Monday, April 11, 2011

A Time to Prepare

Since January our community has been involved in preparedness and I have moved into a new phase of getting ready. In 2008, I began this journey, but it is way different when there is a community involved.

A group takes some of the pressure off decision making as you don't have to try out everything for yourself and you can pool resources (great minds!) and resources. Readiness is more than getting freeze dried foods and putting together a go bag and I count spiritual readiness as the most important thing. But I have been pursuing my Messiah whole-heartedly for many years and it seems that in this season He is directing me into greater physical preparation than ever before.

Around February we began our raised bed gardens and in March I was blessed to take the Crisis Response International Training (CRI) and go to a raw edibles class.

So far in April I have been able to receive my technician class Ham license. (I am now a Lamb operator, thank you Anna).

Other items on my list include CERT training and emergency first aid training. SO I shall end this blog with the sound of the Birds ringing in my head as I contemplate on Ecclesiastes in a new way:

1To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

2A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

3A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

9What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?

10I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.

11He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

12I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life. 13And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God. 14I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him. 15That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.

16And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.

17I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

18I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.

19For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.

20All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.

21Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

22Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Lessons I have learned from Holy Fascination

Holy Fascination or Holy Imagination is a class I am taking this semester in the KCHC. It involves sanctifying your imagination and allowing Yeshua to use it for His purposes. I am sure it is controversial to some but in my experience it has answered a lot of questions that I presented to the Lord.

One of the first questions Yeshua began to answer was about faith: I repeatedly asked Him to explain what faith looks like to Him as I am believing for healing in my body. I did not expect Him to answer me through my Holy Fascination but it is so cool that He did.

In this HF, He met me on a mountaintop above the tree line. The tree line on mountains is very high, with less oxygen in the atmosphere and very cold temperatures. Few things are able to live up there because of the rugged and harsh conditions. It was right before my CRI training and I had heard of many who were not able to complete the training due to harsh conditions so I was a little anxious about whether I would be able to do it.

Yeshua was with me though and He said, the view is very good up here. As I looked around me, I could see all the little towns and valleys. Spiritually speaking it seemed to be a way of peering into the future and I perceived the rugged harsh experience was ideal for preparing for the future, when times are tough. There are those who train for athletic events at high altitudes so their bodies will perform at significantly higher rates when they get to sea level competitions. However in this harsh condition Yeshua was training me to 'lean on Him.' He told me He likes it when we lean on Him for He is able to do more for us.

Recently my legs have been pain free though I have continued to have other difficult symptoms. In this HF, Yeshua gave me a token and I perceived that a token is a promise of more to come. My healing in my legs is a partial payment on the promise He has given me of total healing. The verse in Philippians 1:6 came to mind with new meaning: being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. I had always taken that verse more spiritually than physically and I now changed my view. Whearas before I was wondering why Yeshua only healed my legs instead of my whole body, I now saw that the healing of the legs was to give me faith He is good for the whole thing.

Praise to God on high, renewed faith to believe and continue in hope and trust.