In 1Cor. 9:24-27, Paul talks about how he strives to master his life so that he will be perfectly honed in order to achieve great victories for Christ. A wise man once told me that the will to prepare is the will to win. Victory rarely comes without the initial steps of preparation. I'll be the first to say that this is far easier said than done.
In preparation to walk through the Middle East with my father I've been alternating days with running and walking. It's been hard! I haven't worked out for about two years. And what's discouraging is that I'm snickered after walking a measly nine miles, and my father does 18 in one day (he aims at walking 100 miles/week). Being that I'm flying into the Middle East on March 1st, this means that I've got one month to take Paul's advice, by mastering my body in order to take first prize with this race that God has placed me in.
So what's the balance of faith and works? God has clearly led me to take on this trip, so won't He miraculously take care of my ever need? If I'm physically struggling under the strain of walking, or of the daily activities of being the support crew, won't He pick me up, brush me off, and breathe new life into my wearied bones and mind? I know that He will!!! I also know that He expects me to take this incredible faith that He has given me, and to utilize my every action to prepare for victory. Per James, 'faith is dead without works.' And the story of the ten virgins requires us to effectually prepare. Their faith told them that the Bridegroom was coming, and the wise virgins’ works were then in alignment with their faith by making sure that their lamps were always full.
So I will take the faith that He has given me, and I will utilize it as motivation to act. Today the act will be preparation, and tomorrow it will be boldly running in a race with the goal of taking first. I keep my eye on the ‘now’, because according to Jesus, ‘tomorrow will take care of itself.’ Matthew 6:34. I’ve found the answer to the ‘faith and works’ questions to be a wonderful marriage of the two. Works have a tendency to be much more powerful and authoritative when founded on the indestructible platform of the spiritual gift of faith.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
The Pure of Heart Will See God: Matthew 5:8
During my devotional today I was filled with regret with how black my heart can frequently be. Even with good and Godly actions, much of the time my motives are selfish. I was struck with the realization that I am not always aware of the dark substance that all too often drives me. When I do become aware I can predominantly see selfish ambition, self exaltation, the desire for status, and greed; even as I list some of these murky corners of my heart I'm thinking 'whoa!' and God still passionately loves me?!
Today I meditated on Matthew 5:8, "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." And I was filled with a zealous desire to be purified before Him. Can you fathom the implications of this verse? To see God would be nothing short of of paradise on Earth! The parts of Himself that He has already revealed to me have been so exhilarating; and I find myself crying out, 'More, Lord, never stop!!'.
This was motive enough for me to strip naked before Him and lay at His throne (I guess His throne must be in my kitchen; and don't worry, I was fully clothed). I felt humbled when He gave me the sense that He was forgiving me; and I thought of how Isaiah had a similar revelation when he told God that he was a man of unclean lips; and how he couldn't fathom the thought of serving the almighty God when his heart was as black as it was.
How does all of this relate to the Middle East trip? Simply, I have this uncanny feeling that God is going to draw me insanely close to Him. And that in order for this to happen He will probably take me through the furnace of adversity in order to purify my blemished heart. I asked God the other day on what I was to expect when over there. The following Sunday a friend came up to me during the service, and she said that God had spoken to her the prior night. In a nutshell He told her that I was going to face lots of hardships in order to be refined for His purposes. Her message really witnessed to my spirit. I think that perhaps God was answering my question.
So I leave you with this: when you face hardships in life, no matter how trivial or severe, view them as an opportunity to step into the furnace in order to be purified before your Lord. I think if we see them as opportunities to draw closer to our Father instead of as distractions, or nuisances, that we'll be built up in Christ to a much more effective degree. It's difficult, we all know this, but let's commit together to try our hardest to make the pure decisions in the midst of trials. And according to Matthew, these pure decisions enable us to see God!
Today I meditated on Matthew 5:8, "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." And I was filled with a zealous desire to be purified before Him. Can you fathom the implications of this verse? To see God would be nothing short of of paradise on Earth! The parts of Himself that He has already revealed to me have been so exhilarating; and I find myself crying out, 'More, Lord, never stop!!'.
This was motive enough for me to strip naked before Him and lay at His throne (I guess His throne must be in my kitchen; and don't worry, I was fully clothed). I felt humbled when He gave me the sense that He was forgiving me; and I thought of how Isaiah had a similar revelation when he told God that he was a man of unclean lips; and how he couldn't fathom the thought of serving the almighty God when his heart was as black as it was.
How does all of this relate to the Middle East trip? Simply, I have this uncanny feeling that God is going to draw me insanely close to Him. And that in order for this to happen He will probably take me through the furnace of adversity in order to purify my blemished heart. I asked God the other day on what I was to expect when over there. The following Sunday a friend came up to me during the service, and she said that God had spoken to her the prior night. In a nutshell He told her that I was going to face lots of hardships in order to be refined for His purposes. Her message really witnessed to my spirit. I think that perhaps God was answering my question.
So I leave you with this: when you face hardships in life, no matter how trivial or severe, view them as an opportunity to step into the furnace in order to be purified before your Lord. I think if we see them as opportunities to draw closer to our Father instead of as distractions, or nuisances, that we'll be built up in Christ to a much more effective degree. It's difficult, we all know this, but let's commit together to try our hardest to make the pure decisions in the midst of trials. And according to Matthew, these pure decisions enable us to see God!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Preparing for Our Destinies: Matthew 25: 15-30
About five years ago God began to prompt me to quit lifting weights. Being that my body had become my identity I pressed His voice aside, and explained it away as nothing but my legalistic mind getting in the way. The Lord graciously increased His promptings by taking away my peace. It reached the point that every time I went to the gym my conscience grew unsettled, where I finally admitted that perhaps God was trying to get my attention. Because my dependency on pumping metal was as extreme as it was (when I would miss I would struggle with depression and crabbiness; and when I lifted I was then at the top of my game) it took me about another year before I finally came to terms with God's desire. I finally sacrificed the most important treasure to me at that time, and obeyed my Master.
After I decided to obey I could sense the Lord saying that He was preparing me to sacrifice greater things in the future. As I look back I can see that that sacrifice did indeed prepare me to make the most precious offering to the Lord today, my wife. As I wrote in earlier blogs, He told me to sacrifice Trisha in order to obey His calling by embarking on Prayer Walk Middle East.
As I have been meditating on Matthew 25: 15-30, and the following verses, I have been receiving renewed revelation of greater depth then what I had previously seen. Our obedience to Christ's calling is comparable to investing the talents that He has given us. He starts by giving a smaller portion of talents, and when we are wise stewards He then increases our influence. So, it could look like this. He starts by asking us to obey Him in the smaller decisions of life. And when He finds willing servants He then asks us to obey with decisions of greater responsibility and impact!
I obeyed Him by giving up working out. He then proceeded to ask me to give up my wife. I wonder, if I had never sacrificed my muscles, would the Lord have trusted me to serve Him on this present Middle East trip? I don't think He would have.
So my closing thought is this; if you feel prompted to obey God, and no matter the size of His request, DO IT! Your future destiny could very well be in the works!
After I decided to obey I could sense the Lord saying that He was preparing me to sacrifice greater things in the future. As I look back I can see that that sacrifice did indeed prepare me to make the most precious offering to the Lord today, my wife. As I wrote in earlier blogs, He told me to sacrifice Trisha in order to obey His calling by embarking on Prayer Walk Middle East.
As I have been meditating on Matthew 25: 15-30, and the following verses, I have been receiving renewed revelation of greater depth then what I had previously seen. Our obedience to Christ's calling is comparable to investing the talents that He has given us. He starts by giving a smaller portion of talents, and when we are wise stewards He then increases our influence. So, it could look like this. He starts by asking us to obey Him in the smaller decisions of life. And when He finds willing servants He then asks us to obey with decisions of greater responsibility and impact!
I obeyed Him by giving up working out. He then proceeded to ask me to give up my wife. I wonder, if I had never sacrificed my muscles, would the Lord have trusted me to serve Him on this present Middle East trip? I don't think He would have.
So my closing thought is this; if you feel prompted to obey God, and no matter the size of His request, DO IT! Your future destiny could very well be in the works!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
The Calling
Continued from last post...
I was typing away on my novel on a Friday night, 11/27/2009, while listening to a live web-stream from the International House of Prayer in Kansas City. My mind wasn't on God per say, but the feeling came to me that I should pray. So I half heartedly complied while still plugging away on my book.
Then God suddenly hit me like a sack of bricks. I started to weep in the deepest way that I have ever experienced. During this I realized that God was up to something but I didn't know what. Wave after wave of the Holy Spirit relentlessly washed over me in the most beautiful manner. As I violently cried, the lyrics from Misty Edwards' prophetic worship set, that was playing on the live web-stream, seared into my soul and spirit. She was stating, 'Take a walk of faith. Take a walk of faith.' Over and over and over again, she proclaimed this; and these words completely transformed the inner works of my being.
About halfway through this encounter I knew what God was calling me to do. He was calling me to walk through the Middle East with my father. As soon as this realization struck me I began to weep with a renewed onslaught. This time I was mercilessly torn on the inside, that I would be leaving my wife behind for a little less than a year. I was in anguish for her, and didn't want to hurt her with this decision. She was in the adjacent room, and at this time figured out that something was haywire in the kitchen. She came into the room to console me and to ask why I was weeping and mourning.
When she came up to me she held me while I uncontrollably cried. She didn't know what was happening, and all I could say was how much I loved her and that how sorry I was. This was all that I could say.
Then, something I haven't told anyone yet, an inner ferocity came into me as I cried. I felt like a spiritual lion that was going to rip the principalities of darkness to shreds for Christ. I opened my mouth and while I didn't say anything in the physical, I could feel my spirit screaming for all that it was worth; and I wanted to demolish Satan and his hordes. I was being sent to ravish his lands for Christ, and to shine Christ's light in the darkest regions of the earth.
Then about half an hour later the experience stopped as suddenly as it had began. At this time Trisha had figured out what was happening, and when the anointing subsided from me she too began to uncontrollably weep. Her sorrow lasted for about the same length of time that it had with me. She was gripped by tremendous amounts of fear and anxiety. She didn't want to be left alone. At this time her mother also came into the room, and it was our turn to console Trisha.
The stronghold of fear was dealt a strong blow that night as Trisha and myself committed ourselves to obey God's calling. She released me to go; and I dedicated myself to follow God by going. The Lord's kingdom was victorious by the undying love of His children amidst a sea of anguish.
I was typing away on my novel on a Friday night, 11/27/2009, while listening to a live web-stream from the International House of Prayer in Kansas City. My mind wasn't on God per say, but the feeling came to me that I should pray. So I half heartedly complied while still plugging away on my book.
Then God suddenly hit me like a sack of bricks. I started to weep in the deepest way that I have ever experienced. During this I realized that God was up to something but I didn't know what. Wave after wave of the Holy Spirit relentlessly washed over me in the most beautiful manner. As I violently cried, the lyrics from Misty Edwards' prophetic worship set, that was playing on the live web-stream, seared into my soul and spirit. She was stating, 'Take a walk of faith. Take a walk of faith.' Over and over and over again, she proclaimed this; and these words completely transformed the inner works of my being.
About halfway through this encounter I knew what God was calling me to do. He was calling me to walk through the Middle East with my father. As soon as this realization struck me I began to weep with a renewed onslaught. This time I was mercilessly torn on the inside, that I would be leaving my wife behind for a little less than a year. I was in anguish for her, and didn't want to hurt her with this decision. She was in the adjacent room, and at this time figured out that something was haywire in the kitchen. She came into the room to console me and to ask why I was weeping and mourning.
When she came up to me she held me while I uncontrollably cried. She didn't know what was happening, and all I could say was how much I loved her and that how sorry I was. This was all that I could say.
Then, something I haven't told anyone yet, an inner ferocity came into me as I cried. I felt like a spiritual lion that was going to rip the principalities of darkness to shreds for Christ. I opened my mouth and while I didn't say anything in the physical, I could feel my spirit screaming for all that it was worth; and I wanted to demolish Satan and his hordes. I was being sent to ravish his lands for Christ, and to shine Christ's light in the darkest regions of the earth.
Then about half an hour later the experience stopped as suddenly as it had began. At this time Trisha had figured out what was happening, and when the anointing subsided from me she too began to uncontrollably weep. Her sorrow lasted for about the same length of time that it had with me. She was gripped by tremendous amounts of fear and anxiety. She didn't want to be left alone. At this time her mother also came into the room, and it was our turn to console Trisha.
The stronghold of fear was dealt a strong blow that night as Trisha and myself committed ourselves to obey God's calling. She released me to go; and I dedicated myself to follow God by going. The Lord's kingdom was victorious by the undying love of His children amidst a sea of anguish.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Choices Amidst Uncertainty
Continued from last post...
How was I to proceed with life during this time of uncertainty? My heart was to serve God to the fullest with however I was able to at any given point and time; but if He called me to travel through the Middle East could I commit to long term plans that would conflict with this potential calling? For instance I already felt led to attend Bethel Seminary, via distance education, so should I proceed along with this plan?
The predicament of not knowing where God was going to call me placed me in a quagmire of difficult decisions. After praying about the wisest strategy I decided to continue on with my life, as I had felt led to live prior to the Middle East question; this included attending Bethel Seminary, continuing with my work as one of the youth pastors at Great Lakes Church, working my registration job at the hospital, and most importantly providing moral support to my precious wife as she is submersed in medical school. I purposed to do all of these, but with the knowledge that at any moment God may ask me to leave.
Because of this possibility I opened up an exit strategy for everything that I was involved with. Throughout everyday life I left open the avenue for quick departure if called. For me, obedience was more important than anything else life had to offer. The scripture that God was searing into my heart was that He wanted me to hate everything in life in comparison with the love that I had for Him (Luke 14:26). I believe He wanted to place me through the process of choosing wisely with life's decisions; by continuously prioritizing His future calling (whenever it would come, and however it would look) in my DNA, where He consistently took first place, where His voice was truly the only substance that I looked to for guidance, and where I lived for Him above all else.
Then, He called me in the strongest way that I've yet heard Him speak.
How was I to proceed with life during this time of uncertainty? My heart was to serve God to the fullest with however I was able to at any given point and time; but if He called me to travel through the Middle East could I commit to long term plans that would conflict with this potential calling? For instance I already felt led to attend Bethel Seminary, via distance education, so should I proceed along with this plan?
The predicament of not knowing where God was going to call me placed me in a quagmire of difficult decisions. After praying about the wisest strategy I decided to continue on with my life, as I had felt led to live prior to the Middle East question; this included attending Bethel Seminary, continuing with my work as one of the youth pastors at Great Lakes Church, working my registration job at the hospital, and most importantly providing moral support to my precious wife as she is submersed in medical school. I purposed to do all of these, but with the knowledge that at any moment God may ask me to leave.
Because of this possibility I opened up an exit strategy for everything that I was involved with. Throughout everyday life I left open the avenue for quick departure if called. For me, obedience was more important than anything else life had to offer. The scripture that God was searing into my heart was that He wanted me to hate everything in life in comparison with the love that I had for Him (Luke 14:26). I believe He wanted to place me through the process of choosing wisely with life's decisions; by continuously prioritizing His future calling (whenever it would come, and however it would look) in my DNA, where He consistently took first place, where His voice was truly the only substance that I looked to for guidance, and where I lived for Him above all else.
Then, He called me in the strongest way that I've yet heard Him speak.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Treading Carefully
Continued from yesterday...
At this point I needed wisdom, and lots of it. With this in mind I proceeded to run the question that I felt God was asking me, "Will you go to the Middle East if I call you?", by those close to me. The predominant feedback was, 'David, I think this could very well be God, but I'm not necessarily hearing "Yes, go for it.".' I have to be honest that hearing this from my family and friends surprised me. I was expecting at least a small amount of resistance, or extreme caution, but instead received major support.
After eliciting this feedback I still needed to hear concisely from God. After all, the costs of leaving my wife, seminary schooling, and employment behind for a little less than a year were simply too great to follow anything less than unwavering guidance from above. A question would simply not do; no, I needed either a yes, or no. So this was what I aimed to get.
The months that ensued gave me next to nothing, other than a strong level of peace in my spirit and countenance that whatever God called me to do, whether that be to stay or to go, that I would readily obey Him with everything that I had. I wanted to obey, nothing less, I simply wanted to stand up as Samuel did and to have the heart to say, "Speak Lord, your servant is listening."
One day, while I was having a personal devotion, the Lord spoke into my spirit. He told me, "Sacrifice Trisha (my wife)." That was it; that was all I heard. I said, "Lord, she's Yours." I wondered what context He was asking me to sacrifice her in; I wondered if it was in reference to the walk, or something else, or in general. Without knowing that He was referring to the walk, the last thing that I wanted to do was to claim that He was saying something that He wasn't. So I shelved the word in my heart and chose to continue to wait for clarification.
I hoped that He would expound sooner than later, but His ways aren't always ours. So apparently the name of the game was 'it's time to wait'.
At this point I needed wisdom, and lots of it. With this in mind I proceeded to run the question that I felt God was asking me, "Will you go to the Middle East if I call you?", by those close to me. The predominant feedback was, 'David, I think this could very well be God, but I'm not necessarily hearing "Yes, go for it.".' I have to be honest that hearing this from my family and friends surprised me. I was expecting at least a small amount of resistance, or extreme caution, but instead received major support.
After eliciting this feedback I still needed to hear concisely from God. After all, the costs of leaving my wife, seminary schooling, and employment behind for a little less than a year were simply too great to follow anything less than unwavering guidance from above. A question would simply not do; no, I needed either a yes, or no. So this was what I aimed to get.
The months that ensued gave me next to nothing, other than a strong level of peace in my spirit and countenance that whatever God called me to do, whether that be to stay or to go, that I would readily obey Him with everything that I had. I wanted to obey, nothing less, I simply wanted to stand up as Samuel did and to have the heart to say, "Speak Lord, your servant is listening."
One day, while I was having a personal devotion, the Lord spoke into my spirit. He told me, "Sacrifice Trisha (my wife)." That was it; that was all I heard. I said, "Lord, she's Yours." I wondered what context He was asking me to sacrifice her in; I wondered if it was in reference to the walk, or something else, or in general. Without knowing that He was referring to the walk, the last thing that I wanted to do was to claim that He was saying something that He wasn't. So I shelved the word in my heart and chose to continue to wait for clarification.
I hoped that He would expound sooner than later, but His ways aren't always ours. So apparently the name of the game was 'it's time to wait'.
Friday, January 22, 2010
The Beginning
So, it all began on Saturday, 07/18/2009. I was at the annual Omega Team conference, and during a prophetic ministry time I was kneeling by my chair and soaking in God's presence. The lines of people waiting for ministry were sizable so I had decided to press in by myself until the lines reached their ends.
During this time is when the Holy Spirit hit me like a sack of bricks. I started weeping and snotting all over the place. The sobs were deep sobs, very deep, not at all like the joyful tears during an anointed worship time at church, or during personal devotional times; it was like my spirit was crying with my soul, and throughout the experience my mind didn't have a clue on what was happening other than God was clearly up to something.
The experience lasted about ten minutes and then stopped as suddenly as it had begun. At this time one thought entered into my confused mind. It was a thought that I had never entertained before, or had ever prayed about, or had any desire whatsoever to do; the thought was, 'Will you walk across the Middle East with dad if God calls you to?'.
I immediately said, "Of course; but God has to call me first." I would do anything for the Lord; but something of this magnitude would have to be from the Lord, not from my own mind. This was the mentality that I held onto throughout the months to come. With everything I wanted to place wisdom above passion; and I wanted to obey God, not my untrustworthy feelings and emotions. So a new question posed itself; was this God's voice calling me, or was I flirting with a deceptive path that would forever change my life?
Tomorrow I'll post the proceeding choices that I followed in order to distinguish the Lord's voice from my own. Talk to you then!
During this time is when the Holy Spirit hit me like a sack of bricks. I started weeping and snotting all over the place. The sobs were deep sobs, very deep, not at all like the joyful tears during an anointed worship time at church, or during personal devotional times; it was like my spirit was crying with my soul, and throughout the experience my mind didn't have a clue on what was happening other than God was clearly up to something.
The experience lasted about ten minutes and then stopped as suddenly as it had begun. At this time one thought entered into my confused mind. It was a thought that I had never entertained before, or had ever prayed about, or had any desire whatsoever to do; the thought was, 'Will you walk across the Middle East with dad if God calls you to?'.
I immediately said, "Of course; but God has to call me first." I would do anything for the Lord; but something of this magnitude would have to be from the Lord, not from my own mind. This was the mentality that I held onto throughout the months to come. With everything I wanted to place wisdom above passion; and I wanted to obey God, not my untrustworthy feelings and emotions. So a new question posed itself; was this God's voice calling me, or was I flirting with a deceptive path that would forever change my life?
Tomorrow I'll post the proceeding choices that I followed in order to distinguish the Lord's voice from my own. Talk to you then!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
The Purpose
Hi all,
The purpose of this blog is to provide a daily journal leading up to the greatest adventure that God has brought me to date. On March 1st I'm going to be joining my father, John Halvorsen, on a prayer walk through the Middle East; my involvement will begin in Georgia and will take us through the Middle East while ending on the border of China.
God has called dad to walk from Portugal all the way through Europe and Asia; his purpose is to pray for God's light to enter into those spiritually dark regions of the world.
The reason for this blog is to simply document the daily encounters that I've had and will have with God, thus far in reference to this trip, in the hopes that they will bless anyone who happens to read them! My aim is to blog daily until March 1st; after this I'll blog whenever I have access to the Internet.
Tomorrow, the spiritual adventure will begin! Stay tuned.
In His love,
david
The purpose of this blog is to provide a daily journal leading up to the greatest adventure that God has brought me to date. On March 1st I'm going to be joining my father, John Halvorsen, on a prayer walk through the Middle East; my involvement will begin in Georgia and will take us through the Middle East while ending on the border of China.
God has called dad to walk from Portugal all the way through Europe and Asia; his purpose is to pray for God's light to enter into those spiritually dark regions of the world.
The reason for this blog is to simply document the daily encounters that I've had and will have with God, thus far in reference to this trip, in the hopes that they will bless anyone who happens to read them! My aim is to blog daily until March 1st; after this I'll blog whenever I have access to the Internet.
Tomorrow, the spiritual adventure will begin! Stay tuned.
In His love,
david
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