Inspired Word January 16, 2008

INSPIRED WORD

January 16, 2008

Note: As last week, there was a most powerful anointing at this meeting. (It can't be duplicated here.) The call was to understand how loved we are by the Lord, that we are His children, and to really SURRENDER to Him.

PRAYER

He is worthy of exalting. The angels exalt Him constantly; the saints exalt Him constantly; people all over the world are exalting Him constantly. We are but a small part of a large community of believers who know the Lord as our Savior, as our Creator, as our Friend and as our Father. We are exalting Him in the way we lead our lives, in the breath that we breathe; by our very being we are exalting the Lord. Lord, we ask for strength tonight, strength for the weary, hope for the hopeless, joy for those who are seeking You. Lord, the troubles are many, but the glories are greater. Help us to remember that we do not gather for a commitment, we do not gather because it is what we must do, but we gather because it is what we choose to do, what we are allowed to do. We are invited as honored guests in Your Presence! Lord, help us to know that, with all of our hearts, minds and souls tonight. Amen.

TEACHING / SCRIPTURE

Last week we had some very powerful words from the Lord for our start to this new year. I believe that, tonight, God picked up right where we left off last week. The thanksgivings that we had were amazing. Last week we heard some very strong words from the Lord: “You are My beloved sons and daughters.” It was different than before; this was something that came straight forward and God said it many times – “You are My beloved sons and daughters.” Tonight in the thanksgivings that were given, we had thanksgivings with family, with friends, for healings, for financial situations, and for home situations. All of the things that a parent would do for a child. All of the things that a loving Father would do to oversee the children that He loves in such a way that there is nothing that we could ever do to turn His love away from us. That was the start of the message for the new year that the Lord brought here last week and that He opened with tonight. What better way can a Father show the love of a child than to shower that child with blessings. When we were in the back tonight in prayer, Laura was led to a Scripture immediately after we told her about the words from last week. The Scripture was 1 John 3:1: “See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God.” Then it goes on to say: “Yet so we are” - no question, no hesitation, no doubt, nothing for us to think about, nothing for us to second guess because it says: “Yet so we are children of God”. God goes over board to express that love for us. Laura said that as a parent we do the best things for our children, when they are good, when they are bad, when we are proud of them, when we are not so proud of them. But the one consistent thing that remains throughout all of that is the unconditional love of the parent for the child. That is what He led us to last week; and that is what He started off with here tonight. They are not just the sharing of thanksgivings; they are our way of giving praise back to the Father for His bestowing so much love upon us. I also have a thanksgiving that I want to bring in here, which is really a thanksgiving from my heart. Last night I spent some time with my young granddaughter. Our family and some friends were present. My granddaughter seemed to focus on me. No matter what she said, it was directed toward me. I had her full attention and she had my full attention. No matter what I tried to do or where I tried to go or what I did to distract her, her eyes remained focused on me with a trust that you can only imagine as a parent or grandparent. When she looks into my eyes, (what did Evelyn say before) I melt. So you know what I mean. I broke away from everything else and just spent the remainder of the time focused on her. I don't know what she said, but every now and then in the middle of her discussion with me, she would say, “Papa”. Everyone in the room knew that she was talking directly to me. After awhile I asked her, “Ava, would you like to spend some time with Grandma?” She looked at me without hesitation and said, “No”. She continued talking with me because at that time she was focused on me and she wanted my love; she wanted my arms around her; she wanted my undivided attention. I had no choice, it was just so powerful, that yes, you would melt. That same God Who bestows that in this little two year old child, as well as in adults, says to us, “You are My beloved sons and daughters.” That is who we are; no question or exception. From there we went to a confirmation that Barbara had in Romans 8: 35 - 39 : “Who will separate us from this love of Christ? Will anguish or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril, or the sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him Who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord”. God told us at the beginning of this year, “You are My beloved sons and daughters.” He has expressed that tonight in terms of our families, our friends, people who are sick, of our situations, in our personal lives, at work, in church or anywhere. God has done this to give us the assurance that what He has told us is true and that is how He wants us to start this new year. Then God said, “Open your hearts to receive that river of grace.” Not just for us to receive it, but to come forth with an action, to open our hearts. I believe that He is showing us the power in these thanksgivings and the miracles He is doing in each and every one of our lives. He turns chaos around to joy, so that we can use those moments to open our hearts to receive that river of grace. And as Dan said, “to hold on to that rudder.” I listened and I didn't hear Dan say, “to steer the rudder”. God is doing the steering and He wants us to hold on to the rudder because as long as we hold on to the rudder, the truth of these words has to be in our hearts. We have to know that we are His sons and daughters, and we have to know that through this openness we are going to receive that river of grace and we have to know, because the realization is there, that we are not steering, we are just holding on. We don't know what else to do other than hold on. As God had shown us last week and again tonight, as long as we hold on in trust, in faith, in humility and in love, He is going to steer that boat right to where He wants it to be. That is going to be a surprise for us; it may not be where we think it is going to be, but it is going to be a surprise so filled with love, mercy, and compassion that we are going to have to come up front here and say, “I have a thanksgiving to share.” My granddaughter looked into my eyes with the love of Christ and I will never forget that as long as I live. That is the God I have come here to praise.

SHARING / PRAYER

I have recalled a memory of when I was a young girl. I think that God gave me this recall to point out something important. As a seven year old child, I attended a Charismatic service with my grandma. It was revival night. It came to the part of the service which was the altar call. You know how in some churches they often speak of God's great love for us, how He loves us so much as our Father and that He wants us to turn over our whole life to Him; He wants to know us in a deeper way; He wants to love us more. They had the altar call and they played the song ‘Just As I Am'. Then the pastor said, “Anyone who wants to know the love of the Father more and anyone who wants to experience His love in a deeper way, come up here and we will pray over you, so that you will be renewed, so that you can turn over to Him all of the areas of your life that you have never turned over before; to trust Him and love Him. First I looked at my mom and asked her, “Can I go?” She told me that I could go. You were to raise your hand and an usher would take you up front to be prayed over. I was a little vulnerable being so young, but I was raised my hand, even though I didn't know what would happen. The usher came and I looked up at him and I asked him if this was for me. He reached out his big hand and he said, “It is especially for you.” He took me up front and those people didn't even say, “She is a child, put her over there.” No, they prayed over me right away that I would know God more, that I would experience more of His love, and that we would have a true relationship and that I would turn over areas of my life that I never had before. Even though that happened so long ago, I remember the usher's words, “It is especially for you.” I think that is really what God wants us to know tonight. We are sons and daughters of God because it is truly what we are. His love is deep, His love is true, His love is unchanging, it is unconditional and it is especially for you. I think we are all at an altar call right now. Would you pray with me? Dear God, here we are again. Here we are again to give it all to You. Thank You for taking it all again and letting us come back again to You, because here we are. There is more of You that we want to know; we want to have more trust in You, we want a deeper relationship with You and to know You deeper, want to know You as Father, the Creator, we want to know You as Friend, Savior, and Brother. We have given our lives to You before, but we have taken some of it back. Here we are to lay it all down again. You laid Your life down for us. Lord, help us to find a way to love You more. Help us to find a way to experience more of Your love and to share it with others. You are all about love, thank You that we are Your sons and daughters as that is truly what we are. Thank You for giving us Your Son Jesus and for not withholding Him. Thank You for that atoning sacrifice that covers everything we have ever done and everything we will ever do. Thank You for Your unfailing, unchanging love, the love You had for the Israelites when you parted the sea and made a way for them to have freedom; the love You had for the daughter of Jairus when she was dead and for her parents who were grieving and You brought her back to life, the love You had for Mary Magdalene when others would have cast stones at her and You looked at her with love and she was one of Your favorite daughters as recorded in the Bible. Lord, let us experience that love in deeper ways, let us accept it and come to the truth that You love us. O Lord, let us lay it down one more time for You. We love You, Lord, and we want to be all Yours! Thank You, Lord! Amen.

ALTAR CALL: The assembly responded by making this altar call in their hearts.

EXHORTATION

In order to experience what Laura has just said in a more meaningful way, I think we need to take this song just as it is being said now and know that God is now singing it to each and everyone of us, that He is holding us, He has our face within His hands. As we look into His face, He is singing these words directly to us - “You're all I want, you're all I've ever needed, you're all I want, help Me know you are near.”

PROPHECY

My beloved, hear again the words that you heard tonight. Behold the manner of love that I have for you, which I have bestowed upon you, that you are called the children of God. Indeed I do call you My children. I call you as a whole, as a group, as a community, but I also call you each individually. Hear Me speak your name now, your name given to you individually that I now speak and say to you, “You are My beloved. You are My beloved! You are My beloved!” Be soaked in that great love, that river of grace, that river of love that I pour out in this place, for each of you and for all of you. Know that love, that love that is so needed. For when you are immersed in that love, you pour forth in that love. Leave this place knowing that you have been immersed in My love.

EXHORTATION / PRAYER

Let us more deeply surrender to Him and say, “Yes” to the Lord. I am Yours, Lord Jesus; we are Yours, Lord Jesus! We are Yours, Lord Jesus! Make us more deeply Yours! We love You, Lord God! We love You!

EXHORTATION

Of all times, it is the prayer of the Roman soldier when Jesus said, “Do you believe?” He said, “Yes, Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.” Is there any space in your hearts that is having trouble surrendering to God, having trouble believing what has been shared, what the songs and prayers have shared, that God really does love you, heart and soul, body as it is? He does love you. He loved you enough to lay it down for you and He would lay it down again just to know that you are His friend. If any part of you is resisting, don't be concerned, don't be stressed about that, don't fret, just take a deep breath and say, “Yes, Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” That is enough, that is enough, because His answer will be, “Yes, I will!”

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