Paga'

Getting pushed out of  your comfort zone can bring unforeseen rewards.  This was certainly true when I asked my new friend, Connie, to team up with me in leading a worship dance ministry back in 2001.  When she first starting worship dancing her spirit exploded.  I should have known then that it would only get bigger and brighter.

As we ventured into this ministry we were given an opportunity to speak about worship dance at a Vineyard Church in Mariposa, CA.  Our ministry theme verse was Isaiah 61:1-3. I asked Connie to speak on this verse at the conference. After all of our conversations about what this verse meant to our ministry I thought I knew what she would share.  Boy, did God have other plans.  More than either one of us could imagine.  What God showed her changed our lives and our dance ministry from that point on and, as we heard from the group for months after our visit, we know this revelation changed the hearts of those at the conference as well.

When she explored the verses she was pressed by God to research the meaning of intercession.  In doing so she found that the Isaiah passage was saying, as the anointed, we are to make intercession for those things outlined in the passage. Connie found that “making intercession” was also known as Paga in Hebrew (Strong's #6293: Paga' - pronounced paw-gah'. To impinge, by violence or by importunity, cause to entreat, lay light upon, meet together and pray, reach).

Here is Connie’s break down of making intercession using Paga and Isaiah 61:1-3:

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to

Preach – preach the good news to the poor – Paga - impinge

Bind – He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted – Paga - meet together and pray

Proclaim – to proclaim freedom for the captives – Paga - cause to entreat

Release – release from darkness for the prisoners  - Paga - lay light upon

Announce – to announce the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God - Paga - by violence or by importunity

Bestow – to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair– Paga - reach

As Connie matched these verses with the definitions of Paga, she found that intercession now sounded more like war than a sweet silent prayer time or our well-choreographed worship dances.  It was now a side by side stance of warriors violently bringing heaven’s power to earth against the enemy.  It also was sounding more physical than spiritual.  But how can that be if this is a war in the spiritual realm? Well, we all know that attacks of the enemy do impact our physical lives as well as our spirits, so the battle has to meet those attacks in both ways. 

Connie encouraged us to adopt a different mindset; to take on the stance (or in our case – the dance) of a warrior, physically and spiritually.  Her encouragement was found in Romans 12:1-2, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies (physical) as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship (spiritual). Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed (stance) by the renewing of your mind (mindset). Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

And now, I encourage you to adopt a new stance as a warrior and make intercession as God leads. Be on the lookout for those He puts in your path that you are anointed to touch on His behalf through the sharing of God’s word, the comforting of hearts, the breaking of chains, the shining of light, the speaking of blessings, and the providing of alternatives to despair with Hope. Lastly, a warning: Don’t be surprised, like Connie was, if God moves your comfort zone.  Let Him lead the dance and you’ll see the reward!

**Lord, Take me, Mold me, Use me, Fill me. Please open my eyes to see opportunities for intercession.  Hold me, Guide me, Lead Me, Walk beside me. I give my life to your hands. Forgive me for being fearful of what your anointing might bring. Today I take my stance as a warrior for you.  As I move forward, give me a new mind set to seek physical and spiritual worship. **

“I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’.”  Ezekiel 37:14    

Click here to see an Awesome Worship Dance

God Gravity

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” James 4:8.

In 2009 Pastor Pete from Celebration Church in Aliso Viejo, CA used this scripture to preach one Sunday morning.  He described something called God Gravity.  Like when an object in space gets close to the sun, super stars, black holes, planets they are drawn into their orbit and held there.  We too can approach God and get drawn into His orbit. When we do, Pete explained, things change.

The first thing that will change is our vision.  We will begin to see things as God sees them. Problems seem to shrink when all we can see is the brilliance of God. The second thing that changes is the image of ourselves. We become less and God becomes more. I can imagine this might be like what we hear from astronauts that travel to space and look back at the planet earth. Lastly, we start to become more like God in our behaviors and thoughts. Again like astronauts, they behave differently in space because the atmosphere changes around them forcing them to also change.

Getting closer to God starts with us as the scripture indicates.  Pastor Pete also helps us understand how to make that move.  It begins by spending time in God’s word. Then spending time with God in prayer.   As we get to know each other in these two actions, trust develops between both of us. As trust develops we increase our potential to be used of God.  For every believer, this is what we were made for.

As I was writing this week’s blog I asked my Hubby Rob for his thoughts on this topic. He had some interesting points:  “I love the idea of God gravity.  I can see myself moving closer to God and then being naturally pulled into His orbit.  This means I am held by Him in the orbit and it is no longer my struggle but a shift in momentum.”  Rob also explained that he was glad to have this new vision of his relationship with God and know that once in God’s orbit it’s harder to be pulled out of that orbit.

We know in our universe the closer objects get to other objects with great gravity the stronger the hold.  I think we can apply this same principal to us drawing closer to God. When we do, He will draw nearer to us - making the hold stronger and stronger.  This also means it would make it harder for Satan to pull us away. That makes me think about the evidence of graters found on our moon and other planets as they are hit with meteors and asteroids. They are hit, and may have scars, but they are held in their orbits. Boy, now I have a new understanding of the verse Isaiah 54:17 : “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment - you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me, says the Lord.” New King James Version (NKJV)

 

 **Lord, thank you for never leaving me.  I trust that if I step out and draw closer to you in prayer and in your Word, You will be faithful to draw closer to me.   I invite you to change my vision where problems shrink when compared to your presence.  Make me more like you, and increase the hold of me in your orbit.  Forgive me for letting other things distract me from spending time with You.  I love you and want to be used by you.**

Click here for a link to NASA's video: EarthRise