How far up the beach are you?

I had a vision in church on April 25th, 2010 and thought I'd share it.

I saw lots of people on a sunny beach. The weather was about 95-100°, but near the water there was a gentle, cool breeze flowing off of the water.

Some people were way up on the top side of the beach, well away from the water. They had hats pulled down over their faces which said "Don't bother me" to any passing by, as well as kept the hot sun from burning their faces. They had umbrella's up to try and keep the sun from beating down on them, but they still were very hot and thinking, "Why did we come here again?"

Some were down further towards the middle, looking and watching those closer to the water. One in a great while they'd feel a slight breath of cool air come their way, but it wasn't enough to make them pack up all their stuff and move down closer to the water.

Yet others were on their sun chairs letting their feet dangle down for the tips of the waves to cool them. They were smiling and looked quite content. They cool breeze was constant, and kept the air at about 75°, which was much better than way up on the beach.

The really wild ones were actually wading into the cold ocean, or even swimming around in it. Splashing, laughing, jumping, riding the waves in to the beach, and generally looking like they were having the best time of their lives.

What I then saw was the meaning of it all, clear as day. The ocean and the waves were God's love, his compassion, his true Self. Even the breeze, that just was over God, was refreshing to all who felt it.

The people in the water were enjoying God to the fullest, having a great time. They were deep into Him and just loved Him being all around them. They were happy and very content to stay in the water and play.

Those with their feet dangling in the water as it lapped at the beach could see that they really enjoyed the feel of God when He touched them, and were happy enough with that. They just didn't wish to go all-out as they may get soaked in His presence, which may be more than they can handle.

The ones in the middle of the beach were watching all the fun, felt the cool breezes that came off of the water, but were definitely not ready to deal with the possibility of having the water, God, touch their lives. It would be too messy to have to wash off later before getting into the car.

Those at the very top of the beach had seen all of the others and the potential for a great time, but they just wanted to take in the sun and bake without the disturbance of a God encounter. That would just be too much, and might disturb their leisurely life in a way that they definitely wouldn't like. They weren't all that happy with the heat that beat down on them, and felt they really didn't want to be there. They were not very happy to see others having such fun when they themselves weren't having any.

The message:

Don't sit back, suffering in the life you've got. You may feel that you've gone somewhere that should be nice, but just don't wish to have God in your life. You acknowledge that he exists, and are at times drawn to his presence, but just can't walk down the beach past the hot area.

Don't sit in the middle thinking all is fine with a breath of God once in a while. You may think you're a little better than those up at the top of the beach who don't like life, but it is just torture to feel so little of God, and not very often.

If you're one that sets up shop with your feet dangling into the little waves that come up each time a breaker crashes, you know that there is much more to see and do if you just give in to the Spirit that blows across you constantly, drawing you to the water. Just leave your stuff (cares) on the beach and go down and join those who have found the reality of living to the fullest with God surrounding them. It's not a chore - it's FUN!

Fickle?

"Don't be fickle-worshipping one moment then carried away by the world the next. Give yourself to Me wholly. Don't hold back! If you give yourself to Me in this way, you will experience Me in a way you've never known or imagined. The love from Me will fill you to where you will explode with it, drenching those around you in love as well. Do not fear this! With my perfect love in you, no harm can come to you. You do not fill yourselfe with Me and My love - I will do that for you. All you need to do is open the doors and invite Me in." - God

God the Tree

When we grow as branches from the tree that is God, storms of life blow against us. We hold to the knowledge that the strength of God, the trunk, will withstand the storms. Small and large branches that we are, we hold fast and strong to the tree. The squalls, torents, and even hurricanes of our life only serve to strengthen us. We may see them only as troubles that seem to rip our leaves from us, but as they happen, we are strengthened.

The tree that grows in a green house, away from wind and storms, can grow BIG and very FULL! BUT, take that tree, even after many years, and transplant it out into the world, with all its storms, and it will fall. With no strength built up from facing storms throughout its life, it will not be able to handle what may be just a small storm in the real world. It's branches will be ripped from it, and the trunk may even snap under the strain that it is not used to.

Don't look at the troubles of life as something that will destroy you and take what you want from you. Look at them as things that God can use to strengthen you in Him. The stronger the wind blows, the stronger we can become in God.

Beauty truly is only skin deep

Dirt. Crud. Trash. Scum. Rot. Mess.

No matter where you see it, it's not pleasant. Then comes snow. A dusting, then a bit more, then inches, and even more! Suddenly, all of the crap is covered and no longer seen. Everything looks completely beautiful and now is definitely pleasing to the eye.

But snow eventually melts when things warm up...and all that "stuff" reappears.

The enemy may try to help one cover the crud of life with a picture of beauty that others marvel at, but inside we know the truth.

Only one thing takes care of the dirt and scum of one's life - the Fire of the Lord God. He burns away the trash. Cleans out the rot. Sure, it may be quite uncomfortable, and even painful in some ways to have the stuff burned out, but the clean and fresh life that's left is well worth it.

T.I.M.E.

What is Time? What do we use it for? Some have fun, some work, some mourn, some suffer, some heal, some make war, some do nothing, some think, some are peace-makers, some joke it away, some live their dream.

Some use time
To
Intimately
Meet
Emmanuel

Some use time to
Train
Instant
Messengers of
Eternity

Still others
Think
Infinitely on
Messiah's
Everlasting word

How are you using the time you have been given? Whatever you are doing, don't waste it by
Throwing
It to a
Messy
End.

The Well-Travelled Road

The well-traveled road isn’t always the safest way to go.

We sometimes feel so secure following roads built by those before us. Our independent spirit believes that, even on unknown roads, we can go on our own without a guide searching the way before us. Even in torrential, flooding storms, we put our faith in the road, without thought to a guide that may say it’s unsafe. In our independence, we ignore warnings and continue to follow the road. What we don’t understand is that the guide has searched out the road ahead and has seen that the storm has washed it out ahead of us, and that destruction can come if we continue.

We may travel the same road in life over and over, but we need to still keep our radio tuned to The Guide, who sees what is ahead, so we can hear the warnings about things to come and take the recommended detour. He wants to prevent our destruction, and will save us if we allow Him to do so.

Clouds...

Let the cool mist of the Cloud of God refresh you in the heat of the day. Heat will always come our way - trials, hardship, attacks. In this heat, God wishes to refresh you. Cool you. Rejuvenate you.

The Cloud of the Lord slips in to block the brightness from scorching you. It comes quietly, unnoticed until the refreshment is felt; the glare is cut.

Enjoy his refreshment - it's meant just for YOU. He loves you that much.

The Desert Is NOT Dead!

People say the desert is dead. That it is lifeless and barren. Not quite true…

Go into the desert and learn! God speaks in the desert. He shows life in the desert! Like the sands in the desert, we can be shifted by the winds of His change. Like creatures in the desert, when we are there we delight in the peace of the morning dew. His refreshment in the morning brings joy to last the day. The enemy can be as pounding and scorching as the mid-day sun, but God can be an oasis any time we choose! Available for the asking. Sometimes we search endlessly for the oasis without realizing that its right before us for the taking! God’s refreshing spring is at hand. Dip in…..

Oil of the Spirit

Everyone knows that when oil is on something, it prevents items from sticking to it. Things just slide off. When we are covered with the Oil of the Spirit, then bitterness, rage, anger, depression, guilt, sorry, and all manner of sin will try to stick to us, but will slide right off. The enemy may say to us, “Here. Scrub that oil off so you can feel clean again.” He doesn’t want us to ask for the Spirit to cover us in His oil. The enemy wants us to be keeping the oil off so his junk can “stick” to us. Say, “NO!”” to the enemy. Say, “YES!” to the covering of the Oil of the Spirit, and He will grant you your wish.

The best part about oil is that if you touch others, some has to rub off onto them! The more you allow a covering of oil upon you, the more you’ll want to get it all over others!

Lions and Tigers and Bears! Oh, my!

“Lions and Tigers and Bears! Oh, my!”

We’ve all heard that famous line from The Wizard of Oz.

Lions in our lives can be strong – kings of parts of our life that we believe are too hard to face. These areas clamp down with great force to make us follow paths God wants us to avoid. We look at these lions and say, “Oh, my!”

Tigers of our life are just as strong in the hold they have, but are much more camouflaged and harder to recognize. We’ve let them blend into how we are and have given them permission to hide in the tall grasses we’ve let grow to cover ourselves. When we do catch a glimpse of the tigers in our life, all we say is, “Oh, my!”

Our bears are big, and generally are very much avoided by us. We let them rob us of the fruit that God has given to us, because of the fear that they may overpower us. We see the bears and say, “Oh, my!”

The enemy can take many forms in our daily living. He presents himself as a powerful king, a master of disguise, and one who deserves God’s fruit that’s meant for us. Satan hopes for one thing: that we don’t remember that when Jesus hung on the cross and died for us, ALL power in heaven and earth was granted to US as co-heirs with Christ. Knowing we have this power allows us to see the enemy as he truly is: powerless against us when God is on our side and when we allow God to flow through us. The enemy loses his grip, is exposed from the hiding, and chased from God’s fruit in us. Clam God’s power and you claim authority over your life.

A Liar and Deceiver trying to be a Hero

A Liar and Deceiver trying to be a Hero.

I saw a woman clinging to a branch while floating down a rain-swollen river with cliffs on both sides. She was floating down knowing the ride will end in death just a short distance away. You see, she knew that a very large water fall was coming that was hundreds of feet tall, ending in sharp rocks at the bottom.

As hope was fading, a man in a row boat came close, barely able to keep up with the river’s current, and offered to help. He offered a round piece of Styrofoam, about four feet long and a couple of inches in diameter. It was no better than the branch that was allowing the woman to cling to life.

The man in the boat kept saying, “Let go of the branch and I’ll throw this to you. It’ll save you!” The woman in the river could see that the foam was no better than the branch, but the man’s coaxing was making the her feel that maybe this was a hero their to rescue her. She knew he couldn’t do much for her after throwing her the foam, but he was so convincing of the power of using the foam. The battle of trying to decide what to do was so consuming, and the sound of the rushing water so lout, that she couldn’t hear or see that not 30 feet farther away was a 40 foot motor boat, with the Captain painfully trying to get her attention. He had a life ring with a strong rope tied to it that He was wanting to throw out to her, but if she wasn’t paying attention, she’d not be able to catch the ring. Not only would she be saved, but also could be pulled out of the water onto the boat, then the engines could roar to life propelling them to safety. The captain saw that time was running out at the waterfall was only about 100 yards away, and there was only one shot at getting her out in time.

Don’t listen to the lies of Satan, who offers false hope to you, when Jesus is all-powerful and hoping your attention is turned to Him so He can truly save you from death.

For the World

First up is a word received on March 4, 2007. It's titled, "For the World," and I hope you'll be blessed by it:

We are a gorgeous carpet that the Lord has woven together. Beautiful! Bright! Full of color! HE has given this carpet to the world to use.

We are a multi-sized, multi-colored, ornate stone walkway. God has chiseled each individual stone for this walkway so that they all fit together in the awesome design of the “whole” that He knew would be made in the end. HE has given this highly glossed walkway to the world to use.

The Lord took many varieties of wood. He cut them, sanded them, and glued them together into an exquisite floor. Its shine can dazzle even those who thought they were blind. HE gave this floor to the world to use.

The world takes these gifts from God and walks, runs, stomps, and stands on them. The gifts can get dirty, scratched, scuffed, and frayed. At times, parts can even be broken or torn off. The Lord, though, can maintain and repair His creations. All we, as the pieces of His gifts, need to do is ask Him to fix the broken, mend the torn, and wash clean the gifts so they can shine and dazzle the world continuously. We may get used by the world, but as a united people, we can hold the world up and show the glory of the Lord to the world as we do so. If we shine, the world will take notice and ask: “Who made these beautiful creations? I want to know him.”