There are several viruses that we can catch that can insure that by the time sons and daughters arrive our hearts have been eaten away by Heart-Stealing Disease; officially known at HS disease. Like a pac-man from the old video game, the disease eats away at the heart so that there is no heart left when the child grows into a adult's form. They may be a adult in height but not in heart. Here are a few things that a young person can pick up that will eat away at their heart.
There was a young man who was attached to video games. The games were not the disease; his life attachment to it was the disease. His mind and emotions bonded together and sought life from games. The heart is designed by God to only engage and seek life from God. The mind and emotions bind together in a secret rebellion against the heart to seek a life of its own. The Old Testament called these idols. We keep an idol as a back up just in case God fails. We all have comfort things our minds and emotions bond to find life when we feel that God fails us. For me personally, it has been sweets and God seems to be digging a little deeper and saying it is eating in general. God wants to be our sole comfort. Little children, watch out for idols.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Fresh Manna
God said to me today and I pass it on to you...
Rodney, may I have permission to...
1. Leave My perfect Father and chase you and your heart?
2. To listen, cherish and fulfill the whispers of your heart in such a way that you totally entrust your heart to My heart?
3. To nourish your masculine heart as a man, husband, father and pastor? To awaken you to the greatness that I have authored in you?
4. To give Myself up for you so that I might sanctify you, cleansing you with My tears, My blood and My Word that I might present you before My Father in all My glory and majesty without stain or blemish?
God expects husbands to chase, cherish, nourish and wash their wives. It is a great mystery but it is the picture of Christ pursuing the church. See Ephesians 5.
Rodney, may I have permission to...
1. Leave My perfect Father and chase you and your heart?
2. To listen, cherish and fulfill the whispers of your heart in such a way that you totally entrust your heart to My heart?
3. To nourish your masculine heart as a man, husband, father and pastor? To awaken you to the greatness that I have authored in you?
4. To give Myself up for you so that I might sanctify you, cleansing you with My tears, My blood and My Word that I might present you before My Father in all My glory and majesty without stain or blemish?
God expects husbands to chase, cherish, nourish and wash their wives. It is a great mystery but it is the picture of Christ pursuing the church. See Ephesians 5.
Muse: Time
I wonder if time is an illusion of the mind. I wonder if time happened when Adam sinned. I wonder how long did Adam live before Eve was created and how long before he sinned.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Broken and Not Fixed
What happens when a primary imprint is supposed to happen when you are a child and you do not receive it? How can you get it back?
Bad News: You don't. You will walk with a limp for the rest of your earth existence. Ouch. You will need a lot of help to develop systems to deal with your weakness. The primary means of making it through is FAITH. God will grant you the grace to faith Him for what you did not get. BUT it will be a slow and challenging experience.
Good News: You don't. You will be dependent upon God for help the rest of your life. You will have to maintain a close relationship with God to insure that the poverty of your situation does not carry over into your children and their spiritual DNA. God delights in your closeness to His heart.
Bad News: You don't. You will walk with a limp for the rest of your earth existence. Ouch. You will need a lot of help to develop systems to deal with your weakness. The primary means of making it through is FAITH. God will grant you the grace to faith Him for what you did not get. BUT it will be a slow and challenging experience.
Good News: You don't. You will be dependent upon God for help the rest of your life. You will have to maintain a close relationship with God to insure that the poverty of your situation does not carry over into your children and their spiritual DNA. God delights in your closeness to His heart.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Why They Need You to Bleed?
There is a spiritual concept that I am just beginning to understand. Some do not get free from childhood wounds without someone hurting more for them than they hurt as a child. If they were hurt at a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10 then you have to hurt at an 11 for them to get free. Sometimes the hurting is from wounds that they have personally caused. Yet when the number is reached I have watched people get set free from wounds that have haunted them their whole life.
It takes great courage to love someone so much that you are willing to let your heart hurt for them in such a way that they are free from their past pain. That is living for and like Jesus.
It takes great courage to love someone so much that you are willing to let your heart hurt for them in such a way that they are free from their past pain. That is living for and like Jesus.
Friday, March 6, 2009
How God Uses Us to Minister Principle Two
The Second principle of ministry is Presence.
God uses us to bring His presence into people's lives. This is why heart to heart communion with God is so very important. Sin destroys our ability to manifest His presence in other people's lives. Most of the healing that happens in the counseling room is simply when God shows up. The greatest joy I have will be when someone who comes to see me eventually walks across the holy stage in heaven and sees Christ and says about His loving eyes, "I have seen those same eyes in Pastor Rod." Ecclesiastes 5:1,2 says that we need to be quiet when we approach God. We need to draw near to listen rather than offer the sacrifice of fools. When we listen God speaks. Sometimes He speaks in words that only our heart understands. The ministry of presence is powerful and yet discounted by most professional ministers because they do not understand it. Be still, enjoy His presence in your life and you will naturally overflow His presence into the lives of others.
God uses us to bring His presence into people's lives. This is why heart to heart communion with God is so very important. Sin destroys our ability to manifest His presence in other people's lives. Most of the healing that happens in the counseling room is simply when God shows up. The greatest joy I have will be when someone who comes to see me eventually walks across the holy stage in heaven and sees Christ and says about His loving eyes, "I have seen those same eyes in Pastor Rod." Ecclesiastes 5:1,2 says that we need to be quiet when we approach God. We need to draw near to listen rather than offer the sacrifice of fools. When we listen God speaks. Sometimes He speaks in words that only our heart understands. The ministry of presence is powerful and yet discounted by most professional ministers because they do not understand it. Be still, enjoy His presence in your life and you will naturally overflow His presence into the lives of others.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
How God uses us to Minister: Principle One
God delights to use our hearts. There are four basic principles that God uses to guide us.
Principle One: Permission
God is a perfect gentleman. He waits until we give permission with our hearts for Him to do His work in our life. We, too, when helping others must recognize the importance of heart permission. So many times, more than I can count, I failed to get heart permission with someone I was trying to help and later found out that the person was not paying attention because their heart was not involved in the process.
Does God have permission to do whatever is necessary to prepare you for His coming Kingdom? God trusts His truth to your heart and He longs for full access to all of you. When He has your heart, He has you.
Wait for permission to minister to someone. They will let you know by a verbal or perhaps a nod of the head. You will become skilled in this area to be able to discern whether or not they are giving you and God permission to speak and minister to them.
Principle One: Permission
God is a perfect gentleman. He waits until we give permission with our hearts for Him to do His work in our life. We, too, when helping others must recognize the importance of heart permission. So many times, more than I can count, I failed to get heart permission with someone I was trying to help and later found out that the person was not paying attention because their heart was not involved in the process.
Does God have permission to do whatever is necessary to prepare you for His coming Kingdom? God trusts His truth to your heart and He longs for full access to all of you. When He has your heart, He has you.
Wait for permission to minister to someone. They will let you know by a verbal or perhaps a nod of the head. You will become skilled in this area to be able to discern whether or not they are giving you and God permission to speak and minister to them.
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