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Testimony
Stacy Newland; 18th December 2011
I want to start with telling you a lil bit about myself and where I've come from to where I am now in gods story,
I was brought up in papakura in Auckland new zealand. I was raised by my mum and grandparents. My mum meet my step father when I was about 5yrs and started a family not to long after that. Then quite a lot happened between then and moving to aus when i was 22yrs, so 9 years ago, and so much more has happened in that time as well, but stories for another time...
I want to talk about my life over this past year....
This scripture came up for me around the start of the year, and I wondered what it was to have patient endurance..... It's rev 14:12
Rev 14:12 this calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints, who obey gods commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.... Ok that sound like some Discipline
PATIENT ENDURING.....
I have a real urgency in my heart to know gods heart more and more, I know it sounds a lil cleche, people seem to say it a lot, that they have a real sense of urgency..... In there spirit... It's real and it's true, don't you feel it too... A groaning in your spirit... And if you don't well it's time to WAKE UP, it's the father telling us to wake up, time is near, and he wants us to be prepared.... WHO IS GOING TO HAVE OIL IN THERE LAMP STILL, when the time comes, to really needing it...I tell ya I want to..... Who's going to be steadfast, standing firm feet planted in the ground, being the branches of the tree that bears fruit, that is connected to the vine, that thirsts and soaks in the living water, the truth and light, that is sustained, and growing and bloosming and fragrant.... I say we are and we will, I declare it and see it... AMEN
God is cultivating us growing us, pruning us, taking Care of us.
We are all treassures, precious lil gems to our father. Aren't our own children that to us.. He loves us unconditionally, he is full of grace and mercy... That he wants to give to us, if we would only go to him...
These are times we need to become sons and daughters, warriors for God, he is building his kingdom within us. Who is going to be ready, who is going to be willing to give it all up, to fulfill the fathers plans, plans he has made for his children... We need to be prepared to fight for our inheritance. We need to take responsibility, and step forward, become forerunners.. I feel in my heart that the spirit of elijah is coming and we need to be prepared, the more we ask our father, the more he will help us. If we need help we only need to ask, he will be right there... He is our father... The things we are going through right now are preparation of our hearts. The school for our very souls... Please I beg of you don't turn away, don't turn from these issues, problems, what ever you want to call them, but press on, ask god what are you changing in my heart, be opened to be pulled apart, for the mess inside to be taken out and put back together, in the way our father original planned for us to be....
I know it is so damn hard right now for so many in the church, im recognising more and more within when god is getting rid of the things, this un easyness in my spirit about a situation, he asks me what are you going to do? how are you going to responed? If your anything like me, at first you want to run for the hills, but I'm not that person, anymore and we are not those people... I humble myself and go back and deal with the situation, instead of brushing it under the rug, i dealt with it, my heart was humbled, so i pray that we would humble ourselves in any situations and ask our fathers advice and set things right... Deeper relationships come out of these situations, and at the same time we start to align with our father in heaven, and we become a strong community, a strong body. So let the walls come down, dont keep building them up, people cant get in, and the person who needs to get in and wAnts to get in is our father, and that stops him from being able to changed what he needs to changed.....so let your guards down and welcome what ever changed needs to happen... so the things that no longer need to be in me are getting ripped out and re arranged, my heart goes out to all who are around and near and far, all the nations....
I encourage you to recognize your weaknesses, but not to dwell on them, but to lift yourselves up to god, undergurde everything in prayer, in phillipians 4:6 do not be anxious in anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanks giving, present your requests to god... every issue great or small.. He will answer may not be straight away as we would like it, but I know he will answer... If only we would ask.. I do believe we don't talk about our true feelings to our father and to people, as for fear of being punished.... He is not the punisher, he is our father who loves us dearly, and only wants the best for us... We are not punishers either, we need to have a spirit of gentleness to all in need of it... It takes away any judgement of a stituation.... In 2 Corinthians 9-10 but he said to me " my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that the christs power may rest on me. That is why for Christ's sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, hardships, in persecutions, in difficuilties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.... He is our strength, we can do nothing on our own, but only through him.... So he can be glorified...
When these times arise, I find myself saying " what am I supposed to be learning in this father, what areas of my character are you fine tuning....? Trying not to understand in my same human mind, what is going on.....? I will trust and wait on you father.... I know that through you I am made powerful, through Christ I am perfect, I am beautiful, that is how he is making me and I must believe this to be true, because it is, and it is for all of us who believes in Jesus...
I prayer over you all epshesians 3:16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power, through his spirit in your inner being, so that christ may dwell in your hearts, through faith... And I pray that you being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and how long and how high and how deep IS THE LOVE OF CHRIST and to know this love that surpasses knowledge- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of god AMEN....
It is something we need to go through, to endurer.... So we become warrior sons that are steadfast, strong, compassionate, loving unconditional, having a spirit of gentleness, but at the same time having a spirit of a warrior, for justice, for jealousy, for righteousness, to be a courages people of the kingdom of god....
To be a people who impart strength and honor, love and grace to the people that are crying out in there spirits for life to have meaning, for there to be more....
Through us god will restore he's kingdom and he will be glorified. Nations will turn and cry out pleading for forgiveness......
So we must take heart, and remember all we are enduring right now is preparation for the age to come, for the work in the kingdom....
My spirit is crying out to the chosen, will you stand, stand with me, cry out for the people to wake up, for you are chosen arise and seek your father who loves and adores you....
Now you have probably all heard this before it's a song by one of my favorite artists misty Edwards....
I will run, will you run, the race set before you, the plan he has out worked for your life....all I want is him and all I crave is him, I will run the race set before me, I will seek your face as the prize of my life... I pray this for you guys a yearning for you all, a deeper experience of god, to go deeper on the search for your father...
Time time is ticking, I feel and explosion inside.......it's not to late to start now..
So I pray for our 24/7 family to have a fresh baptism of the holy spirit, a fresh revelation from the word as you read it... Drink it up it's the tools the lord has given us to become prepared... I want to tell you a funny story for the past 6 months God keeps showing me, scripture all over my body, I'm like right tattoo, well, I hate needles... Not something I want to be doing, but lord if you want me to I will.... I thought if in 6 months I still feel strongly about this then I will... After about 3 months On he showed me another after I spoke at aglow of a cross on my back with a banner flowing around it with the words I have been set free through Christ Jesus... I was so sure he wanted me to get this tattoo, so I startard exploring the pros and cons and was god really telling me to do this...? I had it all drawn up, I was really prepared but still didn't understand.... Does he want me to use it to talk about my love for him... Questions were constantly running through my mind...
Anyways at consecrated in Perth, I figured it out, I could see myself like glowing almost walking along, words, words, words of scripture like flowing out of my body... It was awesome, well I was like ok then no tattoo, that's what you were trying to tell me, it's only taken 6 months.... What I'm trying to say is, he wants us to be the living word... To walk out his words... In our everyday things....
And the way to get there is to soak in those words, word, word everyday, for revelation of the truth, for life to have meaning, so we never give up... And have peace in times of troubles... To have quite time in that word that lives and breathes life to all who want to live.... In the faith eternAl kingdom..
I want to talk openly about my what I have been going through lately....
On and off for months now, I have been struggling continuously with anxiety, due to having depression a few years back.... the physical sickness on my body, being tired, trying emotions, overwhelming thoughts of unbelief, doubt, feeling upset in my spirit....., just when it seems I can't bear it anymore.... It leaves me and I'm feeling better again, and it can be just lil things that trigger it...in the beginning I was constantly crying out to god to take these horrible feelings away, what am I doing wrong? Why have I still not dealt with this stuff...oh father. What is the answer? I would pray continuously, I don't want to be double minded... I still don't really know the answer but I do know that god is right there, he has shown me, that we have to endurer things in our lives, and to be ok with it, don't fight it or want it to be fixed, but be thankful in prayer. We also have a cross to carry in this life, but know that the lord is walking with you, call out, cry out to him for his peace and love, in James 1:2-5 consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Now perseverance in the dictionary I found quite interesting... It said steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state etc.... Then part 2 theology says continuance in a state of grace to the end, leading to eternal salvation... I'm might have to a study on that another time... Perseverance must finish its work so that you may mature and complete, not lacking in anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask god, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him so we must take heart, be strong in spirit, do not rely on our own understanding as it's apart of gods plan..... For our lives... These things are apart of the plan so we don't become double minded or tossed in the wind... He wants a strong body, that will with stand the storms of life...
Storm, storm, that has alot of meaning to me....
I feel Like I've just settled in the eye of one right now....LOL
Spiritual I have felt dead, and in life itself.... I have let my thoughts and situations and people, take over were god is supposed to be, I've let them consume me, like when a hurricane consumes the land in everything in it's path,,, I'm sure you've all felt like this before at some stage...
And I've figured that my fathers love will sustain me and keep me together... As it feels like im being blown around... His perfect love that never fails and never will, will be there, will keep us safe, will never give up, so we musnt either. We are changing, but we need to realize god never will change, he is the same now and always.... His truth will prevail and remain standing...
Don't give up, even though when your in the middle of the deep pit of despair,
He is there, he will always be there, to lift you up to give you the hand out... He will always be the ONE the only one that can get you out.... Not yourself, not anybody else.... You have to make the choice, of letting go, and to start living, start believing, start interceding, on behalf of yourself and for others.... You can't just sit back and think someone else will do it.... God wants to restore relationships and to see them grow and be fifulling, but all in his timing not in ours... YOU have to.... Stop believing in the lies, the lord has spoken truth to you, to your very being.... Start walking in it.... May all your sufferings produce much fruit.
I know we have to sometimes get to the bottom of the pit to see there is only one way out and that is up and out, gripping with all your strength, mind, body and soul to your father who will show you the way.... I know even though you may feel like giving up on situations in your lives with people, you can't you must press on, keep pressing on, keep praying keep crying out to god... There is stuff in my own life right now that I'm truly struggling with and have felt like no, no I can't do this I can not go on, I have no energy left..... But my father in heaven has shown me the truth, the end result, and I will hang on to it, I will not believe the lies....
And I know if I have to wait the rest of my life to see this situation be fulfilled, that's ok.... Because that will be a wondrous moment, and I know my father will sustain me though out this journey, and build me into the women he wants me to be, strong and worthy to be in army, his family....
So I will stand firm in saying never give up, never give up on your walk, your journey, because it means something, it is all part of his story, his plan, your part the body of Christ......
I want to pray for our children, the next generation, they are so important more than we..... I believe and declare over them, that they will heal the sick, they will perform miracles, they will be steadfast in the lord, they will have faith that will never be shaken, they will have wisdom, and a hunger for the things that are good like no other....... Amen....
a few questions.....
What does it look like to give it all up, to walk with god....?
To see the father and to know him and do what the father does....?
I also feel we need to seek revelation on his power and authority that he has given to us... We need to know that we are powerful people through Jesus... And that can change the world....
At celebration the morning Justin spoke..... During worship, something happened, he came back, well that's what it felt like......i said oh lord where have you been, oh how I have missed you, missed feeling u right beside me, not even right beside me but on the inside of me.... All these months I've felt lost father, almost fatherless... So lost without u....
I've been praying for a few days on what had happened..... He said oh my beautiful daughter, I did not leave, I will never leave you, I will always be with you......and thought well I sure felt like you weren't here, oh my sweet, you were the one who left me.......WOW, I broke down to a million pieces and realized, I had, left my father, my protector, the one whom my guidance had come from.... I had taken control of my life, I had let everything around me take control of my life.... I was drowning myself in my situations and my thoughts, which had pulled me down to the pit of dispair..... I had taken my eyes off the light of my life, the light of all of our lives... Life just does not work without him... I had become religious, tyring to live under the law, we arent meant to live under the law.... We are meant to live by the spirit, and I know that had been spoken about not long ago, it sucks falling into the that trap... But in It god is changing our heart attitudes.... I recently learnt, that I may have thought well yes I do have to live like this or he should know better than to do that, these things are they way we are meant to live our lives it is written in the bible.... This maybe indeed true,,,,, but were is our heart attitude do we still love our selves, instead of tearing ourselves down, are we still loving and supporting others in what they do and say, I suppose what I'm trying to say is DO WE HAVE A LOVING HEART IN ALL SITUATIONS.....? Because that changes all situations and our attitudes.... I know we aren't perfect quite yet but we are definitely on our way, being transformed in his likeness, as we start to understand that we have been given authority through Jesus, we have the holy spirit living on the inside of us,,,, WOW, my head does not comprehend, but when it does look out world.... How awesome is that..... Those times are coming....
Anyways way off track I think....
In amgounst all of these times, I still have cryed out to him, I still managed to say lord I will trust you, what eva the outcome......
A few weeks back at a high tea, a lady named Vicki spoke, these words do not put your hope in the horse, and I have been doing that for months, as in I had been putting my hope in pete for things to change, I had been putting hope in myself, if only I do a lil more, things will change, and there are lots of other situations like when someone buys a lotto ticket hoping to win big and everything would change for them.... But these things a false, the only thing we can hope in is the lord, for he has the power to change things... So we have to check in and see what our hope is in,,, wat our hearts are in....? is it the things of this world, is it stuff, is it our husbands or wives or friends or even our pastors. What are we putting our hope in today? There is only one person that will be standing at the end of the day, one person that will pick u up, one person that will never give up on you and the only person who can change our situations, and that is our father in heaven, the almighty god himself, who created Everything we see..... He is so BIG and we are so SMall but man he cares he cares about each and every one of us, he has a plan for each one of our lives.
He speaks softly to my heart as I read his word.... How much do you trust me, how much do you trust me with your life and all you do....
Do not concentrate on your circumstances and the things of this world....
But put your eye on eternity, and know you are just passing through on this earth.... As you a child of mine and of heaven...
We need to be additicted to the things of god, and not addicted to the things of this world, these sort of testimonies will will be the light that shines through for others, in the darkness of others lives.....
I really don't have the answers to why we have to go through or endure the things we do. What I do know is that, deep in my heart, it is preparation Of our souls, for his kingdom... So if you would bear the cross, and do it patiently... the trials that you must endure throughout your lives, do it with me, as we are not alone we have him you cares and each other that he who cares so much for us has also given to us to help and support and endure with us we can not go through things in this life alone... We have each other, and his holy spirit that will never leave or give up, and those are some of the things that keep me going... I know I may not call out to my brothers and sisters enough... Which is something that has begun to change in me.... YAY, so with an open heart, trust that god is working out his plan within you.
Just want to leave you guys with a couple of scriptures
1 Peter 5:6-11
Humble yourselves, therefore under gods mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time, cast all your anxiety on him for he cares for you, be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around, like a roaring lion for someone to devour. Resist him standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are under going the same kind of sufferings. And the god of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory, in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power forever and ever amen.....
Also Just want to go back to rev 14:12
This calls for patient endurance on part of the saints, who obey gods comands and remain faithful to Jesus. I know for a lot you saints out there, there has been a lot of patient enduring going on this year, god had laid on my heart the number 11 and I was seeing it everywhere, throughout this year, I had been told that 11 means transition, so I reminded myself throughout the year that this would be a year of transition for a lot of people not just myself.... For all the ladies out there that have experienced child birth will probably know what the transtioning stage is like, well I tell you it can be extremely painful.... Its hard going and you have to pase yourself... But much relief when it is over... A mountain has be conqured....
The end is in sight.... At celebration a couple of weeks back, god cleary spoke to my heart and said the spiritual darkness is leaving now, let the light shine through...
It is time for new beginnings, break through has come the transition period is over..
You stayed strong you fought back, you made it through.
Our help comes from the lord and the lord alone....... AMEN
It will be our testimonies, that will help people, that will change lives... The times that are today, full of fears, anxieties, worries..... Even those we go through, these things..... We know the truth, the truth that will help all people get through and move on. And that is have something, we have hope, we have something bigger than our circumstances, and he is GOD, the one and only, when people realize this and turn from there ways and praise the one true god that creAted all things, then, then and only then will the world change in his likeness...... What great times these will be... Pslam 13 give light to my eyes, so I shall see... We need that light...
In amoungst the fear and anxiety, I repent, for I know my father has not given me a spirit of fear and anxiety but one of power and love, I pray into it everyday... Through this god is saying do you trust me and how much...? I know he is real, he is more real than the things I see in front of me, more real than the feeling of my baby moving inside of me, he is alive and very real to me, it's time to relinquish all control of my life to him who is in control...
Even though I'm going through these things, but patiently enduring, I still look to the heavens and weep with joy as I'm so happy, I have his peace, his love, most of all his holy spirit that he has gracefully given to live on the inside of us... We are so not alone... That's why my heart goes out to all people that don't know the father and what he has done for us... And that he wants to journey with u, he really wants to have a relationship with us.. So yes we are not alone. That gives me so much excitement and it should for you too...
I pray your faith will not fade but grow stronger through the times of patient endurance...
The life ready women
Just to put this across to the women of 24/7, we as women sometimes or most of the time look at our circumstances instead of looking in the bible to truth what god says about how we are meant to live our lives, which takes away the fears and anxieties.... We are all designed for a purpose each of us are designed for a specific purpose....
I've been shown, is that reality or what is the worst that could happen, why not just step out and have faith almost 10 out of 10 times what I think is going to happen isn't really going to happen.... And to stand steadfast when fear of a situation comes up and not to have of the physical sickness that may com upon when in certain situations, there are tools out there to be used to get you through...
Amen...
I don't understand a whole lot about what I'm going through right now, but I do know, that god has a purpose and a plan for everyones life. So I hold my hope in the lord, because he has never forsaken or never given up on me.... I've never blamed god for the things I go through, as he can turn bad in to good, he can use all circumstances... For his story... I try and give thanks in all things.....
So today I don't look to circumstances, but study the word, that has all truth all living things, that will give me revelation on my circumstances, my hope is in his word... It has gotten me through fearing the things I have absolutely no control over...
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