Archive for July, 2014

Becoming Entirely His

July 31st, 2014

Let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing —James 1:4

Many of us appear to be all right in general, but there are still some areas in which we are careless and lazy; it is not a matter of sin, but the remnants of our carnal life that tend to make us careless. Carelessness is an insult to the Holy Spirit. We should have no carelessness about us either in the way we worship God, or even in the way we eat and drink.

Not only must our relationship to God be right, but the outward expression of that relationship must also be right. Ultimately, God will allow nothing to escape; every detail of our lives is under His scrutiny. God will bring us back in countless ways to the same point over and over again. And He never tires of bringing us back to that one point until we learn the lesson, because His purpose is to produce the finished product. It may be a problem arising from our impulsive nature, but again and again, with the most persistent patience, God has brought us back to that one particular point. Or the problem may be our idle and wandering thinking, or our independent nature and self-interest. Through this process, God is trying to impress upon us the one thing that is not entirely right in our lives.

We have been having a wonderful time in our studies over the revealed truth of God’s redemption, and our hearts are perfect toward Him. And His wonderful work in us makes us know that overall we are right with Him. “Let patience have its perfect work . . . .” The Holy Spirit speaking through James said, “Now let your patience become a finished product.” Beware of becoming careless over the small details of life and saying, “Oh, that will have to do for now.” Whatever it may be, God will point it out with persistence until we become entirely His.

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Journal DJR
Good Morning Lord
Today there were many songs that speak to the lesson. I’ll add at least one more at the end.

But the message we seem to be hearing is that directed self effort is not the way to eliminate our character faults or sins. We’ve got lots of experience with those self improvement methods with marginal results. It’s true … a diet or exercise program rigidly adhered to, even with gritted teeth, has some value and will generate some change. Olympians do huge amounts of it with tremendous results.

1 Timothy 4:8(NLT) “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.”

So what is the difference between training for physical events and measurements and “training for godliness?”

Good question. Confusing the methods for each has led to much pain and disillusion over the centuries. Physical training can be measured and quantified and checked off a list. Training in Godliness cannot because everyone has a customized program. The way you engage in training for Godliness is to connect with me, stay tuned, stay curious, stay expectant and stay ready. Then jump into obedience to whatever you hear or see that We, Father, Holy Spirit and I want to be accomplishing in any situation. You can’t distill that to a checklist of religious activity. You can only distill it to those characteristics, curiosity, expectancy, and readiness to obey. Then just live out of what comes your way. It will be totally customized, just for you and unlike anyone else on the planet.

Here’s another song that goes with the message today

The Teaching of Disillusionment

July 30th, 2014

Jesus did not commit Himself to them . . . , for He knew what was in man —John 2:24-25


Disillusionment means having no more misconceptions, false impressions, and false judgments in life; it means being free from these deceptions. However, though no longer deceived, our experience of disillusionment may actually leave us cynical and overly critical in our judgment of others. But the disillusionment that comes from God brings us to the point where we see people as they really are, yet without any cynicism or any stinging and bitter criticism. Many of the things in life that inflict the greatest injury, grief, or pain, stem from the fact that we suffer from illusions. We are not true to one another as facts, seeing each other as we really are; we are only true to our misconceived ideas of one another. According to our thinking, everything is either delightful and good, or it is evil, malicious, and cowardly.Refusing to be disillusioned is the cause of much of the suffering of human life. And this is how that suffering happens— if we love someone, but do not love God, we demand total perfection and righteousness from that person, and when we do not get it we become cruel and vindictive; yet we are demanding of a human being something which he or she cannot possibly give. There is only one Being who can completely satisfy to the absolute depth of the hurting human heart, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord is so obviously uncompromising with regard to every human relationship because He knows that every relationship that is not based on faithfulness to Himself will end in disaster. Our Lord trusted no one, and never placed His faith in people, yet He was never suspicious or bitter. Our Lord’s confidence in God, and in what God’s grace could do for anyone, was so perfect that He never despaired, never giving up hope for any person. If our trust is placed in human beings, we will end up despairing of everyone.

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Journal Entry for Today-JDV

July 30, 2014

Lord, this lesson seems pretty straightforward; do not expect too much of others, or myself. When others fail us or do not meet our expectations, we are to offer the same grace and forgiveness that You offer and provide us.   As the song says, “we’re all broken but we are in this together, God knows we stumble and fall.” Thank You for reminding me to extend the very same grace and forgiveness to others that You have given me; and please help me to extend the very same to myself.

And God says…”Sometimes you can be easier on your friends and family than you are on yourself. Sometimes you can let your friends “off the hook” but then hold your family “more accountable”. You are all broken and in need of my grace and mercy. Jesus’s prayer reminds you to forgive others as you would like to be forgiven. And often forgiving yourself is a very difficult thing to do.  The way to live this out, is , once again, to be connected to Me, be curious about how I will deal with the circumstance, and remain expectant, knowing that I will meet all your needs according to My riches in heaven.”

Do You See Jesus in Your Clouds?

July 29th, 2014

Behold, He is coming with clouds . . . —Revelation 1:7

In the Bible clouds are always associated with God. Clouds are the sorrows, sufferings, or providential circumstances, within or without our personal lives, which actually seem to contradict the sovereignty of God. Yet it is through these very clouds that the Spirit of God is teaching us how to walk by faith. If there were never any clouds in our lives, we would have no faith. “The clouds are the dust of His feet” (Nahum 1:3). They are a sign that God is there. What a revelation it is to know that sorrow, bereavement, and suffering are actually the clouds that come along with God! God cannot come near us without clouds— He does not come in clear-shining brightness.

It is not true to say that God wants to teach us something in our trials. Through every cloud He brings our way, He wants us to unlearn something. His purpose in using the cloud is to simplify our beliefs until our relationship with Him is exactly like that of a child— a relationship simply between God and our own souls, and where other people are but shadows. Until other people become shadows to us, clouds and darkness will be ours every once in a while. Is our relationship with God becoming more simple than it has ever been?

There is a connection between the strange providential circumstances allowed by God and what we know of Him, and we have to learn to interpret the mysteries of life in the light of our knowledge of God. Until we can come face to face with the deepest, darkest fact of life without damaging our view of God’s character, we do not yet know Him.

“. . . they were fearful as they entered the cloud” (Luke 9:34). Is there anyone except Jesus in your cloud? If so, it will only get darker until you get to the place where there is “no one anymore, but only Jesus . . .” (Mark 9:8 ; also see Mark 2:7).

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Journal DJR
Good Morning Lord,
So you want me to “unlearn” some things…… I guess that makes sense. The things I’ve learned that turn out not to be true, seem to cause me the biggest problems. One of the biggest is, “If it’s to be, It’s up to me” Although there is some truth in that common self improvement mantra … it can lead to much wasted effort. Perhaps the way to sift out the kernel of truth in that statement would be to say, If I connect with you and discern what your will in a situation is and am obedient to that … then it will be.

That is true, but it is also true that you can use your own effort to cause a thing to happen without any regard to me or my plans. People do it all the time. It doesn’t bring about my best for them but it does happen. Will power and organized efforts are merely tools. They can be used positively or negatively. They can run you into situations of overload and stress. But if you stay connected, I will show you how to navigate thru the stressors and choose the path of peace that I have for you, even in the storms of life. The peace meter and the stress meter on the dashboard of your life are pretty good indicators of how well we are connected.

God’s Purpose or Mine?

July 28th, 2014

He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side . . . —Mark 6:45


We tend to think that if Jesus Christ compels us to do something and we are obedient to Him, He will lead us to great success. We should never have the thought that our dreams of success are God’s purpose for us. In fact, His purpose may be exactly the opposite. We have the idea that God is leading us toward a particular end or a desired goal, but He is not. The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance, and reaching it becomes merely an episode along the way. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal itself.What is my vision of God’s purpose for me? Whatever it may be, His purpose is for me to depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish— His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is that I see “Him walking on the sea” with no shore, no success, nor goal in sight, but simply having the absolute certainty that everything is all right because I see “Him walking on the sea” (Mark 6:49). It is the process, not the outcome, that is glorifying to God.God’s training is for now, not later. His purpose is for this very minute, not for sometime in the future. We have nothing to do with what will follow our obedience, and we are wrong to concern ourselves with it. What people call preparation, God sees as the goal itself.

God’s purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right now. If we have a further goal in mind, we are not paying enough attention to the present time. However, if we realize that moment-by-moment obedience is the goal, then each moment as it comes is precious.

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July 28, 2014

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, thank You for the reminder that I am not to look at the result, or the outcomes to determine if You are engaged and involved in the circumstances of my life.  I am reminded that You are God, Your ways are not my ways, and You love me beyond anything I can imagine. Many times I have looked at the results to determine if You were in it or not. But Lord, You can see the future, and You know what I need to bring me closer to You.  And you have promised that all things work for my good.  Thank You for reminding me that I do not have to understand it, I simply have to trust and believe. And when I do not have the faith, strength or power to trust and believe; Your mercy and grace provides. I believe Lord, and thank You for filling my gaps when I cannot.

And God says…” When you use your desired outcomes and results to shape your prayers and requests of Me, you make me a very small God. When you allow me, through your hopes and faith, to only answer your prayers in the ways you believe are good or right and proper; you limit Me. If you truly want all things to work together for your good, simply surrender the outcomes and results to Me as well. Your expanded faith and hope allow Me to work beyond the limitations of your finite human abilities on your behalf. Delight yourself in Me and I will give you the desires of your heart…and if you really want to experience wonders beyond imagination, surrender your ability to delight yourself in Me as well as the desires of your heart.  Acknowledge Me in all your ways, even in the desired outcomes, and I will make your paths straight. Seek first the kingdom of God, which is Jesus, and everything else you will need will be provided.”

His Nature and Our Motives

July 24th, 2014

. . . unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven —Matthew 5:20

The characteristic of a disciple is not that he does good things, but that he is good in his motives, having been made good by the supernatural grace of God. The only thing that exceeds right-doing is right-being. Jesus Christ came to place within anyone who would let Him a new heredity that would have a righteousness exceeding that of the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus is saying, “If you are My disciple, you must be right not only in your actions, but also in your motives, your aspirations, and in the deep recesses of the thoughts of your mind.” Your motives must be so pure that God Almighty can see nothing to rebuke. Who can stand in the eternal light of God and have nothing for Him to rebuke? Only the Son of God, and Jesus Christ claims that through His redemption He can place within anyone His own nature and make that person as pure and as simple as a child. The purity that God demands is impossible unless I can be remade within, and that is exactly what Jesus has undertaken to do through His redemption.

No one can make himself pure by obeying laws. Jesus Christ does not give us rules and regulations— He gives us His teachings which are truths that can only be interpreted by His nature which He places within us. The great wonder of Jesus Christ’s salvation is that He changes our heredity. He does not change human nature— He changes its source, and thereby its motives as well.

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Journal DJR
Good Morning Lord,
Thank you for your grace which covers the multitude of my sins. I still feel guilty when I fall short. Even though I know they are all covered by your sacrifice. Should I? Is there such a thing as “good guilt?”

Well, how’s that working out for you?

Not too well.

Guilt can be used to modify behavior. It has been used by society and religion for centuries. People even use it on themselves. People like you.
But it is never my highest and best tool for the job of behavior change.
My choice is love. Think about it. When you do something from guilt vs when you do the same thing for love. The motive changes everything. So when you set up lists of do’s and dont’s, even if they have scripture verses next to them, you are setting yourself up a life of white knuckling and striving and failing. All those things on your lists are good. But you striving in your own power to be better at them…. will make you tired and depressed. Come to me. Hear my plan for you, my plan for today … and live out of that. We will work those things out of your character that need to be worked out, in my time. I dont need your help in your self improvement program. You heaping guilt on yourself will just slow down our program.

Sanctification (2)

July 23rd, 2014

But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us . . . sanctification . . . —1 Corinthians 1:30


The Life Side. The mystery of sanctification is that the perfect qualities of Jesus Christ are imparted as a gift to me, not gradually, but instantly once I enter by faith into the realization that He “became for [me] . . . sanctification . . . .” Sanctification means nothing less than the holiness of Jesus becoming mine and being exhibited in my life.The most wonderful secret of living a holy life does not lie in imitating Jesus, but in letting the perfect qualities of Jesus exhibit themselves in my human flesh. Sanctification is “Christ in you . . .” (Colossians 1:27). It is His wonderful life that is imparted to me in sanctification— imparted by faith as a sovereign gift of God’s grace. Am I willing for God to make sanctification as real in me as it is in His Word?Sanctification means the impartation of the holy qualities of Jesus Christ to me. It is the gift of His patience, love, holiness, faith, purity, and godliness that is exhibited in and through every sanctified soul. Sanctification is not drawing from Jesus the power to be holy— it is drawing from Jesus the very holiness that was exhibited in Him, and that He now exhibits in me. Sanctification is an impartation, not an imitation. Imitation is something altogether different. The perfection of everything is in Jesus Christ, and the mystery of sanctification is that all the perfect qualities of Jesus are at my disposal. Consequently, I slowly but surely begin to live a life of inexpressible order, soundness, and holiness— “. . . kept by the power of God . . .” (1 Peter 1:5)._______________________________________________________________

 

June 23, 2014

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, surrender is not an easy thing to learn. It is not easy to discover that I cannot be the person I would like to be, even with Your help; I must surrender completely. And today You taught us that perhaps one of the most debilitating things we learn is how to “imitate” or “go through the motions” of being more like Jesus. We go to church, Bible studies, engage in service to and for others, but even and sometimes especially within those activities can confuse our connection with obligation, or responsibility. Thank You for teaching us that our spiritual activities are the byproducts of our allowing You to live through us.

And God says…”I came to give you life and life more abundantly, not obligation, responsibility and guilt.  As the song says…”This is where the healing and your sanctification begins”; in the knowledge that you are not (and never will be) able to be good enough to be a child of God. Your efforts to be “good enough” simply replace one kind of bondage with another. You are free when you realize that I come to live within you and will guide you in all things. All you need to do is to surrender to Me. Seek first the kingdom of God, which is Jesus, and everything else you need, including the power and strength and grace of Jesus will be provided. The abundant Christian life is not a series of things you do, or behaviors you demonstrate or give up. Surrender is where the healing and sanctification begins. The abundant Christian life is Jesus living inside of you. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

Sanctification (1)

July 22nd, 2014


This is the will of God, your sanctification. . . —1 Thessalonians 4:3

The Death Side. In sanctification God has to deal with us on the death side as well as on the life side. Sanctification requires our coming to the place of death, but many of us spend so much time there that we become morbid. There is always a tremendous battle before sanctification is realized— something within us pushing with resentment against the demands of Christ. When the Holy Spirit begins to show us what sanctification means, the struggle starts immediately. Jesus said, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate . . . his own life . . . he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26).

In the process of sanctification, the Spirit of God will strip me down until there is nothing left but myself, and that is the place of death. Am I willing to be myself and nothing more? Am I willing to have no friends, no father, no brother, and no self-interest— simply to be ready for death? That is the condition required for sanctification. No wonder Jesus said, “I did not come to bring peace but a sword” (Matthew 10:34). This is where the battle comes, and where so many of us falter. We refuse to be identified with the death of Jesus Christ on this point. We say, “But this is so strict. Surely He does not require that of me.” Our Lord is strict, and He does require that of us.

Am I willing to reduce myself down to simply “me”? Am I determined enough to strip myself of all that my friends think of me, and all that I think of myself? Am I willing and determined to hand over my simple naked self to God? Once I am, He will immediately sanctify me completely, and my life will be free from being determined and persistent toward anything except God (see 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).

When I pray, “Lord, show me what sanctification means for me,” He will show me. It means being made one with Jesus. Sanctification is not something Jesus puts in me— it is Himself in me (see 1 Corinthians 1:30).

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Journal DJR
Good morning Lord,
These are hard sayings, hate my life, hate my mother, take up a sword, …..
Obviously you are speaking metaphorically … but what are some of the practical applications of picking up lethal weapons and hating, etc?

One reason that I gave the truth in metaphor rather than a checklist of action items is so that the Holy Spirit could fill in the real life blanks for each individual. Only as you get and stay connected with me will you know where to apply the “sword” or the cross, or what element of your existence to “hate” and which is ready to take the next step of sanctification.
You must listen carefully for this. If you just start down a list of imperfections, whether prepared by others or even by yourself … you will become overwhelmed and despair. I don’t expect instant perfection. Stick with me and I will show you the areas that are ready for the sword. Speaking metaphorically again. Done this way, these “heavy” things become light.

Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT)

28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

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The Doorway to the Kingdom

July 21st, 2014

Blessed are the poor in spirit . . . —Matthew 5:3


Beware of thinking of our Lord as only a teacher. If Jesus Christ is only a teacher, then all He can do is frustrate me by setting a standard before me I cannot attain. What is the point of presenting me with such a lofty ideal if I cannot possibly come close to reaching it? I would be happier if I never knew it. What good is there in telling me to be what I can never be— to be “pure in heart” (Matthew 5:8), to do more than my duty, or to be completely devoted to God? I must know Jesus Christ as my Savior before His teaching has any meaning for me other than that of a lofty ideal which only leads to despair. But when I am born again by the Spirit of God, I know that Jesus Christ did not come only to teach— He came to make me what He teaches I should be. The redemption means that Jesus Christ can place within anyone the same nature that ruled His own life, and all the standards God gives us are based on that nature.The teaching of the Sermon on the Mount produces a sense of despair in the natural man— exactly what Jesus means for it to do. As long as we have some self-righteous idea that we can carry out our Lord’s teaching, God will allow us to continue until we expose our own ignorance by stumbling over some obstacle in our way. Only then are we willing to come to Him as paupers and receive from Him. “Blessed are the poor in spirit . . . .” This is the first principle in the kingdom of God. The underlying foundation of Jesus Christ’s kingdom is poverty, not possessions; not making decisions for Jesus, but having such a sense of absolute futility that we finally admit, “Lord, I cannot even begin to do it.” Then Jesus says, “Blessed are you . . .” (Matthew 5:11). This is the doorway to the kingdom, and yet it takes us so long to believe that we are actually poor! The knowledge of our own poverty is what brings us to the proper place where Jesus Christ accomplishes His work. 

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July 21, 2014

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, thank you once again for reminding me that I cannot live the Christian life from my own discipline and will. I cannot remember how many times I simply gave up and quit because I could not reach the lofty goals You spoke about.  A man said yesterday jokingly that he was looking for a position with all the authority and none of the responsibility, and we know that on this earth that is not possible. Can I be responsible for not attaining the goals or living the life You outlined?  

In your teaching You set the goals so high, how can we attain them? How do we command the authority and responsibility for a perfection we cannot attain? I am overwhelmed by my failures when I consider that perfection is the only condition You will accept.

And God says…”The reason I set such lofty goals, is so that you would come to realize that you are not capable of attaining them, even with My help.  This is not a partnership. The lofty goals can only be attained when you realize your part is to simply “give up”. It sounds ludicrous, and for centuries many have tried to live out the rules, and attain the lofty goals by following rules or living in the notion that they can “do better”, with more discipline and training.

As Oswald Chambers says in this devotional…As long as we have some self-righteous idea that we can carry out our Lord’s teaching, God will allow us to continue until we expose our own ignorance by stumbling over some obstacle in our way. Only then are we willing to come to Him as paupers and receive from Him. “Blessed are the poor in spirit . . . .” This is the first principle in the kingdom of God. The underlying foundation of Jesus Christ’s kingdom is poverty, not possessions; not making decisions for Jesus, but having such a sense of absolute futility that we finally admit, “Lord, I cannot even begin to do it.”

“And how is this accomplished? As the song says and as you have been learning…”Keep your eyes fixed on Me”. Surrender the notion that you have anything to do with it, live in peace and joy knowing that my mercy and grace cover you as you are being transformed out of your surrender.”

 

The Miracle of Belief

July 17th, 2014

My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom . . . —1 Corinthians 2:4


Paul was a scholar and an orator of the highest degree; he was not speaking here out of a deep sense of humility, but was saying that when he preached the gospel, he would veil the power of God if he impressed people with the excellency of his speech. Belief in Jesus is a miracle produced only by the effectiveness of redemption, not by impressive speech, nor by wooing and persuading, but only by the sheer unaided power of God. The creative power of redemption comes through the preaching of the gospel, but never because of the personality of the preacher.

Real and effective fasting by a preacher is not fasting from food, but fasting from eloquence, from impressive diction, and from everything else that might hinder the gospel of God being presented. The preacher is there as the representative of God— “. . . as though God were pleading through us . . .” (2 Corinthians 5:20). He is there to present the gospel of God. If it is only because of my preaching that people desire to be better, they will never get close to Jesus Christ. Anything that flatters me in my preaching of the gospel will result in making me a traitor to Jesus, and I prevent the creative power of His redemption from doing its work.

“And I, if I am lifted up. . . , will draw all peoples to Myself” (John 12:32).

 

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Journal DJR
Good Morning Lord,
Am I to worry about doing too good a job and garnering praise for myself? It seems that the opposite of that would be to throttle back my (God given) abilities and do less than my best. Doesn’t seem right. ???

I want you to do your best and be the best blessing that you can. Who you’re connected to and what you’re focused on will make the difference. Some people will worship you inappropriately. Hero worship is big in your culture. But your connection to me will keep you from falling for that trap. Stay connected with me and I’ll show you how to handle those situations and glorify God … sometimes with words, usually without.

The Concept of Divine Control

July 16th, 2014

. . . how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! —Matthew 7:11


Jesus is laying down the rules of conduct in this passage for those people who have His Spirit. He urges us to keep our minds filled with the concept of God’s control over everything, which means that a disciple must maintain an attitude of perfect trust and an eagerness to ask and to seek.Fill your mind with the thought that God is there. And once your mind is truly filled with that thought, when you experience difficulties it will be as easy as breathing for you to remember, “My heavenly Father knows all about this!” This will be no effort at all, but will be a natural thing for you when difficulties and uncertainties arise. Before you formed this concept of divine control so powerfully in your mind, you used to go from person to person seeking help, but now you go to God about it. Jesus is laying down the rules of conduct for those people who have His Spirit, and it works on the following principle: God is my Father, He loves me, and I will never think of anything that He will forget, so why should I worry?Jesus said there are times when God cannot lift the darkness from you, but you should trust Him. At times God will appear like an unkind friend, but He is not; He will appear like an unnatural father, but He is not; He will appear like an unjust judge, but He is not. Keep the thought that the mind of God is behind all things strong and growing. Not even the smallest detail of life happens unless God’s will is behind it. Therefore, you can rest in perfect confidence in Him. Prayer is not only asking, but is an attitude of the mind which produces the atmosphere in which asking is perfectly natural. “Ask, and it will be given to you . . .” (Matthew 7:7).
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Journal Entry for Today-JDV

July 16, 2014

Lord, I understand the teaching; ask God and He will provide. Stay connected and God will reassure me that He has my interests at heart, and has demonstrated His faithfulness with his grace, mercy and sacrifice. I also understand that I am to worry about nothing and pray about everything. And I love this scripture…”how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”

But God, when I am staring down the barrel of an overwhelming situation or circumstance, and my senses can only see the pending calamity, how can I grab hold of You and Your promises? How can I leave my senses and rational thought behind and “know” that You will meet all my needs. How can I “know” that You are really there to catch me? It is very difficult to leave my senses behind and step out of the boat Lord. How can I trust You more and experience Your deliverance even, and especially, when my senses tell me otherwise?

And God says…”You cannot be a “little bit” committed to a life of faith in Me. What many people (and you) do is commit to Me , and when the troubles come, abandon hope and faith when I do not answer prayers the way human senses and intellect demand. But I am God and my ways are not your ways. I cannot operate as God and bless you in expanded, comprehensive, Godly ways if you have faith that expects Me to only respond as your senses and understanding determine. “

“The secret to living in faith is to be connected to Me, trust Me based on My sacrifice and the help I have provided you time and time again, and then be connected and curious about how and when I will meet your needs this time. If you only give Me the faith to respond in one way and I know that responding in that way is not for your greater good, we will “disconnect”. 

“Going forward simply come to the river (as the song says), and trust Me to meet all your needs. Do not trust your senses, sight or intellect. Delight yourself in Me and I will give you the desires of your heart. And we know that when you are immersed, connected and delighted in Me, the mind of Christ lives in you and you simply know I will meet all your needs.”

“Your “knowing” is the evidence of the faith required that allows Me to act on your behalf. And remember, when you cannot summon the knowing; the faith to believe, look to Me and I will provide that as well. You believe, and I help you in your unbelief.”