is broken knows how badly other hearts need mending. They understand the need. You and I who have never been in that situation can still speak into these lives, but the one who has truly been there God will take, and in His great mercy, give them the ability to steward their past.
That is an important concept, stewarding your past. Too often we are expected to "forget about it, because God has.". The problem with that mentality is that it doesn't show God's true victory over your past. When God has your past, completely, He doesn't forget about all your mistakes and mis-steps. No. God says "See that life you broke? I know it hurts you to think about, but since you have given that pain to Me, I give you the chance now to speak life to people in the same situation."
God is good. Do we really think that we could have ever have done anything so evil that God has to say "listen, I'm just going to forget this ever happened.". No. God knows what happened, and His love and wisdom so great, that He allows you to steward your mistakes, to steward your past, so that you can change someone else's future........
"Great harvests come from fields with plenty of manure".........Proverbs 55:7..........lol
In prayer, I heard God say this to me about these men, and I wrote it down...."The jails will produce the fruit that only these men's lives can yield. They have been plowed in such a way that their fruit will be more then most men could yield any other way. Watch as they go out and bear harvest disproportionate to themselves because of the plowing (the trials) of their field."
God treasures these men. And because of what they have been through these men, regardless of intelligence, social stature, financial resources, or ability, will go out and be more for Him then they ever could be by themselves. A heart that is broken knows how badly other hearts need mending. They understand the need. You and I who have never been in that situation can still speak into these lives, but the one who has truly been there God will take, and in His great mercy, give them the ability to steward their past.
That is an important concept, stewarding your past. Too often we are expected to "forget about it, because God has.". The problem with that mentality is that it doesn't show God's true victory over your past. When God has your past, completely, He doesn't forget about all your mistakes and mis-steps. No. God says "See that life you broke? I know it hurts you to think about, but since you have given that pain to Me, I give you the chance now to speak life to people in the same situation."
God is good. Do we really think that we could have ever have done anything so evil that God has to say "listen, I'm just going to forget this ever happened.". No. God knows what happened, and His love and wisdom so great, that He allows you to steward your mistakes, to steward your past, so that you can change someone else's future........
"Great harvests come from fields with plenty of manure".........Proverbs 55:7..........lol
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Fasting the soul
Hey.
Real quick I want to let you know why I haven't posted in a while. The purpose of this blog is changing. On reflection, I am making this into a resource blog for inmates, inmates families, and church members where former inmates attend. The purpose of this blog was to always help inmates and their families and I feel like this is a better way to capture that. So instead of putting up my bi-weekly sermon, I will be putting up things, I feel, are helpful to maintain this Christian walk.
I wanted to talk for just a bit on soaking prayer and fasting. Usually I will try to go more in depth into study, but I wanted to share with you a revelation about this specific type of prayer.
Soaking prayer is not spooky. Soaking prayer is, by definition , prayer where you soak in the presence of God. How is this different than worship, you might ask. Soaking is you sitting in a chair, lying on the floor or couch or bed, and praying one simple prayer...."Come, Holy Spirit". We then wait for the Lord to warm our hearts.
Some people have issues with this type of prayer because they are afraid it looks like eastern meditation. Eastern meditation this is not. Eastern meditation empties your mind and invites demonic influence into your life by giving your body to the enemy. (Yoga, for example. Each position of the body in yoga is designed to open up 'chakras' in your body. This is dangerous, so dangerous in fact that yoga teachers say you should not open up the final chakra because some people go insane. Much like the demoniac of Gadara.)
When Christ talked about the Holy Spirit He said that if we ask the Father for the Holy Spirit that He would not give us a stone or a scorpion. That instead He knows how to give good gifts. Too often we don't hear the voice of God because we are so frightened that we might "open ourselves up" and the Enemy might slip in. Judge words you hear from God against the Word of God for sure, but some people's God is too small and their Enemy way too big....
Psalm 4:4 says to meditate withing your heart on your bed and be still.
What is the purpose of this kind of prayer? I asked God to give me a scripture for it. He said Psalm 11:4 "The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them." NIV
The Lord is in His holy temple, and on his heavenly throne. Where is the temple now? In us. The Lord is in us, and on His heavenly throne. He is in us, and He examines us. Like a medical examination, the Lord looks at the state of your spirit and corrects its deformities. How do we allow Him to do this?
Through fasting.....betchya thought I was going to say soaking, huh?
Fasting is about denying yourself to get your priorities fixed on God and off of you. One way we can fast is abstaining from food. Another, from TV. Both are geared at getting our priorities fixed on God. Another is to sit still, for an hour, not say a word, not think your own thoughts, and put aside your cares and just pay attention to what God has for you. That is soaking.
It is medical fact that fasting from food detoxifies your body. What happens in the physical represents the spiritual. Want that junk out of your life? Fast. Wrong priorities? Fast. How about you want more of God? Fast.
In ancient days some would take vows of silence. A fast from speaking. Why? Is. 58, the fasting chapter, says that God honors a fast where we "speak not our own words". Meaning, say only what God would have you say. To inhibit us and imitate Him.
I encourage you to take 15 minutes today and sit in your chair and say "God, I love you. I want more of you and I want to be more like you. Please come, Holy Spirit, and wash over me. I just want to sit with you Lord, and spend time with you." You might see a picture, hear a word, feel an impulse, or not get anything at all except the realization that sometimes God just wants to sit with you, as your friend.
Real quick I want to let you know why I haven't posted in a while. The purpose of this blog is changing. On reflection, I am making this into a resource blog for inmates, inmates families, and church members where former inmates attend. The purpose of this blog was to always help inmates and their families and I feel like this is a better way to capture that. So instead of putting up my bi-weekly sermon, I will be putting up things, I feel, are helpful to maintain this Christian walk.
I wanted to talk for just a bit on soaking prayer and fasting. Usually I will try to go more in depth into study, but I wanted to share with you a revelation about this specific type of prayer.
Soaking prayer is not spooky. Soaking prayer is, by definition , prayer where you soak in the presence of God. How is this different than worship, you might ask. Soaking is you sitting in a chair, lying on the floor or couch or bed, and praying one simple prayer...."Come, Holy Spirit". We then wait for the Lord to warm our hearts.
Some people have issues with this type of prayer because they are afraid it looks like eastern meditation. Eastern meditation this is not. Eastern meditation empties your mind and invites demonic influence into your life by giving your body to the enemy. (Yoga, for example. Each position of the body in yoga is designed to open up 'chakras' in your body. This is dangerous, so dangerous in fact that yoga teachers say you should not open up the final chakra because some people go insane. Much like the demoniac of Gadara.)
When Christ talked about the Holy Spirit He said that if we ask the Father for the Holy Spirit that He would not give us a stone or a scorpion. That instead He knows how to give good gifts. Too often we don't hear the voice of God because we are so frightened that we might "open ourselves up" and the Enemy might slip in. Judge words you hear from God against the Word of God for sure, but some people's God is too small and their Enemy way too big....
Psalm 4:4 says to meditate withing your heart on your bed and be still.
What is the purpose of this kind of prayer? I asked God to give me a scripture for it. He said Psalm 11:4 "The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them." NIV
The Lord is in His holy temple, and on his heavenly throne. Where is the temple now? In us. The Lord is in us, and on His heavenly throne. He is in us, and He examines us. Like a medical examination, the Lord looks at the state of your spirit and corrects its deformities. How do we allow Him to do this?
Through fasting.....betchya thought I was going to say soaking, huh?
Fasting is about denying yourself to get your priorities fixed on God and off of you. One way we can fast is abstaining from food. Another, from TV. Both are geared at getting our priorities fixed on God. Another is to sit still, for an hour, not say a word, not think your own thoughts, and put aside your cares and just pay attention to what God has for you. That is soaking.
It is medical fact that fasting from food detoxifies your body. What happens in the physical represents the spiritual. Want that junk out of your life? Fast. Wrong priorities? Fast. How about you want more of God? Fast.
In ancient days some would take vows of silence. A fast from speaking. Why? Is. 58, the fasting chapter, says that God honors a fast where we "speak not our own words". Meaning, say only what God would have you say. To inhibit us and imitate Him.
I encourage you to take 15 minutes today and sit in your chair and say "God, I love you. I want more of you and I want to be more like you. Please come, Holy Spirit, and wash over me. I just want to sit with you Lord, and spend time with you." You might see a picture, hear a word, feel an impulse, or not get anything at all except the realization that sometimes God just wants to sit with you, as your friend.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Joy and Despair
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.
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.
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.
Monday, October 31, 2011
The Fear of Moving On
Heb. 13:5-6
Fear is poison. An event happens in your life, often traumatic, and then the enemy has you believe a lie about that event. Then, in response to the lie, you build up a self defense mechanism. That self defense mechanism now "protects" you by initiating a response from you each time that sensitive area of your life is touched. And then that response causes another event in our life which starts this whole destructive cycle in our life over again until we have what is called a stronghold.
Fear works like this. An individual will, say, get hurt in a relationship. Then the enemy has them believe a lie about that, like "You will never be loved.". This fear puts in place a defense, often an attitude that says "I will never be hurt again. I will never allow myself to end up in that situation as long as I live. I wont take risk again in relationships." Then, one day, someone who genuinely wants to be your friend or have a relationship with you approaches you in friendship and what happens? You sulk away, you get angry at them, you hide in the corner, etc. until they no longer bother you. And because they walk away you believe the lie even more........
I have started my "rotten fruit" syllabus with fear, appropriate for Halloween. I prayed for how to get this across and the Lord said to show them how fear infects every area of their life if they let it in. Like poison spreading after a snake bite, fear, after one event, spreads into the mind and changes their entire outlook on life.
I told them that we often say we are not afraid because we don't really know what fear looks like. Fear can be : not being able to step out and make decisions on your own, not trusting others, not doing good to others for fear of being hurt or being taken advantage of.
There are really three steps to overcoming fear in any area of your life:
1. Love "perfect love drives out fear" How does this work? Well, when you love as God wants you to love, then you aren't concerned about how others treat you or how they respond to you.
2. Let God heal that part of your life that started your fear. This might mean forgiveness, repentance, or acceptance of God's love in your life. Let the Holy Spirit remind you of where you received that wound, and then let Him heal that area in your life. Remember, healing in this area is often a process.
3. Finally, take risk with God. Stepping out in faith and trusting God is the only way that you will experience God's safety net for your life and see the miraculous things God wants to do for you. I am not saying you make inappropriate decisions, but that instead you choose to do what you were uncomfortable with because God stands beside you.
At the end of the lesson several signed up for a contact newsletter, and two stayed behind for prayer. One man wanted prayer for his family, and another wanted genuine life change. The second man was convulsing in tears by the end and God worked mightily in his life.
Thank you for praying for this ministry and please remember to pray for open doors into juvenile detention.
God bless.
Fear is poison. An event happens in your life, often traumatic, and then the enemy has you believe a lie about that event. Then, in response to the lie, you build up a self defense mechanism. That self defense mechanism now "protects" you by initiating a response from you each time that sensitive area of your life is touched. And then that response causes another event in our life which starts this whole destructive cycle in our life over again until we have what is called a stronghold.
Fear works like this. An individual will, say, get hurt in a relationship. Then the enemy has them believe a lie about that, like "You will never be loved.". This fear puts in place a defense, often an attitude that says "I will never be hurt again. I will never allow myself to end up in that situation as long as I live. I wont take risk again in relationships." Then, one day, someone who genuinely wants to be your friend or have a relationship with you approaches you in friendship and what happens? You sulk away, you get angry at them, you hide in the corner, etc. until they no longer bother you. And because they walk away you believe the lie even more........
I have started my "rotten fruit" syllabus with fear, appropriate for Halloween. I prayed for how to get this across and the Lord said to show them how fear infects every area of their life if they let it in. Like poison spreading after a snake bite, fear, after one event, spreads into the mind and changes their entire outlook on life.
I told them that we often say we are not afraid because we don't really know what fear looks like. Fear can be : not being able to step out and make decisions on your own, not trusting others, not doing good to others for fear of being hurt or being taken advantage of.
There are really three steps to overcoming fear in any area of your life:
1. Love "perfect love drives out fear" How does this work? Well, when you love as God wants you to love, then you aren't concerned about how others treat you or how they respond to you.
2. Let God heal that part of your life that started your fear. This might mean forgiveness, repentance, or acceptance of God's love in your life. Let the Holy Spirit remind you of where you received that wound, and then let Him heal that area in your life. Remember, healing in this area is often a process.
3. Finally, take risk with God. Stepping out in faith and trusting God is the only way that you will experience God's safety net for your life and see the miraculous things God wants to do for you. I am not saying you make inappropriate decisions, but that instead you choose to do what you were uncomfortable with because God stands beside you.
At the end of the lesson several signed up for a contact newsletter, and two stayed behind for prayer. One man wanted prayer for his family, and another wanted genuine life change. The second man was convulsing in tears by the end and God worked mightily in his life.
Thank you for praying for this ministry and please remember to pray for open doors into juvenile detention.
God bless.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Rotten fruit
Since God started this ministry with a picture of bars that were shadows and hidden in inmate's lives, I knew at some point we would get down to the 'nitty gritty' of dealing with these hidden issues and exposing them for what they are.
But I didn't know how to approach it. Should I randomly grab a good concordance and look up the word "addiction" or "anger"? Should I get one of my counseling resources and just start with the table of contents, maybe? I prayed and I knew that to expose these bars it was going to take a move of the Spirit in their lives. So what happens in our lives when the Holy Spirit moves? Well many things happen, but specifically, there is fruit.
The fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faith fullness, Gentleness, and Self-control. When the Holy Spirit reigns in your life He produces these fruits. So what if He is not reigning? What if that area of your life that needs Joy or Gentleness is not touched by the Holy Spirit? What would that look like? What fruit would be there?
I prayed and what the Holy Spirit gave me was a little different than what I expected. I am sure some of these you know the opposite to, but the opposite of some of these fruits might be different than you would imagine. As I understand it, here is a list of the fruit of the Spirit, and the opposite of that Holy Spirit produced fruit;
1. love - fear
2. joy - despair, doubt
3. peace - discontentment, restlessness
4. patience - selfishness
5. kindness - greed
6. goodness - to be unfair
7. faithfulness - addictions
8. gentleness - being egotistical
9. self control - controlled by others, peer pressure
But throwing out the "rotten fruit" wont fix all of the issues. By us knowing what bad fruit we eat on a daily basis, and getting that bad taste out of our mouths through fellowship with God, He gives us an appetite for Him and nourishes the growth of good fruit in our hearts.
If you pray for this ministry pray that these areas will be exposed in inmate's lives through the truth of Jesus Christ. And maybe if you are reading this and you see bad fruit in your own life I encourage you to stop what you are doing and ask God to show you how it got there. Perhaps through unforgiveness, maybe you believed a lie about yourself, or maybe you made a choice to agree with someone else's opinion of who you are. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how this lie about your identity came in, and then wait for an answer. Your answer might come through an audible voice, a picture, a song, a memory, or an impression, but however revelation comes there will be peace. Take action after that through repentance, prayer, confession, etc. and trust God to grow new fruit in your life.
God bless
But I didn't know how to approach it. Should I randomly grab a good concordance and look up the word "addiction" or "anger"? Should I get one of my counseling resources and just start with the table of contents, maybe? I prayed and I knew that to expose these bars it was going to take a move of the Spirit in their lives. So what happens in our lives when the Holy Spirit moves? Well many things happen, but specifically, there is fruit.
The fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faith fullness, Gentleness, and Self-control. When the Holy Spirit reigns in your life He produces these fruits. So what if He is not reigning? What if that area of your life that needs Joy or Gentleness is not touched by the Holy Spirit? What would that look like? What fruit would be there?
I prayed and what the Holy Spirit gave me was a little different than what I expected. I am sure some of these you know the opposite to, but the opposite of some of these fruits might be different than you would imagine. As I understand it, here is a list of the fruit of the Spirit, and the opposite of that Holy Spirit produced fruit;
1. love - fear
2. joy - despair, doubt
3. peace - discontentment, restlessness
4. patience - selfishness
5. kindness - greed
6. goodness - to be unfair
7. faithfulness - addictions
8. gentleness - being egotistical
9. self control - controlled by others, peer pressure
But throwing out the "rotten fruit" wont fix all of the issues. By us knowing what bad fruit we eat on a daily basis, and getting that bad taste out of our mouths through fellowship with God, He gives us an appetite for Him and nourishes the growth of good fruit in our hearts.
If you pray for this ministry pray that these areas will be exposed in inmate's lives through the truth of Jesus Christ. And maybe if you are reading this and you see bad fruit in your own life I encourage you to stop what you are doing and ask God to show you how it got there. Perhaps through unforgiveness, maybe you believed a lie about yourself, or maybe you made a choice to agree with someone else's opinion of who you are. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how this lie about your identity came in, and then wait for an answer. Your answer might come through an audible voice, a picture, a song, a memory, or an impression, but however revelation comes there will be peace. Take action after that through repentance, prayer, confession, etc. and trust God to grow new fruit in your life.
God bless
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)