Category Archives: Spiritual Growth

Dwelling in His Presence

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“Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence.”   Psalms 140:1

Dwelling in the presence of the Lord is the lifestyle of a Christian and prayer is the only way to maintaining this lifestyle.  Prayer is how we connect to God and giving thanks is the key to keeping that connection.

The apostle Paul thought prayer was so important that he said to pray without ceasing. You may ask “How can I carry out the everyday tasks of my job, my kids, my home and still pray without ceasing?”

The prayer uttered out of a thankful heart is a prayer that will continue all day. “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving…”(Psalm 104).

When you enter into prayer first thing every morning with a prayer of thanksgiving and maintain an attitude of thankfulness, you will find yourself in His presence all day.  It’s all about how you enter in.  If we enter into His presence with a thankful heart, we will find it easer to continue thanking Him for the rest of the day.  When you stay focused on the blessings of God and thanking Him, your spiritual eyes will only see what He wants you to see. Your spiritual eyes see through thanksgiving.

The secret to staying in the presence of the Lord all the time is determined by the condition of your heart. A heart that is thankful is a heart that can see God in everything. That person can truly pray without ceasing because they are continually giving thanks. Ask God to refocus your eyes so you can see His blessings in everything and give thanks.

Refocus: “…What ever things are pure and whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8).

“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)  

 “Continue steadfastly in prayer, watching therein with thanksgiving.” (Colossians 4:2)

A Continuous Flow

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… If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in me out of his inner most being shall flow [continuously] springs and rivers of living water. John 7:37-38

I began to ponder this morning about the continuous flow of Living Water.  As I read John 7:37-38 I thought; living water is a continuous flow of love and forgiveness.  That is it; that is what I experience daily as I spend time with the Lord.

His love and forgiveness is a “continuous flow” that never stops.  But, is that what others experience when they spend time with me?  I heard the Lord as He spoke in that quiet gentile voice to my heart,  “Can you carry my love and forgiveness to others?  Will you let it flow continuously from you as a river so that people are refreshed by My presence within you.”  My response was: “Yes, Lord!”

I set back and began to fondly think of those people I love; the ones I wanted to share this continuous flow of love and forgiveness.  But, then I thought about people who I no longer have fellowship with.  I began to wonder did the continuous flow apply to these relationships as well.  I heard the Lord gentle say, “Aren’t you glad that even when you were not fellowshipping with Me that My flow of love and forgiveness was still continuous towards you?  Then He said, “What you have freely received freely give them as well.”  I realized very quickly that I needed more of the love of the Lord, because at this point I only have a small creek that runs as far as my close friends and family.

Lord, I want a river, a big river of Living Water; a continuous flow of love and forgiveness that will flow everywhere You send me.

Forgiveness: Clean Out Your Filing Cabinet

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“Forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32

No matter who you are or how long you have been a Christian, you will still have times when you get hurt and offended.  As a Christian, the goal is to learn how to deal with hurts properly.

Learning to respond instead of reacting is the key.  If you have been hurt in the same way before, then it will be easier to take on the offense and react.  The reaction will be based on a combination of the present hurt and the past hurts as well.  If you have learned to forgive when hurtful things happen instead of being offended, you will be able to respond correctly.  Forgiveness therefore, must become a way of life in order to be able to respond in a Christ-like manner no matter what the situation is.

The problem is that your soul has a filing cabinet where past hurts and offenses are stored that have not been dealt with properly. This is why when someone does something that hurts you; you will suddenly remember how many times they have done the same thing before.

The only way to be free from past hurts is to forgive. Ask the Lord to help you forgive. Forgiveness is releasing the person who hurt you, and releasing your right to hold the offense against them any longer. Forgiveness is not saying that what they did was not wrong; forgiveness is releasing them to God. You will not be free from the pain caused by the offense until you release the offender. Once you forgive them, your filing cabinet will be cleaned out and you can begin to deal with hurts on a daily basis instead of letting things pile up.

Forgiveness is releasing our right to demand payment for sins against us by surrendering to God and letting Him be the judge and jury.

God is the Destiny Developer

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“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it”. Proverbs 22:6 (NIV)

God has given the wonderful privilege to parents to train up their children in the way they should go. “Train up the child in the way they should go” requires the parent to be observant of the child. They should look at how God has gifted each child, see what their unique characteristics are, and then train them up accordingly.

A child is given identity through their parent’s encouragement and affirmation.  An adult who struggles with identity has most likely not had positive input from their parents.  It is the father who draws a child’s spirit to life.  His affirmation will give the child the confidence that they can accomplish great things.  It is the parent’s responsibility to help their children discover their identity.  Parents who do not help their children discover who they are will send them out into the world seeking the answer to this question.  The world’s answer to who you are is always based on performance.  The world says you are what you achieve.  Destiny is determined by God.

Many times the destiny of a person is written before birth.  There are many examples in the Word where God revealed to the parents the destiny of their children.  Mary was told that her son Jesus would be the Savior of the world. Hannah knew that her son Samuel was called to be a prophet, and she took him to live in the temple with Eli.

David also saw his son Solomon’s destiny.  God told him that his son, Solomon, would be the one who would build the temple.  Many parents today have the same awesome responsibility to call their children into their destiny.  David affirmed his son publicly.  Jesus was also affirmed by God publicly.  At his baptism God said, “This is my son in whom I am well pleased.”

Destiny developer:
God is the destiny developer.  What He has called you to do; He will equip you to do.  Over time, as you experience His hand of mercy and grace, He will deposit into you the strength of character to carry out what He has called you to do.  What He has begun in you, He will complete.

Destiny “Distracters”:
There are many destiny distracters.  We know the distracters are the things in life that get us off track.  These are the things that we do that lead us in another direction.

Some Christians get easily turned away from their calling by pursuing their own grievances and enemies.  This will ultimately turn the direction of their life completely around from pursuing God’s high calling to their own cause. This distraction can keep one pulled into a whirlwind for many years.
Another distraction is believing the lies of the enemy.  Satan is the father of lies, and he plants lies in you so you doubt that you even have a destiny.
Fear is another distracter.  You will fear that you cannot do what God has called you to do, and then give up.

Be a Destiny Searcher

Jeremiah 29:13 “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”

James 4:7-8 “Submit yourselves therefore to God; Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.

Ask God to reveal your destiny. He is the destiny establisher. Submit yourself to the Lord; He is the destiny developer. Resist the enemy; he is the destiny distracter.

Who Are You?

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You may look to your place of birth and the family you grew up in to find out who you are.  Whether you were born into a rich home, or born into poverty, it doesn’t really matter. Your family background does not define who you are. Your family background is simply the ground in which you were planted. This is why we are referred to as “Oaks of Righteousness” in Isaiah 61. Now, who are you?

As a little girl, I would go to visit my grandfather every summer. He lived in a big beautiful home in the mountains, a stately mansion with two boxwood trees as an archway you passed through at the entrance. As our car traveled up the winding road I felt my excitement rising. I felt like I was going to see the most important man, a statesman, a King. My grandfather was that impressive to me. He was very wise, kind, and I admired him and loved to visit with him. He enjoyed having company, and if he knew we were coming, he would stand on the porch watching for us to arrive. A visit with him in his big, white, stately house made me feel like I was somebody special. If he was important, then I must be somebody important too.

A number of years ago I traveled up the same winding road, but this time everything was different.  My grandfather was gone and the excitement of seeing him standing on the porch was no longer felt. It had been almost ten years since I had seen the old home and walked up the steps of the big house where he lived. The same road that, as a child seemed to go on forever, was actually just a little “one lane” gravel road. As the house came into view, I realized it was also different than what I remembered. What a shock!  The big mansion on the mountain was so little; just a farm house sitting on the side of a hill.

This experience began a journey for me that I now titled: “The Journey From the Little House to the Big House”. It is a teaching on how we travel from our family of origin to find who we really are. I began this journey that day, searching for my true identity, worth, and purpose in life. If my grandfather wasn’t really a statesman living in a mansion, then who was I? If he was just a farmer in a little farmhouse, as his granddaughter, who am I?

Even within the same family, each person must discover their true identity apart from their family. Our true identity is not earthly it is heavenly. We were God’s plan in the first place. God created each of us differently, as a unique expression of his handiwork. Our life is a beautiful, hand woven tapestry with thousands of stitches all carefully placed in a design. Early in life, our tapestry is a lot of different colored threads. However, as time goes on and we lay our life into the Father’s hands, He gently weaves the threads of our life together and a beautiful tapestry is revealed. Each tapestry God weaves is a “one of a kind” and He has a different purpose in mind for each unique design. When you finally find out who God says you are, you are a tapestry to be used in His house. God’s house, His kingdom on earth; is the “Big House.” It is a dwelling place of peace, as you embrace and live in who He says you are. He loves what He creates; He has a plan and purpose for each unique creation.

For me, those wonderful days at my grandfather’s house planted a desire in me to find the “Big House”. I have found it, and it is grand. Now I know I am somebody special, because I know who He says I am.

He Prepares the Table

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“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies…”

“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.”   Rev. 3:20

A beautiful banquet table is being prepared for the most splendid banquet in history.  You have a special invitation to this banquet if you are a child of God.

When Jesus knocked on the door of your heart and you asked Him to come into your life, you were inviting Him in to sup or have dinner with you. Now you are invited to come to the Fathers house and have dinner with Him and the rest of the Family. You have a special invitation and a special seat at the banquet table.

He has prepared a seat at this banquet table for you even in the presence of your enemies. No matter what others say against you, you are a special invited guest at this “Family Banquet.”  When Jesus ascended back to heaven He said He was going to prepare a place for each of us.  The place He has prepared is not just a place but also a position in the Fathers house and a seat at the “big table.”

As you grew up in an earthly family you may have had a special seat at the dinner table.  As the years went by and you returned home for special dinners you may have returned to sit in that same seat.  The seat is yours not because you bought the chair but because you have a special position in the family as a son or a daughter.  The same is true if you are a child of God you have a position in the heavenly family and you have a seat at the banquet table.

The Lord is knocking on the door of your heart; if you have never asked Him to come in, please ask Him now. Today is the day!

Do You Want to Change?

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“I acknowledge my sin unto thee and mine iniquity have I not hid…and thou forgave the iniquity of my sin” (Psalm 32:5).

Recently, we had ants in our kitchen. We were covered in ants even after we had our house exterminated three times.  What we failed to do was find the main source they were coming from.  Once we discovered it, our ant problem was solved.  It’s the same with sin.  Once we discover the hidden iniquity, the main source, then our sin problem can be solved.

If you are serious about getting rid of the annoying things in your life, you must find the source.  In Nehemiah 9:2-3, Nehemiah told the people of his time that there was a direct correlation between their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.

“Then the Israelites separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers” (Nehemiah 9:2).

Everyone knows to confess their sins, but that is not all that needs to be done. Sin is a representation of something much deeper; it represents an iniquity. We must dig deep to discover iniquities, which are the origin of sins.  Satan wants the main source, the iniquity, to remain hidden.  Iniquity is Satan’s access point to you and your entire family line.

When a sin is brought to your attention, confess the sin and the iniquity where it originated.

It’s Time That We Acknowledge God First

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“Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty; neither do I exercise myself in matters too great or in things too wonderful for me” (Psalm 131:1)

If we allow it, pride can get the best of us.  It can steer us into areas where we believe we’ll benefit the most, and lead us away from the more practical areas. It can puff us up into believing we are the best, we are in control, and we don’t need anyone else.  Pride can lead us to the top and assure us that we are right where we need to be.

However, the Bible tells us a different story about pride. It says, “A man’s pride will bring him low, but he who is of a humble spirit will obtain honor” (Proverbs. 29:23).  The humble attitude of a person will elevate them to the place of honor.  Having a humble attitude means separating ourselves from our own accomplishments or achievements, and acknowledging the fact that God is the One who has given us the ability to achieve what we desire.  Always acknowledging God first will help us to maintain a humble attitude and steer us clear of pride.

“In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths” (Proverbs. 3:6)

When we acknowledge Him first, God is the One who will lead us to the place of honor!

 

Strategic Rapid Fire

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“Perfect love casts out all fear” 1 John 4:18
The greatest weapon we have against the enemy is love.  He sets up camp in people who are fearful of rejection and convinces them that they are not loved. 1 John 4:18 says perfect love will cast out all fear.  From this verse we can gain wisdom of how God intends for the enemy to be defeated.  It is through love that fear is cast out and it is through love that his access points are closed.
So how do you know when the enemy has someone in your family convinced that they are not loved?  It will be very obvious by their words and actions.  You will know it because they will criticize and even crush you with their words, and will do things that seem to be deliberate rejection.  Stand firm; you must remind yourself it is not the person, but the enemy working through them. Pull out the strongest ammo, get ready, aim and rapid fire love towards them.
What I mean by rapid fire is to show them love in various ways all within a few hours of each other.  Like a phone call in the early morning, an encouraging text at lunch, then, invite them for dinner in the evening accompanied by a thoughtful gift.  At dinner find ways to affirm their gifts and abilities and encourage them to use their gifts in creative ways.  After several days of very strategic rapid fire the enemy will be overcome and the family member you thought you had lost will be won.

It’s Time For Truth

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One morning, I overslept.  The sun was already out, shining brightly through the window.  I ran to the garden, and as I ran down the sidewalk I saw that the dew was gone.  I had missed meeting with God.   I immediately had an old thought, a lie I had believed for years.  The lie was: “If I mess up, God will not speak to me.”  To my surprise, when I set down in the swing, I saw one drop of dew on the tip of a leaf.  I reached my hand out and the last pearl of the morning dropped into my hand as the Lord lovingly said, “I have been waiting for you.”

The enemy could not use this lie anymore. God did love me, and He wanted to bless me. The truth I received had finally replaced the lie that if I messed up He would not be the re for me. God’s presence was there.  The lie was exposed and the enemy was defeated.

The enemy plants many lies in our minds. One lie is connected to another like a chain; that’s why one thought leads to another, and then another. If you did not receive affirmation from your father as a child, you may have believed the lie of rejection. “There is something wrong with me” is just one example. If you have this lie, it is hidden away from sight, but is silently working to convince you that you are not good enough. If you struggle with this lie, it must been seen as a lie and not the truth. You must recognize the voice of your enemy and stop listening to him.

Fully receive the truth, deep in your innermost being, that you are deeply loved and fully accepted by God. God is for you, and He accepts you because of who you are, not because of your accomplishments. With this truth deep in your spirit, the motivation for everything you do will change. From this point on, you will serve God because you are accepted and not in order to be accepted.

Each lie has a structure of set behaviors and responses. We are transformed daily by the renewing of our mind. We tear down the old house and replace it with a brand new house full of the promises of God. Every thought that comes from a lie must be replaced with truth if you want to live in peace. Taking one lie at a time and replacing it daily with truth is key. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:16 that if we renew our mind daily, we will not faint when adversity comes.  Today, you can begin to tear down the lies that the enemy has planted in your mind.