Awake!

In our hearts lord, in this nation

Awakening

Holy Spirit, we desire 

Awakening

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Last edited 2 months ago by ToonLucas22

Wakefulness

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"Awake" and "Wakeful" redirect here. For other uses, see Awake (disambiguation) and Wakeful (disambiguation).

Wakefulness is a daily recurring brainstate and state of consciousness in which an individual is conscious and engages in coherent cognitive and behavioral responses to the external world such as communication, ambulation, eating, and sex. Being awake is the opposite of the state of being asleep in which most external inputs to the brain are excluded from neural processing.

Effects upon the brainEdit

The longer the brain has been awake, the greater the spontaneous firing rates of cerebral cortex neurons with this increase being reversed by sleep.^[1]Another effect of wakefulness (which may or may not be related to this) is that it lowers the small stores of glycogen held in the astrocytes that can supply energy to the brain's neurons—one of the functions of sleep, it has been proposed, is to create the opportunity for them to be replenished

“Learn from the story of the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and it sprouts leaves, you know summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things happen, you know that he is near, at the door. “I can guarantee this truth: This generation will not disappear until all these things take place. The earth and the heavens will disappear, but my words will never disappear. “No one knows when that day or hour will come. Even the angels in heaven and the Son don’t know. Only the Father knows. Be careful! Watch! You don’t know the exact time. It is like a man who went on a trip. As he left home, he put his servants in charge. He assigned work to each one and ordered the guard to be alert. Therefore, be alert, because you don’t know when the owner of the house will return. It could be in the evening or at midnight or at dawn or in the morning. Make sure he doesn’t come suddenly and find you asleep. I’m telling everyone what I’m telling you: ‘Be alert!’ ” (Mark 13:28-37 GW)

Let us not be found asleep at the guard post. Awaken us lord. 

http://youtu.be/-AmvyGu1WeA

Fresh

S. D. Gordon has said that the only assurance of safety against this tragedy is “fresh touch with God,” daily, hourly. The blessed, fruitful, victorious experiences of yesterday are not only of no value to me today, but they will actually be eaten up or reversed by today’s failures, unless they serve as incentives to still better, richer experiences today.

“Fresh touch with God,” by abiding in Christ, alone will keep the lean kine and the ill favored grain out of my life.—Messages for the Morning Watch

http://youtu.be/wLYk-ixnQC0

My hook

Throwing my hook in the water. Jesus said to them, “Come, follow me! I will teach you how to catch people instead of fish.” (Matthew 4:19 GW). A fisherman turns his hook it into the water hoping to bring in a catch.  In Matthew four verse 19 Jesus called Simon and Andrew to put down their physical fishing nets follow him and he would teach them how to fish for people.  as Christians I believe he print sees Jesus has charged us with not only being salt and light, Matthew 5: 13 - 16, but to be Fishman for the son of God.

He has charged me with this task. I feel unworthy but is not by my strength that I will cast my hook into the water. I cast my hook with the power might majesty love and grace that Jesus showed me. 

If any of you are having trouble, pray. If you are happy, sing psalms. If you are sick, call for the church leaders. Have them pray for you and anoint you with olive oil in the name of the Lord. (Prayers offered in faith will save those who are sick, and the Lord will cure them.) If you have sinned, you will be forgiven. So admit your sins to each other, and pray for each other so that you will be healed. Prayers offered by those who have God’s approval are effective. Elijah was human like us. Yet, when he prayed that it wouldn’t rain, no rain fell on the ground for three-and-a-half years. Then he prayed again. It rained, and the ground produced crops. My brothers and sisters, if one of you wanders from the truth, someone can bring that person back. Realize that whoever brings a sinner back from the error of his ways will save him from death, and many sins will be forgiven. (James 5:13-20 GW)

Makeover

Below is a devotional I received I wanted to share.  Enjoy!

Psalm 51:1-19

One of my wife’s favorite is home makeover television programs; where expert designers walk a family through a total restoration of their home. My favorite part of the show is when you get to see the ‘before and after’ of each room. Such transformations!  These episodes are very instructional for home restoration wannabes like me.

David’s penitent prayer for restoration is one that pleads for a total heart makeover. The prophet Nathan took David for a discerning walk through his own heart home. David acknowledges the deplorable condition of his sin-ridden life; pleads for mercy, cries out for restoration and cries out to the Lord for a total heart makeover. This episode is very instructional to the careful viewers of heart home improvement. In fact, David bargains with the Chief Carpenter, “Restore me . . . Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you” (Psalm 51:12, 13). The Expert Designer is ready to give us a total heart makeover; or perhaps a little fix up is all that is needed.

Homesick

Today has been one of those days when Jesus reminds me that this world isn't my home. Ever travel far from the ones you love?  The longer you are away from them the more you long to be where they are. That's how today has been. Physically today was good, got accomplished what I needed to, but mentally I long to be where my jesus is and would give up all to be there. I long to be where my jesus is, but I know he still has work for me here.  I will faithfully be a lantern for the son of God till he calls me home. 

http://youtu.be/QoLmx5qTunk

http://youtu.be/wLYk-ixnQC0

I consider our present sufferings insignificant compared to the glory that will soon be revealed to us. All creation is eagerly waiting for God to reveal who his children are. Creation was subjected to frustration but not by its own choice. The one who subjected it to frustration did so in the hope that it would also be set free from slavery to decay in order to share the glorious freedom that the children of God will have. We know that all creation has been groaning with the pains of childbirth up to the present time. However, not only creation groans. We, who have the Spirit as the first of God’s gifts, also groan inwardly. We groan as we eagerly wait for our adoption, the freeing of our bodies ⌊from sin⌋. We were saved with this hope in mind. If we hope for something we already see, it’s not really hope. Who hopes for what can be seen? But if we hope for what we don’t see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. At the same time the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we don’t know how to pray for what we need. But the Spirit intercedes along with our groans that cannot be expressed in words. The one who searches our hearts knows what the Spirit has in mind. The Spirit intercedes for God’s people the way God wants him to. We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God—those whom he has called according to his plan. This is true because he already knew his people and had already appointed them to have the same form as the image of his Son. Therefore, his Son is the firstborn among many children. He also called those whom he had already appointed. He approved of those whom he had called, and he gave glory to those whom he had approved of. What can we say about all of this? If God is for us, who can be against us? God didn’t spare his own Son but handed him over ⌊to death⌋ for all of us. So he will also give us everything along with him. Who will accuse those whom God has chosen? God has approved of them. Who will condemn them? Christ has died, and more importantly, he was brought back to life. Christ has the highest position in heaven. Christ also intercedes for us. What will separate us from the love Christ has for us? Can trouble, distress, persecution, hunger, nakedness, danger, or violent death separate us from his love? As Scripture says: “We are being killed all day long because of you. We are thought of as sheep to be slaughtered.” The one who loves us gives us an overwhelming victory in all these difficulties. I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love which Christ Jesus our Lord shows us. We can’t be separated by death or life, by angels or rulers, by anything in the present or anything in the future, by forces or powers in the world above or in the world below, or by anything else in creation. (Romans 8:18-39 GW)

Storm

Everyone has been in storms before.  I cant take credit for the post below.  I hope it will give peace to all who read it. The god who made us knows and cares and will fight for us in the midst of our storm.  

Streams in the Desert: Thou Wilt Revive Me Ps 138:7 - Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me Source: Daily Streams - http://www.youdevotion.com/streams/april/23

Passing it on

As dad's we carry a baton in a relay race. We received it from our heavenly father, and now we find ourselves huffing and puffing down the backstretch.  Our children are standing in the exchange area on the homestretch, watching us run and waiting to receive the baton when we finished our lap. 

The charge to dads is undeniably straightforward. Run well and don't drop the baton when you hand it off to your children. They are counting on you to be faithful in both of these tasks.

When jesus handed the baton to his disciples, he was entrusting his ministry to them. He knew that they would be representing him as "Christians"- "christ followers."  Similarly our children represent us. "You must be Roberts daughter" stranger might say to our missy or Julie.  our job as dads is to run our race with endurance. Our faithfulness and visible experience of God's grace will give our children something to watch-a pattern worth Emulating when they carry the baton on their own.

Actually, this is a three-man event. Jesus carries the baton first. He hands it to us, and his life and power give us a pattern and the strength to run the next leg with authority.  Then, when we come to the end of our story, our children take the baton and carry it on their lap without us.

Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20 NLT)

Watch

You, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know when the master of the household will return—in the evening, at midnight, before dawn, or at daybreak. Don’t let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning. I say to you what I say to everyone: Watch for him!” (Mark 13:35-37 NLT)

You too must keep watch.   Our lord is calling us to be ever watchful of not only ourselves and our lives and the things we chose to obsorb ourselves in, but also those around us (those we call friend, wife, daughter, son,  husband, family). 

I for one dont want jesus to find me sleeping at my watch post when he returns.  I want to be watchful of what I put not only in my mouth as nourishment, but in my head as entertainment. 

Keith Green - Create in Me a Clean Heart