Worship Jesus Christ

When Your Joy is Clean

2011-12-28T19:53:00.000-08:00

When Your Joy is clean
and bracing like a cold breeze
on an even colder day

It surprises you
With its freshness
And purity
And strengthening airs

It braces you for
The next round of
Life
Rushing in
Unbounded

And rekindles the
Newness of
His Life in You
Afresh

(

How do I

2011-12-27T04:45:00.000-08:00

How do I continue to love when
New and Painful darts stab my heart?

And how do I bless those that
Would wound me afresh?

Fresh circumcision of my heart, Lord

Fresh peeling away of the flesh
That would only get in the way
Of Who You Are
And What You Would Be

To them.....

To me.....

To a dying world that so needs YOU....

Fresh Bread Broken for Me This Morning
(Thank you for loving me that much)

Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” John 6:32-34

Celebration of Christ

2011-12-25T03:34:00.000-08:00

Yea, Lord, we greet thee
Born This Happy Morning

Jesus to Thee be all
Glory Given

Word of the Fa- ther
Now in Flesh Appearing

O Come Let Us Adore Him
O Come Let Us Adore Him
O Come Let Us Adore Him

Christ, the Lord

How beautifully these words ring in my heart this morning!

How gracious and merciful You are, Lord
To veil Your majesty and glory
And come low to the earth
That my sinful heart might be
Arrested out of its pitiful state
Into the glorious liberty of the
Sons of God!

Sky-breaking,
Heaven-sailing
Glory!

I am my Beloved's

2011-10-03T18:48:00.000-07:00

I am my Beloved's
And He is mine
His banner over me is love (SS 6)

I have not chosen Him,
But He has chosen me.... and ordained me....
that I should go and bring forth fruit
And that my fruit should remain (John 15)

I am a crown of glory in His hand
A royal diadem...
And He shall rejoice over me (Is 62)

I am overcome
By this LOVE
So much
So deep
That it makes my heart well up
In overwhelming thankfulness
To You

How beautiful You are, my Lord...
You are the all-consuming fire
And I am caught up in the realm
Of Your Splendor, Majesty, and
Total Eclipse of Everything GLORY

At the thought of Your Imminent Return

Be Careful for Nothing

2011-10-03T18:33:00.000-07:00

Be careful for nothing
My dear child

(He repeated,
With a smile :)

For in My arms
You will be truly satisfied

Forget your thought wanderings
Tame your tongue ramblings

Rein in those emotions...
And let my Spirit reign

Is not the TRUTH more beautiful
Than anything that you have ever beheld?

Is not His LIFE more exciting
Than your wildest dreams and desires?

Is not His LOVE a thing of purity
Of overabundant fullness
Of more than enough to spread around,
Splash in it and share it
WONDERFULNESS??!

I want the MORE (Matthew 20)

2011-04-04T07:58:00.000-07:00

Jesus stopped and called to the two blind men,
"What do you want me to do for you?"

The pastor asked from the pulpit,
"What would you answer to His question?"

My heart immediately answered,
"I want to be MORE like You, Jesus"

I want the MORE, Jesus...

I Have a Dream

2011-02-04T04:28:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning with the phrase "I love how the Lord moves!" and a little crow of praise on my lips.

Wow, what a way to wake up! I couldn't help but smile, and feel the joy of the Lord all over me.

Just before I awoke, I had a dream. In the dream, a fellow believer was in prayer, and heard the Lord tell her something about the "Johnson school." She was curious, and went to the Johnson school, thinking that perhaps the Lord had something for her to do there. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, and she continued with her day, trusting that the Lord would reveal the meaning of what and why He had spoken thus to her.

The next day, a whole bunch of confused schoolkids showed up at the place where this believer works; the children were supposed to be going somewhere, but noone seemed to know the name of the place where they were supposed to be going. Enter our hearing believer; remembering "Johnson school", she knows immediately this is what and why God had spoken to her, and the wandering schoolkids are able to safely arrive at their destination. The woman is filled with joy --look at what the Lord has done!

At this point, I enter the dream; I am the narrator of this special testimony. I am in love with Jesus, and I love sharing how He moves on our behalf! Seated at a table with 5 or 6 women, I begin to excitedly tell the details of God's working to two ladies. At first, they seem as excited as I am to hear what has happened. However, gradually I notice that one woman's face is growing increasingly distant and sour looking.

The woman with the sour face begins to tell me things about the testimony woman, but, in my dream, I cannot hear anything she is saying. She eventually gets up and moves away.

As I am sitting there, I cannot understand why this sour woman cannot rejoice in what God has done; I sit puzzled, mulling these things over in my head.

Then, all of a sudden, the Spirit of the Lord comes upon me -- I sit straight up in my chair, and laugh. "I love how the Lord moves!" and I start to praise joyfully, whereupon I awake.

Has God done something in your life today? Then develop a deaf ear to all the naysayers; develop a blind eye to what they see and say and do; let your mouth lose its ability to speak or pass on anything that would detract from the marvelous ways that God wants to manifest in our lives. May the Spirit of the Lord come upon you even as you are reading this, and fill you with His joy!

Psalm 1:1-3 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Two Hearts Become One

2010-12-23T19:08:00.000-08:00

I love it that You are such a personal God

I love it that You are always singing in my spirit

And that we move together in tandem

I love it that You fill my every day with

Joy unspeakable and full of glory :)

I love it that You sent Your Son to die for me,

Yet You still will spend endless hours

Conversing with me

And I love it

That You will never, ever

Leave me

I love it that

Your Spirit and my spirit

Have become one...

2010-12-23T18:53:00.000-08:00

My.....treasure.....

YOU

Precious

Cherished

Depth and Width and Breadth and Substance Himself

LOVE

Unending

Unsurpassed

G L O R I O U S!!

Yorokobi!

2010-11-25T18:49:00.000-08:00

{yorokobi = joy, delight, rapture in japanese}
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead... (I Peter 1:3)
To read this tonight struck such a chord of joy in me!
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ..." yes, yes! how blessed we are! as I look up into Your lovely face, I immediately get the focus off of what and where I am, the little detail foxes that spoil Your vine flourishing in me...Instead, a praise for You The glorious Trinity overflows my lips!
"According to His abundant mercy..." oh, how deep is that mercy for me...how fully I realize His great sacrifice that I might have this entrance into His presence. How amazing and overflowing is that fountain of forgiveness and grace as He continues to bubble up within me.
"Begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" beautiful beautiful exchange of the old nature for that fully new Spirit of You, God living within me! beautiful, beautiful sacrifice of you, Jesus, for me to once and for all have a loving and close relationship with You, Savior of my soul!

The Good News (Prison to Praise)

2010-11-11T19:02:00.000-08:00

The Good News of the Gospel
Is not that We are Saved
From Our Surroundings
When We Receive Christ...

For then we would no longer be in this world.

The Good News of the Gospel
Is that we deserve death
For our failure to
Acknowledge the
Most High God

But God, in His Infinite Mercy,
Provided Not only a way of escape,
But Sacrificed His most dearest,
Most precious,
One and Only Son

It is this marvelous, wonderful
GIFT
In which we can continually rejoice
No matter what our surroundings
Or circumstances would have us to feel

It is this
GIFT
That deserves our highest praise
And loudest rejoicing
Even while the prison doors
Would seem to still be intact
Around us

(And the walls came tumbling down...)

Resting

2010-11-06T18:26:00.000-07:00

JESUS

My heart has found a resting place
Here, within Your Heart--
Infinite and Full of Love
You encompass me

We dance together
And how beautiful are the steps!
As the light that now
Bounces across the new morning...

"Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs;
The autumn rains also cover it with pools"

Carved

2010-11-01T09:14:00.000-07:00

I recently saw a facebook entry about whether it is ok to lose respect for someone even though you have forgiven them. The comments that followed the post were many and varied...

I thought deeply about this when i read the post. I thought about how i was treating those in my life whom i claim to forgive. I found that I needed to define exactly what not respecting someone would look like in my life, so i looked up the opposite of respect:

disrepect
disregard
deny

(http://www.wordhippo.com/)

In my own life, i struggle often with my relationship with my father...at what point in my forgiveness does it become right for me to disrepect, disregard, and deny him?

If I struggle with the beliefs of a false preacher, or someone who i believe is not walking out their faith, at what point is it Christlike to disrepect, disregard, or deny them?

I looked deep into my own heart, and realized that God had literally carved me...He had allowed me to travel to such a low place that I knew that I knew that I knew that my own worth and respect was not at all earned, but bought for me with a great price. Having traversed the valley of my sin completely and found no remedy in my flesh for any of it, it is no longer my righteousness that I count on.  Thank God for the Holiness of the Lamb! Thank You Lord for Your Cleansing Blood! Thank You Jesus for your Infinite Mercy!

She who is forgiven much, loveth much.            Selah.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2efP9eZrs5U

No matter what someone close to you does or does not do, that person is still loved by his/her Creator, and is of infinite value to Him. Because of the great mercy I know has been shown to me, I have no right to disrepect, disregard, or deny their value or worth. While my feelings may try to cause me to go in a different direction than the God-honoring response of loving them in Christ, I know so strongly in my spirit that I don't walk by feelings. I walk entirely by Grace, and by the Love of God shed abroad in my heart by the Holy Spirit.

I also know that I may be the very one that God will shine through for their next breakthrough. So I humble myself, and await His instructions as to best help the person He is calling me to forgive, and believe God for healing their heart...

A word of caution here:  I do not believe that God wants us to include in forgiveness a lack of discernment -- to forgive someone does not mean that you do not use your discernment as to whether what they are saying/doing is in accordance with Truth. The Word tells us to speak the Truth in Love, and then to live at peace with everyone, as far as is possible with us. Sometimes this requires us to remove ourselves from situations that cause US to sin.  I am not responsible for how the person I forgive reacts to my desire to walk in Truth and Love.  I therefore release them to God for mercy, and yes, for justice (However, in the Word of God, we are given many examples of great men/women of God who cried out to God for mercy for their fellows...Abraham, Moses, Joseph, Jesus to name a few -- mercy triumphs over justice!)

I have run the gamut of emotions while forgiving different people in my life -- pain, self-pity, anger, discouragement, isolation -- but my biggest breakthrough was when the Lord said to me, Do you love me? and I said, Yes, Lord, you know I do, and He replied, Feed my sheep.

He knew all the emotions I was having, because He had been tempted in every way, just as we are -- yet was without sin. He flowed with the Life of the Spirit in every way, in every circumstance. I know this is setting the bar high, but He is the plumbline. He is the Standard, He is the High Calling of the redeemed. He is the One who has given us all things we need for Life and Godliness. And He is the one who always -- in all ways -- causes us to triumph in Him.

Dwelling...Carving...

2010-10-26T11:38:00.000-07:00

How lovely are YOUR Dwelling Places, O Lord!
I am your sparrow hiding in the craigs of the Rock,
Longing to stay close and secure in Your embrace
Breathing in and out Your sustenance...

Yet Deep calls to deep in this season
The waves crash over me relentlessly
Even as I crawl into Your refuge and shelter...
Thus I am carved into Your image

Oh God you have been carving very deeply
You have overflowed into every crevice
Of my often unknown heart
And washed and washed my very soul...

I am overwhelmed by Your Mercy
I am overwhelmed by Your Goodness to me...

I am overwhelmed by How You Will Not Let Me Go

God-Painted Colors

2010-10-13T13:08:00.000-07:00

There's something so beautiful about autumn -
Gloriously God-painted in rich saturated colors,
Sparkly blues of sky and shiny glints of sunshine...

And even now when I think about the beauty of it all,
My eyes well up with tears...
Because You planned it this way,
Didn't You, Precious Lord?

And how I used to tumble through my days
Without even noticing --

Why now so spectacular?
Why at this time is it all so wonderful
To pause, to reflect, to saturate myself
In Your saturation?

I cannot but even imagine why...
Except that I almost feel like
I was never so alive as in
This moment...

Never so keen to listen to the rustle of Your voice
As in listening to the crackling leaves...
To breath in all of You
As much as the musty ripeness of harvest...
And never so aware of the brevity of time
As in watching Your ever-deepening display...

I hush my day to marvel and praise
Overwhelmed by all that You are.

(,,,I whisper an awestruck, "I love You",,,)

Not by might, not by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord

2010-10-02T08:57:00.000-07:00

Your Love pierces the darkness, O Lord....

And this morning, Your Spirit rose up in me
With such intensity in worship
That it pierced me...

I feel like I am coming alive again.

What Makes Me Happy and Excited -- What I Long For

2010-09-28T08:31:00.000-07:00

This morning I was overcome with the desire to reach people for Christ -- so much so that I could not stop crying out to the Lord...

If Paul says he is the chiefest of sinners, but changed by grace, then i boldly confess that i am the chiefest of timids, BUT GOD...

I know that my greatest weaknesses are only an opportunity for Him to show Himself strong on my behalf -- that when we realize that we are extremely lacking, that is when God can truly SHOW UP!

And so I wait...on You, Lord, and Your timing....

My Soul Need

2010-09-17T04:18:00.001-07:00

A Moment with You

2010-09-16T13:51:00.000-07:00

Oh, how wonderful it is to have a moment with You, Lord
Soooo peaceful....soooo refreshing....

I have felt someone's effort to wound my heart today,
And just want to come to you now
To ask afresh for her healing...

I ask that You bless her with real and honest healing
Of her heart and emotional baggage and pain
That she would be able to once and for all
Release them all to You

And then receive the true and overflowing
Fullness of Who You Are...
Who You Really Are, Lord

For You are Everything:
All Goodness, All Purity,
All Overwhelming Grace,
All Wisdom, All Purifying,
All Healing, All Abiding LOVE.

Once we are really IN YOU
We have no lack at all...

Words fail me, Lord,
But I know Your heart
And my heart are in sync
And I bless her
And forgive her
And love her with You.

Lovely

2010-09-14T20:49:00.000-07:00

How lovely is breathing out Your name
J eeee ssssss uuuu ssssss

To delight in the thought of You
To worship the ground that You walk upon

To love to be with You because You love to be with me

To ramble on with the raptures of
Two who speak their own language

O King, You too have captured
My heart
With one look of Your eyes...

Hope - Full

2010-09-14T20:42:00.000-07:00

For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Romans 8:24-25

God, You have given me great HOPE today

HOPE that all my dear friends
Will find their way
In You

You lead them
So gently
By Your Spirit

And so skillfully
Have placed
Just the
Right People
(Or lack thereof)
In Their Lives

And Then
So sovereignly
Allow circumstances
In their lives
To touch them,
To mold them,
To chasten them,
To empty them,
To transform them,
To fill them

Once again
With
HOPE

(My Dearest Lord,
You have become
My Only Hope)

(My Dearest Lord,
Hope in You
Never Has
Disappointed me,
Ever)

(My Dearest Lord,
How I cherish
You and I,
And
Our Hope for
Life in You,
Now And Forevermore)

Quiet

2010-09-09T09:39:00.000-07:00

"God, my shepherd! I don't need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows, You find me quiet pools to drink from. True to Your word, You let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction."
(Psalm 23 the message)

How I am enjoying Your quiet streams today, Lord...

Let all that You are wash over and over me
Like the Ocean's Mighty Waves

And then lap the shore in
Gentle, Peaceful Pulses
of Grace

The Feast

2010-08-23T07:58:00.000-07:00

The Word of God! the Word of God!
What riches and satiating goodness
You lay before us...

What a neverending feast
Is all that You provide--
What life-giving nourishment!

To delve into the depths of
The purity of Who You were
And are and will forever be

To fathom the unlimitedness
Of Your fullness in us
Around us and
Through us...

Truly You have prepared
A Table before us
In the presence of
Our enemies

What a Living Word!
What a Treasure!
What a GOD!

Life is Beautiful

2010-08-03T08:32:00.000-07:00

Life is beautiful, my precious Lord...

Here in Your presence are untold joys
Bright happy moments leapfrogging over one another,
Or drifting through my mind and memory
Like so many of the clouds
You paint in all Your Glory
In Living Colors

Yet, underneath there is this river
This river of a million prayers
And tears for my friends and family

Oh that You would free them
From the tyranny of their own
Thoughts and Wills and Emotions

Lord let them be loosed on
The Great Abiding Tide
Of Your River of Truth
And Wholeness
And Life Abundant to the Full...

Carry them away, O God,
To the Places in You
Where Victory is always Assured
Where there is Love Overflowing
And Joy Unspeakable and Full of Glory

I Rest in Your Finished Work...
I Rest in Your Faithfulness, even when we abide unfaithful...
I Rest in what You died to give so freely to us...

I Rest in You, the God of More Than Enough.

Christ in You: The Apostle's Secret by AB Simpson

2010-07-09T05:17:00.000-07:00

Ancient mythology recognized some union of God with man, but it was a union which only degraded the gods and did not lift mankind. It still left a great gulf between the earthly and the heavenly.

It is this Paul refers to when he exclaims: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that love him” (I Corinthians 2:9).

The apostle’s secret of “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27) is one which the world cannot grasp. Think of it and try to realize it. God is not only a God who mercifully pardons our guilt and saves us from its consequences, not only a God who gives to us a new nature that loves to do the right which once we hated, not only a God who comes to our aid in temptation and trial and interposes His strength and His providence for our deliverance, but above all this He is a God who comes Himself to live His own life in us.

He takes us into the divine family, makes us partakers of the divine nature, undertakes our life for us, becomes the Author and Finisher of our faith, and works in us “to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). This is incomprehensible to our finite minds.

What does human poetry, human philosophy, the purest form of human religion know of anything like this? No wonder Paul was aflame with the enthusiasm of his glorious discovery and longed to sweep like an angel flying in the midst of heaven to tell our helpless race the mighty secret — the secret that God not only had come down to visit men with a message of mercy, but had come to stay and live within them with “the power of an endless life” (Hebrews 7:16).

It is still a secret, except to the initiated. Not only did it need a divine revelation to make it known to the world, it still needs a divine revelation to make it personally known and experientially real to the individual heart.

This is what the apostle means in I Corinthians 2, where with great clarity and force he argues that the mere human intellect cannot comprehend the things of God, but that we need a divine mind to be added to our human understanding before we can enter into the realm of spiritual truth.

It takes the mind of a man, Paul says, to understand the things of a man; and it takes the mind of God in us to understand the things of God. So he adds, “We have received… the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God” (I Corinthians 2:12). Later he states the profound and extraordinary fact, “We have the mind of Christ” (verse 16), meaning that God gives to us a supernatural revelation of Himself and a supernatural capacity to understand that revelation.

Therefore the moment that this great mystery becomes an experience in the life of a soul is a transcendent moment. It is one of the mountain tops of life. It is the crisis of existence. It is the Peniel where God declares, “Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel” (Genesis 32:28) and where transformed Jacob can say, “I have seen God face to face” (verse 30).

Have you entered into that sublime, supreme mystery? Have you passed through the veil into the Holy of Holies, so that you can say triumphantly:

I have passed through the veil to the sacred abode,
Where His glory the Saviour reveals to His own;
And now, in the innermost presence of God,
I am dwelling forever with Jesus alone.

It is always a mystery, because even to the initiated there are still depths and heights of yet undiscovered glory and blessing. The apostle himself declares, “The Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God” (I Corinthians 2:10).

Further, he prays that believers may fully know the riches of the glory of this mystery. He declares, “The love of Christ… passes knowledge” (Eph. 3:19).

This glorious secret will unfold in ever-richer, fuller splendors till the end of time and through the never-ending ages of eternity. All that we know of it already is like the pebbles that a child has gathered on the shore while the depths of the boundless ocean stretch out unexplored beyond.

Artists tell us that the secret of genius in any great work of art lies in the depth of the painting. Some pictures seem all upon the surface; others open to the observing eye infinite depths of suggestion and imagination.

But the mystery of Jesus surpasses all human thoughts, visions or imaginations. Every day unfolds some new charm. Every experience presents in it some new and living glory.

Like Aaron’s rod, it is ever budding, blossoming and bearing new fruit. It never will cease to be as fresh as in the hour its glory first burst upon our transported view. And on and on through the cycles of eternity we shall still sing with wonder and adoration:

His love what mortal thought can reach,
What mortal tongue display?
Imagination’s utmost stretch
In wonder dies away

Truth is a Person

2010-06-26T07:52:00.000-07:00

Oh God

Help me to love

But not to love in that
I deny the Truth of You

You cannot bless or
Anoint anything other than
Truth...

You cannot anoint
A mixture
Of flesh and Truth
Of flesh and Spirit

The flesh profiteth nothing
The Spirit gives life....

No matter how loving
We think we are
Unless we are walking
In the Spirit of Truth --
If we hide the very essence
Of what we believe to be You..
And thinly veil it with platitudes
And blessing --
Then are we become double-minded...

Oh God, I don't want a
Watered down Truth
For the sake of unity,
Love,
or anything else...

Are there any Christians yet that still believe in being what they say they are?
Are there any Believers yet that reverence You, Your Truth and Your Holiness?

Help me to understand, Lord...
Help me to find where I'm supposed to be in the midst of all this,
And how best to respond to
People calling the bitter sweet
And the sweet bitter...

I humble myself before You
Knowing that All Things
Flow from the Head
Which is Jesus Christ
Downwards...

Enraptured Each Moment

2010-06-02T11:36:00.000-07:00

Each moment in time
I want to shout out my
Love for You

Creator Supreme
There isn't a moment
In any day
That I don't
Want to turn
To You

To acknowledge You

To praise You for All You are
All You've Done

My heart is steadfast O Lord
Fixated on You
(Even if I stay
In this place
Forever)

Nothing will move me
Because Your grace
Has forever changed
Who I was
Into Part of Your
Kingdom

Delightful, delicious
Daughter - ship :)

Sailing on the oceans of
Your Love...
What a beautiful place to be....

Gnosis II

2010-05-27T07:01:00.000-07:00

Oh most Wonderful High God, You are Creator of all that is Good and Wholesome and Pure, and all things exist because of You. Are not Your ways so much higher than ours, and Your thoughts so much higher than ours? We glory in all You are this day, all You have accomplished through Christ the Son...

Who am I?

I am the bride of Christ -- no longer me and Him, but one with Him...moving with the Lamb every moment of my life...no longer tied to the standards of those around me, but untethered and able to rise to the much higher standards of the only One who I truly need to please...

I am a vessel for the Gloriously Light and Life-filled Christ -- I no longer live, but Christ lives in me! Every breath I take, He takes it with me...every thought I think, is taken captive to the infinitely higher thoughts of the mind of Christ, as I yield to His Spirit within me. My tongue is that of a ready writer, because I yield this member to His all-consuming fire...

It's the difference between asking for something to be effected on you from the outside, and merely yielding to the Power and Life that already resides within you -- His Holy Spirit! It's the difference between begging for something to be done for us, and realizing that His blood and stripes have already given us our sozo now salvation...healed, delivered, and whole :)

Oh, Lord, I pray that the church starts to taste and see HOW GOOD You are...the fullness of all that fills everything in every way...

Gnosis

2010-05-26T20:32:00.000-07:00

Some times with the Lord have a whispered quality...a Holy hush...

I recently had such a time -- can anyone ever share our deepest, most intimate times with the Lord?...

Even as I am writing this, I smell the fragrance of the One I love -- it is so overwhelming that I can barely write this...

OHHHHHHH, GOOOOODDDDDDDDDDDD...the desire for You consumes me, and once again I am on the floor in intense prayer..

How the desire to be a reflection of You has now been superceded by the realization that we move, we think, we reach out to others as an extension of You, the INDWELLING CHRIST, in Whom we live and move and have our being...

Gnosis -- not merely to know about Christ, nor to know things about Him --

The scripture, "my people perish for lack of knowledge"...is not merely the fact that we are presently as a people so lacking in knowledge of His Word, but the fact that we are as a people lacking in knowing the Very One that indwells us, as in the same Spirit and power that raised Jesus up from the dead dwells in YOU! (Indeed, if God be for us, who can be against us -- shall sickness, or tribulation, or financial difficulties, or problems of any kind separate us from His love -- no, not in any way whatsoever, beloved!)

In Him, in Him, in Him, my heart rings like a bell -- loud and clear, pealing every more melodiously as I catch my breath in wonder at the beautiful revelation of HIM...

Aching

2010-05-08T08:57:00.000-07:00

Lord, I am aching in prayer today....

Depth of Purity and Love,
Come wash over me
With the Washing of the Word

Cleansing fount of Your blood,
I come in confession and repentance
Knowing that You are faithful and just

Too many streams of opinion!
Too much crowding in of voices in the wind!

I press in...

Until the reality of You and me
Engulfs me,
And I am laid bare and unashamed
Before You...

Oh sweet communion
With You!

I wait and watch with You
In the quiet stillness of
Eternity...

2009-12-18T20:52:00.000-08:00

There's something about CHRISTmas...

The celebration of You, Jesus!

Like the white blanket that will soon cover us with snow, the entrance of You, Jesus! into the world covers us with the cleanness of Your righteousness

The entrance of You, Jesus! fills us with expectation and hope for Your Presence working in all our lives

How dark and oppressive do we as a people get at this time of year...when all You, Jesus! desire is for us to let You cup our faces in Your glorious Hands, and feel the Wonder of who You, Jesus! came to be to all of us on this most miraculous of Holydays.

All true joy is found when we at last look only to You, Jesus! for our sustenance, our daily bread, our solace, our completion, our purpose in life, our companionship, our worship.

I delight in You, Jesus! Stars and planets in the heaven and all living things here below yearn to give You Honor, and Glory, and Praise!!!!

Old Wineskins

2009-07-11T06:24:00.001-07:00

I am watching my dog die.

It is painful to mourn things before they happen, but for some reason, God has me in this season right now.

I am mourning his death. I am mourning the imminent loss of several of my closest and dearest friends from church; they are not dying, but they are moving away. I am mourning the loss of dreams for an outreach to the hungry, to the destitute, to those that need Christ -- the death of a vision which now seems never to be going to come to pass. And now a big hole yawns before me...an unexpected chasm that only the Cross of Jesus Christ can navigate...

But wait, what's that the Holy Spirit is speaking?...

Even now, I am rejoicing at my continuing death -- the Surgeon's knife carefully carving this way and that until He finally begins to uncover His heart in me...I am rejoicing that somehow, someway, all this will lead to a fuller revelation of Him, both to myself and to others. I am rejoicing because death of anything that is in me means glorification of the Cross, in which I command my flesh to be solely glorified...I am here, Lord, do with me as You see fit! I will trust you, and rejoice in who You are!

Jeremiah 29

2009-04-27T11:10:00.000-07:00

I was reading through Jeremiah 27-30 this morning, which tells of Jeremiah being sent to tell the Israelites that they were to go into captivity of the Babylonians, to not listen to false prophets to tell them not to go to Babylon, and then gives them the famous promise "For I know the plans I have for you, plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope"...Jeremiah 29:11

The Lord spoke to me several things while I was reading this:

1. The path of God's will is not the easy one, the obvious one, nor the closest one -- it is just the "right" one, and His blessings follow those that stay on the course...

2. "Do not let your prophets and your diviners ....deceive you, for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name" I count myself blessed to be under an anointed ministry, but it is important to be careful who I allow to prophesy and speak words into my life; whoever magnifies my "self-life," rather than my Spirit Life in Christ, should be rejected as a false prophet. It is in Christ that I am victorious over every enemy of my soul; it is in Christ alone I have everlasting, effervescent, energetic, and exceedingly abundant life.

3. God did allow Israel to go into captivity, and He did say in Jeremiah 30, "I will discipline you in just measure," but then He gives them hope that after 70 years, they will return from captivity and be once again blessed. He goes to say that those that did not obey His Words that came through the true prophet Jeremiah would not be blessed, but instead under a curse.

4. The Lord spoke to me about starting to write all these things down, whatsoever He is speaking fresh to me each day, Jeremiah 30:1, "Write in a book all the Words that I have spoken to you." I struggled with obedience to this word --why? i don't know---laziness? fear of failing somehow? an inability to begin? not sure about that one yet, but I confess it to my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and know that He is faithful and just to forgive me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness...praise God He's not finished with me yet :)

Embracing God's Ways

2009-04-21T07:42:00.000-07:00

I had a discussion with a friend the other day about the estrangement of my father, and whether it has caused me a lot of pain.

To think and pray deeply about this has been my privilege for going on 5 years now. While I do feel pain when I have tried to call or otherwise reach out to my father, and he still will not talk with me, I have come to a better understanding of my own life in Christ because of this estrangement happening.

First of all, having battled with a spirit of rejection most of my life, I feel this particular trial has been tailor-made by God to wean me from my dependence on outward, visible signs of love from those people close to me. My heart has been, and continues to be, turned from the need for others, to the need for God alone to supply ALL my needs. There is such a freedom in finally knowing that God really does love me, really has always known me from my mother's womb, really does have all my best interests in heart. Such a freedom in finally believing these things in my heart...and not just in my head. Having this love in my heart, filling every crack and crevice of my being, frees me to love BECAUSE I am loved by my Creator, rather than in response to others.

Now, it is in the School of the Holy Spirit that I am learning to honor those who God tells us to honor, regardless of how they treat or mistreat you. I lay my tongue flat on the altar, (and sometimes feel the need to anchor it there), as well as any resentment or bitterness that may surface, and consider myself dead to all that is sin, and alive to the Christ in me. I honor my father, because he was a hard worker - working 3 jobs to make a home for us and feed the 3 of us plus his wife. I honor him because he perservered in working a shift-work job, even though his body never could sufficiently adjust to one schedule before having to switch to another schedule. He never quit, but retired with a good pension from that job.
I honor him, because he didn't leave us, as so many fathers do these days, and he spent time with us. Some of my fondest memories are sitting on his lap when I was a little girl, or holding his hand.

And, yes, I embrace the ways the Lord is using to mold me into His image. You might even say I hug to myself the very people who would try to pain me. My own image is flawed by sin and selfishness, but His image is so full of glory and light and love! Gazing on Him while allowing Him to change me into His image always bears the good fruits that He desires. I am learning to rest in Him; He is the ultimate Promise to me. All that He is is meat enough for my nourishment and not only Spirit-survival, but Spirit-flourishing, Spirit-health, Spirit-wholeness. To God be the Glory.

Not I but Christ

2009-04-18T09:01:00.000-07:00

Like a weaned child is my soul within me, O Lord...
My soul is quieted and stilled within me.

You alone are my destination.
You alone are the source and aim of all my desires.
All else disappears,
Eclipsed by the Beauty of the Son.

It is in the quiet private place
Where we commune together
That no outside circumstance
Can disturb me

No other soul can
Touch Your peace in me.
You truly are
Everything I need for Life
and Godliness.

I fall like a little child
Into the big fluffy mattress
Of Your love,

Ahhhh....total comfort, total rest, total peace....

Eagle's Wings

2009-02-06T09:28:00.001-08:00

A memorial for John and his family, and hopefully a catharsis for all who have lost someone close to them...

I Have Found the One My Heart Loves

2009-02-02T19:03:00.000-08:00

Beyond the desire of the the things I see or feel or touch
The life and beauty of my Jesus sounds a clarion call
Beckoning once again to gaze upon the purity of a life lived for Love

I, without the Spirit of the Living God, could never aspire to any of this Love.

So it is with great abandonment that I fall at His feet in worship.
It is with humble submission that I lay the details of all I am at the Cross.
It is with full realization that His perfume is the only fragrance worth having.
And only in union with Him can I be His good and faithful servant.

He is the vine and I am but the branch
Without Him, I can do nothing.
With Him, all things are possible.

Only spending time with you Jesus can help me to bring forth more fruit......

For Valentine's Day :)

2009-01-29T11:08:00.001-08:00

Real Life "Sleeping Beauty" Awakens from Coma after Husband's Kiss
by Aimee Herd : Jan 27, 2009 : Vanessa Allen – Daily Mail
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1127393/Husbands-kiss-woke-sleeping-beauty-wife-coma-heart-attack.html#
"Emma, if you can hear me, please just give me a kiss…"

(United Kingdom)—She wasn't surrounded by singing forest animals and seven dwarves, but this modern-day "Sleeping Beauty" was awakened by a kiss—from her "prince" of a husband. (Photo by: Brian Bould/Daily Mail)

About 10 days after giving birth via C-section to her son, Emma Ray was shopping with her husband Andrew, when she collapsed with a heart attack. Doctors were able to restart her heart; however, Emma had lapsed into a deep coma from which her physicians warned she might not emerge.

For two weeks, Andrew kept vigil at his wife's hospital bed, talking to her, holding her hand and playing recordings of songs from their wedding. He even played Emma recordings of their new baby "crying and gurgling," and their daughter singing and shouting "Wake up Mummy!"

Finally in desperation, Andrew leaned over his wife and pleaded, "Emma, if you can hear me, please just give me a kiss."

"What happened next was beyond my wildest dreams," Andrew recounts. "She turned her head towards mine, puckered up her lips and gave me a little kiss. I couldn't believe it. My heart felt like it was going to leap from my chest—it suddenly felt like a huge weight had been lifted."

Emma's sudden response was just the beginning of a long process of recovery and ongoing rehabilitation. But, two years later, Emma is home with her family and her husband is grateful.

"She can walk quite well holding hands now," says Andrew in the Daily Mail report. "At least our kids still have a mother and I still have a wife."

My New Year

2009-01-24T19:30:00.001-08:00

Well, it has been quite a while since I had a chance to write anything here. The holidays were all a blur with our trip to Georgia and Bec home from England, visits from family and friends.

I made some decisions this new year. I don't like to use the word "resolutions," because there is some connection in my brain between resolutions, and things that usually don't get accomplished. Not that there is this same connection in everyone else's brain, but still I know it's there in mine.

My first decision: to start being the Christian Christ calls us to be, instead of spending so much time learning/thinking/talking about being a Christian. This includes in my mind more time reaching out to the truly needy--those who have no one else to reach out to them, and are unable to reach out to others. Less time with those who already are fat with the knowledge of Christ, and more time with those who have very little hope.

Another thing: Not forsaking praying, (seeking His face always comes first), but then moving out in action. Lighting the candle instead of cursing the darkness. Making it count. Being the voice for those who have no voice. Doing what others are unable to do for themselves.

And the last thing (for now): spending time with Christians who are more focused on others than themselves; people who have Christ in their hearts, and move out in that anointing; Christians who are looking for ways to make a difference in this world.

Our pastor is always saying, "be the Christian you have always wanted to meet"...I still agree with this...

it's just that "the Christians I have always wanted to meet" has now been redefined in my heart and mind....

and, I believe, looks alot more like the Jesus that I am coming to know more personally each day.

Glory-Nichole Nordeman with Selah

2008-12-11T10:55:00.001-08:00

Heaven is Being With You

2008-12-06T20:20:00.000-08:00

Some things are unbelievable....but not You, O God.

With earth-shattering realness, You manifest yourself to the seeking heart,
First revealing the depravity of our own souls...
Bringing us to freeflowing sorrow for our sins, before
Flooding us with the realization of Your grace,
and then Filling us with the Fullness of Your Holy Spirit...

Grace, peace and love, all over-flowing, all ours by Your Spirit
In ever-increasing, never-failing supply
If we only believe...

Where else would we go
To find this rest for our soul?

Compared to Your purity,
All else seems dirty,
and crass,
and drains the very Life
out of those for whom
You gave so much
to save.

Who else could fill every crack and
crevice of our being with such
awesome wonderfulness that we feel we will burst out,
at a loss to contain the "Christ in us,
the Hope of Glory"?

Who else could make us spin in such glorious
rapture of song and dance and praise?

How I Approach God When Feeling Rotten by John Piper

2008-11-20T07:38:00.000-08:00

A vague bad feeling that you are a crummy person is not the same as conviction for sin. Feeling rotten is not the same as repentance.

This morning I began to pray, and felt unworthy to be talking to the Creator of the universe. It was a vague sense of unworthiness. So I told him so. Now what?

Nothing changed until I began to get specific about my sins. Crummy feelings can be useful if they lead to conviction for sins. Vague feelings of being a bad person are not very helpful. The fog of unworthiness needs to take shape into clear dark pillars of disobedience. Then you can point to them and repent and ask for forgiveness and take aim to blow them up.

So I began to call to mind the commands I frequently break. These are the ones that came to mind:

Love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Not 95%, 100%. (Matthew 22:37)

Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Be as eager for things to go well for him as you are for things to go well for you. (Matthew 22:39)

Do all things without grumbling. No grumbling—inside or outside. (Philippians 2:14)

Cast all your anxieties on him—so you are not being weighed down by it anymore. (1 Peter 5:7)

Only say things that give grace to others—especially those closest to you. (Ephesians 4:29)

Redeem the time. Don’t fritter or dawdle. (Ephesians 5:16)

Set your mind on things that are above. Connect all your thoughts to Christ. (Colossians 3:2)

Do not return evil for evil—like when your wife or daughter says something you don’t like. (1 Thessalonians 5:15)

Rejoice always, and again I say rejoice. Always. If sorrowful, keep rejoicing. (Philippians 4:4; 2 Corinthians 6:10)

Give thanks in all circumstances. All. All. All. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

So much for any pretensions to great holiness! I’m undone.

But now it is specific. I look it in the eye. I’m not whining about feeling crummy. I’m apologizing to Christ for not keeping all that he commanded. I’m broken and I’m angry at my sin. I want to kill it, not me. I’m not suicidal. I’m a sin hater and a sin murderer (“Put to death what is earthly in you” Colossians 3:5. “Put to death the deeds of the body” Romans 3:18.)

In this conflict, I hear the promise, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1John 1:9). Peace rises. Prayer feels possible and right and powerful again.

(Full text can be found here: http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/)

My Own Version of the New Christmas Campaign

2008-11-14T11:08:00.000-08:00

The Hidden Man

2008-10-29T08:35:00.000-07:00

I read in some blog this week (I wish I could remember which one! so I could give proper credit) about the "kind of Christianity that makes God merely a means to an end rather than an end in and of Himself," and it struck me afresh about the loveliness of laying aside all other agendas in our lives, and solely seeking the joy of fellowship with our Creator, hidden away in Him.

Awhile back, I kept pondering on the scripture 1 Peter 3:4, "But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price." This scripture is used in the context of wife winning over her husband without a word, and that has meant a great deal to me at other times in my life.

At this particular time, however, I felt that God was bringing out more about the hiddenness of our heart; here we are, hidden in the wounds of Christ, delighting in Him in the hidden place, the secret place of the most High. And yes, no one will see us as we spill over in thankfulness to Him, as we reverently bow before His throne in our empty living rooms, or raise our hands in awe of His majesty. But isn't that the whole point?

To find ourselves alone with Him, and fully satisfied with Him? Sozo---nothing missing, nothing broken?

I kept thinking about how Jesus called to task the hypocrites of His day for praying long prayers in the sanctuary, instead of going into their private closets. (I think you can tell people who have been "closeting" themselves away with God; they have a distinctive "righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost" glow :) )

Or how Jesus adjured us not to let the left hand know what the right hand was doing when giving to the poor...

It seems these days everyone wants to be known; even blogging itself has become a way of being known, with people seeking ways to rev up traffic to their site.

I couldn't help but think of Anna in the temple today while talking with someone else about this. Anna prayed for years and spent hours in the temple seeking God, unknown, until the Lord chose to make known to her the long-awaited Saviour before she died.

Throughout the world, there are Christians who are praying, worshipping God, dying to themselves, and giving their lives for the gospel, but the world, even the Christian population, will probably never know their names (though we will meet them all in heaven, bless them!) There are people who gladly speak the name of Jesus though it cost them everything dear to them, even possibly their very lives. Yet they never make it to the spotlight here on earth.

I guess what I am trying to get at here is that, in a culture where it has become popular to become a star, I am running to the cross once again. I am running to the cross because I do not want to be anything else but the sparrow that has found a resting place next to His heart (Psalm 84). I want to be the hidden man that is of great worth in God's sight. I want to stay where He puts me, no further, no less. I want to be obscure or well-known (ah, yes, for us quiet sparrows, the spotlight itself can be a cross - but that is a whole different post!), seeking only His "well done, good and faithful servant" as I live out my life dedicated to His purposes, to spreading His good news, to actually living out His love.

Lord, I am content with who You have made me, and wherever or however You place me, I have found the place You have prepared for me. It is with You, enjoying Your presence forever.

("No place I'd rather be").

Powerful Testimony - Abortion Survivor Gianna Jessen

2008-10-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

Dr. Dobson Interviews Abortion Survivor Gianna Jessen
by Aimee Herd : Oct 22, 2008 : Citizen Linkhttp://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000008470.cfm

"…I am God's girl, and I know that if that [persecution] is coming, then I am on the right road. It fires me up to be like Esther and to live in this time, for such a time as this."

Gianna Jessen was born and survived against all odds—even against the odds of an abortion. Thirty-one years ago, a tiny baby withstood being burned alive in a saline abortion, and was born weighing just 2 lbs.

Fortunately for Gianna, the abortionist wasn't in the room when a nurse had her taken to a hospital and attended to medically. However, due to the attempted abortion, she was deprived of oxygen long enough to cause Cerebral Palsy; a condition she lives with today. Doctors had stated that Gianna would never hold her head up, crawl, or walk. But Gianna—an on-fire Christian—not only accomplished all of those, she has run in and completed several marathons.

Gianna has spoken out about her survival in an ad produced by BornAliveTruth.org, and in various interviews, such as the one excerpted below with Dr. James Dobson.
The following are excerpts from Dr. Dobson's interview with Gianna Jessen on Citizen Link. To download and listen to the interview, CLICK HERE.

Do you have hope Roe v. Wade will be overturned in your lifetime?I know God can do anything. The possibility of Roe v. Wade being overturned is quite high—which is amazing to say. But the thing that does trouble me is the hardness of people. All I know is whether it is overturned or not, we will commit ourselves to care for women and children and stand up for them.

In a TV ad, you challenge Sen. Barack Obama over his repeated opposition to the Illinois Born Alive Infant Protection Act. In response, a new ad calls you a liar, sleazy and vile. How do you respond to that?The exact opposite response of what they're expecting. It actually blesses me because I am God's girl, and I know that if that is coming, then I am on the right road. It fires me up to be like Esther and to live in this time, for such a time as this.

If you could sit down with Sen. Obama, what would you say to him? Do you think you could sway him?I've challenged him, and he won't meet with me so far, but maybe one day he will. [I would ask him…]"Sir, why do you discard life so easily? I just want to know why. When did you decide that you had the right to determine who lives and who dies? You are not God."
I think God could sway him. I think he's frightened of me, really. The fact that I have cerebral palsy as a direct result of having survived an abortion is very convicting to people. I mean, that's my sermon.

If the Lord was sitting right in front of me and said, "G ('cause that's my nickname), do you want Me to make you whole?" I would say, firstly, "I'm going to be whole when I get home. But, if You leave me this way, I have a sermon to preach without saying a word, and I'll get to know You in a way I (would) never [have] know[n] You had I not been schooled in the school of adversity."

From a blog by Josh Harris

2008-10-13T11:44:00.000-07:00

Biblical Truth for the Financial Crisis

Do not toil to acquire wealth;be discerning enough to desist.When your eyes light on it, it is gone,for suddenly it sprouts wings,flying like an eagle toward heaven.Proverbs 23:4-5

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"Hebrews 13:5-6

Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.1 Timothy 6:6-10

Posted by Josh Harris http://www.joshharris.com/ on October 11, 2008

A Prayer

2008-10-11T15:04:00.000-07:00

Oh Father, let me open up my heart to you.

Let me be open and honest with you...

But not merely for the sake of being transparent.

Let me allow the searchlight of Your Word
to Break Down all of my defenses

Both those in my mind and my heart,

And replace my skewed and sinful thoughts and directions
And yes, even feelings,

With the cleanliness, the purity, the sanctifying power
of Your Life.

Let that Sword swiftly come and divide
All that needs to be divided,
(so RIGHTLY and RIGHTEOUSLY divided)

And let that Glory which I see mirrored
In the Light of Your Glorious Word

Change me into Your image.

Selah.

Firecrackers

2008-10-04T19:04:00.000-07:00

I stood in wonder tonight and watched a spectacular fireworks show through the trees from the front of my yard.

There's something so memory-invoking about firecrackers; watching them instantly brings back thoughts of melting popsicles drizzling into sticky messes between your fingers on warm summer nights.

My most recent memory is of Becky and I standing together in our bare feet in the back yard glimpsing the biggest and brightest of the show over the top of the houses. Somehow it all seemed so fitting to watch this great pyrotechnical display as she prepared to be "launched" on her great adventure of a year in England to get her master's degree, as if she were some sort of shooting star.

I couldn't help but think of our own lives going up in that blaze of His glory; how the Father must love to see His children shine like lights in this increasingly dark place. I thought of how even the seeming "duds" would be a joy to Him, because they made a noise, and a bright light, no matter how brief that light.

After all, we all know that a big part of the fun of a firecracker show is the loud booms that echo in our ears and our lives. "And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. (Daniel 12:3)" Thanks, Lord!

A Lifestyle of Worship

2008-10-03T15:08:00.000-07:00

Jesus, I am remembering the moment when I first met You,
and how I just wanted to do exactly what pleased You...

And now, I still want to be that fresh and up-to-date in Your presence

Because to love You
Is to obey You

It is not just the high-flying times of soaring in Your spirit
That gives you goose bumps,
Although I've experienced many wonderful moments like that...

It is the quiet commitment of a marriage....

The desire to communicate with the one you love,
Exclusively, unashamedly, and without reservation
In even the mundane happenings of my life...

To love You is to obey You (Your words, not mine)...

It is to bow in Your presence with humble, repentant heart,
Ready to move in more of You one moment...

And then to quiet myself in the awe of Your majesty the next.

Discernment and Judgement

2008-10-03T15:04:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking a lot lately about the difference between judgement and discernment.

The word "judgement" carries a mostly negative connotation to a lot of people, since many believe it means to look down on someone because they do not agree with them.

In the Word of God, however, there are several different ways the word "judgement" is used.

God is a just God, and because He is a Holy God (Habukkuk 1:13), our sin separates us from Him (Is 59:2, Romans 6:23) Nothing we can do ourselves can restore our relationship with God (Gal 2:20); instead, God has provided the free gift of His precious Son, Jesus Christ; once we repent of our sins (turn completely away from them and walk in the other direction from them), accept His forgiveness for our sins and believe (adhere to and trust in and rely on the Gospel and Him Whom it sets forth, Amplified Bible), our spirits are made alive in Christ (Eph 2:4)---we are born again (John 3:3) (the old has gone, the new has come--Christ living in us, the hope of glory!).

When God judges us for our sins, He is judging justly, and that judgement is accordance with His character, just as is His great love and mercy. In the natural, if something happened to someone near and dear to us, and the perpetrator went to the judge, we would expect the just judge to hold the person accountable for his actions. I am forever grateful for God's mercy, but also for His justice (Psalm 85:10); He is always merciful to those who confess their sins and repent (turn from doing them) I John 1:9, Romans 8:12,13.

There is unjust judgement, and the Word is very clear that we should not judge in this way since we will be judged ourselves as we judge others . In this context, the word "judge" implies condemnation of the person (Matthew 7:1, Luke 6), rather than the loving desire that they see and flow in the Truth.

Instead of judgement, I like the word "discernment" to describe what we are called by God to do, especially in present times when the spirit of deception is increasingly rampant. It is not enough to merely say we have studied the Word, that God has revealed His truths to us; we are called to be like the Bereans, searching the scriptures to see if what we hear a teacher or minister say is true (Acts 17:11). Even if you are only espousing another's ministry, and not your own, there is a great responsibility to ensure that the preacher/teacher you are endorsing speaks in accordance with the Word of God (James 3:1, Titus 2:1).

I love the Holy Spirit moving in my life :), but in no way will any way that God moves, speaks, or acts contradict what is scriptural. The Revealed Word of God, the Living Word, is pure and undefiled, and His Truth is the pure stream that we should continue to drink from, delight in, and use to spread the good news. It is only this True and Living Word that endures forever, and is promised to never return void.

How then are we to deal with those that refuse to come under this umbrella of Truth? Are we to argue with the person who persists on not lining up everything they are in Christ with the Truth of His Word, with the knowledge of who God says He is? No, for we are called to be servants of the Lord, able to teach patiently, gently, in Love, without strife or confusion (2 Tim 2:24).
Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us "hold fast to the sure and trustworthy Word of God as (we were) taught it, so that (we) may be able both to give stimulating instruction and encouragement in sound (wholesome) doctrine and to refute and convict those who contradict and oppose it [showing the wayward their error]. Titus 1:9 AMP.