In the midst of the crowd

Stretch our your fingertips in the midst of the crowd !!!

There we were in the midst of thousands of people. The crowd was large and loud. Being a part of the sights and sounds of Time Square, New York City New Year's Eve 2009 was indeed quite a unique experience. There was so much sound, and yet I found myself closing everything out in that hour prior to ushering in 2010. I found myself looking out over the huge crowd and asking, How many of these folks know who Jesus Christ is? Are they looking forward to a New Year in which they will have the opportunity to serve The Lord? How many of these folks are filling their empty lives with temporal things that will only last through the night, only to find themselves empty once again on January 1, 2010. How many souls in this sea of humanity are absolutely lost?

For a moment I found myself praying for each member of our family as they approached the New Year. First giving thanks for my husband of 35 years, the love of my life and best friend. Then my prayers turned to our older son Mark and his wife Katie and our younger son Michael and his wife Renee ( pregnant with our first grandchild). What a blessing they all have been.

Then my thoughts were turned to the woman in the scriptures having an issue of blood for twelve years. She was an unclean woman that thought if she could only touch the hem of His garment that she would be healed. She pushed through the crowd and believed as sh extended her fingertips just to touch His garment.

Standing in the NYC crowd, feeling people pressing in against me on all sides I could understand the disciples when they said, Master, the multitude crowd thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touch me?" Luke 8:45 They must have thought how absurd. Really Lord, who touched you?

But they should have known that the Lord would always notice those that need to be healed. He was always aware of those that came to Him, believing with great faith that they would receive. Luke 8:48 Daughter, be of good comfort, thy faith had made thee well. Go in peace.

How many times do we feel pressed in against with a great crowd of worry, stress or despair? Are we still willing to move ahead in faith, believing that our Lord will notice our needs? Do we reach out our our Father? Do we believe He will be moved by our touch? Do we really believe in faith not wavering?

In Bruce Wilkinson's book, You Were Born For This, he states, "The amount of our faith___and the actions we take as a result___can either limit or release God to act in a Miracle situation.

Usually we decide not to move ahead because fear grips us and strips us of the power and strength that the Lord promises throughout the scriptures.

Once again from You Were Born For This, " The root of fear is unbelief in our hearts. When we respond with unbelief, we are saying to God, You are not trustworthy. Therefore, if I'm faced with a situation that depends on You to come through, I won't take a risk." What if the unclean woman had not taken the risk?

Bruce Wilkinson continues, " We don't tear down unbelief in our hearts by trying to muster up courage or fan the flames of emotion. We tear it down by rejecting the lies , claiming the truth, and acting on it. Then we take courage in spite of fear... and step out of the boat.

Let's face it, unbelief is sin. We need to spend our energy rejecting Satan's lies and claiming Truths found in His Word.

Why do we try to take care of these thing ourselves? Have you ever heard yourself say: "Oh come on, this problem isn't that big. I shouldn't even bring this before the Lord. Surely I can handle this one myself. You should be ashamed of yourself. Look at these other folks that have major problems. Suck it up and get on with your life."

Reject the lies that Satan tries to put before you and take everything to Him. He wants our conversation, our companionship and our hearts.

Will you choose to extend your fingertips in the crowd and believe?

Debbie Fritz

IN THE BEAUTY OF HIS HOLINESS

Holiness…I believe this is where my Lord wants me to focus my time with Him during 2010. Of course, I want to draw nearer to Him in every way, but lately He has surrounded me passages, devotions, and Bible study regarding His holiness. I know the signs all too well. When the Lord is trying to draw my attention to something it almost always comes to me in a variety of readings and experiences.

We don’t hear as much about holiness these days as perhaps we should. In Leviticus 11:44a, God commands Israel, “For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.” And in 1Peter 1:15-16, Peter tells us that we can no longer be conformed to the former lusts which marked our pre-conversion lifestyles, “but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior, because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’”

Jehovah Mekadesh is a beautiful name of God that means The Lord Who Sanctifies You. The name is often overlooked because it is not translated in the English Bible in this form. Yet there is no other name for God that more adequately expresses His nature and the requirements He places on His people. It is first found in Leviticus 20:8, “You shall keep My statues, and practice them; I am the LORD [Jehovah Mekadesh] who sanctifies you.” God inspired Moses to write Leviticus. It is often called The Book of Life. It is indeed about the walk and worship of the redeemed people. In The Names of God, Ken Hemphill writes, “At this point in the life of the nation, Israel was a redeemed people. They had been taken from Egyptian captivity and were being prepared to inhabit the Promised Land. What was Israel to be like in their relationship with God? How would they maintain their distinctive qualities as a people related to God when they settled in a land inhabited by pagan nations who did not know God? Sound familiar???? This is as relevant today as it was during the time Moses lived.

Sanctified means to be set apart. Like Israel, we have been set apart as a holy people. Sanctification suggests that we should be like God in our purity and be set apart unto Him for service. God by His very nature is holy. God’s holiness sets Him apart from all other gods. He alone is God. God’s essential attribute is His holiness. Most often we would say that love is God’s primary attribute. This is a strong argument particularly based on 1 John 4:16, “And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” And John 3:16 furthers the compelling argument for God’s love as it declares it was God’s great love that prompted Him to send His only begotten Son for our redemption. Yet, if you follow John’s argument, you will find that the redeeming love of God was to make us fit for His holy presence. God, out of His love, redeemed us so that we could have a relationship with Him.

It is not insignificant that God’s Spirit is referred to as the Holy Spirit. That is not simply a title for the third person of the Trinity; it is a clear recognition that God is a holy God—and when He expresses Himself as Spirit, He is a holy Spirit. Like David I cry out to my Lord, “Do not cast me away from Thy presence, / And do not take Thy Holy Spirit from me.” (Psalm 51:11) To spend one minute without the Holy Spirit by my side is not a thought I relish.

An old Scottish theologian, Nathan Stone, wrote concerning holiness:

“It is the balance…of all the attributes of Deity.
Power without holiness would degenerate into cruelty.
Omniscience without holiness would become craft.
Justice without holiness would degenerate into revenge.
Goodness without holiness would be passionate and intemperate fondness,
doing mischief rather than accomplishing good.
Love without holiness would become little more than anemic sentimentality; and
Freedom without holiness, mere license.
It is the holiness of God that constitutes the perfection of all His attributes.”

The final book of the Bible tells us that the four living creatures will spend eternity praising God. Their song will be, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD God Almighty.” I want to be holy like Him. I challenge you to PURSUE HOLINESS with me!

(Debbie lives in Dacula with her best friend and husband of 17 years, Sonny, and the love of their life, Bandit!)