And the Spirit reminded me:
"Even lights from burned out stars travel throughout the galaxies
without stopping. What if words were so powerful that every word you spoke
lasted forever, throughout eternity? Think long and hard about this and what
you speak."
Prayer: Lord,
help me be slow to argue my point and direct my words only as they should be.
Help my listening be more powerful.
And the Spirit said:
"Today, channel your resources to others in active ways: listen to the
unlovely, speak to the timid, give funds where needed, give your time and
talent in ways that others might receive the credit. Then, your light will
shine brighter as you have prayed."
Prayer: Lord, help us
recognize all opportunities today and behave like your children.
Holy Spirit reminded me:
"Just because something was done a certain way in the past does not
mean it must duplicate itself the very same way in the present. Don’t let your
worship of Me become such a habit that you overlook what may happen now in the
modern world. Technology continues to change many things. I may not change My
love, but circumstances continue to change. Move with the flow or outside the
box but keep Me at your center."
Prayer: Lord, I
don’t want to misread any world changes or be stagnated in any attempts at
worship.
And the Holy Spirit said:
"If you
begin your day thinking through large, personal interests and then try to come closer to Me, you will
find this proves backwards. I do not want you grudgingly accepting My will.
Start each day, accepting I am with you, with wanting more love, not forcing My will. Place within the inner circle of My love your small interests by letting Me be first in every
decision. I will expand what you need later. I don’t want you to be just one
thing or do one thing, I want you to experience a sense of belonging for all
times."
Prayer: Lord,
thank you for letting us turn all our decisions to you first before action.
And Jesus said:
"Nothing lived before Me. I am the Way, and the Way stays all around
you. When you see a child laugh, you behold the Way. When you discover a
brilliant flower, you see the Way. When you see someone offer mercy; you behold
the Way. All creation gives hint of the Way. I, your Savior, am the Way. I did
not come to create the Kingdom. My Kingdom was already here. I came to provide
a doorway through the Way to reestablish the Kingdom of the heavenly Father."
Prayer: Thank you
Lord, for helping us discover the true path to your kingdom existence.
And Holy Spirit said:
"Continue to pray to overcome the weak points in your life that cause
you wrong thought, envy, or conflict. But you do not need to spend so much time
praying to overcome negative people or situations. Give them to Me. Trust Me to
handle them. I am still in control. Just look to yourself and make sure the
negative people don’t cause your weak points to emerge. Stay walking in the
kingdom principles."
Prayer: Lord,
help me today, to appreciate those who seem to prosper, whether I do or not.
And Jesus said:
"You are always wondering which voice speaks to you. You say, 'Is this
or that of God? How do I know for sure?' There remains a constant test to know
if I am asking something of you instead of the negative forces. Ask yourself:
Will what I’m about to say or do glorify the Father? If the answer is 'no' or 'I don’t know' wait until you can answer 'yes.' My Spirit does not argue with
you. Just says, 'Thus says the Lord,' what is. I help you combine
spiritual thoughts and words with the material to arrive as a partner with the
Holy Spirit. If your activity or one you’re about to do doesn’t honor the
Father, you may not need to give it up, but rather, turn it into God’s glory.
If that can’t be done, then give it up. Your main goal is to move everything
you think and do into glorifying the Father."
Prayer: Lord, show me how to test the spirits by
depending on your Spirit.
Reminded by the Holy Spirit:
"This time of year, surrender all that does not line up with the law of love I give. Love all your neighbors. Expressions of love can be different. You do not have to love their actions. Love their potential in Me. In Mt. 5:48 I said, “be therefore perfect.” I was referring to perfect in my love, not just love expressions. Allow your faith in Me to rise and question any limitation that tries to move you away from the Kingdom path."
Prayer: Lord,
remove doubt and help me today love unloving souls.
Jesus whispered:
"Make sure any enterprise you step into comes by faith through Me and I
will send the appropriate resources you need. Success remains measured by My
viewing how you enrich the kingdom and its people. How do you measure the
enterprise? Ask: Could you perform the task without My help? Does it honor the heavenly
Father by applying his true love? Are you led by the Holy Spirit? If you can
answer these properly, resources will flow to you like living water."
Prayer: Thank
you, Lord, that you measure success in a different manner than the world.
The Holy Spirit reminded:
"Look around you. Your surroundings, your circumstances, Nature, and
the whole universe maintain valuable goals. Certain values remain constant and
important, like gravity, life, and death. What kind of universe would let all
your trials and struggles mean nothing at your end? Can death just wipe all
away? For some, it might seem so. But death cannot exhaust My love. I will not
let your life become a mockery. You have immortality in Christ. You will live on
and grow. Take comfort in your present purpose. Know My intention will never be
in vain because it continues. I am your valid eternal purpose."
Prayer: Lord,
thank you for reminding me that through your Son’s love, you give me worth and
purpose.
And the Holy Spirit said:
"The whole universe stands behind truth. You do not have to justify,
make confusing rules, or complicate truth. Lying has to be repeated over and
over to cover sham and pretense. But truth stands alone and verifies itself.
Let your 'yes' become 'yes' and your 'no' become a clear 'no.' ”
Prayer: Thank you
Lord, for reminding me that all truth comes from your essence.
And the Spirit said:
"All around you vibrates the heavenly Father’s Way. So, it is not, 'where there’s a will, there’s a way.' It is rather, 'where remains God’s Way,
there resides a will.' All of creation ripples with the effects of God’s way.
Look for it. Allow His will to become your willingness. Jehovah Father is
reclaiming His creation."
Prayer: Lord, help
me filter all my willful decisions through your plan.
And Jesus advised:
"By contacting and talking to Me daily, you build up a kind of reserve.
When crisis comes you can respond automatically with My love because you have
accumulated this storehouse of habit. Your nature changes more into My nature
and genuine love can reign."
Prayer: Thank
you, Lord, for the Holy Spirit who rises up when needed to show your genuine
love.
Jesus whispered:
"The future possesses hidden treasures, couched in eternity. Still,
your daily issues continue to be guided by your Heavenly Father. You chose your
daily battles, but continue to lean on Me. The Holy Spirit is within."
Prayer: Lord,
help me know which battles to enter and which to avoid.
And Jesus whispered:
"Righteousness and intelligence should go together when understanding
Kingdom of God principles. A person who guides only with intelligence and no
right doing should be avoided. A person who tries to lead with righteousness
and no intelligence cannot be as trustworthy either. Intelligence may only
point to worldly conclusions. Righteousness alone tends toward emotional
bondage. Led by the Spirit, trust the person who uses both energies to bridge an understanding in
your Savior."
Prayer: Thank
you, Lord, that the Holy Spirit does not trick us with thoughts or emotions
like some people.
When Jesus said, “I am the Way” he refers to the added fact he is the first
designer. He is the value center of the universe, the ultimate reality. You can see him in the glow of a fire. See him in the stirring branches of the wind. See him in
the richness of the soil. See him in the sparkle of water. He is not literally within these
things. These things reflect him as the Creator and first cause of these. He is the first beauty of all things.
The heavenly Father can dispense goodness to anyone because He is all love. He
sustains compassion on all He has made. His love-kingdom vibrates as an
everlasting kingdom and will last throughout the generations. YOU do not have
to earn it. He gives freely. Nothing stops His love energy but rejection can
wound it.
And Jesus whispered:
"I give you parable."
"At night, picture yourself standing in a newly framed house with no roof overhead. You could still look up and see the stars. No
matter how dark the inside is or how uncertain your circumstances are around you, look up. I
am still here."
Prayer: Heavenly
Father, thank you for your very existence. I will trust you are always here.
Jehovah God's first act was sacrifice. He must have given a part of Himself to create the universe. It stays a mystery, but not later, as He gave His Son and the Holy Spirit.
The way in which the Gospel makes influence has little to do with what we think of as power, wealth, or popularity. The true way has to do with service, being the hands and feet of Jesus to do the unpopular.
A wonderful result of The Father's love is that Jesus presents the Father to all his culture can provide. And at the same time, He is changing culture to what it ought to be. Patiently He waits for a person, a society, a culture to grow to the place of correct acceptance.
Because of the Trinity---God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, there is never a time God is not personal. He is always family, in communion, sharing love. He is never just an idea or general influence "out there." He stays in relationship to His creation.
We make a little mistake to think there is a lot of generality in scripture. But, in the Bible, everything is grounded in relational story, personal issues, and couched in specific actions. Scripture reveals the Jesus reality.
Any community that says it believes and follows Jesus, but minimizes love, soon becomes a group that attacks the souls of humanity and beats down the best values in culture.
I quote a brother who has gone on to glory:
"There can be no maturity in the spiritual life, no obedience in following Jesus, no wholeness in the Christian life apart from an immersion and embrace of community." (Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places, Eugene Peterson, p.227)
"And he answered and said, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.' (Luke 10:27)
What is all?
Heart (emotions, feelings)
Soul (Self in decision-making)
Strength (Physical activity)
Mind (perspective, thinking)
Neighbor (Any, because they can experience Christ)
Greatest act of graciousness summarized by "theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Mt.5:3.
When you dwell upon an idea, the brain interprets it as a strong possibility for action. Every day consider Christian values that truly enrich life behavior.
And Jesus whispered:
In My
kingdom, you may:
Love the Father for the Father’s sake.
Love
the Self for the Father’s sake.
Love
the Father for the self’s sake.
Love the Self for self’s sake.
Love another for Self’s sake.
Love
Me for love’s sake.
My Holy Spirit purifies all love.
Reader Prayer: Lord, help me to understand the depth of
love in all its forms.
We have the promise, unbreakable, that we have a way to go beyond our givens, our circumstances, our conditions. . . spiritually and physically.
The scripture indicates in Luke 6:35 that our journey is important but our end is more significant. Not so much what happens along the way, but the end matters. Heaven is a great reward but even more is the new character received through Christ. That pay off is WORTH SO MUCH MORE BECAUSE IT ESTABLISHES GOD'S KIND OF LOVE.
And Jesus reminded me:
"One big purpose of technology,
whether cell phones, computers, drones, medicine, cloning, electronic gadgets
that claim to define life, is to imply you can make life predictable and
therefore feel comfortable. Some benefit comes from that. However, the life God
gives always has the mystery of faith. When you label some instrument like a
computer and expect it to solve all problems, you water down faith quality. You
approach the temptation to take the mystery out of your faith when relying on a
label to be an only solution, and yet, mystery creates an energy that keeps you
searching, learning, and pursuing personal growth. Allow mystery----the I
don’t know of life. You will never know enough about any one thing until
you reach heaven’s gate."
Prayer: Lord help me keep the mystery of your
creation along with any specific knowledge gained for your kingdom.
And Jesus whispered:
"If I seem to you to cause grief,
then I will and also have responded with compassion according to My abundant
loving-kindness. For this reason, catastrophe does not come without some larger
purpose. You cannot see the whole picture. Any sorrow of My sons and daughters
stays only for a season to balance some kind of justice and mercy in the
universe. To you who seek Me, know that I, the Lord, do pay attention to those
who wait on My will. Be as silent as you can, listen, and wait with your
decisions. I will not reject forever."
Prayer: Lord, I know I do not fully understand all
you plan but I want to fully lean on your Spirit for guidance.
And Jesus said:
"KNOW
THIS: Harshness does not help others to correct
themselves in any permanent way because they will not remember any positive lesson
only the harshness. On the other hand, they remember kindness. Offer kindness,
even to those who do not deserve it."
Prayer:
Lord help me today to control the tone of
my voice to sound kind instead of harsh.
Every reading, every experience, every person might become a spiritual reading of God's word and His intention.
Heaven principles on earth are not just to keep us from sin but to get sin out of us.
"Trust seems so simple with Me and yet,
so difficult for you. But when you faithfully accept My will, joy may be found
even through your difficulties. Do you have pain and yet no joy? My Love stays
a swinging door that bumps both ways.
Trust in your established redemption.
Accept my joy, and practice getting through any irritability. There is a
reason for your suffering you may never know. Endure in my name. Remember: in
My kingdom, praise honors the Son of wonder, Jesus. Renewed human spirit can
come from the daughter of calm. Think on this over and over. Always think to move
beyond."
Prayer: Lord, I want to make time to meditate with
you every day.
Heavenly Father
does not condemn extravagance as long as it is extravagant love for Him. . . extravagant joy, giving, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control, and mercy. If you must err, then err on the side of
extravagant generosity.
Prayer: Lord, help me to understand if I take from
life at some point, I need to put back.
Colossians 3:17 says do all in my [Jesus] name:
Son Jesus [Luke 1:31] Son of David [Mt1:1]
Wonderful
[Isa.9:6] Everlasting
Father [Isa.9:6]
Prophet [Mt.21:11] Friend
[Mt.11:19]
Bread
of Life [Jn.6:48] Ruler
[Micah 5:2]
High Priest [Heb.4:14; 5:5-6] Savior [Jn.4:42; Titus 1:4]
Beloved Son [Mt.
3:17] Good Shepherd
[Jn.10:11, 14]
One Teacher
[Mt.23:8] The Way
[Jn.14:6]
Carpenter
[Mk.6:3] Truth
[Jn.14:6]
Prince of Life
[Acts 3:15] Light [Jn.14:6]
Helper [Jn.14:26; Jn.15:26] Lord of Lords [1Tim.6:15]
Mighty One [Psalms 50:1] Messiah [Jn.1:41]
Counselor
[Isa 9:6; Jn.14:26] Son of God
[Lk.1:35]
Potentate [1Tim.6:15] Son
of Abraham [Mt.1:1]
Christ
[Mt.1:16; Mt.16:16] Prince
[Acts 5:31]
Trinity [1 Jn.5:6] Son
of Peace [Lk.10:6]
Holy One [Lk. 1:35] King of Kings [1 Tim.6:15] The Just One [Acts7:52] Son of Man [Lk.24:7; Mt.26:45]
Son
of Most High [Lk.1:32] Servant
[Philippians 2:7]
I am the great I
AM. I am the ME that talks to you. Have ears to hear.
And Jesus said:
"Since MY heavenly Father’s ways are
different than the world, focus on changing your immediate ideas. Since His
ways are not usually humanity’s first thoughts, work on doing and asking the
opposite. For example, when you feel lonely, don’t ride the wave of pity.
Rather say: “Lord, thanks for being my friend.” I and the Father are still one.
When you are in pain, say thanks for pain that shows life. When you are tired,
say thanks for chance to rest in Me. When you feel distrustful, say thanks for
trust. When you are sad, ask for delight in Me. When you feel impatient, ask
for connectedness in Me. When you experience the negative, you will not FEEL
like asking for some positive. But turn to Me with your surrendered volition.
Ask, then, I will make any necessary change."
Prayer: Lord help me to lean on your every word,
even when I do not feel like it. Help me see you always present.
When
you can feel content in your will for all that the Heavenly Father does, then
that peculiar ease becomes the substance of all your perfection.
And Jesus whispered:
"Worldly definitions may give rational
explanation for sin, such as there could be no good without evil, but all the
reasons are too human. When you cross over to the other side, the Father will
show you the real reason for sin and that secret will bring you such joy that
it takes the heavenly atmosphere for you to be able to stand it. Know this: Sin
is not the end or the complete point of salvation. You can only partially
understand My eternal balance right now. Have faith in the not knowing of this
dimension and what is yet to come. Have faith in the All-Knowing Father."
Prayer: Lord, all I know is thank you for saving us from sin.
The kingdom of heaven in your heart can only be shared by those who learn to recognize the character building of true authority and power of the Father’s kingdom. You will move step by step through the nine little kingdoms of character: first, accept your bankrupt spirit; then, sorrow for the ills of the world, stepping up to meekness, then on to appetite for right doing, on to benevolence in all things, move to clean thought, on to absorbing the anger of others, to being misunderstood for Jesus' sake; then finally, to perseverance laced with spiritual peace.
Jesus reminded me:
"All around you
vibrates the heavenly Father’s Way. So, it is not, “where there’s a will, there’s a
way.” It is rather, 'where remains God’s Way, there resides a will.' All of
creation ripples with the effects of God’s way. Look for it. Allow His will to
become your willingness. The Father is reclaiming His creation."
Prayer: Lord, help
that part of me that wills decisions to filter all through your plan.
Idols are not just carved statues from stone or wood. Anything (or anyone) that edges God out to the margins of life can become an idol.
And Jesus reminded me:
"In the beginning
of your journey, your faith was often simple in that you leaned toward
superstition. The Father still honors any childlike faith, but it may be based
on the fear of the unknown, so you trust too much to something like magic. The
problem with magic or sorcery is that at the core, it has a false idea of
causation. It centers on the thrill and enchantment for salvation and results
in misdirected thinking-attitude toward the Father. The time has come to move
that part of your superstitious self to the full acceptance of pure Grace and
Faith. Miracles may happen or not but
pay close attention to the small, unusual sights and sounds I send."
Prayer: Lord, I
do not want to trust in magical thinking, so help me accept the abiding
mysteries in any of your word.
"You cannot use reason, alone, to get rid
of some emotions. You must learn to trade the harmful emotion for a better one.
For instance, perform conscious effort: Say several times a day: “I trade the
negative emotion for love.” Then do something like trade your anger for
love. Let the emotional and chemical quality of love help neutralize and
renegotiate anger. I, the Lord, will help turn something like negative anger
into the energy of redeeming love. Pray now and daily make the trade."
Prayer: Lord, help me to know your love in practical
ways and to be willing to trade any negative feeling for your unselfish love.
AND JESUS SAID:
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, show me often that I am more than the
sum of my parts.
It is in your best interest to trust your designer. Brick by brick, experience by experience the Son is putting the building together for the Father's kingdom. Whatever is true, whatever shows loyalty, whatever promotes right doing, whatever encourages purity of heart, whatever shows beauty, whatever shows integrity, whatever presents itself as praiseworthy in Jesus' name: think always on these things.
Prayer: Lord help us pay attention today to your design.
And Jesus whispered:
"Try to refrain from trusting in your
faith alone, but have faith in your trust of Me. Don’t just believe in the idea
of Me; believe Me."
Prayer: Lord in a world that gives rational
explanations to everything, it is hard to simply trust and surrender. Increase
my trust in you.
And Jesus said:
"In all reality, you cannot live beyond the material nor can you in good
conscience just live for the
material. You must learn to live through the material for something beyond,
such as using material prosperity combined with My spiritual prosperity. Behind
every material result vibrates a spiritual idea. A simple baking a cake and
giving it to an unworthy neighbor can be the result of spiritual caring.
Whatsoever is set up in heaven can be assured on earth. Think long upon this."
Prayer: Thank you Lord for reminding us that the
spiritual life motivates our true direction.
