One of our first team meetings in Guatemala I told them of I vision I had about our time there. It went something like this; there is a flame within the pastor and the church we are helping to build, but God does not want just a flame he longs to be a “devouring fire” which is exactly what he is. I saw us fanning the flame, helping it to grow, allowing it to erupt throughout the village and inside the hearts of our people. As time went on in LaCama my vision was further molded and more specific. The last night in our village we put on a worship service for our church family (and anyone who heard the loud music). We rented instruments and speakers and set it all up on the foundation of the church we had been working on the past 3 weeks. Anyhow the Lord put it upon my heart to share my vision with the village. I shared with them that not only does he want a bonfire for his people in LaCama but he wants it to spread like wildfire from their hearts to the entire village to all of Quiche then throughout Guatemala! He is not a small God, he is not a timid God, he is a jealous God who wants ALL of us. Proverbs 25:4 ” Take away the dross from the silver, and the smith has material for a vessel,”. John 3:30, “He must increase and I must decrease”. Isaiah 61:3 “to grant those who mourn in Zion- to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that they may be glorified.”
By throwing our burdens, our pasts, our temptations, our weakness to God or “into the flame” we allow God to increase in our lives. The fire can only be so bright when it has a couple twigs to consume, but behold the bonfire that will erupt when we throw large pieces to be burned! When I was speaking to the church about this I knew the Lord was telling not just them but he was speaking to my heart as well, he does not want the little things I want to give him, he wants the forest to burn he wants the things I long to hang onto. He wants me to surrender all so that he can be HUGE. I have to become less in order for Him to be more. I have been told we are like pumpkins, the more of the junk we clean out of the middle… the more our candles can be seen. The candle is not mine. The light is not from me. I have no light without Christ. I desire and dream to turn my ashes into a beautiful headdress! Why hold onto those things when Christ already paid for them!!! I don’t have to hold onto the burdens, I can give them up freely! Jesus deserves to be represented by us giving ourselves over to him to be molded into “new creatures”. He is worth it. He deserves the best.
happy late bday mama! u sure are purty
