A Journey of Faith

Only one think is required of you:
The placing of your hand in Mine,
Signifying your willingness to go.

I hear your soft, low moan, my Child,
As the struggle begins anew.
Fear not, fear not!
Imagine not nightmarish things,
For not such is the plan.
Only for a little while,
A focusing upon
A new exercise in faith:
A further revelation of what lies beyond.
It is good.
The journey you started toward the Kingdom
Shall be completed.
But it must be taken step by step.
I shall be your guide, your aid.
Trust Me. Hold to Me.
Move with Me.
As earthly terrain is varied,
And the traveler adapts,
So is the way to the kingdom.
I shall see to your proper equipment.
I shall see to your building of strength.
I shall see to the best itinerary.
Only one think is required of you:
The placing of your hand in Mine,
Signifying your willingness to go.

The Path to Lasting Peace and Joy

Do not anticipate where the Father instructs Me to lead you. Look to Me, follow Me, for with Me you are in the right place at the right time doing the right thing.

Meditation Thought: “My sheep listen to my voice: I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life.” (John 10:27,28)

My voice reveals My love, and guides my sheep to hope. No more are you lost in the briers, but I shall lead you to nourishing pastures – to protected places. You need fear no more, when you follow Me, I am the resurrection and the life – your resurrection and your life. I came – and I come – that you may live within My loving care, that you may be – and feel – secure wherever we are together.

The way is simple, but not considered “easy” for it requires obedience and discipline. The way dictates that you not run off to places other than where I lead you – for I lead you where the Father has first led me. But in your choosing obedience and discipline rather than bearing the consequences of the alternate path, you will gain. You will gain the peace of obedience to the very best hope – the Father’s ultimate will. To suffer in struggle is not as painful as to suffer in conscience for realizing that there was a path which could have been a way to feed the sick, clothe the naked, love the unlovely – and transform the woes of the world into the joys of the kingdom – and you chose another path, a path which left the world in as sad a condition as you found it – perhaps even a worsened condition.

Do not anticipate where the Father instructs Me to lead you. Look to Me, follow Me, for with Me you are in the right place at the right time doing the right thing. What is ‘right’? ‘Right’ is the process of the cohesive working of the Father’s will: the process of wooing His children, who have strayed foolishly in their freedom, back into His loving Presence. He does not force them – for that would negate their freedom to, of their own choice, love Him – or reject Him. And love forced is not love at all, but coercion.

The Father sent Me to bring His message: “I love you. All is forgiven. Come home to Me, where I will welcome you with open arms, and prepare celebrations of our reunion. Fear not that you have rebelled against Me, disappointed Me, distrusted Me. All that is in the past. I desire – I have always desired – only that you allow Me to love you, for when you allow Me to love you, it follows as day follows night that you will love Me. Our mutual love and understanding expressed as we once again dwell together is My plan for the ‘fullness’ of time. It happens at the time you understand that My desire to lavish My love upon you is compatible – in fact, is identical with your desire to have Me do so, knowing that My love shall wash you clean, heal your wounds, bring joy to your heart and peace to your soul. And when My child is clean, healed, full of joy and peace, then is My will done. Then am I well pleased.”

Embrace the Unseen: Finding True Prosperity

The kingdom’s definition and the fulfillment of the promise of the kingdom’s prosperity and success shall be your peace, your joy, your fulfillment.

Meditation Thought: “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18)

Look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen. The unseen shall be the developing of the seen. Your thoughts, your energy, your time and your commitment to My Word, My Son and My Spirit shall bring you prosperity and success. Prosperity and success not in the world’s definition but in the Kingdom’s definition.

The kingdom’s definition and the fulfillment of the promise of the kingdom’s prosperity and success shall be your peace, your joy, your fulfillment. No good thing shall you lack, for I am your Father: loving, encouraging, delighting in you as My precious child. I am not a harsh taskmaster – any discipline I administer is for your good: to teach you, to prepare you, that your challenges of life will be met in confidence, and overcome with enthusiasm.

Together are we not equal to any circumstance? Together are we not equal to any task? Together shall we not cause the success and prosperity of the kingdom to displace the failures and poverty of the world?

We meet, embrace,
Come together as one.
Not complete was one alone.
Larger now, complementing one another
In appearance,
Declaring strength.
Rejoicing in hope.
We are met – and melded – and molded:
Pliable, yet withstanding pressure –
Pressure which would separate us,
Reversing our gains.
We shall be firm – in purpose
We shall be soft – in comfort
We shall be what we should be,
What we desire to be:
A portion of the kingdom.
And being such,
Changing a dreary world
From a rebellious misfit
Into an orderly, joyful, place –
Annexed by the kingdom,
Surprised – but pleased!

Renew Your Spirit: Tap into the Living Water

Meditation Thought: “God loves a cheerful giver… and God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:7-8)

“Yes, I will provide water in the wilderness and streams in the desert to give drink to my people. Head my directions in leading you to the deep artisan wells I want you to uncover and release in a gushing of the Living Water to renew and burst forth in full potential.

You possess my “divining rod” to discover the hidden wells needed to release growth. I will teach you to use it if you will seek my wisdom and knowledge, in faith and trust, and act upon my instructions. Do not leave one well uncovered by being distracted, inattentive, allowing feelings to wrongly overwhelm you.

Take my ‘divine rod’ in your hands, and let Me energize it at the places you are to dig: if you set your will on obeying your you will have the excitement and joy of “bringing in a real gusher” time after time after time. You will hardly be able to contain your energy as you realize that you are bringing beautiful life into that which appeared desolate as you allow Me to guide you from glory to glory.”

Trusting God’s Hand: A Path to Healing and Strength

Rejoice in the security of My hand enclosing yours.

Meditation Thought: “For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:15)

“Come, My children – take My hand in yours, and with your other hand, reach out to clasp another. I would pass on the warmth of My love and grace and power through you. Be not afraid of the hand you hold – even if it feels cold, clammy, dirty, rough. Your other hand which clasps Mine will be all the comfort you need. And as the ministering of My ways passes from Me to you to another, their hand is cleansed, relaxed, healed, made strong and sure. Sure enough one day to let go of your hand and reach directly for My hand, which became visible to them through your hand which they could see with their eyes before they could see My hand in faith.

Do not go seeking far and wide for hands to hold. Only hold My hand, look to Me, and you will realize that a hand has taken hold of your other hand. Do not strain to serve Me: only rejoice in the security of My hand enclosing yours. Let me lead you gently but firmly. The more you trust Me, the more relaxed you can be in our world together. Turn over the cares of your life to Me, for I wish to dissolve them. Sometimes they will disappear one by one – sometimes they are so entwined that the release of one will release many. But always the care comes as a potential for My blessing, if you will but trust My leading in it and through it and out of it.

Learn to reinforce your trust in Me, and you will learn how to cast your burdens away quickly, becoming stronger in faith and trust and releasing more of yourself to Christ within you with each cast.”

Finding Peace and Boldness in Faith

Experience love, give love, be more alert. Your joy is boundless, your eyes perceiving beauty everywhere, your mind connecting all that comes into it into a pattern never before even suspected.

Meditation Thought: “ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

In Christ, a new creation!
– Righteous, for your sin is forgiven and forgotten
– Bold, for fear is replaced with confidence in your Helper (who is always with you, forever)
– Content, for your longing for peace and fulfillment is satisfied
– Excited, for you know that in Christ the work of the Father is constantly being done. And done with enthusiasm, good results and often in surprising ways!
-You are experiencing love and giving love, you are more alert, your joy is boundless, your eyes perceiving beauty everywhere, your mind connecting all that comes into it into a pattern never before even suspected.
– That which is unseen becomes as that which is seen, and that which is seen becomes magnified and intensified.

Christ is beyond all of the most potent effective medicines, vitamins, beauty aids and self-help courses washing over you, pouring into you, transforming the dead entity of your self now willed to Him into the Father’s image: His precious offspring, spirit of His spirit – His paternal dream fulfilled.

Suggested prayer:
“Come, Lord Jesus, into my heart and mind, that all of my thoughts and actions are in tandem with your thoughts and actions. Amen.”

Creating a Beautiful Life

Will you allow God the pleasure of loving and caring for you?

Meditation Thought: “whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

“Picture yourself choosing various objects laid out before you to drop into a transparent cylinder of time. The overall pattern is determined by the objects you choose. If you listen to Me, I will enable you to choose objects which will produce a pattern of glowing loveliness and beauty. It will be a column of time giving pleasure to the world and to the Kingdom.

If you choose to ignore My wisdom and knowledge of the whole in selecting the objects, the column of time will be clouded and dark and jumbled. It will make no pattern of loveliness. Do not become so preoccupied with the necessity of selecting that you forget to consult Me. Walk in the Way, the Word, the Spirit, to discover My selections for your ideal pattern.

Trust Me – knowing that as the child, you cannot function properly without the care of your Father. I desire to love you and care for you – allow Me this pleasure.”

Transforming Hearts: How God’s Love Changes Us

Our heart changes when His loving presence moves into it, bringing light, warmth, wisdom, understanding, knowledge and forgiveness.

Meditation Thought: “for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” (1 Corinthians 8:6)

Love is the key to life: without love there may be existence but not fullness. But how do we know love? We know love by allowing God into our heart. He seeks by His love and grace to enter into us. We must pry open the door of our free will to allow Him to enter.

Our heart changes when His loving presence moves into it, bringing light, warmth, wisdom, understanding, knowledge and forgiveness. We are so changed that nothing appears as before. It is enhanced, enriched and increased in value according to the Kingdom’s value system.

Suggested prayer: Lord, come into my heart! Clean, shine, renew, refurnish, redecorate, rebuild, remodel. Conform my heart to your image and specifications, while still expressing my personality in its uniqueness and style. Amen.

Serving as God’s Instrument

You can be the builder of others’ delights.

Meditation Thought: “But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (John 3:21)

“Works carried out in God” – the Will expressed in the yielded will. (Our will, my will, yielded to His.) The believing heart, the attitude of serving, the loving words and actions, the builder of others’ delights. Oh, Lord, Yes! Help me to be your instrument whereby your works are carried out on earth, to your glory in heaven.

To do what is true, it is necessary to do what is in the Word. And the Word is light. We act in the Word as we perceive it and thus trust that we are in God’s will, functioning as His hands and feet on earth in our time and place.

Caring for Our Bodies in Christ’s Image

Meditation Thought: “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 6:15)

Christ in each cell! With the yielding of my will to His will, my body is transformed into Christ living in the world today! How can I treat His body with anything but care and love?

Bodies come in all shapes and sizes. Genesis 1:27 says that God created people in His own image. That cannot refer to our physical beings – if it did we would all look like each other! Therefore, spiritually we are made in God’s image. Made to seek Him and His way. Made to care for the body He chose to encase our spirit. Not to abuse it, not to bemoan it, but to care for it and love it. And by so doing, we are then able to love others.