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.”