Reflections of Brengle - holiness

"I saw the humility of Jesus, and my prode; the meekness of Jesus, and my temper; the lowliness of Jesus , and my ambition; the purity of Jesus , and my unclean heart; the faithfulness of Jesus, and the deceitfulness of my heart; the unselfishness of Jesus, and my selfishness; the trust and faith of Jesus, and my doubts and unbelief; the holiness of Jesus, and my unholiness.  I got my eyes off everybody but Jesus and myself, and I came to loathe myself." 

Samuel Logan Brengle p47-48 of 'Samuel Logan Brengle' by Hall

Great words of Samuel Logan Brengle - my experience tonight, but I thank God that as I can't sleep even though I'm exhausted, Jesus came to save me tonight from my inadequacies and all the feelings of unholiness, just like Isaiah felt in chapter 6, the live coal has touched my lips, and maybe even my heart. I thank Jesus that right now, I no longer loathe myself though as Brengle says, but in Jesus changing my heart, I am now starting to see myself as He is re-shaping me - it's a work in progress though!

Jesus can and will do the same for you, that is my testimony.  I pray that Jesus will be all you need today and as I was reminded while standing collecting in a shopping centre today and saw a guy missing an arm - Jesus wants to make you whole today - not necessarily physically, but spiritually, the essence of yourself.

Why don't you just take a moment and soak up His presence.

May Jesus, who died to give you life, give you rest and wholeness that you need today.

Be blessed
Simon

Spiritual Discussions

Tonight we started a Spiritual Discussions group here at Harry Hunter Centre which Scott and I were leading for tonight. It was totally voluntary and 9 guys and girls turned up which was great for a start.

We didn't have anything really planned but knew that many of the guys had questions of God and spirituality floating around in their heads, and some of these questions were disturbing and frustrating them. Scott started off with a reading then opened it up for discussion, and question after question flowed from the 'clients' of Harry's.

What a night of discussion, ranging from what does it mean to let God in, to the big questions about Heaven and Hell, but I was so pumped with these guys thinking about it and asking the big questions!

Every Wednesday night we have chapel here on the sight of the centre and last week I gave a message on us being spiritual beings in a physical world. The culture here is there is no real response opportunity given, but sometimes a few questions will be given to the Officers throughout the week if required, but I opened up the meeting for prayer and a response if anyone wanted to. No one responded, but 3 guys hung around afterwards and stayed in their seats. One of them stayed and spoke to Scott and myself for at least an hour about what God was speaking to him.

Tonight another guy was telling us that he had given up on all the God stuff, but after the message I gave last week, he really wanted to give God another go! Awesome, Hallelujah! Most of the guys here have had hard lives and bad experiences of God through the church, but hearing some of the stories from here, even just tonight was unbelievable! The Spirit was really stirring, and I felt that God really spoke through me tonight, so hopefully some of these guys really start nurturing a relationship with God, and I believe they will, in Jesus Name!

Please just take a moment to pray for all the men and women here at Harry Hunter Centre in Western Australia - there is some amazing work happening and God is really moving. I'm leading and giving the message again this Wednesday night, so please also pray for that night, I feel God is wanting to use this weeks chapel again for His glory.

God, please open up Heaven and pour out Your blessings on this place as you have been doing and change lives for the better, give hope, joy and peace to all of those that are struggling here presently. Thanks God, we love You and serve You.

In Jesus Name we ask!

If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

Matthew 21:22

Love, how I believe God intended

Love, how I believe God intended

Taken from – Sex (Part 3): Wilderness – Matt Chandler

Raya is the Hebrew word for companionship, and it’s not just like buddies, but it’s this: that I know you and you know me. It’s not that I just know your pretty stuff, but it’s that I know your junk, ok? That I have seen the wicked parts of you, you have seen the wicked parts of me, and yet still we’ve decided to try to work on this relationship. So, the foundational element of love and sex for the Hebrew mind and their idea of love, was this word, raya, which means that I know you and you know me and I really know you and you really know me. So, raya never occurs on a first date. It never occurs on a second date. Raya can never take place until that first time you watch the person you’re dating or the person you’re married to do something that makes you go, “Oh, no.” ok? And then, in that moment, raya occurs if you say, “I’m going to keep going.” Now, if you go, “I’m done”, then you’re done. But raya is this getting to know each other in such a way that I know you, all of you, and you know me, all of me. And we continue to walk together. And raya leads into ahava.

Ahava is a love of the will. The best way to say ahava is this, “I am not going anywhere.” And that word, that love of the will, it does not carry romantic connotations with it. It carries a very aggressive tone, and it basically is this: Your spouse, your girlfriend, your boyfriend – they want to kill you, and then in that moment when there is such conflict and there is such difficulty, there’s still within you this: “I am not going anywhere.” And so what happens is raya (or me getting to know you and you getting to know me – my good stuff, my bad stuff, your good stuff, your bad stuff) it leads to this moment, or this period of time where, I guess there’s this moment of epiphany? That’s how it was for me where I’m just going, “This is the woman I want to fight with for the rest of my life.” Now, you say that and you go, “I’ve got that. There’s still no sex.” Ok? There’s still no sex yet. There’s all this work (the only people that think that deep relationships aren’t hard work are the people that don’t have them, ok? haha). There’s all this hard work, there’s all this stuff that has to be weighted through, there’s all this baggage. And you’re like, “Why is she so heavy? Oh, baggage.” You’re like, “Why is he so hard to train? Oh, baggage.” Ok? And so you’ve got to walk through all that. You’ve got to sort the dirty laundry. You’ve got to figure out how to wash it. Now, you move from there into ahava and then comes sweet dod, baby!

Dod is not the Hebrew word for sex. It is the Hebrew word for sex when ahava and raya are present. If we have raya and we have ahava, then sex isn’t just two bodies together, it’s two persons. And it’s in there, in that moment that all the intimacy and love that we crave is found. It’s why we are so over-sexed and still so lonely. Cuz, we’ve divorced it, we’ve divorced it from raya and ahava, ok? We’ve exalted sex to be the end all of everything, and sex requires very little work. And so when you’ve divorced it from the real foundational weight and beauty of it, then all you’re left with is technique and trying to work on your technique. So we’ve really become a very lonely, miserable, oversexed people.

I would totally encourage you and urge you to go to iTunes and get The Village’s free podcast. Listen to Sex (Part 1, 2, & 3). I’m telling you, man, this is really weighty, good, varsity stuff that is often never preached from some pulpits. And it’s really too bad, cuz it’s one of the main things that our culture and friends and own selves deal with and struggle with understanding on a large level. Thanks for reading this. Go listen!

[Borrowed from: http://kelseyschneider.blogspot.com/2008/10/raya-ahava-and-dod.html]

Salvation

I've been thinking a bit recently about the true depth of salvation. We've looked into it a bit in an online study of Luke and it goes much deeper than what we generally just look at it to mean.

We traditionally in the 'church' we narrowly think of salvation in terms of eternal life, but back in Jesus day, we see Jesus saving people from all kinds of things. Things such as loss of sight, being outcast, sickness, demonic opression or possession and forgivness of sins to name a few.

Jesus came to give us life, and life to the full, not just for eternity but for here and now also. Is there anything you need saving from today? Jesus is good to help - try Him and see. He loves to the point of dying so He can live with you forever.

If you need saving from something like drugs, obsession, impure thoughts, gambling, depression, etc - take it to Jesus now, ask Him to help you and save you from it. Leave me a message or email me at mapleback_simon@hotmail.com if you are wanting this salvation and having trouble claiming it!

Live victoriously and free, in Jesus Name!

Bless ya

"God offers a full report on the gifts of life and salvation that he is giving us. We don't have to rely on the world's guesses and opinions. We didn't learn this by reading books or going to school; we learned it from God, who taught us person-to-person through Jesus, and we're passing it on to you in the same firsthand, personal way."

1 Corinthians 2:10b

Very Salvo

Check out Very Salvo for some really deep reading and thoughts!!

http://www.verysalvo.blogspot.com

Having a hard time finding God???

Just a thought - it wasn't Him that moved.

Be gone Satan!

Do you want to cast Satan out of your life?

Are you tired of the bondage, harassment, and oppression of demonic forces that threaten to destroy you or someone you love? Overcoming these attacks lies in knowing what to confess and how to confess it.

You need to to:

• Confess your destiny in Christ
  
• Confess your purpose for living
  
• Confess your calling for service
  
• Confess your anointing for power
  
• Confess words that defeat the devil
  
• Confess your financial prosperity so your needs are met (trust God - He will provide!!)
  
• Confess your leadership abilities to stop what Satan steals from you
  
• Confess a warrior's oath to wage war against the demons attacking you (I like that one!!!)

Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.' "

Matthew 4:10

A stolen generation?!

"Honor your father and your mother,

so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
"You shall not murder.
"You shall not commit adultery.

Exodus 20:12-14

Is it coincidence that these 3 laws occur in this order?

I was just trying to have some prayer time in the shower - instead God led me onto abortion, figure that!

I was just wondering if there was some direct correlation between the rise of abortion with the rise of infertility?

I wonder if God allows a certain number of souls to come to earth at once.

Then I wonder if those who are missusing God's gift of intercourse for selfish purposes outside it's intended use, and then happen to fall pregnant, then having an abortion are robbing those women who truly want to have children of them? I wonder?

Let's fight for this unborn generation, there are many ladies, and their husbands, who would give anything to have a family, but unfortunatally can't, pray for them today.

We are quick to blame God for things but when we look at things, maybe they're our fault! We live outside God's guidelines, and turn our back on Him, but then we quickly jump back to blame Him, don't we!?

Imagine we all obeyed, how things would go correctly that way! Imagine playing a game of football outside the rules - it wouldn't work! It would quickly fall apart, and is no where near as enjoyable - it's exactly the same with the world, 'play' within the 'rules' - it's all for our enjoyment!

Try living our intended way today....

"He...established the law in Israel,

which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children,

so the next generation would know them,

even the children yet to be born,

and they in turn would tell their children.

Then they would put their trust in God

and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands"

Psalm 78:5-7

A call to Officership

I don't think I have long left to live!

Let me explain;

I was thinking yesterday about Officership and how we need to deny ourselves and follow Jesus. We need to die to ourselves and let Jesus live through us.

I've been getting tired of living in this world, not giving up everything in my life to Jesus. I go to work, have to answer to my earthly boss, do earthly things and I feel trapped, but worse, I feel like Jesus is in handcuffs in my life.

Yesterday I was seeing things ideally again, and I saw everyone who enters into Officership is no longer themselves, but a Jesus clone. Once we enter College, we start dying and Jesus starts living and by the time we leave college (if not earlier) Jesus is all that exists. Ideally this should happen for every Soldier of the Salvation Army - but is essential for full time ministry - ie, Officership.

The song "it's no longer I that liveth, but Christ that liveth in me" won't leave my head!

Then last night, my devotional that I read spelt it out so well what I had been thinking all day, so I'll include it since it says it better than I could....

With the clothing upon of the Spirit, human depravity is covered, and everything that contrary to the mind of God is destroyed. God must have bodies for Himself, perfectly prepared by the Holy Spirit, for the day of the Lord. "For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from Heaven" (2 Corinth 5:2)

The Spirit has to breathe into us a new occupancy, a new order. The Holy Spirit came to give the vision of a life in which Jesus is perfected. It is Christ "who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace" (2 Tim. 1:9)

We who are saved have been called with a holy calling, called to be saints - to be pure, holy, and Godlike; to be sons with power. It is a long time now since it was settled and death was abolished. Death has no more power. This was made know through the Gospel, which brought in immortality. Mortality is a hindrance. Sin has no more dominion over you. You reign in Christ, and you make rightful use of His finished work. Don't grown and travail for a week.

"Awake, you who sleep" (Eph 5:14); put on light, and open your eyes. "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God" (Col 3:1).

Stir yourselves up!! Where are you? I am risen with Christ, planted in Him. It was a beautiful planting. I am seated with Him. God gives me the credit, and I believe Him. Why should I doubt?

Dare to believe until the life of Jesus is implanted within your soul. "The righteous will hold to his way" (Job 17:9). God has reserved him who is godly for Himself (Ps. 4:3). Therefore, lift up your heads.

(Smith Wigglesworth)

Are you unhappy with the dull, boring, incomplete, morbid life that you are living? Jesus has called you to more - believe it - He wants you holy and sanctified - He wants you to be a vessel wholly available for His perfect purpose for your life - invite Him in and give Him your all!

What are you doing with your life, with the talents He has given to you??

Have you said 'yes' to Officership -if 'no' WHY NOT????? Give into the wrestling that you're doing with God in your soul, just let it go.

Pray about it now - seriously - "give up your SMALL ambitions for your own life and come change the world"!!!! Mark 8:34-35

What do you think?

I'm just after other people's thought on a particular question.

If you read the Bible or the Koran or another religious book of guidelines, but you found the more you read, it keeps contradicting itself or kept saying that the previous part is now being updated, so forget about the last chapter.

How would you know what part to follow and when it was actually finalised, especially if the writer dies before it is complete and he/she claims to be the only enlightened one or prophet?

I would find that 'religion' to be way too confusing and would be uncomfortable with it. My soul would still be longing for something to fill it's emptiness.

Jesus claims to be the only way, to have the complete truth, and able to give genuine life.

In my experience, there is a sense of total completion once I received the Holy Spirit, as Jesus also told us. A sense of true purpose that my soul confirms.

Have you experience this true happiness? Only you can answer this honestly to yourself?

If your answer is 'NO' then why not seek after Jesus, give it a go, it wouldn't hurt would it?

How would you rather live your life - as though God doesn't exist to find He really does, or live as though God does exist to find He doesn't???

I know my answer! Do you know yours?

"I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony."

John 3:11

Empowerment through the Holy Spirit - say no to Satan!

I will be responsive to the Holy Spirit’s work and obedient to His leading in my life, growing in grace through worship, prayer, service and the reading of the Bible.

This is the first part of a soldiers covenant that we agree to uphold when signing our lives to serve God in the Salvation Army.

I was just watching a show which involved psychics to solve crimes, people are attracted to this, it is attractive - why?!

I believe people think it is something that makes you different - it gives you a supernatural power and people notice you if you are psychic.

This is something I don't like to talk about often, but I was once psychic, I was a medium!

I was once attracted to this when I was younger and basically wanted to have this special ability - I thought it would be cool and I would stand out of the crowd and I would become the centre of attention - somehow I started to develop the ability!

I didn't realise at the time, but I said yes to Satan!

It wasn't relaxing or as glamorous as it is made out to be. I couldn't rest, my heart was becoming strained - if I didn't pass on a 'message' from the 'dead person' they would make my heart strain Anytime during the night 'they' would wake you and keep bugging you. It freaked out all my work mates and it was always negative or scary stuff.

It came to the point I had to do something. One of my mates, Pete (see blog roll) prayed with me and discerned that it was demonic and we prayed through it for many hours until I was free from it - I was then baptised into the Holy Spirit which I then developed the Spiritual gift of Spiritual Discernment and it became very obvious to me that what I 'saw' as 'dead people' were really demons deceiving me through a demon oppressing me.

Always remember this... Satan's biggest lie - he doesn't exist!!

If Satan exists, God exists - so he and all his fallen angels pretend to be something else that diverts our attention from God!!

What do we want to see?... our dead relatives to say that one last goodbye we didn't get.... we need to learn to use every minute we have in the hear and now!!

So, back to the first statement - we as Soldiers need to be responsive to the Holy Spirit's work!! If we are, we find we get word's of prophecy - that is a million times better than a word of a psychic!!!!!!! We find we can receive the gift of Discernment of the spirits - a helpful gift - Satan can appear as an angel of light!!! Hence - psychics are evil, they are empowered by demons... they might be nice people, but read 2 Corinthians 11:14 which says;

"And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light."

Let the Holy Spirit reign freely in your life for the glory of God!! Why go through the demons when you can go through God!! Do you want to follow the 'real thing' or an imitation?!

Psychics (demons) or God (Holy Spirit)??

Jesus or Hell??

Work on Holiness, it is quite obviously the answer to everything!! (Thanks Stephen!!) You won't find any psychics with the baptism of the Holy Spirit - wonder why?! We have the power of the Holy Spirit, so why don't we use it like psychics 'flaunt' their abilities?? Satan is much pushier I suppose, God leaves it up to us, so let's step it up Soldiers of Holiness!!

Praise God, be responsive to the Holy Spirit, 'preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season' (2 Timothy 4:2), bring all the glory to God He deserves!! Praise you Jesus, the Name above every name!!

"Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy"

1 Corinthians 14:1

"For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy"

Revelation 19:10 d

Body of Christ

Once Jesus went back home to Heaven, He gave us the great commission. Then Pentecost came and empowered us with the same Spirit that Jesus had, the same Spirit to do all that Jesus did, and Jesus even told us we could do greater things than what He did.

We as the church today, are the body of Christ, we are Jesus in the world today to take off from where He left. The great thing is, God has given us all our part to play, so no one is doing it all, it is team work, we are a family which form the body of Christ.

Does every part of the body know it's role in the overall function of the body of Christ, not too sure, I know many parts thinking they are appendix's in the church today, which they don't know their function, but look in the ancient days, they didn't know what the brain did, they used to think we thought with our hearts - but once we mature and grow in wisdom we realise what the true function is for each part - same with the people in the church - the body of Christ.

Do you know your part in the Body? Are you functioning or making the body unwell. Do you need more vitamins and irons, more Bible studies and a better prayer life? Are you a cancerous organ that needs to be removed? Jesus is the great physician - He can heal anything!!!

"so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others, we have different gifts, according to the grace given us."
Romans 12:5-6a

Go hard or go home!

I've just recently bought a new devotional book by Smith Wigglesworth a great evangelist of the early 1900's. I needed more devotional materials to quench a hunger of God's Word and I didn't want any modern material because today all our tools and resourses are watered down material of the Word of God that just doen't fill anyone.

Reading the words of this man Smith Wigglesworth, they are straight to the point not going around the round-about to get to a powerful point, but he tells it how it is. I wish we lost all timidness in our preaching and ministires and get out of our heads "people don't want to hear about God these days" and realise everyone NEEDS God and have a hunger for Him that is built into every human being that only can be filled by Him! Last year's Easter camp, one of our DYS, Mim Adams told us how it is without watering the message down and so many lives were impacted. I was so glad Mim did that - God had so much glory given to Him that night! God bless our DYS - Sandra Maunder and Mim Adams.

I've been orgainising a Salvation Army history night once a month for our youth meetings and I was just reading over some of the material from our last one. I was reading the part of how the Army started off in Australia, and when two Officers from England - Captains Thomas and Adelaide Sutherland were chosen by Willam Booth to start the Army in Adelaide they didn't even think twice about going to the other side of the world but just obeyed because they had given everything in their lives to God for His service and spreading the Word of God.

The Army took off at an amazing pace because the Salvationists weren't afraid to talk with everyone about their Saviour because they had such a strong conviction and a strong relationship with our Living God that people's lives were changed from darkness into light.

Today many (I emphasise many) soldiers today are so afraid to even let Jesus Name come out of their mouths! That sounds to me like they really don't have a personal relationship or true revelation of God.

If you claim to be a follower or disciple of Jesus, pray strongly against the enemy restricting your tongue from talking about the greatness of our Saviour!! Pray for boldness. Pray for breakthoughs in our world, just like in early Army days. Pray for a mighty revelation of God in your life. Pray God reclaims land in Jesus Name. Just pray without cease!!

Things of man mulitply, things of God explode. Pray that God controls your life, why not give it all to Him!

Jesus gave it all for us, but the world today wants to be incontrol of everything ourselves including us Salvationists. Lets try this week, this year, why not for the term of our lives, to hand everything over to God and live with Him as our Lord and serve only Him.

God is back on the throne!! Let Holliness reign. Sanctification is our aim. Saved to save! We're becoming Saints.

"Unless the Lord builds the house,

the builders labour in vain.

Unless the Lord watches over the city,

the guards stand watch in vain"

Psalm 127:1