"TELL FRANCIS I MISS HIM" by FRANCIS FRANGIPANE

If Satan cannot distract you with worldliness, He will seek to overwhelm you with weariness. Indeed, how easy it is to wear ourselves out; even good works done without recharging ourselves in God can drain us of life and energy. Daniel speaks of a time at the end of the age when the enemy will attempt to "wear down the saints of the Highest One" (Dan. 7:25). God never intended for us to do His will without His presence. The power to accomplish God's purpose comes from prayer and intimacy with Christ. It is here, closed in with God, where we find an ever-replenishing flow of spiritual virtue.

Weary in Well-Doing
In the early 1970s, during the beginning of my ministry, the Lord called me to consecrate to Him the time from dawn until noon. I spent these hours in prayer, worship, and the study of His Word. I would often worship God for hours, writing songs to Him that came from this wonderful sanctuary of love. The presence of the Lord was my delight, and I know my time with Him was not only well spent but also well pleasing to us both.

However, as my life began to bear the fruit of Christ's influence, the Holy Spirit brought people to me for ministry. In time, as more people came, I found myself cutting off forty-five minutes from the end of my devotional time. On occasion, ministry to people extended into the night, and I stopped rising as early as I had.

Church growth problems began to eat at the quality of my remaining time; ministerial expansion, training younger ministries, and more counseling and deliverance crowded the already limited time I had left. Of course, these changes did not happen overnight, but the months and years of increasing "success" were steadily eroding my devotional life. In time I found myself in a growing ministry but with a shrinking anointing to sustain it.

One day an intercessor called who prayed regularly for me. He told me that during the night the Lord spoke to him in a dream concerning me. I was eager to hear what the Lord had revealed to my friend, thinking perhaps He was going to increase our outreach or maybe supply some needed finances. I asked him to tell me the dream.

What the Lord said had nothing directly to do with the projects and priorities that were consuming my time. He simply said, "Tell Francis I miss him."

Oh, what burdens we carry -- what weariness accumulates -- when we neglect the privilege of daily spending time with Jesus. I cried as I repented before the Lord, and I readjusted my priorities. No longer would I counsel people in the mornings. I would spend this time again with God.

I was sure I would lose some of the people who had recently joined the church. These were people who had come specifically for personal ministry. I knew I would not have the same time for them as before, but I had to make my decision for God.

The next Sunday morning I announced to the congregation that my mornings were off limits, consecrated to God. "Please," I said, "no calls or counseling. I need to spend time with the Lord." What happened next shocked me. The entire church rose and applauded! They wanted a leader who spent more time with God! They were tired of a tired pastor.

As we enter the coming days, our primary activity will be to minister to Christ. Certainly there will be increased pressures. There will also be times of great harvest and spiritual activity. No matter what circumstances surround us, we must position ourselves first and continually in the presence of God. For to miss our time with Jesus is to miss His glory in the day of His presence.

Father, it is the fragrance of Jesus, cultivated in secret, that manifests through us the knowledge of Him in every place. Forgive me for being anxious and troubled about many things, when to sit at Your feet was the only necessary thing. I choose now that better part, and gratefully receive from Your intimacy the better things which shall never be taken away.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Adapted from Francis Frangipane's book, The Days of His Presence, available at arrowbookstore.com

5 WAYS TO GET YOUR FAMILY OFF PHONE THIS CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY AND NEW YEAR

Make It A Rule

Whether it’s a small basket on top of the fridge for phones or three hours of device-free QT, don’t be afraid to lay down the law. It may be tough at first, but once everyone is untethered from the digital world, it’ll feel easier to get back to basics and remember the reason for the season.

Play Games

OK, so it doesn’t have to be good old-fashioned charades (although we do love Aunt Sally trying to act out Titanic after a few Merlots). There are a ton of parlor games—for big, small, unfocused or highly competitive groups—to add a little action into hanging by the fire.

Exercise Together

An easy way to feel less crummy after all those desserts and bond with the little bro? Go for a light jog together around the neighborhood, play a game of flag football or do some indoor yoga using your own personal Aaptiv instructor. There’s nothing like sweating and gossiping about Aunt Margie’s newest boyfriend together.

Hold Everyone Accountable

Making a big meal? Assign each family member a specific course to prepare and cook. They’ll have too much to do to even think about making a Snap Story. Oh, and if you really want to up the ante, ask everyone to vote for the best dish to spur some lighthearted family rivalry.

Break Out The Albums

Vinyl works too, but we’re talking old family photographs you haven’t gotten around to digitizing yet or the kids’ sweetest moments caught on home-video. Bust them out and let everyone fawn over all the striking similarities between Great-Uncle Jack and Little Timmy. 

When These Signs are Glaring; Your Liver is Damaging

The liver cleans toxins out of the blood and fights infection. When a liver is working well, it cleans the blood, helps digest food and fights infection. It is also a bit of a bodily superhero — much like Wolverine and Deadpool, it has the power to regenerate when it has been damaged, replacing old tissue with new cells.
“Anything that keeps your liver from doing its job — or from growing back after injury — may put your life in danger,” the American Liver Foundation warns. That can be inflammation, scarring, cancer or even using too much Tylenol. Although the liver lies on the inside of the body, the body shows outward signs when something is wrong.
Turning yellow
Your skin and the whites of your eyes could turn yellow when the liver isn’t working properly, due to a buildup in the blood of a yellowish substance called bilirubin, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. The U.K.’s National Health Service adds that the yellowing symptom, called jaundice, can occur when the liver’s damage prevents it from processing that bilirubin. Common causes of that kind of liver damage are hepatitis, cancer, drinking too much alcohol, abusing ecstasy, exposure to toxic substances and various infections.
Your bodily waste
Jaundice also changes the color of urine and stool, making the urine dark and the stool pale, the National Health Service explains.
Itch
The Mayo Clinic lists liver disease as an underlying cause of itchy skin, as well as kidney failure, thyroid problems and cancer. “The itching usually affects the whole body. The skin may look otherwise normal except for the repeatedly scratched areas.”
Bruises
People with liver damage will bruise or bleed more easily because their liver has slowed or stopped production of proteins that are necessary for blood clotting, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases says. The liver actually produces several clotting factors, all of which begin to disappear in people with damage to that organ.
Swelling
When the liver isn’t able to do its job, people may start to retain water in their abdomens and legs, causing swelling, according to the Mayo Clinic.
No signs
In some cases, there just isn’t any indication that something is going wrong. The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics warns that up to half of those with liver disease show no signs. And in the cases that mild symptoms present themselves, the most common ones “are very nonspecific and they include fatigue or excessive tiredness, lack of drive, occasionally itching.”
Once a person progresses beyond those early symptoms, the damage to the liver and the side effects become more serious. The American Liver Foundation explains people may have the blood vessels leading to their livers burst, toxins could build up in their brains and interfere with mental function, and they could experience nausea and diarrhea. “As liver failure progresses, the symptoms become more serious,” the foundation says. “The patient may become confused and disoriented, and extremely sleepy. There is a risk of coma and death.” At that point, a liver transplant may be the only option, so it’s important to try to identify the signs of liver damage early.