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It was a hard time. We had just returned from my mother-in-law’s funeral on the West coast. Aside from the family emotional “releasing” of Nana, we were also dealing with leaving our home base in Iowa. God was calling us into a new season of ministry elsewhere which clearly involved family, but the details were yet to come. Once home, we settled in again to work on sorting and packing, only to receive a phone call that Nana’s husband had just passed away. Again we had to stop what we were doing and quickly book flights to return to California. I had been up for so long I fell asleep as soon as we boarded our first flight. It was then I had the vision.

While almost asleep but still awake I was startled to see a column of light suddenly appear right in front of me. A voice said ” It’s time to go”. Instantly I was traveling at breath-taking speed through the atmosphere. In seconds I was transported to what appeared to be a beautiful mountain meadow. The sun was beginning to set and the night air was becoming quite chilly. I lamented my gloves were packed inside the cranberry colored suitcase. No sooner had I thought that, I turned around to see my suitcase!

On a clear night, the mountain sky can be a spectacular display of twinkling lights and falling stars. Such was this night, however it had also become extremely cold. The thought of how I would stay warm was intercepted with a voice saying “help is on the way”. I was not alone. I turned and found myself staring into the eyes of a very large wolf.

Neither one of us moved. Then he turned and started to walk away but then came back. After repeating this a couple of times, I felt to follow him. We went deep into the forest; I could barely see him. Suddenly we came to a small clearing with several wolves. As the wolves encircled me, i was amazed I was not afraid. All I remember is being snuggled up in warm soft fur and had a most delightful sleep.

The rising sun sent streaks of rose-colored light across the tree tops. Suddenly the morning stillness was being shattered with voices shouting. As I wandered out of the clearing several people rushed over to me. They asked how was able to be there – so far from where the plane had crashed.

We still had 2 hours of being in the air. The plane landed safely in California. I’ve thought about the vision and the revelation the Lord gave me  He is assuring me that He will never leave or forsake me. He really is my Deliverer…the One who rescues me. He also reminded  me that He is Supernatural and able to use any means to protect and provide for me. We must have discerning and not judge by what we see. The key is in hearing His voice and obeying His directives. The vision is both an encouragement and warning. We are increasingly stepping into a time where hearing and obeying the Word of the Lord will mean the difference between life and death.

Maybe your “plane”, meaning a job, marriage, dream, whatever…has crashed. Take
heart and be encouraged to call out the Lord. Believe He delights in you and will hear
your cry. He truly will make a way where there is none!

“I will say of the Lord, “He is my Refuge and my Fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.”
Psalm 91:2

THE CHALLENGE!

Be challenged with these words:  EFFECTIVE CHRISTIANITY.

Something effective is something that WORKS…that makes a difference…
that PRODUCES the desired result.

What impact does being a Christian have in your life or upon others?
If we profess to be Christians, shouldn’t our lifestyle be a visible witness to others
of the presence of Christ in us?

In NATURAL life we expect to see a BABY grow and mature into an ADULT, functioning to contribute in some way to the good of society.

In like manner, our entrance into Christianity begins spiritually with NEW BIRTH. As we purpose to be “followers of Christ”, we should expect to become increasingly more LIKE JESUS both in character and works.  This means Christianity, “genuine” Christianity,  has to work FIRST IN OURSELVES before it can be seen to be effective CORPORATELY and of some benefit to society.

1 JOHN 3:8 tells us that Jesus main purpose was to DESTROY the works of the devil.   That includes everything that deceives people and causes them not to be heirs of salvation.  We also need to note that JESUS didn’t seek to fulfill His purpose through condemnation but “went about doing good…” (Acts 10:38) He worked hrough LOVE, knowing it is the very goodness of God that leads a sinner into REPENTANCE.

Looking at our own lives can we see we are EFFECTIVELY LIVING and ACHIEVING the purpose of Christianity? We can busy ourselves with many spiritual paths and exercises.
However, at the end of the day, we must ask ourselves what is the FRUIT of our worship, prayer, Bible study, etc. All these things are good disciplines but must be taken to the next level.

New Birth in Christ is a BEGINNING….we should DAILY be growing in our KNOWLEDGE
OF GOD and be INCREASINGLY FILLED with His Presence and power. We should look to become mighty sons and daughters of God, and know that we are alive at such a time as this present age TO DESTROY the power of satan and his works of darkness! What a high calling God has given us!

Our FALLING SHORT of this mandate, ie any lack of effectiveness, can be attributed to our  unwillingness to YIELD WHOLLY to God. Wholly meaning exclusively!  To TRUST ONLY  in Him…to give Him COMPLETE CONTROL. Anything less than this will cost us. God’s power and Presence in us is DIMINISHED to the degree we rely upon OURSELF and our POSSESSIONS.

The world’s emphasis is on SELF. Unfortunately, the more we focus on ourselves, the more we become self centered and open the door to VANITY and PRIDE.  Contrary to popular thought, God does NOT help those who help themselves. He invites us to co-labor with Him. We, being less powerful, are to be yoked together with Him, the all powerful One. When we accept this invitation, all heaven works to back up God’s every Word and promises!

Scripturally, here’s the bottom line:
GALATIANS 2:20
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

EFFECTIVE Christianity will become a reality in our lives only when we truly DIE TO OURSELF, and ONLY CHRIST lives in us.

Many “self-help” books instruct us how to yield to the Spirit of God; to squash our flesh; to deny our own desires for the good of others, etc. However, unless we actually do these things, and allow them to shape our lifestyle, they are of little value.                                     

The realization of effective Christianity being a life style, is totally connected to the Word I recently shared a couple weeks ago:

2 CORINTHIANS 5:9
“Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.”

Dying to self is living to PLEASE GOD in ALL things…to LOVE HIM MORE than anyone or anything….to LOVE HIM with ALL our heart… ALL our mind…and, ALL all our strength.
It a decision to live in obedience to God’s Word wherever we are.
When we live to please the King, everything is tempered by His LOVE and MERCY.

THE CHALLENGE: Are you an effective Christian?  How much of Christ lives in you?

Oh the joy of being able to shout IT IS FINISHED! For several months I had been diligently knitting a baby blanket for our newborn grandson. Knowing baby’s come in small sizes, I thought a blanket would be a simple project for an inexperienced knitter, such as myself.

Deception comes in many ways. With prideful confidence I left the knitting shop with a huge shopping bag filled with 13 balls of 2 different colors of yarn, 2 different sizes of needles, and a pattern book with delightful photos of adorable infants wrapped in or wearing “simple knitting projects”

I launched into knitting the blanket’s basic border with great enthusiasm. From there I discovered my “simple project” was actually a complicated herringbone type pattern. Stitches varied in increase and decrease from row to row. This was definitely not something I could work on in public. The stress of keeping 221 stitches in order was not what I had envisioned. The worse part was discovering whenever the pattern had become wobbly and not knowing why. It seemed unfair after so much tedious work to be confronted with a major decision. Should I unravel row after row, find the problem and correct it, or just keep working? After all, this was a baby blanket, not something to give him when he was 14yrs old. Besides how concerned would a tiny baby be with my knitting imperfections?

The finished blanket was to be approximately 42″ square. Somehow my mind had not calculated how big that would actually be. This revelation alone was enough to make me want to over look the pattern irregularities and just keep knitting.
However, it soon became apparent there are no shortcuts….unintentional decrease or increase of stitches, if not corrected, resulted in an hourglass shaped blanket. It didn’t seem right to wrap the kid up in what was looking more like a hot dog bun than a blanket.

Somewhere along the way – in the tedious backtracking to correct my mistakes, a particular bible verse came to my mind. PSALM 139:13,14

“13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

Wow – suddenly I had a picture of our heavenly Father, carefully knitting each stitch (ie us – an Image of Himself) with unwavering precision, and securing us in our mother’s womb. My knitting experience gave me a revelation of how precious the time of our conception is and a deeper understanding of the love with which our Father united His Spirit with our flesh. The perfection with which He created us was far beyond what I hoped to achieve in my blanket!

Finally, the pattern was completed and blanket was finished! What looks like an ordinary baby blanket is priceless in my eyes. It represents untold hours of knitting, correcting, and re-knitting….truly a labor of love! How much more the significance of Jesus’ victory on the cross when He cried out “It is finished.” I can almost catch a glimpse of His excitement and passion ….knowing the destiny of each one of us whom He knit together, that He was even willing to give up His very life!

Know today how precious you are to your heavenly Father!
“Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love. . . ” Jeremiah 31:3

Are you among those who faithfully give to your local church or charity, yet never receives any increase in your finances? Unless you understand the principles of giving in the Kingdom of God, it is easy to become a frustrated, disillusioned grumbler, and completely quit giving. When that happens, because of lack of knowledge, you may be deceived to think the Word of God “doesn’t work”.

The truth is God is a multiplier and gives the increase, but everything He is does is according to the order He has established in His Kingdom.

In MARK 4 Jesus teaches a fundamental law of the Kingdom through the parable of the sower and seed. In the context of giving, the seed sown here is money. Verse 14 warns us that as soon as the seed is sown (money is given), Satan comes immediately to steal that seed before it can produce a harvest. He’s worried about this because in verse 18 Jesus says the seed will yield a 30, 60, or 100 fold harvest or increase. Be assured, the devil does not want us to prosper and use that money to advance God’s Kingdom on earth.

We are instructed in MALACHI 3: 10 to bring our seed, a tithe of 10% of all we receive, into the storehouse. If we are obedient to do this, God will open the windows of heaven and bless us beyond what we can even contain! Plus, He PROMISES to rebuke the devouver (Satan) from stealing our seed. The Lord Himself will protect the harvest or increase of what we’ve given.
The Lord further backs His promise up saying “And try Me now in this…”
This is only place in whole Bible the Lord tells us to test Him on His Word.

Now here is the key to receiving. There is a difference between a tithe and an offering. When we give just any amount to the Lord and it’s NOT the tithe, it’s an offering. For example if someone blesses me with
$500 my tithe would be $50. But then if I remember I need a couple things at the grocery store, and only give the Lord $25, it is an offering. I just
missed my harvest! There was no return on my giving because the promise is only connected to the tithe, not the offering.

God doesn’t change. His Word is forever valid. That is why the Lord says in verse 7 “you have moved away from My ordinances and have not kept them.”
He takes it further in verse 8 and says “Yet you have robbed Me.” God can say that because everything we have is really His and He’s looking for us to
acknowledge His ownership with our 10% return. In fact, we honor Him when we tithe. In Proverbs 3:9 He again speaks of the abundance that results from our giving.”Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the first fruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.”

In verse 14 it seems as though He already heard us complain “It is useless
to serve God; what profit is it that we have kept His ordinance…”
Understand more is happening here than satan stealing our money. The devourer is out to destroy our faith in God’s Word because faith releases the harvest!

Read Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” If satan can put doubt in our mind, our faith will be weakened. Doubt will affect the degree or measure of faith we put behind our giving.

The good news is we are not with remedy. God has given us the solution ahead of the problem. In verse 7 the Lord tells us “return to Me and do what I say”.

The returning speaks of repenting. To repent is to change how we are thinking. We have to rethink this whole thing, and understand it isn’t not about being under the law. Tithing began long before God gave His laws to Moses. It actually began as act of gratitude, acknowledging God as the Possessor of both heaven and earth.

In Genesis 14 Melchizedek, King and Priest of Salem, blessed Abram with bread and wine to refresh him after returning victorious from battle. In turn, Abram blessed Melchizedek with a tithe of all he’d retrieved from the enemy. Right after this (Genesis 15:1), the Lord comes to Abram and tells
him not to be afraid, that He, the Lord is His shield (protection) and
“exceedingly great reward”! Talk about payback!

As we return to the Lord, with our minds renewed with Truth, and do what He says to do, He will do all He has promised us. Surely the abundant harvest will follow!

Never mind the snow…our wonderful dog, Stella, had been confined indoors too long.

As a type of sacrificial love, I grabbed her leash and together we headed out, making our own trail in the fresh snow. While Stella was exuberantly sniffing through the snow, my mind was still wrapped around Psalm 66…”Come and hear”…and I will declare what He has done for my soul…”(Verse 16)

Everyone who comes into the kingdom of God has a testimony of how they encountered God’s love. My mind was fixed on the magnitude of God’s love, poured out through His Son Jesus, for all the sins (past, present, and future) of the entire human race. What an overwhelming thought. It was like a sea of blood – the sins of the world- in an instant had been washed away by the radiance of God’s love and mercy. At that moment the scripture came to me (Isaiah 1:18)
“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow…”

Suddenly, I realized this was no ordinary trail Stella and I were on; the brilliant white snow, was a glistening trail of God’s Glory! This was the same glory as when Jesus was transfigured on the mountain. It was then I saw the sign – Route 66.

The understanding is the Lord not only wants us to see what He has done in the past, He also wants us to be witnesses of how He is moving in our midst today. The more we walk in obedience with the Lord, the more we will experience the glory of His presence – and Route 66 then becomes the highway of holiness in Isaiah 35.

I have a new perspective and appreciation for snow now. It is a visible reminder of the extravagant love and mercy of God. Stella seems to enjoy the snow more now too 🙂