What was the joy that Jesus had? Joy should not be confused with happiness. In fact, it is an insult to Jesus Christ to use the word happiness in connection with Him. The joy of Jesus was His absolute self-surrender and self-sacrifice to His Father— the joy of doing that which the Father sent Him to do— “. . . who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross . . .” ( Hebrews 12:2 ). “I delight to do Your will, O my God . . .” ( Psalm 40:8 ). Jesus prayed that our joy might continue fulfilling itself until it becomes the same joy as His. Have I allowed Jesus Christ to introduce His joy to me?

Living a full and overflowing life does not rest in bodily health, in circumstances, nor even in seeing God’s work succeed, but in the perfect understanding of God, and in the same fellowship and oneness with Him that Jesus Himself enjoyed. But the first thing that will hinder this joy is the subtle irritability caused by giving too much thought to our circumstances. Jesus said, “. . . the cares of this world, . . . choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful” ( Mark 4:19 ). And before we even realize what has happened, we are caught up in our cares. All that God has done for us is merely the threshold— He wants us to come to the place where we will be His witnesses and proclaim who Jesus is.

Have the right relationship with God, finding your joy there, and out of you “will flow rivers of living water” ( John 7:38 ). Be a fountain through which Jesus can pour His “living water.” Stop being hypocritical and proud, aware only of yourself, and live “your life . . . hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3 ). A person who has the right relationship with God lives a life as natural as breathing wherever he goes. The lives that have been the greatest blessing to you are the lives of those people who themselves were unaware of having been a blessing.

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August 31, 2010

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

I have discovered a difference and a connection between my prayers and my joy. When I focus on prayer as a means of worship and a way to have a more intimate dialog with God, I experience peace and joy.

And God says…..”When you seek a more intimate relationship with Me you will have it. When you worship and bring Me glory, you are more complete. As you look to Me, your life comes into focus and you have an entirely different perspective; your life is hidden in Christ, and He can live through you. You no longer live; it is Christ in you that lives.”

“Regardless of your circumstances, when you live like this, you live in joy, and you come to know that it is the joy of Christ.”

Jesus Christ is saying here, “Don’t rejoice in your successful service for Me, but rejoice because of your right relationship with Me.” The trap you may fall into in Christian work is to rejoice in successful service— rejoicing in the fact that God has used you. Yet you will never be able to measure fully what God will do through you if you have a right-standing relationship with Jesus Christ. If you keep your relationship right with Him, then regardless of your circumstances or whoever you encounter each day, He will continue to pour “rivers of living water” through you ( John 7:38 ). And it is actually by His mercy that He does not let you know it. Once you have the right relationship with God through salvation and sanctification, remember that whatever your circumstances may be, you have been placed in them by God. And God uses the reaction of your life to your circumstances to fulfill His purpose, as long as you continue to “walk in the light as He is in the light” (1 John 1:7 ).

Our tendency today is to put the emphasis on service. Beware of the people who make their request for help on the basis of someone’s usefulness. If you make usefulness the test, then Jesus Christ was the greatest failure who ever lived. For the saint, direction and guidance come from God Himself, not some measure of that saint’s usefulness. It is the work that God does through us that counts, not what we do for Him. All that our Lord gives His attention to in a person’s life is that person’s relationship with God— something of great value to His Father. Jesus is “bringing many sons to glory . . .” ( Hebrews 2:10 ).

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August 30, 2010

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

My stomach has had a hollow feeling for a while. I was on the receiving end of one more surprise, one more sideways emotional ambush to accompany the missed expectations; the missed expectations being the ones that I would not be able to deliver.

I used to pride myself on being able to deliver on the expectations; it was one of my sources of pride. If I made a commitment I would keep it, come well or wide water. But it seems that source of pride is no longer available to me.

And God says…”Your abilities and responsibilities have no place in a transformed life. And you know that pride has no place in your life at all. I will meet your needs, and deliver all the abilities you will ever need. I will meet all your needs as soon as you let go of them and let Me.”

“And just because your circumstances get in the way does not mean that you ignore expectations or responsibilities, or try to forget them. Bring them to Me. Let Me meet all your needs. Let Me deliver on the expectations through you.”

“You cannot have it both ways; prayer for deliverance and the personal power to meet your own needs, AND prayer for Me to meet your needs. Trust in Me with all your heart and do not rely on your own plans, efforts and experience and I will meet all your needs.”

“Bring Me your broken and contrite heart and let Me continue to transform you. I do this Not because of what you have done, or will do. I do this because I love you.

Prayer is not a normal part of the life of the natural man. We hear it said that a person’s life will suffer if he doesn’t pray, but I question that. What will suffer is the life of the Son of God in him, which is nourished not by food, but by prayer. When a person is born again from above, the life of the Son of God is born in him, and he can either starve or nourish that life. Prayer is the way that the life of God in us is nourished. Our common ideas regarding prayer are not found in the New Testament. We look upon prayer simply as a means of getting things for ourselves, but the biblical purpose of prayer is that we may get to know God Himself.

“Ask, and you will receive . . .” ( John 16:24 ). We complain before God, and sometimes we are apologetic or indifferent to Him, but we actually ask Him for very few things. Yet a child exhibits a magnificent boldness to ask! Our Lord said, “. . . unless you . . . become as little children . . .” ( Matthew 18:3 ). Ask and God will do. Give Jesus Christ the opportunity and the room to work. The problem is that no one will ever do this until he is at his wits’ end. When a person is at his wits’ end, it no longer seems to be a cowardly thing to pray; in fact, it is the only way he can get in touch with the truth and the reality of God Himself. Be yourself before God and present Him with your problems— the very things that have brought you to your wits’ end. But as long as you think you are self-sufficient, you do not need to ask God for anything.

To say that “prayer changes things” is not as close to the truth as saying, “Prayer changes me and then I change things.” God has established things so that prayer, on the basis of redemption, changes the way a person looks at things. Prayer is not a matter of changing things externally, but one of working miracles in a person’s inner nature.

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August 28, 2010

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Nowadays I wake up and feel the need to pray. I wonder what was going on in my life when I did not begin the day with prayer. Was I self sufficient, or just did I just reject the idea that God was waiting to answer my prayers? Was I oblivious or simply not needy enough? Perhaps I was simply unaware of my need because I did not have or seek an intimate relationship with Him.

And God says…”You tried to fill yourself up with life and self sufficiency so you would not have to acknowledge your deep and abiding need for Me. I made you such that you are not complete without Me, however, you can choose to reject Me….and you have.  Many reject Jesus as Savior, others reject Him as Lord. And still many reject Him for life. When you accept Jesus as your life, you then recognize and acknowledge the need for prayer that is essential for that life in Jesus.”

“When you are complete in Jesus, you know it. When you are not complete you know it as well, and  your  Spirit will cry out for prayer…..and you will hear it……. as long as you respond.”

Beware of not acting upon what you see in your moments on the mountaintop with God. If you do not obey the light, it will turn into darkness. “If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” ( Matthew 6:23 ). The moment you forsake the matter of sanctification or neglect anything else on which God has given you His light, your spiritual life begins to disintegrate within you.Continually bring the truth out into your real life, working it out into every area, or else even the light that you possess will itself prove to be a curse.

The most difficult person to deal with is the one who has the prideful self-satisfaction of a past experience, but is not working that experience out in his everyday life. If you say you are sanctified, show it. The experience must be so genuine that it shows in your life. Beware of any belief that makes you self-indulgent or self-gratifying; that belief came from the pit of hell itself, regardless of how beautiful it may sound.

Your theology must work itself out, exhibiting itself in your most common everyday relationships. Our Lord said, “. . . unless your righteousness exceeds the

righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” ( Matthew 5:20 ).In other words, you must be more moral than the most moral person you know. You may know all about the doctrine of sanctification, but are you working it out in the everyday issues of your life? Every detail of your life, whether physical, moral, or spiritual, is to be judged and measured by the standard of the atonement by the Cross of Christ.

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August 27, 2010

Journal Entry for Today

Nowadays I wake up seeking God. I know that I need the one on oneness that can only come from an intimate connected relationship with Him. I wake up seeking Him because I know that without Him in every aspect of my life, I am not whole, I feel adrift seeking an anchor.

I used to wonder what it would feel like to be connected with God all the time. I now know what it feels like to be connected and intimate with God and when I am not, I am aware and seeking Him.

And God says, “As you experience more and more of Me in your life, you seek more of Me and less of you. You have begun to understand that a life in Me means a life led by My Spirit. You can no longer separate out daily activities and responsibilities by what is spiritual and what is not. You have come to understand that the life of a true believer is a life immersed in Me. You have experienced this and nothing else satisfies. Seek and you shall find; knock and the door will be opened.”

There are times in our lives when our peace is based simply on our own ignorance. But when we are awakened to the realities of life, true inner peace is impossible unless it is received from Jesus. When our Lord speaks peace, He creates peace, because the words that He speaks are always “spirit, and they are life” ( John 6:63 ). Have I ever received what Jesus speaks? “. . . My peace I give to you. . .”— a peace that comes from looking into His face and fully understanding and receiving His quiet contentment.

Are you severely troubled right now? Are you afraid and confused by the waves and the turbulence God sovereignly allows to enter your life? Have you left no stone of your faith unturned, yet still not found any well of peace, joy, or comfort? Does your life seem completely barren to you? Then look up and receive the quiet contentment of the Lord Jesus. Reflecting His peace is proof that you are right with God, because you are exhibiting the freedom to turn your mind to Him.

If you are not right with God, you can never turn your mind anywhere but on yourself. Allowing anything to hide the face of Jesus Christ from you either causes you to become troubled or gives you a false sense of security.

With regard to the problem that is pressing in on you right now, are you “looking unto Jesus” ( Hebrews 12:2 ) and receiving peace from Him? If so, He will be a gracious blessing of peace exhibited in and through you. But if you only try to worry your way out of the problem, you destroy His effectiveness in you, and you deserve whatever you get. We become troubled because we have not been taking Him into account. When a person confers with Jesus Christ, the confusion stops, because there is no confusion in Him. Lay everything out before Him, and when you are faced with difficulty, bereavement, and sorrow, listen to Him say, “Let not your heart be troubled . . .” ( John 14:27 ).

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Journal Entry for Today-JDV

August 26, 2010

I am embarrassed to admit that I still want the circumstances and difficulties to be smoothed out, or better yet, gone.

I have not yet grown enough to remember that the storms and trials are opportunities for God to speak loudly and clearly to me.

I still reach out with prayers and pleadings for God to change everything else even though I know that through the circumstances and storms He is changing me.

And God says…”Keeping your eyes on Me inside the storm is a discipline formed by the storms and trials of your life. You are transformed by the life of Jesus as you experience My mercy, grace and love in circumstances that really matter to you. In order to create a life in Jesus, your own life must be broken and I accomplish this in your storms.

Remember I will never leave you. The storms of this life are natural things. Your transformation is supernatural and occurs right in the middle of the storms. Keep your eyes on me, not your storms, and be transformed.

I love you and remember that nothing can separate you from My love and care. If I am for you who or what can stand against you?

We will never know the joy of self-sacrifice until we surrender in every detail of our lives. Yet self-surrender is the most difficult thing for us to do. We make it conditional by saying, “I’ll surrender if . . . !” Or we approach it by saying, “I suppose I have to devote my life to God.” We will never find the joy of self-sacrifice in either of these ways.

But as soon as we do totally surrender, abandoning ourselves to Jesus, the Holy Spirit gives us a taste of His joy. The ultimate goal of self-sacrifice is to lay down our lives for our Friend (see John 15:13-14 ). When the Holy Spirit comes into our lives, our greatest desire is to lay down our lives for Jesus. Yet the thought of self-sacrifice never even crosses our minds, because sacrifice is the Holy Spirit’s ultimate expression of love.

Our Lord is our example of a life of self-sacrifice, and He perfectly exemplified Psalm 40:8, “I delight to do Your will, O my God . . . .” He endured tremendous personal sacrifice, yet with overflowing joy. Have I ever yielded myself in absolute submission to Jesus Christ? If He is not the One to whom I am looking for direction and guidance, then there is no benefit in my sacrifice. But when my sacrifice is made with my eyes focused on Him, slowly but surely His molding influence becomes evident in my life (see Hebrews 12:1-2 ).

Beware of letting your natural desires hinder your walk in love before God. One of the cruelest ways to kill natural love is through the rejection that results from having built the love on natural desires. But the one true desire of a saint is the Lord Jesus. Love for God is not something sentimental or emotional— for a saint to love as God loves is the most practical thing imaginable.

“I have called you friends. . . .” Our friendship with Jesus is based on the new life He created in us, which has no resemblance or attraction to our old life but only to the life of God. It is a life that is completely humble, pure, and devoted to God.

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August 26, 2010

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

What does it mean to be known as a friend of God?

I know what it feels like to be known as a Christian, and some of the negative responses have been earned. We often seem to stand against more things than we are for, we seem to polarize others and not in a good way, but in judgment.

Is that me?  Do I judge others? Am I quick with a criticism or judgment because they may not look, or think or believe as I do? I suspect it is true. I would rather be known as a friend of God.

 And God says, “You are my friend. When you accepted Christ as Savior and then Lord, you became a friend. And as My friend, I can transform you into a willing and eager friend of others. Judge not; remember the second commandment Jesus gave you….. Love your neighbor as yourself. One of the ways to tell if you are truly My friend and are truly connected to Jesus is when you love others. When you sit in judgment, you are sitting there alone, without Me.”

You are My friend and therefore a friend of all others.

Jesus did not say, “Dream about your Father who is in the secret place,” but He said, “. . . pray to your Father who is in the secret place. . . .” Prayer is an effort of the will. After we have entered our secret place and shut the door, the most difficult thing to do is to pray. We cannot seem to get our minds into good working order, and the first thing we have to fight is wandering thoughts. The great battle in private prayer is overcoming this problem of our idle and wandering thinking. We have to learn to discipline our minds and concentrate on willful, deliberate prayer.

We must have a specially selected place for prayer, but once we get there this plague of wandering thoughts begins, as we begin to think to ourselves, “This needs to be done, and I have to do that today.” Jesus says to “shut your door.” Having a secret stillness before God means deliberately shutting the door on our emotions and remembering Him. God is in secret, and He sees us from “the secret place”— He does not see us as other people do, or as we see ourselves. When we truly live in “the secret place,” it becomes impossible for us to doubt God. We become more sure of Him than of anyone or anything else. Enter into “the secret place,” and you will find that God was right in the middle of your everyday circumstances all the time. Get into the habit of dealing with God about everything.

Unless you learn to open the door of your life completely and let God in from your first waking moment of each new day, you will be working on the wrong level throughout the day.But if you will swing the door of your life fully open and “pray to your Father who is in the secret place,” every public thing in your life will be marked with the lasting imprint of the presence of God.

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August 23, 2010

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

I woke up and began to pray but then my mind started to wander, as I thought about the day, my responsibilities…my list of things that must get done……or what?

And there I was again, off in my own worries and anxieties. How could I begin with such great intentions and then in the blink of an eye be off in my own directions?

And God says….”  Do not worry yourself about your wandering mind and thoughts when you come to pray….you are free to wander and to be shaped by me. Let Me shape and direct your heart and mind….be free in the Spirit…you are not to control what is mine. Give your heart and mind to Me every morning.

Even the Apostle Paul found himself in this dilemma. Remember, when you seek Me you will find Me, if you knock I will answer. Put away your thoughts of the future and of what you should or should not do and just seek Me. Nothing can separate you from My grace, mercy, love, or my presence. Seek Me and find My rest and peace. I did not set you free so you could bind yourself up. Be free and at peace in my grace.

Remember the magnitude of My sacrifice and know it was and is for you. Relax, and rest knowing that My love, mercy and grace covers you regardless. You are mine.

DJR Journal 8-23-10

Good Morning, Lord   …  Today my brother & I are bringing you this issue of the wandering mind … anytime but especially when we go to prayer.    I started praying and in just a few minutes was wandering.

Did you do the worship that you prayed about doing?

Oops.   I forgot that.   Please help me remember………….. Wow the phone rang with an “emergency” and I was off on the roller coaster .    But I’m back.   I’m finding that YouTube with the worship songs with the lyrics is a good resource for a wandering mind like mine.    From recent days and sensing right now, I am seeing more about forgiveness.   The only way that I need continual forgiveness is if I am continually imperfect.    So that works good because I am continually that and you continually offer forgiveness.    So beating myself up for not being perfect seems to be counterproductive at the very least.      But what about that “Be ye perfect?”

You know that means complete.

Yes, I knew that.   So how does that relate to this?

It is about the process.   You talk about letting me lead and you like Carrie Underwood singing about taking the wheel,   So just do that.   Put some habits into your life that put me in the drivers seat like those YouTube songs and then just let me lead..   you will fail and I will forgive.   That’s the way it is.   You need forgiveness and I have it right here for you.

OK Thanks for the reminder.  

Whenever anything begins to disintegrate your life with Jesus Christ, turn to Him at once, asking Him to re-establish your rest. Never allow anything to remain in your life that is causing the unrest. Think of every detail of your life that is causing the disintegration as something to fight against, not as something you should allow to remain. Ask the Lord to put awareness of Himself in you, and your self-awareness will disappear. Then He will be your all in all. Beware of allowing your self-awareness to continue, because slowly but surely it will awaken self-pity, and self-pity is satanic. Don’t allow yourself to say, “Well, they have just misunderstood me, and this is something over which they should be apologizing to me; I’m sure I must have this cleared up with them already.” Learn to leave others alone regarding this. Simply ask the Lord to give you Christ-awareness, and He will steady you until your completeness in Him is absolute.

A complete life is the life of a child. When I am fully conscious of my awareness of Christ, there is something wrong. It is the sick person who really knows what health is. A child of God is not aware of the will of God because he is the will of God. When we have deviated even slightly from the will of God, we begin to ask, “Lord, what is your will?” A child of God never prays to be made aware of the fact that God answers prayer, because he is so restfully certain that God always answers prayer.

If we try to overcome our self-awareness through any of our own commonsense methods, we will only serve to strengthen our self-awareness tremendously. Jesus says, “Come to Me . . . and I will give you rest,” that is, Christ-awareness will take the place of self-awareness. Wherever Jesus comes He establishes rest— the rest of the completion of activity in our lives that is never aware of itself.

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Journal Entry for Today-JDV

August 20, 2010

I have often wondered if something was wrong when I would feel as light as a feather, without the weight of my worries and cares. Surely I must be irresponsible if I feel so free? Or perhaps this is what Jesus meant by coming to Him as a little child.

And God says….”When you are truly connected to me it feels natural. You do not have “to do” anything. Simply rest in Me. When you give your life to me, and ask Me to be the Lord of your life, then simply let Me be Lord of your life, and enjoy your life. Let Me navigate the storms and trials and be at peace.

The greatest testimony you can deliver is a life lived in peace when surrounded by storms. Live in My peace and be at rest, let the Spirit flow through you and experience the joy and peace of a little child.

DJR Journal 8 20 2010

Thank you Lord, for another nudge of direction.   Just yesterday I agreed to teach at Fresno City College.  It was 5 hours so I had time to put in some encouragement and career counseling.   I got the same ovation and feedback that I always get but I only do it every several months.   So I think I’m hearing to do this more often.   Market myself and get in the classroom and various platforms.  ????

I have given you place and a voice.  You gave me some credit today, and you can do so even more.  This will happen as you develop your connection and comfort level.    That’s how I want my sons and daughters, comfortable in their skin and comfortable giving me place in their lives.  Resting in me, knowing that they will get just get closer and closer until they are here full time with me.  And that stumbles are merely stumbles, they get back up and keep on coming.

Lord, I want to ask you a question.   Sometimes I worry that I am charging off in a direction that I could power on my own, without you being anywhere around.   This Green stuff that I teach in the public sphere,  lot’s of guy’s teach similar with no acknowledgement that you even exist.   How do I know I’m in your will and not running my own game?

I appreciate your concern that I get my message out.   But know this, I am fully capable of getting seen and heard.   And I can certainly steer your boat with the blessing and peace meters as we’ve talked about before.   Dont fool yourself, the combination of skills and gifts and experience that I’ve put together in you is unique and I dont want you to squander it.   I have spent a long time developing the platform that you now stand in.   Go with the meters that I have developed for you and dont look back.  I’ll take you aside when it’s time to evaluate and re-direct.  I am in the energizing that you feel so go with it and let me lead in the development.

OK I’ll go with that.

God intends for us to live a well-rounded life in Christ Jesus, but there are times when that life is attacked from the outside. Then we tend to fall back into self-examination, a habit that we thought was gone. Self-awareness is the first thing that will upset the completeness of our life in God, and self-awareness continually produces a sense of struggling and turmoil in our lives. Self-awareness is not sin, and it can be produced by nervous emotions or by suddenly being dropped into a totally new set of circumstances. Yet it is never God’s will that we should be anything less than absolutely complete in Him. Anything that disturbs our rest in Him must be rectified at once, and it is not rectified by being ignored but only by coming to Jesus Christ. If we will come to Him, asking Him to produce Christ-awareness in us, He will always do it, until we fully learn to abide in Him.

Never allow anything that divides or destroys the oneness of your life with Christ to remain in your life without facing it. Beware of allowing the influence of your friends or your circumstances to divide your life. This only serves to sap your strength and slow your spiritual growth. Beware of anything that can split your oneness with Him, causing you to see yourself as separate from Him. Nothing is as important as staying right spiritually. And the only solution is a very simple one— “Come to Me . . . .” The intellectual, moral, and spiritual depth of our reality as a person is tested and measured by these words. Yet in every detail of our lives where we are found not to be real, we would rather dispute the findings than come to Jesus.

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August 19, 2010

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

I am beginning to understand that I can find peace and joy, faith and love and a very positive attitude while surrounded by a storm; if I stay connected and praise God for His answers, and agree to receive them even before I even understand what they might be. And I pray that God change my vision and hopes and dreams to those that He has for me.

And God says….”This is indeed the way to live the abundant life on earth where trials and troubles are a matter of course; seek first the Kingdome of God and all these things shall be added to you. Peace, joy, faith and love from knowing that I have you and your future in the palm of my hand.”

“When you let go of your life and allow Jesus to live through you, all things are possible; peace, joy and love become a matter of course…….even in the trials and trouble of this life.”