My New Year's Resolution has been the same... for over 25 years, my life vision statement has been: “To help people experience the love and presence of Jesus through Word, deed and song.”
I have learned "the art" of doing this is by falling so in love with Jesus - and receiving and being overwhelmed in God's great love for me as His child - that is overflows into everything I do ... and everywhere I go.
All of this has been centered upon the truth that we serve a Risen Savior, Jesus Christ, who is still proclaiming “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19).
And our Savior's heart desire in the Lord's High Priestly Prayer was that we would be ONE with Him and our Father in Heaven - EVEN AS HE is One with the Father in Heaven (moving in unity and sharing the love of His Heavenly Father ... only doing that which He saw His Father doing and saying that which He heard His Father saying). That oneness in Him - and in His love - is what will change the world! (Read it in John 17:1-5; 13-26; for yourself.)
My heart’s desire has been to “get out of the way” and let the Lord go first … to let Him lead by His Spirit … to have the freedom to touch lives and minister healing as He directs (without my attempts to “tell him what to do” through prayer, but instead to listen and follow His anointing and direction). The amazing thing is, as I have allowed God to do this, He has provided divine direction that has worked the power of the Kingdom of God before my eyes … healing people and dramatically setting them free through the presence of Jesus Christ.
The concept has been simple. But carrying out of the premise has been a learning process, as I have discovered how much our pride and our flesh want to step in the way.
Through the unction of the Holy Spirit, God has spoken to my heart pictures and scriptures that, -at the time – didn’t seem to make logical sense. But, when the message was spoken in obedience to the Lord (not in my trying to “figure it out”), the hidden meaning was revealed and confirmed immediately, and divine healing has sprung forth … for the working of His glory and not my own.
As you can imagine, with each step of success, I have become more zealous to let Jesus go first and give Him all the glory for the results. For the failures, I have sought forgiveness. The process has helped me to learn a walk of humility and transparency (not trying to “make something happen,” but just to go with whatever the Spirit of the Lord is truly working at this moment before my eyes) which is centered upon the truth that I do not have to look good and showy to be effective for the Lord… but simply to walk in gentle-hearted obedience. I can be myself and not hyper-spiritualize in emotion and message, because the ministry of this moment is based upon a Risen Lord, Jesus Christ, loving the life that is in front of my eyes.
By giving God “the lead,” I have allowed the Lord to guide me along this career path (doing our Heavenly Father’s business as He directs).
This year, I resolve to fall more in love with God and draw closer to His heart every day ... and to let that love change the lives of those around me ... so I might be about "my Father's business" throughout the coming year.
Won't you join me?
I have learned "the art" of doing this is by falling so in love with Jesus - and receiving and being overwhelmed in God's great love for me as His child - that is overflows into everything I do ... and everywhere I go.
All of this has been centered upon the truth that we serve a Risen Savior, Jesus Christ, who is still proclaiming “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19).
And our Savior's heart desire in the Lord's High Priestly Prayer was that we would be ONE with Him and our Father in Heaven - EVEN AS HE is One with the Father in Heaven (moving in unity and sharing the love of His Heavenly Father ... only doing that which He saw His Father doing and saying that which He heard His Father saying). That oneness in Him - and in His love - is what will change the world! (Read it in John 17:1-5; 13-26; for yourself.)
My heart’s desire has been to “get out of the way” and let the Lord go first … to let Him lead by His Spirit … to have the freedom to touch lives and minister healing as He directs (without my attempts to “tell him what to do” through prayer, but instead to listen and follow His anointing and direction). The amazing thing is, as I have allowed God to do this, He has provided divine direction that has worked the power of the Kingdom of God before my eyes … healing people and dramatically setting them free through the presence of Jesus Christ.
The concept has been simple. But carrying out of the premise has been a learning process, as I have discovered how much our pride and our flesh want to step in the way.
Through the unction of the Holy Spirit, God has spoken to my heart pictures and scriptures that, -at the time – didn’t seem to make logical sense. But, when the message was spoken in obedience to the Lord (not in my trying to “figure it out”), the hidden meaning was revealed and confirmed immediately, and divine healing has sprung forth … for the working of His glory and not my own.
As you can imagine, with each step of success, I have become more zealous to let Jesus go first and give Him all the glory for the results. For the failures, I have sought forgiveness. The process has helped me to learn a walk of humility and transparency (not trying to “make something happen,” but just to go with whatever the Spirit of the Lord is truly working at this moment before my eyes) which is centered upon the truth that I do not have to look good and showy to be effective for the Lord… but simply to walk in gentle-hearted obedience. I can be myself and not hyper-spiritualize in emotion and message, because the ministry of this moment is based upon a Risen Lord, Jesus Christ, loving the life that is in front of my eyes.
By giving God “the lead,” I have allowed the Lord to guide me along this career path (doing our Heavenly Father’s business as He directs).
This year, I resolve to fall more in love with God and draw closer to His heart every day ... and to let that love change the lives of those around me ... so I might be about "my Father's business" throughout the coming year.
Won't you join me?
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