Stop Thief!

This morning I read an article written by a beautiful, young woman. Her photo was next to her article. She was questioning the money she just spent for a retreat of meditation, crystals, and a pendulum.  She left empty and because she felt nothing she was told she was already full of “light.”  She wrote her doubt-filled article and wondered about the methods of finding God.  She was left disappointed.  My heart broke for her and many women like her.

We have a nation of young women mostly, some men, that are searching in this way for their connection with God.  They didn’t find it in church or they didn’t go to church.  

 

As a pew sitter, I know that much of the teaching given in my half century was done from a platform that cried, “Fire!”  Most  of those who chose to connect to God was through a fire escape avoiding Hell.  Often what was missing was the love.  The power. The peace. The joy. The fulfillment of a relationship with the One and Only and how to have it in hearing Him and knowing Him.

 I managed to find these things through a charismatic experience when I was twelve years old.  I got to know His power in healing, in the gift of peace and joy through His Holy Spirit and that He continues to talk with us and through us.   Most churches didn’t teach about the power of God through His Spirit.  They didn’t place hands on people for healing, but instead would pray from a distance.

 

Some did the Job’s–friends-thing and sat and discussed what Job could have possibly done wrong to bring all of this illness and woe on himself.  Wrong!   These people were judgmental.   When Jesus walked the earth His biggest criticisms were on religious people that were judging others and making rules more important than grace and love and the gifts of His Spirit.

 

We have people reading horoscopes, the counterfeit to prophecy. What they are looking for is a prophetic word from God.  By His Spirit, He gives the gift of prophecy.  We crave this and most of our churches are not supplying it or encouraging people on how to hear God for themselves.

 

No wonder why we have a generation of women headed to retreats like the one the writer wrote of this morning and men, too, looking for Who God really is.  But, what is happening is that it is being masked.  Some of it is brought through methods called reiki,  a named energy of healing from their own energy and God of Life and Universe. I believe this is a name meant for the power and healing of His Holy Spirit.  This generation has not been taught of the fullness of God in this healing from His Holy Spirit for them.  They look for it, they crave it, they are created to long for it; for the power of His Spirit in healing physically, mentally and emotionally.   

 There is counterfeit.  Where there is real there is false, truth and lies, good and evil.  These things are in the physical world and in the spiritual Universal world.  Satan is said to masquerade as an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11:14.

 

This energy seeking, light searching, crystal worshiping generation wants what they have not been taught or given.  Their souls are longing to be filled.  They are led to what they desire and they get tantalized, but eventually they end up disappointed.  Empty.

 

I stand guilty in not having made the kind of power in His Spirit more known out of fear of, “What would they say?!” from conservative church goers or doubters.  Those that moved in the fullness of His Spirit that I knew of were a handful of women.  They would meet in private settings like their houses and pray in the Spirit, share prophecy and lay hands on one another and walk and live in this power, but we were often too timid to bring it to the masses.  

 

A lot of churches that know God have not taught the fullness of God, His mercy and His power of His presence of His Spirit.  Resulting, we have these precious and beautiful starved souls searching and getting caught in a mysticism that is not giving them what they really need; freedom, life and value! 

Freedom in the saving grace of what was given to them through Christ Jesus and in that His Spirit and power they so desperately seek. 

Valued and loved so much that Christ made that sacrifice for them so that they could live a life in all that He has!  We aren’t supplying through His Spirit everything that Christ died for, for them. 

 

Despite these energy healing sessions and meditation moments, they are not finding freedom nor are they comprehending their full value and how much they are loved.  Guilt is still prevalent, fulfillment is not met and discontentment and discourse prevail.  They are not freed, but appear to become more tangled, frustrated and searching.   When we understand how much we are loved, we can’t help but love others in return.

 

These dear people seek mercy.  Mercy from illness, heart-aches, weariness, confusion and guilt.  When the guilt is removed then there is peace.  No religion, meditation or reiki is capable of removing guilt, except by Jesus and His forgiveness.  

 

With the “Fire” teaching, we are taught to stop the sin, but we rarely understood the love of the “once and for all” sacrifice forgiving every sin done and yet to be done; the total removal of guilt and condemnation.

 

Romans 8:1-2 ESV  1There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

 

This is the place of the deepest, filling, fresh, breath no meditation can provide unless it is the meditation of that love.  And honestly, the more I love someone, the less I want to do wrong by them.  When we receive His love, we can’t help but want to show our love back.  

 

This is my plea to all in the churches in ministry proclaiming Jesus Christ.  Teach His love, His mercy, His promises kept, His power, His Spirit in healing and empowering.  Stop sending our beloved daughters and sons into dark rooms with wounds or emptiness to the hands of healing they so desperately seek but are not in His Name. Let them come to His power, Spirit, presence, healing, love and wholeness the way He started the church, by the powerful wind of His Spirit.  Let our children find it taught, given and provided for them.   No more inflicting wounds of condemnation, because it has been removed.  Instead, offer hands of healing, words of love, the vibrations of His Holy Spirit moving through them and balms of oils that anoint, bless and give life and hope in a near and real relationship with God that once and for all fulfills them. 

 

As the huge growth of Christianity continues in Eastern cultures, the irony is that people here are going to the Eastern practices that the East is leaving.  My interpretation of this is that the message of Christ has been distorted here.  It had not taught the power through His Spirit that they so desperately seek or the peace of His love, breathing Him in.  

 

I think of when we train our pets.  I can get them to obey by scolding them, but they will not want to be near me or walk with me.  But, when I train them in love, rewarding them but also letting them know where the boundaries are, we are in a relationship and the trust and nearness in that is good for them and for me.  

 

As Job’s friends considered themselves friends of Job, they tried to help, but had misunderstood.  They were causing more hurt than help.  They themselves were not understanding the LORD and hadn’t had a close and trusting relationship with the LORD. Their message was as good as it could be for what they had.  

 

Yet, Job knew and revered God enough not to curse Him.  God drew near to Job and let Job know Who He was as Job drew near to Him even in his complaints.  That’s relationship.

 

Following this time, Job understood God for himself.  Instead of being angry with his friends for their wrong take on who God was in relationship to his suffering by ending their friendship, he remained friends and prayed for them.  He prayed for the ones that added a little more misery and misguidance.  He forgave them.  What followed is beautiful.  It says that God blessed Job.  As Job came into a fuller relationship with God and prayed for those that caused him hurt by showing love and the power of God, it says that God gave Job double blessing of what he had before and the most beautiful daughters.

Job 42:15  Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job's daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers

 

In praying for our churches and leaders we have had over our life time that may have added more misery than mercy, we don’t take a place of judgment, but rather, some of them really didn’t know any better.  It was taught from what they knew.  If they weren’t in the full relationship and power of His Spirit, they couldn’t teach it or offer it.  

 

As we pray for them I know that the LORD will bring blessing.  We release the wounds, we move freely with Him and knowing Him and our daughters will be beautiful.  Don’t let your past hurts from church keep your daughters and sons from knowing His love, His freedom, His peace, His presence, His power and their value in Him.  Let’s grant our daughters and sons their inheritance.

 

If you are looking for churches that offer more in way of healing through the Holy Spirit, I recommend in the Twin Cities area groups that are called SOZO.  It is a Hebrew word for healing and deliverance.  These are a few that I am familiar with.

Hosanna! in Lakeville, MN

The Blessing House in Victoria, MN

Also, there are small groups all over the Twin Cities for women on hearing God and living in His power through Arise! Women’s Ministry.  You can get more information on this organization and other things that they do here.

 

 

Soul Food For Your Prayer Life

 

 

Sometimes one person can say something that changes the way you do life.  Just over twenty years ago, one of those times happened.  A young mom shared a story.  Her daughter had nearly drowned and was in route by ambulance to a hospital.  She talked about how in the past, whenever she would see ambulances, she always said a prayer for the people needing them and for the workers on them.  Her thought of how she prayed for ambulances brought her comfort as she believed others were praying for her little girl now in one herself.  She held to those thoughts and comfort and hope.  Her daughter was fully revived and did not suffer any losses.

 

This was a new beginning for me.  I had never thought to say a prayer in those cases.  I began to.  I prayed for police.  I would pray for those in a hospital that I drove past. Then I took it further to other places, situations and people.  I especially prayed for kids that were in the school I passed or for kids playing, walking or biking down a side walk. 

   

One time in particular, I saw a little boy standing on a street corner by a main road.  His mom was taking a picture of him.  It looked like he may have been at a bus stop.  He was dressed up like one of the characters from The Blues Brothers and he resembled Jake, John Belushi’s character. He was a little shorter and rounder.  He wore a hat and sunglasses and he held a saxophone.  I prayed for him.

 

As I prayed in the Spirit the prayer became stronger than I had any mind for as I continued driving down the road.   I was surprised by the intensity of the prayer and I wondered why I cared so much for this little boy as I drove down the street on my way to work.  Sometimes God would move like that as I prayed for people.

 

My Mom told me she always prayed for people in airplanes when she would see one.  She thought of people going to see a sick relative or going to a funeral, for people on business or on vacation.  She lived near an airport so she was busy.

 

 Praying for strangers began to be a part of my every day.

 

When our daughter was in her late teens she started dating a boy.  They both were on the school swim teams.  He didn’t share the same faith as she did, but she told him that if he wanted to date her, he had to go to church with her.  He agreed.  He was interested in her enough to make the effort.

 

He was a gifted musician and enjoyed the music at the church.  During one of the songs, he was moved.  The words, “LORD, reign in me” became his heart’s request.  He came to Christ in that moment and through the music.  Later, he would play with our worship team.

 

After they had been dating for a while they started to talk about when they were kids.  They both had said they were shorter than most of the other kids back then and slightly over-weight.  It was hard to believe.  They were both now thin and he was super tall.  They each went and located their pictures from that time and were looking through them.  She was laughing and said, “Mom, you have to see these.”

 

I went through his stack of photos and there he was.  There was the photo of the little boy I had driven by years before dressed as a Blues Brother holding his saxophone.   He was standing at the street sign that I remembered having been driving by.   I was astonished!  I had prayed for him!  God had a plan on his life and I got to be a part of a moment in time to pray along and over this child that the LORD loved so much.

 

One moment given.

 

One moment partnered with God can change lives.

  

 It changed my life in a way of faith and purpose.  

 

As they got older they no longer dated, but he continued to attend the church.  As a young man, he got up and shared his testimony of how he came to Jesus during one of the worship songs.  He even has a tattoo that says, “Lord, reign in me” with a cross.  His gift of music and his saxophone has blessed that church many times and later he married a woman that had attended that church, too.

 

The blessing of God letting me see a result of a prayer for a stranger has impacted me for the rest of my life.  I know the prayers are heard.  I know He loves all of those we see and come across.  Your place, your timing, and the people around you have purpose.  

 

 Live in your purpose.  Live in love.

 

I shared this story with a group of women five years ago.  As I shared, one woman in particular gasped.  She was back in the states on a missionary furlough.  She was obviously moved by the story.  Just two weeks ago, on another furlough from their work in Sri Lanka, her husband approached me.  He told me that he shares that story I told of one prayer to everyone he gets to meet in Sri Lanka.  

 

One prayer.

One story.

 

You matter.  Your prayers matter.  Your words matter.  Your life has the ability for great purpose. God hears and He moves.  Be encouraged today that you and your prayers matter.  Believe.  There is hope. 

 

 Romans 5:5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.