Being back from Africa has been stretching for me in many ways. For so long we have taught people in the church that being used by The Lord looks this way or that way, but isn’t that in itself putting God in this tiny little box? It’s time to take Him out of the box! It’s time to take the box off our minds as well! Our mind is not a bad thing, it’s actually really good. The key is to have your mind be in submission under your spirit. That your mind would be led by His Spirit.
Since being back I’ve seen people come to The Father, be healed, delivered, set free, grow, discipled and loved beyond measure. But I still have people asking me constantly, “how can you deal with being home after everything you saw in Africa, all the miracles and such.” My look is sometimes that of shock and my response is, “but it’s happening here too!” God doesn’t just “move” in the nations! He moves through His people- you and I- no matter where we are, if we are willing to let Him- He will do the impossible through us!
Our life is ministry! Jesus walked from place to place stopping for each person along the way. Each person had value in His eyes! His love for them never failed, it never stopped! So, what does it look like to represent Him? To Re-present Him? To walk as He walked! Stopping for each person! What I love about it is that He was walking. Meaning, He was moving. He didn’t become complacent by sitting still but He knew He was here to bring the kingdom forth. That’s what we are called to do! When Jesus prayed He said, “Thy kingdom come and will be done on earth as it is in heaven!”
To be honest, the apparent lack of hunger from His people to know Him more has been the hardest part of being back. Are we really hungry for Him? Do we long for more intimacy with Him? Do we really want to see the world through The Father’s eyes? Are we living out of His heart? So my question is this, do we really want to see His kingdom on earth? Not just the nations but where we are in our everyday lives? If we don’t see it, then why? It’s not hard. The truth is that we have totally tore the simplicity of the gospel apart and changed it into this huge, hard, and complicated thing that we HAVE to do because we will only be loved and saved by our works! When in Ephesians 2:8-9 it clearly says that we are saved by grace through faith, not our works! This doesn’t mean to sit and do nothing, as we want to represent Jesus and He was moving. You see, when you have a revelation of His love for you, it no longer becomes works to you but a love affair. And when you are in love with someone, you will do anything for them! It doesn’t become a job but rather a joy! The working for it fades and it simply becomes who you are!
Being back in America I have seen so many who carry an orphan spirit. Not knowing how loved they are! My heart has ached for His sons and daughters to know who they are. To know His love for them. I see people running to everything except Him in hopes to find that joy that only He brings. Running to a conference to get “filled”. There’s nothing wrong with conferences, I like them, but running to them when He’s right there, everyday, waiting for us to let Him fill us! He wants His children to be so full of Him everyday that we can then release Him throughout our day! Its about stopping for the one, who is the One (The Father). And as we stop for Him and He loves us, we feel His presence invade our hearts and spirits and we feel full. You start seeing as He sees, loving as He loves. And that love and fullness comes from Him as we stop for Him, adore Him and are intimate with Him. Then, and only then, do we start re-presenting Him, as the fullness of Him just flows through us.
His love for us is unstoppable, unchangeable! Nothing we do can change His love. His love is fierce! We can learn new levels of His love everyday! His love damages fear.. It will fight fear.. It will destroy fear because perfect love casts out all fear and He loves us with perfect love! The Fathers love isn’t contingent on our belief in it.. It comes with no strings attached. But, we have busied our lives so much here that we don’t stop for Him. So, we seek love and acceptance in every other place because we haven’t gotten the revelation of how we are accepted and loved already! You see, there’s nothing we can do to change that, so why not surrender to it? Why not accept it?
I asked The Father what was the purpose for this season of my life. The season of “preparation” before I leave again. I told Him not to waste it. Yes, I see His kingdom coming forth through my life but I hunger for so much more of Him! What I love about hunger is that the hungry are the ones He feeds! And spiritual hunger is different than physical hunger…with spiritual hunger the more you eat the hungrier you are! That’s what God seeks, hunger! How hungry will we be for Him? So, I told The Lord not to waste this season! I wanted to become so much more intimate with Him even in the midst of preparation! I’ve had more people than I can even try to explain, tell me, that I’m wasting my time! That I should be getting married, having kids and “settling down”. That I’m wasting time, money and resources. I felt like The Lord said to me, “Will you waste this season on me? Will you waste your life on me?” What set the disciples in the Bible apart from the rest? Their yes! Their yes to waste their life on Him!
I want to run into the darkest places for the sake of love! I want to call people to run into the darkness, right where they are in their lives! Run baby run, as fearless lovers because when you’re full of His love and light, you can go into the darkness and it explodes with that love and light! We are little people but in His presence, in His love things change! Being possessed by The Fathers love, by Him, we can go anywhere, we can do anything! All for the sake of love!
