great quote for your ponderment

God is looking for those with whom He can do the impossible -- what a pity that we plan only the things that we can do by ourselves. 
 
A.W. Tozer 

What does your wake look like?

We all leave wakes as we proceed through each day of our life on this Earth just 

as a boat creates a wake as it makes its way through the water. Our actions, our 

deeds, our decisions, even our thoughts create wakes in the fabric of life that 

touch other people – whether we see it or not! These surges of 'waves of 

water' that emanate from what we do, say and think are the indicators of who we 

are and what we truly believe in our heart. And these wakes that we create can 

either bring glory to God or they can bring vainglory to ourselves. 

Our example of what a perfect wake looks like is found in Jesus Christ and His 

walk upon this Earth. Abounding in grace and truth to all those that were around 

Him – this is what was revealed in His wake. Sometimes His wake was large and 

powerful and hit people firmly and directly with His truth other times it was 

small ripples that gently enveloped people with His unconditional love. All of 

His wakes were for the purpose of bringing people to a place where they had to 

make a decision regarding the issues of life and eternity, truth and falsehood, 

sin and righteousness, heaven and hell – a wake of unconditional love that 

brought the truth of God into the lives of mankind. 

I don’t know that the church (each person that is a part of the body of Christ) 

today really thinks about the wakes that we are creating. Our words say that we 

want to leave 'Jesus filled' wakes in our daily lives but our actions seem to 

indicate that we are satisfied with leaving wakes of our own making – wakes that 

reflect conditional love, self centered focus, material desires. 

I know in my life one of my wake struggles is with our call to be ready to 

encourage, exhort and rebuke – for I am all to ready to rebuke before I am ready 

to encourage and exhort. 

So, are the wakes that we are creating each day Jesus filled? Are we using the 

gifts that He gave us to create wakes that ripple with eternity in mind? Do our 

wakes minister unto Him or are they just like the world’s - wakes that wreak 

confusion and havoc, wakes that are filled with vainglory and selfishness and 

wakes that do not edify and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ? 

our lives are to be filled...

In Him our lives are to be filled -

Filled with Grace

Filled with Truth 

Filled with Faith 

Filled with Hope

Filled with Loving-kindness 

Filled with the Spirit 

Filled with Praise 

Filled with Worship 

Filled with Prayer 

Filled with His Power

Filled with Fruit of the Spirit

Filled with Wonder and Amazement

Filled with Joy and Peace

Filled with the Fullness of God

Filled with the Fruit of Righteousness

Filled with the Knowledge of His Will in all Spiritual Wisdom

Filled with the Glory of the Lord

Filled with Love for Him who gave Himself for us

Filled with Him…

How is your life filled?

a still small voice...

A LESSON ON LISTENING 

by David Wilkerson

[May 19, 1931 – April 27, 2011]

God had to teach Elijah a lesson on listening so He took him to the top of Mr. Horeb and gave him an illustrated sermon.

“And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.  And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:11-13).

When that wind began to howl, I think Elijah thought, “It’s about time, Lord. Blow Jezebel right off her throne and throw her and her sinner friends to the   winds. Blow them all away!” But God was not in the wind!

Suddenly, there was a great earthquake and Elijah said, “That ought to scare them good. God will get even. He will shake them right out of their shoes.”  But God was not in the earthquake. 

After the earthquake, a fire! The heavens were aglow with white-hot flames! Elijah said in his heart, “Lord, they didn’t accept the fire that fell on the altar  so burn them out! Burn out wicked Ahab! Fry Jezebel. Cause your fire to consume the wicked.” But God was not in the fire!  “And after the fire a still small  voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it that he wrapped his face in his mantle” (verses 12 and 13).

Can you imagine this? A prophet who was not afraid of a hurricane or an earthquake or heavenly fireworks is frightened by a still small voice! Elijah covered his head with his coat. Why? Had not this prophet talked to God many times? Was he not a great man of prayer? Hadn’t God used him mightily? Yes! But Elijah was a stranger to the still small voice! When he finally allowed that voice to speak—alone, quiet, away from all the power displays—he got the most specific directions in all his ministry.

“Go to the wilderness of Damascus; anoint Hazael king over Syria; anoint Jehu king over Israel; and anoint Elisha to be the prophet to follow you” (see 1 Kings 19:15-16).

How many busy children of God today have never had the voice come to them? 

They are busy witnessing - doing good - praying for a spiritual awakening - fasting.

So intense -so dedicated. 

Yet, they have heard everything but the voice of the Lord. 

Are we there yet?

Martin Luther wrote that "when there is no battle for the Gospel it rusts and it finds no cause and no occasion to show its vigor and power. Therefore, nothing better can befall the Gospel than that the world should fight it with force and cunning." 

The conflict that sometimes occurs when we witness for Christ can lead to an opportunity to glorify Him.

What does this mean for the church in America? It's quite simple. If we want to understand the power of the Holy Spirit in witnessing, we need to get out there and witness. If we want to understand what it means to function as the body of Christ, we need to endure the conflict that may come as a result of witnessing, together. Without the conflict, would the early church have fully realized the Holy Spirit's power and what it means to be the church?

Conflict was a gift. 

As a result of persecution, the early church witnessed more boldly and there was unity in the church…they learned [and experienced] the power of the Holy Spirit and how to function as the body of Christ among conflict. Like the early church, we don't seek conflict, but we don’t avoid witnessing just to avoid it.

(VOM)

Ponderments:

- Don't wait for tomorrow, be faithful in what He has for you today…

- It's not about stuff, it's ALL about people…

- God showed His love by getting involved. He is not a spectator! Are you?

- Are you a grace and truth dispenser or a worldly wisdom distributor…

- When man's search for wisdom relies totally on the wisdom of man we can be sure that problems will follow…

- Have you been blinded to the Light of Truth by the ways of the world…

- We know too much about what we want and too little about what God wants. (Wilkerson)

Oh Lord....

Oh Lord, our country struggles, our world is entrapped, the snare enlarges 
Mayhem and violence, division and ignorance, lies and decay 
Concern, confusion, fear, anxiety, distrust - they cling to us like a heavy, dense fog 
Even the earth groans about us... 
 
Are these the travails of birth pangs, are these the harbingers of Your return 
Must a time of delusion overtake us, must the wisdom of men be our captivity 
Must truth be held imprisoned while the enemy rages... 
 
How long will we turn from You, how long will we exploit Your grace 
How long will we seek after that which is not honorable, which does not glorify... 
 
Man, Your creation, pushes You away, seeking to justify himself, creating a world of his own making 
Lacking wisdom, having no understanding, holding to a form of knowledge lacking a foundation 
A striving after wind, surrendered to the lie, exchanging the eternal for that which is dust 
 
What can we do, how can we stand, where does our help come from... 
 
And the Lord God Almighty says to His children - stand firm in My truth, rest in My grace, trust in My loving-kindness 
For I know the lot of man, since the foundations of the world - My plan unfolding 
Salvation, redemption, restoration, new life... 
 
Yes, this world is perishing and man’s overt rejection of the truth makes his demise complete for the time of the Gentiles shall surely be fulfilled…