Category: Encourage

Personal Evolution

I can be an important part in the fulfillment of the Father’s plan.

Meditation Thought: “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you… whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” (James 4: 10 & 17)

The lesser must yield to the greater – but the method of yielding determines many things.

My God created me: therefore He is the greater. If He created me in love – and I believe that He did – then He has a purpose, a plan for me to be evolved which will be of benefit to me. But I cannot know it in entirety; I cannot alone fulfill it even as I understand parts of it. I am the child – still seeking, learning what my Father knows and desires me to know.

But I can be an important part in the fulfillment of the Father’s plan. I can seek His counsel and heed it. I can perceive His character and mold mine accordingly. He loves; I am His; therefore I can love – yet I can choose not to love. When I do, His plan is delayed – not destroyed, but delayed. It may disappoint Him, but it is even more harmful to me – for His plan was for the purpose of showing the fullness of His love to me.

Have your own way, Lord. You are the potter – I am the clay.

Hear. See. Care.

The key to life itself is revealed as we seek to find it it prayer.

Meditation Thought: “ Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” (Romans 12:12) “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” (James 3:17)

Hope is the motivator of patience.
Prayer is the motivator of hope.
Wisdom is the motivator of prayer.
Tribulation is the motivator of wisdom.

As logical, as brilliant as we may be intellectually, we allow circumstances to affect us emotionally in ways that make logic and intellect insufficient to cope with life adequately.

It is in times of tribulation when we most clearly recognize the limitations of our human endeavors. It is in this weakness that we gain strength – for the weakness gives birth to willingness to wait, listen, look for God.

“Our hope does not disappoint us.” Our God is not a promise-breaker, nor a tyrant, nor cruel, nor inconsistent. If we perceive Him as such, then it is our own misconception which robs us of all of the glories which He desires to reveal to us, of all of the love which He desires to bestow upon us, of all of the wisdom with which He would endow us.

If we “read the signs of the times”, we read God’s message to us: Both His ‘general instructions’ in the Word, and His specific instructions in the indwelling Holy Spirit’s revelation to us, whether that be through knowledge of our heart or circumstances.

Armed with His general and specific instructions, we are impervious to despair, we are infinitely patient, we are strategically wise; all of this starts with prayer, which is our acknowledgment of both our relationship to God, and the meaning, the significance of that relationship to us, and to all of creation.

Simple as it may be to state, the complexity of the universe is encompassed in the thought. The key to life itself is revealed as we seek to find it it prayer.

I once was blind, and now I see.
Thank you, Man of Galilee!
I sought not the place,
Knew not the time,
Nor who would heal.
But hope was born,
and when You came,
Truth charged the very air.
Something within cried out –
You heard. You saw. You cared.

Thank you – Thank You!
Now use me, Lord,
That my opened eyes may see.
See truth. See love. See every key to every door in the kingdom.

I walked by those doors,
Never knowing they were there.
But now – NOW – I see!
And enter in I will.
Each one, I view as near I come,
Anticipating what shall be.
Knowing all will please,
For beyond each door
Lies a better view of Thee!

Up, up and away!

Transforming the thinking, the attitudes and thus the actions of the world into kind, loving, unselfish, freely expressed.

Meditation Thought: “For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment… For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” (James 2:13, 26)

When we, through heeding His wise Word, allow our mercy to triumph over judgment, and our faith to be demonstrated by our works, we are transforming the thinking, the attitudes and thus the actions of the world from selfish, cruel, law-bound into kind, loving, unselfish, freely expressed.

No longer bound by sin and shame,
But free:
Up, up and away!
To mountain tops
and cleansing streams.
Pure air, sunshine bright.
No longer oppressed by shadows dark
And fog of unbelief
Our hope, our joy,
Our strength of faith,
Raise our hands to His!
And once He sees us reaching up –
Pure ecstasy abounds
As His arms enfold
Us, drawing us close,
And the warmth of
His embrace –
The mutual love released,
These are the “keys to the kingdom”.
And the possession,
The use of them
Opens vistas glorious,
And possible to explore.
Halleluiah! The journey is so entrancing
That the replacement
Of judgment with mercy,
and the doing of works in faith
Simply fall into place –
Naturally, easily:
Feeling His embrace,
Knowing His love,
Trusting Him to
Move us surely
Across the years,
The obstacles,
To the glories
glimpsed and beckoning,
We are so caught up
In following Him,
Mercy and good works
Become our new nature.
Not through our effort,
But through His Grace.

Great Rewards

When you have prayed, when you exercise your faith by believing that all things work together for good, the evidence follows.

Meditation Thought: “ Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” (Hebrews 13:15-16)

“I realize that it is not easy for you to praise Me, to do good, to share what you have – that is why these are termed “sacrifices”. Do not chastise yourself that these acts are difficult – but rejoice that they are difficult: when you overcome your reluctance to do them, you are “practicing your scales“, and thus bringing glory to Me, fulfilling Christ’s mission, and becoming a “new creature” by the renewing of your mind.

You are closer than you know to the performance of the concert in several areas in your life. The difficulties which appear now are to develop your abilities and thus perfect you. Do not lose heart, but call upon the knowledge of My promises – and the fulfillment of those promises to others and to yourself in the past! “All things work together for good” – repeat this in your mind, in your decisions, in your acts, in your attitude. When you have prayed, when you exercise your faith by believing that all things work together for good, the evidence follows.

My spiritual laws are clear. If you use them rather than ignoring or abusing them, the rewards will be great for you – and your witness shall be great for Me.”

Focus for Triumph

Why do you spend useless energy in fretting about what is undone, worrying about what might happen, annoyed at what has happened?

Meditation Thought: ” ‘We don’t know what to do, but we are looking to you.’ The Lord says, ‘Don’t be afraid! Don’t be paralyzed by this mighty army! For the battle is not yours, but God’s!  But you will not need to fight! Take your places; stand quietly and see the incredible rescue operation God will perform for you. Don’t be afraid or discouraged! Go out there tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!’ ‘ Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.'” (2 Chronicles 20: 12,15,17,21)

“Why do you spend useless energy in fretting about what is undone, worrying about what might happen, annoyed at what has happened?

Take your position, stand still and focus your eyes upon Me. The battle is Mine; the victory is Mine but the results are of benefit to you. It is ever the same, through the ages: those who focus their eyes (and therefore their thoughts, words and actions) upon Me, shall have the power of My help in the battle of life.

Victory is ever assured whenever the free will choice is to yield ego to My will in the trust that My love is greater than all else in life. It matters not that you may misunderstand where I desire you to take your position, how I desire you to stand, and when the battle takes place – if you are looking at Me, and are not busily running off to do your own battle, then I can easily correct any misunderstanding upon your part.

I am your loving parent who prepares the way for your life – trust Me, obey Me, – for your good is My goal. When you know this to the point of focusing your eyes upon Me – despite all distractions – then do you have the victory through My fighting the battle on your behalf.

There are infinite methods of expression, but only one Creator, and when the Creator is allowed to move freely, not being hampered by distrust or rebellion or ignorance of those who are His channels of expression, good triumphs over evil; love triumphs over hate; and order triumphs over disorder: the world is conquered by the Kingdom.

Soothing Harmony

Leave your fears and your doubts behind.

Meditation Thought: “He went up into the hills to pray.” (Mark 6:46)

“Come to a quiet place where you can hear My voice more clearly. Seek My counsel, and I will guide you surely. Leave your fears and your doubts behind you, and bring your faith to Me. Trust Me, my beloved child. Put your trust in Me, and I will give you peace, joy and direction.

Seek My will in My Word,
Seek My will in service,
Seek My will in prayer.

Let Me blend all of the elements in your life into harmony and beauty of the Spirit-filled life. It is in prayer that the blending takes place: only through blending the elements to Me to blend can you achieve a harmonizing of them. Instead of their being a bombardment of your senses, they will soothe and please you and aid you. Do all as unto Me. This is the binding, all-pervasive base which will unite separate elements into a beautiful whole.”

Surprising Delight

Let My love light up your eyes, lift up your heart, renew your mind, bring ecstasy to your spirit.

Meditation Thought: “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?”  (Mark 3:4)

“Be open to the prompting of the Spirit. You live in an age where you know the Spirit has come in power to do good, to save life. Obey My commandments but do not make your own ‘commandments’. Keeping the Sabbath holy is keeping within My will and you shall do this if you will saturate yourself in the Word and obey My Spirit as you perceive the prompting of what is best for you to do. If you act with a pure heart, you will not go astray, but will bring healing and life and renewal. Keep every day holy. The Sabbath is a rest from routine, but never is there to be a rest from holiness, from love, from doing good.

Immerse yourself in My beauty: spiritual, physical, in thought, in art forms, in loving kindness. I desire good and not harm for you. I love you, I love you, I love you. Sense the passion of My love, sense the depths of My love – I inflicted pain upon Myself that you might have joy. Do not throw away this precious gift! Rather, seek to learn of its great value, seek to know of all of its manifestations. Do you trust human love? How much more should you trust My love! Open your understanding to the enormity of it to the forgiving nature of it, to the power of it. Let My love light up your eyes, lift up your heart, renew your mind, bring ecstasy to your spirit.

Glow in the sure knowledge that each day brings a new expression of My love: trust that each event is for the purpose of expanding your knowledge of My love. The very trust is an aid to My purposes of the formation of each incident: if you trust Me, you seek the purpose of the movement, rather than idly or resentfully allowing it to wash over you, leaving My expression of love ragged and incomplete and confusing to you.

Seek for the treasure you know is there because I promise you all you desire as you trust Me and desire Me above all. As your will is conformed to mine as your expression of love in response to love, so this very sacrificial act is the key of releasing of My power of dynamic love in your life.

If you can trust your family to be motivated by love to work good for you, cannot you trust Me even more? Recall your annoyance that Karen was away from home night after night and you felt rather rejected – only to learn of her spending those nights writing out invitations for your surprise anniversary party.

What you perceived as a rejection of your love was in reality a beautiful expression of response to your love. Only when you have come to the place where it is time for Truth to be revealed can you judge rightly. But until that time arrives, be happy, be content, be peaceful in the knowledge of the character of your Beloved, trusting that what you perceive as neglect or rejection is in reality the future joy I have planned for you. The very fact that you do not know the details is desirable, for the surprising aspect of the deed done is part of the delight.”

Will You?

Are you willing to look to Me instead of to you?

Meditation Thought: “And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” (Mark 1:17)

“I will make you become – I will teach you by example. If you follow Me, you will see Me and learn.

Would you be a healer and not a destroyer? FOLLOW ME!

Would you be righteous and not worldly? FOLLOW ME!

Would you be loving and not jealous? FOLLOW ME!

Would you be giving and not selfish? FOLLOW ME!

Follow Me; you have My itinerary, you know where I am going. Are you willing to accompany me there? Are you willing to go through valleys in order to reach the peaks? Are you willing to look to Me instead of to you?

I seek fishers of men: I need fishers who can make large nets and cast them surely, where the lost souls are. Will you let me teach you how to make nets, how to cast them surely, where the lost souls are for you to reach?

Lit Up Open Doors

The gloom of the world shall give way to the joy of the Kingdom.

Meditation Thought: “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” (Daniel 2:47) and “But who do you say that I am?” (Mark 8:29)

“I am… the light of the world. Open the doors that have been shut to My light: By your words and actions given in an attitude of loving service, encourage everyone whom you meet to open the door of their heart to My healing, revealing Light. The gloom of the world shall give way to the joy of the Kingdom. Light, light, light the Way, the Truth, the Life: Reveal the reality of the Personality by helping the dark places to be lit by the Word, so that the Spirit is perceived and received in the heart.”

The Riches of an Inheritance

I created in love and to love and for love.

Meditation Thought: “…what is man that you are mindful of him,
    and the son of man that you care for him?
 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
    and crowned him with glory and honor.” (Psalm 8: 4,5)

“My children in My image: joy, joy, joy! For I created in love and to love and for love. Oh, come to know Me that you may choose to become ever more like Me. You cannot help yourself to be like me is some respects, for I am your inheritance. But you may choose to live according to My teachings or not, and so is your inheritance squandered or enriched, a curse or a blessing: for your inheritance is unto righteousness, and is a curse if you sin and repent not, but a blessing when you obey Me, and when you seek forgiveness when you are aware that you acted wrongly.

Oh, be my perceptive child. Seek your inheritance, work with it, that you may increase the blessing of it for yourself and for others. I am not a stingy God: I desire above all the joy of My children in their bounteous inheritance in every area for all time.

Pursue My laws and their application, reaping bounteous harvests from the tending that which you have inherited.