Dear Fellow Believers,
In "Christianese" I often hear phrases like a move of God the next great move of God or waiting on God to move as if He's just sitting on His throne, chillin' and taking the week off.

It is probably more accurate to say that He waits on us before He moves.  God is moving every day.  He has a purpose for each of us to fulfill every day. We just don't see it or hear from the Holy Spirit because we are so caught up in our own lives and distractions of this physical world.  He moves through us!  He is waiting for us to bow down and lay our pride, our earthy desires and our strong will at His feet.  He is waiting for us to seek Him more than we seek the world He gave us, with all it's earthly pleasures and distractions.  He is waiting for us to say "not my will but Yours".  He is waiting for us to ask what He wants us to do today.  

We can't hold on to the things of this world and think God will move greatly in our lives.  You don't have to live an impoverished life, only put Him first and let go of all that the world has to offer. 

Seek FIRST the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and ALL these things shall be added unto you.  Matthew 6:33 

The next great move of God begins with His people.  If that is what you want more than anything, stop singing about it and get alone with Him in your prayer closet.  Get full of His Word and tune in to what the Holy Spirit is saying.  Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.  2 Chronicles 7:14  This verse is often quoted in reference to saving this world and the state of our nation.  But take a moment and read that verse in context.  God was speaking to King Solomon in reference to His people and His temple.  I'm keeping my words brief and to the point because reading God's words in this passage says it so much better:

So Solomon finished the Temple of the Lord, as well as the royal palace. He completed everything he had planned to do in the construction of the Temple and the palace.  Then one night the Lord appeared to Solomon and said,

“I have heard your prayer and have chosen this Temple as the place for making sacrifices. At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or command grasshoppers to devour your crops, or send plagues among you.  Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.  My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place.  For I have chosen this Temple and set it apart to be holy—a place where my name will be honored forever. I will always watch over it, for it is dear to my heart.

“As for you, if you faithfully follow me as David your father did, obeying all my commands, decrees, and regulations, then I will establish the throne of your dynasty. For I made this covenant with your father, David, when I said, ‘One of your descendants will always rule over Israel.’

“But if you or your descendants abandon me and disobey the decrees and commands I have given you, and if you serve and worship other gods, then I will uproot the people from this land that I have given them. I will reject this Temple that I have made holy to honor my name. I will make it an object of mockery and ridicule among the nations.  And though this Temple is impressive now, all who pass by will be appalled. They will ask, ‘Why did the Lord do such terrible things to this land and to this Temple?’

“And the answer will be, ‘Because His people abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and they worshiped other gods instead and bowed down to them. That is why He has brought all these disasters on them.’” 2 Chronicles 7:11-22 NLT

Waiting on a move of God?  Let it all go and seek Him first!

Be ready,

Deborah
DeborahLuchie.org
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Dear fellow Believers,
Think about yourself for a moment. How much of your time with the Lord--in prayer, meditation, reading--is spent focusing on yourself?  How much of your time and attention is focused on others--praying for people, discipling others, telling people about Jesus, helping people in need or serving in your church?  What began as something good--Focusing on ourselves for self improvement and growth--has grown into an almost obsession of self-focus and selfishness.  It is insidious! 

I remember when pastors began moving away from messages about salvation, service and evangelism to "self-help" messages that sounded more like personal growth therapy sessions!  It seemed like a good direction to go because people were becoming more aware of their emotional and mental states and would, with that knowledge grow into mature, productive disciples of Christ.  The problem is, we ended up with an abundance of "me Christians"!  In essence, there are many Humanist Christians who don't even know that is what they have become. 

Wikipedia says: Christian humanism regards humanist principles like universal human dignity, individual freedom and the importance of happiness as essential and principal components of the teachings of Jesus. Now, the problem with that is that it puts "me" at the center of my universe and not Jesus.  It is like taking the sun and having it rotate around the earth.  We are not the center of the universe!

Also, I have read several articles that say being self-focused may increase depression but being focused on others and helping people in some way decreases depression.  "Getting your mind off yourself" just may be good advice!  That is understandable!

People whose lives are based on selfishness think about selfish things, but people whose lives are based on the Spirit think about things that are related to the Spirit. The attitude that comes from selfishness leads to death, but the attitude that comes from the Spirit leads to life and peace.  So the attitude that comes from selfishness is hostile to God. It doesn’t submit to God’s Law, because it can’t. People who are self-centered aren’t able to please God.

But you aren’t self-centered. Instead you are in the Spirit, if in fact God’s Spirit lives in you. If anyone doesn’t have the Spirit of Christ, they don’t belong to Him. Romans 8:5-9 CEB

We choose churches by the way it affects us:  the worship, the preaching, the child care, etc as if we were the center of the universe. You want to go somewhere where you can "Get your praise on!", get pumped up and know your children are well taken care of.  Have you ever gone "church shopping" with the focus being "Can God use me here?"  

I'm right there with you and until recently I never thought about it.  But this year the Holy Spirit changed my focus and I began seeing from a new perspective!  Once you see it, you can't unsee it! That is why I am writing. I want you to see also! 

We've got to get our eyes off of ourselves and back on Jesus! 

​Social media and our culture have created an epidemic of self-absorbed and narcissistic people.  It has caused them to look coldly on the hardships of others. As long as we keep our eyes on ourselves, we cannot advance the Kingdom of God in our community.  How many people will never come to know Jesus because we couldn't get our eyes and thoughts off of ourselves?  That is a sobering thought.   

Yes, once you see it, you won't be able to unsee it.  Be aware of your focus.  Is it Jesus focused?  Is it focused on discipleship, evangelism, serving others?  Or is it centered on you, how it relates to your life, your prosperity, your comfort, and your happiness?  

...Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now He is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Hebrews 12:1b-2 NLT

​Be ready,

Deborah
DeborahLuchie.org
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed.  Thank you