May You Live in More Power

May You Live in More Power


We took some time to be with all our grandchildren during this week of spring break. We did a trek to the DeSoto Bluff area on the Caddo River and then on to the lower lake area of Lake DeGray for some kite flying. It had been windy most of the day but when we got out to the lake the wind wasn’t consistent. Grandsons would take turns trying to run as Popaw held the stri...ng and then vice versa. Finally, they gave up. Without enough wind strong enough to lift the kite and keep it flying, there was just a lot of work running and trying and failing to get airborne.

God spoke to my heart: You are destined to run and fly with Me. But you’ll never truly get off the ground nor have sustained momentum without the wind of the Holy Spirit. You may run short distances, jump low boundaries and have little bursts of energy, but without the Holy Spirit there is no chance you will succeed, even in the good times. I AM not concerned about what you can or cannot do in the flesh. I AM not about your education or your stock portfolio or your hobbies. I AM beyond all that. And because I want you to fly high with Me, I AM overlooking the things of the flesh that you count as such value. I don’t use personal bests, I overcome personal weakness. Whether you are overlooking the bluff of fear or you are running the race of hardship, I AM going to show you how to live life in Me. Hang on to the string of My Word, because you are headed beyond yourself. Worn out? Tired? Stretched thin? Hit the ground face down? That’s alright. Now we will go together and I will lead. My Spirit is your only opportunity to maintain momentum of your faith, your life or your love. Other folks may look like they are doing great things, maybe even for God, but unless they are moved and have their being solely in Christ they are just doing so much exercise. In Me you will succeed where before you have failed. In Me you will sustain growth where you have lost ground before. Don’t look back to the way it was, just run forward, under My guidance and in My power and you will go where you’ve never gone before. The past is just that, passed – it’s not something you can relive or regain, but beloved, I AM teaching you to rely on Me alone, so that you have strength beyond yourself for everything you need in the days ahead.

Oh beloved, aren’t you blessed! You no longer have to struggle to make yourself look good or be good. You don’t have to hope you have the strength to keep up appearances. You can soar with the eagles and fly high as the birds while holding onto Jesus. He will take you beyond yourself and into His flight pattern, sustained by His Holy Spirit wind and the Word of God. You’ve been struggling and getting tied up in knots trying to overcome your past, make things happen or to be somebody, but that no longer matters. Let God untangle the mess and release you from the flesh. His perfect will is found in Him alone. Your perfect plan for life is found in Him as well. Rejoice in the weakness as you learn to live in the power of the Holy Spirit and live a life that is built completely on Christ.

God loves you and He’s for you, so you can let go the things that are holding you down, grab hold of Him and fly!

Zechariah 4:6 Then he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel saying, 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD of hosts.

Psalm 44:6 For I will not trust in my bow, Nor will my sword save me.

2 Chronicles 32:8 “With him is only an arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles." And the people relied on the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

Psalm 75:10 For God says, “I will break the strength of the wicked, but I will increase the power of the godly.

Psalm 23:3 He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to His name.

Need A Specialist? You Have the Lord!

He called my office looking for information about pecan trees. No one was in the office except me so I tried to find the information for him about a particular variety of tree. Without having any luck online I got his number and called an agent in another county who is known for his incredible knowledge of pecan trees. As I asked a couple of questions, the agent began giving me information. It was apparent that he knew his stuff. I found out things I never knew about pecan trees as well as the information that my client wanted. I hung up the phone amazed at what that agent knew.

The agent’s reputation preceded him but now I had experienced it for myself. My experience plus his reputation made for certainty. Had I called a cattle specialist with the information I needed I would have come up empty handed. They might have known about pecans but they wouldn’t have the detailed specific information I needed. It’s not their specialty.

I also noted that this agent who had all the information about pecan trees wasn’t just a knowledge base. He loved pecan trees. He enjoyed studying them and sharing his information with whoever called. It was educational to talk with him but it was a delight also. His incredible knowledge was only trumped by his obvious love of the subject. He enjoyed talking about pecan trees with anybody who asked.
It’s obvious when we are in need that what we need is a specialist. We need someone who knows more than we do about the need. But we want more than mere intellectual information. We need more than mere head knowledge. I can find information, but I want heart and soul mixed in. I want someone who loves their subject and is willing to share it with me whenever I need.

God speaks to my heart: Our specialist is God Himself. He has all knowledge. He has information for any situation we may find ourselves in. But He’s not just full of knowledge, He loves us. He loves to share all of His truth with us. He has a knowledge base of all we could ever need to know in the Bible. But He didn’t just send us a book of facts. He sent us a Savior, who went to the cross to give us new life. But more than that. He sent us a Helper, Holy Spirit, to reveal God’s truth to us in wisdom, power and love. God could have just had holy men of God write His Words and put them in a book. But His love compelled Him to want relationship with us. Because of His great love we have fellowship with the One Who knows all. Aren’t we blessed?

Oh beloved, this same Specialist, who knows all, knows all about you as well. This knowledge seems to wonderful to you, I understand. Too good to be true but it is! He will meet all your needs. Every question you have, every desire of your heart is met in Him. Every mistake you want to leave behind and every worry, fear and concern you have is known by Him. And He loves you, so that when you have a need you can go right into His presence and ask anything, knowing that because He is God and He is your Savior and He is your Comforter, He will answer you. Nothing is too hard for Him. He wants to share His amazing information with you. He wants to fellowship with you. He loves you so much that He shares His truth in love. Others may have given you their version of the truth and it may have left you feeling rejected, despised, alone or fearful. Someone may have given you some worldly advice but it did nothing for your heart and soul. God will always give you His perfect Truth. He will tell you the Truth about yourself and that truth is full of His love and grace and mercy. He will not put you down, kick you out or leave you alone. He will also give you peace in the midst of the storm, joy in the midst of the suffering and strength when you are at your weakest.

What an awesome God! To think that we can have fellowship with Him, the one who set the stars in orbit and created the heavens and the earth. Beloved, run to Him first for your needs. He will guide you, direct you and keep you as well as work things out for your good and His glory. He will send you help in due season, friends who know Him well enough to be trusted and give you the ability to stand amidst it all. God loves you and He’s for you and that’s all that really matters as you seek His face and live in the light of His Word.

Deuteronomy 10:17 For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed.

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. NIV

John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

Acts 17:25 and human hands can’t serve His needs—for He has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and He satisfies every need.

Psalm 139: 1,5-6 O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You go before me and follow me. You place Your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!

Daily Filling Keeps You From Being Dry

The Christmas tree hunt was always a fun childhood memory. When Danny and I married I tended to gravitate towards trees that were, well too big! Admittedly we would argue a bit about which tree to get as the one I wanted was always too tall! Finally we started using artificial trees and did so for years. Last year we started looking at living trees. Tree hunting memories are so much fun, no matter where you go to get one.

With a live tree, you must fill the container daily. If it were a fake tree, there’d be no need for the life keeping water. But without filling the tree on a regular basis, the needles would begin to turn brown and fall. It would become brittle and unappealing. Its life is connected to the filling, otherwise it’s sure to die.

The Christian life is much like a living Christmas tree. We are alive in Christ and set apart as a display of His glory and grace. We’ve been infused with the life giving water of the Holy Spirit. But this life in Christ is a daily renewal. Unless we allow ourselves to be filled daily, we’ll be just like that Christmas tree whose branches become brittle. Our countenance and our strength will begin to fall, just like the needles on an un-watered tree. For us to live fully alive, we must drink of the fountain of living water and we can because God says that His life giving flow never runs dry. As we allow the Lord to wash us with the water of the Word, we thrive. We stay green and soft and pliable. We are beautiful because He fills us daily and keeps us fresh for His glory.
Danny filled the trees container yesterday and he was shocked that the gallon of water he put on the day before was gone. That’s why he keeps a water bottle right behind the tree, a reminder to refill it daily so it remains beautiful. We too keep the Word handy, right there on our bedside tables or our morning coffee spot, so that we can quickly pick up a refill.

Maybe you found your walk with the Lord a little dry lately. The urgency to refill has waned but you thought things were going pretty good. You may not have noticed right away, but there’s a nagging feeling that something’s not right. The excitement, the thrill, the love seems to be gone. You’re been busy preparing for Christmas, but forgotten Christ. It happens. We find the pursuit of life to be very engaging and busy. Then one day we discover we have gotten brittle and perhaps a little grumpy and short tempered. We check and see that it’s been days since we’ve taken in the Word.

True to God’s Word, as soon as we refill our reservoir with His fountain of love, we return to our supple, beautiful, Christ-filled temperament. Yet we tend to let it go dry before we refill.

Oh beloved, drink deeply of God’s Word. Let it lavish the nourishment that you must have as a believer. Watch as His life giving flow helps rid you of the brittleness of life. Yes, there can be hard times when you may be feeling quite dry, but God’s promise is that you can be like a tree that flourishes by streams of living water. You won’t have to bend under the load of care, because the more you are filled with Christ the less room there is for the cares of the world. Family and friends cannot fill your heart with what you really need. Things and pursuits of happiness won’t nourish your heart. God knows you’ve been through a lot. You may feel that you were cut down in your prime and drug through the woods of sorrow, rejection, troubles and cares. But He’s setting you up as a beautiful display of His magnificent love. Let Him replace the things that are loading you down and watch as you feel renewed under His watchful care. The fruit and the gifts of the Holy Spirit will flow as well, just as the tree is decorated with ornaments.

Don’t load yourself down with the things that don’t matter, but let yourself be filled with the only thing that really matters in your life. God loves you and He’s for you and that is worth refilling every single day of the year.

John 5:26 The Father has life in Himself, and he has granted that same life-giving power to His Son.

John 7:38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’”

Jeremiah 2:13 For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned Me— the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!

Job 23:12 I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.

Jeremiah 17:8 For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit.

John 15:4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.

Feast on the Word and Never Go Away Hungry

While we had no meal catastrophes on Christmas Day, I did forget to purchase one important menu element. When I went to assembly the broccoli rice casserole there was no broccoli! Our son went to Walgreen’s, the only thing, besides gas stations, open in town only to find they had none.  Someone managed to find a packaged of steam and serve “casserole” in their freezer and we made it.

To say we were all stuffed afterwards is putting it mildly.  I am always concerned there won’t be enough and as a result there’s always more than we could ever eat, even though this year there were 12 of us present. With the candies and pies and fruit salad included and the fact that most everyone grazed all afternoon, you could say we were stuffed. Not only were we full at the table, we stayed full all afternoon!  The only thing we had to watch was what Caleb got hold of, since he’s allergic to nuts, otherwise he could eat to his heart desire as well.

Believers should be a lot like Christmas meal patrons. At our disposal is the most wonderful banquet table in the universe! Nothing is taboo and nothing at His banquet will harm us. At our fingertips are the richest delicacies of the faith spread out freely for us to partake.

Unlike Christmas meals, when we are full of God, we can keep eating and never feel stuffed! In fact the more you partake of God’s banquet, the more blessed we become! The richest morsels of God’s banquet keeps us wanting more of Him and less of the world. When we are filled with God we don’t have room for anything else!

Oh beloved, how blessed you are to live where the Word of God can still be freely read and absorbed! You who belong to Him are able to partake, with all the saints, every single item on His menu! Run to His Word today Let the Holy Spirit feed you and fill you with His delicacies so that you have no room for other things that do not truly satisfy.  Other menus will call out to you, but when you stay close to the Lord and let Him fill you with Himself, nothing else will do.  He says to you this morning, come and see, all that I AM you can be a partaker of. All that I AM is yours for the asking. You never have to leave, you can even carry Me with you, for I AM with you always. Sit and learn of Me for I AM your most faithful friend and I will never leave you hungry or thirsty. Other things may look enticing, but they will lead to pain and hurt and sorrow. But I AM always good for your heart, health for your soul and life for your spirit.  I AM the one who loves you and I AM the one who is with you, after the party is over, after the mess is cleared away, after everyone else is gone I AM. Come and be seated at My banqueting table, for My banner over you is Love!

Song of Solomon 2:4 He brought me to the banqueting house, and His banner over me was love [for love waved as a protecting and comforting banner over my head when I was near Him]. AMP

Isaiah 2:3  People from many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of Jacob’s God. There He will teach us his ways, and we will walk in His paths.” For the LORD’s teaching will go out from Zion; His word will go out from Jerusalem.

Isaiah 55:1 “Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink— even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk— it’s all free!

Psalm 37:4 Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires.

Psalm 40:16  But may all who search for You be filled with joy and gladness in You. May those who love Your salvation repeatedly shout, “The LORD is great!”

Ephesians 5:2  Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered Himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

Psalm 107:9  For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.