Thy Kingdom Come

Ask of Me, and I will give You

The nations for Your inheritance,

And the ends of the earth for Your possession.

~Psalms 2:8 NKJV

I praise the Lord for all the reports of the outpouring of His Holy Spirit across this nation and around the world. I haven't visited any of the publicized meetings but I know the Holy Spirit visits us whenever we invite Him into our presence wherever we are. This awakening is not just for one university or one town. The Lord says to ask of Him, ask in the name of His Son, Jesus and He will give us the nations for Jesus's inheritance. 

Isaiah 11:9 says " They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea."

With the advent of technology in the last few years, it is now possible to cover the earth with the knowledge of moment-by-moment happenings. What is our responsibility in these times?

Number 1 must be to cover all that is happening with prayer. With every publicized event, every prayer that goes up, Satan is screaming and yelling "NO!"at the top of his lungs. Case in point, the Grammys. I won't even go there to describe the horrific visuals Satan broadcast to the world. But God gave us wonderful images of people praising, worshipping, and coming to salvation all over the world. 

~Psalms 40:3

Number 2 must be to talk about the Lord and all that is happening to those around us. I was in a thrift shop last week. I overheard friends talking about witnessing to mutual friends who thought they were Christians because they grew up that way. We don't know the conditions of the hearts of others if we are not engaging them in loving, meaningful conversations. I'm so glad these friends were able to lovingly correct the mistaken idea that we can be Christians just because we were brought up "that way".

~Luke 3:8

Number 3 must be to walk the talk. When others see us behave in a dismissive manner, use hateful words, and ignore those in need, we run the risk of being hypocrites. ~Luke 18:11

God wants the world to be filled with the knowledge of the Lord. He isn't willing that anyone should perish and yes, there is a hell prepared for the devil and his angels. However, those who reject Jesus, God's Son who willingly died for them will also be condemned to an eternity in hell.~Matthew 25:41

There has been much talk of a rapture in my lifetime. Let us think if that were to happen, who would it benefit? Only those who know the Lord. However, if we, like our faithful fathers who died as martyrs in ages past, are willing to walk through "the fire" to see our friends, loved ones, and yes even strangers come to know the Lord, how much greater would our joy be in heaven. ~Luke 15:6,7; John 16:33

Heavenly Father, we pray for the vision to see the earth filled with the knowledge of You and of the sacrifice your Son, Jesus, made for us on the cross. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus's name. Amen. ~Matthew6:9

He has shown you, O man, what is good;

And what does the Lord require of you

But to do justly,

To love mercy,

And to walk humbly with your God?

~Micah 6:8

Staying in the Moment

Where there is no vision, the people perish: ~Proverbs 29:18a

One of my favorite contemporary Christian songs is Keep Me in the Moment by Jeremy Camp. I knew what the song meant to me but I wanted to know his reason for writing it. 

Jeremy Camp lost his first wife to ovarian cancer just four months after their marriage. He wrote this song as part of the film "I Believe". He has since remarried and has a daughter who is growing up fast. Jeremy wants to stay in the moment with her and his wife so he doesn't look back on all the things he missed. 

I wondered how many things I'm missing because they pass by so quickly in my busy life. I feel I need to be intentional in my relationships so that I can not only savor the moments but use those moments to fulfill God's purpose in my life. I gave my high school class an assignment to research the reasons behind their favorite Christian songs — any genre. Then they were to write why they chose that particular song, what it meant to them personally. 

This is how I felt Keep Me in the Moment is playing out in my life. 

Create relationships through

• Listening to others — giving full attention
• Patience
• Kindness
• Speaking the truth in love
• Protecting confidence
• Create trust
• Persevere

Relationships open doors

• Creates opportunities to share the gospel
• Builds relationships to disciple believers
• Demonstrates love
• 
  

Faith, Hope, Love

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

~I Corinthians 13:13 NKJV

Father, keep me in the moment so that I have a vision for building Your kingdom.  You have told us in Your word the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. (Habakkuk2:14). May Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10) In Jesus's name. Amen

Walking in the Dark

                          

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

~Prov 29:18

Back when we camped in a tent we always tried to remind everyone, the children and ourselves, to go to the bathroom before dark. There would be no street lights, no lights or lanterns hanging in campsites along the way, no way to see the path through the dark trees. In the middle of the night, there would only be darkness, the darkness that hid tree stumps, snakes, spider webs, and skunks. A thick darkness that closed in around us and chased us up the path to the bathhouse. Inevitably someone would need to go potty.  If one has to go everyone needs to go. Pity the camper whose flashlight batteries were low or gone.

I find traveling through life is a lot like a dark night in search of the path to the potty. It often feels like the walls of the world are closing in. There are wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, hurricanes, and wildfires. I feel like I'm stumbling in the darkness trying to find the path through life. 

There is a way to find my way. One of my favorite verses to remind me that God knows how to shine his light and show me the path is found in Psalms.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

 ~Psalms 119:105 

So now the question is "What is God's vision for me and for his people?

How do we get there? 

What part do I play personally in his vision? 

I'm reminded that when God told Abram to go into a land that he would show him, Abram got up, took his wife and his belongings and went (Genesis 12:1-5.) He didn't make excuses that he had never been there before or he was afraid of the people or that he didn't want to leave his home and family there in Ur. He just went, one step at a time, one day at a time, trusting God to show him the way. 

Abram didn't have the word of God as we do. He had to be a good listener and actually, so do we. What did the verse say? "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." God is not going to speak from the clouds to give us direction. He has already spoken in his word. If God's people do not read, study, meditate, memorize, put into action the things God has told us we stand in danger of being harmed in the darkness of this world. Read the first verse from Proverbs again. " Where there is no vision, the people perish." So what do we do? The rest of the verse says he that keeps the law is happy (my paraphrase). How will we keep it if we don't know it? How will we know it if we don't read it? 

Pray for God's vision for his work in our day because he has put us here for a reason.

May I offer a challenge? Read one chapter each day, Monday-Friday. Keep a journal about what the Lord is showing you in each chapter. On Saturday review what you've read and what you've written. On Sunday, attend your house of worship and see how God speaks to you through the services in congruence with what you've studied. Follow God's lead as Abram did, one step, one day at a time. 

Heavenly Father, direct our steps in this dark world. Show us our purpose. Give us a vision for your work. In Jesus's name. Amen.

Hey Kids: 

Have you thought about the fact that Jesus has put you here in this time and this place for his purposes? He has a reason you were born into your family, your country, your region. What talents has he given you? What direction might he be pointing you? 

This week I challenge you to find a quiet place to read God's word. Memorize a favorite verse. Ask God for his plan for you each day and then follow just as Abram did. 

  

Back to the Future

 

But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.

Numbers 14:21

"Grandma, do you think we'll ever have time travel? I'd like to go back to the Civil War just to see what life was like." 

"Well, everything we touched would affect and change the future. I'm not sure that's a good idea but I've always wanted to be an interpreter at a national park."

This was the beginning of a conversation with my teenage grandson on the way back from the gym. Our family loves history. We've lived in Spartanburg county since before the Revolutionary War. We are surrounded by family history and when we vacation we visit historic sites. Our conversation ended by concluding that God placed us here in this time and place for a specific reason — "for such a time as this" (Esther 4:14). So does our lives affect the future? 

In Numbers 13 the Lord had Moses send twelve men into the land of Canaan to spy out the land. Ten of the men brought back a bad report — bad news. They wouldn't be able to take the good land because there were walled cities and giants. Only Joshua and Caleb were ready to go into the land and take it believing God's promise. The people chose to follow the ten spies who gave the bad report because those spies were the majority. Their choice affected their future. God was ready to destroy the people and start over but Moses' talk with God affected the future.

God agreed to let the people live but those over twenty years old would die without seeing the promised land. They would wander in the wilderness until the younger generation grew up and the faithless died off except Joshua and Caleb. For forty years God allowed them to wander in the wilderness waiting to die off. No hope for their future because they had no vision. We live in a troubling time. Our thoughts and actions affect the future. God sent revivals in the past. The Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th Centuries were victorious times for God's people. Then several things happened to affect the future of God's people. 

Do you think God could send revival again? Do you think He will? Our thoughts and attitudes toward God's purposes affect our future. God's purpose in leading the Israelites into the promised land was to bring the gospel to the whole world. They were to be the people used by God to bring the Messiah. Their fear and disobedience delayed God's plan. How is our obedience or lack thereof affecting God's plan for our future? 

Take the time to look back at the preaching of the Great Awakenings. Google search should bring up the preachers and their doctrines without too much trouble. Look back at Christmas carols like "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear". 

4. And ye, beneath life's crushing load,

Whose forms are bending low,

Who toil along the climbing way

With painful steps and slow,

Look now! for glad and golden hours

Come swiftly on the wing; –

Oh, rest beside the weary road

And hear the angels sing!

5. For lo! the days are hastening on

By prophet bards foretold,

When, with the ever circling years

Shall come the age of gold;

When Peace shall over all the earth,

Its ancient splendors fling,

And the whole world give back the song,

Which now the angels sing.

Edmund H. Sears  published in the Broadman Hymnal

Think about how people thought about the future. What was their vision? Life wasn't easy but they had a hope. 

We can't and shouldn't go back to the past, but we do need God's vision for the future — that all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord.

Heavenly Father, please give us a vision for the future and help us that our lives will be purposeful in bringing about your kingdom. In Jesus's name, Amen. 

Hey Kids:

When I was growing up we had GAs for the girls and RAs for the boys; Girls Auxiliary and Royal Ambassadors. Each group had a particular song. I don't know what the RAs song was but I do know the girls sang We've a Story to Tell to the Nations.

This week google the words to this song if you don't have a hymn book available. 

What vision were the church leaders trying to instill in the young people?

How can you begin to influence the future with the vision of God's plan for the world?

In the Darkness

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

~Prov 29:18

Back when we camped in a tent we always tried to remind everyone, the children and ourselves, to go to the bathroom before dark. There would be no street lights, no lights or lanterns hanging in campsites along the way, no way to see the path through the dark trees. In the middle of the night, there would only be darkness, the darkness that hid tree stumps, snakes, spider webs, and skunks. A thick darkness that closed in around us and chased us up the path to the bathhouse. Inevitably someone would need to go potty in the night.  And if one has to go everyone needs to go. Pity the camper whose flashlight batteries were low or gone.

I find traveling through life is a lot like a dark night in search of the path to the potty. It often feels like the walls of the world are closing in. There are wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, hurricanes, and wildfires. I feel like I'm stumbling in the darkness trying to find the path through life. 

There is a way to find my way. One of my favorite verses to remind me that God knows how to shine his light and show me the path is found in Psalms.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

 ~Psalms 119:105 

So now the question is "What is God's vision for me and for his people?

How do we get there? 

What part do I play personally in his vision? 

I'm reminded that when God told Abram to go into a land that he would show him, Abram got up, took his wife and his belongings and went (Genesis 12:1-5.) He didn't make excuses that he had never been there before or he was afraid of the people or that he didn't want to leave his home and family there in Ur. He just went, one step at a time, one day at a time, trusting God to show him the way. 

Abram didn't have the word of God as we do. He had to be a good listener and actually, so do we. What did the verse say? "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." God is not going to speak from the clouds to give us direction. He has already spoken in his word. If we God's people do not read, study, meditate, memorize, put into action the things God has told us we stand in danger of being harmed in the darkness of this world. Read that first verse from Proverbs again. " Where there is no vision the people perish." So what do we do? The rest of the verse says, he that keeps the law is happy (my paraphrase). How will we keep it if we don't know it? How will we know it if we don't read it. 

Pray for God's vision for his work in our day because he has put us here for a reason.

May I offer a challenge? Read one chapter each day, Monday-Friday. Keep a journal about what the Lord is showing you in each chapter. On Saturday review what you've read and what you've written. On Sunday attend your house of worship and see how God speaks to you through the services in congruence with what you've studied. Follow God's lead as Abram did, one step, one day at a time. 

Heavenly Father, direct our steps in this dark world. Show us our purpose. Give us a vision for your work. In Jesus name. Amen.

Hey Kids: 

Have you thought about the fact that Jesus has put you here in this time and this place for his purposes. He has a reason you were born into your family, your country, your region. What talents has he given you? What direction might he be pointing you? 

This week I challenge you  to find a quiet place to read God's word. Memorize a favorite verse. Ask God his plan for you each day and then follow just as Abram did. 

  

 

Whom Shall I Fear?

 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”  Acts 16:9 (ESV)

Look back at the picture again. If you saw this person sitting on the sidewalk, what would you do? Would you pass by? What if they spoke to you? How would you answer? 

Satan has us afraid on so many levels. We're afraid of being attacked. I can remember when my dad stopped picking up hitchhikers because he became afraid for his family and rightfully so. We do live in a day of caution. I saw a news report where a lady saw a family slumped over in a car unconscious. She opened the door and took out a toddler, rubbing his chest and talking to him to wake up. Others had ignored the car for quite a while. She had to take the chance because she saw a child. She also had been in the same situation years ago.  But what about other ways we are unadmittedly afraid. 

Are we afraid we don't know what to say? Afraid we will say the wrong thing? Afraid someone won't like us? It's often not just the person sitting on the sidewalk that we fear. It's often our neighbor, our family, our friends and strangers. People in every walk of our life are living in fear, fear for their souls as well as their lives. 

The man of Macedonia called out to Paul in a vision. Scripture says where there is no vision the people persish. (Proverbs 29:18). People all around us are perishing. We don't know when the next person will perish from Covid or a car wreck or some random act of violence. Paul went to Macedonia. He was beaten and imprisoned but he helped the people of Macedonia. People were saved and encouraged. 

What's holding us back from answering the cries of those who are calling out for help? What vision has God given you? 

Trying to see with God's eyes,

Gail

Writing God's Vision

And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

Habakkuk 2:2,3

God's creation is filled with illustrations and you've probably used a few. But have you written them down? What about the lives of your parents and grandparents? Are there stories you'd like to share with your children, grandchildren, and others? You may think no one would want to read your writing. Read the verses from Habakkuk again. 

The Lord says write the vision. What vision has the Lord given you?

He says to make it plain so the runner can read it. When we are gone, the race will not be over. Others will need to read the vision God has given you. 

Then the Lord says the vision is yet for an appointed time. Wait for it. It will surely come. You may not see the fruit of your vision but wait for it. Pray for it. God will use it. 

Never be discouraged. God has given each of us talents to use for His kingdom. He expects us to use them, not hide them. Sometimes we all need encouragement, a little honing of our skills, or just to know we're on the right track. I'd like to invite you to the Write2Ignite Virtual Conference. Below is the information for registration. Pray about it. Let me know how I can help you pray. Let the Lord move your heart for His vision. 

 Write2Ignite Goes Virtual

 

If you write fiction for children, young adults, or even adults you are invited to join Write2Ignite for our first ever Virtual Master Class. On September 19, 2020, multi-published author Joyce Moyer Hostetter will help us master four big elements in writing fiction.

·       Creating Memorable Characters — Tried and true strategies for creating characters.

·       On Writing Plot: What’s the Problem — Structure and the power of conflict in creating a great plot.

·       View Point and Dialogue— Dialogue that works overtime and strategies for creating an authentic narrator.

 

At W2I we provide Christian writers of children’s and young adult literature with:

·       Instruction

·       Inspiration

·       Encouragement

·       Challenges

·       Community

 

Our focus is on those who write for youth.

Our foundation is Christ and His Word.

Our Master Class format provides one-day workshops designed to help writers build specific skills. If taking your writing to higher levels is your goal, you will benefit from these Master Class features:

·       Instruction by master authors like Joyce Moyer Hostetter

·       Guided hands-on practice of new writing skills

·       Immediate feedback

 

This Master Class will be an online event using Zoom. If you’re not familiar with using that platform, no worry! We’ll have a practice session on Friday, September 18, 2020 just for you.

 

If you’re not familiar with Joyce check out her Youtube video here. Her books are available through any bookstore.

We’re excited about this innovative opportunity. Hope you’ll join us on September 19, 2020.

Registration is just $79 for a full day of instruction, practice, and encouragement.

Click here to Register.

Blessings,

Gail