...Plain Upon Tablets

In Day 3 of Andrew Murray's The Secret of Intercession , Murray talks about man's place in God's plan. He starts with this passage: The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's; but the earth hath he given to the children of men. - Psalm 115:16 Murray goes on to talk about the perfect goodness, holiness of God's place, heaven, but also how we are to make sure His will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matt 6:10). It, like the other days of the book, are very brief, but in this day, his message is makes a powerful impact just like the first two: God has supplied us with an earth full for hidden potential and possibility and that God has instill man with the ability to uncover these hidden treasures and make the earth a better place for God's people. Intercession is one way in which we can begin to uncover these treasures. The more we conduct the "unceasing intercession of God's people" (15), the faster we will realize earth as it is in hea...

Intercession ~  prayer, petition, or entreaty in favor of another In Andrew Murray's book, The Secret of Intercession , day one focuses on intercession--its meaning and its importance in our lives. It's a rather short chapter, but there is a vitality to it, a read this now and act  feeling to it. At the end of the day one section, a question is posed: How are those who pray for others blessed themselves? When I think on this question, two verses instantly come to mind. 1 Corinthians 13:13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. Praying for others is the epitome of that love we are to give to others, share with the world. So often, it is easy to turn our cameras on ourselves, to get so focused on self that we forget...

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell[a] in the house of the LORD. Forever. (Psalm 23:4-6, NKJV) I read this, and I smile. I read this, and I feel happy. I read this, and truly, I fear no evil. And there are no words I could use to describe this verse and its impact on me. However, there is a song - "The Lord Is My Shepherd" - that has all of the emotions and description that I need.

"Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation." (Psalm 91:14-16, KJV) You want to feel the presence of the Lord. Read fully Psalm 91. I can't read through the whole passage without crying, without feeling abundantly blessed at just how good the Lord is to me...because I set my love upon him. Psalm 91 reads like a love letter, a love letter in which the one who holds our heart knows how much we love him and in response showers us with the truth of just what he will do FOR us because of our love. Not only will he loves us, but he sends angels to protect us as well. And in the passage above, we even learn that upon helping us through troubles and delivering us victoriously, he will honor us. In my whole life, there has ne...

"Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:19-20, NKJ) My first full day in Lubbock, a girlfriend and I went onto TTU campus and took pictures. In the distance, we saw a white guy approaching us. He slowed, smiled in our direction, waved, and kept walking by. We waved back. I saw the guy stop and tilt his head as if he were thinking about something. He turned, walked toward us, and said, "God told me I had to come back and talk to you two. He has great things in store for you both." My girlfriend and I stared at one another, smiled, and nodded. We expected this to happen. The entire drive to Lubbock and the night before we talked about my purpose for being here: the purpose beyond attending TTU. God had brought me here. There was spiritual work to be done in me here...

"If you believe, you will receive…" (Matthew 21:22, NIV) It's short and to the point, but it's effective. What's important to remember about this verse is what's not stated, what's hidden within that comma between believe and you . I liken this verse to another one of my faves that is also short and sweet: "...faith without works is dead." (James 2:20, NKJ) You saying, "I believe" is not all that's involved in truly believing. When you believe, your mindset changes. If you truly believe that you'll get that job or be accepted to that university or will be published, then that belief infiltrates your mind, your thoughts, and your actions. You begin to not only believe, but to think the belief is true... now ! You'll start putting forth the action that will guide you to the fruition of your belief. So in the end, if you believe -- and make your mind and actions coincide with that belief -- you will, in fact, RECEIV...

"And whosever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:27 (KJV) The Message version of the Bible offers this translation: "One day when large groups of people were walking along with him, Jesus turned and told them, "Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters—yes, even one's own self!—can't be my disciple. Anyone who won't shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can't be my disciple." I read this verse, and it strikes me, hard, right in the middle of my chest. It's one of the moments in a life in which there is a major decision to make, and it's a decision that will change your life completely. It is a directive that's not for the faint of heart. It's a directive, that if taken, means you know that there is something greater than everyone in your life, that there is something even far more greater than you, and because of this...

"So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most." (Hebrews 4:16, NLT) Yep. Life is hard. Damn hard. And the more you get on God's side, the harder it will be in some ways. Despite that, it's important that we look up and speak out to him, even if we're as down as we can go. The woman with the issue of blood didn't care what anyone thought of her as she reached out to the Lord and neither should we. If we need grace, if we need help, if we need a hug, a word of assurance, a love that surpasses all understanding, God can give it to us. As long as we come boldly.

"I have given you authority …to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you." (Luke 10:19, NIV) How strong should we be because of this verse? VERY strong. God has given us power to control the enemy so that we can keep our minds, hearts, souls, and spirits connected with God and the path he places before us. Even in the daily struggles and tragedies of life, we have the power to rise above our situations to claim the blessings God has for us. If you're going through today and can't seem to think of one reason to hope or believe, reread this verse until it runs through you like blood, becoming a part of you. Nothing can harm you as long as you have God on your side.

"Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me." (Micah 7:8, KJV) We spend a lot of time licking wounds. We fall, and we cry and bemoan and whine and complain about the incident too many times. Then, we spend an equal amount of time thinking about the incident, too. And though tears are not bad and talking about an incident isn't bad in and of itself, the problem only increases when we begin to think about others, the ones who expect to see us fall, who actually want to see us fall. When we start thinking about them , embarrassment, shame, and disappointment can filter into us, keeping us in the mess we've created. Whenever I read this scripture, my back straightens. I feel taller, stronger, able to conquer every and any obstacle that comes before me, and then stand and tell my enemies, my haters, "Yep, I'm back again because God got my back." No matter what befalls you,...

"…faith without works is dead." (James 2:20, NKJ) Short and to the point. We can't just bemoan and cry out to God and then sit and do nothing. Yes, we are supposed to get out of God's way, but nowhere does he say we should go take a nap and let him handle everything. We still need to move, to act, to walk in the path God places before us and conduct ourselves in a manner that is pleasing to God and that makes us ready to receive our blessings. Every time I read this, I have to ask, "What do you want me to do , God?" I want to be in constant motion - whether in prayer, thought, movable action - so that when God's ready to drop the blessings, I'm there to receive them.

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations" (Jeremiah 1:5 NKJV) I read this verse about six, seven times in a row the other day, each time feeling it in my spirit, in my heart, in my soul. It's an amazing testament to God's love for us. He gave us a position as prophet before our scream of birth echoed in a hospital's delivery room. He made us holy, he purified us before we grew inside our mother's womb. He knew everything about us, from beginning to end, before the union that created us even bloomed. How could we not feel like we are wonderful, we are something important to this world? When I read this verse, I know that I am somebody, have always been somebody before I even became a body on this earth. If that don't make you smile, I don't know what will.