Devotional Christian Poetry: Recent Episodes

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Heart Talk . . .

How's your inbuilt referee?

Blowing the whistle

to get your attention?

The self corrector works

if we listen to hear . . .

Did you hear that?

Every situation it monitors

giving readouts.

How wonderfully it works

impartially keeping its eye on . . .

highlighting specks and logs, and

blind spots we need to see.

Such a wonderful protector

guiding us on journeys

of discovery.

Listen to your Heart . . .

It Won't Let You Down.

Reflection

If you suffer from any type of heart disease, managing it involves regular Dr's visits and pills. Your physical activities are hindered and no matter how good your fitness levels are, these conditions monitor your daily life.

Spiritually, the subject of heart dis-ease is an issue we all suffer from, though probably, don't want to admit to. It will manifest in different ways and times depending upon the circumstances which test it.

I recently asked God if I had forgiven a person who had done me wrong and God assured me I had, but, I had closed my heart. I thought I was over that whole situation because I had forgiven but found there was more work to be done.

It's amazing how science has produced tools to monitor our Heart rate, blood pressure, sugar levels, cholesterol and the information collected goes on record with our Dr. Medical records!

The status of our spiritual heart is often measured by what proceeds from our mouth or our responses to the tests of everyday life. Those present for the test see or hear the results and it goes on record in their memory. For us we get an instant readout and if we are listening to hear, we identify trends of behaviour identifying a certain heart condition.

The great thing is our referee is impartial and just reports the facts, good or bad, without emotion. We can become emotional about the facts we have to face and so can the recipients of our behaviours, but facts are facts. When a certain response continues to manifest, it reveals something is wrong and needs our attention. This is the time we need some Heart-Searchery. This is best done with the Holy Spirit doing the work.

I John 3:19‭-‬21 NKJV

And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.

Our heart is our inbuilt referee of life and is on duty 24/7! Here's the thing, when the referee blows the whistle to alert us, will it fall on deaf ears? Heart-Searchery is the ability to have ears to hear what it's saying and not just to hear but take action. Referring back to my story about forgiving and finding out my heart was closed, the next question is to find out how to open it again.

We are all in this boat together and having the heart to share with each other, the process and progress we are making is one of the most encouraging things we can do.

Questions

# - Can you identify your referee and have you developed your listening ears which hear? Are you Journaling your progress?

# - Heart-Searchery, do you do it and treat it like weeding the garden? What do you do with the weeds?

# - Have you evaluated the segments of your heart and have you defined them?

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Searched . . .

Truths light searches

my heart chambers

as thoroughly as I allow.

The living lamp flushing

deep crevasses as the

Words read me

as I read them . . .

a reciprocal phenomenon!

Revelation and light

lift my feet.

They quicken my step

to tread new paths.

Words are the lamp . . .

Lighting My Pathway.

Reflection

I remember a conversation I had with a friend, years ago, about reading scripture. We discussed the reading plans we were using, the meaningful habit we both were doing and the revelations we received. It was a healthy discussion and very insightful.

I don't know what prompted me to make the following statement but it was unrehearsed and was almost nonchalantly said. I said that "I have discovered that I don't read the Bible, it reads me!"

We both laughed at the time, then started to take a deeper look at what was said. The ensuing discussion was very revealing because it challenged the purpose and habit of our reading plans. Sometimes an objective look at what we habitually do is a very healthy exercise.

The wonderful outcome of this discussion, which took some weeks to complete, was that we became far more aware and awake to ourselves and these words on the page. When I say the words read me, it's like they search my motives and heart and the ways I react or respond to what I am reading at the time.

I start to relate to how these words make me feel because these words affect my heart. They cause me to dig deeper and ask questions of myself. For example, when God quickens a verse related to what you are presently reading, often it moves the reader to a new experience. I enjoy it when God invites me to a deeper experience with Him because I know there is always more to experience in Him.

Imagine reading a chapter of text which becomes very personal as you identify with the message. The words can convey an invitation to you which actually sets you on an investigatory path to discover more.

Something I have started doing this year is reading a different translation during my devotional times. I have chosen the Passion Translation, and am amazed by the accurate way Brian Simmons has so beautifully translated the original text. He has put it into relatable language and I find it causes me to search into deeper understanding, thus really drawing me into God's heart.

If there is one simple message for us all it's that God wants a one on one relationship with each of us individually.

Here's His invitation.

This is why the Scriptures say: Things never discovered or heard of before, things beyond our ability to imagine — these are the many things God has in store for all his lovers.

1 Corinthians 2:9 TPT

Questions

# - What do you think about the statement "I don't read the Bible the words read me"? Give it some deeper thought.

# - I don't intend to be offensive but are you stuck in one translation of the Bible and can't read any other one, if so why?

# - How deeply do you allow the light of truth to search your innermost heart? Do you respond to the leading to the new path?

Some Verses

The spirit God breathed into man is like a living lamp, a shining light searching into the innermost chamber of our being.

Proverbs 20:27 TPT

Truth’s shining light guides me in my choices and decisions; the revelation of your Word makes my pathway clear.

Psalms 119:105 TPT

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The Eyes Of . . .

God’s eyes search

to show Himself strong

on behalf of . . .

Have you ever mused

about what He's

looking for?

His favorite search is for

Hearts . . .

Ones loyal to Him.

The ones who above all

seek to do His will.

He will fortify

and come to their aid.

Strengthening them . . .

To Conquer!

Reflection

I am always searching for the wonderful clues God leaves us in His word. When He shares a clue, it always seems to have confirming scriptures and testimonies of how He backs up those who put these clues into action.

I am always challenged by the litmus tests of my heart as I respond or react to life's curveballs. When faced with any challenge, it's great to know how our responses reveal our hearts.

Responding in the flesh or spirit is immediately revealed to us as we go through these situations. In the above poem, which was written from the passage in II Chronicles 16:9 NKJV, we read how God searches and backs up thosewhose hearts are loyal to Him.

God knows us completely in every way and responds to our heart's whispers and thoughts in unique and unusual ways. There have been times when I have imagined something which only God could cause to happen and I just imagined it and didn't pray and ask Him about it.

A couple of weeks later the thing I imagined happened! I was God-smacked with what happened and couldn't stop smiling about the entire event. Other people have shared similar experiences with me. This sort of occurrence really underscores the words in Ephesians 3:20 Amplified version

Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us,

God searches for hearts and when we read through Psalms, we read about the emotional roller-coaster of a man whose heart is recorded in scripture; God raised up David to be king, for God said of him, ‘I have found in David, son of Jesse, a man who always pursues my heart and will accomplish all that I have destined him to do.’

Acts 13:22 TPT

This is an amazing verse when you consider the documented journey about David. It gives us great comfort to read between the lines that we can identify with David and his transparency about his life.

2022 I believe is a year for us as believers to draw closer to God Himself with our relationship to personalize it in a far deeper way. Don't fear Him searching your heart, instead, open it wide for Him.

Questions

# - Have ever spent time meditating on what God looks for and is seeking IN US not from us?

Can you list scripture that highlights this?

# - Can you identify times when you have imagined …… only to have it happen soon after?

# - Do you draw comfort from the life of David as expressed in the Psalms as you identify with his responses and reactions?

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The Quest . . .

Born again into . . .

Discovering the ultimate

relationship of mystery

and wonder.

To KNOW You, as we dance

with the music and rhythm

of life.

Your intricate nuances

we experience as

You reveal Yourselves.

Three parts of ONE,

each unique and complimentary.

You hold us to your heart,

and we discover

the Oneness You desire

as we . . .

Hide Ourselves In You!

Reflection

Welcome to the new year of 2022. It's a new year in the journey of eternity and also a new challenge to explore and experience deeper levels of relationship with God.

Have you ever really identified what you were Born Again into? Was it to a new belief systemically broken up into different theologies or doctrinal flavors, or did you meet the person of God? Here's the thing, most of us meet the person of God and then learn how to walk with a system or a doctrinal vision.

I remember when I was first Born Again and one morning as I walked across the paddock to bring the cows in for milking, God spoke to me. He made this statement, "Now you have the choice to either walk with Me or walk with the church". I was only about 4 weeks old in my faith and had no idea what He meant. As an exuberant young believer I responded with a question, "What does THAT MEAN", because I had not been introduced to all the hoops I had to jump through.

God then said something I have never forgotten. "If you walk with Me you will have trouble with the church and if you walk with the church you will have trouble with Me!" Unfortunately, because of my personal insecurities of needing to be accepted, I learned how to do both.

The more we discover God and His many nuances, the fire inside of us is ignited to know Him more. The relationship we personally have with Him is enhanced by His word and our experience of Him grows.

Have you ever immersed yourself in the scriptures and really asked God to make them a reality to you? Have you experienced verses like Eph 3:20 as is written in the amplified version?

Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us,

Ephesians 3:20 AMP

I love the words "dare ask or think" because it's almost like we are too timid to ask and prove God at His word.

Ultimately, as believers, we grow to a place where we desire more and more of Him. The experience of knowing Him becomes deeper and we become dissatisfied and empty, engaging in religious activities that have proven to be shallow.

When Paul was writing to the Philippian church, in verse 9+10 he writes

and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,

Philippians 3:9‭-‬10 NKJV

A word study of the word to Know, is the Greek word Ginosko which means having a personal experience, i.e., to personally, intimately, and experientially know something. We aren’t called to understand God, and if you try to understand God you will go mad. Instead, we are called to Ginosko Him (to experience Him in a personal and intimate way).

When reading through the above 2 verses, Paul is being transparent with them and explaining the deeper relationship he personally is longing for and encourages us to do the same. This letter to the Philippian church is one of encouragement to experience God one on one.

There are some challenging words in verse 10, I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings. These words, the fellowship of His sufferings, are the poignant reminder of the feelings of God. Have you ever considered God's feelings?

We receive brief hints and invitations all the way through scripture. We also hear the yearning of His heart for us to Know Him. We then discoverthat His ways and thoughts are much higher than ours.

Here is one of those invitations tucked into the Psalms.

But many blessings are waiting for all who turn aside to hide themselves in him!”

Psalms 2:12 Passion Translation:

Questions

# - What were you Born Again into and have you truly analyzed who you are walking with?

# - Explain to yourself what it means to "hide yourself in Him" and write it down as a reference for the future.

# - What does Philippians 3:9+10 look like for you and is your desire to Know God in a deeper way in 2022? Write this in your diary as well.

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Here is a testimony today of a Poem God asked me to write. He dictated it to me and, as you listen, you will hear the consequences of what happened.

It never ceases to amaze me What God does and how His love reaches out to us no matter what our circumstances or state of heart we are in.

Enjoy.

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As One . . .

In perfected unity

Head and Heart become ONE.

Respecting and honoring

divinely designed differences.

The simultaneous equation

of marriage . . .

where both sides

cancel themselves

yet equal the same!

Unity on steroids where

deferring to each other

and making space

is normal practice.

One investigates the other feels

Now . . .

Both Understand!

Reflection

God knew what He was doing when He created man and woman and it's significant the woman was created from a man's rib. I'm sure there has been much debate over which side the rib was taken from. Regardless of which side the general agreement is, the rib was taken from an area close to the heart.

Essentially, both need each other as they balance the other. We all need balance in everything in life. I use the analogy of the sport of lawn Bowls where an individual Bowling ball has a bias on one side by design. When it's released from the hand it has a "borrow" on it which causes it to roll on an arc towards the target of either the small white Jack or another ball.

If the intention is to break up the collection of the other Bowls around the Jack, the bowler holds the Bowl at right angles to the biased side. This cancels the borrow and the Bowl can be driven at the target and when released, it goes straight where it's aimed.

A man, the Head, by design is a thinker, problem solver, fix it person who is generally unemotional in his response to situations. On the other hand a woman, the Heart, feels life and struggles to articulate or be able to explain how she feels. They then point fingers at each other rather than combine their innate abilities to discuss their issues. Simple questions like, what do you think about this and the other, how do you feel or how does this feel, should be part of anydecision making process.

Back to the analogy, the same Bowl has two parts designed into it to perform different functions. Here's the thing, looking at a game of Bowls, tactics of drawing the shot or driving it are all invested in the same Bowl. The wonderful aspect of this is when a couple can identify and appreciate their oneness, they become very powerful and more productive as One!

In the poem, I use the analogy of a mathematical term, a Simultaneous Equation. This analogy can be used the same way as the design of the Bowl and I deliberately compare them so you get the full picture.

Oneness can be used for many different applications and circumstances, and when you understand the principle and how it works the possibilities are endless.

Questions

# - Which analogy helped you understand the principle of Oneness?

# - Do you now understand the design differences and can you embrace them together and see the balance you need each other for? How will you incorporate that principle in your problem-solving strategies?

# - Can you imagine how having a new respect for each other is going to bring a new deeper relationship to you both? Explain to each other how that will look like and work.

Genesis 2:24 AMP

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall become united and cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

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A Part or Apart . . .

A part of a body and

uniquely yourself.

The singular corporate self.

We are BOTH . . .

that's the truth!

A part of something bigger

with our special contribution

making up the whole!

We can't go it alone

even if we want to jump ship.

Going for a ride in a Whale

is not the way forward.

We NEED EACH OTHER.

What can I give or say,

who will listen,

where do I fit?

Being part of a whole,

though both are fractured,

is learning how

to join the dots . . .

Of Humility!

Reflection

This poem is a deliberate play on words that contrast a truth about or relationship WITH aspectsof life and people. I talk about relationships WITH because we are one body of Christ as scripture teaches us.

Have you ever considered yourself as being part of a movement?

One of the biggest challenges we face is being accepted and received in the circles we mix in. This also includes acceptance in the families we marry into and the Churches we flow in. It doesn't take too many knockbacks from any individual or group before we start to see ourselves as misfits.

When this comes to our relationship with God, often we struggle with the issues of our life we are working through that stops us from receiving or accepting God's love for us. We feel unworthy and put all kinds of barriers of yes buts between us and God.

The following verse reveals the heart of God towards every one of us. We are adopted and as the NKJV states, we are accepted IN THE BELOVED!

Ephesians 1:5‭-‬6 TPT

For it was always in his perfect plan to adopt us as his delightful children, through our union with Jesus, the Anointed One, so that his tremendous love that cascades over us would glorify his grace —for the same love he has for the Beloved, Jesus, he has for us. And this unfolding plan brings him great pleasure!

Ultimately we need to develop an honest opinion and an inner security about ourselves. I believe the knockbacks drive us into the heart of God to find our security in Him. The sooner we develop this security and find our identity IN CHRIST the better we are for it.

Something I want to highlight to you is the wonderful English language we use. The word part of means, that which involves a person in a particular role or situation, probably we could use the word included here. When I use the word apart this as an adjective means separation from. We are part of the whole body of Christ and scripture uses very descriptive words and examples to highlight and demonstrate this. In Romans 11:19 + 23 the horticultural term grafted in is used.

If the words, apart are used, we could substitute the words not included. I know that this could be viewed as being pedantic but I wanted to make the distinction.

Questions

# - Do you know in your heart that you are accepted in the Beloved or is this just information?

# - Have you experienced being apart from your group because of a difference in doctrine or experience with your faith? How do you handle this emotionally?

# - When meeting someone who has different revelations about the faith you share, how readily do you accept their differences? Do you become accepting, opinionated or judgemental about this and possibly place them in the "apart" box?

When it comes to marriage we marry our wife or husband and inherit the relatives. Unfortunately, we may not be accepted as an acceptable suit in other family members' eyes. This can lead to a future of conflict and constant distracting discussions.

Rather than it becoming a point of division, prove to all the family your love and commitment to each other regardless of their opinions.

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I've Got This . . .

It's not for you

to make it happen!

Yours is to dream Big

and Believe.

Think about this . . .

You can do nothing

without Me.

We each have our part to play

and it's your turn first!

How audacious are you?

Have your mindsets

tripped you up

when it matters most?

If you pray believing . . .

The battle is Mine!

You do your part

then leave the rest to Me.

I've Got This!

Reflection

Audacity is either the product developed from experience or is the result of a heart which is prepared to dare and believe. Both are acceptable and the example I will use is David when he was a shepherd out in the desert.

He had to protect his father's sheep from the wild animals and learned all about how God would protect and deliver him from any danger. From these experiences during his education with God out in the wilderness, he learned all about God and his own ability to work with God. Once he learned these precious lessons he knew implicitly that God would protect him in every situation. When he went on an errand for his father to deliver food to his brothers on the battlefields and experienced the challenge made to the Israeli army by Goliath, all that experience kicked in!

This whole story is summarised in 1 Sam chapter 17. There are some very significant pieces in this story that relate to the confident audacity David had.

My prompting and insight for this poem was inspired by a verse I read this morning.

Ephesians 3:20 AMP

Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us.

There are some significant keywords in this verse and therein is the invitation to every one of us. These words, dare ask, beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams, are amazing. WOW, imagine receiving such words in a personal invitation!

I'm sure when you were a child your friends challenged and dared you to do something scary, weren't you? So now I dare you to ask God and believe for what you are asking Him.

Years ago, when I was a very young Christian and was milking cows, I read a testimony about a minister stopping the rain falling on his outdoor meeting.

I believed if he could do that, God could give me some rain, so I could have lots of grass to feed my cows over the impending dry summer. So, in faith, I "ordered 6 inches of rain" on a certain date. The day was 10 days away so I could prepare the farm to receive it. I had to top some of the paddocks so the grass would come away fresh. I also had to block our main drain so the pump wouldn't drain the farm.

On the big day, I was getting the cows for milking and there was not a cloud in the sky! I looked up to heaven and asked the question, "Hasn't anyone heard me? Today's the day when I get my 6 inches of rain I Have Ordered!" I continued throughout the day giving thanks for the rain. The rain started falling late in the afternoon and rained all night. The next morning before getting the cows, I checked the rain gauge and exactly 6 inches had fallen! I did a very thankful and happy dance.

I believe I was filled with faith by reading someone's testimony and applied that faith when I ordered the rain. From that day onwards, I continued to pray for rain when the farm needed it. When we moved on to another farm, our pastor told the congregation that he couldn't wait for us to leave the district because the weather will improve once we go!

What would you DARE ASK OF GOD?

Ephesians 3:20 NKJV

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

As a young Christian, I didn't even know that verse existed, but went with the faith I had in the testimony. I encourage you to read and meditate on the above verse and let it sink down into your spirit so it's permanently there for you. Read it in as many translations as you can because different translations say the same thing in different ways and that will pop for you. I have also found if you put yourself in the story or the scripture, it will have more meaning for you. Imagine yourself as David running to confront goliath, or Gideon taking thousands of men to drink water, then picking out 314 of them?

Ephesians 3:20 is an amazing verse to meditate on every day!!

Questions

# - Have you ever written down your wildest dreams or are you too scared to? Why?

# - What is your audacity level score between 1 - 10?

# - Heb 11:1 Is the definition of faith as we know it, are you dreaming BIG or selling yourself short? It's time to take your life back and speak something into being and prove God at his words!

"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

John 15:5 NKJV

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https://wordsaboutyou.com/words/

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You Wait . . .

You know us through

and through,

every hair we have,

accounted for.

Created in your image.

Oh the potential . . .

Freewill is given

to do or not to do.

We wait, You wait

without judgment

You watch.

Musing . . .

you celebrate us

as we fulfill our

desires and destinies.

You are . . .

Watching over our

culminating experiences.

Meeting us . . .

At the doorway

Of Our Faith!

Reflection

Over many years of listening to sermons and reading scripture, I muse over the interpretations we develop about God. During the exciting times of sharing the revelations we receive, these are being recorded and written as we share them, Mal 3:16.

Our ongoing understanding of God is continuously being unveiled to us as we experience Him. The richness of His word and these experiences undergird our belief. Reading David's life through the Psalms and books of Samuel, we witness a man who struggles with the same issues we have while relating with God. This enthralling relationship unfolds and highlights all the emotions David experiences.

God is very patient with David. He listens to his complaints, arguments, and praises and we get the sense that God enjoys David's journey.

Have you ever realized God celebrates you and enjoys the outworking of your life? Here's a scripture that helps us to understand that He does this.

Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV

The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

I was reading this verse recently and one line was highlighted and popped out at me; He will quiet you with His love! This one line is a beautiful reassurance of the security we grow into as we individually experience Him. Can you visualize God rejoicing over you with singing when we are taught that we are to rejoice over Him with praise and worship?

I believe our concepts of God change markedly the more we experience Him. Imagine how David must have felt asking the priest for the Showbread to feed his hungry men?

So the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the showbread which had been taken from before the Lord, in order to put hot bread in its place on the day when it was taken away.

I Samuel 21:6 NKJV

Jesus even mentioned it.

But He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him: how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?”

Mark 2:25‭-‬26 NKJV

David did something that was unlawful but was approved by God for doing it. He broke the rules and had the right heart.

Here's another example of the rules being broken. This criminal joined Jesus in paradise because his heart was changed.

Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

Luke 23:39‭-‬43 NKJV

God’s ways are not our ways

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.

Isaiah 55:8 NKJV

Here's a tip for you; Often we try to get our head around God to understand Him when we really just need to get our heart around Him and relish your fellowship with Him.

Questions

# - How often do you share your revelations with your friends and get excited?

# - Are you reassured by your ongoing experiences with God rather than just gathering more information about Him? Explain what effect this has on your faith.

# - When you are next sharing with your friends about your revelations, how about discussing how God rejoices over each of us with singing and discuss Zephaniah 3:17?

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A Blessing . . .

I bless you

as a priest would

with vibrant spiritual life.

To be aware and awake

to the spiritual realm.

Seeing it's reality

above the natural realm.

Relating to its fullness.

Being naturally spiritual

and spiritually natural.

Understanding . . .

the relationship of both

how they flow as one.

Having open hearing ears

to His whispers . . .

In The Silence.

Reflection

We can all be guilty of wanting to be constantly blessed by God's hand, with Him providing for our needs. There is a far bigger blessing waiting for us as we grow into our relationship with Him. In our earthly relationships with people, we grow in our understanding of them and become delightfully surprised as we discover more.

God is unable to be understood so please don't waste your time trying to. He can reveal Himself to us in stages as we grow in Him and these are such exciting times! Scripture gives us clues and promises which are like God wooing us with His love and at the same time drawing into His heart. Verses like 1Cor 2:9 are one of my favorites.

A quote from Isaiah 64: But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

I Corinthians 2:9 NKJV

I bless you with this Blessing that God will grant you what your eye has not seen nor your ears heard, nor has it entered your heart ALL the things which God has prepared and has in store for you because you LOVE HIM!

In blessing you with God revealing Himself to you, I am confident that God knows the exact timing and the special something He has prepared for you at this time. I can't think of any higher blessing I can bless you with than with God Himself!

God has so much in store for us to discover about Himself and everything around us. I once heard an excited preacher say this, and I'm sure it wasn't in his notes "this will take the yawn out of your Christianity!" Doing life with God is more than exciting and exhilarating, there's no single word to describe it in our English language!!

Have you seen this verse in the scripture and mused on what would be written down and recorded when you next discussed the latest revelations you have had from God with your friends?

Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, And the Lord listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the Lord And who meditate on His name.

Malachi 3:16 NKJV

These beautiful scriptures are the nuggets of gold He writes between the lines of our relationship that we have as individuals. Talk about exciting!!

Questions

# How would you describe your developing experience and relationship with God in 2 sentences?

# Are you excited about having a continuing revelation of all that He has in store for you and the things He is waiting to share? I dare you to write a short letter to God about this!

# Have you received the blessing that I have blessed you with from the scripture? Here it is again for you.

Addendum

One more time

I bless you with this Blessing that God will grant you what your eye has not seen nor your ears heard, nor has it entered your heart ALL the things which God has prepared and has in store for you because you LOVE HIM!

I Bless you with this Blessing in the name of Jesus. Amen!

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Anchors . . .

Emotional mood swings

continuously assault me

causing introspection,

the what if's and why's.

The what I am's and not's,

asking healthy questions.

What is my rock

a relationship or a belief?

What communion do I have

with either of them?

Relationships have seasons

and life.

Beliefs are dictatorial

having little heart.

Rules versus heart . . .

We get to choose

Which Will Be Our Anchor?

Reflection

During our times of the different emotional turmoils we experience, our life anchors are often challenged. These challenges disrupt our moods and cause much introspection which can be very positive.

I say this because these times ask questions. Questions about our core beliefs and the practical outworking of our faith. I remember like it was yesterday, a time 40 yrs ago when as a new believer, God speaking to me. He made one of those statements which had an inbuilt question attached!

He said "Now you can choose to either walk with Me or walk with the Church". Because I was a new believer and didn't know how the system worked, I asked what He meant? He said "If you walk with the Church you will have trouble with Me and if you walk with Me you will have trouble with the Church!"

I have never forgotten that encounter. When that statement is analyzed it questions us about our Anchors. What or who is your Anchor? Is it your direct relationship with God or your relationship with a church system or doctrinal belief? During these uncertain times do you have your peace or are you in pieces?

I'm not saying this to upset you in any way, rather I am asking the question to find out how honest you are with yourself. 40 yrs ago God gave me that choice to make about who I will walk with, and to be totally honest with you I did both. I had some issues of my own insecurity and wanted to be accepted by my fellow believers. I didn't want to be one who was a rebel or questioning sheep.

What God spoke to me 40 yrs ago still stands today. There is a very powerful passage in Psalm 91:7

A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you. I have heard psalm 91 called "the little Red Hen Psalm" because it reveals God's protection over us. The revelation of this fact of God being our protection and protector gives us security and our place of peace during turbulent times.

If we ask ourselves good grounding questions inspired by scriptural truths, they ground our faith and keep us focused.

Questions

# What sort of questions do you ask yourself and what are the reasons you ask them? Discuss this with your spouse or close friend.

# How open and teachable are you to be really challenged about your anchors?

# What would be your response to God's statement question which He asked me above?

Addendum

It takes real courage and strength to walk against the flow of a river. When you stand against all logic and reasoned persuasion because you know God said something different to you, and you really knew it was God, you will need to protect yourself.

Scriptures like, Love never fails from 1 Cor 13 and this beautifully translated verse from Pro 15:1 will equip you and keep you on track.

Proverbs 15:1 Passion Translation

Respond gently when you are confronted and you’ll defuse the rage of another. Responding with sharp, cutting words will only make it worse. Don’t you know that being angry can ruin the testimony of even the wisest of men?

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Contradictions . . .

Opinions and Truth contradict.

Unfortunately, I listen to both!

Depending on

my ever-changing state,

I believe either one.

How ridiculous!!

Double-minded mnnnn?

Both affect me differently.

Not all facts are truth.

The truth stands against anything,

underscoring itself

revealing it IS the Truth.

The challenge . . .

Which one will I believe?

Truth Or Opinion?

Reflection

Everyday we are challenged with information, opinions and the truth. When we honestly sort out the differences between each of these it can be confusing. Each of these represents an opportunity to assess ourselves. The good thing about this is the opportunity to self-correct and do some psychological house cleaning.

During these sessions, which incidentally can be seasons, self assessments are very healthy. Asking questions of or about yourself is soul-searching and can be intimidating. Truth is challenging, because often it asks WHY!

The "Why do you do, or think or believe ….?" questions. The answers we come up with to these questions can shock us as we speak them out.

For example, God says He loves you and many immediately ask Why, how can He when I'm not …… God's love is unconditional and that's uncomfortable for us to accept because of our lifetime of conditional programming. So the question then changes to become, which is the truth,and can you, or will you believe it?

Truth ultimately wins. I say ultimately because sometimes it's a journey to get there after dealing with any issues blocking your believing that truth. Here's the thing: truth is truth and we don't have to understand it but we do have to accept it.

Let's take another example, gravity. Do you understand gravity? You could get a scientist to explain it at length or you could just accept it as the truth. If you challenged the truth of gravity by jumping off a high building, your experience would prove gravity is real.

Getting back to the truth that God loves us is my point for today. God is LOVE, period! Scripture state's this in 1 John 4:8 TPT

The one who doesn’t love has yet to know God, for God is love.

The results of His Love for us is further demonstrated here.

Psalms 117:2 TPT

For he has conquered us with his great love, and his kindness has melted our hearts. His faithfulness lasts forever, and he will never fail you. So go ahead, let it all out! Praise Yah! O Yah!

Psalms 40:11 NKJV

Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord; Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me.

After reading this verse how could you not respond to Him and face up to your own unbelief or deceptions. I know that deception is a strong word to use and I am using it because God challenged me once about being deceived, hence I pass it on.

The last part of the above word is wonderful. David recognizes God’s Love and Truth and asks God to let these preserve him. What a beautiful request he makes for himself.

Questions

# Have you ever prayed for God to preserve you with His Loving kindness and Truth? Will you begin to do this?

# How do you understand how God will preserve you this way? Are you open to God challenging you with truth because He Loves you?

# Scripture is a litmus test for us and when we allow scripture to read us, explain how you respond to the truth as it speaks with you?

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I See Now . . .

From a different perspective

I now see.

Without blinkers

seen through revelational eyes.

By faith I step into

where I am,

not

where I am going!

My view is now from truth!

I have stepped up

having died . . .

To This World.

Reflection

Often when we are presented with truth, instead of believing this applies to us here on earth, we see this as our heavenly future. At the time we are born again, we enter into a new place of spiritual authority WITH HIM.

Unfortunately, standing in this truth of having authority with Him is something many are trying to get their head around. The truth is we are to accept and apply what scripture reveals to us. We gather our knowledge and revelations as we grow in our faith.

I have deliberately taken 2 translations of Eph 2:6 to help to get the basic truth across.

Ephesians 2:6 NKJV

and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Ephesians 2:6 TPT

He raised us up with Christ the exalted One, and we ascended with him into the glorious perfection and authority of the heavenly realm, for we are now co-seated as one with Christ!

In the last line of the poem, there lies the clue to understand the truth of what happens when we are born again. Our old life becomes redundant, and we begin our new life in Christ. Old things shall pass away!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

II Corinthians 5:17 NKJV

The continual transition we enter into is the renewal of our minds and the way we think. I say this because it's a gradual process which happens over time and the culmination of the revelation you have received from God.

and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,

Ephesians 4:23 NKJV

Now it’s time to be made new by every revelation that’s been given to you.

Ephesians 4:23 TPT

It's a revelation to know something rather than to know about something. This is wholly based on your experiences with whatever has been revealed to you. When your friends tell you how much you have changed after you came to repentance, then you know this is not just a theory.

Don't condemn yourself if you know you haven't died to this world yet. I love the lyrics of the song "Turn your eyes upon Jesus". The line follows with this, "and the things of this world will grow strangely dim …". That's the truth and this continues until God takes you home.

Questions

# As you read through the poem, which lines did you find to be significant and why?

# Have you ever condemned yourself for not being enough or knowing enough, which affected your relationship with God? Did you feel distant from Him because of this?

# Can you please, for your own sake, stop condemning yourself and step into the truth and start seeing yourself seated with Him in heavenly places? How does it feel having new eyes?

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Loves Power . . .

Love never fails!

It can't . . .

It has no enemies!

So powerful

It forgives,

overlooks wrongs suffered,

never adds up any evil.

Is pure, patient and kind,

refuses to be jealous.

Not quick to take offense,

and joyfully celebrates honesty.

Never takes failure as defeat

and never stops loving.

The fruit . . .

of a life of pure motives

Graced And Empowered With Love.

Reflection

Whenever I ask anyone about how they feel when they read 1 Corr 13, most confess they are seriously challenged. That's probably an understatement! The whole subject of Love is something we all aspire to.

1 Corr 13, is a summary of the outworking or the fruit, Love bares. When a person reads through the list or they allow the list to read their life, instinctively the list is checked off. The person assesses how many they can relate to as working in their life.

Here's the thing: we often try to work these great characteristics and attributes into our lives and miss the mark of finding Love! Look at this another way, when you find Love and function in it, 1corr:13 is the fruit your life will exhibit. This doesn't work the other way around! I will use the analogy of an apple. An apple doesn't have to try to be an apple, it is one.

When you Love you don't have to try to be patient or forgiving, you just naturally do it. Scripture state's God is Love, I John 4:8 NKJV

He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

There is a teaching out there that says if you are busy loving people or being love to them then you are likened to being God to them. This is false teaching.

The power of love is confirmed and demonstrated by its fruit. When Jesus was asked the question about the greatest commandment here's His answer.

Matthew 22:36‭-‬40 NKJV

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

The interesting part of His reply is the last sentence. This last sentence really puts everything into perspective. When you LOVE God's way then you move into a place where there is no law against love, because LOVE fulfills all the laws!

This is a life-transforming revelation!

Can you imagine not having to try being anything because you are it?

Like my apple analogy, imagine an apple trying to become a banana?

Questions

# Be honest with yourself and write a list of all the attributes of love listed in 1 Cor:13 you would love to be?

# Have you ever had a revelation of the truths from the scripture in Math 22:36 - 40?

# How does it feel to know that when you have God's love permeating in your heart, you don't have to try to be loving, you just are loving?

Some more scripture translations of the same verse.

Romans 5:5 TPT

And this hope is not a disappointing fantasy, because we can now experience the endless love of God cascading into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who lives in us!

Romans 5:5 NKJV

Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Romans 5:5 AMP

Such hope [in God’s promises] never disappoints us, because God’s love has been abundantly poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

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Love IS . . .

KIND . . .

Considerate and thoughtful,

always thinking about

significant little things.

Preparing the way

as if knowing every detail

making it smooth.

Affectionate and gracious

like an attentive waiter.

Soft, tender-hearted,

gentle and consistent

without favoritism.

Wearing a smiling invitation

which relaxes

yet beacons your heart . . .

To Trust.

Reflection

Kindness is another attribute which Love exhibits all the time and humanity usually recognizes this represented in any image of a doting Grandmother. Probably that's why she is called a Grand - mother :))

When she knows you are going to visit, she prepares your favorite cookies and cakes or anything she knows you Love! There is always something in the tins to enjoy.

Kindness is always attentive and courteously wants to serve your needs. When meeting kindness one almost feels obligated to receive from its vast treasuries of tactile care.

No matter what state a person is in when meeting kindness, there is the sense of no matter what your state is, when you are greeted, it's overlooked.

Life is a conundrum of experiences which unfortunately equip us to fight for our place in society rather than serve with our gifts and talents. The security we seek is found within our heart in who we KNOW we are.

Kindness serves with awareness and has the ability to discern needs and where possible provide them or direct them to the source.

In Joshua 2, there is an amazing story of Rahab who showed kindness to the scouts and cared for them. She knew who these 2 men were and asked for her kindness to be returned which saved her household. There are some awesome nuggets of truth written between the lines in that chapter.

Questions

# - Have you experienced the amazing attributes of kindness and received from its hand? Discuss the event.

# - In the story of Rahab, what did you learn from the outcome of kindness being presented? Did you notice the details she went to?

# - Kindness is also a fruit of the Spirit, Gal 5:22. This will be worked into you as Jesus is formed in you. Are you pursuing Him and experiencing and manifesting kindness as His change is working in you? How is this manifesting?

Love endures with patience and serenity, love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous or envious; love does not brag and is not proud or arrogant.

1 Corinthians 13:4 AMP

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Impressions . . .

What's an Impression

sound like?

Is it a feeling . . .

or a sense?

A fleeting shadow noticed?

It could be missed.

It gets your attention.

Even its whisper is heard

midst any commotion.

Impressions turn your head

while speaking into your heart.

Directing . . .

shining light

in your darkness.

Picture this,

without words they speak

1000 words!

Saying uniquely,

To Eyes That Hear!

Reflection

One phenomenon of hearing is hearing through your eyes! You may think I'm playing with words as I'm allowed to, but I'm not. This is a truism.

God has created us with various senses and feelings, which become our ears in many and varied situations. When reading the above poem, I show how we hear an impression. Impressions are heard with our senses.

If the impression comes as a fleeting thought amidst a great commotion then it will be loud enough to be heard. In an emergency, it may come as a shout. An impression can be a mere thought which we don't necessarily give any attention to. It can also be pictures or audible words.

Many years ago I was driving back from the rubbish dump and was following a slow truck on a winding road I knew well. I intended to pass the truck once I got around the corner so I selected a lower gear in preparation to quickly pass when it was safe. I was also totally preoccupied regarding some issues I had on the farm and was probably just driving on autopilot without much thought.

Once I had engaged the lower gear I was startled and arrested by a very strong impression which I believed were almost audible words. I believe God said, "if you pass this truck you will die"! In obedience I responded by changing my gear back and because I knew the road well, sat on the white line looking to see the reason why I got the message. Incidentally, the straight road ahead was clear and had no traffic on it.

I immediately stopped thinking about my farm issues and wondered why I was feeling arrested by this strong impression. It seemed it was safe to pass the slow truck because the road was clear, BUT, by this time my heart rate had increased! So rather than argue with my logical thoughts I continued to obey and observe.

Then it all became very clear to me. From a side road, which I had completely forgotten about, a speeding car came right over onto our side of the road. The truck swerved to avoid the car and had I overtaken the truck when I intended to, that car would have hit me side-on. There would have been no way to avoid a car wreck and I would have died.

Here's the lesson I learned. I had lived in the district for 10 years and knew the road very well, I thought!

Because I was so preoccupied with the issues on the farm I had totally forgotten about the sideroad. When my train of thought was interrupted, I felt the urgency of it and therefore listened and obeyed. My mind contended with the warning because I couldn't see any traffic on the straight road ahead. Impressions no matter where or when they come to you, will get your attention. It's as if they interrupt your train of thought and arrest you.

Here's the thing; when they do arrest you, listen to what they are saying no matter what form they come in.

Questions

# How many impressions have you been arrested by but ignored at the time? What were the consequences of not listening?

# Do you need to adjust your mindset to receive these messages from all the ways and formats they come to you in? How will you do this consistently?

# The principle of God speaking in many different ways will always leave a testimony or story for you to tell. Make a list of as many as you remember and be prepared to share them to encourage others.

Scriptures

For God [does reveal His will; He] speaks not only once, but more than once, even though men do not regard it [including you, Job].

Job 33:14 AMPC

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Verse 1 . . . Psalm 103

It's with deep Love

and affection,

from the depth of my soul,

I praise the Lord.

He is my every provision.

His name is above all names

high and lifted up

and His Glory covers

the whole earth.

His Compound Name

is like no other!

Everything is under . . .

The Umbrella Of His Name.

Bless and affectionately praise the Lord, O my soul, And all that is [deep] within me, bless His holy name.

Psalms 103:1 AMP

Reflection

When you study the depth of God's compound name, you will discover what His name means and identifies the completeness of everything He is. It will overawe you with the details of what His name represents.

Jesus encouraged us as His disciples to pray this way; Our Father … hallowed be your name, Math 6:9. This is often referred to as The Lord's prayer but it's actually the disciple's prayer because we were asked to pray after this manner. The spirit of what Jesus said is captured so beautifully here in The Passion Translation.

Pray like this: ‘Our Beloved Father, dwelling in the heavenly realms, may the glory of your name be the center on which our lives turn.

Matthew 6:9 TPT

This is the example prayer Jesus gave us to model.

Jesus prayed the "Lord's prayer" in John 17:6 - when He prays for us prior to His crucifixion and going to heaven. If you do a study on the points He highlights to us, it will transform how you live and pray.

Having a revelation of these principles is the reason I wrote in the last 2 lines of the poem

"Everything is under . . .

The Umbrella Of His Name."

Questions

# Have you ever studied the compound names of God and what they shall mean to your faith? How would you enhance your faith with the revelation of these facts?

# Were you aware of the preface Jesus gave us in Math 6:9, re praying using this model? How do you now understand the important differences between the 2 references to how Jesus prayed?

# How will you now view this Psalm considering its opening verse?

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Verse 1 . . . (Ps 139)

You are intimately acquainted

with my every part.

Inside and out . . .

You know me.

Your loving gaze muses

as You examine the potential

of my heart.

It's my creative wellspring

together we can . . .

You seeded me

with endless possibilities.

You smile approvingly,

Your loving eyes

continuously inspire me.

Well, Well, Well,

the Trinity of inspiration!

You watch . . .

To Draw From My Well.

Reflection

Psalm 139 is one of my all-time favorites because it unwraps David's revelation of how intimately acquainted he and God are. Every detail of his life is known and he rejoices in God about it.

This beautiful psalm continues to celebrate and highlight all the little nuances and situations David can use as examples. How wonderful it is that we have an even greater revelation of God because of what David expresses.

As you read through this Psalm, there are many inferences and prompts which point us to the huge potential our destiny has with God. This future is something to look forward to. The greatest revelation of that is the partnership we enjoy making this happen with God.

There's something wonderful about the Psalms. We read about a man who loves God and his eventful journey with all his personal challenges and victories and how he expressed these to God. We also read the historical accounts of this journey in the books of Samuel.

David is a conundrum to us, yet he's the only one whom God attributes as having a heart after God's own heart.

Acts 13:22 TPT

After removing him, God raised up David to be king, for God said of him, ‘I have found in David, son of Jesse, a man who always pursues my heart and will accomplish all that I have destined him to do.’

Here is the same verse in AMP version

Acts 13:22 AMP

And when He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king: of him He testified and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart [conforming to My will and purposes], who will do all My will.’

Here's the preamble when God removed Saul.

I Samuel 13:14 NKJV

But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

I Samuel 16:1 NKJV

I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons.”

These underlined words are very significant and will become a topic for another day.

If there is one attribute David would be world-famous for is his transparent honesty. We, the readers, are able to read between the lines and hear his heart's expressions as he expounds his appreciation to God. It's like he has the biggest AHA about how miraculously created he has been.

Questions

# Have you ever had a revelation about how miraculously you have been created? Which verse of Ps 139 has been significant to you?

# Scripture reveals in many places that we are unique and significant. Do you rejoice in God when you are down? Which Scriptures do you use to encourage yourself in the Lord?

# In the above poem, which lines are significant to you and why?

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We Are His . . .

You write us

as Your poetry.

We write ourselves

penned by our actions.

Destiny is within us!

The mystery of our future

we discover.

Others may see it . . .

we must have it revealed,

seen through aha moments.

Hard wired for our mystery,

we dance with our future . . .

Cheek to cheek

Stepping HIS song . . .

Waltzing With HIM.

Here's the verse I wrote the poem from.

We have become his poetry, a re-created people that will fulfill the destiny he has given each of us, for we are joined to Jesus, the Anointed One. Even before we were born, God planned in advance our destiny and the good works we would do to fulfill it!

Ephesians 2:10 TPT

Reflection

The beauty of language translation are the meanings of the root word. In this verse the root word for workmanship is Poema which is translated poem or poetry. When you have a revelation of poetries intricacies, the prophetic inferences here are beautiful and very colorful

God is amazing how he reveals Himself to us individually. There is such depth to our destiny and desires which we don't know are part of us. It's as if we discover ourselves as we walk life out and meet ourselves in the different circumstances of life. We are able to analyze and correct ourselves along the way, with God being our ultimate tutor through The Holy Spirit.

Here's one of my favorite verses, along with the 100,000 others :)), which describes this process.

I John 2:27 NKJV,

But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.

You can look at this another way. God and us write the script of our lives. All the twists and turns we go through either enhance or correct that script. That's the place where our lives have color and textures added to them and is the beauty of our mystery.

Imagine your life being painted by an artist using different paint mediums, brushes, and painting knives to etch character into your image. Some will be very bold and with deep color, which will be your main gifting or talent. Other parts will be feathered colors merged and mixed to highlight you as a person with the skill of the artist. This would be the ultimate portrait but not necessarily of your face.

There are many types of poetry writing styles and even mixtures of styles as well. Every one of them is unique as we are. Going back to the artist, imagine the variety of possibilities you would have if 100 artists were given the same project to paint your life?

There are so many rich possibilities invested in you to discover. Don't waste your time comparing yourself with others, find your own hidden treasures.

Questions

# God calls you His poetry, how has He written your script? Have you written it down yet?

# If you had to complete this sentence, what would we read? I am going to change the world with or by . . . . . (Fill in the blank)

# Do you enjoy the times of analysis and self-correction? How would you share this revelation with a young believer?

1 Corinthians 4:5 TPT

So resist the temptation to pronounce premature judgment on anything before the appointed time when all will be fully revealed. Instead, wait until the Lord makes his appearance, for he will bring all that is hidden in darkness to light and unveil every secret motive of everyone’s heart. Then, when the whole truth is known, each will receive praise from God.

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Invisibles . . .

Invisibles are what

people can't see through!

They are a veil

over what we see.

Your experiences

are the veils

you view life through.

Once relating

to the experience

of the veil

you have your

key to freedom!

Seeing both in proportion

to each other

the challenge and invitation

is, to see life

through the latticed veil . . .

Of LOVE.

Love NEVER fails,

Can You See Your Freedom?

Reflection

Have you ever looked through a lattice or a veil? When looking through any physical barrier, one's vision can be interrupted, or in this case, blurred through a veil.

When looking through an invisible, depending on what the invisible is, the thing being viewed is influenced by the experience you have had.

Let me explain. If you have a job to do which you are experienced at, no matter how difficult it is you see it as done. The invisible here is the culmination of your experience and no matter how awkward or bad that one is, to you it's done.

Here's another example. Looking through the compassion in your heart at a genuine homeless person, your response is generally one wanting to help.

If there have been bad experiences in the past regarding homeless people, the invisible veil one looks through changes. This invisible example, is one which can't be seen through because the negative experience becomes the veil.

When challenged by these situations generally the experience becomes a confrontation by the past experience overriding the compassion you are feeling. In the above poem, the challenge is to allow the experience of Love to continue to become the veil you see everything through.

Questions

# - Can you now understand how the experiences we have in life, either good or bad, become the veils we see through?

# - The veils we see life through often become our prejudice and have consequences in our own lives. How can you remove these veils permanently?

# - How could you establish Love to become the veil you see everything through? Check the verse below.

Jude 20 - 23 Passion

But you, my delightfully loved friends, constantly and progressively build yourselves upon the foundation of your most holy faith by praying every moment in the Spirit. 21 Fasten your hearts to the love of God and receive the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who gives us eternal life. 22 Keep being compassionate to those who still have doubts

Jude 1:20‭-‬21 NKJV

But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

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Two Parts Of One . . .

Wisdom . . .

One part

of the equation

is Wisdom,

the other

is Understanding.

Like a hand in a glove.

One is lost

without the other.

Experience

is the platform

where both are revealed.

Each unveils its power

harmonising in practice

as one.

Life's mysteries equate

dispelling

biased viewpoints

and . . .

Progressive change

Is Born.

Understanding . . .

Give your ears to it

listen with all of them!

Feel it, think it

and never stop drinking

from its fountains.

Walk the path

to it's vast treasuries.

Seek and never stop seeking

because . . .

On this path

will also be found

Wisdom . . .

They Are One.

Reflection

Wisdom and understanding go together and as believers, we are strongly encouraged to pursue and acquire both. One without the other is like a bird with only one wing, it can flap around but not fly.

Wisdom is the insight to know what to say, how to say it and to say it at the right time. No matter what the information or revelation is about, the question is, when is it the right time to share it?

Proverbs guides us again. A fool is considered wise when he says nothing in a conversation he can't contribute to. Pro 17: 28

Understanding is being able to articulate and explain the spiritual consequences and give insight to the revelation or information. In short, explaining where the information fits.

Questions

# - Do you now understand why these 2 are hand in glove with each other and work together?

# - Have you consistently sought out either one of these or both of them? If so how would you explain the importance of these to a new believer?

# - Could these both be seen and considered as the pearl of great price? I use the singular (pearl) because I see these both (Wisdom and Understanding) as one, how do you see them?

Proverbs 2, is worthy of reading for definition and implementation.

Proverbs 4:7 NKJV

Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.

Proverbs 4:7 AMP

The beginning of wisdom is: Get [skillful and godly] wisdom [preeminent]! And with all your acquiring, get understanding [actively seek spiritual discernment, mature comprehension, and logical interpretation].

Proverbs 4:7 Passion

Wisdom is the most valuable commodity—so buy it!

Revelation knowledge is what you need—so invest in it!

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The Story . . .

A written legacy

for his children.

The Shack . . .

Truth woven between the lines,

word tapestries

for the heart

Written by and from the heart.

Laying bare,

unveiling truth's enemy.

Exposing unwrapped lies

'neath layers

of unchallenged tradition

now . . .

with nowhere to hide.

A MUST to see!

Forcing a heart response

in crucibles

separating traditional dross.

Words written

To My Children

From MY Heart

To Every Generation

Now . . .

Until The End.

Reflection

When The Shack was released as a movie, to some, it brought healing and stability, to others it would be deemed to be blasphemous. The movie was certainly polarizing.

Something which it really did was stir up numerous discussions debating scriptural principles and boundaries. No matter which side of the debate you were on, the ambiance of the movie's questions, hang poignantly and for some, this movie still does.

The challenges and questions were very heart-searching. Regardless of the controversy, it stirred up, there were many moments of divine truth beautifully presented, which portrayed the relationship God wants to have with us individually.

Sometimes we humans need to expose ourselves to concepts which challenge our normals. When this happens we tend to stand our ground on what we believe. This movie is one which opens us up on different levels and challenges us to the core. Love it or hate it, let it's message be heard by your heart because that's where it will speak to you.

Even if you are caught in the controversy of doctrinal fine print, I believe there's a message for everyone. Movies have a way of visually confronting us on many levels. The Shack is such a one.

Questions

# - Have you seen this movie? If so, how did you respond to its messages and why?

# - What was the specific aspect or part of this movie which was a revelation to you and how did it affect you?

# - The last few lines of the poem are in red because this is the message from God to you as His child. What is your response as you reflect on the content of the movie and would you see it again?

Job 33:14 NKJV

For God may speak in one way, or in another, Yet man does not perceive it.

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My Echo . . .

My Word is sown

into the soils of hearts

scattered . . .

to find its place

as bread would be

cast upon the waters.

This Word is a seed,

having its own eternal life

never ceasing

to grow within.

In due time

it returns.

Accomplishing the works

it was sent to do.

Returning as an Echo

Back into . . .

His Own Heart.

Reflection

The Word Of God is a double-edged sword as the scripture states. Having cut between the flesh and Spirit it remains a constant reminder of it's truth.

It is the internal goad or prompt which guides our actions and speech if we listen to its voice. As a lamp it shows us the way in the darkness or comforts and anchors us during times of trouble.

It's also a marker post on the roadmap, as we travel to success and victory. When it returns having completed the work it was sent to do it continues to work as a testimony, which imparts faith in the hearts which hear it's message.

Something which I heard myself saying in a conversation was this; "I don't read the Bible, it reads me"! This, I believe to be true because there's a reciprocal process which goes on in my heart. The words prompt, goad and inspire me to respond and enquire of myself and my heart, asking questions of myself.

The amazing thing I notice, it's not condemning me but lifting me up. I feel inspired to go deeper and be more transformed that the Word be made flesh in me.

The Word is eternal and God never stops hearing the echoes of His Words as they continue to come home to roost! How much pleasure must this bring Him as His word returns back to Him having done it's work?

Questions

# - How long have you been waiting for your personal Word to come to pass? Where has it been planted?

# - Can you explain how the soil of your heart has been cultivated by this Word?

# - Can you now understand how God watches over His word to perform it and are you in this picture? Has the word read you personally if so how?

Proverbs 8:33 - 35 Passion Translation

33 Listen to my counsel, for my instruction will enlighten you. You’ll be wise not to ignore it.

34 If you wait at wisdom’s doorway, longing to hear a word for every day, joy will break forth within you as you listen for what I’ll say.

35 For the fountain of life pours into you every time that you find me, and this is the secret of growing in the delight and the favor of the Lord.

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Spheres . . .

I wonder where I fit?

Life's puzzle . . .

found in multiple Spheres.

The reciprocal pieces

where we fit . . .

to give and receive.

Paradoxical!

Sometimes to expose . . .

weaknesses or strengths!

Like iron sharpening Iron,

the sphere of clarification

or applause

for how far you have come.

Spheres are . . .

The Crucible Of Blessing!

Reflection

Finding yourself is a phrase which regularly comes up in our conversations. The truth is most

struggle knowing where they fit in this competitive world. Unfortunately, this problem drives the insecurities people live with.

Here's the thing; if you are looking for your place as if you were a missing piece in a puzzle you are probably there but don't know how to fit in.

As Christians we are first accepted IN THE BELOVED, Eph 1:5 + 6 Passion Translation. For it was always in his perfect plan to adopt us as his delightful children, through our union with Jesus, the Anointed One, so that his tremendous love that cascades over us would glorify his grace —for the same love he has for the Beloved, Jesus, he has for us. And this unfolding plan brings him great pleasure!

Here's another way for you to think about it: finding where you fit is about finding who you are and what you have to contribute. We are all Divinely gifted and those gifts and abilities fit in many places.

In the above poem I have mentioned being a contributor and a receiver. I also slip in the truth of being sharpened by other contributors. Another popular quote is that "we listen to speak not to hear". When receiving a contribution from others the challenge is to let ourselves be sharpened. To allow this to happen we must be able to hear.

Your job is one of those spheres. Sometimes we view our jobs as a prison because we don't like our job or the people we have to work with. This is where the crucible becomes very real.

I was having a conversation with a friend of mine who's a foreman in a local business. He has 2 very negative critical workmen he has to manage. Both these men are specialists at their jobs and are good workers.

We laughed at the difficult situation he faces daily by looking how he as a foreman is being sharpened by their iron. Ironically, no pun intended, he saw this situation as a time to test the fruit in his own life, rather than reacting to their negativity. No matter what sphere you are involved in, it's a place where you give and receive.

When receiving adjustments or corrections, although these may challenge you, think about them another way. Any of them should be gratefully received because they make you grow and mature.

Questions

# Have you been able to see a jigsaw puzzle as you being a piece which gives and receives from the pieces around you? How have you been receiving?

# Can you make a genuine list of the Spheres you are involved with and then categorize them to know your involvement?

# God can only do us good so how do you see the Spheres you are in as crucibles of blessings?

Some helpful verses

1 - It takes a grinding wheel to sharpen a blade, and so one person sharpens the character of another.

Proverbs 27:17 TPT

2 - This entire building is under construction and is continually growing under his supervision until it rises up completed as the holy temple of the Lord himself. This means that God is transforming each one of you into the Holy of Holies, his dwelling place, through the power of the Holy Spirit living in you!

Ephesians 2:21‭-‬22 TPT

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Comparisons . . .

Where is the source

of the light,

you stand-in?

From within or borrowed?

Will your light reach into

other's hearts

warming their soul?

Consider the Moon . . .

reflecting the light of the Sun,

lighting our path in darkness.

The Sun . . .

has no darkness, and

can't shine at night!

You will shine

in your spheres,

day and night.

How 'oft you shine,

lighting another's darkness

at appointed times . . .

Of Their Night.

Reflection

The question of what or who you reflect is a real one. Everyone reflects themselves in some unique way and unfortunately, we compare ourselves with others. This usually promotes competition and doesn't actually reflect the whole truth.

Humanity loves to compete rather than serve each other, and this is often from the root of insecurity that drives it. The poem asks about the light we stand in, whether it is borrowed or from within.

Once secure in ourselves, we stand in our own light and have the confidence to shine and light the path of another. This is an important moment when we understand our role and perform it humbly.

Here's one of the important facets of life which is often overlooked. We are all gifted with various gifts and abilities, which we perform naturally without thinking. I believe God has created us all to serve one another with these abilities. Rather than having an attitude of yourself as being the gift or ministry of that gift, try seeing yourself as one who serves humanity with your abilities.

When your service is rendered with humility, this will stop any competition or comparisons between any other parties. Your personal satisfaction comes out of your love for humanity, not your need for recognition because you have a gift. Consider Jesus; on many occasions before He performed a miracle, it is often written "filled with compassion" which reveals His Father's heart.

In the poem, I mention how the moon reflects the sun. I remember a sign written over every exit of the church's door. It read "if you were arrested for being a Christian how much evidence of this would be evident in your life to convict you?" This is the evidence of what we reflect from the transformations which are being lived out in our lives.

The security we have developed within ourselves is the benchmark we play our life from. We graduate from faking until we make it and step into the place of knowing who we are. Now the challenge is to walk it out with humility while serving our fellow man. Having these facets working together guarantees you will shine during your appointed times.

Questions

# How is your life a growing reflection of walking WITH God?

# What conclusions have you come to when analyzing the occasions when you have compared yourself with others? What effect has this had on your emotions?

# When you read the word serve, how does that word cause you to respond?

Be sure you give Archippus this message: “Be faithful to complete the ministry you received from our Lord Jesus!”

Colossians 4:17 TPT

As in water, the face reflects face, So a man’s heart reveals the man.

Proverbs 27:19 NKJV

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The last piece of the interview with Pastor Bob Thibodeau.

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This is take 4 of 5 episodes.

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This is take 3 of 5 episodes.

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Take 2 of 5 episodes.

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The next 5 episodes are extracts taken from an interview from the Kingdom crossroads podcasts with Pastor Bob Thibodeau.

They discuss how God started me writing Poetry.

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Hidden . . .

Like a dull axe

needing to be sharpened,

is the overlooked treasury?

Promises, Revelations,

Prompts, and Wisdom

incubating within you,

waiting for their time!

Borne in you

for such a time as this.

Hidden . . .

He brings to remembrance

EVERY WORD

He has spoken

relevant to its time.

His Wisdom

to hide the matter

that it may be . . .

Searched For!

Reflection

I continuously marvel at the many ways God speaks to us. Over many years of walking with Him, His word is ALIVE in my spirit. His sword is living and active with its double edge.

It's like a vault which we have continual access to within us. Paul talks about hitting the mark, and there is nothing more satisfying than a promise being fulfilled.

Remember Abraham, who waited for 25yrs until his promise came to pass! During the incubation of the promise, his journey had some fleshly diversions.

Take heart as you read of the many examples in scripture where people with similar issues common to man are found.

Years ago, I wrote out all the prophetic words I received and put them into a folder. God showed me that I had an unhealthy relationship with these and not with Him. He then quickened to me the verse below.

I burned my folder, and its contents. Since releasing that unhealthy relationship, God has never failed to bring those verses and prophecies back to me at the appropriate time.

Questions

# - When waiting on God to fulfill a promise, how much of your thinking is preoccupied with its fulfillment? Are you preparing for when the promise comes?

# - Have you ever experienced Jn 14:26 and was it perfectly timed?

# - Are the promises of Godbigger than you can do yourself? Can you fulfill these without His HELP?

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

John 14:26 NKJV

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Celebrate . . .

You have much to celebrate!

The contrast between . . .

what's perceived or experienced,

and the truths

you struggle to accept.

You are rejoiced over

in your present state!

Unconditionally.

So hard to get

your head around?.

It's not about your head,

it's about your heart.

Assurance is your peace

as you contemplate

the songs sung over you.

YOU are . . .

rejoiced over with gladness

while resting

in the FACTS

of your Salvation!

Meditate . . .

Deeply On This.

Reflection

The amazing journey when walking with God is the ongoing relationship and revelation we have with Him. Our relationship with Him predicates the revelations and experiences of His truths.

There are many examples in scripture of normal simple people who walked with God and experienced the promises they were given. These examples are there for us to take courage in and also to encourage us into the experiences which are there for us as well.

The key is to personalize the promises and experiences, even if you are not actually experiencing these yourself.

The above poem was written from a scriptural base that incorporates all the promises and facts about how God sees us as His children. He celebrates us and sings over us with joy.

Can you imagine God rejoicing over you with gladness in songs? There are many times when I meditate and celebrate this scripture in Zephaniah 3:17 and then there are those other times. These are the times when I am struggling with myself and question why He would rejoice over me!

God's ways are not our ways and without renewing the spirit of our mind we will struggle to receive the truth of His words. Celebrate and accept all His promises over your life as you come across these revelations.

Questions

# - God is Love, the scripture declares, accepting His love personally can be a problem as we live in this conditional world. Do you have any personal conditions which prevent you from receiving His love, if so list them and work WITH GOD on them.

# - If you have your own children do you sing over them with joyful songs? If not, why not?

# - Can you celebrate yourself as God does, without focusing on all the conditions, mistakes and issues you may have? Do you Love yourself?

Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV

The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

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The Altar . . .

Making decisions

for a Real Life?

Choices confront us!

My life hangs paradoxically . . .

I want my life to count

But,

for that to happen

I must lose it!

It's the spiritual principle.

I must lose my life to save it!

Saving my life for myself

because it's my own,

loses it for a Higher call.

To lose it . . .

becomes my protection.

The Ultimate Altar?

Is the foot

Of The Cross!

Reflection

Often we are polarized in the decision making processes of our lives. Sometimes the challenge we face is which choice, in the light of the truth, which seems contradictory. This following verse highlights the contradiction.

Luke 9:24 NKJV

For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.

Here it is again in the Passion Translation:

Luke 9:24 PT

For if you choose self-sacrifice, giving up your lives for my glory, you will discover true life. But if you choose to keep your lives for yourselves, you will lose what you try to keep.

The decisions we make are very determinative to our futures and when faced with having to lose our life to save it, it is the contradiction. In our natural mind, we struggle with losing control of our life. Imagine the thinking processes we go through faced with giving everything over and laying down our life so we can save it?!

The verse clarifies the cause as Jesus says 3 important words, "For MY SAKE". When laying down our life or losing our life, it's all about the cause we lay it down for. As believers, why would we not want to lay down our life?

On one occasion when I was preparing a couple for their wedding, I had a revelation of them both standing at an altar. It wasn't a traditional altar as one would imagine; it was an altar of sacrifice. What I saw was each of them laying down their life for the other. It was a case of Self sacrifice, the ultimate of dying to self. God then showed me if they don't die to themselves, the marriage could eventually fail.

Questions

# Is the above verse a challenge for you? How did you navigate putting it into action?

# Have you been able to measure the results of your choice and have these results helped your ongoing choices?

# Having control of our life can be an issue which stems from our own insecurity. Have you considered this question for yourself and what were your outcomes?

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My Heart, My Heart . . .

It's within me, stored,

the real me,

the who I really am,

is within my heart.

I can't deny or run

unless I want to ride

inside a Whale!

I am the gift, the calling

the understanding

and articulation of

all I am.

It's instinctively

what I do.

Come, draw your water

from the flowing stream

Within . . .

My Heart.

Reflection

Because of your uniqueness, no one sees things the way you do. No one has had the same revelation you have had, nor the experiences. Other people may have had similar but not the same.

Unfortunately, we tend to compare ourselves with others. Usually, we consider them more worthy than ourselves and all we have within us becomes locked away.

You are the person of your heart. Have you ever considered the real consequences of not following the leading of the Holy Spirit as you are prompted?

Over the years I have been disappointed with my disobedience to these promptings. I learned to believe it was God speaking and stopped doubting and spoke up.

It was during a meeting I remember, the first time God gave me a word for the church. I knew it was God but I was afraid to speak up. We had a brief conversation together and He asked if I would speak or He would find someone else.

I let Him choose someone else and away she went and gave the same message He had given to me, word for word! The extraordinary part of this experience was the sister who shared it knew someone else had been asked by God before her. We had a very interesting discussion about the event and from this, she really helped me to obey and flow in The Spirit.

I remember the day I was preaching and received a message about one of the young men from a family I knew well. I asked him to go and get his parents so they could witness the word I had for him as it was very important they all heard it.

We sat down and I shared about the young man being in a vulnerable stage of his life, running from God rather than seeking God's help. God said he would end up in prison if this continued! His parents were shocked and the young lad was very angry at being exposed.

4 yrs later he was imprisoned for 2-years. This is where the story changes. God visits him in his cell and he has an amazing conversion. He was released early because of his transformation.

God gave him a real heart for the young people in his town which became a very successful street ministry. Many of the vulnerable youth in the town became on fire believers. The streets of the town were cleaned up as he worked with the police and petty crime ended.

I encourage you to obey what God prompts you with, even if it seems to be contrary to what you would want to say. Remain humble and develop the skill of asking questions if you need to engage the recipient prior to sharing what you feel the message for them is. You will be amazed by the proof of where it leads you and by the words which God has you to share.

Questions

# - Have you ever been prompted and not obeyed and then had to deal with the consequences of this?

# - After that experience how are you flowing with God now and is your confidence growing?

# - You are who you are. Are you struggling and insecure with who you are and if so what are you doing about this?

PROVERBS 20:5 AMP

A plan (motive, wise counsel) in the heart of a man is like water in a deep well, But a man of understanding draws it out.

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The Miner . . .

That's YOU!

Not in age,

but in years.

You know

how to find and mine

the Treasure

in the hearts of men.

You dig their hearts

with the spade

of questions.

Finding their treasuries

their golden seams . . .

naturally.

You impart confidence,

this alone extricates

the golden nuggets

hidden in their vault.

You don't stop there!

You refine the treasure

using different spades.

Questions

which flush out

the Diamonds and Gold

which shine and . . .

Change LIVES!

Reflection

This poem is a prophetic word I wrote for a person who is a coach. I feel to include this in the site because this word is for those who have the gift of aligning people to their abilities. You will know who you are and this will resonate with you.

Not everyone has the ability or anointing to impart confidence in people's lives or draw out the treasure within them, except when God anoints you. I say this because when God blesses you with a word of knowledge accompanied with His wisdom, then you are anointed to speak and affirm the person God has chosen you to speak with.

Every one of us is gifted in some way, and usually, we are our own worst enemy at the same time. Our internal saboteurs come out of hiding and plague the creative ideas with negativity and thus poison the idea from ever being developed.

Here's a picture for you. Imagine putting together a 10,000 piece puzzle and when you get to the end one piece is missing, and it happens to be a critical part of the picture. Now put yourself into that piece and see yourself as that piece. Are you the missing piece in a team because you have something to contribute to another person, but you don't value what you have to say?

Please don't hold back with your contributions because your piece matters as shown in the puzzle analogy. Often the missing ingredient, when these encounters arise, is God’s wisdom and timing to share what you have. The more you engage with this and do it, you become fluent and more experienced and it flows out of you. An experienced miner knows how to find the treasure and then how to extract it in an encouragingly inspirational way.

You are one who has the gift to mine the treasure within people, and this will really kick start a person's motivation to investigate their own treasury. I really love how God said "you use the spade of questions" to do the mining, isn't God so outstanding!

Questions

# - If this resonates with you, how do you implement this gift with people you do not know?

# - The wisdom of sharing the insight you have with people you don't know is much easier than you may think. The clue is in the poem, did you see it?

# - This statement may sound strange to you: "Remember your future"? Does it, and if so here's a clue, are you looking through your promises for your future?

Colossians 4:17 NKJV

And say to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.”

I now release a blessing over you to put this into practice.

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My Hearing . . .

How do I hear You

when . . .

my inner voice

drowns you out?

You speak

so many different ways.

In storms

and in

the still small voice.

Am I deaf

or is it

something else

preventing me

from hearing?

You do hear

yet not perceive,

having different

expectations.

Open up

your heart ears

And See.

Reflection

God is never silent and is always speaking. Scripture teaches us through many examples people just like us have always been hearing God speak. There are literally thousands of examples in both testaments for us to read.

Have you ever wondered why God speaks in so many different ways? Have you considered the preferred way you hear God speak and observe how others hear differently? This will give you clues to why God speaks differently with us all. Even a Husband and Wife can hear God speak to them independently and have the same confirming answer although both have heard their answers uniquely.

For example, one had a dream and the other received a scripture. You may wonder which one was the most trusted answer and my guess is you would say the scripture? Unfortunately, we have our own perceptions of how God should speak or if He still speaks in this modern age.

God is never constrained by anything when He speaks. Job writes 'God speaks one way then another, yet man does not perceive it'. It's our lack of being able to hear which is the issue. For example, the couple I referred to earlier both heard God. The Husband heard the message in a dream and dreaming was not a familiar thing for him. His wife received a scripture while reading a Christian book with no connection to the issue at hand. No, she didn't receive it from reading the Bible.

The amazing thing to note is this couple heard from God independently and the issue was solved and they both received peace. The question could be why did God choose to do it this way and only God can answer that question.

I have asked God questions over the years and been astounded by His answers and how they came to me. Likewise, others have had similar experiences. The main issue I had was my expectations of how God would or should answer me.

This is a trap anyone can fall into. Let God be God and do things His way and at the same time ask Him to teach you how to hear and see. If you drop all your expectations and any doctrines you have around this, I believe God will teach you how to hear and see Him and have answers. If you are unsure of His answer ask again. Ultimately you will KNOW and the peace you have will be the confirmation.

This is an area where you will develop intimacy with God and secure your relationship with Him and learn directly from Him. The exciting thing is the fellowship and the revelations you will have.

Be wise about who you share your revelations with because other people's opinions can cause you to doubt what you have heard. Again, ask God who to share with, if anyone.

One time I was about to ring and make an appointment for some counsel and God interrupted me and asked me if I was going to ask Him first! I immediately asked why and He said: "do you want to get hurt"? Then He told me why.

Proverbs teaches us "In all your ways acknowledge Me and I will direct your paths". It was a very good lesson for me to learn. I really encourage you to invite God to tutor you to hear and see Him.

Questions

# Do you want to get close to God to hear His Heart and be taught by Him? Check out 1Jn2:27

# Are you prepared to drop your expectations and start over with a clean slate of expectations? Check out, Job 33:14

# Faith comes by hearing, learn how to hear and what to hear, Rom 10:17

Rom 10:17 Passion Translation

Faith, then, is birthed in a heart that responds to God’s anointed utterance of the Anointed One.

Romans 10:17 NKJV

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

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Being YOU . . .

Perfectly incomplete

yet . . .

Fearfully and wonderfully made.

The work in progress

as the Word is

Made flesh within.

Destiny is in YOU!

Being wrought

in your heart

as you put on

the inner beauty

of Jesus.

Wearing

the fragrance of Him

that will touch those

He . . .

Scent To You.

© 2019 Lloyd Portman - All Rights Reserved

Reflection

Many people struggle with just being themselves. They constantly compare their lives and actions and the ways they think and do things, to those they look up to.

The uniqueness of each person begins with their DNA and their fingerprint. As they forge their lives amidst social and cultural pressures they slowly discover WHO THEY ARE.

As believers, we are encouraged to "put off and put on" the attributes of Jesus and above all, put on LOVE! I love the way Paul writes to the church at Colossians in chapter 2 and 3.

If you can get your head around this and read it as an instructional PDF I believe it's the perfect summary of who we are, because of what HE HAS DONE FOR US and what we are to do as believers as a result.

This would be the ultimate homework assignment for anyone to take away on a 3-month break. This would greatly enhance your studies if you were doing a theology degree.

You can't do this on your own and nor should you try doing this in the flesh. I deliberately used the word forge earlier in this text because these wonderful Godly attributes and standards are a result of our relationship with God.

We are washed by the Water of the Word, cleansed by his Blood and empowered and anointed by the Holy Spirit and over time Christ is formed within us.

Love covers us as we serve our fellows in love and we show the world what we believe by how we live.

I heard an amazing story years ago about a very successful missionary. When back home on sabbatical he was asked to be the guest speaker at the important conference organized by the church organization he represented.

He was their guest speaker and was given 3 keynote times to speak but informed the organizers he only needed 10 minutes at the most.

People waited to hear his evangelism secrets which he delivered in one sentence! This unassuming humble man said this: "I go into a village and ask God where He's working and then I join Him in HIS work"! He then walked off the stage and sat down.

Here's the sequel to this true story. The church organization sent some other missionaries to join him to learn from him. When these missionaries asked the villagers about how they became Christians, they said: It was easy because it was like God was working among us and the life he showed us was easy to follow so that is what we did!

Referring back to the PDF, let's name this headline, Evangelism 101. We could then bullet point each scripture we and the important verses we could highlight or italicize in glowing iridescent color.

At the bottom, we could have this addendum.

Questions

# - Did you read each scripture as loving instructions from a parent would write to you as their child?

# - Did you let the words on the page READ YOU? Were you convicted or condemned by the words? Conviction draws us closer to God for help, guilt causes us to hide as Adam did.

# - As a mirror to those around you, what do they see? How are you living?

Note

No offense is intended here and I hope you are not offended because this is the view through my different lens using these analogies.

In short, let God love you into the fullness of His Son. Even if you don't love yourself, you will come to that during your transition.

Respectfully

Lloyd

Here is this post on my website

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Come Now . . .

Come to the table of My Heart,

the table of reasoning.

We can discuss

issues tripping you up

and work together on them.

I am the one

who washes your scarlet

transforming it to pure snow.

Please don't resist or hide.

The door to My Heart

is always open.

You can't do this alone!

The table of reasoning

becomes the table

of Friendship and Exchange.

Rags for riches,

Righteousness for unrighteousness!

It's free to exchange

As you trade

the rights to your life,

losing your life . . .

To Gain It.

© 2019 Lloyd Portman - All Rights Reserved

Reflection

God is amazing how He draws us with loving kindness to exchange our sin for His righteousness. Humanity needs this table of exchange regularly, as we journey through the areas which trip our lives up.

The ultimate exchange we ever make is when we wholeheartedly give our Heart over to Him. In so doing we give up our rights to our life and this is the process of washing the Scarlet.

Isaiah 1:18 AMP

“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord. “ Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be like wool."

The interesting part of this verse is the invitation from God. "Come now and let us reason together." This is an amazing statement from God asking us to bring and state our case. The keyword here is Reason and in the Hebrew it means to bring your case ie a legal case to be vindicated or reasoned TOGETHER.

This invitation to discuss points with Him really underscores God as one whom you can discuss things with and reason with. I get a picture here of God putting His arm around my shoulder and entreating me to state my case so we can discuss it. I don't feel condemned by Him.

In Psalms 51:10 Passion Translation, David cries out to God. Create a new, clean heart within me. Fill me with pure thoughts and holy desires, ready to please you.

After God wins our heart, He then wants to establish a friendship with us. This is when we judge ourselves as being unworthy because of many of our own reasons that we can't, e.g. we are not perfected enough yet to be granted that privilege. God loves us unconditionally in spite of the traditions of society we have had instilled in us that everything in life is conditional.

How could we not respond to an invitation to be one of God's friends? Abraham was called a friend of God and he had his issues and looking at David "a man after God's own heart" his track record is well documented.

The wonderful revelation about "the Table" is the incremental work which happens within the friendship. This is where the transformation takes place as we give more of ourselves and our heart, and die to ourselves.

On one occasion when I was preparing a couple prior to their wedding, I had a revelation of them both standing at an altar. It wasn't a traditional ultar as one would imagine it was an altar of sacrifice. What I saw was each of them laying down their life for the other. It was a case of Self sacrifice, the ultimate of dying to self. God then showed me if they don't die to themself the marriage could eventually fail.

The more I walk with God I realize how important this meeting table of developing friendship is.

Questions

# - If you looked at your life as an orange cut in half, how many segments of it are still yours and unpeeled?

# - Have you ever "traded" any of these segments and in time found out you never really gave them over? This is part of dying to yourself and a process we all go through one step at a time.

# - Whatever God builds He tests, have you noticed any of these tests happening after you have been to the table of exchange? List them to encourage yourself and build your faith.

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