After realizing the desires of William Penn, the founder of PA, and the many prophetic words spoken, PA Awake! was started to call God’s people to cry out for the purposes of God to be done.  With the motto “Not just a moment, it’s a momentum”, this launching event on September 26, was filled with much worship and high praise.  Throughout the day, we were also led in prayer by spiritual and governmental leaders like Lou Engle (Kansas City, MO), Senator Stewart Greenleaf, and many others.  As our worship and prayer ascended on high the flood gates of heaven opened up and the rain and winds came. Definitely a picture of what God was doing in the spiritual realm, watering the seed of revival in our hearts so that it may grow.  So with ponchos out and umbrellas raised high we continued to cry out for revival in our land. We believe that the Lord heard every prayer that we prayed even though the event was cut short because of the weather.

So the call goes out to all of us to awaken from our slumber so that we can pray and be a part of the revival that God wants to send to Pennsylvania.  To learn more about upcoming events or the history log on to www.paawake.org.  You can help bring Pennsylvania into all the purposes that God has.

2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land”

With tears in my eyes and a heavy heart, I went to bed last night praying that things would change. “Lord, I just want change, excitement,  and adventure in many ways like it was in high school”  Through the night I had a dream. I don’t remember all of it but  there was a christian girl that I watched being drown for her faith in Jesus. I was the only witness other than the man doing it. But the incredible thing was that she would not drown and so the executioner pulled her up out of the water and let her live.  The girl and I went back to my house where many Christians had gathered to hear the incredible testimony of her drowning. That is so exciting!!!
Getting out of bed and grabbing  a cup of coffee I sat on my coach and started talking to the Lord about my dream.  He reminded me that the life He has for us as Christians is not boring or mundane.  All through the New Testament it describes the life of the apostles as anything but boring. They were raising people from the dead, healing the sick by just walking down the road and so much more.  They were sold out for Jesus because they knew who He was. My heart burned with the longing for that in my life. “But how Lord?” was the only question that came to the forefront of my mind. His answer was simple “Return to your first Love”

Recently I have let the things of this world bog me down.  Stress and weariness have strangled me and left me for dead. It didn’t seem like I could go on.  But the Love of God is still there drawing me back to the first times we used to have. There really is so much excitement in the life that I am supposed to be living. The apostles demonstrated that.  I want that life and that is only going to happen if I let the things of this world and flesh go and cling to Jesus. As He rubs off on me, my life will become more and more like His. As my heart is transformed into His heart, the love and compassion that He feels will pour through me and the longing for the dead to be raised, the mute speak, the blind see, and the lame walk will be part of who I am because that is what God’s heart is. Aligning my life with His life creates a conduit for His power to flow through me.

No boredom for those who are in Christ Jesus!

“And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”(Mark 16: 17-18) Sounds like an exciting life to me. Let’s Go!

The Mandate

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
You shall have no other gods before me.
–For you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God

The War

Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes…
When they praised the LORD saying, ” He indeed is good for His loving kindness is everlasting,” then the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud,
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty
Let God arise let His enemies be scattered and let those who hate Him flee before Him
“Go, Satan! For it is written, `YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’”

The Life Style

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
An hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.
For you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light

The Celebration

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing
After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.

The Call: (Deut 5:6; Ex. 20:3; Ex 34:14)
The War: (2 Chro 20:22; Ps 68:1; Matt. 4:10; 2 Chro 5:13; 2 Cor. 3:17)
The Life Style: (Ro. 12:1; John 4:23; 1 Peter 2:9)
The Victory: (2 Cor. 2: 14-15; Rev 7:9)

“Let us not forget that the “kingdom of God does not consist in words, but in power” (1 Corinthians 4:20). Words, by themselves, are an illusion. They are merely the labels we use to define reality; they are not the reality they represent. Remember, the major difference between the kingdom of God and traditional religion is that the kingdom possesses in substance what religion has only in words.

Our goal is to seek and find the holiness that leads us into the true presence of God. Let us also bear in mind that the Lord dwells in the secret place. No book, no teacher, no individual can discover for us what God’s love demands we find for ourselves. If we know that we should seek God, we are debtors to our knowledge until we find Him.

Finally, simply, do what you know to do. If you stumble, get up. If you sin, repent. Whatever you do, in spite of your feelings, do not lose your vision of Christlikeness. Your vision is your surest hope. Guard it. If you are faithful to your goal of Christlikeness, God will give you the grace to live in His presence. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed, you also will be revealed with Him in glory (Colossians 3:3-4).”

So later on in the day I was driving in my car thinking about what the Lord had said.  I asked Him if it really was Him and as I was thinking the question a song came on the radio by Casting Crown. One line in the song was “Are we happy plastic people under shiny plastic steeples…” and my impression from the Lord was confirmed.  It wasn’t an easy word to hear but I needed the rebuke.  He was explaining to me how recently I have been trying to put on a fake, plastic front trying to be everyone else. I would see other people’s giftings and callings and want to be them instead of using the gifts that the Lord has placed in me.  He said “I have given you these gifts for a purpose and no one else can do what you are created for.  You need to do your part and not worry about being someone you are not.  Your body and heart is My temple but you have put a wall up keeping Me from molding you into what I have called you to. Stop trying to be someone else and embrace the gifts in you.” Ouch! Yes, it hurt for a little but I am realizing that it is an invitation to joy and happiness as I fully walk out His calling in my life and stop comparing myself to others.

As the Lord has challenged me, I now bounce the ball back onto your court.  Have you been trying to be someone you are not? Are there giftings and callings on your life that you are scarred to walk out in because it  is not what others are doing?  Are your real giftings being shaded by a facade of what you want to be instead of who you are supposed to be?  I challenge you to ask the Lord what you are really called to and then do it with everything that you are. There is joy and happiness in doing the will of God.

I recently read a book called Margin.  I was very challenged and encouraged by the content in this book.  Here is one excerpt that I really liked.