Pursuit...

In time for Christmas, we heard wonderful news yesterday!

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?”
Luke 15:4

Our American missionary friends, serving the Lord with Youth With a Mission in Taiwan, just found out their adopted Taiwanese son is now an American citizen. This amazing couple with three darling, biological children adopted their little boy some time ago, yet the much-needed citizenship for his travel with their entire family had eluded them for over a year. Heather and Rich prayed, battled in the Spirit, worked with the governing authorities, never losing hope that their child would truly be an integral part of their family...

How much more is God’s pursuit of us? Do we doubt that today? Do we doubt that He really cares? The Christmas story is the account of God Almighty pursuing the one – pursuing you. Pursuing me. Never giving up, unrelenting, undeterred, He comes after us every moment of every day. Nevertheless, do we allow the enemy’s lies to meticulously defeat our faith that this is so?

It is time to stop these audacious lies this minute. It will take a deep drenching of verse above in our souls and a willful choice of our thoughts and the authority of Jesus’ name, but His words are truth. They are the heart of Christmas.

Let’s let His words rule each of our hearts and minds this wondrous season.

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I'm Ready for Pursuit...

Truthfully? I suck at intercession. (I hope that was okay to say.)

“And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.”  Isaiah 59:16

The Hebrew word here for here intercessor is “paga.” Literally to reach for, meet up with someone…or to go to the edge of a boundary. It all means to run after and even fall upon someone. Think tackle. A hot pursuit to grab hold of.

These terms help me. They excite me, even. Our God…desires for us to ask our petitions by…pursuing Him…tackling Him…and run into the boundaries of the throne room itself. I don’t think this means intercession is hard or difficult…it is more like an invitation to join Jesus in His adventure. To blaze a path through hell for what is urgently on our hearts.

In the power of His presence…intercession for our loved ones, for circumstances…for nations…isn’t impossible…it is His invitation to go deeper.

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photo: Maritza Grissom