Archive for October, 2015

Faith

October 30th, 2015

Without faith it is impossible to please Him… —Hebrews 11:6

 

Faith in active opposition to common sense is mistaken enthusiasm and narrow-mindedness, and common sense in opposition to faith demonstrates a mistaken reliance on reason as the basis for truth. The life of faith brings the two of these into the proper relationship. Common sense and faith are as different from each other as the natural life is from the spiritual, and as impulsiveness is from inspiration. Nothing that Jesus Christ ever said is common sense, but is revelation sense, and is complete, whereas common sense falls short. Yet faith must be tested and tried before it becomes real in your life. “We know that all things work together for good…” (Romans 8:28) so that no matter what happens, the transforming power of God’s providence transforms perfect faith into reality. Faith always works in a personal way, because the purpose of God is to see that perfect faith is made real in His children.For every detail of common sense in life, there is a truth God has revealed by which we can prove in our practical experience what we believe God to be. Faith is a tremendously active principle that always puts Jesus Christ first. The life of faith says, “Lord, You have said it, it appears to be irrational, but I’m going to step out boldly, trusting in Your Word” (for example, see Matthew 6:33). Turning intellectual faith into our personal possession is always a fight, not just sometimes. God brings us into particular circumstances to educate our faith, because the nature of faith is to make the object of our faith very real to us. Until we know Jesus, God is merely a concept, and we can’t have faith in Him. But once we hear Jesus say, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9) we immediately have something that is real, and our faith is limitless. Faith is the entire person in the right relationship with God through the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

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October 30 2015

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Good morning God. A line in the song for today spoke to my heart; …I look back and I see you, I always do.” That seems to be one of the ways my faith is strengthened; by looking back and seeing how You loved me through it all. One of the scriptures I recall about faith is Romans 10:17. Faith comes from hearing the word of God. And I have understood this to mean that my faith grows as I read and am submerged in Your word. But I am also starting to believe that my faith grows as I am surrounded by Your voice that comes through my surrender and our connection. And the evidence of this comes when I look back and see how You have impacted my life; how You have loved me, through it all.

And God says…”When you seek Me you will find Me. If you seek my voice, you will hear Me from sources all around you. When You are surrendered, connected and curious, you will hear me speaking to you though the Bible, all kinds of songs, books, movies, nature, and your family, friends and circumstances. When we are connected you will see and hear Me everywhere. Your faith grows as you are surrendered, connected and curious. As you simply let go of the commonsense of it and let My presence be natural and supernatural in your life. Seek first the kingdom of God, and I will meet ALL your needs. Acknowledge Me in all your ways and I will make your paths straight.  All things (that means everything) work for the good of those that love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.”

 

 

Substitution

October 29th, 2015

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. —2 Corinthians 5:21


The modern view of the death of Jesus is that He died for our sins out of sympathy for us. Yet the New Testament view is that He took our sin on Himself not because of sympathy, but because of His identification with us. He was “madeto be sin….” Our sins are removed because of the death of Jesus, and the only explanation for His death is His obedience to His Father, not His sympathy for us. We are acceptable to God not because we have obeyed, nor because we have promised to give up things, but because of the death of Christ, and for no other reason. We say that Jesus Christ came to reveal the fatherhood and the lovingkindness of God, but the New Testament says that He came to take “away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).
And the revealing of the fatherhood of God is only to those to whom Jesus has been introduced as Savior. In speaking to the world, Jesus Christ never referred to Himself as One who revealed the Father, but He spoke instead of being a stumbling block (see John 15:22-24). John 14:9, where Jesus said, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father,” was spoken to His disciples.That Christ died for me, and therefore I am completely free from penalty, is never taught in the New Testament.
What is taught in the New Testament is that “He died for all” (2 Corinthians 5:15)— not, “He died my death”— and that through identification with His death I can be freed from sin, and have His very righteousness imparted as a gift to me. The substitution which is taught in the New Testament is twofold— “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” The teaching is not Christ for me unless I am determined to have Christ formed in me (see Galatians 4:19).
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Journal DJR
Good Morning Lord,
The more I understand your substitutionary death the more awesome it becomes. When I was a young Christian, I could see that it was a good deal. Now I see that it is a great deal. And as my experience and understanding expands … it just keeps getting better. Now you are teaching us that our striving to be better or quit bad habits is a waste of time. Well, maybe not a waste of time, but it certainly doesn’t work. Maybe there is value in that. Learning what doesn’t work, firsthand. After finding out that grunting and striving to be better doesn’t work…Now I’m at the place of finding what does work. And it seems to be to simply surrender and let your Spirit provide the power and the changes start to happen. Learning the aspects of the Surrendered Life is an exciting journey, because it has plenty of surprises. If I plan an event and it goes exactly like I had planned it … I’ve almost certainly missed it because your plans are always better than mine, and include surprises that I hadn’t expected.

Justification by Faith

October 28th, 2015

If when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. —Romans 5:10


I am not saved by believing— I simply realize I am saved by believing. And it is not repentance that saves me— repentance is only the sign that I realize what God has done through Christ Jesus. The danger here is putting the emphasis on the effect, instead of on the cause. Is it my obedience, consecration, and dedication that make me right with God? It is never that! I am made right with God because, prior to all of that, Christ died. When I turn to God and by belief accept what God reveals, the miraculous atonement by the Cross of Christ instantly places me into a right relationship with God. And as a result of the supernatural miracle of God’s grace I stand justified, not because I am sorry for my sin, or because I have repented, but because of what Jesus has done. The Spirit of God brings justification with a shattering, radiant light, and I know that I am saved, even though I don’t know how it was accomplished.The salvation that comes from God is not based on human logic, but on the sacrificial death of Jesus. We can be born again solely because of the atonement of our Lord. Sinful men and women can be changed into new creations, not through their repentance or their belief, but through the wonderful work of God in Christ Jesus which preceded all of our experience (see 2 Corinthians 5:17-19). The unconquerable safety of justification and sanctification is God Himself. We do not have to accomplish these things ourselves— they have been accomplished through the atonement of the Cross of Christ. The supernatural becomes natural to us through the miracle of God, and there is the realization of what Jesus Christ has already done— “It is finished!” (John 19:30).

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October 28 2015

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Good morning God and thank you for this devotional and Your leading. It seems that You are teaching us that our actions and intent play little if any role in our “getting right with You”. Our actions and intent do not count. What counts is the cross of Jesus. Is this the lesson Lord? That our role is to simply acknowledge and accept the cross of Jesus? Should we stop striving to be “more” of “this” or less of “that” ? Should we give up our attempts to become better men and women? Should we give up trying to become men after Your own heart?

And God says…”When you simply accept the work of Jesus on the cross, and surrender yourself to Me, I am free to work in your life. The supernatural work of the cross begins where you end. When you let go of your ideas of what our relationship should be like, when you let go of your plans and perceptions and understanding, I am free to make your paths straight. ….”Acknowledge the Lord in all your ways and do not trust your own understanding and I will make your paths straight”.

“When you seek first seek the kingdom of God, which is Jesus, and His righteousness, all your needs will be met… your day to day needs as well as your need for clarity and answers to life’s questions. Although the questions, answers and issues you thought were important miraculously change and or are suddenly unimportant when you realize, through surrender and connection, that I am God, and I love you more than you can comprehend. When you are surrendered and connected you simply “know” your standing with Me. You then begin to realize that I always and forever, work all things, all circumstances, all events and issues out for your good. Delight yourself in the Lord and I will give you the desires of your miraculously changed heart and life.”

The Method of Missions

October 27th, 2015


 

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations… —Matthew 28:19

Jesus Christ did not say, “Go and save souls” (the salvation of souls is the supernatural work of God), but He said, “Go…make disciples of all the nations….” Yet you cannot make disciples unless you are a disciple yourself. When the disciples returned from their first mission, they were filled with joy because even the demons were subject to them. But Jesus said, in effect, “Don’t rejoice in successful service— the great secret of joy is that you have the right relationship with Me” (see Luke 10:17-20). The missionary’s great essential is remaining true to the call of God, and realizing that his one and only purpose is to disciple men and women to Jesus. Remember that there is a passion for souls that does not come from God, but from our desire to make converts to our point of view.

The challenge to the missionary does not come from the fact that people are difficult to bring to salvation, that backsliders are difficult to reclaim, or that there is a barrier of callous indifference. No, the challenge comes from the perspective of the missionary’s own personal relationship with Jesus Christ— “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” (Matthew 9:28). Our Lord unwaveringly asks us that question, and it confronts us in every individual situation we encounter. The one great challenge to us is— do I know my risen Lord? Do I know the power of His indwelling Spirit? Am I wise enough in God’s sight, but foolish enough according to the wisdom of the world, to trust in what Jesus Christ has said? Or am I abandoning the great supernatural position of limitless confidence in Christ Jesus, which is really God’s only call for a missionary? If I follow any other method, I depart altogether from the methods prescribed by our Lord— “All authority has been given to Me….Go therefore…” (Matthew 28:18-19).

What is a Missionnary?

October 26th, 2015

 

Jesus said to them again, “…As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” —John 20:21


A missionary is someone sent by Jesus Christ just as He was sent by God. The great controlling factor is not the needs of people, but the command of Jesus. The source of our inspiration in our service for God is behind us, not ahead of us. The tendency today is to put the inspiration out in front— to sweep everything together in front of us and make it conform to our definition of success. But in the New Testament the inspiration is put behind us, and is the Lord Jesus Himself. The goal is to be true to Him— to carry out His plans.
Personal attachment to the Lord Jesus and to His perspective is the one thing that must not be overlooked. In missionary work the great danger is that God’s call will be replaced by the needs of the people, to the point that human sympathy for those needs will absolutely overwhelm the meaning of being sent by Jesus. The needs are so enormous, and the conditions so difficult, that every power of the mind falters and fails. We tend to forget that the one great reason underneath all missionary work is not primarily the elevation of the people, their education, nor their needs, but is first and foremost the command of Jesus Christ— “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” (Matthew 28:19).
When looking back on the lives of men and women of God, the tendency is to say, “What wonderfully keen and intelligent wisdom they had, and how perfectly they understood all that God wanted!” But the keen and intelligent mind behind them was the mind of God, not human wisdom at all. We give credit to human wisdom when we should give credit to the divine guidance of God being exhibited through childlike people who were “foolish” enough to trust God’s wisdom and His supernatural equipment.
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October 26 2015

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Good morning Lord. This devotional reminds me that the main thing is still the main thing; our relationship with Jesus Christ. Chambers says…”Personal attachment to the Lord Jesus and to His perspective is the one thing that must not be overlooked”.  This reminds me that we may have our own ideas about what our work and service “looks like” but we have no business lending our perspective to spiritual initiatives. And that even in what we would call “non-spiritual” matters, we are to allow Jesus to provide His perspective. In all we do and seek to do, it is the perspective of Jesus that holds real meaning for us and those we engage with our service.

And God says…”That is exactly right. Seek first the Kingdom of God, which is Jesus, and His righteousness, and I will provide everything else you need. Acknowledge Me in all your ways, not just the ones that “look spiritual”, and I will make your paths straight. Delight yourself in the Lord, immerse yourself in His presence, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

“Our relationship is found in living out of your daily surrender, connection, curiosity, and obedience, in all you think, say and act upon; in ALL you do. Just come to Me surrendered, and I will provide everything else you require for a life as a missionary, a father, mother, husband, wife, employee, entrepreneur, pastor, or however else you might see yourself, and the roles of your life. When you live surrendered and connected, you can be certain that MY perspective from the Holy Spirit will guide, direct and create the “Jesus” perspective for your living. And when you fail to live surrendered and connected? When you take your own yoke, and your own ideas about your life and service? My grace is sufficient for you, and you can be certain that I will work out all things for the good of those that love the Lord.”

The Witness of the Spirit

October 22nd, 2015

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit… —Romans 8:16

We are in danger of getting into a bargaining spirit with God when we come to Him— we want the witness of the Spirit before we have done what God tells us to do.

Why doesn’t God reveal Himself to you? He cannot. It is not that He will not, but He cannot, because you are in the way as long as you won’t abandon yourself to Him in total surrender. Yet once you do, immediately God witnesses to Himself— He cannot witness to you, but He instantly witnesses to His own nature in you. If you received the witness of the Spirit before the reality and truth that comes from obedience, it would simply result in sentimental emotion. But when you act on the basis of redemption, and stop the disrespectfulness of debating with God, He immediately gives His witness. As soon as you abandon your own reasoning and arguing, God witnesses to what He has done, and you are amazed at your total disrespect in having kept Him waiting. If you are debating as to whether or not God can deliver from sin, then either let Him do it or tell Him that He cannot. Do not quote this or that person to Him. Simply obey Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden….” Come, if you are weary, and ask, if you know you are evil (see Luke 11:9-13).

The Spirit of God witnesses to the redemption of our Lord, and to nothing else. He cannot witness to our reason. We are inclined to mistake the simplicity that comes from our natural commonsense decisions for the witness of the Spirit, but the Spirit witnesses only to His own nature, and to the work of redemption, never to our reason. If we are trying to make Him witness to our reason, it is no wonder that we are in darkness and uncertainty. Throw it all overboard, trust in Him, and He will give you the witness of the Spirit.

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Journal Entry for October 22, 2015-JDV

Lord, this devotional touches on a lesson you have been giving me for the last couple of weeks. Namely, that Your Spirit connects with the Holy Spirit living inside of me when I do not bring my logic or ideas about how we relate. When I think our relationship should look like this, or when I focus on my unanswered prayers and how certain answers would make me or others whole or happy, we are disconnected: Disconnected because I did not come surrendered. I still held onto my ideas of what the world, answers to prayers and blessings for us should look like. And when I do this, I do not offer up un equivocal faith that “says” You are God and You work all things out for good. When I truly seek Your will, I have no suggestions or answers about what that should “look like”; what the outcomes should be. I simply seek first the kingdom of God, which is Jesus, and allow You to be God in my life.

And God says…”When you let go of your ideas, your perceptions and trust Me to be your God, I can meet all your needs according to my riches in glory. When you only allow me a small space in which to operate, that is to say your hopes and faith only include certain outcomes, and blessings, your faith in Me is reduced and restricted to only those areas and outcomes. And certain outcomes and answers do not and will not always serve you, Me or the greater good. My will is chosen by you and I am free move in your life as you surrender and let go of your will, and trust in Me with all your heart. When you do this you can be certain that I will make your paths straight. Delight yourself in Me and I will give you  the desires of your heart shaped by my will.”

Impulsiveness or Discipleship?

October 21st, 2015

But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith… —Jude 20

There was nothing of the nature of impulsive or thoughtless action about our Lord, but only a calm strength that never got into a panic. Most of us develop our Christianity along the lines of our own nature, not along the lines of God’s nature. Impulsiveness is a trait of the natural life, and our Lord always ignores it, because it hinders the development of the life of a disciple.

Watch how the Spirit of God gives a sense of restraint to impulsiveness, suddenly bringing us a feeling of self-conscious foolishness, which makes us instantly want to vindicate ourselves. Impulsiveness is all right in a child, but is disastrous in a man or woman— an impulsive adult is always a spoiled person. Impulsiveness needs to be trained into intuition through discipline.

Discipleship is built entirely on the supernatural grace of God. Walking on water is easy to someone with impulsive boldness, but walking on dry land as a disciple of Jesus Christ is something altogether different. Peter walked on the water to go to Jesus, but he “followed Him at a distance” on dry land (Mark 14:54). We do not need the grace of God to withstand crises— human nature and pride are sufficient for us to face the stress and strain magnificently. But it does require the supernatural grace of God to live twenty-four hours of every day as a saint, going through drudgery, and living an ordinary, unnoticed, and ignored existence as a disciple of Jesus.

It is ingrained in us that we have to do exceptional things for God— but we do not. We have to be exceptional in the ordinary things of life, and holy on the ordinary streets, among ordinary people— and this is not learned in five minutes.

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October 21 2015

Journal Entry for October 22 2015

Lord, I’m not certain I agree with Chambers this time. When he says Discipleship is built entirely on the supernatural grace of God. Walking on water is easy to someone with impulsive boldness, but walking on dry land as a disciple of Jesus Christ is something altogether different.  You have been teaching us that it is all the same; walking on water or miracles, and the day to day mundane work and service; it all comes from You via the Holy Spirit through us. You have taught us to be and live surrendered, connected, curious and obedient, regardless of the service or circumstance.  The outcomes are not our concerns, the methods or circumstances are also non issues but that we are to let You work through us and revel in our relationship; whether it be routine or supernatural.

And God says…”I work all things together for the good of those that love the Lord and are called according to My purpose. Seek first the kingdom of God, which is Jesus, and I will provide everything else you require; strength and appreciation for the routine and mundane, as well as faith and belief in and for the miraculous. Do not seek a miracle or a routine outcome, simply trust in Me with all your heart and do not rely on your own understanding or expectations. Allow Me to be God in your life as you live out of surrender, connection, curiosity and obedience. “

Is God’s Will My Will?

October 20th, 2015

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

 

Sanctification is not a question of whether God is willing to sanctify me— is it my will? Am I willing to let God do in me everything that has been made possible through the atonement of the Cross of Christ? Am I willing to let Jesus become sanctification to me, and to let His life be exhibited in my human flesh? (see 1 Corinthians 1:30). Beware of saying, “Oh, I am longing to be sanctified.” No, you are not.

 

Recognize your need, but stop longing and make it a matter of action. Receive Jesus Christ to become sanctification for you by absolute, unquestioning faith, and the great miracle of the atonement of Jesus will become real in you. All that Jesus made possible becomes mine through the free and loving gift of God on the basis of what Christ accomplished on the cross. And my attitude as a saved and sanctified soul is that of profound, humble holiness (there is no such thing as proud holiness). It is a holiness based on agonizing repentance, a sense of inexpressible shame and degradation, and also on the amazing realization that the love of God demonstrated itself to me while I cared nothing about Him (see Romans 5:8). He completed everything for my salvation and sanctification.

 

No wonder Paul said that nothing “shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39). Sanctification makes me one with Jesus Christ, and in Him one with God, and it is accomplished only through the magnificent atonement of Christ. Never confuse the effect with the cause. The effect in me is obedience, service, and prayer, and is the outcome of inexpressible thanks and adoration for the miraculous sanctification that has been brought about in me because of the atonement through the Cross of Christ. _____________________________________________________________________

 

Journal DJR Good Morning Lord,

I’ve always thought and said that our goal after salvation was to become Christlike. Perhaps that’s what sanctification is? And here it says pretty clearly that’s what you want also… This is the will of God, your sanctification… —1 Thessalonians 4:3 I think where I’ve messed up is in striving to be Christlike… It has always led to failure. I think it was a “do it yourself” sanctification effort, which I can see now, is doomed to failure.

 

I do want you Christlike. And I’ve paid the price and paved the way and sent the power to make it happen … but it doesn’t include your willpower or religious pride of accomplishment to get it done. Stay on the track I’ve set for you… Surrender, Connection, Obedience, Curiosity about what I’m doing and going to do next, and looking and listening and then just living out of that. With that approach, you are well on your way to the Christlikeness that you desire. But it will be like a side effect…Not the thing you were striving for. There may be shame and devastation when you see the opportunities that have been missed. But those emotions will be overwhelmed by joy when you see me as I am and really see the gift you have been given. Gratitude overpowers shame and leaves you in peace, not striving.

The Unheeded Secret

October 19th, 2015

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world.” —John 18:36


The great enemy of the Lord Jesus Christ today is the idea of practical work that has no basis in the New Testament but comes from the systems of the world. This work insists upon endless energy and activities, but no private life with God. The emphasis is put on the wrong thing. Jesus said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation….For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21). It is a hidden, obscure thing. An active Christian worker too often lives to be seen by others, while it is the innermost, personal area that reveals the power of a person’s life.We must get rid of the plague of the spirit of this religious age in which we live. In our Lord’s life there was none of the pressure and the rushing of tremendous activity that we regard so highly today, and a disciple is to be like His Master. The central point of the kingdom of Jesus Christ is a personal relationship with Him, not public usefulness to others.It is not the practical activities that are the strength of this Bible Training College— its entire strength lies in the fact that here you are immersed in the truths of God to soak in them before Him. You have no idea of where or how God is going to engineer your future circumstances, and no knowledge of what stress and strain is going to be placed on you either at home or abroad. And if you waste your time in overactivity, instead of being immersed in the great fundamental truths of God’s redemption, then you will snap when the stress and strain do come. But if this time of soaking before God is being spent in getting rooted and grounded in Him, which may appear to be impractical, then you will remain true to Him whatever happens.

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October 19 2015

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Good afternoon Lord and thank you for the opportunity to share the lessons you have been teaching us. I could tell the young man was very anxious. He wanted the circumstance to turn out a certain way and he did not want to wait at all. He was trying to do everything he could to control the situation, and for a moment or two he wanted me to jump into his anxiety and fear as well. He wanted me in the lake of chaos, control and fear with him. But You gave this opportunity to me to share your love, grace and power. You also used it to show me how I look when I want to control a situation to assuage my own fears; when I want control. Thank You for the most recent lessons over the past years and months, and  for the “forced lessons” in staying inside the trial.

And God said, “You can give a man a fish or you can teach him to fish, and in teaching him, it is important that the trials and tests have their perfect reward…so patience must prevail. Like Psalm 66 as interpreted by Eugene Peterson in The Message says”……..

He trained us first,     passed us like silver through refining fires, Brought us into hardscrabble country, pushed us to our very limit, Road-tested us inside and out, took us to hell and back; Finally he brought us to this well-watered place.

The Key to the Master’s Orders

October 16th, 2015
Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. —Matthew 9:38

 
The key to the missionary’s difficult task is in the hand of God, and that key is prayer, not work— that is, not work as the word is commonly used today, which often results in the shifting of our focus away from God. The key to the missionary’s difficult task is also not the key of common sense, nor is it the key of medicine, civilization, education, or even evangelization.
The key is in following the Master’s orders— the key is prayer. “Pray the Lord of the harvest….” In the natural realm, prayer is not practical but absurd. We have to realize that prayer is foolish from the commonsense point of view.From Jesus Christ’s perspective, there are no nations, but only the world. How many of us pray without regard to the persons, but with regard to only one Person— Jesus Christ? He owns the harvest that is produced through distress and through conviction of sin. This is the harvest for which we have to pray that laborers be sent out to reap. We stay busy at work, while people all around us are ripe and ready to be harvested; we do not reap even one of them, but simply waste our Lord’s time in over-energized activities and programs.
Suppose a crisis were to come into your father’s or your brother’s life— are you there as a laborer to reap the harvest for Jesus Christ? Is your response, “Oh, but I have a special work to do!” No Christian has a special work to do. A Christian is called to be Jesus Christ’s own, “a servant [who] is not greater than his master” (John 13:16), and someone who does not dictate to Jesus Christ what he intends to do. Our Lord calls us to no special work— He calls us to Himself. “Pray the Lord of the harvest,” and He will engineer your circumstances to send you out as His laborer.
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October 16 2015
Journal Entry for Today-JDV
Good morning Lord. This devotional reminded me that I long for the “knowing” that seemed to fill me every time I prayed “Knowing” You are there listening, “knowing” that You will meet my needs and the needs of those I have brought to You; “knowing” that all things work for the good of those that love the Lord. Father God, this devotional reminded me that I long for the reassurance of Abba (Daddy) this morning. Like the father of the boy that said, “I believe, help me in my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24) I long for the reassurance that was just there yesterday and what seems like just a few moments ago.
And God says…”This side of heaven, you will always need reassurance, and you find it in prayer. Pray without ceasing, stay in communication with Me by surrendering and being connected daily, hourly, minute by minute. I will never leave you and I will never condemn you, because there is no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus. I have told you this. When you feel disconnected, remember the promises I give you, and also consider; are you trusting your fickle feelings or the word of God? Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own understanding or feelings, and I will make your paths straight. The reassurance you seek comes from your surrender and our connection, as you are led by the Spirit of God to my love, grace and mercy that flow from my word. Seek first the kingdom of God, which is Jesus, and I will provide everything else you require, including reassurance of my presence and our connection.”