The voice of the Spirit of God is as gentle as a summer breeze— so gentle that unless you are living in complete fellowship and oneness with God, you will never hear it. The sense of warning and restraint that the Spirit gives comes to us in the most amazingly gentle ways. And if you are not sensitive enough to detect His voice, you will quench it, and your spiritual life will be impaired. This sense of restraint will always come as a “still small voice” ( 1 Kings 19:12 ), so faint that no one except a saint of God will notice it.
Beware if in sharing your personal testimony you continually have to look back, saying, “Once, a number of years ago, I was saved.” 
If you have put your “hand to the plow” and are walking in the light, there is no “looking back”— the past is instilled into the present wonder of fellowship and oneness with God ( Luke 9:62 ; also see 1 John 1:6-7 ). If you get out of the light, you become a sentimental Christian, and live only on your memories, and your testimony will have a hard metallic ring to it. Beware of trying to cover up your present refusal to “walk in the light” by recalling your past experiences when you did “walk in the light” ( 1 John 1:7 ). When-ever the Spirit gives you that sense of restraint, call a halt and make things right, or else you will go on quenching and grieving Him without even knowing it.
Suppose God brings you to a crisis and you almost endure it, but not completely. He will engineer the crisis again, but this time some of the intensity will be lost. You will have less discernment and more humiliation at having disobeyed. If you continue to grieve His Spirit, there will come a time when that crisis cannot be repeated, because you have totally quenched Him. But if you will go on through the crisis, your life will become a hymn of praise to God. Never become attached to anything that continues to hurt God. For you to be free of it, God must be allowed to hurt whatever it may be.
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August 13, 2010
Yesterday I wrote about facing a crisis and I was not peeking or looking ahead to this devotional by Oswald Chambers…..Probably not a coincidence….
I once wrote that we “get” to go through crisis and trials in this life. We are blessed when we understand that we are not to try and “get out of them” too early, or use our own skills and talents to short circuit the learning and growing. (acknowledge the Lord in all your ways and do not rely on your own understanding (or devices) and He will make your paths straight). I understand all that, but I still seem to want early, safe and secure answers.
And God says…..”You already know the early, safe and secure answer and it is Jesus. Time after time you return right to Him and find peace and joy in this life. The issue is not with you wanting out of your trial too early, because you can escape the fear, worry and pain very early in the process. The trial or crisis may remain, but you will notice that you have peace and joy inside of it. Reach out for Jesus
DJR Journal & Prayer
Good morning Lord, once again I feel like I am missing it. Now at least the target that I am missing is a more accurate target than as a young Christian, where I was tempted to consider how well I measured up to a list of do’s and dont’s as the target to always fall short of. You have been bringing JD & I to the point where we see target to be simple staying connected with you and getting all our direction from that connection. I’ve found myself still beating myself up for falling short though. So please help me find the place of rest that comes from connection and obedience.
You are being a Martha, busy about many things. Slow down, simplify, reduce the static and competing voices in what you hear and focus on quality of our relationship.
OK good word, It rings with me. I’m glad you sent Leo and Mary into my life with the simplification message as well.
Remember, they borrowed the good part from me.
Yes of course. So please help me in this. I dont want to be a mile wide and an inch deep in our relationship. I want the opposite of that and many things need to fall away. I’m ready to say good bye to whatever cant continue. Help me choose the best stuff to keep in my life…. Like Mary did.
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