I have been talking to the Lord about a certain season in my life.  In the past I have always seen the path for me or a long term plan.  This has made my life stable and given me boundaries that made me feel secure.  Recently in the last 6 months the Lord has been doing things very differently.

    I want to talk about Noah.  Remember him?  He was the one the Lord called out of the world and chose to preserve humanity through?!  He asked him to build an ark and to prepare for impending judgment on the human race.

    This calling and order from God gave Noah direction and life purpose for over a hundred years as he worked on the ark and prepared for the great flood.  Every day Noah knew what he was to do...work on the ark!

   He did not have to ask the Lord daily for His next order.  He did not wonder what the next day might hold as far as the Lord's calling and plan for his life.  He was set on a path and given vision that did not change until the assignment was fulfilled.

    This has been my life until the recent past.  "Go to Costa Rica and make a place for me.  Build me an apostolic base and bring revival to the land."   All my life has been spent in preparation of this and the last two years have been the beginning of the manifestation of it!  Praise the Lord.

    For 18 years I have worked much like Noah.  I have known what my life's goal was and every breath and resource has been assigned to the work.  But now I find myself in a new season:

    Consider Abram.  God called him out from among his people and told him to go to a land that He would show him.  So Abram packed and prepared for a journey to a new land.  He said his goodbyes and began to walk with all his belongings and servants and family.

    Every day Abram had to pray and consider God for the next step.  He had a general command, but no details.  He was not told where He would end up, how long the journey would be and what difficulties and challenges would arise.  He prayed and moved in faith daily.

    I am certain there where times He questioned the path he was on.  I am sure the enemy bombed him with fear and doubt about the voice he was following.  I bet he was like us and daily had to remind himself of the initial encounter with God and command he had received.

    My point is this:  both men loved and followed God.  Both of them had a relationship with God and yet both had very different experiences in their lives.  One received a 100 year directive and the other had to receive daily instruction.   Both realities are God.

    The bottom line is that we can not put God in a box.  He does what He wants and how He wants and our only certainty is that only through intimacy with Him will we finish the race victoriously.

   

    For me it seems the season of Noah has passed and now the season of Abram is mine.  I am instructed by the Lord for one or two steps and then find myself having to press into prayer for the next one.  I have experienced some stress and doubt at first, but then He brought me to these two men and their walks.  If you find yourself in a recent change like me, I just want to encourage you that it is God.  

AMEN

MIKE

  

Messages from Michael and Marcie

I was Reading in 1 Samuel the 8th chapter and the Lord began to deal with me on a few things.  I first noticed that the people of Israel came to Samuel with a legitimate complaint about their new leaders. They came to Samuel and this was right.

Samuel's sons were not like him and did not follow the Lord with the same integrity or purity.  They were unrighteous Judges and were a burden to the people.  They were not the kind of men that could be trusted with the leadership of a nation.

When they confronted Samuel they were right to do so and to ask for a change and intervention.  They saw what the saw and knew rightly the state of their spiritual leaders.  It is ok to see and know truth in any situation, even when it involves those in authority over us.  It is even right to seek intervention from a higher authority.

Until now the people were right.  When they said they wanted a king instead of this authority, they blew it!

What they said spiritually was not only do we want and need new leaders, but we want the whole system changed.  This was God's system and was established by Him.  They asked to trade a reality of God for a man made government and political system.  They wanted to be like everyone else (the rest of the world).

What an affront to the Lord who had established their nation and every law.  What a slap in His face to tell Him because His leaders failed in integrity and faithfulness, that they did not want Him in an intimate way.

The Holy Spirit said to me, "How many times have you done this to me?   How many times have you traded intimacy with me for a worldly way?"

I had to think about it and realized that I have done exactly this.  There were times I wanted to just do things the way everyone else does.  For example when money was tight to just work more or take on another job.  Or to just take certain medicines instead of praying and seeking His will first.  Or the worst thing I have done is pull back from true intimacy at times because of the hurts and betrayals church leaders and Christian brothers and sisters have caused me.

Many times I just decided what I would do when faced with a challenge, hurt or difficulty.  This is ok, if done in intimacy and submission to Him.  Whenever I pulled back and just solved my own problem, I later found myself in a position I did not like.

God told the Israelites what they would get if they had a king and traded Him for one.  My summation of it is bondage.  Read Chapter 8 for yourself and note how they would find themselves in the future.  This is not for us!

We can not allow anything to replace Him.  Do not let anything come between you and the reality of His love and peace.  Decide to push past every hindrance in your life that blocks you from hearing His voice in the secret place of your heart.   By talking to Him in truth and letting Him touch you by faith you will keep Him in His place as God.

Do so today, take time now to talk to Him and be real.  Then let Him touch you and speak to you.  It is that easy!

Love you,

MIKE