Heaven on Earth

It seems like much of the Church, as a whole, has been wrapped up in daily life and circumstances. They've forgotten how to dream. They've been robbed of their ability to dream. People have just stopped dreaming. People have settled. They've settled for a less than or just enough lifestyle.

photo credit:  telegraph.co.uk

I hear it all the time, "This is reality," or "I live in reality."  

Is that really it? 

Is that really what Jesus died on the cross for? 

Where is the faith in that?

Did you know...

God called you, his people, his children, to be MORE THAN ENOUGH HEAVEN ON EARTH people?

News flash: HEAVEN ON EARTH IS YOUR REALITY!

photo credit:  yourdictionary.com

Psalms 37:4 says, "Take delight in The Lord and I will give you the desires of your hearts..."

What is "the desires of your hearts"? 

Simple.  It's your dreams and visions.

First this verse says, "Delight in Lord".  Then it says, "AND".   Now, we know there is a connection, a condition. "And" is a conjunction. To have one side, means to have the other. To get this, you must do this.

If I just delight in the Lord (meaning if I just become about the things of the Lord), His dreams become my dreams and my dreams become His dreams (as long as they line up with the Word of God). If I take care of God's business. He'll take care of mine. How do I know this? Well, here it is.

Jeremiah 29:11 (MSG) I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out plans to take care of you, not abandon you, PLANS TO GIVE YOU THE FUTURE YOU HOPE FOR.

Another translation, the NIV says, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

How I read it, "For I know the dreams I have for you and have placed inside of you, dreams to prosper you and not to harm you, dreams to give you hope, and dreams to become your future."

The dreams He placed inside of me are my reality. The Word of God is my reality. It is an unlimited truth that circumvents and stands above this limited world, and this life.

Running the Race

"With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don’t hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort." 1 Corinthians 15:58 - Message

I just want to encourage some folks, and share some of my experience. You're not alone.

The Lord has been working with me on consistency. It hasn't been the easiest, far from it. I've dropped the ball plenty of times, and still do. The beginning was so tough. I look back at who I was just six months ago to a year, when I began to sort of feel my way back (like in a dark room with no lights, and you're trying to find the exit.) Right now, I'm in that middle phase of the race. The adrenaline (emotional high) is dying down. I can feel the aches and pains now, the "I don't want to's"... "I'm tired's"... "Maybe later's" ... just that overall head down, shoulder slump, take a deep breath, I guess I have to sort of thing. You know.

It's during this time, that digging and remaining in the Word of God is more important than ever. Cause you can believe that fear, doubt and temptation are going to creep up and in, doing their hardest to hold you back, to keep you from finishing this race, and experiencing the things of God. 1 Peter 5:8 says, "Be Sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." When Lions hunt, who do they prey on? The strongest? The fastest? Or, rather the sick, slow, (here's a big one) and the YOUNG - those the Lions can easily separate from the pack (Word of God), people he can foool into believing they are alone. You can't do it alone.  If you could have, Jesus wouldn't have had to die on the cross. You just have to stick with it, and keep pushing on.

In James 1:12 it says, "Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him."

...and in Galatians 6:9, "Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."

This just gives me so much confidence and hope in my walk.

I can say, I've experienced some of this blessing already, and its been good. In all of 6 months, I am more stable now (that I've founded myself in his Word), than I have ever been. The Lord has blessed me a great job with great people to work with. MY BOSSES HAVE BEEN A HUGE BLESSING to say the least. I'm living stable and comfortably. Anybody that knows me, knows that has never been since I've been on my own. The things I asked God for, the desires of my heart, stuff that when I decided to do this and said, "Hey Lord, its in your Word. I'm going to hold up my end, don't let me down, this is what I want."  MOST (and I mean MOST) of those things have come to pass. I am so thankful, so thankful. More so recently, than in the beginning. I had to sow seed first to reap it.

Well, this is what I've been going through, and experiencing. You're not alone. Keep pushing. Keep working in the Word of God, and the Word of God will work for you, and those around you.

(CHECK THIS OUT: There is scripture (Romans 5:3-5 and Hebrews 10:36) where it talks about gaining endurance through trials, and why you'll need it. I'm beginning to read about Moses coming to Egypt, and delivering God's people to the Promised Land. As people who visibly experienced the miracles of God, they too, experienced rough times like doubt, fear and temptation, which turned into a 11-14 day trip into 40 YEARS. For us we can learn from them, and not make the same mistakes keeping from experiencing what the Lord had to offer them in the Promised Land. Definitely something to read and relate to right! Check it out.)

Truth or Fact?

Truth supersedes fact. 

Truth is the the Word of God, and Truth, regardless of your circumstances (what life is screaming at you), will always, 

WILL ALWAYS, 

WILL ALWAYS, 

WILL ALWAYS, 

WILL ALWAYS, 

WILL ALWAYS, 

WILL ALWAYS, 

WILL ALWAYS stand above everything else.

Taking Care of Business

In my experience, The Lord has always been about taking care of business. 

If I just take care of business, if I just do what I'm suppose to do, then I have nothing to fear, ever. If I just do my part, then things will succeed, because the Lord has already done his.

News flash, it's not even about you. Yeah, God wants you to live in prosperity and have nice things, but its not for you. It's for the people around, the witness you bring to their lives.

Take care of business, and God will take care of you.

Jeremy Neasley