Exciting News!

Beginning April 2, 2006, Life Application Ministries is starting a church called Christian Community Fellowship. Based on Biblical principles patterned after the Corinthian church every man, woman and child has the opportunity to minister through teachings, exhortations, prayers, testimonials, prophecies, and song as the Holy Spirit leads for the work of the ministry and for the edifying of the body of Christ.
(I Corinthians 12; Ephesians 4)

Services begin Sunday April 2nd, 2006
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Location: Three Forks Grange, Mt. Aukum Road, Mt. Aukum
(across from fire dept.)

This is something the Lord laid on my heart several years ago but I was waiting for the right timing. And in the past several days everything just seemed to fall into place. We have a building, local support, and many interested in attending. It will be a non-traditional service where individuals can participate as much or as little as desired. We have a vision of providing resources to the community, both spiritual and natural. We plan to involve the teens and children into activities within the community, to include expanding their interests, love of God, creativity and more. The meetings will be facilitated, but will also be rotated so others have a chance to facilitate. Not one person will be the sole teacher at the meetings; it will be a combined effort of all who attend. This way we open the door for the move of the Holy Spirit through each member, as the Bible teaches.

Please share this with others you may know who reside in El Dorado and Amador Counties. Your prayers are also appreciated so that we stay sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

If you can, please come and celebrate with us!

With all your getting, get Understanding! Linda Lange

I can't tell you how much I want to "know" everything. I would say to my husband, "What are you thinking?" I just want to know what he is thinking. I would overhear a conversation and want to "know" the details, of which is none of my business. I want to "know" where I'm going at all times. I want to "know" everything! And since I'm a teacher, that is rightfully so, but even in that there has to be a balance. Knowledge alone can cause so much grief. The Bible says, "Knowledge puffs up our heads." And if I look at that in the spirit, I would see a big head trying to stay on top of a body. It's wavering back and forth, tipping from side to side because the head is too big. This is an unstable person, wouldn't you agree? Because all that knowledge is making them top heavy. That is why so many of us feel confused, afraid, angered, when we have to make certain decisions, because we have some knowledge, but don't have the wisdom within that knowledge to make good sound decisions.

Then on top of that, the more we "know" the more we are responsible for. Ecclesiastes says that with much knowledge is much sorrow. But that didn't stop me from wanting to know. I think we get that (ladies) from our mother, Eve. She "had to know" what God knew and so ate the tree of knowledge. I think we have been on that road ever since, but it doesn't have to continue. If you are ready to get off that treadmill of "having to know" everything, then, this article is for you. Let me share a story.

My husband and I had just retired to bed when he said, "Oh, I forgot to do something." So he got up and went out into the kitchen. Well, I forgot to do something too, so I got up as well. He saw me coming and said, "What are you doing up." He was standing there holding a bag of something. I said, "I needed to set up something to record on the TV." With that I went to bed. He came into the room and I asked him what he was doing. He told me he wasn't doing anything. I was persistent. I wanted to "know" what he was doing. I started getting ugly. I was becoming suspicious, and mad, and left out of whatever it was he was doing. Then all of a sudden I was snapped out of it when I heard the Holy Spirit say, "Tomorrow is Valentines day." I couldn't believe what I had done. I spoiled a surprise! I turned to Tom and said, "Oh Tom, tomorrow is Valentines Day, you were putting something out for me so I would be surprise dint he morning." He said, "Well, no surprise now, you just had to know."

That is an example of what we do when we need to know everything. We cause our own grief! Perhaps you can think of a time you nosed around for some information and all it did was cause you upset and grief and you wished you didn't find out. There is a reason we aren't to know everything. I realized that when we "know" some things, we tend to use it to control our situation. For example: When I know that someone at work is having a party, I want to find out if I'm invited, who all is invited, etc., so that I can decide if I want to go or not. I want to control the situation. And you may know someone that is a "knowitall?" They talk about all that they know, and they use it to tell you what to do. I think the one speaking and the ones listening get tired after awhile, wouldn't you think? But people who think they know everything would rather listen to themselves speak than listen to anyone else. A person who "knows" a lot tends to be self-righteous, full of pride, arrogant, controlling, manipulative, and the like. I would like to set the record straight now. I don't want to "know" anything! I think Paul says it quite nicely, "I know nothing but Christ and Him crucified." If I would keep that kind of mentality, I wouldn't get into so much trouble!

So what do we do about this? Because the Bible is clear about us gaining knowledge, right? Well, there is always a balance in what is taught, and that's the part I had been missing. With knowledge we also need understanding. That then takes that "big head" syndrome and eases it into our hearts through understanding. Now we can find that balance and peace we desire. I use that now as an indicator of being out of balance. Am I getting irritated? Am I getting frustrated or angry? Am I getting upset at all? If so, it's an indicator I'm not "understanding" what is going on. I'm not saying we need to know why… that is different. What I'm saying is that we need an understanding of the situation.

When someone tells you something that is very hard for them to share, it actually causes them pain to talk about you, all they want to hear from you is, "I understand." It seems to make all the hurt go away, and they find peace. But when we come back and say, "Well, if you would have done this or that…" It only causes strife and upset. Understanding is the "key" to wisdom. The Bible is clear when it says that we need wisdom. But we get wisdom through Knowledge and Understanding because that's what produces Wisdom.

So after realizing this about me - because the Bible says we are to know our own heart - I began to name off all the things I "know." Let me share some with you.

I know that I need to work to pay some bills off. I know God has called me into ministry. I know God loves me. I know there is a plan for my life. I know I love to eat. I know I love to shop. I know I like to watch TV. I know I need to exercise. I know I need to get closer to God. I know I want to be all God wants me to be. I know Tom (my husband) is right about many things even though I don't like it. I know I have a long way to go in my walk with the Lord. I know I have a desire to retire so I can work Full-Time in ministry. I know I want to plan conference meetings. I know I want to plan a concert. I know I want to travel. I know I want to buy a new Harley so Tom and I can ride together. I know truth of the Word. I know what I don't like. I know, I know, I know.

I can tell you emphatically that each of these areas causes me grief! Because I haven't asked God for understanding as it pertains to each and everything I know. All this can cause anyone to fall off the wagon and make goofy decisions that could come out all wrong. I've been there, done that, and I'm through. How about you? I want to not only "know" some things, but I also want understanding in those things. Even saying that causes me to feel at peace. So what I did was take each thing I listed above and then added to it, Lord, "I know I need to work and pay off some bills, please give me understanding in this." See, because my desire is to quit working and go into full-time ministry. I think that Tom is preventing me from doing God's will. But the truth is this, because of understanding, that Tom is not stopping me from doing anything, he just wants me to 'understand' the whole picture and make a wise decision. He said that he sees me doing great things in this ministry, but not right now. I hate waiting, but in that I ask God for understanding. Sometimes we want things now because we are in fear of it not ever happening. I had to confess my fear to God and receive forgiveness. Because the truth was I was in fear of running out of time, not doing what I wanted to do. It's great to know God loves me and has my best in mind. See, that is "knowledge" and "understanding" working together. I "know" God loves me (knowledge) He has my best in mind (that's understanding). They have to work hand in hand. Many know God loves them, but it stops there, and they still live in fear, unbelief, doubt and stress. Why? Because the understanding isn't there.

I encourage you now in your situation, to begin asking God for understanding. I guarantee you he will respond! He said, "Ask and you shall receive, he will hold nothing back." And believe me, that is the truth! Just since this morning when I asked for understanding, it's coming to me like a flood. So much so, I don't need to "know" so much any more. The need to know is diminished, and the only thing I truly need is to "know" more of God. Whew… all that to get to that… which is what I needed all along.

Who's stopping me? Linda Lange

I think Tom has been stopping me from doing God's will. After all, I have a vision for ministry; I want to do God's work! I feel like I can't do the things I desire to do. Does this sound familiar to anyone? God showed me something very insightful, it follows along with the article above - God finally gave me "understanding" about this very thing. He said, "If you press on to try and make your ministry happen, and doing it without support or through your husband, you will have to continue to maintain it as well, and will only cause you pain, confusion, grief, and end up in failure. It's because I didn't orchestrate it, you did." If you work through your Husband (saved or unsaved) as it pertains to your ministry, it will then be orchestrated by God, and it is God who will maintain it, keep it, make it a success."

Even though it seems like Tom is the culprit, it's not, it's God. Tom would say to me that it has to be in God's timing. I would get infuriated at him when he would say that. But I knew what he was saying was true, but I just didn't want to wait. That's where understanding was lacking. So I began asking God for understanding in the area of timing. That's when God gave me this revelation: "If you work through your husband as it relates to your ministry, I will establish you, and keep you." If you circumvent him, you are also circumventing me, and it will be you who orchestrates it, not me, and if it's not me, you'll then wonder why it failed." Then what happens is that we blame God for its failure. After all, we were doing this "thing" for him. Remember the rule of thumb: God is first in our person lives - having an intimate relationship with Him; then our Husband, then our families, then our work, then our ministry! Hmmm…. Something to think about, eh?

Tom's Tidbits

"It was Worth the Wait"

This is something Tom said to me one day after I had received a life changing revelation that impacted our marriage for the better. This was during our 15th year of marriage too. If you have followed along with me in my life, you will have noticed that I was a challenge to live with. God has been changing me all along, but I would still have my "junk" to go through and Tom always got to experience them with me. It seems God used him as my sounding board or "tool" to get at something in me. And after this huge life changing revelation, His comment to me was, "It was worth the wait."

I can't tell you how that made me feel. I was so blessed to be loved by someone who has chosen a way of love and acceptance than to use fear, control and manipulation to make his life comfortable. He's committed me to God the first day we were married, and never stopped. I believe his prayers, his unconditional love, his persistence, determination, non-controlling mannerisms has been helping me all along become the person God intended me to be, and the person I desired to be. I'm ever so grateful he has stuck it out with me. We are going into our 17th year of marriage and things just keep getting better. It was almost like that one revelation was a pivotal point in our lives, and now it seems like we are enjoying each other even more, not struggling so much with each other, but encouraging and supporting one another in our goals and desires in life.

For those of you who "wish" this would happen to you, look at the time invested into this? 17 years. And I'm still changing, growing, and learning to be all I can be in the Kingdom of God. We aren't perfect, Tom and I, but we now understand each other more so that we aren't trying to "make" each other perfect! There is only one perfect, and that is God, when we rest in that, we have peace.

Authority to Live For Pete Plitt

There's an absolute reality to the person occupying the confines of a coffin - they no longer have "say" in this earth. They can't start a business, tuck their kids into bed, wash their car, not even bad breath. Though the eternal "they" lives on, the authority exercised while in their earth suit has come to an end.

If we've learned anything about the devil, he lives to kill, steal and destroy. Jesus said to the Pharisees: Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. John 8:44. Even if he can't drag you to hell, he still wants you dead, and will use his skillful deceit to take you out. However, you'll notice that he can't just walk up to you in his spirit form and hurt you. He needs to use someBODY.

In Genesis, Adam was given pretty much full reign of the dirt he came from. The serpent wanted that rulership, and he got it. How? Ro 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? Adam's obedience to darkness produced servitude to the same. The devil became spiritual daddy of every human being. [Rom 5:12] Throughout the Old Covenant, God looked for people that would choose against their own dead nature and obey Him so He could have Godly effect on their behalf.

God is Spirit. So is the devil. God created the planet, but for natural or physical beings. Ps 115:16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD'S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men. It was created for us in remarkable detail. But even when a criminal spirit ended up in charge, God had someBODY else in mind to take dominion. Enter "The 2nd Adam."

John 10:1-2 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. First, what is the "door?" At this point, it's not Jesus because it says that the Shepherd of the sheep enters "through" this door into the sheepfold. Also in verse one, the thief and robber did not enter "through" this door, but got into the sheepfold some other way. Here, the devil even boasts to Jesus of his gain. Luke 4:5-7 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. Jesus didn't argue that point, but simply clarified that God is the only One worthy of Worship.

Again, we need an earth suit to have any "say" on this planet. The thief didn't don a body, but rather deceived his way into authority [climbed up some other way], using other's bodies to operate in this physical world. God, being Spirit, gets absolutely ingenious here. For thousands of years He looked for people, Enoch, Ruth, David, etc., to operate through, and then at the time of His Divine choosing, actually became a man. John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

What was the door into the sheepfold? The same entrance by which we all got into the sheepfold, birth of a woman! Mary literally provided the Ancient of Days, Jesus Christ, access to this place called earth, giving Himself legitimate, physical authority. Now, unlike the devil, the Almighty had His own BODY to operate through, stripping the keys of death and hell from the enemy. In return, Jesus then became our door through which we must pass to enter into our spiritual eternity to live with Him forever. Don't ever underestimate the value of life here. It is the place and time we can offer our authority to His ability and will to bring His liberty to others. Consider too, we haven't even discussed the authority of His Name, His Word, His Spirit - you get the idea. What an awesome plan He has allowed us to share in.

See you next month!

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