Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Home From Retreat ... Again

I'm setting here at my keyboard trying to decide if I should even bother with such a short story. I just received an e-mail from my daughter telling her mom and me about the last women's retreat she attended.

I've written about them before; this time I think I will just tell you of her closing thoughts and what the Lord spoke to her as she drove back home.

As was usual, God blessed with His anointing by taking her a little deeper into worship, filling her up with His presence, etc.

But now I want to give you her thoughts and the Lord's response back to her. She wrote …

"So on the drive home, I was so full, but a little sad that it was over, and suddenly Jesus appeared again and said … 'Sweetheart, don't you understand? It will only keep getting better! This is not over. This is just the beginning!'

And the floodgates opened once again and I didn't know how I was possibly going to walk into my house … And the realization came so strongly for the 1st time in my life that there will come a day that I will actually be spending the rest of eternity in His presence and I will never have to have that leaving feeling again. I'm full."


Wow … I know that Jesus never leaves us, that's a promise from the Word. But like her, I really never thought a whole lot about us never walking away physically from His presence. It's gonna' be good!!!!

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Are We Listening

John 10:27 … "My sheep hear my voice … and they follow me."

Is there a difference between hearing and listening?

We know God speaks, but we don't listen many times to what He's saying.

Matthew 13:15 … "For this people's heart is waxed gross, (thick and callous) and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart …"

We hear with our ears; but we listen with our heart.

Psalm 85:8 … "I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for He will speak peace unto His people, and to His saints …"

The main thought here is, I will "listen," I will have a "willingness" to hear God, whatever God should say; and with a confidence that whatever He says would be words of mercy and love. We learn to recognize His voice, by whatever God says through the Word, we should listen to and believe; whatever God asks, we should do. There should be such a confidence in Him that whatever He might say to us or require of us, we know it proceeds from a heart of love.

Psalm 91:15 … "He shall call upon me, and I will answer Him …"

God is speaking here of His child"when My child calls, I will answer him." It may be you are listening for a word from Him; it may be something material, it doesn't matter … God will give whatever is best for you. God is to be called upon and He promises an answer, which He always gives; for He is a God that hears and answers prayer. We may not always like His answer, but He is in charge … not us.

God can also speak thru nature … good things like the sun and the rain; and "if He so chooses" … through things man has called, "the evils of nature."

Solomon asks this question in Lamentations 3:38 … "Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?" K.J.V.

"Is it not out of the mouth of the Most High that evil and good both proceed [adversity and prosperity, physical evil or misfortune and physical good or happiness]?" Amplified Bible.

Does not evil or trouble come out of God's mouth from His direction, and providence … as well as good? Certainly they do; they come to pass, both one and the other, as God has purposed and determined; not the evil of sin … this does not come out of the mouth of God, for it is condemned by Him; therefore He is not the author of sin.

Job 36:1-4 … "Elihu said … I have yet to speak on God's behalf. I will fetch my knowledge from afar, and will ascribe righteousness to my Maker. For truly my words shall not be false: He that is perfect in knowledge is with thee."

It may not have looked like it, but God was with Job during his testing.

Job 36:10-12 … "He openeth also their ear to discipline, and commandeth that they return from iniquity. If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures. But if they obey not, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge."

God may speak to … "discipline us," and by obeying it we gain knowledge.

Job 37:2 … "Hear attentively the noise of His voice, and the sound that goeth out of His mouth." Listen with your heart … don't just hear with your ears.

Job 37:9-10 … "Out of the south cometh the whirlwind: and cold out of the north.
By the breath of God frost is given …"


In this chapter, Elihu is saying that all of nature; lightning, thunder, clouds, wind, etc.; all move and turn on God's command, counsel and direction. Nature listens.

Job 37:13 … "He causeth it to come, whether for correction … or for mercy."

God would always rather give us mercy … but "if we don't listen," He may bring correction or discipline to get our attention.

Hebrews 12:6 … "For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth (to instruct, teach), and scourgeth (to whip, beat or flog) every son whom He receiveth."

Job 42:5 … "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine
eye seeth thee."


How God spoke to Job, even from the whirlwind is unclear; but Job heard God and he listened. But now thru nature, he sees God's sovereignty and providence over his life and submits to it. Man's spirit can hear and believe by faith; but our carnal side, the man made of flesh, needs to see and feel things with his senses to understand the work of God; and even then we don't understand very well.

I like Solomon's writing; I find myself going back to it often, it's full of wisdom.

Ecclesiastes 8:17 … "Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun; because though a man labor to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea further; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it."

It is my understanding from the whole counsel of God (the Word), that "the work of God," which Solomon is speaking of, is all the stuff God uses, to bring about in our lives … His purpose and His designed plan and His will for us.

Psalm 24:1 is still true … "The earth is the LORD's, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein."

This covers everything; the earth (the physical planet); the fullness (everything it produces); the world (the social systems); and they (all men and creatures).

God has never relinquished His control over any of His creation; with the exception of … "the free will of man," but yet God, if He so chooses, can bend (but He never breaks) our will to bring us to serve Him by listening to Him when we hear Him; but even then that choice is always left to us.

But if we choose not to listen …

Proverbs 1:24 … "Because I have called, and ye refused …"

Proverbs 1:28 … "they call upon me, but I will not answer … they shall not find me."

God has called some, and they refused to answer His call, so it was therefore just and right for Him not to answer them. God is not obligated in any way to those who refuse to hear or listen.

Jesus repeated this phrase to people many times … "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." I think He was speaking of our spiritual ears that are connected to the heart.

James gave an additional thought to what Jesus said when he added … "let every man be swift to hear and slow to speak …"

Most of us need to consider that last part as well.



Comments welcome.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

I Heard Him Whisper

It happened once again; while I was cleaning my outside flesh in the shower, He whispered something in my heart. This time it was in the form of a question. The Lord asks me things about half the time and then the other half of the time He just lets me know in no uncertain terms what He wants to tell me. Usually it's that I'm … wrong.

Well, this time He whispered so softly that I had to listen very attentively to His Words. I think He was testing me, letting me know that He is paying attention to me whether or not I pay attention to Him. He knows that sometimes we hear but we aren’t really listening; that's why Jesus said more than once … "He that hath an ear let him hear." Most of us have physical ears; but the noise of the world stops us from hearing with our spiritual ears. Our spiritual ears are attached to our hearts.

His question to me was … "Do you know what happens when there is sin in your life?" He continued … "I'm not talking about your salvation in any way; I've already taken care of that, you need not worry."

Then He went on … "I'm trying to make you aware that the things you do or the things you say, the little things I've been talking to you about; things you know I'm not pleased with that you don't want to put down, they have consequences in the spirit realm."

Now He's really got my attention. It started getting uncomfortable for me when He said with a soft whisper … "It hinders your prayers. It causes a little distance to be placed between us. I can't be as close to you as I want to be."

I was thinking … "I'm never going to be perfect, but have I quit trying to please Him?" I don't think I have; I don't intend to.

He continued … "Do you remember … ' whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.' "

In my heart I thought … "Does that mean we have to qualify or reach a certain standard to receive an answer to prayer?"

The Lord didn't respond. Instead He just started showing me just how important it is to do whatever it takes to make sure our prayers are not hindered.

What might be some of the consequences of not being willing to allow God to empty you of all the little things He wants out of your life; things only you know about; things that won't keep you out of Heaven; small things that you have turned a deaf ear to when He speaks to you about them.

Some of the consequences might include things like … being unable to enter into spiritual warfare on behalf of your children when they ask you to stand with them in prayer. You don't want to be hindered with a need like that.

I started to think about my grandchildren. What if they are going through an attack from the enemy of their souls; and then the Lord asked me

"How are you going to pray effectively for them if your prayers are hindered? The consequences will fall not on you but upon those you are praying for because your prayers are hindered, making them ineffective, inadequate and lacking in power."

After I got out of the shower I went to the Word and found this example …

1st Peter 3:7 … "you married men should live considerately with your wives, with an intelligent recognition of the marriage relation, honoring the woman as physically the weaker, but realizing that you are joint heirs of the grace of life, in order … that your prayers may not be hindered and cut off. Otherwise you cannot pray effectively." Amp.

"… husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that … your prayers be not hindered." K.J.V.

God is telling me with this example found in marriage, that there are small but important things we must do, otherwise … "we cannot pray effectively."

What does it mean … "your prayers are hindered?" I can easily see from the Amplified version that it could mean, "we can't pray effectively" as we should because of anything displeasing to the Lord that is still in our lives. Things we try to push aside or try to hurdle when we pray; perhaps even a little left over conviction from the last time God spoke to us about … "whatever."

But what I really don't want one of the consequences to be is this … that God Himself would somehow be … "hindered" … either in hearing our prayer or His willingness to give us the answer to our prayer.

This is what He whispered to my heart … "It hinders your prayers."



Comments welcome.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Peg's Question

I had heard her say something like this before; but that had been a long time ago. I could tell by the tone in her voice as she spoke those words in pain, she was really hurting; not physically but in her spirit.

We had gone through almost this same thing a couple of times before, so I thought this time would be different; but it wasn't. The same empty feeling of loss, the same old question in our soul was there again the morning after Bill died. We had this same heavy feeling of uselessness, like everything we believed was again a waste of time; just as it had been when our daughter Teresa lost her baby; and again when a little eight year old boy named Myles died after months of prayer.

"Why pray?" she said with a painful groan and her eyes full of tears. These were the first two words out of her mouth as we sat down together to pray at the beginning of the day as we always do. It was once again as if someone had stolen from Peg, one of her greatest strengths; her positive, optimistic, faithful and trusting confidence in the Lord.

Why try? Why try to believe the promises in the Bible; like … "ask and keep on asking, knock and keep on knocking, seek and keep on seeking." There are many more, these just came to mind. The answer once again … "nothing."

So, that morning's time of prayer together was altered from our norm. Instead of praying, I just reminded us out loud by speaking to God, all that we had learned concerning God's heart of goodness and love; about His motives and purposes and all the blessings of God's Providential care; including all the tests and trials which really seem, or are thought to have come from God, and are according to His design, purpose, counsel, and "will" for our good.

They are all dispensed by the hand of God, and should be willingly received, the one as well as the other, both the good and the bad. Job also had to remind his wife that they had received many good things from the Lord, and therefore they should be willing to receive the other things as well. Do we have a choice?

We should have enough confidence in God to believe that all His dealings are ordered from a heart of love. The moment He takes away our possessions, and visits us with pain, will we lose all our confidence in Him? Do we submit to all the arrangements of the government of God without a complaint only during good times … or even when natural events are sent in their place?

We breathe the air which God has made, walk upon His earth, and eat the food He provides; but if and when He takes one or all away, do we feel that He has taken only what belongs to Him … of which we have no right or claim to anyway?

So that morning, once again in sorrow from our loss; having believed that God, two months earlier had asked me to lay my hands on Bill; my hands being used in place of the hands of Jesus; and then to make a declaration of faith for the complete restoration and healing from the cancer in his body; which I did … but to no avail. It was not to be.

Evidently when dealing with healing, we should add the clause … "If it be the Lord's Will."

So, where do Peg and I go from here? We have been singing and praising the Lord, trying to believe that there must be some promises in the Word that really work; but I can't say I know of any. Even salvation promises require … "Faith."

That's something I think both of us have run out of once again. But, as before, in time, maybe God will give us another measure of His faith. He did twice before.

As for now, I don't believe I can pray for others with any kind of faith … because everyone I pray for dies.

Concerning death … I do have the right answer. The Apostle Paul wrote in 1st Corinthians 15:22 … "in Adam all die …"

As Bill said many times … "It's appointed for me to die."

I wanted it this time to be different … but it wasn't.


Comments welcome.