Strife Storms And Love Winds

Phil 2:3: 

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves...

 

I think on this one scripture and see how very challenging it is to walk in this godly grace. And speaking strictly for myself, although I'm very well along in years, I still find that the life lessons I've learned have not equipped me for this kind of love.  My attempts to live this out in times of strife have revealed things in me that I need to seek the Lord's grace and mercy to deal with. We can go along doing wonderful good deeds and show mercy to many as long as all is rolling along smoothly. But then a storm. We pride ourselves on position and authority and when the lines we've established are crossed by someone we often react in very inmature ways. We need growing up instruction and graces.

  

 

Happily, Jesus comes to rescue us from our childishness and conflicts. He has loved us and equipped us with his wisdom, a deep ever present well of a better and a sweeter way. Because we are sensitive to Him He causes us to pause and think. He comes with thoughts of compassion, "I wonder why she/he is so irritable? I wonder what has hurt him/her?" thoughts. And personally, my old hard heart goes through a new melting process. The truth is that If I'm the more mature I can be graced to act like it.  Now by his love for us all we're better able to respond with love and comfort. And the storm blows through, leaving us both better off than we were before it came.  I know that we are all as small children to him we have to be taught how to behave. And little by little we find that sooner or later the lessons we learn cause our joy and love to be fuller. We've finally fought through to a new triumph over a spirit of strife and it has to flee.

 

Give no place to the enemy and his fiery darts of irritation and hatred of anyone! The devil wants to force us into unforgiving soulish responses that set off fights. Don't allow the enemy to steal your joy and faith. Forgive yourself, forgive others and God will restore. His promise is that we will dwell in peaceable habitations.

Peace releases the glory rains from heaven over our lives...Humility is built up in us as we walk through these valleys in submisive truth. And our ways are renewed.

A song about how Jesus is our storm chaser.....Storms Never Last......https://youtu.be/Jch9tsVSv-w

Mercy Missions

I was just meditating on a word from a strong saint that talked about how God uses tensions and life trials for good purposes. I love to learn from the word and the anointed elders. I know the word does teach us that we are counted worthy of maturing in Christ by our willingness to suffer according to the will of God. It even makes it clear that we learn lots of wisdom from trials and also that Father expects long suffering to be joyful.

I am one who is very well advanced in years and I have a heart for other aging saints. That doesn't mean I'm against the young, it's just that we who have grown in the Lord have lived and learned a lot. In my lifetime I've been through a lot of hard trials. Before I met the Lord, and that was many years of life, I never learned much from trials. I got through them one way or another, but they never actually worked for my good. I got bitter and weary, lost a lot of friends, money and property, and nearly lost all hope. And I saw no way out, because I thought then that these things were just a normal way of life.

I was outside the covenant of grace then, as so may suffering human beings are. However, I'm new now. I have a new life and a new mindset. As I've studied on this over the years it seems to me that the old life trials and their burdens and the new trials and their lessons have given me a wisdom that God is allowing me to use for his kingdom. Now I'm pretty well seasoned, I have some years of experience in both kingdoms, the world and the kingdom of Christ.  I have a new depth of word knowledge and I have an ever present help in my Father. I have a new compassion for those who suffer with hard life trials. I do know how hard it is out there in the world and how weary and hopeless a poor man with few resources and little education can get. It can be overwhelming. I hope to be led by the Lord to such people and follow his leading in helping them to find new life.  The love and the strength of God through Jesus Christ can help the little man, any man who will be willing to humble himself and open his heart up to the ways of Christ's kingdom. Bow low and never forget how desperately needy of heavens help we all are. The mercies of God are new every morning!

There's More Beyond

I'm sure we've all heard about shifts and especially paradigm shifts. A paradigm shift is a deep shift out of an old framework, or structure. It could possible be a mindset and accompanying lifestyle, it might be a method of ministry. At any rate, it's a time of change into a new thing and it's to be embraced with joy. Change is a sign that we're growing.  In the shifts of the Father we will experience a brand new God perspective and order. New freedom and new boundaries. When it's God's time these shifts might come in as a storm, but as we endure with patience they always bring wonderful changes. 

We can climb a mountain of doubt with the strength of the power of Christ's blood. We will ride the winds of the Spirit into lofty places we've never visited before and go where we could never go on our own,. We'll become a new Me we've never known. I've been there and I've soared as on the wings of the eagle into free and beautiful places. 

I'm so glad to say that all things are becoming new.. I am closer to the cross than I've ever been. And I know there's much more beyond!

Lessons Old And New

Proverbs 19:20-21 Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end. There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand. Psalm 27:13-14 “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” Over the years I have sought the Lord and asked his help in sorting out my memories and guiding me into a right way to view events of the past. And I'm thankful that I found a few to walk with who were also seeking the fullness of Him. With God's help and the help of others he sent I learned early that true godly wisdom is needed to live in the power, love and sound mind of Christ. I began to see that we are to learn to ask, seek and knock relentlessly in order to get aligned with the heart of God. We are to learn to view both the past and the present as he sees it. His desire is that as we walk through life with him we will experience deep healings to the heart and soul. Jesus is the good shepherd who restores our souls and He alone sees the wounds that were caused by past lifestyles and hurtful relationships. Speaking for myself I know that over many years there was a loss of trust in the authority figures in life and I lived with deep soul wounds. And I caused pain to others and those guilt feelings that were deeply buried lingered and came back to trouble me. .  These old seasons of life can be very painful to think about. There is a deep desire to want to escape from all thought of the old. But there's wonderful good news! There is a healing savior who knows how to apply the healing balm of Gilead. His work in us is to draw us nearer so that all the heart and life is open to whatever he needs to do.    The truth is that until we have allowed the fullness of God's work in us we will always carry those seeds of heart woundings and disrespect for authority. Our reactions to all that goes on around us comes from what is rooted in our hearts. As the storms grow stronger and more frequent we see things surface that we didn't realize were there. We have to surrender to his processes because we need a deep all the way to the roots work. I had a thought about a "root canal", a dental procedure, The sickness of the tooth and the resulting pain goes so deep that nothing except surgery to the root will heal it. Think of our heart infections and trauma in a similiar way. The healing balm of the pure word of God through Holy Spirit anointing acts like a laser beam doing deep surgeries. In God's word we're taught to "Think not on former things, for I will do new thing." Now, as we submit to his purging processes He will give skills to use our past mistakes as altars to his greatness and as lessons for others. I've heard it said that he wastes nothing and I know it's true. He is able to bring beauty out of the ashes of the past. He is able to give us new perspectives and to cause us to see the wonders we enjoyed in our past life even through it was lived in the midst of darkness. He is able to fill us with the joy of living in the right now blessing with him as we move along on our journey home. The rewards makes the price of our fully sacrificed life well worth it. Father, I ask that you touch hearts and bring change in deep and eternal ways.. I hope what I've shared here will enlighten and encourage you to ask the Father for any wisdom you might be needing to bring healing. It's so good to soar into new places with Him free of the hurt.

Prayer For Strengthening

Jesus, draw us closer and be stronger than our fears and mightier than our discouragement. You are our hope and our savior, the Mighty Redeemer King who thought us worthy of dying for. The battle rages and we get weary. We find it hard to fight through to the breakthrough. We've heard many words of promise for the victory we need. But in our weakness it's so hard to stand strong against the storms that are swirling around us like a hurricane. We need refreshing and rest. Jesus, we are weak but you are strong. Touch us in deep places of the heart and make us new. Wash us clean tonight and restore the joy of our salvation. Give fresh resolve and new strength to run the race. Help us to rise up and to hold fast to our confidence in the integrity of your eternal word. Thank you for your enduring graces. Prepare us for the wonderful new day of tomorrow.

Comfort, Comfort My People

God said in his word that his people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. As I've sought to learn a little more about what his Father's heart I've learned some valuable lessons. Father God is not talking about intellectual greatness nor impressive scriptural smarts. he is talking about knowing him. Knowing His greatness and goodness and his love for all humanity. His desire is that we seek to know him intimately as our heavenly Father who cares for us in ways beyond our comprehension. This knowledge is the joy of salvation. There is just no end to the loving kindnesses and tender mercies of the Father. In the stillness of his mercy His love is a river that washes over us gently. He is our Beloved and we are blood bought family. His eyes are always on his land and His people and His eternal purposes are always for our good. Hold fast to him in trying times because he is able to use all we walk through to strengthen us and make us more Christlike.  As we bear fruit he purges us so that we will bear more fruit and that our fruit will remain.We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us and we know with certainty that he is causing all things to work together for our good and for His glory.

Story Book Lives

Have you ever thought of yourself as a letter to God's people? Paul spoke about this in 2 Corinthians 3. Living letters. Life stories written on our hearts as we live our lives seeking God.  His desire is that men can read our lives and realize that God is real. That men will see his Son in us.  Moment by moment he will watch over us and refine and purify so that we will be his witnesses to many. As we walk with him and grow into new maturity he will write new pages and new chapters. I've heard some prophecies along the way that made me think I might someday write a book. Actually, I'm finding that my life is a book. He put a dream in my heart years ago. In a vision he said "Salvation of the souls of men". That is a story of bringing heaven into the earth realm. The kingdom of Christ within. And it will be my life story. My story is unique and so is yours, because all who are called can become new creations for his glory. Never despise the days of small beginnings. Someone needs to hear your story.

There's no way I can perfectly describe to you the joy of knowing him. His love is deep and it's wide and there's just no end to it fro those who are his. He loves to guide the willing into wonderful new life places. Remember that there is a season for everything, and in His time He makes all things beautiful. Be encouraged, think on how Esther's life story became a story for his glory!

Peaceful Submission

"Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! Oh what a foretaste of glory divine. Perfect submission, all is at rest, I in my savior am happy and blessed!"

The beloved old song says it so well. I'm learning that a lot of the songs are good prophetic teachings. This one makes it clear that submission to the Lord is what causes the fruit of blessed assurance to be full and sweet to the taste of all. It causes glory divine! My friend, we must realize that obedience is not about learning how to get God to do what we want, no matter how noble it might seem. It's all about becoming one with our Beloved. Jesus died so that we can overcome all opposition and apprehend power, love and a sound mind that cannot be distracted from the purposes of God. He is King of a great kingdom that cannot be shaken and we are invited to learn of him and to take his yoke. I can tell you that it is a process of total commitment to get to the place he has prepared for us, but the rewards are rich, sweet and eternal. His love is so gentle yet so overwhelming. His mercies never fail, and His grace is all sufficient as we remain yielded vessels. I hope that sweet submission to his ways and his blessed assurance will become our heart focus!

Welcome to my new home on Blogger, I hope to share some life lessons I've learned as I've traveled with the Lord along the way.  Thus the name I chose for my blog. I've learned from the life experience of others and I hope to share some of the things that have inspired me. Hopefully I can weave a few lovely threads of wisdom into story form and others will be inspired.

Beginning lesson. The wisest thing I ever learned was to give my life to Jesus Christ and allow him to be Lord over it all. His love is so sweet and his ways are trustworthy and powerful for the good of men who love him and seek him.