The Fire of Refinement: Conformed to His Likeness

Have you, of lately, had your spiritual thirst quenched by the Lord's springs of goodness?  Has your soul found satiation with the richness of his sustenance?

I strive each morning to fill myself up with the Spirit of the Most Holy so that as I go about my day, I can pursue that of which will bring me peace in my daily routine and struggles, all the while giving him honor in my diligence to serve him in small ways.  In this spiritual filling, I can choose to pour out that water of life upon the thirsty souls and hearts of those I come across in my walk.

Blessed am I to trust, for in hard times and trials is when my heart will be refined.  Lately, the words, restoration, repentance, and refinement, pop up in my daily studies of scripture and prayer; my thoughts on this is that I shall soon, and presently, go through a period of spiritual cleansing, freeing my heart from pride, anger, selfishness, in short, my ego.  Through this divine healing, I shall rest in the presence of the Holy One, in knowing that I shall be made into the likeness of Christ, something pure, a diamond.

Refinement, for me, is the process of learning to trust and obey, as he walks me through hardships and leads me faithfully through uncharted territories. 

I need not fear the purification that shall come for, yes, I  have struggled and gone through darkness of the soul, mind, and heart in recent time, where, at times, I could not see or feel God's presence, yet He was there in the midst of my despair.  In time, he brought me out of the pit and set my feet on stable ground.

So, the momentary afflictions that He will toss my way are only that, temporary.  In these moments, I can truly trust that He is with me and has, for himself, suffered far greater troubles on my behalf.  I pray that I will have the grace of God, the strength afforded to me because of the cross, to abide, trust, and watch and pray.

Today, let us all confess our transgressions so that we can know true forgiveness and find healing, truly coming to know the freedom we are all meant to have, in Christ.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear

Day Twenty-Six: God The Healer: The Word of Truth

                                                             Day Twenty-Six

"In Him you also when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation..."Ephesians 1:13


Without being too scripture-based, I just loosely remind you, dear readers, that knowledge of salvation comes by hearing the word of God, and that as John writes that word of God is Jesus.  So, therefore we can understand the word of truth as Jesus and see that he is our salvation.

What then, is the gospel?  A paraphrase word for the gospel is "good news" and truly the very fact that we are saved from sin and destruction based on Christ's sacrificing act is good news.  And, as we just celebrated his coming in the form of the deepest form of humility, amongst the filth and ugliness of the world, he loved us enough to come.  And, with him, he brought the only way out of this decrepit and falling apart world, into one where peace and security and love reigns supreme.  That is the good news, or gospel, of salvation brought to you by the only one capable of bring it, Jesus the Christ.

So, I pray today, in the aftermath of the Christmas craziness and overwhelming power of joy, may you remember the giver of true life and that no matter what your security has been bought, with a heavy price, but willingly given, as a gift to you today, and always.  So, I implore you, open your heart to him and begin the only journey that will fulfill and complete your heart, you sons and daughters, princes, and princesses.

In love, I pray that these words will not only bring healing but will be received without sounding forceful or preachy, but with gentleness and without reproach.  You know all of you, in one way or another, that I am not perfect and make mistakes, but I can assure you that I know the one who is perfect and I pray, that however it comes, you may find your way to him today, and true healing of your heart and mind will come.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.  In him was life, and the life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." 
John 1:1-5

Happy Birthday, Pastor Mark! May the heart of Christ reach you today!

I remember one of the first times I attended ACF, it was really the first time I heard the gospel.  I don't remember much of your service but I remember you saying, over and over and over again, Jesus + Nothing = Salvation.  You must have counted it on your fingers ten times.  It annoyed me then, but it stuck.

A few weeks later, on January 2nd, 2001, after a day of extreme suffering with depression, my boyfriend at the time started sharing the Lord, I remembered your statement (Jesus+Nothing=Salvation) and I also started seeing beautiful images of nature, of things that meant love to me, and I realized that that love that I had been seeking was found only in Jesus Christ.  I accepted Christ my Lord and began a wild, intense, love-filled journey with my Savior.  I owe part of it to your dedication to serve the gospel.

I hope you remember me as one of the Jesus Seekers that sought under Luke's tutulage, but as Luke was a brother, you were a father.  It was true that I was turning to boys and the party world to try to assuage the pain, hide from it, that really tormented my heart, but one thing is sure I always had some difficulty with a slightly emotionally abusive father.  Your commitment to pastor the church partially showed me what a true father's love was and not only have you been that person for me, many more have come into my life to be that person, and now I can say, with God's glory and perfect timing, that healing has begun to come into my heart and into my father's, that the bitterness I held towards him has been removed.  And, still through all of this, have learned that the Father in heaven is my perfect father.

I left the Party world, moved to Calfiornia away from what I knew, always with the promise that I would come back, and now I have.  Yes, I promise to return to visit you, I promise, I haven't forgotton  you and am so blessed that your remember me enough to pray for me that day in 2008, and to be my friend on facebook. Of course, I am sinfully attending another church (j/k) that is truly helping me see the Lord in a new way, but with the same truth that I learned in my early days at ACF.  You carried me when I could barely crawl and helped me always in every situation, to turn my face back on the Lord and find his will for my life.

Yes, I suffered and went through time of suffering, but it brought me closer to the Lord.  I felt your prayers and love during that time of separation a million miles away in California and in my heart.  Know this, my heart never left you, or any of you at ACF, or Ashland.  I give you my eternal friendship and heart as a sister in Christ and pray blessings over you today and for this year to come.

Let this scripture be one that speaks to you today, I found it in my personal studies this morning:

 "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice.  Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.  The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious for anything , but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let  your requests be known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Happy Birthday, Pastor Mark.

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

(Philippians)