The Fields Are Ripe for Harvest!

I’m practically laughing at myself because I didn’t realize that it was Valentine’s Day today when I woke up.  My initial plans were to simply read my Bible, (get caught up on my daily reading, as I’m a few days behind!) head to the gym and begin the process of packing my things to return to Arkansas.  But then, the idea of going up to the Big Trees State Park here in California ran across my mind.  I looked at the clock and decided to make a go of it.

 

I enjoy the drive to Calaveras County as it is a beautiful drive in many ways.  Much of the drive is through farm land which consists mainly of orchards, quite unlike the farmland I’m used to in the Midwest.  And, it looks as if I’m just shy of missing the full on beautiful blooms on the thousands upon thousands of trees that I passed today.  Passing through the farmland then gives way to hills, big beautiful hills that then grow into mountains.  I just LOVE the mountains.  As the numbers for elevation grow larger, the numbers for the temperature drop.  This is one of my fave places as this is the third time I’ve visited there in the nearly 6 months I’ve been here. The air is crisp and has the wonderful aroma of cedar.  Trust me; my words don’t come close to describing the actual experience!

Anyway, I was able to trot through a small portion of the park.  Silly me, I forgot about just how much snow had been on the mountain and it IS still winter!  It was very muddy and there was a lot of running water due to the melting snow.  I didn’t stay long.  Just being there one last time before I head home was sufficient for me.  It’s not just about the destination, but the journey.  And, God’s beauty is amazing … that is all!!

 

As I passed through one of the small towns on the way to the park, it crossed my mind to stop and eat at one of the local pizza places that I’ve eaten at both times I’ve been there previously.  Then I remembered a man who worked there.  I remembered him because he was sincerely friendly and the presence of the Lord was very strong on me when I had spoken to him.  As I came back down the mountain, I tried to talk myself into just heading home to save both time and money.  But then I realized that it was the Lord who wanted me to stop.  In my head, asked the Lord what the man’s name was.  I heard “Pete.”

 

So, I stopped at the restaurant.  I looked around for the man as I ordered my pizza.  Sure enough, there he was.  He came right up and greeted me.  I told him I was glad that I saw him on my last trip to the Big Trees because I was headed back to Arkansas next week.  And, guess what his name is?  That’s right, it’s Pete!!  Thank You, Holy Spirit!!

 

You see, the stop at the pizza place really wasn’t about me at all.  It was the Holy Spirit planting yet another seed to a lost soul.  In the flesh, I didn’t want to take the time, and, although I love pizza, I’m watching my girlish figure and thought that perhaps I should skip it.  This wasn’t about such superficial things and yet, even though the five minute chat with this man may have seemed superficial, the Lord was at work.  You see, I have prayed for Pete every time I’ve been to eat there.  They are very simple, but effective prayers.  And, I believe that one day I will see Pete in Heaven.  Today was Valentine’s Day and God wanted Pete to know that He is loved.  Now, I didn’t have to say those words.  That’s not how the Lord led.  I only had to be the vessel and allow Holy Spirit to work through me.  It really is just that simple.  1 Corinthians 3:6-7  He does the work.  We just need to be willing to follow Him, and His ways are not always like ours.  Isaiah 55:8

 

I just love when this happens.  Holy Spirit is amazing!  You see some people may never have darkened the door of a church and the only Jesus they ever see is through us, the followers of Christ that make up The Church.  That’s why it’s so very important that we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in spite of what we think in the “natural.” I almost chose to miss it today.

 

It’s God’s will that none should perish.  2 Peter 3:9   And, do you remember that the Good Shepherd will leave the 99 to look for the 1 lost sheep? Matthew 18:12 , Luke 15:4  We need to remember that we are not our own; we were bought at a price.  1 Corinthians 6:19-20 You see, it would have been easy for me to simply hit the road for home in the name of saving time and money.  But I knew that this was more than a stop for food.

 

If you’re a follower of Christ, I urge you to stay sensitive to the Holy Spirit for these opportunities.  I have to tell you, nothing else will make your day quite like being in the will of God like this.  And, if you’ve never experienced a moment like this, ask God to lead you in this way … because He will.  Trust Him.  He’ll give you the words you need to say.  Luke 12:12  Trust me, I pray Luke 12:12 over situations all the time!!

 

Remember that the fields are ripe for harvest.  John 4:35, Luke 10:2  Something else I’d like to throw out here is that we have to look at others through the eyes of God.  Yes, the fields are ripe for harvest, but remember, we don’t get to choose what the “harvest” looks or acts like.  We’re sent to do the work!  The “harvest” may be pierced, tattooed and with colored hair … or perhaps Muslim, or Buddhist, etc.  They are no less loved by God than you and I are.  He loves us all.  We all have the invitation to be in relationship with Him.

 

We, as followers of Christ, need to love more … and not just use the word love.  Love isn’t just a word.  Love is a Person.  That Person is Jesus.  Jesus is God.  He who does not love does not know God, because God is love.  1 John 4:8   If you’ve accepted Jesus as your Savior, you have Love living inside of you.  Don’t block Love from flowing through you.  All too often I’ve experienced people using the word love when in reality the presence of love in their actions was no where to be found.  I get it.  We’re all human and we all have those moments.  But, let’s not make it a lifestyle.  Where does love begin and end in your world?  We need to make the conscience choice to let Love, God, flow through us.  We need to stretch ourselves to love more on a continual basis.  Don’t just reach a certain point and stop.

 

As followers of Christ, let’s purposefully be known for our love of others.  I challenge you to do that!  I believe it will make a difference in our world.

 

The fields are ripe for harvest... 

Looking for a Drive Through Break Through?

In our fast paced world of drive through banking, groceries, alcohol, meals, and even marriages, I fear that few understand the benefits of long suffering.  It's like the commercial (local commercial??) where the guy yells; "It's my money, and I want it now!" It's advertising that if you have long time installment payments coming to you, you don't have to wait, you can get it all now...for a price, though.

 

You see, so many believe that the dreams that God has placed in our hearts don't come to pass overnight, there's something wrong. I've literally had people tell me that there was something wrong because the dreams that I believe are from God haven’t come to pass yet. That is a lie from the devil and is nothing but discouragement that was spoken to me through another Christian. Sure, I could push people around, tweak things in my favor and do what needs to be done to get what I want when I want it, they way I want it. But...would that be God's will for my life? Would it be His plan...or my plan?  Just because we hit what feels like a bump in the road, doesn't necessarily mean we're doing something wrong. There is learning in the journey. There is stretching and growing and testing of our faith in the journey. Don't despise the journey.  Don’t despise the possibility of long suffering. For myself, I come from a family who didn't know God for generations.  God has exposed and broken off so many generational hindrances that I can’t even count them.  I’ll say it again.  There is purpose in the journey.  Don’t despise long suffering through the journey.

 

The problem is that in today’s drive through society, most of us want it now.  We don’t want the journey.  We don’t want to endure long suffering.  We want instant gratification.

 

About 25 years ago, the Lord called me back unto Himself.  I wasn’t raised in a Christian home.  However, I had been fortunate to have attended a church camp where I received Christ as my Savior.  (At that point in my life, nightmares and sleepwalking which had occurred several nights a week came to an immediate end.) But since that relationship was hindered because my family wasn’t a believing family, I was nearly 25 years old before I was drawn into a serious relationship with Jesus.  I was broken…completely disabled by depression.  But, God!!  Two weeks after inviting God back into my life via Benny Hinn ministries, (Those of you who despise his ministry should realize that it takes all kinds of people to do God’s will.  None of us, including myself, have 100% of the answers.) God healed me instantly of the depression that was crippling my life.  God began the process of cleaning me up, preparing me for the purpose that He had created me for.

 

It’s been an interesting 24+ years. I’ve had good times.  I’ve had bad times.  But, one thing I can say is that there has been purpose in every moment of it.  Is there something wrong with me because my dreams didn’t come to pass immediately?  I can honestly say, “No!”

 

You see that depression, although I had been healed instantly from it in the beginning, did return.  It’s been something that I’ve had to deal with for many years.  But now it doesn’t have a hold on me like it did.  God healed me at the time because He saw fit that I should be healed.   But through the years, He has taught me to not only see it coming, but to fight it off with spiritual warfare.  It’s been a process of growing in knowledge, wisdom, and patience…all taught by the Holy Spirit simply because I have allowed Him into my life to do so.

 

I have had my moments where I didn’t understand why things happened the way they did.  I had moments where I’ve even been angry with God.  But, what I’ve learned is to always talk to God about it, whatever the “it” is for that moment.  He is so kind and loving and He cares about what we care about.  When I don’t understand something I ask Him and He shows me, in His timing.  This is why we should never despise the journey, and sometimes the suffering is long.

 

I’ve had many mountain top experiences, but I’ve had many valley experiences, also.  That doesn’t mean that His purpose for my life isn’t going to happen, because it will.  But when it does happen, it will be in His timing, not my own  This is a journey and we must do the walking.  Sometimes I have taken a step of faith only to see that it wasn’t the right direction.  He is ever so faithful the show me the way.

 

When I was getting ready for church this morning, all of these thoughts were rolling around in my head.  At first I thought this was going to be a one or two sentence “status update” for facebook.  But, as I began putting my thoughts down in my notes as David drove us to church, I realized that there was more to it.  Then…one thing I SO love about God is how He confirms things to me through other people.  Much of what I’m talking about here is what my pastor spoke about in his teaching this morning…including the “drive through mentality” that we have here in the western world.

 

Folks, it’s time to examine our hearts.  Do we truly want a meaningful relationship with God or not?  It’s our choice.  Jesus never said that a life of following, believing, trusting, and growing in Him would be easy.  But, I can tell you from my own experiences that it is worth it.  I am so different from the person I used to be and it’s all because of my own personal journey with Jesus.  I long to be more and more like Him.  I long to know and love Him more.  I long to hear His voice daily and throughout the day, not just in a single moment of prayer.  It is a journey, led by the Holy Spirit, and trusting that He knows what is best for me and any given moment.

 

My prayer is that any and all who reads this will experience a hunger for the God of all Creation no matter where you are in your walk of life…whether you know Him well, or not at all.  If you’re breathing, God has a purpose for your life.  It’s a matter of whether or not you choose to walk out your journey with Him.

 

Choose life.  Choose the journey that may involve long suffering instead of the supposed “drive through break through.”  You won’t be sorry. Your life already has divine purpose, but do you choose to live out that divine purpose?  Reach out to Jesus now.  He is there for each and every one of us, but we must choose him.  Choose Jesus.  Choose life.