His Presence is Messy

   

     When my Father-in-law talks about getting in the Presence of God he often uses the analogy of jumping into a swimming pool.  Some people like to tip toe down the steps and ease their way into the water and a lot of times try very hard not to get their "hair" wet.  But oh it's so much more fun and not as cold if you just run and jump in the deep!   Jumping in makes a big splash sometimes, its usually not very pretty, and most often makes a mess and water gets all over the place.  

    

This is worship... this is His Presence... it gets messy and sometimes it can get uncomfortable!

     Song of Songs is one of the most controversial books of the Bible.  It's extremely intimate and can be uncomfortable to read but at the same time it is so beautiful.  It's the love between a man and his bride, Christ and the Church.  It was so provocative that the Jewish men were not allowed to read it until they were 30!  The "church" I think was afraid of what was inside it of what was behind the words.   

Song of Songs 4:9Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck.

The word Ravished is a very interesting word.  It's definition is two fold the first definition is to seize and take away by violence; the second definition is to overcome with emotion (as joy or delight).  In Song of Songs I believe the word ravished holds both definitions another translation says that She has Stolen his heart implying that it was indeed taken by force but at the same time He is so overwhelmed by emotions and is delighted by her Presence.     

I WANT to be ravished by God's Presence! The difference is the Holy Spirit is a gentleman. He will NEVER force anything on you, but He so desires for us to want and long to be in his Presence.

Exodus 34:14For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:

Isaiah after being in the Presence of the Lord and actually looking at the Lord with his own eyes said that he was Undone!  Only the pure of heart are supposed to see God, right? But in that time that he spent with the Lord he was made clean. They touched His lips with the coal to cleanse Him.

Isaiah 6:5 KJV So I said: "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts."

New Century Version

I said, "Oh, no! I will be destroyed. I am not pure, and I live among people who are not pure, but I have seen the King, the Lord All-Powerful."

     To be Undone is to be ruined, destroyed or unfastened.  

    In Worship we need to get to the place where we are UNDONE.... our flesh must die and we need to allow our spirit to worship the LORD!  

     
     Romans 8:13For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 

     Only in the LORD's presence are we made whole!  It's kind of like surgery.  It's messy right?  The Dr cuts you up and all the blood and guts and gore are visible.  Everything is laid out on the table.  It's an intimate setting.  Its RAW, smelly, and Ugly you are literally UNDONE but it's something that is necessary to get the job done!

     Why are we so afraid to get messy?  Why are we so afraid to get into that place and have a LOVE affair with our Savior? Why are we so afraid to be in the place where we don't have all of the control and we don't have any idea what is going to happen.  It's the most perfect and beautiful place to be: TO BE Drenched in the Fragrance of His Presence!    I don't want my "Hair" to be "Perfect", I want it to be messy drenched and soaking wet from that special and intimate time with my FIRST love!

     

Nothing Can Separate!!!

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38, 39 NLT)

It's so easy to get in His presence and be surrounded by His love! All we have to do is ask, seek and knock!    I don't care if it feels like everything is coming against you and your whole world is falling apart. If you take the time to enter into his presence, and be thankful for the what you do have God's peace will overwhelm you and walls will begin to break down. Everything will work together for he good for those who love Him!

Every Tribe and Every Tongue!

     Oh Revelation Song how powerful you are! This song is so very dear to my heart.  Written by Jennie Riddle, Revelation song was birthed after about 10 years of her prayers desiring that the church come together as one Bride and earnestly desire to see Christ's return worshipping His name in every tongue! This song also happens to be the first song that I ever lead in worship!  I remember being so nervous because its such a powerful and important song and I didn't want my average little voice to mess it up and distract people from entering into His presence, The throne room of Jesus!  

The lyrics come straight out of Revelation 4 and 5 and are breathtaking! It's a glimpse of what worship is like in Heaven! 

"After these things I looked, and behold, a door  standing  open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard  was  like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this. Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and  One  sat on the throne. And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and  there was  a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. Around the throne  were  twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads. And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire  were  burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. Before the throne  there   was  a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne,  were  four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. The first living creature  was  like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature  was  like a flying eagle. The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come! Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created."  (Revelation 4:1-11 NKJV)

"Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying: You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth. Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing! And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: Blessing and honor and glory and power  Be  to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever! (Revelation 5:9-13 NKJV)

I didn't quite feel how powerful the lyrics were until I read them for myself in Revelation.  Don't you see it? It's Gods perfect will that it is on Earth as it is on Heaven!  He has made us Kings and Priests and we have ALL authority to go boldly before Him at his throne!  My encouragement for you is to take time seeking to press in deeper in His presence because His presence is sweet and perfect and full of all things Good!  We don't have to be in church or meet with a pastor or priest to be in His presence! He is with us wherever we are, wherever we go and though whatever we have done! His Holy Spirit is living and active inside of us to teach us and guide us and lead us into all things new!

My desire is to be like those worshipping Christ in His throne room! I will extol the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips. (Psalm 34:1 NIV)

We Were Made to Worship

 This is what God says, 
   the God who builds a road right through the ocean, 
   who carves a path through pounding waves,
The God who summons horses and chariots and armies— 
   they lie down and then can't get up; 
   they're snuffed out like so many candles:
"Forget about what's happened; 
   don't keep going over old history.
Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new. 
   It's bursting out! Don't you see it?
There it is! I'm making a road through the desert, 
   rivers in the badlands.
Wild animals will say 'Thank you!' 
   —the coyotes and the buzzards—
Because I provided water in the desert, 
   rivers through the sun-baked earth,
Drinking water for the people I chose, 
   the people I made especially for myself, 
   a people custom-made to praise me. 
 Isaiah 43:16-21 


Most of us learned in Elementary school that an atom (which is the basic unit of matter) is made up of 2 parts: the nucleus which is vibrating at the center and the electrons which are spinning around with a sort of vibration.  

We also know that sound is made up of vibrations.  So it should make perfect sense that when God spoke and created Earth it was so!  

 Isaiah 43 Mentions many of the things our God has done for his people and hints of even better things to come, but most importantly in verse 21 it tells of how God chose us and custom-made us to worship Him!   Do you see it yet? God created Earth and at the core of every little molecule is sound (well vibration) and then He specifically says that He created us to worship Him! 

Worship should be more than just a few songs that we sing on a Sunday morning or Wednesday night.  Worship is in the center of our being.  Psalm 34 should be something that we live by "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise  shall  continually  be  in my mouth."

In everything we do we should give praise and the glory to God! 

In 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul writes to the people of Thessalonica about Jesus' return and exhorts and encourages the people saying in verse 16 "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Jesus himself said,  "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.  God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:23, 24 NKJV)

In my life I want to be one of those that God the Father is seeking. I want my worship to be true, from my heart to my King's feet.  I want there to be more of Him and less of me. 

In that (this) day I want to be ready and waiting. I want my worship (our worship) to help usher in the presence of Almighty Jesus.  I want there to be nothing in my life that would hold back the move of the Spirit and the "better" things that He wants to do in these last days.  I can't wait for the day when "every knee" will bow to worship the King!

The Lord  will be  awesome to them, For He will reduce to nothing all the gods of the earth;  People  shall worship Him, Each one from his place, Indeed all the shores of the nations. (Zephaniah 2:11 NKJV)

In His Presence

This is a little piece of encouragement that I found in my journal from October 2009.

Be still, get into the quiet place. That is where I flow.
You must shut out all the distractions in life.
Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and you will get to know Me.
Get lost in my presence, there you will find Me and you will find yourself!
It's that place where you develope walking in my LOVE.
It's that place where you find your steps.
Oh the people I want to touch through you!

Get more of me and get more of my love in your life.

Chains are broken in my presence.
Victory is won in my presence.
Sickness and disease is healed in my presence.
Everything is done in my presence.


Psalm 16:11
You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

The Lily of the Valley

What's in a name?

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold. (Proverbs 22:1 NKJV)

When my husband and I were deciding what we were going to name our Son we knew that we wanted to find a name that had meaning rather than a name that we thought was just "cute". This is something that was very important to us. If you read through the Bible people gave names according the meaning of the name for example Abraham and Sarah named their son Isaac (which means laughter) because when God told them they would have a child in their old age they laughed.

Names are obviously important to Father God! Several times in the Bible you see that He will give people a new name. He changed Abram and Sarai to Abraham and Sarah.

“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it. (Revelation 2:17 NLT)

I've at times wondered what my new name might be? Sometimes I think life would be a little easier if we could audibly hear God remind us of exactly how he sees us!

I do know this:

Ephesians 1:4 - For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.

God chose ME! He knew me before I was born and saw everything I would possibly do wrong and yet he still chose me and looks at me as if I've never done or could do anything wrong!

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 NLT)

He LOVES me! So much that he sent his only Son to die so that I could live!

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12 NLT)

Because I chose to believe in Him I have been given the right to carry His Name.

I love the message version of Matthew 5 being a light and letting people see Christ in us.

14-16"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

My parents gave me a somewhat unique name: Calla.

The name Calla means beautiful lily. Jesus is at times called the lily of the valley(Song of Solomon 2) He is beautiful, pure, fragrant, fruitful, full of humility, and brings healing.

I don't want people to see look at me and see Calla.. I want people to see Christ in me. A Father's love who wants nothing more than for us to be loved by him, healed by Him, cleansed and made pure and Holy by Him.

Anyone who knows my husband and I knows that our heart beat is Worship. Worshipping the Father is really what we ALL are called to do in someway some form.. When we are leading people into worship our desire is to guide them to a place where the Father is able to melt and mold them into the person they are called to be. Someone who CHOOSES to boldly carry the Fathers name.