THINK BIG, HIS PASSION

We always hear Dream Big... Thing Big... but where is the dream coming from? We quote "God gives us the desires of our heart", the question here I ask myself, who's dream/desire? Mine? God's? Have I empty myself, my desires to know that the heart's desire, dream, thinking big is His or me still trying to convince God of mine?

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The above statement has been on my mind for the last week or so and then on Sunday My Pastor message is on Isaiah 53. Below is Isaiah 53: 1-5

Who has believed our message? To whom has the  lord revealed his powerful arm? My servant grew up in the lord ’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows  that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.

I also have had Romans 12:12 on my mind for awhile too:

Be happy in your hope, stand your ground when you’re in trouble, and devote yourselves to prayer. 

In other versions it states enduring in afflictions. That not a verse that you see everywhere, but it should be. We like, we want to believe that as His Child there is nothing that hurts us, attacks us., but that is not promised. I have heard the misquoted verse that God doesn't give us more than we can handle and that of course is Not true. If we never had more than we can handle how could we be in a place of faiths and trusting and knowing God has made a way.

What it really means is this:
When we are faced with an army of great strength and power standing in from of us ready to kill us, God shows us the opening, the path to slip out of their reach and leads us to our safe place in Him. The attacks and pain of this world will come, but His answer and a way where there seems to be no way, will always be there.

The part that is hard for me and us all is "patience". We question Why to Everything. In the questioning we are really questioning God and the plan we are walking,; therefore we let in fear, doubt and pretty much any and all to help shake out confidence in what we are believing, standing, waiting on God for. I am massively guilt of this.

I heard someone speaking on Paul and Silas in the prison after being beat, Praising God and basically saying to each other " Man, whatever we did to get us Beat and Jailed... Let Do It Again!! We know we are standing in His presences and the Now of God. We have struck a nerve and this is the reward we have obtained!! We have stepped into the place of Truly suffering for Christ....And we want More!!' This is a passion we each should be wanting, seeking and pursuing.

This is not an easy one for us, in a world of pursuing your cake and eating it too. The thought or pursuing being liked/popular and seeking this kind of passion in Christ is a complete contradiction of each other and what is spoken in the word.
What we have in us, what the word stand for is not popular. We MUST always Love and Absolutely no place for Judging others, but we as Christ's know the word is our truth, foundation and shows us our way. 

We hear the words "dying to self..",. but let me say it the way I feel we should hear it :

All has been promised, has been done. It is not a maybe or a will see, it is. The ability to stand and not stop is within me, His strength. 
All the "other stuff" has been put into place by the enemy to stop me... make me complain, stall, confuse the issues, place doubt and disbelief of what already is to be. 
Everything has been put in place for me by God, it is already there. Yet the cost, the way to -there-  is only achieved by completely emptying me to be fill with all of Him. Therefore I am dead to m,y thoughts, desires, hopes and dreams... So I can be Filled with His thoughts, desires, hopes and dreams. All of Him, none of me

When I think about all this my mind screams No!!, but my heart is standing... in quiet confidence with a Yes. This is a great week for us all to do some personal inside questioning and housecleaning as Easter soon will be here. The Celebration of Jesus' Triumphant Victory over death and the grave. Knowing that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead... lives and dwells within us. What an amazing Easter Celebration for us knowing He has Risen and we have died to all and Christ is living within us. 
We must remember just because we can or there is something in front of us calling our name seeming so right, doesn't mean God is for it. This is why we must sit with him and listen, asking questions and then simply obeying. 
Our flesh may be flipping out with not getting it's way, but in the end we will reap the joy of a faithful, obedient heart.

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The greatest value of Heaven is the presences of God. Nothing is more important, nothing will have an lasting effect on us or those that are around us. We as His children have the Greatest Privilege of not just being His, but serving him in being all that he has created us to be, to say, to do all for His Glory. It is just not important to be His, by being saved, it about pursuing what he placed us all here for. 
                       -Bill Johnson

Blessings,
Katie