The Spirit calls me this morning. The great "day" of thanksgiving has past, but the need to be thankful is ever present. My heart and mind are loaded with outside stimulation of emotions firing every cylinder in my engine.
My heart aches for those I love scattered from coast to coast and continents to islands remote and far away and my heart delights in those near enough to hear their laughter and feel their hugs. I weep for those we have lost and rejoice for those we have gained.
The battle rages and there are deep questions that have no answers.
BUT...the Holy Spirit........calls.
He knows my thoughts. Do I dwell too much on those we have lost? Those we are separated from for various reasons? He speaks to me, "No for that's the Heart of the Savior."
He gently handles my sorrow. He helps me past the agony of judgements reminding me that Jesus said He did not come to judge the world but to save it. John 12:47
Do I dwell to much on self incrimination about what I might have done differently to keep the peace? He helps me past all the guilt reminding me that Jesus said He did not come to bring peace but a sword and that sword would divide the closest relationships. Matt 10:34-37
Salvation and the Sword, what an interesting picture and for some, a conflict. But as The Holy One continues to guide my thoughts, I know they are completely intertwined and part of His Sovereignty. The plan of Holiness to bring us back from the dark abyss of the fall.
Why are we left here after our own salvation except to be the unique expressions of Christ to the world that touches our lives.
True believers have felt the Sword.
True believers know what it is to be on the opposite side of salvation and hope.
True believers understand that, absent the Sword of conviction and a sense of division, the need for repentance will not be found and eternal salvation will not happen. People will die and will feel conviction and will face ultimate judgement but too late for them to change. The Sword must do it's work.
Salvation has been offered to all mankind, but it is and always will be a choice. The Sword of Christ brings all of us to the place of choosing.
True believers lives are to offer an example of that choosing.
Does my life radiate my choice? Does Christ though His Holy Spirit in me manifest the separation and consecration of Holiness to the point of creating a conflict with the worldly people around me?
Do I represent Christ and HIS Sword with the testimony of how in humility it worked on me? The reminder of the Sword of Christ kills my pride....it has to...for I was once an enemy of the Cross and no different than those I judge.
The Sword of Christ will create conflict but it's perfect work will lead us to repentance and thereby to salvation. May I always remember how it worked on my life and pray for that same perfect work in others. Salvation and the Sword.
The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
God's provisions are Never Late
The Holy Spirit calls to me this morning. Last night I was reminded about the overwhelming Sovereignty of our God, and what He will do to facilitate His plans and purposes in and through our lives. Further, He reminds me of what He is willing to do in such a supernatural way so that we will not doubt where all provision comes from. He tells me, "My provisions are never late and and I will always sponsor My Will. You need to stop striving."
The impossible occurs from an impossible set of circumstances. In God's Will, provisions have been established to meet the need before it is ever known. Such is God's Sovereignty. He is outside of our comprehension and knows the end before the beginning of any and all matters.
God is never late in what He provides and His provisions always arrive at the appropriate time in His Will. Matt 2:7-18 is the account of the Magi coming to the house of the "Christ" child, Jesus. and His mother, Mary and Joseph.
The ancient prophesies spoke of the "Son" of God called out of Egypt. But Jesus was born in Bethlehem. The journey of the Magi must have been long and hard. In the days of our rapid mobility and fast travel from here to there, from place to place, it's hard to remember that their journey was long and their guide was a "star" in the east leading them to an unknown place to worship a newborn King. It has been said that it took years for them to get to their Divine destination. Jesus was no longer an infant, possibly 2 years old when they finally arrived.
With them they brought extravagant and costly gifts suitable to honor the King they were about to meet. Joseph and Mary were humble people, and Joseph was a carpenter by trade. Little did they know about the danger soon to erupt from the murderous rage of King Herod. And little did they know of the need for the provision the Magi were compelled to bring.
Scripture tells us that "when they (the Magi) were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream". He was told to go to Egypt. Joseph immediately obeyed and left for Egypt where they stayed until the death of Herod. Scripture doesn't tell us what the cost of such a trip and duration of a stay might have been, but no doubt that the gifts of the Magi funded it. The Holy One speaks to my heart, reminding me that such provisions accompany all who will but seek the Lord's will.
In my personal life experiences, looking back, I can see the absolute truth to that reminder. Two years ago, I was blessed to be a part of a move of God and received a double portion in my cup.
The plan was to travel to Vanuatu, an island nation in the South Pacific, to witness the finalization of the adoption of one of my grandchildren, and see first hand the mission field one of my sons has worked in for many years. From there I was to travel with him to attend a WYAM DTS where he was to teach in New Caledonia.
Personal resources did not permit such an expensive trip but the Lord sent love gifts though different people to fund His will for me in the situation. It was the desire of my heart to be able to go and meet the people of this beautiful land out of which my granddaughter was to come forth and then to see my "missionary" son operating in his calling.
Weeks before I left, my son called to inform me that the plane scheduled to take us from Vanuatu to new Caledonia had been sold and they were awaiting a replacement. Later on, the new plane was secured by the national airlines, but our travel to New Caledonia was bumped to the next day and would be delayed by 24 hours.
At the time, it was an inconvenience due to his speaking schedule as it put him late on arrival for his teaching slot, but in my heart I reasoned that the time and travel change was from the Lord. Little did we know then of an important detail over the finalization of the adoption that required a 24 hr delay in timing to make it "perfect" in God's economy.
God's plan included that my my son-in-law was to meet the birth father of his soon to be adopted daughter. Due to a legal requirement added on late by the judge to finalize the adoption, my son-in-law and my son had to travel to meet the birth father on a remote island and the only time to get there was the very day we would have been traveling from Vanuatu to New Caledonia were it not for that unexpected sale of the plane and delay it created. The language barrier as well as other custom issues required the help and presence of my son to go with my son-in-law. Without the delay, he would not have been available to assist. Many, many details in God's amazing plan required that 24 hour delay.
The very fact that the Lord would sell a nation's only plane to facilitate His Will for our family is a brain buster, but speaks to His super natural intervention in our lives beyond our ability to fathom.
Provisions made before the need is fully realized and supernatural timing adjustments to put us in the slot of His perfect will, are just examples of the "Being" and actions of our outrageous and indescribable God. If the Lord's Will for us is always so perfectly funded and impeccably timed, why are we not completely, desperately, seeking it for our lives each day instead of striving for our own "will" to be done.
The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
The impossible occurs from an impossible set of circumstances. In God's Will, provisions have been established to meet the need before it is ever known. Such is God's Sovereignty. He is outside of our comprehension and knows the end before the beginning of any and all matters.
God is never late in what He provides and His provisions always arrive at the appropriate time in His Will. Matt 2:7-18 is the account of the Magi coming to the house of the "Christ" child, Jesus. and His mother, Mary and Joseph.
The ancient prophesies spoke of the "Son" of God called out of Egypt. But Jesus was born in Bethlehem. The journey of the Magi must have been long and hard. In the days of our rapid mobility and fast travel from here to there, from place to place, it's hard to remember that their journey was long and their guide was a "star" in the east leading them to an unknown place to worship a newborn King. It has been said that it took years for them to get to their Divine destination. Jesus was no longer an infant, possibly 2 years old when they finally arrived.
With them they brought extravagant and costly gifts suitable to honor the King they were about to meet. Joseph and Mary were humble people, and Joseph was a carpenter by trade. Little did they know about the danger soon to erupt from the murderous rage of King Herod. And little did they know of the need for the provision the Magi were compelled to bring.
Scripture tells us that "when they (the Magi) were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream". He was told to go to Egypt. Joseph immediately obeyed and left for Egypt where they stayed until the death of Herod. Scripture doesn't tell us what the cost of such a trip and duration of a stay might have been, but no doubt that the gifts of the Magi funded it. The Holy One speaks to my heart, reminding me that such provisions accompany all who will but seek the Lord's will.
In my personal life experiences, looking back, I can see the absolute truth to that reminder. Two years ago, I was blessed to be a part of a move of God and received a double portion in my cup.
The plan was to travel to Vanuatu, an island nation in the South Pacific, to witness the finalization of the adoption of one of my grandchildren, and see first hand the mission field one of my sons has worked in for many years. From there I was to travel with him to attend a WYAM DTS where he was to teach in New Caledonia.
Personal resources did not permit such an expensive trip but the Lord sent love gifts though different people to fund His will for me in the situation. It was the desire of my heart to be able to go and meet the people of this beautiful land out of which my granddaughter was to come forth and then to see my "missionary" son operating in his calling.
Weeks before I left, my son called to inform me that the plane scheduled to take us from Vanuatu to new Caledonia had been sold and they were awaiting a replacement. Later on, the new plane was secured by the national airlines, but our travel to New Caledonia was bumped to the next day and would be delayed by 24 hours.
At the time, it was an inconvenience due to his speaking schedule as it put him late on arrival for his teaching slot, but in my heart I reasoned that the time and travel change was from the Lord. Little did we know then of an important detail over the finalization of the adoption that required a 24 hr delay in timing to make it "perfect" in God's economy.
God's plan included that my my son-in-law was to meet the birth father of his soon to be adopted daughter. Due to a legal requirement added on late by the judge to finalize the adoption, my son-in-law and my son had to travel to meet the birth father on a remote island and the only time to get there was the very day we would have been traveling from Vanuatu to New Caledonia were it not for that unexpected sale of the plane and delay it created. The language barrier as well as other custom issues required the help and presence of my son to go with my son-in-law. Without the delay, he would not have been available to assist. Many, many details in God's amazing plan required that 24 hour delay.
The very fact that the Lord would sell a nation's only plane to facilitate His Will for our family is a brain buster, but speaks to His super natural intervention in our lives beyond our ability to fathom.
Provisions made before the need is fully realized and supernatural timing adjustments to put us in the slot of His perfect will, are just examples of the "Being" and actions of our outrageous and indescribable God. If the Lord's Will for us is always so perfectly funded and impeccably timed, why are we not completely, desperately, seeking it for our lives each day instead of striving for our own "will" to be done.
The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
Thursday, November 17, 2011
The Birth of Majesty
The Holy One calls me this morning. Wrestles abound and thoughts of His Majestic Being take me out of the mental conflict of worldly thoughts.
With the celebration of the Birth of our Savior right around the corner, I always have to stop the spin into the worldly push for gifts, and tinsel, and distractions off the point of origin which is the Babe in the Manger. The day when Majesty zipped Himself into humanity and took on flesh, so that our human eyes might see what our human brains cannot begin to comprehend.
John 1:1 says, "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us." It is a huge mistake on our part to minimize what went on over 2,000 years ago in the human arena of life and the Divine arena of Eternity. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.
A flash back to Genesis comes to my mind, when Adam and Eve were in fellowship with the Creator.
Gen 3:8, "Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord as He was walking in the cool of the day". Due to their rebellion and sinful disobedience, scripture says, "and they hid themselves from the Lord God among the trees." From there, they experienced the ultimate separation from the "Source" of all that exists. They experienced separation from the "Word" which is the source of all; all reason, all expression, the rational principle that forms and governs all things. Remember that in creation, God "said" and it was so.
Separation from the "Word" and we call Him, God, is ultimate death, beyond any human ability to describe and beyond the human concept of the breakdown and termination of the physical body. It is a death so profound that, I believe, our human relational minds and souls cannot even fathom that degree of separation until after it has occurred.
BUT GOD
......GAVE......HIS.......SON.......THAT.....WHOEVER.....BELIEVES.....IN......HIM......SHALL.....NOT.....PERISH.....BUT.....HAVE......ETERNAL.....LIFE...........John 3:16
because of the fall, man was already condemned, but then the Word says,
FOR.....GOD.....DID.....NOT.....SEND.....HIS.....SON.....INTO.....THE....WORLD.....TO.....CONDEMN.....THE.....WORLD.....BUT.....TO.....SAVE.....IT.....John 3:17
Majesty zipped Himself into humanity
The Word became flesh
God came and dwelt among us
But Why?
To restore man to his original relationship with the Creator. To redeem and reconcile and re-set man back into fellowship with the Source of All, from which man was separated in the fall.
The entirety of the Old Testament was written to men for their eyes to look forward to the Birth of the Messiah Redeemer. The entirety of the New testament was written to men for their eyes to look back to the Birth of the Messiah Redeemer. For on that day, God fulfilled His promise to send a Savior into the world, and since man, despite all his most heroic efforts cannot be found adequate to save anyone, God came into this world Himself.
Luke 1:35 tells of the Divine intervention of Holiness into our world. Mary, the chosen vessel for the Divine Birth was naturally confused. When the Divinely supernatural collides with the principles that govern the natural, questions and wrestles do come. Mary was no exception. Here she is a young virgin recently betrothed, yet not married, together with the ancient writing that spoke of a virgin being with child. Isaiah 7:14. "Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: the virgin will be with child and will give brith to a son and will call Him Immanuel, "God with us".
Our human minds seem to be able to readily accept things in the future, until the day it becomes our reality, and defies our concept in the "natural".
Mary questioned, the angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. And Mary's answer was priceless, "I am the Lord's servant, may it be to me as you have said."
Another year in the history of man, brings us to the manger yet again. The Truth of our Savior will be presented along with the endless temptations to bypass the stable and head to the mall. May we allow our hearts and our heads to bow in reverance and awe before the Holy One who chose a manger over a palace to begin His walk among us.
Oh and just so we don't get too comfortable with His "humanity", let us never forget that He returned to His place of Glory after He fulfilled the Holy requirement for the redemption of our souls.
Rev 1:13-17, "And among the lampstands was someone, "like a son of man", dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars and out of his mouth came a sharp double edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all of it's brillance. When I saw Him I fell at his feet as though dead."
This is the true identity of the One who zipped Himself into humanity 2,000 years ago in a manger.
May the awe of who He is flood our hearts and minds until we see Him face to face.
The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
With the celebration of the Birth of our Savior right around the corner, I always have to stop the spin into the worldly push for gifts, and tinsel, and distractions off the point of origin which is the Babe in the Manger. The day when Majesty zipped Himself into humanity and took on flesh, so that our human eyes might see what our human brains cannot begin to comprehend.
John 1:1 says, "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us." It is a huge mistake on our part to minimize what went on over 2,000 years ago in the human arena of life and the Divine arena of Eternity. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.
A flash back to Genesis comes to my mind, when Adam and Eve were in fellowship with the Creator.
Gen 3:8, "Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord as He was walking in the cool of the day". Due to their rebellion and sinful disobedience, scripture says, "and they hid themselves from the Lord God among the trees." From there, they experienced the ultimate separation from the "Source" of all that exists. They experienced separation from the "Word" which is the source of all; all reason, all expression, the rational principle that forms and governs all things. Remember that in creation, God "said" and it was so.
Separation from the "Word" and we call Him, God, is ultimate death, beyond any human ability to describe and beyond the human concept of the breakdown and termination of the physical body. It is a death so profound that, I believe, our human relational minds and souls cannot even fathom that degree of separation until after it has occurred.
BUT GOD
......GAVE......HIS.......SON.......THAT.....WHOEVER.....BELIEVES.....IN......HIM......SHALL.....NOT.....PERISH.....BUT.....HAVE......ETERNAL.....LIFE...........John 3:16
because of the fall, man was already condemned, but then the Word says,
FOR.....GOD.....DID.....NOT.....SEND.....HIS.....SON.....INTO.....THE....WORLD.....TO.....CONDEMN.....THE.....WORLD.....BUT.....TO.....SAVE.....IT.....John 3:17
Majesty zipped Himself into humanity
The Word became flesh
God came and dwelt among us
But Why?
To restore man to his original relationship with the Creator. To redeem and reconcile and re-set man back into fellowship with the Source of All, from which man was separated in the fall.
The entirety of the Old Testament was written to men for their eyes to look forward to the Birth of the Messiah Redeemer. The entirety of the New testament was written to men for their eyes to look back to the Birth of the Messiah Redeemer. For on that day, God fulfilled His promise to send a Savior into the world, and since man, despite all his most heroic efforts cannot be found adequate to save anyone, God came into this world Himself.
Luke 1:35 tells of the Divine intervention of Holiness into our world. Mary, the chosen vessel for the Divine Birth was naturally confused. When the Divinely supernatural collides with the principles that govern the natural, questions and wrestles do come. Mary was no exception. Here she is a young virgin recently betrothed, yet not married, together with the ancient writing that spoke of a virgin being with child. Isaiah 7:14. "Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: the virgin will be with child and will give brith to a son and will call Him Immanuel, "God with us".
Our human minds seem to be able to readily accept things in the future, until the day it becomes our reality, and defies our concept in the "natural".
Mary questioned, the angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. And Mary's answer was priceless, "I am the Lord's servant, may it be to me as you have said."
Another year in the history of man, brings us to the manger yet again. The Truth of our Savior will be presented along with the endless temptations to bypass the stable and head to the mall. May we allow our hearts and our heads to bow in reverance and awe before the Holy One who chose a manger over a palace to begin His walk among us.
Oh and just so we don't get too comfortable with His "humanity", let us never forget that He returned to His place of Glory after He fulfilled the Holy requirement for the redemption of our souls.
Rev 1:13-17, "And among the lampstands was someone, "like a son of man", dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars and out of his mouth came a sharp double edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all of it's brillance. When I saw Him I fell at his feet as though dead."
This is the true identity of the One who zipped Himself into humanity 2,000 years ago in a manger.
May the awe of who He is flood our hearts and minds until we see Him face to face.
The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Vessels of Transport
The Holy One calls me this morning. The time change makes it easier to rise up energized. My body clock is already causing activity to my brain, as the wall clock has been moved back one hour.
I wake up thinking about the Lord and Christmas and what His birth represents to those of us who believe. The Holy One has spoken abut a new season about to unfold. I am a habit person and cling to the familiar, so any preview of a new season usually has me shaking on my old familiar boots.
I know the Lord is stretching us, but in the time frame of history we are living, the changes are coming way too fast, which makes our reliance on the Holy Spirit within even more essential and almost desperate lest we get carried off by the flood of dissipation the world is offering.
Thinking about Christmas and the Babe in the manger, our Savior and Sovereign King, my mind is comforted by that familiar setting. Then the Holy One paints a different picture in my mind. He shows me the Magi, the star and the vast desert across which they trekked in search of the new born King. Matt 2
He said, "you are a vessel of transport". Interesting picture. "The Magi were on a mission to bring the riches of this world to the Heavenly King, Jesus. Now you have the riches of Heaven to take to the world. Will you be My vessel of transport?"
The picture is clear. Our Lord, though the indwelling Holy Spirit within the hearts of true believers, reaches and touches the world of people. We have the privilege and responsibility to be His vessels of transport. Across the street or around the world, every place we go, we take the Holy One with us. Conversely every place we refuse to go, we withhold the Holy one from touching ground.
Since Jesus left saying, I will never leave you nor forsake you, His position is clear. But there is our part in this love relationship. To serve Him we must be willing to push out, be bold, like the Magi. We must be willing to follow the star of His will across the desert, taking the riches of God's love into the dry and thirsty places. The riches of Heaven are ours to share.
Way back in history, the Magi were driven by desire to find and honor the newborn King. It consumed their lives. Today we have the wondrous opportunity to be driven to serve and honor the Risen King. May that focus consume our lives today.
We are vessels of transport. The question is "are we willing to go?"
The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
I wake up thinking about the Lord and Christmas and what His birth represents to those of us who believe. The Holy One has spoken abut a new season about to unfold. I am a habit person and cling to the familiar, so any preview of a new season usually has me shaking on my old familiar boots.
I know the Lord is stretching us, but in the time frame of history we are living, the changes are coming way too fast, which makes our reliance on the Holy Spirit within even more essential and almost desperate lest we get carried off by the flood of dissipation the world is offering.
Thinking about Christmas and the Babe in the manger, our Savior and Sovereign King, my mind is comforted by that familiar setting. Then the Holy One paints a different picture in my mind. He shows me the Magi, the star and the vast desert across which they trekked in search of the new born King. Matt 2
He said, "you are a vessel of transport". Interesting picture. "The Magi were on a mission to bring the riches of this world to the Heavenly King, Jesus. Now you have the riches of Heaven to take to the world. Will you be My vessel of transport?"
The picture is clear. Our Lord, though the indwelling Holy Spirit within the hearts of true believers, reaches and touches the world of people. We have the privilege and responsibility to be His vessels of transport. Across the street or around the world, every place we go, we take the Holy One with us. Conversely every place we refuse to go, we withhold the Holy one from touching ground.
Since Jesus left saying, I will never leave you nor forsake you, His position is clear. But there is our part in this love relationship. To serve Him we must be willing to push out, be bold, like the Magi. We must be willing to follow the star of His will across the desert, taking the riches of God's love into the dry and thirsty places. The riches of Heaven are ours to share.
Way back in history, the Magi were driven by desire to find and honor the newborn King. It consumed their lives. Today we have the wondrous opportunity to be driven to serve and honor the Risen King. May that focus consume our lives today.
We are vessels of transport. The question is "are we willing to go?"
The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Who Do You Trust?
The Spirit calls to me this morning. The trials and temptations to give knee-jerk reactions to what life brings has been heavy on my mind. The Spirit speaks through the watches of the night. The subtlety of His voice calls me into consciousness.
He calls to me and I know I need my first cup of coffee to be alert to what He wants to talk about this morning. Whispers of His wisdom float through my mind. "Each trial you face is a test of obedience. They are not random, they are not coincidence, they are opportunities for refinement through and through".
Right now, life seems like a furnace of intense heat. Discomfort is all around and from every angle there seems to be some unmitigated disaster.
Then the Holy Spirit speaks, "You trust Me for eternity, will you trust Me now?"
It's easy to defer trust for the next life when it seems so far off. But hard to trust for the next step here on earth when the pathway seems so covered by chaos and confusion and uncertainty. My knee-jerk reaction is self-reliance. I think I know what I can do, what I can tolerate, what I can manipulate to protect my "comfort zones" at any and all cost.
Heb 11:6, "Without faith it is impossible to please God". The Spirit speaks, "You have faith in what you can do but what about faith for what I can do? Faith for what goes beyond your flesh capacity?"
Every trial is designed to take us beyond our own ability to resolve it. Refinement happens through surrender. Most all of us are confronted by situations we did not go looking for. How do we react? Is our first reaction self-pity or self-reliance?
The Spirit speaks to my heart, "I want your first and most overwhelming reaction to be to bring it to Me. Stop trying to find your own answers, your own solutions, or orchestrate your own deliverance. Then, I want your next reaction to be obedience to My Word and My commands. I am here to enable you, but you must co-operate."
As I look back over the years, I see those knee-jerk reactions, and what they cost me and even where they stumbled me. But each one offered a life lesson that enables me to whole heartedly agree with the Holy One today. I say, "yes, Lord. Fill me with the sense of your Presence and manifest the fruit of your Life within".
Today, even as fear grips my mind, as I surrender it all to the Holy One, His presence promises the fruit of His faith to believe all things. Faith for His Divine control. Faith for His deliverance. Faith for His restoration. And in that faith, I know I can Trust Him.
The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
He calls to me and I know I need my first cup of coffee to be alert to what He wants to talk about this morning. Whispers of His wisdom float through my mind. "Each trial you face is a test of obedience. They are not random, they are not coincidence, they are opportunities for refinement through and through".
Right now, life seems like a furnace of intense heat. Discomfort is all around and from every angle there seems to be some unmitigated disaster.
Then the Holy Spirit speaks, "You trust Me for eternity, will you trust Me now?"
It's easy to defer trust for the next life when it seems so far off. But hard to trust for the next step here on earth when the pathway seems so covered by chaos and confusion and uncertainty. My knee-jerk reaction is self-reliance. I think I know what I can do, what I can tolerate, what I can manipulate to protect my "comfort zones" at any and all cost.
Heb 11:6, "Without faith it is impossible to please God". The Spirit speaks, "You have faith in what you can do but what about faith for what I can do? Faith for what goes beyond your flesh capacity?"
Every trial is designed to take us beyond our own ability to resolve it. Refinement happens through surrender. Most all of us are confronted by situations we did not go looking for. How do we react? Is our first reaction self-pity or self-reliance?
The Spirit speaks to my heart, "I want your first and most overwhelming reaction to be to bring it to Me. Stop trying to find your own answers, your own solutions, or orchestrate your own deliverance. Then, I want your next reaction to be obedience to My Word and My commands. I am here to enable you, but you must co-operate."
As I look back over the years, I see those knee-jerk reactions, and what they cost me and even where they stumbled me. But each one offered a life lesson that enables me to whole heartedly agree with the Holy One today. I say, "yes, Lord. Fill me with the sense of your Presence and manifest the fruit of your Life within".
Today, even as fear grips my mind, as I surrender it all to the Holy One, His presence promises the fruit of His faith to believe all things. Faith for His Divine control. Faith for His deliverance. Faith for His restoration. And in that faith, I know I can Trust Him.
The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
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