Deeply Humble
Fiercely Gentle
Strongly Patient
Dear BraveHearts,
Welcome to 2017! Happy New Year!!!
These first days of January are a good time for both reflections and forecasts.
As I reflect back on the year, many missions for the heart were taken. Thousands of lives were impacted by Jesus and the "after shocks” are amazing as marriages and families are also affected. I learned more about Jesus this past year, and therefore, more about myself, you see, we are intertwined. Just a few weeks ago, He revealed some descriptions, some words about who He is and therefore, who He is inviting me to be. Humble, Gentle and Patient. Such loving words and at first glance a little passive. Of course Jesus is anything but passive, so another pass and ask… Jesus how are you Humble, Gently and Patient? And the descriptions above is what I heard. My heart was filled with both admiration and longing. That is my King, our King and that is who He is inviting me to become… more and more like Him.
As I ask Jesus about the forecast, what words would describe the road ahead? What words do you have for me to grow into this year…
Consecration
Hope
Victory
I asked again, How are they related, are they working together or in different lanes?
Consecrate everything with Hope for the Victory that is yours in Me.
I’ll take it! Or I think I will. You never know with Jesus, He has taken us all on some amazing paths to reveal to us our true character and destiny. So I had to do a little digging. Consecration means to sanctify, make holy, set apart for relationship with God… excellence. Consecration is a relational term with and to and for God and therefore, there is a jealousy from God that can take place. He wants and desires what is His and has been set apart to Him whether the people of His family or the mission or the places and things given from Him or too Him.
These moments of digging and then uncovering caused my heart to experience the weightiness of what Jesus was setting before me.
Hope is one of my favorite words, it has been for a long time. To hope in our Savior and King, to desire what He has for me, to long to be with Him and on mission together… Hope is and will always be an important good thing!
All my life, I competed. Lots and lots of games on the basketball court, practices and personal striving. In the classroom there was competition, sheesh, break out a deck of cards at the family reunion and watch the games begin! When I survey my history, Victory has long been something to attempt to arrange, the old saying, If it is to be its up to me. That is not what Jesus is inviting me into and Ohhh what a relief that is. Jesus is saying,
The Victory is won, now go and claim it, declare it, announce it to our enemies and stand the ground that has been won by the cross, resurrection and ascension.
Invitations are good things, we all love to be invited. We usually think of parties. Forecasts are also good things, we usually think of weather. I believe we, Zoweh and Allies are being invited into a forecast that we actually get to play a part. Jesus has declared that He will do the arranging, the heavy lifting, the guiding and the party… we will have to do some of the fighting, some of the declaring and some of the stepping out to Him. Sounds like a pretty awesome adventure to me with a wild God who is constantly leading us to water he wants us to both drink (and thirst no more) and step out and onto in the midst of a storm.
It's going to be a good year! Every year with Jesus is! Let’s Consecrate it with Hope for the Victory that is ours in Christ.
Let’s Pray...
Dear God, Holy and precious Trinity, we praise your name. We honor and glorify your deep humility, fierce gentleness and strong patience with us and with your creation. Your love knows no bounds and that you humbled yourself, Jesus and became like us, so that we could become like you… no other King would do such a thing. You are amazing.
Father, we thank you for your gentleness and how you handle our hearts along the journey. We are still susceptible to moving off the path, being sidetracked, ambushed or detoured by the false self and the kingdom of darkness. But you love us still and your gentle wooing us back is amazing… you are amazing.
Holy Spirit, we praise you and marvel at your strong patience. You are so good and so helpful guiding and counseling our hearts and our steps. Thank you for your patience in working in us, on us and through us. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear your presence and your whisper. Awaken and deepen our abilities to connect with you and allow you to both invite us into the Larger Story and forecast our steps into becoming more. We love you blessed Holy Spirit and love your patient work in our lives. We proclaim you are ours and we are yours.
Dear God, we consecrate our hearts and all of Zoweh and all of our allies to your Kingdom will and way. We set apart the mission of Zoweh as a holy mission and the Zoweh team as a holy unit and all the Zoweh allies, our BraveHearts I-Team, our Board, volunteers and all those we will enter into the fight for the heart… ALL we bring under the provision and protection of the Lord Jesus Christ and we claim the promises of God over Zoweh and against all that opposes Zoweh’s mission and ministry in the Spiritual Realm. We declare the Victory of Christ over Zoweh and all its hearts and its mission and step boldly before our enemies into the fight, claiming and declaring the Victory that is and has been won on our behalf in Christ. We declare and claim the defeat of Satan and all the kingdom of darkness and all their work warring against our Life in Christ. We bring the Life and Love of christ, deeply, fiercely and strongly over Zoweh, all its Allies and the mission our King is inviting us into and forecasting for us to take in the power and majesty of His name, the name above all names, the name Jesus Christ! We proclaim and declare it in His name, Our Savior, Shepherd and King… Jesus! Amen and AMEN.