Sunflowers

Sunflowers are not what one considers to be a dainty flower. They often grow to be 3 meters in height and are more a cluster than a single flower. Sunflowers need fertile, moist and well-drained soil just as a Christian can only grow in soil that is fertile - infused with life giving resources - and not dry, but saturated with the water of the Word, which needs to be fresh and not stagnant.

Most of the sunflower heads are turned toward the east, which is where the sun rises from. Flowers that are immature and in the bud stage will follow the sun as it crosses the sky and at night return to the direction of the east to await a sunrise. The flower grows the best in full sunlight. These are things that Christians must do to grow - keep their face to the son and stay in direct sonlight.

As the flowers mature and reach the blooming stage, though, they cease to follow the sun across the sky. The stem stiffens and freezes the flower in the Eastern direction. In this state the flower becomes loaded with seeds. The seeds are used as fruit and also can be changed into oil. This is quite a parallel to what Christ desires of us. To have fruit and be ready to be changed into oil. Often as Christians reach this place, they get set in their ways and perhaps a bit "stiff necked" toward God, just as the flower does. There are 2 types of sunflowers. One will continue to keeps it's head turned to the sky, but the other will lose it's stiffness and bow it's face toward the ground. Gardeners prefer the kind that "looks nice", but the farmer prefers the one that bows as it reduces the damage caused by the birds and the loss from disease.

Transition

Cloud by day. Fire by night. What would it be like at the time of transition - the changing of day to night and night to day? I do not think that one would leave and the other one come. That would create a void. God does not like voids. So one must think that there would be an overlap of the two - a simultaneous presence of both. This could be a fearful time and not at all what one would be accustomed to during the day or during the night.
In the seasons of our lives when God is shifting us from the night season to the day season (or the other way around) it can seem like a confusing and conflicting time with much going on around us. We need to learn to not be shaken during these times, but trust that it is just a time of progressing from one state to another. If we allow ourselves to be shaken by this display of seeming opposites converging we may be tempted to retreat back into the season that God is calling us to leave. Keep pressing through. It will not always be this volatile. The transition will take you to the cloud or fire by itself, but there will always be a presence.

Enough Virga Rain

Far too long now the body of Christ has been content with virga rain. We send prayers into the Heavens and when the rain of the Spirit comes we settle for virga instead of a downpour. Virga is rain that does not reach the earth. It makes a spectacular view and the clouds are certainly promising of something big, but it remains in the Heavens and does not reach where it was sent to. We send prayers up, but don't pull the answers all the way down. We give up before the moment of contact.
We are often content with the show of God's power, but not wanting to see the full demonstration of it. We want to look good, more than we want to see results. The upper levels of Heaven are doing there part, but the lower Heavens are not charging the atmosphere to pull the rain to the earth. It is no longer enough to have virga rain, we need to pull down a saturation of Heaven for the miracles and signs and wonders...answers to our prayers.

What will it take to pull down the power? Love. Love sent from the earth to the Heavens to pull down the love from Heaven. Loving enough to pull results from Heaven, not just enjoying a show. The earth is dry and crying out for a rain of His presence.