There is no heaven that has a little corner of hell in it. God is determined to make you pure, holy, and right, and He will not allow you to escape from the scrutiny of the Holy Spirit for even one moment. He urged you to come to judgment immediately when He convicted you, but you did not obey. Then the inevitable process began to work, bringing its inevitable penalty. Now you have been “thrown into prison, [and] . . . you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny” ( 5:25-26 ). Yet you ask, “Is this a God of mercy and love?” When seen from God’s perspective, it is a glorious ministry of love. God is going to bring you out pure, spotless, and undefiled, but He wants you to recognize the nature you were exhibiting— the nature of demanding your right to yourself. The moment you are willing for God to change your nature, His recreating forces will begin to work. And the moment you realize that God’s purpose is to get you into the right relationship with Himself and then with others, He will reach to the very limits of the universe to help you take the right road. Decide to do it right now, saying, “Yes, Lord, I will write that letter,” or, “I will be reconciled to that person now.”

These sermons of Jesus Christ are meant for your will and your conscience, not for your head. If you dispute these verses from the Sermon on the Mount with your head, you will dull the appeal to your heart.

If you find yourself asking, “I wonder why I’m not growing spiritually with God?”— then ask yourself if you are paying your debts from God’s standpoint. Do now what you will have to do someday. Every moral question or call comes with an “ought” behind it— the knowledge of knowing what we ought to do.

______________________________________________________________

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

July 1, 2010

I think I hear your voice clearly, giving me specific directions. I think I hear you leading and guiding me…..but then I wonder is it really you? Inside my head I am at war, yes, no, yes no. It couldn’t possibly be God speaking to me, what am I thinking? God wouldn’t be speaking to me …..Would He?

And what He said, that couldn’t possibly be true could it? It seems too far-fetched, too risky, too over the top wonderful. How do I know that it is God talking and not just my own imagination?

I need to be certain; I need to be absolutely sure. Or do I?

And God says….” If you listen closely and act on my direction you will begin to hear Me more clearly. I am always talking to you, but you simply do not listen for me and act. As a consequence you begin to doubt and then because you doubt, you quit listening. When you hear Me, stop and ask Me if it is Me, and I will answer you right then, immediately. (My sheep know My voice) ……….You will know and you can act on my direction. When you begin to do that you will notice our relationship taking on a new growth and new growth rate. Because you will hear Me and act on my direction, I will then give you more and more direction. My desire is to have a more intimate relationship with you. I have invested a great deal in creating this relationship, so why would I not speak with you? Listen, and then be obedient. Our relationship will grow even more than you could ever imagine, and people will begin to see even more of Me in you.