Secrets!

Mark 4:14 - The sower soweth the Word.

Mark 4:22 - [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.

Praise The Lord for the opportunity to get in His presence AND to be able to get into the presence of the Word. What good stuff!

In having my quiet time this morning, sitting with my husband like we usually do, Tyler and I got into a good conversation. Early in our marriage while we were visiting Charleston, SC, he got a revelation. As we laid on the grass looking up at the trees, he realized that the big water oaks were growing in that very moment. Effortlessly. With the right amount of water and sunlight, the trees grew big and beautiful. Tyler read this morning, "with the right amount of water and SON-light, we also grow!" With the right amount of LIVING water from the WORD of GOD, being in the presense of Jesus, WE as believers also can grow effortlessly.

Are you a sower?
It's ESSENTIAL to be a sower! If you are a believer and want to experience FRUIT and VICTORY in your life, it is ESSENTIAL to be a sower! When you sow the WORD of God continually into yourself, you can begin to see growth and victory in your life. Effortless. Victory. Every area of life.

More? As you spend time time in the presence of God, growing in the SON-light, those "SECRET REVELATIONS" are no longer a secret FROM you, but FOR you! As you dive into HIS presence, EVERYTHING is made clear. You begin to see with eyes that reveal answers. Mark 4:22 reminds us how to get answers! Secrets are hidden TO BE REVEALED by YOU the believer! Your answers are there, in the SECRET PLACE. As you sit in the presence of the Holy Spirit, seeking out answers, get your pad of paper ready for the answers to flow! The answers are not hidden FROM you, but FOR you to find when you get into HIS presence.

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!

 

Persistence That Pays Off

Luke 18:1-8 - Also [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not to turn coward (faint, lose heart, and give up) ² He said, In a certain city there was a judge who neither reverenced and feared God nor respected or considered man. ³ And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, Protect and defend and give me justice against my adversary. ⁴ And for a time he would not; but later he said to himself, Though I have neither reverence or fear for God nor respect or consideration for man, ⁵ Yet because this widow continues to bother me, I will defend and protect and avenge her, lest she give me intolerable annoyance and wear me out by her continual coming .... ⁶ Then the Lord said, Listen to what the unjust judge says! ⁷ And will not [our just] God defend and protect and avenge His elect (His chosen ones), who cry to Him day and night? Will He defer them and delay help on their behalf? ⁸ I tell you, He will defend and protect and avenge them speedily. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find [persistence in] faith on the earth?

This was me in 1998. I had met this man on July 7th. We were in England and a week later, on July 13th, I had a vision that he was the man I was going to marry.  Upon returning home from England, I woke up praying, I prayed during the day, I prayed during the night, I prayed while I got ready, I prayed while I drove. I prayed. I pleaded. I begged. And then, I prayed some more. Lord, pleeeeeeease let him know that he is going to marry me. Pleeeeeeeease! 

We were separated by 14 hours and about 4 states. Day in and day out, I prayed. For 18 months I prayed non-stop. It seemed like an impossible feat. I knew that I could not pursue him, and the I had to let him pursue me. How could I convince him he was to marry me if I couldn't even call him? And to him, I was merely the girl who lived in Indiana, a far cry from his future wife.

Nonetheless, I prayed.

I was like the widow. The judge granted her what she asked of him because she annoyed him with her constant pleas. That was me.

Today, I know a bit more about prayer than I did back then, but the reminder of persistence is another wake-up call for me.

Lets say, as a child, your dad told you he was going to buy you a bike for your birthday. A few weeks before your birthday came, you went and "test drove" bikes. You tried them out. You picked out your favorite color. You got the tassels for the handle bars. You got the little horn that you honk. You even decided to get a basket you could add onto the front. You found the perfect bike. Purple and pink, your favorite colors. Your dad, stood back as you finalized your decision. And it's made. He stands back just smiling. Then, the bike goes on order to be delivered on your birthday.

Over the next 3 weeks... let's check out 2 scenarios.

(1) Your dad told you he was going to get you a bike, and you already picked it out, but daily you continue to ask your dad for a bike. "Daddy will you buy me a bike? Can I pleeeeeeease have a bike. Daddy can I have a bike? Daddy, I really want a bike. Can I have a bike Dad? Dad, Dad, DAD!!! Can I have a bike? Will you get me a bike?" Your dad has already ordered the bike for you, why all the begging? "It's coming," your dad would respond at each request. 

(2) You know your bike is on order. Over the next few weeks you crawl up into your dad's lap, "Daddy, I just wanted to say thank you for getting me that bike! Thank you for the tassels that you let them add. And the purple and pink! I'm sooooo excited about riding it Dad! Thank you SOOOOO much! I love you sooooo much dad! You are the best dad ever!" And conversations like this happen a few times a day. Every time you see your dad, you tell him how great and wonderful he is. You tell him how thankful you are that he bought you that bike, each time you hug him, each time you thank him, his shoulders straighten, he wells up with pride that he has made his daughter happy. He is just as excited about the bike to be delivered as you are, just to see the joy on your face. With every compliment of how wonderful he is, he is far from annoyed with you, but each compliment of appreciation makes him want to bless you even more. 

Faith is now. When we pray the FIRST time and ask in FAITH, we can be sure that God has heard our prayers. Since faith is now, when we pray, we believe we have received what we have prayed for and then we can do like the girl did in the second example. EVERY time we come back to the throne of grace, we can come to our Father and THANK HIM for that desired outcome. Thank Him for what we had prayed for, in faith. And... we can still apply the same persistence. We can still thank Him several times a day. We can pray, sing, shout in THANKSGIVING!!!! "THANK YOU GOD FOR BRINGING THIS TO PASS!!! You are such an awesome Father! You are so good to me! Thank you Father! Thank you for answering my prayer! Thank you for loving me!! Thank you for your faithfulness!! THANK YOU FOR THIS____________. What a loving and gracious God you are! Thank you Lord!!" As we shower Him with love and gratitude, just like our natural father, I can only imagine that our heavenly Father would swell with pride and love for us too. Even during some times of prayer and thankfulness, maybe we would be crying to the Father out of our gratitude and thankful heart. With such sincere gratitude, I just see our heavenly Father wanting to love us and so happy to be appreciated and loved by his daughter. Smiling, just as our earthly father would as we "climbed up on his lap" at the throne of grace.

Our God is different than the unjust judge that it talked about in Luke 18. Our God wants to give us the desires of my heart (Ps 37:4)! Now... when the Son of Man comes, will He find [persistence in] faith on the earth? (Luke 18:8). To answer Luke 18:8, will we be those who continued in FAITH and in PERSISTENCE? 

July 13th 1998, I had a vision that I was going to marry Tyler. July 13, 2000, exactly two years later he asked me, "Would you be willing to be #2 in my life for the rest of your life? Will you marry me?" I said yes. Six months later on January 6th, we were married.

Persistence pays off. Don't lose heart or grow weary. Dig in and be persistent. For those who cry out to God day and night, will God defer YOU and delay help on your behalf?  I tell you, He will defend and protect and avenge YOU speedily.  (Luke 18:7-8)

Do you want some answers speedily? Take the advice of Luke 18:7 - PRAY, CRY OUT, THANK GOD, COME, DAY AND NIGHT! What are you longing for God to do in your life? Well friend, let's THANK GOD day and night! Let's be persistent and watch Him show off how much He loves you!

Getting YOUR Prayers Answered!

Psalms 37:4 - Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.

Isaiah 43:26, 62:6 - Put Me in remembrance [remind Me of your merits]; let us plead and argue together. Set forth your case, that you may be justified (proved right)... you who [are His servants and by your prayers] put the Lord in remembrance [of His promises], keep not silence...

Isaiah 55:11 - So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void [without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. 

As I sat this morning as I began my Quiet Time with the Lord, I just wanted to hear what was on "His" mind. I don't do this all the time.... but have you ever thought, "Lord, what are you thinking this morning? What's going on with you?" :) Not like He doesn't have the WHOLE world praying to Him... and it's "awake-time" somewhere in the world all the time! Well... this morning was one of those mornings where I was curious. :)

In the still, quiet moments, sitting on my couch with my coffee, Pandora worship music streaming from our 'smart TV' in the background... I just sat & listened.

... I am here to accomplish My Word! ... Most do not pray My Word so these promises are not working for them.  

I took a few moments and decided to look up the word petition. Petition. According to the dictionary, it calls petition a formally drawn request , a request made for something desired, especially a respectful or humble request, as to a superior or one in authority. Petitions are most often known for being made in a court of law. A formal, drawn up petition/request. If you take a moment to think about a "petition" in a court of law, if you are like me, you would maybe think of something like this: 

• Something that has been researched & drawn up.
• Something bulleted or numbered off so that I can prove my point accurately and thoroughly. 
• Something that I can include examples or stories with in order to further bring home my point. 

If I were petitioning for something in a court of law, I would MOST DEFINITELY have my ducks in a row so that the judge would see that I am serious. If I really wanted to win, I would walk in there with my stuff together, if you know what I mean, right? Wouldn't you? 

So, why don't we do the same thing with God...when it comes to our life? Our dreams? Our goals? The desires of our hearts? 

Isaiah 55:11 reminds us to put GOD in remembrance of HIS Word! To remind Him WHAT He has said, WHAT His promises are in His Word. He said Himself that the Word was put in place to ACCOMPLISH that which it was made to accomplish. So, with your dreams & goals, your wants & desires.... DO SOME HOMEWORK! 

If you were going to PETITION in a Court of Law, you wouldn't walk in there with NOTHING! Right?! You would have your stuff together, you would probably be in your nicest, most professional business suit. You would have your legal pad. You would have your evidence. You would have the facts. You would have it all! And, it should be the same when you come to God in prayer to petition a request. God has placed His Word here for us to USE IT to get what we want. Let me give you a few examples. 

Tyler & I, for our last two vehicles were believing God for them. Our first one was in 2009, we had believed for a Nissan Murano, and the 2nd one was earlier this year, we were believing for a Honda Odyssey. We found exactly what we wanted, we SOWED a financial seed for them, and we DAILY thanked God for them. We also put God in REMEMBRANCE of His Word. 

"Thank you Lord that according to Deuteronomy 6:11, you tell us we are to RIDE PROSPEROUSLY. We thank you Lord for our Honda Odyssey. We thank you for our swagger wagon, leather seats, a built in DVD player & Navigation would be really nice, but I could do without it."

Well... guess what we got? God outdid Himself! We got BETTER than what we were believing for! We got a 2012 Honda Odyssey Touring ELITE. Fully loaded. Heated seats. Tinted windows all the way around. A 16 INCH DVD player. 8 passenger. A built in COOL BOX to keep drinks cold. Several other extras ...and it DID have Navigation! :) I waffled on what color I wanted.... and was not specific on that. I kinda wanted dark grey, but never got real specific. We got a white one that Tyler drove right off the show room floor! :) Which... I never knew this, but driving a vehicle off the show room floor was always a secret petition he had. 

But the point.... we did our homework. We test drove it. We got pictures of it. We sowed financial seed for it. We found scripture, GOD'S WORD, to back up what we were believing for... then we put GOD in remembrance of HIS Word. And do you know what, His Word works every time! If you don't believe me, check out what HE says about it!! "My word (THE BIBLE/SCRIPTURE) be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void [without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."

Do your homework. Send forth God's Word. Make your petition known to God, but have your homework to back it. Have "proof for your case." Pictures, Scripture, Seed sown towards your dream, goal or need. Present it to God and then STAND YOUR GROUND! Continue to THANK HIM for the desired result you are waiting on. You get serious about your dreams and goals, and God will help them come to pass! :) 

And friend.... Do not grow weary in well doing, because in due season you WILL reap if you faint not. Stand your ground until your petition comes to pass. We have proof sitting in our driveway. It does work.... and if it worked for us, it will work for you!

#196 - Draw It Out!

Good morning! :) We're going to get right into the Word this morning.....

Proverbs 20:5 - Counsel in the heart of man is like water in a deep well, but a man of understanding draws it out.

Proverbs 31:18 - ....her lamp goes not out.... 

"Lamp" in the Bible often refers to as several things; Wisdom from God, direction, the Holy Spirit living inside of us, Jesus (ie: "I am the light of the World, no one comes to the Father but through Me.") To me, "lamp" means, having the ability to receive answers, HAVING the answers. I know I have said this before, but I recently heard the saying that, "There is NO problem that can not be solved without sustained thought." The ability to HAVE the answers! As it directs in Proverbs 20:5, COUNSEL is like a deep well, but a man of understanding DRAWS IT OUT! Counsel, direction, Wisdom from God, the RIGHT Counsel, Counsel directly from the Holy Spirit! As believers, we have the ability to DRAW OUT the answers. BUT, like a deep well, it WILL take a little bit of work!

A deep well... think about it. In the Bible, when someone was going to get water out of a well, they would have to not only first have the well dug, but dug down deep enough to hit water. Once that was in place, they would have to lower a bucket down low enough to draw up the water. Then, with their muscles, most likely some sweat and grunting, lug the full, heavy bucket up to the top of the well. It was not a sweat-less process. It took some effort.

The same is true with us as believers. As it states in Proverbs 20:5, COUNSEL (aka: answers from the Holy Spirit!!!) are in the heart of man! Last time I checked, we are "man." Sure, I'm a woman, but the point is that this verse is talking about US! Equally, a MAN (or woman) can DRAW OUT THE COUNSEL. Read it for yourself! Isn't that what Proverbs 20:5 says? IF we CHOOSE to be a person of understanding, we can DRAW out the answers that are already within us! Again, if we are saved, we have the Holy Spirit living in us, right? So, since we have the Holy Spirit ALREADY living in us, we have ALL the answers to EVERY question ALREADY within us! Our job is to just DIG. Our job is to DRAW out the answers. That may take some praying. That may take some time. That may take getting in a quiet place with no distractions. That may take SUSTAINED thought. It may take some work! Just like Proverbs 20:5 says, counsel in the heart of man CAN BE drawn out. "Drawn Out" is a verb. It requires ACTION. In whatever your situation is, to draw out the answer will most likely take some work, meditating on the Word, prayer, etc.

Our answers are already here. It's our job to DRAW THEM OUT! If you notice, the Proverbs 31 woman has caught on to this concept as it says that HER LAMP does not go out! She is constantly seeking and in tune with the Holy Spirit. She is constantly drawing out the answers. She succeeds because she DRAWS OUT what the Holy Spirit would have for her in regards to business, family, servants/employees, etc. She draws out the answers and she SUCCEEDS!

That was a good Word! In what area to you need to draw out answers? Pencil it in your calendar. Take the time to seek, to dig, to get quiet and get YOUR answers!

Praise the Lord for making things known to us!!!!
Have a blessed day!

#123 - Google or God?

Hello! It feels like "Good Morning" still.... but it is actually "Good Afternoon." Here in South Carolina it is like everything is SHUT DOWN! We woke up yesterday to snow, and STILL have it on the ground, roads, cars, houses....and since Columbia isn't really prepared for clearing a large amount of roads with snow-plows, most of Columbia is just shut-down. Canceled. Closed. It's all good to me. It's kind of fun. I like my husband being home.... snowed-in, if you want to call it that! :) HA! It reminds me of the days in High School when we had school canceled because of snow. Wow! It was so great! It was the "Mother-Load of Greatness!" MOG! ha! I said that the other night, "Mother-Load of Greatness" and was laughed at because of the combination of words I put together. Our friend, Chris, even wrote it down and now it is coined MOG. :) 

Anyways... let me get going.... 

Proverbs 11:27 (KJV) - He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour...

Psalm 71:3 - Be to me a rock of refuge in which to dwell, and a sheltering stronghold to which I may continually resort, which You have appointed to save me, for You are my Rock and my Fortress.

Procureth - to win, to obtain, to secure. To secure favor. By seeking good, we can secure favor. By having a heart after God, after His will, we can secure favor into our lives. That is good news. 


Let me tell you a story. So... this morning I sat down and was journaling.... just journaling some thoughts that have been going on in my head and journaling the 'happenings' of the last day. I was also specifically writing about an area that lately I've felt that I was "borderline" obsessing over. I don't want to obsess over anything, unless it's my degree of being radical to the Lord and relationship with Him, listening to Him, etc. But, any other area in life, I do not want to obsess. I would like to keep a healthy balance. Even with a healthy balance, sometimes the Holy Spirit has me spend focused amounts of time on specific areas, but if HE is directing it... I'm OK with that! 


So... I'm sitting here and was just journaling some concerns about a specific area of my life.... this thing I've felt maybe I've been close to obsessing over. Right as I was journaling that, I thought, "Ooooh! I could look it up. I'll just grab the laptop and Google it!" Right? Tell me, have you done that before? "I'll find it. Surely Google has the answer!" 


lol. I'm sure I'm not alone in this one. So just as I was going to reach for the laptop, I heard the Holy Spirit say to me, "OK. Are you going to consult Me? Or the 'Almighty Google'?" the Holy Spirit chided.  I knew I was busted! I felt like consulting the Holy Spirit would be more "work" for my answer than just "googling it"! I just wanted a quick answer and was sure Google would have it. 


Well, reluctantly when the Holy Spirit said that, I said, "OK! You!" 


And then... do you know what happened? He laid out the FULL answer to my question down to minuet details. As I was quickly writing what I felt like He was revealing, He first laid out to me the "WHY." Why this specific challenge was occurring. Well, obviously, that was good to know. And then He laid out 6 very specific steps to get this situation back in line. Wow! 6 very specific steps that GOOGLE could have NEVER told me! Why could Google not have told me? Because the steps were specific to MY EXACT SITUATION! It was amazing. Actually kind of humorous. A very good lesson to me. 


As I read Psalm 71... it reminded me that I want the Lord to be my constant ROCK. I want HIM to be my fortress always. I want to run to HIM when I have a problem or question. Not some Internet portal that has opinions of EVERYONE in the world. If I want answers, I want to rely on HIM, the ALMIGHTY Creator of the Universe! The Creator of Heaven & Earth. The Alpha. The Omega. My Jehovah Rapha. My Jehovah Jirah. My Healer. My Provider. That is Who I want to run to. Sometimes I think it would just be easier to NOT ask..... so I prolong the asking and try to deal with it myself... when all along, if I would just take a few minutes, HUMBLE myself, get quiet and ASK, HE will reveal to me answers. He will reveal to me the next steps. He desires that I seek Him. And His Word says in doing so that I WILL OBTAIN and SECURE HIS FAVOR! Having Him answer my question and give me COUNSEL from the All-Knowing God, that is FAVOR! Having an ANSWER that is the RIGHT answer and not a guess, THAT is FAVOR! 


So.... do you have a big question? Have you been just going it solo? Doing it on your own? Who will it be? Google or God? I hope you choose God. He has a great answer for you!

__________________

Want to hear the results of listening? 

Check out the rest of the story: Google or God Part 2

#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. 

#93 - How To Get Answers from the Lord

Good morning! It is so still out this morning. It's like the air is just still. Almost a strange quiet. No wind. No rain. Just very still and quiet. A bit like my feelings of things I need to do I suppose. If you've joined us the last 2 days....hum.... well, let's just say that it's been Holy Spirit convicting time. Have you had times in your life where the Holy Spirit is just getting on you about change? I guess maybe it's a good thing. I have a close enough relationship with the Holy Spirit, with my Lord that He is able to talk to me about areas in my life that need change. I'll tell ya, it's really not always easy to hear. Sometimes it seems like such a big job! I'm still majorly in the process of "De-Cluttering".... that is definitely not an overnight process. But... I know what to do, so that is probably the biggest part of it. (GTD - Getting Things Done by David Allen - Get the book on CD if you don't have time to read it.) Tyler has implemented GTD really well and for probably over a year has wanted me to just DIVE in. I've pretty much blown that idea off in the past. I wasn't really ready for it. But... evidently the Holy Spirit says I need to be ready now! I agree! De-cluttering will be good. Things need to have their place and that will most definitely free up my mind! What did Tyler do that was SOOOO good in it all?? He frequently does this..... he casts me on the Lord. He realizes that HE can't fix me or change me, but the Lord can. So... he continues to cast me on the Lord.  That's a good place for me to be. The "Old Amy" would want to rear up and totally buck the system if someone tried to make me change. Especially if I wasn't ready. I'm not saying that's right, it's just true. As a child, my parents always prayed that the "stubborn Amy Jo" would one day steer the stubbornness to serve the Lord with a fervor. Well... let's just say, I'm glad Tyler has learned to cast me on the Lord. That's the best place for me to be. The Holy Spirit has a way of speaking the truth to me in a way no one else can, and at a time when I am ready and willing to listen. Well... with quite a long intro... let's get started. 

Proverbs 28:19 - He who cultivates his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless people and pursuits will have poverty enough.

Psalm 118:6a, 7a - The Lord is on my side.... The Lord is on my side.....

Psalm 118:8 - It is better to trust and take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in man. 

This morning I was talking to Tyler.... he is really a wealth of knowledge. I'm glad I married him. He is always learning. He reads all the time! He listens to awesome men of God and business leaders, and really is quite an inspiration to me. He makes me think all the time! It is so true what it talks about in Proverbs 27:17 - Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. - That is my husband. A definite iron sharpener! 


So, in our conversation he reminded me something I had heard a long time ago. The best way to get an answer to a problem. George Washington Carver, inventor of over 300 uses for the peanut, including yummy peanut butter! And how did he come of with these inventions? He said, "God gave them to me." It has been noted, when Carver wanted to solve a problem or was seeking an answer to a question, he didn't seek out men, he didn't seek out education and books, but he sought God. He took his Bible and a notebook went to a quiet room, closed the door and sought the Lord. It was not "try, fail & adjust", but it was, "Lord, you give me the answer. I'm going to seek you until I have it."


Wow! What an awesome example to learn from! Is there really anything else to say? The Lord will answer, and as it says in Psalm 118, The LORD is ON YOUR SIDE! He's on your side! He wants you to be a success! He wants you to win! He wants the RIGHTEOUS to flourish! 


What are you following? Who are you following? What are your pursuits? Are they worthless? Are they of value? If they are, and things are not going how you would like them to go, do like Carver did, seek the Lord. Get a notebook, get your Bible, leave your laptop and cell phone in a different room (and turn your phone off or on silent) and SEEK the Lord. With Him, it is not "try, fail & adjust," He just gives you the actual exact thing to do IF you tune in to Him and listen. 


Short and sweet. But a definite Word!  

#87 - Revelation Comes from Meditation

Good morning. Well... this morning I am sitting inside... in my living room, my lamp on and fireplace going. Wow. It is getting fall out. I guess if I'm going to have many more mornings on my back porch, I need to wake up and dress warmly. It's chilly out there, but I could handle it. Chilly.... what's chilly here in October?? Well, it's 70 degrees right now. When I woke up, on the porch, it was probably closer to 60-65. It probably felt a bit more chilly because it's in the shade. 
Anyways, I'm enjoying my morning regardless. :) A good morning with some great revelations. Let's get started. 

Psalm 19:7a, 14 - The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the [whole] person... Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my [firm, impenetrable] Rock and my Redeemer.

Psalm 49:3 - My mouth shall speak wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be understanding. 

Proverbs 31:26 - She opens her mouth in skillful and godly Wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness [giving counsel and instruction]. 

Meditation. We are not in a race to read. To see how much we can read, how much content, how many chapters in the Bible, how many books, how many devotions. But if we were in a race, the race would be one to receive revelation. Lack of revelations comes from a lack of meditation. What is meditation? The dictionary coins it as continued or extended thought; reflection; contemplation. When we are meditating on the Word, we take the Word and continue to read it over and over. It may be just one scripture. One phrase. One word. Maybe we read it in other versions of the Bible to gain more clarity or insight. Why would we want to meditate? "Amy, it seems like I'm sitting there wasting time. Doing nothing." 


Meditation leads to revelation. Do you need a breakthrough in your life? Is there a problem that needs solved? Have you had an ongoing injury that you would like to avoid or cure? Meditation leads to revelation. 


I was listening to a preacher on Friday night and he said something rather thought provoking. He said, "Is there a problem? Pray for what the seed is. What was the seed of the problem? Where did it begin?" As I thought on that, I starred, highlighted it, circled it in my notebook... and I began to meditate on it. Let it mull over in my brain... in my mind. I kept coming back to it. He put into words what I felt like the Holy Spirit had told me during the last 2 months. As I continue to meditate on it, it just continues to get more and more exciting! The revelation is continuing to get greater and greater. More real. Touchable. Solid. Concrete. Not just an abstract thought.... but I'm almost to the point where I fully have my hands wrapped around this. More meditation will reveal fuller revelation. 


Let me expound. I recently had some challenges with my left hip. My "I.T.Band" to be exact. I remember the injury from college because I spent many a days after practice in the training room icing it. So... this seemed like something easy I could ask the Holy Spirit about. "What's up with my hip? Why did I get hurt? What happened? What could I do differently to avoid it?" 


Like ABC's to a 6th grader, he told me something that seemed so ridiculously obvious! I felt almost a bit silly that I could be so ignorant. He said, "Amy, you ran intervals the other day. Yes, though it may have only been '4' 30 second intervals, nonetheless you ran them, and you ran them hard. You're not totally normal Amy, because you go hard when you run your intervals, like you are still in college or something. You can't just do that without a proper warm-up and proper stretching. That day you were in a hurry. You basically did it cold, and you didn't stretch properly afterwards. If you want to not get injured in the future, when you know you are going to go hard like you do, you need to do a proper warm-up, stretch, then your workout, then a proper stretching after."


So... I quickly found the root to my problem. And guess what? It wasn't the devil. The injury wasn't something where "Ohhh... I rebuke you Satan." No. Sure there is a time and place for that, and there are times where he is the 'havoc' worker. But this time, it was ALL AMY! I knew better. 


In Joshua 6, Joshua is wanting to defeat Jericho and their large army. As he continues to seek out God, he receives the battle plan. And one, if you remember that seems a bit ridiculous from a "War Strategy" standpoint. It seems absurd actually! God tells him to get all his army and for 6 days march around the city one time each day. On the 7th day, march around the city 7 times and then SHOUT! Joshua did it, it worked, the walls of Jericho fell and Joshua and his army experienced victory without even swinging a sword. Wow! 


You need a word from the Lord? Seek. It's your job to seek, to meditate. To stay on the topic, to keep pressing in to God until you have received your answer. He will give it. I have personally been avoiding God about a specific topic. I've thought, "Oh... this is a big one. I don't know if I'm ready to really press in to him on this topic." It takes effort. It takes commitment to press in, to listen, to pursue. So, I am going to begin my pursuit. My answer will come. He has already told me it would, I just need to pursue and meditate on His Word. My answer will come. And... who knows... the solution may come from what seems a ridiculous answer... "Walk around the kitchen 7 times. Shout. Then bang your pots and pans!" We'll see!! I'm excited to listen, I'm excited to obey and I'm excited to receive MY VICTORY! What about you? 

#72 - Slow Down and Ask

Good morning! Welcome to the 1st reader in Nigeria! :) HELLO! Great to have you joining us in the Word! :) Well... so far this morning I have completed 2 cups of yummy blonde coffee, 1 fruit smoothie, just took my vitamins and am drinking a glass of water with a red straw. A nice, thick, red bendy straw! I love straws. I am a straw user! It's so much more fun to drink with a straw, don't you think? 


Today's Reading Schedule: Proverbs 20, Psalms 20, 50, 80, 110, 140, Proverbs 31:10-31 (AMP)

Proverbs 20:18 - Purposes and plans are established by counsel; and [only] with good advice make or carry on war.

Psalms 20:1a, 4 - MAY THE Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May He grant you according to your heart's desire and fulfill all your plans. 

Psalm 140:6 - I said to the Lord, You are my God; give ear to the voice of my supplications, O Lord. 

Proverbs 31:16 - She considers a [new] field before she buys or accepts it [expanding prudently and not courting neglect of her present duties by assuming other duties]... 

The alarm clock goes off. She rolls over in bed and knows that this time she must get up. She can't afford to hit snooze again. Rubbing her eyes, she crawls out of bed squinting to read the red numbers on the clock. Dang it, she thinks. I need to get moving. Hurriedly, she rushes into the bathroom, jumps in the shower, quickly washes off, wakes up and gets out. I'll just pull my hair up again today. No time to wash it this morning. She throws on clothes, brushes her teeth, grabs her make-up and heads downstairs. 'I don't have time to put on my make-up, I'll just have to do it on the way to work again. I guess I won't be doing eye-liner today.' As she passes the kitchen table she sees her Bible laying where she laid it yesterday after getting home from church. 'Man, I really need to wake up early to have a Quiet Time. Maybe I'll get around to it tomorrow.' She pours the coffee that is left over in the pot, grabs a banana and heads out the door.


Another day in the life of a busy American Christian. The gnawing sensation there, in the back of her mind... like many people, she knows a quiet time would be a 'good idea' but she just hasn't been able to make it happen.  


As I read Psalm 20, immediately verse 1 jumped off the page. The words "ANSWER YOU" rang in my mind. In order to "answer" a question or cry needs to be made. It's hard to answer when there is no question. The verses today expressed dialog, expressed that of the need for conversation. The verses expressed plans and purposes being divinely orchestrated via counsel of godly men and women of God, or counsel directly from the Holy Spirit. But the prerequisite to COUNSEL, the prerequisite to ANSWERS begins with a QUESTION. Begins with DIALOG. Begins with time, set aside to seek the ONE and ONLY. To seek our Savior, our Guide, our Help. To spend the time with Him that will draw us into our direction, the time that will draw us into His will for our lives being discovered. So that OUR PLANS would divinely line up with HIS direction for us. Like what it talks about in Proverbs 16:3 (amp), "Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed." Isn't that AWESOME?! When we ROLL our works upon the Lord, HE will cause our thoughts to become agreeable with HIS will. And then, with our thoughts in agreement with what HE wants for our lives, WE are able to establish plans. OUR PLANS. And HE will cause OUR PLANS to not only come into play, but to succeed. But it all begins with dialog! It all begins with TIME spent before the throne of grace. Time spent, where the alarm clock is set early, we REFUSE to hit the snooze 3-4 times, but that we DEFY our flesh and get up. We get up, KNOWING in advance that our time getting with the Lord WILL BE BLESSED. That He will talk to YOU. He will direct YOU. He will ANSWER YOU! And we are able to truly say that our plans and purposes are being directed by COUNSEL. Counsel with the ONE and ONLY true God. Because of that time with Him, that time in HIS presence, our desires are coming into alignment with His desires for us. They are becoming ONE. Our plans are coming from a time spent with Him. Our desires, that are becoming our very own are born out of a time spent before the throne. Our desires and His desires are ONE. 


Our Proverbs 31 friend has established priorities. Sure, in this verse it is talking about how she is CONSIDERING taking something else on. She is CONSIDERING it. But, BEFORE she commits to adding another thing to her plate, she looks at her current obligations. Would bringing this "one more thing" on disrupt her current obligations. Would she not be able to fulfill them? Since she is the ULTIMATE WOMAN, and we know from Proverbs 31:15 that "she rises while it is yet night and gets [spiritual] food..." She IS spending time before the throne of grace. If things or obligations would get in the way of her FIRST priority, spending time fellowshipping with her Lord, after consideration she would CHOOSE NOT to take on this additional thing. She CONSIDERS wisely before accepting more to her plate, and she knows when it is best to say NO. What a Spiritual, Biblical, wonderful word.... NO. Sometimes a word more of us need to know. NO. 


What's keeping you from regular time with the Lord? Are you too tired when you wake up? What's keeping you from going to bed earlier? Do you need to say NO to that late night movie? Do you need to say NO to Facebook? NO to twitter? NO to the 11:00 News? Or, do you just need to jump in a cold shower to wake you up in the morning? 


I'll close with some Words I felt the Holy Spirit told me this morning.... 

Those rushing out to their jobs, waking up to late to spend time with Me, feeling rushed and a sense of chaos accompanies the rest of their day. 'Slow down to speed up.' Priorities. Many people are too busy and do not even have a list of priorities. They do not slow down long enough to even see where they are going, they are just in a hurry to get 'there'. For many, I would change their direction. They would be able to do what they love for a living, not just make a paycheck at a job. Their un-fulfillment would change to a daily excitement  to embrace the day. But so many don't slow down long enough to ask. 

Today, tomorrow, slow down and ask. Slow down to speed up. Slow down, get quiet before the Lord and watch how a normal "chaos-filled" day, will change to a day filled with peace. A day where things just line up. A day where you actually get things done early. A day directed. 


Slow down to speed up. Slow down and ASK for direction from a God who is longing to spend time with YOU!