Most of you know I serve on Quest. I just got back Sunday and once again God showed up and showed off and it was incredible. Not only for the Questers but also for the staff. Before I left I received a text message from one of my clients and it said this God has a habit of chasing after leadership too. Let Him catch you and see what happens. Well he caught me. He spoke to me through a friend of mine with this statement. “Stop trying to create the absence of sin and start cultivating the presence of the Lord.” I had to just sit there a minute and actually ask him to repeat it again. Sometimes I think (me included) that we focus so hard on trying not to sin that we miss it! We try to prevent sin instead of just focusing on God more. There are things that need to be done. Pray, listen to worship music, study the word and be washed by the word. If you do all things then it makes it very hard for sin to creep in because your heart is with Him. Your heart is filled with Him which leaves no room for anything else. Be blessed today!
…Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. ~ Ephesians 5:25b-27
God tells Moses, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14
8 This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may [a]be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will [b]have success. Joshua 1:8 (NASB)
Have been listening to a song called Clear the Stage which broke me.
A lyric from the song says.
You can sing all you want to
And still get it wrong;
Oh, worship is more than a song
Loved this!!!! Thanks!!!
ReplyDeleteYour friend,
Dale Williams
Kee thanks for the word.
ReplyDeleteJerry
Good stuff Kee, thanks so much for sharing and for your leadership. I enjoyed our conversation at the ranch. Stay real.
ReplyDeleteDavid
Kee,
ReplyDeleteI love your emails and they seem to come at just the right time.
Thank you for being submitted to God and the call.
Robert
Thanks Kevin, real good, Oswald Chamber today an tomorrow are good answers for this. Guard your heart for it belongs to God.
ReplyDeleteLove ya Jimbo
Very timely brother as He prepares me to serve on Quest Oct 5-10...
ReplyDeleteAnthony
Good word!
ReplyDeleteBe Blessed
Lonnie Morgan
Thanks, Key. "By be holding we become changed." Bunyan
ReplyDeleteJohnathan elder
Awesome!! Awesome!! Awesome!!
ReplyDeleteHe is closer than our breath! He stands beside us, He goes before us, He is all around us! These are my favorite words to a worship song that I listen to daily. So very true when we stop and think about it. And when we do, He engulfs us! So awesome that we have a Daddy who just wants to love on us, all the time.
Great stuff bro!
Love ya
Corey Weed
Good one Kee. Thanks. This was a confirmation thing for me.
ReplyDeleteTroy Morgan
2 weeks ago I went on FIRE: Dreams and Visions. A few things we learned had to do directly with what you're talking about. In Romans 8:13b it says, "but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live". What the staff members (and Holy Spirit) were teaching us on this was that the desires of the flesh cannot merely be forgotten. I know that when you focus on God and never turn to the right or the left, you will be a great servant and friend to our Father, but if you can do that while having Father put your fleshly desires to death? That's the good stuff. At least for me. Anyway what we were taught is to say "Dad I Need Help". These 4 words are much more powerful than tons and tons of other words cuz it's about humbling oneself. After that you say (for me I most often say) "I acknowledge the desires of the flesh, but they are not your ways, Father, and I want your ways. Please put to death this desire by your Holy Spirit Father." You are focusing on Him when you do that so it is like that person said in the text to you, but also your sinful desires are slowly being to death by Dad through Holy Spirit. It's Incredible.
ReplyDeleteAs for God's presence, that is another thing we learned. We learned that grace is the empowering presence of God, enabling you to be who He created you to be, and to do what He has called you to do. Ask Dad for His grace in whatever area you are struggling with. Let Him give you His presence and courage to be who you are. You are not defined by your sins. You just need a little (or maybe a lot, I don't know) help to be who you are.
I apologize if I came off preachy, it is just in me to want to share things I have learned with others. I hope this helps you as much as it did me. 2 Corinthians 3:17, 18 are also great verses for this topic. "17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." Freedom isn't the absence of something, it is the presence of Someone. You have freedom. Claim it.
I got preachy again. Sorry I just felt like I should write that too.
Follow the ancient path,
Ky Sartin
WOW!!! God knows what we need and when we need it. I needed this right now. Thanks for passing it on!!
ReplyDeleteThanks!!
Dave Harris
thank you very good needed to hear that ,i need to focus on the father and his word.
ReplyDeletebill
Oh me.
ReplyDeleteAnd amen.
Awesome It is now on my white board
Ben Grounds
Kee,
ReplyDelete“Stop trying to create the absence of sin and start cultivating the presence of the Lord.”
Wow - That is one of the most powerful statements I have ever heard.... on so many levels. I always enjoy your insights as they are personal and the story is always open and honest. Thanks for sharing this one.
Cory Schrater
Good stuff Kevin
ReplyDeleteMerritt