The Speed of Your Harvest is Determined by….

Psalm 127:1a -  Except the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it...

Proverbs 18:16 - A man's gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men. 

What was the last thing that the Holy Spirit directed you to do? Have you done it?

The speed of your harvest is determined by the speed & diligence of your obedience.

Have you, like so many, looked around you, looked at your life and felt frustrated? "This is not where I want to be. I am not happy." Like the moment in the movies that shows the person standing there, but everything around them seems to be spinning. 

The speed of your harvest is determined by the speed and diligence of your obedience.

What is is that the Holy Spirit has been leading you to do, but you just haven't gotten around to it? Is it waking up an hour earlier in order to read your Bible and have your quiet time before getting ready and leaving for work? Did the Holy Spirit instruct you on a discipline that you need to establish in your life? If you are a writer, maybe it's writing 4-5 days/week, but you just haven't gotten around to it yet. If you feel called to paint, are you painting? If you feel led to paint a certain amount of days/hours, are you being obedient to it? If you are building or developing a new business, has the Holy Spirit led you to do a few specific tasks to get things off the ground? Are you being quick and diligent to obey, are you consistently following through on those actions each day?

I know for me, sometimes when I am taking time to listen to the Holy Spirit, I get a very specific plan in how to do things, when, for how long, etc. Other times, I get a "just do it" plan. 

Your obedience is tied to your harvest. When you close your eyes and envision the perfect life, doing the things that bring you joy, you are envisioning your dream life. And your dream life CAN happen. But living that dream life, is tied to your obedience. If you've felt led to paint five days per week (but maybe haven't been making the time to do that), maybe the Holy Spirit is setting you up to be able to sell your works which will bring you to a place where you can paint full time, in that house on the beach, all day long if you want. The Lord may have things He wants to get to you, but it is often tied to our obedience to follow through on the instructions He has given us. Those instructions that will lead you to the good life, your dream life. 

So friend, I implore you, be quick to obey the full instructions of the Holy Spirit. He knows the end result. He knows how you are going to take possession of your promise land. He knows the result of your obedience is good. Now it is your job to follow through. Obey quickly and with diligence so you can get to your dream destination, so you can live your dream life!

Need an ANSWER?

Mark 4:20, 22 - And those sown on the good (well-adapted) soil are the ones who hear the Word and receive and accept and welcome it and bear fruit—some thirty times as much as was sown, some sixty times as much, and some [even] a hundred times as much. [Things are hidden temporarily only as a means to revelation.] For there is nothing hidden except to be revealed, nor is anything [temporarily] kept secret except in order that it may be made known.

Do you have questions? Need answers? The answer you are seeking is not hidden FROM you, it is hidden FOR YOU! The revelation that you desire for your situation is not designed to be kept hidden, it is designed for you to FIND it. God is not One to just dangle something in front of you (in this case, a question) with no means for you to find the answer to it. Answers are there, and you are MEANT to find them. Let's take a look at a few situations in the Bible.

Noah. Let's look at Noah. In Genesis 6:9, it said that Noah walked in habitual fellowship with God. God had a man that He knew would listen to His instructions, and when the time came, Noah was mandated to build a boat, a big boat. God gave him very specific instructions, a detailed plan with measurements, the type of material, everything Noah needed in order to build this boat to God's specifications. It needed to withstand the weight of ALL the animals that would be on the boat. It needed to withstand the storms and weather. Noah listened, and God answered. God gave Noah a plan.

Moses. After 40 years of personal exile due to killing a man, Moses was called back to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses was called by God to go before Pharaoh to make the request, as we know, "Let My people go!" It was a request from God Himself. God wanted to Israelites to be set free from captivity. You remember, the 10 plagues... God told Moses exactly what to do in order for the Israelites to be set free. Sure, it took 10 major plagues before Pharaoh would listen, but in the end, the people were set free. Moses listened, and God answered. God gave Moses a plan.

Solomon. Solomon was directed to build the Lord's house (1 Kings 6). From the cedar to the dimensions, from the inner sanctuary to overlaying the floors with gold; God gave Solomon very specific instructions on how to build the temple and with the exact materials. It was a specific project. Solomon listened, and God answered. God gave Solomon a plan.

Friend, YOU are no different. Remember the verse that says God is the same yesterday, today & tomorrow. You serve the SAME God that Noah, Moses & Solomon served. Although, YOU and I have something even better! As Christians, when we got saved, the Holy Spirit Himself came to live inside of us.

Are you feeling like your schedule is crazy? How can you possibly get everything done? YOUR answer is not hidden FROM you, it is hidden FOR YOU! Ask. Seek. Just like God laid out dimensions for the completion of the temple, He will lay out specifically what kind of schedule for your day. Just ask.

Is it marital? How to keep your laundry caught up? How to grow your business? How to spend more time with your family? How to increase your income. There is no problem that sustained thought (prayer) can't answer!

So today.... whatever the question or problem.... commit some time to seeking the Lord! Just like Noah, Moses & Solomon, if you listen, you may be very surprised at the depth of detail you get back! It's there for you to find, YOUR answer is not hidden FROM you, it is hidden FOR YOU!

 

"I am a Great King!"

Malachi 1:11 - ... a pure offering...

Malachi 1:14 - ... For I am a great King... 

Malachi 2:2 - If you will not hear and if you will not lay it to heart to give glory to My name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings...

"For I am a GREAT King!" Those words resounded in my head. The words rang off the page like a gong. "For I am a GREAT King!" Our Holy God.... our Great King... our Lord of Lords. Here in Malachi, we read about the people of Edom. We read about their offerings that they are giving to the Lord, the sacrifices that they are laying on the alter in a "supposed" act of worship. The offerings and gifts that they brought to the Lord were far from pleasing. Here we have this GREAT King and the people of Edom are bringing GIFTS of diseased animals, blind animals, lame animals. THESE are the gifts they are bringing to the GREAT KING! Gifts that certainly are not pleasing. Gifts that really shouldn't be called gifts at all. Who wants a diseased animal as a gift?!? I know I sure would not!

A pure offering. That jumped off at the page at me. For I am a great King. That jumped off the page. Here we have the Almighty God, the King of Kings, speaking. I can just imagine His baritone Voice ringing in the air. For I am a GREAT KING! I AM A GREAT KING! He is not just "a" great king, He is THE great King! He is the King of Kings! Here our God, whom at the sound or sight, we should immediately be in a place of reverence that we fall to our knees in honor and worship. The people of Edom were greatly displeasing to our Father.

In Malachi 2:2, we see the warning. If you will not lay to heart to give glory to my name. 'Lay to heart' -  one of the ways the Hebrew describes it, is to plant. Plant in your heart bringing glory to the Lord. PLANT in your heart the honor due is name. Plant. Allow it to go deep. Allow roots to take place. Allow roots to dig so deep that with your body & soul & heart, your automatic desire is to give GLORY TO HIS NAME. 


Malachi 2:2, goes on further to say the warnings if Edom does not do this... He will curse their blessings! Wow! Curse their blessings! Just because they have been blessed, doesn't mean the blessings will stay or remain. The Blessing is CONTINGENT! The Blessing of the Lord is contingent upon obeying the Word of God. Contingent upon honoring His Name. Contingent upon giving glory to His Name. Contingent upon our reverence, our honor, our obedience. Sure, our salvation may get us into heaven, but wouldn't it be better to live the Blessing on earth & not have to wait to enjoy the fruits in heaven?

Malachi has caused me to reflect... what offerings am I bringing? Am I bringing a pure offering? How is "my honor." Am I bringing honor to my Father? Am I reverencing His name? Am I planting in my heart the desire to give glory to His name? With my actions, am I following the calling that HE has on my life? Be it uncomfortable at times, be it even scary at times to enter into a place uncharted by me. Not uncharted by my Father, but a place I have yet been. Am I fully passionate and fully committed to answering the call of who I am meant to be? I am willing to push through the uncomfortable? Am I willing to DIG IN to the Word, DIG IN to the quiet time and seek His presence, SEEK answers, SEEK direction of where HE would have me go. Is it quiet enough that I can hear His Voice? Is it possible for me to turn off the noise of life just long enough to hear HIS Voice? His direction? Is the noise of facebook, pinterest, text, twitter, cell phone reminders, movies, the desire to 'decorate' my house, frivolous activities.... is the noise of ALL that TOO loud? Can I hear the Voice that resounds, "I AM A GREAT KING!" 


I can hear the echo of the deep baritone voice. In the Voice is strength and power, but it also has the sound of a longing. A longing to draw me in. A longing that says, "Please Come be with me. Please come fellowship. Please come sit at my feet so we can talk."


Can I hear the echo?
"I AM A GREAT KING!" 
"I AM A GREAT KING!" 
"I AM A GREAT KING!" 




Do I need to eliminate noise?

 

#152 - It PAY$ to Listen!

Good morning to you! :) It has been a pretty wild handful of days for the McCart family... but a blessed time! We left for Indiana on Friday, to DRIVE! WHOA! Yah.... drive with a 16 month old. Praise the Lord, Tyler Jr did a FINE job traveling, and surprisingly we really didn't "loose" time traveling with an infant. Such a good boy! I must say, there were definitely not as many "rules" in regards to eating as we traveled. Tyler Jr ate Twizzler's for his first time! Lots of marshmallows, string cheese, and frankly, anything that would keep him happy. :) But he did great on the 12 1/2 hour drive! He enjoyed time with Grandma and his cousin Kassidy all day on Saturday, while Tyler and I helped out some new people in business with us.

OK... let's jump into some Word....

Proverbs 15:22 - Where there is no counsel, purposes are frustrated, but with many counselors they are accomplished.

3 John 2 - Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. 

Counsel. If you remember, there was a recent post entitled "Google or God?", then there was even a "Google or God - Part 2". Both discussed the overall idea of.... do I just try for the "easy" answer and "google it"..... OR, do I really take some time to seek out GOD for the answer, since he already has the answer?! Which do you do?

So... just last Thursday, one of the items on my to-do list was to go to BestBuy. In MY mind, I thought it was something that I was just going to HAVE to do. I may have mentioned this before... but IN THE PAST... Tyler Jr would find the charger to our MacBook Pro laptop and the part that plugs into the laptop, we often find him putting that part in his mouth. Yes. I know! Really great, huh?!?! Well.... I guess it happened one time to many and the Tyler Jr saliva eventually did it in for the effectiveness of the charger. So we came to a point last week, the charger did not work at all. The Mac was completely un-charged and would not turn on, and if we wanted to use the Mac, we were going to have to find a way to charge it.

In MY MIND I thought, "Well, I'll have to bring the Mac and charger into the GEEK-SQUAD and have them look at it." While I was on the phone with them, I asked them how much a charger was if we had to buy a new one..... a nice $80.00! That was very un-appealing to me! Well, and imagine this.... I FINALLY decided to COUNSEL with the Holy Spirit on the matter. I FINALLY decided to ask the Holy Spirit what I should do about it. He already knew how to fix it. So.... I asked. This is what the Holy Spirit said, "Go buy rubbing alcohol, rub it on the end and then wait."

OK... so my plans changed. I now was just running down to the grocery store versus across town. What'd I do? Purchased the rubbing alcohol.... it cost maybe $1.50 at Publix, came home, got some Q-tips, and applied the rubbing alcohol. I waited 5 minutes. Still no real progress. I was a bit bummed about that. I thought, "Well, I still have time to go to BestBuy later today." I almost just went right then... but then was directed by the Holy Spirit to work on another project. Praise the LORD for listening! It really does PAY!!! Several hours went by, I finished my other project and it was AWESOME. Then I heard Tyler say, "HEY! Check this out! The computer is charging! The rubbing alcohol worked!"

Praise the Lord! It LITERALLY PAYS $$$$ to listen to the Holy Spirit. Sure.... I believe that Proverbs 15:22 is also talking about other people being "counselors" in your life. 1st the Holy Spirit, 2nd your Christian spouse, but 3rd someone who is in life where you want to be.... and or 4th a Christian leader who you can pull counsel from. Someone who is wise in the area of spiritual matters. As Christians, it is sometimes hard to see the "forest when you are in the trees." Often if you have someone who you can go to for advice or counsel, they have a greater vantage point in which to see your situation.

3 John 2? What does that have to do with anything? Well.... it's a very important verse. Sure financial prosperity is great. Prosperity in your health is great. BUT if your SOUL, if your SPIRIT is not prospering.... if you are not growing in your relationship with the Holy Spirit.... what is it all worth? I've heard other translations, interpretations, breaking down the Greek and Hebrew..... of 3 John 2. One of them that I remember went something like this: Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, IN DIRECT PROPORTION as thy soul prospereth. So, what does that mean? That your prospered in your finances and health in direct proportion to 1st prospering in your relationship with God! In the Word! With the Holy Spirit!

While our soul is prospering, it allows us to HEAR from the voice of the Holy Spirit! For me.... just this last week, in doing so it saved me not only gas miles, but it also saved me about $78.50 in not having to buy a new charger for our Mac. I'd say that "less than" 5 minutes it took me to seek the Holy Spirit was worth it! :)

#103 - Follow Peace & Listen

Good morning! Still here in Orlando, enjoying my time with my parents! What a blessing to be able to spend time with them! Praise the Lord. I'm so blessed that Tyler allowed me to come home and be a stay at home Mom, Wife & Business Partner.....and thank that Lord that we started a business several years ago that would help replace my income. Thank you Tyler for leading our family!

Well, let's go! We're off to Disney in a bit, so I want to give you what the Lord gave to me this morning. He actually gave me things for YOU! :) He's good like that!

Proverbs 16:9,33 - A man's mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure. The lot is cast into the lap, but the decision is wholly of the Lord [even the events that seem accidental are really ordered by Him].

Psalm 16:7 - I will bless the Lord, Who has given me counsel; yes, my heart instructs me in the night seasons.

Psalm 46:1 - GOD IS our Refuge and Strength [mighty and impenetrable to temptation], a very present and well-proved help in trouble.

Psalm 76:1 - IN JUDAH God is known and renowned; His name is highly praised and is great in Israel.

Proverbs 16 is so full of good insight on making plans & decisions, allowing God to direct your steps, following the right path. What kept ringing in my ears was the word PEACE. Peace. I'll share some insight about peace shortly. First let's look at how it begins in Proverbs 16:9. It talks about how YOU & I make our plans.... we MAKE PLANS. We start out with a PLAN. If we aren't doing that, if we have NO PLAN, then that is the first mistake. We start out with some raw material for the Lord to work with. As we establish that plan, He is then able to step in and direct & tweek our plan. Tell us what in our plan needs to be changed. We see in Psalm 16 that HE gives us counsel and our heart will instruct us.

As we make our plans with the Lord to "edit" them... "tweek" them.... "fine-tune" them, we can do so in CONFIDENCE that He is also our REFUGE & STRENGTH! He is MIGHTY! Like the sound of a LION roaring and the echo of Him sounding in the valleys and rocks of the mountains. A LOUD ROAR. Our GOD carries with Him STRENGTH! Picture that. Picture a HUGE LION standing up tall, stretching out his head and letting out a ROAR that almost shakes the trees standing near by. With the Lion as our friend, you & I, tuck ourselves right behind His 900 pound frame and take refuge. We know that nothing is going to get by this ferocious beast. That is the Lord. He is there in a time of trouble, need, help. He is KNOWN. He is FAMOUS. He is MIGHTY.

Where does this peace come in? Well, for the new Christian and the veteran's.... peace is one of the first steps in walking in obedience. Maybe you have been in the Word for years and years, but never fine-tuned your ability to LISTEN to the voice of the Holy Spirit. You study, you know the stories, you know scripture, but you haven't ever really established the habit of listening. Or, for you who may be a fairly new Christian. This whole "Bible" thing is new to you. In the past you maybe read it and thought, "I just feel like this is all going over my head. I totally don't understand this." Or, maybe you practice on a consistent basis to LISTEN & be LED by the Voice of the Holy Spirit. Whoever you are, this is for you. Follow Peace. Continue in the Word, being in the Word will allow you to KNOW God, and will lead to KNOWING His Voice. Without spending TIME with someone, it is hard to discern & know their voice. The KEY is FIRST, spend time in the Word getting to know YOUR Shephard. If you haven't ever really "known how" to "listen". A great Umpire would be PEACE. If you are new at listening, FOLLOW PEACE.

Start small. Ask for help picking our your clothes. Ask what you should wear. Or perfume. Cologne. It was interesting, the other day the Holy Spirit even told me NOT to wear any perfume. I always wear perfume. But the person that I was going to be with, was allergic to fragrances. How could I have known that? I did not. But the Holy Spirit knows even the finest details!

Start small, just start. Listen. Be in the Word, and Follow Peace. Peace can and will be your umpire. That uneasy feeling inside you is most often the Holy Spirit prompting you NOT to do or go to that place. But when you just feel that PEACE, the overwhelming PEACE, you know you are heading in the right direction.

Be blessed today! Follow Peace & Listen.

#100 - Relax WITHOUT Toil!

Good morning & hello HEAT! Hip Hip Horray! We have heat! That's a good thing! I'm thankful for several reasons....but, it brings me back to a time when the heat may have stopped working because we weren't able to pay a bill, or did not have the money to fix it. Praise God, I'm thankful to say that God has brought us out of a time of lack. I'm thankful that God has MORE THAN ENOUGH to supply us with our needs and wants out of HIS ABUNDANCE. AND, with God's hand there is no shortage. He doesn't run out. There is pure abundance and overflow with Him. Praise the Lord. So... it makes me thankful that the heat did not go out because our lack of ability to pay for or fix something. Praise the Lord for growth & progress. From moving to revelation to manifestation. Walking in the blessing, that we can abide there. Praise God! What does it say, "abide in the shadow of the Almighty." With the Almighty is abundance of blessing, abiding IN there is accompanied with fullness and everything we need. I can't imagine "abiding in the shadow of the Almighty" and being hungry? Can you imagine that? Or not being able to afford clothes that fit. Abiding, living with God, and there being LACK in HIS house!??!?! That just doesn't line up. So I commit to STAYING in the shadow of the Almighty and abiding there forever! So long LACK! I've tried lack and I didn't like it, it only brought sorrow, frustration & tears. I choose ABUNDANCE! I choose prosperity! I choose to LIVE in the BLESSING!


OK... that was worth coming for, but let's jump into some MORE Word! :) 

Proverbs 10:22-23 - The blessing of the Lord--it makes [truly] rich, and He adds no sorrow with it [neither does toiling increase it]. It is as sport to a [self-confident] fool to do wickedness, but to have skillful and godly Wisdom is pleasure and relaxation to a man of understanding.

Wow. That is good stuff. As I was sitting down to read, I just thought, "Wow God! There is so much good stuff here! Where do you even start? The WHOLE chapter 10 is loaded! I didn't even get to read anything else. I was swimming in amazing verses that were jumping off the page, all of which I won't discuss in this devotion. 


As I was reading, my mind began to race at my schedule for today. To be honest, I was basically just toiling in my mind. Not completely "stressing", but my mind was definitely racing! And then the Holy Spirit said to me, "Amy, don't be so busy in your mind. Pleasure and relaxation. You can accomplish a lot & still be relaxed! Don't toil in your mind & thoughts. The blessing of ME makes rich. I add no sorrow. No need to toil, even in your mind!"  


Then... He told Tyler a pretty amazing thing too... as Tyler read it to me, I honestly thought he was reading a quote out of a book. It was good. This one is noteworthy enough to write down and keep somewhere as a reminder! He said, "When you plant & water, you put a lot of things into motion & sometimes you just need to relax & let the seed do it's own work." 


WOW! Relax. Don't toil. Trust in what you have sown that the law of sowing and reaping won't stop working with you. It's a law. Trust that once the work is done, the seed will grow and then RELAX! 


What a blessing that the Lord adds no sorrow with his blessings. And by us TOILING, living in frustration, or rush rush rush, go go go, constant toiling in our mind... that is NOT FROM GOD. Like He told me, we can STILL accomplish a lot without having to toil, but to be at peace moving from accomplishment to accomplishment. HE will direct our steps if we listen! HE will make the way plain. HE will make our plans succeed! How do I know that? It says it in his word! (Go study Proverbs 16 also!)


Bless you today! I've already wrote in my book, made meatloaf, made 48 ounces of baby food, been in the Word, wrote this blog, and now getting ready to go to MyGym with the boy. Blessed to listen to the Voice of the Holy Spirit! Praise GOD that HE speaks to us today!


XOXO, 
Be Blessed!
Amy J

#96 - Why Go it Alone?

Good morning! *Big sigh* The Holy Spirit had a lot to say this morning. I'm looking forward to sharing it with you. :) And... is it almost my Day of Rest?!? :-) I'm ready for it!!! It looks like Friday is going to be the day. I promise, if you had a Day of Rest, you would LOVE it! You would look forward to it every week. A Sabbath. A day to rest. A day to spend with the Lord, relax, not work! A WHOLE day! Doesn't it just sound refreshing?!? No laundry. No dusting. No dishes. Taking a nap with no guilt. Watching a movie. Maybe even getting a massage. An opportunity to "gas up." An opportunity to freshen up. Rejuvenate. Try it for a month! Once you do, I doubt you would go back. Sure... we did get side-tracked from our DOR for a few years, but then when we really "reflected" on it after missing it for about 3-4 years we realized we had not gotten any further in life. We realized that we were further down the road, but with less direction, less energy & less passion for life. Our DOR has got us back on track to receiving divine direction from the Lord on WHAT to do & HOW to do it. Counsel from a mentor is great, and the Bible even advises it.... but NO ONE can counsel better than the Lord. Combine the two and you are a force to be reckoned with. It's like how sleep at night helps the body to recover and repair. I think a Day of Rest once a week helps the spirit plan & prepare. A full day of rest, and the ability to lay out the direction for the next week, or next year. Focused time just to do whatever the Holy Spirit directs. Faith. Absolutely. It took a lot of faith for us to take a day of rest, especially Tyler (with a job). It does take planning. 


Anyways. Let me get off my soapbox... even though, just the intro was worth coming for! ;-) 

Psalm 33:18-22 - Behold, the Lord's eye is upon those who fear Him [who revere and worship Him with awe], who wait for Him and hope in His mercy and loving-kindness, To deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. Our inner selves wait [earnestly] for the Lord; He is our Help and our Shield. For in Him does our heart rejoice, because we have trusted (relied on and been confident) in His holy name. Let Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, be upon us, in proportion to our waiting and hoping for You.

Psalm 63:1 - O GOD, You are my God, earnestly will I seek You; my inner self thirsts for You, my flesh longs and is faint for You, in a dry and weary land where no water is. 

Well... the Holy Spirit had a lot to say this morning on this topic. I'll share a few of the things He shared with me.

My children ask the questions but lack the confidence to know My Voice, to differentiate between their own voice, My Voice & the voice of the enemy. Amy confidence in hearing the Voice, hearing MY Voice does not come to only specific people. Amy like a sheet & shepherd, they know the voice easily because they have spend countless hours with him. The sheep have CONFIDENCE in who he is & in his consistency. Consistency in his love, consistency in his sternness, his direction, his ability to care for them, to guide & protect them. They know he is there for THEM. 

Listening to one's inner self is a great start. My children have been made in MY IMAGE. But there is something even better, listening to the VOICE of ME. 

Tell my children to just ask. Please children, slow down. You are running so ragged. My child, I have the answers. Will you go on a date with ME? Let me tell you about it. Let me paint the picture of your future. I will show you the good plans I have. 

He also told me that He is like a chameleon. That He is what we need Him to be. Comforter. Friend. Confidant. Today, He was my Business Partner. I had some business decisions to make. I thought about advise I had gotten from a business associate. I thought of the advise from Tyler. Then I thought about all the things and ideas going on in MY head, ME. As I was trying to filter through everything... I felt a little bit of stress having to "figure out" what I was going to do. And then, I heard that still small Voice say, 'I can be your Business Partner. I already know what to do." The Holy Spirit already knew the answer to my question. He already knew how I was suppose to BEST handle the situation and what He told me was an AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME idea! I told Tyler about it and it even took him back a little bit because it was such a GREAT idea. :) I take pleasure when something I say can take my husband off guard a little bit. It's exciting when something impresses him. He was impressed with the idea from the Holy Spirit. Needless to say, I was glad that I didn't try to just filter through all the thoughts and ideas... but that I asked the HS. He actually took the idea of my business associate, Tyler & me and combined all of those things to ONE great idea. 


HE wants you to take that inner self, the inner voice and let IT sit in the presence of the Holy Spirit. Our "inner self" already longs to be in the presence of God. It already thirsts for Him, hungers to be around and with Him. 


There is SOOO much we can get out of all of this! We didn't even get into the "in proportion to".


MyGym is calling. The boy and I need to get going. Take some time.... take your "inner self" and bring your "inner self" into the presence of the Holy Spirit. He really wants to give you the answers to the questions YOU have. Will you take the time to hear & know His Voice? Why go it alone when you have the Almighty Answer's at your fingertips, all you need to do is seek & ask. 

#83 - AGGRESSIVELY LISTEN

Man! Are you ready! I have so many good things that are just wanting to LEAP out of my head onto the keyboard and your computer screen! Before even getting started I want to give you a few starting, foundational quotes that will correspond with today's Word. 

• Open-mindedness is essential for belief. Closed minds do not inspire faith, courage and belief.
• A burning desire to be and to do is the starting point from which the dreamer must take off. Dreams are not born of indifference, laziness or lack of ambition.    
• No one ever is defeated until defeat has been accepted as a reality.
• Every person who wins in any undertaking must be willing to burn his ships and cut all sources of retreat. 

Yesterday, during my interesting Day of Rest, finally at the end of the day when Tyler had the boy out and about with him, I got to silently sit and listen. Sit and listen to the Holy Spirit. Listen to His words to me as I sought to find a book that I could really dive into. A book that I would not get a few chapters into to only set it down and pick up another book. I have about 5 unfinished books right now, that have just not kept my interest. I know reading is very important as I remember the quote, "Not all readers are leaders, but there are NO Leaders who are not readers." So, in essence, if I want to be a leader, if I want to have influence in my life, there is no way around reading. I must read to lead. I finally found a book that has been very inspiring and one of the many classics of Napoleon Hill. The quotes above are his and they fall in line with what we are going to talk about today. 


Let's look at today's scripture:

Psalm 42:1b-2a - I pant and long for You, O God. My inner self thirsts for God, for the living God. 

Psalm 73:28a - But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God...

Proverbs 31:30 - Charm and grace are deceptive, and beauty is vain [because it is not lasting], but a woman who reverently and worshipfully fears the Lord, she shall be praised! 

During my DOR yesterday, as I sat by lamp light on the couch, I just paused to listen. Sometimes in the past, I would get so 'productive' DOING, that I didn't spend enough time just still and listening. I heard the Holy Spirit tell me to LISTEN AGGRESSIVELY. The more aggressive you are to listening to Me, the quicker you will accomplish your dreams.... your discipline to listen 1st will advance you further than anything. 


Imagine this. (Frank Luntz, from FoxNews was at our business conference this weekend... he said the word 'IMAGINE' is one of the top 20 most powerful words in the English language!) SO, IMAGINE THIS... imagine, you wake up in the morning and you have an open notebook next to your bed. So, you pick up the notebook and begin to read the words written on it. God Himself, wrote down your "TO-DO" list for the day. He wrote down in detail even what time you should go to the grocery store because the person who is going to open the door to THE BIG OPPORTUNITY for you will be in the produce section. He lays out what to do, what direction to drive on your way to work, or to run errands. He writes down who to call on the way and how to spend the most quality moments with your children, while still progressing forward. He lays out just how the whole day is suppose to go. 


Sounds really nice doesn't it! To have hand written instructions from God each day! And you know what, YOU CAN HAVE IT! He wants us ALL to AGGRESSIVELY LISTEN to Him. He knows just what will be successful and what things would be activities in vain. He knows just what to do, who you need to meet, how to do what you need to do for money to come in... HE knows it all. And in HIS way, there is NO TOIL. No Toil. No frustration. No 'wondering' if it will work. With God, there is NO failure. BUT on our part it takes a discipline to AGGRESSIVELY LISTEN. 


Belief. Burning desire. Victory. Moving forward. All the above words in the quotes from Napoleon Hill, ALL of those lead to victory. God wants us to live in VICTORY. He wants us to live a life that will SHOW how great HE IS! He wants our lives to reflect HIS GREATNESS! He wants OUR lives to reflect how GOOD of a Father He is! 


A friend of mine sent me a text message this morning that almost sent me jumping on my bed for joy! She has needed a new vehicle for awhile. She and her husband have been believing God for a new vehicle. I mean, it was so bad that on rainy days, water leaked in from the roof into the back seat. AND, not only that, they have a little girl who rides in a car seat in the back. So, they NEEDED a new vehicle. They consistently and persistently THANKED GOD for providing it for them. They have seen him do other miracles in their lives, and knew God wanted them and their family in a safe vehicle. God wanted to show his goodness. So in the text message my friend told me the amazing news. She received an SUV as a gift this weekend from her in-laws. A GIFT. I was so jacked, I about wanted to cry! What a blessing. Sure, it was a gift from her in-laws, but it was a gift from their FATHER! God used her in-laws to bless them. God used someone to bless them. God took the opportunity to reveal HIS GREATNESS!


Long for. Thirst for. Draw near to God! Like the Proverbs 31 woman lived a life with characteristics that were not in Vain. She developed characteristics that were not in vain. They did not just reflect outside, physical beauty, but she had an inward beauty that lasted. She had an inward resolve that was truth and it was lasting. 


LISTENING AGGRESSIVELY is a trait that is not vain. It is a characteristic that will last. It is a quality, that IF USED consistently will lead to you accomplishing whatever your burning desire is, your dream is. IF USED, if YOU LISTEN AGGRESSIVELY, YOU will see and accomplish the fruit of your prayers... the fruit of the time spent listening. And just wait and watch as God shows out in YOUR LIFE TOO! Will it be an SUV? Maybe. Will it be a house? Maybe. I would bet it will be whatever it is that YOU need. Because MY GOD supplies all MY NEEDS according to HIS riches and glory. And He will supply YOUR NEEDS TOO! We have a very wealthy Father!! He wants to bless you too! Will you LISTEN AGGRESSIVELY? Will you make it a habit today? Take some time, right now... get out your journal, stop and listen. What we "IMAGINED"... the directions, the "To-Do" list, the daily instructions... what we "IMAGINED" can be a reality if we will only AGGRESSIVELY LISTEN.