In the midst of the fight

The last few weeks i have been realising that i am difinately in the front lines of the Spiritual fight...
I have friends that used to follow Christ who have been wounded, by other or the enemy, and are now really struggling, a couple even saying that they don't know if God is really there... that is how badly wounded they have been... Also in the city a couple of weeks ago, there was a shooting about 10-15 min walk from my place, and with in that same week, in the same area, a baby was found dead in a bin of the toliets of a TAFE building... Then this past week i was walking down the street, and one of my aboriginal friends stopped me and said hi, and out of the blue, he said that there had been 14 murders/killings/deaths at Whitmore square over the years (this square is no more than 100metres from my place), that same day i was talking to someone that lives across the road of the day centre (a place where homeless people can come and hang out during the day) that is just near whitmore square and he was saying that drug dealers sit out side that place to sell drugs, and nothing is done about it, he also told me of some other stuff that happens close by there.
So i am trying to be there for my friends mentioned above, and just love and accept and praying for them.
Pray is the best... when i don't know what i am doing, suppose to do or say i just pray...
the last few days i have been praying heaps for my friends.... Praying that they won't believe the lies the enemy feeds them, praying for healing, and deliverance....
The last couple of days i haven't had very much sleep at all. And it is only through Christ that i am still able to go... Christ is the one that teaches me how to fight, He is the one that leads, He is the one that give the orders. Christ is the one that sustains me, and holds me so that i won't fall. So what else can i do, besides be obedient to His commands and follow His example.
I will continue to pray and lean on Christ alone... cause with out Him i am able to do nothing.

warfare

I was at a meeting last night... and they were talking about warfare... that we are in war, and we have to fight....
They were saying that we can fight in a physical and spiritual way...
the physical which they descibed was helping on the soup run, helping with the coffee mornings, and different ways in the community services that the corps provide...
All they said about spiritual warfare, is that to be strong we have to read our bible and pray...
We were told that we are to Go.... in the Great commission Jesus told us to Go and make disciples baptising in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit...
next we were told the church didn't do that, and that was the reason why we have warfare, why we have to fight... But i don't really agree with this.... Cause we don't fight against flesh and blood, but our fight is a spiritual one... satan is always attacking in different ways, (or trying to at least), warfare is going on when we follow Jesus, until He returns... However we have the Victory with Christ...

Jesus said that they will know that we are His disciples by the way we love each other (John 13:34-36). And also in Mark 16:17-19:

17And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."

that to me sounds like warfare..... However a lot of the church in the western world don't live up to this.... We need to step it up... to step out in Faith, and live this out... Imagine the impact on this world if we all lived in such a way that theses signs accompanied us...

band of brothers

I have been watching band of brothers and in the 3rd part there is a scene where a private who has frozen in the heat of the battle earlier is talking to an officer, and the officer said something like:


The sooner you accept that you are already dead, than the sooner you'll able to function like a real/true soldier


Now a real soldier.... a real soldier doesn't freeze in the battle, a real soldier doesn't turn and run away,

A real soldier follows the orders of his commander, a real soldier fights even tho he is scared to death, a real soldier looks out for his comrades, a real soldier pulls their injured to safety (even when there are bullets flying around), helping them, a real soldier relies on his comrades, a real soldier does what is need to complete the orders of the commander.



Does this sound familiar.... We are called to be Soldiers in Jesus' army. He is the commander, we are to obey His orders only. Some times those orders are things that we think that we are unable to do, and scare the crap out of us, however Christ will help us. We are also called to look out for each other, to encourage, correct (in love), help those that are weaker... we are told that we need each other, in fact we are to confess to each other to be healed. God has created us to live in community, we need each other...



We are also called to be dead to this world, in that we are not to let this world around us to squeeze us into their box, or pull us down to it's level. This means that we are to live in a way that we don't care what the world thinks, it is only what God thinks that is important... We live for Him and Him alone. Our focus is to be one Christ..... In focusing on Christ, all of this world (as the song says) will grow strangely dim. Which will allow us to follow the orders that we are given...
Lets seek after Christ, to have a complete focus on Him, so that we will be so focused that nothing will distract us from following the instruction/orders that Christ give us.

cell

Romans 12:2 (NIV)
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world , but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will.


In Cell tonight we looked at this verse and talked about how we all need to be transformed to be more like Christ... Whether we see/know where we need to change, or not. This transformation is not anything that we can do it is only God that can do it in us... however we have to allow Him to do it...
Reading from the Message it says
"Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readilly recognize what he wants from you and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to it's level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you."
That is a Challenge... how often do we (i know i do at times), go through the daily activities, work, eat, sleep, sport, ect... fitting in with the way the world does things with out even thinking... we have been trained to live and act in certain ways in which corespond with the way the world does things... These need to be broken... we need to see things from God's view, we need to Fix our eyes on Christ, and let Him work in us, and bring the change from the inside... For that is the only way there is a lasting change.

Lord bring on change that will last, change from the inside..

peace...
Lux

Anti -poverty

On thursday I went to an Ecumenical prayer & reflection meeting for anti poverty.
it was one of the most structured prayer & reflection Meetings i have be to. It was good, tho.
I went cause one Of the guys from my cell was Sharing his 'story. from being on the street & now havin a place to stay and i wanted to Support him, he was really nervous. so it was cool to be there for him.

their was a NuMber of other cool things, that happened..
One of these was a prayer of confession, Which i'd Like to share -
Many things paralyse us, O God. There is dispar & fear, endless struggles for enough resources, Confusion & too many discussions Cause we'd rather stand still than make a mistake.
We often spend our energy Struggling over small things while the world groans in pain & the cries of the people are more than we can bear.
We Carry a heavy burden of guilt while you are waiting to forgive us & free US to lightness of heart &soul. the way seems hard & we are often weary, O God.
We come to youin humble faith, in weakness, smallness of hope, in vulnerable faith, we come before you, O God, and wait your renewing Spirit

praising God

Tonight I have just been singing the song Shout to the Lord by Darlene Zschech (the words are below). It is sort of an older song.... however as i was singing it i was just fully in God's prensence. The song is full of so much truth for me.... I want to praise Jesus all of my days, He is my comfort, shelter, tower, refuge and Strength.. I want every part of me to just praise God... Every breath praising God.... And when i see God's handiwork... whether it is nature, or the way He has worked in people's lives, i just want to praise and love Him more.
God has so many promises for me... and you.... there are a number in the Bible.... Check them out.... There are also promises that He gives us as the Church and as individuals that aren't in the Bible.... Ask God what His promises are for you... (I know some that He has given me, and they are awesome.... although seem a little scary..when i try doing with out Him)


My Jesus My Saviour
Lord there is none like you
All of my days I want to praise
The wonder of your mighty love.

My comfort and my shelter
Tower refuge and strength
Let every breath, All that i am
Never cease to worship You

Shout to the Lord all the earth
Let us sing. Power and majesty praise to the King
Mountian bow down and the seas will roar
At the sound of Your Name
I sing for joy at the works of Your hand
forever i love you for ever I stand
nothing compares to the promise i have in You.

love for the hurting

A quote from a friend..."I know that being part of the church, means giving and not just receiving.... but i just don't have anything to give".
Now this person wasn't taking about money, or time. The person was talking more about love. How often do we expect people that are hurt, angry, or who are down trodden to act as "christians" and love others when they have been beaten down and so much taken from them emotionally, mentally, even physically, that they don't have anything left to give. So how are they supposed to give.... How are they meant to get back to a place where they are able to give?
This is only through them receiving love.... love from God ultimately,and healing from God..... however we have a place to play in it God needs/wants us to love them beyond measure.... cause that is how he loves them.

The body of Christ.

Yesterday, i went to church, it was one of the local churches, only about 5 min walk away from my place. It was awesome... A lot of people were away on a church camp, so majority of the congeration was 50 plus and the service was short. However it was still good, God was still there... one guy shared how God had restored his hearing the week before, and there were 2 prophetic words given to 2 specific people.
Afterwards i got introduced to some people my own age, and they invited me for coffee. We shared what we did and the ministries that God has called us to. They then invited me to come to their cell, any time, when i needed my "batteries charged", or wanting to be refreshed.
It was really encouraging to meet some new people in the body of Christ, and learn more to encourage other parts of the body, and allow the other parts of the body to encourage me.

I plan on going back to that church, and build on the relationships that i have just made, and build the network of the body up around Adelaide.
Hopefully this blog made sense to you.
Blessings.
Lux

Jesus weeps

I was sitting at home tonight, and this guy walked pass my house.... However i heard him from about 100 metres coming up the road... over music....
This guys was yelling and cursing at the top of his voice, which continued as he went pass. As i was hearing him coming up the street and pass my place. i had a huge sense of sadness and compassion for him come over me... Also this guy was yelling out, being abusive from his hurt and his pain and Jesus knows his hurts and pains. Jesus knows all the little details of this guys heart/life and loves him, and weeps over him, Jesus longs for this guy to come to Him and hand over his hurts and pain, Jesus wants to take it from him and show him love and give him freedom.
Jesus longs to do this for all of us...
Jesus still weeps for Adelaide. There is so many people in Adelaide are hurt and in pain, however you just don't see it as much as in some other places. A lot of people here pretend they are ok, that they haven't been hurt. They bury the hurt, ignore it, until they become accustomed to it, and don't recognise it as hurt anymore, just a part of them. They don't see that this hurt has changed them. He knows what their full potential is, and that they aren't how He created them to be.
I know, cause i have done this with my hurts before, Jesus is slowly healing me of those hurts, and the behaviours that come from those hurts. Jesus has plans for my life, bigger than what i can imagine, and i say bring it on, bring on the healing. I want to be who He has made me to be.
I want to see the people of Adelaide living with Jesus, healed and set free, Lord please do it....

do not lose heart

I was doing my daily reading and reading from Luke 18, and the first thing that i read was
"Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart".
Which was awesome to read.... pray and don't lose heart. Even when you don't see the results, or see the growth, continue to pray, continue to be faithful. Don't be discouraged, but persistant... God hears your prayers. As i read the beginning of that chapter, i was reminded of when Daniel prayed and fasted consistantly for 24 days, before an angel appeared with a message for him.... It wasn't because God wasn't listening to Daniel, but that there was resistance in the spiritual realm which delayed the angel. Which is a good reminded that God does hear us, that sometimes there is just a resistance in the spiritual realm, that delays the response. Also sometimes the answer comes in a different way than what we were expecting it, so we don't reckonise it.
This was a great reminded for me, cause sometimes here at Gen1, i can start to feel discouraged, cause i haven't seen growth in our ministry. However, God reminds me that we are ploughing the ground and seeds are being planted. That we may not see it until the seedling breaks through the ground, then we will be able to see the growth.... until then the growth is hidden, but it is still there.
Lord grant us patience, and a faithful spirit


Lux

fire

The last couple of months I have had a number of opportunities to sit around a fire, and reflecting back on those times, I realized 2 things about fire.
1. It is captivating
There is something about fire that captivates people. People can sit for hours looking and staring at a fire. Even people that have "low constration span" have been able to sit and watch a fire, or drawn to play/poke it
2. Often people are more open, to share or be themselves. It is quite common to have deep conversations, or singing songs and also sit together without saying a word, around a fire.

This is what our lives and communities should portray. The fire of the Holy Spirit in our lives and our communities sould be captivating to the people around us, people should be drawn to us. And it should also allow people to be themselves. Also we are the ones to set the example of being open, and just being ourselves. There should be no need to pretend to be something we're not, or do things just to gain acceptance, or feel important. For God loves us all equally and sees us all as important. Therefore that is how we should see and treat each other. I know it is a challenge at times, but that is what we're called to do and it is possible with Christ's help


Lux

I missed the Australian night sky

I got back from Vancouver just over two weeks ago... And tonight is the first night I have been outside a city when it hasn't been cloudy and I can see all the stars..... While I was in Vancouver I missed seeing the stars, cause in Adelaide you can even look up at night and see a number of stars. I love to look up at the stars and star gaze. I marvel at God's creation. And they also remind me of how majestic God is and how big He is. For God is bigger than the universe, and holds everything in His hands. Also when I look up at the stars, no matter how I have felt that day or week, I have a joy and peace from God come over me. And it also gives me a sense of security and reassures me that God is here with me and everything is in His hands.

Lux

Beauty

Today I was heading back to Adelaide with two friends. They were doing the driving so I got to sit back and relax. As our journey continued I got to watch the sunset, and it just reminded me of God's beauty, and that His creation is beautiful, which includes us. God has created us and calls us beautiful. However we don't always receive that truth into our own lives, that alone speak it into another person's life, because we have been hurt and discouraged which often leave us with scars. And God isn't content with leaving us like that, He wants to bring healing into our lives, a healing that is complete, so that even the smallest scar is healed leaving no trace, except the lessons God taught us through them and through the healing He has done. Then when the healing is completed we are more beautiful than before, and more like Christ..

Peace
Lux