BENEATH THE RUBBLE...

September 11, 2008

"Build up, build up, prepare the road!

Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people."

(Isaiah 57:14)

Dear Faithful One,

We have journeyed through our first week of our Proclaim Liberty fast. I pray you are finding His Holy Word to be nourishing you and filling you as your body begins to experience an emptying and the first signs of weakness are setting in. "Build up, build up", may seem like a contradictory statement as you begin to enter this time of stripping and sifting, but, remember, our God is in the building program - He is not a God that tears down and destroys - He is the Creator - the God of Light, Love, and Truth!

We are at the beginning, and, already, we are faced with some ugly truths we may not want to deal with, but they are necessary in our journey of being fully consecrated to the Lord. Before us looms the anniversary of a tragic day in American history - 9/11 - a date most of us won't soon forget! For many of the personal pain of that day cuts deep and the scars are lasting. For others, the anger and guilt rages on and the "time that heals all wounds" is ticking a little too slowly.

Dear friend, there is something beautiful the Lord desires to show us if we are willing to recognize the rubble for what it is: The broken fragments of a fragile structure framed in sin that has crumbled upon His immovable foundation of Truth (reference 1 Samuel 2:8c; Isaiah 30:12-13). Tangled up in the messy debris are our piles of anger, frustration, guilt, shame, sorrow, regret, and fear. We've allowed ourselves to be crushed under the weighty heaps of our tragedies and trials when we only need to let go and see that He is holding us close and surrounding us with His love.

"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened,

and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me,

for I am gentle and humble in heart,

and you will find rest for your souls.

For My yoke is easy and my burden is light."

(Matthew 11:28-30)

If we could just look past the mess and see the Master! The debris in our path is the remains of a fallen and broken world smoldering in a cloud of pain and suffering. We are gasping for breath and choking in the aftermath - fully distracted by our set of circumstances - instead of being drawn by His compassion and finding rest for our souls. Have we not yet grown weary of this world? What is it that we desire more than Him? Is He not enough?

"Whom have I in heaven but you?

And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart

and my portion forever."

(Psalm 73:25-26)

The world simply doesn't measure up to God's standard of Truth! He's holding the plumb line in His hand and the wobbly walls of worldliness have no leg to stand on His strong foundation (reference Zechariah 4:10; 1 Corinthians 3:10-11). He doesn't even need to tear it down, for walls weakened by lies and deceit will soon crumble on their own.

When it finally does come down, we find Him waiting, ready to catch the broken fragments and fractured portions of our lives, offering us forgiveness and healing in exchange for our wounded hearts. The ground can be shaking, and the storms can be raging, but we can trust in His promises that, "When the earth and all its people quake, it is I who hold its pillars firm" (Psalm 75:3). He is always there for us and He will never leave or forsake us (reference Deuteronomy 31:6).

It is in suffering that we find restoration; for there is no need to repair what hasn't been broken. And because of His grace, there is opportunity for rejoicing in the midst of the rubble (reference Romans 5:3-5) for it is here that we find beauty in the ashes. "...weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning" (Psalm 30:5b).

From the ashes comes life - the life the Lord has intended for us to live - the fullness of life in Christ. Everything else must be stripped aways so we can experience the relationship we have been created to enjoy with God. We were made in the image of God and in Christ we experience His fullness (reference Ephesians 3:19). His desire is to rebuild the relationship with His children that has been broken by sin. However, we keep breaking His heart instead of allowing Him access to ours - that is the greatest tragedy!

Beneath the rubble we find the Truth of our relationship with Christ: We have been set free! Free to walk in the fullness of Christ. Free to love. Free to be loved. Free to serve (reference John 8:32). The debris around us is an obstruction in our path - a stumbling block that is keeping us from walking the path He intended for us to walk. Instead of sweeping it away we hold tightly to the remains.

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free."

(Galatians 5:1)

True freedom is not about independence - this is what got us into this mess in the first place (reference Genesis 3). True freedom comes from a total dependence upon God. "'Return to me,' declares the LORD Almighty, 'and I will return to you' " (Zechariah 1:3b). There is so much He wants to show us, but we have to be willing to walk it out with Him. That's why this life is a journey - we haven't reached our destination yet. How sweeter the journey is when we walk it out with Him!(emphasis added).

This is why He called us to this season of fasting - it is what the Proclaim Liberty fast is all about: To experience the true freedom we are meant to have in a growing and nurturing relationship with the Lord. "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36). We must first be willing to let Him sift through all the debris that has settled in our lives. Once we unearth the Truth, then the rebuilding can begin.

Israel discovered this truth when they found the Book of the Law (reference 2 Kings 22). It was in finding the Truth that they discovered the root of all their problems: "Great is the LORD's anger that burns agains us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written in there concerning us" (22:13b). It was in returning to the Truth of God's Word that they realized their need to depend on God and as a result experienced the healing they so greatly needed (reference Nehemiah 7-9).

The key to the door before us is Truth! The Lord has unlocked the door for us. He is simply asking that we enter in. He will do the rest, but we must first be willing. If we could only grasp this simple truth of how vital the Word of God is to our life (maybe you are beginning to experience that realization as you daily eat His Word). How vital our relationship with the Lord is over everything else! He is the foundation upon which everything else is built. He is the master builder and we are simply joining Him in the process - learning as He leads!

He is rebuilding the temple. He is restoring the ancient paths. He is raising up His foundation of Truth (Isaiah 58:12) and He is using those who will walk in His way, and not stand in His way, to be apart of His building program. He begins first in our hearts. With His Word as His sword He digs down deep to remove the unnecessary debris and sets us free to fully trust in Him.

"You will keep in perfect peace

Him whose mind is steadfast,

Because he trusts in You.

Trust in the LORD forever,

for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal."

(Isaiah 26:3-4)

There is such peace, and unspeakable joy, when we rest in the Lord and allow Him to be our guide. The journey is so much easieir when we stand on the Truths found in His Word. Each day that we meet with Him (and oh what pleasure that brings Him!), our vision becomes a little clearer as we begin to see things from His perspective, our ears become a little sharper as we discern the voice of our Master, our minds become a little fuller as we grow in the knowledge of Him, and our hearts become a little more tender as we grow in the depths of His love.

The Lord intended for Israel to understand what it meant to rest in the Lord. He established that every seventh year was meant to be a Sabbatical rest for the land (reference Leviticus 25:1-7), just as every seventh day was intended to be a day of rest (reference Genesis 2:2-3; Leviticus 23:3). It was during this time that Israel would have to trust in the Lord more fully to provide for them while the land was experiencing a healing for a year. Our time of fasting is teaching us this same dependence upon God as we look to Him to be our Provider for each day and for each meal during these 40 days. It is significant that this is the seventh year since the events of September 11, 2001 unfolded. Might we also experience the healing we so desperately need if we would only enter that rest in the Lord?

"There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God;

for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work,

just as God did from His.

Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest,

so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience."

(Hebrews 4:9-11)

There is more digging to do, faithful one. Allow the Lord to do the necessary work to remove the burdens in your life and clear the obstacles from your path. Remain faithful to the task of meeting Him each day and eat every morsel He puts on your plate. His Word is Truth and it will cut through all the debris that has become like sediment in your life to reveal the glory that is underneath!

"Is not my Word like fire," declares the LORD,

"and like a hammer that breaks a rock to pieces?"

(Jeremiah 23:29)

The Truth has been buried for far too long. May we like Josiah and Nehemiah and the faithful ones who have gone before resurrect the Truth of the Word of God. Let us place it in its rightful place - in the center of our lives. May this be the greatest miracle this generation has ever seen and the only way this nation will be truly healed! May we be the generation that seeks your face, O God of Jacob! (reference Psalm 24:6).

Peace to the brothers, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love. (Ephesians 6:23-24).

Enjoy your day of rest in the Lord!

Traci A. Alexander

Trumpet and Torch Ministries

www.trumpetandtorch.org

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Proclaim Liberty Fast
Join us for 40 Days of Prayer and Feasting on the Word of God

sheperd

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Prayer Request

Please be in prayer for all those who are still experiencing results of the recent hurricanes. Half of the state of Louisiana is without electricity for the next 3 to 4 weeks and there are many needs. If you, your church, or a ministry, you are apart of, has the resources to send a team or equip those who are currently serving in these areas, your help would be greatly appreciated.

Continue to pray for those who are working so diligently and faithfully in these areas.

"Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,

and He brought them out of their distress.

He stilled the storm to a whisper;

the waves of the sea were hushed.

They were glad when it grew calm,

and He guided them to their desired haven.

Let them give thanks to the LORD for His unfailing love

and His wonderful deeds for men."

(Psalm 107:28-31)