August 09, 2011

Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, ’Father, I thank You that You have heard Me’ —John 11:41

When the Son of God prays, He is mindful and consciously aware of only His Father. God always hears the prayers of His Son, and if the Son of God has been formed in me (see Galatians 4:19) the Father will always hear my prayers. But I must see to it that the Son of God is exhibited in my human flesh. “. . . your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit . . . ” (1 Corinthians 6:19), that is, your body is the Bethlehem of God’s Son. Is the Son of God being given His opportunity to work in me? Is the direct simplicity of His life being worked out in me exactly as it was worked out in His life while here on earth? When I come into contact with the everyday occurrences of life as an ordinary human being, is the prayer of God’s eternal Son to His Father being prayed in me? Jesus says, “In that day you will ask in My name . . .” (John 16:26). What day does He mean? He is referring to the day when the Holy Spirit has come to me and made me one with my Lord.

Is the Lord Jesus Christ being abundantly satisfied by your life, or are you exhibiting a walk of spiritual pride before Him? Never let your common sense become so prominent and forceful that it pushes the Son of God to one side. Common sense is a gift that God gave to our human nature— but common sense is not the gift of His Son. Supernatural sense is the gift of His Son, and we should never put our common sense on the throne. The Son always recognizes and identifies with the Father, but common sense has never yet done so and never will. Our ordinary abilities will never worship God unless they are transformed by the indwelling Son of God. We must make sure that our human flesh is kept in perfect submission to Him, allowing Him to work through it moment by moment. Are we living at such a level of human dependence upon Jesus Christ that His life is being exhibited moment by moment in us?

Journal DJR

Aug 9, 2011

Good Morning, Lord.

It is true that we (I) get tangled up trying to use logic and rationality and common sense … and miss out on some of your uncommon blessings.   I’m reminded of Mary and Martha.   You didn’t tell Martha that the meal didn’t need to get prepared, but as she was preparing it, she was stressing out.   I relate to that.   How do we do stressful things without the stress?   Of course I know the answer … … as we abide in you, rest in you, have relationship with you.

Yes.

But how to do that is the challenge.   Do you have any tips … that I haven’t tried?  You know this isn’t  a new concept to me … but getting (regular) victory in it … that would be new and a very nice thing.

… a few hours later … I thought I would let this simmer and see if you would make anything clear.   Not so much on the question, but I’ve been seeing your hand at work in other ways.   Finding things that had been lost, inventing new ways of using tools and designing the deck that I’ve been working on … but nothing new on how to strike the Mary – Martha balance.

Are you looking for a magic pill?  A silver bullet?  A secret formula?    There isn’t one.   So Satan would like to keep you and your friends looking for one,  preaching and teaching and writing books about it.    Meanwhile some skip that whole debate and search and just come to me.   Abiding is a pretty good word picture of it.    It means living with someone.  You dont need a formula.  You just move in.   And have meals together and talk and share thoughts and dreams.   So abide with me and forget the formulas.

August 2, 2011

The typical view of the Christian life is that it means being delivered from all adversity. But it actually means being deliveredin adversity, which is something very different. “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling . . .” (Psalm 91:1,10)— the place where you are at one with God.

If you are a child of God, you will certainly encounter adversities, but Jesus says you should not be surprised when they come. “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” He is saying, “There is nothing for you to fear.” The same people who refused to talk about their adversities before they were saved often complain and worry after being born again because they have the wrong idea of what it means to live the life of a saint.

God does not give us overcoming life— He gives us life as we overcome. The strain of life is what builds our strength. If there is no strain, there will be no strength. Are you asking God to give you life, liberty, and joy? He cannot, unless you are willing to accept the strain. And once you face the strain, you will immediately get the strength. Overcome your own timidity and take the first step. Then God will give you nourishment— “To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life . . .” (Revelation 2:7). If you completely give of yourself physically, you become exhausted. But when you give of yourself spiritually, you get more strength. God never gives us strength for tomorrow, or for the next hour, but only for the strain of the moment. Our temptation is to face adversities from the standpoint of our own common sense. But a saint can “be of good cheer” even when seemingly defeated by adversities, because victory is absurdly impossible to everyone, except God.

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August 2, 2011

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, I believe this is a testimony that comes to us later in our spiritual journey; that your children will have difficulties and tough times. Early in our Christian lives we believe, think and hope that you will rescue us from the tough stuff. But later we learn that we get to go through difficult times.

This is not the message we want to hear; that You save us in the storms, not from the storms. Given a choice, I would rather not experience the storms Lord; however, I can look back and see their value. I can feel roots that reach down deep and strong; attached to your very solid foundation. They did not get there overnight, and I now know they will only grow strong and deep when watered by your blood and my tears.

And God says…”I love you very much, and am doing more than you could ever imagine to facilitate your transformation. I love you enough to allow the sandpaper and whetstones of life to touch you liberally. Do not try and get out of your trials too early; let them have their perfect result. Praise Me in the storms and look for rainbows that will surely arrive at precisely the right times.”

August 1, 2011

When Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples . . . He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities —Matthew 11:1

He comes where He commands us to leave. If you stayed home when God told you to go because you were so concerned about your own people there, then you actually robbed them of the teaching of Jesus Christ Himself. When you obeyed and left all the consequences to God, the Lord went into your city to teach, but as long as you were disobedient, you blocked His way. Watch where you begin to debate with Him and put what you call your duty into competition with His commands. If you say, “I know that He told me to go, but my duty is here,” it simply means that you do not believe that Jesus means what He says.

He teaches where He instructs us not to teach. “Master . . . let us make three tabernacles . . .” (Luke 9:33).

Are we playing the part of an amateur providence, trying to play God’s role in the lives of others? Are we so noisy in our instruction of other people that God cannot get near them?

We must learn to keep our mouths shut and our spirits alert.God wants to instruct us regarding His Son, and He wants to turn our times of prayer into mounts of transfiguration. When we become certain that God is going to work in a particular way, He will never work in that way again.

He works where He sends us to wait. “. . . tarry . . . until . . .” (Luke 24:49). “Wait on the Lord” and He will work (Psalm 37:34). But don’t wait sulking spiritually and feeling sorry for yourself, just because you can’t see one inch in front of you! Are we detached enough from our own spiritual fits of emotion to “wait patiently for Him”? (Psalm 37:7). Waiting is not sitting with folded hands doing nothing, but it is learning to do what we are told.

These are some of the facets of His ways that we rarely recognize.

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August 1, 2011

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, I believe in your faithfulness, truth and your word, even when I do not see. And while I understand that patience builds endurance and faith grows while I wait, I ask You to reassure me one more morning of your love and plan for this day and every day.

And God says…”Remember, that all things work for the good of those that love the Lord, and are called according to My purpose. If I care for every sparrow, how much more I care for you and yours. I know the number of hairs on your head and help construct your dreams and visions. Seek Me first this morning, and watch everything else fall into place. When you seek Me first, you find your daily bread……..and your work, hope,  faith, dreams and vision for this day.”

July 29, 2011

Behold, He is coming with clouds . . . —Revelation 1:7

In the Bible clouds are always associated with God. Clouds are the sorrows, sufferings, or providential circumstances, within or without our personal lives, which actually seem to contradict the sovereignty of God. Yet it is through these very clouds that the Spirit of God is teaching us how to walk by faith. If there were never any clouds in our lives, we would have no faith. “The clouds are the dust of His feet” (Nahum 1:3). They are a sign that God is there. What a revelation it is to know that sorrow, bereavement, and suffering are actually the clouds that come along with God! God cannot come near us without clouds— He does not come in clear-shining brightness.

It is not true to say that God wants to teach us something in our trials. Through every cloud He brings our way, He wants us tounlearn something. His purpose in using the cloud is to simplify our beliefs until our relationship with Him is exactly like that of a child— a relationship simply between God and our own souls, and where other people are but shadows. Until other people become shadows to us, clouds and darkness will be ours every once in a while. Is our relationship with God becoming more simple than it has ever been?

There is a connection between the strange providential circumstances allowed by God and what we know of Him, and we have to learn to interpret the mysteries of life in the light of our knowledge of God. Until we can come face to face with the deepest, darkest fact of life without damaging our view of God’s character, we do not yet know Him.

“. . . they were fearful as they entered the cloud” (Luke 9:34). Is there anyone except Jesus in your cloud? If so, it will only get darker until you get to the place where there is “no one anymore, but only Jesus . . .” (Mark 9:8 ; also see Mark 2-7).

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July 29, 2011

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

I can recall what C. S. Lewis said regarding our pain… “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” It has certainly been the case in my life Lord. And I know the scripture in Hebrews about correcting and directing those that You love. (Although my natural man sometimes wishes you would go love someone else for a while though). But I know I must (or rather get to) praise you in the storms, valleys and difficult circumstances if I am to act on the knowledge and faith that you are making all things work for my good.

And God says…”I want you to be pain free and successful; however, success in large doses (early and often) is not healthy for most, if not all, humans. And as you noted in your journal, man seems to hear Me more clearly in painful circumstances. However, as the scripture says, there is a time for all things. Trust in Me with all your heart and seek first the Kingdom of God. As you are waiting for Me to respond to your pain and prayers, (and I I will answer in the very best timetable for your good), build your faith and patience. Reach out and share the Gospel…………… using words only when necessary.”

July 28, 2011

He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side . . . —Mark 6:45

We tend to think that if Jesus Christ compels us to do something and we are obedient to Him, He will lead us to great success. We should never have the thought that our dreams of success are God’s purpose for us. In fact, His purpose may be exactly the opposite. We have the idea that God is leading us toward a particular end or a desired goal, but He is not. The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance, and reaching it becomes merely an episode along the way. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal itself.

What is my vision of God’s purpose for me? Whatever it may be, His purpose is for me to depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish— His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is that I see “Him walking on the sea” with no shore, no success, nor goal in sight, but simply having the absolute certainty that everything is all right because I see “Him walking on the sea” (Mark 6:49). It is the process, not the outcome, that is glorifying to God.

God’s training is for now, not later. His purpose is for this very minute, not for sometime in the future. We have nothing to do with what will follow our obedience, and we are wrong to concern ourselves with it. What people call preparation, God sees as the goal itself.

God’s purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right now. If we have a further goal in mind, we are not paying enough attention to the present time. However, if we realize that moment-by-moment obedience is the goal, then each moment as it comes is precious.

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July 28, 2011

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, just when I think I am about to have a breakthrough in my circumstances I read a devotional like this one that implies my circumstances don’t really matter;  that all you are concerned with is my growth and transformation. This devotional tells me that you are not really concerned with my success or failure in this life and that my goals are not necessarily what you have in mind for me.

And God says…”When you are aligned with Me, when you are allowing Me to live through you, your goals and my goals for your life are aligned. And one of My goals for you is that you live each day, hour and minute in the present;  not putting off your natural idea of happiness that can only seem to arrive after do this thing or accomplish that goal, or secure that opportunity. I am concerned about your success or failure, success or failure at being transformed into the likeness of Jesus. I am engaged in showing you how to be happy and fulfilled today, right now, this minute. I know the keys to your happiness and fulfillment and that is where I lead you. Trust in Me with all your heart and do not rely on your own devices (goals or plans) and I will make your paths straight.”

July 27