Category: Obedience

How to Change the Universe

Every thought, every action, every prayer changes the world, changes the Kingdom. You, you change the universe!

Meditation Thought: “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.” (1 Peter 2:23)

You have been admonished to obey those in authority: yet there is a hierarchy of authority, and you must obey the highest in command if there is a conflict of instructions. God is the highest authority. He judges justly. Obey Him, not only obey, but seek to be recognized as His child by the diligent pursuit of imitating Him in the flesh of the man called Jesus.

  • If you concentrate your spirit, mind, body, energies on all which is consistent with God’s nature as revealed to you in various forms, you will be doing His works while at the same time releasing His power in you to transform you, through your belief in Him, to work miracles in your life. To transform you:
  • from ignorant to wise,
  • from fearful to courageous,
  • from weak to strong,
  • from sad to joyful,
  • from ineffective to effective.

And this transformation takes place quietly,

  • little by little
  • thought by thought,
  • action by action,
  • prayer by prayer.

But every thought, every action, every prayer changes the world, changes the Kingdom. You, you change the universe! Be excited about this, be pleased about this. This is the manner in which God created: it is natural, it is desirable. The changes are to be made – but the attitude you adopt in making them is the revelation of who has your allegiance. Are you humble, willing to serve, glad to forgive and love and sacrifice? Then the world, which is proud, arrogant, unforgiving, hateful and demanding will not count you one of its own. But God rejoices in you, and by your acting out of His nature in your life, bit by bit, you soften the hardness of the world – reshape a part of it – squeezing out hate with love, and the volume of worldly power is reduced a little, while the volume of spiritual power is increased a little.

You are needed, only you can reshape certain parts of the world, appropriating them for the Kingdom – and it is through your manner – guided by the Spirit – that the world desires to be reshaped, allows itself to be reshaped, seeks to be reshaped. Carry on, move forward in confidence: Confidence in Your Lord.

Extraordinary Results

You cannot diminish your treasure of Myself through sharing – you diminish it only by ignoring it, which has the effect of not possessing it at all.

Meditation Thought: “And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” (Luke 18:1)

“Look to Me – look to Me – not to circumstances, or to people, or to possessions, or to your own understanding.

I am the source of all good, all wisdom and knowledge, all righteousness and mercy, all the power that you will ever need – to overcome all obstacles, to reach our goals, to help others to know Me.

Realize that when you seek Me you will find Me: do not have doubts, or wait for ‘lightening in the sky’ revelations.

All I require is an earnest desire to know Me, to love Me, and to obey Me. Once you have this desire and are truly attempting to fulfill it, allow yourself to get caught up in an excitement and trust of forging ahead toward the bringing of the kingdom ever more surely into your life.

You are aware of the essential principles of spiritual search and spiritual life. Apply them. Rely on them. Enjoy the living wonder of them. This is the secret of Jesus’ joy, Peter’s joy, Paul’s joy – the joy of millions who have chosen the Way of the cross.

Obedience and discipline are often difficult – but to adhere to these ‘rules of conduct’ will bring rewards which will multiply and compound to the extent that not only will they bring joy to you, but will be the very base of enabling others to come to know the Way and to choose to follow it.

Do not strain to follow the Way, relying on your own works. Simply follow the principles, experimenting with every new bit of knowledge gleaned along the journey, attempting to apply it specifically to your own person and situation – always remaining in the Light of My Presence through ingesting the Word, through communication in prayer, through loving, unselfish ministry, through faith in My character and My promises and My faithfulness to keeping these promises to those who have gone before you in history.

Do not fear – or more accurately, when fear thrusts itself into your life, send it quickly far away through your trust in Me as stronger than any other power, and trust that I shall use this power to guide, protect, enhance and bring good for My beloved, obedient and dependent, responsive child.

In order for you to have extraordinary results you must make extraordinary effort, use extraordinary strength, have extraordinary wisdom and knowledge. It is obvious where these are to become available to you. It is obvious that when they are made available you should take advantage of them. I shall do all in My power to place My power where it can be attached to your movements. But you must make the final connection by choosing to attach your faith and trust and love, your thoughts, your words and your deeds to My proffered power. You can do this only through following the example of the once I sent to teach you the necessary steps to making a firm connection with My power:
– Know the Word
– Turn to Me in prayer
– Do as I ask: willingly if possible – reluctantly if necessary.

Where your treasure is there is your heart also. If I am the treasure of your life, you are rich indeed, and your heart shall rejoice, for no one can steal your treasure; you cannot lose it; it will not rust away – it is eternal, ever-present, everything you long for a treasure to be.

Your treasure is of the most pleasure to you as it is shared – this doubles your joy, for to give is the very essence of your inheritance from Me.

Never is your treasure diminished when it is Myself: the more of My love you give away, the more love I produce. You cannot diminish your treasure of Myself through sharing – you diminish it only by ignoring it, which has the effect of not possessing it at all.

Who would choose to not possess treasure? Who would choose to lose a treasure once possessed?

You have been given all authority in heaven and on earth to claim your treasure and to possess it. You need only to exercise your authority.

You now realize that the authority is yours; you now know how to use it.

If you determine to ‘abide by the rules’ and to apply them properly through diligence, through discipline, through unselfish attitudes and a mind seeking Truth, a heart seeking love, and a spirit seeking the Spirit, the results truly will be extraordinary.”

Prayer of response: Lord, thank you for this teaching and this vision. Please enable me to fulfill the vision: enable me to do extraordinary things with my life – not to impress people, but to please You, and in pleasing you, bring joy to my heart. In Jesus’ Precious Name I pray. Amen.

The Success Factor

Only through a will totally yielded to the Father’s will is it possible to spark the power that explodes love of such magnitude that it lights up the world, and brings the power of the Spirit to transform the world into the kingdom.

Meditation Thought: ““Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

“I tried to teach ‘them’ – to enlighten them – to love them into an awareness of the life of the Spirit, the love of God, the power of God – the longing of God to have them know Him and love Him. But they would not understand. Their hearts were hardened, their minds set, their emotions set loose in rage more appropriate for animals than for men.

Do not condemn them. The very behavior they exhibited is the reason that I came to dwell in flesh, that the opportunity to know Truth might be given. And many did open up their minds, and give their love, to the ultimate commitment – totally loyal, willing to sacrifice themselves for Me and for My Father.

You know that you have not understood, you have had a hardened heart, a stubborn mind-set, and rage loosed in inappropriate ways. It is only by grace, by prayers of others for you, and by examples set before you, and the Father’s many works in your life that you have sought, and found, Truth. Truly you could say of those who condemned Me, ‘There but for the grace of God go I.’

Therefore do not criticize nor condemn those who now reject My teaching. Follow My Way: Love, heal, do not fight back nor argue your case. Your strength and power to live the Life lies not in your human abilities, but in your faith in My Teaching, and your obedience to its wisdom.

Your hope does not lie in circumstances, but in the Truth which has been revealed to you.

The very act that brought despair and sorrow to My followers so long ago was also the act that brought transformation to them, and through them, to millions through the ages. It brought the kingdom upon the earth wherever a faithful heart believed that it did, and today that very same transformation takes place.

To believe that what I taught, and what I lived, and how I died is the transforming power of God made available to His beloved children is still difficult, as it was difficult during My sojourn on earth.

Yet Truth shall prevail as the Father’s will shall prevail. Would you choose to be with God – or rebel against God? To insure that you do not reject the Father, or the Son, or the Holy Spirit, you must adhere to the Way, live the Life, and seek the Truth.

You know how to do these through the wisdom and knowledge of the Word, through revelation from prayer, and through actions based upon unselfish love. Yet none of these are possible to be real in your life unless you yield your will to the Father’s will – this is the discipline which is the ‘success factor’. This is the key to the reality of the kingdom overcoming the world. This is the transforming catalyst, or the conduit which brings the Living Water into the desert and brings new forms of life out of seeming death. This is the lesson and the example and the help which I made clear to all who would believe when I allowed Myself to be placed upon a cross. I suffered for you – willingly, yes – but not of my own initiative. It was our Father who requested it of Me, out of love for you. And I gave myself over to His will out of love for Him. At that moment, His love for you became My love for you, and the glory of love was released in fulness that is beyond human understanding.

Only through a will totally yielded to the Father’s will is it possible to spark the power that explodes love of such magnitude that it lights up the world, and brings the power of the Spirit to transform the world into the kingdom.

All the words in all the languages ever spoken cannot describe this miracle, cannot explain it, nor bring understanding of it. The only way to comprehend the miracle, and to experience it, is to become the fuel (self-will consumed by eternal will) that is lit by the Energy of the Spirit.

At first there is pain as the fuel is converted from one from to another: however once the combination of Spiritual Energy and a yielded will have united and exploded, the new form of being a part of a glorious Whole which is lighting and transforming vast areas is pure joy to the personal spirit. It is this action which I demonstrated, and whoever seeks to duplicate the experiment shall have the same results. Many who followed Me through the ages have confirmed this, and even the world who will only observe and not experiment, recognized these people and one day term them ‘saints’. But that day comes long after the world has done its best to impede the very experiment it observed, and would not accept as proper and right to do.

When you waver and want to stop being an experimenter and join the skeptical world – remember the impact of a Peter or a Paul, who, though weak and frail, doubtful and full of fear, did as I bid, not understanding – only trusting – and their faith was justified. The Holy Spirit’s power did light the spark from the fuel of their yielded will, and the light and transforming love is still exploding, still transforming the world into the kingdom.

What will the impact be if all of the Father’s children yield to His loving will? Do your best, as did Peter and Paul, who followed Me – I who followed the Father’s requests to the ultimate sacrifice of self-will – to use your circumstances, and your personality, your energy and your power of choice to be the most efficient and the most transforming energy engendered on earth.”

Enjoy and Share

I do not expect you to be perfect – I do expect you to be available.

Meditation Thought: “O Lord, God of my salvation,
    I cry out day and night before you.
2 Let my prayer come before you;
    incline your ear to my cry!” (Psalm 88:1-2)

“You have cried and prayed – you shall have your response from your loving Father. Concentrate on the words of encouragement which have been placed in your life. Share them. Believe them. Act as if you believe them.

You can enjoy and share what you have in this kingdom-seeking quest. You have ideas; you have the Word; you have prayer; you have loving family and friends.

The need for human family never subsides – neither does the need for our relationship to be needed by one another subside. Right now you need Me to provide what you are unable to provide: peace of mind about your loved ones, and provision for them. And I need you to provide what I am unable to provide: your trust in Me, your desire to know Me ever more intimately and to please Me even more surely.

Why would I reveal Myself to you if I did not desire to have a relationship with you which is viable? As your heart longs for your family, so My heart longs for you.

Believe this – trust that, whatever the situation may be, nothing is impossible for Me.

But, remember, you are needed, too, to cooperate and implement whatever I would do with you and through you. I do not expect you to be perfect – I do expect you to be available.”

Basis for Decisions

I can use my resources to help the poor, to create jobs, to bring beauty, to inspire generosity.

Meditation Thought: “…render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Luke 20:25)

As a matter of practical living in the realm of the physical, I “render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s”. But my decisions of how to do this are best based on my “rendering to God the things that are God’s” – namely, devoting time in prayer and meditation, to perceive His will as to the decisions concerning practical physical things which will most reflect the best of “spiritual living” – the decisions which will be most effective in promoting kingdom-characteristics on earth.

I can choose to “bribe Caesar” to do my bidding and to satisfy my selfish, uncaring whims – or I can use my resources to help the poor, to create jobs, to bring beauty, to inspire generosity.

Only by “rendering to God the things that are God’s” am I able to render to Caesar only the things that are Caesar’s. If I choose by myself what I render to Caesar, I give Caesar God’s rightful due. And that causes all kinds of disruptions and harm.

It would be far better to err in the other direction – to give God Caesar’s portion – for God is loving, generous, kind, righteous, and fair – He would give Caesar his due – but Caesar would not give what he has wrongfully received to God, and therefore God would be left with less return than He desires from my “talent” which He has given me to use and protect – and eventually return, that He may judge how many talents I am trustworthy to use for Him.

Response: “My Father, Who is generous beyond my understanding, help me to be wise, prudent and alert to the opportunities presented to me to render to you and to Caesar. I desire to never ‘short-change’ You, and I seek your help in making all in my life a proper balance of rendering to You and rendering to Caesar all that is entrusted to me. According to Your will. Amen.”

Pace-Setter

The transforming grace of Love changes every thought, every word, every deed.

Meditation Thought: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

Message perceived to be from Jesus:

“If you are willing to follow Me, I will take you with Myself – holding your hand when necessary, doing all that you need to be done and cannot do for yourself along our journey.

To walk in the darkness of mere physical life is discouraging to you – and limits your potential. If you will follow Me, I will light your path, revealing many things to you which will be opportunities to use your talents, fulfill your dreams, and bring joy to many. Is this not what I did on earth? I suffered but I was a dynamic force and I knew the joy of obedience to My Father. I knew the joy of healing the sick, giving hope to those in despair, and setting the pace for all who would run the race of life – if they would follow Me, they would develop in similar character, in similar works.

Many desire to make a mark upon the world – but unless it is I whom they follow, that the Way may be that leading to the Father, the impact will be satisfying to neither that person nor to the world – certainly not to the Father.

But the Way is not easy, for self must be subdued – at first a difficult sacrifice – but when self has been crucified, then is the Holy Spirit raised up off that cross crucifixion, and the new creature is formed in the old body, and old mind and old spirit: the transforming grace of Love changes every thought, every word, every deed.

It is I who will give you the courage and the strength to crucify self that the new creature may emerge.

My bodily crucifixion ‘set the pace’ for the crucifixion of self-will and the sinning involved with it. But My crucifixion did more than ‘set the pace’ for those who follow in the race. I return from My running of the course of physical life to be the Light for all who run, and who desire Me to accompany them. My Light, as does the sun, provides warmth needed for growth, and energy needed for movement as well as visibility of Truth, that all things may come together for good: that the race may go, not to the swift, but to the enlightened.”

Temples of Truth

Free from fear, from ignorance, from prejudice, from illusion.

Meditation Thought: “And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, ‘Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.’ ” (Luke 19:41-44)

Do not be confused by the strange and unfamiliar – but, in confidence of the Love which lives in you through faith, follow the opportunities opened to you. Do not be rigid in your thinking or perceiving – be rigid only in your faith, keeping it steady by day and by night – by rest and by seige.

To have a rigid faith is to provide the foundation on which to build the Truth. And Temples of Truth are the place where God dwells, and where God dwells, there no enemy shall overcome.

If you base your life – every facet of your life – upon this knowledge, upon this wisdom, then you shall be free: you shall be free from fear, from ignorance, from prejudice, from illusion. Being freed of these inhibiting ‘enemies’, you shall be fulfilled as you energetically build the kingdom – that the ‘city’ where you dwell may be more beautiful, not destroyed. The place where God dwells is impregnable from all forces which would destroy – and if you welcome God into your heart and your will and your mind and your body and your situations, He will dwell with you and you will dwell with Him in the kingdom: It becomes more lovely with every obedient response to God’s soft request. His hopeful longing that you will understand and obey, in trust, in faith, in love.

Out on a Limb

We won’t find the Life if we don’t go out on a limb!

Meditation Thought: “And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.” (Luke 19:2-6)

Zacchaeus did just what was needed to give himself a new perspective and thus a new life. He was curious about who Jesus was; he moved himself from the ordinary place into an unexpected position, and is doing so was more visible to Jesus. He made his preparations – making sure he was on the proper road, and in the position where he could see Jesus. And when Jesus spoke to him, Zacchaeus responded promptly and joyfully and obediently.

In addition, when Zacchaeus understood who Jesus was, he responded to this knowledge by doing what he could to rectify what actions had been taken wrongfully before he met Jesus, and also decided to live differently in the future. Zacchaeus wanted to be found: he placed himself in a position where the possibility was greater to be found, though he was unaware of it at the time, and then, when Jesus called to him, seeking him, he answered as Jesus desired him to answer. Thus both Zacchaeus and Jesus were pleased with the results: both had fulfilled their desires and their missions.

Each one is sought by Jesus – and each of us who seek to see who Jesus is, and make effort to find a place where we can see who He is (going to the Word, to the places the Word is preached, to the prayer-time and concentration of thought on what Jesus is saying through the Holy Spirit) and then respond to what He does say to us promptly, joyfully and obediently – we find and He finds.

We learn who He is and He saves us because we do learn and we do obey Him, believing in His authority and in His ability. We find the Life we seek, and He finds His mission fulfilled.

But we won’t find the Life if we don’t go out on a limb!

Construct vs. Repair

My power surges into you, and the burden you dreaded and feared becomes light indeed – and transformed, faithful act, by faithful act, into a crown.

Meditation Thought: “And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?” (Luke 14:27-28)

Perceived as a message from the Father:

“My will is your will also – though at times you do not realize that, though your will desires fulfillment, purpose, and joy in your expression of your life, the way to succeed in appropriating them is to seek My will and to do My will.

There is a better Way to be effective in finding and performing My will than is often comprehended. You, as well as many, have adopted a mind-set upon ‘sin’, and because sin does short-circuit holy power it is necessary to consider it and correct it. However, you are taking undue time in discovering and repairing short-circuits in ‘feeder’ lines.

You should be constructing super-power-carrying transmission lines on a grand scale. This is possible when you realize that you are concentrating too much on your person and your thoughts and actions, and whether they are ‘sinful’.

You need to adopt a more positive approach to learning the secrets of the spiritual realm: focus on Jesus’ words, actions and attitudes – the concentration He had upon the Word, upon communion in prayer, upon expressions of love, upon faith in My love, My power, and My desire to work all things together for good for my beloved children.

Jesus did not sin – but He was tempted, as you are tempted. How did He resist temptation? He resisted it be using His knowledge of My principles and My potential power, and He knew about these through His concentration upon My Word and our relationship through study and through prayer.

It is concentrating upon My Word by study, and our relationship through prayer that builds transmission lines of power: this is the work I intend My children to be doing – not for your time and energy to be underutilized in minor repairs only. Repairs must be made when needed – but not many ‘breaks’ will occur when the construction is proper and strong from the beginning.

I have provided the Way do to all the repairing necessary, through repentance and commitment to become a disciple of Christ, which is to be promoted to construction worker from a repairer of minor problem spots. You are freed from your old job because Jesus Christ instantly repairs the troubles for you when you request Him to and believe that He discharges that responsibility. Then with a clear conscience and with confidence that all is well, you can rejoice in promotion realizing that you will be taught all you need to know to discharge your new responsibilities – so long as you are in an attitude of your self-will being immobilized under the constraint of the cross. The miracle is that the pain of self-will crucified is brief, and soon My will is brought to life through your resurrected self-will taking on a new form as a part – an integral, beautifully functioning part – of My eternal will.

If you would come after Christ along the Way to Truth and to Life, you must bear your cross – but not alone do you suffer it. My power surges into you, and the burden you dreaded and feared becomes light indeed – and transformed, faithful act, by faithful act, into a crown. The crown is your joy – but it is My glory.”

Aided Hearing

When I remember that God can work good out of what I perceive as bad, I can persevere more easily.

Meditation Thought: “And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!'” (Luke 9:35)

When I ‘listen to Jesus’, how does it affect my life?

  • I am more aware of the joy of being alive, more enthusiastic about living in a fascinating, constantly changing world.
  • My angst is diminished.
  • I can cope more easily with the ‘bad times’ – the disappointments, the sadness of making errors – especially if they adversely affect other people.
  • When I remember that God can work good out of what I perceive as bad, I can persevere more easily.
  • Although disappointment is difficult, knowing that God created us to bond with us as we bond with our loved ones helps to east the angst.

So, my Creator, my Teacher, my Helper, I pray for You to guide me on the path You desire for me to take. Help me to perceive what I am to do to accomplish Your will. I know You desire good for me, as I desire good for my beloved family – and You have the right, and the ability, to guide me as You desire. Thank you, Lord, for your blessings.