REFORMATION

"This is what the LORD Almighty said: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil in your hearts against each other.'" (Zechariah 7: 9-10)

"Thus says the LORD: “Keep justice, and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed." 

(Isaiah 56:1)

"for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” (Isaiah 56: 7b) :-)

"Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." (1 John 3:18)
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 The Mother of all Reformations: The Love Revolution

What's True Religion? It's all about relationship. "It is our destiny to live in intimate relationship with God, knowing the depth and delight of being loved by Jesus, our Bridegroom God and, in turn, loving Him with all our hearts. The Holy Spirit is restoring the first and great commandment to first place in the Body of Christ." (Passion for Jesus, IHOP) And out of this love relationship with The Giver, to receive His great love and to share it with others, to let it overflow. To fulfill the second greatest commandment.

So over the course of last year, Simba returned to "Pride Rock"- God set me free by His Spirit at Prefall    Leaders Retreat and He filled me with joy. He also gave me My Voice back. The freedom to use my voice to share what God put on my heart. But I wasn't satisfied. I was thirsty for more. More of His love. Intimacy. So I did a fast to seek Him more. And at the same time "the powers" didn't like that I was using my voice and trying to spread the freedom that God had given me so the opposition I faced was all the more reason to chase after God like never before. As I sought Him more, brokenness and all, He revealed more of Himself. As I surrendered my brokenness to Him He healed me, He renewed my mind and filled me with more of His love. Then when I went back to share it with the rest of the fellowship the powers still did not permit me. But that was where I went wrong. God had given me authority to speak the words He had given me to share and to proclaim freedom but I was waiting around for permission from man and it never came. In fact I got the opposite, opposition. So God told me to rebuke the powers which I did and nothing changed. So God told me to make the rebuke public to serve as a warning for others. And even after that nothing changed and I got rejected. The powers told me that the only way to "be reconciled"with the rest is when I stop being black, stop being myself, stop obeying God and stop walking by the Holy Spirit. So basically the powers wanted to enslave me again. And I couldn't go back into slavery and stay silent as I saw others oppressed as well. (If you didn't catch what I was saying, God wants to bring reformation and revival to the church but the leaders who were holding onto the past and not following the Spirit's lead brought opposition. posts: Who Cares? Colors of the Wind Let My people Go! Are you comfortable yet? What is the church?)

So when Fall quarter came about and I wasn't Simba anymore, I was Nala. My role was to go into the desert and search for the Simbas and show them the way to Pride Rock. But I didn't really get that at the moment. I was still trying to fight for reconciliation in the fellowship but the powers wanted none of it. So I was distressed, alone and depressed. But in my lonesomeness God's love shone through but I felt guilty enjoying it by myself. So I was restless for most of the quarter. (post: Journey)
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So I failed in my Nala role in the Fall so when Winter came I was determined to give my all since it was my last quarter. But once again I failed to die (the only way to love deeply. Vulnerability) What stopped me this time? Seeing the disunity (and apathy, lack of compassion) in the church just really gets to me :'( and also issues with self-worth/identity (issues with receiving love).

Me: So you want me to be myself huh? Just walk into a community that doesn't know me or one that knows me and is satisfied with what they know/don't know and be like: "Now that I'm here we need to change how we do things." You want me to express myself huh? Just walk into Impact bible study in tears and be like who cares what you had planned. You don't know me but I need to share what's on my heart. I need my brothers and sisters in Christ to stand with me in prayer right now. I need you guys in my life (outside of this room). It really bothers me and saddens me that I don't know you guys yet we're a small enough group to really get close to each other and to share each other's burdens (everybody not just your accountability partners or with the leaders).... You want me to burst in tears when I see my InterVarsity friends who are not in my life anymore even after I tried initiating with them? You want me, while at HQ, or anyone else's house that I've invited myself to, when asked how I'm doing, to breakdown and pour my heart out in the midst of their funtime/ busy time? You want me to burst in tears at BSU or any other event as I share my testimony, my longing for friendship and most importantly as I tell them their real identity found in Christ. So you want me to interrupt my roomies daily drill to pour my heart out to them? So you really want me to be myself when that means interrupting people's lives and being an inconvinience??

God: Yup. First thing, I want you to remember who You are. You're a reformer. So yeah, being yourself would mean bringing reformation. And that passion, that emotion, you've been hiding is what they need to see. Watch the clip below. You're taking this thing way too personally. It's not about you. It's all about Me. Yeah your heart is tender and all you want is to love and to be loved. That's why seeing the disunity wrecks you. And that's why I want to use you coz it wrecks Me too and through my Spirit I am restoring the greatest commandment, LOVE, to it it's place; FIRST place. So yeah just woman up! and just LOVE. LEAD! I want you to introduce the whole new world that's coming (read the book of Acts to get an idea).

Second, I didn't say it would be easy and yes, nothing will be given to you. Listen to this song: ♫ Sometimes you gotta go uninvited, sometimes you gotta speak when you don't have the floor... long before you could run the risk, You were born for this! ♫

Me: Yeah, yeah I know you want me to lead and be a pioneer and all that. You said that in the "What's your name?" and "Love each other"  And I finally took the first steps and went into the desert and I had soooo many opportunities to lead there but I didn't take them. Why? It just sucks being the first, feeling judged by the people who are meant to give you support, yeah no one cares to know me or know me more and I'm just meant to force myself into their lives??? Also since it was my last quarter I was holding back my love...coz I felt like it was too late and I was guarding my heart to keep it from breaking.... But you're right... WHO CARES?! if no one wants to know me more coz I'm meant to be making YOU known. And if I'm not sharing You, the passion that's within me, then I don't blame people for not caring to know me coz I'm pretty boring without You. You are what makes me come alive. ....Oh yeah, I know you want me to be vulnerable, to express the compassion You put within me.... but yeah I guess I still have issues with me... I feel like I'm not worth people's time... I don't want the spotlight on me. I don't want to take over the conversation...I don't want to dominate. I want invitation but I never get it... And then I don't want to be a burden so I don't share my burdens... but then that's really dumb coz not only do I remain unseen and unloved but I also prevent myself from loving others which is a scheme of the devil.... and at the end of the day it's like I might as well be invisible, I might as well not exist if I'm not being myself (sharing my heart, sharing my life, sharing God's love) because to fail at Love is to fail at life :( No I'm not having a pity party. I'm just saying the truth. But it's also true that I've really grown and through my failures I've now learnt what's in the way from my goal of dying to myself. I wish I could go back to SB in the Spring to apply it coz I've been a terrible friend since I let my insecurities get in the way. So I started the quarter in tears and ended in tears. Yeah I can still love my friends but I just made things harder.

God: Yeah I want you to love like My Son but don't be discouraged just keep your eyes on Him and keep pressing on towards the mark. And you're never alone. I am with you and my grace is enough for you. My love is all you need."No matter how weak or strong you feel, regardless of your previous failures, irrespective of your personality, you can be ablaze with passion for Jesus." (Passion for Jesus, IHOP) Listen to this song.

(2/13/2013)

♫ How loud are the drums of war? ♫ "The LORD will create a New thing on earth--a woman will surround a man." ♥ Jeremiah 31:22b ♥ Usually it's the other way around, a man (seen as strength) surrounds a woman (seen as weakness). Behold! a New thing! A woman (represents Compassion) will surround a man (represents Justice) and silence the drums of war (there shall be Peace). ♫ Love is not a fight but it's something worth fighting for. ♫ LOVE conquers ALL =) ~~~I'm learning that ALL I need to do is show this weakness. To Let Go and Let Love Flow ~~~ #Freedom! :D #ThankGod! :)

A great revival's coming. A revolution. And it's already begun. A wave of reformation and revival is sweeping through.

I left SB without applying all I was planning to apply but I won't live in regret. God is still on the throne and it's my prayer that He may fill us up with more of His love so that we can love like He wants us to. We are the revolution! Let's rise and shine! =)

Related posts: Self-Esteem, Misfit?-> Revolutionary, REAL Identity, REVOLUTION.
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This post's really whinny. Just sharing some of the thoughts that go through my head. Yes I fail but I'm glad that I serve the God of all hope so I'll keep my eyes on Him and surrender all my cares to Him. He begun a good work in me and you and He is faithful to bring it to completion. Yay God! Do Your thing! A New thing! =)

WATCHMEN

"I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth."(Isaiah 62: 6-7)

Listen to this sermon:  The Divine Setting of Intercessors by Mike Bickle if you can. Below are the notes I took from it. I took notes coz it was timely confirmation God was giving me last year for the things He had put on my heart. In this post:

• Who are watchmen? Intercessors. Worshippers. Messengers.
• The Weapons of spiritual warfare: The Word, Worship through music and the arts, Prayer and fasting.
• What is the cry of the watchmen? What's the "New Song" being released?
• Application: A Call to Watch! - Time to seek. A call to pray. A call to fast.

Who are Watchmen?

In the Old Testament, like in the Scripture above, they are described as intercessors. They will never be silent day or night => they'll ever be praying. They remind the Lord of His promises (Isaiah 60-63). Their job requires persistence and perseverance.

• Luke 18- The Parable of the persistent widow. vs. 1"Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. " Luke 17 is about the coming of the Kingdom of God. Through these parable God's saying: Though it seems like I'm not listening, I will answer speedily. So keep praying until the second coming. He also poses the questions "When I return will there be faith?"- will there be people agreeing with Him? Praying for justice.  "I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?"(Luke 18:8)
• Isaiah 62:6 -> I have posted/set-> Sovereign commission to individuals. He marks them. He convinces them. 24/7 prayer ministries rising up- a sign of the times. 2012- The year of prayer for the body of Christ. Church planting movement- New prayer meetings. This is the generation of the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecies- So many houses of prayer are being birthed.
• Ezekiel 22 - God is looking for intercessors to build a wall -A spiritual wall. To stand in the gap between God's grace and holiness. Grace and judgement.  A wall of intercession- To remind God of His promises. *Ezekiel 22: 30- “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one." 
• Ezekiel 13- False Prophets called out. vs. 3 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! 4 Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals among ruins. 5 You have not gone up to the breaches in the wall to repair it for the people of Israel so that it will stand firm in the battle on the day of the Lord...10 “‘Because they lead my people astray, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash, 11 therefore tell those who cover it with whitewash that it is going to fall. Rain will come in torrents, and I will send hailstones hurtling down, and violent winds will burst forth. 12 When the wall collapses, will people not ask you, “Where is the whitewash you covered it with?”
• Worship- we declare who God is and/or Intercession- we declare what He said He will do. Both =>Agreeing with God. "Hephzibah"(Isaiah 61: 4) = my delight is in her. The watchmen must be anchored in the fact that God delights in us. Have to have a revelation of God's delight in us.

Ok. That's it with the notes. Watch this short clip for summary plus a bridge from the last post, Jesus is our mighty Intercessor. "Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us."(Romans 8:34b)

♫ Let the Watchers become Warriors let the men of God Arise! ♫

WaKiE! wAkIe! WATCHpeople!!! Are you standing at your post on the wall or are you sitting on the fence? It's time to RISE and SHINE!!! =)

"Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me." (Ezekiel 33:7)

So watchmen have the gift of prophecy. God tells them stuff/ shows them stuff not just for the purpose of intercession but also to warn people. If you read the rest of Ezekiel 33 they are held accountable to people's lives kinda. Well their job is to share the Word God gives them to share. You've heard the saying, with great power comes great responsibility. Well it's true. God gives the watchmen the ability to not just see the future but the power to change it's course -or deliverance of some people- by speaking life (intercession and giving warning to people). This takes total abandonment to God (laying our whole lives before Him and following Him all the way) and courage.

Watchmen are called to be warriors coz lives are at stake and they are fighting for Truth, Love and Freedom. But:"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:4-6)  What are the weapons of spiritual warfare then?

• The Word of God- Speaking the Truth.
• Intercession- Praying, fasting, praying in the spirit (tongues).
• Worship- Praising God for who He is through music: song, playing instruments and dance.
• "New Song"- Songs inspired by the Holy Spirit about God's attributes and/or what He is going to do based on His attributes (prophetic songs). This is a super-powerful weapon coz it's a combination of all of the above.

So what's the cry of the watchpeople? What's the "New Song" being released?
The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! "to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God" (Isaiah 61: 2a)

1. The Day God acts is at Hand- The God of justice is about to shake things up and turn things around. Redemption!

"Justice is turned back, And righteousness stands far away; For truth has stumbled in the street, And uprightness cannot enter. Yes, truth is lacking; And he who turns aside from evil makes himself a prey. Now the Lord saw, And it was displeasing in His sight that there was no justice. And He saw that there was no man, And was astonished that there was no one to intercede; Then His own arm brought salvation to Him, And His righteousness upheld Him. He put on righteousness like a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; And He put on garments of vengeance for clothing And wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle. According to their deeds, so He will repay, Wrath to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies; To the coastlands He will make recompense. So they will fear the name of the Lord from the west And His glory from the rising of the sun, For He will come like a rushing stream Which the wind of the Lord drives. “A Redeemer will come to Zion,And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,” declares the Lord." (Isaiah 59: 14-20)

A great earthquake is coming to the West coast of America. There will be a great shaking and great awakening. When I first shared this people thought I was crazy and it wasn't even my vision, God gave Paul Benthin a vision of an earthquake in IV then revival happening after that (post: Listen with your heart). God gave me lots of confirmation in Scripture (prophecy) like the one above and in Revelation. And after that I got tons of confirmation from various sources. Like the visions the team from YWAM shared at IV Church. God gave them numbers: 80 million people in America coming into the Kingdom and 200,000 being sent out into the nations (revival happening and spreading throughout the world) post: The Harvest. And God told them to share this at college campuses on the West coast coz that's where revival will start, an earthquake will hit and it will spread across America and throughout the world. God gave me lots of prophetic words for "2012" and He later told me that they refer to the Hebrew year that started in September 2012 and overlaps into 2013. Times are changing!! Exciting!! 

♫ God take back the years that the enemy's stolen, Lord You are coming with a holy visitation. Sound the alarm. Awaken the watchmen. Open their ears. Let their voices be loud. We prophesied, You'll come to this nation. Touch this generation with a holy visitation. ♫

♫ We sing. We dance. We lift up our voices: Let Your Kingdom come down! ♫

2. Jesus, the bridegroom, is coming soon for His bride (rapture)
"Pass through, pass through the gates! Prepare the way for the people. Build up, build up the highway! Remove the stones. Raise a banner for the nations. The Lord has made proclamation to the ends of the earth: “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your Savior comes! See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.’” They will be called the Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord; and you will be called Sought After, the City No Longer Deserted." (Isaiah 62: 10-12)

Winter break of '12 God gave me this song: Sound the alarm: The King is coming back. He's coming for bride - All dressed in white. He's coming for His bride -Pure and refined. Sound the alarm! I recorded it in the video below. (God gave me more revelation about what the rapture is coz it's not what most people think, in the post: To be human again and I have more confirmation links there too.)

APPLICATION: A CALL TO WATCH

So in the old testament the post for watchmen was for some people that God set apart for that work. They enjoyed intimacy with God, like Moses spoke to God like a friend. And it is out of this friendship, this intimacy (close relationship) that God shares His heart with them. But when Jesus came, the mighty intercessor, the veil that separated the commoners from the holy of holies was torn so we now have access to intimacy with God!!! We are just about to enter into a whole new world. God is about to pour our His Spirit like He never has before "No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest." (Hebrews 8:11) So it's time to seek God like never before. It's time to wait on Him for the gift of His Spirit. His Spirit will help us get to know God better (intimacy and Wisdom), fill us with God's love (which will enable us to love God with our all and love others like Jesus did). God wants us. He loves us. Out of intimacy He will share His heart with us and give us the spirit of prophecy and spirit of intercession. So let's ask God to prepare us! Related posts: Time to seek, A Call to prayer, A Call to fast. 

The Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25: 1-13)

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

“Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

“‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

“Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

“But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour."

This video I made is my prayer. Lord prepare us to be a sanctuary for You! Dear friends lets fast and pray and seek God with all our hearts. His love is all we need. And His Spirit will guide us into all truth. A 40 day fast has been called starting April 8th, 2013. Here's the video if you wanna see it {the messages are in a series so you might want to watch the previous videos if you don't get that one. If you want. It may not be your style so you can take it from me. And please seek God for yourself about everything you hear from others). I know it sounds scary but there's various fasts you can do, like the Daniel fast. And God really does sustain you - His Word becomes like food. You can read this post for more info- Daniel Fast that's the first time I fasted for that long. Let's be set apart. God is singing over us: Come away with Me!

(Hosea 10:12)

"Sow righteousness for yourselves,

reap the fruit of unfailing love,

and break up your unplowed ground;

for it is time to seek the LORD,

until He comes

and showers his righteousness on you."

Feel free to share comments or questions.

Peace and love, Charlene :)

GOD is

Hey :-) In this post we are gonna look at some attributes of God which will help explain how He acts and how He is soon to act in the near future.

God reveals Himself to people in various ways. Check out 1 Samuel 3: 21, "The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, and there He revealed Himself to Samuel through His Word." So yeah, God reveals Himself to us through His Word and He can also appear (or speak) to people through visions, dreams and other supernatural experiences (such as people dying and going to heaven/hell then coming back to life). And also through natural experiences (Nature/creation itself testifies God's attributes- And it's a pretty powerful testimony for those who take the take the time/ are still enough to listen. I know coz God used nature to reel me in. You can read about my experience in section c of  The Bubble post) and also through our life experiences. 

Here are some attributes we'll look at:
1. God is Love.

2. God is Holy.

3. God is Faithful.

4. God is Righteous.

5. God is Just.

6. God is Gracious.
7. God is Merciful.

God is Love so all the other attributes stem from His Love. I think this verse captures this well. 

"Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, its jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it." (Song of Solomon 8:6-7a)

Uhmm, I don't know how I'll go about this... so let's look at how He reveals Himself to us through His Word (aka Jesus aka God the Son aka The King of Glory).

 Who is this King of Glory?

1. The Mighty Intercessor/ Mediator

"The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel." (Colossians 1:15-23)

-Wow! Great passage! So yeah God is Love that's why He created us with free will coz love that is forced isn't really love. We were created for relationship with Him. But the first humans chose to reject God's perfect leadership in the garden of Eden by falling for the temptations they faced (post: Beauty & the Beast :Prologue) And because God is holy our sins separated us from Him (broken relationship) and because He is just He had to give us the punishment we deserved (by choosing not to follow God, the Source of Life, we were choosing death) :( So that sucked for everyone. But because of God's great Love for us He sent Jesus to break the cycle, to reconcile us to Himself by taking our punishment upon Himself. That's just how much God loves us!! And it's through Jesus that our relationship with the Father is restored! Yay Jesus! Thanks God! =)

2. The Lion and the Lamb. King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

So that's what the New Covenant (testament) is about. It's not about the Law (following a bunch of rules) but it's all about Jesus (relationship with Him and walking by His Spirit). The Old Testament foreshadows Jesus. He is the fulfillment of the Law. Wait a minute! So did God change in the New Testament times? NO. God doesn't change. He is still Holy. He is still righteous and He is still just. He hasn't lowered His standards. Then what has changed? The times have changed. God sent Jesus as a demonstration of His love and faithfulness to us and He extends His grace to us (giving us time to repent- to return to Him through relationship with Jesus).

And once again times are changing. These are the last days as described in 2 Timothy 3: 1-5. "As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man." (Matthew 24:37) In days of Noah the earth was full of corruption and violence (Genesis 6). And God, being a God of Justice and holiness had to act. And once again we are living in such days and God is going to act. Not just out of His Justice but also out of His Love and Mercy. You see, the Kingdom of Heaven is coming! It's almost restoration time (Jesus is coming back as a Lion. As the King of Kings and Lord of Lords)  and by then there won't be much time to repent so that's why God wants to shake things up to awaken us before it's too late. Watch this for more insight on how these days are similar to the days of Noah and what was it about the days of Noah that caused God to act the way He did. It includes the nephilim. The devil's schemes. -> The Day of the Lord is at hand!

*Hebrews 12:22-29*"But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”

"Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, its jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it." (Song of Solomon 8:6-7a)

"But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Colossians 5: 8-9)

Watch this clip. That's the Full Gospel. Let's put on the Full Armor of God :-)

"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you, Jesus. Heaven must receive Him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets." (Acts 3:19-21)

So after I got baptized by the Holy Spirit I wasn't the same after that. I experienced His love, freedom, joy and He started giving me messages to share with people (the spirit of prophecy).  This was the first spontaneous song I received (song from the Spirit) back in the Fall of 2011. I recorded it right then coz I had a feeling I was meant to share it. So yeah, it's not for the musical quality or lack thereof lol but for the message that the Holy Spirit is sharing with us. Let's surrender our all to God. He loves us so much!! He wants to have a relationship with us; intimacy. He wants to set us free and fill us up with more of His Spirit of Love, power and Wisdom which we really need for the exciting times we're going into. Let's choose to soar with Jesus! Yay!:)

Love ya! Feel free to share your questions/ comments/ prayer requests. God bless!  :-)

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 

(1 Thessalonians 5:23)

Related posts: MAJESTY and REVOLUTION.
IV Church was going through the attributes of God in their Upper Room meeting so you can check out this audio about: God's infiniteness. "In this first teaching on the attributes of God, Erik reminds us that the reason we want to know the attributes of God is to know Him better. God is too big for us to imagine – this is his essence. God does all things infinitely, which defines his character. Lucas shares on the pleasure that comes from knowing God; since He is infinite, He can infinitely satisfy us with more of Himself."

REPRESENT!

(1 Peter 2:9)

What's LOVE got to do with it??? Uhm, it has everything to do with everything. Can I be honest? So I came back this quarter with the goal: to love my heart out. And yeah I took some risks but then I held back and procrastinated giving my all. Why? It's like I've been waiting for a change to happen to make it easier for me to love (You know, so that I don't have to inconvenience others by being the one to initiate). But I've realized that the change that needed to happen was within me. It's like I've been waiting for the right time. But I've realized that Now has always been the time. It's like I've been waiting for permission /approval/ invitation. But I've realized that the platform is... my life. And I already have the approval of loving Heavenly Father and the freedom from Jesus the lover of my soul. My goal for the rest of my time in SB: Just to rest in God's crazy love for me and let it overflow :-) Hahaha I'm soooooo loved and so are you! :D Peace ♥ :) #March7th2013.

"I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained my lips, as You know, O Lord. I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your steadfast love and Your faithfulness from the great congregation. As for You, O Lord, You will not restrain Your mercy from me; Your steadfast love and Your faithfulness will ever preserve me!" ♥ Psalm 40:9-11 ♥ [My prayer. My aim. His Story. His Glory]
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Oh wow I had so many opportunities this quarter to be honest. To share my heart. To be myself. To share The Truth and The Love that was just wrecking me on the inside and looking for an outlet to overflow. But NOOOOOOOOO. I held back. I wanted to be known first. Yes I stood up and yes I spoke up. But I wasted the opportunity by sharing some useless facts about myself, "background info" while leading up to.... well, I never got to the point yet the point was The Whole Point. Dear Lord, help me to die to myself. That I may share Your Love and Your Truth in the opportunities You give me whether or not people know me. Give me the heart of a servant. Make me more like You Jesus. I want to represent You not just on facebook but with my whole life so help me be courageous. In Jesus' name, Amen =) This song is my prayer :-) (P.S: Thanks God for Your grace and patience with me. Thanks coz though the road ahead is narrow and aint going to get any easier, You are with me and You are all the strength I need. So fill me up with more of Your Love! =)

My Exodus Cry

I bought this new water bottle from the Exodus Cry team when they came to screen the Nefarious documentary back in Spring but I didn't start using it till Winter break. When I started using it I got excited and I wanted to blog about it lol. Why? Because it has this mouth valve that makes drinking fun coz you have to bite it when drinking and the valve also increases the amount of water intake. So... you drink more water plus it's more fun than using ordinary water bottles plus it has a great message on it which helps spread awareness. So why is that so blog-worthy? lol and BEHOLD! It made me think of some verses below.

{What is My Exodus Cry? It's my cry for FREEDOM. My Cry for TRUTH. My Cry for REALness. My Cry for MORE. What's "2012"? It refers to the Hebrew year that begun last September so it overlaps into 2013. It's a year of changes.}

Exodus Cry 1: Out of Egypt into the desert -New Wine. New Wineskins. "Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."

This is my cry for the Church (the body of Christ). My cry for renewal. For revival. We need to be refreshed by the Spirit. We need to be filled with God's glory. More of His Love, Power and Wisdom. More of Jesus. We really need more because like I said, this is a year of changes so "more" is not a supplementary option for some but a requirement, a necessity for the preservation of every believer. Check out these posts for more details: Pimp My Ride and The Kingdoms. Stuff's gonna go down in the kingdom of the world. Lotsa deception coming our way. But the church will not just be preserved but we will soar if we have new wineskins coz God's about to pour out the new wine!! So yeah we need the baptism of the Holy Spirit (aka new wine aka Full Armor of God) to be prepared so that we don't fall for the false teachers/teachings coming and the anti-christ and his false prophet side-kick that are about to rise. And it will be more fun living lives of love and power like the apostles did in the book of Acts and like Jesus did when He was on earth plus He told His disciples that we would do greater works than He did.  It is really important to be prepared. Here's some confirmation I saw the other day: Spiritual Avalanche Warning. It reminded me of my Let My people go post. Church we need to wake up from religion and seek what it's actually about,... relationship. The desert season is the time to get it right. Time to wait on God for the gift of the Spirit. Seeking God more and learning to trust Him more... to trust Him fully (to love Him with our all).

"The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I havecome down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey —the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites." (Exodus 3:7-8)


Exodus Cry 2: Out of the desert into the Promised Land

So Egypt is luke-warm but the desert is hot and cold (both the oppressed and the freed deliverers are there). The oppressed have been crying out and God heard and sent deliverers to stand by them. So my cry is for unity among the deliverers and for breakthrough. My dream: UNITY! {Diversity + Equality. Real Love. Deep Love} Mark 11:171 Corinthians 12: 21-26, Acts 2:42-47 :)  Related Posts: Real Identity, UNITY is brewing up!.

In short, my Exodux Cry is for all to see the Truth (be set free) and for those who have seen the Truth to see the whole Truth (to walk in freedom). This prayer is for me and you! :)

So... I lost my Exodus Cry :/ physically- my water bottle- and also metaphorically - my voice :( mid-quarter. My goal was to walk in freedom and spread the Truth and love but the fire died down because of procrastination, distraction and selfish self-defensiveness. I was "killing me softly" instead of quickly dying to myself in order to live life in it's fullness. I had lots of opportunities to be a light while in the desert but I didn't take most of them and for the ones I did, I just gave half my heart  and now I have like a week left :( Why is it so painful to love? I'm re-learning to be vulnerable and to initiate with the friends I already have. The main reason I've been holding back is because it's hard for me to place myself in people's lives because I feel like I'm not needed there so I distance myself but that keeps me from expressing the love I have for them and so it's a selfish move (Stinkbug symptoms) and also since I'm about to leave it's easier to for me to just guard my heart and not pursue the depth I want. But God is soo gracious and He is soo much bigger than my failures. He will finish the work He started. I'm seeking Him for refreshment. Lord please free us up, fill us up and send us out to spread Your love. In Jesus mighty Name, Amen.

Deliver us to the Promised Land! =)

Me singing: There is Power in the Name of JESUS to break Every Chain!!! There's an army rising up to break every chain!! =)

There can be miracles when you believe. I'M A BELIEVER!! :D

Love Each Other

What does LOVE look like? 

Today the song below popped into my head. It's by a group I used to listen to when I was a kid, "Acapella Children." I think it's amazing how when you sow the Word of God into your heart whether through reading it, hearing it from someone or through music, God brings it up when you need to hear it again. He was reminding me what He taught me in the post: Love Me.



Love Each Other
Words and music: Gary Miller © 1994 Anthony K. Music (ASCAP)
Lead: Ellie Miller

Lyrics:
Love when it's hard to be loving
The world is a lovelier place
Be a friend when it's hard to be friendly
The world wears a friendlier face

Be the spark that ignites the love fires
Be the light shining bright
Oh, be the first to provide an example
Be true, pure and faithful

Chorus 1:
Live like Jesus, serve each other (love each other, love each other, love each other, love each other)
They believe us when they see us (love each other, love each other, love each other, love each other)
Love each other (let them see the love that you have), love each other (caring and sharing and)

Care when you don't feel like caring
The world starts to show that it's caring
And share when you don't feel like sharing
The world opens up and starts sharing

Be the spark (be the spark) that ignites the love fires
Be the light (be the light) shining bright
Be the first (be the first) to provide an example
Be true, pure and faithful

Chorus 2:
Live like Jesus and serve each other (love each other, love each other, love each other, love each other)
Lovin' and lovin' and love one another
They believe us when they see what we're doing (love each other, love each other, love each other, love each other)
We're lovin' and lovin' and lovin' each other
Love each other, love each other

Love will save the world (love is a power from God, saving power for man)
Love will change the world

Love (love) when it's hard to be loving
The world is a lovelier place
Be a friend (friend) when it's hard to be friendly
The world wears a friendlier face

Love (when you love), really love (really love) each other

Scriptural Reference:

"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you."-Jesus. (John 15:12)

 

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(6/10/13) A Prayer of Compassion

Lord, open our eyes that we may see You in our brothers and sisters.

Lord, open our ears that we my hear the cries of the hungry, the cold, the frightened, the oppressed.

Lord, open our hearts that we may love each other as You love us. 

Renew us in Your spirit.

Lord, free us and make us one. 

Amen.

-Mother Theresa

God loves people more than anything :-)

SWORD of the Spirit

Sword of the Spirit=
WORD of God.

 {Lessons from John Piper}

<If> Love Hates + Peace Fights <then> Make War!!!

Genuine Love must Hate (hate what is evil +that which destroys+hate sin) and Peace-Makers must Fight 

(it may look like it's against flesh n blood but it's really against the principalities that enslave).

Therefore, Make War!!! against all lust in ourselves, all enslaving desires, against indifference to injustice. The only foothold the enemy, Satan, has in our life is our flesh and our sin.

There's a mean streak in Christianity & it's not against anyone but ourselves; it's against the meanness of           ourselves against others. 

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 The Past 

The above was in my drafts from Summer and the original name of the post was "Make War." So last Spring, God was calling me to do something that I didn't want to do because I knew what the results would be. He told me to be myself and to use My Voice to expose the disunity that existed in the fellowship. I knew that it would lead to me being misunderstood and rejected which is why I didn't want to do it also because I knew that the Truth would hurt so I didn't want to expose it to protect some people's feelings. But God told me that it was inevitable and I had to do it if I loved Him and if I loved my friends because it would be worth it in the end. In my Shakespeare class last Spring, we were reading Richard iii and God spoke through the lecture. Yeah that's random and funny but it was like a prophetic word I needed to hear right then. I can't find my notes :/ but it was something like: though Richard is obviously a dark character throughout the play, the war he caused at the end (which he dies in) is in a way what paved the way for "Richmond being crowned King Henry VII. Promising a new era of peace for England, the new king is betrothed to young Elizabeth in order to unite the warring houses of Lancaster and York." (Sparknotes) So through that God was confirming to me what I had to do: make war (things will be ugly and it would lead to death of self) to make peace (in the end there would be unity). It's not a fun role to play but someone had to do it. Before, I was trying to get everyone to do it, to fight for Truth and Love, but I realized all it takes is ♫ one man ♫ to start something (check out this song by Pita (Praise in this Age), David Nkennor, a Nigerian artist: One Man)

“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn “‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’" (Matthew 10: 37-39) Guess who said this?? JESUS. Yup. You see that's what His Word does. It tears you apart first (coz whatever you were using to hold yourselves together is shallow and temporary hence fake) then it mends you together with the real stuff.

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)

"It's better to be divided by truth, than to be united in error. It's better to speak the truth that hurts & then heals, than to speak a lie that will comfort & then kill. It is better to be hated for telling the truth than to be loved for telling a lie. It's better to stand alone with the truth, than to be wrong with a multitude. It is better to ultimately die with the truth, than to live with a lie." ~Adrian Rogers. 

This was Sho Baraka's performance at the Believers Conference a while back. ♫ I got the Word on my lips, the Word in my heart... reading that Word, living that Word, digging that Word... I got my pride on low and my faith on high (shield of faith) .... ♫                          

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The Present and The Future 

So when I bring up the past when I talk to people they're like, "well that's the past." And it yeah that's right, it is the past. But the point of bringing up the past is to learn from it in order not to repeat it; to change. And I also hear, "Well InterVarsity is different now... new people, some new staff...." But the thing is the messages I shared is not for an organization it's for people. So if you look at the people from last year nothing has changed. There is still disunity... I don't think you get what I'm saying so let me shift gears...

Present: Disunity. Future: Unity. I went to Beatrice's and Chris Barcelon's prayer meeting. I got there late and they were praying for Nigeria. They prayed over various issues facing the country from this cool facts & prayer request book for missionaries. I just prayed for Nigerian students at UCSB and America for God to build them up in their identity and to guide them into the destiny He purposed for them. Then right after Tarra prayed for the Nigerian community in America, against racism. And she prayed for the Nigerian church... "that there shouldn't be any sects in the Church but that the Nigerian Church and the White Church would be brought to complete unity. That it would be like Acts 2 where all the believers had everything in common." I found it interesting that she prayed this... more confirmation, also because it's so easy to see what the problem is when looking at others and harder to recognize when the problem is among yourselves. Get to the point Charlene. Ok I will.

Remember in the previous section when I said that my role was like that of Richard: to make war (expose disunity) in order to pave the way for unity among the warring houses of....? Well let me explain that... What is disunity? I have exposed that in a number of posts such as Colors of the Wind, Let My People Go and Who Cares? But still nobody cares, it seems. So I think a better question to ask is what is unity? Unity, which has been the main goal and application for the messages God gives me for the Church at UCSB, is what is described in Acts 2. People sharing their lives (their "natural" lives as well as their spiritual lives). Do read Acts 2: 42-47 for yourself. So that's unity. People from different ethnicities treating each other as family, God's family and loving each other deeply in truth and with actions. Now look around you. Look at the group of friends you hang out with. And then now answer this question: Is there unity in the fellowship, multi-ethnic InterVarsity? Is the unity in the Church at multi-ethnic UCSB? Is there unity in multi-ethnic America? Is there unity in the multi-ethnic world??? If you are finally admitting that the answers to those questions is NO! Then What are you doing about it??? Why are you comfortable with the disunity in the fellowship? We need to Make War! against fakeness/shallowness (if the love aint deep, it aint real) and unequal concern. It's time to divorce the darkness (anything that keeps us from pursuing deep/real love with others and keeping us from loving God with our all). Children of the light (that's who we are), arise and shine! Arise and love! Check out this video I made. If you are wondering why the great revival God promised us hasn't happened yet, that's because it starts with us, the church. On an individual level and also God wants us to be united in His Love coz that's what it's all about: Loving God and Loving others. So yeah let's love each other deeply. As we do that a great revival shall break forth then God will send us out to spread the Love! Oh and I'm not talking about years from now. This year. This hebrew year (started in September). Yay! Revival! God please revive our hearts and bind us together with Your Love. In Jesus' Name, Amen!  =)

I'm behind on blogging so I have other stuff to share in my drafts that I should have posted before this one. But I did this one first for InterVarsity... to let you guys know that I love you all. I don't hate any Staff, I just had to say what God told me to. And The Word is not against them, it's for us all. I didn't abandon you guys, God was re-directing me to reconnect with "my people"- my family and the black community on campus and He was working on me - I was a broken mess and He wanted me to remember who I am- He's still at work though. But yeah, I still wanted to be a part of your lives not just confined to seeing each other at certain events. I can't take surface-level stuff anymore. My heart craves depth. I want to know you more. To love you more. Yeah I'm leaving soon but I still want to care while I'm here and we can always keep in touch. K, love you guys! (whoever reads this) Peace! :) 

Application: (If you didn't catch it go back and Read Acts 1 and 2) Last week at Impact Bible study the topic was community and we talked about the Acts 2 church and here was some questions were left with:

1. What can keep us from forming close relationships with other Christians?

2. What is one action you can take this week to begin to overcome those barriers?

3. Can you think of any of your relationships with believers that aren't as they should be?

4. Identify one or two those relationships, seek, reconciliation, or just take an active step to improve them.