One More Night with the Frogs

One More Night with the Frogs

Scripture Reference

Exodus 8: 9-10

9: Moses said to Pharaoh,"The honor is yours to tell me: when shall I entreat for you and your servants and your people, that the frogs be destroyed from you and your houses, that they may be left only in the Nile?" 10: Then he said, "Tomorrow."

There was a children's song that we sang in the 90's in children's ministry called "One more night with the frogs." It was about Pharaoh and the plague of frogs that came to Egypt before the Exodus of the children of Israel. I have thought about it several times since then. If you have someone who can pray, will pray and then that which is a plague upon your house will leave, why would you ask them to wait and pray tomorrow? Why would you want to go home and have frogs in your homes and your yards for another night. Just think of the noise and the smell and the slime!

But deliverance was available and ready for you. As Moses said, "The honor is yours to tell me: when..."

Friends we often act like we have forever to make up our minds to be set free. We decide to think that we will make that decision tomorrow. Like Scarlet O'Hara in Gone with the Wind, we decide to think about that tomorrow, for tomorrow is another day. But the day of deliverance is at hand. God wants you to be set free. He wants you to run for the mercy seat. He wants you to cry out to Him in this day and in this moment.

Time is short and every moment counts. Let today be the day of deliverance from the plagues in your life. Ask and you shall receive from the Lord. This is Pastor Susan Living the Everyday Prophetic Life.

Get out the Dozer it's time to dig deeper!

Get out the Dozer it's time to dig deeper!

A few weeks ago, Marc and I drove up to Fairview, Oklahoma to help our kids prep the yard for the grass sod they are going to put in. Now they built their own house and decided to move into it in January but finish the yard work this spring. And the perfect day arrived and we drove the 90 miles to assist. And we arrived 5 minutes before Jared's dad Steve showed up in the dozer. Now I picked up my shovel and went outside and shovelled some dirt so I could say I helped some... but really...the dozer leveled the yard. It graded the drainage pattern. It smoothed the dirt. And did all the work in one afternoon, what would have taken shovels weeks. And Kolton my grandson got to watch the dozer out the window and go bbbbrrrrr making truck sounds as it went back and forth.

Now it is important to use the right equipment for heavy work. If you are going to dig a well, don't use a teaspoon. Now you CAN use a teaspoon, but in 20 years you will only have one well dug. Or you can get a dozer and say, "Start here gentleman.." and in a couple of days you have a brand new well. I am a dozer kind of spiritual girl. Teaspoon finesse is not my style. If you visit with me, you pretty much need to know that. When you say you need a new well, or a well uncovered, I am pretty much going to drive God's dozer right on over and tell you to get out the bucket's cuz fresh living water is on it's way to the surface. This is Pastor Susan Living the Everyday Prophetic Life.

Get out the Shovel it's time to dig!

Get out the Shovel it's time to dig!

There is this really nasty, horrible weed that gets in my yard every spring! It is my nemesis. It has spikes on the edges of the leaves and if you try to pull it out of the ground, those spikes sting your fingers like a thousand bees. Even with thick leather gloves this nasty weed will find a way to make your fingers swell with irritation and pain. Now these weeds like to gather along the fence line. And they like to get big as a small bush if left unattended. So when I am busy and miss a week of mowing and edging then those horrible thorny places take up residence where my dog Molly likes to run and bark at Bear the Irish Setter that lives next door on the other side of the fence. But those weeds have an even nastier after effect on Miss Molly's paws. And so during the night she will chew at her paws and try to make herself more comfortable after running through those prickly patches. And as I am a light sleeper the chewing wakes me up.

Now Marc likes to spray at weeds. I think this just makes them madder and angrier and they spread out on the ground and don't really die just get wider. But when I get ready for battle, my weapon of choice is a big iron shovel and a large Oklahoma City big blue trash bin. Let's get going it's time to dig. So with boots on my feet, long pants and long sleeve shirt, leather gloves it's time for weed decimation. And so I dig. And I get it out by the root. And I throw it into the Big Blue bin and then take that whole mess out to the curb.

Now how does that relate to the everyday prophetic life? Well, it you have thorny places in your heart...you need the proper equipment to pull them out or they will just spread and make it more difficult and painful to get them out the next time. If you have things that make you go OW!! then you need to get on the full armor of God and pull them up. Because other's can be hurt by the thorns that we allow to grow into small bushes. Friends I encourage you today, don't use the spray approach in your set free process... get out your shovel and pull it out by the roots. You will be glad you did and you will probably sleep better! This is Pastor Susan living the everyday prophetic life.

Poured out for the Gospel

Poured out for the Gospel

When you are in ministry, you pour out your life for the Gospel. You pour out your heart for others, for the joy of the Lord, for the call on your life, for the message of peace and grace. You pour from the Lord into the lives of other's from a well that the Lord places in you.

But the reality of ministry is that sometimes the well goes dry. It can be as dry as the drought of Oklahoma. It can be as dry as the desert. And it can get that dry before you know it. You reach down for another cup of cool water to pass out to a thirsty believer and you just get a thud when the bucket hits the bottom. Not a cool splash of living water that refreshes you as you bring it forth. Just a strange thud and then you realize that the well is dry.

Now if you are in leadership or the pastorate or the prophetic, usually you don't tell anyone that the well is dry. You just fake it. You act like everything is fine. You put on a good face. You put on your bathing suit and pretend to splash around in the river of water. And sometime's you panic and you think, "What if I never feel the cool water of the Spirit in my soul again!"And so you continue the charade.

Jesus said that when we come to Him, He would give us living water. He said we would never be thirsty again. So why is the well dry? What has happened to plug it up. Ah! The cares of the world, the busyness of life, the lack of fellowship and prayertime with our beloved Savior.

Friends this happens to everyone at some point in their ministry. I want you to realize that this is normal. And the way to overcome this is to spend time with the Lord and be refreshed. Step back from the business and hustle and bustle and spend some time at Jesus feet. Be transparant in your ministry so others can see that sometimes it is ok to ask for help. Sometimes you just can't stand alone. God has set us in families.We are made to be a part of the body of Christ. Act like it. This is Pastor Susan Living the Everyday Prophetic Life.

When They Leave -

When They Leave

Scripture Reference John 6:66-67

From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?

If you have been in the ministry for five minutes, one thing becomes abundantly clear. People who come along side your ministry, become a part of the fabric of your church or fellowship leave.

It happened to Jesus. So it will happen to us. This is ministry 101. Pastor Marc and I teach a course to new licensees in which we include the section called "The Great Goodbye". It begins with the principle that some people come for a reason, some people come for a season and some people come to stay. The important part to remember is that we treat all as if they had come to stay but we understand going into the relationship that some wonderful people come into our lives for a specific purpose (reason) and some come for a season ( a set time ).

Now "The Great Goodbye" happens in lots of ways mostly based on a person's spiritual maturity in the departure. For some to feel that they can only leave with honor they must make the spiritual authority such as the Pastor wrong. So a situation must be created where the one leaving has been wronged as in "offense" Or he has noticed a "wrong " theology or teaching. Or some amorphous wrong has appeared between the one leaving and those associated with the Pastor which makes the Pastor wrong by association. "The Great Goodbye" is a dance that starts out slowly. But increases in intensity quickly because once the perimeter has been breached the flood of emotions rush through gates and escalates the situation to a crisis. Please remember that "The Great Goodbye" dance began as a solo long before it comes to the attention of the Pastor. The dance is so powerful for some that they are not happy dancing alone they create a chorus line of others- so the dance out the door becomes a group experience thereby solidifing the rightness of the ones leaving and the wrongness of those left behind.

When folks leave your fellowship remember that they may have been there for a purpose. When the purpose is fullfilled they are ready to move on. When others leave they may have been there for a season and when that season comes to an end, they may be totally integrated into your ministry possibly even in leadership positions because remember we treat everyone that like they have come to stay. Recently a sweet and wonderful Pastor friend of mine was having such a difficult time with this concept. I presented her with a memory box and a bag of multi-colored stones. I asked her to put aside the trauma of the separations and sort the stones as into piles of those who were with them for a reason, those for a season and those who came to stay. The visual power of such an act is life changing.

Jesus experienced this leaving process. And He asked His disciples, if they were going to leave Him too. This is a powerful process. Give the ones with you a chance to make open honest decisions with dialogue. Ask them what is in their hearts because they are the ones who know. Jesus knew everyone's heart and He knew the disciples. In verse 71 of this chapter Jesus speaks of Judas Iscariot who would betray Him. He knew when that Goodbye was coming.

Pastors, and friends, when this happens, do not let it become personal in your life. Do not let it tear at your heart. With every new friend, every new member to your congregation, every new healing, and relationship, remember... God knows the end from the beginning. Love them like your forever family as they will be with you in heaven. Because "The Great Goodbye" is a skill to be learned as your ministry advances. Don't let it be a roadblock to you. This is Pastor Susan living the Everyday Prophetic Life.