The “Go” of Unconditional Identification

September 28th, 2015 by JDVaughn No comments »

Jesus…said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor…and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” —Mark 10:21 


The rich young ruler had the controlling passion to be perfect. When he saw Jesus Christ, he wanted to be like Him. Our Lord never places anyone’s personal holiness above everything else when He calls a disciple. Jesus’ primary consideration is my absolute annihilation of my right to myself and my identification with Him, which means having a relationship with Him in which there are no other relationships. Luke 14:26 has nothing to do with salvation or sanctification, but deals solely with unconditional identification with Jesus Christ. Very few of us truly know what is meant by the absolute “go” of unconditional identification with, and abandonment and surrender to, Jesus.“Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him…” (Mark 10:21). This look of Jesus will require breaking your heart away forever from allegiance to any other person or thing. Has Jesus ever looked in this way at you? This look of Jesus transforms, penetrates, and captivates. Where you are soft and pliable with God is where the Lord has looked at you. If you are hard and vindictive, insistent on having your own way, and always certain that the other person is more likely to be in the wrong than you are, then there are whole areas of your nature that have never been transformed by His gaze.“One thing you lack….” From Jesus Christ’s perspective, oneness with Him, with nothing between, is the only good thing.

“…sell whatever you have….” I must humble myself until I am merely a living person. I must essentially renounce possessions of all kinds, not for salvation (for only one thing saves a person and that is absolute reliance in faith upon Jesus Christ), but to follow Jesus. “…come…and follow Me.” And the road is the way He went.

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September 28 2015

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Good morning Lord and thank You for this lesson today. I have heard and read about this rich young ruler many, many times, however, this is the first time I have seen myself as the rich young ruler. Not that I am rich, but in that I have lots and lots of things that I think are important. Like the rich young ruler, I have my own priorities, my own ideas about what is important; my family, my work, my home…..

Lord, please help me seek You the first thing every day in surrender and connection and help me let go of my priorities, regardless of how wholesome and proper they may appear. Help me seek You through surrender and be connected so that You are able to live through me, changing my priorities and transforming me into the likeness of Jesus.

 

And God says…”Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and I will provide everything else you require, including the power of the Holy Spirit to transform and give you power to surrender and live connected to Jesus. You are not able to live the Christian life, you are not able to love all your neighbors, you are not able to stay focused on the right and proper things. In your natural state you will always seek to look right, feel right, look good and be in control. However, surrendered and connected you can do all things through Christ Jesus. And when you chose your own way….my grace is sufficient. Be surrendered and connected, and try this today as you attempt to walk in My light; delight yourself in Me. Simply be surrendered, connected and delighted. Through Christ Jesus, I am always delighted with you.”

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The “Go” of Relationship

September 25th, 2015 by JDVaughn No comments »

Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. —Matthew 5:41 

 

Our Lord’s teaching can be summed up in this: the relationship that He demands for us is an impossible one unless He has done a supernatural work in us. Jesus Christ demands that His disciple does not allow even the slightest trace of resentment in his heart when faced with tyranny and injustice. No amount of enthusiasm will ever stand up to the strain that Jesus Christ will put upon His servant. Only one thing will bear the strain, and that is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Himself— a relationship that has been examined, purified, and tested until only one purpose remains and I can truly say, “I am here for God to send me where He will.” Everything else may become blurred, but this relationship with Jesus Christ must never be.
The Sermon on the Mount is not some unattainable goal; it is a statement of what will happen in me when Jesus Christ has changed my nature by putting His own nature in me. Jesus Christ is the only One who can fulfill the Sermon on the Mount.If we are to be disciples of Jesus, we must be made disciples supernaturally. And as long as we consciously maintain the determined purpose to be His disciples, we can be sure that we are not disciples. Jesus says, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you…” (John 15:16). That is the way the grace of God begins. It is a constraint we can never escape; we can disobey it, but we can never start it or produce it ourselves.
We are drawn to God by a work of His supernatural grace, and we can never trace back to find where the work began. Our Lord’s making of a disciple is supernatural. He does not build on any natural capacity of ours at all. God does not ask us to do the things that are naturally easy for us— He only asks us to do the things that we are perfectly fit to do through His grace, and that is where the cross we must bear will always come.________________________________________________________________

September 25 2015

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Good morning Lord. Today the devotional confirms what You have been teaching us day after day after day. Namely that when we surrender daily and are connected to You, You can then live through us. We are not capable of living the life You describe in the Sermon on the Mount. Oswald describes it clearly….The Sermon on the Mount is not some unattainable goal; it is a statement of what will happen in me when Jesus Christ has changed my nature by putting His own nature in me. Jesus Christ is the only One who can fulfill the Sermon on the Mount. Thank You for this wonderful supernatural result….and thank you for Your grace when it is not.

And God says…”When you start and end with Jesus, everything else falls into place. When you acknowledge Me in all your ways, surrender and seek connection in the morning, and throughout your day, I can make your paths straight. I can live through you and do things you cannot and will not do in your natural state. You will want to walk the extra mile, give away your coat, and love your enemies. You will do things you thought impossible, because it is Me living through You. This is the abundant life; Me living through you. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart….. make certain that you are immersed in God delight, and then stay curious in your obedience. You will truly see that all things work for your good, and you are able to do all things through Christ Jesus.”

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The “Go” of Preparation

September 24th, 2015 by JDVaughn No comments »

If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. —Matthew 5:23-24 

It is easy for us to imagine that we will suddenly come to a point in our lives where we are fully prepared, but preparation is not suddenly accomplished. In fact, it is a process that must be steadily maintained. It is dangerous to become settled and complacent in our present level of experience.

The Christian life requires preparation and more preparation. The sense of sacrifice in the Christian life is readily appealing to a new Christian. From a human standpoint, the one thing that attracts us to Jesus Christ is our sense of the heroic, and a close examination of us by our Lord’s words suddenly puts this tide of enthusiasm to the test. “…go your way. First be reconciled to your brother….” The “go” of preparation is to allow the Word of God to examine you closely. Your sense of heroic sacrifice is not good enough. The thing the Holy Spirit will detect in you is your nature that can never work in His service. And no one but God can detect that nature in you.

Do you have anything to hide from God? If you do, then let God search you with His light. If there is sin in your life, don’t just admit it— confess it. Are you willing to obey your Lord and Master, whatever the humiliation to your right to yourself may be? Never disregard a conviction that the Holy Spirit brings to you. If it is important enough for the Spirit of God to bring it to your mind, it is the very thing He is detecting in you.

You were looking for some big thing to give up, while God is telling you of some tiny thing that must go. But behind that tiny thing lies the stronghold of obstinacy, and you say, “I will not give up my right to myself”— the very thing that God intends you to give up if you are to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.

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September 24 2015

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Good morning Lord. Today’s devotional is pretty clear…. “Allow the Word of God and Holy Spirit to reconcile issues and conflicts before we come to worship and serve.” This seems pretty clear, and necessary in light of our nature. We seem to be naturally driven to look right, feel right, and to look good and be in control. As Paul says in Romans 7:21-25 (MSG)….The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.24 I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question? 25 The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does.

It seems to me Lord, that Jesus has already solved the problem Chambers writes about, we simply need to surrender and be connected before we attempt to worship and serve.

And God says…”That is correct. And remember, apart from Me you can do nothing. Trying to worship and serve Me on your own, without having surrendered and without being connected to the Holy Spirit, is like trying to go to a wonderful beautiful party or banquet in filthy dirty clothes. You take time to get prepared for the party…you can also get prepared to worship and serve. Seek Jesus; surrender your own agenda, opportunities, concerns and trials to Him. Then allow the Holy Spirit to connect with the Spirit living inside of you. The Holy Spirit will lead and guide you to confession, reconciliation, or simply joyous service and worship. Acknowledge Me in all your ways and I will make your paths straight. Seek first the kingdom of God, which is Jesus, and I will provide everything else you require, including awareness and strength for confession, reconciliation, or simply joyous service and worship.”

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The Missionary’s Goal

September 23rd, 2015 by JDVaughn No comments »

He…said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem…” —Luke 18:31


In our natural life our ambitions change as we grow, but in the Christian life the goal is given at the very beginning, and the beginning and the end are exactly the same, namely, our Lord Himself. We start with Christ and we end with Him— “…till we all come…to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…” (Ephesians 4:13), not simply to our own idea of what the Christian life should be. The goal of the missionary is to do God’s will, not to be useful or to win the lost. A missionary is useful and he does win the lost, but that is not his goal. His goal is to do the will of his Lord.In our Lord’s life, Jerusalem was the place where He reached the culmination of His Father’s will upon the cross, and unless we go there with Jesus we will have no friendship or fellowship with Him. Nothing ever diverted our Lord on His way to Jerusalem. He never hurried through certain villages where He was persecuted, or lingered in others where He was blessed. Neither gratitude nor ingratitude turned our Lord even the slightest degree away from His purpose to go “up to Jerusalem.”

“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master” (Matthew 10:24). In other words, the same things that happened to our Lord will happen to us on our way to our “Jerusalem.” There will be works of God exhibited through us, people will get blessed, and one or two will show gratitude while the rest will show total ingratitude, but nothing must divert us from going “up to [our] Jerusalem.”

“…there they crucified Him…” (Luke 23:33). That is what happened when our Lord reached Jerusalem, and that event is the doorway to our salvation. The saints, however, do not end in crucifixion; by the Lord’s grace they end in glory. In the meantime our watchword should be summed up by each of us saying, “I too go ‘up to Jerusalem.’ ”

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September 23 2015

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Good morning Lord. This seems to be a study about Your will; a study that tells us we are to pursue Your will regardless of the consequences. I suspect most of us agree or plan to do your will, as long as the consequences are not too, too difficult. But when the times are hard, the future obscured and predictable outcomes appear painful and unthinkable….well, it cannot possibly be Your will that we go through trials and difficulties of that kind… could it?

And God says…”All things work together for the good of those that love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. What is it you say in church …?”God is good all the time. All the time, God is good.” When you agree to follow the will of God, you agree that God knows better than you. You agree to pursue the will of God, because you truly believe God has the very best in mind for you, regardless of what your current or future outcomes look like; regardless of how your five senses interpret your current or anticipated future circumstances. Acknowledge Me in all your ways and I will make your paths straight, delight yourself in the Lord and I will give you the desires of your heart. When you let go of your desires to look right, feel right, look good and to be in control, you free yourself to live in the will of God, and, over time,  to be transformed into the very likeness of Christ.”

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The Missionary’s Master and Teacher

September 22nd, 2015 by Dave No comments »

You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am ….I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master… —John 13:13, 16

To have a master and teacher is not the same thing as being mastered and taught. Having a master and teacher means that there is someone who knows me better than I know myself, who is closer than a friend, and who understands the remotest depths of my heart and is able to satisfy them fully. It means having someone who has made me secure in the knowledge that he has met and solved all the doubts, uncertainties, and problems in my mind. To have a master and teacher is this and nothing less— “…for One is your Teacher, the Christ…” (Matthew 23:8).

Our Lord never takes measures to make me do what He wants. Sometimes I wish God would master and control me to make me do what He wants, but He will not. And at other times I wish He would leave me alone, and He does not.

“You call Me Teacher and Lord…”— but is He? Teacher, Master, and Lord have little place in our vocabulary. We prefer the words Savior, Sanctifier, and Healer. The only word that truly describes the experience of being mastered is love, and we know little about love as God reveals it in His Word. The way we use the word obey is proof of this. In the Bible, obedience is based on a relationship between equals; for example, that of a son with his father. Our Lord was not simply God’s servant— He was His Son. “…though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience…” (Hebrews 5:8). If we are consciously aware that we are being mastered, that idea itself is proof that we have no master. If that is our attitude toward Jesus, we are far away from having the relationship He wants with us. He wants us in a relationship where He is so easily our Master and Teacher that we have no conscious awareness of it— a relationship where all we know is that we are His to obey.

Journal DJR
Good morning Lord, It’s true, I recoil at the idea of Master…as in slave and master. I suppose that is correct because that is not the type of master you are. To get my head around the master concept I think of the master and apprentice system from the craft guilds. And the “masters” I’ve learned from in business and art. I learn from them, not because they make me, but because I want to. So that much is like our relationship, but then the analogy breaks down. I want to be like them in certain regards, but I see they have shortcomings that I dont want to follow. Unlike you. I also can and have surpassed them in certain areas. Unlike you.

The type of love you have is relentless: “Our Lord never takes measures to make me do what He wants. Sometimes I wish God would master and control me to make me do what He wants, but He will not. And at other times I wish He would leave me alone, and He does not.”

You are beginning to see and understand my love. I dont force. I woo. And I can wait. I’ve been teaching you to remain curious as I myself am curious. Because I have given you free will and choice. What will you choose? How much of what I offer will you receive? I’m curious, and watching. Like the prodigal’s father, I wait and watch.

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The Missionary’s Predestined Purpose

September 21st, 2015 by JDVaughn No comments »

Now the Lord says, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant… —Isaiah 49:5

 

The first thing that happens after we recognize our election by God in Christ Jesus is the destruction of our preconceived ideas, our narrow-minded thinking, and all of our other allegiances— we are turned solely into servants of God’s own purpose. The entire human race was created to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. Sin has diverted the human race onto another course, but it has not altered God’s purpose to the slightest degree. And when we are born again we are brought into the realization of God’s great purpose for the human race, namely, that He created us for Himself. This realization of our election by God is the most joyful on earth, and we must learn to rely on this tremendous creative purpose of God. The first thing God will do is force the interests of the whole world through the channel of our hearts. The love of God, and even His very nature, is introduced into us. And we see the nature of Almighty God purely focused in John 3:16— “For God so loved the world….”We must continually keep our soul open to the fact of God’s creative purpose, and never confuse or cloud it with our own intentions. If we do, God will have to force our intentions aside no matter how much it may hurt. A missionary is created for the purpose of being God’s servant, one in whom God is glorified. Once we realize that it is through the salvation of Jesus Christ that we are made perfectly fit for the purpose of God, we will understand why Jesus Christ is so strict and relentless in His demands. He demands absolute righteousness from His servants, because He has put into them the very nature of God.Beware lest you forget God’s purpose for your life.

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September 21 2015

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, once again it seems if Oswald Chambers cannot help himself and must lay out words like beware, and then tells us how our intentions do not matter, and that we are to only be servants: That we are to give up our ideas about our lives as Christians. It seems that our own ideas of our role in our relationship with You, and then the world, have no meaning and that we are to let go of any of our own thoughts about how we are to serve You. Is this the case Lord? Must we live in relationship worrying about our roles? Must we “Beware” of being human and choosing the paths that allow us to look right, feel right, look good and be in control?

And God says…”Acknowledge Me in all your ways and do not relay on your own understanding and I will make your paths straight. Seek first the kingdom of God, which is Jesus, and I will meet all your other needs. Delight yourself in the Lord, and I will give you the desires of your heart. You need not worry about doing the wrong or the right thing. Worry about nothing, pray about everything. When you are surrendered and connected to Me, you allow Me to live through you and I am able to transform you, over time, into one that only does My will…..And on this side of heaven, there will be times when you are not surrendered and connected; times when you pursue your own will. Recall that I do not see your failure, I only see My Son, as you live in the love and grace provided by the cross of Jesus. As the song says, your transformation over time is a glorious unfolding.”

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Is There Good in Temptation?

September 17th, 2015 by Dave No comments »


No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man… —1 Corinthians 10:13

The word temptation has come to mean something bad to us today, but we tend to use the word in the wrong way. Temptation itself is not sin; it is something we are bound to face simply by virtue of being human. Not to be tempted would mean that we were already so shameful that we would be beneath contempt. Yet many of us suffer from temptations we should never have to suffer, simply because we have refused to allow God to lift us to a higher level where we would face temptations of another kind.

A person’s inner nature, what he possesses in the inner, spiritual part of his being, determines what he is tempted by on the outside. The temptation fits the true nature of the person being tempted and reveals the possibilities of his nature. Every person actually determines or sets the level of his own temptation, because temptation will come to him in accordance with the level of his controlling, inner nature.

Temptation comes to me, suggesting a possible shortcut to the realization of my highest goal— it does not direct me toward what I understand to be evil, but toward what I understand to be good. Temptation is something that confuses me for a while, and I don’t know whether something is right or wrong. When I yield to it, I have made lust a god, and the temptation itself becomes the proof that it was only my own fear that prevented me from falling into the sin earlier.

Temptation is not something we can escape; in fact, it is essential to the well-rounded life of a person. Beware of thinking that you are tempted as no one else— what you go through is the common inheritance of the human race, not something that no one has ever before endured. God does not save us from temptations— He sustains us in the midst of them (see Hebrews 2:18 and Hebrews 4:15-16).

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Journal DJR
Good Morning Lord, Thank you for showing us that we are all different and face different temptations. Something that is tempting to another doesn’t temp me, and vice versa. It’s interesting to look backwards from the temptation to see what’s driving it. And that temptation is usually a shortcut to what is a good thing, not an evil thing. For example, yielding to sexual temptation is a shortcut to the good sex that you intended. But it’s kind of like, No Pain, No Gain. ….No temptation to overcome, No growth. So what’s the best way to overcome temptation? Willpower alone certainly doesn’t work.

It’s all about making a choice. Like Joshua told the people:

Joshua 24:14-15 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

One thing about making a choice is that you need to see the options clearly. You live in a world that is designed to distract you from the true issues and get your focus off the true choices and certainly don’t think about the consequences! Marketing, Politics, and even Religion all have agendas that they want you to conform to. Joshua was bringing the choice into clarity, and letting the people know that it was their choice. Did you notice… he said, “Choose you this day” It’s a daily manna type of thing. You will get to choose tomorrow also. Today’s choice will not be adequate for tomorrow’s temptations. Walk with me and commune with me and overcoming temptations will become easier and easier as you come to know me and find me trustworthy. Remember

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

The temptations that you are concerned with now are different that when you were young… or when you will be old. But they all come under the “Big Four” list that I have shown you. To Look good, Feel good, Be right, and Be in control. All the temptations common to man fall in one or more of those categories. Those are the gods on the other side of the river that Joshua refers to. So be wise. Know your enemy and Choose you this day, Who you will serve…

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Praying to God in Secret

September 16th, 2015 by JDVaughn No comments »

When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place… —Matthew 6:6


The primary thought in the area of religion is— keep your eyes on God, not on people. Your motivation should not be the desire to be known as a praying person. Find an inner room in which to pray where no one even knows you are praying, shut the door, and talk to God in secret. Have no motivation other than to know your Father in heaven. It is impossible to carry on your life as a disciple without definite times of secret prayer.“When you pray, do not use vain repetitions…” (Matthew 6:7). God does not hear us because we pray earnestly— He hears us solely on the basis of redemption. God is never impressed by our earnestness. Prayer is not simply getting things from God— that is only the most elementary kind of prayer. Prayer is coming into perfect fellowship and oneness with God. If the Son of God has been formed in us through regeneration (see Galatians 4:19), then He will continue to press on beyond our common sense and will change our attitude about the things for which we pray.

“Everyone who asks receives…” (Matthew 7:8). We pray religious nonsense without even involving our will, and then we say that God did not answer— but in reality we have never asked for anything. Jesus said, “…you will ask what you desire…” (John 15:7). Asking means that our will must be involved. Whenever Jesus talked about prayer, He spoke with wonderful childlike simplicity. Then we respond with our critical attitude, saying, “Yes, but even Jesus said that we must ask.” But remember that we have to ask things of God that are in keeping with the God whom Jesus Christ revealed.

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Journal Entry for September 16 2015-JDV

Lord, thank You for the encouragement and instructions about prayer. Too often my prayers turn into requests and thanks for blessings and opportunities and concerns about trials and challenges. Today I was reminded that I can really come to know You when we simply talk and walk together. Please help me understand more and more about how to simply be connected with You in a daily minute by minute discussion with my father in heaven.

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What To Renounce

September 15th, 2015 by Dave No comments »

We have renounced the hidden things of shame… —2 Corinthians 4:2

Have you “renounced the hidden things of shame” in your life— the things that your sense of honor or pride will not allow to come into the light? You can easily hide them. Is there a thought in your heart about anyone that you would not like to be brought into the light? Then renounce it as soon as it comes to mind— renounce everything in its entirety until there is no hidden dishonesty or craftiness about you at all. Envy, jealousy, and strife don’t necessarily arise from your old nature of sin, but from the flesh which was used for these kinds of things in the past (see Romans 6:19 and 1 Peter 4:1-3). You must maintain continual watchfulness so that nothing arises in your life that would cause you shame.

“…not walking in craftiness…” (2 Corinthians 4:2). This means not resorting to something simply to make your own point. This is a terrible trap. You know that God will allow you to work in only one way— the way of truth. Then be careful never to catch people through the other way— the way of deceit. If you act deceitfully, God’s blight and ruin will be upon you. What may be craftiness for you, may not be for others— God has called you to a higher standard. Never dull your sense of being your utmost for His highest— your best for His glory. For you, doing certain things would mean craftiness coming into your life for a purpose other than what is the highest and best, and it would dull the motivation that God has given you. Many people have turned back because they are afraid to look at things from God’s perspective. The greatest spiritual crisis comes when a person has to move a little farther on in his faith than the beliefs he has already accepted.

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Journal DJR
Good Morning Lord, It seems that getting and staying comfortable detracts from our moving on in our faith journey. That is counter intuitive because we mainly seek to get and stay comfortable when left to our own devices.

It’s true, your faith and even our relationship is kind of like a muscle. You build it by stressing it and testing it. Then you have more faith and can stretch it more

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Arguments or Obedience?

September 14th, 2015 by JDVaughn No comments »

…the simplicity that is in Christ.  —2 Corinthians 11:3


Simplicity is the secret to seeing things clearly. A saint does not think clearly until a long time passes, but a saint ought to see clearly without any difficulty. You cannot think through spiritual confusion to make things clear; to make things clear, you must obey. In intellectual matters you can think things out, but in spiritual matters you will only think yourself into further wandering thoughts and more confusion. If there is something in your life upon which God has put His pressure, then obey Him in that matter. Bring all your “arguments and…every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” regarding the matter, and everything will become as clear as daylight to you (2 Corinthians 10:5). Your reasoning capacity will come later, but reasoning is not how we see. We see like children, and when we try to be wise we see nothing (see Matthew 11:25).Even the very smallest thing that we allow in our lives that is not under the control of the Holy Spirit is completely sufficient to account for spiritual confusion, and spending all of our time thinking about it will still never make it clear. Spiritual confusion can only be conquered through obedience. As soon as we obey, we have discernment. This is humiliating, because when we are confused we know that the reason lies in the state of our mind. But when our natural power of sight is devoted and submitted in obedience to the Holy Spirit, it becomes the very power by which we perceive God’s will, and our entire life is kept in simplicity.

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September 14 2015

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Good morning Lord and thank you for this lesson about obedience. This line …”Even the very smallest thing that we allow in our lives that is not under the control of the Holy Spirit is completely sufficient to account for spiritual confusion, and spending all of our time thinking about it will still never make it clear;” really struck home. Thinking about, worrying over and or pondering an issue, problem or opportunity has never seemed to work for me, thank you for the reminder. When I am in that condition I am just kidding myself about “being in control”.

I was never any good at the obedience thing historically, because for me obedience always seemed like just one more authority figure in my life just saying …”because I said so”. And I am not built to follow the rules or guidelines if they do not make sense to me. But what You have shown me is that being obedient to a God that loves me immeasurably is a whole different matter. I can’t figure You out, cannot determine the how or why of it, I just know You love me, and gave your Son for me. I can trust and obey because of that and the power of the Holy Spirit living inside of me.

And God says…”Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding, experience or history and I will make your paths straight. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, which is Jesus, and I will provide everything else you need, including the ability to be obedient. You may not “feel” like being obedient, or even know what you should be obedient about. But when you surrender yourself and your agenda to Me, we are then able to have a relationship that includes the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit guiding you into all things. And the process, outcomes and blessings that come from our relationship will seem as easy and natural as breathing.”

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