Move

Move… I’m not sure why this word is on my mind this week. There are many different directions this word can be used. Let’s start with a few verses:

Deuteronomy 19:14 “You are not to move your neighbor’s boundary marker from the place where people put it long ago, in the inheritance soon to be yours in the land Adonai your God is giving you to possess.

Proverbs 22:28 Don’t move the ancient boundary stone set up by your ancestors.

Acts 17:28 ‘for in him we live and move and exist.’ Indeed, as some of the poets among you have said, ‘We are actually his children.’

Revelation 6:14 The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.

The world is moving in a strange way right now. The verses above from the Old Testament show us that God does NOT want us to move our boundary markers. The instructions God gave us need to be our foundation. When He plants us, we do ALL that He requires us to do.

As we know from the teachings in Torah, the Children of Israel were moved when God moved them. They had the cloud to follow and when He needed them to go to a new area, the cloud moved. I’m sure there were times that the Children of Israel did not want to go to a new place, but when God said, “Go!” They needed to go.

When we are following Him, we do “live, move, and exist” in ALL that He asks us to do. As His children, we must LISTEN to Him and follow His lead. It isn’t always easy being as “flexible” as He requires us to be. And in the world we live in today, it becomes more challenging.

The verse in Revelation is the “finale.” There is an end coming. We do not know how everything will play out, but movement is happening. The mountains and islands will shake. We are beginning to see this happen. There are earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, wars etc… it is time to watch and observe what is happening around us.

I believe we need to be ready. I believe we need to live like the Children of Israel and MOVE when He says move. It is time to be on our guard and KNOW that He is God and that HE is in charge of ALL that is happening. Don’t “move” your foundation from His Word, but be ready to move yourself when He calls.

Thank HIM today that HE KNOWS the best plans for you. Give Him PRAISE that HE will only MOVE you to places that HE wants you. Prepare yourself the best you can and be READY at all times to GO when He says go.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rose Horton

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

Pause In His Presence Part 15

What Did God Say?

Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him. —Psalm 105:19 (NASB)

Oh, this verse!!!

I have struggled with this verse in the past.  I have struggled, because I just could not grasp why the Lord would make a promise to someone and then TEST THEM until the full promise manifested.  

Isn’t He a GOOD GOD?  Why would a good God say that He would do something, and then test someone until He followed through?

When I read this scripture last week, I felt the draw to just pause in His presence and allow Him to speak to me through this verse.  As someone who has been waiting on a few promises from God for a great deal of time, I had several questions on my heart regarding Psalm 105:19. “What do you mean by this, Lord?” I asked Him.  “Please explain Your heart to me, because I just don’t get it.”

He first directed me to look at the Hebrew meaning of “word” in this scripture.  The meaning of “word” (h0565) is simple:  The utterance of God.  Basically, I felt a challenge from the Lord to remember what He has actually spoken to me in the past.  He gently guided me through several promises I have yet to see, and all of the scripture, prophetic words and words that came directly from His heart to mine in the years that I have been waiting.

“What have I said to you?” He asked me.  

I use the word “ask,” but really, His question felt more like a challenge.

As I sat in His presence, recounting all of the things that the Lord had spoken to me about my promises, I began to ask again about the word “test.”  He led me again to look up the Hebrew meaning (h6884), and I found that this word does not mean something that’s unbearable or cruel.  It means refining, yes; but the word also means “to cast,” specifically in fire.  To cast something is not just to burn it – a “cast” is an object made my shaping molten metal material in a mold.  

According to Google, the things that are cast most often are TOOLS, WEAPONS, and JEWELRY.

Here is what the Lord spoke to my heart when I realized the weight of this “testing”:  Every promise is for an appointed time, with an appointed purpose.  Psalm 105:19 refers to Joseph, who was “tested” while waiting for the fulfillment of the dream he had regarding leading his brothers.  Joseph needed that time of molding and casting so that he could be the EXACT SHAPE NEEDED to lead a nation.  Joseph was given a word – an utterance of God through a dream – and needed to be WEAPONIZED before the word of the Lord could come to pass in his life.  Joseph needed to be weaponized because the Lord’s word to him was about more than just Joseph.

Some translations make it clear that Joseph’s character needed a refining.  I am sure that is true!  But if we focus on “refining” of character, we may miss the point entirely.

Joseph needed refining not because something was wrong with him or because he wasn’t good enough or lacking.  Joseph needed refining because what God chose him to carry was of such weight, such greatness and such importance, God needed Joseph to be fully weaponized to walk in the glorious promises that the Lord had for him and for his nation.

Every promise of mine and yours has a Heavenly purpose, and that purpose is larger than we are.  I would encourage those who are in the waiting and being tested to go back to the Lord and ask Him to lead you into the truth about your promise.  Ask Him to open your eyes to see beyond yourself and beyond the fulfillment of it, and ask Him to show you what “shape” He is casting and refining you to be.

Chances are, the word that He has spoken to you is weightier and more magnificent than you could even imagine.  

Whether you are a weapon against the forces of darkness, or a tool to smash through lies and strongholds in others, or a jewel to display the splendor of the King of Kings….do not despise this season of testing while waiting on the utterances of God to manifest in your life.

Surrender to the “casting,” and allow Him to shape you for maximum Kingdom impact.  And hold God to His word while you wait – He loves your faith!

— Mandy Woodhouse

Balanced Life

To be happy, we must live a balanced life—equal parts work, play, rest, worship, and prayer.  We are not one dimensional; we are equal parts body, soul, and spirit.

We must exercise our bodies with work and rest them with sleep; we must develop our souls with relationships, and exercise our spirits with prayer and worship.  We need both life disciplines and free form recreation, both routine and serendipity.

It’s not easy, nor does it come naturally to stay balanced; we tend to lean one way or the other—all play or all work, all rest or all stress, all relationships or excess isolation.

We desperately need The Spirit’s help to keep our life both disciplined and fun, both productive and restful. Like any good parent, Our Father keeps his eye on us and guides us into all of his truth, both the hard truths about the human condition and the inspirational truths about his undying and everlasting love for us.

The secret to a balanced life seems to be to determine our priorities early on and then to let all the peripheral and incidental aspects of life find their place after the important issues have been settled and our life is stable.  Has our eternal destiny been explored and determined?  Has Christ’s claim to deity been given due consideration?

Have we discovered our role in the building of the kingdom?  Have we found a nurturing family?  Once the foundational issues have been settled, then we are free to develop all the beauty and diversity of a life well lived, replete with healthy relationships, rest, recreation, and productive work.

— Brad Heilhecker

Mine

“Mine” – one of the first words that a child learns right after he learns the word “No”.  We all know the down side to the use of these words, for they can be signs of selfishness. However, they can also be healthy signs of proper boundaries, too.

Certain things in life are “mine”, and sometimes it is essential to say “no”. Learning the proper place for these words is just as critical in life as learning how to use the words “ours” and “yes”. One of my favorite scriptures says that “everything is yours, you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s” 1 Corinthians 3:21-23.

So, everything now belongs to us, if we are indeed co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17).

To be happy in Christ, we must learn what is ours.  For one thing, we must learn what he has gifted us to do, if we are going to be able to participate in the life of the church.  Living the Christian life as a spectator is absolutely dreadful, and you can see it in the bored expressions on the many faces of the mature believers who have sat through one too many church “services”.  

From the beginning, in the Garden of Eden, we were created to work with God.  Rest loses its significance when we have been denied the right to work.  Ephesians, Chapter 4:11-16, gives a clear mandate that church leaders are to prepare the saints for the work of the ministry.

“Ours.” Ours is the kingdom—Luke 12:32. Ours is the work of the ministry. Ours is the church family. Ours is this time in history. Ours is the earth—Psalm 115:16. Ours is heaven. The early believers were motivated to have all of their possession in common because they realized dramatically that there was a change of covenants. Gone was the old covenant of living by the letter of the law. Jesus Christ had arrived revealing that our eternal destinies are secure and that our faith and hope are rock solid, supported by the resurrection of Christ from the dead.

As it is written: “Now is the time of God’s favor.  Now is the day of salvation”—2nd Corinthians 6:2.

— Brad Heilhecker

Your One Constant

When nothing makes sense

Your journey derailed 

yet again

A roadblock

A detour

Another setback

No hope in sight

Your emotions run wild

Look up

Lock eyes with Papa

Till His presence 

overwhelms you

Quiet your every 

negative emotion

You will find that a peace 

that surpasses all understanding really exists 

As Papa’s love flows like 

billows into your life

Taming your wild emotions 

Leaving you breathless 

Transporting you to heavenly 

places where the Prince of 

Peace lives

His hand was always at 

work in your life

Every setback 

Every disappointment 

Every roadblock

Led you to a beautiful place

You have grown and glean 

from desert places

Do not turn back now

You will again leap and dance 

Go into His perfect rest

He knows how to calm 

your raging heart 

He is in control

He knows what He is doing

In the midst of chaos

In the midst of unanswered prayers

In the midst of attacks

rest in Papa

Look around

Count your many blessings

You have so much to 

be thankful for

Hidden gems all around

Papa your One constant

Hold on to Him

When the time is right

Father will bring the victory!

—Ebigale Wilson

Your One Constant

Music

We have been exploring new blogs and reblogging some of our favorites. This blog we couldn’t agree more that music is good for you! Enjoy!

Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything. Plato I can’t agree more. Music 🎵 has its …

Music

His Exceeding Greatness

“And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power.” (Ephesians 1:19) There are a…

His Exceeding Greatness

Clean

I started this blog with the word “clean” on my mind. We have been busy cleaning inside and out lately. Our house. A friend’s house. It is not easy work, especially when it is hot. However, the end product is definitely beneficial.

When I started looking for verses about clean, I found many. The list is quite long. Most of them we have probably heard before…

Psalm 51:12 (in most translations it is verse 10) Create in me a clean heart, God; renew in me a resolute spirit.

James 4:8 Come close to God, and he will come close to you. Clean your hands, sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded people!

The list could go on…

Then I read these verses in Ezekiel. Reading the prophets used to be difficult. When I began to understand Israel in a new light, they became more real to me. The verses listed below are amazing promises from Adonai to His people. They can become very real for us today too.

Ezekiel 36:24-27 For I will take you from among the nations, gather you from all the countries, and return you to your own soil. 25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your uncleanness and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit inside you; I will take the stony heart out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put my Spirit inside you and cause you to live by my laws, respect my rulings and obey them.

Read these words with a NEW heart and a RENEWED mind. When we TRUST Him we can KNOW that His Promises are REAL.

He is going to take care of His people. As I have been reading through Matthew (blogs are written almost daily), I realize more and more that He is going to send His angels to remove the evil. At some point, we will be clean. New bodies. The evil gone. The initial promise to this is from the prophets.

I know I am excited to be a part of ALL He has planned. I look forward to the day when He brings ALL His Promises to LIFE. Until then, I want to walk with a clean heart and new mind. I want to be so in touch with Him that I have His Spirit to walk with and lead me.

May we daily cleanse our minds, wills and emotions from any junk that doesn’t belong. May we find HIS peace in all that we do.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rose Horton

Pause In His Presence Part 14

Forget Not His Benefits

“Bless the Lord, Oh my soul, and forget not all His benefits.” —Psalm 103:2, NKJV

“Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things that He does for me.” — Psalm 103:2 NLT

I was reading Psalm 103 this week – one of my favorite Psalms of all time – and I found myself pausing to reflect more on verse 2.  At other times, I would have found myself camping at some of the juicy verses that come later, but verse 2 really caught my attention this week.  I feel like at times, the rest of the passage is indeed so rich that people tend to unknowingly skip right over this little verse when it is so packed with goodness on its own.

I love the New Living Translation. “Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things that He does for me.” Let “all that I am” praise the Lord.  That phrase literally means our whole self; our appetites, minds, desires, emotions, passions, and inner beings.

Everything that seems to make up ME, that’s what’s to praise Him!  I would assume that would also include the negative emotions, the negative feelings and thoughts – it’s ALL to bow to Jesus and bring Him praise.

“May I never forget the good things that He does for me.”  Gosh, what a ploy of the enemy to make us FORGET.  Other translations say “forget not all his benefits…” and that word “benefit” means all of His deeds, all of His rewards and all of His recompense towards us.  Let us not forget his recompense!  Let us not forget His deeds!  Let us not forget how He sent His very own Son as a sacrifice for what WE did wrong, and how that He took upon Himself our own sin, sickness, mistakes, failures, pains, traumas, anxiety, etc.  

Let us not forget that Jesus actually transformed us on the inside, making us new creations and changed our nature to be like His (2 Peter 1:4).  Let us not forget.

In my personal life, I sometimes begin to forget.  I get focused on the things that have nothing to do with God’s kingdom, and I can sometimes forget to look at my true reality, which is Him.  I believe that remembering all the good things that He has done for us actually helps to refocus our eyes upon our true reality, which is His kingdom.  If everything within me can not forget what He has done, then the rest of the worldly troubles stay in my peripheral vision, and my heart stays fixed upon truth.

Perhaps that’s why the rest of Psalm 103 is so incredibly rich; because the writer knows that God has done good deeds, and he is calling them to his remembrance!  When we remember, then our whole selves can praise Him.  And when we praise Him, we enter into new levels in the Spirit where nothing else will do.  THIS is the true Kingdom.

May I encourage you today to REMEMBER.  If you must, grab a journal or a piece of paper and pause in His presence.  Quiet yourself before Him, and then jot down all the deeds, all the good things the Lord has done, all that was done for you at calvary.  Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you where necessary.  Make a list, and then REJOICE!  Celebrate with everything that you are, and watch not only your perspective change but also the atmosphere around you.  He is so worthy of ALL of our praise.  THIS is our true reality.

— Mandy Woodhouse

My Solitude

In my solitude Joy echoes in each moment Lifting my soul Toward saffron sky

My Solitude