The Only Voice That Matters

Have you noticed how many voices are speaking in our world today? It seems everywhere you turn everyone has an opinion. And these opinions are as varied and numerous as the stars in the sky.

Every media is an authority on any subject you would want to discuss. Television certainly drives its agenda with a vengeance, social media is all over the map and the internet, well who can come close to describing what goes on there.

With just a click of a button there is unlimited access to resources, true and otherwise, and in this saturated information environment you would assume that humanity as a whole would be in a very good place. So why do we have multitudes feeling unsafe, insecure, frightened and just plain uncertain about what to do next. Could it be we are listening to the wrong voices?

Proverbs 16:25 says: There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him, but at the end of it is the way of death. You see God is the great communicator and He is always speaking to us. He created us in His image so we have unlimited potential and ability to hear, but this potential can only be realized by being connected to the Lord God Almighty, the Creator of the universe, the One and Only God, the One who wrote the users manual.

It is by reading the Word of God and allowing the Lord to speak His revelation knowledge that allows us to be able to have wisdom and understanding for any situation we find ourselves facing. It is having a personal, intimate relationship with the designer and manufacturer so to speak. We get all kinds of insight and secrets just by spending time with Him. After all, He sees the complete picture, past, present and future.

Even with all the voices clamoring in the world today, it is a  comfort to know we have access to the ONLY VOICE THAT MATTERS……that we can come boldly to God’s throne to see and hear the mysteries and secrets of His creation and experience the great and mighty things He has in store for those that love Him.

Jeremiah 33:3 says: Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize or have knowledge of and or understand)

Living In The Light

Have you ever found yourself in the dark? Whether it’s being outside when the sun goes down, walking through the house at night or finding yourself in an elevator when the power goes out, being in the dark is just not a secure feeling.

Not knowing exactly where my feet are headed, what they may be stepping on or what lies ahead can cause me to be quite anxious and through the years I have discovered over and over again just how wonderful it is to walk and live in the light.

As human beings, we need light. It is essential to our bodies for mental and physical wellness. It energizes us and allows us to function at full capacity and without it we become depressed and lethargic. And so natural light is a life giving matter…. but natural light is not all the light we need. We also need spiritual light. As a matter of fact, spiritual illumination is the most essential light of all.

And so, I am again amazed how our heavenly Father created the natural realm to exactly mirror the spirit realm. The light that comes from His word leads and directs us along every kind of path and allows us to be sure footed in all things. Psalms 119:105 says: Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

It is His light that allows us to see, not just where we are walking, but where we are going. His light shines bright to dispel all fear and anxiety. It allows us to see His goodness and gives us the freedom to trust Him in all things.

Psalm 27:13 says: I would have despaired had I not believed I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Our God wants us to see His goodness. He wants us to believe every Word and promise He has spoken to us and to believe that He is always for us and not against us and that He will never forsake us in our weaknesses.

Our God is greater than all things. He IS life. Full of light and glory, He desires to flood us with His abundant supernatural energizing life. Let us commit ourselves to reading, listening and believing His word and allow His goodness to overtake us.

Are You Ready?

This past year has been especially trying for me personally. Many of my convictions have been challenged and in my despair I have found myself returning again and again on my knees to the foot of the Cross seeking consolation and answers. Since I have always been able to press through and hear the voice of the Lord this uncharted territory has been unsettling to say the least. This new and different season has brought many more questions than answers but I am beginning to understand that my faith is being tried by fire and that what is starting to emerge is pure gold.

You see, the Cross of Jesus offers so much more than we can ever comprehend. It opens a world to us that is so alien and unimaginable in our human mindset, that it takes divine revelation to see what has been provided for us and that God does not live in a box or in the limitations of our understanding. He is never surprised or taken off guard and He knows everything that is going on in our lives. He is not only the Creator of the universe; He is our Master, our Shepherd, our Provider, our Healer, our Deliverer, our Counselor, our Rock, our Redeemer, our loving and caring FATHER…..

All these things are not just titles; they are what He actually is to us as sons and daughters and as we humble ourselves before His throne, He builds a firm foundation in us that can not be shaken, for this world is being shaken and shaken violently. But our Father is positioning His children to not just endure, but to overcome and live victoriously having need of nothing. He is strengthening the very fiber of our beings and causing us to be whole and healthy and He is allowing us to see that He can be trusted in all things.

It is His still small voice that I always long to hear, but it is His resounding display of power starting to arise in His children that is stirring in my heart and in the hearts of His beloved. He is truly worthy of our praise and adoration and NOTHING can stop His plans and purposes for this world. It is my prayer that as the fulfillment of time begins to unfold, that as His children we will compel and invite all who are lost to come meet our Savior and Lord and that no one will be left behind. For no one knows the time or season Jesus will return………

A Heart to Dream

God is always sending things our way to inspire us. He uses all kinds of avenues to expand the horizons of our hearts and to fan the flames of our dreams and expectations. He is the very one who plants these desires in us in the first place and He watches over every opportunity to fulfill our imaginings. And so it is this very stage that has been set for our success that becomes the intense battleground to rob us of our victories. For there is such a war raging against us, that we forget there is a real enemy actively working to confound us at every turn.

But our Father does not leave us defenseless. He has the amazing ability to turn everything that was meant for our destruction into a triumph. And that conquest urges us on toward the high calling of God in our individual and corporate lives. And that is what it is all about…..completing the personal assignment in this life that we were created for.

There is no one else who can achieve what we were designed to do and there is no one else who sees things the way we do. We are all unique in our gifts and expressions and have a contribution to make to the world that is exclusive to us. It’s the dreaming of God’s dreams for us in the intimate places of our hearts that helps us to see the finish line and empowers us to continue on when the going gets tough.

We are one of a kind, irreplaceable, rare, distinctive, exceptional and when we place ourselves in the hands of our Creator, we become alive with unimaginable potential and it is this promise of possibility that will…. lay hands on the sick and they will recover, raise the dead, cast out devils, and preach the acceptable year of the Lord. Freely giving what we have freely received from Jesus our resurrected Savior.

Let us never forget what hangs in the balance. There is a lost and dying world waiting to see and hear what only we can share……….the Good News of Jesus.

Now to Him Who, by and in consequence of the action of His power that is at work within us, is able to carry out His purpose and do superabundantly, far over and above all that we dare ask or think infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams--

Magnificent Creator

I love the magnificence of Our God. His creative nature, His unique perspective, His adventurous plans, His unfailing love and grace and majesty.

I love to smell the fragrances in the morning air, I love the blueness of the sky, the glorious colors of the ocean as the sun glistens across the waves, I love the smell of the earth especially after a rain, the glory of the bark of the trees and the leaves as the sun radiates across the wetness to reveal a wonderland of beauty and awe. I love to hear the birds sing, I love to hear the wind as its blows through the trees and I love the leaves of the poplars as they wave across the sky. The beauty of the fields as the sun shines through the rain, the sounds and smells of the woodlands as the creatures scurry about. I love that all of creation reflects our Fathers marvelous handiwork.

I love that the rocks and stones cry out, that the mountains reveal His glory, that the seas roar in praise to Him, and that even in the vastness of space there is color and sound and beauty all magnifying and pointing to our God our Savior our King.

Every tree has a different bark, a different leaf, every bird has a different song, every plant has a different flower, and every animal has a different appearance. Everything created in the whole universe is unique in its plan, its purpose, its expression and it all reflects the vastness of our God.

I love that this omnipotent Creator not only allows us to view and partake of the beauty of His creation, He also invites us to know the Author and Creator Himself. To know and be known by Him and to be invited to partake of His creative magnificence.

I love that the Father invites us to spend time with Him. That He delights in sharing His mysteries and revelations with us. I love that we never have to look at things the same way each day as he reveals another level of His creation and I love that He invites us to share in this great adventure called life.

We were created to live forever. What a glorious idea…..What a vast existence…..What a precious gift this life is. Jesus said I am the Way, the Truth, the Life; no one comes to the Father but by me. Life IS eternal, why not choose the path that leads to EVERLASTING LIFE, a life filled with unlimited, unimaginable beauty, grace, glory……..Forever.

For God so loved the world He sent His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life…..John 3:16

A Choice Plain and Simple

I am always amazed at the simplicity of the gospel. This is not to take anything away from Jesus and His majesty and Lordship but a reminder of who He really is and who we really are. The words spoken by Jesus were simple, straight to the point and transformed everything He came in contact with.

It is a cause and effect type of understanding. If we are willing to choose to do what He says, then He is obligated to provide what he has promised. I am sure there are many people who think the idea of God being obligated to do anything for a person is absurd, but it is in fact His very words that allow us to believe such a thing…… Ask and it will be given to you, Seek and you will find, Knock and it will be open for you. After all God is not a man that He should lie and He (God) is faithful who has promised.

God is not and never has been our problem. If only that were so. As the omnipotent King, He has declared that as His children we have access to His thrown always and that when we are in sin, He will reason together with us. He does not shut us out and run from us but because of the sacrifice of Jesus, the Father is ever wooing us back to a place of repentance and freedom.

So if God is not the problem then what is? I truly wish there was another answer but the truth is we are the problem. Our free will is the problem. Hasn’t it been so since Adam and Eve sinned in the garden. Our Father counts our free will of utmost importance with our ability to choose what we want. And it truly is just a choice. Not complicated but just a simple choice, a decision to choose repentance and go God’s way. And really what is repentance but a person changing his mind and deciding to go a different direction. Jesus said: Come unto me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

In His great kindness He allows us to be a part of His plans and purposes, allows us to participate in the very changing of history, and encourages us to save up eternal things by a simple choice of our will.

The Abundance of Our Hearts

Writing has never been my strong suit….but talking is another matter altogether. The word of God says that out of the abundance of the heart the mouths speaks and I obviously have and have always had an abundance in my heart. But what exactly is the abundance in a person’s heart.

Webster describes abundance as: profusion, great quantity, large quantity, plenty, loads, wealth and through the years I have heard people say a person has a wealth of knowledge. I assume that means someone has a lot of information or facts about a certain situation and I am sure there are many of us who truly believe we have a lot of information or are experts in certain environments. But what is the true abundance of the heart that sustains and sees us through the journeys of life. The abundance that pulls us out of the ditch back on the road, the abundance that sooths our weary broken hearts, the abundance that gives us a hope and a future.

That life giving sustaining abundance only comes one way – through the living word of God. The scriptures are an amazing thing. They are the very thoughts and ideas of the creator of the universe and can speak unending mysteries to all that read them. They are alive with potential. They can reveal mercy and grace to a broken heart, correction to a stubborn mind or restoration to a wounded soul. Everywhere the Word is read, spoken or pondered it releases life sustaining power and abundance. And isn’t that what we all need, abundance that will overflow to everything and everyone around us, abundance that changes our situations and circumstances.

Jesus said: I am the Word made flesh. As we draw near to Him, the written word becomes the Living Word…..alive and sharper than a two edged sword and will produce abundance and faith in all who are willing to be transformed. After all faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God, and it is that very faith that He gives so generously that pleases our God.

I am willing for God’s abundance to change me for His glory and purpose, are you?

Finding The Good Way

It is always easier to think of the things in life I do not have. To grieve for lost relationships and friends, to recognize and morn lost opportunities and direction. It seems when life slows down I always gravitate to the lowest level of emotional comfort. My nature is to hold tightly to the things I can control and shut out all outside intrusions and reasoning’s that do not line up with my simple life.

So it is always a great surprise when God unexpectedly opens a door and suddenly my horizons of hope are expanded. I find that there really is joy in this life and that once again my heavenly Father has brought a solution from a direction I could never have imagined. How could I have known when I was not even aware of such a direction?

I find myself realizing once again, that God has no limits. His love will never fail and that if I will just trust Him, He will bring about all that I need and desire in my life.

It’s just that my understanding of things is influenced by my experience and facts. And experience is just that: FACTS not TRUTH.

I used to listen to a song many years ago written by Michael Card that said: there is a joy in the journey, there is a light we can love on the way, there is a wonder and wildness to life and freedom for those who obey.

All my life I have sought after the joy in the journey. And today, Jesus has again reminded me, that He is the joy in the journey. If I will just be open to His leading and direction, He will send blessings my way that I could never have imagined.

Living in these uncertain times is hard for everyone. For true Christians it requires difficult heart choices. But it is during these kinds of times that we need to remember that it is the actual walking with the Lord that leads us to life and life more abundantly. That the Lord God Almighty who made heaven and earth does not slumber nor sleep and He is never surprised by
anything. He desires to walk and talk with us 24/7 and He can be trusted with our very lives. I love what Jeremiah 6:16 says: “Ask where the good way is, walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls”.