Thursday, October 31, 2013

He is Omnipresent...

Last week I began a journey reminding us of the character of God.  Maybe some of you haven't even considered the character of God.

Character is like a tree and reputation is like its shadow.  The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.  Abraham Lincoln

I love that statement by Abraham Lincoln. I believe in this day and time many people see God as the shadow - they decide what they think of Him and His Character.  But, God is the tree!  He is the Great I AM!

Last week we saw through scripture God is a Good God.  I cannot tell you how many people shared with me this week they know that in their head but struggle with it in their heart. Why? Because our eye sight is mostly horizontal not vertical.  My sweet sisters, our belief system about God is the foundation for how we do life.  Look up!  Remember for every area the enemy can get you to doubt God's character, the enemy can get a toe hold and or strong hold in your life! Let’s look at another character of God:  omnipresence.

Omnipresent ........ God is present everywhere, in the entire universe, at all times, in the totality of His Character.                         

2 Chronicles 16:9 (ESV)
For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.

Proverbs 15:3 (ESV)
The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.

Job 34:21 (ESV)
For his eyes are on the ways of a man, and he sees all his steps.

Jeremiah 23:23-24 (ESV)
 “Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” declares the LORD.

Hebrews 4:13 (ESV)
And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

God is present everywhere, in all the universe, at all times.  It certainly doesn't 'feel' that way sometimes, does it?  In fact, how many times have all of us said, “God, where are you?”  Many times people share with me that they believe God has forgotten them, doesn't remember they exist.  That is because they base their belief system on how they 'feel' instead of the truth of God's word about His character.  Read those verses again. He sees all!  You have to be present to see!  Please allow me to speak this truth over you.  God is omnipresent according to His word and that is a truth no matter how you 'feel'.  If you accept and believe that truth then it isn't based on feeling but fact, He is present 24/7.   What we miss out on in the body of Christ is His 'revealed presence'.   We don't experience His presence.  Why?  I think we can find the answer to that in the following passage.....

John 14:21 (ESV)
“Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”

God reveals and/or manifests Himself to us through the person of the Holy Spirit when we love and obey His Word.

Please hear this truth as I close out today.  God is omnipresent no matter how you 'feel'.  He is there with you 24/7.  But, your opportunity to truly experience His presence in your life is directly related to your willingness to do life God's way.  Don't expect to live like the world and hang out with God.

I love you all so much. Have a blessed week.

His,
Vickie

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

The Character Attributes of God...

Last month while we were in Northeast Asia our theme was "He Sees".  It was a powerful theme placed on my heart by God.  In the opening message I asked, who sees?  God sees.  But, who is this God that 'sees' us and what do we really know about Him?  I would like for us to take the next couple of months and look at one of God’s attributes each week.  Really consider each attribute and pray that He drops the truth of it out of our heads into our hearts so that we can begin to walk in faith in knowing these truths about His character attributes.  As I told the ladies last month, we don't trust who we don't know.

Today, I want to start with the same one I started with the women in Northeast Asia.

God is Good.  By His nature, God is inclined to bestow blessedness, and He takes holy pleasure in the happiness of His people.  He is kind, benevolent, and full of good will toward men.

Now, I want you to really be totally honest and ask yourself if you really 'believe' this truth about His character.  If you don't believe this truth through and through, the enemy will forever have a toehold, if not a full blown stronghold, in your life!!  And let's be honest, if all we go by is sight it would be hard to accept this as a truth.  But, we as believers don't live by sight but by every word that comes from God's mouth.

Matthew 4:4 (ESV)
But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

What do we live by? Our thoughts?  No, He says our thoughts are not His thoughts.  Our emotions?  No, because He says our hearts are wicked and can be deceived.  Our deeds? No because it is by grace we have been saved.   What do we live by?  "Every word that comes from the mouth of God".  So what does God’s word say about Him and His Goodness?

Psalm 25:8-9 (ESV)
Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.

Psalm 86:5 (ESV)
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.

Psalm 119:68 (ESV)
You are good and do good; teach me your statutes.

Nahum 1:7 (ESV)
The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.

Mark 10:18 (ESV)
And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.

I also want to ask you, if you have time, to go to a couple of links and read the thoughts of the authors on this attribute of God:

A. W. Tozer:

Charles Spurgeon:


Love you all much....God is Good All the Time!

His,
Vickie

Monday, October 14, 2013

Nuggets...

Many of you know I carry this little, what I like to call an 'imaginary nugget bag'.   I put little nuggets of wisdom in it that I collect along the way.  Recently when I was speaking at the Promise of Hope conference in Austin, Texas, I was given a nugget.  Let me explain....

Phyllis Moore and her husband Jon have a ministry called 'Christfollowers'.  They lead Spiritual Awakening Conferences and, trust me, we could use some of that in our churches today!!  You can read about them and contact them through christfollowers.com 

Phyllis and I traveled together for many years with Great Hills Retreat Ministry out of Austin and we always roomed together because no one else wanted to get up with us at 5 a.m. to have their quiet time while at a conference.  We loved it because we would share things God was showing us and our nuggets we had collected since our last time together.   Well, it has been many years since Phyllis and I have been at the same location to speak to a group of women and naturally they put us together as roommates.   True to form....the nugget came.  It happened as we were walking down the hall to our prayer time for the conference.   Phyllis shared a quote from John McConkey “He who keeps the treasure bears the care.”   As soon as she said it, it spoke to my heart.  I wasn't sure how it all fit but I knew God was speaking to me.   We went on with our prayer time and the evening of speaking to the ladies at the conference but I could not get away from that statement.  When Phyllis and I got back to our room that night I told her that God had really spoken to me with that statement.  I told her I had been praying about some things regarding my family.  She then showed me the story about that preceded  McConkey's  quote.  I am paraphrasing that story to you now....

There once was a man that inherited a diamond at the death of a relative.  It turns out the diamond was absolutely priceless.  The man carried it with him wherever he went to protect it and keep it safe.  After some time the man begin to get paranoid about someone taking the diamond from him, maybe mugging him on the street.  So, he started to go out less and less and stayed home more and more.

Eventually, he began to think about what if someone breaks into my house and steals the diamond.  So, he put up the most expensive home protection system he could buy.  By now the man had few friends, he never went out, and just stayed home.  One day one of his really good friends came to his house and announced, "We are going out; get your diamond."  The man reluctantly followed his friend to the vehicle.  Once in the car the man's friend proceeded to drive him directly to a very nice bank.  The two men walked into the bank with the man with the diamond following his friend through all the doors and rooms until they reached a large vault.  The friend said, “I purchased this for you.  It is yours to keep your diamond in.  No one can get in here once we close the door today except you.  I want you to leave your diamond here.  You can come see it anytime you choose.” The man finally agreed and after much fretting the two of them left the bank.  Every day for weeks the man went to check on the diamond and each time it was there.  Slowly he began to go every other day, then only twice a week, then only once a week until finally weeks passed without him checking on the diamond.    Then he finally reached the place to check on it whenever he felt like it, which wasn't much because he knew where it was and that it was safe.   Thus the quote.....He who keeps the treasure bears the care.  

When I finished hearing her tell that story I realized that God was saying to me,” Vickie, I know that your family is your earthly treasure.  And you stay concerned for them a lot.  But, you can't bear the care anymore.  It's too much.   It keeps you from having the life I intended for you to have.”  It was like the LORD said, “Give me those treasures; I can bear the care!  So, guess what, I have given Him the treasures.  And while the circumstances are still difficult on a regular basis, my heart is much lighter!  I know that my God can bear the care and that I could not have my family in a safer vault than the arms of the LORD. 

So, I ask you today.  Are you holding on to your treasures?  Because if you are, you bear the care!  Let go and let Him have the treasure and bear the care because He can!

1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Love you all,

His,
Vickie

Friday, October 11, 2013

When you have to come off the Mountain...

We are hearing back from a significant number of missionary women from the North East Asia retreat.  We as a team are also talking among ourselves about the trip.  Honestly, it is hard to get your feet to come back down to the valley after such a mountaintop experience of seeing God minister.  I shared with a team member recently that it can settle in as some unrecognized depression after a while.  You just kind of seem hum-drum.  

I tell my girls and ladies I disciple/teach that long ago while doing some prison ministry with a couple, I heard this statement, "Comparison is the death of JOY!"  It is so true in so many ways in our lives.  It is hard to come back from those that have so little to us that have so much and not get frustrated at our selfishness.  They have nothing; we gripe if we have to down size, sell a boat, live in a one story house instead of two or three…you get the picture.  

But, let me balance something for all of us....it isn't what you have; it is what you do with what you have because it all comes from God!  He has allowed it!  So, is a three story home wrong?  NO!...especially if you are using it to minister to your family needs and the needs of others.   I know two very dear couples in ministry; one in the Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX and one in the Broken Arrow /Tulsa, OK area.  I love their hearts.  They always have an upstairs for what I call “their missionary friends” that come through town.   They truly use it for those in ministry that need a place to lay their heads as they are passing through.  I should know - I've laid my head in both homes several times!  I think you hear my heart.  The truth is that if we have hearts that 'Seek first His kingdom and righteousness ' then our lives will be a series of mountaintops and valley experiences.  Today, I am linking you to a letter from a sweet sister.....WOW!.... hear her heart and sense the Valleys and the Mountains. (Click Here for the link!)


His,

Vickie

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Greetings...

I just returned from Austin, Texas and had the opportunity to minister with The Promise of Hope, a ministry from Great Hills Baptist Church.  It was good to see so many dear friends from my time on staff there, several of those I traveled with in the Great Hills Women’s Retreat Ministry, and those of you that attended the Promise of Hope retreat for the first time.  If you are joining our blog as a result of signing up after the retreat, “Welcome!”

As you can imagine, the dust has not settled yet from our North East Asia Retreat.   The emails are still coming in from the ladies that attended.  I am believing that some of you that gave gift bags and prayer cards will hear from some of the recipients in the near future if you haven't already.  However, they may not be able to contact you because of security reasons, so keep that in mind as well.

Today I wanted to share a note that a team member sent me.  I always try to share some things the missionary women had to say about the trip, but it is also good for you to hear what team members have to say because one day you might be one of our team members (smile)! 

It was wonderful getting to serve with you and this wonderful group of ladies! When we met the [NE Asia] woman who shared her testimony on the2nd day, I was so touched by her heart for God, and when she told us that she came to know Christ through a missionary who came to [NE Asia], God grabbed a hold of my heart and showed me how much missionaries are needed. I've never left the "Bible belt" before this trip and everyone I had ever known had heard about Jesus. I realized that she may not have ever heard about the gospel if that missionary hadn't come to tell her. I also see now how much missionaries need encouragement and prayer and how much Pure Joy means to them. It was awesome being a part of the worship and getting to see how excited and eager they were to worship God. I felt like they were the worship leaders. And God was so good to me on this trip. Every time I started to feel down and miss my family, a missionary would come up to me and tell me how much it meant to them that we came and would encourage my heart so much! It was like God was assuring me that I was right where He wanted me to be. Thank you for being sensitive to God and where He leads you. This ministry is so wonderful and life changing, both for the missionaries and those who get to serve on the team. Love you!

And let me say this about the young woman that wrote that email to me.  She did such a wonderful job of leading us in worship!  It was just incredible to hear the worship 'rise up' out of the hearts of the missionary women there.

Here is the link to a YouTube music video of a song that really ministered to our hearts during the retreat...... http://youtu.be/DXDGE_lRI0E

Love you guys.

His,
Vickie