are-you-born-again

When the Consuming Fire is Seen in YOU…

/ www.LivingLarger.life

Good morning. world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I found my way to the front porch to give my Praise, my Thanks, and to make my Requests known to the Lord of my Life, and as I lingered to savor my time with Him, the air was cool, but the sun was blinding. Eventually, there was no escaping the glare, and no relief from the sun even with ceiling fans and sunglasses. The brightness of the morning sun outshone everything else around me, and pretty soon it was all I could see. I was powerless to dim it, so I surrendered to its beauty instead. God used the cool air and bright sun of this new day to paint a Picture of how it should be in the Journey of Faith, too. Even when I’m surrounded by the cool air of this dark world, the consuming Fire of my God should be so bright that I can’t see or feel anything else, and the Light of my Faith should be so Powerful that this lost world can’t miss it when I pass by. Isn’t that just the way it is with Faith?

The Consuming Fire of the Living God should be impossible NOT to see in my Life. Without speaking a word, the lost world should be able to see my Joy, Peace, my Love, just by being in my presence. That’s not something I can force into being; that’s something that happens naturally when the God of all Creation is all you can see and you’re Blinded by His Love. When He’s all we can see, we no longer focus on the things of this dark world, and we don’t spend our time or energy trying to right the wrongs that are out of our control. Instead, we remain blinded by His Light, and we do a little blinding of our own in the Process. Just like the blazing sun in the morning sky, the Consuming Fire can’t be avoided when we’re in His Presence, and absolutely nothing can snuff it out. The dark world can see the Consuming Fire within me as it outshines the world around me and illuminates the pathway to Truth. The peace that “surpasses all understanding” within me should outshine everything else around me, too. When you’re in my presence, you should recognize immediately that I’m not your “average person”, without me speaking a word. When you’re in my presence, you should be able to recognize that there is something profoundly different about me – and you’ll KNOW that I’m at peace with a world that appears to be falling apart. You should be drawn to me like a moth drawn to light because of the Consuming Fire in my soul, the warmth of my Heart, and the blinding Light that is all over my Journey of Life. Isn’t that what Faith is supposed to look like for ALL born-again Believers?

The words I speak should be like the language of the Son…bold, bright, and beautifully blinding. When I do my Part to keep the Consuming Fire of God burning in my Life, you’ll see Supernatural Beauty that has nothing to do with outward appearances – and the words that flow through me will be overwhelmingly Kind, Gentle, Loving, and Compassionate. The Characteristics that come by way of that kind of Consuming Fire are like an Open Invitation to a hurting world. Hurting people with “dark secrets” will know that they’re safe with me. Sad people who believe they’ve lost their hope will know that I have a Solution. Angry people ready to lash out at the world will be calmed. People who have been sleeping through their Journey of Life will be awakened. Wicked people will be disarmed. The ones being judged by this dark world won’t find judgment with me, and the ones longing for love will find it with me. The language of the Son is Perfect, and it’s filled with the Wise Words any time I need them…all because of the Consuming Fire I keep kindled in my Life. When we’re blinded by His Light it’s impossible to be “lost for words” – He says “the Holy Spirit will give you the right words when you need them” and THOSE WORDS are a reflection of the Perfect Balance for the Journey of Life…never judgmental…never too harsh…never words that would risk blinding the other with Truth before I impact them with Love…” the greatest of these is love.” Isn’t that the way Faith is supposed to sound for ALL born-again Believers?

I’m refreshed and revived for this new day, and my Heart is Consumed by His Fire. The God of all Creation used the blinding morning sun to quicken my Heart and Reinforce the Significance of my existence in this Journey called “Life”. The dark world will see His Fire IN ME and it will hear about Him THROUGH me…all because of Him and that beautiful Consuming Fire that is there for us ALL who seek it. I have everything I need to be a beautiful Blinding Light in a dark world…and I have a willing Heart to share. My Light cannot be dimmed.

How about yours?

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty!

/ www.LivingLarger.life

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I spent my time in the Presence of the Alpha and Omega in a warm home this morning and I approached His Throne with the Reverence He deserves. It’s the most amazing thing to have a personal Relationship with the King of all kings, the God of all gods, the Creator of the Universe, the Great “I am”! So, when I meet with Him it always begins with Praise and Thanks and soon after that, it becomes like a heart-to-Heart chat with the Best Friend anybody could ever ask for. Isn’t that the way it is with you too?

The Bible tells us that the Throne of God is surrounded by praise – “day and night they never stop” and I get goosebumps just thinking about what it must sound like to hear “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come” 24/7 in Heaven. Sometimes when I praise Him I say those very words over and over again – I mean them with all of my heart… and I try to imagine His Throne and how amazing it is. When I give Him the heartfelt Reverence He deserves it doesn’t take long to feel His Presence and I get goosebumps when I do. But of all the experiences I have with my God, and all the Words I savor that were breathed into existence by Him, the most amazing thing to me is being able to approach the One that is surrounded by Praise “day and night” and He welcomes me as His child. If that doesn’t give you goosebumps, nothing will.

Like anything else, a Relationship with the Living God takes balance. Some people spend their entire lives in “reverence mode” and live in fear because that’s all they know of Him. They tiptoe through life for fear of consequences if they don’t partake in rituals or recite manmade prayers, and they rarely Serve Him because they don’t understand their Purpose. They’re in perpetual Reverence mode without the friendship part. Somehow they miss the point that HE IS approachable and they don’t see themselves as Royalty…His child, His “heir.” If they did, I think they’d get goosebumps too.

Some people get the “best friend” part but their Relationship has become so casual that they forget to Revere Him and Praise Him in the Process. Oh, maybe they utter an occasional “hallelujah” but not in the way He wants to be Acknowledged as the Alpha and Omega…the Beginning and the End. He IS the best Friend anybody could ever ask for, but He deserves a whole lot more than a pat on the heavenly back like a big buddy in the sky – “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name!” What makes that Friendship too incredible for words is that it comes from the Throne of a God who has been praised in Heaven twenty-four hours a day since the beginning of time and will be forevermore and Jesus is standing at the right hand of the Throne of God interceding on our behalf. The mere thought of Jesus interceding on our behalf 24/7 should give anybody goosebumps IF they understand the Balance.

The Author and Perfector of my Faith Hears every prayer and they’re like incense in Heaven to Him. He sees every tear and stores them away in a jar and One Day He will wipe them all away. HE LOVES US enough to die for us and He loves us enough to intercede on our behalf. Goosebumps? That doesn’t begin to describe what my Heart feels.

My day began in the Presence of a Mighty God and I was so caught up in Praise for Him that I never got around to a “list” of requests. He knows what’s on my Heart. He knows my needs and He knows my burdens. He already KNOWS everything! The Alpha and Omega is my amazing, approachable God – but it all begins with ” Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”

How about you?