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Led By the Spirit of God

Led By the Spirit of God

Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

Last week, I discussed the Path of Salvation and how it’s not only knowing and believing in God, but becoming a part of God. God is life. When we are a part of Him, we have eternal life. Becoming a part of God involves seeking, hearing, and obeying for to be a part of Him is to become as He is. 1 John 3:2 This journey is working out our salvation with fear and trembling. Phil 2:12-13

Working out our salvation is walking the narrow way of truth. Matthew 7:13-14 It’s learning from God, then obeying as we are taught. When our thoughts, will, and desires are one with God, we are His sons and daughters because we are a part of Him. We reflect His nature, as a true son or daughter would. We mirror the result of His ways; His holiness, love, truth, mercy, compassion, and righteousness. If we are truly fellowshipping with God, we will see these characteristics expanding in our lives, as light expands to fill the darkness.

To be led by God means we are no longer led by our self will. It means learning God’s ways, then acting according to His ways and no longer our own. It means setting aside our judgments and letting Him judge. It means letting Him rule our lives. It means abiding in rest as God moves through us. It means seeking and listening; for how else will we know His will to live it?

This turning from our ways to follow His ways is repentance. Repentance occurs when we learn that God’s ways are better, thus they become our desire and passion. For example, God tells us to honor all people. 1 Peter 2:17 To each one of us, He will specifically direct us to what that looks like. He will teach us through our circumstances and in accordance with the Bible. As we listen and obey to His specific counsel to us, we experience the positive effects of walking in God’s truth. We each learn first hand His ways are far superior and in response our souls start to long for His precepts as we see the perfection and righteous love they possess. Psalm 63:1

John 14:21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

Obedience, the core of repentance, is born out of love. His words are righteous love, thus as we know His words, we desire to walk in them. In repentance, our core passion changes from following self to following God, thus we have a love for the truth of God and our lives reflect that love.

It’s essential to understand the power of God as THE Teacher in our lives and the necessity for us to TRUST Him to be. Matthew 23:8 As we fellowship with God each day, He transforms us so that we are crafted in His truth. 2 Corin 5:17 This doesn’t happen when we listen to others talk about Him. In learning from God, we aren’t simply gaining knowledge of His ways; He transforms us by the power of His spirit moving in us as we commune with Him. This power is how we are able to walk as He leads. The power is available to us through His abundant grace. 2 Corin 9:8 Without His power working in us we couldn’t walk as He commands. Therefore, His commands aren’t burdensome. We desire them and live them by His power.

1 John 5:.3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.

As God teaches us, He transforms us, which enables us to walk as He leads. Ephesians 1:19

Through this process of seeking, listening and obeying, our lives start to manifest the qualities of God (His holiness, righteous love, peace, rest, power) because we are becoming a part of Him. As the kingdom of heaven matures within us, we experience abundant life. John 10:10 If we aren’t experiencing increasing abundant life, we are following the wrong shepherd.

1 Peter 1:22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,

Each of us has to walk our own narrow path. No one can do it for us. We each have to be taught, led and shepherded by God for those are the ones who become a part of Christ, the Word. John 6:45 Those are the ones who lay down their self will and ways and are transformed by the Truth. This is the path of salvation, thus eternal life, because it leads to a point of desiring to be completely consumed by God, who is life.

This narrow way of seeking, listening and obeying to a point of holy rest where God governs all is why many are called but few are chosen. Matthew 22:14 Most are governed by mankind’s doctrines, thoughts, opinions and ways and not God’s. Only God’s ways lead to eternal life. His words in accordance with His power purify us to a point of becoming one with Him. What Christ did was beyond powerful. He gave us the ability to possess the spirit of God that we might live in truth because His perfection can abide within us.

1 John 1:6-7 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.


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Made in God’s Image & Healing Marriage

Made in God’s Image & Healing Marriage

Below is a very important video on honoring men, women and the union between them and how when we do we experience healing and restoration in our lives on many levels. This is very relevant to all of us.


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Path of TRUE Salvation

 Path of TRUE Salvation

Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your OWN salvation with fear and trembling;

1 Peter 1:15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,

Fullness of Salvation

Christ died for all people. 1 Tim 4:10, Romans 5:8 In Christ, all are forgiven and are able to become sons/daughters of God. There is nothing we did to earn this forgiveness. It’s God’s gift to us. Is this salvation?

John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:

It’s part of salvation. Salvation in its fullness is our souls redeemed from the kingdom of darkness (lies, sin, pain, suffering, torment, death) and brought into the kingdom of light (truth, love, rest, peace, life). 1 Peter 2:9 We are literally delivered from all that torments us, this is salvation. Imagine abiding in complete rest in your soul; no fear, worry, angst, suffering or stress? Imagine being directed by God’s perfect counsel, will and love in every way? This is salvation, abundant life. John 10:10

Salvation is not simply believing Christ is who He is or what He did. Salvation is becoming a part of Him; a truth has been largely neglected because few intently seek for God, which you would do if you understood this truth.

James 2:19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe–and tremble

What is neglected is true repentance. The demons don’t repent. They know who Christ is and even tremble at His presence, yet serve another master.

People remove the concept of true repentance from salvation, as they remove Lord from Christ who is our Lord and Savior. In both cases, they go hand-in-hand and both are required for eternal life.

True Repentance

In many cases, repentance has been taught to be more of an acknowledgement; an acknowledgement that you are a sinner and you know your ways are wrong and you need forgiveness.

This is an aspect of repentance, but repentance is turning from your ways to God’s – doing a 180 degree turn in your life. God calls us to confess sins and forsake them. This means leaving our ways behind and following God in every area. It’s obedience to His Words, His words to you personally for we all lead our own lives with our own issues and problems.

Obedience by God’s Power

But it’s not obedience by our strength. It’s obedience by the power of God in us. Ephesians 1:19 This is the power of Christ.  This isn’t being legalist. Being legalist is trying to follow rules in our own strength or for our own merit, “to be a good person”.  What God is talking about is us walking in His ways by His power because it’s actually Him working through us. It’s His righteousness pouring through our lives. It’s about becoming one with Him.

Seeking, Listening, Obeying

Our part in this journey is hearing and obeying God’s counsel to us. Because, how can we walk in God’s ways if we don’t know them? If we aren’t seeking? If we aren’t listening? We seek, hear, then obey. It’s His abundant grace that enables us to walk as He desires. 2 Corin 9:8 We need to seek His instruction then draw upon His infinite power available to us through grace to do as He asks. In grace, you can do what you could never do on your own, it’s a true power in your life.

Further, on this journey of purification, we can’t follow our perception of what is good or the image of a good person .. that is following our will. God is the potter not us. We are God’s workmanship. Ephesians 2:10 Yet many try in their own way to be a good person. They try to be the image of a Godly person instead of letting God direct that path in a very personal way, purging sin and instilling holiness bit by bit.

We are like broken down house. God starts rebuilding on one part and asks us to walk in that piece so it becomes a part of our life. As we do, He moves onto the next. We’re not transformed all at once. It’s a process of renewal. We grow bit by bit. As we learn a truth, His goodness leads us to repent, then the lie is purged, the truth instated, and it becomes our reality because it is our truth. Then God moves onto the next area. As we do we begin to leave the kingdom of darkness and move into His kingdom of light.

If we are following our will, we will be trying to walk in one way, like not complaining, and fail because God hasn’t worked on that part yet.  In doing what we think is right, we aren’t listening to Him and we don’t have the power to act as we desire. He gives us power to walk as HE builds. Because it’s God working in you, He determines the path in what, when and how. This is another reason why God needs to be the Teacher in our lives. Matthew 23:8. He knows exactly what we need to learn and when and in the process of HIM teaching us, He changes us.

We are forgiven, but now we are to seek God, listen and follow.  This is why it says to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

To be continued …


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Trust of a Child

Trust of a Child: Gaining Child-like Faith

 Luke 18:17 “Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”

One central aspect to being a child of God who enters into the Kingdom of God is trust; a trust that leads to a rest in your soul because you know your Father is working ALL out perfectly. Psalm 57:2, Hebrews 4:11 In a restful state there is no worry, angst, fear, anxiety, or any other emotion that takes you away from abiding in peace.

Matthew 7:11 “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

Growing up, I was blessed to never go hungry. Usually each night my mom prepared a balanced healthy dinner. I never wondered about dinner; if there would be any, how or where we would have it, how it was being cooked, or if it would be nutritious to help me to grow healthy and strong. I trusted in my parents to provide as they saw best and never gave it a second thought after all they were my parents. Matthew 6:8

Imagine if I trusted myself. After a day of playing, I would scour the neighborhood anxiously looking for a piece of bread. This lack of trust is what most do when it comes to God. They are like children scouring the neighborhood thinking God doesn’t care, He isn’t there, or they’re supposed to get their own dinner. It isn’t meant to be this way …

In ALL things we are to act in faith. Romans 14:23 This means trusting God and not ourselves, someone else, how we do something, or what we do. It means we trust God as the giver of all good things. James 1:17 We trust in His ability to work in and through us. We trust Him to provide in a faultless way because of His pure love. This type of trust is child-like faith. We don’t know how dinner will come, but we know we can trust God to provide it every time and it will be perfect because He IS our Father.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;

Peaceful, Honoring Prayer

This perspective is a fundamental aspect of prayer. In prayer, we give our situation over to God to work it out perfectly; Thy will be done. We let it go. We don’t judge how He is working it out. This honors God as God our Father. As God’s children, when we ask for His help we trust that He IS working it out. Sometimes it will be what we expected, more often times not. But we trust God will do what is flawless. Hindsight shows His perfection. God takes away a job, but puts us somewhere better. God removes us from a relationship, only to realize it was unhealthy. We experience the consequence of our sin, but we learn to walk in His wisdom, not our own. When we ask for His help, He gives us the fulfillment of our true desires, not what we think we need in our extremely limited understanding.

We think we know what is best and good; we don’t, only God does. Mark 10:18 We have to trust His goodness and not what we see because of how differently He might lead us in the fulfillment of our true desires. 1 Corin 2:5 If we trust Him, He will fulfill and exceed all we need in the perfect way and timing.

Psalm 34:10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.

Let go of your expectations. Leave each step up to God. Trust He is working because He said He is to those who seek Him. Hebrews 13:21 Seek to walk according to His will and wisdom and not your own. James 1:1-8 This is the rest we are to have in every area of our lives.

In trust, we know whatever is happening God is in each detail bringing about what we need. Any one night, dinner may have come through my mom’s cooking, going out to eat, going to a friend’s house, or picking up dinner to bring home. I trusted them with the how and what. Do the same with God … leave the details up to Him. He loves you more than the perfect parent. Most don’t trust, so they go their own way to their detriment. God knows best. And when we trust, we are amenable to seek and follow His ways as He leads. If we expect our Mom’s meatloaf to be ready at 6PM, when it doesn’t come we’ll think she forgot about us. Meanwhile, she was waiting in the car to take us to our favorite restaurant. Leave it all to God. Follow where HE leads. He works outside of our understanding and for our best.

Want to trust God to this extent? Get to know Him. Spend time with Him one-on-one, each day seeking His face in spirit and truth. Most don’t trust because they don’t know truly know God or His love, get to know Him and you’ll know His love, then true trust will follow.


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Tips for Hearing the Holy Spirit

Tips for Hearing the Holy Spirit

 

1 Kings 19:12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

God wants you to hear Him. He calls you to seek His counsel, wisdom and guidance, thus you have to hear it … how do you hear unless you take time to listen?

God speaks in many ways and can use anything. There are two key mediums God uses to speak to us. One is through the Bible because in the truth is where we learn to hear the Voice of truth. He speaks when verses stand out to you, verses speak to your situation, and you learn truths of a passage that He confirms in other areas of the Bible and in your life.

The second significant medium God uses to speaks to you is through writing or journaling. In this dynamic, you receive powerful instruction, counsel and wisdom as you write with a listening ear. The two mediums complement each other, work together and feed upon one another.

God gives abundant wisdom and understanding, yet how can you receive those priceless life-altering gifts unless you are listening? How do you hear God who is spirit? How do you tune into that still small voice?

1. Create a quiet outward environment to be with God alone. If your area is full of distractions it will be very hard to hear. Turn off the phone, shut the door, shut down the computer, and give Him your full attention. Give Him nothing less than the best and your total focus. In that quiet space as you read and pray, focus on listening to God as you would a close friend.

2. Seek to know God as He is beyond ALL the images. Your motive during this time should be to know God in truth and spirit … beyond what you’ve been taught by others … beyond the images. When we filter our communion with God through false images of Him (from families, religion, false teachings, worldly teachings), it hinders our communication because it affects our understanding of Him. But if we seek to know God as He is realizing we have those false images, He rewards that desire with the truth. Hebrews 11:6 Little by little the lies and false images are discarded and replaced with the truth. The more truth you know of God, the more you experience Him.

3. Focus on having a conversation with God. This time is about fellowshipping with God; a back and forth interaction. Whether, you are reading or praying, remember you are having a conversation with God. This focus helps to move you into hearing His voice because you are tuning in. Therefore, it isn’t a task or “study”, but a relationship you are cultivating. Many are good at speaking, but not so much listening, especially in the spirit; yet hearing Him is invaluable for He is your teacher, counselor, and guide.

4. Write in a journal as you read and pray. Have a pen in hand during your entire time with God. Writing helps to focus your thoughts. Through that focus God can help you tune in to Him. As you write, He will use that writing to counsel you.

Write whatever comes to mind; thoughts about what you’ve read; impressions that come to mind; issues/concerns and thoughts about those issues; ask questions. Remember it’s a conversation with God so keep that in mind while you write. At first you’ll wonder if it’s your voice or God’s voice but continue the practice and in time you will learn to discern. God speaks spirit to spirit. His voice comes as thoughts, impressions … a voice in your head. But it speaks on a very deep level, directly to the spirit. His voice is gentle, confident, loving, patient, and authoritative. It always harmonizes with the Bible. If what you write or hear is from fear, angst, worry, guilt … it isn’t God’s voice.

5. Practice quieting your mind. To hear God, you need not only a quiet external environment but more importantly a quiet inner one. Most people need practice in quieting their mind. Here is a suggestion, at the end of your time with God, for 5-10 minutes focus on quieting your mind. When “to-dos” come to mind, write them on a piece of paper and refocus on God. Set a timer because for some 5 minutes will seem like forever at first. Focus on characteristics of God or verses that have stood out to you during your time with Him. Be still internally. Have a pen in hand and simply write whatever comes to mind. Don’t write to put perfect thoughts together, just let it flow, no inner critic. Then at the end read over what you wrote. Ask God to confirm things to you in His Word.

6. Above all ask God to show you how to listen and hear Him.  Your time with God is about a relationship, and developing a trust and ability to directly learn from and commune with God. He wants to show you. It’s easier than you think, but different than what most are use to. Be patient and give Him the space and time to teach and show you. Persist; never give up. In time, you’ll be amazed at what you hear.

Journal Speaks

Through my pen flows words of life
Setting my soul free from strife

So sweetly You speak to me
Feeding me from the Living Tree

A jot focuses my distracted mind
Bringing it to submission and I find

Counsel and wisdom filling my awareness
Breathing in life; manifesting Your fullness

Your voice I’ve learned through communion
Spending time forming our union

Your Word taught me to recognize
A still small voice once disguised

Ears masked by abundant lies
You opened to hear Your voice on high

Daily I write to hear from You
The Voice of Truth; all others subdued

Gently in righteous love You renew
Setting my thoughts on what is true

What a joy to hear
The voice I hold most dear

For it creates true life in my soul
A power long ago foretold.

~ Rachel DiPaolo
March 4, 2012


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Drawing Near to God

Drawing Near to God

Below is series talking about how to draw near to God … about walking the narrow path, defeating sin and moving into righteousness, trusting God as our Teacher, and coming to Him in spirit and truth. There are some powerful truths stated, I hope you check it out.

 

 

 


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The Ultimate Choice: Choose Life

The Ultimate Choice: Choose Life

Would you rather be operating by God’s mind or by your own? God is giving you the choice.

The Choice

Deuteronomy 30:19 “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;

The pilgrimage through this earth comes down to a singular decision. Will you choose to be TOTALLY governed by God or self? What you choose depends on the life you will have; the first manifests true life and the second death. It’s one or the other because God is life and anything contrary is death. Most people unknowingly choose death because of the lie that has kept people from God; that life fully governed by God is less than what they can give themselves. When in reality, the only things you miss out on are the things of death.

The life we desire; peace, joy, righteous love, truth, rest, contentment, and blessing, comes when our souls are united to God’s Spirit so that His spirit operates our being in every way. This life is manifested when our self-will is literally dead, silenced, and God’s Spirit takes the reigns. Galatians 2:20  

The ultimate blessing is to be completely directed by God so that our every desire, thought and word is of Him, by Him and through Him; a place where we are fully governed by the Spirit of God and nothing of our self-will. Lamentations 3:24 In this state abundant life is manifested in us and in our lives.

Isaiah 58:13 If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the LORD honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words,

The eternal Sabbath is being at complete rest, so that you are totally powered by God’s spirit. When you are governed by Him, you are at rest because it’s all Him and nothing of you. John 15:5  In rest, you do nothing of yourself. You give up all your ways, pleasures and words to God and He drives your life. If you aren’t working, efforting, striving or exerting your will, then His will can prevail. You cultivate no trust or confidence in anything of this flesh existence. The exterior life is nothing but the shell that is powered by God. In this state, you are a complete slave to God and His righteousness and know no other greater delight, for He is life. Acts 17:28

Romans 6:18   And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

Imagine if ALL you did was directed by God who knows everything … the outcome and ripple effect of every action?  All you do would be done in truth and righteous love. Imagine how your life would blossom into all it was meant to be. This is what Christ came to create, God’s spirit abiding within souls of mankind, Immanuel.

How to silence your self-will?

What is the path to make this choice; to be completely governed by God?

  1. SEEK God in TRUTH and SPIRIT. You need to know the difference of your self-will and God’s will and the extent of its control in your life. If you don’t seek truth FROM GOD, you can’t make this decision because you don’t have the knowledge of what the decision entails. You can’t choose what you don’t know. How can you know without diligently seeking daily and above all else?

Jeremiah 7:13 And now, because you have done all these works,” says the LORD, “and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, but you did not hear, and I called you, but you did not answer

  1. BUILD a relationship with God so you can TRUST Him. To honestly let go of all, you have to trust God and nothing of yourself. How can you trust without an intimate relationship?
  2. ACT on His instruction specifically to you. As you act according to God’s counsel and witness His faithfulness, you come to a point of forsaking all to be completely governed by Him – then the choice is the result. How can you act if you aren’t listening to Him?

In our limited awareness, we have no idea the outcome of what we do. If we hold onto our own judgments about what is good (essence of religions), we’ll make errors (sin) leading to pain and suffering in our lives and others. No matter how good our intentions, we don’t know the beginning and the end. Thus, anything done of ourselves, no matter if we judge it good or not, is sin. Sin equates to death. Therefore, we need to be at rest and letting God flow through us as He wills which is accomplished by forsaking every aspect of our self-will and letting His will rule. John 5:30

Seeking God and His truth with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, abiding in rest, and experiencing the fruit of His Spirit testify that we have chosen His will over ours; a life we can start experiencing now. When we come to this point, we are ruled by God’s Spirit thus walk in His commandments, because He is living through us and His righteousness taking us over.

More Discussion on this Topic


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Words of Life

Words of life

I have many wonderful things to tell you. Some will be sweet to your soul and others stirring to conviction and repentance, but all will feed your soul to bring true life.

The lies and deception run deep through the fabric of our being causing blindness to the truth; to God and who you are in Him as His beloved child. Ears have been muted to the voice of God and tuned in to the voice of death begging for the audience of our every thought.

Yet amidst the darkness a seed of truth is planted, the Word; a flicker of light that for those who seek will lead them to truth. It’s the light that guides seekers along the narrow path of truth drawing them away from this world bound in death to a resurrected life. Matthew 7:13-14 Few find and traverse this path, will you be one?

The path leads to a life beyond your imagination, because all you’ve known prior to this search is death. The difference between life and death on the earth is the difference between living in this life I’m speaking of and the life you live now. Many have been falsely told they are spiritually alive. Yet, until now there’s only been the promise of a resurrected life.

Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path

God’s love is abundant for His children, yet few have truly sought Him as He is. Most have given up their vast inheritance of true life for a morsel of bread. Genesis 25:30-34 They’ve worshiped what is dead, images masquerading as life. They’ve been captivated by lies which prohibit them from seeing the path of life, thus entering into God’s abundance. But the light is here, in the earth, to be found by you.

There is another way to live in this earthly life that leads you out of the pit of death, hell, and to live a resurrected life; a way that requires you to be a complete slave to God. It requires you to forsake your ways, you desires and pleasures, and your very words; to be replaced by what God has in store for you. Isaiah 58:13. It’s being completely governed by the Spirit of God in every possible way. Galatians 2:20 In this complete abandonment is found power, healing, peace, thanksgiving, rest, bounty, blessing, wisdom, joy, and righteous love. The abandonment comes from knowing God and as you do you are willing to give up all for what you have found, for He is life and the rest a masquerade of death.

Matthew 13:44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

It’s a path of seeking the truth FROM God through the Bible each morning. Through intimate conversations with God, He reveals in grace the error in your life. In the awareness of the goodness of God, the error is forsaken and you turn to live as God instructs. It’s a path of the true fast that God calls His people to, a fast of the self-will, in exchange for being consumed with His spirit. Isaiah 58. Its end is far better than what we can imagine because our minds have only known death. Ephesians 3:20 God is life. Seek Him and live.

Jeremiah 19:13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.


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Hurried & Frazzled to Dazzled

Hurried & Frazzled to Dazzled

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 

Ephesians 1:19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power

As we buy and sell with God, which moves us to living by faith in Him in ALL things, we experience the manifestation of God in our lives …

For years, I’ve been buying and selling with God and as a result gaining deep rest and power in my life. One specific area I want to share with you (because it’s often overlooked for the death trap it is), is in the area of s l o w i n g down in life.

In my life a part of the old things was functioning as a Grand Master Taskmaster. I lived by lists, schedules and managing my time efficiently because I got a lot done (in my estimation) and felt internally & externally rewarded for it. Sure my body was tense and my life stripped of the rest, peace and enjoyment that could have been, but I was blind to all that. I didn’t realize there was truly a better way.

I would rush here and there … rush to relax. Letting the world govern what “needed” to be done, I was a slave to its demands that became my demands upon myself and my life. So who was I really serving? To accomplish all I “needed” to, I had to be efficient, highly productive and that meant being the ultimate taskmaster. But as I continued to buy and sell with God and gain faith in Him in all areas, this aspect of my life had to be purged for it was the world’s way of living, not His, thus a sin that manifested death in my life.

As a previous Master Taskmaster, this transformation was no small habitual rut to change because this mentality was deeply imbedded in me affecting most areas of my life in some form. When God first opened my eyes to this area, it seemed like a small issue, but as He showed me the ripple affect, the impact was vast and deadly. Obedience in the small things matters a great deal, because in reality what we may judge small isn’t when it plays out. If a plane is off course a few degrees from its desired endpoint, after miles of travel it ends up hundreds of miles from its destination. This was happening to me. The more I strived the further I got away from the abundant life God wanted to give me. Being in that state was the opposite of trusting Him.

In my alone time with God, He showed me how my spirit needs to remain in that same state that I am with Him in the morning; peaceful, trusting, connected and at rest so He could move through me as He willed. If I wasn’t at rest, I wasn’t in His will. The rushing around, as I use to do to fit in all my plans and lists, put me in a mindset of being focused on my effort instead of His. It’s a state where it’s difficult to hear Him, thus follow His lead. Did Jesus ever rush around? No, when you are walking in the power of God, you don’t need to.

As God showed me how my spirit needed to be in a calm state, I started to slow down, literally. On the flip side that meant I needed to trust Him with all that “needed” to be done.  When I started to rush, in faith I stopped and functioned according to His power. As I did it His way, He rewarded my faith. Not only did I get done what was truly needed, but I was in a peaceful and enjoyable state the entire time, I more deeply engage others instead of rushing off to the next task, and I was more productive and had more downtime because I trusted in His power moving through me and not my efforts.  …. But as you abound in everything–in faith  2 Corin 8:7

As I was faithful in one area God moved me to the next; to forfeit my extensive planning and lists and trust His guidance. Being encouraged by the result of His previous counsel, I had the faith for this next step, again buying and selling with God. I stopped with all the lists.  Again, He blessed my activities and time, and I accomplished more of what was important. Again, it seemed like a small thing, but I learned I was being driven by my will instead of His, which is HUGE.

A hurried and frazzled lifestyle, accepted as normal and even necessary in today’s world, is contrary to abiding in God’s rest, which is a central aspect of a believers life. God is Lord of our lives, not us. For this to be the case, we have to be in a state of trust which leads to a literal mindset of rest. It’s a state where we forsake our effort and let Him move through us as He wills in His power. In this state, God governs our thoughts desires, words and actions, which are paramount to living a life of faith in Him and having Him manifest Himself in our lives.

Hebrews 4:11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience

Instead of being hurried and frazzled, I’m now dazzled by the perfection of His counsel and how His power moves through us when we trust Him and do it His way. When we do everything in faith (trusting in Him to performs all things for us and in His ways of working) then we find a life we’ve yearned for, we enter into His rest as He calls us to, and our lives glorify Him and His power.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.