The Fire, the Rain and the Wind – Pentecost 2014

1 Kings 18: 36-45 
³⁶ At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. ³⁷ Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”
 
³⁸ Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.

³⁹ When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!” ⁴⁰ Then Elijah commanded them, “Seize the prophets of Baal. Don’t let anyone get away!” They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there.
 
⁴¹ And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” ⁴² So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.

⁴³ “Go and look toward the sea,” he told his servant. And he went up and looked.“There is nothing there,” he said. Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”

⁴⁴ The seventh time the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.”
So Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’”

⁴⁵ Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain started falling and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. ⁴⁶ The power of the Lord came on Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.

Reference: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Kings+18&version=GNT

Prayer: Father thank you for this new day, and we give you praise as we celebrate the anniversary of the day that your Holy Spirit filled those assembled in the upper room. Thank you for another opportunity to reflect inwardly and to see if there is anything in us that is contrary to your divine will. We thank you for the fire that burns up everything in our lives that is not like you. We thank you for the cleansing rain which washes away all of the debris. And we thank you for the mighty wind which comes to reestablish your divine alignment and order. Father, you are welcome on this day to come into our lives and do an inside work that we may also be changed from head to toe. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

The Father's Plumbline Is Irrevocable

Irrevocable

Not capable of being changed.  Impossible to revoke

 

Plumb line

A cord weighted with lead that is used in building to check that vertical structures are true. It is used symbolically to refer to the divine standard against which God, the builder of his people, tests and judges them. It also symbolizes the standards by which God will rebuild his people.

Scriptural References 

 

Amos 7 (NIV)

⁷ This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. ⁸ And the Lord asked me, “What do you see, Amos?”

“A plumb line,” I replied.

Then the Lord said, “Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.

⁹ “The high places of Isaac will be destroyed and the sanctuaries of Israel will be ruined;
    with my sword I will rise against the house of Jeroboam.”

2 Chronicles 7:11-22 (NIV)

¹¹ When Solomon had finished the temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the Lord and in his own palace, ¹² the Lord appeared to him at night and said:

“I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices.

¹³ “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, ¹⁴ if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. ¹⁵ Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. ¹⁶ I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.

¹⁷ “As for you, if you walk before me faithfully as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees and laws, ¹⁸ I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor to rule over Israel.’

¹⁹ “But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, ²⁰ then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. ²¹ This temple will become a heap of rubble. All who pass by will be appalled and say, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ ²² People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why he brought all this disaster on them.’”

Invitation to the Thirsty

Isaiah 55: 6-9 (NIV)

^6 “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.
⁷ Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,”declares the Lord. ⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

 

 

  

References

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Amos%207&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Chronicles%207&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2055&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/dictionary-of-bible-themes/7254-plumb-line

 

The Fear of the Lord: Honoring God His Way

I would like to share with you something the Lord helped to make clear with His wisdom on this past weekend during a time of ministry. While discussing the topic “The Fear of the LORD” from the book by John Bevere, Father revealed how sometimes we treat the presence of others with more respect and honor then we do with His holy presence.  Following is the example He allowed for me to use as an illustration. While working in the marketplace a few years ago, the Director of the department I worked for came to the floor looking for one of the managers one day.  As the Director walked from one end of the floor to the other; you could hear one surprised response after the other. Oh hi, how are you? Great, it’s good to see you! What brings you up here? Etc. etcetera. Additionally, you would began to hear the sudden and quick typing of fingers upon keyboards along with papers being shuffled upon desks as she walked by each section.  I would sit at my desk still working and smh at the sudden activity of productivity because the big boss was on the floor.

Interesting to note after many of these surprise visits, one or more of the employees would come to my desk which actually happened to be the first desk after the entrance of the section and say to me, “Why did you not call to tell us that she was coming back our way?” One time I simply replied, “What would it look like for me, jumping on the phone calling to alert everybody when we should always be working as unto the Lord daily anyway. My response was based on Colossians 3:22 where the word of God states; “Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eye-service, as men-pleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God.” Unfortunately, hearing the truth of God that day did hurt the feelings of my former co-worker even though I spoke it in a gentle manner. A good question to have posed on that day would be, “Should the Director of the department I worked for have asked for permission prior to visiting our section or should she have free course because she is of course the Director? Before you answer the question, let’s take it a step further.

Now imagine God and the fullness of His glory entering your home without a moment’s notice. Would you be prepared to receive His presence or would you have to shuffle things around pretending like you have been busy doing the work of the Kingdom? Following His departure would you then proceed to call your neighbors asking “Why did you not call and tell me that God was coming to our neighborhood today?” Same scenario as the first but different on so many levels because God of course is the Sovereign and Holy God and He is much more worthy of the honor and the glory. Although some may think this would be an interesting situation to find oneself in, it can very well begin to happen especially if we as the people of God continue to treat the presence of the Father as something common.

Each day as God allow for us to get up from our bed; it is then that we can make the conscience decision to serve Him and reverence Him as the Sovereign God that He is. Also as we begin to walk in the fear of the Lord on a daily basis we are ensuring that we are taking advantage of the opportunity to get to know the Father in a personal and intimate way. The word of God states in Proverbs 9:10 that the “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One understands.” These powerful words should be viewed as extremely important in the life of every Christian.  The word “Wisdom” as described in the Leadership Bible is “the ability to use the best means at the best time to accomplish the best ends. It is not merely a matter of information or knowledge, but of skillful and practical application of the truth to the ordinary facets of life.” By understanding and walking in the fear of the LORD, our obedience to God in honoring Him will help to unlock and keep open the doors to the things that are needed for us to carry out the divine will of the Father in our daily lives. Attempting to live our lives without respecting and honoring God, can only lead to the pathway of walking in the impure wisdom of the world. The wisdom of the world is definitely no match for true wisdom which can only come from relationship with the Heavenly Father.

So how can we as Christians continue to honor and reverence God His way?

1.      First, we have to search our hearts and repent for any of the times that we treated His holy presence as something common.

2.      Seek to spend more time reading and mediating upon the word of God. This will help us to know Him in a greater capacity.

3.      Taking time during the course of our day to spend quality quiet time in His presence. Doing this allows for us to know Him in a more intimate way.

4.      Opening our hearts and accepting His wisdom and instruction by making application to our daily lives.

May your life from this day forward be greatly enriched as you begin to walk in the fear of the Lord by reverencing God as the Sovereign God that He is.     

Blessings,

Arnita L. Fields

A Scribe to the Lord, a Scribe for the Lord

References:

http://biblebrowser.com/colossians/3-22.htm

http://bible.cc/proverbs/9-10.htm

Zondervan Publishing House, the Leadership Bible; NIV. Grand Rapids, Michigan.

If you desire to be forgiven of all your sins and get to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior please pray the following: 

Prayer of Salvation

I repent of all of my sins and right now I do confess that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died for the remission of my sins. I believe that Jesus died and was buried and rose again, and is now seated at the right hand of God in Heaven. I receive Him now as Lord of my life and I now commit to serve him for the rest of my days. It’s in Jesus’ name I do pray, Amen.

If you have just prayed this prayer and want more information about beginning your new life as a Christian, please call or write us, we will be happy to send you a free booklet.

Holiness

Resurrection Morning after enjoying a time of worship and praise before leaving home  to attend corporate worship at my church, Father spoke to my heart concerning the word holiness and how it relates to His people.  He brought to mind 1 Peter 1:15-16 which also serves as the foundational scripture for Holy Poetry Publications and this song being ministered by Cece Winans. And the word of the Lord reads, “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” The Father is a holy God who is worthy of all the glory, honor, praise and adoration due to His name. As the Holy God that He is, He also desires that we as the children and people of God be holy as well.

If you have questions concerning what true holiness is, by the time you are done reading this post you will have a better understanding. So, how can we be holy the way God desires? Before we can define what holiness is we first have to understand that being holy is actually one of the characteristics of God. His character is what distinguishes who He is as the God of all creation. So to make things easier to understand, we first need to define the word holy which is described as:

1. Exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness

2. Belonging to, derived from, or associated with a divine power; sacred.

3. Regarded with or worthy of worship or veneration; revered: a holy book.

4. Living according to a strict or highly moral religious or spiritual system; saintly: a holy person.

5. Specified or set apart for a religious purpose: a holy place.

Looking at this definition we can see that it gives us some understanding of the word holy and how the Father is to be treated.

So what are some of the ways we can exalt God? According to Psalms 57:9-11 it reads “I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.”  In order to exalt God we would need to learn how to bless Him in the manner as the word “exalt” is described and that is:

1. To raise in rank, character, or status; elevate.

2. To glorify, praise, or honor.

We have now learned the meaning of the words “Holy” and “Exalt” which now will bring us back to the original discussion about “Holiness.” The word Holiness is describes as:

1. The state or quality of being holy.

Now how do we as the children and people of God be holy as God is holy? First, let me say that we can never live a life that is 100 percent picture perfect like that of our Heavenly Father. He created us so He already know our limitations, but because of His grace we can accomplish anything He desires for us to do for Him. So in order for us to live a holy lifestyle and walk in holiness, first we must make a conscience effort with the Holy Spirit helping us to walk it out on a daily basis.  By walking in this manner daily our character and how we operate as an individual will help to distinguish and set us apart as a bonafide holy child of the Father.

If you desire to be more pleasing to the Father and step up your walk as a child of His, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you any areas in your life which have been prohibiting you from living a lifestyle of holiness. It does not have to always be sins of the flesh, you could have personality or behavioral issues or broken areas which you desire a touch from God. Whatever the case may be, each of us have something we need the help of the Father to work on.

My prayer is that you have been enlightened, encouraged, and strengthened from what been shared from the Father’s Heart on today, April 9, 2012

Blessings & love,  

Arnita L. Fields

A Scribe of the Lord, a Scribe for the Lord

References

www.biblestudytools.com

www.thefreedictionary.com

www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary

If you are in need of Jesus the Savior, you are welcome to pray the following prayer.

Prayer of Salvation

I repent of all of my sins and right now I do confess that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died for the remission of my sins. I believe that Jesus died and was buried and rose again, and is now seated at the right hand of God in Heaven. I receive Him now as Lord of my life and I now commit to serve him for the rest of my days.

It’s in Jesus’ name I do pray, Amen.

If you have just prayed this prayer and want more information about beginning your new life as a Christian, please call or write us, we will be happy to send you a free booklet.