Category: Serve

Keep Power Flowing

Waste no energy on debating; simply choose love: giving joyfully and praising Me.

Meditation Thought: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory…” (Ephesians 3:20-21)

“Choose consciously.” Exercise your capacity to choose constantly and you will become stronger, better able to engage the flow of My power in you. I will not condemn your choices – but you know which choices release My power more forcefully, as a cause and effect reaction. You will become better at more forceful choices as you reinforce one forceful choice by choosing a second forceful choice – and this repetition will keep My power flowing forcefully. Act in love at each moment, recalling the definitions of love in My Word, and this automatically assures that your choice of the moment is the one which is the one to release My power is a forceful way. Waste no energy on debating; simply choose love: giving joyfully and praising Me – an efficient key to unlock the life of the Kingdom at each moment.

Consulting the Guidebook

God’s works are always great, and right and inclusive and far-reaching.

Meditation Thought: “ Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:12)

“Do the works”, ‘Do’ – an active verb, requiring a thought, a decision and a movement. ‘Works’ – changes, results, accomplishments. If we need a guide for God’s plan for us:
– Believe His Word.
– Think about each situation in terms of His Word.
– Decide what to do according to His Word and His circumstances and His leading
– Act, based on Jesus’ example of God-type action
– Praise the results, whatever they appear to be.

Trust God that He is doing the works through us and God’s works are always great, and right and inclusive and far-reaching. They coordinate, they complete, they make the whole more than the sum of the parts.

What To Do When You Don’t Know What To Do

The peace comes from the nestling in God’s arms and allowing Him to take us where He will.

Meditation Thought: “You will keep in perfect peace
    those whose minds are steadfast,
    because they trust in you.” (Isaiah 26:3)

“Whose mind is steadfast on You”
whose thoughts are the thoughts of God,
whose energy is the energy of God,
whose will is the will of God,
whose actions are the actions of God,
whose power is the power of God.

The peace comes from the nestling in God’s arms and allowing Him to take us where He will assign us what He will, and to yield to His instruction and help instead of rushing away from Him when He sets us down to do our tasks. We need to be with Him to do the job together.

We are together when we are conscious of His words,
when we are in prayer,
when we are ministering in His Name and are giving Him the glory.
We are together when we praise Him,
when we thank him,
when we beseech Him.

He allows for all kinds of variety so that He can work appropriately in each situation – if we look for His appropriate solution to the situation and yield to it in trust. If we don’t have specific guidance, we can:
1) apply His general principles according to His word
2) pray for guidance
3) praise
4) claim our faith as evidence of the good we envision coming from the situation, and
5) pray for, minister to, and love everyone involved in the situation.

Where to Run for Safety

Only when we direct our mind, our heart, our body, away from the tower are we subject to the fears, the dangers, the panic and the uncertainties of this world.

Meditation Thought: “The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” (Proverbs 18:10)

The tower stays put. Only by choosing to go so far from it that we forget about it can we really get into danger. Only when we direct our mind, our heart, our body, away from the tower are we subject to the fears, the dangers, the panic and the uncertainties that the worldly experience. When we keep ourselves in the protection and the guidance of the tower, by keeping within its sight, we can move freely, joyfully, confidently – no matter what situation might be involved. But the door of the tower opens only to those who can find it: and to find it we must be able to see it. To see it, we must have the Light reveal it to us, we must allow the Light (Jesus) to shine by allowing (asking) Him to remove our covering of sin, of unbelief, of disobedience.

Begin Your Apprenticeship

Prayer energy is the power needed in the world, and prayer-generators are needed.

Meditation Thought: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

“You have the choice to control your thoughts, your actions. Choose Divine Kingdom thoughts and actions. The separation of these from the worldly is easy: they are unselfish, loving, and the goal is to glorify the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit – the Holy Family. Pray, act on your prayers, believe on your prayers – exercise prayer in every form continuously: prayer energy is the power needed in the world, and prayer-generators are needed. Take up the profession of that of an operator of the generation of prayer-power. You are starting your apprenticeship – work hard at learning your job. Keep trying – you will become more adept as you gain experience and knowledge as various ways of teaching you are available and you respond to them.

You must move ahead to work at your task – but secure in the knowledge that your Teacher is beside yo to encourage, to correct your mistakes, to guide you to the joy of becoming competent at your work – not only competent, but eager to do it, fulfilled in doing it.”

Human Desire vs. Divine Desire

Only when we can overcome our natural human desire to hold on to what we have, and give in to the Divine desire to surrender our will, can we look forward to our bread coming back – in more abundance, in more desirable form.

Meditation Thought: “Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days.” (Ecclesiastes 11:1)

This is another way of learning to trust God – we deliberately give up what we have to Him – trusting Him to provide our needs. When we get brave enough to let go of what we have, and especially as we continue to trust God in the period that we see nothing for us in the water, God is able through our “faith being the substance of things hoped for” (Hebrews 11:1) to make those things as a tangible substance, our prayers answered, our blessings received.

Only when we can overcome our natural human desire to hold on to what we have, and give in to the Divine desire to surrender our will, can we look forward to our bread coming back – in more abundance, in more desirable form. And the period of doing without the bread being available to us intensifies our joy as we receive the transformed bread. We know excitement and awe we never would have realized had we kept the bread to ourselves.

“Give and it shall be given you, pressed down and running over.” (Luke 6:38)

Rendering Joy

We are assured by Jesus’ own words that when we help others it is the same as helping Him.

Meditation Thought: “What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me?” (Psalm 116:12)

When we are able to dispense goodness to others, our children, for example, what pleases us in return? Grateful hearts, loving actions, and happy countenances. Since we are made in God’s image, it would be logical to assume these please God also.

Our grateful hearts can be expressed in terms of praise, of time spent with the Lord in study of His Word, and in prayer. Our loving actions can be expressed to those around us, for we are assured by Jesus’ own words that when we help others it is the same as helping Him. Surely God is pleased when we smile and are enthused and in every way possible exude a joyful attitude because of the works He is doing in our lives.

As we learn to praise Him in every circumstance, knowing this action is pleasing to Him and beneficial to us, both immediately in terms of relieving stress, and later in God’s working freely in the circumstances, we do have the pleasure of joy in Him, and not a dependency of feeling on circumstances. Joy in Him must be what He wants us to render to Him for His goodness towards us. The scriptures point to this, and our human experiences point to this.

Stride Confidently

Quit cleaning out the unwanted filth with your old human-struggle broom and start using the power vacuum of My guidance and My strength.

Meditation Thought: “From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.” (Psalm 113:3)

“Praise, joy, bubbling excitement crowd out gloom and despair which Satan would put in your life. You have all the equipment you need to command a fulfilling, happy life – use it.

You can stride confidently, not slink along downheartedly, for whatever you need is at your side no matter what situation you are led into. When you come to an obstacle, look at it and then choose the equipment you need to overcome it. If you are abiding in Me and I in you, the choice will be appropriate and effective in overcoming, and in leaving all kinds of good in your path. Become competent in using your equipment and take good care of it. You become competent by the practice with it and it stays shiny by continuous use.

Picture yourself striding along with a purpose (Our purpose) before you, but stopping to help anyone you meet, knowing that this is right and good and will not be a deterrent to moving on to fulfill our purpose. Look eagerly to each task, knowing it will be transformed into something special just by the fact that it is the one I have chosen for you to do. The closer you get to the dreaded tasks, the more you will realize that you could not see them clearly from a distance, and that the fear was based on an illusion of how they appeared before the time to deal with them. Once you are right at them, you have My perspective and My help to dispose of them with ease and with confidence.

Cast off your timidity with knowledge. When you know where power is and how to use it, you no longer need to behave as if you are ignorant of it. Quit cleaning out the unwanted filth with your old human-struggle broom and start using the power vacuum of My guidance and My strength. You will accomplish more with less effort and do a better job”

Suggested Prayer: “Lord, I ask that You form my thoughts into flowing rivers of praise which will wash all filth of rebellion and irritability away, and leave every area of my life sparkling and clear and a tribute to You changing my life. Amen.”

The Golden Rule Demonstrated

A bit of envy is exchanged for a bit of understanding, a bit of selfishness is exchanged for a bit of outreach, a bit of hate for…

Meditation Thought: “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Luke 6:31)

If you are, through Christ, doing good to everyone in your life, you are a tree producing good fruit. Subtly, little by little:
a bit of envy is exchanged for a bit of understanding,
a bit of selfishness is exchanged for a bit of outreach,
a bit of hate for a bit of love,
a bit of despair for a bit of hope,
a bit of judgment for a bit of forgiveness,
a bit of rebellion for a bit of righteousness,
a bit of ignorance for the revelation of Truth.

The miracle is that, through Christ, the exchange for the more desirable condition takes place simultaneously in you and in the person upon whom your attitude, concentration and resources are working.

Christ said “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” – but He said it only after He had become an example, only after He had embraced this concept to the point of sacrificing himself to the total commitment of His life to this principle.

Ineptness to Effectiveness

To heed the advice of the word given to us by trusting in faith instead of relying on previous experience which has failed us is to change the pattern of our lives from…

Meditation Thought: ” ‘Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.’ …For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken … and they left everything and followed him.” (Luke 5: 5,9,11)

The difference between an empty net and a full net is ‘going it alone’ or doing it with Christ, which is automatically doing it according to the will of the Father and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

To heed the advice of the word given to us by trusting in faith instead of relying on previous experience which has failed us is to change the pattern of our lives from:
emptiness to fullness
weakness to strength
fear to courage
ineptness to effectiveness
dullness to excitement
joy in receiving to joy in giving
from our accomplishments being measured mathematically to geometrically.

%d bloggers like this: