I spent New Year's eve and New Year's day with friends from Word of Life who were visiting from the U.S and the team from Life Ministries. Pastor Dube from Word of Life held an all-night prayer vigil to pray us into the new season the Lord is ushering in.
To describe this new season, the Lord told Pastor Dube to look up all the references in the Bible of the Hebrew word 'Kabod'. It is most commonly translated as "glory" but Pastor Dube discovered the hidden layers of meaning of this term as he studied the way it is used.
It first appears in the book of Isaiah, where it is translated as 'glory' and is affixed to the Hebrew word 'Doxa' which means to shine. In the Old testament, God makes it clears that when His glory descends on Israel, His children shine in all that they do.
In the New Testament, the word 'Kabod' appears when Jesus is telling the disciples that they are a royal priesthood, that as they ask they shall receive, that all things work together for the good of those who love God and that he came so that we could have life and have it more abundantly. (Books of Mark and Romans). It has thus been translated in English as abundance, importance or divine favour. Then it appears again in the Book of Revelation with the word 'Doxa' affixed to it, to show that when the Sons of God become manifest, they will shine so brightly that they will leave no doubt that Jesus Christ 's glory has descended over them.
As we prayed all believers in our congregations, communities and spheres of influence into this season of "Kabod', miracles started to unfold. By the time New Year's day was unshered in, I knew that my time of serving at the Louis Gregory Foundation is coming to an end, having prepared me for the mininstry the Lord is now calling me into: helping Life Ministries to develop and grow their new Christian school. It was a very brief season of opportunity at the Louis Gregory Foundation and I realise now that this was not where the Lord wanted me to serve but only the environment that was conducive to my training for ministry. As I realised that this is the season of bringing glory to Lord Jesus, it became perfectly clear that God is always in full control even when we don't understand where His plan is taking us. It can only ever take us Higher, to become seated in heavenly places, or deeper into His Word. As you glorify Him in this new season, may you learn to Shine!
The Kabod Season
Friday, January 2, 2009
Don't start 2009 in neutral
In Joshua 1, verses 6-9, the Lord tells believers who are called to lead others 'Be strong and courageous'. He says this 3 times, reminding us Christians are called to be on the offensive.
As we prepared to put 2008 behind us and embrace the coming season, the Life Ministries team was extremely blessed to receive funding from the Louisiana District Action Leadership to build a Christian school for the 180 children who have been attending Bible classes this year. They will also be sending dvd's to train the youth pastors in using drama to build a childrens' ministry.
Now we have to continue praying and moving into this new season with clarity, focus and confident trust in the Lord.
I asked the Lord yesterday how to practically translate this understanding into action and I beleive the Holy Spirit answered through a letter I received from Gary Blair, founder of the 100-day Challenge. Now that the 2008 challenge is over and some of us are taking time to enjoy time with family, there is a danger that we will miss the next move of God by staying in neutral. While balance in all areas of our life is something we must constantly strive for, we should never use this an excuse to become lukewarm or passive about the things of God. When Gary Blair reminded me not to start 2009 in neutral, I immediately realised that the Lord was dealing with me.
Praise the Lord that there is always an answer to our prayers. Mine came in the form of the Contemplative questions Gary gave me to ask myself as I prepare to get in gear for 2009:
1. How should I live out each day so that I am fulfilled in 2009?
2. Am I becoming the person I am meant to be?
3. In order to reach my goals in 2009, what habits and disciplines must I initiate immediately?
4. what can I begin doing today to leave a lasting legacy?
5. Which vices must I replace with virtues?
6. How can I best contribute to the lives of others?
" Habits- both good and bad alike- are lifelong companions and hold court every day, acting as judge and jury over our development"
-Gary Blair
As we prepared to put 2008 behind us and embrace the coming season, the Life Ministries team was extremely blessed to receive funding from the Louisiana District Action Leadership to build a Christian school for the 180 children who have been attending Bible classes this year. They will also be sending dvd's to train the youth pastors in using drama to build a childrens' ministry.
Now we have to continue praying and moving into this new season with clarity, focus and confident trust in the Lord.
I asked the Lord yesterday how to practically translate this understanding into action and I beleive the Holy Spirit answered through a letter I received from Gary Blair, founder of the 100-day Challenge. Now that the 2008 challenge is over and some of us are taking time to enjoy time with family, there is a danger that we will miss the next move of God by staying in neutral. While balance in all areas of our life is something we must constantly strive for, we should never use this an excuse to become lukewarm or passive about the things of God. When Gary Blair reminded me not to start 2009 in neutral, I immediately realised that the Lord was dealing with me.
Praise the Lord that there is always an answer to our prayers. Mine came in the form of the Contemplative questions Gary gave me to ask myself as I prepare to get in gear for 2009:
1. How should I live out each day so that I am fulfilled in 2009?
2. Am I becoming the person I am meant to be?
3. In order to reach my goals in 2009, what habits and disciplines must I initiate immediately?
4. what can I begin doing today to leave a lasting legacy?
5. Which vices must I replace with virtues?
6. How can I best contribute to the lives of others?
" Habits- both good and bad alike- are lifelong companions and hold court every day, acting as judge and jury over our development"
-Gary Blair
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