We know that all things work together for good to those who love God . . . —Romans 8:28

The circumstances of a saint’s life are ordained of God. In the life of a saint there is no such thing as chance. God by His providence brings you into circumstances that you can’t understand at all, but the Spirit of God understands. God brings you to places, among people, and into certain conditions to accomplish a definite purpose through the intercession of the Spirit in you. Never put yourself in front of your circumstances and say, “I’m going to be my own providence here; I will watch this closely, or protect myself from that.” All your circumstances are in the hand of God, and therefore you don’t ever have to think they are unnatural or unique. Your part in intercessory prayer is not to agonize over how to intercede, but to use the everyday circumstances and people God puts around you by His providence to bring them before His throne, and to allow the Spirit in you the opportunity to intercede for them. In this way God is going to touch the whole world with His saints.

Am I making the Holy Spirit’s work difficult by being vague and unsure, or by trying to do His work for Him? I must do the human side of intercession— utilizing the circumstances in which I find myself and the people who surround me. I must keep my conscious life as a sacred place for the Holy Spirit. Then as I lift different ones to God through prayer, the Holy Spirit intercedes for them.

Your intercessions can never be mine, and my intercessions can never be yours, “. . . but the Spirit Himself makes intercession” in each of our lives (Romans 8:26). And without that intercession, the lives of others would be left in poverty and in ruin.

Journal DJR

Good morning Lord,
Today I need a little help in discerning the circumstances that come in my life. I get it that all things work together for good … and that acceptance is a good mindset. But also there is the “devil running around like a raging lion seeking who he may destroy” When circumstances come against me, seemingly to destroy, or ready to destroy … I’m having trouble balancing acceptance with actively getting involved and fighting for my life or my future or my share,or my, my, my……..

I didn’t design you not to fight for survival or even for justice or your share. But it will work better for you if you do as Ms Underwood sings… and let me take the wheel. Of course you can do that when your life is sliding on black ice. But can you give me the wheel when things are going well? Staying curious about how I am going to work things out for good and expecting that I will … That’s your best mindset and your best chance of letting me keep the steering wheel of your life.

Do you believe this? —John 11:26

Is the Lord dealing with you in the same way? Is Jesus teaching you to have a personal intimacy with Himself? Allow Him to drive His question home to you— “Do you believe this?” Are you facing an area of doubt in your life? Have you come, like Martha, to a crossroads of overwhelming circumstances where your theology is about to become a very personal belief? This happens only when a personal problem brings the awareness of our personal need.

To believe is to commit. In the area of intellectual learning I commit myself mentally, and reject anything not related to that belief. In the realm of personal belief I commit myself morally to my convictions and refuse to compromise. But in intimate personal belief I commit myself spiritually to Jesus Christ and make a determination to be dominated by Him alone.

Then, when I stand face to face with Jesus Christ and He says to me, “Do you believe this?” I find that faith is as natural as breathing. And I am staggered when I think how foolish I have been in not trusting Him earlier

. . . but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings . . . —1 Peter 4:13

If you are going to be used by God, He will take you through a number of experiences that are not meant for you personally at all. They are designed to make you useful in His hands, and to enable you to understand what takes place in the lives of others. Because of this process, you will never be surprised by what comes your way. You say, “Oh, I can’t deal with that person.” Why can’t you? God gave you sufficient opportunities to learn from Him about that problem; but you turned away, not heeding the lesson, because it seemed foolish to spend your time that way.

The sufferings of Christ were not those of ordinary people. He suffered “according to the will of God” (1 Peter 4:19), having a different point of view of suffering from ours. It is only through our relationship with Jesus Christ that we can understand what God is after in His dealings with us. When it comes to suffering, it is part of our Christian culture to want to know God’s purpose beforehand. In the history of the Christian church, the tendency has been to avoid being identified with the sufferings of Jesus Christ. People have sought to carry out God’s orders through a shortcut of their own. God’s way is always the way of suffering— the way of the “long road home.”

Are we partakers of Christ’s sufferings? Are we prepared for God to stamp out our personal ambitions? Are we prepared for God to destroy our individual decisions by supernaturally transforming them? It will mean not knowing why God is taking us that way, because knowing would make us spiritually proud. We never realize at the time what God is putting us through— we go through it more or less without understanding. Then suddenly we come to a place of enlightenment, and realize— “God has strengthened me and I didn’t even know it!”

Journal DJR
Good Morning Lord,
I dont know anyone who would ask for more suffering … except those who need medication and therapy. But the fact is that suffering will come to all of us… one way or another. It is good to remember things like Romans 8:28 that you are able to make all things work together for good, And that you have plans for good, for a future and a hope. Jer 29:11. Rehearsing these facts is helpful when we find ourselves in the middle of disappointments or sufferings.

Things which you call sufferings are difficult only to the extent that you dont see as Jesus saw. So walk with me and gain my perspective. Then you’ll be like Jesus who only did what he saw me doing and only said what he heard me saying, Jn 5:19. He still “suffered” … but did not percieve it as suffering, but rather as opportunity to promote his (my) mission on earth. You can suffer and complain in your circumstances or look at them like Jesus did … You know which will make a happier life. So choose to walk with me and I will show you a way to live that will transform suffering into opportunity.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you —James 4:8

When a truth of God is brought home to your soul, never allow it to pass without acting on it internally in your will, not necessarily externally in your physical life. Record it with ink and with blood— work it into your life. The weakest saint who transacts business with Jesus Christ is liberated the second he acts and God’s almighty power is available on his behalf. We come up to the truth of God, confess we are wrong, but go back again. Then we approach it again and turn back, until we finally learn we have no business going back. When we are confronted with such a word of truth from our redeeming Lord, we must move directly to transact business with Him. “Come to Me . . .” (Matthew 11:28). His word come means “to act.” Yet the last thing we want to do is come. But everyone who does come knows that, at that very moment, the supernatural power of the life of God invades him. The dominating power of the world, the flesh, and the devil is now paralyzed; not by your act, but because your act has joined you to God and tapped you in to His redemptive power.

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November 4, 2013-JDV

When I am focused on You Lord, it seems that it is all I need. When I am connected to You, Jesus, I can be at peace without answers or solutions, because You are the answer and solution. You fill up my heart and head, when I seek You and You alone.  How is this Lord, and how can I sustain this kind of intimacy and how can I, regularly and normally, as a part of my day, reach out to others with this message?

And God says…” You cannot capture nor seek intimacy with Me, and you cannot try to reach out to others as a part of your work, you can only surrender. When you surrender to Me, you are connected, and when you are connected, I can do the reaching out, you are simply available. You are not connected when you try to find Me in your efforts, works, study or even prayer or conformity. Although those are all things that are good .You will find our intimacy and ability to reach others in your surrender, allowing Me to live through you; outreach, works, study prayer and transformation can then occur.  Do not try to touch others, it will be demonstrated as artificial and contrived.  Let Me touch them as a result of your surrender.  Seek first the Kingdome of God, which is Jesus; acknowledge the Lord in all you ways. Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.