Whoever Seeks Something Other Than This

“The church has only ONE altar, the altar of the Almighty … before which all creatures must kneel … whoever seeks something other than this must keep away; he cannot join us in the house of God … The church has only one pulpit, and from that pulpit, faith in God will be preached, and no other faith, and no other will than the will of God, however well-intentioned.” 1933 Dietrich Bonhoeffer

A Turning

All that is required, at its most basic, is a turning to the Lord. Whether I am a mass murderer or am disconnected from God because I’ve been so busy, all that is required is a turning to the Lord. This turning is a heart shift towards God. It includes a vulnerability, a need of help, a contrite heart, a humility and a trust that God can do for us, that Jesus has already done for us, what we cannot do for ourselves.

It assumes a letting go of our own effort, with an intention of dependancy on the Lord, a reckoning of our humanity and our own best efforts as loss. Namely, we turn to God to save us and to lift the burden of our sin, dismay, fear, and to restore us, heal us, and enter us into himself. We long for righteousness and holiness, knowing that only in God are these things found. We are sick of sin and loss, sick of worry and dread, sick of doubling-down on effort, sick of religion, sick of evil, sick of our own goodness (that is no goodness at all).

It is God that is our answer. The oil of the Lord is flowing from the throne-room of God. Enter in. Dare to come, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

Chapter 4 of Hebrews speaks of entering into the rest of the Lord. Of ceasing from our labours (some of which is our self-effort to save ourselves, to manage our lives, to make things right) and trusting in the work of God that was accomplished at the creation of the world. vs.3.

I recall being a young mom with many littles, and this injunction to partake of a sabbath day, a physical day of rest from the concerns and needs, the unending demands of life, took some intention and courage. Taking a sabbath day was an act of trust for me. It was possible only as I entrusted my next week to God. The challenge required me to understand that the work would never end, but that I could set the demands aside for a day and rest.

This rest of God comes as a physical, in-time, practical, ceasing from the hustle. In my heart it is the same but more. My soul can find it’s peace and joy and rest in the presence and companionship of God. While the world has its trouble I can be quiet, without rushing, in the Lord. As we practice this week by week we find that the world or our own circumstances have no hold on us. God has the last say regarding our lives and in God we trust.

And so, we turn to God. We set down fretting and we settle our gaze on the Lord. We bring our illness and look to the one who heals. We bring our family along with us into the throne-room of God. We put our sin at the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. We take pause to give thanks, to allow gratitude to flood our being, to say a simple Amen to all that is beautiful around us. We welcome Holy Spirit.

Are you afraid, turn to God. Are you convicted of sin, turn to God. Are you ashamed and embarrassed, turn to God. Are you unsure of your future, turn to God. Are you worried, turn to God. Are you unclear of what to do next, turn to God.

Pause, and turn to the one who created you, sustains you, loves you.

A turning is all it takes. Turn to God and find life.

Sharing: Praying Across Canada 2022

I am recently home after two-months across the country and back again. It was a praying across the land in faithfulness to the Lord, in agreement with the heart of God. I’m hosting an evening of sharing about this trip. I did not write or video or post nearly what I thought I would while on the road. I forgot how much energy and how deep are these kinds of prophetic works.

Now that I am home, Join Us, for an evening of hearing more:

Friday, August 26th, 2022, 7:00 pm.

Zoom Call: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89945852693?pwd=WE5JRUo5ZHdkQmwxaGo1TkY3WEZwZz09

PassCode: 118609

NOTE: I will be hosting this in my home for those who want to gather in person. The big blue house in Surrey (Greater Vancouver Area, Canada), if you are familiar. If you have no idea on this, send me a message and I’ll give you the address. To come in person please arrive between 6:30 – 6:45 pm, as the zoom begins at 7:00.

See you then!

To come in person, use this form to RSVP and receive the address of where we are gathering:

Praying Across Canada

Tomorrow is the day. I’ll be starting across the country. It’s a prayer journey. A praying across the land. I was on a Capturing Courage visioning weekend in January when Holy Spirit said to me, “I’d like you to pray across Canada.” I’d not ever thought of that before. But my heart and mind were immediately caught with the idea and I set to hold this before the Lord, to see if it was truly a God idea or not.

You may have already heard me share that there were a number of things that absolutely had to come into place in order for this road and camping and praying ministry journey to take place. And within the three next months all of these things shifted. The way was clear to proceed.

Praying across Canada begins with a common lament. To facilitate healing and wholeness for anyone, personal or corporate or community or nation, begins with an entering in with a willingness to sit within what has gone wrong. This lament has already begun within me. The Lord has been making space within my being for a certain sadness that is not mine, that speaks to past and present injustices.

The next manner and way of praying across a country is the deep listening to the groans memorized by the land. In places, on streets, in neighbourhoods, on plains, the land remembers what has gone wrong. In scripture we read, “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” Romans 8:19-21 ESV

The Passion Translation says it this way, “The entire universe is standing on tiptoe,  yearning to see the unveiling of God’s glorious sons and daughters! For against its will the universe itself has had to endure the empty futility  resulting from the consequences of human sin. But now, with eager expectation, all creation longs for freedom from its slavery to decay and to experience with us the wonderful freedom coming to God’s children.” Romans 8:19-21 TPT

Henry Gruver is a man called to pray as the Spirit leads him from place to place, from country to country. Once there he will sense the trouble that happened in a spot. This revelation is facilitated by the power of Holy Spirit. He then remits the sins off of the land. And declares, pouring in, the goodness of God. While I’ve been an inner healing prayer minister for more than twenty years, this remittance and then a pouring in of God’s goodness, was a great additional layer to what I was already doing with folks and places.

From Henry Gruver: “When you remit, you: relax, absolve, release, pardon, discontin- ue, acquit, surrender, leave off, moderate, mitigate, alleviate, desist,–as in “cease and desist.” That should give you an inkling of the kind of power there is in remitting someone’s sins. Here is another synonym that is really powerful: soften. Have you ever met a hard callused person? You can begin to soften those calluses by remitting that one’s sins. Here are some more synonyms: relent, excuse, overlook, exempt, forward, dispatch, transmit, convey, transfer, consign, and deliver. Think about those words in relation to sin. Clearly, there is power there!

On the other hand, if you don’t remit someone’s sins, what are you doing? Consider these antonyms for the word remit: hold, withhold, keep, retain, reserve, tie up, persist, continue, exact, control, command, sway, dominate, avenge, take revenge, get the upper hand, impose a duty on, bind, enjoin, render obligatory, make responsible, repress, suppress, restrain, restrict, prohibit. Antonyms and synonyms will help you to understand whether or not you are choosing the right mountain.

Are you getting the picture of those two mountains in front of you—the Synonym Mountain of Blessing, and the Antonym Mountain of Cursing. Which mountain have you been climbing? Which act have you been performing? Have you been releasing others? Have you been sending them forward? Have you been dispatching and transmitting and conveying and transferring and consigning and delivering them? Then you have been remitting sins! If you have been making others responsible, placing them under obligation, repressing, restricting, restraining and prohibiting them, you have not been remitting their sins. You have been retaining them!

At the risk of repeating myself, I will say it again. You can be either a blessing or a curse. Choose the blessing and live.

Looking at the Greek Strong’s Dictionary for the word translated as “remit” in the New Testament, we find that it means “to cry, or, forgive, to lay aside, or, forsake.” It comes from a root word meaning “off”—as in, “Get it off from me!” “Shake it loose!” According to Strong’s Concordance, this root word “usually denotes separation and departure… When we speak of redeeming the land, what are we talking about? We are talking about reclaiming it for God… Remitting is lifting the burden of condemnation off of people so that they can breath again.” Henry Gruver

http://joyfulsoundministry.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/handbook.pdf

So, this is the primary work of praying across Canada. I’ll be remitting sins in the name of Jesus, and thereby ‘lifting the burden of condemnation off of people so that they can breathe again’; both people and land.

  1. Take out principalities and powers
  2. Remit the past sins
  3. Cleanse the land
  4. Release the goodness (fills the void) of the Lord, to the land.
  5. Ask for a harvest

I am glad to begin tomorrow. There is a deep contentment and peace that has settled into my being this past week. Every ministry journey at Capturing Courage has had a deep peace with the Lord’s favour paving the way each day. May the Lord lead-on as we head across the land.

“God, we lift Canada to you in the name and the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. This vast land needs you God. We need you. We ask your mercy and we commit to justice. May righteousness envelope this country. Bring us back to worship, that our awe may be turned to you God and you only. Amen.”

…………………………………

As you know gas prices are exorbitant. Perhaps you would like to partner with us towards kilometres across the land. From where Cyndy lives to St.John’s, Newfoundland, it is about 5500 km’s.

To make a one-time or a monthly financial gift head to our ‘Give’ page. Donations are processed through GCF (Great Commission Foundation). This is our charitable receipting partnering organization. They will send a charitable receipt for those donating from Canada. These monies come to our CCIM bank account the middle of each month.

To make a one-time gift that you want to come to Cyndy directly on the day you send it, use your bank to facilitate an e-transfer to the email, cyndy(at)capturing courage(dot)org . If the Spirit is compelling you to send funds on a particular day, this is the way to do this. Note: that sending via an e-transfer will not give you a charitable receipt. Something to keep in mind.

Either way, your financial partnerships with this journey are greatly appreciated. Thank you so much.

Blessings and peace upon your days.

The Mountain of the Lord

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord”

but God, I am weak.

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord”

but God, I am a sinner.

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord”

but God, I am not good enough

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord”

but God, I am an addict

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord”

but God, I am a failure

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord”

but God, I must go to church

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord”

but God, I’ve not been approved

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord”

but God, my life is in shambles

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord”

but God, I am not healed

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord”

but God, I don’t know how to pray

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord”

but God, I cannot fast

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord”

but God, I am not good

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord”

but God, I am busy with your work

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord”

but God, my leaders do not approve

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord”

but God, I am afraid

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord”

but God, I don’t know how

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord”

but God …

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord”

The Lord is GOOD

May we know the REST of God within us this day. May we know the GOODNESS of God surrounding us this day. May we know the GLORY of God touching us this day. And may we ABOUND in GLAD Hearts, this day and all days. This is our heritage in the Lord.

“Then Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied,Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he came and set his people free.He set the power of salvation in the center of our lives, and in the very house of David his servant,Just as he promised long ago through the preaching of his holy prophets:Deliverance from our enemies and every hateful hand;Mercy to our fathers, as he remembers to do what he said he’d do,What he swore to our father Abraham— a clean rescue from the enemy camp,So we can worship him without a care in the world, made holy before him as long as we live.And you, my child, “Prophet of the Highest,” will go ahead of the Master to prepare his ways,Present the offer of salvation to his people, the forgiveness of their sins.Through the heartfelt mercies of our God, God’s Sunrise will break in upon us,Shining on those in the darkness, those sitting in the shadow of death,Then showing us the way, one foot at a time, down the path of peace.” Luke 1:70-79

How Does God Partner with You?

How does God partner with you?

I’ve been teaching a class called Advanced in The Kingdom. We have just completed week four of six after which, with each class, I find a particular point stands out to me. This is often a summary thought that I may not have even made in class!

This week: How does God partner with YOU? Specifically, you.

It is vitally important that we come to understand the unique breath of God through ones self. There are one or two elements, actions, manners of you that God breathes through. This breath of God is what turns ordinary actions into supernatural impact. An impact that we may not realize so much as those around us; we still feel very ordinary but we find that others are thanking us for this or that, in this manner or that way. This is God through us.

Where our impact may produce an increase, the Lord’s impact brings a multiplication. We may find that we cannot keep up with the fruit of our lives. This marks the Kingdom of God among us.

So, inquire of the Lord about his breath through you. Look at the fruit of your life, where does it seem to be out of proportion to the rest of your life. Consider the patterns of your years. Step back from yourself and see what might be more evident from a distance. Think about the things that others specifically thank you for.

And once you begin to realize how God partners with you, do more of that thing. Leave off the sub-optimal efforts of lesser projects or focus. Optimize your life around the breath of God. There is deep satisfaction in this. And much life.

Be blessed this day by the breath of God through You.

Most Epic Superhero

It’s the most epic superhero story ever. ‘All human beings caught by sin and death’ the headlines would read. And our hearts would know.

But then, in due time, the exact right time, Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, God, the one who was and is and from whom all things flow, the beginning and the end, arrives on the scene.

With deep compassion (the kind that changes worlds) and in epic bravery, courage, and deep co-suffering love, God cloaks himself in the sins of the entire world, past, present, and future, and he takes on death. Our superhero enters into hell.

But hell cannot keep him. Death cannot contain him. Darkness cannot overcome the light.

And with that the Christ, our Messiah, opens the door of hell from the inside out and marches out with his plunder, YOU and I, the whole world.

We are free from sin and death. The authority of sin has been removed. It has no say. Death has lost its sting. A deep goodness rushes in, a kind of goodness that belongs to God and God alone; the authority is his.

And now, we live by the light. We live in Christ and Christ lives in us. Let us agree to this. God, teach us to live by the light. Give us eyes to see and hearts to understand.

I wonder that we have a personal and corporate memory of salvation that spans all time and peoples about this God who saves. It’s time to remember.

God, reveal yourself to us.

What is in Your Hand?

What do we have in our hands? 

There is a well understood biblical and spiritual principle, “What do you have in your hand?” 

We think of Moses, “Then the LORD asked him, ‘What is that in your hand?’, ‘A shepherds staff,’ Moses replied.” Exodus 4:2

Consider Elijah and the widow at Zarephath, “Then the word of the Lord came to him: “Go at once to Zarephath in the regions of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so that I may have a drink?” As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.” 

“As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.” Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and so as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and brig it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sense rain on the land.’”

She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.” 1 Kings 17:7-16

Then too, the boy with five loaves and two fish that fed over 5000 people. We think of the widow with her one coin at the temple and the word that she would be remembered for the rest of time. And what about Elijah and the widow with the small bit of oil, the collection of many jars, and the filling of all those jars. Not to mention the water turned to wine by Jesus himself. 

What do you have in your hand? It can do more than you imagine. And just may be all you need!

At Capturing Courage we’ve been considering this once more. What do we have in our hands? We have recently embarked on an exploration, sensing out a future location for a House of Prayer. There are a few different thoughts about this. Many things we could do or be, in specific ministry this way or that. 

But not all these thoughts have any solid basis upon which we have advanced before. We must remain in what we have in our hands. The tangible solid wherewithal and capacity upon which God has already been growing, leading, and developing us. 

So, we are asking, “What is in our hands?” 

The Lord has made it clear that we are to move forward in this journey towards a house of prayer in a public way. You can therefore find more posts about this over at https://capturingcouragecanada.org and even a few jottings over at https://cyndylavoie.com 

Jesus’ Faith For You

Live in the faith of Christ for you. We don’t need a ton of faith. Only as small as a mustard seed. Scriptures tell us that God will not put out even a faintly burning wick. 

Never in scriptures are we told to bring our much to God. But everywhere we are told to bring our little and that God will make it into much. 

– one small coin
– two loaves and five fish
– empty jars and a little bit of oil 
– a brook and a raven
– an army of 300 
– a faintly burning wick
– faith as small as a mustard seed

Let this grab you today and bring you peace. 

This isn’t about you or I folks. 

“The Lord’s Chosen Servant
42 Behold my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my Spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
2 He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
3 a bruised reed he will not break,
and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
4 He will not grow faint or be discouraged
till he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his law.
5 Thus says God, the Lord,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people on it
and spirit to those who walk in it:
6 “I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness;
I will take you by the hand and keep you;
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
a light for the nations,
7 to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
8 I am the Lord; that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to carved idols.
9 Behold, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth
I tell you of them.”
Isaiah 42

The Wrath of God

In my part of the world, maybe yours too, there has been one couple buying up all the Lyslol cleaning wipes from the stores and reselling them at exaggerated costs, taking advantage of people’s fear and need during this Covid-19 pandemic. 

This is called racketeering. It is a gross offence of blatant disregard for any other but themselves. Such folks will now carry much disdain among the community. To put it lightly. 

It is this exact kind of behaviour that had Jesus turning over the tables in the temple with rage. Matthew 21:12-13, Mark 11:15-18

You see, for the Passover each year folks came from far away to the temple in Jerusalem. It was a long, hard, journey for many. 

Because of the difficulty, (heat and endless walking), the folks would not bring with them the dove or the lamb or the goat for their sacrifice at the temple. 

Rather, they would wait until they arrived to purchase what they needed for their sacrifice back to the Lord. 

But the religious leaders acted exactly like the couple buying up and then selling all the cleaning wipes. 

They were taking advantage of the need of the people unto their own benefit. 

Instead of selling a dove for the actual reasonable normal amount they would sell the dove for much more. Taking advantage of the people’ needs to turn a vast profit. 

Thus, Jesus, in a rage turned over the money changers tables. 

You see, God is serious about justice and integrity. 

It is also why Jesus was so hard on the pharisees, calling them whitewashed tombs, looking all great on the outside but full of dead mens bones. 

It is also why there is stern injunction against selling prayers or miracles or anything that is freely given of the Lord. 

Exchanging money for healing, or for spiritual strength, or for a sense of rightness with God, is sacrilege. 

Such behaviour demotes God to a transaction. And it takes advantage of folks in their spiritual need to feel right with God, to feel heard, to know that God is with them. 

I could go on. 

For those of you in Christian ministry. You must stop taking advantage of folks need to know God by creating some transaction, by which you skim the cream off the top. 

For those of you who reject the notion of God based on such behaviour. First, you are smart to recognize this as evil. Second, know that God never condones such behaviour. Ever. 

Jesus, in rage, revealed the heart of God against spiritual thieves and religious manipulators. His words tell us more,

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t got in yourself and you don’t let other enter either. … 

What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you pharisees. Hypocrites! For you cross land and sea to make one convert, and then you turn that person into twice the child of hell you yourselves are! … 

What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from our herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law–justice, mercy, and faith. … 

What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy–full of greed and self indulgence! … 

What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs–beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people bones and all sorts of impurity.” Matthew 23

The anger and wrath you feel against the couple price gouging on cleaning wipes, those taking advantage of folks needs and fears to make a profit. 

That is the same anger of God against religious leaders who would profit from the spiritual needs of the people.