Passing Through The Valley of Dry Bones!

28 Jul 2013 1 Comment

by Rod & Rose in Rose Tags: , , , , , , , ,


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THE WORD: “This vision message is a witness pointing to what’s coming. It aches for the coming – it can hardly wait! And it doesn’t lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It’s on its way. It will come right on time.”  (Habakkuk 2:3 – The Message)

I’ve been going through a dry spell…through a parched, desolate desert, metaphorically speaking. My movement forward at times seemingly futile. Yet something within me….a divinely apportioned angst…is my barometer that reminds me it is necessary to continue on my journey. And so I trek through the valley of dry bones…listening to the lifeless rattling sound they make as I walk amongst them.  (Ezekiel 37:1-2)

One thing I’ve learned, as I reflect back on my journey thus far, is that it’s right smack dab in the middle of my valleys where, time after time, my heart has been re-awakened! It has always been in the midst of a dry desert storm that I come to a vivid realization of my desperate need for Papa God, not only as my Savior, but also as my LORD! It is there…as He walks alongside me…that He whispers in my ear, hold on to My promises!

It is there…right smack in the middle of the valley…that He quickens His Spirit within me, and breathes life back into my dry bones! It is there that the brilliance of His majesty is demonstrated and my heart resounds with uncontainable gladness! It is there that I rejoice and praise my Papa God with such clarity of heart, mind and soul! Yes…it is in the midst of the valley that my bones come alive…the tendons and the strength once again rise up and dance in adulation!  (Ezekiel 37:5-14)

The dry spell is broken and the vision awaits me! It aches for the coming – it can hardly wait! And it doesn’t lie. If it seems slow in coming, I will wait because it’s on its way. It will come right on time! His timing is perfect.  For now I will do what my Lord requires of me. I will continue to prophesy over the valley…I will sing the psalms of ascent and continue to take the steps that are necessary to reach the destination appointed just for me.

I will pray with confidence the prayer to succeed as a servant of my Holy KING!

If you find yourself in the middle of a valley, look up! Lift your eyes to the heavens! See the glory of His face and allow Him to lift you up under His wing! Take refuge in His strength! He is the Alpha and Omega, Creator of all things! He delights in you and has placed a perfect angst inside your heart that cannot be extinguished!

So pilgrim…pray the prayer of Nehemiah with me: Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”

May our Papa God embrace you on your journey…today and always!

In His strong love ~ rose

Pardon Me ~Your Humility is Showing

07 Jun 2013 Leave a comment

by Rod & Rose in Authentic Life by Rod Tags: , , , , , , ,


BraggingArrogance and showmanship – in the form of self-righteousness – annoy God. On the other hand, we who are Christ followers are told to be bold and bright – letting the light within us shine in such a way that it will be seen by everyone.

We’ve all cringed a bit when people seem to boast about the enormous amounts of time they spend on their knees in prayer, and how they’ve worn out their Bible (make that “Bibles”) from constant use. We find ourselves feeling a bit annoyed by this display of piety. Yet haven’t most of us boasted in similar ways?

In the 6th chapter of Matthew, here’s what Jesus teaches: “When you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

And here’s what he teaches us about prayer (also in the 6th chapter of Matthew): “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Yet earlier, in the 5th chapter of Matthew, Jesus said, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

From my perspective, the decision about whether or not to “make my good deeds known” is a matter of the motivation of my heart. Here’s the question I must continually ask myself: “Is what I’m about to say for God’s glory…or for my glory?” I can tell the difference—usually. And I believe the ultimate “test” of my motivation is exposed in the response of other authentic Christians. (I specify other authentic Christians because anytime we open our mouth we are at risk of being misperceived by people who “project” their own self-righteous flaws onto us.)

The Bible does not tell us to avoid practicing our righteousness before others. Rather, we are told to not practice our righteousness—or to pray—to be seen by others. Which brings us back to the motivation of our heart. “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. ~ Matthew 6.1

Praying or reading your Bible in a public place, such as a restaurant, may be a display of self-righteousness. Or, it may be an act of genuine gratitude for God’s Word and his provision. It’s a matter of one’s heart motivation.

I believe we need to be bold in our Lord. I believe we need to be “out there” proclaiming the good news of what he has done – and is doing – in our lives, and what he will do in the lives of others who will humbly receive his gift of Life. And when we boast, we must be reminded to “boast in the Lord.” ~1 Cor 1.31

Let us be continually checking our motives, and asking God to search our hearts, and expose anything within us that distracts others from the glory of our God.

We are his servants, and we are honored to have been invited to serve the King of kings and Lord of lords by serving his people—boldly…and for HIS glory!

Prayer….Access to the Source of Power!

17 Jan 2013 3 Comments

by Rod & Rose in Rose Tags: , ,


prayer time“Therefore confess your sins to each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective – My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” ~ James 5:16, 19-20

There is power in prayer! It is not that prayer itself is powerful, but it’s the ACCESS we have to the ONE who has the power! When Christ sacrificed His life on Calvary’s cross, the veil of the Temple was torn from top to bottom, symbolizing that we now have direct access to God…in Jesus’ name. That is why Jesus said: “At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and He will grant your request because you use My name. You haven’t done this before. Ask, using My name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.” ~ John 16:23-24 NLT

Did we get that? It is in Jesus’ name that we must present our prayers to our Heavenly Father! What a privilege and a gift HE has given us! He sacrificed His very life so that we can have ACCESS to our CREATOR! He overcame the world so that we might experience a joyfully abundant life!

But first, before we take our requests before Papa God we must put into practice the act of forgiveness. We must harbor no hatred in our hearts towards anyone. This is not an option; it is a command from the One who forgave our very own sins unconditionally. How can we do less! In Mark 11:25 we’re told, “But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in Heaven will forgive your sins too.” And in 1 John 1:9 we read, “But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” When we exercise genuine forgiveness, God is receptive to our prayers! We must let go of the past. We must forgive in order for His Spirit to flow freely within us, and to be in-step with our Savior Jesus Christ!

In John 15:23, Jesus gives the command: “Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.” What a privilege to be called the Master’s friend! Let’s not waste a minute of His time. Let it be a time to treasure.

Secondly, when we pray we must be mindful of our motives. God knows our heart’s intentions. In Proverbs 16:2 we read, “People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives.” And in Proverbs 20:27 we read, “The Lord’s light penetrates the human spirit, exposing every hidden motive.” Again in Jeremiah 17:10: “But I the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards according to what their actions deserve.”

There are two verses in Scripture that speak volumes to me each time I read them. The first is in Psalm 139:23-24: “Search me O God and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” This is my heart’s desire…to have Papa God right smack in the middle of my business! I want Him to search me…to test me…and to purge any foul and unholy thing that is displeasing to Him. I want integrity to be the word God uses when He describes my character…as in 1 Chronicles 29:17, “I know, my God, that you examine our hearts and rejoice when you find integrity there. You know I have done all this with good motives, and I watched your people offer their gifts willingly and joyously.” I know I’m not perfect, but my heart’s desire is to be the woman that God originally designed me to be! I will falter and stumble from time to time, but I know that I have a patient and merciful Father. His grace is my sufficiency.

Lastly….remember that prayer is a SACRED action! It blows my mind to think of all the prayers that must be going up to Him at once. His omnipresence…His Holy presence everywhere all the time…is unfathomable!

So with all this being said, the next time you and I spend time with Papa God, let us value it like priceless treasure. Let’s not fill it with mindless, selfish chatter. Instead, let us come before Him with a humble, reverent spirit. Remember…He isn’t interested in our eloquence; He is interested in the sincerity of our heart.

“Papa God, and so it is that I ask not just for me, but also for my family and friends…please search our hearts and remove any foul thing that may be impeding our communion with you. Help us to forgive those who have sinned against us and help us to ask forgiveness of those that we may have offended. Above all else Papa, whatever the requests or the praises we are presenting…in all things we ask that your perfect will be done, in JESUS’ name I pray – Amen!”

Surrender your will for His….IN HIS STRONG LOVE ~ rose

Surrender in the Storm…

06 Aug 2012 Leave a comment

by Rod & Rose in Rose Tags: , , ,


The storm rages, the winds blow, a blanket of darkness seems to envelope us. We enter into the valley and find ourselves desperate and alone. We thirst and hunger…our tanks are empty. Our anxious thoughts unnerve us. We make an attempt to run…to hide. We seek shelter from the storm, but to no avail. Our efforts eventually prove to be futile. The rain continues to pound…and we become weary.

We carry our  baggage around with us while we waste time seeking answers from man, rather than from our Creator. We’re burdened by our “what ifs and what could have beens.” We wallow in our own self-pity, wasting yet more time.

But then…something miraculous happens. Something breaks through the clouds. Are those prayers we hear? Is someone interceding on our behalf? Could it be?  The Light breaks through…the SON illuminates the sky and the rain clouds part!  We fall on our knees….humbled…broken. Finally…a moment of sweet surrender! We take our burdens to the cross and fall into the arms of the One who came to rescue us! We lift our eyes heavenward and cry out…”Search me O God and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, lead me in the way everlasting” Psalm 139:23-24.

And he gently and tenderly reminds us, “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing”  Zephaniah 3:17.  He takes us by the hand…dusts us off as we rise from the ashes–and illuminates our path once again. The sweet break through! We praise God for answered prayers! Hallelujah indeed! ~ IN HIS STRONG LOVE ~ rose

“Filling the Gap”…with God?

12 Jul 2012 Leave a comment

by Rod & Rose in Rose Tags: , , , , ,


There is a longing—or angst—in the heart of every believer that desires a deeper, more intimate walk with God. And to experience this relationship with God, we must learn to “be still.” Learning the art of being still is indeed a daily discipline; a concentrated effort on our part to wait patiently for Him to speak.

For the most part, we rush into our day with so much on our minds–things to do, people to see, places to go, errands to run. Our lives are made up of deadlines, one right after another…or so we believe.

When we’re honest, we admit we often create “a gap of time” in our daily routine for God…the Creator of all that exists….including time itself! We proudly make a check-mark in the box when we’ve spent the 15-30 minutes or so we think we can spare for God. Wow…how arrogantly we’ve twisted our concept of time with Him!

And so we spend time running through our list of requests…for our kids, for our friends… telling God what we need, what we want…talking, talking, talking! Then we close with, “in Jesus name, Amen.” Bam…done! Devotional time is over! Put the check mark in the box. We said what we came to say, and we get up and walk away…on to the next “thing” on our list. Now do we feel better? Ouch!

So what’s wrong with this picture? Let me be clear…there is nothing wrong with sharing the desires of our heart with our Papa God. He loves it when we pour our heart out to Him. What’s wrong is that more often than not we leave our heavenly Father’s presence before we’ve given Him an opportunity to respond. We close His Holy Word as soon as we’ve completed the “prescribed verses,” according to our reading plan.  Our thoughts wander on ahead…on to the next task. And when we get up and walk away too soon, we miss the opportunity to hear what our Lord and Savior—our  Almighty Father—wants to speak into our hearts.

In order to discern the voice of God we must practice the art of being still. Papa God longs to breathe Himself into our souls. He longs to reawaken our spiritual senses. He is more than able to prepare us for our daily assignments…more than able to gift us with the desires of our hearts…gifts that are in accordance with His will.

But He doesn’t want to stop there. God wants to do LIFE with us! He wants to be present in our everyday walk…to lift us up when we stumble and fall…to be there for the “high-fives” of our successes (yes…Papa God loves to high-five me:). He wants to walk with us…all the way through our day…gifting us with an inner peace as we close our weary eyes at the end of another day.

So the next time you think you must just “get through” your quiet time, remember this: Pause…and hear His voice! Be still and listen to what He has to say. Then get on with your day…you and God. Invite Him along…and let Him be your driver! You’ll be glad you did! ~ IN HIS STRONG LOVE ~ rose

“Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand….pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given – and you will receive even more.” Mark 4:23-24

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