Downshift

We are entering a time when there will be great acceleration in the gifts and ministries God has given. This means you! God is getting His people ready to do some powerful things in the earth. However, there may need to be a downshifting first. In a vehicle, downshifting is necessary if you are in too high of a gear for your speed. When this happens, the car sputters and stalls. This can be very frustrating. Especially if you really want to go somewhere! Do you feel as if there has been some sputtering and stalling out in your life and call? You might need to downshift.

Downshifting means you pull back from doing things. You slow down. Oftentimes, we get so excited about what God has called us to, and rightly so, but we try to go out and do everything all at once. We know we're supposed to be flying down our life's road at 80 mph, but we keep stalling out! What's happening is that we're trying to do it in our own strength. We have great motivation to do what we're called, but we don't have the power of God backing us. We need to slow down, get into His presence, and allow ourselves to be driven and empowered by Him.

You may have a great desire to move in a higher gear of the Spirit, but take the time to sit before the Lord so you can become motivated, driven, and led by Him. Get rid of all the attempts to self-accelerate. You might have great ideas and plans, but you'll stall out if they are not in alignment with the heart of God. Be led and driven by the Spirit (Romans 8:14).

Jesus was driven by the Spirit into the wilderness (Mark 1:12). We need to allow ourselves to be driven, led, and motivated by the Spirit of God. It's great that we have desire and passion to do what we're called to do, but we also need His drive in order for us to accomplish what we need to. If we are so stubborn that we keep trying to accelerate while in too high of a gear, we will encounter failure over and over again.

Think of it as the speed you are going is the motivation and passion of your call. You are called to do a certain thing, at a certain speed so to speak. The gear you are operating in is like the motivation and passion of God. If your speed is not in sync with His gear then it won't work. You'll stall out. If you're trying to fly forward without the heart and passion of God driving you, then you won't have His power backing you. This really is a good thing because without His heart and power motivating you, you could be dangerous.

However, once you align your passion and call with His heart and nature, then you can accelerate quickly. You will be able to shift gears at the proper time, your speed in alignment with the heart and power of God. Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit and power and went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil, for God was with Him (Acts 10:38). The Spirit of God and power of God always go together. The fruit of the Spirit reveal God's nature (Galatians 5:22-23). Because Jesus had the Holy Spirit, He had the heart of God, His character. Along with that came the power, and He was able to go about and "do" what He was called to do.

Line up the passion for your call with the nature and character of the Spirit, and you'll have the necessary power to fulfill your ministry. You'll be in proper sync and timing, and will accelerate at just the right time without the frustrating process of stalling out!

The Throne is Not Empty!

"Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:16

I suppose I could call this Faucets of Grace part 2, (with part 1 being here), but I like the title "The Throne is not Empty" better instead. That's how the Lord got my attention for this blog, was by saying that to me. I was in the kitchen and He said, "The Throne is not Empty!" I love how He gets my attention. How does He get yours?

Anyway, after He got my attention He began to talk to me about His throne of grace once again. He showed me that when we come to the throne, it is not an empty throne. On it is a living and loving God who is able and willing to meet our every need. Let that sink in a bit. In fact, I'll say it again.

When we come to the throne, it is not an empty throne. On it is a living and loving God who is able and willing to meet our every need.

 What He emphasized to me, besides the fact that the throne is not empty, is that He is not only able, but WILLING to meet our every need. He is. God wants to give you everything you need. He is not withholding.

"For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly." Psalm 84:11

Are you walking uprightly? It doesn't say, from those who never slip up or make a mistake. You are the upright--the righteous--if you believe in Jesus Christ. If you have been washed in His blood, then you have been made the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21) and God is not withholding anything good from you!

So if we approach His throne for help, mercy and grace for our every need is flowing. But we must approach the throne. Go to Him. He will help.

As the Lord spoke to me about this, He showed me that many people are envisioning an empty throne. Some won't even try to approach it because they don't see Him sitting on it. They see an empty throne. They expect that nothing will happen if they go there. They don't see Him as being able and willing to help. They don't even see Him there! Others will at least approach the throne, but they still see it as empty. They just hang out like they're waiting for something to happen. They're waiting for Him to show up when He is right there in front of them waiting for them to ask Him for help!

God is not withholding, and He is not hiding from you. He is not a vacant or absent Father. He is a good God. He is a good, good Father. That's who He is. Approach His throne confidently. Do it by faith. Stand up, take a step forward and tell Him you're there. "I'm here daddy!" See Him there. Don't see an empty throne. See Him giving you what you need. He is not withholding. He sees you through the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Faucets of Grace!

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; 2 Corinthians 9:8

There is a grace that God gives that enables us to have "all sufficiency." This sufficiency means that we are self-sufficient, or that we are not dependent on others to take care of us. Not only are our own needs taken care of, but we have an abundance so we can give to others. Paul is talking to the Corinthians about giving to the needs of the saints when he says this. He goes on to say that God supplies both bread and seed. Bread for you to eat, and seed for you to sow--or give to others.

Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 2 Corinthians 9:10

There may be a time and place for sacrificial giving, such as the widow who gave her last two mites (Luke 21:1-4), but there is a grace that God gives which brings abundance, so that your needs are taken care of and you have extra to give. This is what I call sufficient grace.

My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness... 2 Corinthians 12:9

This grace comes from God, and we can approach His throne to obtain it.

Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16

The reason we can approach the throne of grace confidently is because of Jesus, our High Priest, who took our sin upon Him, purchasing with His own blood the right for us to approach this throne. We don't have the right to approach based on our own righteousness, but because of the righteousness Jesus provided for all who believe in Him. At this throne of grace, we find help in our time of need. This help is not limited to what we can supply for ourselves. This help is based on the riches of God in Christ Jesus.

And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

It's important to know that this grace to help us is not in response to our need. It meets our needs, but it doesn't come just because we have a need. It comes because we approach the throne of grace. It comes because we are looking to Him, and not at our problems.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33

All of our needs are taken care of when we get our eyes off of them, quit fretting over them, look up to the Lord, and approach His throne confidently according to the righteousness Jesus has provided for us. We go to His throne and we stay there until we receive His sufficient grace.

To You I lift up my eyes, O You who are enthroned in the heavens! Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until He is gracious to us. Psalm 123:1-2

We look to Him until we receive His grace--His sufficient grace which brings an abundant flow into our lives! Yes this may have to do with priorities, but its more than that. God is trying to teach us to walk in the ways of His kingdom. He wants us to be more mindful of His glory and grace, His provision and righteousness, His plans and purposes, than being overcome with worry about our bills. We drown in our need when our eyes are on them and our own ability to meet them. We need to get our eyes on the Lord and receive His grace.

...it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace... Hebrews 13:9

Grace strengthens your heart. If your heart is weakened by worry, grace will strengthen it. Lift up your eyes. Approach the throne of grace. Receive His grace which is not only sufficient for your needs, but brings an abundant overflow for you to bless others with! His sufficient grace gives you both bread and seed.

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this," says the Lord of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.  Malachi 3:10

The Lord Himself will open the windows--the floodgates--of heaven and pour out an overflowing blessing on you! You can test Him in this by bringing your tithe into His house. Bring it to the throne of grace as an offering as you approach Him. These blessing don't flow just because you have a need. You have a part to play in it. You need to approach Him. You need to turn on the faucets of grace!