Bless Me

We all want to be blessed by God the Father.  We want what we believe to be a life of ease.  We want peace and prosperity.  What we really want is the favor of Yahweh.  We believe we are entitled to all the pleasant gifts from God.  When those perceived blessings are withheld, we question our faith in God.  Some Believers feel that if you are not prosperous, God is not with you or blessing you.  Is it a sin to want or be blessed?  The answer is simply no.  As always, the sin lies in the motives of one's heart.  It is easy to have false modesty and humility.  We feel someone of wealth is to be avoided.  They cannot be walking in total surrender.  We believe that Christians should take a vow of poverty.  None of these motives or philosophies are godly.

1 Timothy 6:10 teaches that the love of money is the root of all evil.  Avarice of the heart causes  wrong thinking, wrong actions and destructive behavior.  Avarice is defined as an insatiable greed for wealth and riches.  The desire is to be miserly and hoard wealth.  In other words, if the desire to be blessed is to satisfy your base and evil urges, it is wrong.  But, the word of God teaches in Psalm 67 the correct way of thinking.  David begins by asking for God's mercy.  He acknowledges the need in his life and the lives of others for the mercy of God.  For we have all sinned and fallen short of God's glory. He understands that where there should be judgment and death, hold back your anger God and give us another opportunity to get it together.  But, he doesn't stay there.  He asks the Lord to bless him.  He asks God to bless him in order that God will be glorified.  Salvation will be known among the nations.  God's character will be known to everyone.  We will be His witness of His unfailing love and kindness.  David asks to be blessed that he might be a blessing and bring glory to God.

Ministry requires wealth.  Television stations cost money.  Mission trips cost money.  Food pantries require the purchase of food.  Ministries do not function on good intentions.  Yet, can God trust you with wealth?  Can He place large sums of money in your hand with the expectation that you not only will give the tithe which is holy, but you will give offerings.  Will you give from His heart?  Will you give out of your abundance and your need?  Will you give as He leads?  Will you open your home to the homeless?  Will you provide rides to those without cars or bus fare?  Will you feed the hungry, the sick and the suffering?  Will your hands be His hands and your heart His heart?  But you say I need money to live.  Yes, we need money to live in this world.  Believers are in this world, not of this world.  Our desire should always be to bring the Kingdom of God to those who do not know our Father.  If your hand is closed, you cannot give or receive. If you open your hand, God can bless you as you are a blessing.

Come up from wrong thinking.  Understand He is able to provide for you.  Begin to trust Him.  Begin to trust Him in your finances and resources.  Trust Him to provide enough that you will have some to share with those not under His umbrella of provision.  Bless those who are standing in line at the supermarket.  Don't let them pay with bill money or stamps.  Give a car to a single mother.  Buy clothes and school supplies for an entire family. Give a ride to that person standing at the bus stop.  Pay someone's bill who cannot imagine how it will be paid.  Give liberally to ministries that are breaking ground and planting seeds of mercy.  As you begin to bless others, tell them Yahweh loves you.  Tell them they are not forgotten.  Tell them the Kingdom of God has come to them this day.

For the choir director: A song. A psalm, to be accompanied by stringed instruments. May God be merciful and bless us. May his face smile with favor on us. Interlude May your ways be known throughout the earth, your saving power among people everywhere. May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you. Let the whole world sing for joy, because you govern the nations with justice and guide the people of the whole world. Interlude    May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you.  Then the earth will yield its harvests, and God, our God, will richly bless us. Yes, God will bless us, and people all over the world will fear him.  Psalm 67

- Determined Focus
 

Deep Cries Out to Deep

Another special poem by the anointed and appointed Vanessa D. Battle.  Do you feel the tug?  Is your heart crying for more?  The Deep places in God cries out to the deep of your soul.  He is calling, but will you respond?

The depths of my soul and all that is within me cries out for the depths of my Lord.  Reveal yourself to me.  All that's within me longs for more of you.  Bid me come upon the waters, keeping only you in view.  There is a thirst in my being that only you can satisfy.  Draw me closer to thee O Lord.  Bid me to come nigh.

You are my heart's desire.  You are all I need.  You are my who I long for, only you indeed.  Fill me with your love like only you can do.  All I want is you O Lord, nothing else will do.  How I want to know you, to touch your very heart, to go deeper into you Lord.  Show me where to start.  Teach me how to love you the way you want me to.  Teach me how to be your bride.  Show me what to do.

I will pursue you from the depths of my soul.  I will surrender myself to you and give you complete control.  How much I really want you, words cannot express.  But, I know without you my soul can find no rest.  The depth of my soul and all that is within me cries out for the depths of my Lord.  This is my desperate plea.

 

Clutter

I am a fan of the show Hoarders.  I am especially drawn to the shows where the hoarding is greatest and the home is the worst.  It is amazing to be surrounded with what is trash and filth and be comfortable.  It is just an appearance, because the person really is not comfortable.  They have learned to adapt and to become content in their circumstances. After watching the program, I have an immediate yearning to de-clutter and clean my home. But, in reality all of the people who have fallen victim to the hoarding mindset have experienced major trauma in their lives.  For some, it is divorce while others have experienced death of loved ones.  More have grown up in crippling poverty, and some were abused physically, emotionally, and mentally as children.  They walk in shame and guilt.  They no longer realize their living situation and do not believe they deserve better.  The hoarding mindset not only affects the person, but it hurts their family and friends. 

The Spirit of God has whispered to me, time to remove the clutter in my mind and heart.  Normally your response is, I need to change my thinking.  I must rid myself of fear, doubt and unbelief.  That is true, but the Spirit seeks to go into the forgotten areas to clean.  Bitterness has been swept under the rug.  Anger is behind the refrigerator.  Unforgiveness is stuck in the cobwebs that are in the attic.  Disappointment is under the bed and disillusionment is wrapped up in the dirty clothes hamper with the musty socks.  We have learned to clean what is obvious to ourselves and others and leave behind the residue that causes the most destruction.  Termites left unchecked will destroy the most sturdiest of homes.  These emotions, mindsets and heart issues are the termites of our soul.

Just like the counselors, therapists, hoarding experts and cleaners attempt to help hoarders clean their homes and change their thinking, so the Holy Spirit is changing ours.  Paul says in Philippians that he is being "poured out as a drink offering" to the body. His life has been broken and crushed to release God's spirit that is inside of him.  The libation is his sacrifice to God and to us.  The prophet Malachi describes the secret sins and unworthy offerings of the priests.  The Lord through Malachi exposes the unclean and unkept areas. We have been offering to God our blindness, the sickness of our soul and our crippled walk as sacrifices.  God requires our best.  The priest is to be the instrument of God to bless nations.  The Spirit of God cannot minister through us until He first ministers in and to us.  But, we must be willing to yield to the process of cleansing.  It is difficult.  We have adapted to our circumstances.  We have declared that we cleaned already; yet, we have neglected the dirtiest of areas.  With the passing of time, we have become ineffective as priests and compromised our walk.  The lost no longer seek our counsel and unity among believers is gone.  There is no power and anointing. 

This is the season when the Lord seeks to pour out His spirit upon us, and for us to pour out that same spirit to the lost and to the body.  We must make our temple ready to receive the outpouring.  He cannot and will not use us broke, busted and disgusted.  Nor, will He accept our junk as a sacrifice to Him.  We must begin to allow the Holy Spirit access to the crooks and crevices of our heart.  The process is painful.  We will have to deal with our heart issues and acknowledge our shortcomings and sin.  But, the benefit, like the clean house of a hoarder, is a life free of the effects of the past.  You will have freedom and be used to free others. 

"The LORD of Heaven’s Armies says, “The day of judgment is coming, burning like a furnace. On that day the arrogant and the wicked will be burned up like straw. They will be consumed—roots, branches, and all. But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings.  And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture. 

On the day when I act, you will tread upon the wicked as if they were dust under your feet,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies."

 

Malachi 4:1-3  NLT