An excerpt from my book, Eating from the Lord's Table (order a copy here):

DAY THREE

On Mount Carmel, God showed up with holy fire like never before.

He showed Himself alive and well so that even the false prophets

had to fall on their knees and cry out, “The Lord, He is God! The

Lord, He is God!” (1 Kings 18:39) That is the kind of fire the world

needs to see again. The unbelievers and scoffers need to know that

in the midst of all these religions, there is One True God that still

answers by fire. Once people see the moving of God Almighty, you

won’t have to beg them to come to the altar for 30 minutes; You

will no longer have to convince them of the truth–it will be evident

and undeniable. Just as the resurrection of Jesus was sure and

unquestionable, for Luke started the book of Acts stating that Jesus

showed Himself alive “by many infallible proofs” (Acts 1:3). The

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines ‘infallible’ as “incapable of

error; not liable to mislead, deceive, or disappoint; certain”1. Now is

the time of infallible proofs. How can you get to that point in your

life? How can you pray and be certain God will show up in mighty

power? One prerequisite for holy fire is rebuilding the altar:

1 Kings 18:30—Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near

to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the

altar of the Lord that was broken down.

Before the fire can fall, we must rebuild and reestablish the broken down altars. We must bow our knees once again and put our faces

to the ground. We must cry out to God and lay on the altar of God’s

mercy once more. We come humbly to God’s throne where sin is

dealt with and reconciliation with the Lord occurs. This is where we

are washed of sin and wrong mindsets are forever changed.

Gimmicks and fads in the church just won’t work. You have got to

rebuild the altar.

Remember, what you experience in your private prayer closet will

show up in your public ministry.

Prayer

Lord, Abba, Comforter, Keeper, Wonderful Counselor, we love

You. We long to stay in constant communication and

companionship with You. Reveal any deception in our lives. I pray

we never be deceived by ourselves, the world, or the enemy. Open

our eyes to any sin we need to forsake. Keep us, Father, as the apple

of Your eye and hide us under the shadow of Your wings, in Jesus’

name, AMEN.

Notes from my heart - February 17, 2009

Found this entry in an old journal of mine and wanted to share -

Tear stained sheets - evidence of God's goodness - Thank you Lord for delivering me from the constant ripping of my heart - every time my heart was torn a little more - hot tears were released on my pillow - my mascara that I had relied on to get myself some attention - some affection - just a small glimpse of love was now running down the tip of my nose. I searched so hard for even a hint - just a shadow - a fleeting mist of some sort of evidence that I was worthy of love. What's wrong with me? Why has this mascara washed off along with my self worth - trickling slowly on my sticky pillow? I just wanted to be loved - I just wanted to be affirmed. How could I feel more lonely with someone in the house, than I feel now - all alone?

The reality of God's continual presence is made manifest now. My pillows are dry. My heart is being sewn up, piece by piece by the gentle hand of the Holy Spirit. I no longer have to grasp the wind in hopes of affirmation. God, my Lord, my Friend has held me close every night. He has rubbed his strong hand through my hair and told me over and over how beautiful I am - No need for the mascara, the tanning bed, or the high heels. In my PJs, with crazy hair and bad breath, my Beloved Jesus still looks at me face to face and whispers so gently with all his heart:

"I love you, Nikki"

Then I became in His eyes as one who found peace.

(Song of Solomon 8:10)

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Prayer of Jabez: (It really works!)

Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!

Hide and seek with the Lord

Where do you keep your precious items?

In the dog's bowl?

Or in the cat's litter box?

How about the dirty laundry hamper?

Most people keep precious things in a special place. Things that are of value to you are usually taken care of and strategically placed where you know you could find them easily. Usually it is a hiding place where you wouldn't expect thieves to look, since it is of value to you, you assume it would be valuable to others as well. The Lord Jesus said a few facts concerning hidden treasures and Kingdom of God recounted by his disciples in the gospels:

Matthew 11:25 NIV

At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.


Matthew 13:35 NIV

So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: "I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world."

Matthew 13:44 NIV

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.


The Lord hid gold in the earth at creation and men have risked everything in pursuit of this great treasure. Some gave up their very lives with the hope of finding this precious metal.

How much more should we seek after the treasures of heaven! And I will let you in on a little secret of where those treasures are hidden.....

in PEOPLE!

He whispers secrets to those who diligently seek after him, like a man seeking for great treasure of enormous value - and those secrets are treasures from heaven!

God is THE BEST at "hide n' go seek" because he hid his treasure in LAST place people would look for kingdom of heaven - IMPERFECT PEOPLE!!! This is the last place people would look because this secret doesn't belong to those who give up easily! All those who want the fast food version of God's secrets will not find them. Those who want to understand for selfish reasons, or evil motives will not keep looking long. These treasures belong to the diligent and not the faint hearted-those who recognize the value of the Kingdom of God and will not give up easily in the quest, in the pursuit, but who press in to cross the finish line strong.

And I can promise you that continual seekers of these treasures will not be disappointed.

Happy Seeking!

Realtionship tip for the day

When you begin to get frustrated with someone, take a deep breath and begin to to speak out loud all the things you are thankful for about that person. Once you've reminded yourself that this person is not your enemy, then figure out why you were frustrated and decide if in the big scheme of life, does it really matter? Is it something that can just be overlooked? Then live and let live! Live, laugh, and love! You know for sure you are definitely over it when you can laugh out loud at what you were frustrated about!
A good proverb to live by:
A relaxed attitude will prolong your life.