Hear the Call...Like The Woman At The Well Did

Listening to iBethel.tv as I write this...

Ring, ring, ring -- ring, ring, ring -- common' -- is someone gonna get that!?? Yep. We've all been there.

Busy. Please leave a message at the beep!

Overworked. I don't have time for that right now...fill in the (blank).

Yes, if we all had more time. If we only had more hours in the day, then we could do so much more!!!

Well, does any of this sound familiar? It may. Or it may not, but my guess is - that yes to some degree or another we have all felt slightly over booked. And maybe not as energized as we should. But what I want to do is be able to -- if you allow me -- to take you on a journey of worship. On a journey that allows you to take flight to a place, where maybe it's not visited by as many as it should. Not because its for a special person per say or a select few, but simply because we may sometimes not really know the way. Let's take a closer look at a familiar story that is found in John 4. Where Jesus, meets a woman. And the woman hears the call.

So the story unfolds a bit like this. Jesus & his disciples had been traveling & ministering. They were busy doing God's work, but there in the midst of life & their ministry. There is a divine appointment. A call that needs to take place. Here in this passage a phrase sticks out at me...

It's found in verse 4, where it says, He had to go through Samaria on the way.

Why did Jesus, the Son of God have to go out of His way - stop what He was doing - go and visit a place that was not so convenient? Location wise, because it was out of the way, and also because it was a place where Jews considered it a socially misfit thing to engage with its inhabitants - the Samaritans. To me this sentence sticks out simply emphasizing the will of the Father. It was God's will that Jesus would stop by Samaria & allow the woman to know Him, to have an opportunity to answer the Savior's Call with conviction. So much so, that instantly she becomes a fired up evangelist. Let's take a look at the account: (Jn. 4:4-24 NLT)

He had to go through Samaria on the way.  Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.  Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime.  Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her,  “Please give me a drink.”    He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food. The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans.  She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?” Jesus replied,  “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water?  And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?” Jesus replied,  “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again.    But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.” “Go and get your husband,”  Jesus told her. “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied. Jesus said,  “You’re right! You don’t have a husband— for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!” “Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet.  So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim,  where our ancestors worshiped?” Jesus replied,  “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem.    You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews.    But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way.    For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” (NLT from www.Bible.com)

Bottom line. The woman hears the call. Answers, the Savior of the world after she hears him calling her. Calling her our of darkness, out of mediocrity, out of a place of religion. Out from under there & into a real relationship with Himself. Into the way of worship, not the place of worship. But simply Jesus teaches the woman about the posture of the heart & how it needs to be when approaching God. Thirsty, in need of Him. Knowing that He satisfies. And it must be done with protocol - in Spirit & in Truth. So as she hears the call - to repent of her sins & trust in Him, the Son of God...the Messiah who saves. She also realizes that He is worthy. Worthy to be praise & worshiped. So she begins to worship Him out of an obedient heart after Jesus asks her to "Go and get your husband." She goes on, and brings an entire city, because she wants them to encounter what & whom she has encountered there at the well. She hears the call.

I guess the question would be? Where are you? Yeah, physically, yes emotionally, & spiritually. Where is the Savior finding you at right now? Do you hear...can you hear His call? I know you can. His voice is loud & clear. We who are His people, His children are able to hear Him calling because we are His. (see John 10:9-10) Being His, gives us a place of belonging. You & me now belong to the family of God. When we believed in Christ as our Redeemer. Yes, everything changed. And at His word, everything can continue to change -- again & again. And again, once we hear His call. Once we hear Him calling out to us & we answer it with a fullness of heart & a complete surrender to His voice. Hear The Lord calling? Then its time to answer.

He is mighty to save. He is ready & willing to deliver us from sin. From the heavy load we've been carrying. Whether for the first time, or for the one thousandth time...He wants to reach out to us. Let's dare to believe in a God who is good. In a God, who is interested in His creation - those made in His image. Yes, friends - God loves us!! And He is always calling us to Himself. 

Prayer:

Father, let us Lord, hear your call. Open our ears, our hearts, our minds, & let us ever turn to you in such a way. That every negative thing is yours. And every glorious promise is ours. Let us walk in the light of Your countenance. And let us hear the call of our beloved. Jesus. That we give you all the glory & all the honor, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Fill Me Up (River of Delights)

Listening to Fill Me Up by United Pursuit Band

"Love of God, overflow - permeate on my soul!"

These lyrics are like fuel for that cry in our hearts that can only be filled by God. If the asking is there, then the LORD says that He will commit to the answering. But when we ask, and we have no faith; then that's a bit of a problem. We have to ask believing that we will receive. Otherwise, it's going to be a waste of time & we will not have what we are asking for. 

I have meditated on this scripture for sometime now & the following scripture paints a picture to me about God as our provider, like whatever we may have need of, God will give.

You feed them from the abundance of your own house,

    letting them drink from your river of delights. (Ps.36:8 NLT)

The river of God represents a place of blessing, healing, & deliverance. Where the Kingdom of God can infuse the life of the individual of whomever would be willing to partake. It is available for anyone that would want to take a drink.

The great news is that it is available. Jesus Christ made a way that gives us access to the very fullness of God. Part of that means receiving what we ask for in faith. Faith is the key!

Prayer:

Father, thank You that You always hear us when we pray & ask for the petitions of our hearts believing that You will answer. Help us by Your Holy Spirit to go deeper. To the deeper places that You are calling us to. To be filled with Your love, and walk in the fullness of Your Grace. In Jesus' name. Amen.

God Will See You Through

Listening to the Elevation Network as I type these words...

God will see you through. Sometimes I think we'd rather not have to go 'through' whatever it is that we are going through. Ha, nice try - but in His mercy He loves us too much not to allow us to go through things, or "trials" as mentioned in scripture. Simply because He is more interested in us being more like Him than like our broken selves.

A few days ago, I got to praying this:

"Oh Lord, may people only see you when they see me." 

Or something like that. And after I heard myself say it aloud, I kind of freaked out a bit. Not because I don't desire to look more like my Father, but because the process sometimes can be just that...a process. I guess not so pleasant at times, mainly cause it involves dying. Dying to self, as our LORD Himself admonishes us to do, by taking up our cross & following Him.

These words - "Follow me." rang in the ears of twelve simple, common, folk like you & me. Twelve regular Joe-s that would one day help change the course of history forever. They took up their cross, drank from the cup of the Master. And fulfilled God's purpose for their lives to their generation. These honorable Christ imitators had to go through their fair share of difficulties. Some of them, really most of them; would end up going to their death as martyrs for Jesus. I'd say, that qualifies them as a people needing God to see them through it.

See, the Psalmist says it like this in the 23rd Psalm verse 4:

Even when I walk through the darkest valley, 

I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. 

Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. (NLT)

He gets it. He knows that God will see him through. Saying it a little bit differently, here the Psalmist is indeed saying that the "darkest valley" is only but temporary. Perhaps, a blip of time or rather a longer journey. Irregardless, the place of pain, the dreaded trial is but for a moment. God will see him through. God will see us through. So even though we may walk "through" the darkest valley - oh yes. We shall not fear, because "God with us" Emmanuel is always faithful - He is always with us. In the text, he keeps on going & declaring...

Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me

Wow, now there's a promise. It's very comforting to me to read this. Because when I read this I get a sense of God being near. God being close. Down there, that place of horror, that place of despair -- when it seems like the light of day may never come. Yes! He will see you through. He will see You through. He will see You through. Even 'til the end. 

You & I have two simple choices. Stay in faith or not stay in faith. So what if _____ (fill in the blank) doesn't happen & I believed for nothing. Then what 'preacher'? Well, great question -- but what if you stay in faith, & the miraculous happens. Now, I'm not saying that it will always work how you'd want it to work when you stay in faith, but what I am saying is that your faith is the precious pearl here - worth the refinement that happens when we go through the thick stuff. I believe that no amount of faith is wasted. Never. I believe that God uses it all for His glory. Sometimes it's painful, sometimes it doesn't feel good. But it is always, I repeat always towards the good plan that God has for us as His children. See Jeremiah 29:11.

He is good. He is good to all. It is who He is. What we are going through, or have to go through, or have gone through does not change who God is. He is the same yesterday, today, & forever. This is the God of love who loved the world so much so - that He would dare send His willing & obedient Son to die to redeem those who believe in Him. I know, and am confident that He will continue to be good to us & see us through. Many of times, we are crying out & saying 'God I just need a break, please give me a break!' but rather we are most in need of a breakthrough. And guess how the breakthrough comes? By staying in faith. That subtle confidence that helps bring God's grace to carry us through. His grace is enough. God will see you through. Stay in faith.

Prayer:

Father who art in Heaven. Hallowed by thy name, Your Kingdom come, in my life. Your will be done. Thank you that You give me the daily bread that I need, the daily mercies, the daily sustenance to help me go through whatever I need to go through. Lord, help me to forgive those who hurt me, or sin against me as you do the same for me when I hurt you & sin against You. Lead me not into temptation but deliver me from the evil one. For Yours is the Kingdom, the glory & the power forever & ever. Amen.

With Love. And thanks for reading along. 

Blessings,

Daniel 

Listen to this Blog as an MP3 here.

The Grace, Has Not Left You

Listening to: "Forever" by Hillsong.
So if you're reading this. You might say to yourself. I have heard or read about "Grace" before. Can we please talk about something else? Or maybe you would like to hear about "Grace" because you know that you desperately need it. Either way, please hang with me for the next few minutes. Let's have some coffee together. As I, am already partaking in this marvelous coffee beverage a dear friend from church gave me. Just in case, that I would have some sleepless nights as a new father. Hmm...maybe, just maybe it is fitting for me to drink the coffee as I write & talk about "Grace." :)


Let's pretend that one day, you are going about business doing what you normally do. And suddenly, you realize...something is missing? What has happened? You begin to question yourself, question your abilities, question many life choices that have led you to where you are now. And thus, say, "Where is the former glory? Where is the former grace?" Well my dear friend, glad you would dare to ask those questions as we all might one day do so. However, I want to say to you and encourage you...

The Grace, has not left you.

It is still the very thing that you need to carry through. All the chains. Grace has broken. Sometimes, all the trials & difficulties seem like too much. Grace is still the "POWER" that will carry you through. In fact, sometimes the work of Grace is a lot more evident when brokenness has taken effect in a person's life. The type of brokenness I am referring to is a brokenness of the soul...an invite to far more than just your very own self. Past the ego-maniac, self righteous, self-centered, individual that usually cries out, ME!

ME! ME! Me=Its all about MEEEEEEEEE

I heard someone talking about this the other day, that marriage was a journey to dying to all of our selfishness that exist deep within, and the truth is YES. From the very moment that we take our very first breath, to the very first hunger craving that we get as a new born. Saying...."it's all about me, feed me!" Hah it is quite the amazing journey that we get to take under GRACE.

Grace spells out: REACH OUT, GIVE, & BLESS

Reach out because we are enabled through Grace to think of others above ourselves! (Phil. 2:2-4)

Give because we can do so by Grace! (Luke 6:38)

Bless because you can make a bigger difference in Grace! (Rom. 12:6-16)

Grace is all that we need. A little while ago...I got to go to a special conference where they were honoring men & women of faith that had been in ministry for over 40 years. And I was taken back by the advice of this particular man of faith, He said...to advice us all, that are still babies in this; "All I can say, is that you need to pray, asking Him for His Grace & Mercy to carry you through." And well that stuck with me.

What we need is His Grace & Mercy. So yes friend, the GRACE that you & I so desperately need...has not left us at all. In fact, it has only just begun to manifest itself. In every area, in every detail, in every waking moment & in every place of our lives! Embrace the Grace. And allow Him to make the difference in the big battles or little battles. That way, the victory is always His, therefore always yours as his/her child. Grace matters. And yep, the Grace, has not left you yet. And it never will.


God bless you,

Daniel Castaneda

Every Victory Belongs To Christ

"To God be all the glory and honor."
"To God be all the praise."

These two phrases can be better said through out most of our lives rather than lived out. There are many times where our hearts can fail and our minds seem weak; flooded and inundated with stuff, heartache, and more stuff. I recall not too long ago, I seemed to have a lot on my plate and looked everywhere for relief. And little by little I noticed, that the victory that I would have would be sequenced in stages and in baby steps. It seemed as I took my 19 and a half hours of schooling in a Summer session, my head could of exploted, and I thought it would for a moment. But quickly found out, that I needed to depend on God to get me through this and succeed at it at the same time. Victory after victory, encouragement after encouragement would come. Through my buddy Abel, friends and family members as well. However, as hard as I thought this was; what would follow next would pale in comparison with it all.

Before going into the next beautiful challenge lets take a look at what Matt Redman says, in his recent song "Never Once" about the battles we face and the victories we gain.


Kneeling on this battle ground
Seeing just how much You've done
Knowing every victory
Is Your power in us

What I believe Redman is saying to us here is that if we want to win, we will have fights, and as we win; we know that it is Him and His power that works in us. My blessing that would await me in the later years after my graduation is the joy of receiving a wife. The reason why I say, receiving a wife is because after I finally prayed with boldness; and asked the Lord in faith for my wife (hoping all along it would be my sweet Steph). I felt I literally received her in the spirit realm. The reason why I am sharing this as a victory is because this great change has really impacted my life for the better. My wife to me, is God's greatest blessing to my life apart from His dear Son's life for mine! She has been and I know, will continue to be that vessel of honor that God has set apart for Himself to bring Him glory.

Now, the next chapter for me is not just as a husband, but also as a father. My heart is overjoyed and filled with great excitement and anticipation. The lesson I take from this is that God also has a way for giving us the victory before we even face and encounter any challenge in our lives. He is faithful and He is just. Especially, when we may not feel like we have all the weapons we need for the battle ahead. As few years back, I recorded a CD. Well, better said; I attempted a acoustic recording that I never really did much with it. Not too long ago, I talked with my wife and we were sharing how everyone has greatness on the inside and giftings to be used. But many fail to see that and simply don't go after what God has put in their hearts. I don't discount what God has done through that recording. And take it as an opportunity for growth and the chance that I had to do something. And as time goes by; more opportunities will come that allow me to shine from the gifts that are on the inside of me. And as a father, I look forward to the best example I have in God as my Heavenly Father in what I need to know and also to the things that will be developed from within me to have another victory in life.

Victory after victory, we must know that every last one of them. Belong to Christ. He is the author and the finisher of our faith. If you prayed, and had the faith to belive that God would do it; and He did. Then its important to see that He gave you that faith. Other wise you wouldn't of had the faith it took to stand and believe the victory would come. It's never to late to believe for greater things, the greater victory to come. Of course that will only come, after a greater challenged that you face. But never lose heart; the victory of Christ is always there. At arms length. For us to reach out and grab it. Every victory belongs to Christ. We must go, and live out the victory He gave to us, the Church. He is the voice; and we are the willing vessels. Victory after victory, yes! It all belongs to Christ.

Take a look at what Peter says to us as The Church in 1 Peter 2:9-10

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."


I share this because once we can see what God has done for us, then we can live out what He has given to us. And part of that is the daily victory of His joy in us. The daily victory that He is with us. The daily victory that He will never leave us or forsake us. I would imagine that I have much to learn. And well; I look forward to learning what is up ahead, and seeing all of what God has in store for not just me. But all of us who are called by Him and have set our heart to love Him. Victory is a great thing to have, but even greater is knowing where and who it comes from.
Jesus, God's one and only Son.


Blessings to you all,

Daniel Castaneda

"Lord, Reign In Me"

So as I was sitting trying to get some paperwork done for work earlier today. I was listening to the song "Lord, Reign in Me" by Brenton Brown. And felt like there was something to say about it so I wanted to share it on here. It all started earlier this morning as I woke up, I felt an impression upon my heart to read Genesis 1-5. Why 1-5? Not sure exactly, but what I saw next through out those pages was rather shocking.

Reading the accounts of our ancestors from the beginning of creation, I saw a God who if anyone would have been busy it would of been Him, creating and orchestrating, structuring and putting in order a huge mess, such as the entire universe. But then, leading by example shows us how much of a priority it is to rest, and not just to stop. What He is showing us here is, to take time to rest in Him, to seek His face and marvel at who He is and how amazingly good and kind this awesome God is. Also, as I read a bit of commentary in my Study Bible, I also noticed how there can be two types of people. Those who are faithful to God and those who are not. It's simple, we get to choose what & where we set our hearts on.

Lyrics: 

"Over every thought, over every word

May my life reflect the beauty of my Lord

Cause you mean more to me than any earthly thing

So won't you reign in me again" Brenton Brown

What our hearts are set on matters, because this is the basis of having a single minded heart towards God. To walk uprightly before Him. (see Ps. 86:11 & Ps. 84:11) All of our affection and all of our attention should be held in highest regard towards God. He is supreme. He is absolute. He is power. He is Love. He is everything and all we need. He is our sufficiency. He is majesty. He is our God. Our Creator and we the created. We must wor-ship Him, ascribing our full adoration to Him first and foremost. In spirit and truth. This is more than just a nice gesture out of gratitude, but a calling for His creation. In order for us, as human beings who were made in His image to thrive; living life not just passing it by. Having that full and abundant life that Jesus calls us to, yes...it must be lived in Him. Not out of sync with Him, but in sync. Led by Him, by His Spirit (meaning His breath, His essence, the core of who He is, the Spirit of God in us, His Ruwach).

Christ is in us, and we in Him. I want to focus on the part that says, 'we in Him'. Surely we know the difference of being showered with water versus being submerged under water. Big difference here, and really that is the reality of when we are walking uprightly in Christ, dead to self. And alive in Him. No longer tossed to and fro, but with a single mindedness of heart, set on Christ. Set on His Word. Set on who God really is, led by His Spirit, when we confessed and believed that Jesus Christ, His Son, died as ransom for our sins and was raised to life on the third day, and is coming back for us; this faith in Christ has made us His Children and heirs to the Kingdom by His grace. Such blessedness, such joy. Man, I tell ya, there is nothing more exciting than a God who is coming back for what is His. Us. We His children. So, let us let God be God in us. The creator, ruling over us the created; and we loving Him all the more for it.

"Lord reign in me, reign in your power 
Over all my dreams, in my darkest hour 
You are the Lord of all I am 
So won't you reign in me again"


Blessings,
Daniel Castañeda

The New Year...After a Run

So it seems to take me about a year to write a blog, ha. Hopefully, that will change from this point on!

So I just got back from a run, and well got a chance to think freely and meditate on some words a friend wrote on facebook, it went something like this:

All successes and failures in life are temporary. Don’t think of every failure as a loss. If we succeeded in everything we pursued, how would we ever grow to be something greater? You must look a little deeper to realize what you’ve gained when you feel you’ve lost it all. It is in the times of desperation and despair that we find ourselves again and realize our dire need of Him. Denise Carter

When I read this it put something in me. I mean, a seed that will not go with out bearing fruit. The point that I am wanting to share and make is this, that as I've been going and going about life. I have come to one conclusion- We need God!

That's really all there is to say about that. God is so so merciful that He would allow us to go through trials and tribulations, run into walls, etc. For us to realize that we need Him. With out Him, we are nothing. What I mean when I say that we need Him, is to be in love with Him, not only because He commands it, but because He knows - loving Him- wholeheartedly is the very best thing we could do in all of life. Loving God, is different from just knowing Him, because when you love Him, then you can actually be known by Him. That's a different story.

That in the end. He says, "Well done good and faithful servant." And we enter into His eternal rest and joy!!

Tonight, as I was running. I saw two things about my heart- the first is, the weakness of it, in my desire for Him. As the great writer of old, C.S. Lewis puts it, "Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak." And two- how if I'm not careful, if we're not careful, with our desires in our hearts, we can go astray so that our focus is not on Him, as our first love. But in His mercy -- He draws us and He woos us in, back to Himself.

The most important thing we need to do is - to love Him with all we have - heart, mind, soul & strength. Not just get through life - and be moral, be a good servant/good Christian, but to be empowered to truly love Him and to truly be loved by Him. That is what marked David's life, and one of the reason's why he was called, "A man after God's own heart." God will always be there to carry us through, by faith in His Son and by the Grace that has already been given to those that believe in Christ and Him crucified. We ought to have this mindset, that my life is no longer my own, but Christ's.

Really-- what are my light afflictions compared to the very weight of glory that awaits us!?

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” 2 Corinthians 4:17, NIV

Yeah, I also learned another thing that may be old knowledge per say- but truly what we think on or what we let our thoughts be, on a constant basis is what we will end up living out in the end. If thoughts of self piety, and defeat or even the "I am the victim" type of thought pattern- then that is what we will live out. Instead, we ought to have thoughts of victory and of a blessed mindset. This way, as a child of God and of His Kingdom- we will see that, God is in control - He holds it all together and will certainly perfect His work in us. Faith will again fill our hearts, so that they would not be troubled anymore - but be full of peace and we would enjoy Him forever!!

Grace and peace to ya!

Daniel Castaneda

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