"Consecration" carved in stone

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Jodi
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"Consecration" carved in stone

Post by Jodi »

I had a dream in which I saw the word "consecration" carved in stone. I think this stone was above an entrance way of a building, but all I saw was the top stone with "consecration" on it. I took it to mean that I need to be cooperative with the Holy Spirit as he begins to consecrate me. I also took it to mean that the Body needs to think about what it means to be consecrated and cooperate with the Holy Spirit for our transformation into that kind of relationship with Him.
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ReBorn
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Post by ReBorn »

Amen! I agree!

Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups.

A synonym for consecration is to sanctify.

An antonym is desecrate.
His word was in my heart like a fire,
a fire shut up in my bones.
I was weary of holding it in
& indeed, I could not----Jeremiah 20:9
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Lord is my Shepherd
Jodi
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response

Post by Jodi »

Thanks. I am excited each time He talks to me. I would love to know what purpose I am being set aside for. In the meantime, I am abiding in His presence and learning to listen and obey better. The Holy Spirit will take it from there!
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Pearls of Wisdom
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Post by Pearls of Wisdom »

Continue to abide in HIS WORD and the answers will come according to HIS timing.

God BLESS.
Pearls

Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding.
Jodi
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Pearls advice

Post by Jodi »

Pearls, your advice to abide in His Word agrees with the strong sense I have that I need to be reading it more deeply, not just reading for the surface level understanding.

I've started praying each time I begin to read it, that the Holy Spirit will bless my understanding, or that He will meet with me in the readings. I want to mature in this area.

Thanks!
- Jodi
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charlie
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Post by charlie »

Jodi...this is undoubtedly an important time for you...my husband and I were given a powerful reminder to consecrate ourselves in preparation for God's purposes to be fulfilled in and through our lives in a special way some good few years ago now...all I can say is that it will be an ongoing process and along with Pearls advice learn now to listen to the still small voice of the Spirit who will lead you into all truth.

May the Lord bless you and keep you...may He make his face to shine upon you and and be gracious to you.

grace
charlie
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Jesus said: I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:3
Jodi
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consecration process

Post by Jodi »

Charlie, thanks for the encouragement. I do sense that He's consecrating me for some purpose, although I'm not sure what that purpose is yet.

I need to get better at hearing His small still voice. Sometimes I'm not sure if it's Him prompting me or if it's an idea of my own. God even gave me a dream about it. I was sitting in a room with Christian friends, who were all commenting that something smelled bad. Pastor Mike entered the room, sat next to me, turned towards me saying, "Whew! What is that smell? Oh, it's your ear!"

My first thought was "My hearing stinks!" A friend suggested it might mean that I'm listening to stuff that stinks. It just occurred to me that God has told me that I'm believing lies of the enemy. I'd thought we'd corrected that problem in me, but maybe there are other lies we haven't addressed yet. I need to ask Him what's the next lie I need to rethink with His Truths.

He did also give me a series of dreaming visions with the understanding given for each: "clarity and focus of vision," "immediate, easy access," and "available resources." Whenever I get discouraged that I'm not clear or focused on a God-given vision/ purpose, I remind myself that He seems to have promised me that one day I will be. At first I was wondering "immediate easy access" to what? Then it occurred to me it might mean immediate easy access to Him! (not just His gifts, but to His presence!) I want to know what it feels like to talk back and forth with Him like a conversation, with understanding.

Consecration is challenging in some ways, but it is exciting to think that He's leading me through this process.
Jodi
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your experience?

Post by Jodi »

If you don't mind sharing, what has been some of the things He has led you and your husband through as part of your process of being consecrated? And how did He communicate these things to you? I love to hear what God is doing in people's lives.

I know my experience won't be quite the same as yours since we're each in a unique relationship with Him. But, so far, God has been impressing on me that there are many ways in which we Americans (definitely including me!) tend to idolize ourselves through self-indulgent behaviors and thoughts. Some things are such a normal experience that the selfcenteredness of them isn't noticed by us anymore.
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charlie
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Post by charlie »

Jodi...bless you...there are books upon books that have been written about hearing God etc. I am sure that my own offerings will not be glamorous (or as lucrative!) but since you ask here are some reflections on a few things I noticed God do in our consecration process.

1. A shift of focus...we both received over a period of months some key bible passages which have become pivotal for our understanding of our focus/roles in the kingdom. Thereafter we have faced testing (sometimes severe) in the areas those passages spoke of in our own lives.

2. We learnt that God's still small voice sometimes came in humbling ways which we only recognised in retrospect and yes, we had failed to "hear" (because of our "stinking hearing" or simply our pride lol!). We long to hear Him speak to us directly and thankfully He does at times but often there are important messages which we overlook which come through people we don't "see" as significant or which we reject because our flesh rejects the message outright because it challenges something we have ring fenced and protected in some way...(incidentally i have become increasingly wary of people who only hear from God directly ie never through the lives and words of others and who never look for confirmation of their understanding of God's word to them through others...I believe that the bible teaches us we are to be a humble community who seek to build each other up in faith and service).

I guess the process of consecration is ongoing in the sense that when we say yes we will be set apart to serve Abba wholly and without recall then the process of becoming HOLY ADN USEFUL begins!!

I agree that certain elements of US and indeed many other cultures including my own can lean towards self indulgence...i call this the Egypt factor ie the relying on the Empire..however, oppressive and evil it is judged to be... to give you what you need/want rather than risking the short term deprivations of the wilderness in order to separate (consecrate)ourselves and begin the pilgrimage to the promised land of milk and honey under the covenant of grace in fellowship and freedom from tyranny.

Sadly, I feel today that christian discipleship (in the west) has become too much like a handbook for living in egypt and learning how to milk the benefits of empire and come out on top...we have lost the sense of being a pilgrim people who are the called out ones...we need discipleship programs which teach us how to disentangle ourselves from the strings of greedy empire dependency so that the people of God are once again truly recognized by their love and solidarity one for another...wilderness discipleship is radical and uncomfortable but it promises to lead us to the Promise Land...

.....anyways....must go to bed...that was probably more than yo were asking for...

grace to you
charlie
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Jesus said: I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:3
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keilani
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Post by keilani »

adj. 1. carved in stone - no longer changeable

seems to me like an encouragement to u as well...? Like it will be done and nothing can stop it! For myself, the thought of getting to the point where I could hear Him clearly seemed difficult, but I'm learning as I seek to know Him, He is changing what needs to be changed in areas of my thinking that were not aligned with His Word/Truth (ie consecrating). As a result, I notice I'm am hearing Him better but without the effort of trying that I used to put into it--u know, fast 10 days and so on. I'm not against fasting because I believe it is important but I am learning that as I'm talking to Him, He actually lets me know when I should do things either by direct words or a prompting within. I can't really explain it except that I've realized that if I'm struggling with something, it's usually because I'm doing it on my effort rather than His direction (even if it's a good something) so I've learned to use that as a "alarm"--meaning check in with Him.....

Bless u Jodi as u seek:)
***More To Come***

Eph 3:8...proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ 9
and...enlighten everyone about God’s secret plan—a secret that has been hidden for ages in God who has created all things.
Jodi
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Post by Jodi »

Thank you Charlie and Keilani. Knowing about your personal experiences of consecration does help. I can notice when God is doing those things with me and recognize them as part of the process.

He is shifting my thinking too. For me, fear (phobias) are an issue He's addressing. I used to think the opposite of fear was bravery, and that made it seem impossible to overcome fear. But I've learned that the opposite of fear is trust in God. I had no idea how to muster up courage/ bravery, but I do know how to trust G0d, so now I can overcome fear!

In another dream, I was pinned down and was being told "you're [this], not [that] repeatedly. (I can't remember what the "this's" and That's" were, but He was redefining me - replacing lies with His truths.) Then He introduced me as He ushered me into a formal gathering. He intorduced me as "This is Jodi, this not that, Daly." I turned to Lance Wlanau and asked him , "So how did He introduce you? Lance, 7 Mountain Mandate, Walnau?"

I think the phobic fear being replaced with trust in Him is part of His redefining me.