Nov. 05, 2013–Freedom from Fear

November 5, 2013 By

freedom from fearDo not conform 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.(Romans 12:2)

The peeling back of the broken layers of the heart is a process I am not sure will ever end on this side of eternity, but it is a process we must submit ourselves to in order to become the perfect bride of Christ without spot or wrinkle.

The renewing of the mind is a substantial thing.  It is not a momentary “bang” and it is finished and over.  Jesus died on the cross for our sins once and for all, but our minds are renewed out of the ‘old man’ and into the ‘new man’ on a day-to-day basis.

There are so many fears that entwine our hearts.  We are not even aware of many of them.  These fears have a way of leading us into compromising situations where we surrender the best that God has to offer us for inappropriate relationships and company.  Our fears have the power to trap us with the great swath of humanity that is headed into darkness and death.

The darkness causes shadows to manifest within our heart and shadows have a way of looking bigger than they really are.  Our hearts manifest any number of fears which empower our own hearts to compromise but also set fear in the hearts of others.

One person’s shadow is another’s brokenness and fear.  The sounds of fear that come from my own heart become the foundation of fear for generations to come.  If I am not set free from fear then it is likely that my own family members will be bound by the same fears.

But Jesus came to set the captives free.  He will set me free and he will set the generations that follow free as well.  The captivity of my heart is greater than I first imagined.  Even last night I was in the mansion of my mind and within it I saw shadows that set fear deep within me, but then the light was turned on within that mansion and I realised that my fear had no substance other than the sound coming as a cry from my brokenness.

Inside of my dream the lights came on and I began to wander into the rooms of my fear, where nothing was that fearful at all.  Within these rooms was plenty and even comfort.  I was surprised to see that hell did not reign within my broken heart.

God wants to unveil every secret shadow of your heart.  He wants to show you that there is no reality that is greater than His love and peace inside of you.  Perfect love casts out fear and love has a way of making us feel safe in our Father’s arms.  In fact love is one part of the arms of God.  When I am in God I am in love.  There is no difference between God and love.

Where fear reigns inside of our brokenness we must allow God to turn on the lights and expose the lies within us.  The truth sets us free.  Many times when God reveals the truth of our fears we are shocked to discover the unreality and the lack of substance of that fear.

We had convinced ourselves that our fears were menacing creatures that lived in our closets when in fact they were just thoughts that bound us.  When the lie is exposed the truth does come and then freedom like a rushing wave washes over our hearts.

I pray today that God will open your heart to His wise counsel.  I pray that He will expose the lies that bind you to every fear that has a hold upon your life, including poverty, loneliness, infirmity and lust.

Filed Under: Pastor Darren Canning

Nov. 04, 2013–It’s all in the java!

November 5, 2013 By

open the floodgatesBut we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.(2 Corinthians 5:7)

In yesterday’s DWOD, you read about our dear friend Drew Maxwell illustrating this verse with a generic coffee cup holding high octane coffee. He went on to say how the Holy Spirit is like the superior coffee poured out into us, the jars of clay.

Thus, we need to focus on the contents, not the container. When we get too focused on the rough edges of the container, we can easily miss the contents, i.e. Holy Spirit working through these unappealing, even repelling earthen vessels.

Today we want to address another danger of focusing on the container. This happens when Holy Spirit starts showing up in power and incredible miracles follow. Quite often, onlookers and recipients tend to give too much credit to the particular vessel through whom Holy Spirit is being poured out. Worse, the jars of clay begin to believe that they are the ones that make things happen.

Don’t get me wrong, God uses those who are submitted to Him in greater measure than those who are not. Holy Spirit apportions spiritual gifts as He deems fit and certain gifts tend to manifest in spectacular fashion more than others, e.g. healing.

However, the purpose of the container is simply to hold and pour out the contents to bring blessing to others. When someone forgets this or behaves as though they are the ones who are making it happen, look out! Often pride sets in and leads to a fall. Sadly, they, their families and indeed the entire Body of Christ pay a heavy price as a result.

This post is being written a few short hours after the conclusion of yet another day in the mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit known as Open The Floodgates, which has seen many outstanding miracles since it began on Oct. 18 in the Kitchener-Waterloo area of Southern Ontario.

Mark Redner, another dear friend of ours, is the earthen vessel that God has been using in this move of God. He is a humble man who goes out of his way to point out that this outpouring is not about him at all. The local leadership has been diligent in raising up a ministry team whom God has been using to bless those who come seeking healing and freedom as well.

Mark realizes that he is simply the Best Western cup holding Tim Horton’s coffee! He relentlessly points to the Trinity at work and refuses to take any more credit than simply being the gatekeeper who opens the gates for Father, Son & Holy Spirit to enter and do what they do best, while he gets out of their way!

What a great example he is setting for all of us!

Dear DWOD friend, your platform, in all likelihood, is not that of a revivalist. But, no matter the sphere of life in which you exercise your ministry and release your spiritual and natural gifts, you too need to be aware of this fact of the Christian life.

When God uses you to produce spectacular results and all around you want you to take all the credit for it, would you please point out that is the high octane contents that make your coffee cup look great? Would you humbly acknowledge that you are simply a jar of clay with the privilege of holding the treasure of the Holy Spirit?

May you, like Mark Redner, the apostle Paul and countless others, let the whole world know that it’s all in the java!

 

Filed Under: Pastor Jeeva Sam