Category: peace

Peace & Joy Reign

Wherever you go with My Spirit and My Word, shall the scene be changed, lives be transformed, glory be given to Me, and peace and joy reign in willing hearts.

Meditation Thought: “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6)

“Concentrate on My Word, and you shall know My will. For the Spirit gives life to the Word, and the Living Word gives life to you. The seed of your faith shall grow into the manifestation of the works of the Spirit so large that the works will dominate the landscape of your presence. Wherever you go with My Spirit and My Word, shall the scene be changed, lives be transformed, glory be given to Me, and peace and joy reign in willing hearts.

Go, obey My command, and take My Spirit and My Word unto the world.”

My Prayer: “Yes, Lord! May it be so!”

Tragedy to Triumph

It is what makes the simple wise, the sick well, the discouraged joyful, and the distraught peaceful.

Meditation Thought: “When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be everything to everyone.” (1 Corinthians 15:28)

“God may be everything to everyone”. “Love may be everything to everyone”. When love is everything to everyone, then is everyone subject to God. And being subject to God is to lack nothing. God, in various manifestations, is everything to everyone, everywhere. This is the mystery and the majesty of the Kingdom. It is what makes the simple wise, the sick well, the discouraged joyful, and the distraught peaceful. To be loved, to love, deeply, openly, unconditionally – this is what changes darkness to light, and tragedy to triumph. The power of the Holy Spirit is rooted in unconditional love, unconditional grace.

Am I Willing?

You can trust Him to re-make you more beautifully and completely in His image.

Meditation Thought: “…let each person lead the life (or walk in the way) that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him.” (1 Corinthians 7:17)

If you do not lead the life needed to complete the Plan of God, the Plan will not reach the perfection of God’s image. This is the crux: will you be willing to subject your total self to His total Plan? For you will feel the pinch of others being crowded against you as movement takes place to do cleansing, and building, and rearranging in order to undo the mischief done by self-will and Satan’s exploitation of that self-will.

If you can be soft, pliable, yielding – then God can re-shape you, move you and energize you to conform to whatever He needs you to be. If you can trust Him to re-work you – not only from what you were some time ago – but what you are at any given moment, you will have peace and joy in any circumstances, you will know the delight of being a light in the darkness, leaven in the bread, salt of the earth, the Father’s child not only made – but more beautifully and completely re-made in His image.

As a child can grow to look like, think like, and act like his father as time goes by, so you, by the willingness of your heart and the power of the Spirit released fully by Jesus’ obedience unto death, will bit by bit become more like your Father.

Do not tarry, but keep the conscious thought at all times to yield, to seek through diligence in pursuit of Word and Spirit – that the life-saving surgery, the surgery needed for improved health, and the cosmetic surgery all may be performed and completed to God’s glory and your joy.

Merciful Harmony

Usually it is only when the exercise of our own will and our own efforts have not ‘paid off’ as we had anticipated that we search for the best way to live.

Meditation Thought: “ So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.” (Romans 9:16)

“It depends upon God’s mercy” – therefore, we must depend upon God. We cannot do anything by ourselves, for this was not God’s original plan.

“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33) must be accepted and acted upon if we are to reap the benefits which all eventually come to seek: peace, joy, love.

But we are so stubborn! We get ‘involved’, we would rather ‘do our own thing’, we mistakenly believe that we are able to manage nicely by ourselves. Usually it is only when the exercise of our own will and our own efforts have not ‘paid off’ as we had anticipated that we search for the best way to live – for the way that is compatible with our Creator and His creation.

In our helplessness, we cry out for mercy – and it is the recognizing of our need for mercy that opens up a new previously unsuspected level of life. A level where an awakening of possibilities causes great excitement and anticipation in us, which at the same time allows us to be at peace in our hearts.

To have the Spirit flowing within is visible without, for our health depends not upon outside circumstances, but a fully integrated program which coordinates every factor of our being (spirit, personality, body, mind) into working harmoniously – all seeking to improve the particular area of itself, but affecting the other areas in a positive manner. Only the One who created us has the knowledge of how to accomplish this to the maximum degree. If we call upon Him to teach us, He is eager to do so.

A Twist on Stem Cells

This is the reason that thoughts are critical to life – or death; to peace – or agony; to fulfillment – or discontent; to health – or to sickness; to richness of lifestyle – or poverty of lifestyle.

Meditation Thought: “So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.” (Romans 8:6)

A thought is the tiny first cell of the growing expression which will take form in many mediums and influence many others. This original cell-thought has within it all the genetic features needed to multiply it into a huge far-reaching form.

This is the reason that thoughts are critical to life – or death; to peace – or agony; to fulfillment – or discontent; to health – or to sickness; to richness of lifestyle – or poverty of lifestyle.

God seeks to illuminate our understanding that we may recognize that thoughts seeking relationship with Him are the key to the fulfillment of our creation both spiritually and humanly.

To come to the realization that God- almighty, all powerful, all loving, all creating, all righteous, all beautiful, all orderly, all reconciling, all accepting, all encouraging, all giving of freedom to choose His offer of companionship, of fellowship, of fatherhood is our Father, is to be completely awed, completely, happy, completely obedient.

We do not expect to do as well as our Hero (Jesus) in expressing our life in our humanity, nevertheless, the determination to do our best to adopt the same thoughts, the same attitudes, the same type of language, the same type of actions, and the sure conviction that our Hero was and is real and is able, by our belief in His realty, to empower us to become more like Him.

Weight Lifted; Chains Loosed

He made the lifting of the burden and the breaking of the chains possible – not easy, not quick, but His example of the method is there for all who seek it.

Meditation Thought: “I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.” (Romans 7:18)

I feel the weight of sin, but my own power is insufficient to move it. I know that if only this weight could be removed, I could move places where I cannot go now. I am bound in guilt, in inadequacies, in the past. I cannot raise the energy to fulfil my dreams, but am frustrated by weight, by chains.

Only one man succeeded in avoiding the crushing weight and binding chains: by total obedience to the Father’s will; by willingly foregoing the pleasures anyway – He made the lifting of the burden and the breaking of the chains possible – not easy, not quick, but His example of the method is there for all who seek it.

My prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for being willing to forgo the using of Your power for Yourself, that Your power might be used for my benefit. Enable me to, in my gratitude, in my desire to give you joy that your sacrifice was not in vain, but released me from much pain, to accomplish the very purpose for which You came. (See Matthew 18:18)

Enable me to become an expression of Your joy, and not an extension of Your pain. In Your Precious Name I pray. Amen.

How to Glorify God

His glory shines through the clouds of despair and gloom and apathy – bringing warmth to those were surrounded by dark and coldness.

Meditation Thought: “Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up.” (Romans 15:2)

“Give and it shall be given you, pressed down, running over” (Luke 6:38) – giving of yourself is the most beautiful, the most blessed giving of all: to sacrifice your desires, your preferences, your opinions, your actions to please another is loving, unselfish, caring, helping – and glorifying to God. The stronger your desire for something other than your neighbor’s preference, the more sacrifice is required. But, the deeper the sacrifice is, the more meaningful is the gift. That gift uplifts greatly, touches the recipient to the heart – to the spirit so deeply that God’s love is perceived in the gift. So the two have come together, touching God’s love – one through giving, one through receiving, with both parties being uplifted.

Each time we are confronted with a choice to please our neighbor or please ourselves, we have an opportunity to bring several people closer to God. Our yielding to the Father’s will is what makes the sacrifice possible – and thus the glory possible. As the sacrifices multiply, God’s glory multiplies. His glory shines through the clouds of despair and gloom and apathy – bringing warmth to those were surrounded by dark and coldness, and additional light and warmth to those who had some, but are seeking more.

Purposeful Transformation

You can do nothing with your own will hugged close to your heart compared to the releasing of it for Me to change it as it becomes part of My will.

Meditation Thought: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)

“Give me your will – and I will transform it into My will. This turns your will from the world and its ego-selfishness to a new will of goodness and acceptance and perfection. This giving of your will must be an ongoing gift – a constant giving and receiving (of My will) – and then, for the next situation, a new giving and a new receiving. You can do nothing with your own will hugged close to your heart compared to the releasing of it for Me to change it as it becomes part of My will. It is no longer recognizable as the same will you gave Me – for it is transformed into a will of loving power. Instead of your will conformed to the world, it is our will transforming the world. This is my desire for you: our becoming one in will, one in purpose, one in action, one in the task of redeeming the world from sin and turning the world to Love.

My heart longs for My loved ones to come to Me, to rejoice with Me, to be with Me in a full, complete, mutually delightful relationship. When My longing becomes your longing, then your will becomes My will and the transformation begins.”

Spirit-waves

You do not see the spirit-waves of strength and force and direction which are released – but nonetheless they exist.

Meditation Thought: “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?” (Psalm 121:1)

“Lift your eyes from the valley of despair and feast them upon the serenity of the hills – the stillness, the over-all pattern of the whole. Loan Me your eyes that I may take them to see where you have not been able to go – let Me put new views into your eyes and return them to you to inspire your mind and your initiative. Take time to be holy – My purpose is worked through this more than in any other way. You do not see the spirit-waves of strength and force and direction which are released through this action – but nonetheless they exist, they are effective, and they are needed. That is why we have a relationship – to release these waves of My Spirit to the world.

Lifted by Grace

We are given grace so overwhelming as to be immeasurable. Grace in that quantity covers even the smallest part of our life.

Meditation Thought: “But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:7)

“Is given according to the measure of the gift of Christ”: the gift of Christ is so grand, so glorious, as to be immeasurable! Therefore we are given grace so overwhelming as to be immeasurable. Grace in that quantity covers even the smallest part of our life; it is there for the asking at any moment, on any occasion. What release we have as we think and move to know that by grace we are free! If we move wrongly, we confess and repent: grace has lifted guilt from us. We were born in sin and feel its weight – until by grace it is removed as we confess Jesus as our Savior and know that we can let go of that weight for now the cross is bearing it for us.

Suggested prayer: Thank you Jesus – for being You – for all the hard decisions You made, that my life might be easier, fuller, happier, holier. For I need Your humanness to show me that in my humanness it is possible to reach the Father, to know the Father, to love the Father. In You I see the glory, the majesty, the mystery of His creation: the everchanging, ever-adapting, and yet steadfast and enduring Spirit.
Love – but in many forms
Power – but in many forms
Compassion – but in many forms
Righteousness – but in many forms
Sacrifice – but in many forms.
Infinite variety of expression – but all rooted in One Form: the Father’s Gift to His beloved, but estranged, creations, that they could be transformed:
from strangers to sons and daughters,
from outcasts to heirs,
brought from imprisonment to freedom,
and from despair to joy
From black void to shining glory.
All through grace. Grace offered freely, hopefully and lovingly.