May 20, 2008

FRUIT FOR THE HUNGRY

Christmas 2007 - Camping 2008 Mangawai Heads 016

In this moment of time many are experiencing a fresh move of God's Spirit and loving His nearness and presence, getting excited about the things He is doing. Why is this happening now? Are we looking, wondering, asking questions as to what it is He is wanting to accomplish - beyond meeting our needs and making us feel good?

I truly believe it is a time to look wider, not focus down onto what is taking place but hold it before us and ask the Lord to show us the wider context in HIS plans.

Let us move quietly with Him, expectant and listening, allowing Him to accomplish His work in our lives to prepare us for something even bigger than what we can see.

In March of last year I had the following vision, and suspect it may be a part of this wider picture, so have posted it again for consideration.

In this vision I was sitting on the threshing floor (a place the Lord had been calling me to regularly in the last few weeks).

The pressing cry that came three times was: “Let the chaff go and the wheat remain”, and then straight after that: “Lord have mercy”.

There was a desperation in me that He would blow away the chaff in my own life, and I could see He was wanting to prepare me for something that was coming. I also saw that He was drawing my attention to the chaff itself.

Immediately the question came: “If I blow away the chaff, where will it go?”

I then saw a lake of fire. It looked like a forest fire burning at a low level. The flames were not leaping high but were constant and the wind was constantly blowing on them keeping them at an intense heat. The flames were fuelled by the substance they were burning on which seemed like thick oil.

Matthew 3:12 came to mind : “His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire”.

Again came the cry: “Lord have mercy”.

Now I saw the fire being held back. There was a wall that it could not break through. There had been something built up that held back the fire.

I could hear only one word : “HOLINESS”.

With this word came the understanding that as the people of God pursue holiness, it is as if they are all turned with their backs to the fire, and they become the wall that holds the fire back.

I saw that the pursuit of holiness allows the RIVER OF GOD to flow, it keeps His people cool and flows over those around them, a cooling, healing stream.

I saw that the people of God had become TREES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS and were beginning to release life and healing to those around them, and especially to those who were huddled together terrified of the fire.

I saw the LOST. They were no longer ignorant, but were afraid as they saw the fire approaching and also saw those who stood between them and the fire.

THEIR EYES HAD BEEN OPENED TO THEIR CONDITION AND THEIR DANGER.

I saw the RIVER before my feet, it was clear and there were a few small fish swimming in it, but as I looked upstream I saw more, and larger, fish coming.

I saw God’s people STANDING in this place, and those in need coming and picking the fruit of these lives and putting it into their mouths – they were HELPING THEMSELVES to what the Lord had produced.

THE HARVEST HAD BEGUN.

The scriptures that came to mind as I was looking at this were:

Jeremiah 17:7 & 8

Romans 8

Galatians 5-16 – 6:10

Revelation 22

I was aware of the manifestation of the sons and daughters of God, those who chose to walk by His Spirit and turn their backs on the things of this world that kept their souls comfortable.

I was aware that the pursuit of holiness is not the pointing out of the faults of others, but individually coming to the threshing floor and falling on our faces, asking Him to have mercy and remove the chaff from our lives.

We turn towards You, Father, make us Your own sons and daughters in this time. Help us to stand as Your trees with our roots in Your Word, watered by the river of Your Life, always bearing fruit.

We put our trust and confidence in You alone.

May 06, 2008

STAY AND PRAY

O beauty ever ancient, ever new.

Too late have I loved you.

I was outside and you were within me.

UK & Ireland 2007 128

And I never found you until I found

You within myself.

St. Augustine

Today I have felt constrained to stay still, sit quietly in one place, not running here and there, but quietly in His presence. Every time I sit still the Lord is there sitting with me, His presence strong and beautiful.

Obviously the question arises "Why Lord ... right now?" Why this almost tangible block to everything that would seem to excite and fulfil, even to things that You have called me to and enabled me to do? Why now?

I have watched and read as reports come of the Lord moving again in this day; reading of the excitement of 'revival' meetings that many are flocking to, even travelling long distances to be part of because God's presence is there and He is moving to do wonderful things in the midst of the people.

In the face of all of this, I felt today He was saying "Stay where you are and pray."

As I ponder this I believe He is showing something important for the days ahead. Yes ... we are hungry and thirsty ... longing for more of Him in our midst ... but still I hear Him saying "Stay where you are and pray."

Could it be that where we are right now is where He has placed us?

Could it be that we could miss something wonderful He intends to do in this place because we run off to another where the grass looks a little greener?

Could it be that our placing and our prayers are a little more important to the Lord than we ever thought they might be?

In past events have we perhaps missed the fullness of what He wanted to do because we chased after the obvious and were not willing to STAND in the place He put us and pray that He would manifest His presence there.

Just maybe, there are people all around us who will miss out on KNOWING the greatness of our God because we were off chasing it somewhere else instead of praying that He would come visit right where we are now.

All I can say is that He is causing me to sit still with Him and saying "Stay where you are and pray."