A heart after israel: Knowing God's heart and ways

I have been given some time to think over what I want to say and to share with those closest to me what way God has lead and guided me in the past year. After thinking about it on some length what I want to share is my journey in prayer – because you will come to see that it is the basis for which all this has happened.

I remember sharing with someone once, that “If you want to know how to find God’s will for your life go into the prayer room. While there make it your goal to seek His face. Do this every day. It will be mundane, but the truth of it is that You will find out that God has a big heart – He knows your insecurities and faults and will more than readily prepare you. Then when you come up one day all of a sudden it will click and you will be wooshed off who knows where. Then you will realize that it is love that motivates God to share the things of his heart with You”

This is what happened for me in regards to Israel. I want to say something first. This journey that I’m on makes me realize that I do have a heart for Israel. The more that I read, discover and find out about it the more that it is part of me. I do not owe the love in my heart for Israel apart from the grace that I have found in God. For those that believe God has finished with the Jews, this is that one predicament that I cannot understand. If God is unchanging, eternally loving, and keeping His promises, How can one say these things? It has to be said that I have encountered God’s heart for his people simply by being in relationship with Him.

The second thing is this: All I had was a destination I remember having a conversation with the missions committee at my church. After the conversation I went up to the prayer room and started worshipping. While worshipping I realized that I needed to relinquish my right concerning Israel. The reason I believe God wanted me to do this was two-fold. The first is this: that my heart is in His hands. The second is that God had a plan that involved my friends and family to find the revenue that I needed to make the trip over there. It happened this way, after all – when I realized that I was bouncing off the walls, my plan to goto Israel was in God’s hands!

While I was in Israel something happened for me that in a way I was expecting but in other ways surprised me. I am talking about being in a place that I wanted to give God everything. This whole-hearted desire was part of giving my heart to Him at the first - allowing God to shape my heart through prayer. Because I am decidedly someone who wants to find God and give Him my heart for one reason and one reason only I have found the worth of Him and I will never be the same.

I want to go back to something I have already briefly written on. I’ll put it in a new way. God is in covenant relationship with Israel. This is the why behind the world today – Just like He loves us, He loves Israel. This love motivates Him to do anything He possibly can to get them back. While they are in rebellion to Him they will be the jealous desire of the God of Gods (Zech 8:2) It’s not about Israel! It’s about God keeping covenant – which is a mystery! (Romans 11:25)

This is why he wanted me to come to Israel. To see it with my very own eyes! If you have been following this story you know it’s not about me, but about Him. In a way this shows the why of being in contact with God’s heart – he wants to share it with us. This is to his glory. This is why I bring my heart to the table whenever I talk or teach about Israel – I want you to encounter the God who keeps us close to His heart. I have briefly written about all of this, but my agenda has not finished, I feel I am only just getting started.

You see there are some people that I look upto immensely. The first is Daniel, where He has the boldness to ask God to do the best possible thing for His people, this is to His glory, because He would have the hearts of His people. The second is John the Baptist. We receive a blazing commendation by the LORD Jesus in the fifth chapter of John, calling John, “a burning and shining lamp” this is none other than givine God the glory. All these people Give glory to God be being the best possible that they can be, and this is the outcome of all my prayers, that I would give to God the glory through my own enjoyment of Him – He designed me to be created in His image. This is the way that I have come, to experience who God is, it is through not doing a thing, but by being what he created me to be. It is only when someone like the LORD Jesus, comes and gives a commendation of our life, that our life will mean something. He actually gave voice to the cry of the Prophet that has been seen in generations gone by.

This is what I want to leave with you.

My greatest desire would be that you would adopt God’s glory for yourself, by living connected to His heart.

We can only learn to live this way by experience. In 2 Cor 3:18 it says that those who have the new covenant are being changed from glory to glory, by beholding His face, this face is available to us simply by coming to God in the scriptures with a desire to find Jesus. This is the way in which our spirits are connected with His, seeing things that eyes do not see, hearing things that ears do not hear, and understanding things that hearts do not understand – for the Spirit gives us of himself to us.

In closing, I would ask you to pray for Israel.

Make your heart set on finding Jesus in the Word

Seek to understand the covenant relationship that God has with Israel, including his judgments.

Pray daily, and understand scripture by the Spirit of God.

Make your life successful by being a person like John the Baptist, who understands God’s glory.

He will surely bless you in this pursuit, as you give of your heart to Him, and be a cheerful giver.

He comes

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Here is a free one! I couldn't keep it to myself! It is the good news.

This one is called "He comes!"

O, how my heart beats for Him

O, how my inner man rejoices

He’s clothed me in His power

Anointed me to speak

Of Israel’s rebellion

And Jacob’s transgression

I will be as bold as a Lion

To witness of the truth

It’s all about a Father’s love for His Son

A bridegroom’s love, a ravished heart

He will shake all that can be shaken

Ruin all hearts challenged with idols

Take his rightful place in men’s hearts

And give us our hearts desire

No more idols shall challenge his rule

He will take the only place

All hail, the Lamb

He alone is worthy!

He alone is the rightful King of the earth

He comes both soon,

With a husbands jealousy

He comes to banish idols from His bride

He came and witnessed

To his apostles

Of love never ending and unchanging

He comes with the same breath

To return the earth

To the Father’s dominion

The same heart

That bled and died

Is the same heart

That will reconcile us to the Father’s love

He comes!

Storms with God in the Boat

Consider your enemy. He wants to taunt you, surround you, and thwart your own purpose of finding life, happiness, and pleasure.

In His way stands God. In Psalm 3 we find, God is “my shield, my glory, and the lifter of my head”

He buffets the storms that come from the presence of the evil one.

A little examination shows us that God has a real agenda with us, that we would rise up above criticism and give us life. This is “my glory” He is always there to thwart the purposes of our enemy.

I want to ask you a question, what is it that troubles you? Is it true that there are many who say “there is no help for Him in God” – an insult to our faith in Him.

You will only find success and pleasure, and victory in the face of one who buffets all our storms.

Maybe like David you have people that are not going to go away – to this he reminds himself that God is always there to help – always an answer in storms.

Don’t think of sin, don’t be anxious over the weaknesses that you find in yourself – instead put your faith in God your trust in Him you will be blessed to give up all criticisms and surrender to his strength in the midst of storms.

Maybe you are going through suffering and are questioning whether it can be profitable.

The truth is, you are on the winning side – the words that Jesus spoke to the multitude apply to you – seek first the Kingdom of Heaven and all these things shall be added unto you.

We have an opposite way of doing things in the Kingdom. The truth is, life comes from death – he demonstrated it – He lives in you by His Spirit.

Through suffering comes glory – this is the way that God will work – though it seems contrary, the truth is found in it all that He wants you to love Him with abandon through every circumstance that comes your way, the most you can give God at any time, at this time, is your love.

That means that though you are suffering, there is a help from Heaven, there to give you a second chance during your pressures and pains.

Salvation belongs to the LORD

His blessing is upon His people.

The Why behind "Heaven's Anthem"

I am struck by the beauty of You LORD,

There is none that takes your place

I am overcome by the love that you have shown to me

I will make your name known to the ends of the earth

My soul lifts up,

And finds it’s union with you

You are the praise of Your people

We will declare your acts

To a generation of people

That will revere your praise

You are entirely your own

You look after the widow and orphan

Your kingdom endures,

And your dominion from generation to generation

For the glory of your name,

All I can do is think upon the wonder of you

You will reign from shore to shore

Your righteousness knows no ends

In your hands your hold the stars

Flames of fire are in your eyes

Excellence streams forth from your majesty

There is none like You

All land and sea,

Angels and man,

Stormy wind that does your command

Will worship: Blessing, honor, glory and power

Are belonging to You

You wrestled the keys of death and hades

Ransomed my life by the blood that you shed

None can compare to the victory you rent

Nor take your place for the crown that is Yours

I Implore you, take your seat

Salvation belongs to the Lamb

Who sits upon the throne

You lead the procession that belts out

Heaven’s anthem

Holy, Holy,

Lord God Almighty

You are eternal, and greatly unsearchable

We barely know you

I have just shared this poem at a night at our church, called "Extravagant Worship" All I will leave you with is this, it takes alot more to stand up and read out a poem, exposing your heart to others and placing your own feelings and impressions before an audience, which is what I did last night. I didn't just put it up to be read, but actually to be the voice for it to others.

I hope you enjoy this poem. If you would like to see more, you can purchase my e-book "You are my glory" on Amazon

Let my heart burn

This is a follow up to a post that I read at my friend Sarah Racine's blog, have a look at it before you read this (it's not crucial, but it does connect the two in some way)
I see the bullseye but where are the arrows

That's intense. Thank you Sarah for your zealous turning to the Lord.
I like your point about being single and not having a husband. It reminds me of Amy Carmichael.

I'm just so struck by your words. What is keeping me from going? You know that I love Jesus and I would go anywhere with Him.

It was almost "for Him" and I think of the moravians when I think of their "worth it call" in the lamb receiving the reward for his suffering. But it's also with Him, he doesn't go anywhere without us.

I pray that you too will go with Him. because I've been reading this book by Madame Guyon where she says God puts us through circumstances, only God can be said to have done it. All the trials and pressures that we face are because God wants to be united with us.

I am getting a hold of the why behind that, just like you are, that we will be entirely, intensely passionately betrothed to Him, because he wants us. Don't forget that He is wanting us. That same desire that were his finishing words before He went to the cross, the same heart that beated in Paul as He encouraged the Philippians. What will be too difficult for us if we have the overcoming lamb with us? You see He does put the world map before us. I remember hearing of someone that did that before, and died as he interceded for the lost in those nations.

It's right and true that we would give our little abandoned heart to Him because He knows that it's only in Him that we will fully know what matters most in this life. It's his delight to give us that thing that matters most in life, In fact we who have partnered with Him have seen Him in His glory, even though we despised Him, even though we did not esteem Him. For us who have made the transition from living for ourselves to living for Him, he opens wide the gates of Heaven's heart so that we will never lack, we will be satisfied and sustained in the flow of His lovely torrent.

It must be that we are sustained by His glory, only then we will go. only then will we pour out our hearts to give and not expect repayment, only then will the Bride rise up and count all things as loss for the sake of knowing Him. Only then will we say "we did it for love, there is no cost"

Though i know that your little heart is getting swept away by the torrents of his limitless love, I know that you will not burn out, because you've found a limitless love in giving himself to the lost and abandoned of this world.

I think of that verse in Chapter 50 of Isaiah where he says "I will set my face like flint, I will not be ashamed. He is near that justifies me, who will contend with me?"

Though these verses refer to Jesus, we also know the sufferings of this world and plead and petition God to hear their cries. Just like he did for the down and out of Israel when they were pressured under the yoke of Pharaoh. I pray that you think of Israel who will go through sufferings to receive their glory. Know that God is near to the broken-hearted and his heart breaks for them. He is compassionate.

I think in that is a way forward, we know that His heart is not callous or indifferent to suffering, because He demonstrated His compassion to the very end. He even loved those who were His to the very end. He knows the limits that we can face and does not tempt us, He himself says that we will not be tempted beyond what we can bare, but he will provide a way out for us. I think that speaks of His godliness. He is the Son of God, present with us when we come to Him in prayer.

It makes me think of the arabs in Palestine, and those that should be shown mercy though they are burdened under an oppressive yoke, I think that He will set all things right in His time.

Where am I? well I am burning in my heart, where is that in the world? I will burn for Him just like His heart burns with a fragrant burning - totally whole-hearted in the giving no matter what it is that He is required - His heart bleeds, just as His brow dropped sweats of blood for the broken and down and out.

Let that be the only thing that satisfies you - i Know that it satisfies me, just like James when He embraced the cross because He preached the cross his whole life. May we give the lamb the reward of His sufferings. I'm convinced that what this is is limitless love. We hear his heart when He broke open the declaration "come to the rivers, you who have no money, come buy and eat" because he came to give his life. That then is the motivation that we should be motivated with - His love. When we give our love to Him, we are only doing it as a result of His limitless love for us, and he who is motivated by love is not afraid - we will give great things just like Mary in her alabaster pouring did it all for Him, without fear.

When we are fully aware of His love, then we will turn to Him every time.