God opened my heart and God helped me to realise that how much i love and appreciate her. and it is pretty irritating that this An inside me keeps comparing. but i will keep understanding her more

An loves such moments when God teaches me with such a gentle but power voice!

An Damaris <3 Jesus

First let me say im really pumped on how many people are bothering to look at my blog. Its encouraging to know that what i’m saying is getting heard somewhere.  I hope somehow it makes an impact on someone. So if your reading this i’d like to thank you!

Took me a while to sit down and write today, sundays are always my chill day. I spent the last 6 hours in the company of good friends, playin way too much xbox. Its amazing how sometimes you just need a little distraction to help you ease your mind.  Good friends are hard to come by but it seems like sense i moved here, I’ve found a lot more than i ever could have expected.  I’m slowly falling in love with Texas’ welcoming arms and in your face attitude, i gotta get out before i become a cowboy or somethin.

So onto the heart of the matter for today.  Most of the stuff i’ve been talkin about has come from my daily devotional notes or elaborated insight from my devotional itself The Message // Remix : Solo.  Its a great tool for fans of Eugene Peterson’s contemporary translation of the bible, The Message.

Its always cool when the devo hits a bulls eye with whatevers happening in your live, coincidence?, I think not.  I don’t know if you’ve heard the story of Samuel or not.  Samuel was considered a true prophet of God, his ability to tell people exactly what God was trying to say was a trademark of sorts.  But He wasn’t always that way.  In 1 Samuel 3, he keeps getting woken up by this voice calling his name.  The first couple times he ran to his mentor Eli, but each time, Eli was like, “it wasn’t me kid, go back to bed”  Then it dawned on Eli that it was God’s voice speaking to him.  So Eli tells Samuel, next time he hears the voice to answer ” Speak God, I am your servant, ready to listen.”

I’ve always heard people say that they “hear God speak to them”  I always find that hard to believe because i don’t think God speaks audibly to people anymore.  It even says in the beginning of that chapter that “at the time, the revelation of God was rarely heard or seen”.  I just think God’s majesty is way to heavy for us to comprehend, let alone hear.  But that doesn’t mean God doesn’t speak to us.  I’ve got a couple guys in my life that i know God uses to speak to me on a regular basis.

You see, sometimes we get wrapped up in waiting to Hear from God.  But even Samuel, a world renown prophet, had to have someone else tell him that God was trying to get his attention.  I just get skeptical when people talk about having audible revelations from God, I hope im not getting hung up on this because what i’m trying to say is we often look past whats right in front of us, screaming instructions, because its not the medium we expect God to communicate with us in.  God has used the least of these for generations to get his word across.  I think we all need to look for God in people that have been where we are, people who’ve been blessed with wisdom based on experience.  They can often be the people that God intends us to ask for the guidance he needs to convey to us.

I hope you don’t hear what i’m not saying.  I know God speaks to us, just not in the way we as humans talk to each other.  After all, His ways are not ours.  So may you look to each other in times of need, asking God to reveal what he’s trying to say through the people you know are there to help you along the way.  I know God answers prayers, just be consistent like Hannah, don’t give up.  In time, He’ll reveal his plan in the perfect way //

In one of our last Bible studies we discussed another chapter of Tozer’s “The Pursuit of God.“ It was on the spoken word of God.

We read a whole series of verses about God’s word and suddenly I realized that we usually assume that these refer to the Bible, even though most of them do not necessarily say that. It’s so easy to hear “God’s word” and think of “God’s Word” as if it was the only word of God.

This reminded me of a book that I had read two years ago, and it motivated me to do a little summary of what I learned through it. The book is Hearing God, developing a conversational relationship with God, by Dallas Willard (1984)

Willard starts the introduction with a story of his wife’s grandmother: When somebody in her house group mentioned that God had spoken to him, she remarked “I wonder why God never speaks to me like that.” She is in good company. Maybe you have had the same question. Many believers like her have a rich interactive relationship with God but are unfamiliar with God’s voice and the possibility of having a conversational side of a relationship with God.

“Our failure to hear God has its deepest root in a failure to understand, accept and grow into a conversational relationship with God, the sort of relationship suited to friends who are matures personalities in a shared enterprise, no matter how different they may be in other respects” (29)

He defines this conversational relationship as telling God what is in our hearts and hearing and understanding the “still, small voice.”

In the following chapters, Willard treats different aspects of this question, misconceptions and arguments why God cannot, would not, and does not want to speak to people. These arguments are partly influenced by “naturalism,” leading people to believe it is unscientific to think that God speaks.

Willard is very clear on the question that the Bible is the primary manner of communication. However, the second way as expressed in Ps 32:8 is guiding us with his eyes. This means an awareness of what the other person is thinking. This is what Willard calls the conversational relationship, an outworking of Jesus living in us and his presence in us (Col 1:27, Gal 2:19-20).

Jesus promised us that we can hear his voice (Jn 10:1-16). One aspect of hearing his voice is to receive guidance. He can use dreams, visions, voices, the Bible, extraordinary events, etc but the most important one is the “still small voice” or “gentle whispering” that Elijah heard. It is easily overlooked and disregarded. It can be audible, or a human voice, or through messengers including angels, but most often we will hear it inside our spirit.

Willard addresses some common misconceptions:

- “a message-a-minute view” – every movement needs to be ordained by God, and people are unable to act without clear guidance from God even for daily tasks.
- “it’s all in the Bible” view – leading to the assumption that we do not need to hear his voice today. He also call this “Bible deism” – similar to the Sadducees, there are those that believe that God stopped speaking, but this is a wrong way of honoring the Bible.

When the Bible refers to the “word of God” without further qualification it usually means God’s speaking, communicating, his thoughts and his mind (Ps 119:89-91). God’s word is powerful and in speaking God created the universe (Gen 1) and through it he rules the kingdom. In the same way that the word of a king is powerful and can have big effects (including heads rolling), the same is even more true for God’s word. This is what the centurion recognized (Mt 8:10) – “just speak a word and it will happen.”

The reality in the kingdom responds to the spoken word! God also gives power and authority to people (e.g. Num 20:8-12). God handed over power to Jesus, and Jesus handed over power to us, “as the Father has sent me, so I am sending you” (Jn 20:21, Mt 10, Lk 9)

There are different degrees of power – sometimes we are called:

- to ask for God to speak a direct word (pray)
- to speak on his behalf (Acts 3:6; 14:10)
- to take action on his behalf (Acts 9:40)

We need to keep in mind that THE word of God is Jesus (Jn 1:10-11).
And the Bible is God’s Word, his written word, and one result of God’s speaking.

Willard makes it very clear that:

“the Bible is the written Word of God, but the word of God is not simply the Bible” (141)

When we examine Bible passages with this in mind, we will discover that

- the Bible is the Word of God in its unique written form
- but the Bible is not Jesus Christ who is the living word
- neither is the Bible the word of God mentioned in many Scriptures passages: e.g. Ps 119:89, Ps 19:1-4; Acts 12:24; Mt 13 – in comparison to 2 Tim 3:15-17 which refers specifically to the ’sacred writings,’ or Scriptures or 1 Pt 1:23-24 where both are mentioned next to each other.

All of these are God’s word, including when we hear from him individually!

God’s word is portrayed in the Bible, and available to every person through the Bible, but it is not limited to it. God uses the Bible to renew our mind, but it is mainly through his speaking to us that we are transformed in a character for whom listening to God’s voice is natural. This is what our union with Christ looks like (Gal 2:20, Phil 1:21).

In chapter 8, Willard provides detailed answers on how to recognize God’s voice. It is a learning process. We need to learn to discern his voice, both while reading the Bible and when listening to the “still small voice” because even Satan can abuse the Bible. In this learning process it is good to have help from others, who have a close relationship with God. But first we need to accept that God does speak, and wants to speak to us, then we can grow in experience and ability to hear his voice.

On the question how to distinguish God’s voice from our subconscious voice, Willard cites E. Stanley Jones who points out that the subconscious voice argues with you, tries to convince you, but the inner voice of God does not argue, it just speaks (175).

When God speaks we can sense the weight of its authority. This is combined with a spirit of peacefulness and confidence, which is similar to the godly wisdom mentioned in James 3:17. We should test it because it has to be consistent with God’s character and the principles of his written word, e.g., fear motivation does not come from God.

It also helps to accept that there is no guarantee for perfection, or infallibility of discerning God’s mind. It is impossible to never be mistaken and nowhere promised, but maintaining a close relationship to the Bible helps. Willard warns us that this is not the same as scholarship.

“Scholarship does not replace experiencing the living voice of God.”

Concerning fear of not being able to discern God’s will: “God is not a mumbling trickster” (191) – when we are willing to listen, he can make himself understood and is able to communicate plainly.

God can direct us mechanically, without speaking, like driving a car or directing a robot, “but when he guides us with conscious cooperation, he speaks to us.” The necessary conditions are:

- our willingness to listen
- asking him to speak
- being still

We should not be anxious if we don’t hear from God, but trust that he gives us a lot of freedom to determine our life, and sometimes he wants us to make our own decisions.

Concerning the “perfect will of God”: when we follow God’s general counsel of his written word, we are right in the middle of God’s perfect will, and if there is any specific word, we should be obedient to it.
Beyond that we have a huge freedom, because God does not always have a specific plan for each moment – “no ideal, detailed life-plan uniquely for each believer.”

Two final thoughts:

- Hearing God does not exclude risks or suffering.
- The greater goal of listening to his voice is to move beyond it to living in the kingdom (211).

Willard summarizes the book with the following steps (213)

A) Foundational steps

- having entered into an additional life by the additional birth, including the commitment to find out more what is morally right and commanded by God
- seeking fullness of the new life in Christ at the impulse of the spirit of God, growing in faith, moving beyond living in our own strength

B) Steps to hearing God

- meditate on God’s principles of life in the Scriptures
- be alert and attentive to what is happening in our life, mind and heart
- pray and speak with God about all matters that concern us
- listen carefully and deliberately for God’s voice
- if God does not speak

o ask him about possible hindrances
o seek counsel from other believers who live in close relationship with God
o correct whatever comes up
o if nothing comes up, act on what seems best to you.

In sitting in the silence of prayer and reflection, spiritual direction, and in experiencing God’s cleansing, I’m discovering that the voice of God is so much more broad than I had ever realized.  This morning it hit me…in our dialogue with God, we often come with a very limited understanding of the ways in which God is “speaking.”  It is easy for us to think of God as a “super human,” or in another sense, acting in human terms with some really ramped-up abilities (such as omnipotence and omnipresence).  But it is not really like this.  When I sit down for a conversation with a friend, there is an expectation of conversation.  In human-to-human terms, our mode of communication is conversation.  But with God, the breadth of communication is eternally greater.  In prayer we are opening ourselves up for so much more than a conversation, which is so often what we expect in our dialogue with God.

But let us think deeper.  You have a broken arm and your friend rushes you into the emergency room.  The pain is unbearable.  The doctor helps you onto the examination table and then sits next to you and says, “Hello, I’m doctor so-and-so and I’m here to give you a foot massage.”  You’re going to look at the doctor like he has 4 eyes.  ”I’ve got a broken arm, doc!  Please attend to that first!”  Now, examine the soul.  When we sit down with the Lord in the intimacy of prayer, it does us so much good to allow Him to speak on His terms.  Let us remember that we have a soul.  We can hear with more than our ears.  What about that pain of the past?  He is placing His finger on it, applying pressure so as to cleanse you.  What about that virtue for which you hunger and thirst?  He is breathing His breath on your humanity to bring you into His divinity.  Because honestly, God sees as the real Doctor the brokenness of our souls, but sees even deeper to the healing He will do.  So He will attend to those things in His timing.  He may very well speak, and Jesus Himself became flesh to share in our humanity so that we may share this intimacy with God.  But let us be open to the entire breadth of God’s voice, knowing that even the seemingly “distant times” are His voice beckoning us closer.

My Coffee with God...

Each morning I spend time in God’s Word. Either through a devotional/motivational, scripture verse e-mails, personal prayer book or journal scriptures. God is faithful to point out, very clearly, which one of these He would have me focus on for the day. I am obedient to this guidance and focus by His direction. 

I realize, these many, many months later that this new discipline has mightily improved my daily outlook and outcome: Here is my FB post this morning: 

The Effect of Tropical Storm Ida

Scripture References:
Romans 12:1 Matthew 25:21
Philippians 2:13 Romans 12:6
Hebrews 10:38 Matthew 5:16
1 Corinthians 6:20 Ephesians 4:15
Psalm 50:15 Colossians 3:17
Colossians 1:13 Colossians 3:23
Psalm 86:12

Good Morning Loves

I Kings 19:11,12 “So He said, ‘Go forth, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.’ And behold, the LORD was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing.”

Elijah had been the Prophet of Yahweh as God had intended. He had carried out the will of God. He had seen the fire fall and the rains come down. And yet, even in the awesome display of God’s Sovereignty, Jezebel was not stopped. Her threat was pronounced and Elijah ran in fear. I would suppose that we all would do the same, humanly speaking, having expended our energy and strength in the Battle, expecting the outcome to be so different from the reality it was. Yet as human frailty and the utter reality that in the final analysis the human race is powerless in the face of the Grand Panorama of human destiny, the One Overarching Reality would yet grip his soul, as it must also ours: The One God of Heaven, Yahweh, is still in control! All of this was evidenced to Elijah, not by the demonstrations of power over heaven and earth, but rather by the Gentle Blowing, the Mighty Hush of the Whisper of His Voice.

As a little boy of age 9, I was still living in a child’s reality of play and exploration coupled with fear and utterly without personal recognition of the Grand Panorama of life and where I fit into it. I had not, for the most part, discerned a personal application of the Bible stories and Church influences which, while abundantly surrounding my circumstances, really were just another part of the routine in which I existed. That was until the Day where I heard in the recesses of my heart and mind His Voice calling to me. At first, I tried not to pay attention, but the Quiet Hush became more urgent, and soon Its grip would not let go. I could not avoid It. All of this was in a strong Bible context. There was no question Who it was that called. Personal Repentance and Faith came in the form of letting go of my personal will and responding with a single word, “Yes”. Just as Elijah saw God through His Mighty Hushed Voice, so I came to know Him as He spoke life and eternity into my heart at His Word. As I heard His Voice and responded affirmatively my life was forever altered.

I fear that in the rush of humanity the Gentle Reality of God’s Voice is ignored in the face of a multitude of activities, some evil and sinister, but others seemingly worthy. Only in that Gentle Reality is there meaning to any of life’s existence. Will you hear His Voice Today?

Psalm 95:6-8a “Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you would hear His Voice, do not harden your hearts.”

Wave Walker

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God’s voice is for every day people… if it weren’t true, Jesus wouldn’t have said “…My sheep hear my voice…”  I tried as hard as I could to discount what I was hearing in my heart for many reasons; I didn’t want to be called crazy, heretical, presumptuous and suffering from an over-active imagination.  Fear had crept in somewhere and at some point I traded the truth for a lie. From then on I worked hard to embrace what I was hearing from pulpits and in coffee-shops. ‘In this corner’- Ideas about God’s intentions for prophecy (hearing God’s voice and giving it away) seemed to exclude every day people from the equation. You had to be especially called- chosen for the task of hearing God.  And ’In this corner’ God’s intentions for prophecy (hearing God’s voice and giving it away) excluded everyone– ‘He doesn’t speak at all anymore. No personal interaction. Read your bible, and don’t expect an experience’. But the still small voice kept me awake some nights and ‘haunted’ my days until I decided to rebel. I can’t afford to obey the other voices, well-intentioned as they may be.  God made me a promise- to have a very real friendship-to interact with me- to show me things I never knew, and to love me, as is  – always.  God is kind and doesn’t lie. He loves every day people, and tells us so. “My sheep hear my voice…“.  That voice saved my life. No other voice can do that

Well, as usual, as soon as I posted something that said I had nothing interesting to say, God broadsides me with something.

I’m hit everyday with how much I love these kids. Yesterday, it just happened to be Emma.

Dear Emma,

When God called me back here, I didn’t know that a little girl from halfway across the world would steal my heart and show me how to love again. You’ve shown me how to open up my own heart and let Jesus heal my wounds. My broken heart isn’t quite so broken anymore, and you are such a huge part of that, my Beautiful Girl. You’ve drawn things out of my heart that have been hidden for years. Was I a part of your healing? In a small way, maybe I was, but you, my dear girl, were so significant to mine. I can’t imagine my life without you in it. You’ve helped me to grow into the person I was created to be. I’ve learned from you that Jesus love for me is never failing. No matter how hard I push Him away, He will always fight for my heart. I hope I’ve help you learn that, too. Because at some point, Im going to let you down, I’m going to hurt your feelings or upset you. I’m not perfect. But always, ALWAYS know this: I love you, Emma Anastasia, and so does Jesus. He fought hard for you. He fought hard for your heart. He placed you in my life for such a time as this. For your healing and mine. Let’s let Him heal us together…Let’s let Him lead us down this painful journey always knowing that it’s all in love and it’s all for our good.

With that first smile on that first day, you won my heart. You chose me when I thought no one else wanted me. When I thought I wasn’t worth anyone’s time, you picked me out. We’ve been through a lot together in these few short months. You tested me, but I learned that Jesus love surpasses all the “tests” we send His way. I’ve never stopped loving you, Emma, and I never will. You will always have a special place in my heart and my life. I pray that I can be around to see and be a part of your life as you grow into the woman God created you to be. Don’t let anyone look down on you or say you are incapable. You are called and you will overcome! You are an overcomer and will change lives. Your destiny is more than any of us can see right now, but it is something so much better than anything any of us could ever dream up. You are going to challenge the beliefs of everyone around you.

I love you, Emma. Thank you. Thank you for being born. Thank you for hanging on until your rescuers arrived. Thank you for being you. Thank you for letting me into that beautiful heart of yours. Thank you for letting Jesus love and acceptance to shine through you. Thank you for letting Jesus use you to heal me. Thank you, Emma.

With much love,

LaLa

Hello Dear Ones,

I really don’t know what to talk about…I’m just going to share my heart.

Next week is my 20th birthday. Everyone makes a big deal about your 21st birthday, but 20 is going to be big for me. I’m not going to be a teenager anymore. It’s quite frightening. I am going to be an adult. For real. And “in my twenties”! That’s so nuts to me!

I have been thinking about the transition for a while, but not feeling like I was ready for it. Yet I knew in my heart that the Lord would prepare my heart. The Lord is faithful. He never fails to prepare me for the coming season.

I have been going through a rough and intense healing time with the Lord, but I have felt Him gently whispering “preparation”. I have felt recently like I didn’t understand why the Lord gave me the leadership role in OJC that He did. I knew it was Him and I love it, but I am definitely not the most qualified person around. Then He whispers something to me I have heard from dear leaders over the years. “I don’t call the qualified. I qualify the called. You are called, and you are becoming the person you were created to be.”

I have realized that I have a lot of responsibility. More than I have ever carried. I have to take the focus totally off of “me, me, me” and focus on the kids I came to serve and the House of the Lord I came to be a part of. Above all, the lesson I learn over and over again is: It’s not about me. It’s never been about me, and it’s never going to be about me. It’s about Jesus, and pointing to Him in all I do.

God has brought so much humility. As I was beginning to get puffed up and proud, I asked Him to humble me (which is a scary thing to pray). He did. He made me realize that I still have so much junk in my heart that needs to be dealt with and healing that needs to come before I can stand before anyone as a leader. Yet for some reason, He has decided to put me in that position, even only over a few, and teach me now. I am so thankful for the gentleness and lovingkindness that the Shepherd has with us.

Well, that’s what’s on my heart. I miss you all and love you dearly. I will be home for Christmas. I will be flying for the first time. I am really excited, but I am also really nervous. Please pray for peace and a smooth flight. Although if there is a lot of turbulence I won’t know the difference.

Blessings and love to all,

Lauren

Once again I am amazed by a New Thing Ministry’s motivational today.

What happens when we praise God?
What is in a name?

In the bible names have significant meaning. God even wove promises within the blood lines of His people! From father to son, one may find blessings and promises within the names of biblical families.

Generational inheritance at it’s finest.

In Chronicles 4:1 we find Judah and his five sons. Judah, meaning Praise, we could say the sons of Praise.

Judah was father to:

Pharez meaning: break, gap or cut off
Hezron meaning: a yard, a surrounding wall or hamlet (a small village).
Carmi meaning: gardener, increase of the vineyard.
Hur meaning: liberty, white linen
Shobal meaning: flow, the flow of a lady’s train (behind her)

So what is God telling us in this family lineage?

Praise breaks all hinderances off of God’s children. Bringing His protection, enveloping the coming of God’s harvest in the lives of His people. Causing them to increase and be freed from their restraining roots. Praise then cleanses God’s children, causing the unbridled flow of His blessings. Praise brings forth God’s abundance, peace, anointing, healing and inheritance in the lives of His people.

One can also see the mission of Praise, when we define the names in this way:

Praise breaks all of the strongholds that block the harvest of God’s people. God surrounds and protects His harvest while Praise frees them from their roots (sin) and cleanses the Bride (The Church). Thus allowing the train of her gown to flow in her inheritance. God’s abundance, peace, and anointing in Christ.

Praise ushers in the Kingdom of God!

It brings new meaning to the question of “What is in a name”!

Blessings<3

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

A Product of My Praise…

I have always loved to teach on praise and worship – it is one of my favorite subjects. It is such a powerful force and many people don’t realize that truth.

Many of us know some of the effects of praise, the Bible tells us plainly that praise stills the avenger – or stops the enemy in his tracks. It also tells us that God inhabits our praise, He literally makes a home, or habitation with us when we praise Him.

Yesterday, I was visiting with a friend and she brought out a verse about praise that was very enlightening – I have to share it with you.

1 Chronicles 4:1 teaches us that the sons of Judah were, Pharez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal. The name ‘Judah’ means praise, therefore these four sons were the product, or you might say ‘what was produced when praise was partnered with intimacy.’

In the Bible, names were very important and always significant; in these names we will find great significance.

Pharez means a break, a breach, a breaking forth, gap. This name, that is a product of praise, tells me that praise will remove or cut off hindrances.

Hezron means a yard, enclosed as in a fence, a hamlet, as in surrounded by walls. There is great protection when we praise.

Carmi means a gardener, a garden or vineyard, increase of the vineyard. Our praise will gather in a harvest of blessings. Hur means liberty, white linen – praise will bring the liberty that frees us from our past. Shobal means a flow, a lady’s train, as in trailing after her. There is a flow that follows praise, a flow of blessing, abundance, peace, anointing, and inheritance.

In this season where God is telling us to expect great things – to increase our expectation, I believe that it is timely to know the effects or results of becoming a person of praise. First of all, it will remove anything hindering what you are expecting in this season to come to pass. Secondly, it will bring you protection; you will be fenced in by His presence as He makes His habitation in your life. Next, it will help to gather in your blessings. It will bring you liberty from the past as you praise and worship God. Finally, there will be a flow of blessings in your life that will be undeniable.

I spoke the other day about getting ready for what God has for you – and to show God that you are expecting something – one way to do that is through praise. In the Old Testament, the children of God would praise greatly after God delivered them. They threw parties and danced before the Lord, praising Him with all their might.

Today, our deliverance has already come. It was complete at the cross. That is undeniable. When Jesus declared ‘it is finished’ it was indeed finished. And we are people of faith. We see it with our spiritual eyes before it happens. We hear the sound of the Lord coming with His promises before He arrives. Like the breeze of the wind, blowing through the woods, we hear Him coming in this season. Therefore the perfect thing for us to do is to praise Him before we see it with our natural eyes, don’t you think.

Praise stills the avenger. Praise removes hindrances. Praise surrounds us with God’s presence. Praise will gather our harvest. Praise liberates us. Praise brings the flow of the blessings of God into our life – all these are good reasons to praise.

However, there is one reason and one reason alone that we should praise and worship God. He is worthy of our praise, He is God. Today, take some time to become intimate with God through praise. Dance before the Lord as if you have seen the manifestation of your promise. Shout to the Lord as if all your needs are met in abundance. Sing to the Lord as if you were walking in the fullness of His promises. You will be in awe of the things that will change in your life as you do – praise Him and allow Him to make His home with you.

~ Kim Potter

What is Faith? Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1). It is the substance, meaning it it real. It is an evidence, meaning that it can be proven even if invisible.

What is Fear? An acrostic for the word ‘FEAR’ reads False Evidence Appearing Real. Fear is diametrically opposite of faith. There is no substance and the evidence is not only invisible, but non-existent and cannot be proven.

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17)
Fear comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of the enemy of God, Satan. When Eve and Adam listened to the lies of Satan in the garden and sinned against God, they were afraid (they feared) and they hid themselves from God.

God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7). So are we living by Faith or are we living in Fear? The question really is, whose voice are we hearing – God or his enemy?

Have you ever been prompted by God to do something, but ignored it? Recently I almost did.

Cancer struck the father of my small group leader’s wife last year. He had responded well to treatment until a couple months ago when the cancer began to spread. With little hope that more treatment would help, his daughters placed placed him in hospice in a nearby nursing home.

I knew I needed to visit him, but for some reason I delayed until something happened to me early last Wednesday night. I felt God impress this on my heart. “Charles, you have to go see Maynard in the morning.” I don’t particularly enjoy visiting hospitals or nursing homes, but this time I couldn’t shake the feeling that I needed to visit him.

When I woke up I considered delaying my visit until after my noon swim. Then it would be much more convenient for me, save time, and save gas at the same time… the “killing two birds with one stone” idea. But I decided I would go in the morning anyway.

When I arrived I wasn’t prepared for what I experienced. First, the nursing home didn’t remind me of most I’d seen, musty, smelly, and antique looking. This one exuded cheerfulness with its bright lighting and halls filled with colorful paintings.

But what shocked me most was the stark reminder of my mortality.

I’m 54 and don’t consider myself old (although my kids think I’m a relic). Most of these patients were well over 70. Many sat quietly in their wheelchairs with thin transparent tubing draped around their noses to provide them extra oxygen. Many were parked in front of a TV with a bad signal as afghans clung to their laps. Mostly their heads drooped downward in fitful sleep.

I felt deeply saddened, not so much for their plight, but for the not-so-subtle reminder that one day I, too, will probably lose my ability to function as I once did in my younger years. The aging process has a way of doing that.

As I wandering through the corridors, I came to Maynard’s simple room.

A nurse’s aide was tending to him at the time and slipped out as I steped toward his bed. His breathing was very labored. Since macular degeneration had blinded him, he couldn’t see me, but I knew he could hear me. They say the last thing that goes is our sense of hearing.

Though I’m a pastor, at that moment I felt inadequate about what to pray. Nevertheless, I boldly prayed for him to have a glorious homegoing. In my prayer I also reminded him that he had left a wonderful legacy. As a very strong believer, and a fireman for decades, well into his retirement he had written a regular devotional that he had mailed to several hundred firemen friends.

After my ‘amen,’ and just before I left, I patted him on the shoulder and tearfully said, “Maynard, I’ll see you on the other side.”

Two hours later I received an email that he had passed away.

I came away with two life lessons from that experience.

1. I must pay closer attention to God’s promptings and heed them when they come. I later spoke to Micki, Maynard’s daughter, and she said that Maynard was hanging on those last few days for something. Was he hanging on for my prayer that God used to usher him into his presence? I don’t know, but when I cross to the other side, I’ll be looking for the fireman whose signature look included a long blond ponytail (his real hair) that he wore before chemo took it away. This time, though, he will not just hear me, but will see me with crystal clarity with his new 20-20 eyes. This is the glorious hope God gives every believer that one day we will have brand new bodies, no longer broken and bruised.
2. I must live life to the fullest now while I am able. Sometimes I whine too much about what isn’t. But one day, unless I go unexpectedly, I too will get old. I hope my mind stays sharp. I hope my body holds up to the end. But God gives me no guarantees. Right now I don’t see myself in a wheelchair sitting in front of a TV watching re-runs of the Price is Right. But if my body wears out and my mind no longer functions so that all I can do is sit in a wheelchair until God takes me home, I want to arrive there having given my all to Jesus while I could. I don’t want my life to end full of regrets.

It’s been years since I sung the lyrics to this old song, but it’s one that I hope every believer could sing and live with bold assurance.

All to Jesus, I surrender;

All to Him I freely give;

I will ever love and trust Him,

In His presence daily life.

Refrain: I surrender all, I surrender all,

All the Thee, my blessed Savior,

I surrender all.

I was reading this week in Isaiah.  I thought the 58^th chapter was fitting due to so many seeking answers from God.  Fasting is great, but if we do not follow through with what God expects outside of fasting, then our prayers will not be answered.  Sacrifice is not enough.  God is looking for total obedience.  100% of our hearts. 

Look at these practical things that we can do to have a spiritual renewal in our life, and then read the Isaiah 58:6-14 in the Message Bible below…

• Don’t just fast from food or entertainment; do right in all areas of your life. (Is. 58:6)
• If you own a business or manage people, don’t treat them unfairly.  (Is. 58:6) 
• Make sure you are a part of feeding, clothing and giving other necessities to people in need.  (Is. 58:7)
• If your family is in need, don’t turn your own family away.  Not just the ones you like, this means the ones in your family that get on your nerves.  (Is. 58:7)
• If you know someone that needs to get out of the weather.  Find shelter for them.  Sure it’s a crazy world and you may be afraid to open your home to a stranger.  But that should not stop us from finding a place for someone to get out of the cold.  There are organizations all over that specialize in this need.  (Is. 58:7)
• Stop being unfair to people.  Even the one that least deserves it.  (Is. 58:9)
• Stop gossiping about people.  Whether it is fact or a lie. Stop criticizing people. Stop spreading rumors.  Be more productive with your words.  (Is. 58:9)
• Be sure to honor God with your time, so you can worship Him.  Be sure you have a Sabbath day that you can celebrate God’s grace to you and your family.  Make sure you’re faithful to your place of worship, so that you not only receive, but you can serve within the body of Christ, His Church.  (Is. 58:13)
• Then God promises to give us fresh revelation.  A renewed mind. A mind able to comprehend spiritual things.(Is. 58:8&10)
• God promises to heal us and keep us in health.  (Is. 58:8&11)
• God promises to answer our prayers. (Is. 58:9)
• God promises to give us direction.  (Is. 58:11)
• God promises to satisfy us with good things.  (Is. 58:11)
• God promises that our children will be blessed and be a blessing.  He will use them to bring restoration and healing to our church, city and society.  (Is. 58:12)
• God promises that our share of the blessing will come to us.  (Is. 58:14) 

Isaiah 58:6-14 (The Message)

 6-9″This is the kind of fast day I’m after:
   to break the chains of injustice,
   get rid of exploitation in the workplace,
   free the oppressed,
   cancel debts.
What I’m interested in seeing you do is:
   sharing your food with the hungry,
   inviting the homeless poor into your homes,
   putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
   being available to your own families.
Do this and the lights will turn on,
   and your lives will turn around at once.
Your righteousness will pave your way.
   The God of glory will secure your passage.
Then when you pray, God will answer.
   You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am.’

 9-12″If you get rid of unfair practices,
   quit blaming victims,
   quit gossiping about other people’s sins,
If you are generous with the hungry
   and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,
Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,
   your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.
I will always show you where to go.
   I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places—
   firm muscles, strong bones.
You’ll be like a well-watered garden,
   a gurgling spring that never runs dry.
You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew,
   rebuild the foundations from out of your past.
You’ll be known as those who can fix anything,
   restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,
   make the community livable again.

 13-14″If you watch your step on the Sabbath
   and don’t use my holy day for personal advantage,
If you treat the Sabbath as a day of joy,
   God’s holy day as a celebration,
If you honor it by refusing ‘business as usual,’
   making money, running here and there—
Then you’ll be free to enjoy God!
   Oh, I’ll make you ride high and soar above it all.
I’ll make you feast on the inheritance of your ancestor Jacob.”
   Yes! God says so!

Blessings to you who are seeking God.  God will answer, and direct you. 

Pastor Shannon

It seems like I live my work-week and much of my ‘relaxing’ weekends with stress at my side. The stresses and demands of the day often interfere with my quiet time with God, they interfere with my desire to even have a quiet time, they push and edge their way into my life very quickly and at the same time often push God out of the picture.

While thinking about this during my prayer time one day this week a vivid picture popped into my head.

The picture was of a large pile of winter blankets, sort of like a big pile of laundry on the floor. Each of the many blankets represented different things going on in my life that day and at that moment – stresses about what to do next, calls that need to be made pretty fast, anxieties about money, noises around me, burdens of the day, obligations, thoughts, hunger pains….basically anything that I had on my mind.  These blankets are large thick winter blankets.  They are piled on top of each other.  Some are neatly piled and others were sort of thrown on the pile at the last minute, but the pile of blankets was very heavy and large.

Sometimes I can feel a wave of stress come up inside me….it wells up and tends to overcome my senses and goals and needs at the moment.  The stress builds and stays at a pretty high level during the day.  I sort of thrive on it.  I wonder why I crash and burn at 6:30 each evening on the couch and don’t’ want to talk to anyone….I need to decompress, relax.  During the day some of the stress is released when I “check something” off my list, but the sense of the stress and pressure is there all day going up and down.

Under all the blankets is a small mouse.

His “peeps”, hard-to-hear sounds and calls for attention are, of course, covered and muffled by the blankets stacked 3 feet high.  To hear the mouse I have to take each blanket off the pile.  I have to literally pick up each blanket and throw them off.  It’s not possible to simply try and listen more or read books on listening better in order to hear the mouse.  Even when all the blankets are gone, I still have to sit quietly and listen with my ear near his mouth.

The stress has a sound in my heart. a LOUD sound.  It is overwhelming in the noise it makes in terms of muffling out other softer sounds….like the sound of the mouse, the sound of God.  The blankets, which represent all the stresses and demands of my daily life, the things on my mind, cover my heart, cover my soul, cover my ears to God, cover his voice.

Can God scream above the blankets?  Of course He can – he’s God.  But I think he wants me to come to the end of my rope, to tire of the same day-in and day-out stress and ask him why….to come to him and ask for help…to admit that I am addicted in a way to the noises, the urgencies, the list, the pressure….the blankets.  Perversely, these blankets of stress and the demands of the day are like warmth to me; they keep me busy and I am used to them and they offer some kind of weird assurance.  I need to get in the habit of relaxing, stripping the blankets off and falling into the warmth of God’s arms or sitting in his lap.  I am convinced the stresses of this world can become a false god of sorts.  Sometimes, we have to throw them off to get a clear fresh word from God.

When that happens…….when that happens……it is a wonderful, peaceful, clear, gentle, loving, strong, satisfying thing.

Matthew 11:28-30 says: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Hi friend.  I pray your week of seeking the Lord has been a refreshing time for you.  I want to encourage you and tell you that God is speaking to you.  God longs to give us direction and answers.  He wants your situation to be turned around for the good.  I believe God’s heart is moved to work miracles for His people.

One word from God will change your life.  Hearing from God will change your financial situation.  One word from God will give you the direction you have needed.  Hearing from God will save you from making a bad decision.  Yes, God is speaking and He is speaking to you.

Jesus gives us insight and the assurance that we can hear his voice in John 10:3-6,

“To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 

As a disciple of Christ, I don’t believe it’s a hard thing to know God’s voice.  I do think we have to determine which voice we are listening to.  One of the ways that God speaks to us is through our own thoughts.  Jesus said in John 4:24, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”  Our brain cannot receive spiritual things because it is carnal or fleshly (Romans 8:5-8).  So when God speaks to us, it will be through thoughts or impressions.  We then have to determine is this thought or impression coming from my spirit or through my earthly nature.  This is not a difficult thing to determine.  Here’s a simple check list about thoughts or impressions…

• Does this thought contradict God’s Word?
• Is this thought going to bring me closer to God and the people that I’m serving?
• Is this thought an act of love, or will this decision hurt people around me?
• Will this thought bring glory to Christ or will it hurt my reputation as a Christian and leader?
• Has God confirmed this thought or impression through His word or people that are in spiritual authority over my life?
• Does this thought or impression line up with how God has gifted me or called me?

This is only a brief list.  God will give you wisdom and direction in determining whether the thought or impression you are having is from Him.  Remember God’s desire is to speak and engage with His creation.  We just have to tune in to His voice.

There are multiple radio waves in our atmosphere.  But in order to receive the channel you desire, you must tune your receiver.  Tune your spiritual ear to God’s voice.  He is overjoyed that you have taken this week to seek His face.  The message that He is communicating to you will change your life!

“Lord, give my friend wisdom today to hear Your voice.  Help them to tune their spiritual ear to Your voice.  Let every other voice diminish and Your voice be clear.  Speak to them about their burden, their situation.  Give them answers and creative thoughts that will dramatically change their life.  In the name of Jesus Christ we pray.  Amen.” 

Blessings,

Pastor Shannon

I pray today that God will give you strength to continue your time of seeking Him this week. 

I want to share something with you that I think is going to be key in our time of seeking Him.  This is not a popular subject.  So I hope you don’t close the window before reading all the way through.  I feel this subject is necessary to discuss and to do when dealing with prayer and seeking God.    

One of the most quoted verses in scripture when it comes to prayer and seeking God is 2 Chronicles 7:14.  “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”  Look at what God promises in verse 15 and 16, “Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place.  For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.” Wow!  God’s ears are open, we have His attention, and we will have His heart!  Now that’s a great place to be with the Lord. 

As we humble ourselves this week through prayer and fasting.  Let’s be sure to confess our sins to the Lord.  Let’s ask God to remove jealousy, speaking wrong against people, making wrong accusations and false assumptions with friends, coworkers and family.  Let’s ask God to remove hatred and bitterness toward friends or enemies.  Let’s ask God to remove laziness and apathy toward Him and the things that He loves.  Ask the Lord to remove arrogance and a proud heart.  Don’t close this blog  just yet. 

Will you pray David’s prayer with me today?  This prayer is a great example of why God loved David so much.  Not because David was perfect, but because David knew how to repent and receive God’s forgiveness.  Let’s pray this prayer together today.

Now, God has promised you, that as you come before him with a pure heart, His eyes are turned toward you.  His ear is opened to your prayer and deepest concerns.   You are on His heart.  Be prepared for God to open His Heaven over you!

Blessings,

Pastor Shannon

Long before I started this Randomness journal online, I had this journal.

This book has been in my life since October of 1986.  Susan Woodward (Mimi) gave it to me.  See?

That was twenty-three years ago.  TWENTY-THREE!  That would have made me 11 years old.  I pulled out that old journal last night.  I have written in this journal every year since 1986 until 2003.  My very first entry began like this:

The title of my entry was “The First Time the Lord Spoke to Me.”  I read through the writing of an eleven year old with a thirty-four year old heart.  I can still remember her and what she felt.  I read about a young girl wanting to hear God speak to her about a situation.  I wanted to hear a yes or a no.  I simply heard a trust that my parents’ decision is the will of God. 

I can remember my father telling me “no” concerning an event I wanted to hear a “yes” to.  I wrote, “Before the Lord spoke to me, I just knew I’d be disappointed if dad said no.” 

When God speaks, it should bring us peace.  It should make trusting Him easier, because His thoughts are so much higher than our thoughts.  It was such a simple concept for me to grasp at age 11.  But, at 34, I forget, on occasion, to be solely dependent on Him and what He says. 

I forget to trust His voice.

I forget to trust His voice in scriptures. 

I need that eleven year old girl to remind me more often that His very voice can calm stormy waters and bring peace to an unsettled heart. 

How do I ever forget that?

Incline my heart to your word.  Psalm 119:36