FLOW - by Nona Freeman

APRIL 8, 2015-from Nona Freeman's book 'In the Bag':-
FLOW
We camped in makeshift quarters in 1952 while we built our home in South Africa. During an invasion of non-poisonous spiders (the size of a small fist), we became so weary of getting up at night to identify "something that crawled across my arm" or "on my face" that we bought the older children a small flashlight so they could conduct some of the frequently needed 'spider' investigations.
When the brilliant light in my face nudged me out of sound sleep, I thought a spider-hunter needed help. I opened my eyes to see a Being clothed in exquisite light standing by my bed. I trembled, immobilized by fear. 'Do not be afraid", a soft yet vibrant voice answered my distress, "I am a messenger sent by God to give you the secret of revival."
Disturbed by our ineffectual outreach to the lost, my husband and I shared a time of prayer and fasting that ended early in November. He left the next day for the Eastern Transvaal to visit a new church; I took charge of the service in the current tent meeting in an area called Claremont. The heavenly visitor came the following morning at 3:00 AM and said, "I am here in response to your cry for a Pentecostal outpouring."
He unrolled a large parchment scroll before me containing the words of Jesus in John 7:38; "He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water," The tremendous scripture before me did not prevent the intrusion of the carnal thought, "How many times we have used that text!" (we found it a significant introduction of the Gospel to first-time hearers.)
An unspoken chill of rebuke swept away my smug satisfaction, and my heart whispered, "Forgive my ignorance." The angel commanded sternly, "look at the scroll!" As I looked carefully, I saw one word become prominent....the word FLOW enlarged and appeared to be set with scintillating diamonds sparkling beautifully. "Last night, at the service at the tent, you sang of mercy drops and showers of blessings."
His voice gentled, "You preached about drawing water out of the wells of salvation with joy. You know, but you do not comprehend the limitless scope of the gift of God. Jesus wants to deluge you and the thirsty world with 'rivers' of His Holy Ghost Power. The will of God is not mercy drops or showers or even buckets full of blessings. It is torrential rivers of His Spirit constantly flowing through you.
You have depended on conducive arrangements, the 'right' atmosphere, your eloquence, your experiences and human understanding to mellow hearts and make them receptive to the gospel. You have worked long and hard to set the stage, bringing the service to the point that you consider 'ready' for the preaching of the Word - all in your own strength - and the results are extremely disappointing.
If you could only understand, it is not what you can do, but what He will do if you allow His Spirit to FLOW. Jesus is looking for empty vessels, empty canals, empty pipes, if you please, that He can pour Himself through without obstruction. That is HIS plan. The Spirit of God is not visible, but I will let you see it as a rainbow-colored light so you can comprehend its operation."
Suddenly, a church service appeared before me. The preacher spoke with great emphasis; one hand uplifted while the other one held the open Bible. I heard encouraging Amens! and Hallelujahs! from the congregation. The question came, "Do you feel the dead formality?" And I saw God's hand sweep the whole scene away. "It looked and sounded real", I thought, yet I felt something lacking.
Another service took its place. The preacher gave the same message with identical posture and gestures, but what a difference! A Victoria waterfall of dazzling light with the consistency of water, in the colors of the rainbow poured into him and flowed from his mouth and fingertips with each word and each motion. I saw the glorious phenomenon spread all over the church.
People either sat quietly or worshipped in graceful sincerity, while the uniquely lovely 'flow' swept through them to fill the church with the Glory of God. I noticed the welcome absence of a 'cheering squad' spirit. An arrogant man came in and sat by a smiling older couple. Without his awareness , the Spirit poured through the gracious saints and swirled around him, dissolving both his sneer and composure.
Soon, he pretended to cough for an excuse to reach for his handkerchief and surreptitiously wipe tears from his cheek. Forgetting his aversion to prayer, he leapt to his feet with a terrible cry, "I'm lost! My God have mercy on me!" He fell sobbing to the floor and stretched full-length in the aisle. The grey-haired pair knelt beside him and rejoiced as God took control of a newly surrendered heart.
The angel enabled me to see both inside the church and the surrounding area at the same time. I watched the amazing beauty of worship...no twisted faces, or wild body contortions. The ineffably lovely Spirit streamed through the worshippers and billowed over the whole neighborhood. I mused, "As this Holy influence spreads, hearts will be softened and lives changed without the blessed even knowing how it even came about."
I have long known that an evil presence can fill a house or town through a possessed person or people. Now I wondered why I had not realized that God's Spirit will work the same way through yielded lives. A woman wearing shabby house shoes and an apron tied over a shapeless dress, coming from the corner store, ambled down the sidewalk across the street from the church. She had a loaf of bread in one hand and a cigarette in the other.
The congregation sang a mellow, old song and the sweet sound flowed out in rainbow-hued clouds surrounding the woman. She stopped, and stood staring for a few moments, dropped both the bread and the cigarette and buried her face in her apron weeping, "I'm sinner...I need God!" Without consultation or an audible order, two women came from opposite sides of the church directed to a soul in need.
They embraced her as they prayed for her. Minutes later, they led her into the church while she glorified God, speaking in other tongues. As I witnessed how the Spirit changed lives, my soul cried a silent question, "What prevents the 'flow' of the Spirit in me?" The answer came gently. "A guise of spirituality and a mere profession of salvation are empty vanities without the 'flow' of the Spirit."
"I will name in everyday language the most common hindrances for you:-

UNBELIEF - FEAR
DISOBEDIENCE - REBELLION
JEALOUSY - BITTERNESS
HATRED - MALICE
STUBBORNNESS
LUST - COVETEOUSNESS
GREED - SELFISHNESS
ANXIETY - WORRY
JUDGING - CRITICISM
GRUMBLING - COMPLAINING
PRIDE – AMBITION –

THE DESIRE TO HAVE A NAME OF SPIRITUALITY
TEMPER - IMPATIENCE

These are the evils that block the moving of the Spirit through you. When the flow stops, you usually fall back on your own resources and 'make-do' instead of cleaning out the obstructions. Child, you must learn to repent often. Confess and overcome your besetting faults. Ask forgiveness frequently of others. Only the cleansing blood of Jesus can remove the barriers of your soul.
Whatever it takes, keep the Spirit flowing. Don't let obstacles pile up. A tiny seed of resentment can become a mighty force of evil if allowed to remain and grow. Understand that the Holy Spirit's healing flood will sweep away your insecurity, feeling of inadequacy, helplessness, fear of people, anxiety over change, uncertainty and any other unwholesome thought that springs up to make you unfruitful.
When the Spirit whispers the word 'flow', that's a signal that you must share what I have shown you. Wherever you go, encourage God's people to get the 'flow'. The value of receiving the Holy Ghost can be lost unless it is allowed to 'flow'. Get the FLOW! Get the FLOW!"
With the last vibrant "Get the FLOW!" my guest left. The light faded, though a translucent glow lingered for some time. I lay motionless until dawn, humbly thanking God for His incomparable mercy. My heart cry that night long ago is still with me. "I want the Flow!"

1 Corinthians 13 Christmas Version

 
Sharon Jaynes
Celebrating a Christ Centered Christmas
used with permission of
Moody Publishers

 

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I’m just another decorator.
If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family, I’m just another cook.
If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family, it profits me nothing.
If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir’s cantata but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.
Love stops the cooking to hug the child. Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband. Love is kind, though harried and tired. Love doesn’t envy another’s home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.
Love doesn’t yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way. Love doesn’t give only to those who are able to give in return but rejoices in giving to those who can’t.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust, but giving the gift of love will endure.

Merry Christmas and lots of love to you and yours!

Lesson - Turning Evil to Good

This morning I was on my way to HEB to get some grapes to take to work for an afternoon snack.  I pulled out onto the highway and I noticed a small red car coming at a very fast speed right behind me staying right on my bumper. I must have either pulled out in front of her unintentionally or was driving too slow for her. It was a short distance to the HEB shopping center parking lot so I  pulled onto the medium to let her pass.  Instead, she pulled up right beside me and gave me a hateful glare. 

She then pulled in front of me onto the medium, turned into the same shopping center, and stopped in front of the tanning salon.  'All of that just because she needed to tan', I thought.  She yelled something inaudible to me as I passed by. I was steaming by this time because I felt her actions were totally uncalled for and rude. To be honest, I wanted to yell back at her, "Don't you know those things cause cancer!" Instead, I went on in to HEB with the whole scenario replaying in my mind. 

Then I thought, I am not going to let the devil have this moment.  He is enjoying the anger and the frustration we both have put into this. Change your thoughts, change your life.  So I began thinking, she probably had a rough morning, was running late and wanted to get into the tanning bed before work or something. She is young and those things are important to her.  I was young once too.  The older shall teach the younger women, the Bible tells us.....  

So, I bought a greeting card, wrote a note apologizing for causing her day to start off so badly and that lunch is on me today.  I put $20 inside and sealed the envelope. When I got to the tanning salon her car was gone. The attendant at the tanning salon told me she comes in every morning, so I left the card with the words "Red Car" on the front and asked the attendant to give it to her when she comes back. 

Although I will never know her reaction when she reads my card, I hope that it makes her smile and her anger subsides. I hope that her day got better. And maybe one day down the road she will remember this day as a not so bad day and be able make someone else's day better too.  

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 I am not posting this to bring glory to myself.  I admitted my own malicious thoughts that wanted to come out of my mouth.  I am sharing this because we all have a tendency to react to situations based on our feelings at the moment, instead of considering what the other person may be going through. We all make mistakes. It may have cost me $20.00 but if touches that young lady in the way I hope that it does, it will be worth far more in eternity. 

 Genesis 50:20  "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to bring life to many people.

Jealousy does not have its own emotion

Trying to change jealousy and anger once you are in the emotion is like trying to control a car skidding on ice.  You can handle the situation better if you can steer clear of it before you get there. 

Jealousy does not have its own emotion.  You cannot see jealousy in the face of a person....... like you can pain or sadness.  You have to look at the other emotions attached to it..... like anger and resentment.

Jealousy and anger are emotional reactions to believing something in your mind that is not true.  By changing what you believe in your mind you can control these destructive emotions.

We become jealous when we focus on what we want, what we don't have right now, or we fear that we will never have it. Deep jealousy can cause you to even want someone else to lose what they possess. Jealousy can even arise when you compare your abilities to someone else.  When you  focus on what other people have and what you don't have, you will continue to have these dark emotions. 

The most basic and long lasting remedy is to have gratitude and appreciation for what you do have in your life.  To get rid of jealousy you have to suppress all comparisons to others.  You can develop a habit of jealous thinking or you can change that habit.  

Envy is counting someone else's blessings instead of our own.....  
Jealousy is a choice.  

Make the choice to change.

Fertilize

Our experiences are the fertilizer in our life. Most fertilizer as you know, stinks. No one wants to share their stink with everyone. But when it is placed in soil that is ready for planting seed, it can grow the sweetest fruit.

Our experiences become our wisdom. What we share from experience cannot be disputed. It was a personal, is was real, and it was life changing.

Our greatest ministry is birthed from our deepest pain. Ministry does not have to be behind a pulpit. Just sharing your experience can be the most rewarding of all ministries because God turned your test into a testimony.

Why Do We Gossip?

I wish I could say I have never gossiped but I can't. I had a relative who was known for being a gossip who knew everything about everyone who passed by their house. I never wanted to be like that. Instead of judging that person, I should have been praying for them, because to my own shame, I found myself listening and repeating gossip just as they had done. After one such time when I was caught up in something I had no part of, I was so grieved with disappointment, that I isolated myself from friends and family because I did not want to be tempted to listen to or repeat any form of gossip. I felt the less I knew, the better off I would be.

We gossip because it makes us feel important, we feel we are in the thick of things that are going on. Or sometimes if I was offended by someone I would rehearse their flaws or failures because it made me feel justified. I have gossiped because of Jealousy, foolishly thinking someone else's blessing has lessened God's supply of blessings for us.

I never thought about why we gossip until someone was hurt by my tale bearing. It gave me an all too clear understanding of how our words can wound someone.

So, learn from my mistakes, if someone comes to you with any information that does not involve you personally, suggest that before they say anything, they go to the person that offended them. We are to cover and honor those around us whether or not we feel they deserve it, just as God's grace covers us.

Be blessed by being a blessing today.

A Time .... To Prune

There are times when you want to be free from where we are.  You are ready to move on.

But sometimes, you are grounded where you are because God has some pruning to do in your life. He has to expose some unhealthy emotions so that you can deal with them and learn to control them so they won't get you in trouble for the next season. 

We keep pushing on that door, begging God to open it and let us through, but God's time never expires, it is always perfect.

God has to fix the inside so that you won't be carrying around the baggage that would hinder you from doing what He has planned for you.  He protects us from ourselves and from others that we could possible hurt if we were allowed to do something premature.

Trust Him.  Know that He has your best interest at heart.

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you, "says the Lord, plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster to give you a future and a hope".