Light

I seem to start every blog with, “It’s been a while.” Kind of sad. However, I am going to be posting more. As of late, the Lord has been pressuring me to start blogging again, not for attention, but for the sake of remembrance. I used to have a Xanga account, well, I still do, but I don’t use it. I went to check it the other day and spent a considerable amount of time reading blogs from ‘05, ‘06,  and ‘07, in that season where my life was just getting right with the Lord. It’s amazing. So, I want to blog more….so here is where I am…

My heart is burning to simply know Him. Not to know of Him or about Him, but to know Him as He is. I have to know the real God, ’cause if I don’t, everything I am pressing into is fake….and not eternal. Isaiah 55:8-9 says, “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.’”  Psalm 50:21 reads, “These things you have done, and I kept silence; You thought that I was just like you; I will reprove you, and state the case in order before your eyes.”  Bottom line, He is not like us.

Show us yourself God….the way You are as you sit on Your throne. We want to be filled with Your heart, Your will, simply YOU Jesus.

Kindness

So, this blog isn’t going to be a really spiritual one….just more about life. I’ve been at it, life that is, for 21 years now…..but I am just now understanding that it is truly a day by day walk. Yes, I believe in seeing the big picture, I believe in possessing vision into where you are going, but when I was in Drive’s Ed in High School, my teacher said, “Don’t get too focused on what’s way down there. You could lose sight of what’s in front of you.” [For everyone who is grammatically learned...that is a terrible sentence. Please don't stone me.]  Again, this isn’t even what I am writing on…but take it day by day. Jesus said this day we choose who we will serve , Paul said that he died daily. The Word also says His mercies are new every morning.  Thus, day by day….ok…onto what I was REALLY going to talk about…

Chris and I were walking at the Hotel we are staying at talking about people. He made an interesting point. He said, “People get really freaked out when you just talk to them and try to be nice.” Thus, I decided to take the day and experiment a little. He was right. It was amazing how quickly people put up walls at a simple “Hello” or “How are you doing?” It’s obvious that common social decency is really a cover up for a greedy desire. No one knows how to receive niceness anymore. When I was little, I learned how to butter my grandparents up to get them to give me what I wanted. After a while, they learned my ways. Once they had learned, they would respond to my “niceness” with, “What do you want?” 

Jason Upton said this, “Revolutionary love is loving someone and expecting nothing in return.” It is one of my life’s goals to achieve. Now, that leads to a searching of the true definition of love. Most people make love equivalent to tolerance. Tolerance, in my opinion, isn’t love, it’s fake. Love corrects. Love chastens. Love endures. Love fights. Love never fails. Now, does that mean I compromise my beliefs and standards in order to find the acceptance of a man. Of course not. There are truths that are so built into me, nothing could move them. However, the Love of God in me can still see people for where they are, and where He wants them to be. 

This is a bunch of ranting. I know. Please forgive me. I just want to be a person who truly carries the love of Jesus, not just for the apathetic and complacent, but for the dark, lost ones. Jesus, I want to love like you loved. But you only did what you saw the Father do. Lord, give me a heart like yours….change me, or move me.

**Edit** So, I read a passage this morning that totally went with this. The Holy Spirit is so faithful. Luke 14:12-14 reads, “He said also to the one who had invited him, ‘When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blesses, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”  

Revolutionary love….fill our hearts with it Jesus

Yielded

I woke up this morning feeling like I was receiving a rebuke from the Lord. A few days ago, at office prayer, I heard Him say, “I am moved by what you ask me.” Then, this morning, I heard, basically, to not be arrogant enough to think that I control Holy Spirit. I don’t. There’s such a fine line on this topic. I believe its understanding that we walk in such intimacy with the Father that our hearts become softened, changed, and molded into His. The Bible says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. ” If we delight in Him, His heart becomes ours! And that destroys any seed of pride, arrogance, or self idolatry. It’s simply Him answering what He declared into the Earth. He spoke it, got is through us, and He answered it. How powerful!

What that does is put pressure on us to be intimate with Him and cultivated a TRUE ear to hear. The Earth as truly never been changed by the temporal words of men being spoken. It has been shifted because those men pressed into a place of being more like Him. They truly decreased and He increased through them. It also pressures us to read and KNOW (memorize!)  the Word, then pray and release into the Earth. 

So, brothers and sisters, simply yield. It’s the only chance the people of this Earth have to see Him….

Community

Well, yet again it’s been a while since I posted something. Actually, as I came to sign onto this thing I was inwardly asking myself why I have a blog. I mean…really. I guess part of me wants to share some kind of revelation that people perceive as “deep” or something. That’s a part of this flesh that is still being cruicified….however, for the most part, these blogs are here to serve as a reminder of what He has spoken to me. Yes, I do journal and keep track of His words in other ways, but this is simply another one. We forget too quickly the word that He has spoken. His word is the very life we have to make it, so I want to make sure I keep track of every one. I want Him to know that I value His voice beyond anything on this earth.

I had to honor of being able to lead morning devotion at Office prayer this morning. We pray from 8-9 everyday of the work week and someone normally starts of with devo. Anyway, I shared a word that has taken me months to press into….and truthfully, the revelation of it just came one day in prayer….so, here goes.

A little under a year ago, I received a letter in the mail from a woman of God that I know. She is truly awesome and I value the voice the Lord has given her into this earth.  Anyway, the letter was encouraging, but what hit my Spirit the most was the scripture she wrote at the end. Zechariah 2:5 says, “‘For I will be a wall of fire all around it [Jerusalem],’ says the Lord, ‘and I will be the glory within in.’” Very simple passage of scripture. So, I did the only thing I knew to do…I prayed into it. That passage has become a daily declaration for me.

Anyway, after declaring that passage in prayer over myself, my roommates, the team, the Hamilton community…the list goes on, I felt the Lord download some revelation concerning this passge. Simply put, this is a scripture that encourages and promotes godly community. How? Don’t worry, I asked Him the same thing. =) As I began to press into the download, here is what I felt Him say to me. Hebrews 1:7 says, “…He makes His angels winds, and His servants flames of fire.” Interesting huh? Colossians 2:27 reads, “To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Interesting…the Bible [technically the Lord] calls us flames of fire and full fo Christ, who is the hope of glory.

So where does all this fit in with Zechariah? Because Jesus came to the earth, died for our sins, gave us a better way into life eternal, and became our direct connection to Yahweh, WE are how he is the flame of fire and glory in our midst! It kind of doesn’t make sense when said like that, so let me put it into practical application. Sam, a member of the team, took a stand to fight any kind of infirmity that came against this body. As he did, his youngest son William was MASSIVELY attacked….I mean, massive. Anyways, it became out job as brothers and sisters to not only stand with him concerning healing, we were called, and still are, to SURROUND him in prayer, fasting, the word, with the fire that God has palced in us, and make sure there is no open door for the enemy to come in. Basically, we become God’s vessels to release His fire and glory through prayer and fasting.

Now, to some who read this, they’re going to think I am saying that it’s all by our might and power. IT’S NOT. God, in His mercy, has filled us with His fire and glory….it’s HIS, no one else’s. However, He has chosen to use willing vessels to release that into the Earth. Bless God!

All that to say, if you’re reading this, surround the community Yahweh has placed you in with prayer, fasting, fire, and glory. It’s what were called to do. Isn’t that powerful???

In Jesus’ Name

It’s been a while! I honestly forgot that this thing was here. My bad everyone. I was journaling last night and thought to myself, “I should post this.” Thus, here I am…posting…..this. Things are amazing here in Hamilton. This awakening is truly being released into the Earth. It’s somewhat freaky to think that this is truly happening…..but isn’t that the faithfulness of the Lord??

Anyway, I wanted to write on a scripture the Lord had be to declare in prayer last night at home. Most of us are familiar with it. Col. 3:17 reads (NASB), “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” It’s truly a fascinting verse. It commands us to “do everything IN the name of the Lord Jesus.” What does that mean exactly? Damon has taught us that “In Jesus’ name” isn’t magical phraseology that makes whatever we say happen. It isn’t a declaration….it’s a posture. Romans 13:14 says, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ , and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill it’s lusts.” By putting Him on, we bring death to the carnal, fleshly man.

It also makes me think of when we minister under the covering and name of Mrs. Karen (we are all under Jesus). We do EVERYTHING to the upmost, because we not only represent ourselves, but we’re ultimately representing her. How much more, then, should we be careful if we’re doing “everything” in the name of the Lord? To state again the above, we clothe ourselves in Christ, thus, we are ultimately giving people a possible visible image of the invisible God. It’s a call to take inventory of the words we say, actions we do, movies we watch, music we listen to, things we recommend, clothes we weath, people we align ourselves to, etc. Why? Because we’re ultimately conveying HIM. Ultimately, we are called temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). I know it sounds Youth-Campy, but it’s the bottom line.  Acts 4:13 tells the story of how people could discern that Peter and John had been with Jesus. AHH! Where is that in us! Who am I perceived as being with? You? The Church?

I’m writing this and know that eight million people have written and spoken about this very subject. However, we’ve done an amazing job at verbal expression, but where’s the fruit?? I want everything that hinders Holy Spirit being able to get through me to be exposed, dealt with, and removed, that way He can be made famous in the whole of the Earth. May His name be lifted higher.

The Book

So,  I have had a scripture going off in me all day today…which…it’s only 9:30 CST,  so it hasn’t been very long.

Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another,
And the LORD listened and heard them;
So a book of remembrance was written before Him
For those who fear the LORD
And who meditate on His name.
“ They shall be Mine,” says the LORD of hosts,

“ On the day that I make them My jewels.^[a]
And I will spare them
As a man spares his own son who serves him.”
Then you shall again discern
Between the righteous and the wicked,
Between one who serves God
And one who does not serve Him.

That’s Malachi 3:16-18 (NKJV) for those wondering. It’s so powerful to know that the Lord hears those who revere Him. It’s also a fearful thing. I am still in this process of renewing my mind in areas like this. It’s simple to pray, seek His face, and then think we leave Him to go tend to everyday life. However, this tells us something so different. Not only are our actions recorded in the heavens, but OUR WORDS! Makes ya want to watch what you say now huh? =)

The ending to this passage is so powerful as well. It basically states that we will once again be able to discern the righteous from the wicked. Oh the day we live in! Damon recently declared something in prayer that struck  me so deep. He said, “Father, don’t just draw the line between the righteous and the wicked, draw the line between the committed and the compromised!”

Let’s today be found in His glory, remaning in a place of prayer without ceasing, and living our lives realizing that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. He IS in us where ever we go….

What is heaven writing about you today?

Servants

So, this is my first entry. I thought about writing a whole thing about who I am, but, I decided not to. Here’s what you need to know: My name is Andrew. I am from Hamilton, AL. I travel with an awesome family named Chosen and Karen Wheaton. I love to dance. I make up dances. I love Jesus with all my heart….seriously. He saved my life.

That’s it =)

Ok, onto what I was going to actually write about. I have been reading and learning on the true nature of leadership…which…in my humble opinion, is servanthood. We have conferences here at The Ramp in Hamilton every month. A few conferences ago, Mrs. Karen said something to me that changed my whole way of thinking towards ministry. Right before we took the platform, she said, “Remember, we are here to serve these people. We are not it. We are here to serve.” That quote has stuck with me the past few months.

I mean, in our culture, to lead, you have to have people who SERVE YOU….not the other way around. However…Jesus made a similar statement to His disciples as He washed their feet. He said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.”(John 13:16)

Bottom line, I am feeling a greater call to merely serve. Nothing more, nothing less. There are too many people in the church who want to be honored for their giftings and such, but let’s become leaders who do what Jesus did….serve. Wash feet. Lay down our lives for others. Pray when no one is watching. Let’s truly become hidden and lowly….all to the glory of the One who saved us. It’s all about Him anyway…