I attended and spoke at a bloggers conference last weekend. (And yes, bloggers gather together in large groups and talk about…blogging. Scary, huh.) What I didn’t expect was God’s tender ministry to me while I was there. I don’t know why I didn’t expect it. I guess I was thinking more about pouring out than receiving. But God had bigger things in mind.
Before I left for the trip, I wrestled against a somewhat discouraged spirit. Life had started to wear on me and I could sense my neediness for Him. So last Thursday, I left the dailiness behind and hopped on a plane to Texas. That last sentence sounds like a good country song phrase. Just add twang.
(And for the record, I totally fake the hip, cool, traveler thing. Granted I was wearing cute clothes and didn’t have kids clinging to my legs, but I almost fell on the tram to another concourse because I wasn’t holding on. Then I dropped salty almonds down/into the front of my shirt while on the plane. I played it off like nothing happened but those are tight quarters and I’m sure the guy beside me was like, “Whoa lady. Slow down with the almonds. Save room for the 6 mini pretzels.”)
Anyway, what was my point? Oh yes. The conference. Renewal. God speaking. While I traveled it was as if deep down I knew that I was heading to a place of oasis, even if almonds were lost down my shirt. I was heading into courage-imparting waters.
While there, it wasn’t one single thing that happened. It was two big handfuls of words and promises that God spoke. And not just spoke externally, but pressed down internally, into my spirit. Does that make any kind of sense?
He spoke through friends. Through times of prayer with friends. Through the other speakers. Through strangers. Through worship. Over and over He whispered. My spirit was hungry and my Daddy-God met me there with a feast.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.
Matthew 5:6
So now I’m back in the dailiness of life. And I feel the need to remember — to intentionally thank Him for each and every hope-imparting word — because life gets loud and busy. Schedules pull on us and toilets have to (or maybe just “need to”) be scrubbed. But there’s this Daddy-God. He sees and knows us perfectly. He loves us lavishly. And He speaks to and guides His children.
Maybe you’re at that place where you need a word from Him. You crave to hear His voice and long for His promised peace. My advice? Expect Him to show up. Surround yourself with people who love Jesus. Be authentic about your struggles and go to His throne in prayer with trusted friends. Listen to Bible teachers. Worship Him with singing. And then just hold out your hands. Our Daddy-God satisfies those who hunger for Him.
Fill me, Lord…
What words of encouragement has God given you lately?
I am linking up at the Declare conference blog where others are sharing their conference stories. Click here to head over there.
I could not love you more with your “fake it like cool ways”. You are the real deal my friend. Almonds and all!
So glad you had a refreshing weekend! Love these Declare girls to the moon!
They really are an amazing group of girls. Only one thing was missing. You! 🙂
This makes me 100 kinds of happy..I just adore you and feel so thankful to call you friend. Your words continue to ring true in my mind and I can’t tell you how much my spirit needed your annointed message. And spending time with you before I flew home Sunday was just the icing on top of the cupcake 🙂
Cupcakes. Yum. 🙂 It was so good to see you Crystal. You are an authentic encourager. Trusting God will continue to lead you.
Thank you for your words this morning. The reminder to expect HIm to show up and to be authentic. Declare was amazing and taught me how great it is to follow Him.
Thank you sister. It was a blessed weekend. Praying that the seeds He planted take deep root in us.
Lara, between Hello Mornings & here, I feel like you are my friend! But to laugh as a Texas girl at your “just add twang” was AWESOME!! (I’ve lived in AL & SC for the past 18 years so it was funny to remember the twang). But I LOVED this post b/c I experienced a similar refreshing from God at a conference session I attended last week. It brought me to tears to see how clearly God speaks when I give him the quiet space he needs to pour over me!! Know that I ADORE you & pray for you & your family often!!
Oh Lara it was so good to get to know you last weekend! Your love for God’s word is contagious and I’m so blessed to have soaked in your wisdom.
PS I totally think you’re cool even if you do spill almonds down your shirt 🙂
ONE WAY —- JESUS
The Bible teaches that Jesus is the only way to heaven, the only way to have sins forgiven, the only way to be reconciled to God. Why do so many so-called Christian preachers deny this as the truth?
T.D. Jakes
Question to T. D. Jakes: “Do you feel only Christians could hope to enter Heaven?”
Answer: “When it comes to Heaven, I try to leave that up to God. I certainly believe that Christianity is right, but when it comes to the final test–who goes and who doesn’t go — Jesus said, Other sheep have I who are not of this fold. Them also must I bring. I’ll let Him identify who those sheep are and I stay out of the conversation.
John 14:6 Jesus said to him,”I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
Jesus says He is the only way to Heaven. Preacher Jakes say he has no idea if that is correct. He cannot say for sure if Jesus is the only way to Heaven. How can a preacher of the gospel not know what Jesus said concerning who is going to Heaven?
Who are the other sheep? (John10:1-16) The sheep Jesus was talking about were the Jews who were believing and confessing that He was the Son of God. The other sheep are all Gentiles who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
The sheep of Jesus (Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor freeman, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.) The sheep of Jesus are all who accept Him as the Son of God, Lord and Savior. All converted Jews and Gentiles are the sheep of Jesus.
Joel Osteen
Larry King question: What if you’re Jewish or Muslim, you don’t accept Christ at all?
Joel Osteen: You know I’m very careful about saying who would and wouldn’t go to heaven. I don’t know…
Larry King: If you believe you have to believe in Christ? They’re wrong aren’t they?
Joel Osteen: Well, I don’t know if I believe they’re wrong. I believe here’s what the Bible teaches and from the Christian faith this is what I believe. But I just think that only God will judge a person’s heart. I spent a lot of time in India with my father. I don’t know about their religions. But I know they love God. And I don’t know. I’ve seen their sincerity. So I don’t know. I know for me, and what the Bible teaches, I want to a relationship with Jesus.
John 3:18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Jesus said those who do not believe have already been judged. Joel Osteen says He doesn’t know if non-believers will go to heaven or not. Joel says he does not know if they wrong in their unbelief.
Billy Graham
Robert Schuller: Tell me, what do you think is the future of Christianity?
Billy Graham: well, Christianity and being a true believer–you know, I think there’s the Body of Christ. This comes from all the Christian groups around the world, outside the Christian groups. I think everybody that loves Christ, or knows Christ, whether they’re conscious of it or not, they’re members of the Body of Christ…I think James answered that, the Apostle James in the first council in Jerusalem, when he said that God’s purpose for this age is to call out people for His name. And that’s what God is doing today, He’s calling people out of the world for His name, whether they they come from the Muslim world, or the Buddhist world, or the Christian world, or the non-believing world, they are members of the Body of Christ, because they’ve been called by God. They may not even know the name of Jesus, but they know in their hearts that they need something that they don’t have, and they turn to the only light that they have, and I think they are saved, and that they’re going to be with us in heaven.”
John 3:36 He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides in him”
The Apostle John said that the that wrath of God abides in those who do not believe in Jesus and who do not obey Him. Billy Graham disagrees. Who are you going to trust?
You will notice that preachers who deny that Jesus is the only way to heaven say. “I do not know if Jesus is the only way, but I think I know more of the truth than God.”
John 8:24 ‘Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins;for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
Jesus said men will die in theirs if they do not confess Him. Some preachers say, I don’t think so.
Mark 16:16 He who has believed and been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
A question remains, did those who proclaimed that Jesus is not the only way to heaven stop believing Jesus was the only way, first or did they declare that water baptism was not essential to be saved, first?
The gospel should be based on what the Bible teaches, what Jesus said, what the apostles taught. The gospel of what MEN think is no gospel at all!
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God was TOTALLY speaking truth through you in your session. As we have been in this “in between” season church/worship wise, it was refreshing to my soul to have His word spoken in such a clear and tangible way.
And pretty sure I spilled hot coffee on myself every time I drank it this weekend. I just wiped it off and thought “Wow, so this is what coffee feels like when it hasn’t been sitting in my mug for 2 hours while I chase many, many small children”….
lol we are so meant to be friends. I took a huge gulp of coffee the other morning – sans toddler – and burned the daylights out of my mouth. My usual coffee looks more like the cup beside me now – ice cold and barely touched 🙂