Whispers from God

As I was standing in my bathroom today getting ready for an appointment I heard these words, "Find out who you are in Christ or you will become someone your not." Wow!!!! What truth in this wisdom. How many times do we let the world dictate who we are, or our past dictate who we are, or even our friends. Readers, we must research who God says we are. If we chose to live a life without knowing who we really are in Christ then we have chosen to let Satan dictate the reason we are here. We are made in His image aren't you curious who your Father is because you carry His traits in your DNA?  casting my net

Choices are for the Living

Choices are for the Living

Blessings readers I want to end my three part series on the Spiritual eating disorder in the body of Christ with one more part, which is the radical believer.  I thought about writing on the balanced believer it matched, but only in words.  I do not want to be a balanced believer I want to be an untraditional, sold out, radical, on fire, willing to be lead by the Holy Spirit even if I do not know where He is leading me kind of a believer.  I want to strike a match in the heart of God’s people wherever I go.  I want to make a difference in a place where being  the same has been accepted as fitting in but in reality if we were to examine the truth its only living with a compromise standard.  I do not want to compromise the Word of God any longer.  Ironically what I call a radical believer the book of acts calls the church. 

2Timothy 3:1-5 says, “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.  For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self- control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying the power.”

The Apostle Paul was in prison in Rome awaiting his death when he wrote this letter to Timothy he was not talking to unbelievers but believers.  Paul was talking about the church.  People will attend the church because they love themselves, instead of God.  You might be thinking that is a bold statement, but why do people love money?  Because they love themselves, why are people abusive they love themselves, they want their way if they don’t get their way they become abusive? Why won’t people forgive others because it’s about themselves not others? Listen, I know there is real relevant pain out in the world.  I know people have been sexual, mental, verbally, and physical abused so how could I say that it is selfish not to forgive, because I myself have been sexually, mentally, verbally, and physically abused and until I released those people I always had my mind on myself.  People who say I just cannot control myself is all about self the only reason they cannot control themselves is because they want what they want no matter what it cost to get it.  Every word the Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 is about people being lovers of self, but the book of Acts is the exact opposite.  How can we strike a match and light up a room if we are making it all about self?  How can people see the Holy Spirit in you if it‘s all about self?  How can we call ourselves followers if we will not follow?  Let’s step into the book of Acts for a moment and nail our tent pegs to the ground and see what the Lord shows us. 

Acts 2: 42- say’s, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.  And awe (reverent fear) came upon every soul and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.  And all who believed were together and had all things in common.  And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing their proceeds to all, as they had need.  And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all people.  And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.  

If we want our churches to grow we must be different, we must look different, we must act different, and we must talk, walk, and speak different.  You cannot change and remain the same.  You cannot keep doing the same thing and get a different result.  Most churches will un-doubly say they want the power of God in their churches but they are not willing to do what it takes to receive the power that the church of Acts had.   What did you read when you read the account of the book of Acts?  It seems to me they were in complete unity no one was above and no one was beneath.  It seemed to me they did not put one person on a pedestal and another underneath the pedestal.  They honored each other, they were not fighting who was going to be in a spot light but rather they put the light on Jesus.  They cared for the people more than they did themselves.  It wasn’t about who had what gift or the number of people who showed up but rather about unity and the breaking of bread in the homes.  I am not talking about communism; the people still had personal possessions and houses to live in, I’m talking about the desire to give to one another out of a place of love.  We were in the military for 25 years so we have had many opportunities to visit numerous churches but one church has a place in the forefront of my thoughts,  not because of a person but because of a method. So here is the method they used you, (the church goers) would go to church Sunday morning and then on Sunday evenings you would obtain the Pastors notes, then meet in different homes with the home group leader in that area to discuss the message that was brought fourth that morning.  The objective was to talk about how you could use what you had learned on Sunday morning in the upcoming week which would preserve the people from becoming complacent with the Word of God.  If we are going to make a difference we must be different we must walk by the Spirit.  Last week my dad and aunt had called and asked if they could meet us for lunch at Longhorn Steakhouse we said, “yes,” as we were sitting talking to our waitress she had mentioned she had some unexpected car repairs, after we had placed our order and our waitress left, my aunt and I decided that we should take up an offering to help our waitress with her repairs.  Why am I sharing this with my readers?  I am sharing this because we must live by the written Word of God, we cannot ignore Matthew 25:35-46 any longer, what you have done to one of the least of these you have done unto me. I want to live the Bible out loud for Jesus.  I want my life to be relevant, to only live and breathe is to die a slow death but to save the dying while living makes every breathe I breath worth inhaling… Choices are for the living…  I dare you to be an answer to someone’s prayer today.

For prayer, questions, or comments you can reach me at fbministries@comcast.net. If you want to check out our web page you can at fbministries.com  This fall I will be attempting to post web cam messages I will inform you when the first message will be available for viewing.

Choices are for the Living

Choices are for the Living

Matthew 18:23-34   ²³ “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold^[a] was brought to him. ²⁵ Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

   ²⁶ “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ ²⁷ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

   ²⁸ “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins.^[b] He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

   ²⁹ “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’

   ³⁰ “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. ³¹ When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.

   ³² “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. ³³ Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ ³⁴ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

Readers, we need to recognize a few things about forgiveness, one thing we need to recognize is un-forgiveness is hypocritical. God’s son, Jesus, was crucified on a cross and gave every bit of his blood so we could be forgiven, restored, redeemed, and justified. Many of us remember the cross, but what we tend forget is the brutal crucifixion, we forget as Jesus was dying a slow death He managed to say these words, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)  In verse 35 of Matthew 18 Jesus says, “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”  Wow! Jesus was unveiling a no nonsense truth to us, Jesus was referring to the last statement being made in verse 34, “ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.”  This is what un-forgiveness does; it puts us in prison where we are tortured with our thoughts, our revenge, our obsession with holding onto a prison sentence which no longer belongs to us. I have never seen so many tortured people as I have seen in the last few years, self mutilation of the mind they are constantly creating a reenactment of their abuse. When they rise their pain wakes up to greet them, when they go to bed their pain tucks them in at night. The world has become a giant masquerade party; as they slip in and out of a mask of deception wearing a papier-mâché’ smile. The people who have chosen not to forgive are committing spiritual suicide because the word of God clearly says, “they will be turned over to the jailer, (Satan) to be tortured.”      

I love what the Apostle Paul says in, (2 Corinthians 11: 24-27) says      ²⁴ Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, ²⁶ I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. ²⁷ I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.

Now, the same man who said those words said these in (Philippians 3:13-15) ¹³ Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.

Readers, too many of you have been reminiscing in your past, you have been counting the lashes of your life, recalling the rod of injustice, counting the stones that were hurled at you, you have taken people on your ship to show them your wreckage, you have dog paddled through the night of your deepest pain, you have stayed up many evening hours in remembrance of your sorrow, you have starved yourself with the inability to partake in the nourishment of forgiveness, and you have gone without your robe of righteousness, ( right standing with God) standing naked, because you have chosen to live in a place called your past. The Apostle Paul says, but one thing I do:  Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.  People like this are too busy to be petty, they are busy doing the work of the Kingdom, and their minds are set on the things from above. I don’t mean your pain is petty but the thought that your pain is somehow greater than the pain our Lord Jesus endured on the cross is petty.  Don’t allow yourself another day of excuses why you can’t forgive because one day you will stand before God and answer for every idle word, un-forgiveness is a word, it’s a choice. Stop what you are doing right now close your eyes think about your husband, wife, mom, dad, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, grandma, grandpa, and friends what is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of each person? If it’s an offense then you have not freely forgiven, your still trying to make them pay a price for something that’s already been paid in full. Pray this prayer when you’re ready to be set free.  

Lord Jesus, please forgive me for setting aside Grace, for taking hostages and holding them for ransom. Lord, as I forgive, forgive me. As I walk in the light expel the darkness in the rooms I’ve not allowed any one to open. Lord, saturate me with the power of forgiveness, grace, and mercy. Give me the strength to break the chains I have put myself in and help me unlock the chains I put others in by my unwillingness to forgive.  Amen   Choices are for the Living….Live free, Live Love, Live Loud for Jesus.

For prayer request or questions about my column email me at fbministries@comcast.net  To order my books go to fbministries.com I have written a true story about my life,” Ripened on the Vine”, a testimony of God’s grace, restoration, and forgiveness.

         

Choices are for the Living

Choices are for the Living

Blessings Readers, for the last couple of weeks I have been writing to you about a spiritual eating disorder in the body of Christ.  The first spiritual disorder we discussed was the bulimic believer, who only digests what they want to believe, only what they are comfortable consuming; only what can be explained and then ultimately they purge everything else out.  Next, we discussed the anorexia believer; this kind of believer never really partakes in the actual eating of God’s word they feed off the desires of their flesh, cannibalism if you will, which leads them to spiritual starvation.  This week I would like to address the obese believer.  The obese believer becomes stationary in their walk with Christ, they become idle. 

2 Thessalonians 3:11says, “we hear that some among you are idle.  They are not busy; they are busybodies.”

An obese believer is always eating but never exercising their authority in Christ. They are all consuming with the word, but are not doers of the word.

 Ezekiel  33:30 says, “As for you, son of man, your countrymen are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of their houses, saying to each other, “Come and hear the message that  has come from the Lord.”  My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice.  With their mouth they express devotions, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain.  Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them to into practice.

An obese believer fills themselves with so many different things, their possessions, entertainment, jobs, social events, homes, cars, when the day has come to an end, the last light has been turned off they are snuggled down in their beds, and feeling over stuff with the world.  They are anxious, angry, and full of anxiety.  An obese believer hears the word thinks it has a beautiful sound, tells everyone about the great  word of God  but never acts on what they hear.

I would like to share something very personal with the readers this week. One night last August I went to teach my class on the Holy Spirit, my ladies and I were lead to go to the hospital to pray for those who had loved ones residing there.  After we had finished praying I felt lead to buy some food for the needy.  The ladies and I searched for someone who appeared to be homeless and hungry but by that time of night I guess they had already found refuge for the evening.  I explained to the ladies that I had many homeless and hungry people out in the direction I lived and I would distribute the food on my way home.  We all went back to the church where we said our good-byes got into our vehicles and went our separate ways.   As I was driving home I began praying and singing in the Spirit and then the words lead me oh Lord, lead me to the needy came to my mind.  Directly after I had prayed I remembered Robert passing me by on his motorcycle.  I noticed his bandana flying off.  I was going to stop and pick the bandana up for him if I had seen him break.  I did not see Robert brake that night.  Within a few minutes I was kneeling beside Robert praying for him as I laid my hand on his back calling on the name of my Jesus.  I continue to stay with him and pray until the ambulance arrived, and then I was asked to step away,  from a distance I continued to pray because in Matthew 25:35-46 Jesus said, everything you have done unto them you have done unto me.  I didn’t know Roberts name at the time, I didn’t know if he was married nor if he had children.  I didn’t know if his parents were still alive or if Robert had siblings, or grandchildren, but what I did know was, Robert was God’s son and I was not only compelled but driven to pray for God’s son on that August night.  As I stood in the moment which seemed to engulf me a nurse who had been there with me asked me if I would like her to go check on him?  I said, “Yes, would you please?”  She left for just a minute and then reported back that Robert had not made it.  Oh, readers how my heart broke for the man on the motorcycle who belong to God.  As I stood in silence while all the noise of uncertainty was developing around me all I could hear was the Spirit of God saying, “Michele sometimes I will lead you to the hungry and sometimes I will lead you to pray for strangers in a hospital, and sometimes Michele I will lead you to a man dying on the road.”  I knew from that point on my existence would never be the same.  I wanted to be lead by the Spirit for the rest of my life into eternity.  The ladies and I have talked since this happened and we have come to the conclusion that every step we took that August night led me to Robert.  God cared so much about his son that He made sure Robert was not alone when he made the transition from this life to the next. Thank you readers for letting me share my one and only memory of the man on the motorcycle named Robert Reeves. 

Can you ignore the Holy Spirit?  Yes you can, but who will remain untouched because you did.  If this doesn’t make you want to listen and obey the Spirit of God who lives in you to direct and lead you into all truth, to be your comforter in your time of need, to give you wisdom, freedom, peace, understanding, boldness, rebirth, and a reborn cleansing, then you are left to your own demise.  

As the night went on and I had finally made it home embodied in my thoughts I remembered the questions I had been asking on Tuesday nights.   The first question I asked the ladies, are they willing to be an answer to someone else’s prayer?  The second question I asked the ladies was, would they be willing to follow the Holy Spirit without knowing where He was leading?  The third thing I remembered saying to the ladies was not a question but a challenge and the challenge was to treat everyone they see like they were Jesus.  The obese believer hears the word thinks it has a beautiful sound tells everyone about the great word of God, but never acts on what he hears.  He is a hoarder of the word.  Stop right here and ask yourself this question, “would you have stopped?”  If you had to think about your answer or think of an excuse for your answer then maybe you are too stuffed with the food of this world to make a difference in the next.   An obese believer who fills his self up with the cares and worries of this life will be too full to inhale all of what the Holy Spirit has in store for him.  Our purpose is to live out loud on purpose for our Christ Jesus. 

Many of you may be asking yourself which believer am I? I have asked myself the same question while writing the past several columns.  Well to be completely  honest I have the potential to be any of the of the three believers at any given time if I do not stay connected, plugged in, and fastened to the hip of the Holy Spirit. What believer are you?  My goal is to be the radical believer, radically serving God in an untraditional way.   Choices are for the living….

Michele Davenport

For prayer, comments, or questions my e-mail is fbministries@comcast.net

Choices are for the Living

                                                 

Blessings readers last week we talked about the three different eating disorders in the body of Christ, the first one being a bulimic believer.  This week we are going to discuss the second eating disorder in the body of Christ which is the anorexia believer. 

James 1:23-25  Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it, he will be blessed in what he does.

The anorexia believer goes to church every week, sitting in the same place, talking to the same people, remaining in the same mind set they were in the week before, never really occupying the Word of God.  Oh sure they say a couple of amen’s, throw a few praise the Lord’s and for show why not a hallelujah, but as they leave the building, get into their cars, put their bibles in the back seat, they remain untouched by the Word of God.   An anorexia believer never really partakes in the actual eating of God’s word they feed off the desires of their flesh…  Oh they will hardly miss a Sunday their attendance is almost perfect but no one is ever changed by their presence they remain the same, their world remains the same, their existence is complacent.  Will they go to heaven?  I am sure they might, but will they take anyone with them?  No, probably not.  How can we look in the mirror and forget what we look like? They same way we can listen to a message and remain the same. The anorexic believer is starving to death, because the world is feeding them a man made diet consume with self.  We have become cannibals in a sense, because we feed off each other instead of the word of our God.   Can I be as bold to say that maybe the anorexia believer has cared more about the appearance of being in the body Christ instead of a true authentic relationship with Christ?  Has church become nothing but a social event where you show off your latest dress or talk sports with your buddies?  Is it your standard way of thinking if you show up it counts?  Oh maybe someone is taking attendance but I don’t think it amounts for anything if you become just another check in box.  

The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 3: 7-11 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.  What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.  I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.  I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the death.

Paul was saying, whatever I valued before fails in comparison to Christ.  I consider it all rubbish which really translates to crap.  I consider it all worthless waste, everything I have done, everything I have accomplished, any money I have earned, anything I have bought, any education I have accumulated, I consider it all rubbish compared to my relationship with Christ. Can you really say those words?  Can you say I find it all rubbish in comparison to my relationship with Christ? Whatever you do first thing in the morning holds the most value in your heart.  Stop right here and ask yourself what do I really value?  What do I spend my time doing?  Does God own a place in your life in addition to Sunday mornings?  What have you replaced God with?  Has it furthered eternal fulfillment to anybody else’s life?  If Jesus came back today would He be pleased with what you are accomplishing for His kingdom?   Are you an anorexic believer?   Matthew 13:44 says, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.  When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”  Choices are for the living…

Michele Davenport

For prayer, comments, or questions please feel free to e-mail me at fbministries@comcast.net