Healing shame...

So today I found myself struggling with shame and rejection - a wound surfacing that was coming up in my heart. It was a tough morning and not really knowing what to do about it.  Wounds and hurts from some childhood stuff.  It was so real and it was affecting how I was seeing myself and others.

I started playing piano this afternoon, singing to Jesus and inviting Him into those deeper places. And then He began to sing over me...

"You are beautiful.  You are beautiful.  Let Me love you in this place.  You don't have to be afraid.  No more shame and no more hiding.  Lift up your head.  I want to kiss your face."

His love can go to those deeper places and I'm learning to let Him be the One to comfort me and heal me more and more.  To be the one who lifts up my head and my countenance.  So that all of me can know who I am - who I really am.  My true identity. Fully loved. His Beloved Daughter. Royalty. Redeemed.

Healing my heart so I can receive more love and be free-er to love You and others more.  Yes, Jesus go to those places and uproot what You need to and plant seeds from Heaven into my heart.  Make my heart more beautiful.. a fully vibrant garden.  Fully alive.  No weeds.  No tares.

Make my heart Your home... every part.

I love you Jesus.  You are the lover of my soul.

Our Most Excellent Weapon - LOVE

As end-time warriors we will move and minister with awesome authority and power, yet from a foundation of genuine love and humility. "But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way" (1 Corinthians 12:31). We must walk the higher way, the way of true, Christ-centered love. We have sought power, yet God longs to release true passion. It is time to discover our most excellent weapon: God's love. During these decisive days, great wisdom will be released by the Spirit of Truth concerning the vast difference between power and God-given authority.

The Greatest Gift

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

The Spirit of God is releasing wonderful grace so that we can clearly learn the lessons of LOVE. Nothing is as significant or as genuine as Christ-centered love. All men will know and recognize that we are truly followers of Christ by this: our love for one another (John 13:35). Our prayer should be that we increase and abound in Christ's love.

And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you. 1 Thessalonians 3:12

The Body of Christ is learning to love – this is the key to melting and opening the hardest heart. Remember, "Love never fails." Programs fail and plans of men fail – however, God's love never fails.

This kind of love is not cheap, worldly sentiment; it is costly and precious. True, Christ-like love will cost you everything. God is calling for a passionate people who are willing to lay down their lives and give without expecting to gain any worldly acceptance. This generation will be aglow with the glory of God.

This emerging Kingdom Company will be marching to the rhythm of His heartbeat. His heart will be their hearts' desire. They will resolve to follow the Lamb wherever He goes, even to the ends of the earth. This emerging generation is willing to die for what they believe. Never has the world witnessed such passion. These hearts, set ablaze by God's love, will rush into the harvest fields, resulting in raging fires of revival across the nations. Entire nations can be saved in a single day.

The man, Christ Jesus, is the ultimate example of God dwelling with us.

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

Notice the phrase "and we beheld His glory." This emerging Kingdom Company will have the same countenance as Jesus – the glory of the Lord will be evident upon them. He is our pattern; He alone is our true example. As Jesus walked the earth He was the perfect demonstration of God's unfathomable love. We must fix our gaze on Him as the perfect model of a life of love (see 2 Corinthians 3:18).

Be Like Jesus

As a follower of Christ Jesus, you are created in the image of God and are of utmost importance to Him. He is calling you to walk in perfect unity with Him – in His likeness and His nature. Remember, GOD IS LOVE (1 John 4:8). Our mission is to be the fragrance of Christ, the beauty of Jesus, the very anointing of Him on earth. As you minister, you minister with Him. As you walk, you walk like Him. Jesus prayed to the Father:

"I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me. I have given them the glory that You gave Me, that they may be one as We are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me.

"Father, I want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am, and to see My glory, the glory you have given Me because You loved Me before the creation of the world." John 17:20-24, NIV

It is awesome to see how the Spirit of Truth is changing the attitude of many in the Body of Christ – their motive is to give, not just get. This is the true Christ-like character we must display to a hurting world. Our goal is for our character to be simply the same as that of Christ Jesus:

"Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in Heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:6-11, NIV).

Our mission and mandate from Heaven is to have the passion and compassion to love God and to love our neighbor. With compassion, Jesus embraced the man with leprosy, held the dying women, and broke the law to sit at the well and talk to a prostitute.

But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."Matthew 9:36-38

Love is the most excellent way. Love will never fail. Love is God's greatest reflection. Love covers a multitude of sins.

Healing Love

I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, for my anger has turned away from him. Hosea 14:4

Even though you may have fallen away from faith, thank God that He is always ready to offer tender, loving forgiveness. Truly, asProverbs 10:12 states, "Love covers all sins."

Bobby Conner
Eagles View Ministries

ahhh! there's a wasp in my car!

Driving home from Lake Geneva yesterday with the windows down, wind blowing through my hair and me loving every moment.  All of a sudden I look to my driver's door and I see a wasp - not just a bee - a wasp.  I was stung by a bee for the first time last year and let me say - that was painful and not fun at all!  So I see this wasp, I'm driving 55+ miles/hour on a country road and trying to play with the window so it flies out.  I don't want to be stung by this thing and I'm getting a little on edge.  So I pull over into the next gas station and yell at it - "Go! Get out!" and it flies away.  Whew! much better.

Then I felt the Lord say that was prophetic and He began to speak to me about why we as Christians, myself included, are not as vigilant when it comes to sin, temptation, or an evil spirit trying to mess with us. Sin still stings us and others and most importantly grieves the heart of God and keeps our spirits asleep... so why do we let sin drive in our car with us, live in our hearts, or hang out at our house. To have the eyes to see and to have a holy NO and say Go and Get out! I don't want you here - it's so freeing to take authority as we are in Christ.  To see sin and temptation as it really is - it may cloak itself as something pleasurable for the moment but it really is out to destroy us and bring death.  Wasps hanging around in our hearts, in our relationships, in our home, and in those we love - not cool.

May we love God even more and be in awe of Him. May we love others and love ourselves with a love that is from above and may we not let the 'wasps' hang out and think it's no big deal... We are the temple of the Holy Spirit - where God dwells and may we hunger to know God to the fullest and be brought to life more and more. May we be hungry for Your Word, Your Truth and Your Revelation so that we can be free-er and wholly Yours.

Give us undivided hearts to be in AWE of you God and love you with ALL of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Wake us up from compromise - We need more of Your light to shine in and through us - Encounter our hearts with your purifying Love.