Radical Children

A few months ago,
I believe the Lord brought a brief, but very strong awareness to my mind.
It was unbidden and something of a surprise.


During our snowed in New Years Day, I was relaxing at home working on a jigsaw puzzle. Dave was watching one of those Asian movies about a little boy who was born to be the saving Kung-fu force of a nation in peril. [Not my kind of movie, actually.]


Strong thoughts came to my mind:
~ This generation of young people will be called to intense and even dangerous action for the sake of the Kingdom.
~ Our children will be fierce and faithful warriors.

I believe God will be giving gifts of prophecy and words of knowledge to young people.
Parents will be challenged to fully entrust their children into God's hands.
They must not hinder them.


I have heard prophecies that God is going to use unexpected sources, like children and prisoners, to have great impact for the sake of the Kingdom of God.

God will be working through non typical sources of wisdom.

I believe this is part of our journey into deepening faith, and being able to discern the voice of God. Many people will be led astray by "typical" sources of wisdom. People who claim to speak God's words, but are not.

If you find yourself uneasy in a "Christian milieu," seek God. His Spirit in you may be urging you into discernment. Discernment is not critical in nature; put on compassion and choose to walk in the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, kindness, self-control.


Again, I have no idea when this time for radical children of faith will be.
But it does tell me I need to pray for these young ones and their parents, and for the churches that are nurturing their relationship with God and preparing them for these future days.

Lord, prepare our hearts for such a day when children will be instrumental in the battle between good & evil.



"The Lord says, 'I will make an agreement with these people. I promise that my Spirit and my words that I give you will never leave you. They will be with your children and your grandchildren. They will be with you now and forever.'" Isaiah 59:21

The Lord says, "I will make you wise. I will show you where to go. I will guide you and watch over you." Psalm 32:8

It's About Being the Body

This entry is for those who asked me for more details. . .
~how I'm hearing the Lord's leading,
~what kind of confirmation has there been,
~how I'm preparing for emergency food storage.

Please understand, I am not assuming everyone should be storing food.
This is not about survival;
this is about the Body of Christ being in a position to bless others.

What are you to do? Seek Him.


REFUGE
Almost 17 years ago, influencing our decisions to buy & then remodel our house were strong in-the-back-of-my-mind thoughts about. . .
~ the necessity of something other than just city water supply,
~ the benefit of the wood burning stove,
~ heating & cooling efficiency
~ extra rooms that could be made a private living space if needed, etc.

We even played with the idea of naming our new home REFUGE ON THE ROCK.
I know. . . it makes me smile. Watching how God works is fun!
Truth is, I forgot all about those thoughts . . .until the past year or so.


"COINCIDENCE CONFIRMATIONS"
As I mentioned to a very few people in recent months that I was beginning to store emergency food, I was surprised to hear I was not alone. In the span of a couple weeks, the Lord revealed others:
~ a couple from church had similar urges and actions, as did her mother who is leading preparation meetings in her home;
~ a Christian businessman recently felt led to create emergency living space in a warehouse and to drill for water--which happened to be uncharacteristically close to land surface;
~ a local pastor is instructed to store food in large quantity.

Some are saying that God has called the city of Cincinnati in particular to be a city of refuge. A high percentage of chaplains are being trained here. That's a hmmmmmm.


WHY?
I don't know what the scenario is for this situation that is coming. I've heard everything from mid-west earthquake, social upheaval, enemy attack, and economic collapse to the beginning of the End Times. God often doesn't give us the "why"...

HOW?
My actions have been based mostly on research. I would LOVE a very clear check list from heaven, but that has not happened.

HOW LONG?
What time span are we preparing for? I don't know. My sense is about 2-3 months.
For what it's worth, here's what I'm doing.

WHAT?
The number one priority is water.
You can live a month without food, but not water.
Pray and research your best options.
I bought a water purification bottle in the camping section at a local store.
I wandered down the aisle to see what makes sense to have on hand: fire starters/ flint, water proof matches, water purification tablets, etc.

Food gets expensive; storage containers are important to consider. It's doable to stock up on rice and canned goods, but the expiration dates are generally within a year. [White rice stores longer than brown rice.]

Quite a few companies are specializing in emergency foods which are designed to last a decade or more. Web sites abound for homesteading, survival, and emergency life styles. I just glean from them what seems to make sense, and subtract fear based decisions.

Research indicates freeze dried food is the most palatable and easy to prepare. You can buy prepackaged meals or individual cans of things you like and want, such as dried milk, eggs, fruit, etc. Depending on how much you want to store, food is available in bulk packaging of daily meals for however many people (and years) you want to prepare for. I believe it is wise to make preparation for additional non-family members. Be sure to include salt in your stash.

One company I'm using is called Ready Reserve Foods.
http://www.readyreservefoods.com/home/

Another is Food Insurance
http://www.foodinsurance.com/


MEDS
Consider prescriptions. I'm holding onto 3-4 tablets from each prescription and building up a couple months worth in reserve.

POWER OUTAGE?
Not sure if we're just dealing with need for food and water, or also lack of electricity. I've been preparing for both scenarios.
Heating water to cook is essential, so I bought a camp stove. They can only be used outside because of gas fumes.


For what it's worth, that's the gist of what I've been doing so far.
Growing veggies is a whole other adventure! Talk about lessons in patience!


I like this thought that surfaced at this week's staff meeting. I think it applies well to this scenario of preparation. I close with this thought today:

Some spend their lives seeking to avoid a nightmare;
God gives us life to live it abundantly.

Fear Not: The Lord Confides

I'm intrigued...
by how many people are telling me they also sense God urging them to prepare for something that's coming...some are planting veggies and storing food, too. Hmmmm.


To Fear & To Fear Not!
OK, so a piece of what's happening now is a fear battle.

As the world around us gets wackier and He leads us into these new thoughts and actions, I believe he's drawing us into a deeper level of knowing and fearing Him. . . and at the same time admonishing us to "fear not"!


FEAR NOT:
The Lord made it very clear to me that worry has no place in anticipating what is coming and what God is doing.
~ Hoarding thoughts tempt me. Then thoughts of rotting manna come to mind. I'm trying to lean into the truth that God will supply my daily needs.
~ Holding on to money seems wise. Yet He's putting situations before me that call for generosity. Hmmmmm.

We, his people, are assured that He is going about his business and we can trust Him. Fear will undermine.



FEAR OF THE LORD:
We may be entering into a season of spiritual "shock and awe".
God is revealing to us more of who he is. He's moving us into levels of respect and obedience that seem radical. Even crazy.
~ We will be in awe of him.
~ We will grow in our worship and dependence.
~ We will partner in His purpose as it unfolds.

We are to seek Him more.


I happened upon some scriptures recently that are worth checking out:

Ezekial 11:19-20: "I will give them a desire to respect me completely. I will put a new way to think inside them. I will take out the stubborn heart like stone from their bodies. Then I will give them an obedient heart of flesh." New Century Version

Psalm 25 (spotlight v. 14 -- "The Lord confides in/tells his secrets to those who fear/respect him; he makes his covenant/agreements known to them." NIV/New Century Version

Isaiah 42 (spotlight v. 8-9 -- "I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols. See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you." NIV

Psalm 91 (spotlight v. 2 -- "I will say of the Lord, 'He is my place of safety and protection. You are my God, and I trust you.'" New Century Version


The Lord, in his goodness and mercy, is confiding in his sons and daughters -- preparing us and giving us opportunities to bring His impact onto the scene.
We have growing opportunity to partner more closely in what He is doing.
We have nothing to fear. Hmmmmm.

Hope something there encourages you, too.
He is able~!

Pam

Why so many struggles, Lord?

Heavy

Have you noticed?
People are super abundantly weighed down by hassles & difficulties lately!

This is not the typical daily struggles of living. . .this is an assault.
I'm seeing one thing after another...and another...and another...and another piling on.

~ "Hopeless" scenarios in job stress, income loss, stale sales, health battles, relationship tears, churches in distress.
~ Normal is disrupted by volcanic ash, oil spills, tornadoes, flooding and national deficits.

I hear folks battling heavy thoughts of fear, inadequacy, shame, blame and rage.
Discouragement & hopelessness are nipping at the heels of God's people.


I've sought God to grasp the truth in all of this. . . I think He has given me a glimpse.
I am urged to speak it.


~ Darker Darkness ~
I sense the world is growing darker .
One friend said she feels like the Holy Spirit has been pulled back a bit.
A shift has happened.

The Lord has allowed some of that darkness to invade His people's lives. Why?

#1. Faith crunching.
I believe God is coaching His people into a deeper level of knowing Him -- trusting Him ...strengthening muscles of faith. hope. love. perseverance. abiding.

ABIDING.

He is revealing Himself to us more deeply.
He is drawing us out of our weakness and into His strength.
He is demanding our attention.
For our own sake.

Americans in particular don't know much about suffering. Life tends to be relatively easy here.
God is fine tuning our ears to hear Him. To trust. To obey.
Something is coming that makes this an act of severe mercy.


#2. Come.
I am beginning to understand that the world who does not know our God will see who He is through the way His people navigate through these struggles.

AND they will see Him in the way the Body of Christ is there for each other -- and for them -- listening, being kind & respectful, trusting God, praising Him, sacrificially ministering His grace and truth to one another.

People will ask,
How can you remain optimistic? peaceful? kind-hearted? patient? generous?


Abide.

Why am I Blogging Out of My Mind?

God is up to something!

OK, so I'm a private person. Introvert. Shy.
I keep my inner life mostly inside...with the exception of a few people I risk revealing more of inner me with. I'm OK with that.

~ HEAR MY VOICE ~
Lately the Lord is stretching my ears to hear him. . . and then to speak what I hear.
Tho I prefer the behind-the-curtain part of the stage...my husband will tell you I do a lot of directing via stage whispers from the safety of back stage...I feel the Lord's firm hand in the small of my back urging me out to front stage. Yikes!

He has graciously granted me time to toe-dip into "thus sayeth the Lord."
I take that so very seriously!
Maybe too seriously.
I cannot not speak any longer.
Something in this is urgent.

I have a sense the time is now for the BODY OF CHRIST to speak into each other's lives...and into an ever darkening world.
I'm seeing dusk fade into blacker and blackest black.
People are rightly afraid.

HERE WE GO!
We are in a preparation time.
The Body must grow in recognizing the voice of their Shepherd.
The pasture is growing more treacherous...and those who cannot discern His voice over the din are vulnerable.

Some will be picked off by our enemy.
Some will wander and lose their way...and oh so much of the precious time we have been given.

So, for anyone who finds this little blog, I will be speaking out the things I believe the Lord is telling me -- for the sake of His people.

Perhaps these words are for you?
PPing