Humility and Boldness.

I'm going to take this post to brag on one of my favorite teachers thus far in the internship. 

Randy Martinez.  

This man is so humble and yet so bold in declaring the truth. His passion is to raise ones up in this generation, preparing them for the end of the age. We have him this whole week and are focusing on the forerunner ministry. 

This approach produces such a stirring in my heart. A witness that this is where I need to be.  He reminded us at the end of class that we shouldn't be asking if we should stay here but if we should go. We are so use to just moving on to the next thing rather than firmly planting ourselves, giving ourselves wholly to one thing.  "One thing have I desired of the Lord that one thing will I seek." 

We won't see immediate fruit from our labor but we are sowing into something that will be relevant in the fullness of time.  

Noah was the first transitional generation. He trusted in the word of the Lord so much he spend 120 years building an ark in his front yard.  He wasn't relevant till the end as they watched the boat floating.  Did you know that up till that point it had never rained from the sky?  They thought he was crazy.  So will the ones in this age think we are crazy for staring in the face of the Creator and Lover of our souls, Jesus, day and night.  

More to come soon..... 

Long time coming

I just realized that it's been almost 2 weeks since I've blogged anything about this day to day journey. 

I'm finally adjusted to my new schedule of staying up when people are sleeping and going to sleep when people are waking up.  

This is a typical week for me: 
Monday-Class 3:30-5:30, All Staff meeting and Set from 5:30-8pm, Free time 8-10, Family briefing 10:30-11:30, Prayer Room 12-6am 
Tuesday- Class, Dinner, Family Time, Core Groups 10pm, Free time, Prayer room 12-6am
Wednesday- Class, Dinner, Thrift Store 6:30-10pm, Free time, Prayer Room 12-6am
Thursday- Class, Dinner, 7 Loaves Food Ministry, Family briefing, Prayer Room 12-6am
Friday- Class/Chapel (1x a month), Dinner, Burn Service, Free time, Prayer Room 12-6am
Saturday- Sozo (Supernatural) ministry between 5 and 8pm, free time, Prayer room 12-6am
Sunday- Sabbath 

I'm learning that I'll never be able to grasp eternity. And it's okay. The One I love, the Creator, He who sustains and holds all, is outside of time. Expectation is a good thing. Not knowing everything or not being able to order or understand everything, is okay. Be content in all things.  Its for our excitement and enjoyment. We will never be bored, ever, we will never fully comprehend the Beauty, the depth. 

My core identity is Christ and in Him I find my purpose, my occupation.  I am a priest and a king before Him RIGHT now. This isn't talking about something to come it's something that I can walk in right now.  This changes EVERYTHING.  My highest calling in life and reason for existence is to be before Him.  Choosing the better part of sitting at His feet.  

This past Saturday, our Night Watch crew went to the Shenandoah Mountains for a hike.  It was beautiful.  We saw 3 waterfalls, beautiful streams, and trees. :)  I commented to one of the guys as I took in the streams that the Lord's voice is over the waters.  That night in our prayer room time I read Psalm 29.  "The voice of the Lord is over many waters." I love how the Lord speaks truth confirming specific things to my heart. 

Friday we had a speaker from Israel come and share the Word of the Lord at the Burn Service. It was EXACTLY what I needed to hear.  Genesis 16. It's the story of Hagar and the encounter she had with the Lord. I've read this before but I've never viewed it in this way before. Hagar was met by the Lord somewhere between Kadesh and Bered. Kadesh means holiness and Bered means heaviness.  Wow.  At this place, she was encountered. At the well of grace. And the Lord asked this one, "Where have you come from and where are you going?" (vs. 8)  What a powerful question!  We know where we've come from but we don't know where we are going most of the time. BUT, we KNOW WHO we are going with, and in Him the path will be made clear.  Remember the promises of the Lord. The words that have been spoken to you. SAY YES. You don't have to figure everything out.  He is faithful to His promise and plans and will fulfill them in the FULLNESS of HIS time.  His grace is enough. And then she ended with my favorite blessing from Scripture, "May the Lord bless you and keep you, may the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the light of His countenance shine upon you and give you peace.".  

Behold and bless the Lord all you servants of the Lord who stand by night in the house of the Lord. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary. Bless the Lord! Psalm 134 

The act of lifting up my hands is actually giving Him my ability to sustain and provide for myself.  A full surrender of everything within me for ministry to the Lord. Wow. 

"Set your mind on things above, not on things of the earth."  This has been rolling in my mind this past week.  We have access to the throne of grace. To the throne room.  We can stand, right now, on the sea of glass, before the Man who give it all.  Before our Lover, our Father.  Knowing that Jesus is a man, that I am living for a Man, and that I have access to His presence at all times, gives me such purpose.  Understanding is a beautiful thing.  Once you understand you can walk more fully in the calling to which He has called you.  What are those things about?  The throne room.  The Man.  Fix your eyes upon Him.

More to share but I waited to long that there is too much to share.   

More and More and More

A quick update from the lovely burg in the fred. :-)

A random fact:
 EWBANK- planted by the banks of the ewe trees.
"I want to be like a tree, planted by the streams of living water....." Psalm 1
A few
Today was gorgeous. So beautiful. 70's. Sunny. A light breeze. Sun. A much needed time in the sun. My heart was glad.

Our class time was spent taking a tour of the various sites here in Fredericksburg that are monumental to the history of the prayer furnace. This entire week, David Bradshaw has been sharing with us the Word of the Lord and the prophetic history of the Prayer Furnace. It's amazingly incredible how the Lord has moved, and spoke to these faithful ones. We visited the Rappohannok River, the monumental Rock where Mary Washington prayed, and Mars Hill (the location where the Prayer Furnace's first prayer meetings began with hundreds of young people).

Wednesdays are our thrift store days where we volunteer 4 hours to sorting, organizing, pricing, and cleaning.  I tagged and hung up clothes today. One of my favorite jobs thus far second to organizing the front of the store. We aren't able to be there during the time that people are there but I'm so thankful we get to serve. It's kingdom building work.

Last week, we talked about the end of the age as I mentioned in my last post. Beloved, this is incredible stuff.  The last day we discussed Israel and getting a heart for Israel.  Understanding their role in God's Grand plan and how everything ties together with us.  I was able to encourage my Dad in the passage that has been on his heart for a while "How will they know without a preacher?"  This verse is in direct relation with the people of Israel.  And in Matthew 10:6-7  it explains what you preach. "But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and as you go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand".....

Love is patient, it's doesn't parade itself, it doesn't seek it's own....1 Corinthians 13

We watched October baby yesterday. So good. Made me cry.

Pray into the prophecies that have been spoken over you.  I was reminded in our briefing discussion Monday night that the Lord has given me a heart for the African American and Hispanic people and the ending of abortion.

We get to sit on Jesus's throne, friends. Even the angels aren't sitting on His throne right now.  Heaven is coming to earth. Aw, this reality is astounding. :-)

More, more, so much more. And for another time.  

 

Meat from the Word

My eyes, ears, and heart are receiving so much from these teachers of the Scroll. Dear ones who are humble, tender yet bold, and declaring with boldness the meat of the Word.

I love it. I absolutely LOVE it.  Every single book in Scripture has a meaning a divine purpose. They aren't just random books put together for us to somehow piece together the puzzle.  They are all made up of one grand story. God's Grand plan for redemption. We are invited to join this amazing story. Actually, we are an active part, an essential part, in the story.

The end of the age is not a topic that should be placed in a category all of it's own.  It's not something we aren't able to understand.  It's actually the central focus of the entirety of Scripture, friends.

Oh, and the House of Prayer. Guess what! It's not a crazy movement that Mike Bickle started 12 years ago that now everyone is jumping on the bandwagon with----it's outlined clearly in Scripture.  It's in the plan and purpose of God to establish day and night prayer on the earth. It's the means by which He will unify the church in order that they will all be on the same page with the Spirit, that's why at the end of the Bible, in revelation, it says The Spirit AND the BRIDE say Come! We will be in a place of intimacy with the Lord, with His Spirit, where we are longing for Him!

Luke 18:1-8

Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’”

Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

Isaiah 56: 6-7 

Also the sons of the foreigner (this would be us)
Who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him,
And to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants—
Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath,
And holds fast My covenant—
⁷ Even them I will bring to My holy mountain,
And make them joyful in My house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
Will be accepted on My altar;
For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”

He didn't say my house will be called a house of evangelism, or a house or missions, or a house of ministry, He said it would be called a house of prayer. Every form of ministry comes out of the place of prayer!! This is so amazing.

Oh, and friends, in case you didn't know another astoundingly wonderful thing that's happening:  Jesus is coming back to earth as a MAN.  Just as He ascended into Heaven as a Man so also He will descend.  AND, HEAVEN is coming to EARTH.  God chose this place as a dwelling place for Jesus.  We won't go up to Heaven and be floating without life and purpose, oh, we will have a purpose, just as we have a purpose here, we will also have a purpose in this new glorious city. Full partnership with Jesus in rebuilding the earth to it's original purpose (intimate relationship with God and Man) as it was in the garden of Eden.  We will rule and reign WITH Jesus for 1000 years and will ready earth for the Father's coming!!!

What hope this gives my soul.  There is purpose here. There is purpose in the age to come. 

Much more to say about all of these things. I encourage you friends, just as the one presenting these things to me encouraged. EAT THE SCROLL. Feast on the Word of God. Let it know you deep on the inside.  View it as one big story that you have an active part and purpose in.  It's amazing.  

A time

As I write, my hands are cold with the dawning of fall on the horizon. The midnight or mid morning air delights my being. I sit with crickets behind an ancient gas pump with young men in the room behind being swept away by the Holy Spirit. A party that never ends. A joy that is indescribable. 

Last night concluded our first week going 24/6 in the House of Prayer.  My emotions have been running ever so high. At random times, I'll just start to cry. Over little things. Sometimes over big things.  I'm realizing I can only love rightly through the one who IS Love. I've realized how judgmental I can be, how I want things done my way, how I have difficulty submitting to authority, how I must understand things.  

Let go, Spirit. Press in deep. 

We did SOZO ministry on Saturday. We split up into teams at the local hospital and sought out people to minister the Love of Jesus to through prayer. Jon felt a pain in his stomach as we past by one woman and sensed the Lord was indicating that the woman had pain in her stomach. We asked her if she did and it was true! We asked if we could pray with her and she was very receptive. Praise the Lord! 

This week we focused on Genesis 1-3.  "In the beginning GOD." What a powerful statement. We also talked about us. The image bearers. How God didn't need creatures, especially image bearers, but He desired the love He knew in Himself to be experienced by those He made in His image.  

We delved deeper into God's Grand plan for redemption and our role in this exciting plan! 

I learned this week that it's okay to freak out. The Night Watch is freak out worthy. So glad I'm not the only one freaking out.

If you love Me, you will keep My commandments, says the Lord.  He wants voluntary lovers. 

We had a loving chastisement this week that encouraged my heart. The question that the discussion started with was "What's the difference between a child of God and a bratty kid?" So good. 

I chill and must go back inside. 

........

It's so interesting how the Lord will begin to show you your true character being in a different environment. Today, I'm a bit irritable. I think it's the lack of down time/alone time and the fact that I've been going to bed at 6:30am the last two nights. Hoping the presence of the Lord will improve my mood greatly. We will be officially launching the Night Watch prayer meeting tonight--the fire that will continue to burn 6 days a week. Expecting powerful things to happen tonight as we sit before the presence of the Lord from midnight-6am. 

We had a "love feast" tonight where the body gathered together for a time of fellowship and eating. I came back to the base, wrote a partnership letter, had a briefing meeting with our group, and then helped put the Prayer Room back in order from the morning crews intensive cleaning. 

Since I last blogged, we had a class on Sexual Immorality and how our tolerance has destroyed our voice for the nations.  We must fight and use the Scripture as motivation. Judge yourself before God judges you. 

On Thursday, we went out to a few local motels and inns to hand out food and offer prayer to those who wanted it. We encountered various different people with lots of different stories. I was able to pray with a few Hispanic women for provision.  Since I last posted, I've moved to a house about 30 minutes from our base, on a farm. It's been an adjustment but the Lord obviously has a plan. 

More Goodness from the Lord

8/26/12

Today is Sunday. Our corporate day of rest.

I’m sitting in our freezing basement with our sunlight lamp streaming in so my body thinks it’s afternoon.  Earlier, the house above was abuzz with a late night cleaning escapade.

Morning breakfast: 12noon. Delicious bowl of oatmeal with a cup of coffee. Encouraging conversation with some daytime ladies about friendships. Jonathan and David. God caused Jonathan to love David. God puts people in our lives for a reason and He’s the author of friendships. He’s the greatest Friend. He’s got our story written out in it’s fullness. We don’t have to strive to maintain friendships and we don’t have to fear loosing friends. It brought tears to my eyes.

Our first core group meeting today. It’s just the three of us (me, Ashley and Leah-who’s our leader). Wegmans. The best grocery store/cafe ever.  This community is so real. Quick to repent, quick to love.

My roommate Megan and I went strolling down the lovely streets of downtown Fredericksburg and stopped into an adorable coffee shop bookstore and a  antique shoppes. We were on the quest to find The Space Trilogy by C.S Lewis. Our search came up empty but we came home with tea.

A dear friend from home called me and we talked for over an hour. Our conversation was interrupted several times by our connection, but we pressed on, and encouragement was given, the overflow of the affection of the Father was poured out, and heartstrings were knit.

Let’s see…since I last blogged on Thursday…we had an amazing Burn Service on Friday night. David Bradshaw brought the Word. Obedience. God desires His inheritance-us-and wants all of us. He wants 100% obedience. It’s good to receive from the Lord but we must think of the “I am my beloved” part of the equation. We must say yes. It’s not us doing it, it’s Him. Read Deuteronomy 30. Powerful stuff.  I cleaned toilets that were in desparate need of cleaning. Love to serve the body in practical ways.

….8/29/12

Yeah, I haven’t been very good about journaling every day. The Lord continues to move powerfully. Week 2 is going very well. They call it deliverance week though every day we are being delivered from something. I’m so thankful for the previous Inner Healing classes I took the last two semesters. They prepared me to receive the same information in a new outlook and setting.  Monday we talked about Father and Mother wounds. Our view of we God stems so strongely from our relationship with our parents. We were in the prayer room for 8 hours! . I know by the time we are done with this season, we will want to spend even more time in this sweet place of encounter. Powerful all staff set where the Lord was breaking off chains of bondage, romancing our hearts with His love (I’ve been asking the Lord to show me Himself as LOVER), and breaking off the orphan spirit. We also corporately interceeded for Israel-the beloved people close to God’s heart. A sweet memory of me and my siblings dancing in our basement rushed through my head as we began singing “Everything that, everything that, everything that has breath praise the Lord!”.  I also, in that moment, realized that I’ve just been viewing Jesus as Lord.  He hasn’t reached that place in my heart yet as the true Lover of my soul.  “We must live out of the overflow of the affection of the Father’s love”.

 Yesterday, was really ministering to my heart. We talked about inner vows, open doors we have open to the enemy, and generational curses and blessings.  We also discussed forgiveness, the occult, and sexual sins. Each HUGE topics but make my heart glad that we are getting rid of them. One of the huge takeaways was the following point: “A word about FEAR is usally a sign that there is an entry way in your life that produced fear. It may have been an open door of trauma. Ask the Lord, where did this fear come into my life?”

Time in the prayer room yesterday was also sweet. Right now, we don’t have a set format (we will next week), so most of our time in the prayer room has been spent before the Lord in personal devotion. 1 Corinthians 2:6-16. The entirety of this passage is amazing but verse 16 is especially amazing to me: For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him? BUT WE HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST. Dear ones, this is so powerful if we would just wrap our heads around this truth. We have HIS mind. It’s not us living inside us, it’s not our mind, it’s His. 

Today we will be working the Thrift store! I can’t wait!