Trail Of Tears

Great things happen when Zion travails

with weeping and moaning and wails

when our spirits are humble

those walls start to crumble

the Spirit of God, it prevails!

 

I am so excited about how God is beginning to use our young people to intercede for lost souls! Sunday night was an awesome service in church, and I believe, the start of something really great. A heavy spirit of prayer and intercession came upon the church. There was weeping and groaning and travailing. Our evangelist, Bro. Trevino, spoke briefly about intercession, and then there was more praying. Bro. Trevino gave a challenge to the young people to take up the burden of intercessory prayer, and they took it to heart. Those young people were weeping, talking in tongues, groaning and some even had snot running down their face, but they didn’t care. They were getting a hold of God. After service the young people talked and decided that they wanted to fast and get together Monday evening and pray. I was there for the prayer meeting, and it was just as powerful as Sunday night. They prayed for an hour and a half, which is especially long when you haven’t eaten all day. I am believing that we are going to see

new souls receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues

physical healings

financial miracles

revival and renewal among the saints of God

 

Great things happen when we earnestly, fervently pray!

When was the last time you wept for a soul

As tears from your eyes did freely flow

With agony over one’s lost condition

Of eternity without God, perdition?

 

If to win one to God is your noble goal

When was the last time you wept for a soul?

Before this great gospel we can share

We must take some time to wrestle in prayer.

 

Have you witnessed, it seems, to no avail?

Perhaps you’re lacking this thing called travail.

When was the last time you wept for a soul

With heart wrenching sobs you could scarcely control?

 

Ever take time to wonder why

Your spirit just seems so lifeless and dry?

Over this question, you may want to mull.

“When was the last time you wept for a soul?”

written

 

 

4-9-09

 

 

Psalm 126:5  Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!

126:6  He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.

 

 

James 4:9  Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.

4:10  Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

 

2Chronicles 7:14  if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

 

Romans 8:26  Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

 

“Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.”

Bob Pierce

 

 

 

Real Repentance

Yesterday, I was reading in 2 Kings about King Josiah, I was stunned by the level of this man’s repentance. After hearing from the book of the law about how his nation had sinned and how God was going to bring judgment upon Judah, we can read of Josiah’s reaction and God’s response to him.

2Kings 22:19

Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the LORD, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the LORD.

Josiah had a tender heart and ripped his garment and cried tears as a sign of his mourning, but he did not stop there. In 2 Kings 23:2,3, we read how King Josiah gathered all the people together and read to them from the book of the law and then made a covenant before the Lord, that him and his people would walk after the Lord and keep his commandments. In the rest of this chapter, we can read of the many things Josiah did to show that he was serious about not only confessing but forsaking sin and living to please God.

-He took the vessels out of the house of God that had been used to worship Baal and other false gods and had them burnt – 2Ki. 23:4

-Got rid of the idolatrous priests – v. 5

-He took out the grove(I researched this some, and it was an idol called Asherah that the people had worshipped), burnt it and stamped it down to powder and sprinkled it on the graves of the common people. -v.6

-He broke down the houses of the sodomites that were by the house of the Lord – v. 7

-Got rid of the high places(where idol worship also went on) – v.8

-He defiled Topeth(a place where people would go to offer human sacrifices to the god Molech)-v.10

-He took away the horses that the kings of Judah had used in worshipping the sun. (From what I read, these hours were used for men to mount and meet the sun each morning.) v. 11

-Beat and broke down altars that were used in the worship of false deities. -v. 12

-Defiled the high places that had been used in the worship of Ashteroth, Chemosh and Milcom – v. 13

-Broke the images in pieces and cut down the groves – v. 14

-Broke down the altar and high places in Bethel – v. 15

-Broked down the high places in Samaria – v. 19

-Slew all the priests of the high places – v. 20

-Got rid of all those in Judah and Jerusalem that practiced witchcraft. Got rid of all idols and images. -v. 24

It’s interesting to me what the Lord has to say after this list of things that Josiah did.

2 Kings 23:25

And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him.

As I read about Josiah a Scipture from the New Testament came to my mind. It was something that John the Baptist said to the Pharisees and Saducees that had come out to see him baptizing. He told them to

Matthew 3:8 – “Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance.”

In other words, “If you are coming to me to be baptized, show me some evidence that you have truly repented.

I believe Josiah’s actions clearly showed that he had repented and was serious about living for God. His actions not only affected himself but also a whole nation. May we have the kind of repentance that is truly pleasing to God, a Proverbs 28:13 repentance.

Proverbs 28:13

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

 

What Would Happen If A President Said This Today?

American Minute with Bill Federer

March 30

During the Civil War, after issuing his Emancipation Proclamation,
President Abraham Lincoln set a National Day of Humiliation, Fasting
and Prayer, MARCH 30, 1863, stating:

“It is the duty of nations…to own their dependence upon the
overruling power of God, to confess their sins…with assured hope
that genuine repentance will lead to mercy…

The awful calamity of civil war…may be but a punishment inflicted
upon us for our presumptuous sins.”

Lincoln continued:

“We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven…

We have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has
ever grown.

But we have forgotten God.

We have forgotten the gracious Hand which preserved us in peace, and
multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly
imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings
were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.”

Lincoln concluded:

“Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too
self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving
grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!

It behooves us then to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to
confess our national sins and to pray for…forgiveness.”

 

Whatever Your Lot In Life………

Last night we had an evangelist with us in service, and he told an interesting story of his younger days when he was evangelizing with his wife and daughter who was just an infant at the time.  He was in another state and going to a home of a pastor he had never met before. He pulled up to what on the outside looked like a nice home.  The pastor greeted him at the door, and although he smiled and was cordial, the evangelist sensed an air of sadness about him. Entering into the house, the evangelist and his wife were stunned to see the house in shambles. It wasn’t a filthy place, but it was a mess from obvious construction that had been going on. The evangelist and his wife discovered later that evening that the room in the house where they would be staying was infested with ladybugs. Seeing as they would only be staying there for a few days, they decided that they would just put up with it.  After they had gotten things settled in their room, they went out to the living room to spend some time with the pastor and his family.  Conversation turned toward the evangelist’s infant daughter, and someone asked what the baby was named. When the evangelist said his daughters name, he immediately felt tension in air. He wondered what he had said or done that would evoke such a feeling. The pastor asked him in a barely audible voice, “What did you say her name was?” Upon the evangelist repeating his daughter’s name, one of the pastor’s sons turned 360 and walked out of the room. The pastor then began to relate an incident that happened a couple of years back. He had a granddaughter with the same name as the evangelist’s daughter. One day, when the granddaughter was a toddler, she was playing there on the pastor’s(grandfathers) property. Somehow, while the grandparents got distracted, the little girl wandered off, and when her grandparents noticed, they began looking for her. The pastor’s wife(grandmother)ended up finding her face down in a pond they had on their property. They were devastated. The pastor’s son who was the father of the child, became bitter and turned his back on God. This was another devastating blow.  About a year or so later, the pastor was on his way to church on a Sunday morning and driving in inclement weather. He failed to see a stop sign, went through it and ended up hitting a car. The driver of the car was a woman, and she had her young daughter in the car with her. Both of them died.  The pastor was distraught over this, and the sad incident was also printed in the local paper.  In the midst of the turmoil that followed, the assistant pastor at this church ended up leaving and pulling half the congregation out with him.  The evangelist found out later that the reason the house was in shambles was during this period when all these trying things happened, they had been remodeling their house. (First they remodeled the church, and then they decided to work on the house, which was actually left in shambles by a former pastor.) They got to the point where they just lost heart and couldn’t continue with the remodeling. The evangelist, upon finding out all this information had a question he needed to ask the pastor. The question he asked went something like this.  “After all that has happened to you in the past few years, how can you keep on pastoring here? How do you keep going on? The pastor’s answer?

Whatever your lot in life, build on it.

 

I just thought that was so profound.  In spite of this man’s struggles and troubles, he had purposed in his heart that he would still do something for God. Life can sure throw us some curve balls. We all will have our share of troubles , but whatever happens, I pray that I could have a victor and not a victim mentality and the attitude of this pastor. May God help us to view our troubles according to His Word.

Psa 27:4,5

 

 

 

One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

Psalm 32:7

 

 

 

Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah

Psa 59:16

 

 

 

But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.

Note : The evangelist and his wife were asked by the pastor to stay longer than originally planned. In spite of the ladybugs, they said yes. Several souls were filled with the Holy Ghost and baptized in Jesus’ name in those meetings. The pastor and his wife were thrilled!

.

 

Reunion

This poem is dedicated to my dear friend, May.

Time and distance can cause

some relationships to

decay, but

that has not been the case

with you,

old friend.

When I heard your voice

again, you sounded exactly

the same, and suddenly,

I was transported back to

our teen years.

Remembering the little things;

Your ankles cracking

every morning when

you got out of bed.

Filling your closet space

with…………………

those dreaded banana peels,

and other scenarios

too numerous to mention.

But we are not kids

anymore, and some painful

blows have come your way.

I see you still

fighting the fight,

and I am reminded that

not everything which

is crushed goes

in the discard pile.

Tear the delicate petal

of a rose in

tiny pieces and,

there is still sweet fragrance

to enjoy.

And so friend,

Let’s march on.

Will I see you

in your state?

Or will you visit

in my state?

I do not know.

But

there is a

City that awaits us!

7-19-10

 

The Lord’s Lint

Who would have ever thought that something useful could be made with dryer lint? Most of the time, I just throw my dryer lint away, as I’m sure most people do. However, I found out a few months ago that there are lots of uses for dryer lint. The concoction that I made in the last post was a dryer lint clay which is somewhat similar to papier mache. I used it to do a craft with one of my clients.(I work with autistic children.) We took the clay and pressed it on an empty water bottle. Then we pressed colored paper, ribbon, crayon shavings and sparkles into the clay to decorate it. When it dries, it will be a funky flower vase. I meant to take a picture of it, but in my haste to accomplish other things in our session, I forgot.

Here are some other things that can be done with dryer lint.

- Use dryer lint for packing material in boxes.

- It can be reformed into cloth. You can spin it much like wool into thread and then use that thread for weaving, or you could crochet or knit it into a scarf, blanket, etc.

- You can place some dryer lint out on your lawn and watch the birds come and gather this nest building material.

- Stuff your old tube sock with dryer lint to create draft stoppers for your doors.

-Put dryer lint in your kindling box. It is great for starting fires.

-Dryer lint can be used to protect your plants from cold. Put it around the base of your less hardy plants to keep them warm.

-It can be used in making different crafts.

The following piece of art work was made by Bryn Starr Best of Vista, Ca. using dryer lint.

It’s amazing that useful and even beautiful things can be formed from something that most people throw away. Sin has a way of really messing up people, sometimes so much to the point where they or perhaps others around them feel there is nothing good that can come out of their lives. It’s satan’s desire to see human lives messed up and thrown away, but God sees things differently. We can come to God in repentance over our sinful condition not having much to offer, but God sees our potential, and He can make something useful and beautiful out of the life that is surrendered to Him. I’m glad to be counted among the Lord’s lint!

 

Revival 2010!

We just finished up a  series of meeting with evangelist Don Hyler III, which in my opinion, are some of the best services we’ve had since coming to Oakley in 2003. Since the beginning of this year, I have really felt in my spirit that we were going to see some real spiritual breakthroughs this year. We have had a lot of visitors in the past 3 weeks, and I know that God is definitely working in people’s hearts, and there are some who are “counting the cost” and deciding if they will really get in and serve God with all of their hearts. I’ve seen some who have had a rough childhood and hard lives and have been afraid to trust people begin to slowly break under the power and presence of God. One of the most beautiful things to see is a lone tear trickle down the face of a person that has lived through these type of circumstances.

At the beginning of this revival, which began with a youth service on April 24th, we had a 79 year old man come to visit with his daughter-in-law who is a faithful member of our church. This man understands very little English, and had never been in a one God, Jesus’ name, apostolic church before. It wasn’t long before he was clapping his hands, raising his hands to God and was enjoying what he was seeing and feeling. He was really praying too at the close of service, and a minister who understands Spanish was leading him in prayer and repentance. He told his daughter-in-law later that he wants to go to a church just like ours when he gets back to Texas. We were able to get his address and phone number and hook him up with a good pastor in his city who is fluent in Spanish. We’re looking forward to hearing about what God is going to do in his life.

There is so much more I could say, but I’m limited by time constraints. I also want to thank God  for filling a 7 year old girl with the Holy Ghost on Friday night. My husband had prayed with her and thought he heard her speak in tongues, but he didn’t say anything to her about it. She came up to him later after the altar service and said, “Pastor, I spoke in tongues tonight!” To God be the glory!!!

 

When You’ve Been There

Several weeks ago, I got a call from a lady who has visited our church on and off for a few months. As soon as she started talking, I knew something was wrong, and she went on to tell me the story of how her 8 month old granddaughter died in her arms.  An autopsy was done later and a cause of death could not be determined. They are considering it SIDS.  My heart broke for her. She was struggling with all the “whys”, battling depression and dealing with feelings of anger toward God for letting it happen. I told her what I felt God wanted me to say at the time, prayed with her over the phone and really encouraged her to be in church the next day. She was in church the next day and cried through much of the service. My husband talked with her quite a bit after service too.  During the next few weeks we did not see her. Every time I called or tried going by her house she wasn’t home. Her daughter who lost the baby lived an hour away, and she was spending a lot of time with her. Although I couldn’t get in touch with her, I tried to make it a point to pray for her often. One of the things I prayed(besides for comfort)was that God would give her a new perspective and help her to see what happened through His eyes.

Last week, she came to church after being gone for a few weeks. During testimony time, she stood up and began to tell how God helped her to break through the darkness that had been surrounding her. The Lord brought the thought to her mind of how Mary must have felt to watch Jesus die on the cross. Although it was a difficult thing for her to endure, it was meant to be. This simple thought has brought her to the place where she is not crying constantly anymore.

Monday night, we had our monthly ladies’ prayer meeting at church. This is where we get together and pray specifically for our children, grandchildren and any other kids we know that need healing, salvation, etc. This lady and her sister came to the prayer meeting.  As we were getting ready to pray, this lady began talking about her granddaughter, how much she missed her and how it was still hard for her. Then the leader of our prayer group began to share something with this lady that she had been through. She had lost a child herself, something that I did not know. She began to share some of the things she went through, walking away from God, drinking, almost losing her marriage, etc. As she was talking another one of our ladies who was a little late came in and sat down and started listening to the conversation. When things got quiet, she too began to share how she had a grandson who died when he was 8 months old and all that she went through. I was so proud of these two ladies that had “been there” and allowed God to use them to help this other lady.  By the time we were through talking, praying, crying, laughing(yes, we even laughed some!)and having a snack together, I know this woman went home with a lighter heart.

I said all that to say that sometimes we go through things that are difficult, and we may wonder if we’re going to make it through or why God has allowed the thing to happen. If we’ll hold onto God and not allow our hearts to be overcome with doubt or bitterness, I believe God will one day bring us to the place where we can help someone else, because “we’ve been there.”

Although the death of this little girl has been difficult, God has already brought to pass 3 miracles.  3 infants were in need of heart surgeries to save their lives. The mother of the little girl who passed away was approached about organ donation, and first said no, but after some time and consideration, changed her no to a yes. All 3 of these infants came through their surgeries and are doing fine. Who knows what special plans God might have for these children.

Romans 8:28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

 

 

Update: October 11th – I just read a beautiful post written by blogger friend Karen that deals with this same subject. It’s amazing that we both posted about this on the same day. I encourage you to stop by and read Karen’s post. It’s well worth your time. Here is the link to it.

http://khopper.blogspot.com/2009/10/layer-by-layer.html

 

Restoration

Sin it crouches

Sin it pounces

Pounces on me

Pounces on you

You try to run

You try to hide

Hide the shame

Hide the truth

Truth that hurts

Truth that wounds

Wounds that fester in the heart

Wounds that tear a life apart

Apart from God

Apart from mercy

Mercy can refuse

Mercy also beckons

Beckons softly

Beckons tenderly

Tenderly His voice

Tenderly it calls

Calls for repentance

Calls me to an altar

Altar of humility

Altar of confession

Confession brings release

Confession brings peace

Peace floods my soul

Peace like a river

River that flows

River of life

Life that’s worth living

Life meant for giving

Giving of self

Giving in service

Service to others

Service to God

God of love

God of hope

Hope for tomorrow

Hope in my sorrow

Sorrow that comes

Sorrow that goes

Goes in God’s time

Goes in God’s season

Season of revival

Season of renewal

Renewal

Revival

 

Written 7/19/09

This type of poem is called The Blitz. You can click here to see how to write it.

 

Big Boys Do Cry

Yesterday, I was having a discussion with someone very close to me about the subject of men that can cry. In our society, this is something often viewed as a flaw or weakness. Men are supposed to be tough and strong and have a backbone like a sawed off log. I don’t believe this is the case though when it comes to having a relationship with God. Whether we’re male or female, God really can’t do anything with us until we come to Him in brokenness. There are many Scriptures that bear this out.  Here are a few for consideration.

 

The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.   Psalm 34:18

 

 

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.   Psalm 51:17

 

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.   Matthew 5:4

 

James4:8  Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

4:9  Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

 

Later as we were talking, the name of a particular individual was brought into our conversation. It was noted that this guy is definitely not a sissy. He enjoys doing the typical things that are associated with men, but when it comes to being broken in the presence of God, he is not ashamed or afraid to cry. I really appreciate this quality in a man. Maybe I’m just weird, but there is something about seeing a man break down in the presence of God that just makes me break all over again too.

 

Here are a few quotes I found about brokenness that I really liked. May God bless our churches with more men that are not ashamed to come before the Lord with a broken spirit!

 

“True prayer is born out of brokenness.” Francis J. Roberts

 

“God will never plant the seed of his life upon the soil of a hard, unbroken spirit. He will only plant that seed where the conviction of his spirit has brought brokenness, where the soil has been watered with the tears of repentance as well as the tears of joy.” Alan Redpath

 

“The kingdom of God is a kingdom of Paradox, where through the ugly defeat of a cross, a holy God is utterly glorified. Victory comes through defeat; healing through brokenness; finding self through losing self.” Charles Colson

“Deliverance can come to us only by the defeat of our old life. Safety and peace come only after we have been forced to our knees. God rescues us by breaking us, by shattering our strength and wiping out our resistance.” A. W. Tozer