Month: November 2018

Posted in Journal

When God Speaks and We Obey…

Posted on by Melissa Lynne

Eight years ago, at a church council meeting my pastor at the time said he was going to start the Christmas season by preaching a sermon titled, The Greatest Gift Exchange. He wanted ideas and music to go along with that topic.

I was driving home and going through the intersection of New Hope and Lowell-Bethesda/Beatty Road and God said two words as clearly as I have ever heard, “Cardboard Testimonies!”

It was not a new thing. It wasn’t flashy or extravagant and didn’t seem all that Christmassy. In fact, it was almost too simple and many, many churches had already done it. Nevertheless, my pastor loved the idea – but he told me since God gave it to me, I had to also organize it. Not what I was expecting. I didn’t feel like people would respond to me. But my pastor wouldn’t let me off the hook, so I got to work. While some people said, “no way” to my surprise I soon had about 50 that responded with excitement. And with each “yes” a great anticipation grew.

December 5, 2010 – God used that anointed sermon followed by the testimonies of people of all ages and from all walks of life to orchestrate two of the greatest moves of repentance and crying out to God that I have ever witnessed at somewhat regular church services. In both services, people were lined around the sanctuary to pray with our pastor. Some to repent and be saved, some to repent and rededicate their lives, some crying out for healing and deliverance, some standing in for their lost and hurting loved ones. Those left in the choir sang and we stood there for well over an hour holding our testimonies of what God had done when He exchanged what we were to the new creation He made us into. What a precious, precious thing God did for us all when we accepted the gift of His precious Son, Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

I don’t say this to boast in any way. It was God’s plan, not mine and one of the most humbling assignments I have ever been blessed to be a part of. While I did my part, the reality is that many did their part too and yet even still GOD DID IT ALL. But I do share all of this to also say – LISTEN to GOD. Sometimes He wants things planned and organized; sometimes He wants things totally spontaneous. Listen to Him, be open and obedient and always, always be ready to tell others what He has done for you! He is still speaking and drawing people to Himself by using ordinary people like you and me.

My Cardboard Testimony:

Posted in Journal

Send Me…Where Love Is Needed!

Posted on by Melissa Lynne

I have often prayed this exact prayer while holding onto the globe waiting on God to send me where I dreamed of going! And I’ve waited and waited and waited thinking God was putting me through a season of waiting. Until finally there it was – my dream, Africa.

But what if during all my waiting, I wasn’t supposed to be waiting around at all. It never crossed my mind that maybe He had answered my exact prayer before I ever even prayed it…because maybe love was needed most right across my town or across my street…or maybe just across my own livingroom.

I guess bottom line (for me) is if God sends me again to Africa I will by all means go and love there. But I have learned while going abroad that people are the same there and here. No matter the difference in culture, color, or language. They all have the very same need for love, compassion, a listening ear, a coat, or a sandwich! They all need Jesus but sometimes they can’t hear what we say about Him because they are cold or they are hungry or they are so alone!

If you are like me and you’ve prayed that prayer…trust me and don’t go into a season of doing nothing and calling it waiting. He has answered. Love the one right in front of you today! If there is no one in front of you…go to the nursing home.

God bless you all.

Posted in Hiding His Word

What’s in a Name?

Posted on by Melissa Lynne

Today in the daily Bible we began the book of Daniel.

I have studied this book quite a bit but am always left to wonder why in our modern day corporate studies and our retelling of Bible stories, we usually use the Chaldean names (or Babylonian names) given by the King when we speak of Daniel’s three friends instead of their Hebrew names. I much prefer the Hebrew: Hananiah, Misha’el, Azariah over Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

What is in a name? If you have never looked at this, you may find it interesting. I have listed the meaning of their names below – for the Hebrew and also the Chaldean names given to them. I have also included these for Daniel. I can understand fully why the king would want to change their names, but I can’t understand why I would ever want to call them such. I believe when we meet these three mighty men of God in heaven we won’t be calling them by any Babylonian name…Praise GOD!

Hebrew etymologies:
Daniel means “God is my Judge”
Hananiah means “Jah who is gracious”
Misha’el means “Who is like God?”, also means “to feed” or “to provide”—as in how a husband provides for his family
Azariah appropriately means “Jah has helped”

Chaldean etymologies:
Daniel was given the name Belteshazzar, meaning prince of Bel or Bel protect the king.

It has been asserted that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s names all pertained to pagan Babylonian gods.
Shadrach possibly is derived from Shudur Aku “Command of the moon god”
Meshach is probably a variation of Mi•sha•aku, meaning “Who is what Aku is?”, and may have been an alteration of his Hebrew name Mishael
Abednego is either a corrupted or deliberate use of Abednebo, “servant of Nebo/Nabu,” or Abednergo, a variation of Abednergal, “servant of the god Nergal”

Posted in Hiding His Word

Give God the Glory – Isaiah 43:21

Posted on by Melissa Lynne

 

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Every single one of us was created to bring God glory. The purpose of our lives is for God’s will to be done in them. His purpose becomes our purpose. His will our will.

For some, this is a scary statement because they view God and His will through the eyes of fear. They think that if He calls them to do something or lay down something, to die to self, there will be a loss. But the point of dying to self is not to die to self. The point is to be closer to Him, to be with Him, to be like Him, and to remove from our life anything and everything that is not reflective of Him. Dying to self equals intimacy.

Whatever God has called each of us to do, He has called us to intimacy first. He doesn’t want us to pursue ministry before pursuing Him. Spiritual gifts are a by-product of intimacy, not ministry. He doesn’t want us to try to be perfect or seek to be “good” before we pursue Him. Being a mature Christian who knows how to handle life is not the point. Relationship with God is the point. HE is the point.

Absolutely everything else flows out from that place of intimacy with Him. Intimacy allows some of God’s attributes to be passed on to us. The nearer we get to Him, the easier it is to become like Him. In fact, it is natural to become like those you spend the most time with. You begin to look like them, sound like them, and think like them. Oh, I pray that the One I spend most moments with is always Jesus!

Because intimacy is the focus of Heaven, one of the greatest prayers we can pray is: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.” ~ Matthew 6:10. Jesus taught His disciples to pray like this. Why? Because Jesus only did what He saw His Father doing (Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. ~ John 5:19) – WHAT HE SAW HIM DOING IN HEAVEN!!!

Jesus teaches us to pray the Lord’s Prayer because Heaven is reality, not earth. This is hard to grasp and for some a completely foreign concept but think about it. What we see here on earth, all around us, is merely a shadow of reality, not reality itself. (“For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. ~ 1 Corinthians 13:12). The temporal is always inferior to the eternal. So, in order to stay in alignment with the heart of God, we must remember that this place we live is the inferior and we must learn to mirror on earth the activity of Heaven.

We were each created to bring Him glory. How close we come to that depends fully on each one of us. He is never holding us back from intimacy. He is so eager for us to know Him that He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, to reconcile us to Himself. Every one of us.

“This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.” ~ Isaiah 43:21

Posted in Hiding His Word

He Will Be Found – Psalm 89:11

Posted on by Melissa Lynne

 

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“The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast found them.” ~ Psalm 89:11

In all of creation, on earth and in heaven, everything has a purpose, and everything tells us something about God. Even the things that seem insignificant to us play a part in God’s plan. God’s fingerprints are on every element, and everything in some way or form declares His glory!

The angels tell us something about God. The mountains tell us something about God. Every Word He has spoken tells us something. For that reason, I believe we should read the Bible with that in mind. We should go to the grocery store with that in mind. We should keep that in mind as we watch every creature in our backyard. There are no “just becauses” with God, no accidents. No one that wasn’t meant to be on this earth is here so we should definitely keep that in mind as we pass every person in our daily walk. But, that doesn’t mean we as humans can explain everything. Surely we can’t explain many things.

But God is writing His story by His plan, and He can explain everything. Every intricate detail, every creation, every divine Word. As we seek to see His glory in all things the Bible promise of Matthew 7:7-8 will start to become our reality.

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” ~ Matthew 7:7

If we seek Him, He will be found.

Father, Open our spiritual eyes and ears today as we seek to see Your glory in all of Your creation. Open our spiritual hearts as we seek to know You. Help us to love YOU more and more today…and help us to love and to honor all that You have created, whether we understand or don’t understand because it is of You. In Jesus Holy Name I ask it…Amen!

Posted in Hiding His Word

How Great is Our God – Job 42:2-3,5-6

Posted on by Melissa Lynne

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God knows every detail about every single thing in existence—even those things that are not yet. There is nothing outside His knowledge. He knows what it is, where it is, why it is, and what will happen to it before the end. He knows its past, present, and future. He knows every cell in every body. He knows every piece of sand in every crystal in every stone in every mountain. He knows every drop of water in every stream, river, sea, or ocean…every tear that falls from every eye. He knows every thought of every creature, all at the same time. Nothing is beyond Him.

When the haze lifts and we are allowed to see glimpses of our God, it is still just a glimpse. No matter how glorious, how huge, how awesome, how deep, how intricate and how impossibly beautiful, it is still only a glimpse of His Goodness. We may stand there in fear and trembling, amazed but here is the thing – we will never cease to be amazed. One million years from today we will still be in awe!

And it is in that reality that we face the grandeur of the Creator and the Source of all that exists, visible and invisible. And it is here we understand a little better what Job was saying in Job 42:2-3,5-6.