The Christian servant must never forget that salvation is God’s idea, not man’s; therefore, it has an unfathomable depth. Salvation is the great thought of God, not an experience. Experience is simply the door through which salvation comes into the conscious level of our life so that we are aware of what has taken place on a much deeper level. Never preach the experience— preach the great thought of God behind the experience. When we preach, we are not simply proclaiming how people can be saved from hell and be made moral and pure; we are conveying good news about God.

In the teachings of Jesus Christ the element of judgment is always brought out— it is the sign of the love of God. Never sympathize with someone who finds it difficult to get to God; God is not to blame. It is not for us to figure out the reason for the difficulty, but only to present the truth of God so that the Spirit of God will reveal what is wrong. The greatest test of the quality of our preaching is whether or not it brings everyone to judgment. When the truth is preached, the Spirit of God brings each person face to face with God Himself.

If Jesus ever commanded us to do something that He was unable to equip us to accomplish, He would be a liar. And if we make our own inability a stumbling block or an excuse not to be obedient, it means that we are telling God that there is something which He has not yet taken into account. Every element of our own self-reliance must be put to death by the power of God. The moment we recognize our complete weakness and our dependence upon Him will be the very moment that the Spirit of God will exhibit His power.

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May 5, 2011

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Right now, this morning, this minute, it is easy to remember that salvation and strength comes from God. Right now, this morning, this minute I am embarrassed my weakness….my fear and worry. Lord, I woke up wondering how to take the next steps in a day once again filled with uncertainty. And then you reminded me of Your prayer and the phrase…”Give me this day my daily bread.”

And God says…”Remember that your daily devotional is called, “Manna Today?”  I want you to have all you need very day. Your needs are met by Me on a daily basis because it is in the living of a single day that you can realize and experience relationship with Me. It is in the living of the “right now” experience that you can experience joy and peace that passes all understanding. Living in the present is where all the fruits of the Spirit can be found and you can actually live out and experience My promises. Your past is may be full of regret, the future full of uncertainty. Consequently I meet you right at the point of your need; the present. You will always find Me in the present… waiting for you.”

As we continue on in our intercession for others, we may find that our obedience to God in interceding is going to cost those for whom we intercede more than we ever thought. The danger in this is that we begin to intercede in sympathy with those whom God was gradually lifting up to a totally different level in direct answer to our prayers. Whenever we step back from our close identification with God’s interest and concern for others and step into having emotional sympathy with them, the vital connection with God is gone. We have then put our sympathy and concern for them in the way, and this is a deliberate rebuke to God.

It is impossible for us to have living and vital intercession unless we are perfectly and completely sure of God. And the greatest destroyer of that confident relationship to God, so necessary for intercession, is our own personal sympathy and preconceived bias. Identification with God is the key to intercession, and whenever we stop being identified with Him it is because of our sympathy with others, not because of sin. It is not likely that sin will interfere with our intercessory relationship with God, but sympathy will. It is sympathy with ourselves or with others that makes us say, “I will not allow that thing to happen.” And instantly we are out of that vital connection with God.

Vital intercession leaves you with neither the time nor the inclination to pray for your own “sad and pitiful self.” You do not have to struggle to keep thoughts of yourself out, because they are not even there to be kept out of your thinking. You are completely and entirely identified with God’s interests and concerns in other lives. God gives us discernment in the lives of others to call us to intercession for them, never so that we may find fault with them.

Journal DJR  5 3 11

Good morning Lord,

I wonder how far my sympathy for a person goes toward modifying your plans for them.   You know the end from the beginning and want the best for all people.    Obviously it’s best for me to pray in line with your best plans … that’s the point of today’s lesson … but when I dont and sympathy gets in the way … what happens then?

Remember the Israelites begged for a king.    I told them several times it wasn’t my best for them.   But they pressed on … so they got their king.
^{PS 106:15} And He gave them their request,
But sent leanness into their soul.        (and in the Message translation) …

^13-18 But it wasn’t long before they forgot the whole thing,
wouldn’t wait to be told what to do.
They only cared about pleasing themselves in that desert,
provoked God with their insistent demands.
He gave them exactly what they asked for—
but along with it they got an empty heart.

My children are humans and I dont make them robots.    Free will remains.   Your best bet to avoid this “leanness of soul”  &  empty heart is to stay in tight connection with me and daily communication … then you wont wind up interceding against my plans.

This is the firm and immovable secret of the Lord to those who trust Him— “I will give your life to you . . . .” What more does a man want than his life? It is the essential thing. “. . . your life . . . as a prize . . .” means that wherever you may go, even if it is into hell, you will come out with your life and nothing can harm it. So many of us are caught up in exhibiting things for others to see, not showing off property and possessions, but our blessings. All these things that we so proudly show have to go. But there is something greater that can never go— the life that “is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).

Are you prepared to let God take you into total oneness with Himself, paying no more attention to what you call the great things of life? Are you prepared to surrender totally and let go? The true test of abandonment or surrender is in refusing to say, “Well, what about this?” Beware of your own ideas and speculations. The moment you allow yourself to think, “What about this?” you show that you have not surrendered and that you do not really trust God. But once you do surrender, you will no longer think about what God is going to do. Abandonment means to refuse yourself the luxury of asking any questions. If you totally abandon yourself to God, He immediately says to you, “I will give your life to you as a prize . . . .” The reason people are tired of life is that God has not given them anything— they have not been given their life “as a prize.” The way to get out of that condition is to abandon yourself to God. And once you do get to the point of total surrender to Him, you will be the most surprised and delighted person on earth. God will have you absolutely, without any limitations, and He will have given you your life. If you are not there, it is either because of disobedience in your life or your refusal to be simple enough.

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April 28, 2011

 I wondered where those cares went. It suddenly felt different to see my difficult circumstances and not feel compelled to bring them to your attention.  It felt lighter. Is this what you mean by life and life more abundantly? Living in the world, but not of this world?

And God says…”As you surrender your life to Me, you surrender your right, or what you have sometimes felt as an obligation, to be concerned about any part of your life. Life and life more abundantly is not about changing the circumstances of your life, necessarily, it is about living a surrendered life and trusting Me. When you do this you cannot worry. You will not even notice the very same storms that heretofore would stop you in your tracks. Trust in Me with all your heart and I will make your paths straight. Delight yourself in Me…and observe the desires of your heart all around you.”

Many of us suffer from the unbalanced tendency to “be ready” only “out of season.” The season does not refer to time; it refers to us. This verse says, “Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season.” In other words, we should “be ready” whether we feel like it or not. If we do only what we feel inclined to do, some of us would never do anything. There are some people who are totally unemployable in the spiritual realm. They are spiritually feeble and weak, and they refuse to do anything unless they are supernaturally inspired. The proof that our relationship is right with God is that we do our best whether we feel inspired or not.

One of the worst traps a Christian worker can fall into is to become obsessed with his own exceptional moments of inspiration. When the Spirit of God gives you a time of inspiration and insight, you tend to say, “Now that I’ve experienced this moment, I will always be like this for God.” No, you will not, and God will make sure of that. Those times are entirely the gift of God. You cannot give them to yourself when you choose. If you say you will only be at your best for God, as during those exceptional times, you actually become an intolerable burden on Him. You will never do anything unless God keeps you consciously aware of His inspiration to you at all times. If you make a god out of your best moments, you will find that God will fade out of your life, never to return until you are obedient in the work He has placed closest to you, and until you have learned not to be obsessed with those exceptional moments He has given you.

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April 25, 2010

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord you have been teaching us this lesson for a number of days now…”regardless of how we might feel, we are to stay connected and take you at your word.” Not trust our circumstances or our feelings…simply trust you. The main thing is the main thing over and over again….stay connected with you in an intimate relationship. Focus on you; not our mission or work we think we are doing for You, nor our feelings as we wait upon fickle inspiration or our even more fickle feelings. We are to focus on You, all else will take care of itself.

And God says…”When you focus on Me, have your eyes on Me, the Holy Spirit can transform you and if necessary and important (to My plans) transform your circumstances. As you are learning and experiencing, when you focus on Me, your love, trust hope and faith flows from Me and allows you to transcend the storms, just like Peter as he walked on the water toward Me. Don’t be transformed by your circumstances or difficulties, be transformed. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed  by the renewing of your minds. live by the Spirit….don’t let the day to day issues of this world impact you…in fact they cannot as long as you are connected to Me. Acknowledge Me in all your ways and I will make your paths straight. ”