If you think for one moment I could do the new banner….think again. Bellclapper worked her art yesterday!
It is 4:44 a.m. Ask me how I know. It seems God regularly wakes me to speaks to me at around 4:00 a.m. Of course on His behalf, it probably the only time I am consistently still and quiet enough to hear. I actually love the early mornings He wakes me up and calls me to come listen. Its as though its our morning coffee time together…mostly He talks, I listen. Some mornings He talks, I argue, He always wins…… I’m not one to very much know the location of specific Scriptures…and one of the funniest things that happens is instead of a verse in words in my prayer time, I “get” Verse and Chapter….and very often specific locations…..as in “towards the back” “closer up front” Kinda God playing IamIam instead of Tom tom….and no silly comments about turning around …..this is significant for the girl who regularly gets lost between her home and the deliveries I face in the new town…..I am well known in my household for my “directional driving” in which I am simply hoping I am in the right direction with absolutely NO idea usually of whether I’ve passed the same place 3 times circling! It simply looks new to me.
Now that God seems to have worked on me long enough to face not having fear control me on any level…..there is this replacement. The replacement is a new understanding of the covenants with Abraham and my relationship with Abraham. Kinda spectacular to think I am one of the many, as many as the numbered stars of Abraham’s legacy from God. Think about it….you are one of the promised ones too…. and God has never lied nor crossed His word on things He promises us.
My husband (Dh) took D2 and I to a shopping trip last night. We feel in love with a few items and then on the way out, there were these sparkling ink pens. We knew we were shopped out, but truth told….we were awed by the amazing girliness of these silly pens. He looked at our shining eyes and said “pick one each” and like two little children in a candy store we began figuring out which one would be ours. There were many choices, many colors and he delighted in us evaluating and choosing the one that our hearts desired. As I reached between a hot pink one and a simple diamond sparkly one…..God seemed to whisper to me….Dh ultimately saw my pen dilemma and simply bought both, can you say delighted???…..and we left the other 20 colors behind in the store. As we left the store with our oh so fun purchases God continued to whisper to me and instruct me and the lesson went something like this:
“You are in a time where there are many paths for you, just as you had many pen choices. The ones you’ve been struggling between are all delightful in My sight, whether you choose to follow this path or that journey in the path of My work in you, I want you to drink deeply of that which excited you as much as those pens….My work for you should be as delightful to you as choosing those pens were……so many times my children think that I have this one iron will for you….but the Truth is I ignite passions in you so that you may live a life of service where the work of the fields is indeed a desire for you. Why must you always think that I would withhold any good thing from you my precious ones? Choose your path from your heart, your passion, and your desires…..your dreams will indeed lead you rightly….I guide you by many ways if you stop long enough to hear me….listen my child…..listen….but moreover…..accept My love for you, throw away the lies that you will take the wrong roads, or I don’t want a joy filled life for you, you were created to fellowship in the promises I have for you….for I am here to guide you and with as much pleasure as your Dh has in treating you, I delight in guiding you, seek Me, listen to Me, follow Me……your peace will be My guiding you”
Surprise surprise…..God knew exactly my struggle. Do I accept a new road that involves writing? Do I take on a different road that involves facilitating? Do I search for yet another dream that is in an entirely different direction? Its been a time of wondering which path set before me is “the” path. It turns out God is giving me carte blanche on the choice at hand…..of the three, He wants ME to choose. For me to follow my heart…. How amazing is that?
My Dh and I used to have long non understanding conversations of why God speaks to me as He does. He prays and walks with God, yet he never seemed to hear the way I do, conversational times with God……then lately he chose to ask God himself. “Why do you talk so clearly to her” God’s reply…..to Dh the first time in a way he understood the way I spoke about how God speaks to me…God clearly said to him (not in an audible voice, but in a clear understanding of “hearing” it in his thoughts) “Because that’s the way she learns and listens to me……you haven’t asked me to use the 2 x 4 method of clearness like she did….each person has to “hear” me in the way they desire to….she asked me to boldly talk to her” Funny thing once again, I asked God for that for the last two years and low and behold God answered. The Bible tells us we must ask for Him. Even Jesus had to ask the people he healed what they wanted from him. Whether it be sight, legs, whatever, I’m sure the Christ Jesus knew their need, but the rules somehow work so that if we don’t ask, we don’t receive once we’re in Christ. Jesus assures us to ask in His name, that we have not because we ask not….that two or more asking in His name and it shall be done.
Dang, aren’t I glad I didn’t ask Him to come and show Himself in His glory to me……It probably would have sent this silly girl scrambling to the hills of Alabama in amazement of his Glory…..no silly girl that I am asked “Please….Please….I simply need you to speak boldly to me in ways that I can in no way mistake what you are saying and help me understand your desires for my life, take a 2 x 4 to me if you must but I need your presence” and within weeks of praying that prayer and thanking Him for the answer, God’s presence took on a whole new level of result……He became a more personally present in my daily moments God, one who shares each step of the day with me in a whole new level….He teaches me, He comforts me, He opens my eyes to new understanding of old learnings, He plans with me, He encourages me, He gives me insights to situations….and regularly, as in almost daily now…..He wakes me at 3:58 a.m. to spend alone time with me and His word. God is good isn’t He? And He cares so much for your joy, your work and the details of your lives….
Do you want a closer walk with your Creator? Answers to your needs, Direction for your life?
God is God and He still is your personal Savior…..and He is as near as your desire to be with Him and your willingness to surrender to His leadings.
Honestly, this is the first message I have heard in a very long time, that actually “spoke” to me!!!
Once upon a time, I had the most wonderful relationship with my Lord & Savior. I could actually say it was the most intimate relationship; as I felt His presence everywhere I went; heard Him speak to me every moment of every day; and learned something new from Him every single day.
It was during a time in our lives that we were confronted with a pretty heavy struggle; and some major decisions to make.
I had to leave home and find a job to help us out financially. Little did I know that the job I took would take so much more away from me!
I lost that relationship with the Lord. That intimate “I know that I know that I know” kind of relationship with Him.
I have yet to gain it back, sad to say. It’s my own fault though. I have made choices above and beyond my quiet time with Him, and have found many ways that I do not put Him first.
I’m working on it though. Henceforth, one of the reasons I reduced my cleaning business to 3 days a week. My next project is to step away from the computer more often. I find that the computer truly does take more of time away from Him, than anything else in my life. I am needing to work on that on a deeper level.
Thank you so much for the wonderful reminder of a lost time I once had with Him, and for putting that yearning back into me to find that relationship once again!
~~ Christi