Life, More Abuntantly!!
by staff writer, Teri Underwood

FAR TOO MANY OF US ARE MISSING THE VERY BEST GOD HAS TO OFFER US! AND WE’RE DOING IT BECAUSE WE SIMPLY CHOOSE NOT TO BELIEVE ONE OF GOD’S MOST BEAUTIFUL PROMISES TO US!!

Okay, hopefully, I have your attention! Now, are you ready to have your life changed and made bigger and more wonderful than you ever dreamed? Here we go…

In Mark 5, we find the story of the man living among the tombs who was possessed with demons. Think about this for a moment. This man literally LIVED in the graveyard. He walked every day among the dead. He was tormented by so many demons that they were called "Legion." The man was living in death.

Sidebar: What a clear picture of life without Christ! For isn’t that what life is before an encounter with Jesus, merely existing with no hope for anything beyond the here and now.

Okay, back to the demoniac. He was truly a tormented man. He was alone. He was afraid. And then, he saw Jesus. How did this man, this possessed man who was in the control of Satan’s demons, recognize Jesus? I’ve wondered about this often as I’ve read and studied these verses. But my conclusion is two-fold.

First, the man saw what was missing in His life. He recognized His Creator. He saw the Savior. And he KNEW he needed Jesus. Second, the demons knew exactly who Jesus was. James 2:19 tells us that even the demons recognize Jesus. So what we find is simple – the revelation of Jesus Christ and His offer of life in the midst of sin’s trap of death is always clear both to us as humans and to the forces of Satan. For us, that revelation brings hope, for them, fear!

So the man knew who Jesus was and so did the demons. When Jesus spoke to the demoniac, his tormentors revealed themselves. And the amazing, beautiful, miraculous next event can be described in just one word – COMPASSION!! Jesus saw the man with compassion. He saw the individual, not the Legion of demons inside, Jesus saw the man. He saw one in need of forgiveness and grace. And that is exactly what He gave.

The rest of this story is that Jesus allowed the demons to possess the swine nearby. The swine upon their possession immediately jumped off a cliff into the waters below and died. But that’s not the part I want to consider. What about this man? This new man with new life? Do you think for one minute he stayed in that graveyard? Of course not!!

Once we have life, what appeal does death have? And yet, I find, in my life and so many others’, that we are satisfied with just the beginning of life. We never move to that next level, the part Jesus promised in John 10:10 – LIFE MORE ABUNDANTLY!! That isn’t a promise of our life in heaven, that’s what the Lord wants to give us here and now!

And what is life more abundantly? I believe it’s living life to its fullest, every day, in Christ. It’s seeing – people, places, miracles, beauty, pain. It’s hearing – hurts, joys, birds, babies, and that still small voice of God. It’s experiencing – mountains, valleys, plateaus, rivers of mercy, streams of peace. How often do we spend an entire day without any new revelation of God? We fail to see His beauty in the sunrise. His cleansing in the rain. His wrath in the storms. His grace in the rainbow.

My prayer for me, for you, for all of us Christians is this – that we will strive for life abundantly! That we will yearn for the fullness and richness of living completely in Christ. And that in doing so, we will find so much more than we ever imagined!

Oh Holy God, Giver of Life, Give us a zeal for living
Take us from our complacency, And move us to abundance
Let us live in Your fullness, And may You live fully in us.
~ Amen

A Vision from the Holy Spirit
By Nan Pitcher

February 27, 2000
I saw a picture of a cluster of trees planted by a river. They were mostly young trees with many shoots reaching up toward the sky. In some of the branches vultures were sitting. A breeze started blowing through the trees causing the branches to sway. As the branches swayed, the vultures were dislodged from their perches and started circling overhead looking for a new place to land.

There is a shaking going on in the spiritual realm. The wind of God's Spirit is beginning to blow. God's people are the trees planted by the river. The vultures are demonic spirits looking for places to roost. As the current wave of God's Spirit begins to blow through His church, the demonic attachments that have found resting places are dislodged. They cannot remain where God's Spirit is moving.

There are several things that God spoke to me regarding this vision. One is that as we experience the beginning of revival and the move of God's Spirit, the demonic influences over us will be shaken loose. The wise man is one who is aware of the demonic vultures seeking a new place to land and continues to stay in God's presence, under a covering of prayer waiting for a continued move of God's Spirit. This is a call to pray for our spiritually blind brothers and sisters who are unaware of the spiritual climate and are open to a spiritual attack from the enemy. Let us pray for their protection and that as God's Spirit begins to blow, they will recognize it and experience it.

Another danger is that as we experience God's movement, we become complacent. The wind of God's Spirit blowing is just the beginning of what He has planned for His people. If we become complacent and self righteous in our experience with God, His Spirit will stop blowing in our direction. As a result we will become spiritually stale and the vultures will once again be able to settle on the limbs of our lives.

How does God want us to respond to the beginning movement of His Spirit? As His Spirit blows across our lives, it will become obvious to us which branches and shoots are dead, unproductive wood and need to be cut away. His desire is for us to invite Him to prune away the lifeless branches so that what remains has His life and bears fruit.

There will come a time when the move of God is more than a gently breeze stirring the uppermost branches of our lives. There will come a time when the wind will blow in a gale like fashion ripping the dead and unproductive branches from the trees. How much better if we allow God to deal with our hearts now, taking all that is unclean and not of Him so we can be ready to receive Him when He comes in His Glory.

Church, pray for God's Spirit to continue to blow across our hearts. During this time of pregnant expectation it is important to guard against the enemy. He will be bold in trying to thwart any move of God before it gets too strong. Pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ that they will stand firm and steadfast. Keep watch with the eyes of your spirit to see what God is doing. Invite Him to cut away the branches of your heart that are not of Him. Welcome his mercy and grace in your life. Keep rejoicing in all that He is doing in your life.

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