It's ALL about Him!

The week of 03/29/10-04/04/10 was "Fear of the Lord" week.

This week was by far the most amazing, freeing, and challenging week of my DTS. Our speaker, Mark Parker, is an extremely passionate (and loud!) man of God. We went through an abundance of notes and scripture during the week, which all led up to a day of ministry on Saturday. We spent all day Saturday (9am-9pm) worshipping God, surrendering all aspects of our life to Him, repenting of our sins, declaring God's character and truth, and just experiencing the power and freedom of God's presence. I will never forget this day... God spoke many things to me and I felt the Holy Spirit like never before. It was incredible! God is so good.

Amazing revelations from the lectures this week:

• It's ALL about Him. He must become greater and greater and I must become less and less (John 3:30).
• Love and fear MUST be in balance. It's not just knowing the Lord, it's knowing His will and obeying it (Matt 7:21).
• Fear of the Lord is: (1) Awe of God: He is God, you are not, Respecting God; (2) Holiness: Being set apart- love what He loves, hate what He hates; (3) Continual awareness of the presence of God; (4) Wisdom (Prov 2:5)
• The opposite of fearing the Lord is fear of man. Prov 29:5- Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.
• Characteristics of "fear of man": 1) Self doubt; 2) Focuses on "safe option", takes no risks for fear of failure; 3) Blocks affirmation; 4) Justifies a lack of personal responsibility; 5) Develops out of discouragement; 6) Defensive and unteachable(Prov 1:7 and Prov 18:1-2; 7) Keeps you locked in the past and under its control; 8) Causes you to compare yourself with others and pass judgement; 9) Resists connecting relationally; 10) Has to control or be controlled; 11) Compromises.
• We have ALL of the Holy Spirit, but does the Holy Spirit have all of you? Is the veil really torn in your life?
• The Word of God cuts through and exposes all. You must decide if you want to be "cut through"- vulnerable with God. This is true sanctification. The power of God is released through our vulnerability.

The most significant thing I learned this week was about true humility before the Lord. I laid down the things that I was still holding onto at the foot of the cross and experienced the freedom of God's presence. The Holy Spirit convicted me that fear of man and fear of failure often hinder me from fully obeying God's voice: Am I seeking the approval of man or of God? This is a challenging revelation, but one that will allow me to live in the fullness of God's will. I have found that there is such power in bringing out sin into the light- once it is out, it gives God a chance to heal and restore, bringing us closer to Him. This is something I will practice throughout my life.

Happy Easter!

The following week (03/22- 03/28) was Holy Spirit week.

We spent a lot of time in intercession this week for Papua New Guinea. The Spirit is stirring in us His heart for PNG. I felt God continually reminding us to keep His perfect love as the highest goal of our outreach. Please join with me in prayer for a new revelation of God's love for the people in PNG. It says in 1 Corinthians 13 that love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Even if we do "good" things on our outreach, if we do not have love, it is all for nothing. Please pray for unity in our 2 teams- that the enemy will not gain a foothold. Also pray for the direction of the Holy Spirit- we want God's will to be done, not ours (I think there are a few more details they are waiting on God to confirm). I am getting so, so excited to share Jesus with the people in PNG!!!

In learning about the Holy Spirit this week, God continues to pour in new revelations:

• All fruit flows from intimacy with the Father.
• We were never meant to live for ourselves. We were created to live in intimacy with the Father, living in his will.
• John 20:21-22: "In the same way the Father sent me, so I am sending you. Receive the Holy Spirit." It's nothing we can do, it's all the Holy Spirit. We need only to believe and have faith to see the supernatural power of God.
• Faith is absolute confidence in God. It can only come from intimacy with Him.
• "These signs shall follow those who believe." This is for every believer- not the "gifted."
• Mark 11:24: "I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you've received it, it will be yours."
• Always seek the giver more than the gifts.

Aside from lectures, our DTS has been spending good, quality time together. One of our favorite things to do on our time off is to play games. We play a lot of card games :) As we become more intimate with God, the closer we as a group are becoming, as well. These friendships will certainly last throughout my life. God is so amazing! I am so thankful for each and every person here.

I heard a few days ago the news about Chris McMahan. Though my heart was grieved, God comforted me and reassured me that she has been lifted up into the light of His presence. I saw her dancing, praising God in His courts, fully restored. She was such a light here on earth, always thankful and blessing everyone around her.

Blessings to you all back at home! Love you all so much. Have a WONDERFUL Easter this Sunday!