Category: Struggle

I Don’t Understand; You Don’t Desert

I suppose that is the prime distinction between the Father and the child – the knowledge of the whole.

Meditation Thought: “I give thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart… and give thanks to your name for the your steadfast love and faithfulness. (Psalm 138:1-2)

I am the child, and you are the Father. In my limited experience I cannot understand the full consequences of not obeying Your requests, nor of heeding Your suggestions. So I err – and suffer – and learn; at least hopefully.

You do not desert me in my times of need. I don’t understand Your operating procedures enough to know why sometimes You allow natural consequences of people’s actions to occur, and at other times You miraculously intervene.

I suppose that is the prime distinction between the Father and the child – the knowledge of the whole.

I need to be rescued from the sickness of downheartedness and lack of faith this morning. I trust that I shall be rescued!

I go now, Lord, to seek Your will and do it – please allow me to experience Your steadfast love and faithfulness this day. Amen.

Finding Joy

My emotions, and my circumstances, are not the whole of my life – they are only as great a part as I permit them to be.

Meditation Thought: “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence” (Psalm 16:11)

I know the ways of life. I will be full of joy with God’s presence. His presence is always with me. I am not always full of joy – but the hope that sustains me is the knowledge that I will be full of joy. In the meantime, I can remember the times I was full of joy and I can anticipate the times when I will be full of joy again.

My emotions, and my circumstances, are not the whole of my life – they are only as great a part as I permit them to be.

“The Lord is the strength of my life”: to the extent that I base every decision, every action, and every reaction upon this conviction, to this extent do I live in the kingdom.

Transforming Despair into Hope

We must trust our Father as to the design that will be needed for eternity even though it may look out of place in the earthly realm.

Meditation Thought: “I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting.” (2 Corinthians 7:9)

Death – Resurrection
Despair – Hope
Dormant – Live
Passive – Active
Proud – Humble
In-self – In-God
In weakness – in power
Ineffective – dynamic
Sinful – righteous

We choose one of each pair – we must choose one of each pair with each breath we take. The process determines our life in human form. As in a test in school, we may choose to the read the instructions carefully, rise to the challenge of doing our best and seek to learn. Or we may plunge into the test ignoring the instructions, defiantly, sloppily working along to get it over with, with the least inconvenience to our feelings, ignoring our Teacher’s signals that would correct our misunderstandings. Our moment-by-moment choices count on the ‘test’.

Our choices will repeat a pattern – a lovely one, prepared for display in the Kingdom – or a haphazard disordered one better suited to the back room. Remember, we can see only the limited dwelling places of the world. Patterns we would make for the world would look out of place in a mansion in heaven. We must trust our Father as to the design that will be needed for eternity even though it may look out of place in the earthly realm.

Principles of Spirit and Matter

As we move together, harmoniously and joyfully, we expand our effectiveness step by step through your life on earth. Thus is the Father’s will done on earth as it in in heaven.

Meditation Thought: “Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.” (Romans 14:13)

“Take My yoke, for it is designed to carry much more as we go in double-yoke than you can carry alone. Concentrate on perfecting our movements in coordination, not looking back as to the character of the load, or as to its size. It matters not: as we pull together, coming to know each other and how to work together, we will pull larger and larger loads, loads which would be difficult were it not for My knowledge of how to manage them.

Rely on my experience in hauling every type of load, and every quantity of load – simply imitate My movements by closely observing all I do. The key is in leverage: the use of the abilities the Father created in the proper manner and in the proper sequence, according to the principles of Spirit and matter which He reveals through Me to you. By My obedience unto suffering and unto death, I have perfected in human form the movements in harmony with these principles. As by faith you yoke yourself to Me, you feel My movements tugging on you. Adjust yourself to feel comfortable and coordinated with My movements.

As we move together, harmoniously and joyfully, we expand our effectiveness step by step through your life on earth. Thus is the Father’s will done on earth as it in in heaven.”

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.

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.

Freedom From

But – oh, what a relief when that chain is removed! How wonderful it feels to be able to stretch, to move – how excited we are at the new freedom!

Meditation Thought: “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32)

Each personality of the Trinity has truths to teach, and each truth releases a new area of freedom: There is:
– freedom from fear
– freedom from guilt
– freedom from discouragement
– freedom from pain
– freedom from lack of confidence
– freedom from indecision.

As we allow each Personality to get close to us, He reaches down and works loose another chain which has been binding us. We need to cooperate, need perhaps to even endure some pain in order that the chain may be worked into proper position for removal. But – oh, what a relief when that chain is removed! How wonderful it feels to be able to stretch, to move – how excited we are at the new freedom!

God intends for us to have all chains removed, but He cannot accomplish this if by our actions we restrict His actions. We must be very perceptive to His instructions and cooperate with His moments, or we will bind the chains tighter instead of helping with their removal.

Suggested Prayer:

Dear Father, Son, Holy Spirit: my friends, my Ones coming to my rescue – I welcome You into every area of my life – and I ask Your help in removing any chains in any area. I may be so accustomed to some of the chains that I am not even aware that they exist. Please make me aware that they are there and that we must remove them. I know now that I have only the tiniest glimpse of what You see me as being when the chains are removed – the that glimpse is enough to encourage me to say whole-heartedly: “Let’s get on with the job of removing the chains”.

Farming Even For Non-farmers

Believe that I do not ask you to work in vain, but to work to produce a bountiful harvest, for you, for your family, for your fellow creatures.

Meditation Thought: “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)

A guaranteed harvest! What farmer would not eagerly plant, till, gather – despite difficulties and setbacks – knowing that all of his or her effort positively would be rewarded if they do not give in and give up to the difficulties? This is what our Father would have us realize; He sent His Son to us with His Message:
“Your harvest is guaranteed: your faith is not misplaced – believe that I do not ask you to work in vain, but to work to produce a bountiful harvest, for you, for your family, for your fellow creatures. My guarantee is your motive and incentive to persevere when the storms and preying insects and droughts come into your life. Turn to Me for your method of coping with the crisis; I will lead you through it, bringing new knowledge and wisdom in overcoming that will increase the harvest beyond even your fondest dreams. I give you the seed, I nourish it – do your part to make it thrive despite all that would destroy it. Study My ways which I wish you to know – but which I will not force upon you – you will learn a superior method of farming, to your joy, and to the amazement of the world. Let Me teach you to set up a ‘model farm’ that the world may be brought from wilderness and chaos and little harvesting into productive lands, feeding My people who will praise My name.”

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.”

Word Farming

What joy it is when the harvest comes.

Meditation Thought: “As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.” (Luke 8:15)

“Honest”, “good”, “patience” – 3 keys to the knowledge of the spiritual kingdom. The kingdom is true – real, though perceived by the mind and the heart rather than by one of the 5 senses.

If our heart is dishonest, we deal in illusions and will flounder, never being secure and sure and at peace. Our heart must be good to be the nutrient that grows good fruit. If it is hard, hoarding its life-giving blood, it does no nourishing to that which it should feed. If it is soft and flexible, and pumping out pure, clean blood – nutrients – it feeds new life – new ‘fruits’. But it takes time for growth. We do not plant the seed one day, nourish it for a day and harvest the fruit the following day. We must take the seed-word and feed it and care for it, giving of ourselves, sacrificing other interests and activities, before we can harvest that fruit. What joy it is when the harvest comes – wonderful fruit to enjoy ourselves, to share with others. All the toil and sacrifice is more than worthwhile. After we harvest our first crop of fruit (the God-works completed), it is so exciting and fulfilling that we eagerly cultivate more seeds. Oh, there will be problems in the tilling – but we must not give up because of them, or there will be no harvest. In overcoming the problems, we may even learn new, better methods of tilling – resulting in a faster harvest, or a more abundant harvest.

Dear Father, I ask this day to be a starting point to be a better farmer of Your Word – that I learn new, better methods to bring Your seed to abundant harvest. Amen.