Saturday Prayer Update

Hey all, just a blog update from our weekly Prepare prayer gathering this past Saturday. This is for those of you who aren't able to make it on Saturdays and would like to know what we felt God's Spirit was doing as we prayed. At the beginning of prayer, we really felt God was moving us to pray for humility in our ministry. A humility that will convey a Christlike servant-hearted character to both nonbelievers and to other campus ministries we may have dealings with. We also prayed that this would not be a false humility...meaning we pretend that we are humble when really we are just being passive and not doing what God has called us to. We want to be bold, active, courageous, and have humility permeate through all of those attributes in our ministry. We want to be ever moving forward and stepping out in new and sometimes scary things that God is doing, with a heart of humility and meekness as we do it. Humility verses: Philippians 2:5-11, Isaiah 57:15

Following that, we moved into praying about and meditating on what God's word says about rivers, specifically God's river of life. We had several confirmations from different people that God was really moving us to dig into understanding His river of life. We focused on Ezekiel 47 mainly, with some other supporting verses like Isaiah 41:18, Psalm 46:4, and Revelation 22. God's divine life and His Spirit are dynamic and moving like an ever-flowing river. We need to get into that river and perservere to move farther and deeper into God's divine life, being led by His Holy Spirit until His river of life flows over and all around us and we are always carried and moved along by His plans and His Spirit. Even though at first it may feel like we are just trudging along, and the water is just at our ankles (Ez 47:3), if we perservere with God eventually we will be swimming in His divine life. (47:5) We will then be more fruitful at being fishers of men (47:10). We must always watch out that we do not get trapped in a state of passivity and laziness. Being content with earthly comforts and not moving forward with God. This is an area of water that is not fresh (47:11), and when we are in this state we are not available to be used by God and risk becoming like Lot's wife. (See Gen 19:26 and Luke 9:62, 17:31-33) Press into God's river! Endure and perservere until your whole life is filled and led by His Spirit.

Recommended Author of the Week

Hey all, I think a part of this blog will be to post on recommended authors. So for this week the recommendation is.... Randy Alcorn.
Great books by Randy Alcorn: Safely Home; Deadline; Treasure Principle; Money, Possessions, and Eternity; Law of Rewards; Pro-Life Answers to Pro-choice Arguments. I'm confident all his other books are good too. The highlight and passion of the writing and ministry of Randy Alcorn is that he puts everything into an eternal perspective. He keeps your mind on how your life will matter for eternity. He focuses on how you can use your money, your time, and your life to increase your joy in God for all eternity. This is a great reminder as we have the tendency to get fixated on this short, fleeting life.

Purity and Beholding the Lord

Some thoughts on the relationship between longing to behold the glory of God through Jesus, and becoming a person who is pure. Scriptures in orange, my words in normal font.
Psalm 24:3-4
Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.
Anyone who wants to dwell in the presence of the Lord must become pure.
Proverbs 20:9
Who can say, "I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin"?
There is a problem: No one has a pure heart, so it seems that no one can attain this joy of beholding the Lord and dwelling in His presence.
1Peter 3:18
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God
There is a provision made by God so that we can be counted as pure in His eyes, and we can then begin to overcome sin and become pure. Thanks be to His grace, there is still a way we can behold His glory!
Psalm 27:4
One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple. The essence of purity is to desire to dwell with the Lord above all other things, beholding His glory and beauty in all His attributes.
Psa 51:10-11 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
We must desire purity so that we can continue to fellowship with the Lord, and to not lose the sweetness of His fellowship.
Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
True happiness is found only in beholding God, and only the pure in heart can have this happiness.
1 John 3:2-3
Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
Longing and waiting for the appearing of the Lord Jesus is a great means of purification for our souls.

Don't Waste Your Cancer

Article by John Piper
http://www.desiringgod.org/library/fresh_words/2006/021506.html">http://www.desiringgod.org/library/fresh_words/2006/021506.html">http://www.desiringgod.org/library/fresh_words/2006/021506.html

Admirable Traits of John the Baptist

Spoke the truth regardless of what it cost him. Matthew 14:3-10
Great humility. Matthew 3:11
Desired that people go to Jesus instead of going to himself. John 3:26-30
Wanted Jesus to get all attention and praise, and wanted none for himself. John 3:26-30, 1:7, 1:29
Taught others how to pray. Luke 11:1
Full of passion and light. -John 5:35
Content living on what God provided for him. Mark 1:6
He was not afraid to preach about repentance. Mark 1:4
Full of joy at hearing the voice of Jesus, and being in His presence. Luke 1:41, John 3:29