The Tamales are for You!

Today we traveled to the village of Tosoro Obajo for a mountain rally. There were people there who traveled for two hours to be in the service! There were over 150 people who gathered to worship The Lord and seek his face. As the music played and the people sang you could sense the presence of The Lord filling that little church on the side of a mountain in a remote part of Guatemala. 

Although we couldn't understand the words that were being sang you could still feel the power of God moving and stirring the hearts of the people! 

I was humbled by this great move of God as we worshiped with the precious people there. I couldn't help but think, God is right here in this little village, in a place that most people in the world will never know about, and never even see. But Jesus Christ was there! His presence is a gift. It is a blessing and a privilege. One that so many of us take for granted. 

As I stood to preach you could already sense the anticipation and expectancy in the church. After all, God had graced us with his powerful presence, why would we not expect and anticipate His Word? I preached the message "Jesus is Still the Same", from Hebrews 13:8...

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8 NKJV)

The altars filled with hungry souls weeping and crying out to God. You see, the presence of God makes the difference! Without his presence we are alone, we are lifeless. But the Spirit of God breathes life into the dry places and fills us with power to accomplish what God has laid on our hearts to do! 

And the thing is, God WANTS to be with us! He wants us to be in his presence. But there are people who are not hungry and they don't want what God has for their life. What God offers they usually refuse. They don't refuse it by the words that they speak, but by their actions they refuse God's great gift.

It's like a tamale! Have you ever had a tamale? Probably not like anything that we had after church. These tamales were corn tortillas, thick corn tortillas, with chicken inside. When I say chicken inside I mean the "whole" chicken, bones and all! But they were a gift, and you have got to eat it. I received mine with gladness and ate both of my tamales, picking through the bones with dedicated caution. Others received theirs but weren't as eager to eat them. They were different that's for sure. One by one we ALL ate the tamales that we had been given, some more reluctant than others. 

I think sometimes we treat God's presence like we treated the tamales. They were there and available to all of us, some of us received them gladly and ate the tamales, others just weren't hungry so it was a little tougher, but then there were some who just didn't want them. Those people I laughed at, and I even helped a couple of them finish their tamales. 

God doesn't get offended like people do when we don't eat the food, but the Word does say not to grieve the Holy Spirit. God grieves when people resist or refuse his power and presence. He grieves because he has so much for us and we live with so little! 

I challenge you to recieve God's presence with open mind and heart! Pray for a hunger and thirst for more of him. It is his pleasure to give you the kingdom. 

Oh, by the way, I have some tamales left over, and they are for you!