Just a Servant

The Holy One calls me today with the most gentle reminder that I am not the core of any universe. While that may seem like a put-down, it is really one of the greatest blessings in truth.

God Himself exists outside of any box I might try to place Him in. Consequently His life pre-eminates over all things that touch my life. "What is man that you are mindful of him?" Heb 2:6

The Triune Godhead; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is the core of all existance. From the moment of conception and our first cells to our last breath before exiting our human "tent", life here is all about our Creator. Everything about every one of us would have no value were it not for the value placed on us by our loving Creator.

It is from this value that God Himself has placed upon His creation, man, that we run amuck. Created in the "image" of our Sovereign God, we bear His likeness but still cannot exist without His life sustaining essence that we don't even begin to comprehend.

With our implanted creativity, man can build the towers of Babylon, put together the elements that link the world in cyberspace, but no matter what the "genius" mind in man has been able to accomplish, death happens and life as we know it ceases...yet God is still God; timeless, endless, eternal.

When, at last, we come down to the stark reality that we are not "gods" nor capable of any existance outside the permission and allowance of a Majestic and Holy Sovereign Creator, then and only then can we begin to function in the satisfying fulfillment of our life purpose.

We were created for fellowship. We were created for the pleasure of our amazing Creator. We were created to co-govern the planet and bring all glory and honor back to the Creator from whom all blessings flow. However, at some point in the great story, man lost his focus. Man began to think that he is god.....that he is the master of his own destiny, without regard to any Divine origins.

Our "free will" only goes so far in the Creator's sovereign and complete will. In the same way that the muntiny in Heaven by Lucifer was only tolerated for so long, our human rebellion in heart and mind will only be allowed to vent for so long and then we all must stand before our Creator, a Holy, almighty, all powerful, incomparable Being.

How patient is our God, who has allowed each one of us to "test" our independence and self will only to discover that we are nothing without Him. Then to have sent His only Son, Jesus, to save us from ourselves and bring us back into original fellowship.

For my heart and mind, one of the greatest blessings is in the knowledge that I am not the core of the universe but rather a servant of the One who created it.

The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?

The Story of Two Angels One Stormy Night***

The Spirit calls me today with yet more of an invitation to ask "whatever" I want according to the promise of John 14:11. With such an extravagant invitation, the human mind starts to salivate with all the possibilities. But then the sensible parts of the mind start to "qualify" the great promise leading to a dark catacomb called "unbelief".

What a dark oppressive wet blanket gets thrown over our hope when we think about our desire and the potential answers to all our prayers. We become convinced that God makes such a distinction between the quality of our prayers that we begin to debate what we should ask for. Soon the debate gets frustrating and eventually we just stop asking except in the most dire, life and death issues of crisis' that touch our lives.

The Holy Spirit taught me a great lesson long ago and reminded me that nothing has changed. It happened at the end of a day in the fall. I had to deliver a rush order in another city. I was on my way with little time for any "snafus".  The dark evening clouds were about to let go of some rain and I needed a break.

The 4 lane highway stretched out before me and I took advantage of the fast lane. Suddenly I heard what sounded like a helicopter over my head. Thinking I was somehow being tracked for speed violation, I decided to slow down. The sound still continued so I changed lanes. Then the sound seemed like it came from somewhere inside the vehicle. I pulled over into the slow lane, trying to assess the source of the noise. It appeared to be coming from my car so I pulled off the freeway onto the shoulder, a safe distance from the lanes to check out what it could be.

I soon discovered that I had a blown tire on the right front. I was praising the Lord that the blow out didn't cause me to flip or swerve going at such a fast pace. That was such a miracle in my mind and I was so thankful for my "guardian angels".

I know how to change a tire so I set out to do just that. I jacked up the car, praying that no one would stop to help. (I have this fear of being assaulted or abducted off the side of the freeway when disabled...too many murder mysteries being watched, I guess). "I am woman ...hear me roar..." was my battle cry until I got to the lug nuts, which seemed to have been tightened by a machine. They would not budge. I sat there at the side of my car, and set up a "flare prayer" for more strength so I could remove the lug nuts. All I needed was to get the lug nuts off then I would be home free. I got up after praying to search for my manual to find where the spare tire might be located and to allow the "supernatural" strength to flood my weak arms.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere that I could see, a man appears from behind me and said, "You look like you could use some help". I looked around, there was no car. The "man" had walked up from somewhere, perhaps a service road close by. But since he was volunteering, I accepted his kind offer, explaining that I couldn't get the lugs nuts off the tire. He told me to get back in the driver's seat, put my foot on the brake and he began to take them off.

I got out of the driver's side, returned to the tire and watched while he placed the lug nuts in the hub cap. He said, "Do you think you can take it from here?" Self reliant me said, "Sure, thank you so much." I surveyed the tire, the lug nuts now removed and when I turned around he was gone.

What a wonderful miraculous answer to that flare prayer. God had sent His angel to help in answer to my prayer. But now I am faced with the challenge of finishing the job. I just thought to myself and then mentioned to the Lord, "I wonder why I didn't just ask for all that I needed; the flat tire changed. Why was I not thorough in laying out the entire need?" Why was I so "self-reliant?

I was mentally and spiritually kicking myself for not asking for what I really needed since the Lord had sent someone to help, when suddenly another man walked up from behind me. I looked around; again no car brought him. He said, "You look like you could use some help." The exact same words as my first "helper". This time I responded with, "Yes, I could sure use some help changing this flat tire."

He asked how I got the lug nuts off and I told him the story. He then asked if I thought it strange that the "man" didn't change the tire but only removed the lug nuts. I told him that it was all I had prayed for. By then the Spirit was starting to help me connect all the dots. Partial requests bring partial results. Ask and you will receive...I had to confess that the first "man" had done exactly, but only what I had asked him to do.

As the second helper finished changing the tire and I was about to go on my way, I asked him if I could give him a ride since he didn't have a car or pay him for his help. He responded with, "No thank you, I am just going to go sit under that tree over there."

As I am driving away with the entire event about to explode in my mind:
The love of a Father to have sent, not one, but two, Divine messengers to help and in their own way deliver this all important lesson on prayer.

The situation (after the blow out) was not life or death. The "need" was not a great heavenly priority when compared with other things I might ask my Father to send, nothing AAA couldn't have come to fix. The "quality" of this prayer was simply a flare prayer sent up in the frustration of my human weakness. But in that short space of Earth's time, I learned an eternal lesson. One that has spoken to me over and over again.

My Heavenly Father loves me and cares about all the details of my life. My Savior fulfills His promises and the Holy Spirit tutors me to ask for all that I need.

The lesson was close to home and personal. But it has been a memory that provides exciting expectations for more Divine encounters when the supernatural intersects with the natural and answers to our prayers flow liberally from our Father's Throne.

Ask and you will receive.

The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?

Ask And You Will Receive

The Holy Spirit calls me today to remind me of the amazing privilege according to the promise given by our Lord Jesus before He returned to our Father.

John 14:11-14 "Believe in Me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in Me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things because I am going to the Father and I will do whatever you ask in My name so that the Son may bring glory to the Father, you may ask Me for anything in My name and I will do it!"

The Holy One is calling me to the war and to the victory. In case you didn't know it, the war is raging in these end times. It takes many forms like terrorism and the war on terror, but in reality it is the same battle that has been fought (or not) in every generation since the fall. Good vs evil, light vs dark. We have an arch enemy who is committed to our eternal destruction. We have been given life, breath, a soul and a spirit, when born into this "world" at war.

The real war is taking place beyond our senses of sight and sound, but it radiates none-the-less into our lives and creates an atmosphere to which we respond in our day to day activities. We have a supernatural enemy. It is in every way a supernatural war and involves supernatural beings, but that should not cause us to fear but rather rejoice that we have God appointed protectors and a "heads up" by our Creator through His Word.

Job speaks of the fallen angel, "Satan" as the real source of our trials.
Ephesians 6, tells that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but rather against the rulers and authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the Heavenly realms.

We are told what our "armour" is and what to do: Stand firm, use the "Sword of the Spirit" which is the Word of God and pray.....in the spirit, and on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. And then, there is this amazing promise from our Savior, "Ask Me for anything in My name"

The battle belongs to the Lord, it is His. But it is in our lives and we are involved like it or not. The Spirit spoke to me this morning saying, "The battle has been so Sovereignly arranged for your victory through Christ that you cannot lose unless you give up. Will you take Me at My word and ask so that you may receive?"

What is my reaction to what I see in my world? Do I look around at the circumstances and see any needs? Do I acknowledge the Promises of my Savior and take those things to the "bank" in prayer believing I will receive what I ask?

Do I just walk by the needy and fail to cry out for Divine intervention from Heaven into their situation? I have been given this amazing privilege and promise...If only I will ask.

The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?