As I walk and live in intimacy with Jesus daily, I've come to realize that the most important part of my relationship with Jesus is knowing and believing that I'm Loved.
I think the Enemy of our souls tries his best to rob this truth from us because of its power. There's massive power that comes with knowing how much God loves you and actually believing it.
When you don’t know and don’t believe in God's love for you, intimacy with Jesus starts to feel like you have to work for it and do your best to maintain it instead of living in it.
The other day I was thinking about Martha and Mary( Luke 10:38-42) Martha thought she was serving the Lord with all her heart and she eventually complained to Jesus and also compared herself with her sister.(which tends to happen a lot among sisters in the church) Now there’s nothing wrong with Martha cooking a meal for everyone,(I would have just asked a miracle from Jesus to feed us all and do the dishes too and clean up)I mean if Jesus(in person) decided to come over my house with all his disciples, I would probably be really under a lot of stress especially he just raised my brother Lazarus from the dead!!! It’s just that in the process of all that Martha was doing, she started to work for intimacy, because she had missed out on how much Jesus loved her. She had missed out on knowing and believing in the Love of Jesus and that his love does not need us to be perfect.
In 1st Corinthians 13:
Paul says “If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing”. Basically jumping into a Fire for the name of Jesus is meaningless if you don’t know how much you're loved. God is love, He is all about Love, if we live a life of working for intimacy instead of receiving it and living in it without Jesus who is a Gift of Love from God, it all becomes meaningless.
Serving God without God's love and serving him without knowing how much He loves you is like lighting a cold fire, and that just leaves you absolutely exhausted.
Knowing and believing in God's love for you is the foundation of intimacy with Jesus. When you know you're loved you stop living under condemnation but you begin to live in a life giving relationship with Jesus. John 3:16.
Continue to walk in Love with Jesus, You're Loved
WOW
Ucoming Events!!!
Women Of Worth The Event, "Born for such a time as this"
October 22-23. 7;30(Friday) 10am-4pm saturday, Takashimaya department store10th fl, Taipei Taiwan
500NTD registration fee
Will give more
To Encourage Women and the men in their lives.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
An Inconvenient Vineyard
Hey Ladies!!!
I've been doing my best to remain faithful to blogging. So anytime I can find time to squeeze in sharing time I make sure I do it.
While letting God's word speak to me, I've been combining the book of John and the book of Kings (1&2) I truly love the stories in the Old Testament. Some of them just have some serious drama; I mean some really good soapy drama, realty TV going on.
Anyway this week I reflected on a story called NABOTH'S VINEYARD.
Basically the jest of the story is King Ahab sees a nice fruitful vineyard by a hill that belongs to a man named Naboth. The Vineyard just happens to be close to the King's palace and He thinks it would be perfect for him to plant a vegetable garden.
Ok because of the Law (Mosses Law) The King requests Naboth to either give him the vineyard close to his palace in exchange for a better vineyard or buy it from him for whatever amount Naboth Request.
Naboth's response was "I inherited this vineyard from my ancestors,” Naboth replied. "The LORD forbids that I should let you have it!" basically He told the King of Israel a big NOOOOOOOOOOOOO. So the King went home depressed Please read the rest of it 1st Kings 21.
Anyway eventually the King and Queen eventually kill Naboth and his son's for His Vineyard.
Ok when I read this story I just thought of myself as Naboth, and the vineyard being my purity, sexual integrity, my intimacy with Jesus, my spiritual walk, finances, health e.t.c The Lord showed me that these things are gifts and an spiritual inheritance that God has given me, an inheritance that Jesus died for on the cross. And as a young woman I tend to have "King Ahabs" in my life that could lead me to compromise my Godly given inheritance. The funny thing the "King Ahabs in my Life make it sometimes make it seem worth giving up all that God has given me as part of his covenant promise for me.... These King Ahabs offer convenience, wealth, security, flatter, feeding my ego, emotions e.t.c all at the risk of me compromising my God given inheritance.
When Naboth said no to King Ahab, he knew he could put his life in danger or even delay his success. Naboth even got murdered for not selling his vineyard to the King.
I sometimes ask myself when my inheritance ever has to be tested like Naboth how will I stand? but I've learned in the past that every time I've been able to Say NO to the "King Ahabs" of my life (even just by refusing to sleep in and go exercise ha-ha or saying no to Ice-cream on weekdays or buying another pair of shoes just because its on sale ahhaah) I’ve learned that I'm not standing alone, but I really feel my intimate relationship with Jesus helping me stand.
So I truly encourage you that even if in the past or in your life you often find yourself saying yes to King Ahab, that you would know that God's grace and forgiveness has the power to restore your inheritance in him.
You know what?? The Lord made sure that Naboth's death was avenged. Everyone in Ahab's household died horrible shameful deaths and they weren't even buried. So if anyone or anything has forcefully taken away your inheritance, God will make sure that your past dies a shameful death that will be buried on the foot of the cross!!!
So Always know that you're loved and you’re a Vineyard worth everything.
WOW.
I've been doing my best to remain faithful to blogging. So anytime I can find time to squeeze in sharing time I make sure I do it.
While letting God's word speak to me, I've been combining the book of John and the book of Kings (1&2) I truly love the stories in the Old Testament. Some of them just have some serious drama; I mean some really good soapy drama, realty TV going on.
Anyway this week I reflected on a story called NABOTH'S VINEYARD.
Basically the jest of the story is King Ahab sees a nice fruitful vineyard by a hill that belongs to a man named Naboth. The Vineyard just happens to be close to the King's palace and He thinks it would be perfect for him to plant a vegetable garden.
Ok because of the Law (Mosses Law) The King requests Naboth to either give him the vineyard close to his palace in exchange for a better vineyard or buy it from him for whatever amount Naboth Request.
Naboth's response was "I inherited this vineyard from my ancestors,” Naboth replied. "The LORD forbids that I should let you have it!" basically He told the King of Israel a big NOOOOOOOOOOOOO. So the King went home depressed Please read the rest of it 1st Kings 21.
Anyway eventually the King and Queen eventually kill Naboth and his son's for His Vineyard.
Ok when I read this story I just thought of myself as Naboth, and the vineyard being my purity, sexual integrity, my intimacy with Jesus, my spiritual walk, finances, health e.t.c The Lord showed me that these things are gifts and an spiritual inheritance that God has given me, an inheritance that Jesus died for on the cross. And as a young woman I tend to have "King Ahabs" in my life that could lead me to compromise my Godly given inheritance. The funny thing the "King Ahabs in my Life make it sometimes make it seem worth giving up all that God has given me as part of his covenant promise for me.... These King Ahabs offer convenience, wealth, security, flatter, feeding my ego, emotions e.t.c all at the risk of me compromising my God given inheritance.
When Naboth said no to King Ahab, he knew he could put his life in danger or even delay his success. Naboth even got murdered for not selling his vineyard to the King.
I sometimes ask myself when my inheritance ever has to be tested like Naboth how will I stand? but I've learned in the past that every time I've been able to Say NO to the "King Ahabs" of my life (even just by refusing to sleep in and go exercise ha-ha or saying no to Ice-cream on weekdays or buying another pair of shoes just because its on sale ahhaah) I’ve learned that I'm not standing alone, but I really feel my intimate relationship with Jesus helping me stand.
So I truly encourage you that even if in the past or in your life you often find yourself saying yes to King Ahab, that you would know that God's grace and forgiveness has the power to restore your inheritance in him.
You know what?? The Lord made sure that Naboth's death was avenged. Everyone in Ahab's household died horrible shameful deaths and they weren't even buried. So if anyone or anything has forcefully taken away your inheritance, God will make sure that your past dies a shameful death that will be buried on the foot of the cross!!!
So Always know that you're loved and you’re a Vineyard worth everything.
WOW.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Sacrificing Purity For a Golden Calf
Ok, I know the title sounds a little heavy. But you know what a few months ago, I just had the urge to read Exodus, I love the stories in the old testament, no matter how many times I read them, I always feel God through his Holy spirit teaches me something new. I really feel that the word of God is never stale; it’s as if every time you read it with your heart, no matter how exhausted, time of day or discouraged you feel, The Lord always shows you a refreshing revelation. It’s interesting that every revelation is a reminder of how valuable we are not only as women but as daughters of the King.
So I read Exodus 32
When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, "Come, make us gods [a] who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to him."
2 Aaron answered them, "Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me." 3 So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, "These are your gods, [b] O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt."
You know after reading this scripture I wasn't really upset at the lack of Faith the Israelites, but instead I felt sad that the WOMEN were the first to give up their Jewelry to mold the calf. According to scripture it seems like no one protected the WOMEN from giving up their Jewelry. I started thinking to myself the whole story would have been different if a few husbands, fathers and brothers stood up and said "We refuse to see our wives, daughters and sons give up their Jewelry to fashion Sin".
You know the Lord began to show me that the jewelry used to fashion the golden calf actually represented purity. The Israelites needed PURE Gold, PURITY to construct a god they could worship, a god that would make them feel secure, make them feel valued, provide for them, give them direction.
Unfortunately our world is a lot like the Israelites; our world is willing to sacrifice purity at the expense of God's children to fashion misleading gods that give our world false security, guidance and value. I mean if we look at every marketing strategy for cosmetics, cars, clothes e.t.c, it permits young women to give up their jewels or Purity to get our attention, and for false profitable gain.
I'm not promoting feminism or anything else, it’s just that after I read this scripture I started praying that the Lord would raise up men and women that will fight to protect the purity of this generation. Men and women that will stand and say "we will not allow our wives, daughters, sons, sisters and brothers to give up their PURITY to Fashion a Golden Calf". I pray that as we heal from the hurts of the past and remain healed, we would continue to ask the Lord to guard our hearts so that we would not give up our purity to fashion golden calves that will draw us away from an intimate relationship with Jesus.
As always you're a woman of worth fashioned with God's Love and that makes you a pure crowned princess of God meant to reign & rule with him.
You’re loved.
WOW
So I read Exodus 32
When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, "Come, make us gods [a] who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to him."
2 Aaron answered them, "Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me." 3 So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, "These are your gods, [b] O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt."
You know after reading this scripture I wasn't really upset at the lack of Faith the Israelites, but instead I felt sad that the WOMEN were the first to give up their Jewelry to mold the calf. According to scripture it seems like no one protected the WOMEN from giving up their Jewelry. I started thinking to myself the whole story would have been different if a few husbands, fathers and brothers stood up and said "We refuse to see our wives, daughters and sons give up their Jewelry to fashion Sin".
You know the Lord began to show me that the jewelry used to fashion the golden calf actually represented purity. The Israelites needed PURE Gold, PURITY to construct a god they could worship, a god that would make them feel secure, make them feel valued, provide for them, give them direction.
Unfortunately our world is a lot like the Israelites; our world is willing to sacrifice purity at the expense of God's children to fashion misleading gods that give our world false security, guidance and value. I mean if we look at every marketing strategy for cosmetics, cars, clothes e.t.c, it permits young women to give up their jewels or Purity to get our attention, and for false profitable gain.
I'm not promoting feminism or anything else, it’s just that after I read this scripture I started praying that the Lord would raise up men and women that will fight to protect the purity of this generation. Men and women that will stand and say "we will not allow our wives, daughters, sons, sisters and brothers to give up their PURITY to Fashion a Golden Calf". I pray that as we heal from the hurts of the past and remain healed, we would continue to ask the Lord to guard our hearts so that we would not give up our purity to fashion golden calves that will draw us away from an intimate relationship with Jesus.
As always you're a woman of worth fashioned with God's Love and that makes you a pure crowned princess of God meant to reign & rule with him.
You’re loved.
WOW
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