Heart Tracks - The Streetlight

19 “Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud did not fail to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. Nehemiah 9:19..."I don't live under a street light." James Robison

James Robison speaks simple but powerful words in the above quote. They're words we must take heed of, because we are prone to the streetlight kind of spiritual life. We're prone to find a comfortable place that contains the light we've received to that point, and to stop and make a life there. His Light that led us to that place was good for that day. It will not be sufficient for this day, or the for the days yet to come. The people of Israel, in their journey out of Egypt, into the wilderness, and to the land of promise, were led by pillars of cloud and fire. They moved at varying speeds, but they were never stationary for very long. They were always moving forward. In our spiritual lives, in your spiritual life, can the same be said?

In the Old Testament, God spoke of His listeners having their eyes set upon the "land of far distances," the land that is "very far off." It was the land that was always ahead of them. A land they were to always be journeying towards. A land that always demanded another step forward. It was first and foremost a spiritual land. It was there for them, and it is there for us. Do we have our eyes upon it, or, do we live under the streetlight, and can only see the limited range of what the streetlight illuminates?

I've a friend who likes to use the illustration of the mountain climbing group who reached the hostel half-way up the mountain. Many were tired, and the comfort they found there was very attractive. Those attractions had a greater pull upon most of the climbers than did the call of the summit. They stayed at the hostel while the few pushed on. In doing so, they were robbed of experiencing the grandeur of all to be seen upon that summit. Their sight was limited by what they saw immediately around the hostel. The same happens to us when we choose to cease the journey, and make our home under the "streetlight." Today, which group are you and I a part of spiritually? Those who reach the summit of His call, who follow the fire of His Light that draws us ever onward? Or, have we found a convenient street light and made that our dwelling place....instead of Him. Yesterday's light will never be enough for today's need.

The land of far distances is before us every moment of every day. Do we see it? Are we even aware that it's there? Has the brightness of our streetlight robbed us of seeing anything beyond its perimeter? He's placed it before us, and His Light is moving towards it. Will we follow, or will we remain. Yesterday's light was enough for yesterday. It will not do for today. Will we be fooled into thinking it is?

Blessings,
Pastor O

Heart Tracks - The Delusion

"Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from what we believe; they will follow lying spirits and teachings that come from demons." I Timothy 4:1...."I will climb up into my watchtower now and wait to see what the Lord will say to me and how He will answer me." Habakkuk 2:1......"Our culture is drunk on a spirit of delusion." James Robison

Our culture is reeling about like a drunkard. How else can you explain a time when people are able to choose what gender they wish be recognized as, while those who might disagree with their wishes are labeled as bigots, haters, and threatened legally, even with prison? What else can you say of a time when laws are passed allowing medical staff to put to death a newborn child because it may be a "threat" to the emotional health of its mother? What else can you say about a church culture that has been more affected by the culture of the world and its values than it has affected that culture with its own? We're seeing the proof of that on every level of both society and the church. I wrote recently that 96% of the professing church doesn't have a Biblical worldview. 96%. The proof of that can be seen in the social media posts of many professing believers, especially those under the age of 30. A belief system is emerging in the church, and has been for some time, that is clearly based on a doctrine from the darkness. Jesus warned the disciples that they were to let no man deceive them. In warning them, He warned us, but we have either not heard that warning, or ignored it altogether. One man said that we are living in a combat zone, but we prefer and seek out a comfort zone instead. It is both illusion and delusion to think such a place can be found in the days we now live in.

So what is our response to this? I think we see it in Habakkuk 2:1. Habakkuk didn't stay on ground level. In a battle, the commanding officer needed to be on high ground where he could have a wide and distant view of that battle as it unfolded. Sight is blocked, distorted when it is only from the ground. We need to see from a higher place. Too many live at ground level spiritually, and so they don't see the enemy that advances upon them, their homes, marriages, and children. Upon their community, nation, and above all, His church. We desperately need spiritual vision that rises above the everyday mundane happenings, and looks into the surrounding culture and the spiritual realm behind it with Kingdom eyes. We need to see what God is doing, hear what He is saying. We need the eyes and ears of the Spirit. We need the wisdom, discernment, and understanding of His Spirit. We display a severe lack of these, and we are being overcome because of it. On the island of Patmos, John, in Revelation, is invited by God to "come up" to where He was. That invitation remains open to you and I. We need to leave our ground level lives and come up to where He is. He calls us up and give us the grace and power to come up. Do we come? Will we see, hear, and understand? Or do we get swept up in the spirit of the age? Do we reel about just as it does? Do we go on seeking our comfort zone while in the midst of a combat zone? Clear questions. Do we have clear answers?

Blessings,
Pastor O

Heart Tracks - Dazzled

13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!”

14 The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped. Revelation 5:13-14

..."Christ stands alone; and He does not imitate; neither does He court the world in a lame attempt to win the world......St. Ignatius said, 'Apart from Him, let nothing dazzle you. We are allowing everything but 'Him' to dazzle us these days." A.W. Tozer

There are two desperate needs today. First, the Church, His Church, needs to see, really see Jesus Christ. I'm speaking of seeing Him as He is, and not as we've imagined Him to be. I mean seeing even a glimpse of His true glory, of His Light that puts to flight all darkness. I mean seeing His wonder, beauty, majesty, power, and above all, His holiness. In this realm, we can only hope to see just a part of all that, but I wonder if, as Tozer says, we're even seeing Him in part?

The second desperate need then is for the world to be able to see Him in and through His Church. Through you and through me. To see Him in our words as we proclaim Him. To see Him in our hearts as we live for Him. To see Him in our eyes as we tell of Him. To see Him as He is, and not as the lies of this world and the father of lies, satan, has claimed Him to be.

Our flesh loves displays of wonder. Where such displays take place, the crowds will follow....for a time. Then they'll move on to the spot that offers an even greater "show." Tragically, the Church has been seduced into trying to offer a better "show" than the world. We've amped up our use of props and special effects in order to make things more attractive, more fantastic, more dazzling. Sadly though, those who respond to that eventually grow weary of and demand to be stimulated even more. The result then is an exhausted church that wears itself out looking for the next "big thing." We're all trying to "present Jesus," but our hearts and minds are dulled to the fact that we're trying to do that in our own strength. Why can't we see that there is nothing to compare with Christ presenting Himself? Why can't we see that there is nothing more dazzling than the manifest presence of Jesus Christ in the midst of His Church? Why can't we stop trying to "create" an atmosphere of worship and presence, and simply yield ourselves to His Presence and behold Him to appear among us? When we live in the atmosphere of the Kingdom of heaven, we'll never have to strive to create that. It will be the natural outflow of our lives and our churches.

His Word says that He comes to all those who "love His appearing." For such, no props are needed. He manifests Himself to those who love His appearing. He does it individually, and when such gather together, He does so corporately. The atmosphere of the glory of God is present. Someone said that you never need to advertise a fire. Oh, that we in the Church would come to know that reality. May the fire of His Holy Spirit ignite us. May the glory of His Presence never cease to appear to us. May we always be those who "love His appearing." Those who are dazzled by Him alone.

Blessings,
Pastor O

Heart Tracks - Battle Cry

"Your Kingdom come. Your will be done." Mattthew 6:10......"God's will is not an itinerary but an attitude." Andrew Dhuse...."(The prayer) calls for God to make His Kingdom manifest in this enemy territory, taking ground that the adversary has stolen. It is specific and assertive, a battle cry against everything that is not His will. It is war." Chris Tiegreen

In the Garden, Jesus prayed, "Not My will, but Your will be done" How often have we prayed that same thing, yet did not possess in our heart what the King surely did in His? When we pray it, we tend to see it as yielding, oftentimes just resigning ourselves to what He wants. We accept His will, but our will is often not invested in that. That was not what was in Christ's prayer. The prayer of Jesus brought the Kingdom of God into violent conflict with the kingdom of the enemy, and of this world. Our view too often is one where we accept His will, but remain neutral observers of how He brings His about. We're not really involved. That was not the heart motive of Christ at all.

Tiegreen says that when we say "not my will be done," we are also saying, "not the enemy's will be done," either. It's a declaration of war. On every plane where satan seeks to advance his agenda, in our individual lives, our families and relationships, our communities, our nations, and above all, in the Church, we counter with the power of that simple but mighty prayer, "Thy will be done!" The enemy's intentions are blocked, his power blunted. His will must shrink back as the infinite power of God and His will advance. It's a battle cry. A cry that strikes fear into the devil's heart, and emboldens and empowers ours.

Rome was the mightiest power of the ancient world. There was an eastern ruler of great power who saw himself as a conqueror. He assembled an army and began to advance westward. His march would eventually bring him into conflict with Rome itself. In response, Rome sent two representatives who met that army on their way. They simply said to the potentate, "The Senate and people of Rome say to you that you shall go no further. Turn back, or be destroyed." The ruler, faced with the undeniable power of Rome, turned back. Such is the power of our prayer when we speak into the seemingly impossible situations and needs that face us, our loved ones, our culture, and the Body of Christ, the Church. The enemy assembles his forces and might, but all that is needed to put him to flight are two; you, me, any believer, and Christ who stands with us. His will be done, the enemy's will crushed.

Every day, the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness clash. Conflict between them is unavoidable. In fact, He expects us to run to that battle. All the while we're to speak, shout our battle cry; "Thy will be done," and the enemy's will defeated. The enemy of our soul can stand against us, but he can never stand against the One who is with us, around us, before us, and above all, in us. Where's the enemy advancing in your life, in your family, community, and in your church fellowship? What ground has he stolen. Are you ready to take it back? Meet him head on, armed with all the weapons of the Kingdom, boldly proclaiming, "Your will be done," and at the same time saying, "Devil, your will will never be done!" Spiritual warriors are few, and the number decreases steadily. Yet the battle rages on. Will you run to it, or shrink back from it. Or worse, simply watch from the side as others fight for you and all that is at stake. The King has raised his battle flag. Do you and I rally to it, or melt away from it?

Blessings,
Pastor O

Heart Tracks - The Scandal

"The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill Him, and after three days, He will rise." Mark 9:31...."Death died when Christ rose." Anonymous

This life will never allow us to fully comprehend the quality of life offered us through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I think eternity will reveal to us how much of this life we missed....by a huge margin. Someone said that we live in a world where death, and its working gets all the attention. That's true of the world. It should never be true of the church, but it too often is. What gets most of yours?

A true believer in Him should be captive to no one and nothing but Him. Yet we are captive to so many things that aren't Him. In fact are the antithesis of Him. Fear, anxiety, performance, carnal ambition, accumulation, and every type of lust and desire that is counter to His nature and heart. All of these things are the product of death. And strange as it sounds, these things of death live freely in us. Christ won a complete victory on the cross and His emergence from the tomb. The cross was meant to kill Him for all time, and the tomb, the grave, to keep Him for all time. They couldn't. All the working of the enemy of His life and ours was defeated there. This is why the apostle Paul could write, "O death, where is your sting? O grave, your victory?" Both were crushed under His feet as He stepped forth from the grave. And in His doing, He invited us to join Him in that victory. We may have done so with our lips, but have we with our lives, our minds, and our being? What is prevalent in your life? The working of the enemy's death, or the King's life?

Someone said something to the effect that, with all that was won for and given to us in His resurrection, it is a scandal that we live as we do. How much is your life and mine contributing to that scandal? Where are we being held captive by that which Christ made captive to His Lordship in His resurrection? Where does the darkness continue on unchecked in us? Where has His peace been kept from us? His joy? His love, and His freedom? Where are we eating bread crumbs instead of the fullness of His loaves of life? Where are we standing off from His table like orphans instead of at table with Him as His children? Where are we ending each day in exhaustion and fear, and beginning a new one with the same? None of this is the fruit of the resurrection, so why does it mark the fruit of our lives? Isn't such a life indeed a scandal before the world and heaven both?

I love the quote from above. Death died when Christ rose. Has it died for you? Yes, we still live in a fallen world, but we are not ruled by it...unless we believe its lie that we can't be free of it. His Word says that He led captivity captive. That means every chain that holds you is broken at His Word. He came forth from the tomb. He bids you come forth from yours. The night of death is over. The dawn of life has come. Let us each step into it.

Blessings,
Pastor O

Heart Tracks - Small Things

"The master was full of praise, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let's celebrate together.' " Matthew 25:21...."If I were to define my philosophy of ministry, I would put it this way; be faithful in a little." Richard Blackaby

I never cease to be amazed at how we believers so often see our relationship with the Father as a series of business transactions. As a bargaining session. We see a promise as a thing to be done, a duty to be carried out, and in return, He gives a blessing that we desire. Our flesh understands this. It stresses performance and the performance earns the favorable response of God. The promise of Matthew 25:1 is one example of this, and it has been seen in the lives and ministries of so many pastors, teachers and worship leaders. Servants of every type.

Most laborers in the Kingdom of God serve in places of anonymity. We're not seen or noticed by many.....but we want to be. We have good motives mixed in with self-centered ones. We want to reach people, see the Kingdom grow, and the culture change. At the same time, we want the personal rewards of that. We want a bigger stage and a more visible presence. We don't care to be off-stage. We prefer center-stage. We can also be very self-deceived about all of it. I know I've been.

When we read the promise of Matthew 25, what most see is that if we "show" the Lord our faithfulness in a small place, He'll be impressed and soon promote us to a larger one. The small stage turns into a bigger one. We don't say it, but we set a time frame on the faithfulness. We expect Him to see how well we're performing and so act to make it all bigger and better. If that doesn't happen in a suitable time, discouragement sets in. If it continues not to happen, we can so easily slide into mediocrity, or worse. We're disappointed, even angry. We did our part, why didn't He do His? When this happens, bitterness, resentment, and cynicism are sure to be added. As a result, the place where we serve Him no longer gets our best. And what they do get is more often flesh produced than Spirit. This will always be the result of the performance, bargaining, transaction centered relationship with Him. We need to be delivered from it. Desperately.

What we need is a transformation of our perspective. A spiritual one. We need to realize that His promises go far beyond the temporal. They fill eternity. Our reward for our faithfulness to Him in all places and situations is found in His words, "Well done, good and faithful servant." Those words of praise from Him concerning our life journey here should mean more than any other kind of reward....but do they? And we should know that the reward of those words then extends to the place He has for us in the reality of His eternity. Oftentimes, most times, the "much" He speaks of is only going to be fully realized there. Of those who labor mainly for the great things of this realm, He said, "They have their reward." Meaning we'll miss the full reward of the eternal Kingdom of God. How would your life and ministry, and mine too, change if we began to see it all as He does?

Whatever your place in the Kingdom and in ministry, how do you see it and how do you carry it out? Do you go through the motions in your bringing of the Word, or in your leading of what we term "worship?" Do you only get suitably stimulated when a good crowd is on hand, but relegate the days of "small things" to the mundane? We're told to not despise such days in His Word. Do we? Do you? ...Let us press on, press forward. There is reward for our work, and no work is insignificant in His eyes. If He's placed us there, it is of eternal importance. Do we give all, or just part of ourselves? Is it an offering of worship, or a business transaction? What is it for you?

Blessings,
Pastor O

Heart Tracks - The Approach

"I don't have much more time to talk to you, because the prince of this world approaches. He has no power over Me." John 14:30...."You Levites form a bodyguard for the king and keep your weapons in hand. Any unauthorized person who enters the temple must be killed. Stay right beside the king at all times." 2 Chronicles 23:7

In these two Scripture we see deep truth, deep danger, and a deep deliverance. Victory will be ours if we give heed to all. Sadly, too often, we don't.

In this day, with all it's emphasis on logic and reason, and de-emphasis on the supernatural, both as concerns the power of God and of the enemy of our soul, it's small wonder we so often live defeated lives. We live far more in the flesh than in the Spirit, and our very real enemy loves that this is so.

Here is a truth and reality whether you accept it or not. Every day in the life of a believer will see the approach of the devil upon it. He did so with Jesus. In the wilderness, in Gethsemane, on the cross. The gospel relates that even after satan failed in his tempting of Christ in the wilderness, that he waited for an "opportune time" to come against Him anew. He's always looking for that opportune time and attacks accordingly. He's aware of those times. Are we? He comes when we're most vulnerable. That is not always in the time of weakness or defeat. It can also be in the time of success and seeming strength. It may well be that in those times, when we're sure all is well, that we're the most vulnerable of all. In weakness or in strength, he approaches. So how do we maintain vigilance? How do we live as more than conquerors? The answer is seen in how the priests of the Lord protected Israel's young king, Joash, when his grandmother sought his death in order that she might rule the nation.

Jehoiada the priest placed young Joash the king in the temple, the sanctuary of God. He surrounded him with priests armed with weapons. Only those who were allowed had access to this part of the temple, and the priests protecting the king would know those who had no right to be there. These could only have one intention; that of killing the young king. The priests would put them to death before they could destroy Joash. As they did so, they stood near the king "at all times." It is here that we see the strategy for victory that all of us must live by in order to truly be overcomers against an enemy who never gives up, never ceases to try and carry out his plan for our destruction. We know and recognize our enemy. We are aware of his approach before he ever reaches us. We are armed and ready for his attack, and we "kill" whatever means he uses for our harm. And we do it all while standing right next to, indeed "in" our King, Jesus Christ. It's Christ who gives us the discernment to recognize our enemy, the weapons to combat him, and the power to defeat him. And all of that is ours as we stand in Him. That is the victorious life. Is that the life we are living?

Today, the enemy of our soul approaches. Through our emotions, thoughts, and desires, he approaches. How will we meet him? Armed and ready? Standing in our King? Knowing he is defeated before he even gets near? Yet never relaxing our vigilance. Always knowing he'll return at that opportune time. He will make the approach, but we've nothing to fear if we live in the sanctuary of the King, in His power, wisdom, discernment, and victory. Jesus did not fear His approach. He knew His enemy had no power over Him. He has no power over we who are His as well. Unless of course, we don't really think the enemy's there. That's the mindset he seeks for us. Is it yours? He approaches as you read this. Are you ready for him?

Blessings,
Pastor O

Heart Tracks - Joyless Faith

"Ask, using My name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy......No one can rob you of that joy." John 16:24 and 22...."In every difficult circumstance, we decide if that situation is significant enough to steal our joy.....If you want to know if Christians are experiencing all God has provided for them in Christ, examine their joy." Richard Blackaby

I think one of the greatest tragedies of the Christian witness is the joyless faith so many of us walk in. We, who have been given abundant and overflowing joy from the Author of all joy, receive and live in so little of it. His joy is not real because He is not real enough in the midst of life's happenings. I say this without any condemnation of those who struggle in the midst of joyless lives. I've too often lived there myself to do that. I know what it is to "wake up" in the light of day yet still feeling I'm in the heavy darkness. I know what it is to feel so overwhelmed by my circumstances and burdens that taking even one more step seems like the very height of foolishness. I know the captivity of despair, as well as that of just wishing He would "take me out of all this" so that the pain would end. But even more than all that, I did come to know what it is to come forth out of all that and really live in the joy of the Lord.

For so many years I focused on things or relationships that I felt I lacked in my life. I focused on comparisons; my ministry with others, my life situation with that of another. I saw what I didn't have, and in that missed the One that I did. I was held in captivity by what I thought others had and I didn't. I looked for fulfillment in that which is passing away. And I missed Him who never does....who never will. I looked for love and acceptance in the temporal and didn't realize or know the love, acceptance, and approval that is found in Him alone. All of this steals joy. My joy and yours. How can we get it back if we've lost it? How can we have it if we've never experienced it? I can only answer for myself.

I'm not an advocate for promoting the syrupy love of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. He is a God of love, but not as defined by us, but Himself. Yet He is love personified. To know and experience that love, we have to let go of all of our ideas about it, as well as our constant efforts to earn it. We must empty ourselves of all the blockages to it in us, and simply receive it. Not because it's owed us, but because He willingly, longingly gives it. He doesn't look at me or you and play the comparison game. What we've achieved doesn't impress Him. What He calls success is rarely, if ever what He defines it as. What He wants is for us to not only know and experience Him, but to know how much He longs for that to be real to us. He wants us to know the infinite thoughts of love and good He has towards us. He wants us to realize the infinite care He extends to us. He wants us to lead a life of constant ongoing and ever deepening experience of Him. When we do know this, joy becomes the natural outflow. When we know this, all the addictions we have to the false idols and sources of life we've slavishly sought are broken. We experience what being one with Him really is. And joy is our lifestyle. The earning of His favor game is over. The comparison with others game is as well. The joy of the Lord has become our strength in fact and experience.

What steals your joy today? As Blackaby says, we decide what that is and will be. No one can steal our joy, but we can choose not live in it. Jesus invites His to "enter in His joy." That invite stands before us every moment of every day. He bids us to enter in. Do we answer His bidding?

Blessings,
Pastor O

Heart Tracks - Life Or Death?

19 “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! 20 You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This[a] is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Deuteronomy 30:19-20....."I have to consider when the Holy Spirit last took me to a new level of understanding of God's Word. When did I last come out of my time with God so excited about what He said to me that I could hardly wait to tell someone? When was the last time others were deeply impacted by something God said to me? Eloquent words don't change lives. Divine ones do....People don't need another sermon. They need a divine message." Richard Blackaby...."No one has trouble finding a light when all else is dark." Chris Tiegreen

I read an article recently that said that 92% of those sitting in church pews each week don't have a biblical worldview. When it comes to millennials, the number climbs to 96%. Though this is shocking, it shouldn't be to anyone who follows what is said by many professing believers on social media. The fact that they are obviously far more influenced by what they hear in the popular culture they are a part of, than by Kingdom culture they say they belong to, is painfully obvious. People not only don't know the Word of God, they don't know His voice either. In the Old Testament it was said of an era of the people of Israel that they heard from God only sparingly. Small wonder that their views and belief system took on that of the surrounding cultures, and that their hearts drifted very far from Him and His Words of Truth. His response was to send them His prophets. They were rarely welcomed, but they were deeply needed. So it is today.

If you read the Scripture above, and Blackaby's words about it, how do you respond? When was the last time you or I really came away from our "devotions" knowing we had really heard His voice? When has He been able to reveal something deeper about Himself, about you, in the time you say you are spending with Him? How many "aha" moments have we had with Him lately? When we carry this over to our corporate times of worship, do we come away thinking we've just heard a good sermon, or have we received a divine word from Him? Did we attend a lecture, or did we hear from God? The church will accept leaders, team builders, vision casters, and all may have their place, but the need of the day is for His prophetic voices to stand in the midst of His people and say, "This is what the Lord says." To my understanding, every message has to be a divine word from Him. Every message must have the element of choice; choice between life and death within it. If it doesn't, than we only give them what we think, what our words are. They have no eternal value. Only His do.

Take a look at those above stats again. We're looking at a combined total of 6% of His professing church seeing the world as He does. It should shake us, frighten us. It should bring us to our knees. Does it bring you, me, to ours? He is raising up His prophets, and you don't need an actual pulpit to be one. Your "pulpit" is where you stand and live right now. The culture around us desperately needs to hear what He is saying. You and I have more ways than ever to speak to that need. The words may not be welcomed, but they must be spoken. Words of life spoken into a culture of death. God is speaking. He's always speaking. Can you hear Him? If you do, dare you speak His Words of light into the deep darkness around you?

Blessings,
Pastor O

Heart Tracks - Shaken But Not Stirred

"This expression, 'Yet once more,' denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain." Hebrews 12:27

"Shaken, but not stirred." That's a phrase many would connect to the movie character James Bond, as to the way he preferred his drinks. Yet the thought came to me the other day that it could equally describe so many in the church. The fact that "shakings" are going on all over our culture, including the culture of the church, is undeniable. Yet I think the reality that the hearts of too many within the church have not been stirred at all is equally true.

God is Sovereign in all things. The shaking we are witness to is being allowed by Him. As concerns the church, His intent is clear; He wants to see how much of Christ there really is in it, in us. Shaking is intended to remove all the superficiality of our faith and walk with Him. All the props we depend upon that aren't Him fall. All that we cling to that isn't Him is torn from our grasp. The impotence of those things is starkly shown to us. So as the shaking takes place, our response to it means everything.

I've been pastoring now for three and half decades. In that time I have witnessed lives, marriages, families, and churches being shaken to their very foundation, and often, that foundation has been shown to be only sand. Sinking sand as His Word says. The shaking is allowed to reveal to all involved the desperate need of Him, and the presence of all that is not Him in these places. Yet time and again, though the lives, marriages, families and churches are shaken, the heart remains unstirred. There is no confession of, or repentance of sin. There is no admission of the true and deep need of His life and power. Everything has been shaken around and beneath, but nothing has changed within. And so the patterns of sin, destruction, dysfunction, and woundedness go on. It's a circle of despair that only grows deeper with every shaking.

Scripture says that rain falls upon the just and the unjust. So too do shakings come upon those who are His and those who aren't. When they do, what is your response? Before I knew Him, I was cruising along in life, content with where I was....Then a massive shaking took place that removed all the feeble props I had been depending on, and the sandy foundation upon which I stood. Those shakings brought me to His cross, and I will never cease to be thankful for His mercy and grace that brought me there. Oh that it could be so for all...but it isn't. My heart was stirred and brought to Him. For too many others, the shakings only brought anger, bitterness, blame casting, and a total rejection of Him. He will use the shaking to remove every obstruction that keeps us from seeing Him...but our love of those obstructions can and will keep us blind to His wonder.

Shakings have marked and continue to mark my way, as they will mark yours. He continues to expose the sites of my cherished idols and props. Sometimes the stirring of my heart has been too slow, but He's been faithful to continue to shake until at last, I come to Him who remains. I don't ever want the phrase "shaken but not stirred" to be applied to me. How about you? In your shakings, how does your heart respond? Do you come nearer to Him or grow further apart? Are your eyes opened to see Him more clearly, or blinded, so as to miss Him completely? Are you being shaken, but not stirred, not changed, not really His at all?

Blessings,
Pastor O

Heart Tracks - Shakings

"And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness." Acts 4:31....."If prayer isn't vital for your church, than your church isn't vital....If you can accomplish your church's mission without daily, passionate prayer, then your mission is insufficient and your church is irrelevant." Francis Chan...."Everything is going to be shaken in earth and in heaven, with a view of finding out just how much of Christ there is in it." T. Austin-Sparks

I think many would read the above Scripture and quote from Chan and say they are seeking to live out Acts 4:31, and that Chan's words couldn't apply to them, but is that really so? I've always seen myself as a person of prayer, and I've taken part in countless kinds of prayer groups and movements. Two things have always stood out; I never beheld the places where we gathered to be shaken, and second, beneath the prayer was nearly always a flesh centered motive. And I didn't stand apart from any of it. There was more than a little of my own flesh and agenda.

Back in the late 90's I became involved with a lot of fellow pastors and leaders in coming together in unified prayer. Much of the intent of that was good, but mixed in with most of us was a fleshly desire as well. Rather than unified prayer being the means of bringing us together before Him in worship, awe, adoration, and surrender, too many, myself included, saw it as a tool to get Him to grant us what we most wanted. Usually that meant increasing the size of our fellowships. Yes, we desired to see people saved, the Kingdom advancing, and God being lifted up, but mixed in with that was a yearning to see our kingdom advanced and our name being lifted up. Prayer became just another item in trying to make something happen, instead of just being a heart desire to know and experience Him. The unspoken in it all was "We've tried everything else, let's try prayer." Small wonder that the buildings we were in didn't shake, and we were fooling ourselves if we really felt such prayer was seen as vital and passionate for Him in the eyes of the One we prayed to.

Much of what is being taught about prayer these days seems to involve getting a group of people to pray for the work and mission of the church. This is good and right on the surface, but my experience is that most often the prayer comes after the establishing of the agenda to be prayed for. In other words, goals are laid out, and then people are gathered together to pray for the reaching of those goals. And too often, those goals come from our heart, not His. We're trying to move the hand of God without ever taking hold of His heart. In His mercy, He may answer in part, but we never experience the fullness of what He wants to bring to our lives and fellowships. That is far and away what He most wants us to realize in prayer. When was the last time we did, either corporately or alone?

True and overcoming prayer comes first to Him and His cross. It's there that the self life, with all of it's agenda must die. It's there that we discover the heart desires of the King for His people and Kingdom. It's there that He is lifted up and there that He draws people to Himself. We die, He lives, and the Kingdom flourishes. God and His will are on display and we're hidden. If we, the church, can ever reach such a place in Him, not only will our buildings shake, so will the earth around us. Are you hungering for such a shaking? Even when what is most shaken is you?

Blessings,
Pastor O

Heart Tracks - Information Or Revelation?

"Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches." Revelation 3:22..... God's people have moved from a relationship to religion. So we faithfully practice religious activities, and we perfect it and keep it, but the relationship with God is like it was in Israel and Judah in Jesus time. They were not getting the message. But we think that we're in touch with God because we're doing religious activity, -- cannot remember the last time that God clearly spoke to us. Henry Blackaby

This is the information age. We are bombarded with it. Cable news, internet blogs, and late night TV seem to be the voices of our culture. Yet where is the voice of God through His Church? It's not that we don't speak, but it's a matter of what we speak when we do. Are we just another source of "information," or do we dispense revelation from the heart of the Father Himself?

Someone said that true discipleship begins with teaching people to hear the voice and heart of God. This is a far cry from most of what I've seen modeled in the church. We set up "discipleship" classes, sit people down, and begin to pour out information about the Three in One God we believe in, what we believe about Him, and why. We don't lack for having a wealth of facts about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We can tell people everything they need to know about each. We just don't seem to be able to tell them how to know each One intimately, personally, deeply. We can engage their minds, but we miss their hearts. How could this be so, when throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus do just the opposite with the twelve?

In no place do we see Him set up a class, pass out materials, and start lecturing about the Kingdom. His classroom was found in their hearts. He spoke words that were meant to not only strike their minds, but penetrate their heart and soul. He showed them the Father, what He looked like, how He spoke, loved, and longed to relate intimately with them. He taught them to hear His voice, trust His words, and recognize Him through both. It was a long process, and it went on every day of their lives. With each one He formed a unique relationship that only He and they could experience. He patiently put up with their slowness to understand, their stumbling in unbelief, and even their eventual abandonment of Him in fear of the cost of continuing to follow. He took them to the cross, to the tomb, and to the upper room. And there, with the outpouring of His Holy Spirit, phase 1 of His discipleship "class" was finished, yet it would go on for the rest of their lives and walk with Him. And through them, countless others would enter in the fullness of His life as well. They heard what He spoke, and they taught others to hear too. Theirs was not a list of informational facts, but an ongoing revelation from the very heart of the Father. We have drifted very far from that "model". We must get back.

The church cannot settle for being one more source of information. We will get lost in the noise. We are already getting lost in the noise. We must be, again, the very voice and heart of God to a dying world. Jesus said He spoke that which He heard from the Father. We must do the same. We must learn anew His voice, and speak anew His words. Information or revelation? Eternity depends upon which we are dispensing.

Blessings,
Pastor O

Heart Tracks - The Other Side

He replied, "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20

Mountains appear a great deal in Scripture. Usually we associate them with the impossible. Small wonder. Mountains are imposing. They are barriers preventing us from getting to where we want to be, from taking possession of what we want to have. And they keep us from seeing just what is on the other side. Here's something else. The mountains that stand before us are allowed to be there by God Himself. What we need to understand is that there is "something" on the other side of them that He wants us to come into possession of, and that something is defined by Him alone. We can be sure of this, that something is worth whatever is involved in seeing the mountain moved in order to lay hold of. God wants us to get to the other side.

We tend to associate the promise of Matthew 17:20 and the mountains it speaks of with our accomplishing great feats for Him. Feats that win us acclaim and admiration, and above all, get us to where we want to be. Getting us what we want to have. These mountains keep us from our goals, in our lives, professions, ministries. At times, this is so, but I have found in my long journey with Him, that the greatest mountains, obstacles and barriers before us are found in our own hearts and lives. It is these that most keep us from getting to the other side. And it is these that the Lord most wants removed in order that we may lay hold of all that He has for us on the other side of them.

It's our inner mountains that are our most daunting. They're the ones that keep us from the fullness and abundance that He has promised. Those things within that keep us living in an orphan mentality rather than that of sons and daughters of the King. Mountains that keep us believing we must earn His love and favor instead of knowing we have already received it through our faith in Jesus Christ. Barriers that make us constantly see our lack instead of His riches. Obstacles that make us see only our weakness instead of His Almighty power. These, and so many other mountains just like them, are what He would have us speak to in faith. These are what He most wants to see removed in order that we might take possession of all that He has on the other side of them. Mountains in our hearts and minds that keep us seeing ourselves as grasshoppers instead of His children of the promise. When sin entered into the world, these mountains were arrayed before each of us. The Father, through Christ, would remove all of them. It's for us to believe that He will, and in faith, speak those words of belief and trust, and behold them to be removed. Then we enter into the fullness of what He has for us on the other side.

What are the inner mountains that keep you from the other side? What mountains keeps you seeing yourself as an orphan, a grasshopper? Over the course of a lifetime, those mountains will only grow, but no matter how large they become, words of faith from us, coupled with His Word of power, will move them all. And our pathway to the other side made clear. Haven't you been on the wrong side of the mountain long enough? Break through, in Him, to the other side.

Blessings,
Pastor O