He is risen, He is risen INDEED!!!

Though we've been walking down memory lane, I felt it was important to take a few minutes to acknowledge what the Lord did for us over 2000 years ago.

What the prophets were unable to do, Jesus, the Son fulfilled as God and fully man.
 
1 Peter 1:  ¹⁰Concerning this salvation,^(A) the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, ¹¹inquiring^(B) what person or time^(C) the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating^(D) when he predicted^(E) the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. ^12(F) It was revealed to them that^(G) they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you^(H) by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven,^(I) things into which angels long to look.

Called to Be Holy

¹³Therefore,^(J) preparing your minds for action,^[a] and^(K) being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴As obedient children,^(L) do not be conformed to the passions^(M) of your former ignorance, ¹⁵but^(N) as he who called you is holy, you also be holy^(O) in all your conduct, ¹⁶since it is written,^(P) "You shall be holy, for I am holy." ¹⁷And if you^(Q) call on him as Father who^(R) judges^(S) impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves^(T) with fear throughout the time of your exile, ¹⁸knowing that you^(U) were ransomed from^(V) the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, ¹⁹but^(W) with the precious blood of Christ, like that of^(X) a lamb^(Y) without blemish or spot."


Because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross, we can live free from the tyranny of sin!   Halleluiah!  

Kathryn Kuhlman, Part 3

This is the final in this series of this extraordinary woman of faith.

We have seen what others have said about her, now, let's look at what she has said about herself.

"The world called me a fool for having given my entire life to One whom I’ve never seen. I know exactly what I’m going to say when I stand in His presence. When I look upon that wonderful face of Jesus, I’ll have just one thing to say: ‘I tried.’ I gave of myself the best I knew how. My redemption will have been perfected when I stand and see Him who made it all possible. "

Also,

"The foundation of this ministry is God's word."

"I'm yielded to Jesus to be filled with the holy Spirit."

"The same gift the Father gave to the Son the Son in turn gave to his own".

And again,

"I surrendered unto Him all there was of me; everything! Then for the first time I realized what it meant to have real power." 

Lastly,

"I have little faith in a great God.
It wasn't luck or influence. It was just hard work - and God's providence.
Nobody enjoys being a Christian more than I do. I wouldn't exchange it for anything else I know anything about.
The greatest power that God has given to any individual is the power of prayer.
Think big, talk big, act big. Because we have a big God."


Next: A.W. Tozer

The Prayer Life of Kathryn Kulman, Part 2

[Before we go into the subject at hand, I thought it important to re-address an important issue we discussed last time.  Paul said in 1 Corinthians 7, that he wished all men would be like him, (unmarried), but if they can't, marry so they don't burn with passion, (verses 7-9). It's a well known fact, that Ms. Kuhlman believed from the very beginning, she was never meant to get married, but when she fell in love and later married, brought nothing but problems into her life.]

 "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."   (Phil 4:4-7)

A Life of Continual Prayer,

Best describes Kathryn Kuhlman for those who knew her best, and there have been several who boast that they were ‘called’ to emulate her because, of how she’s impacted them personally, but those who have walked in her shadows will not be mentioned, for I believe, she stands alone.

Kathryn would spend eight hours in prayer before each and every service. She would cry out to God, asking that the Holy Spirit would move and touch the lives of the people who were coming. She felt a tremendous burden for the people, and knew that she in herself could do nothing for them; hence her prayer time.

It all started one Sunday when Kathryn was fourteen; she attended church with her mother in the Methodist Church of Concordia, Missouri. As she stood singing, she began to shake all over and sob. A weight of conviction came over her, and she realized that she was a sinner in need of salvation and forgiveness. She slipped out from where she was standing, went to the corner of the front pew and sat weeping. At that moment Jesus lifted the weight from her shoulders and entered her heart. 

From that day in her church many years ago, until she passed she was a woman devoted to prayer, even though she was better known for the miracles that followed her. But if you were to ask her, her goal was the salvation of souls, and not miracles. She ultimately knew there was no power in herself to do anything, but in Christ alone, that's the reason for her extended time in prayer.

 http://maranathalife.com/teaching/pray.htm

http://www.godsgenerals.com/person_k_kuhlman.htm

Part 3: Will be a detailed account of what she said about herself

Kathryn Kuhlman Part 1

When I was a little girl, no older then ten years of age, I had stumbled across a woman unlike any I have known before. She wasn't like the ladies in the Baptist church that I was accustomed to being around; where people were quiet and conservative in their dress and speech. Now to sit in front of my t.v.set watching this lady in a flowing white dress walk as if she had authority. Her speech was bold and powerful, not timid and shy like the women I was used to seeing. I wouldn't have given her too much time, (because it was quite a weird site for someone so young),  if it wasn't for this one phrase; "Jesus is more real to me then you are!" For a little girl who was hungry to know the real Jesus, one 'with skin on it,' this sounded appealing.

This went on for many days, watching this woman of extraordinary power waltz on stage just to talk to us about Jesus, it didn't seem to effect her that there was a camera following her everywhere she went. 'That too seemed odd, I wouldn't want a camera stuck in my face, would you?'

It wasn't long before my very conservative mother walked in the room while watching Ms. Kuhlman share another intriguing story. "What are YOU DOING?" "She's a witch and I don't ever want to catch you watching her again!" "All lies!"

My mother's strong objection didn't keep me from my fascination with this evangelist with a great gift of prayer and as my relationship with the Lord grew, I couldn't help but be drawn into a powerful prayer ministry. For her prayer life seem to fill in the gap where others left off. Where some were put out to pray for just a few minutes, she would often pray until the camera were no longer running...

Though I listened to what she preached, I heard what she prayed and that changed my life. After I matured and grew I learned she was far from perfect, but inspite of her imperfections, her legacy still lives on today...

Here is what Wikipedia has to say about her:

Early Years:Kathryn Johanna Kuhlman was born in Concordia, Missouri, to German-American parents.^[1] She was born-again at the age of 14 in the Methodist Church of Concordia, and began preaching in the West at the age of sixteen in primarily Baptist Churches.

Career: Kuhlman  traveled extensively around the United States and in many other countries holding "healing crusades" between the 1940s and 1970s. She had a weekly TV program in the 1960s and 1970s called I Believe In Miracles that was aired nationally. The foundation was established in 1954, and its Canadian branch in 1970. Joan Gieson became her assistant for 8½ years.
Following a 1967 fellowship in Philadelphia, Dr. William A. Nolen conducted a case study of 23 people who claimed to have been cured during her services.^[2][3][4][5] Nolen's long term follow-ups concluded there were no cures in those cases.^[6][7] Furthermore, one woman who was said to have been cured of spinal cancer took off her brace and ran across the stage at Kuhlman's command; her spine collapsed the following day and she died four months later.^[6][8]
By 1970 she moved to Los Angeles conducting faith healing for thousands of people each day as an heir to Aimee Semple McPherson.^[9] She became well-known despite, as she told reporters, having no theological training.^[9] She married Burroughs A. Waltrip of Dallas, in which city he left his wife and two children, to marry Kuhlman in Iowa City, Iowa.^[9] She described Waltrip as "the best-looking guy there ever was".^[9] They soon divorced, as Kuhlman explained, "because he was divorced I had to choose between him and my work".^[9]

In 1975, Kuhlman was sued by Paul Bartholomew, her personal administrator, who claimed she kept $1 million in jewelry and $1 million in fine art hidden away and sued her for $430,500 for breach of contract.^[10][11] Two former associates accused her in the lawsuit of diverting funds and illegally removing records, which she denied and said the records were not private.^[12] According to Kuhlman, the lawsuit was settled prior to trial.<sup>[6]


Death and Legacy: In July 1975 her doctor diagnosed her with a minor heart flareup and she had a relapse in November while in Los Angeles.[13][dead link] As a result, she had open heart surgery in Tulsa, Oklahoma from which she died in February 1976.[1] Kathryn Kuhlman is interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California. A plaque in her honor is located in the main city park in Concordia, Missouri, a town located in central Missouri on Interstate Highway 70.
After she died, her will led to controversy.[14] She left $267,500, the bulk of her estate, to three family members and twenty employees.[14] Smaller bequests were given to 19 other employees.[14] According to the Independent Press-Telegram , her employees were disappointed that "she did not leave most of her estate to the foundation as she had done under a previous 1974 will."[14] The Kathryn Kuhlman Foundation has continued, but in 1982 it terminated its nationwide radio broadcasting. She influenced faith healers Benny Hinn and Billy Burke. Hinn has adopted some of her techniques and wrote a book about her.[15</sup>

Do YOU have a story about Ms.Kuhlman you'd like to share? 

For those whose gone on before us,

As I prepare for our upcoming study, I thought I'd share a poem I wrote many some time ago, on the lives of three women evangelist...

It wasn't the strength of their message, but their connection with a God that transforms. If one of these women are added to this study, it will be for their intercession and not for their gift of evangelism...

Be blessed, dear ones....
              Three Women of Valour
   

Three Women of valour Who knows your name? Three women of valour Who knows your pain? Three women of valour fleeing from worldly cares and sin's destain Three women of valour skilled for each battle with echoes of greatness but silent no more! (Dedicated to three women evangelist that has impacted our lives forever. Maria Etter Woodsworth, Aimee Semple McPherson, and Kathryn Kuhlman)By Copperpenny © 2011 Copperpenny (All rights reserved)

Those who have gone on before us,

In the coming days and weeks we will be looking at great men and women of prayer throughout history. There may be some you may agree with, some you may not, (and I'm not saying I will always agree with everything either. They are charismatic’s, conservatives, Baptist, Methodist, Assemblies of God, even non-denominational. ), but their impact upon Christianity is still being felt today; for they were the history makers that changed human events through the hand of a merciful God.  

This study is about learning from those who have gone on before us, not only the techniques and styles they used, but more importantly who they were as people and what God taught them through the ‘storms of life.’  Yes, even learning from their mistakes. You will see, they were men and women, just like us, some have made some very grievous errors in judgments, others have suffered much loss, or even delivered from a life of sin to be a vessel for the Lord. Not in themselves, but in their surrender.

Some say, “what about the simple housewives who pray silently when nobody is looking?”  She is one of the many unsung heroes of today, for it wasn’t for her, and those like her, the church would be reduced to nothing more than a side show on the weekends, at best, at worst, a very hard place to take a nap!

Yes, she is one of the countless unsung heroes of today who live a quiet life and seeks no glory, but for her risen Lord!

But, in my estimation, it’s important to learn from the past, so we can build on their successes and learn from their mistakes.

For those who don’t learn from the mistakes of the past, are destined to repeat them!

Attititude of Gratitude;

Over the course of time, God has proven Himself faithful over and over and I trust Him now when things aren't so easy, for He has never let me down, for His Word is true.

"Lord, I lift all those whom You have called to pray and intercede in these evil days. Those who have need, those who are ill or lacking financially, or relational problems, Lord, bring peace where there is strife. For we know Your Spirit cannot live where strife dwells."

“Lord I ask that You not only meet these needs, but that You will show us who You really are, in the midst of our painful circumstances. Open our eyes so we may see with new eyes, and reveal those hidden areas of our lives that are not right with You. I pray that we will walk with pure hearts before a holy God, as I end this week of praise and gratitude, Lord I ask that You take us onto new places that we have never been before, in Jesus' Name I pray..amen" 

My heart is overwhelmed,

twith gratitude today, that 1) my pastor wasn't hurt seriously when he fell last night. I am also thankful that God provided this opportunity for my husband Chris, for he has a good chance on getting hired at a local resturarant. He has been unemployed for almost two years and it's been pretty tough. 3) I am thankful for my health, for many are in fraile health, or even dying. 4) I am thankful for truth. Truth of God's Word, truth from error, and spoken truth amidst silence. 5) Last, but certainly not least I am thankful for the avenue of Facebook and Blogs, where I can share just a little bit of what God has given me with others.

THE FUNCTIONS OF AN INTERCESSOR Pt 1 & 2

[No one needs to tell us HOW to intercede we ARE intercession, as we walk with Christ and allow His Spirit to work and shine through us; Who by His very nature became an advocate for the weaker. No, none of us need a 'how to' manual because we ARE the how to manuals. What truly astounds me is the variety of individuals called to such a daunting task as intercession in these last days. For without the function of the prayer warrior, we, the church are reduced to a powerless religion, at best. Though all of this is true, I thought it would be a blessing to walk through the lives of individuals just like us. Some may believe our founding forefathers were greater than us, the church of today, but I say, though they were bolder and had more courage and they knew what they believed, where we often fail, we all are the same to God. Some are called to be apostles, prophets, preacher, teachers, evangelists, ‘for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:’ (Eph 4:12)   I believe, God wants us to know that they are no better than us, only different. When we truly believe that, we will begin to walk in the boldness and courage God intended us to. These 'functions' below are known by some, and bring clarity to others, my intention in sharing them with you is to bring us back to our roots for which we were created. I heard a wise saying once, ‘how can we know where we are going if we don’t know where we’ve been?’]

There are many examples of intercessors in the Bible, and they walked with the favor to impact and change God’s heart. Consider the following role models and their characteristics:

[I] THE FUNCTIONS OF AN INTERCESSOR

TO RISK & SACRIFICE

1) Moses was willing to be blotted out of God’s book. (Ex 32:32) [Moses came down from the mountain top, with the very words of God written in stone to find that the people had become corrupt worshiping at the feet of a false god. Same holds true today, especially in America. Multiple Bibles in almost every household, churches on every street, (or close to it). But week after week we still are seen evangelising ourselve while our neighbors die in their sins. Are we willing to fast and pray for not just our families but our churches and our cities?
2) Abraham was willing to suffer God’s possible displeasure by negotiating Him down to 10 godly men in Sodom & Gomorrah. (Genesis 18:22). [When everyone around you gives up, are you still before the Lord? I for one, have buckled under the load, like some of you, but God has been merciful..He has called me to prayer walk every day until I see a quickening into the lives of men, in my family, my church, then my city, (Acts 13:44), but quite frankly I've been almost too tired to do my dishes at night, let alone put on my walking shoes and pray for a people that are headstrong and rebellious....But, still God becons me...
3) When king David disobeyed by taking a census, he was willing to be destroyed in order to seek safety for his people. (1 Chron 21:17) Wow, I can't imagine praying that a plague would fall on me because of something I've done to stay God's hand of judgement on my people. Maybe, I'm far too selfish for that? Maybe I've been to 'modernized. Maybe both. (see 2 Samuel 24:17)
4) Daniel was willing to talk with God when He was very angry. (Dan 9:16)  When I read this text, I thought about America. How angry God must be at her for all of idoltry, worshiping at the god of Self ridding every trace of the God who made who great. Wondering when we will find ourselves in ruin like the Roman Empire. "Thank You God for the Daniels of today in the wicked place in which we were born. Sustain in the days to come, oh God I pray."
5) Jesus was willing to become sin and lay down His life so that others could find forgiveness. (Isa 53:12)
6) The Centurion was willing to approach authority as well as subject himself to it. (Matt 8:5)
7) Martha dared to risk her friendship with Jesus to challenge His decision of delay. (John 11:21-22)
8) A father risked public exposure, fear of man’s opinions, and disappointment for the sake of interceding for his possessed son. (Mark 9:17)
9) The Nobleman risked his self-sufficient pride. He could not help his son but he knew who could. He also risked public exposure and reputation. (John 4:49)
10) Stephen was willing to face the murderous rage of a crowd and asked God to forgive them. (Acts 7:59)
11) Esther was willing to perish at risk of defending her people to the king. At the very least she was willing to face a life of ill-favor, isolation and banishment from the king’s court. (Esther 4:16)
12) David as a young boy was willing to face death from Goliath for the sake of Israel. At the very least he was willing to face humiliation, failure and defeat. (1 Sam 17:37)

I met Jesus

one Sunday afternoon in pursuit of something bigger than myself. As a young child, I knew of little else, then an unseen god hovering over my home watching over me and mine. But it wasn't until I got real with the One who made me, that the 'hovering' became personal.

After my encounter with Jesus, I was drawn to extraordinary women like Mother Theresa and Kathryn Kuhlman because they talked of Jesus unlike anyone I ever met. One was like a lamb, the other, like a lion, but both had their appeal on this girl all of twelve.

As I grew, my life took on a shape far from the women I admired from my youth. Both were 'meant to stay single,' but one married the church, the other a man for only a short season; but both left their imprints upon my spirit. Though I married young then had three children. Then after 18 years, we divorce to find myself married again four years later.

No, I find myself more like my mother, than these women that haunted my dreams. Thinking of a time, I prayed to be just like them, but God saw fit to mold me into far more a humbling vessel. Maybe no body's hero but mine, but the more I embrace the Potter's wheel, the less I will long for a life that is not my own. The more I run toward Jesus, and away from women who have left their mark, the sooner I'll leave mine upon the souls of those who matter most, my family.

This is my legacy, what is yours?


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Attitude of Gratitude:

There is only one thing I am most grateful for today, and that is my godly heritage. For many find Jesus later in life, but I was privileged to walk with Jesus from an early age; I can think of nothing to be more thankful for.

What am I thankful for today?

1) Today, I am overwhelmed with gratitude of God's grace and mercy, that when I fall, He's always there to pick me up and dust me off.
2)Today, I find myself so grateful with one more day with mom.
3) Today, I'm thankful that the sun is shinning so brightly and the birds are back, because their sweet melody brings such joy to my heart.
4) Just for today, I am thankful that we have what we need, just for today..
5) And, I am so thankful that I'm working, it's a real answer to prayer.

These are what I'm thankful for today..

Characteristics of an Intercessor

Have you ever thought what it truly means to be called as an intercessor?  We find ourselves doing what we know what God has called us to do, pray from the whole man. Sometimes even for hours upon hours for those who are weaker in body or in spirit.

Here is a thought provoking and well written article from Sandy Warner..

I am sharing only a few paragraphs, if you liked to see more, then follow the link below..

WORD STUDY: THE CHARACTERISTICS OF AN INTERCESSOR

An intercessor is a person who by calling or by nature chooses to be a mediator on behalf of those who cannot intervene for themselves. Intercessors make requests, urge, plead, beg, counsel, discuss, risk, sacrifice, and make war on issues relating to the weaker ones, and thus they have an impact on the final outcomes for those they serve.

There is a difference between a person who is called an intercessor and a person who prays. Any person can pray, but not all praying people are intercessors. The opposite is true also - an intercessor may live his entire life and live to make only one great act of intercession. The differences of an intercessor are subtle - hidden in the life and heart behind the prayer. There are many examples of intercessors in the Bible, and they walked with the favor to impact and change God’s heart.

(see link below)

http://www.thequickenedword.com/rhema/Characteristics.html