jesus is king

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?

I Know Where Victory Is Found…Do You?

/ www.LivingLarger.life

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. The wind howled through Virginia last night and I was pleasantly surprised to see no damage done when I stepped outside this morning. While the wind howled outside, I “howled” to the heavens, spending half the night in prayer – another night before the Throne of God appealing on behalf of others. By the time the sun showed itself, it was more like a signal to the end of a restless night than a celebration of a new day. It’s always time for Battle in the Life of a Christian…especially the vocal ones like me – but every once in a while the battle becomes BIGGER, so I turn up the heat through prayer and sharpen my Weapons for Victory. I didn’t fret and wring my hands throughout the night…I FOUGHT like the Warrior I am and I shouted the name of Jesus Christ to put my Enemy on notice and to Proclaim my Victory long before I see it. Isn’t that what you do when you’re fighting a BIG battle too?

It can be so easy for us to fold under the pressure of Battle but it NEVER has to be that way. Since we’ve already been told that “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” so WHY in the world would we rely on flesh and blood tactics to Fight a Spiritual Battle? No matter what we face in this Journey called Life, we have the Weapons for battle, and we have the One who Intercedes on our behalf. Keeping this in mind is the Key to using the right Weapons for the war and it’s the only way to find Peace (and Victory) in the Battle. I don’t fold under the pressure and I don’t succumb to what I see with my eyes, because “logic” has no place in the Kingdom of God. There’s no way to rationalize God’s Master Plan and, although I don’t always get my way, I always Trust His Ways no matter what. Isn’t that the way a Father wants His Children to Live?

When I pray I don’t spend a lot of time asking for His Will to be done because I know that it always will be; I spend a lot of Time speaking Victory instead. I shout out His Promises that are written in Black and White, and I Celebrate the outcome that I’m Trusting Him to work out according to His Master Plan. When I’m doing battle over BIG things I’m like a Spiritual maniac. I pray and pace and I’m oblivious to time. I don’t worry about the sleep I’m “losing” because I know that when I spend the night in the Presence of God, He’ll give me supernatural Strength for the new day. I Proclaim Victory with my voice and in my Heart and I don’t doubt for one second that Victory will come…Victory according to His Master Plan. Sometimes I even laugh at my enemy and I remind him that he DOES NOT WIN – and I laugh because I KNOW that every demon in hell is shuddering because of this maniacal Pray Warrior. How can I NOT win when I know how to do Battle?

I surrendered a little sleep last night to step into a Battle that (sadly) most people don’t even Know how to Fight and today I’m overwhelmed with Peace because of it. My “howls” were Heard by the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and I am sure that my prayers were like “incense” to Him because the Bible says so. There’s no need for me to “dwell” on the things I prayed about, and I sure don’t need to worry about the people I’m praying for because the Creator of All holds everything and everyone in the palm of His Hands. God hears my every prayer BUT that doesn’t mean I’ll stop praying. Until I see Victory over these things, I will not cease to pray…but more than that…I WILL NOT surrender and I WILL NOT doubt the outcome. I’m a Warrior. I’m Victorious. I’m a Spiritual maniac. I’m A WINNER because of Him – He taught me how to Fight and Win by using the Weapons He’s already given to me..and I Know how to use them well because He Instructed me.

How about you? Do Know how to do Battle in the heavens and find your Victory? If not, reach out to me and I’ll show you the way to Peace.

Jeremiah 17:7-8

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

Go Tell It On The Mountain…

/ www.LivingLarger.life

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I had an Intense meeting with the Author and Perfecter of my Faith this morning and He spent some time Refining my Heart. The One who Created me is Kind and Compassionate BUT when He is doing business on the Heart He doesn’t pull any punches. He shined a Heavenly highlighter over a few of my weak spots and He reminded me of His Might. Part of my Lesson this morning made me Repent and weep with shame, and part of the Message made me overflow with Joy – but none of the Message would have been possible, nor would it have any impact on my Life whatsoever, had I refused to be willing to be Molded by my Maker again this morning. When it comes to things like Heart and Character, there’s no such thing as being “complete”…at least not on this side of Heaven. There’s always room for Improvement and I’m driven to be all that I can be for Him. Isn’t that the way you look at your Lessons too?

There are lots of reasons why most people don’t continue to Grow for as long as they live, but I think the biggest reason is pride. It’s often said, “Pride comes before the fall” but that’s a spin-off from Words in Proverbs that drives the message home a little deeper… “pride goes before destruction, a haughty (arrogant) spirit before a fall”. Pride is what prevents us from being willing to be transparent, and pride is what keeps us from sharing our Trials and Victories. Pride is when we convince ourselves that we’re something we’re not and that we’re bigger and better than we really are. Pride is what makes us run from the Spirit of God when it’s Lesson Time, and pride is what stands in the way of revealing our weaknesses. Pride is what prompts us to judge someone else, and pride is what makes us lie to ourselves about who and what we really are. Pride drives greed, and pride drives lies. It’s pride that will stop us from helping the helpless, and it’s pride that leads us to lose our identity in wealth. A prideful heart refuses to admit when it’s wrong, and pride stands in the way of forgiveness of another. There’s no end to the destruction that pride brings with it, and eventually, pride will build a shell around the Heart that it is so hard that we’re no longer Recognizable as God’s People and we’re useless to the King. There’s no room for pride if we want to grow and until we get a handle on pride we can’t find the humility that Jesus Christ is looking for.

I’ve been slapped around by people of Faith more often than I can count when they hear me confess my weaknesses or when I share my trials or temptations. I’m a Child of the Living God but that doesn’t mean I’m flawless – I’ll always be a Work in Progress! It’s actually their pride that would have them believe that if you are a person of Faith, all those things are “in the past” and shouldn’t be shared with the world. They’re only fooling themselves. All of us were instructed to “go tell” – unless I “tell my story” the world will never know how Powerful my God is! Unless I tell them how He Transformed my Life and molded me into a usable Vessel they may never Know how Good He is and what’s possible for them!

I have no pride when it comes to being a Vessel for the Living God, and I know that the more I Share about my Life and His Work, the more inclined God will be to use me to help someone else. My History isn’t just a pile of junk…even though it’s felt that way sometimes…my Life is a Powerful, Living, Breathing Testimony, and I’m not too proud to share it. Every single piece has Grown me, and every pain has made me Stronger. But most of all I know that “all things work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to HIS purpose” …so ALL of my “mess” has been used for Good in my life too.

My Life has Purpose, and I’m humbled to be used by the King. I’m a Loud Voice for His Majesty and Grace. My Testimony is shared without shame OFTEN and I’ve learned just to pray for the ones who Profess my Faith but believe “good Christians” don’t talk about “bad” things while they refuse to SHOUT praises to the God who saved them from things they’re likely “ashamed” of too. Whenever the devil tries to sneak pride into my thoughts and I’m inclined to take credit for things in my life that I have no business owning at all…it’s time for a Lesson on Humility straight from the Throne of the Living God. The more He Teaches…the more I Tell…and I shout His Goodness from the mountaintops! I don’t necessarily like it when it’s Lesson Time, but I’m Ready and Willing to be Molded by my Maker so that I can be ALL that He intends for me to be for as long as there is breath in my body.

How about you?

Isaiah 52:7

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”