God is Now Here!

This is an excerpt from my notes the beginning of the year on the night I spoke at All Night Prayer - I have had a few people ask me to share and I felt impressed to share part of it tonight.  I will probably continue it next week!  Thanks for understanding I was speaking... not reading! lol... sorry if it gets a little tangled! That's just me!

One day several years ago I was in Wichita Falls just coming out of a Ladies Prayer Meeting and I was holding the hand of a little four year old boy named Ian. Ian walked out of the hall and over to the glass paned doors, put his hand to the glass. With both hands framing his face he peered into the dark auditorium and said ..."Where's God at?"  His mother and I had a good laugh knowing that in his little mind he was thinking Pastor Elms was God and he wasn't at his spot on the platform!

How many times though I have asked myself that same question!  Tonight I will attempt to answer that question for myself!
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I love this time of year when everything is fresh and new. We enter into it with a clean slate, so to speak!  We have this entire untouched untarnished year ahead of us and we are determined to be our
best self!  Old things are passed away... or have they?

We ride along till about March, when it all comes tumbling down on us!  We wake up one day having once again loaded ourselves down with cares of this life, responsibilities, and busy"ness"!  We stop and think, What happened?  We had such bright plans.  We were focused, motivated, and suddenly it all went south!  Where did we go wrong?  How have we lost focus?  Why are we already burned out, discouraged and feeling defeated in every area? Possibly we just planned and scheduled and busy"ed" our self right of God's presence!

Once again we have to go back and adjust our focus.
We must refocus!
Definition of refocus - to bring back to focus, to look again.
It does not mean to look back.  It means to bring to the present.

We start out with clarity of purpose.  God speaks to us and we feel Him directing us and speaking to us, but quickly we find ourselves having lost focus, forgetting the words He spoke, and losing direction. We look ahead or behind.  It is the enemy's business to distract us!

So tonight here we stand... at the beginning of 2013 refocusing! Beginning again!  Automatically we start to look back at 2012 where all our faults and failings, doubts and stumblings scream at us, grab us and sometimes choke us with the memory of the failure.  They attach themselves to us like barnacles before we even realize what has taken place.  With this weight already heavy on our heart we look forward to the future and we think "God, I have so much looming before me and behind me that I didn't get accomplished. There is much I see that you want me to accomplish in this year and still so many promises yet unfulfilled from last year.  We become overwhelmed, unfocused.

We must realize, He needs us to be PRESENT where HE is PRESENT to accomplish His goals for us.  We must remain in His Presence! We must be present where his presence is present, here in the present!  Scripture tells us that to God one day is as a thousand years... That is beyond my comprehension so I had to find a place in my little ole brain to handle it!

Focusing on the here and now...You see, God is not present with us in yesterday, He was there, but it is now past! He MOVED ON! (So should we).
He is not present with us in tomorrow because we are not there.. He will be when the time comes, and He certainly holds our tomorrows, but...
HE is PRESENT with us TODAY!  We are here living in TODAY!

He has focused on us TODAY to accomplish TODAY what He is PRESENT NOW to assist us with!
So I figure that one day is as a thousand years can be possible because He can work through each and every one of us in a thousand different ways in a day!  So He can accomplish a thousand years of work in one day through all His focused, present and available children!  Just my little take on it!  I am sure it wouldn't hold water in a theologians mind!

Don't look back at yesterday.  Don't drag all that stuff with you and expect Him to be present with you and work through you as you remain unfocused on the task at hand today!

Then we have the future...  and all the promises that have been given to you for tomorrow. I have promises yet unfulfilled that, if I allow it, they weigh on me,
and I become unfocused.  Sometimes I look ahead and wonder "How will it ever all come to pass?"  Have you ever been so inspired and the hope for your future become so exaggerated in your head that when you contemplate "How?", you feel as though you must live an entire life in one day just to get to the promise?  God does not give us promises to overwhelm us, or to burden us.  He gives us promises for us to be strong in faith, to not faint, but to have hope, and to remind us that He HAS A PLAN for us.  He expects us to focus on the plan that He is PRESENT in TODAY, for without today we can never accomplish tomorrow.  Our steps are ordered of the Lord.  We cannot skip the steps of today... They are important!  They are part of the plan and the process!  Don't get ahead of yourself, and don't lag behind.  Yes, look at yesterday and tomorrow, but as pictures, a photo book if you will, to look at and then turn the page to focus on now!  He has our future in HIS focus.  We cannot afford to become unfocused on today by trying to focus on what we are to become tomorrow.  He is the omnipresent, omniscient one, not us! 

Bill Gaither wrote the song that says:
"We have this moment to hold in our hands and to touch as it slips through our fingers like sand; Yesterday's gone, and tomorrow may never come, But we have this moment today."

Be present and accounted for in the PRESENT... where HE is PRESENT!  He had a plan for yesterday. It brought you to today. It equipped you for the present!  He has a plan for tomorrow, but you cannot skip today and expect to reap the promises He placed in tomorrow's hands.

Now is the time.
He has brought you to this place for such a time as THIS!  The here and now!

Let us enter into this new year with this simple plan of action:
   To be present (show up) allowing God to work His purpose in us TODAY!
    To remove barriers or defences and insecurities and boundaries we have placed on ourselves that cause us to feel inadequate to do His work.
   Let us let go of our wills and intellects, our insecurities and shortcomings.  The yesterdays and the tomorrows.
Lord, remind us of how you lived on this earth.  No matter what He faced on this earth He never lost sight of where He was headed. He never lost sight of His purpose.  He kept focus!

The atheist wrote;
  "God is nowhere."
His little daughter, who had been taught to sound out her letters,  read it aloud -
"God is now here." 
The sound of his daughters voice saying that touched his heart and he was converted in that moment!
Our ever PRESENT God can melt even the coldest heart.
Wherever you are He is.  He wants to be with you always!  He will always be reaching for you! 
He is NOW HERE!  He is present with you in the here and now!  Are you?  Let go of yesterday, don't worry about tomorrow!  Be here, now where His presence is!

Be You! Do What You Do!

 "Be You! Do what you do!"

This sentence has become my guiding motto since becoming more secure in Christ.  Through all my failings, as I look back over my journey, I see a pattern.  In failing to apply this particular scripture, my stumbling became a fall.
 II Corinthians 10: 12-13
"For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.
13; But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you.
...
17 - But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord!"

The Message sums it up in saying basically to stick to the limits God has set for you, and don't try to move into someone else's territory!  Don't demand a place in the sun with others, don't try to step over and work in someone else's ministry!  If you want to claim credit, claim it for God!  What we say about ourselves or others means nothing in God's work! It is what God says about you that makes the difference!  While the writer is referring to literal territory, his underlying meaning is not missed!  Read it, It's great!  Use YOUR God-given tools, and don't try to borrow someone else's! 
BE YOU!  Do what YOU do!

We are the hardest critics of ourselves!  We can sabotage every step forward we make if we begin to compare ourselves to others and try to measure up to their standard.  There are two sides of the fence in comparing.  You either end up on the "I am better than you." side, or the "I am not as good as you." side.  Both sides of the fence are going to be your ultimate fall!  We cannot exalt ourselves above another without having a fall from grace, nor can we diminish ourselves and ever hope to get back up as long as we are comparing ourselves to others. 

Unfortunately, we are also the quickest ones to want to claim credit, or to have our peers think we have finally arrived!  God knew we would struggle with these flaws and gave us many scriptures to use as a tool to overcome.  We must study to show ourselves approved! Study His Word! Compare yourself to the Word! It is the only perfect measure! We must walk a long while to be worthy of that respect we are so needy for ! Respect and status will come in time, but don't seek after them. Seek after wisdom and understanding of the Word of God. We must continually keep our face turned to Christ and ask Him to show us our insecurities, so that we may overcome them, and not sabotage our walk every single step of the way! We must be alert and watch where we are going, slow down and take each step securely in HIM!

 I Corinthians 1: 25-31
The meaning of this scripture and the complete understanding of it must be applied and obeyed in our lives for any spiritual success to be realized.   All glory and all honor are to be given to the one true God!  ...that no flesh should glory...  Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and HIS righteousness. There is none good but God!

There are many spiritual mentors in my life who are great prayer warriors.  They have taught me how to pray, walk and live this life.  These people have poured into me all my life and I owe much to each and every single person who has helped me on my journey forward. I try to pattern my life after their example.   I could never have reached whatever place I am in Christ now without their influence. They are my examples, my mentors, my warriors to follow! This post in no way negates or takes away from their influence in my life.  However I cannot compare myself to them. I cannot put my walk with God on any parallel plane with theirs.  When I begin to, my failings are overwhelming, and it leaves me with feelings of unworthiness and hopelessness.  If I were to compare my walk with God to that of my Grandmother's, or my mothers, there could be no comparison.  My experiences have not been parallel to theirs in this life by any measure.  I have walked a completely different path than them, so if I begin to compare, I am going to fall short.  Thinking and looking at myself in a negative way, is always harmful to my progress. I know we must not think too highly of ourselves, but neither should we think too lowly of ourselves!  We must find BALANCE! While I want to follow the example of my heritage, I will never measure up by my own comparison.

         Stay with me, this is going to blow your mind!... Well, maybe not yours, but the revelation of it has blown mine! It has completely changed the way I measure my walk with God!

Sincere Christians often fall because they compare their walk with God to a great christian warrior, only to quickly realize they cannot attain the height it seems their hero has reached. Each one of us has a different experience in Christ based on the time we have known Him, and the amount of effort we have put into it. This leaves no place for ANY type of comparison to have a part in our self-evaluation.  It is an impossible mind set we entertain to try to compare ourselves to another.We are setting ourselves up for failure if we do not understand the wisdom of this.  It is a "No-Win" game you are playing if you continue to compare yourself to any but our one true living example.
The children of God are all on an indefinite, ever-changing level with Christ.  We rise and fall in that level depending on our humility and dedication to time spent in prayer and study of His Word. He desires for us to be continually growing and stepping higher in Him, but He also leaves the progress up to us! 

If you could look into the window of those whose spiritual walk you admire the most,  you would see that they often fail miserably. God continually humbles them to repentance. While entertaining the folly of comparisons, the mentee can't measure the time their mentor has spent on the potters wheel, neither can he hear the words of humble repentance which often pours from heart of the mentor. He only sees the seemingly unachievable height he must strive for. If he continues to compare himself, shortcomings will become magnified and appear impossible to overcome. Being inexperienced in walking with Christ, he may focus on these failings, deciding he cannot ever measure up to the level of the mentor.  He will often lose hope of ever reaching those levels and ultimately give up.  One must learn the difference between following an example, and in making a comparison.

On the other hand, I have also seen the exact opposite scenario end with similar results. Many who aspire to be great warriors in this spiritual battle, draw close to God, walk with Him, then, as He begins to do great works through them, they forget to hold on to humility. They claim the glory as their own. There is very obvious attitude of "see what I have done."  An arrogant Christian will have the hardest, longest fall, and once they fall, they may never attain the same level of Christ they once enjoyed.  Be sure, as you reach higher levels in Christ, that you keep humility. Remember our God is a jealous God and He will not share His Glory! We must daily decrease in order for Him to increase.  We must allow His love and His grace to flow through us. At all cost, He must be visible.  I pray daily that when others look to me as an example, they do not see me, but that they see Christ.  I want to be as Paul and die out to self every single day. This flesh seems to want to do everything it can to increase itself, both spiritually and physically.  We must keep it in check, constantly measuring ourselves to the Word of God. Anything I do to gain attention over Him, is my own failing that I must overcome.  He is leading me into the heights and levels that HE has planned for me, not those that others have reached!  We all have different life experiences which form us.  It is our responses to these life experiences that determine the level of our road!  Sometimes there are highs and other times lows, but His Word is our only proven scale for balance.

We must have balance.  The only way to keep balance with Christ is to; 

Daily humble ourselves before Him.

Stop comparing ourselves to others.

Listen to the leading of HIS voice.

Deafen your ears to the praises of man.

  It is by God's grace we are not consumed all the day long.  His mercies are fresh and new each morning, because He knew we were ONLY human and would fail daily. This is why it is so very important to have set aside DAILY communion with Him. We need that daily loading of benefits!

We will become better, stronger, more faithful. We learn to walk and live securely in HIM.  We can eventually get to the place where we feel we have become secure in our own walk with God, but we cannot know any other person's daily struggles.  If we have our eyes on others constantly, we are never going to have our eyes on Christ.  You MUST Keep your eyes on Jesus.  Follow the good examples others set in areas of faithfulness, steadfastness, faith, prayer, holiness; but do NOT compare your own walk with God to anyone else.  You will find yourself standing on the fence losing balance and falling one way or the other.  When you see an experienced gymnast on a balance beam, you do not see them looking at their feet, the floor, other competitors, or their coach.  Their eyes are on the goal!  We must keep our eyes on the goal!  The one who loves us beyond comprehension,  the one who sees our faults and failings, and is willing to pick us up and put us back on the right path if we are willing to pattern our lives after Him alone.  Every person you know who is strong in the Lord, is keeping their eyes on HIM, drawing nigh unto HIM... daily seeking after HIM!  They do NOT compare themselves or their own walk with another because they have learned that is the quickest way to fall!

Be secure in your own experience with the Lord, by following His lead, and being the best you that you can be!  Follow good Christ-like examples but Be YOU!  Do what God would have YOU do!