My Choice?

Yesterday and today our church is hosting a ministerial conference for workers of Calvary Ministries International (CMI) the ogranization with which our church is affiliated. Pastor issued an open invitation to everyone on Sunday to attend the evening sessions last night and tonight. The keynote speaker was Rev. Bill Johnson from Redding CA (iBethel.org)

I went. It was phenomenal. I knew, as he spoke, this is what the church is supposed to be doing. We really need to step up to the challenge, renew our minds, see things as possible - not improbable and begin seeing events with a view of the kingdom in action. His illustrations from his ministry as to how God is using laypeople to reach out and spread the healing power of God just totally blew me away. I felt this was the message God needed me to hear and that I needed to, indeed, get my mind renewed so I could see into the kingdom realm.

I can't wait for tonight. I tried to share with my daughter what I had witnessed and how I had been impacted but I found myself so emotionally invested it was hard to verbalize so much of what had happened.

I purchased 2 books Rev. Johnson has written and in reading a bit this morning I was hit with the concept that Satan must get our "co-operation". I had to just stop and say "WOW!" So, it isn't what God permits Satan to hurl at us, it is what we give Satan permission to do to us. We live with physical aches and pains, financial shortfalls, and stress... because we allow Satan the right to beat us up because we think we are to be tried and tested if we are to come forth as gold.

But what if... being tried and tested was something we had concocted in our minds. Is it really scriptural for us to suffer the things for which Christ came and died to secure for us; our health and peace of mind. Mind you, I'm not saying we will not have trials, I'm just saying that I think permit ourselves to be held down by situations which were not institigated by God for our good. That actually these "trials sent by God" orginated from a totally different source, and we sometimes suffer them when we should be taking authority OVER them. I'm feeling a bit foolish today. I want to keep this post as a moment to check back. I want the beginning of the "renewal of my mind" to have started. I do NOT want to be held back from achieving the potential God has ordained that I reach so that I can be a part of the faithful winning the kingdom.

It just almost seems to me like the enemy is doing pretty well in our time simply by holding down the believers with so many personal issues they cannot be about the Father's business. We need not give him our cooperation. We need to claim by faith what God has given us and "run" at the enemy as David ran at Goliath. We need to agressively be taking the kingdom by force.

Whooooeeeeeeee!!! and amen. So let it be.