This Is Revival

Revival.

that's a strong word. But what is it? How does it come to happen? Revival happens when a leader or leaders have a vision.

Visions must be saturated with the truth of God to initiate any revival of hearts. Before community revival happens, there must be a fresh personal revival. The truth of God needs to cancel out all the lies that have formed in me. This begins when I turn to God and reach out to Him: knowing He is the only hope I have for any sort of change.

I am beginning to see my heart turning back to God so I am equpped to point others toward the Truth. That is my prayer: that people around me will see the truth of God in me and they will be motivated to dig deeper into a life of intimacy with God.

The Truth of God Cancels Out Lies

Two (2) things God has taught me recently:
(1) Truth isn't comfortable
AND
(2) Truth convicts

Truth isn't comfortable because when I read His word, that requires an attitude and mind shift. When I meditate on the truth, I am aware of what keeps me from Him. Then I evaluate my life and choose to change.

Truth also convicts me of sin in my heart and mind. His truth penetrates the deepest part of me and then I question what I'm really about: God or the world?

The world is full of lies that creep into my mind that sometimes go unnoticed. And when they go unnoticed, it leads to a damaged relationship with God.
Only His truth can cancel out lies.

By bridging these two characteristics of truth together, they build my faith stronger in Him.

Faith + Hope + Love

Faith

Hope

Love
These are foundational in my relationship with God. Faith is the base, hope builds itself: it looks to the future. Love is in us and radiates through us.

Hebrews 11:6 speaks of faith: And without faith, it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him must believe he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Faith is essential for me because, without it, I cannot please God.

I Peter 1:13 states: Therefore, prepare your minds for action, be self controlled, set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

To hope for something is looking to the future, having an assurance things will change. This is also a call for me to set my hope on the grace of God.

Finally, I Corinthians 13:13 says, And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Love is greater than faith and hope. Love binds the other two together.
Working in unity, they form the base of my Christian life.

a CROSS the EARTH

Salvation is for all people. That's the reason for the cross.
a CROSS.
the EARTH.

I step away from the cross, I get away from Jesus and what He bore to save me. As a Christian, I need to embrace the cross for all my pain, sorrow, shame, brokenness, etc was laid there so I could taste forgiveness.

The forgiveness of God is a beautiful thing. Every wrongdoing is canceled out because He forgave me. In the book Don't Waste Your Life, John Piper writes that forgiveness is good because it gives us God. I agree with that statement because I am not right with God without forgiveness.

Being right with God through the gift of forgiveness enables me to forgive everyone who has ever hurt me or sought to cause me harm. Forgiveness is an act of grace and also sets me free.

Forgiveness is seen in the cross. I believe people of the earth need forgiveness and they will see it through the cross of Christ, not looking inward but outward.

The Presence of Jesus

It's Christmas time again! This year I got all my shopping done early so I could enjoy the true meaning of Christmas. It's not about material presents but about His presence in my life.

Christmas is a celebration of God sending His son to earth as a baby so we may know Him. I live every day in His presence.

I admit sometimes I get caught up in all the holiday hype and I lose focus on what Christmas really means. It's about spending time with those who are close to heart and who care about each other.

God truly and unconditionally cares for all of us.

All I Want In Life

Over the past few years, I have grown immensely in my faith. God used Indiana Wesleyan to challenge me to move beyond self centered plans to completely abandoned and surrendered to Him.

This leads me into today. All I want in life is to live completely for Him. That's all I want. I don't want to be stuck in shame, guilt, brokenness, or anything that will even seek to drag me apart from God.

Therefore, I want to share some verses that I seek to live by:

"Cast your cares on the LORD
and he will sustain you;
he will never let the righteous fall." -Psalm 55:22

"Yes, LORD, walking in the ways of your laws
we wait for you,
your name and renown
are the desire of our hearts." -Isaiah 26:8

"Not to us, O LORD, not to us
but to your name be the glory
because of your love and faithfulness." -Psalm 115:1

The previous verses sum up perfectly what I want in my life: I want to cast my cares on Him, knowing God will protect me. Life isn't about me but about the renown of God and spreading His glorious name everywhere.

God, Protect Your People

Every day is a gift from above.
We never know what each day holds.
Guide us in peace
Keep us from evil
Protect us from those who seek us harm

I pray Your goodness would flood the hearts of those who are committed to You and Your ways.
Give us opportunities to share Your love with the world around us.
May we be a testimony of grace, mercy, and hope when all we see is darkness triumphing

Pratect our children from harm
Help us to love them with the love You give us.


~"God Protect Your People" [A Poem]

This poem is in reflection of the tragic and senseless event that took place December 14 2012 in Newtown, CT.

My heart is with everyone who was (and is) affected by such a tramatic event.

The Prayer of Examen

Saint Ignatius of Loyola was born in 1491 and wrote the book Spiritual Exercises. He also wrote Prayer of Examen inviting us to examine our daily lives by inviting God in.

Here are the five steps of the Prayer of Examen:

(1) Become aware of God's presence by reflecting back on the events of the day. Ask the Holy Spirit for clarity and understanding.
 
(2) Review the day with gratitude.
           -Gratitude is foundational for our relationship with God.
           -Walk through the day in God's presence. Note its delights and joys.
           -Focus on the days gifts.
           -Look at the work you completed.
          -Give special attention to small things such as food eaten, sights seen,  and other small pleasures
           -Remember God is in the details.
 
(3) Pay attention to emotions
          -A great insight of St. Ignatius was the detection of the Spirit of God's presence in movement of emotions.
       -Reflect on feelings of the day. Was there Sadness? Joyfulness? Excitement? Boredom? Also ask God what He is saying through those feelings.
       -God most likely revealed ways that you fell short. Make note of any potential wrongdoing, impurity, etc.
     -Also look deeply for other implications. (such as someone needing a friend, prayer, etc. )
 
(4) Choose one (1) feature of the day and pray from it.
     -Ask the Holy Spirit for direction into something during the day that God reveals is important.
     -This may involve a feeling: positive or negative, significant encounter with another person, or a vivid moment of pleasure or peace. Allow prayers to arise spontaneously from your heart, whether intercession, repentance, praise/worship, or gratitude.
  Respond to God creatively.
 
(5) Look toward tomorrow.
       -The final step includes asking God for the wisdom to see challenges.
       -Seek God's guidance. Ask him for help and understanding.

      Pray for hope

End the examen with a prayer to the Father.

And lastly:
Learn from the past
Envision the future
Live in the present.

(adapted from www.ignatianspirituality.com)

The Body is a Temple- Not an Amusement Park

1 Corinthians 6: 19-20 states:

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own, you were bought at a price- therefore honor God with your body."

As a Christian, my body is meant to bring glory and honor to God. In everything I do- from what I eat and drink to how I treat my body, which is a temple where the Spirit lives. Additionally, the body is a physical gift from God. How I live in the body is a reflection of my Creator.

The definition of temple is "any place or object in which God dwells", a "building for worship" (dictionary.reference.com) Additionally a temple is where the presence of God lingers and lives.

In contrast, an amusement park is a place of  recreation, fun and pleasure. My body is not an amusement park: where I just seek out thrills and pleasure and everything that gives me an adrenaline high.

God gave us bodies to be a source of where His spirit dwells in us. We worship in our bodies. Therefore, seeking out graficiation of pleasures and thrills demeans our God given bodies.

I pray that I would maintain that mentality of the body as a temple where holiness lives; unlike an amusement park where pleasure, thrills, fun live and run wild.

His Grace Has Overwhelmed my Brokenness

In the worship song, "To Know Your Name," by Hillsong, there is a lyric that says "your grace has overwhelmed my brokenness." Before that was just a line in a song.

Today it has a much deeper meaning to me and my life.  I want to get off center. I want to stop talking about my struggles, temptations, fears, etc. as if they are the only things in life that matter.

 Because of the things I went through,  I  learned about the grace of God and true humility.  For many years, I didn't struggle with anything. And for the last few years, I felt as though I was constantly falling.

Fallen from grace expresses how I feel now.

Mountains are great: I love when everything is going well in my life. I also know that spiritual mountains offered me a false sense of security. I thought I was immune to everything that I heard about growing up (alcoholism, sex, lust, greed, etc.)

I am not immune. Once I move away from faith and get weak, it's all over. I can't protect myself.  I say with conviction that only God can protect me. His grace is enough to overwhelm what keeps me weak, what keeps me broken, what prevents from depth.

I am quoting Hillsong when I say "your grace has overwhelmed my brokenness."

I want to conclude by saying brokenness leads me straight to God. I also want to encourage you to not fear brokenness or weakness. God moves the most when we're in the valley.

Radical Desperation

Where do I end and where does God begin?

God begins when I reach the point of complete surrender: when I look at my life and all I see is all my weakness and failure. I have such a clear view of weaknesses that I weep over what keeps me from growing stronger in faith.

I know God is doing something major in me when I can't continue on where I am. I cry out to God in my deperation and brokenness. All  of me is pleading with God to be my strength in the midst of what makes me weak and causes me to fail in sight of Him: who is completely holy and righteous.

I have reached a critical level in my life: I am not afraid to say that I am desperate for Him.

Where can I go?
Where do I hide when life is overwhelming, when my struggles and temptations overwhelm me?

I have no where to go and no place to hide. I just stopped and cried out to God: for Him to overwhelm my brokenness and weakness with all of His strength.

I want to say I'm radically desperate.

Radical desperation is what I need.

<3 in Him,

~Susie