Time to Listen

 Working six hour days, five days each week, doing laundry, washing dishes and taking care of your husband and child are a lot for one week. It’s difficult to find time to — l i s t e n. 

Out of the blue, you find yourself coming down with the flu and you’re forced to stop. And listen. 

When life was busy for Jesus, with crowds pressing all around, and no time to rest; He often stole away to speak alone with His Father. I have been really meditating on the utmost importance of this recently. 

Stealing away, from all the commotion around, to have fellowship with the Father. 

I’ve also been reminded by sisters, the importance of finding the Father amidst the business. To go to Him while I have quiet moments in the shower, doing laundry or dishes. To listen, to be with Him.

Life is so short. Time passes by quickly. I want to hear the Fathers voice above all the others. To hear Him tell me what to do next, where to go, what to say, to be close to Him. 

A disciple, living with Jesus, every single moment of every single day. 

It’s a journey, every day choosing to listen, to obey, rather than going my own way. To surrender, my thoughts, my plans my dreams, for His. It’s following Jesus on this way, He went before me, and gave Himself up for the joy set before, He endured the cross, despising it’s shame and sat down at the right hand of the Father. Now we too must follow in His steps, He who committed no sin, no deceit was found in His mouth. The way seems too narrow, the road too steep, and yet, all in Love He comes down to take this narrow road, once more; with me.

Let’s run with Him, living each moment in the joy of His presence. No other happiness compares, to be with Him, in His presence! Let’s throw aside everything that hinders, the sin which so easily entangles, and run with endurance this race set out before us. He will never leave us or forsake us. He is worthy! Nothing will ever compare to the sweet communion and fellowship with Him. Keep laying aside everything else, for He is worthy. Don’t grow weary in doing good for in due time, we will reap if we faint not. May we not lose heart, but as we lay aside all else, He will be the only thing in our hearts. He will help us and strengthen us and hold us by His right hand. 

Even though the fig tree has no blossoms, even though the flowers have no blooms and begin to wither, with Him by our side; I will rejoice! I will have faith! I will be glad and praise the Lord, my Father, my Saviour!

 He will make my feet like that of the deer, so I might tread upon the steep and narrow mountain way, with Him by my side. Praise God!

Pure Devotion

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” -Genesis 3:1-7

“For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” -2 Corinthians 11:2-3 

“You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” - James 4:3-10

“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” -John 14:3

"The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising out of the sea..." -Revelation 12:15-17; 13:1a

You can do anything online these days, from researching anything you want to know, to ordering food. Somehow it has become many of our lives. 

Servers and the cloud hold so much information which is accessible by a computer. You can know good and evil in a click. You can listen to good things, and evil things, you can know what is good to do or what is evil. So much knowledge is available and it is increasing everyday. Google alone has so much information along with so many others. We used to think them innocent, but are they? More information about how they store you can read in  this post. 

Even Satellite, internet, all these have so much information that can easily lead people astray. {See Matthew 24:4-8, and Revelation 13:11-18} People can think one way because of one post, and others another because of other information they've heard. We can know so much, but it only puffs us up and makes us proud. The only way we can go on is through love. We must have love. We may know right from wrong and explain it to someone else, but the letter kills, only the Spirit gives life. {See 2 Corinthians 3:6, see John 6:63} We are bogged down by our flesh, we need to be freed and enter into true worship with God in the Spirit. There is only ONE who has true information, only ONE we can believe, so why do we not spend MORE time reading His Word and getting to KNOW Him more intimately than we spend on our gadgets?

These days we have constant distraction from Media, phones, articles, news, so much is going on we don't have time for God like we used to. We have many things to make life easier, but we still don't have time. I pray we take time to talk with God often, all through our day. He is the only ONE who has the truth. We must believe Him and take Him at His word, this world is passing away, along with everything in it. Time spent on our phone, will that count for eternity? 

In the old days, men of old would pray for someone when they came to mind. Today we text them and send them an encouraging word. Is it good? Sure, it may be a good thing, but I think of how the devil first came to Eve. She learned the difference between good and evil without going to the tree of LIFE. Are we missing something? Are we not going to the Tree of Life and dying so that we can find out what GOD thinks is truly good? Electronic communication, we can easily put thoughts into others minds, even secretly without others knowing. It may seem good, but how powerful prayer is - that we can pray and God can work and no one will ever know who it was? Perhaps these things are not evil in themselves, but I believe we must be very careful with how much we use them and how entangled we get into the world.

Even in the internet, we can find good and evil, are we going to this to find out knowledge, or are we going to GOD to find LIFE? Can you imagine with the Pharisees thought when Jesus told them they searched the scriptures because they thought through them they would find eternal life, but they didn't go to HIM, the author of LIFE to find LIFE? {see John 5:39-40} Are we making the same mistake? Are we missing something? Are we not going to Him for life?

I think of how Paul said he had a jealousy over the Corinthians, he longed they would have a pure simple devotion to Jesus. Just as Eve was deceived by the serpent, he was afraid they too would be deceived. I believe the media, computers, phones, internet and what not is all distracting us from our pure simple devotion to Jesus. I see that after the devil tried to kill of the Jews, he went then to those who followed Jesus with all their hearts, he wanted to deceive them in some clever way. If he couldn't get them by killing them, he could get them by killing them in ways they never even would have realized, for as Matthew 24:24 says, even if possible, the elect possibly could be deceived. 

We must be careful, we must hold on to the truth so as to be saved. 

As John warned the church in Revelation, to love their first love! They were doing so many good things, yet one thing was missing, they did not love their first love. Their devotion to HIM as their first love had faded, they thought they loved Him by doing all these things, yet they were not willing to sit at His feet and worship, listen, hear from Him before they did anything. Oh, I pray we will be with Him, know His heart, find out what He would have us do rather than wasting our time. {See Ephesians 5:15}

I find it interesting that there will be those who lead others astray in the last time, those who do signs even, in several places it says they even cause fire to come down in front of everyone. It seems pretty amazing, yet since one who has seen something that no one has ever seen before to describe it to someone else would be difficult. {See Revelation 13:13-14, again Matthew 24:4-8, and Revelation 11:3-13} 

Let us be very careful so we might enter into the rest God has waiting for us. Rather than we trying in our own efforts to attain to the way of life He has for us, we must go to Him, moment by moment to hear His voice, to do His will. He will show us. Those who ignore Him and go their own way, sadly they have chosen their fate. If we are not careful in these days to come, to watch for Jesus coming, to know Him so intimately that it will not overtake us like a thief {see 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 , 2 Peter 3:10, Revelation 3:3} we will find ourselves being deceived by the world and the things of this world. If we don't take the time to sit at Jesus feet, to know Him, to sit in the lap of love, rather being taken up by the world and the things of this world, distractions will come and we will not know. Deception will come and we will be lead astray. {See 2 Thessalonians 2:7-11} If we don't follow Christ, we will follow the beast, we will be apart from Christ and trying to figure out life on our own, refusing help. {See Revelation 16:2,10-11} We will either serve God, or we won't serve Him. {See Matthew 6:24, Ecclesiastes 5:10} The path is narrow, if we are not serving Christ, we will be deceived.  If we love Christ, we will not be satisfied until we have more and more of Him. Are we content we are living peaceful lives? Or are we longing for something more? We can go deeper and deeper with Christ, do we go to Him to find those rivers overflowing from our innermost beings? 

We get to live a wonderful way, living as close to Jesus as we possibly can. Sitting at His feet, listening to every word He says. Is He our precious treasure? Do we await His coming as though He is our beloved? Is He our first love? Can we say like David in the Psalms, "Nothing I desire in Heaven and earth compares to you." {See Psalms 73} Oh I pray our devotion to Jesus would be that pure, simple devotion, not letting any distractions get in the way. The world is going down quickly, all that can be shaken will be shaken. Will we be a part of the Kingdom that cannot be shaken? 

hidden

I was content to live

my life on this earth

I even took time to give

my time for those around

the things I considered of worth

happiness in my pleasures I'd found

but I was only deceiving

deep within I saw myself as lazy

to my comforts I was clinging

As though they would help me

my life wasn't easy

and I still could not see

how much better my life

could possibly become

If I'd let the Father take His sword like knife

and slays my comforts dear

that not even some

of my own selfishness and fear

could remain at all

in this heart of mine

although I would often fall

it became my desire

for Christ, not me to shine

deep within a burning fire

that all might find

He is the one I love

He has given me His mind

that my thoughts would be His

as I set my heart on things above

oh what joy and bliss

is mine when I'm filled with Him

and when He shakes this earth

If I'm rooted in His love alone

although this way is dim

there is nothing alike in worth

He is on His throne

nothing else in comparison

this world growing darker every day

deception, hate, wickedness

darkness, fear and rejection

there's nothing we could ever say

yet if clothed in His righteousness 

His life can shine that all might see

His abundant life overflowing

all that's good in me is Him

it's is all for His Glory

His Nature growing

e'vn when my way is dim

it is His Story

this world must have no hold on me

I have died and am hidden

when Christ's revealed in glory

I shall be also with Him

Enough

I am unsure if I will be able to express correctly what I'm trying to say, but by God's grace, I pray I will be able to relay what has been impressed and burdened on my heart. May you be challenged by it, yet may it not stop there; my hearts desire is for the seeds of truth to go down deep into our hearts and not only stay there but after we die; it might bring forth life as God has promised. {John 12:24}


What I am writing is not something that I entirely see yet, in my own life. Nevertheless, I press onward to the upward call God has given. {Philippians 3:14} This is my desire to go higher and deeper with Him. He has has revealed areas in my life which need changing, yet I must not forget them. I must write them down. I still feel so weak, utterly incapable and yet, this is where it all begins. Although it may seem foolish {1 Corinthians 1:18}, it is true, the message of the cross. We are weak and hungry and only in this place can we find His power most strongest. {2 Corinthians 12:9-10}


The question is, are we truly hungry? I have seen in my life, something like a complacency, rather than being hungry for more of God, I get used to life and don't desire anything higher. This, to me, is a scary place to be in. This summer the Lord allowed me to find complacency slipping into my heart without me realizing it. Nevertheless, after a time He used others and His Word to speak into my life in order that I might wake up. This subtle attitude creeps unnoticed many a time into my heart, and it's only by the Father's grace He reveals the beginnings of this weed. It digs its root into my heart more often than I know, yet I am thankful for the Father's enabling grace to rid this evil root before it grows up, choking the life out of His seed. Do we desire that no trace of this root be found in our hearts, only hungering and thirsting for His life?


Complacency is not the only weed that implants itself in our hearts, various other hungers come springing up all over, almost all the time. The world and its lusts are many, they all seem so attractive, yet truly only lead us on a spiral downwards. What are we sowing, seeds according to the flesh, or according to the Spirit? {Galatians 6:8} At the end, fire will test to see whether what we are building will survive; are we doing what we desire, or what He desires? {1 Corinthians 3:11} Are we building on our own foundation, or are we living by the Spirit?


These are questions we can ask ourselves, examining ourselves to see whether we are in the faith. {2 Corinthians 13:5} Is everything that we are doing, coming from Christ? I am not saying we will not stumble or fall, yet are we desiring that all we do will please Him? {2 Corinthians 5:9} Without Christ it is impossible to please Him, {this is something I have been finding every day, more and more how weak and helpless I truly am in my own flesh}. What are we going to do with our weakness, or incapability? Will we hunger and thirst for Him?

Every single one of us is hungering, for something. Each of us are desiring to be satisfied, our thirst to be quenched, by something. It is inevitable. Some hunger for money, wealth, riches, pleasures, comforts, thrills, excitement, and the list goes on. When Jesus spoke to the woman at the well, He opened up a deep conversation with her in regards to hungering and thirsting.

"Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”" {see John 4:1-44}


God has placed within us a desire, a hunger, a groping for something, if only we would feel our way and find Him. {Acts 17:24-31} He has given us a desire; deep down in our innermost beings and unless we fill it with Him, we shall find ourselves seeking for other things to fill the emptiness inside.

"Our beings are so shaped that 
n o t h i n g 
could ever satisfy, except our Lord." 

»Hinds Feet on High Places 

Everyone hungers for SOMETHING, the "Gentiles" hunger and yet, they will never be satisfied. We can ask ourselves, what are we seeking, {thirsting and hungering} after? Will we be satisfied if we thirst after "these things"?


"For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." {See whole passage: Matthew 6:25-34}


We can rest assured, our Father who loves us, KNOWS what we need, He is asking us NOT to seek after these things, rather to seek FIRST the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness, He is able to supply the rest if we find our satisfaction in Him alone. He can cause Rivers of Living Water to flow from within our innermost being. The emptiness - it can be filled with Him, if only we will seek Him! He says we are blessed if we will hunger and thirst after righteousness, for we will be satisfied. This is a promise and God does not lie, He W I L L fulfill His promise.


"God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind.Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?" »Numbers 23:19


As we pour out to others, God will pour into us. Those who refresh others, will be refreshed. {Proverbs 11:25} This life, will never satisfy. Even though it tries to call out to us, we must turn away and seek for what is truly life. There are many places in His Word we can find His promises, open your mouth wide and He will fill it, those who are poor He will satisfy, if we are hungry He will supply what we need!

The Rich Man is an example to us of how we can go through life, having everything we seek after, seeking for more and yet afterwards still thirsting all the while being completely separated from God. His satisfaction was never in the Father, he was only concerned about himself. He had a great thirst which never left him. Can you imagine? The desperate yearning in a place where we can never, ever be satisfied? What a torment!

"And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’" {See Acts 16:19-21}

This man was in anguish, separated from God for all eternity. This is what will happen to everyone who does not find their satisfaction in the Lord, who long for other things to satisfy them. We can easily find ourselves desiring "these things" {these things can be anything that has a hold on our hearts, people, food, jobs, money, things money can buy, movies, books, this list goes on} we look forward to these things with anticipation, yet after a moment of pleasure we find they can never satisfy, they will leave us empty inside. We will go after them again, just like thirst, yet we will find they will never truly satisfy. They will lead us down a path to a place where a cool drip on your tongue will not even be able to quench the hungering and thirsting.

These are like idols to give up, they try to sneak their way in and take the place of God in our hearts. If we are willing to search deep into our hearts, we will find we all have something which is giving us fulfillment. Something "seemingly more important" than our loving Father, thus taking His place in our lives. We can ask ourselves what it might be, perhaps it is even something trying to take His place in our hearts. Are we willing to let go? This is where the rubber meets the road.

Think back to the Garden of Eden, what did God specifically tell Adam and Eve?

"And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”" Genesis 2:16-17

Let's go further. God commanded them, "You may eat out of every tree of the garden {notice, every tree, compare that to the one tree they couldn't eat!} but not of the tree of knowledge of good and evil." There was also a tree of life in the garden, they chose not to eat of that tree, rather the O N L Y tree that God had asked them not to eat of, they were tempted be the devil to eat. Notice, God had given them everything they needed, why did they have to go to the one tree He asked them specifically not to? It was because everything HE had for them, was not enough. They wanted something MORE. They were not content with what He had given them. Hold this thought.

The other day, I had watched a children's movie with a good lesson, yet "make belief" was wrapped around it. Afterwards my mind went back to the movie. I couldn't help but remember the first time I heard about make belief, these things people imagine in their mind and how you wish they could be real. When I first learned about the unicorn, I remember wondering why someone even made them up, like really, why? I stood still, wondering why, I wanted an answer. Then it came. It was because everything God has already made is not E N O U G H.  I stood there, still, stunned.

Isn't this true? Every sin is because either what God said or who God is, is not enough. If we take the time to think about it, we will find it to be so. The problem we are facing, is God enough for us or are we trying to look for satisfaction somewhere else? Are we trying to look for the answer somewhere else? Are we perhaps going to the tree of knowledge of good and evil rather than to Him for Life? Are we seeking for knowledge everywhere, yet refusing to go to HIM to find true life? {see John 5:39-40}

We can try to watch movies in order to "get out of our problems", yet once the movie is over, they come flooding back. They can sometimes have a clean story, yet be drawing us away from truly finding Him as enough. He longs earnestly that we would have Him alone, that He might be first in everything in our lives. {Colossians 1:16-20}

Perhaps we try to escape life with books, becoming consumed in them rather than going to our loving Heavenly Father. I have been guilty of this, life fades and all my problems and before I know it time has been wasted, precious time, for these days are evil and quickly passing. We ought to make the most of our time here, we are a mist which vanishes. {See Ephesians 5:16-21; James 4:12-14}

There are many more treasures this world has to offer us, money, pleasure and even comforts. We can easily be consumed by these things, allowing them to satisfy us more than our loving Father. Are we going to Him when the pressure is on? Are we going to Him when the pressure is off? Is He truly who our hearts desire, more than anything else? {Psalm 73:25} These "treasures" in themselves may not be evil, yet once they become our master, we must be willing perhaps even to give them up, for one cannot serve two masters. {Luke 16:14}

When Moses chose the reproach of Christ rather than the passing pleasures of Egypt, He had His perspectives correct. We often live as if "this life" is everything, when it is only passing away. Moses chose to be MISTREATED. Wow, when were we last mistreated because of Christ, or because we stood up for the truth in Him? He knew these earthly things here, they don't matter. {Hebrews 11:24-27} Are we living for what truly matters? Is Jesus enough? Are we finding satisfaction in anything other than Him alone? Are we hungering and thirsting for more of Him? Do we realize we must depend on Him alone every day? Isn't He our joy, our everything? Is Jesus enough?

If everything was stripped away from you, would Jesus be enough?

This world is going to be destroyed. If so, what kind of people ought we to be? Should we have fear? When Jesus gives us a command, He longs for us to rely on Him to fulfill it. He desires even more than we desire to obey His commands, He is able to help us! In fact, He is longing for us to cry out to Him for help in true neediness.  His commands are not burdensome, why? He gives us both the power and the desire to do what He asks of us. In Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, what more do we need when He is enough? {See Colossians 2:1-3} God's power is great, for those who believe. {Mark 9:23} Are we doubting Him? Are we doubting that He would truly be enough?

The enemy likes to sow doubts into our minds, again we can think back to Adam and Eve, how the serpent tried to make Eve doubt she knew what God actually said. Don't doubt Him, yet seek for Mary's attitude, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” {Luke 1:38} If we go to Him in faith, believing that He exists and rewards those who are; hungry, thirsty, earnestly desiring, yearning and seeking for Him with all their hearts we will find Him. {Hebrews 11:6; Jeremiah 29:13}

What kind of people should we be?

"But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!" 2 Peter 3:10-12

The day of the Lord will come like thief to all those who are in darkness. { 1Thessalonians 5:4} Are we living in the light? Since everything will be destroyed, how should we be living? We must keep watch! Jesus warned His disciples to watch and pray, lest they fall into temptation, for although our spirits are willing, our flesh is so weak. {Mark 14:38} This gives a picture of complete dependency on the Lord. In our flesh we are utterly helpless, we are weak and it is only He who can deliver us from temptation. Are often going to Him for everything, all throughout the day? Can you imagine what a joyous life this would be? For it is only in His presence we will find fullness of joy and at His right hand, pleasures forever more. {Palms 16:11} Are we living in holiness, godliness, waiting and {wow!} hastening the day of the Lord?

I encourage you to take the time to read the lyrics of this song. So many songs we sing, I believe we do by memory without taking time to let the words sink in. 

Enough

Is Jesus enough for us?

»

Treasures

"By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible." »Hebrews 11:24-26

Faith is something we all must deal with at some point in life. Whether we like it or not, we must have faith in something - this world was created - and we must believe in something or someOne. It's inevitable. What we believe, we will start acting upon.

In Hebrews 11, those of old lived by faith and this faith didn't cause them to be comfortable, rather much the opposite.

» By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice

» By faith Abraham obeyed 

» By faith Sarah herself received power 

» By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac

Faith = obedience

We see that the result of faith is obeying the Lord, having His fruit manifest in our lives that He may be glorified by us {earthen vessels}. He uses our weakness to showcase His glory, His power. If we are willing to offer up ourselves, He can use us. If we are weak He will be our strength, if we look to Him in faith. Do we believe He is everything He says He is? 

Moses refused the glory of this world. He could have been famous in his day {the son of the Pharaoh} yet he considered the reproach of {what i find very interesting is these next words} Christ greater than the Treasures of Egypt. 

Think about this. Are we trying to become popular among friends, at work? We live in this world, but just as Jesus said, "I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them {set them apart as Holy} in the truth; your word is truth.  As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth." »  John 17:15-19. He has allowed us to be in this world to bring Him glory. He longs for us to be set apart, to be different like Moses was different in Egypt, we ought to hold the same and be set apart from this world. Does this world have any hold on us? 

Do we prefer the reproach of Christ more than the treasures of Egypt? The world and its system can easily have a hold on us. Moses preferred to be an "outsider" like Christ, not fitting in, to be awkward there and not "normal" in the worlds system. We often try to fit in with the world, to blend yet I do not see Jesus doing this, rather there was a reproach He bore! These temporary treasures are passing, along with the trials of bearing reproach. They are doing something inside us that out weighs it all. 

"For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." » 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

God will do as He has promised, do we believe? We are made strong through our weakness. The Lord longs for us to depend upon Him constantly? "...pray without ceasing.." » Thessalonians 5:17 This is constant dependency  upon our loving Father. He is good, it is a wonderful way to live! It's a life storing up treasures with Him. He will enable us to glorify Him, to see Him who is invisible. He will open the eyes of our hearts, revealing more of Himself to us. The times of suffering draw us even closer to Himself. What a wonderful Father, He longs to be with us!

Will we find all we need in Him, will He be our only treasure?
Or will we try to find satisfaction in the passing treasures found in this world?

♥️

Don’t Go Down to Egypt

It’s been a while, but I’m hoping to get back to writing!

Reading Isaiah 31:1-3


Where are we going to for help?

Are we going to our pay cheque?

Are we going to our friend?

Are we trying to figure it out in our own?


These things are earthly and fleshly. The Lord can do away with all of them. He is longing for us to go to HIM for help.

God is a jealous God. He wants all of us and He longs that we would go to Him for help and strength. Are we forgetting to go to Him for help? He is there, waiting and longing for us to consult Him!

While the wisdom of man is foolish, money will not last forever and it’s never good to be wise in your own eyes for we do not see everything, this all will and can be brought to nothing. Only in dependent trust in the Lord will we find Him to be sufficient for all our troubles.

I’ve been finding the Lord allows things to go Ways we wish they did not so we would go to Him! We are warned in Luke 21 not to be weighed down with the anxieties of life. Rather let us lay aside everything that hinders and the sin that clings so tightly and run with endurance. Do you feel like giving up? Run to Jesus, in desperation, crying out to Him you will find He truly satisfies the longing heart. He fills those who are poor but those who are rich He will turn away empty handed. They have no need for Him, thus how could He fill them? The Lord wants to use the difficulty in your life as a steppingstone, that you might be even closer to Him than ever before.♥️

What are we Worshipping?

Our God is in the heavens;

    he does all that he pleases.

 Their idols are silver and gold,

    the work of human hands.

They have mouths, but do not speak;

    eyes, but do not see.

They have ears, but do not hear;

    noses, but do not smell.

 They have hands, but do not feel;

    feet, but do not walk;

    and they do not make a sound in their throat.

Those who make them become like them;

    so do all who trust in them.

 O Israel, trust in the Lord!

    He is their help and their shield. 

»Psalms 115:3-9

Who are we worshipping? How do we know, not only what is an idol in our lives but what is more, are we worshipping it? We all are longing for something, desiring after something. What is driving us? Is it a desire to please the Lord or is it a desire to be noticed by other people? 

I know in my own life it can be a great struggle to long for the praise that comes from others rather than God. When people appreciate me for a moment I think I am satisfied, but not for long because only true satisfaction is found in God. When we come to the end of our striving for others to appreciate and notice us we will find He was waiting for us to go to Him all along. 

Who are we becoming like? Are we becoming more fearful or are our eyes loosing their vision? Are we becoming more beautiful or are we demanding for attention? Who are we worshipping? Perhaps we’re becoming more selfish or focused on ourselves rather than loving and patient? Test yourself, see whether you are in the faith. 

Fill yourself with the One you desire most. If you pursue something you believe and truly love do you have to be told to spend time doing so or does it come naturally? 

It is very easy to find out who you are worshipping. We will in fact become like the god we worship, whether it be more self-centred, deaf or blind we will become more like the one we spend most of our time with. 

Will we devote our time to our Heavenly Father? Will we desire to know Him more? 

What really matters to us, deep down? That is who we are worshipping. 

If we are becoming more like Christ and longing to spend time with Him out of love, we will find we are worshipping Him. 

I pray our devotion and love to Him grows everyday. May we lay down the other things we try to worship that we may worship Him and serve Him only. May our desire be fervent to love Him with our whole heart. We will see our hearts changing to His beat when everything else is out of the way. 

Challenges for the Heart

Today I want to share some challenges from a brother in Christ. Here are some notes that I pray will encourage and touch your heart as they did mine. They especially speak to my heart as the Lord has been revealing how easily it is for me to forget and to be distracted by the things of this world. This is an encouragement for each of us who long for Him, to press onward and upward. We need not be discouraged, but encouraged to get as close as we can to Jesus in this one life as we can.

“By trying to grab fulfillment everywhere, we find it nowhere.”

»Elisabeth Elliot

We ought to pray that He would expose anything in my life which is not from Him, awakening our ears that we might live by your word.

Are we eager to know what the Father wanted Him to obey? When quantity isn’t important to you – we only need a few lines that we might be doers of the Word. Is there something in that word that you want to speak to me, that I can obey?

Is it bad is an exceedingly low bar. Is it best – what we do in our spare time? Are we gathering the fragments – we are listening to so many people. Can we listen to the Lord, so His voice isn’t shut out? Are we willing to use spare minutes not to take time off from the Lord but to use little minutes from the Lord? “Why don’t you call me?” He is asking. Are we consumed with the things of this world, are we able to control the times we are consumed?

Are our inward ears listening, our inward eyes watching?

Jesus had to learn how to fight distraction too.

“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take  E V E R Y  T H O U G H T  captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.” »2 Corinthians 10:5-6

A lofty thought, is one who really thinks he knows a lot about the world. Yet it is not in our similarity to the world that draws the world to us it is in our difference. I want to be different, I don’t want to be of this world.

“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape {endure} all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”  »Luke 21:34-36

dis·si·pa·tion

disəˈpāSH(ə)n/

Definition: squandering of money, energy, or resources.

synonyms: squandering, frittering (away), waste, misspending…

The Lord delivers us, it is all from the Lord when we are delivered. If we are sincere He can deliver us from these things which we are obsessed with. Learn from this and apply it. Think about the discipline we take to look into the things we are obsessed with, do we take the Lord and knowing Him deeply, just as seriously; using our time wisely? Have you even once prayed that you would have the strength to endure.

Can you acquire patience or gentleness from studying the Bible? We have to live with Him and exercise, walking with the Lord.

"And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart." »Luke 2:51

We must continue in subjection, to obey – and the most time we must obey is in the most ordinary and trivial areas in our lives. It please the Father to crush Jesus. A body you prepared for me; His Father crushed Him – a daily crushing, as He lived with imperfect parents and siblings. He humbled Himself during a very ordinary life situation to bring about a brokenness in Jesus and an authority from which He could minister.

David learned to be a man after God’s own heart in the pasture. Most of us are living in the pasture – our work life, the place we are in right now. We might be tempted to despise the pasture. It is God’s appointed training ground to prepare you for ministry. We learn from this season in life. Are we faithful there? God’s equipping you for what will come. Don’t despise it. That is the place God has placed you to exercise, you’d learn how to fight; praise; serve. The fact that your years are hidden are the cause for rejoicing! He was patient to live where God had placed Him if God would have Him there. Jesus was totally surrendered to God’s will. We want to hurry up and get on to the next thing. We often long to run ahead and are discontent where God has placed us, we want to do something big rather than be hidden. How much resistance there is in wanting to be hidden is as much there is resistance in us to being prepared for what God has next. He will work in us what He has planted in us.

May we be willing to read His word to see what we can obey, to read the word in our free times to spend them getting to know Him more. It doesn't happen automatically but as we walk with Him. May we be pleased with a totally hidden life. We need an un-distracted devotion to Jesus.*

"For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For,

“Yet a little while, 

and the coming one will come and will not delay; 

but my righteous one shall live by faith, 

and if he shrinks back, 

my soul has no pleasure in him.”

But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls." »Hebrews 10:34-39

*Jeremy Utley - Young Adults Conference 2018

When I am Tested + Tried

In the past I have found, whenever I am growing closer to God, I am drawing nearer to Him and my life is going well, suddenly something happens. Walls crash around me, rocks jab into my sides all around me. I cannot continue in the way I am going, for suddenly compromise of many kinds are revealed all around. Everywhere I look glistens as though to intrigue me to follow, almost pulling me from every direction.

Confusion spins in my head as I try to figure out which way to go.

Hiding my face, I cover my eyes, hoping the passing sparkles will fade away. They never last, why am I being attracted to them? If only I could find myself somewhere else, far from all these things. Swallowing, I realize, I must find Him here, yes here even among these glistening things demanding my attention all around. Here alone I will see God’s power displayed in my life. Here alone is where He has called me to plant this seed so it may bloom for His glory. How may I bloom unless – unless I let it go?

Tightly I grasp it in my hands, it is one of those glistening things. It seems so right to hold it, for then it is mine, for it seems I have nothing else. If only I could hold it forever! Yet the glisten fades as I squeeze it in my had, the seed sharply pricks my skin, causing pain and blood to trickle down. The longer I hold it, the worse it gets. Falling onto my knees, tears rushing down my face I open both my hands and cry out to the only One who can save me. The seed falls to the ground. Tears still streaming, I then rise, reaching my hands towards the heavens, He is the only one who could ever satisfy me. He continues to test me, will I desire Him alone, or will these little pretty things catch my attention again? {James 1:2-4; John 6:6}

It is not instantly that my seed grows, it was not until it died. {John 12:24} On that day a sorrow filled my heart, yet also a delight began to arise, slowly but surely life poked through the dead seed buried deep within the dirt. Life sprung up quietly but confidently. I never wanted to look back to my old seed, it was gone now, no more for me to hold. {2 Corinthians 5:17}

Again, I grew closer to my Father and as He revealed Himself more to me, my delight in Him increased. I knew all that had been done, was done in Him. He truly satisfies the longing heart. {Psalm 107.:9} The Father always is watching from above, as I grew more confident and happy in the way I was going, He permitted new glistening seeds to entice my eyes. They seemed very good in my eyes, thus reaching out, I took hold of a few more seeds.

He then asked me to let them go, yet as He tugged at my heart, indeed my eyes said otherwise. The Lord weighed my spirit, it desired after this for my own purposes and not for His glory. {Proverbs 16:2} Instead of seeking to please my King, I tried to forget His bidding, as though He had gone on a far away journey. {Judges 17:6; Luke 19:11-27} As my feet went along, I grew weary along the path and knew the only One who could save. He promises whoever should call upon His Name, will be saved. {Romans 10:13} As though I was calling, it seemed no one was there. Perhaps He truly was away on a long journey.

My endurance was fading, how could I be saved? {Matthew 24:13} I had to pause, I had to rest, my head was faint. I was not sure if I could make another step. Confused and disoriented, I remembered His Word, to renew my mind to His perspective. Only when I allow Him to change my way of thinking, away from the worlds, away from thinking this life is all that matters, I realize Who He is and see His patience in my life. His loving kindness is what lead me once again, to repentance. As I drew near to Him, I found Him near, His tender voice again asking me to let go of  all I was holding so tightly to. {James 4:8} He tested me yet again, and allowed me to come forth this time, shining as gold. {Job 23:10}

As this journey continues, He always allows new areas for me to surrender to Him. He brings new situations of which I cannot escape, but find His presence and nearness there. I am finding I must be willing and ready to hear His voice behind me saying, "This is the Way, walk in it." {Isaiah 30:21} He may be speaking, yet am I willing to listen? Am I willing to give up even my comforts, my dreams, friendships, my desire to be loved by anyone but Him? 

"Comrades in this solemn fight...let us settle it as something that cannot be shaken:

We are here to live holy, loving, lowly lives.

We cannot do this unless we walk very, very close to the Lord Jesus.

Anything that would hinder us from the closest walk that is possible to us till we see Him face to face is not for us.

We need to be sensitive to the first approach of the hindering thing."

Drawing Near

"You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you."»James 4:3-10

Imagine. Being an enemy of God. A place, I assume, we would never want to be if we desire to follow our Father. Yet do we have anything of the world in us, do we have desires which we wish to spend on our passions? I find this is something that continually needs to be rooted out of my life. Wrong passions which are not from the Father but are in my flesh. I see something, I want it. I enjoy what makes me feel good, it might not be wrong yet I begin to put it above my love and devotion to the Father. In pride I can find myself trying to make things work my own way rather than humbling myself, becoming little in my own eyes and seeking His approval and will instead. 

He gives more grace. What an encouragement. What a refreshment! Oh to never forget! He gives us more grace. Not only so, He also jealously yearns to dwell in us. He wants every single part of us! If we are proud, He cannot put up with us. Nevertheless, if we humble ourselves and see our need of Him, He will come to us. 

At times He will test us to see where our hearts are at. I believe this is more of a revealing of our own hearts so we can see what we truly are longing after. Will we desire to draw near to Him through this test or will our own passions seem more enticing? Sometimes He will wait until the last moment, and show Himself real to us. Are we willing to wait for Him?

If we have fallen, should we feel discouraged? No, rather we ought to draw near to God by cleansing our hands and purifying our hearts. When we go before Him in humility and sincerity, hearts grieved for our failure  but also longing to draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. Cry out to Him in faith, believing He is there, you will find His nearness and His love. You will find He does draw near to us IF we will draw near to Him if we truly know without a doubt He will answer. Will we believe? Will we cry out to Him in faith? Do we have this desire? 

Do we find ourselves more grieved about our cares and worries than for our Saviour, who is interceding for us? Who is calling us higher? Are we concerned about the things we are striving to do, to have, our passions, forgetting He is there jealously longing for every part of us? Will we let Him have every part? 

What are the things holding you back today from letting Him fill every corner? We must be empty before He can fill. Before we can grow, we must let go. Then the seed can fall into the ground and grow into something beautiful - in His time. 

Let's ask Him for His grace to enable us to let go. In faith, let us approach His thrown of grace finding mercy and grace in our time of need. He will see us through, He will help us through and through in our weakest areas. It is in our weakness that His strength is manifest. What a wonderful Father we have!

Where is Life?

We can know so much, we can believe in our heads without it reaching our hearts. Knowledge kills, but the Spirit gives life. {See 2 Corinthians 3:6} We need to be more earnest to have more of the Holy Spirit in our lives. He will not control us, but He gives us the desire to will and to do His will.

“for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” »Philippians 2:13

Delight yourself in Him. How can we delight ourselves in Him? We need to have renewed minds, His perspectives on this life and faith to know His Ways are truly higher. They are truly perfect. In the moment we find ourselves sinking, will we call upon Him, who loves us more than we could every understand? He’s there waiting for us to reach out to Him. He’s waiting for us to become empty so He can fill us. Until then, He may allow temptations and trials of various kinds until we come to the end of ourselves.
He doesn’t force us, yet lovingly He is watching and waiting. His lovingkindness is better than life! {See Jeremiah 31:3}

“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” »Jeremiah 33:3

His Promises are great, we can know Him in deeper ways. As we go through the trials and tests, He is testing our faith. How much do we really love Him? How much do we really want to seek to please Him alone? What will we choose?