pretty butterfly ` floating in the sky :

Monday, July 03, 2006

a few weeks ago God spoke to me saying, "The rain is coming". A deep excitement welled up in my spirit as i eagerly waited for further instructions from God and an explanation to what this meant. I knew something big was about to happen. However, as we began to pray, it was clear that God would not move unless we initiated it. I began to dig into the Word of God and over and over again the phrase "The fear of the Lord" came into my mind and struck my heart. I began to realize that many of us focus so much on the love of God and forget that He is also a holy and righteous God Whose grace is meant to build us up more into His likeness, and not to let us continue sinning. I began to cry as i realised how much we lacked in the area of fearing the Lord.

In Hebrews 4, God warned me that many will harden their hearts against Him when He speaks. This frightened me greatly because i know that very often we unconsciously harden our hearts by thinking that God's grace will always be there and that we will never fall away. God taught me a lesson through this passage by saying, "It's not the past that will determine where u are at the end of ur life, and it is not the future that will secure u a place in heaven and the riches and gifts u will receive. It's TODAY. Today determines the value of your past and the direction of your future. what you do TODAY will be taken into account when you stand before your God."

Hebrews 3:7 and 15, 4:7 "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts..."
Again in Hebrews 12: 25: "See to it that you do not refuse Him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from Him who warns us from heaven?"

When God tells you something more than once, it means it's VERY IMPORTANT. Every word in the bible holds significance and power...how much more if the word is repeated over and over again, and in this case it was said 3 times. Let's not ignore this.

another thing that terrifies me is the fact that salvation can be lost. Surprised? Well i'm telling you it can. It states so in Hebrews 4:1, "Therefore, since the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found having fallen short of it." Again in Hebrews 6:11: "We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure."
Let's live each day in the fear of the Lord, because complacency is a killer. Like i said before...God did not say "show this same diligence for a while and then u are sure that you will inherit the promise of eternal life," but rather said "show this same diligence to the very end."
Again in Hebrews 10:36: "You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised."
It's frightening to be found complacent at the end of the road when you were doing so well in the beginning. God will not be mocked. Don't take His mercy and grace for granted.
How do we make sure of our hope? Hebrews 10 gives a few hints:
v24: "And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-- and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
Again in Hebrews 12:15: "See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many". Offence is a killer, and unforgiveness is an even bigger killer to the faith. As John Bevere states in his book The Bait of Satan (I greatly recommend this book), "those who cannot forgive have forgotten what they have been forgiven of". Again, don't test the great mercy of God by not acknowledging the sin of unforgiveness in your life!

In proverbs 14, the fear of the Lord is mentioned many times. v2: "He whose walk is upright fears the Lord...", v16:"A wise man fears the lord and shuns evil, but a fool is hotheaded and reckless", v26: "He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge", v27: "The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death."

Truly the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. I have tested and tried this...the fear of the Lord is what drives you to your knees to cry out to Him during moments where days are just "normal" and when the spirit is not leaping with excitement. The fear of the Lord directs your actions and your speech, because you know both in heart and mind that every action and word will be taken into account. The fear of the Lord humbles the heart and saves a man from complacency and pride in his own strength. The fear of the Lord is indeed a protection for His children from losing out in eternal blessings.
Remember, Eternal blessings and curses are EVERLASTING. they will never change, they will be there forever and ever and ever. what we do in this short life will determine how we spend eternity. Do we, as believers, desire merely to escape from the flames or live eternity blessed with eternal gifts that God so desires to give us? If it's the latter, then let's grasp hold of the fear of the Lord!! How? By seeing Him as who He is; Righteous, Holy and Just. Yes, we may not be judged here on earth, but there IS a judgement seat that every single soul will have to face once that Day comes. Are we ready? are our lamps lighted? Remember, Paul was writing to BELIEVERS. Don't think that only unbelievers will be judged.
Also remember however, that the fear of the Lord does not entail being terrified of Him and therefore shrinking away from His presence. The fear of the Lord is to respect God as God. It is to love Him and seek His ways and desire to be changed more and more into His likeness, and to feel a deep burden for those who are perishing out there because they are still living under the law of sin and death and not under Christ's grace because they haven't accepted Him in. How do we do this? Just ask. God does not withhold good gifts from His children, and the fear of the Lord is a gift, and so is the burden for those who don't know Him. Ask and it will be given to you. I've done it, and i testify to the truth of this statement.

I'll talk more on this another time. There's just too much to cram into one blog. My last exhortation for now: DON'T GIVE UP PRAYING. Don't give up grasping TODAY'S opportunity to intercede. Every today counts for whether you draw nearer to Him or slide slightly further away from Him. I pray you'll choose the first. No one can snatch us out of His hand except ourselves...but often it's our own complacency that proves our worst enemy.

Read 2 Chronicles 6:26-27, prov 15:33, psalm 111:10, philippians 2:12!! especially the last one...:)...
Will blog again soon! And remember also that while God requires us to fear Him, He does so because He loves us enough to do that, so that we won't lose out in our eternal blessings. God is a loving and good God...He disciplines those He loves, so that we will receive rewards far and above everything we've ever asked for or imagined. Let's fix our eyes on things above and not on things of this earth. The things of this earth will pass away, but the things above stand forever and no one can ever change them once they are given to us. Our time on earth is our chance to store up treasures in heaven, which the Father longs to give to us. Let's not harden our hearts against His discipline. Let's seek Him with our whole hearts so that we don't miss out on the rain that's coming!!

[1:13 PM]
butterfly dreams ;

Monday, July 03, 2006

[1:13 PM]
butterfly dreams ;