perspective

So since I've been home, there have been a fair number of people asking me about college, about missions, and about my life. Specifically about my future. "Do you have any more idea now about what you want to do? Has God given you any new direction? Do you have a boyfriend? What's your favorite subject? What do you want to do with your life?"

That's ok. I don't mind. I know they're asking because they care, and for that I'm tremendously thankful. People have been asking me these same questions for the last 5 years, so it's nothing new. Maybe it's the fact that I have given them the same answers for 5 years that I find a little tiresome. But if they don't mind hearing it, I don't mind saying it:

No. No. No. I don't know. Again, I don't know.

These last 6 months have challenged everything about who I am - and honestly, I'm pretty sure that it was God's plan. There's a hidden power in the mindsets we hold that can either benefit us or hold us back from the beauty of knowing God and His plan for our lives. I've been listening to a podcast from Bethel church in California, and one of Bill Johnson's favorite things to say is that you will reflect the image of the world that you are most aware of. If you're more aware of God's kingdom and His presence in your life, then your soul will prosper as He intended and you will walk as one who is truly in the world, but not of it. If you pay more attention to this world and its systems, then you may be able to be a good person, but your mind will fashion itself after the world's way of thinking and effectively limit your ability to hear and obey the voice of God.

One reason that this is so essential is unless we have the right guidelines established, the basic frame of reference formed, and the foundation in place, we will have no power to go any deeper. It's a time of God rearranging our mindsets to mirror His own, and I love it. You can't hold an encyclopedia set in a magazine rack, and you can't understand the mind of God unless your basic approach to His word is grounded in a living relationship with the Word who was made flesh, Jesus, and is directed by the Spirit who alone knows the heart of God. (John 1 & 1 Corinthians 2:10-13)

I'll end with this devo from Patricia King's email list:

A DEVOTIONAL STUDY - August 2007
Subject: "What Do You See?"
By Mary Skelton

STUDY INCLUDES:
A. Prophetic Encouragement
B. Devotional Teaching
C. Weekly Scripture Meditation


A. PROPHETIC ENCOURAGEMENT

I had a vision of the Lord releasing doves from heaven. They came and rested on those who needed to see the true nature of the Savior. The dove represents the Holy Spirit and undivided focus. In the Song of Songs 4:1 (NKJV) the Beloved tells the Shulamite woman, a representation of the Bride, “You have dove’s eyes behind your veil.” I see the Holy Spirit coming to restore pure undivided vision to the Bride. In this hour, it is crucial that we see the Lord clearly without our vision of Him distorted in any way.

Another vision depicted a bride sitting in the dirt wearing her wedding dress. She stood up, the dress became spotless, her bouquet returned to her hands, and she radiated with love. I believe this is a prophetic picture of the Bride in this season where the Lord is restoring purity and clothing her in clean garments. The Lord spoke to my heart about bridal vision and the gaze of the bride toward her groom. A bride’s eyes are consumed with love for her groom. It actually grieved my heart because I realized I had not looked at the Lord like that in awhile. It stirred me to jealousy for my gaze to be restored to that of a lovesick bride. If this last season has felt or seemed devoid of passion, be encouraged that the Lord is working even in the dullness to create a pure vision of who He is. He is removing the hindrances and faulty mindsets, which distort our vision. His eyes are flames of fire (Revelation 1:14) and His fiery gaze is about to reignite a radical passion in your vision.

The Holy Spirit revealed how disappointments and unmet expectations can cause vision to become blurry. A bride sees every good thing about her groom. She looks with eyes that see the best: the best in her groom, the best about the future, and excitement about the present. You may be thinking, well that is naïve love. But, not when your groom is Perfect Love Himself. He said, “perfect loves casts out all fear” and “love believes all things”. (1 John 14:18; 1 Cor. 13:7). That is the kind of love He has toward you! We have all had things try to taint our understanding of the love of God. Unknowingly, we may settle into an embittered heart that no longer believes the nudges of the Holy Spirit, which says, He will be everything for you. We may fear that where we are at is as good as it gets and the longings of our heart may go unanswered. I had a wise person recently share with me that if God put the desire inside you, then He plans to make room for that desire to come to pass. It is time to allow the Holy Spirit to renew our vision of the heart of God. He loves you! He is ravished by you. He thinks you are the best thing He ever created! He is incredibly intentional on your behalf and wants your faith to connect with His true nature that He may lavish you with the best that He is!

Jesus is the author and finisher of YOUR faith (Heb. 12:2). Ask Him to come now and renew your vision so you will see and expect the best!


B. DEVOTIONAL TEACHING

What You SEE Is What You GET:
In a journal written by Graham Cooke, Graham expresses the concept of beholding and becoming, that as we behold God, we become like Him (II Corinthians 3:16, 18). Sometimes our gaze needs an upgrade! If we are unsatisfied where we are finding ourselves, it is highly possible we are not beholding a clear vision of God. The apostle John wrote to the “lukewarm church” in Revelation 3 where he encouraged them to anoint their eyes with eye salve that they “may see.” We need to see clearly, so we can become a true representation of Christ in the earth. God asked Jeremiah in chapter 1 verse 11, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” God responds in verse 12, “You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word.” God is still asking, “What do you see?” He wants to perform the vision you have of Him. Ask God for a clear picture of what aspect of His nature He is in the process of revealing to you right now!!

Vision Distorters:
Often, when I notice that I feel heavy or discouraged it is because I feel I have either disappointed God in some way or not measured up to the standard I feel He has called me to carry. This is usually a good indicator that I am misrepresenting the heart of God to myself! Conviction will always lead you to a place of seeing the radical goodness of God on your behalf. Heaviness and discouragement will cause you to make judgments against the nature of God. These judgments carry more weight than we realize as they limit God to operate within the restricted “faith” boundaries we establish. We receive according to our faith, so our faith needs to be grounded in truth not our limited experience. Just as God said to Moses’ request to see the glory of God, He is saying to you, “I will make all my goodness to pass before you” (Exodus 33:19). Let Him speak to your frustrations with His goodness.

Stand Your Ground:
You may be asking, “What about all the things I’ve been believing for but I haven’t seen?” In fact, you may have seen just the opposite. Sometimes we find ourselves in a dull place emotionally where we have difficulty feeling our heart of love toward the Lord. In these times, I have had to let the Holy Spirit speak to me about the way He sees me. I can’t rely on what I think about myself. We all need to base our opinion of ourselves on what God says. The same goes for our circumstances and the things we are standing for in faith. Every time I want to sit down in the battle I hear the Spirit whisper, “But we are not of those who draw back to destruction, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.” A fresh determination rises up inside me and the warrior stands back up.

Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV) says “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” It is okay to be honest with God and tell Him where you are disappointed or struggling. But, since we have the opportunity to please Him with our faith, ask Him, “I know Your very nature is to bless me, so can You show me what promise I can hold onto in faith while I am waiting?

Expectation Makes Room:
Don’t suppose that just because there are promises written in the Bible, they will all come to pass in your life. The Word is alive and dwells in your heart. It is our agreement with the truth of God’s word that creates a place for God to release the promises into your life (John 16:24, 1 John 5:14-15). Let your desires move into the realm of faith and then fuel the flames with expectation for God to move on your behalf!

Be a Lovesick Bride:
It is all about seeing with eyes of love. You can have what you see about God! Deuteronomy 29:29 (NKJV) states, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever...” This is not just for you but will affect your entire household and those who receive from your testimony of who God is for YOU! Your revelation of God should awaken a hunger in others! The daughters of Jerusalem responded to the Shulamite’s description of her glorious Groom in Song of Songs 6:1 with a passionate desire to find Him for themselves! That should be the response in others when they hear about God’s nature. Do others want to encounter the God you serve? He is THE most desirable person we could ever meet! If He were in the room with you right now, there would be no staying away! He truly is irresistible!!


C. SCRIPTURE MEDITATION

1. Week One: Revelation 3:14-22
2. Week Two: Hosea 2:14-23
3. Week Three: Ephesians 1
4. Week Four: Hebrews 10:35-39 and 11:1-6


http://www.extremeprophetic.com/mailouts2006/printerfriendly/devotionaljuly07Printer.htm

An Offensive Grace

For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

1 Corinthians 1:21-25

I've been thinking a lot over the last 2 months. God has placed me in an interesting season - one which I asked for, but didn't expect. Not now, anyway. Not like this. Isn't it funny how our own prayers come back around to us? It's like God planned it that way or something.

One of the topics that I've finally come back around to is grace. It's interesting how you grab onto the same truths throughout your walk with God, but in a new dimension every time. It never gets old. As the old song goes,

'twas grace that taught my heart to fear
and grace my fears relieved
how precious did that grace appear
the hour I first believed

Grace will always be a mystery to me. It messes up our best attempts to explain away God's actions - or His lack of actions. Our highest attempts to contain Him shatter before grace. It can be our greatest friend in times of weakness and yet, it defies us in our efforts to excuse ourselves from the responsibility we have been given.

What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from Gentiles.
What shall we say then? that Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith' but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, just as it is written:
"Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, and he who believes in Him will not be disappointed."

Romans 9:22-24, 30-33

See what I mean? Grace isn't just some soft concept of knowing that God forgives us when we sin. It's the hard reality that can slap us in the face as we realize that God is God, and that He has enabled us to walk in His presence. Grace is the supernatural empowerment that God gives His children, enabling us to see as He sees, and then to walk as He walks. It teaches us to walk in the fear of the Lord - knowing that He is a God of justice, and that He is Holy. It keeps us walking in humility, because no matter how hard we try or how "good" we are apart from Him, our works will get us nowhere. It teaches us to run to God, whether we have been good or bad, because in Him alone do we find our completion. His discipline, though painful, becomes sweet when we recognize it as a sign that He has accepted us as His own, and cares enough about us not to leave us in our sin.

For God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Ephesians 2:4-10

Honestly, it doesn't make sense - not with the natural mind, anyway. Why would God call sinners? and why would the greatest sinners be given the most grace? What about once you have been saved? It doesn't seem to be a level playing field then, either. Just think about the parable of the man waiting in the market to hire people to work for him. Some people worked all day, some half the day, some only an hour or so. At the end of the day, though, he paid them all the full day's wages. What's up with that? isn't God just? Of course He is. What about the story of Jonah? Jonah was offended because Nineveh was spared. But in Jesus' own words,

Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous? So the last shall be first, and the first last.

Matthew 20:15-16

You see, it's impossible to understand the ways of God with your natural mind and your natural sense of justice (Romans 8:6-8). That's why the courts are so messed up today. Without the vertical plumb line of righteousness, developed and tested through intimate relationship with God, the scales of justice are perverted and there is no standard by which to judge correctly. That's why the homosexual community and the pro-choice movement can call out for social justice and, at least on the surface, make sense.

Back to grace. My pastor always says that sometimes, God offends the mind in order to reach the heart. It's true - grace offends the natural mind. And the more you pour into God's work, the closer you have to cling to the One who called you and who alone can give you the strength to continue without wavering. Sometimes I think that this is the key point on which the system of the hierarchy of the Catholic church has messed up - but that's beside the point. Jesus said to John the Baptist's messengers,

Blessed is he who does not take offense at me.

Matthew 11:6

How in the world are we supposed to accept this, then? Why should we love and serve a God that we can't figure out? We know His faithfulness, but it doesn't always look like we expect it to. We know His power, but it sometimes seems to be hidden completely from our eyes. We know that we are supposed to live our lives in service to others - and sometimes we do, and we like to - but other times it just doesn't seem worth it. I think that John said it perfectly:

We love, because He first loved us.

1 John 4:19

I think I left my original train of thought. Oh well. Here's the gist of what I wanted to say:

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen!

Romans 11:33-36

(edit: I found this in my gmail account today, by Francis Frangipane)

When God Himself Offends Us
The fact is, false expectations can become a source of many deep offenses. However, one of the worst offenses we can suffer is when God Himself purposely offends us.

In 2 Kings 5, we read the story of when Naaman, a Syrian general, sought to be healed of leprosy by Elisha, the prophet. When Naaman and his entourage arrived at Elisha’s house, Elisha didn’t greet him personally, but instead sent his servant with a word/cure for Naaman. It was a simple assignment for the military leader: wash seven times in the Jordan River. However, the cure offended Naaman. Why didn’t the prophet himself come out? Why this muddy Jordan? Scripture says that “Naaman was furious.”

An offended spirit is an angry spirit. In this case, Naaman was beyond mad; he was furious. Do you find that you are always mad at a particular person? It’s because they have offended you and you haven’t forgiven them. Naaman was offended at Elisha, but what was the real cause of Naaman’s offense? Listen to his words. He said, “Behold, I thought, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and cure the leper’” (v. 11).

Catch the phrase, “Behold, I thought . . .” In truth, Naaman was not offended by Elisha, but by his own failed expectations. He probably spent many hours envisioning the moment of healing. He even pictured himself testifying of how the man of God healed him. When it didn’t happen according to his plan, he was offended.

Friends, before the Lord heals you or assigns you some new, elevated position of service, He will often offend you. Why? What is it that gets offended in us? Usually, it is our pride. We come to God desiring physical healing, but the Lord wants us not only to be healed, but to be humble. Yes, God heals us through our faith, but there our times when our own pride keeps us from receiving the method of God’s healing. The Lord offends us to humble us, so He can give us grace. Faith works through grace, but God only gives grace to the humble.

Look at how often Jesus offended people before He healed them. Once, He actually spit on the ground, made mud and put it on a blind man’s eyes, and then told him to walk across town that way! Imagine if you were next in the healing line and saw what the guy before you had to do. Admit it, we each would be looking for another healing ministry, one that is a little less offensive! On another occasion He told a woman who came seeking her daughter’s healing that she was an unclean dog; another time, He stuck His fingers in the ears of a man to heal his deafness. The Lord often offended people before He healed them.

If we would learn to humble ourselves in the offense, we would discover that the apparent offense was, in realty, a door that led into the manifest power of God. When Jesus called the Canaanite woman a “dog,” instead of being offended, she said, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs feed on the crumbs” (Matt. 15:27). When Jesus told the man to walk across town with mud in his eyes, the man didn’t argue or ask for a more dignified healing; he humbled himself and came back seeing. When Elisha told Naaman to dip in the Jordan seven times, the offense wounded him. Yet, when he humbled himself, his leprosy was replaced with the skin of a little child. His skin became as a child, because his heart, through humility, became as a child.