Category: prayer

It’s not too Late to Learn

If you enter into the wonder of it, are willing to commit yourself to learning the nature of it, and cooperating with it, you will be changed inside and out.

Meditation Thought: “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God?” (Mark 12:24)

If you understand the meaning of a word it is far different than the technicality of reading a word. The scriptures must be understood if they are to be alive and active as a force in your life. They can be understood only through:

  • becoming familiar with the words
  • learning the meaning of the words
  • incorporating these words into your vocabulary, enriching it by their frequent use
  • seeking all the uses for the words; they have various meanings for various placement in the context of other words, other situations.

To a child the word ‘truth’ may connotate only ‘not telling a lie’, but to an adult, ‘truth’ can be many things, and cover a wide area. Learn to understand scriptures as an adult, not a child. Study.

The power of God is not hidden from anyone but frequently it is never discerned. The only way to recognize it is to look for it, believe the evidence of it, and accept it as fact. Once you recognize it, it becomes easier to perceive other manifestations of it.

If you enter into the wonder of it, are willing to commit yourself to learning the nature of it, and cooperating with it, you will be changed inside and out.

Move Which Mountain?

You cannot pray for the Father’s will if you do not know it – and you cannot know it if you do not seek it. You cannot seek it if you limit yourself to seeking your will only.

Meditation Thought:” whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Have faith in God.” (Mark 11:24,22)

God is: what? whom? How can you know? Because Jesus was able to prove God by the effects He made by His life – and for which He gave God the credit. No man has ever had such an effect on the world. How could He be totally outstanding from all others? He claims: “It is the Father who does the works.” “Believe in God.” “Believe in Me.” (Believe that what I say is true.) “He who believes in Me shall do the works that I do and greater works than these shall he do.” (See John 14)

You must focus on your destination before you can find the path there.

Will you indulge yourself – or glorify the Father?

Will you do your own thing – or the Father’s works and glorify Him?

If you know your Father, you believe Him, trust Him, obey Him, seek His counsel – you cannot move mountains. But your faith in your Father’s ability to do so can move mountains. You do not doubt in your heart because your heart is already consecrated to the Father, and you are doing His works: moving mountains.

You receive what you ask in prayer because you are praying for the Father’s will. You cannot pray for the Father’s will if you do not know it – and you cannot know it if you do not seek it. You cannot seek it if you limit yourself to seeking your will only.

When you know which mountain the Father desires to be moved, then your faith is the lever that starts the movement.

Finding Help

Fear comes at the thought of separation from that which is dear to you. Belief comes when you have assurance that the Father has both the love and the power to bind together ever more firmly you and all that is dear to you.

Meditation Thought: “Do not fear, only believe.” (Mark 5:36)

“‘Do not fear.’ Do not listen to any voice save Mine if you do not desire to fear. Others speak with only partial knowledge, as children – saying what they perceive as the truth, but knowing only limitedly. I have the total knowledge, the mature insight – the wisdom of the Father interpreted to you in terms you are able to understand.

‘Your help comes from the Lord’ (Psalm 121:2). But you must be looking for that help, and not distracted from it by fears shattering your concentration. Discipline yourself to turn in the direction where your help will meet you.

  • The Word will turn you properly
  • Prayer will turn you properly
  • Meditation will turn you properly
  • Service will turn you properly
  • Love will turn you properly
  • Sacrifice will turn you properly
  • Forgiveness will turn you properly
  • Mercy will turn you properly

These are the qualities of My character. These are the qualities of your character within My character, within the Father’s character. It is a continuation of the ‘behavior modification’ theory. (See blog post entitled Faith Over Fear 1/18/23.) Every time you behave in harmony with the character of your Father, you reinforce His character in yourself. As His character becomes more and more your character (by your own desire for it), you move further and further from ‘fear’ and closer and closer to ‘belief’.

Fear comes at the thought of separation from that which is dear to you. Belief comes when you have assurance that the Father has both the love and the power to bind together ever more firmly you and all that is dear to you.

Do not fear. Have I not revealed the reality of the Father to you? Would you fear one who gives His own life for your salvation? Can there be any greater proof of the Father’s love than His willing sacrifice of Himself for His Son’s sake?

How can you fear that such a father will not respond to his child’s call? Out of the depth of such love is faith made sure.”

Faith Over Fear

Nourish the thoughts which reflect the thoughts of the Master Teacher.

Meditation Thought: “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:40)

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen. (See Hebrews 11:1)

“Behavior modification” is possible in the realm of the spirit, as well as in the realm of the physical. Each time you are confronted with a decision, seek to act as if you have the faith of Jesus.

Jesus’ example of complete trust in his Father is the way, the truth, the life. Not for a moment did he waver in his belief that his Father would care for him; and for all, if all would believe.

Be careful which seeds you nourish in your garden. Many seed-thoughts will be cast into the field of your mind. Nourish the thoughts which reflect the thoughts of the Master Teacher, and reject those thoughts which are foreign to His teachings. In this manner, do you, modify your faith behavior, and in modifying your faith behavior, you modify your faith.

No longer does your faith waver, moving, according to the circumstances it encounters, but it is strong, sturdy, worthy of holding up whatever is cast upon it it. It’s strength lies, not in your conception of faith, but in Jesus‘ conception of faith.

Where is your faith? If it is embraced in the faith of Jesus, it is embraced by the love and power of the father. If it is anywhere else, it is non-existent, only word, not substance, not evidence.

This Moment & This One

For this reason you must reach out, you must seek, you must venture forth – not indiscriminately, but with proper preparation.

Meditation Thought: “For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” (Matthew 25:29) & “ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” (Matthew 25:13)

“This moment – be aware. This moment – be alert. This moment – do My will. This moment – rejoice in life. This moment – serve in joy. This moment – give Me glory. This moment – be free.

Nothing binds you – save love. The binding of love is not constriction, but the warm protection that keeps all cold harsh elements away from you. All that penetrates through this protection is for bringing joy to you, comfort to you, peace to you. Believe this, know this, and you will experience the reality of this.

It is the knowledge that My love protects you – and your love disarms all harm – that enables you to use your talents anywhere at any time freely, generously, uninhibitedly. As they move rapidly about, over a wide area, they attract as magnets other talents to work with them – all to My glory and all to your joy.

For this reason you must reach out, you must seek, you must venture forth – not indiscriminately, but with proper preparation in prayer, in knowledge of the Word, in the heeding of the soft voice of the Spirit.”

Life-Style Upgrade

But as money must be spent to change a life-style, so the Spirit must be active to change the style of life.

Meditation Thought: These are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. (1 Corinthians 2:10)

The gift of the Spirit as the means of affecting every area of a life can be compared to the gift of money in the world: the money can be applied to purchase goods which can be completely life-changing as to the style of living. And so the Spirit changes the style of life, not just a minute area. But as money must be spent to change a life-style, so the Spirit must be active to change the style of life. The knowledge to activate the Spirit is easy to find: the difficulty lies in our willingness to deny our human willfulness to dictate what we will think and say and do, and instead to yield to God’s will, and especially to accept the manner of His teaching.

We would choose to learn with little effort having our lessons all laid out before us, without our research any commitment on our part. But this is not the way we learn in depth, in a depth that takes the lesson learned beyond the ‘head knowledge’ and extends it to ‘heart knowledge’, making it a part of our actions as well as our mind.

It is the Spirit that keeps us researching, who leads us to new discoveries and resources. We must ask His help – and accept it and heed His instructions in order to learn the lesson, and having learned it, to make it a life-changing element in our lives.

Divine, Practical Interpretation

The Spirit is the interpreter.

Meditation Thought: “The Spirit himself intercedes for us… in accordance with the will of God.” (Romans 8:26-27)

The Spirit is the interpreter between God and people; the message-bearer; the One who understands God and understands people and brings the two together that the bond might be closer, the communication more complete, the Father’s works done more speedily and completely.

Prayer of Response:

Holy Spirit – dwell in me mightily; I know you will not push me in any way – but I ask you to work in me to your fullest desire, that the Father’s will might be also my way, my path, my works and my manner. Take my personality and clean it, shine it, give it the glowing health of my Savior’s ministrations and inheritance brought to me through you, who move from the realm of heaven where He resides to the realm of the world where I reside. Holy Spirit, move in my mind, in my heart, in my spirit, in my soul, my emotions, my body – cause them to vibrate with Your power – the power of love – of LOVE, divine love, beyond any love I’ve known or could know without Your Presence within me. Through You I cry to the Father – in need, and in joy too – “Have your own way, Lord, have your own way.”

Travel Plans

I am with you to help you around, over or through all obstacles.

Meditation Thought: “For he has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he has set forth in Christ as a plan for the fulness of time, to unite all things to him, things in heaven and things on earth.” (Ephesians 1:9-10)

“When you start along a highway, you can only trust that it reaches the destination you desire – you cannot see that destination. The only way you can experience the reality of the highway leading to this destination is to travel it, despite distractions and detours.

Experience the reality of the highway of My people! Many have travelled it before you, and written of the Way. Their experiences will aid you, encourage you. Read every book, seek every source of information of how to travel the road of My believers which leads to Me. You can move swiftly, accurately, confidently if you use every means at your disposal to make the journey be all that I intended it to be: exciting, but releasing a confidence of peace in the trust of My help along the way for every roadblock Satan sets before you.

Take each step in trust, knowing that I am with you to help you around, over or through all obstacles which would keep you from the destination. But your free will is the key to being stuck or to moving on when you encounter an obstacle. Pause, think, pray every time anything slows your movement. Together we shall move to the completion of the journey – slowly or speedily, pleasantly or painfully, confidently or hesitantly, inspiringly or ploddingly, in good humor or grumbling, trustingly or doubtfully – the manner of the movement depends upon you. Jesus has travelled the way and made His travelogue available that the pitfalls may be avoided, that the road may be well-marked for you. But if you do not consult His book nor look at His signs, you stumble and detour – and wonder why the trip is difficult.

Read your instructions, heed your instructions, fill yourself with the power of the Spirt to move you – opening your mind, your heart, your will to heavenly fuel – but closing them to the blandishments, the deceits, the temptations of the fuel offered by Satan. You have the knowledge of which is good fuel and which is evil fuel if you are in My Word and My Will. You are in My Word and My Will if you are walking in the steps of My Son. He has prepared the way that you might come quickly, even easily, to our Kingdom. Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you: if you adhere to His steps, if you seek His nourishment, you walk in the Kingdom extended along from spiritual to physical, reaching into a portion of the Kingdom while you are moving toward the fulness of the Kingdom.”

Clear Vision

Gently, ever so gently…

Meditation Thought: “I send you to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light.” (Acts 26:18)

“See, my child, clearly, and to far distances, that you may help others to remove the lids that are so tightly closed. Use the warmth of My love flowing through your hands placed over those lids, to relax the tightened muscles. Lubricate the crusted sin holding them by your forgiveness as I have forgiven you. Gently, ever so gently, place your hand and move the lid by your words, your actions, your ministries.

Do not move ahead of My instructions, or you will cause pain, and resistance to your movements. Each lid is a special case – a particular condition, and only I can see into the interior structure. My x-ray perception is needed for you to know how to best move to open the eye. Some eyes will open suddenly, as did Paul’s, some will open gradually, as did yours. But I would open all eyes if I have clear-visioned stewards to reach every closed lid.

Keep your own vision clear through obedience to My rules of health: remove any crust of sin by prayer for forgiveness after your heart repents, open your lid by obedience to My will as you understand it, focus by concentrating on My Word, expand your range of vision by performing loving ministries. Only then can I use you to open lids of others. My Kingdom is always here and now, for those who open their eyes to see it. But Satan would blind by rebellion, by sin, by ignorance, by selfishness, by pride. Flee from him – turn to Me, that you may see and lead others to see the Kingdom and My glory, praising in thanksgiving the depth of My love, and the expanse of My grace.”

Gourmet Cooking

It takes time and effort to learn to cook God’s gourmet meals – but the results are so outstanding that we can be only glad that we spent our time and effort in learning to cook in this manner.

Meditation Thought: “Let your speech at all times be gracious and pleasant, seasoned with salt, so that you will know how to answer each one [who questions you].” (Colossians 4:6 AMP)

A good cook is accomplished because they have had experience. Just pouring ingredients together in any mixture or any proportion does not make a tasty dish, and in fact, can make on that is actually harmful or wasteful.

We can become good cooks with the ingredients God provides for us (His Word, His Spirit, our minds, our bodies, our spirit) – only if we follow His recipes and advice as to how to use and mix these ingredients. Even then, the more time and effort we spend in “cooking”, the better we will become at producing tasty, nutritious and attractive dishes for ourselves and for others. We must learn that perfect proportion and method to produce the best result for the particular dish we are preparing – for no salt can make a dish too bland to be interesting, and too much salt can make it unpalatable.

It takes time and effort to learn to cook God’s gourmet meals – but the results are so outstanding that when we are enjoying the dish, and others are enjoying it, we can be only glad that we spent our time and effort in learning to cook in this manner.