LET'S PRAY ONE MORE TIME

I couldn't be more proud of our house church family. A few weeks ago, all on their own, they took the initiative to reach out to the people living in the Tent City that has built up along the Santa Ana River next to Angel's Stadium.

One brother, David, bought a case of emergency thermal blankets from Amazon to pass out to the people there. Another sister helped coordinate the time to meet - about an hour before our Sunday gathering - and suddenly we had a little team of people ready and willing to go and serve.

That morning there were six of us standing on the sidewalk and praying for God to lead us to the people He wanted us to minister to.

Right off the bat we got to pray for a couple who eagerly accepted the blankets and a handful of batteries. We even got to pray for them as they faced the uncertainty about where they might go next, as the County of Orange had recently brought in large rocks to store for flood control purposes [and coincidentally to displace everyone living there along the river bed].

Our next tent was "Louis" who was cheerful and smiling, even though he had been hit by a car trying to cross the street a few days earlier. We got to lay hands on him and to pray for him, which he gladly received. He let us know he had just been reading the Gospel of John before we arrived. It was still sitting there beside his lawn chair on a box.

Soon, we were praying for "Christopher" who received prayer for employment. When we finished he said, "I know prayer works. I used to walk with the Holy Spirit for about 3 years, but then I messed up so I know He's not very happy with me right now."

Wendy spoke up first and said, "I think we need to pray again."

So, once more, we all laid our hands on Chris and reminded him that God will never leave or forsake his children. We reminded Chris that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. We reminded him that nothing can ever separate us from the love of Christ - not death, or life, or height or depth, or the present or the future, not angels or demons...nothing.

As we prayed for Chris I could sense his body relax. When we said "amen" I saw a look of relief and peace in his face. "Thank you," he said quietly. I knew those words of truth had penetrated his heart and exposed the lies of the enemy.

"God hasn't forgotten you, Chris," Wendy said. "He still loves you so much," another sister said to him.

"Thank you," Chris said again.

We all need reminding sometimes, I think. We need to remember that God is for us, not against us. We need to accept that He has accepted us, and that His love endures forever, and that His mercies are new every morning.

If you know someone who needs reminding of that, please share this post with them. They might need it more than you think.

Peace,
Keith
**

"Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you." - Ps. 63:3

What His Resurrection Means To Me

This morning I woke up early and wrote these words into my journal as I meditated on the miracle of the resurrection of Jesus.

What does the Resurrection mean to me?

It means I will never experience a single moment without Jesus. He will never leave or forsake me. Nothing can separate me from His love.

Death cannot stop this love. Life can't change it. Angels and demons are powerless against it. Time itself can't touch it. His love for me endures forever.

My Abba and His Son are joyfully living within me and by the power of the Holy Spirit I am being transformed into the image of Christ.

At this very moment the lover of my soul and the savior of the Universe lives and breathes within me.

My identity is forever bound to Jesus. He is, and always will be, part of me. I will walk with Him – and He with me – throughout all eternity.

For all my life and eternity after I will continually experience the endless love of Christ that is always higher, wider, longer and deeper than I can fathom.

I will never breathe another breath without Jesus. My heart will forever beat in time with His.

In Him I live and move and have my being.

Jesus surrounds me, His Spirit covers me. His Presence remains within me for all eternity to come.

He delights in me. He is with me. He is for me. He rejoices over me with singing. He quiets me with His love.

Many waters cannot quench this love. His love hopes all things, endures all things. His Love always protects me. His love never fails.

His love never ends. His loves transcends knowledge, and yet I can know it. It is infinetly high and wide and long and deep and yet I can experience it, and be immersed in it, and consume by it, and transformed by His awesome love.

Halleluiah! He loves me! He loves me!

And with His love I also receive His peace that passes understanding and His joy that is my strength, and best of all – His Presence.

I am so loved. Dearly treasured by my Abba. I am His beloved. I am cherished by Him. I am valuable and precious to Jesus. He has never paid a higher price for anything than what He paid to make me His own.

I am worth dying for. I am worth suffering for. I am worth the shame of the cross. I am worth six hours on a Roman cross. I am worth being separated from the Father, and for all eternity to come, I will forever be reminded of how great His love for me was, and is.

He has loved me with an everlasting love. He has called me His son. He calls me His friend. He has rearranged the Universe to make a place where we can be together.

His blood declares – “You are mine!”

His Resurrection proclaims – “I am with you always.”

His Spirit whispers – “I am right here with you, and I love you so much more than you can hope or dream or imagine.”

A love like this required an eternity to fully comprehend and receive.

We are being made ready for eternity. We have only just begun to experience His love.

A love like this requires an eternity to experience, and we are being made for eternity. In fact, all of creation is being remade simply to accommodate our ability to fully receive and experience and know His love that transcends knowledge. 

-kg

Love Like That

After our recent "Coffee, Tea and Jesus" gathering, the woman whose home we were meeting in (a total stranger before that evening) asked if she could pray over Wendy and I. Of course, we said, "Yes."

As she prayed for us, it was clear that she had several specific words of encouragment for both Wendy and myself. One thing she shared was that God looked at me and was very pleased. But honestly, as she prayed these things I sat there in disbelief.

I did not accept this in my heart because when I think about what God must feel when He looks at me all I come up with is "disappointment". All I can see is how much I've blown it and how far I've missed the mark.

Still, the word she gave us was very beautiful and touching. We thanked her for her blessing, but deep down I wasn't buying it.

Later that night I prayed and asked the Lord, "If what she said was really what you think of me and how you feel about me, I need you to confirm it through some other witness."

On Sunday evening, my oldest son was sitting at our computer working on his homework. I felt an urge to surprise him with a blessing, so I took my brand new noise-cancelling headphones and placed them over his head as he worked. Then I set my iPod to one of his favorite songs and started to play it. He looked up at me, smiled, and nodded his head to the music.

As I left the room, I distinctly heard the Lord whisper to me, "That's how I feel about you, my son. I just love you. I love blessing you. I love you because you are made in my image, not because of what you've done, or what you fail to do. I just love you, Keith."

I couldn't help crying tears of joy as these words washed over me.

Suddenly, I remembered the week that my son was first born. He slept between Wendy and I for a few weeks and one morning I woke up before either of them. My son was asleep between us and I was overwhelmed with love for him. Why? I wondered. He hasn't spoken a word. He hasn't done anything for me. He couldn't if he wanted to. But I loved him so much. I would die for him right now. I would do anything to protect him, to bless him, to show him my love.

In that moment, God spoke to me and said, "That's how much I love you, my son."

The memory of that word, combined with this fresh reminder of His enduring love was just so beautiful to me. All I could do was say, "Thank you, Lord."

He loves me. Now I believe it.

-kg