Acapulco In February
January 1, 2016
I will be going to Acapulco, Mexico the first week of February to conduct a 3-day training conference. I will be taking with me Danny Ruiz, one of the young guys I am mentoring. Danny and I will be training Pastors and other leaders from various towns in Mexico on how to pray for both Physical and Inner Healing. We will also cover such areas as Deliverance and Spiritual Warfare. I have been invited by Jay DeVries the missionary that works with the people in Mexico. This came about as the result of his receiving a copy of our Learning To Do book in Spanish. He was very excited that we had this material in Spanish as there is very little available on these topics that can be used by Spanish speaking people. Pray for us as we go to present this material and equip these leaders to train others in praying for the sick.
2015 was a good year for Wholeness Ministries. We are looking forward with excitement to 2016. One of the challenges we face is locating an office that we can call home. It was necessary for us to move from our current location. One of my friends Elizabeth Deeths who is a counselor has been kind enough to let me use her office when I need to meet with people, so that has been helpful and something I am thankful for. Pray for us to be able to find a location soon.
Gouge the Heart Out
In some of my reading I came across a quote by Edward Schillebeeckx and it rocked me back a bit when I caught what he was saying. The entire quote is, “In a revealed religion, silence with God has value in itself and for its own sake, just because God is God. Failure to recognize the value of mere being with God, as the beloved, without doing anything, is to gouge the heart out of Christianity.” He states that this is the bottom-line reason for waiting on the Lord. And, if you don’t recognize this, you are missing the point.
Scripture indicates that God not only wants us to spend time with Him but that in order for this to happen we not only must learn to wait but also to be separate. When I think of the word, “gouge” it brings to my mind a violent act. “To reach in with your hand and violently rip the heart out.” So if we fail to recognize the value of merely being with God without doing anything we are violently ripping the heart out of the very thing we so deeply believe in.
If merely being with God, not doing anything, is the heart of Christianity, why do so few Christians take time to do it? I believe the answer is both simple and complex. Simple in that it is so foreign to our normal way of life and complex in that it involves ignorance and fear, shrouded in mystery and mysticism.
Being separate and waiting often brings about guilt. We have this nagging feeling that we should be doing something useful. Part of why we feel guilty is that we do not fully know the God with whom we are spending time! We would not feel guilty spending time with a brilliant scientist or a famous author or a world-renowned artist, so why would we not want to spend time with the God who made it all? If we truly understood that the God of the universe, the God who made everything that is, wants to spend time with us, we would do anything, give up anything, go anywhere to be with Him.
The mystery and mysticism swirls around stories we hear and read of many of the saints of the church spending hours, days and years in solitude, meditation and prayer. Their spirits are caught up, overwhelmed with or plundered by the very presence of God. They are left speechless and without strength. They write and speak of the mystery and wonder of “being Alone with the Alone.” These things are not only foreign to us but may even seem threatening.
I have discovered the cure for this unfortunate state of being. It is coming to an understanding and acceptance in your relationship with God that you know that it is good to be “there,” even if you don’t know where “there” is, just because He is God and you are His beloved.
Don’t be so shy about spending this incredibly important time with God. He wants to be with you, as a Father wants to be with their child. Grasp the importance of this. Don’t let anyone convince you that God is too busy and has more important things to do this spend time with you.
Why wait until heaven to be freed of the invisible burdens that oppress and defeat you? God wants you to face those burdens now, on this planet, and through the power of specific prayer be freed from them. My newest book, subtitled Baggage To Drop On Your Way To Heaven, is a guide to assist in discovering freedom from the invisible burdens that oppress and defeat you.
Go here to purchase: www.wholeness.org/shop
Thank you for your continued support of this ministry. All your gifts are much appreciated.
God bless,
Mike