Praise for the Perfect Potter from a Grateful Vessel (Part 3)

Continuing my notes from Hawaii District Ladies Conference with special speaker Claudette Walker. You can read part 1 here and part 2 here.

Adonai M'Kaddesh - The Lord Who Sanctifies and Sets Me Apart
Isaiah 48:10, "Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction."
We get excited when we think about being set apart by God.  Mary, the mother of Jesus, was set apart.  She had divine favor.  Mary, what was it like to have that divine favor?
"My fiance doesn't believe my story.  My friends think I'm a fornicator.  I'm nine months pregnant, riding on a donkey and it looks like I'll be giving birth in a cave."  It didn't stop there.  During Jesus' earthly ministry He was told his mother was waiting to speak to him.  He asked, "Who is my mother?"  And finally, she was found kneeling at Golgotha.
There is a price to pay to be used of God.

Adonai Saboath - The Lord of Hosts
This is when the Lord stands up and blows your mind.
I think I could write an entire post about Adonai Saboath!  Sis. Walker told a story about being home alone on a snowy day (14 inches!) when they lived in Cincinnati. She heard a knock on the door that she ignored.  Not long after, she heard a sound in her basement - two men had broken in to her house.  To make a long story short, after she screamed at them, she called her prayer partner (because she couldn't remember how to call the police!)  Her prayer partner called the police and when the police arrived the house was empty.  They showed her where the would-be burglars had torn the handrails from the wall as they made their escape through the basement!  Later she learned that another friend prayed specifically for her that angels would come and protect her!
I sat there in awe listening to this particular story.  Seven years ago I experienced a very similar situation when our house was broken in to while I was home alone.  You can read the full account here and here, but to make a long story short, the would-be burglars were only in our house about 15 seconds when they went running out.  I have always wondered what caused that and truly suspected God had something to do with it.  This message confirmed it!  Adonai Saboath showed up in my home that day and I am so thankful!

Adonai Nissi - The Lord Who is My Banner
Song of Solomon 2: 4, "He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love."
It takes a lifetime to learn how much God loves me.  
I have no idea why, but these are the only notes I have on this point!  It was Saturday morning, and although I'd had some coffee, I guess my hand wasn't awake yet.

Adonai Rohi - The Lord Who is My Shepherd
You can't hear when you have fear.  When His rod and staff comfort you, He uses the rod to throw at any enemy for protection and the staff to put around your neck and draw you to Him.  Adonai Rohi says, "I will not let you make a mistake."
God wants to lead and guide us.  This is built on hearing His voice:
1.  We must desire to hear Him.
2.  We must practice with the written Word.  Get into the Word.
3.  We must be quiet.  Be still.  God speaks in our silence.
4.  We must believe.
John 10:27, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me."
Isaiah 30:21, "And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left."
Revelation 3:20, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."
It's not enough to have the Holy Ghost, the Holy Ghost must have you!

Adonai Tsidkenu - The Lord Who is My Righteousness
This final point was so good!  Sis. Walker talked about as a child fearing that she would miss the rapture.  Songs like "There's an All Seeing Eye Watching You" and "Sin Can Never Enter There" frightened her young heart.  Sis. Walker told of the first time she went to youth camp.  A message was preached about missing the rapture.  Later that night something scared her and she just knew she had missed the rapture.  She was terrified.  It was many years before she understand that God did not want her to be lost.
While is it important to have a fear of God, we need to know that it is His righteousness that is going to save us, not our own.  Grace is the process when His righteousness is applied to my life.
Deuteronomy 6:25, "And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us."
Titus 2:12, "Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world."
However, we must remember that grace is not a license to sin. 
Jude 24, "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy."
In spite of my faults, when I stand before the presence of His glory, He will have exceeding joy!  

Just re-reading and typing these notes has reminded me of the wonderful time we had in God's presence last week!  I am a grateful vessel. 

Praise for the Perfect Potter from a Grateful Vessel (Part 2)

You can read Part 1 here.

Before I go into the next part of Sis. Walker's lesson, I want to give a little of her background.  She grew up in Tupelo, Mississippi, the daughter of Bro. and Sis. Raymond Kloepper.  Bro. Kloepper was at that time the superintendent of Tupelo Children's Mansion.  She married Marvin Walker on March 16, 1974 - they celebrated their 42nd anniversary while in Hawaii last week.  They have been involved in various ministries through the years, including over 20 years that Bro. Walker was North American Quiz Master. He was also the president to Tupelo Children's Mansion for two years. They have now pastored in Troy, Michigan since 2001.

When Sis. Walker was 17 years old she became very ill.  It was at that time that it was discovered that she did not have a second kidney.  For the past nearly 50 years, she has dealt with a number of serious health issues.  I won't share all the details, although she did share many in her teaching.  Just know she has suffered greatly and she knows what she's talking about when she speaks of her Healer, Protector and Defender.

As Sis. Walker taught about nine of the compound Hebrew names of God she told stories of how God has shown Himself to her in that particular way.  I am including some of the stories she shared in a much more condensed version!  At the end of each part of the lesson, Sis. Walker asked those who had a specific need in that area (financial, physical, peace, etc.) to stand and we all prayed for them.

Adonai Tsura - The Lord my Provider
Because of my relationship with my Provider I am always financially secure.
Sis. Walker shared a story of her parents needing a new washing machine.  This was after many, many years of ministry.  They didn't have the money and were going to go to Sears to try to get one on credit (something they had never done!)  The Walkers were serving at Tupelo at the time and a new lady had come to work there.  She told Sis. Walker about some of the stuff she had from her previous home that she didn't know what to do with.  This included a brand new washer and dryer.  When Sis. Walker offered to buy it from the lady, she refused and gave the set to Bro. and Sis. Kloepper.  Adonia Tsura provided!

Adonai Rapha - The Lord my Healer
2 Corinthians 12:9-10, "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."
These verses mean a lot to Sis. Walker who has suffered physically for so many years. His strength has been perfect in her weakness.
In 2002, after moving to Michigan, Sis. Walker needed to find a new kidney doctor.  She was very sick at the time.  The doctor told her, "Nephrons do not resurrect."  Many cells in our bodies do resurrect, but nephrons, the vital filtering and excretory units of the kidney do not resurrect.  A dying kidney will not get better.  The doctor ordered a series of seven tests.  The night before the seventh and final test, a man from their church told Sis. Walker, "I am praying that your one kidney will work like two."  Sis. Walker said she thought, "I'd be happy if it would just function like one!"
During that final test, the miraculous took place.  Adonai Rapha came into the room.  A few days later when she met with her doctor he looked at the results in amazement.  He said, "Your one kidney is working as two kidneys!"  I love when God surprises doctors!

Adonai Shammah - The Lord Who is There
You will not find Him at the mall, on Facebook, Twitter or your phone!  You meet God when you are alone.  We need to set aside time to meet with Adonia Shammah.
God will not waste your pain or one minute of your suffering.  Charles Spurgeon said, "I have learned to kiss the wave that crashes me against the Rock of ages."

Adonai Shalom - The Lord Who is My Peace
You won't find this until you are in need of it.  There are prayer requests that are "unspoken," things that we face, requests that steal our peace.  We need the peace that passes understanding.  What it means to understand - somebody who can stand under the load you are carrying.
The only perfect communication is not between husband and wife, or family or friends, but it is when we are praying in the Holy Ghost and the natural man is silenced.
In every storm God is always on the boat.  The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.


I will finish with the last five tomorrow!

Praise for the Perfect Potter from a Grateful Vessel (Part 1)

I'm breaking up Sis. Walker's lessons from Ladies Conference to make these posts a little less lengthy!

Jeremiah 18:2, 3, 6:
"Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.
Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel."

Isaiah 64:8:
"But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand."

What we could learn if only clay could talk!  There are twelve steps in creating a vessel from clay:

1. Selection - earth is mixed with water.
2. Seasoning - the clay is put in a ball and put on a shelf in the back room.
3. Kneading - this removes the bubbles, if it does not happen clay will explode.
4. Shaping - this takes place on the wheel and can be disorienting.
5. Separating - impurities are removed.
6. Cutting - the potter uses a knife to design the vessel.
7. Seasoning - the clay is put back on the shelf, often feeling lonely and rejected.
8. Heating - only in hot fire are vessels purified to a maturing temperature.
9. Naming - the potter writes his name on the bottom of the vessel.
10. Heating - the fire is turned up even higher and the glazing becomes brilliant colors.
11. Cooling - the vessel is delivered to a place of use.
12. Usefulness - the vessel is finally ready for use.

Of these twelve steps, eight of them hurt the clay.  It isn't easy becoming a vessel that is fit for use.  If you're going through one of the painful steps, don't despair!  The Potter is at work in your life.  We all go through these steps if we are willing to be used by the Potter.  The difference between us and clay is that this process is repeated over and over in our lives.

I Peter 4:12-13, "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy."

I Peter 5:10, "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you."

Claudette Walker's version of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 11:
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:  A time of selection and a time of seasoning, a time to knead and a time to shape, a time of separation and a time of cutting, a time to season and a time to heat, a time to name, a time of heating and a time of cooling, a time of usefulness.  He hath made every thing beautiful in his time.

There are three goals for every vessel:

1.  Know Him
Philippians 3:10, "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;"  This is one of many verses that Sis. Walker called "Wow, ouch!" verses.  We read the first part about knowing Jesus in the power of His resurrection - Wow!  Then we read about knowing Him in the fellowship of His suffering - Ouch!

2.  Be Changed into His Image
2 Corinthians 3:18, "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."

3.  Make Him Known
Isaiah 64:8, "But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand."  

Sis. Walker spent the rest of the lessons teaching about nine of the compound Hebrew names of God.  The last thing I wrote after Saturday morning's session: "The more priceless the vessel, the hotter the fire."

To be continued...