Category Archives: God

God Hears and will Answer You

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“May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!”  Psalm 21:1

There are times that we need supernatural support and strength to make it through the challenges of the day.  When we call on the Lord He will dispatch help from His throne.

Psalm 20:2 says, “He sends help from the sanctuary.”  He will send help, sometimes even angelic assistance.  Scripture tells us that the angels of the Lord excel in strength at His command.  They are like an emergency backup support system that is on call twenty four-seven waiting for the next assignment.

When we call out to the Lord for help, He sends them forth in strength.  When Joshua was preparing for the battle of Jericho the angel of the Lord appeared to him in Joshua 5:13-15 and told him he was the Captain of the Lord’s host.  Joshua had the Lord’s host on his side as he fought and won the battle of Jericho.  Scripture tells us the angels of the Lord are always encamped round about us.  Could it be they are just waiting for the next assignment?

A house cannot stand without a strong support system.  In a house you cannot see the support beams but you know they are there.  It would seem foolish to sit in your living room fearful that the house was going to cave in.  when you put your trust in the Lord, you can be assured the house will stand, the support system is in place and you shall not be moved.  The Lord establishes the support system so you can stand even when the strong winds of adversity come.  We cannot see them with our natural eyes but we know the support system of the angelic army is in place.

The Right Path:  Ask God to send help from the Sanctuary if you need extra support and strength.

“May the name of the God of Jacob set you up on high and defend you.  Send you help from the sanctuary and support, refresh and strengthen you from Zion.”  Psalm 20:1-2 (amp)

Secrets of God

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“In Him we also were made [God’s] heritage (portion) and we obtained an inheritance; for we had been foreordained (chosen and appointed beforehand) in accordance with His purpose, who works out everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His [own] will.”
Ephesians 1:11

The secrets of God can be discovered but they are hidden in the secret place. We can go to the secret place and discover His secrets, His will, His plan, and purpose for our life. I believe we must spend time, maybe even hours daily in this secret place, to discover His will for our life. Psalms 91 says that we can actually dwell in the secret place and abide there forever. It is in this secret place where all the distractions of the world are blocked out and all you hear is His voice.

You were chosen ahead of time for a certain purpose. You were actually appointed by God to do it. You can’t wait on man to say it or depend on man, it is God that appoints you. God may use a man or woman as a mouth piece to confirm what He has already appointed for you to do. Eph 1:11 says that God works everything out after the counsel of His will. God will work all things together to accomplish whatever His will is.

Go to the secret place daily and listen for the secret for that day to be revealed to you.

“The secret of His will…” Ephesians 1:9

Seeing and Showing the Love of God

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Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.   1 Corinthians 13:4-7  (NIV)

ppl-kid-07Love can be hard when you come across someone who seems unlovable. They may have harsh words when they speak to you, or they may do things that hurt your feelings and you wonder how you can love this person.  It is sometimes very hard to show the Love of God to people who seem abrasive and hurtful.  But, that is what we are called to do.

The good news is if God can love you and me with all of our short comings, and issues, we can ask him to help us love others the same way. It will not always feel good because it will be a struggle to overcome the selfish nature we have to automatically protect ourselves and to retaliate.

Demonstrate the love of God by showing kindness regardless of the situation. No one said love would be easy. We are not focusing on the easy to love but those seemingly unlovable people who you run into time after time. Make a decision in your head and heart that you will show that person the love of God through kindness regardless of their reaction. Do this enough times and you will begin to see the power of love in action. Slowly that cold barrier will start to dissolve.

Another way to show the love of God is to be deliberate about loving others in your actions and words. Once you decide how you will do this, the actual love acts will become easier and you will begin to feel joy about how you are positively impacting others for Christ.

Being slow to anger is another demonstration of the love of God. There are times when you may be tired and not have much patience, but remember that God shows us mercy every day and we need to do the same for our brothers and sisters.

Protect your relationships from the enemy by being willing to forgive and really forget if another has offended you. This can be challenging when someone close to you hurts you but you can forgive with God’s help. This not only shows God’s love, but it strengthens our connections as the body of Christ.

Show love by thinking of others before you think of yourself. Jesus was the greatest example of this by his death on the cross. We need to die to ourselves everyday as a witness to the love of Christ on this earth.

Keep trying to show the love of God to everyone you meet. Think of ways you can change someone’s life though an act of love. Love is powerful, give it freely and often.

 

Rend Your Heart

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Should you not fear me?” declares the Lord.
    “Should you not tremble in my presence?
I made the sand a boundary for the sea,
    an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;
    they may roar, but they cannot cross it.
But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts;
    they have turned aside and gone away.
They do not say to themselves,
    ‘Let us fear the Lord our God,
who gives autumn and spring rains in season,
    who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’
Your wrongdoings have kept these away;
    your sins have deprived you of good.
– Jeremiah 5:22-25

In September, the piercing truth of those verses above were devastating to my soul.  All of the first 20 or so chapters of Jeremiah were that way for me.  The back and forth between the Lord and Israel, and the prayers and pleas of Jeremiah were intense and raw.  The reality and how close these situations hit home in my heart was overwhelming.  Yet there was so much truth in this book of Jeremiah that I continued reading chapter upon chapter non-stop for a few days while the Lord deeply rebuked, convicted and comforted me during that time.

My emotions have been all over the place since then.  I would have periods of dropping into the depths of shame and despair, end up wailing on the floor and in my spirit with major outward expressions of grief and repentance, only to have the Lord lift me up and cradle me in His arms in greater comfort and peace.  We would wrestle for a while many times before I would ultimately accept what He was pouring out over me.  His incessant amazing love continues to prevail – far beyond my finite understanding… and I am so thankful!

In a way, back in September was probably one of the first real times that I began to actively “fear God” and those deep seeds were beginning to be sown into my spirit.  The first part of a prayer from Jeremiah in chapter 10 was something I felt very strongly connected to and it became a prayer of my own:

I know, O Lord, that a man’s life is not his own;
it is not for man to direct his steps.
Correct me, Lord, but only with justice—
not in your anger,
lest you reduce me to nothing.
– Jeremiah 10:23-24

If there is one thing that I now can comprehend more deeply than I have previously… it is that the Lord is still and always faithful.  He answered my prayer and has not corrected me in His anger, but with justice… He has not reduced me to nothing, though the correction and discipline is still very painful.

I’ve been in a season of rending since September.  It’s also a time of correction and discipline from my Father, but rending has been my response to it (that is, after the initial stubborn resistance).  I couldn’t fully describe what kind of season it’s been until last week when I read the book of Joel.  I’m not sure if I’ve ever paid attention to the word “rend” before – but I immediately noticed and began to digest it.

“Even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

Rend your heart
and not your garments.
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.
– Joel 2:12-13

To me, this goes along with Jeremiah and all that the Lord has been bringing me through.  It is only by His grace that He’s brought me to this place and it’s incredible!  This is definitely not a place I would ever be able to conjure up for myself.

When I was in rebellion, not truly fearing Him but had elevated MAN and people above Him by literally fearing THEM and letting others’ dictate my life instead of His Kingship… I was bitter, resentful, and in constant chaos.  Yet those were just the effects of my disobedience – the deeper sin and issue.  I was blinded by so many things though, and in the Lord’s faithfulness, He opened my heart and eyes to more of His truth.

Rend means to “tear”.

I’ve used the term “fillet” in regards to the heart before, and it’s along those same lines… filleting the heart open before the Lord is necessary for the relationship.  But I’m really liking the “rending” term too!  Filleting is a cutting process that often uses a sharp utensil of some kind.  So in a sense it’s a more sophisticated method… while tearing is using your hands and a much more crude method.  It’s using what you already have access to – something raw and natural.  The process is unrefined and desperate… more human.  Maybe that doesn’t really make sense and I’m putting more thoughtfulness into that than is necessary.  But I tend to observe things that way though and process more allegorically so it feels important to me.

From my limited understanding, the culture of the Jewish people and many other Eastern cultures of Biblical times was to tear their garments when upset or in mourning.  Just remembering from off the top of my head (I’d have to do further investigating to be totally sure), I believe plenty of prophets and other people mentioned in the Bible tore their clothes when hearing devastating or upsetting news or in repentance of their sins, etc.  This was a surface expression of how upset they were – an outward show of their deeper emotions.

Anyone can tear their garments and put on an outward show though, even without the deeper things going on… if you pay closer attention the verse in Joel, it is so clear in requesting a rending (tearing) of the heart and NOT the garments.  In other words and how I take that, tear things deeper and not just superficially or on the surface.

Each of us has the capacity to deceive ourselves… we can go about our lives with an outward superficial show of repentance or appear as if we are fearing the Lord, when in reality and in the deeper parts of our souls – we are not.  When we’re being disobedient or deceptive in the deeper parts of our hearts, we might can successfully fool everyone around us, but we can’t fool the One who created us and who has everything laid out wide open before Him.  That’s why we have to trust God, and not our own selves.

We all need a time of heart rending before the Lord… if we’re opposed to it and satisfied to just carry on with our superficial lives, not trembling in His presence, being stubborn and rebellious, not returning to Him with our whole hearts… we will bring the Lord and ourselves more grief.  The Lord knows what is best and good for us… that’s why He’s gracious and compassionate, abounding in love and slow to anger!  But He is also JUST and that’s why correction and rebuke is necessary and good.

We each need to wake up and be sensitive to pay attention to His heart, because it’s typically after a good rebuking and responsive rending that our hearts can be changed since we’ve become open, broken, and soft enough to listen to Him… I feel like the Lord begins to reveal Himself more clearly in that time and it’s all in preparation for the Day of His return.  A great, dreadful, amazing day that will be!  We need to be ready for it and not grow cold, weary, or lose heart.

“Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.”
– Malachi 4:1-2

I don’t know about you but I want to fear God, take His correction, be obedient and rend my heart… returning to the Lord, revering His name, so I can be with Him in eternity and see that amazing day of Jesus’ return.  I don’t want anything of this world, my flesh and sin nature, Satan’s schemes or whatever to detour me from obtaining the prize of Jesus and being with Him forever.  Holy Spirit, start revival!

Do You Know God’s Will For Your Life?

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Learning to Trust AgainHave you ever questioned what God’s will for your life is?  God’s Kingdom is distinct and a different way of life. Phil 2:13 says, “It is God in you that works to will and to act according to His excellent pleasure”.

I have actually discovered that I can pray the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy will be done”, and afterwards resist the work of Christ in me. “Col 1: 27 says, To whom God would make understood exactly what is the riches of the glory of this secret among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory”. I had to find out the difference between my will and His. My will includes doing whatever I wish to do, as much as I wish to do it. If I live according to my will, then I will consume all the food I want, invest all the cash I want, then whine since I am overweight and broke. When I abide and submit by His will, then I have criteria and borders. When I surrender my life to Christ and ask Him to be in charge, I am doing exactly what He desires me to do.

Your life will not be complicated if you surrender to God’s plan and will for your life. It is Christ working inside of you, changing your will to do the Fathers will. Take time to read His Word and you will quickly see who you are.

JOSEPH REPORT:  INSIGHTS ON PREPAREDNESS

You are His kid and a beneficiary. You are to live as a successor, a joint successor with Christ. It will alter your plan for the day when you get a look that you are here on planet earth as a beneficiary to develop and keep your Fathers kingdom.

Pray this easy prayer, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in paradise.” Journal as you ask Him to reveal you His will. What does it appear like?

Have you ever questioned exactly what God’s will for your life is? God’s Kingdom is distinct and a different method of life. I am doing exactly what He desires me to do when I surrender my life to Christ and ask Him to be in charge.

Your life will not be complicated if you surrender to God’s strategy and will for your life.

Living Life to the Fullest

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“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. – Matthew 22:37

fearfully and wonderfully madeI have a class assignment due in the morning. I found it extremely interesting and it got me mulling over some things at a depth I haven’t had “time” to do for a while. I think I’m moving too fast these days… I miss the times when I can just slow down and breathe. I miss abiding in Him, in His presence… resting with Him, being gentle and not SO intense about everything.

The assignment was to get each student to personally think and to then express what this specific statement meant to them. The statement was basically talking about living life to the fullest, having a good quality life, etc.

I’m in the healthcare field, but in a more specific type of field that approaches things more holistically (where every part of a person’s life is interconnected and certain ailments or impairments should not just be viewed as a singular separate issue). I like this approach because, to me, it’s valid.

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. – Matthew 22:37 

We are complex creatures. Fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God. So it’s no wonder we have to consider all of the complex areas of our lives and how they play into our health. I think the command to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind shows this. It makes me wonder…

Could we just love God with our mind? With just our hearts? With just our soul? Is that a possibility? Or is there something deeper going on that Jesus and God are trying to say?

I have no idea, nor do I want to let my mind try to fathom that at the moment.

I just think that what the point MAY be is simpler than where my complex brain likes to travel, simply… ALL of you. Yes, every element, every ounce, every aspect of your character, every part of you… God wants us to love Him with ALL of us. We have interconnected pieces of who we are. Mind, heart, body, and soul.

I want all of that to be captivated and caught up in who He is, loving Him and being loved back. A good quality of life and living life to the fullest only comes from knowing Jesus and letting Him teach me how to TRULY live, with every part of my little human life.

Abiding in His Presence

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If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.   John 15:7

Abiding in His PresenceIn today’s fast-pace and hectic lifestyles we often strive to accomplish our tasks in order to feel accomplishment.   Unfortunately, those busy tasks often cause us to ignore the vital importance of spending time in the presence of God.

The word “abiding” means to remain continuously.  Our need is to abide in His presence continuously and allow His words to remain in us continuously.  Unfortunately, too often we replace  abiding in His presence with other tasks and priorities and become overwhelmed with things of this world – rather than living victoriously in Him.

We can find a deep, comforting delight that just arises from spending time with our Heavenly Father and abiding in His presence.  There are a lot of people who enjoy quite moments alone and perhaps sit by their fireplace in deep meditation!  They may be lonely and hurting.  They might sit alone, however there is someone who is hidden from view, but ever-present and waiting for their reach.  Yet, for some reason, people often do not completely recognize His presence.

Recognizing God’s presence can be limited by the stresses of mind, feelings, physical condition, or even the weather conditions outside.  The rainfall or thick fog outside, the lack of sleep or intense pain, seem to obstruct people from the ability to grasp the fullness of His presence.

We simply need to call upon Him and surrender those moments to really basking in His presence.  He is always faithful to meet us.  As we rest expectantly in God’s presence, the Lord takes control and starts to draw our attention to God’s word and His peace that passes all understanding.  We begin to sense His comforting love as His presence fills our hearts.

There is a deep demand in every one of us to be close to our God.  Abiding in His presence is something to be sought after and not to be stayed clear of. While many try to live our lives according God’s word, our experiences with God will make it all come alive.  The Bible is a book of experiences, of men and women of God throughout history, whose lives were changed with a divine encounter.   Our lives will also be changed as we seek to abide in His presence.

There is more than simply understanding His presence.  The higher important thing is to appreciate His presence and enjoy the precious time with Him.  He is close to you, and His presence is real.  He is always present, a warmhearted friend, and the all-powerful Lord.   He is there to listen to your hurts, fears and disappointments, as-well-as your joys and victories.

This is a joyful reality for hurting hearts everywhere… God is with you, and is closer than ever.  You are not alone, He is always there.  Abide in Him.

In Difficult Times, God Hears Our Weeping

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The Lord has heard my cry for mercy;  the Lord accepts my prayer.  Psalm 6: 9

It seems that everywhere you go now people are discouraged, hurting, and afraid.  The news media gives us a steady flow of painful reports that often overwhelm us with concern, and attempt to steal our hope.

Unfortunately, in our cluttered and hyper-paced lifestyles we often rush through our challenges and attempt to control the outcomes ourselves.  We sometimes get drawn-in to the painful reports and feel overwhelmed with the difficulties.

It is important to recognize that in our times of difficulty, we have a resource we can turn to for comfort and guidance.  As the times become more difficult, we must discipline ourselves to spend more time He Who is our refuge in times of trouble.  In Him we will find peace during the storms.

Consider what David shared in Psalm 6.

1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your wrath.

2 Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint;
heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.

3 My soul is in deep anguish.
How long, Lord, how long?

4 Turn, Lord, and deliver me;
save me because of your unfailing love.

5 Among the dead no one proclaims your name.
Who praises you from the grave?

6 I am worn out from my groaning. 

All night long I flood my bed with weeping
and drench my couch with tears.

7 My eyes grow weak with sorrow;
they fail because of all my foes.

8 Away from me, all you who do evil,
for the Lord has heard my weeping.

9 The Lord has heard my cry for mercy;
the Lord accepts my prayer.

10 All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish;
they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.

The Day of Freedom

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 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”   1 Thessalonians 5:21

Learning to Trust AgainDid you know that this could be your day for freedom?  You must first determine what you need freedom from.   Do you need freedom from fear and anxiety or do you need freedom from discouragement?

You can gain freedom from these emotional bondage’s by being thankful.  It may sound too simple but a thankful heart is a profound truth found in God’s Word.   A thankful heart is a heart that sees what God has done and is thankful for the blessings.

If you have not developed a thankful heart you will find yourself repeatedly struggling with disappointment and discouragement. Freedom means you have overcome these deadly emotions! It just takes one act of obedience to God’s Word to overcome.

Looking at how the Lord has blessed you develops a thankful heart.  If you are always focusing on what is wrong then that is what you will see, think about and feel.  That’s the picture that will develop! To develop a thankful heart you must focus on what is good about the situation and thank God for it. A thankful heart has to be cultivated out of obedience to the Lord.   Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:21; “In all things give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus,” Even in a devastating situation, look for what you can thank God for and focus on this blessing.

Maintaining your freedom from fear and disappointment is the next challenge. Living in the present is the key. When your thoughts are always drifting backwards on what went wrong you would feel discouraged. When your thoughts are always on the future you can become anxious and fearful of the unknown.  Stay in the present and focus on what God has done this day and be thankful.  A person with a thankful heart is at peace.  Face each new day and focus on what God has done.

The Voice of God

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“Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalms 46:10)

Do you know what the voice of God sounds like?  It is a distinct sound that we hear with our spiritual ears.  Spiritual ears are skilled to hear the voice of the Lord and they attain this skill through seasons of stillness.

Skill comes through stillness. “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalms 46:10).

A skilled bird watcher has ears that are tuned to hear the sounds of birds.  He can walk outside and at once identify various birds.  Each bird has a unique and distinct sound that sets that bird apart from all the other birds, but it requires an attained skill to hear them.

As a Christian, we are to be so tuned to hear the voice of our Lord that we hear Him above all the other sounds.  In our world today, there are many voices trying to get our attention.  A time of stillness away from all distraction is required to learn how to hear Him.

At the creation, when the Lord said, “Let there be light”, everything changed. When He spoke He separated darkness and light. His voice is just as strong today and can bring about a complete change in your life.  All that is needed are spiritual ears to hear and a heart to obey. If you want change in your life, listen to Him as you read His Word and He will show you what He calls darkness and what He calls light.  Listen and obey the still small voice of the Lord if you want things in your life to change.