Enter in, Distractions Out

Recently  I was washing dishes and I found a sewing needle in the sink.  I thought hmmm, I bet there's gonna be more to this later.  You can bet God wants to use the small coincidences in your life for His glory.  Sure enough, I went onto the Quickened Word forum a few hours later, and there was an entry called, "Eye of a Needle".  That caught my attention...

So, this entry related to riches and how they prevent us from entering the Kingdom of Heaven.  The woman who wrote the entry also spoke about how we need to enter His presence on our knees, carrying no distractions with us.  We need to enter His Kingdom with humility and an active willingness to leave everything behind.  That's the only way we allow ourselves to enter.  If God sees our spirit undistracted and yielded to His, He will allow us access to the Kingdom.  What does it cost?  A broken and humble heart.  What does it cost?  A willingness to abandon the ways of the world, and the possessions it offers.  Let's possess our inheritance in the Kingdom, instead.

The Lord gave me a vision that helped me understand entering into His presence.  We need to focus on Him, because only He can push us through.  We cannot break into the Kingdom on our own initiative, but only as the Holy Spirit paves the way.  We need to put distractions away, and then He will allow us to enter in.  For the rich young ruler, this meant He had to actively separate from His worldly riches.  Even innocent things can make us too inhibited to enter those narrow gates.  Only a few find that these sacrifices are worth it.

Confirmed:  I randomly turned on the radio that same day, and immediately upon switching stations hear about a tattoo parlor called, "Pins and Needles".  There was also something discussed about sewing...I think somebody was discussing sewing classes.

Snapshot: "I am the Resurrection and the Life"

Yesterday the Lord spoke to me with this verse.  Sometimes the simplest things are the most powerful.   God said this to me, and He set my spirit at peace.   He brings us back from the dead, and gives us true life.

I remember a few  months ago, I really fell into doubt.  God had been speaking to me for a few months at that point, and He had given me a large amount of RHEMA words, which I had been writing and keeping indexed.  Doubt will lower us in Spirit so that we cannot remember or believe the promises of God.  So, God had given me so many words at that point, and I was trying to cling to them amidst a lot of spiritual warfare.

I was walking down the driveway and was pretty oppressed when I heard Him tell me, "I have not given you words".  That stopped me right in my tracks and I thought, 'what???'. I felt a rush of fear come in...had God changed His mind about me?

But then He continued:  "I have given you life".  At that point I finally got it.  A tough lesson...but through that wording He made me understand.  By His Grace I was taught  how to fear, and grace my fears relieved.  I was positioned to realize that He had given me His life when He promised me things.  Eternal life, because He had given me promises that He is faithful to keep.

God's word does not change.  It will always be high and lifted up.  What changes is our perception of it.   Without the Holy Spirit, which allows us to believe, God's Word is just that--empty and meaningless words.  With the faith the Spirit gives, His Words become alive.  They become life and truth.  God gives the gift of His WORD, and all it's promises and assurances, and He simultaneously gives us the gift of His Spirit to believe it.  His WORD is only life if we believe and accept it.    His Word is only what we make of it.

Comfort: The Seesaw among Believers

God wants to comfort us.  He does it through many things, the main one being the peace He gives us.  He gives us peace and blessed assurance.   He gives us a presence from Himself that reassures us.

Often God does try to comfort us, but our fear and sin block Him out.  Fear is sin, and sin separates us from God.  If we get to a point where we are not feeling God's comfort, praise Him for the extra measures He takes on our behalf.

"If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot disown Himself"  2 Timothy 2:13

How does God demonstrate faithfulness when we are too fearful to receive it?   He extends His Hand through others, usually other believers.    When one is down, another will rise up.  We can comfort eachother and show the fallen one the longing of God.  When a group is together and with God, His Spirit is there with Him, and it is the Spirit of Jesus that looks after the sheep and ensures their  well-being as a whole. God will always apportion enough belief to protect all.

Two are better than one, and a cord of three is not easily broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12).  When working for the Lord, two have a better return for their labors than one alone.  When He is there with them, the enemy has a harder time getting a stronghold.  This is how believers can comfort eachother.  When together, the stronger members can support the weaker ones.  God will always raise one up on behalf of another, and the faith of the body can be ensured.  He will not disown Jesus's bride; He cannot disown Himself.

Note that each part of the body requires support.  We need to humbly accept help, and in doing so, allow God to work through another believer.  There are times that the parts that appear more important may be going through a trial or losing faith, and the "lesser" members of His body need to rise up and comfort.  Those more prominent within the body of Christ cannot discount those who are not in the limelight.  One day these stronger members will no longer have "no need" for supporting members (1 Corinthians 12:23).  Everybody has a trial or persecution from which they cannot escape alone, and everyone, at some point, will have to take on the humbling aspects of really, truly needing help.  On the contrary, God gives honorable tasks to the humble, and raises up those who were once considered lesser and foolish.

Vanessa and I were taught about our own falls, and God's faithfulness to rise up, from our beginning together.  He is the third part of the cord mentioned in Ecclesiastes--actually, He is the entire cord, the entire lifeline, and He has brought us into Himself.  So, we learned that between the two of us, God keeps a minimum level of cumulative faith.  Whenever one of us is down, the other is always very uplifted and in the Spirit, and vice versa.  God allows a downswing in my faith, but keeps me going by raising up my counterpart's.  With Him as our lifeline, we can stay equally yoked, as He decides when to shift the burdens to the one who can carry them.  It's kind of like a seesaw--if Vanessa is falling, you can be sure that God will equip me with an upswing.  He will faithfully give the comforter the right Spirit and the right words to sustain the weary (Isaiah 50:4).

This same pattern can be seen in larger groups, too.  There is a cumulative effect of upliftment among believers.  When one is down, more than one other becomes raised up by God for the task at hand, which is then the comfort of the one who is oppressed.  Even through Satan's oppression, God gets the victory.  God allows one of many to wander or stumble, and He then sends in a larger portion of love to  the other members present.  The enemy's plans backfire on him!  The "seesaw effect" where God gives power of encouragement to the comforter is magnified in larger groups.  The bigger a group of believers, the more obvious it becomes that God really triumphs over evil.

Let's comfort each other through trials.  Let's become filled up, so we can be moved with compassion and bring life to those on the downswing.  And when we stumble, we can be sure we won't fall (Psalms 37:24).  Instead, we can humble ourselves, confess our doubts, and be healed as God provides upliftment to others, who then demonstrate His love to us.  We can bear the burdens of others until we do everything of one accord.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."  2 Corinthians 1:3-4

A Deliberate Sacrifice

Will you give God your time?  Will you make life about Him?

If you seem Him you will find Him.  If you seek earnestly, and with a pure heart, you will see His WORD play out in your w.  The pure in heart will see God.

In the old testament they had obligations and particular offerings to atone with.  They were instructed by God in His law:  none were allowed to appear before Him empty handed (Exodus 23:15).  Today the Holy Spirit pleads with us to offer up all.  We don't need sin offering or guilt offerings.  We don't need to place material gifts between ourselves and the wrath of God as if they could act as a cushion.  What we need are intentional gifts to the Lord.

God loves a cheerful giver.  Sacrifice and offerings He does not desire, but He does desire to open our eyes (Psalm 40:6).  What a breakthrough.  What a revelation.  God is spirit and He wants full possession of our spirit.  When He has captured us, He gives us a pure heart--He gives us exactly what He wants us to have!  He has given us the qualities and free gifts to allow us to please Him.  We have the glory of bringing thanks into the house of the Lord (Jeremiah 33:11).

He gives us a pure heart so we can worship Him in Spirit and in truth (John 4:24).  He gives us an overpowering truth.  The truth is what sets us free and allows us to give joyfully. His inner trust is what offers to Him thank offerings.  That's what God requires.  The sacrifice of unconditional praise.  Will you thank Him?  Will you give Him credit for the life He gives?

Look at Job.  God made Him sacrifice all by allowing destruction.  But what God really required was the biggest sacrifice, that of never-ending praise.  How did Job stay righteous in God's eyes?  He didn't have any fatted calves to offer up when his life's worth was taken away.  God desired praise from Job, not just the giving of material possessions.  Praise God that our praise, our deliberate thankfulness, pleases Him.  Will you call Him blessed?  (Job 1:21) This is what God requires.

Snapshot: "T"

Yesterday I was working on something and took some time to focus on God.  I saw a stairway leading upwards to heaven, then a massive "T".  I felt the lovingkindness of God's presence, then heard Him say, "It's time to take a time out".  This caught me off guard, but I felt Him confirm it as a good thing--it's time to take some "time out" for Him!  The Lord was telling me to draw near to Him, be renewed, and become built upwards in the most holy faith (Jude 1:20).  Glory to God.  He wants us to access it and partake of it with Him.

Confirmed:  About a half hour later I saw a license plate on a parked car that said, "TWORDME".  Wow!  God makes His messages clear over time...He is the God of order, and not confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33).  He wants me to take "time outs" and fellowship towards Him!  I know the spelling was off on the plate, but the wording there only made the message stronger in my mind.  Let's go "TWORD" God and His "WORD".

Confirmed:  There was also a business sign that said something remarkably on-topic about "time outs".  This happened just before I saw the plate.  Unfortunately, I didn't write it down at the time and soon forgot it.  Sometimes I feel that God makes me forget confirmations very quickly.  I think He does this so we can these signs simply as a tool, and not glorify them in themselves.  As soon as God delivers the message and accompanying confirmations, it's probably best to move onwards with Him and not continue distracted by this or that sign.  Paul said he did this--forgetting what was behind and pressing on in the faith (Philippians 3:13).  For God's sake, sometimes forgetting signs is good.  We should not be overwhelmed or fixated on them, but only the heart of God that they demonstrate.

"Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David."  Isaiah 55:3

Snapshot: Food Multiplication

A few days ago I was thinking about the end times, and how they might cause food shortages.

"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places."

Jesus's words, not mine.  There will be wars and society as we know it will fall.  Famines and catastrophic food shortages will follow.  What should our response be?  Look up, because salvation is here!

Of course, I do not know "the time or the hour", but that didn't stop me from getting a little imaginative.  I went on thinking that Believers with great faith would be better prepared to survive a food shortage.  If left with no food, or even just supplies that would be inevitably dwindling, those with great faith could ask according to God's will that the food be multiplied.  I have not yet seen epic food multiplications such as Jesus did in His day (although God's done other creative miracles with food), but I feel like God has been given me encouragement along these lines since my thoughts on it began.  Praise Jesus that He meets us where were at!  Those who want more faith need only to ask for it, then be willing to pay the cost God sets for us to achieve it.

This encouragement began, like I said, just as soon as the thoughts about it began to enter my mind, and came in the form of confirmations.  Below are the ones I can remember:

11/24/14:  I was reading the Word at random (See this post for details on random reading) and my finger went right to 2 Samuel 24.  It was talking about God's ability to multiply David's fighting men one hundred times.  If God can do that, He can definitely do the same thing with food.

11/24/14:  Talking with Vanessa on the subject of end-time food storage (think prepping and storing canned food, farming, or any other method of planning), and I told her my thoughts on the believer's potential advantage.  She agreed and said she'd just been thinking about that!  Now, often our thought patterns follow each other, but this was a specific thought accompanying a specific series of preceding thoughts.  And the Lord will give you a sign...

11/25/14:  I really hoped to eat five eggs this morning, and decided to do so if our chickens had laid five eggs that day.  Normally they lay three or four.  I felt that five wouldn't be too many if the chickens  kept up with my demand, so to speak.  I asked God to let them lay five (He does small things too!) and felt like He was saying "yes" to my prayer--that there would be five.  I went out to check right after.  As I was opening the chicken coup door, I knew He told me, "I promise there's five".  I looked around and only saw four in the customary place.  I panicked a little, until I finally saw the last egg in the corner of the coup.  It had rolled down from where the eggs usually are and was slightly covered by some hay.  God is faithful, and His word is reliable.  Anyways, this small answered prayer went right in line with future prayers for food multiplication.

11/26/14:  As I was typing the first part of this blog post, my Father-in-law was on the phone in the other room.  He and another person were talking about the possible collapse of our current economy and government systems.  Freeze dried foods, over-the-top food storage (think of the show Doomsday Preppers), and the fate of America's Urban areas were all themes.  I have a few posts saved as unfinished drafts right now, and I felt led to work on this one and publish it today.  I knew this was a synchronistic sign from God that I was doing what He wanted.

Comfort: Straight from The Comforter

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. "  2 Corinthians 1:3-4

This verse has been on my mind for almost a week now.  I've had a tougher than usual last week, and I've been struggling through it and leaning on the mercy of God.  God has taught me through my mistakes and pridefulness, and made me bowed down before Him.  The Holy Spirit cuts to the heart, then comforts the heart that has been broken and yielded.  In the past, The Lord has been gracious to discipline me if I ever become distracted away from Him, and recently He's again renewed me to Himself.  I now have a greater focus on Him and His heart, and He's delivered me from the threats of evil that the enemy would have me believe.

I've been humbled in my disciplining, and God took me to a point where I knew that transparency between Vanessa and I was necessary.  I was led to confess my struggles and pet sins to her.  Confession is a part of healing and a command of God (James 5:16), but it takes a willingness to bare all to others.  In the past this has been a big weakness of mine...

So, I shared with Vanessa my struggles and the healing began.  It is God who does the work, but there is an effect added when we can build of off the experiences of others.  This process was also humbling, but afterwards I felt so much better.  "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord" for His pure, effective version of counseling.  Vanessa uplifted me so much through her comfort.  I knew she was able to do this, only because she herself has been receiving comfort and mercy from God in those same areas of struggles.  When God takes us out of a trial, He expects us to share His love and comfort with others.  Once Vanessa had been comforted, she became such a support for me.  Praise Jesus for extending His hands of spiritual healing through the willing hearts of others.  And for a wonderful wife, of course...(Proverbs 19:14)

Confirmations below.  God gave so many signs and synchronicities that validated this message of comfort.  Below are just two.

11/23/14:  I was reading on The Quickened Word and there was a recent post that I was reading the comments for.  I read the very same verse (the one above) that had been brought to my remembrance, in the comments section of this article.  God is so faithful.

11/25/14:  A Rick Warren devo popped up in my email.  These somehow make it through my gmail filter every 3 weeks or so.  And today's mentioned a particular verse about comfort....yes, the same segment about comfort!  Here it is:

“God comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things.”

This is verses four through six, and it's a much different translation...I kind of like the variety.  Verses 5 and 6 were a great addition, as they expounded on the things that I had just lived out with Vanessa.

Seeds are for Sowing

A few days ago Vanessa and I were out doing groceries and the Lord directed us to a particular African American lady who looked to be about 50.  She was taken aback and didn't seem to want prayer, but as we walked away, she caught up to us and asked, "What church do you go to?"  As it turns out, she needed prayer for a few things...she'd been through a lot.  So for twenty or so minutes, we listened to her story.  I know she was touched by having people, who'd been sent by God, that were willing to listen to her and empathize with her.  She said something along the lines of, "I've heard of this kind of thing happening to people, but it's never happened to me!"

Anyways, she kept talking about "sowing seeds".  She meant this mostly financially, with seeds being donations to God or to ministry, but the phrase struck us.  We felt God was using this kind woman to witness to us, as well as vice versa!  Praise God that He blesses the ones doing the blessing, too.

Anyways, since we talked to this lady there have been so many little signs pointed to sowing seeds recently. Confirmations below...in hindsight, the Lord gave confirmations for our "seed sowing" Grocery store experience both before and after the event itself.  Like I said in the Revelation Post, insight from God is outside of a definitive point in time and thus can relate to past events, the present, and the future.  In hindsight, God prepared us for the "seed" messages before we received the first one.

11/19/14:  My neighbor Jim needed me to level His garden.  It's barren now, as winter seeds have not yet been sowed.  Symbolically, oftentimes God makes the level path for us and allows us to "plant" His word in the minds of others.

11/21/14:  The Lord gave me a vision of Vanessa holding a piece of corn.  I thought of workers in the harvest field.  More on this later...

11/22/14:  The Lord gave me a vision of the United States, and I saw that He was planting trees in several specific areas of it.  These trees were deeply rooted in His truth and under His care.  After talking to Vanessa I realized the significance to her of those places where trees were planted, based on her past.  But God is sowing seeds meant to last, and He is coming full circle and allowing those who are being crucified with Christ (it's a process!) to revisit past events with a pure heart.  He is allowing us to do similar things again from a place of purity, even though in the past these behaviors were selfishly motivated.  In the past, sowing the seeds of these actions reaped destruction, but now these same behaviors are sowing "a harvest of righteousness" on behalf of God's Kingdom.  Once matured, these seeds can grow into mighty trees and be a light to the darkness around them.  Glory to God!

11/23/14: Went to the Quickened Word website and read a word called, "EMPTY VESSELS WILL POP UP, OUT AND OVER".  Several messages here...this website has taught me so much.  Firstly, the image on that page shows corn turning into popcorn.  This goes back to the vision of Vanessa two days prior!  We need to scatter the seed (word of God) generously.  In those who we are able to spend more time with, we should also sow this seed!  In addition, a seed cannot be sown unless it is "empty" and dies to itself (John 12:24).  What a confirmation from the Lord that we are sowing His seeds in our ministry!

11/22-24/14:  Vanessa and I also want to get into gardening as a means of self-sustainability.  These events seem to have a physical prompting to them, in addition to the spiritual message.  Let's start planting seeds!  Vanessa has since started planting buds in the garden, which has coincided with all this.  "One thing the Lord has spoken, two things I have heard"... (Psalm 62:11)

It's up to believers to allow God to do the work of death to self.  Death to desire, death to priorities, death to others.  We need to let Him in and let our egos fall down and die.  Then we can plant seeds in His Kingdom and do His work.

Snapshot: True Fasting

I have been seeing lots about fasting recently.  Seeking the Lord about it, I turned to this passage:

"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:

to loose the chains of injustice

    and untie the cords of the yoke,

to set the oppressed free

    and break every yoke?

Is it not to share your food with the hungry

    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—

when you see the naked, to clothe them,

    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

Then your light will break forth like the dawn,

    and your healing will quickly appear;

then your righteousness will go before you,

    and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.

Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;

    you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I..."

Isaiah 58:6-9

This is fasting.  Fasting is denying oneself and satisfying the needs of others.  Fasting is to be spent on behalf of others.  Fasting is a journey onwards to being "moved with compassion" (Matthew 14:14).  On a spiritual level, fasting in itself cannot leverage us closer to God.  It cannot automatically push us into His presence.  We must be receptive and hungry for God...regardless of what we do, let's follow this command:

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."  1 Corinthians 10:31

Neither feasting nor fasting is much in itself; God is Spirit and the flesh profits nothing.  The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

Revelation: What Was, What Is, What is To Come

A few days ago Vanessa and I were looking through our journals and realized that the insight God had been showing us each day related to three time periods--what was, what is, and what is to come.  That is, all three relations to our present time were revealed each day.  I've been making daily encouragement notecards for Vanessa by asking The Lord to give me insight on her behalf, and He often speaks through visions.  We realized while looking at these past cards that I received three visions most days.  The first typically addressed the past, the second the present, and the third, typically the future.

All time's events and all creation points to God's Son Jesus.  The first vision received was usually a look into the past that revealed God's faithfulness and guidance despite our mistakes .  The second vision was more of an in time navigational command, giving insight into what had been on Vanessa's heart that morning.  In this way God confirms the meditations she's had by Him in the morning, and our faith is built .  Praise God for being timely, and powerful enough to call us to live in the moment!

The third vision often related to a future promise of God.  It gave hope for the future, and insight into what that future God-shaped pathway might birth.  These third visions all revealed "in part", and bring us closer to fulfilling our calling and seeing face to face (1 Corinthians 13:9).

God come to us where we are at, and accommodates our conception of time.  He goes back for us, so that we can remember Him, He lives in us, so that we can live for Jesus, and He anticipates ahead in time for us, so that His Son can find faith on the earth when He returns (Luke 18:8).

All three visions testified to Jesus, and they were alao prophetic because they gave God-inspired insight.  We need to take on God's view of time, and know that Jesus is the beginning and the end.  We should ask God for insight into His promises, hope to accept them and faith to move into them.  We should believe Him when He said, "It is finished" (John 19:30).  Let's be conscious of the beauty in both God's timeliness and timelessness.

When God Relents

A few days ago I was feeling depressed.  Sometimes I fall into fear, which God allows so that I cling to Him.  If I focus on Him, I rebound back, but those times of feeling oppressed are never fun.

Anyways, that afternoon I began noticing a sharp pain in my back when I inhaled.  It was noticeable when talking and inhaling normally, and pretty painful if I breathed deeply.  I wondered why I had this pain, and went down struggling into more doubt and oppression.

I was resting on the couch at that time and felt compelled to visit the Quickened Word website.  I clicked on a recent article subtitled as, "God is comforted when He relents".  As I continued to read, the article said that relent means to, "exhale deeply".  I realized the connections with God's relenting and my own back pain.  In hindsight, He gave me this minor problem to really make a point and drive home a lesson for me.  He is good, and He wants us to learn His law.

"I know, LORD, that your laws are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me."  Psalm 119:75

It was a testament to God's faithfulness that He gave me breathing problems.  Our discipline is designed for a future victory, so that God's grace and mercy can deliver us into truth once again.

In this case, God was telling me that He wanted to relieve me from my oppression.  I realized that He wanted to help me overcome...no, He wanted to overcome for me!  He desired that I stay more sensitive to Him.  The fear I fell into was a form of discipline, but the Lord was telling me that He desired to teach me in softer ways.  He was relenting and having mercy on me!

After I realized His loving view of my situation, I understood the point.  God does not delight in stern discipline or our anxiety, but He can cause it if we wander too far.  We need to stay in the fold, and stay under the protection of the blood of Jesus.  He reminded me of this point thanks to the Quickened Word article and my back problems, and once I learned the lesson, I asked Him to take the pain.  Like that, it was gone.  He really does bear all our diseases.  Nonetheless, we need to be delicate to Him, and discerning enough that we accept whatever God wants to show us.

Following Guidelines vs. Following God

1.  You shall have no other gods before Me.
2.  You shall not make idols.
3. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
4.  Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
5.  Honor your father and your mother.
6.  You shall not murder.
7.  You shall not commit adultery.
8.  You shall not steal.
9.  You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10.You shall not covet.

Why are these commandments in place?  They are restraints against the sinful, fleshly nature of humans.  They instructed the Israelites to come out from sin.

In the new testament, Jesus showed a better way.  He did not abolish the law-- instead, He said that "not the least stroke of the pen" would ever disappear from these commands (Matthew 5:18).  Instead, He showed us how to fulfill it!  Love for God is the fulfillment of the law.  When we love God, we will have His love for our neighbors.  God doesn't command us to love like the world does; He wants us to love like He does, because He first loved us (1 Joh 4:19).

God wants us to seek His face.  That's the best way; that's the ancient path.  The Creator is more important than created guidelines, even if He created those guidelines.  If we seek His face, we will fulfill the law as Jesus did.  Jesus raised the standards when He came, but He also gave us the Spirit to enable us to love!  Yielding to His Spirit will lead us to completely obey His commands, and not be distracted by the devil or the flesh.  The Spirit will preoccupy us with Jesus to the extent that we leave the letter of the law far behind.  With Him, we will fly to higher ground, and become passionate about God and passionate about His passions.

If we walk in the Spirit and stay filled with the Spirit, we will not be tempted to "just" follow the Ten Commandments.  We will become more than conquerers over the sinful nature.  We won't be concerned over the law or it's gray areas.  Instead, we will be distressed over possible insensitivity to His leadings and flee from sin of all kinds!  Let's earnestly follow God today.

Synchronicity: The Ancient Paths

In the last post on synchronicity, I described how God pre-arranges our lives to meet His conditions.  This can be observed by the occurrence of deja-vu that I believe is used by God as a confirmation.  For me, deja-vu occurs when I am set up into God's will, and current situations trigger a pre-ordained memory.  This happens because, in God's eyes, I am in the right place at the right time, traveling through the joy set before me (Hebrews 12:2).

Let's yield to the pathway that God has set out for us.  Let's familiarize ourselves with how it feels to please Him, so that we know when His presence truly goes before us.  Let's have no schedule or priorities outside of the things God approves.  Let's worship The Lord our God, "and serve Him only"  (Matthew 4:10).

"This is what the LORD says: 'Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, 'We will not walk in it.'" Jeremiah 6:16

There comes a time when we need to pause, see our lives through discerning eyes, and seek God for distinctive direction.  The verse implies that, if we ask for the good way, we will be directed to it.  If we ask, God will show us where to walk.  Rest follows as we go along this ancient path, even though it leads us into new territory.  Our path is an ancient one, because it was formed by the Creator before time began.

When on the ancient path, you experience a knowing God.  You experience a oneness with Him that allows you to realize that He knew you from the beginning.  You discover that from the start, He has pre-arranged the fullness of your walk with Him.  His Word becomes ancient yet a new thing, and His everlasting life becomes apparent.

Walking humbly with God along this path is a thing He greatly desires; the goodness of which was revealed in the beginning (Micah 6:8).  You experience peace and blessed assurance.  And you will never forget all His benefits (Psalm 103:2)...one of which is plenty of synchronous confirmations of His love!

Electricity: God's Love

God is all powerful, and He shows Himself in symbolism.  If humans were to cease to praise Him, then even "the stones will cry out"  (Luke 19:40).  Wow!  Glory and Power and Honor belong to God!

"The heavens declare the glory of God,
    and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.
 Day to day pours out speech,
    and night to night reveals knowledge." Psalm 19:1-2

Creation is testifying to God's personality, His might and His power. Thunder is, for me, a symbol of God's power.

"After that comes the sound of his roar; he thunders with his majestic voice. When his voice resounds, he holds nothing back."  Job 37:4

The voice of God is thunderous; it is a continual thundering like the "roar of rushing waters".  The presence of God accompanies and surrounds His voice.  This is the Spirit of the Lord manifesting Himself.  God has all power and all creation at His disposal.  And He uses His power to glorify Himself!  He wants us to "taste and see" that He is good.

To follow this analogy, if thunder, alongside electricity, symbolise God's Spirit, then we need to "plug in" to God to stay "charged".  We need to enter into God's glory, with mediation with His son, and refresh our spiritual batteries.  We need to be purified and draw near to the electric love of God so that "times of refreshing" can come to us.

Today God gave me a vision where I was taken into a giant lightbulb.  I instinctively knew that the inner coils represented the Holy Spirit in me.  The inspiration of these coils gave insight, truth, and creative witness.  In other words, the Holy Spirit makes "the light bulbs turn on" and brings together the truth within us.  I saw through the vision that the same Spirit gives many ideas and expresses Jesus in many different ways.  His power works as electricity, and He gives vibrant life to our inner beings.

The empty space within the lightbulb represented close surroundings.  The space around us is within the scope of this part of the lightbulb.  This space was filled with the presence of God.  My body was represented as nearest the inner coil (symbolizing the Holy Spirit within), though other things can come into contact with me, too.

Finally, the glass casing, or outside edge, of the glass bulb represented the fullest extent of our influence.  It represented the people and things we come into contact with.  More than that, this shell represented our spiritual territory.  Akin to a tent, this casing symbolized our outer circle of influence on those things around us.  God wants us to expand our tents (Isaiah 54:2) as a new measure of the Spirit is given.  He wants to give us more spiritual power for His namesake!

From the vision, I understood that the Lord wants His inner light to shine brightly in us.  He wants His presence to emanate through us, for our tents to be expanded and our casing to be pushed out.  He wants to include others in our blessings as He works through us.  As we allow Him to become an all consuming fire, His Spirit will give us new ways to glorify Jesus--new, creative ways to demonstrate God.  He wants us to bring others into the fold and use the power He's given us to feed His lambs.

Finally, nonbelievers outside of our area of influence should see the love of God reflected by our lives.  We need to have His passions and bear good fruit from Him, so that  they can see from the outside the Glory of God revealed, and long to come near it.  It is God's work to draw them in, but it is our work to shine brightly.  And we can obtain more of this electricity, more of this light from God, if we spend time "recharging" our spiritual batteries and getting filled with the Spirit.

Synchronicity: Deja-vu

Another post on synchronicity, this time with mostly real life examples. Often God aligns our current perception of things with memories or dreams from our past.  He does this with precision, which is possible because He's outside of time.  When our current position in time revisits the qualities of an older version of events, deja-vu results.  I think deja-vu is usually caused when present circumstances trigger a similar thing from our past to be strongly remembered.  In short, my opinion is that deja-vu is the result of a sudden remembrance of formerly forgotten moments, in particular forgotten dreams.

If we are saved by God, it is because He pre-ordained it from the beginning.  He had a mission for us since before our creation, and He divulged snippets of this calling to us in these present days.  Dreams are a major way that God inspires us for our future.  Many old testament prophets had powerful visions or dreams at the onset of their prophetic calling.

For me personally, I take deja-vu as quickly good sign.  I feel it's from God's heart of love and designed to comfort, and I believe it's a part of being raised up [above time and circumstances] and set "in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:6).  If we are set irrespective of time with Him, then it's likely He has given us distinctive times in this life when He has also set us high and provided an anchor of remembrance.  These moments of deja-vu often have been produced by prior forgotten dreams.

When Vanessa and I are doing street ministry, we sometimes meet people who swore that they've seen us before.  For some reason, this occurrence was especially pronounced in Springfield, MO this summer.  We would be walking around, and multiple groups of people would say, "Didn't we just see you?" or even, "Weren't you just downtown?"  In reality, we had never seen these people, nor had we been downtown yet.  This happened most on the first day that Vanessa and I went downtown together, before we had arrived down there yet.  I believe these people were experiencing something similar to deja-vu, and I believe they probably had dreamed about this situation prior to experiencing its physical manifestations in this present world.  Either that, or God planted triggers in their subconscious minds that made them react strongly to seeing the two of us.  Either way, we felt taken aback by this.  God had aligned us with others and caused a pre-ordained re-awakening to happen in them as means of confirming Himself to us.  As we thought about this, we felt blessed!

"Have you not heard? Long ago I did it, from ancient times I planned it. Now I have brought it to pass..."  Isaiah 37:26

So God plans things well in advance, from the "what was".  Now, in the "what is", He brings things to pass.  And He gives us a measure of understanding that allows us to secure certain moments in time, and identify them as having eternal origins.  Deja-vu comes in, being brought about by a synchronous merging of present time and dreams, which are often outside of time.  I believe that God uses deja-vu as a marker to reveal to us the security we have walking along His path.  As we walk in His will, deja-vu is one of many devices He can use to bring pre-ordained events to remembrance.

"Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them."  Psalm 139:16

We obviously don't have all the insight into God's book for us, but as we "see in part", God can through deja-vu show us that His purposes and His story here on the earth has eternal sureness.  Through the remembrance, by the Holy Spirit, of previously forgotten dreams, we can know that "The Lord is God" and realize what it means to have been created and narrated by Him.

"I knew you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart for me..."  Jeremiah 1:5

Do not Fear the Lies of the enemy

Do not fear, for Jesus has redeemed us!  (Isaiah 43:1)  Let's be redeemed and have our minds renewed to the life our savior gives us.  We can reign victorious over doubts and fears of our past.  God is good, and He is not willing that any should perish.  God is good, and He has made the light of His salvation shine upon us.

The devil is always lying to God's children.  He instills a mistrust in God, lies about God's personality, and tells us we've fallen too far.  He isn't fair; he's called the lawless one for good reason.  I've found that we can know what's not The Truth if we identify thoughts and emotions that are sent in by the devil.

Often the enemy tries to make us believe we are beyond repair.  If he has his way, he will make us think we are on our way to death.   He tells lies and is the father of lies.  He's also clever.  Believers need to rise up behind the Word and fear not.  We have spiritual weapons at our disposal, and these weapons are mighty for the pulling down of satan's illusions (2 Corinthians 10:4).

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me"  Psalm 23:4

We walk through the valley of the shadow of death.  This is not the valley of death, or else the verse would be worded as such.  We walk along a path of God's truth and Satan's illusion.  As believers, we belong to the One who overcame death!  As a result, for us death is yet another lie of the enemy.

So, we walk along a valley where death impresses itself around us, but does not tangibly touch us.  Glory to God for keeping us safe.  We don't need to despise evil, we just need to identify it and rest in God to conquer.  We can rest knowing the power of God goes before us.  We can be comforted by the rode and the staff, by the Great Comforter, and we can have all our fears taken away.  Praise Him, for the hedge of protection He's surrounded us with!

Confirmed:  After I typed this, Vanessa opened the Word randomly to Isaiah 45:2.  "...I will go before you, Cyrus, and level the mountain.  I will smash down gates of bronze..."

Praise God for additional insights!  From Psalm 23:4 and Isaiah 45, we can see that God levels our mountains and has us walk through valleys instead.  He smashes down "gates of bronze" and every high thing that points to itself(2 Corinthians 10:5).  The path is made level for us!  However, Satan will make us think we are on the wrong path, and tries to deter us with illusions that point to death.  Wow.  Thank you Lord for discernment and your faithfulness to protect.

Wal-mart Testimony

Today Vanessa and I headed to Wal-Mart to run some errands.  We have some great memories that were made in that store.  When we first started doing street ministry, I did a lot of it in Wal-Mart as to avoid North Carolina's early summer heat.  We've seen many miracles and healings there. I like to call Wal-Mart "the Kingdom of heaven".  Not to stereotype or anything, but "blessed are those who are poor..." (Luke 6:20)

Anyways, we stayed yielding to God while running our errands.  We prayed to be used.  This wasn't about ministry.  This wasn't a complicated "mission".  Instead, our entire lives ought to be a mission dedicated to God!  God simply requires our attention and our time, and then He can use us.  So many are too busy to have their overcrowded schedules "moved with compassion"!  (Matthew 9:36)  So many Christians believe that their time belongs to them.  Let's dedicate our time to God.  This is part of offering ourselves as "living sacrifices" (Romans 12:1)

Back to what happened today, we got to Wal-Mart and God was so faithful.  If you are doing God's will, you will become familiar with having God's blessings overtake you along the way (Deuteronomy 28:2).  The entire time, God quickened to us different people, images, and things to buy.  He is a God of the details, too!  We were guided so personally and intimately.

Early on in our errands we ran into an older man who we thought might need prayer.  He was wearing a bright orange sweater and a cross.  He didn't want prayer for anything initially, but he was sure that he'd seen us before.  But we didn't recollect it!  As an aside, this happens to Vanessa and I sometimes when we are ministering.  People will say that they've met us before, when it is often impossible that they'd done so.  We believe it is deja-vu and indicates that God has pre-ordained certain moments.  Remember, God has set us in high places with Christ Jesus(Ephesians 2:6).  This man was more open to prayer after this strange event.  We prayed for him after heading on.

After that we were led to a woman named Melissa as she was standing in the pharmacy line.  She had a chronic degenerative disease and was in constant pain.  We said a short prayer for her...I was prompted to thank the Lord, over and over again, for His love.  After prayer we asked Melissa how she felt.  She told us she was receiving God's healing power, indicated through warmth and tingling.  Glory to God!  As she realized she had been healed, you could tell she was fighting back tears.  So were we.  She was in a hurry and Vanessa and I didn't gather much info on her life, but we left knowing that God had completely healed her.

It's such a gift to be used in street ministry.  This kind of stuff is my passion, and Vanessa has been such a blessing in being the more talkative half of our ministry partnership.  God knew what He was doing in bringing us together!  Praise Jesus for including us in His plans.  He's so gracious to send his workers something to harvest.  Praise God!

Overcoming Doubt: The Octopus

Over the past three weeks or so, I've got several visions of octopuses.  To me they represent the damaged ways of this world, widespread evil, and schemes of the enemy.  Not good.  (Keep in mind that symbolic visions may mean different things to different people.  God gives each person a vision, and an accompanying meaning, that they can understand.)

In this case, I felt that octopus represents widespread, pervasive doubt.  This unbelief is dangerous.  If the enemy has His way, doubt will be sent into our lives and constrict the Spirit's work in our lives.  Let's not doubt!  We have been truly set free by the Lord of freedom!

The sword of the Spirit is needed to cut off these areas of doubt.  The tentacles of Satan's schemes need to be eliminated by belief in God's Word.  We need to believe that He has overcome the world.  Doubt wants to uproot the Spirit's words implanted in our heart.  This implanted Word has the power to save  our souls (James 1:21), and the enemy wants to steal it away.

Praise God that He gives us warnings about such things.  The Spirit of truth will give us direction that keeps us safe and "not ignorant of his devices" (2 Corinthians 2:11).  We can be wise about that which is good, and ready to war against things that would take us from God.

Honeymoon: Bar Harbor

Hello journal! It's been another great week at the farm in Maine. We are continuing to see little snowfalls every few days. This, just one month after our "perfect weather honeymoon". My family surprised Thomas and I with a four day getaway to Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine! 

We arrived to Bar Harbor late Sunday afternoon, the day after our Saturday Wedding. We decided to walk around the downtown area and just explore a little for our first night there. We eyed some good restaurant menus and took note! We also got matching "Bar Harbor" sweatshirts!

We ate dinner at our hotel that night, as we had packed wedding feast leftovers, and saw it to be a nice way to settle into our warm and cozy hotel.

Monday morning, we hit the trail to find the adventure we were looking for. 

We walked from our hotel to the bike shop, only a mile and a half away, to rent bikes for our first day. We left the bike shop, biking up a steep road to get to the Carriage Trails, intended to be used by hikers and bikers only (with the exception OF COURSE of Govt. Vehicles, which we saw! They actually appeared to be following us...) 

We traveled around Eagle Lake, which was a strenuous incline the first half around, but the end you're heading toward is the side of a mountain, so once you reach that end, the whole ride back is a gorgeous and enjoyable, easy ride! We stopped about three quarters of the way around and got this photo. In fact, remember the older couple who snapped this shot! They will come into play later in the post.

After we came back from our biking adventure, we went to the hotel dining room, brought two cups of Apple Spice tea back to our room, and relaxed for a bit before heading out for dinner at a pub we found called Po' Boys. We flipped through the info packet our hotel gave us, and found they had a great special on Maine Lobster- we loved it! We snapped this shot in the hotel atrium before heading out!

Tuesday morning, we had coffee in the dining room while writing postcards to our parents, before heading out for another day of adventure!

 We chose biking again because we just hadn't gotten enough from the day before; granted, we had only done a half day. This time, we took the same Carriage Road a quarter of the way around Eagle Lake, and bore right at the fork below, to go past Eagle Lake and onto Jordan Pond. 

 Here we found the Jordan Pond House, popular for their tea and popovers, in addition to a regular lunch menu. I was specifically interested in the fireplace inside the giftshop. 

 Heading back from the Jordan Pond house, we stopped along Eagle Lake and admired the beauty.

This shot below is cool to me because my family and I came to Acadia National Park when I was young, and took the same shot on this stone bridge that leads you to the Carriage Trails from the road. 

This guy... the Lord has changed my life through him.  "My mourning has turned into dancing, and my sorrow into joy." 

The next day, Wednesday, we chose to give my Aunt Chris' advice a whirl. She's a seasoned visitor to Bar Harbor, and made a few recommendations for us. Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor are on Mount Desert (pronounced "dessert") Island. We drove to the eastern most part of Mount Desert Island (closest to the Atlantic,) and walked Sand Beach to hike the Great Head Peninsula, a moderately difficult trail.  

 Here's a view of Sand Beach from a quarter of the way around the Great Head. 

Well here I am, enjoying freedom.

My lover made me a spear in case I met a rabid squirrel.

 Once we had gotten around to the beginning again, we took in this pretty view of Sand Beach.

 Next it was time to climb the Beehive! Here we are at the foot of the trail.

My Aunt Chris gave us a little warning that it was pretty much straight up the side of a mountain, and that we would be holding onto iron rings, but we definitely underestimated the Beehive. This thing could have been dangerous had it not been for the thousands of ladybugs encouraging us to keep faith as we climbed. Here we are at the top- we made it!

This shot was on our way down- see how steep? What a thrill!

After we completed the Beehive, we drove Park Loop Road (the designated scenic route around Acadia National Park.) Here we are in front of Otter Cove, a saltwater inlet with a land bridge crossing the middle, which we were standing on. 

Cadillac Mountain is not only the highest mountain on Mount Desert Island, it is also the only one in the area that you can take your car to the top of. Here is Thomas, halfway up the mountain, with Eagle Lake in the background.

 Here we are at the summit of Cadillac, with Bar Harbor in the distance.

That evening, we specifically felt led to try a dinner place called Cafe This Way. When we walked in, our attention was immediately grabbed by a woman in the dining room waving at us. She was with her husband and her friend. Thomas and I went over to their table, and she told us that she and her husband took our picture on the trail by Eagle Lake on Monday!

After we ordered, I felt led to go back over to their table to ask if anyone was in any pain and needed healing from the Lord. They responded first by saying that they had been in a church a long time and she used to direct the children's program, and secondly the woman said she didn't have any health concerns, but then asked her husband, "Honey, what about your shoulder?" He seemed like he felt uncomfortable with the idea of being prayed for, and said, "oh that's ok." Sometimes we see older Christians decline prayer because they don't want to be seen being prayed for by a young person. We don't ask people if we can pray for them because we think they're lost or "need to get saved." We just want people to experience the Lord's power.  

The woman's friend said, "My sister is having surgery, can we pray for her?" We did pray for her and I trust that the Lord has been faithful. I was bummed that the man didn't want us to ask Yahweh to take away his pain, because I believe He was ready to do it, but I was glad that we did pray for someone. 

At the end of our meal, after our trail friends had left, our waiter came over to our table and told us that an anonymous couple had taken care of our check. What a sweet blessing from them and the Lord! 

 The next day, Thursday, our final morning at the hotel, we were excited because instead of raining all morning like it was supposed to, it was sunny behind a light layer of beautiful haze above the harbor, and we were able to have breakfast out on the dining room deck! Truth be told, it was supposed to rain Wednesday and Thursday, but the Lord showed us much favor and allowed it to be pushed off. We were so thankful!

Here we are on the deck, enjoying each other and a hot drink. 

 We visited a couple museums on the way out of Bar Harbor, and the moment we were in the middle of the bridge that crossed from Mount Desert Island to the mainland, the first raindrop hit our windshield! Thank you Lord for wonderful weather up to the last minute!

I would like to say thank you to my Aunt Chris & Uncle Taylor, my Mom and Dad, my Aunt Nancy and Uncle John, and Thomas' parents for surprising us with a wonderful honeymoon we didn't even expect to take, nor place much importance in.  We know now why we were gifted this trip- it was amazing!!! We have memories to last forever, and a new favorite place to return for anniversaries!

Love, 

Vanessa

Thankfulness

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1st Thessalonians 5:16-18

What does it mean to rejoice always?  It means to stay uplifted in God's truth.  Rejoice, you've been forgiven!  You've been redeemed, the goodness of God in sacrificing His son Jesus has saved you!

What does it mean to pray continually?  It means to keep prayer and communion with God at the forefront of the mind at all times.  It means staying aware of God going before you, God backing you, and God emanating Himself through you, and verbalizing this awareness (even if verbally) to Him constantly.

What does it mean to give thanks in all?  It means to keep gratitude for God at such a high level that any momentary troubles are not worth comparing to future glory (2 Corinthians 4:17).  It means looking forward to our return home and allowing that faith to overshadow present-time testing.  Let's realize and even appreciate that our treasures are stored up in earthen jars of clay (2 Corinthians 4:7), so that God's power in us might become even more awe-inspiring (2 Corinthians 12:9).

God never fails.  Let's praise Him for His character.  Let's praise Him that He is ready to forgive.  He is mighty to save.

Victory through Repentance

This morning, I surrendered some things to God.  Honestly I was long overdue in doing this.  So, I surrendered to God and repented for the things I had been clinging to.   "Pet sins" are very dangerous.  Fleeing from sin is the best response to it.  We need God's help to do this.

"Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing! Come out from it and be pure, you who carry the articles of the LORD's house."  Isaiah 52:11

God spoke to my heart that I was forgiven and restored to Him.  I had come out of my sin, and then He made me pure.  It is His grace that does this.

I was instructed to "bear fruit in keeping with repentance"  (Matthew 3:8).  Repentance to me means turning away from one thing and changing mindsets.  It means looking down on sins that separate from God, and looking forward to His new opportunities.

God gives us grace so that we can return to Him.  As long as we want to and repent of our past sin, we can return.  After returning, obedience is especially important.  It is a yielding to His Spirit that allows us to bear fruit "in keeping with", or worthy of, repentance.  If we are not bearing good fruit, we probably aren't fully repentant.

Once forgiven, I felt an influx of God's love.  It feels so good to be accepted and redeemed!  It feels to good to partake of the heavenly gift.   It feels so good to be judged righteous.

The Lord God gave me a vision of a person standing victorious.  This person had a large diamond planted behind them, but only the top quarter was showing.  So the only part of the diamond exposed to the outer world was a small triangle. They were victorious through their belonging to God, which demonstrated itself in true change.  Victory was found in bearing fruit!

Diamond Representation:  Represents our portion in Christ, our spiritual origin.  God polishes us as diamonds in the rough, glorifying and reflecting Himself through His good works in us.  There are so may unseen treasures stored up for a child of God.  "All creation" has been groaning "for the revealing of the sons of God" (Romans 8:19-22).  The Holy Spirit wants to reveal Jesus in all of us.

"Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn".  Isaiah 51:1

Small Triangle Representation:  This was the top of the diamond, the "tip of the iceberg".  Seen things are only a small portion of the glory of God's Spirit living in us all!  And there's a price to pay for more of God to unveil itself through in us.  So, this small triangle is the fruit of the Spirit, that "fruit worthy of repentance", that other people see.  Remember that a triangle represents change.  Change follows repentance, if we belong to God.

Put together the pieces of this vision, and you'll see a clear message unveiled.  True Victory comes from true change, which comes from true repentance, which is made possible by our inheritance and belonging to God.  Glory to God!

God's Perspective

"Remember His marvelous works that He has done."  Psalm 105:5

Sometimes it helps to look back at God's grace in the past, so that we can have hope for the future.  He's taken us out of the wilderness and revived us!  We need to see the forest for the trees.  We need to realize that God has had His strong hand upon us until this point.  And He is just the same today.  He is still willing to redeem.

Let's learn to treasure God's love, just as it was shown in our past.  Let's remember the works He has done for us on behalf of His name.  Let's believe that His feelings towards us now can be just as great, and let's believe we can return to His presence.

God has taken me through so much.  He has loved me from the start, and He wants me to be "set in high places" as one of His children.  It is the same with all who call on Him.  His light has shown on us.  We must stay close to Him so that we can have oiled lamps, having been trained in godliness.  His light needs to encompass our every step, and it needs to be clear in our past with God, too.

When in doubt, remember the things that God has spoken.  Doubt and fear can choke out His Words if left unchecked.  The implanted Word can be overgrown by weeds, then thorns.  There is a way out.  Meditate and consider God's character in the past.  He still feels the same about us.  He is not a "son of man, that He should change His mind".  He is faithful.  Glory to God!

God's Wisdom

Wisdom has been a strong theme recently.  We need wisdom to know how to align with God.  What would He have us do?  What would He have us say?  What would He have us think?  Wisdom is personified by the Holy Spirit.  Wisdom is godly, truthful knowledge.

James 3:13:  "Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him show his works out of good conduct and with the meekness of wisdom."

So once we have wisdom, we can show it by demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit.  We can do good, and also be humble enough that we can be generous with our right hand, while not letting the left hand know what we're doing (Matthew 6:3).

I've also been reading Proverbs.  This morning, I received a vision of a highway, long and narrow.  I knew it symbolized the focused path the Lord God wants we on.  A few moments after this, I read Proverbs 15:19.

"The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway."

The Lord confounds the wicked, but those who have wisdom are set above.  Narrow is the path we need to stay on to keep following wisdom.  If we walk humbly with God and His wisdom, He will guide us along this Highway.  He will guide us with such accuracy; He will even number our steps for us!  This can all happen because God has pre-ordained things before time began.  When we get away from God, He often frustrates our efforts and takes our rest.  Return to Him!

"Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning and even among fools she lets herself be known."  Proverbs 14:33

Wisdom is kept in the hearts of those who follow God.  That's because the Holy Spirit, our seal, gives us this wisdom.  If we yield to the Spirit, we are those called "discerning", and wisdom will not be taken from us.  We need to keep the Spirit, and it's wisdom, at all costs.

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."  Proverbs 9:10

Fear of the Lord, reverence and awe of Him, is where wisdom starts.  There is so much knowledge out there, and not all of it magnifies God.  We need to fear God, and stay under Him, to stay safe from lies and false ideas.  If we fear Him in the right way, He can then reveal to us hidden knowledge.  Knowledge is only useful from His perspective.  His knowledge is called wisdom!  And we cannot expect to have true wisdom without first relying on our Creator.  We need to hold onto His love as we are taught more and more.  God's perspective is the only one that counts.

Synchronicity: How to Read The Word

God gave us His Word for many reasons. The Word is our hope and our encouragement, our "ever-present hope in times of trouble." We cannot forget or underestimate the Word. It is alive and active, and by the Holy Spirit it is made real to us.

The Bible gives us commands to keep us pure in the eyes of God, and it also gives us moment by moment direction. There are a few names for the Word's present-time guidance. I like to call this kind of direction "rhema" or "navigational commands". These things come from the Word as we read it led by the Holy Spirit.

So, how to get specific commands from the bible? There are certainly times when it's good to read long passages of scripture at once, but the Lord has given us faster ways to discern His answers to specific questions. When we are led by the Spirit and operating out of a place of faith, random bible reading is often miraculously on topic. Try randomly opening a bible up and you'll see what I mean. As long as we precede this by trust and reliance on God, He gives specific direction through the Word, in ways that are sometimes totally unrelated to the context of that scripture section.

For example, last night I had a warning-type dream. It related to discipline that was painful. I felt it was from God, and this dream really helped me understand His might in disciplining those He loves. His discipline, and His commands to stay blameless, are designed for our protection, "lest some worse thing happen". After asking for His help, I open up the Word to Proverbs 19:18:

"Chasten your son while there is hope, and do not set your heart on his destruction."

So this verse synchronously confirmed the topic and message of last night's dream. God is always faithful to His Word. The Bible is unlike any other book, and because of that, it is reliable to direct us when opened at random. So, often, I open my Bible at random and the first thing my eyes see totally relates to the day's events. Sometimes the first passage I read relates to things that happened just minutes ago. These synchronistic happenings are not just coincidences! No, those who are near God need to acknowledge His power (Isaiah 33:13).

 In the last month or so, the Holy Spirit has been teaching me how to get specific instruction from God on behalf of others. I don't mean prophecy here, but more so selecting timely bible verses, that often have a prophetic meaning. It all starts by hearing God's voice. The further you go along with God, the less and less you can do things, even spiritual things, according to your own will.

This new method is very efficient, but like I said, it must be strongly guided by God. So, most mornings I seek God on behalf of my wife. I acknowledge His ability, and His power, and then open my Bible at random. I may have my eyes closed, and point to a spot on the page, before opening my eyes and reading the selected verse. Or, I might just "know" that I'm meant to keep my eyes open, and immediately look on near the top left corner of the page. Direction such as this is a benefit of "keeping in step" with the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:25).

 Once again, distinct guidance is critical here! The Lord directs me when I do these random, finger-pointing readings...it is He that gives me protection and wisdom. Often He speaks with that "still, small voice" and tells me where to point my finger, which side of the page to gaze at, or where in the Word I should first open. When I do read as directed, God always gives me a passage whose message couldn't be a bit better. This is my one of my favorite ways to get specific direction from God.

"Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path." Psalm 119:105

The Word is a light for the feet, not a spotlight into the distant future. So many people miss this! The Word guides us step by step. If we could do more than just "see in part" (1 Corinthians 13:9), we would not need to fully rely on God, nor have faith in the unseen! The synchronistic things God directs to us often fall around our feet, as He turns our "darkness into light" and guides us moment by moment. God's Spirit aligns us with converging events, through the Word, that guide our path. Glory to God! He really is so creative. Synchronicity through the word keep us "in step" better than almost anything. Reading the Bible at random is such a faith builder. Like I said, though, we must begin reading in faith that "the Lord is God, shining upon us". Or else, we are in serious danger of our faith being hurt even more:

"...Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them." Matthew 13:12

So, let's read the word with faith to receive, and faith to believe the rhema word that God wants to speak. Let's desire clear and specific instruction, so that we can walk on His path for us, and not resort to lighting our own fires. Let's acknowledge God's power to move through synchronistic events, and give Him the Glory for it!

"For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen." Romans 11:36

Our calling: Compassion

The past few days I've been reminded by the Lord about my purpose in life. The Holy Spirit brought 3 verses to remembrance:

"He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:8

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

"And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"Matthew 22:39

And I realized how simple everything really should be. I realized again that no worldly achievements can impress God. This world in its present form is "passing away" (1 Corinthians 7:31). That makes our purpose much more simple, if we meditate and then act on this perspective.

How did Jesus act? He saw the people and He was moved with compassion. Not just human compassion, but the compassion of God. He responded with powerful demonstrations of His Father's love. He walked humbly with the Father, even though He was God Himself. He came "not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many". Let's commit to focusing on God, and focusing on His heart. Let's love what He loves and hate what He hates.

Confirmed: When talking about different callings in the car today, my eyes were directed to a license plate that said, "CMPSSHN". The timing as perfect. I didn't say it...my calling is to show people God's compassion!

Vision: Heavenly Doors

Last week I started receiving visions of gates opening. These gates and doors were intricately carved and had been tightly shut. I sensed they were spiritual doors that directed physical events. God gives us open doors when we prove faithful.

"because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me." 1 Corinthians 16:9

We need to stay focused on the Lord Jesus to pass through doors, and we must prize spiritual doors above worldly ones. Once we can "count everything else as loss" (Philippians 3:8), the Lord will give us spiritual gifts. We need to eagerly desire these things, and seek them. Above all, seek God's face. God rewards a hunger for Him.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." Matthew 5:6

Satisfaction is guaranteed if we humbly ask from God. And spiritual satisfaction means going from "strength to strength" and from "glory to glory". It means passing through trials within a hedge of protection. It means that God goes before us and opens the doors. Glory to God! Seeking Him keeps us from impatience--we cannot press ahead of His steps. He needs to be our light and our inspiration.

"But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze. This is what you shall receive from my hand: You will lie down in torment." Isaiah 50:11

Humility and reverence will never lead us into prying open our own doors. Sometimes we need to ask and then receive, not ask and then receive. Sometimes the Spirit will lead us to step aside and see the hand of God move on our behalf. Let's pray for God's guidance to direct us to the right doors. If it's His Will, He will guide the path. We need to be discerning and warfare God's way. God does not fail, and we can ask to pass through opened doors in faith in God's goodness.