God speaks!?!

I am not being able to get to this as much as I would hope - but this morning, I am gonna make some time real quick, because God has been speaking loud and clear lately, and it is exciting.

Sunday night, we had a leaders meeting at South Bay, and in it we were challenged to practice listening prayer.  This is something I have done for awhile now, but the way in which is was described was a little different than I have done it, so I am trying something new.  I have added some actual time ON MY FACE into my time with God.  I am a big journaler and so normally, I allow God to speak as I just sit in my chair and wait for God to speak.  While I still journal like a madman, I am now spending time kneeling and with my face in my lap, seeking God and being still, in a new position, prostrating myself before the Lord.

In the last few days, God has spoke Loud and Clear to me.  It has been amazing.  At the training, I didn't get a chance to share, but we practiced listening prayer, and as I was waiting and being still, God showed me a picture of David and Bathsheba.  I was confused why he would show this to me, so I went to the word and began to read the story... and something hit me - This story begins with the phrase "In the spring, when Kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, his servants and all of Israel... But David stayed behind."  As I read this I was hit with the fact that David was not leading, he was not going out before his people, he was not where he was suppose to be - and he fell hard because of it!  Leaders are called to go before the people, to be out in front leading the charge and being an example for people to follow.  Jesus did this with the disciples, Paul charges his followers to imitate him as he imitates Jesus!  God asked me the question and posed me with the challenge "Where am I leading and who am I going out before?"  

The next morning, I was on my face asking God to speak to me - and he told me that I was holy!  Me!!!  My first thought, was no God, you got this wrong.  Maybe you were meaning to talk to somebody else.  But then, as I prayed, I decided that if God was going to call me holy, I wanted to know what that meant.  So I asked God to reveal it to me through His Word.  I opened to Deuteronomy (one of my favorite books of the Bible) and I was on track to read chapter 10 that day.  Here is what chapter 10:8 says "At that time the Lord set apart (made holy) the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the lord to stand before the Lord to minister to him, and to bless in his name, to this day."  If I had been wearing socks, God would have rocked them right off!  Here He calls me holy, and when I open the Word, he shows me what it means to be holy, or set apart - to carry His covenant (for us it is the Gospel of Jesus), to stand before Him (be in relationship with Him), to minister to Him (still processing this one), and to bless His name (at all times, with all people, in all situations)!  Praise Jesus, I was more than a little stoked!

So, yesterday, I get down and begin to praise God and call on His Name to speak and put myself (to the best of my ability) in a position to hear from Him.  And as I was there, in the quiet place - God told me he was going to call me by a new name.  I am excited to find out what this means, I have no idea - but God said it, so it is true.  I am feeling like it is going to mean  some growing, some stretching, and this morning as I was asking God to reveal what that meant, the word "worshipper" came to mind, so God is revealing more what that may mean, but I am not sure yet.

Today, was another awesome day of God speaking, but He told me that this morning's insight is not for broadcast, so I will exercise restraint and discernment and hold to what God told me to do, but it was amazing time in His presence this morning, as well.

I take all this time, and share all of this by means of challenging you - get on your face before the Lord. Quiet your mind, maybe turn on some praise music and let the Holy Spirit flow through you.  Spent some time repenting, confessing Jesus as Lord and allow Him in to your quiet time, and you will be amazed at the transformation in your heart that will occur.  We are born for relationship with Him, let us enter into it!