Calvary Chapel Chat

Blessed Peace! Blessed Assurance! Blessed Faithfulness! Blessed Peace!

A few days ago I saw the most AMAZING movie. It is called "Facing the Giants".

God used this movie to change my life and direction in one fail swoop. I am going to try not to wax evangelical in too lengthy a fashion
but suffice to say that this was a big turning point for me.

Church today...brought up the rear (so to speak) in affirmation. LOL

The movie, which I am sure most of you have seen but if you haven't rent it NOW- (It is by the same producers as Fireproof I think)themed itself on "With God all things are possible"...and all the different ways you can say that. With God, what is impossible? When God is for you, who can be against you? Coming back against the odds because when you take up with God...when you throw in with creator of the very UNIVERSE, then you are in some RIGHTEOUS company. Literally and figuratively!

So the big epiphany which I already knew but somehow did not apply was that I have been acting as if God purchased this magazine and gave it to me. When really, He purchased the magazine and I TOOK it.

I bet my blood pressure has dropped 20 points since last night. I mean it.

Surrender is a funny thing. You can talk about it. You can TRY to surrender, but there is nothing like when you actually DO.

Through this movie and for the next couple days all I wanted to do was live for the Lord 24/7. I mean we all SAY we do that but I mean in every action...every word...every situation, experience, conversation. It has been the Living Water that the Word speaks of. I have not known this peace in eons. My WHOLE heart is free and my spirit feels JOY! UNSPEAKABLE! and I cannot hide it. I want to SHOUT from the rooftops...COME! Taste the Living Water!

So I was grateful, for this movie...that made me see that the burdens we carry our not ours but HIS and when we WAIT WAIT WAIT upon the Lord, great things will come. But the key is, even if they DON'T, it DOES NOT matter...your heart is filled with the one who quenches every thirst. A couple days ago, I had started the day a little sad...went out and got filled with the Chris Tomlin song that I posted in an earlier post (Everlasting God) and then finished up with Facing the Giants.

So it should be no surprise that when I waltzed myself into church today (which I nearly missed! Only Lauren made it with me!) that the first song was none other than..You are the Everlasting God, Everlasting God...) Well that was not going to be affirmation enough....Doug went on to teach about the Woman at the Well...and the LIVING WATER Jesus offered her.

He spoke of how we as Christians, choose to drink of every OTHER source than the Lord. He compared the living water that leaves you thirsting NO MORE to the stagnant water in a cistern, that we continually go to...and drink from...and end up thirsting again. He asked WHY do Christians do that?
I wished he had answered that why. Because I would actually like to know!

WHY do we continue to give back what God gives us? Forego the living water for the stagnant? WHY? Tasting what I have been tasting for two days leaves me with head shaking and I must confess, fearful that I will forego it again.

You see, I have build MY cistern to hold self strength. Not braggarty, self righteous self strength...but pure, unadulterated: I-CAN-DO-IT self strength. I believe that all our gifts if not in complete surrender to the Lord can become weaknesses and our weaknesses when in complete surrender can become great strengths. When my capability is not in surrender, I get pulling this train until I finally fall and it runs me over. But it never kills me. It just puts me out for a day or two until I heal and then I stand back up and pick up the yoke and start pulling again. OUCH. That hurts just to SAY it. So I have been drinking from the great stagnant cistern of "I CAN".

But not anymore.

I cannot stop smiling. I cannot stop praying. I cannot stop thinking of anything but WOW. Finally God can do with this magazine, networking group, family, LIFE what HE wills because I finally put down the pulling of the train (which is LITERALLY what if felt like) and stepped OFF the track and let God blow the thing on by with a bat of an eyelash.

I can rest now as I walk through each moment..asking God, USE ME Lord, GIVE ME THE WORDS, draw them to YOU Lord through your light they see shining through me.

He layed the magazine at my feet and said "What are you going to do with this?"
And I (tearing up now) steadied my stance, bent my legs, put my back into it and lifted it up...lifted up the train. I didn't cast a second glance but instead turned around...my back to God and started pulling.

It nearly killed me! Lol

But He had a plan. I wonder if He didn't let me do it because His plans are so great He knew I could NEVER do it so He waited until all the "pull" left me and I gave it up. For sweet, sweet Living Water...satisfying me and leaving me wanting NOTHING more than to follow Him around like a child wanting more, more, more.

I cracked my cistern of self strength today and pray I don't try to patch it up anytime soon. Will you pray that for me? Will you pray that I stay in surrender to the one who knows the love and desire in my heart to do nothing more to serve HIM and HIS people?

Funny how that is all I want to do...but even in that you can do it in your own strength.

I will start praying HEAVILY over the magazine...the advertisers...the people who read it. I will pray for the printer. The layout guy. Myself even! I will pray that God will keep this magazine in His favor to accomplish HIS purpose and to keep me diminishing and others flourishing. I pray He blesses this endeavor and purpose of my heart with His whole self that He might be glorified and you may all be witness to it.

I pray He bless the upcoming Christian Networking Group. I pray that He grow it and bring businesses and people who REALLY love the Lord and want to lift each other up and serve and thereby also getting blessed in return. I pray that CCOTL be Blessed to the Parking Lot and beyond and I stand ready to receive it as He wills it.

I thank God Almighty that He saw fit to release me from this bondage. I thank the makers of this movie and Chris Tomlin for being tools of their maker. I thank Doug and CCOTL who are walking through much of this with me in one way or the other and supporting the endeavors of this family. Who know my heart and motivation and weakness and stand ready to pray, admonish, advise, lift up, spur on and generally just show good old fashion bearing up.

Yep brethren, Surrender is a GOOD thing.

Something bothering you?

Ya'll should try it. ;)