“Your whole spirit….” The great, mysterious work of the Holy Spirit is in the deep recesses of our being which we cannot reach. Read Psalm 139. The psalmist implies— “O Lord, You are the God of the early mornings, the God of the late nights, the God of the mountain peaks, and the God of the sea. But, my God, my soul has horizons further away than those of early mornings, deeper darkness than the nights of earth, higher peaks than any mountain peaks, greater depths than any sea in nature. You who are the God of all these, be my God. I cannot reach to the heights or to the depths; there are motives I cannot discover, dreams I cannot realize. My God, search me.”Do we believe that God can fortify and protect our thought processes far beyond where we can go? “…the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). If this verse means cleansing only on our conscious level, may God have mercy on us. The man who has been dulled by sin will say that he is not even conscious of it. But the cleansing from sin we experience will reach to the heights and depths of our spirit if we will “walk in the light as He is in the light” (1 John 1:7). The same Spirit that fed the life of Jesus Christ will feed the life of our spirit. It is only when we are protected by God with the miraculous sacredness of the Holy Spirit that our spirit, soul, and body can be preserved in pure uprightness until the coming of Jesus-no longer condemned in God’s sight.We should more frequently allow our minds to meditate on these great, massive truths of God.

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January 9 2015

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, when we are alone and talking I can often sense your love and peace and that deep sense of belonging. And even though I know that Your Spirit is embedded in me there are other times when I cannot feel You at all, and it seems that you have abandoned me.  If your spirit is embedded within me then why does this happen?

And God says…” There are those that would say that you have done something wrong, committed some transgression to cause our communication to be broken. They would say that this is the reason you often can’t feel or sense my presence. But that is not accurate. I will never leave you or forsake you. My love and grace are much greater than your wrong doing or thinking. You often cannot hear or sense my presence because your faith and spiritual muscles need to grow, and they grow best when you are in the midst of trying times. During these times you learn more about Me and yourself. I am God and my ways are not your ways.  Many believe that a good parent should remove their child from pain and suffering immediately. But the best news in history came from letting my Son endure the pain and suffering of the cross.  When I allow time and suffering to leave their mark on you, these are signs that I am loving and blessing you.  Trust Me, acknowledge Me in all your ways, do not lean on your own understanding, and I will make your paths straight. Delight yourself in Me and I will give you the desires of your heart.  If I gave up My son for you, I would certainly not withhold any good thing”.   When I am quiet, I am letting the trial, pain and hurt to have its perfect result. And the result is that you  are shaped into a more perfect likeness of Jesus.”

This event is a picture of the mistake we make in thinking that the ultimate God wants of us is the sacrifice of death. What God wants is the sacrifice through death which enables us to do what Jesus did, that is, sacrifice our lives. Not— “Lord, I am ready to go with You…to death” (Luke 22:33). But— “I am willing to be identified with Your death so that I may sacrifice my life to God.”We seem to think that God wants us to give up things! God purified Abraham from this error, and the same process is at work in our lives. God never tells us to give up things just for the sake of giving them up, but He tells us to give them up for the sake of the only thing worth having, namely, life with Himself. It is a matter of loosening the bands that hold back our lives. Those bands are loosened immediately by identification with the death of Jesus. Then we enter into a relationship with God whereby we may sacrifice our lives to Him.

It is of no value to God to give Him your life for death. He wants you to be a “living sacrifice”— to let Him have all your strengths that have been saved and sanctified through Jesus (Romans 12:1). This is what is acceptable to God.

These words were not spoken as a rebuke, nor even with surprise; Jesus was encouraging Philip to draw closer. Yet the last person we get intimate with is Jesus. Before Pentecost the disciples knew Jesus as the One who gave them power to conquer demons and to bring about a revival (see Luke 10:18-20). It was a wonderful intimacy, but there was a much closer intimacy to come: “…I have called you friends…” (John 15:15). True friendship is rare on earth. It means identifying with someone in thought, heart, and spirit. The whole experience of life is designed to enable us to enter into this closest relationship with Jesus Christ. We receive His blessings and know His Word, but do we really know Him?Jesus said, “It is to your advantage that I go away…” (John 16:7). He left that relationship to lead them even closer. It is a joy to Jesus when a disciple takes time to walk more intimately with Him. The bearing of fruit is always shown in Scripture to be the visible result of an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ (see John 15:1-4).

Once we get intimate with Jesus we are never lonely and we never lack for understanding or compassion. We can continually pour out our hearts to Him without being perceived as overly emotional or pitiful. The Christian who is truly intimate with Jesus will never draw attention to himself but will only show the evidence of a life where Jesus is completely in control. This is the outcome of allowing Jesus to satisfy every area of life to its depth. The picture resulting from such a life is that of the strong, calm balance that our Lord gives to those who are intimate with Him.

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January 7 2015

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Good morning Lord, and thank You for this day and this devotional.  This is a message You have been teaching us for some time; be intimate with Jesus. And as we learned yesterday, the day to day message is for us to get connected to Jesus, stay connected, and live it out.  Therein lies the rub, how we do that. Lord, it seems as if every distraction in the world gets in my way daily and hourly.  Even as I seek out a quiet time to meditate, my mind wanders. Even as I turn my day over to You my spirit is often hijacked by day to day, hour to hour fears, distractions, responsibilities, and interruptions.  It seems that I can only stop my wandering mind and spirit when I am in desperate need, and You are the only answer”.

And God says…”As Paul wrote…”who will rescue me from this circumstance? “Thank God it has already been done; Jesus paid the price for your inability to stay connected.  I know what you can and cannot do. I do not give you hope and connection and then pull it away. I would not show you how to live abundantly and not make the life easily attainable.  This abundant life is not meant to be something you must earn; it is not available to just the disciplined. Our intimacy is not based on your abilities, focus or even your worship and study.  It is not based on your worthiness. Our intimacy is based on the sacrifice of Jesus. Simply reach out to Him knowing that He is all that is required to get and stay connected. And when you notice that you are more closely aligned with your own notions, fears, responsibilities, and interruptions, silently cry out to Jesus, and let Him restore your connection and intimacy. Seek first the kingdom of God, which is Jesus, and everything else you require will be provided. “

Worship is giving God the best that He has given you. Be careful what you do with the best you have. Whenever you get a blessing from God, give it back to Him as a love-gift. Take time to meditate before God and offer the blessing back to Him in a deliberate act of worship. If you hoard it for yourself, it will turn into spiritual dry rot, as the manna did when it was hoarded (see Exodus 16:20). God will never allow you to keep a spiritual blessing completely for yourself. It must be given back to Him so that He can make it a blessing to others.Bethel is the symbol of fellowship with God; Ai is the symbol of the world. Abram “pitched his tent” between the two. The lasting value of our public service for God is measured by the depth of the intimacy of our private times of fellowship and oneness with Him. Rushing in and out of worship is wrong every time— there is always plenty of time to worship God. Days set apart for quiet can be a trap, detracting from the need to have daily quiet time with God. That is why we must “pitch our tents” where we will always have quiet times with Him, however noisy our times with the world may be. There are not three levels of spiritual life— worship, waiting, and work. Yet some of us seem to jump like spiritual frogs from worship to waiting, and from waiting to work. God’s idea is that the three should go together as one. They were always together in the life of our Lord and in perfect harmony. It is a discipline that must be developed; it will not happen overnight.

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January 6 2015

Journal Entry for today-JDV

Lord, today as we prayed, talked and sought your message, we heard you loud and clear.  Our goals are to get connected, stay connected, and then live it, give it and work it out.  Sounds a bit cliché-ish”, but that was the message we learned today.

And God says…”That has been your lesson for many days. Be connected and in relationship with Me and then simply live.  When we are connected you know that I am guiding your life, so you can be curious and expectant, knowing that all things will work together for your good. And when you are connected, you will naturally become a blessing for others. It is impossible to be connected to Me, be truly blessed and NOT be connected to others. Love your God with all your mind, heart and soul and love your neighbor as yourself;  the only commandments given you by Jesus.”

“And when He had spoken this, He said to him, ‘Follow Me’ ” (John 21:19). Three years earlier Jesus had said, “Follow Me” (Matthew 4:19), and Peter followed with no hesitation. The irresistible attraction of Jesus was upon him and he did not need the Holy Spirit to help him do it. Later he came to the place where he denied Jesus, and his heart broke. Then he received the Holy Spirit and Jesus said again, “Follow Me” (John 21:19). Now no one is in front of Peter except the Lord Jesus Christ. The first “Follow Me” was nothing mysterious; it was an external following. Jesus is now asking for an internal sacrifice and yielding (see John 21:18).Between these two times Peter denied Jesus with oaths and curses (see Matthew 26:69-75). But then he came completely to the end of himself and all of his self-sufficiency. There was no part of himself he would ever rely on again. In his state of destitution, he was finally ready to receive all that the risen Lord had for him. “…He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’ ” (John 20:22). No matter what changes God has performed in you, never rely on them. Build only on a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ, and on the Spirit He gives.

All our promises and resolutions end in denial because we have no power to accomplish them. When we come to the end of ourselves, not just mentally but completely, we are able to “receive the Holy Spirit.” “Receive the Holy Spirit” — the idea is that of invasion. There is now only One who directs the course of your life, the Lord Jesus Christ.

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January 5 2015

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, on my own I have no power or desire to follow You. On my own I make resolutions and chase visions, hopes and desires that hold no lasting value. Even when I am wildly successful, the victories seem hallow and fleeting. But connected to You I feel a sense of purpose and design.

When you surrender you own notions of life, who you are and what you are to do and are connected to Me, you are connected to My love and a sense of purpose and power that provides a peace that passes all understanding.

Lord I get that, but like Peter when I see the storm waves all around me, my senses overload on what can or could happen. When I sense the impending dangers or risks, and I cannot see or feel You, I get frightened and worried.

There is a simple remedy for that; do not face your days, full of dangers and risks, without Me. Do not step out onto the waters of your days until and unless you are connected and communing with Me. Seek first the kingdom of God and I will provide everything else you require. Acknowledge Me in all you ways and I will make your paths straight. Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Security from Yesterday. “…God requires an account of what is past” (Ecclesiastes 3:15). At the end of the year we turn with eagerness to all that God has for the future, and yet anxiety is apt to arise when we remember our yesterdays. Our present enjoyment of God’s grace tends to be lessened by the memory of yesterday’s sins and blunders. But God is the God of our yesterdays, and He allows the memory of them to turn the past into a ministry of spiritual growth for our future. God reminds us of the past to protect us from a very shallow security in the present.

Security for Tomorrow. “…the Lord will go before you….” This is a gracious revelation— that God will send His forces out where we have failed to do so. He will keep watch so that we will not be tripped up again by the same failures, as would undoubtedly happen if He were not our “rear guard.” And God’s hand reaches back to the past, settling all the claims against our conscience.

Security for Today. “You shall not go out with haste….” As we go forth into the coming year, let it not be in the haste of impetuous, forgetful delight, nor with the quickness of impulsive thoughtlessness. But let us go out with the patient power of knowing that the God of Israel will go before us. Our yesterdays hold broken and irreversible things for us. It is true that we have lost opportunities that will never return, but God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future. Let the past rest, but let it rest in the sweet embrace of Christ.Leave the broken, irreversible past in His hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him.

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December 12 2014

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, this devotional is very timely as I take stock of 2014 and look out at the future of 2015. However, there is something here that doesn’t quite ring true. If Jesus paid the price for our sins and transgressions, then why should we recall them and our yesterdays as if we need to be held accountable?  What can we be held accountable for, if Jesus paid the price? Is this one more of those “bait and switch” teachings? Jesus paid it all now it is up to me to live it out and be held to account for not doing so according to some measuring guide?

And God says…”I said I will remember your sins no more. They are as far as the east from the west. I do not recall past, present or future sins. When I look at the accounting, I see Jesus, and how you allowed My Spirit to live through you. There is no measurement, only yes and no. As you have been fond of saying, “God does not grade on the curve”. So let go of the past, present and future, and look to the new year as an opportunity to step out in a vision and faith so large, that the only way to live it is to be totally surrendered to Me. Seek first the kingdom of God and everything else you require will be provided. Delight yourself in the Lord and I will give you the desires of your heart. Do not get confused by the enemy contemplating your failures and missteps. Focus on Jesus and by the strength and faith of Jesus, allow your vision, hopes and dreams to become real. Acknowledge Me in all our ways and I will make your paths straight.”

When God, by His Spirit through His Word, gives you a clear vision of His will, you must “walk in the light” of that vision (1 John 1:7). Even though your mind and soul may be thrilled by it, if you don’t “walk in the light” of it you will sink to a level of bondage never envisioned by our Lord. Mentally disobeying the “heavenly vision” (Acts 26:19) will make you a slave to ideas and views that are completely foreign to Jesus Christ. Don’t look at someone else and say, “Well, if he can have those views and prosper, why can’t I?” You have to “walk in the light” of the vision that has been given to you. Don’t compare yourself with others or judge them— that is between God and them.

When you find that one of your favorite and strongly held views clashes with the “heavenly vision,” do not begin to debate it. If you do, a sense of property and personal right will emerge in you— things on which Jesus placed no value. He was against these things as being the root of everything foreign to Himself— “…for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15).

If we don’t see and understand this, it is because we are ignoring the underlying principles of our Lord’s teaching.Our tendency is to lie back and bask in the memory of the wonderful experience we had when God revealed His will to us. But if a New Testament standard is revealed to us by the light of God, and we don’t try to measure up, or even feel inclined to do so, then we begin to backslide. It means your conscience does not respond to the truth. You can never be the same after the unveiling of a truth. That moment marks you as one who either continues on with even more devotion as a disciple of Jesus Christ, or as one who turns to go back as a deserter.

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December 29 2014

Journal Entry form Today-JDV

Lord, sometimes I think Oswald Chambers was simply a spiritual “drill instructor”, focused on guiding his students to a preparedness that would help them sustain their energy and hope in a difficult struggle. However, I often read his devotionals and think, “How could that have come from the Spirit?”  Now he is writing about how we regress if we do not follow the vision; that we “back slide” unless we demonstrate more focus and discipline. That sounds way too much like, “God’s done His part now I must do my part”.   But You have been teaching us that there is only one part; Your part.   Jesus has already done it all, we are simply to surrender and trust You. The discipline and focus may follow immediately, or not, but You are the answer to all of our questions. We have but to surrender to You and allow You to bring about our transformation and the discipline and focus that follow.

You have been teaching us about how we regress if we rely on our own strength and discipline.  How do I reconcile Your teaching on surrender and Chambers’ focus on personal discipline and focus?

And God says…”Since time memoriam humans have taken My desire for a relationship and turned it into something else entirely. In the garden, Adam and Eve had their own ideas about our relationship. Abraham could not wait for the vision to materialize, and the wandering Israelites wanted rules. Peter wanted to build tents for Elijah, Moses and Jesus in the garden. It seems that “Good Christians” always want to “do something”. And a great many spiritual leaders cannot wait for the transformation and actions of the Spirit to take place and as humans you continue to try and create caveats, rules, and quid pro quo circumstances. Recall that Jesus only gave you two commandments; love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul, and love your neighbor as yourself.”

“Chambers just like many, many other “spiritual leaders” wants to help accelerate spiritual growth and discipline. However, when you first trust in the Lord and do not rely on your own understandings….and ways and means, including self-discipline and focus, I make your paths straight.  Your discipline and focus will come not as the result of your efforts but as a result of your surrender to Me.  And make no mistake, discipline and focus are key elements of your growth; however they must, and will, come from the Spirit as a result of your daily, hourly and minute by minute relationship and surrender to Jesus.”

 

 

His Birth in History. “…that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God (Luke 1:35). Jesus Christ was born into this world, not from it. He did not emerge out of history; He came into history from the outside. Jesus Christ is not the best human being the human race can boast of— He is a Being for whom the human race can take no credit at all. He is not man becoming God, but God Incarnate— God coming into human flesh from outside it. His life is the highest and the holiest entering through the most humble of doors. Our Lord’s birth was an advent— the appearance of God in human form.

His Birth in Me. “My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you…” (Galatians 4:19). Just as our Lord came into human history from outside it, He must also come into me from outside. Have I allowed my personal human life to become a “Bethlehem” for the Son of God? I cannot enter the realm of the kingdom of God unless I am born again from above by a birth totally unlike physical birth. “You must be born again” (John 3:7). This is not a command, but a fact based on the authority of God. The evidence of the new birth is that I yield myself so completely to God that “Christ is formed” in me. And once “Christ is formed” in me, His nature immediately begins to work through me.

God Evident in the Flesh. This is what is made so profoundly possible for you and for me through the redemption of man by Jesus Christ.

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December 25 2015

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Good morning Lord and Happy Birthday. This devotional and  song remind me that while your birthday is a day to celebrate, I cannot forget why You came to earth. You were born to die so that I could live, and you live in me. Thank You Lord.

And God says…”Many were, and are, looking for a king like David or Solomon. And instead I sent a baby. Many were looking for a miracle to keep Jesus from the cross. Instead, He suffered painful and agonizing beatings, was mocked and died on the cross. Then I raised Him up. These are all reasons to celebrate and recognize Jesus now living inside of you. When you celebrate the birth of Jesus today, remember to celebrate His mission and His living sacrifice as well.” 

The Spirit of God testifies to and confirms the simple, but almighty, security of the life that “is hidden with Christ in God.” Paul continually brought this out in his New Testament letters. We talk as if living a sanctified life were the most uncertain and insecure thing we could do. Yet it is the most secure thing possible, because it has Almighty God in and behind it. The most dangerous and unsure thing is to try to live without God. For one who is born again, it is easier to live in a right-standing relationship with God than it is to go wrong, provided we heed God’s warnings and “walk in the light” (1 John 1:7).When we think of being delivered from sin, being “filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18), and “walk[ing] in the light,” we picture the peak of a great mountain. We see it as very high and wonderful, but we say, “Oh, I could never live up there!” However, when we do get there through God’s grace, we find it is not a mountain peak at all, but a plateau with plenty of room to live and to grow. “You enlarged my path under me, so my feet did not slip” (Psalm 18:36).When you really see Jesus, I defy you to doubt Him. If you see Him when He says, “Let not your heart be troubled…” (John 14:27), I defy you to worry. It is virtually impossible to doubt when He is there. Every time you are in personal contact with Jesus, His words are real to you. “My peace I give to you…” (John 14:27)— a peace which brings an unconstrained confidence and covers you completely, from the top of your head to the soles of your feet. “…your life is hidden with Christ in God,” and the peace of Jesus Christ that cannot be disturbed has been imparted to you._______________________________________________________________December 24 2014

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Good morning Lord, thank you for this devotional and song that reminds us that You are here with us, and that “You are the one that conquers giants, calls out kings, you close the mouths of lions and tell the dead to breathe.”  You can do anything Lord, and You take the time to remind me that You are still doing these things on our behalf.

And God says…”Reread this portion of the devotional…”When you really see Jesus, I defy you to doubt Him. If you see Him when He says, “Let not your heart be troubled…” (John 14:27), I defy you to worry. It is virtually impossible to doubt when He is there. Every time you are in personal contact with Jesus, His words are real to you. “My peace I give to you…” (John 14:27)— a peace which brings an unconstrained confidence and covers you completely, from the top of your head to the soles of your feet. “…your life is hidden with Christ in God,” and the peace of Jesus Christ that cannot be disturbed has been imparted to you.”

“This is the message you have been learning for months and years; the most important part of your spiritual life is your connection to and with Me.  Our intimate, daily, hourly relationship allows you to live knowing that I am the great I am and that when you seek Me first, I am able to meet all your needs. When you delight yourself in the Lord I can give you the desires of your heart.”

“I came to earth to help  demonstrate and solidify our intimate relationship through Jesus, the Messiah.”