Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops —Matthew 10:27

Sometimes God puts us through the experience and discipline of darkness to teach us to hear and obey Him. Song birds are taught to sing in the dark, and God puts us into “the shadow of His hand” until we learn to hear Him (Isaiah 49:2). “Whatever I tell you in the dark. . .”— pay attention when God puts you into darkness, and keep your mouth closed while you are there. Are you in the dark right now in your circumstances, or in your life with God? If so, then remain quiet. If you open your mouth in the dark, you will speak while in the wrong mood— darkness is the time to listen. Don’t talk to other people about it; don’t read books to find out the reason for the darkness; just listen and obey. If you talk to other people, you cannot hear what God is saying. When you are in the dark, listen, and God will give you a very precious message for someone else once you are back in the light.

After every time of darkness, we should experience a mixture of delight and humiliation. If there is only delight, I question whether we have really heard God at all. We should experience delight for having heard God speak, but mostly humiliation for having taken so long to hear Him! Then we will exclaim, “How slow I have been to listen and understand what God has been telling me!” And yet God has been saying it for days and even weeks. But once you hear Him, He gives you the gift of humiliation, which brings a softness of heart— a gift that will always cause you to listen to God now.

Samuel answered, ’Speak, for Your servant hears’ —1 Samuel 3:10

The goal of my spiritual life is such close identification with Jesus Christ that I will always hear God and know that God always hears me (see John 11:41). If I am united with Jesus Christ, I hear God all the time through the devotion of hearing. A flower, a tree, or a servant of God may convey God’s message to me. What hinders me from hearing is my attention to other things. It is not that I don’t want to hear God, but I am not devoted in the right areas of my life. I am devoted to things and even to service and my own convictions. God may say whatever He wants, but I just don’t hear Him. The attitude of a child of God should always be, “Speak, for Your servant hears.” If I have not developed and nurtured this devotion of hearing, I can only hear God’s voice at certain times. At other times I become deaf to Him because my attention is to other things— things which I think I must do. This is not living the life of a child of God. Have you heard God’s voice today?

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February 13, 2013

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, “what hinders me from hearing is my attention to other things…” please help me focus on my connection with Jesus and not be deterred by the details and distractions of today.

And God says…” My child, your connection is a byproduct of simply paying attention. When you look for Me you will find Me. My sheep know My voice. Seek Me and you will find Me. You do not hear Me simply because you are not listening. Listen and you will hear, seek and you will find. Several times today simply listen for Me  and notice the conversations we are having.”

They said to Moses, ’You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die’ `—Exodus 20:19

We don’t consciously and deliberately disobey God— we simply don’t listen to Him. God has given His commands to us, but we pay no attention to them— not because of willful disobedience, but because we do not truly love and respect Him. “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Once we realize we have constantly been showing disrespect to God, we will be filled with shame and humiliation for ignoring Him.

“You speak with us, . . . but let not God speak with us . . . .” We show how little love we have for God by preferring to listen to His servants rather than to Him. We like to listen to personal testimonies, but we don’t want God Himself to speak to us. Why are we so terrified for God to speak to us? It is because we know that when God speaks we must either do what He asks or tell Him we will not obey. But if it is simply one of God’s servants speaking to us, we feel obedience is optional, not imperative. We respond by saying, “Well, that’s only your own idea, even though I don’t deny that what you said is probably God’s truth.”

Am I constantly humiliating God by ignoring Him, while He lovingly continues to treat me as His child? Once I finally do hear Him, the humiliation I have heaped on Him returns to me. My response then becomes, “Lord, why was I so insensitive and obstinate?” This is always the result once we hear God. But our real delight in finally hearing Him is tempered with the shame we feel for having taken so long to do so.

Journal DJR
Good Morning Lord,
I relate to the humiliation that comes from realizing the times I have wasted … chasing after my own things rather than your things. The only way I can survive the weight of realizing all my shortcomings is to realize your infinite love and willingness to forgive. I am so glad you put the story of the prodigal son in the book. Without your grace, I would be hopeless and helpless.
Yes, all my children, even the best performers, fall short of the standard. So I’ve made a way for you that doesn’t rely on your meeting the standard, but rather just simply accepting that Jesus has met it for you and paid your entrance fee.
Why then am I so sad when I realize my failures?
Realize that it is only the entrance fee that has been paid 100% by Jesus and you can do nothing to add to it. After you have entered into new life (now) … it is up to you what you do with it. You still need my power to live the abundant life I want for you. And it is available to all my children. It comes thru connection with me. So dont struggle to get better. If you want to struggle … struggle to tighten your connection with me.

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose imagination is stayed on Thee.” —   Isaiah 26:3

I am already being poured out as a drink offering . . . —2 Timothy 4:6

Are you ready to be poured out as an offering? It is an act of your will, not your emotions. Tell God you are ready to be offered as a sacrifice for Him. Then accept the consequences as they come, without any complaints, in spite of what God may send your way. God sends you through a crisis in private, where no other person can help you. From the outside your life may appear to be the same, but the difference is taking place in your will. Once you have experienced the crisis in your will, you will take no thought of the cost when it begins to affect you externally. If you don’t deal with God on the level of your will first, the result will be only to arouse sympathy for yourself.

“Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar” (Psalm 118:27). You must be willing to be placed on the altar and go through the fire; willing to experience what the altar represents-burning, purification, and separation for only one purpose-the elimination of every desire and affection not grounded in or directed toward God. But you don’t eliminate it, God does. You “bind the sacrifice . . . to the horns of the altar” and see to it that you don’t wallow in self-pity once the fire begins. After you have gone through the fire, there will be nothing that will be able to trouble or depress you. When another crisis arises, you will realize that things cannot touch you as they used to do. What fire lies ahead in your life?

Tell God you are ready to be poured out as an offering, and God will prove Himself to be all you ever dreamed He would be.

Journal DJR
Good morning Lord, This lesson today brought up a question for me. If the battle of sacrifice is at the level of our will … how is that different from just struggling along using our will power to try to get better? We all know that doesn’t work and can actually lead away from the path to Christlikeness.

The love of Christ compels us . . . —2 Corinthians 5:14

When we are born again by the Spirit of God, our testimony is based solely on what God has done for us, and rightly so. But that will change and be removed forever once you “receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you . . .” (Acts 1:8). Only then will you begin to realize what Jesus meant when He went on to say, “. . . you shall be witnesses to Me . . . .” Not witnesses to what Jesus can do— that is basic and understood— but “witnesses to Me . . . .” We will accept everything that happens as if it were happening to Him, whether we receive praise or blame, persecution or reward. No one is able to take this stand for Jesus Christ who is not totally compelled by the majesty of His power. It is the only thing that matters, and yet it is strange that it’s the last thing we as Christian workers realize. Paul said that he was gripped by the love of God and that is why he acted as he did. People could perceive him as mad or sane-he did not care. There was only one thing he lived for— to persuade people of the coming judgment of God and to tell them of “the love of Christ.” This total surrender to “the love of Christ” is the only thing that will bear fruit in your life. And it will always leave the mark of God’s holiness and His power, never drawing attention to your personal holiness.

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February 4, 2013

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord this devotional reminded me that Your love changes everything. I was struck by the notion that everything else, ever other issue or detail I believe important should not even matter or count…and yet I still find myself caught up in the mundane, the temporal. Please help me experience your love so deeply that it takes my eyes off the mundane and fixes them on You.

And God says…” That is the result of connection. When you keep your eyes on Jesus, on His love, grace and sacrifice, you are transformed and realize He is the only thing that matters. As you stay connected to Him, you are transformed. You realize that the details of this earthly life count little, and you suddenly know that you are mine; confident of your position with Me through Jesus. You then also become confident that nothing can harm you; no weapon can be raise against you that will stand. You begin to understand that I have plans and a future for you.”

. . . separated to the gospel of God. . . —Romans 1:1

Our calling is not primarily to be holy men and women, but to be proclaimers of the gospel of God. The one all-important thing is that the gospel of God should be recognized as the abiding reality. Reality is not human goodness, or holiness, or heaven, or hell— it is redemption. The need to perceive this is the most vital need of the Christian worker today. As workers, we have to get used to the revelation that redemption is the only reality. Personal holiness is an effect of redemption, not the cause of it. If we place our faith in human goodness we will go under when testing comes.

Paul did not say that he separated himself, but “when it pleased God, who separated me . . .” (Galatians 1:15). Paul was not overly interested in his own character. And as long as our eyes are focused on our own personal holiness, we will never even get close to the full reality of redemption. Christian workers fail because they place their desire for their own holiness above their desire to know God. “Don’t ask me to be confronted with the strong reality of redemption on behalf of the filth of human life surrounding me today; what I want is anything God can do for me to make me more desirable in my own eyes.” To talk that way is a sign that the reality of the gospel of God has not begun to touch me. There is no reckless abandon to God in that. God cannot deliver me while my interest is merely in my own character. Paul was not conscious of himself. He was recklessly abandoned, totally surrendered, and separated by God for one purpose— to proclaim the gospel of God (see Romans 9:3).

Journal DJR

Good Morning Lord,
Once again I see that “trying to be better” is not the way to go … at least not the thing to try. Getting better and being more Christlike comes as a result of seeking and knowing you, like a by product. Why is this so hard to implement? In my life and the church in general? Is it because it’s easier to throw ourselves into a program or efforts of some kind?
From the beginning temptation has been there to do your own thing. That was Satan’s ploy with Eve … do your own thing, do it your way, Never mind what God said. Wanting to do your own thing is actually part of the way you were created … to be creative, like Me. But it can (will) lead you astray if you are not connected to Me. So stay connected and be as creative as you can. Through our connection, my creativity can flow and when you are doing your own thing, it will really be my thing … our thing. Stay connected. Come to me. Get to know me. It’s really that simple. There is no other cookbook by which you can cook up holiness.

Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision —1 Samuel 3:15

God never speaks to us in dramatic ways, but in ways that are easy to misunderstand. Then we say, “I wonder if that is God’s voice?” Isaiah said that the Lord spoke to him “with a strong hand,” that is, by the pressure of his circumstances (Isaiah 8:11). Without the sovereign hand of God Himself, nothing touches our lives. Do we discern His hand at work, or do we see things as mere occurrences?

Get into the habit of saying, “Speak, Lord,” and life will become a romance (1 Samuel 3:9). Every time circumstances press in on you, say, “Speak, Lord,” and make time to listen. Chastening is more than a means of discipline— it is meant to bring me to the point of saying, “Speak, Lord.” Think back to a time when God spoke to you. Do you remember what He said? Was it Luke 11:13 , or was it 1 Thessalonians 5:23? As we listen, our ears become more sensitive, and like Jesus, we will hear God all the time.

Should I tell my “Eli” what God has shown to me? This is where the dilemma of obedience hits us. We disobey God by becoming amateur providences and thinking, “I must shield ’Eli,’ ” who represents the best people we know. God did not tell Samuel to tell Eli— he had to decide that for himself. God’s message to you may hurt your “Eli,” but trying to prevent suffering in another’s life will prove to be an obstruction between your soul and God. It is at your own risk that you prevent someone’s right hand being cut off or right eye being plucked out (see Matthew 5:29-30).

Never ask another person’s advice about anything God makes you decide before Him. If you ask advice, you will almost always side with Satan. “. . . I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood . . .” (Galatians 1:16).

Journal DJR
Good morning Lord, I think we would all like the life described as a romance and an adventure. The prescription given here, saying “Speak, Lord” & waiting … seems so simple … why cant we walk in that way more?
Busyness, Prosperity, and Options are the main deterrents from a life of romance and adventure with me. You, in America, have too much of all of that and I get the short end of your attention. It’s not so much that way with other believers in other places that I’ve shown you. But their walk is not your concern. You are where you are and I have you there. It is time to learn to walk that romantic adventure right where you are.
Is it possible to keep all the things I have going and still learn to hear your voice.
Of course it is possible but it is the wrong question. You should press in to me and the romance rather than trying to keep going with as many distractions as you can get away with.
Got it. I’ve been sensing that it is time to slash the schedule and re arrange some priorities. Please help me do that. I’m listening …. Help me listen. Whatever form that takes.

Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? —Acts 26:14

Is the Word of God tremendously penetrating and sharp in me as I hand it on to you, or does my life betray the things I profess to teach? I may teach sanctification and yet exhibit the spirit of Satan, the very spirit that persecutes Jesus Christ. The Spirit of Jesus is conscious of only one thing— a perfect oneness with the Father. And He tells us, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). All I do should be based on a perfect oneness with Him, not on a self-willed determination to be godly. This will mean that others may use me, go around me, or completely ignore me, but if I will submit to it for His sake, I will prevent Jesus Christ from being persecuted.

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January 28, 2013

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord this song reminds me that while I may be a nail in your hands or the thorns on your head, You love me anyway. You remind me that our relationship does not require a quid pro quo. Your grace is all encompassing, and  Your love and acceptance does not require me to meet some standard. You took care of that at the cross, and I am thankful.

And God says…”The magnitude of the sacrifice at Calvary provides all the love and grace required for your daily and constant connection with Jesus. And while you do persecute Jesus, this was accounted for in His sacrifice.  If you want to refrain from persecuting Him, simply stay connected, stay in an intimate relationship with Jesus and allow Him to transform You.  And be reminded that when you do persecute Him, that He loves you anyway.”

I have appeared to you for this purpose . . .—Acts 26:16

The vision Paul had on the road to Damascus was not a passing emotional experience, but a vision that had very clear and emphatic directions for him. And Paul stated, “I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision” (Acts 26:19). Our Lord said to Paul, in effect, “Your whole life is to be overpowered or subdued by Me; you are to have no end, no aim, and no purpose but Mine.” And the Lord also says to us, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go . . .” (John 15:16).

When we are born again, if we are spiritual at all, we have visions of what Jesus wants us to be. It is important that I learn not to be “disobedient to the heavenly vision”—not to doubt that it can be attained. It is not enough to give mental assent to the fact that God has redeemed the world, nor even to know that the Holy Spirit can make all that Jesus did a reality in my life. I must have the foundation of a personal relationship with Him. Paul was not given a message or a doctrine to proclaim. He was brought into a vivid, personal, overpowering relationship with Jesus Christ.Acts 26:16 is tremendously compelling “. . . to make you a minister and a witness . . . .” There would be nothing there without a personal relationship. Paul was devoted to a Person, not to a cause. He was absolutely Jesus Christ’s. He saw nothing else and he lived for nothing else. “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).

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January 24 2013

Lord thank you for the reminder that just like Paul, I am called to the person of Jesus; not to a cause or activity or mission. I am called to Jesus. You called me to Jesus. Thank you for that very simple truth. I will try and keep it in the forefront of my heart, mind and vision.

And God says…”Try as hard as you might, you will not be able to keep Jesus at the forefront of your mind…you are easily distracted. But you can look for Jesus in every event and activity of your day. In that way, you can learn to behold Him in every aspect of your life, and stay connected. Not just in prayer, Bible study and sharing,  but in every aspect of your life. Acknowledge the Lord in all your ways and He will make your paths straight.”