The Vision in My Soul

I am long delayed in posting, and have been conflicted as to what to write. I have planned other topics, but have been unable to write them because this keeps coming to the front of my mind. It has taken time and prayer to finally have these words, but here it is.

For those of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, our lives no longer belong to us but to the One who gave all and took all upon himself. There are times, though, when we will try to take it back and control it through our own flesh. It is during these times that God will speak to us.

Our father does not usually shout at us to get our attention. No, He will often use subtle measures: the small voice inside that we know to come from something other than ourselves; the immediate knowledge that comes to our minds that says we are wrong. Sometimes, He will instill a vision in us that takes root in our deepest parts, one that becomes imbedded in our hearts, minds, and soul.

The Lord was pleased, for his righteousness' sake, to magnify his law and make it glorious. (Isaiah 42:21 ESV)

Sometimes, though, He will speak directly to our hearts, burning His message into us in a way we cannot deny. The Lord planted this in me, and it is clear that He is adamant that I receive this message. At first, it seemed more of a production in my mind, but as time has passed, it has become more and more clear to me, more defined . . . more real, something I cannot shake and does not fade. I have shared this with some, but am being led to share it with as many as I can now. I know that it is from God and has been planted deep in my soul.

In this vision, I am sitting in the presence of my Lord and Savior, and have a deep sense of awe, humility and shame. I do not see Him, but know He is there. In front of me is an easel, the type that an artist might use, with a large canvas on it, facing away from me so that what is on it I may not see. I am curious, and afraid.

My fear turns to a most complete calm when I hear the words, “My son, welcome home.” I know that this is real, and at the same time a vision. I know that I am still in my flesh, but in His holy presence. I also know that He has something to show me that I alone am privy to.

Now, the easel and canvas are turned toward me. I still cannot discern what the image in front of me looks like, but I am told, “Michael, this is who I created you to be, and this is who you have become. My work has been steady and fruitful. You are complete.”

I have come to understand more of this, and am compelled to share it now. While I do not know what the final image of me is, or will become, I now know that I am a work in progress, and am still incomplete where it regards my final person. I can only describe it as one would an artist creating his masterpiece.

When a work of art is created, the piece does not just appear on canvas. It is a tedious and laborious task, one where each and every stroke of the brush is intentional. Colors are mixed and placed in a specific location, each with a part to play in the finished work. Such is my life, a single act of placing the color to the image with each and every action that is my existence. The colors that form me are as varied as the colors in the world. Some are dark, some are light and colorful, while some are a mixture that looks almost like mud. I do not control the outcome.

As the strokes are applied and the image takes shape, I realize that there is something beneath the surface of the creation. It is my old life. As an artist will reuse a canvas and paint over it, so has God created a new and beautiful portrait that covers my old self.

2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Cor 5:17 ESV)

The new image of me has covered the old, and I am a new creation. He has applied colors and brush strokes in His love that will completely take away any memory of my old self. Every action, every word I speak, every conversation I have, every life I touch and am touched by is placed on that canvas. All of my doubts, fears, anger, insecurities and failures are mixed into the colors, but are overwhelmed by the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control of the Spirit (reference Galations 5:22-23.) His steady hand has been, and is, applying these to mold me into the one He created me to be. 

So, now I am faced with the question of what to do with this that God has given me. In the past, I asked God to show me His will for me, but, as my vision has not shown me the final work, neither should I ask to know His will for the future. I only need to know that He directs me in this moment and then I am allowing His will to work in my life, and those of others. I seek now His will at the moment, as if it were a new color mixture being readied to apply.

When we reflect on our own selves, and genuinely seek Him, we become that work of art. We can be a new and beautiful creation. As the masters that we see in our galleries have done with colors and strokes on canvas, often reused canvas, our Lord is creating His image of us one glorious and loving touch at a time. The completed work is our goal. 

This is the day the Lord has made for me, and made me for. I long to be the image that He creates so that it is pleasing to God. When I do meet Him and he turns the easel so that I may clearly see the man He intended me to be I can say that I am that man and can say “Thank you, Lord.”

Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith— to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen. (Romans 16:25-27 ESV)

Who rules Your Life?

(Hebrews 13:8) Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 

How awesome is that? No matter what changes are happening in our lives and no matter who comes into and out of our lives, He never changes. 

In this chaotic world , when our family, job, and social spheres are often in turmoil and we are lost in a sea of doubt and uncertainty, we know that there is one, and only one, truly stable part of our lives: Jesus Christ. He is always there, always willing to take our hands and comfort, lead and lift us. Nothing else in this life is certain except for Him. Again, how awesome is that?

Of course, there is a catch. You have to know Him and trust Him and put your faith in Him. You must be saved by Him. 

(Colossians 1: 13-14 ESV) He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The best part of all of this? It is free and available to anyone who asks. Really. No hidden fees, no rebates to send in, and a lifetime guarantee as well.

Living in fear of how the world will react to us, and the decisions we make, open the door to the enemy and his vile lies. The enemy not only tempts us, he can lead us down paths that can destroy us and our loved ones. Often, the path that looks easiest is the way of the devil, not of God.

God's path, to our eyes, is sometimes clouded and confusing, even scary. Could it be that we have not truly given our trust to Him, and taken Him at his word:

(Psalm 119:105 ESV) Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

He tells us, and God does not lie, that He will light our path. That tells me that even when I am confused and unsure, I only need to trust Him and he will lead me.

In my world, the way I was taught, I have to fend for myself and take control of any situation, lest it fall apart and I am left holding fragments of what I think is the right way. Then reality hits me square in the face and tells me that my way fails, every time. But, when I let God take charge and lead me and my actions, it works. The key is recognizing that what works through the Lord, is not the same as what works in my head. I have to understand and give in to the fact that my plans are just that, my plans. When God and I are on the same page, it flows. Mind you, not always the way I envision, but always the way intended.

Through Jesus, I have a champion. I have a guide who will take care of me and who prepares me with everything to be a servant for Him. It is taking, and keeping, the attitude and mindset that His will must cover mine. There is nothing that I can do without Him that will succeed. It may appear that way sometimes, but what successes I claim as my own are not real. The enemy is always telling me that I can do this or that because I am just that good. I am so grateful that my Lord has shown me His power and glory and that He does have a mighty plan.

The threads that God uses to weave the tapestry that is our life are each selected by Him to be the strongest, most beautifully colorful, and are perfectly fit for the job.

So, does Jesus rule your life, or do you? If you do, I suggest letting Him take charge for a while and see just how much better it is. It really is that simple.

God Bless You,

Michael

Jesus Tells Me:

The Lord gave me this tonight at our Crossroads House of Prayer

Jesus tells me:
I will carry your burdens,
I will take your fears away,
I will lift you up high;
just call on Me!

Jesus tells me:
I will calm the storms,
I will stand guard over you,
I will shield you from harm;
just call on Me!

Jesus tells me:
I will clear a path for you,
I will be your light,
I will give you life;
just call on Me!

Jesus tells me:
I am your breath,
I am your strength,
I am your power;
when you call on Me!

©2014, Michael A Porter, Sr.

Just Reach Out to Him

The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1 NIV)

Fear, doubt, low self-esteem and lack of confidence are some of the things the enemy uses to convince us we are incapable of following God’s will and guidance. These words can form the basis of becoming stagnant, lethargic and can cause us to just quit.

It is easy to quit sometimes. It is easy to look up at the troubles that envelope us and throw us into darkness, and tell ourselves we can do nothing.

The great dragon was hurled down-that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. (Revelation 12:9 NIV)

The enemy wants us to cower and hide. He wants us to shut out the voice of God and block the Spirit from our hearts. How else is he going to be able to capture us? He has only his whisperings to entice and mislead us.

But, there is a truth that the enemy cannot deny.

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12 ESV)

We need only invoke the name of Jesus, and the enemy flees. Pretty simple, yes? Simple, but hard for some.

Our church holds a weekly prayer meeting; sometimes well attended, sometimes not. Regardless, that prayer meeting is the highlight of my week. I can sit quietly in prayer, stand and sing, walk around and consider how the Holy Spirit is right there, or come forward and offer whatever words and prayer He puts in my heart. What I have learned from this is that no matter what the circumstances, no matter how hard life seems to be at the time, and no matter what the enemy chooses to throw my way, I have the ability to stop him in his tracks by prayer.

Often, the prayers I lift are for me and my situation, but as often as that, I am led to pray with and for others who need it. When we let God in, He is capable of anything. Using us to minister to others, while at the same time removing whatever angst we are grappling with, is His way of being personal to us. He is telling us that we are not alone and that He will cover us with love. To me, that is awesome.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV)

My point is, to reach out my hand and let God take hold and lead me where He will, I only have to ask. In prayer, He meets me and we can converse. Mostly, I find when I allow Him to lead the conversation I get so much more out of it. When troubles, hard times, doubts and fears come and work against you, call out to Jesus and know that He will answer you and take you upon himself, a place the enemy cannot enter.

Easter and the Ugly Beauty

Easter has always been a special time for me, even before I let go and really trusted in Jesus. It is a time that I always saw the beauty of the resurrection and the story behind it.

It is interesting to me that I have a better understanding of the events of Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, and the glory and real beauty and sacrifice, yet now I realize how horrific that day at the cross really was. Our guest speaker last Sunday, Simon Leigh-Jones, gave a sermon (complete with his English accent) called “A Despicable Savior.” He described the horror, the pain, the relentlessly tortured and beaten Christ, hanging like a piece of meat on that cross. How, because of his great love for us, God allowed his Son to be sacrificed in this way, the only way, to absorb our sin, our pain, and our suffering.

John 3:16-17

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. That whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

God did this for us. Even though I know it, and I believe it, I cannot fathom it. My finite little brain cannot wrap around the love that God has that is so all encompassing and complete that he would allow this. He did it, though.  It was not enough to just be beaten; it was not enough that He was scourged; it was not enough that Christ would be hung with criminals to die. The total package was required, so that we could live through it. Just as the prophets told us hundreds of years before that this had to happen:

Isaiah 53:2-9 NIV

He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

But the story of the cross does not end with His death, it begins there. He rose, just as He said.

Matthew 20:17-19

And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”

Even knowing He would rise again, He still prayed that the burden be lifted from Him, then agreed that the Father’s will be done. That is where I find the real beauty. He knew what was coming, even before He left God’s side and came here as fully man and fully God, and that it was going to be an awful day. Yet He did it . . . for us. There is no truer love than that.

No matter what is going on in my life, whether all is well, or under attack, I know that my joy is in Him, and that He has paid for me. He is in control. Anyone who can suffer and die, and be raised to glory, is more than capable of taking care of me. I remind myself that I do not have to be happy to be joyful.

This Easter season, remember not just that Christ died and rose for you, but He suffered all things so He can know our sufferings. He knows our suffering better than we know ourselves. He paid for us. He loves us like nobody else is capable of loving. All you have to do is ask Him.

It is a beautiful thing.

Yours in Christ,

Michael

Joy Versus Happiness

I have heard it said that Christians are joyful, but not always happy. I always had a hard time understanding that, making it compute in my brain. Now, though, I think I get it.

For many years, I spent my time searching for that which would make me happy. Whether drinking in bars, searching for companionship, fighting, crying, screaming, or whatever it took for those precious few moments where I could alleviate the pain that permeated my whole being, those few minutes never lasted, never stayed long enough to satisfy that hunger.

The things that we allow to fester in our deepest and darkest recesses are the very things that prevent happiness from lingering. The evil that dwells in us all, that overcomes the light that is around us and sinks us into deeper despair, is the weight around our necks.

Since I came to know Christ as my Savior, I have been filled with a joy that is indescribable. It is the light that drove the darkness from me. And it made me happy. Happiness is fleeting, though, and an emotion that is tied directly to our physical needs and desires. Joy is that which fills us with anticipation at what we have to look forward to, what God has promised to deliver us to. Joy is a permanent thing.

Now, here is the point where I would become confused: How can I be joyful, yet so unhappy at the same time? Why is it that God does not make us happy, too? Happiness is a fleeting moment in time, a possession of the flesh, a thing of this world. 

1 John 2:15-1 “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

While we are here, in this world, all sorts of things will attack our senses and sensibilities, including the desires of our flesh. When we can set those aside and strive for the perfect joy that is in Christ, we can become filled with the Holy Spirit, bringing about that joy:

Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

To make it simple for my finite brain to understand, happiness is fleeting, but joy is eternal. C.S. Lewis said, “Joy is the serious business of Heaven.”  I believe that to be true, in fact, I now know it to be so.

Even today, with my faith being strengthened daily, with God showing me amazing things, and with a steady flow of Christ in my veins, I am sometimes unhappy. I am burdened with business, family, social, economic, and selfish concerns. But even without happiness, I am joyful.

I have learned that joy is different from happiness on each of my trips to Haiti. I have seen people with absolutely nothing: food, clothing, shelter. I have seen people sickened by disease and suffering from malnutrition. I have seen a nation gripped by governmental abuse, and by evil being publicly lauded.

But, I have also seen a people filled with joy. I have watched, and participated with them, as they sang praises and worshipped in a manner we could all take a lesson from, with unrestrained tears of thanks for their eternal salvation, and for the peace that God has brought to their hearts.

So joy is not happiness. But happiness, thankfully, is not what Christ has promised us. I now believe that joy is all of the things that He has given to me, and all that is yet to come. It is the expectation of being at His feet one day to claim all of the glorious promises that He has already made known, and those that I can only wait for. I am thankful that my joy is not a product of any happiness I may gather in this life, but a gift that was freely given to me when I accepted my salvation in the Lord Jesus. So, yes, “Joy is the serious business of Heaven,” and it is something that I may claim right now, no matter my circumstances at any moment.
 

Listen to That Voice

Sometimes just sitting quietly and listening is enough. That small voice that we hear inside, the one that we too often discount or lend no credence to is where we hear from God. It is good to lend an ear to that voice when we know that we are a child of God.

While singing and praising this week, I was struck silent. Suddenly words began to flow through that voice, and I was directed to begin writing. I really believed that these words were intended to minister to my needs at that time, but as I began to hear some of the prayers that were being offered up for our community, state and nation, I realized that these were for all of us.

I wrote the words as they were given to me, and, as directed, shared them with our church family at the CrossRoad's House of Prayer. I am now led to share them with whoever comes across this page:

 

I give you strength;

I give you courage;

I give you peace;

I give you the tools

to defeat your enemy,

who wishes to destroy you,

the devil who attacks you.

 

Come to me, I will give you

all you need to be victorious!

I am one breath after another.

I am the life in your veins.

I am your greatest ally,

your most faithful friend.

 

Seek Me!

I am always here with you.

I AM your God!

--Michael Aubrey Porter, Sr., 2014

“He has showed you, O man, what is good.  And what does the LORD require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."   --Micah 6:8

©Michael A Porter, Sr. 2014

 

 

Giving in to God

January 22, 2014

This has been an interesting week, so far. Sunday morning, before the sermon at Crossroads of Arlington began, as we were worshipping, I went and lit a candle, began to pray and was led to just tell God that I wanted to lay everything down and let him have it. It was such a strong leading, that when the sermon began, and Joe went along, coming to the invitation to approach the altar and lay our burdens down, or give up something (using rocks as symbols) I was shocked. Man, he was reading my mind.

I was actually frozen at that point. I knew right then that God had indeed heard me. I knew He was right there with me. He was working on me. I could never imagine what He would do next, though.

Forward to Tuesday night's prayer and worship. I was again led to the cross to sit and speak with God. I was sitting, praying, again that He would unburden me from the things I carry with me when I noticed a hole in the cross. I glanced across and saw another, then down and another. I was seeing the holes where the nails had anchored Christ to the cross. Fixated on those holes, I suddenly realized, seemingly for the first time, exactly what Christ really suffered for me. I felt guilty, indicted, dirty, you name it. I realized my selfishness; how I let my petty, little problems rise up to a level that I had made seem greater than the pain and suffering He went through. 

It was then that it struck me. I was not just letting my anger, disappointments, bitterness and fears fester inside of me, I had created a shell; an outer wall; a fake persona. I prayed, hard, then softly, then honestly. I prayed that God would break the casing surrounding me and release the person He had created. 

It seemed, in that moment, as the worship team sang softly, and the murmured prayers of those behind me lifted up, that God touched that shell and shattered it, releasing me. So many things felt like they just slipped off of me right there.

That should be enough, but God was not finished yet. I went back to my seat, sat and sang and prayed, and basked in what I thought had been an awesome experience. Except that He was not done. My head bowed, eyes closed, I was in my own world, when a hand touched my shoulder; it was Gene-O, and he was praying over me. He prayed what I had been praying, for some time, that God would release me and work through me, that whatever was standing in the way be removed. He prayed that my wife, Carmele, would be strengthened to contine walking along side of me on this path He has set us on. It surprised me so that I actually asked him how he knew I had been praying for all of these things? He said God told him to come and pray for me. You get that? He said God told him to come and pray for me.

God knew what I needed. He knew when I needed it. He knew how to respond to me. God spoke to me this week. He used many things to form those words: my own actions, the cross, the worship team, others hands, and prayer - powerful prayer.

What is next? Not sure, other than more prayer. I know that He sees and hears me.  I know that He recognizes what burdens me and what brings fear into me. I also know that, even though I should not be, I am amazed when He acts on my behalf. So I will continue praying hard, and softly, and honestly, worshipping Him, understanding that the things I build up myself are only hindrances to what God has in mind for me.

Amen!

Let Go In 2014

2014.

A new year.

A new calendar on our wall.

A new set of promises made to ourselves, destined to be left strewn along the road of life as the calendar turns to . . . Next week.

No worries, though, everyone does it. We are not alone when fruitlessly chasing the things of this life, the promises of the flesh. Personally, I have always excelled at choosing my own way; directly to failure.

Who says that we must never indulge our whims, our desires, our wishes? Where is it written that we should not follow the paths set out by our friends and acquaintances, those who we blindly follow because it is "in" today? What else can we do to change our paths and begin to live as we really desired (if we only knew what we truly desire?)

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:2 ESV)

We should carefully weigh our decisions, and our choices, giving them over to God and listening to that voice that we know to trust, though seldom do. The voice that never says, "I told you so," but rather, "I am still here, I will still wait for you." We give up our place at the head of the line, as if to imply we are no longer the driving force behind the "why" of our decisions.

Paul continues:
"For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned." (Romans 12:3 ESV)

God will work within the faith we display.

So maybe this year, in lieu of making resolutions that will invariably be discarded almost before we have an opportunity to fail at them, let us give in to Our Lord.

In Paul's second letter to the Corinthians, he says, "Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (2 Corinthians 6:1, 2 ESV)

God's grace is sufficient. We do not have to make promises to ourselves, to try to do these things ourselves, to go out and fail by ourselves. ". . . Now is the favorable time," and all we have to do is accept that. God wants to be for us as He goes before us. Let Him lead you this year to great and wondrous blessings.

Have a blessed year and more.

In Christ,

Michael Porter
January 1, 2014

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