Category Archives: Spiritual Growth

He Drew Me Out of Many Waters

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“He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.”  Psalm 18:16

“Send thine hand from above; rid me, and delivered me out of great waters, from the hand of strange children.”  Psalm 144:7

“Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.”   Psalms 69:1-3

He drew me out of many watersIn these passages the Psalmist David is calling on the Lord to deliver him out of deep water.  In Psalm 18:16-17 the deep waters are referring to someone who hated him and have spoken words against him.

When I think of great waters I think of an ocean with huge waves crashing in one after the other.  When you have received too many critical words they can have this same effect.

If you are engulfed in these great waters you may feel like you are sinking.  You become overwhelmed like being in an ocean with one wave after the other hitting you and pulling you under.  If you take these critical words into your soul, it is like taking water into your lungs and after a period of time you can drown.

The Lord is reaching His hand down from above to lift you up.  His love is a life raft that He is throwing out to you, so reach out and let Him pull you up.  He will reach down and lift you up in many different ways.  It may be through a loving friend’s call or an act of kindness. Just when you are so overwhelmed the call will come in and you will be lifted up out of those critical words where you have been drowning.   Once you have been lifted up and encouraged in the love and kindness, don’t go back out into dangerous waters without a boat to hold you up.

Find security in knowing who you are in Christ so that the words of criticism cannot touch you.  Let the words that God says about you soak into your spirit. Then, you will be able to float on the top of the water, not allowing critical words to come into your soul.  Don’t let the words of men define who you are. Know who God says you are.

God loves you and will never leave you or forsake you. He is for you and not against you (Psalm 56:9). Spend more time listening to what God says about you and re-arrange your schedule so you are spending plenty of time with family or friends who also speak words of encouragement.

The Path: Find ways to encourage others daily and you will be encouraged.

Staying on Track

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 “You will show me the path of life.”    Ps. 16:11

I have learned over the past 50 years that staying on track takes self-control and discipline.  Self-control is actually planted in you by the Holy Spirit and is growing inside of you as a fruit of the Spirit.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22

Self- control and self -discipline develop, as you are obedient to the “Still Small Voice of the Lord” on a daily basis.   Set the boundaries that He says to set.  The little things count!  Obedience to the little things is how we learn to be led by God’s Holy Spirit.  What He says no to, do not touch!   He will guide us and give us His counsel.

I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; my heart also instructs me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me. Psalm 16:7

You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures For with You is the fountain of life.   Psalm    36:9

We drink from the fountain when we are in the presence of God, and this fountain will sustain you in seasons of trouble and drought.  You see now why you must stay close to Him as you are traveling along the Path of Life.  It is not an easy road or a scenic road!  It is narrow and can be very steep and dangerous, so we must not go too close to the edge. That is why we need hind’s feet for the climb.  We need to be living in truth, speaking truth, walking in the way of truth to be safe.

Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Mathew 7:14

Since the way is narrow, we must look to God’s Word and gain wisdom on how to set boundaries in our life and safe guards to keep us on the path. We need to listen because sometimes we need guidance, but other times we need warnings, and correction. We actually gain wisdom from mistakes so we will not repeat them. I know where I can’t go.  I have learned where my boundaries are for my safety.

He who keeps instruction is in the way of life.  But he who refuses correction goes astray.  Proverbs 10:17

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life.  Proverbs 11:30

In the way of righteousness is life.  Proverbs 12:28

Burdens Will Roll Away

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“Commit your ways to the Lord (roll and repose each care of your load on Him); trust (lean on, rely on and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass.”  Psalm 37:5 Amp.

You have probably found, as I have, that every problem has a weight to it, and some are heavier than others.  If you have committed your ways unto the Lord and are trusting in Him to work things out, then you must release the heavy weight and not take it back again.  As you trust the Lord, you can have peace in knowing your burdens will roll away.

Do not worry about it.   Trust Him.  This does not mean you are not involved or concerned about the situation.   It simply means you are not anxious or worried about it anymore.  And most of all, it is not up to you to fix it.

You are now trusting in the Lord and waiting on Him to work everything out for good.  Waiting is hard, but you can trust God to be faithful to His Word.  Grab hold of His promise and then wait.  It is hard to wait at first, but the more you resist taking things back into your own hands and working them out yourself, the easier waiting becomes.

So today, if your problem feels heavy, just pray and release it to the Lord.  Roll it over and reposition the weight on Him, and He will carry it for you.  All you need to do now is stand back and watch as He works everything out according to His plan and purpose.

Be aware that if you have never lived life without a weight on your back, it may feel funny at first.  If so, resist taking the weight back again.  Psalm 37:3 says, “Trust in (lean on, rely on and be confident) in the Lord and do good, so shall you dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness, and surely be fed.”   This tells me we are not to worry, because He will provide for all our needs.  We are to feed on His faithfulness, and He has a banquet table prepared for us.

Another important teaching on burden bearing.

 

Guaranteed to Change Your Life

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Twenty or so years ago I was introduced to a prayer that was guaranteed to change your life and your marriage.

WOW! Did I ever need a guarantee like that. I immediately began to pray this prayer for my husband and me.  Our life was such a mess at that time, like a cluttered closet.  I didn’t know where to start and he wasn’t interested at all in cleaning closets. I had heard the old saying that prayer changes things, so I began to pray and trust God to clean out our cluttered closets.

Today, 20 years later, as I read the Amplified version of this prayer, I am amazed at how this prayer had been answered in our lives.

God’s Word contains God’s plan and it will accomplish His purpose. I have realized I can have a good idea of what I think needs to change in my life or my husband’s life.  It may be a good idea, but if it didn’t originate in the heart of God, it doesn’t have the power of God behind it. God’s Word has His power behind it, and His power changes things.

Pray this prayer and insert your name first and then your spouse and watch God do the work:

“Since the day I heard it, I have not ceased to pray for ____________that (I, he, she) will be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. That ____________will walk worthy of the Lord, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of Christ.”

Colossians 1:9-11

Are We Hurting Our Children?

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“Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet… and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse”  (Malachi 4:5-6).

kids are watching us

A model is a smaller version of an item.  A model car is a smaller version of a real car.

Our children are models, a smaller version of us.  They are like mirrors that we can look into and see ourselves.  We demonstrate certain behaviors in front of our children and they act out what they have learned.  Therefore, our children typically become like us.  If we are not careful in how we live our lives, that can be a very painful reality.

Certainly, most parents work hard to raise their children in a way that will honor God.  We certainly hope their lives are filled with joy and happiness, and that as they grow older they will find meaning and purpose in the Lord.

As we are raising and giving discipline to our children, we expect them to listen.  We want them to do what we say.

They may follow our instructions, but unfortunately, they may also do as we do.  They watch us and follow our example.  If there is inconsistencies between our instructions and our actions they will be confused.  Are you showing the example of Christ?

Read Malachi 4:5-6 again.  Look at your children, and then look at who you have modeled your life after.  Ask the Lord for help to make a change.

“Like a sparrow in her flying and a swallow in her wandering, so the curse without a cause cannot come” (Proverbs 26:2).

For a closer look at living in the image of Christ (and raising children) you might find our teaching on Burden Bearing to be interesting.

Examine the Fruit

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“Search me Lord and know my heart, try me and know my ways and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).

We can determine the condition of our heart by observing the fruit our life has produced.   To measure fruitfulness, you look over the past season or over the past year and see what has been produced.  In the fall a farmer looks over the previous growing season to determine the condition of the field.  We can also look at the past year of our life and determine the condition of our heart by looking at the harvest.

Jesus taught His disciples that their life should produce fruit – from 60 to 100 per cent.  A fruitful Christian is one that receives God’s Word and the Word that is planted in their heart produces a harvest even up to a 100 fold return.

You may have a Word from God, but if it is not given to another in love, it will not produce a harvest.  This is why the condition our heart is so important and it determines the fruit we produce.  By observing the fruit our life has produced, we can tell what condition our heart is in.

Pray this prayer daily and watch what happens: “Search me Lord and know my heart, try me and know my ways and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).

Awaken Your Faith?

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“Aroused by faith, Moses, when he had grown to maturity and became great…” (Hebrews 11:24).

awaken my faithIt is interesting that Moses had to be aroused by faith.  The word “arouse” means to be awakened; to be stirred up and awakened from slumbering.  We can get so consumed and overwhelmed with the struggles of life that we become discouraged to the point that our spirit slumbers, or shuts down and sleeps.

When you give in and are overcome by discouragement, you have a slumbering spirit.  An awakened spirit keeps you focused on what God is doing; even in the midst of trouble, you see the light.  There is so much bad news today that many are overtaken with discouragement.  We need to ask God to awaken our spirit.  All those who are called to be a modern day “Moses” need to wake up.  Those who are called to be a modern day “Elisha” or “David” all need to wake up and take their post.  It is not a time for some to sleep and some to work; it is a time for everyone to wake up and do what they were born to do.  We were born in this time in history for a reason.  It is time for everyone to face this reality and embrace who they are, and what they were called to do (Romans 13:11).

Pray this prayer: “Wake me up Lord – I want to discover my divine calling, and know what I am to do in the work of the Kingdom.”

The Power to Move a Mountain

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“You will know and understand the hope to which He called you and the greatness of His power.” Eph 1:18

Faith to move a mountainWe have access to His great power when we are in His will.  The power to create the universe, move a mountain and change history is in His hands.  He has placed me as His child, His representative on the earth, to call on Him to create, move or change something. Sometimes we get so preoccupied that we forget our purpose.

Have you ever gone into the grocery store and forgotten what you intended to buy?  After a couple of steps into the store you have a thousand voices speaking to you!  You see all the brands of cereal and the sales, and you forget what you wanted to purchase.  The same is true in our daily life.   The calls, the options, and the sales grab for our attention.

What happened to the still small voice that spoke into your spirit the moment you woke up?  Was it drowned out within the first few steps into your world?  We must realize how Christ was able to carry out His assignment on planet earth.  He set His face like a flint towards the cross and He didn’t let anything distract him.  The world could not hinder, discourage, slow down nor stop Him.  Know what your purpose is and rely on the greatness of His power to accomplish it.

What is Your Destiny?

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You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. Psalm 73:24 (New Living Translation)

What is your destiny?A person’s destiny is connected to identity which has already been determined by God.  He has chosen each of His children and called them to carry out a special purpose.  Therefore, identity is directly connected to their purpose. When a person does not know who they are, they will struggle with walking out their destiny.

The enemy has been quite successful in this generation to interfere with children coming into their destiny.  You will flounder and struggle with what you are supposed to do with your life until you find out who you are.

One of the roles in parenting is to help their children know who God created them to be, and call them into it.  Their gifting and talents should be recognized and encouraged.  A parent confirms the identity of their children through affirmation.

Many adults today are floundering because they received very little parental affirmation and encouragement.  The good news is… it is never too late to discover your destiny.

As you are in search of your destiny, watch as God places mile markers along the way to confirm you are going in the right direction. A destiny searcher will be encouraged by the Lord as He brings confirmation all along the way.

Destiny searchers are those in search of their destiny. Your destiny is directly connected with your identity, or who God created you to be. No one else is shaped, fashioned and molded like you are. You cannot know what you are supposed to do until you know who you are. Your identity and destiny are connected together. But you may ask, “How do I discover my destiny?” It can be found in several ways:

1)  Heritage – the family line may be a clue to your destiny. Look first at the gifting and abilities your father had.  Then look at your grandfather. There may be a pattern in their life that you will observe in your own. You may be following in your father’s or grandfather’s steps.

2)  Your name – sometimes your destiny is hidden in your name. When parents have named their children by the prompting of the Holy Spirit, there is destiny in the name. The Word of God does not return void; it accomplishes what God intends for it to accomplish. In the Bible, God put so much importance on the name that He even changed names when there was a major change in direction in a person’s life. In the New Testament, Saul’s name was changed to Paul after He met the Lord. In the Old Testament, Abram’s name was changed to be Abraham.

3)  Your heart’s desire – The third thing to consider as you search for your destiny is to know your heart’s desire. God places in your heart what He has called you to do. What has been in your heart for years? If there is a desire that is still alive in your heart, it could be that God has put it there. “It is God that works in you both to will and to do His good pleasure.” This means He puts the desire in you to do His will.

Resist the Fleeting Thoughts

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A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness.   The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for others.   Whoever walks the road, although a fool, shall not go astray. Isaiah 35:8 (New King James Version)

Highway of HolinessHave you ever been driving down the interstate, and all of a sudden with one fleeting thought you decide to exit off and take the back road?  The back roads will slow you down and hinder you from getting to your desired destination.

So, we must all resist these thoughts.  Take every thought captive, especially those thoughts that lead you astray.  The thought may be as simple as, “I would rather take the scenic route,” but you fail to remember it was the scenic road that led you off course before.  We must learn from our mistakes so we don’t repeat them. Once you are on the Highway, stay on it and resist fleeting thoughts that get you off track.

Stay on Isaiah 35:8, the Highway of Holiness.