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Hearing Him Speak

6/28/2016

 
Today I had to pull a trailer hauling a golf cart for a customer of ours to a town close by. I am naturally cautious when pulling the trailer anyway, and especially when hauling other people’s property.

As I was coming up to an intersection in a little area where there are a few businesses, I thought to myself, ‘I should slow down for the entrance to Dollar General and the intersection coming up’.

Just past the entrance, I began to really slow down because the guy behind me was riding my bumper and I didn’t want him to hit me at the stop sign.

As I neared the intersection, a pickup turned the corner and as it did, the trailer it was pulling came loose and proceeded to travel right down my lane. As it was coming at me, I slowed to a stop.
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It got within a few feet of me, veered slightly to my right and off into the driveway of the convenience store before coming to a stop. Whew! I don’t believe the driver behind me was even aware of what was going on in front of me.

Before I pulled out of the driveway, I had pleaded the blood of Jesus over me, and declared no weapon of accident, incident or breakdown formed against me would prosper. As I was telling Skip and my brother about how grateful I was that I had slowed down, Skip said ‘And you were listening to the voice of God and obeyed.’

Was it the Holy Spirit speaking to me to slow down, or was it just me?

It occurred to me that I had listened to that still small voice that cautioned me as I was driving.  God is still speaking to us every day and in many varied ways. His voice is as the thunder, a still small voice, a gentle nudge, an encouragement or warning from another believer, or His Written Word. If we will pay attention, we will hear Him and be saved.

Because I was in tune to hear, I was kept from danger. If I had been distracted by the noise of the world around me, I would not have heard Him so clearly. It’s not easy to shut out the distractions and noise, but we can by paying attention to what our inner man hears.
 

Adoption

6/26/2016

 

I once heard an adoption case in court. The judge asked the biological parent this question. “Do you realize that if I terminate your rights, in the eyes of the law, you are dead to this child?”
This morning, as I was thinking about this, the Holy Spirit began to show me that as adopted sons of God, we have to realize that our “biological parent” is dead to us.
Because of Adam’s sin of rebellion, we are born as children of sin and under the rule of Satan. However, when we are born again we are adopted as Sons (and daughters) of God.
Galatians 3:26 declares that we are all sons of God through faith in Christ. Galatians 4:4-5 states that we receive the adoption as sons and that the Spirit of His son cries out “Abba Father”. This enables us to have the relationship of Father and son established in our hearts.
In Galatians 2:20 Paul declares that he has been crucified with Christ and it is no longer he that lives, but Christ who lives in him. This applies to all believers. We are dead to the old man and therefore dead to Satan.
We have to realize that the devil is no longer our father. God has adopted us and destroyed the yoke of bondage which held us captive to eternal death.
An adopted child has to learn to call their parents mom and dad. So to, we have to learn to call God, Abba Father. That relationship has been legally established.

Just as an adopted child can choose to look for and find their biological parents, we can choose to go back to the devil and his rule. However , God still waits for us to come back to Him.
We must realize and walk out the truth of this statement: “In the eyes of the law, Satan is dead to us!” He legally has no right to us anymore. Once we realize that he has no right to us, we can truly walk in the position of a son and the authority of that position!

Commitment to Communicate

6/21/2016

 

I must admit my age as I write this statement. When I was growing up visiting with people meant sitting on the porch while sipping ice tea or a cold soda, standing in line at the grocery store and “catching up”, or hanging around after Sunday services.  It was a time of slow-paced, personal interaction with people and relationships built upon face-to-face encounters. 

Today most of our communication is done via text messages, Facebook, twitter and a myriad of other electronic means. We can all admit that sometimes it is easier and faster to text than take time to call. However, you can’t tell what the person’s tone or meaning is by the written word they type. We are missing so much by taking the easy way out.

Sometimes it can be hard to discern the tone or meaning of God’s written Word. It is rich in history, purpose and direction. However, without that personal face-to-face interaction with God’s Holy Spirit we can miss out on so much.  God is still speaking today through His Word and through His Spirit. But if we are strangers to the sound of His voice, we will miss so much of what He is saying.

Just as it took time to sit and visit, or hang around after church, it takes a dedicated time of fellowship with God to build relationship, “catch up” or just enjoy His presence.

The Psalmist in Psalm 63:1 tells us that “early in the morning he sought God”. He made a determination to seek out the presence of God before starting his day.  

And then he declares in Psalm 55:17 “Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice.” 

I must admit that I am not an early morning riser. Yet if I take time to listen in the stillness of the morning hours, He is speaking to me. We have to put aside anything that hinders our hearing Him and make the determination that we are going to seek God’s presence and develop that face-to-face relationship with Him.

One of my favorite verses is Jeremiah 29:11-13 which says “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” 

This passage reassures me that God is thinking about me, waiting for me to call upon Him and He is listening to me. All I have to do is to seek and search for Him with all my heart. You see a heart divided cannot know the fullness of God and His marvelous thoughts for us. We cannot serve God and the world.

When we pray and cry out to God, He does hear our voice. His ears are always open and attentive to the prayer of a righteous person because He is a personal, loving, attentive God. A commitment to communicate with God will enable you to start building a relationship with Him that will satisfy more than all the relationships that texting, Facebook and Twitter have to offer.

God's Faithful Presence

6/20/2016

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In Genesis 1:14-18 ‘God said let there be lights in the firmament of heaven to divide day from night. God made two great lights, the greater to rule by day and the lesser to rule by night and God saw that it was good.’

Every morning the sun rises and every evening the sun sets. Every evening the moon rises and every morning the moon sets. I realize that our earth rotates around the sun and the moon rotates around the earth. However, God designed this occurrence so perfectly, that it appears as though the sun and moon are rising and setting. Day after day, night after night, the sun and moon faithfully do their job just as God commanded.

Last night I saw a beautiful full moon rising on the horizon. This morning I awoke to a beautiful sunrise. The sky was blue and there weren’t very many clouds. Some days I awake to cloudy or stormy skies and my view of the sun is obscured. Nevertheless, the storm clouds do not change the fact that the sun or moon is still there. I just can’t see them.

Matthew 5:45b says “for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust”.  Everyone will experience sunrise and rain.

In Psalm 139:7-10 David talks of God’s Spirit being everywhere he could go.  Jesus told the disciples that when He left, the Father would send the Holy Spirit, the Helper and Comforter, (John 14:25-27). As born-again believers we receive the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19).
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God is faithful to never leave us. Just like the sun, we cannot see Him but He is always there with us. God’s faithful presence does not leave us in the storms either. We just cannot see or feel Him as close to us because we are seeing the storm and not THE SON!

Hebrews 10:23 says “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”  If you cannot see THE SON for the storm, look up to heaven and set your spiritual sight to see Him. The storm may not go away but I promise that as you focus on Jesus, God’s Holy Spirit will bring you peace, comfort and hope.  Keep confessing His promises, HOLD ONTO HOPE, because He IS faithful.

Psalm 113:3 says “From the rising of the sun to its going down The Lord’s name is to be praised.” Whether you are experiencing the sun coming up or going down, just keep praising the Lord’s name!
 

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Fine Tuning to God

6/19/2016

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​Fine Tuned to Hear God
On the way to church this morning, the radio was tuned to our favorite Christian radio station. As we traveled through an area, the station was fading in and out and other stations were bleeding over it. As soon as we got down the road a little way, it cleared up and played just fine.
We are like the radio in the car. We are to “receive” signals from God, which is His Voice speaking to us. And in turn we should broadcast what we hear and learn to others.
Sometimes the world’s noise and chaos can cause His voice to fade in and out or even bleed over the sound of His voice. We go along only hearing a part of what He has to say. Thankfully, God gives us opportunities to “fine tune” our hearing!
One way we fine tune our hearing is by being in church. You may ask, ‘What does being in church have to do with our hearing God?’ The Bible tells us that faith comes by hearing the Word of God. People speak words from God to us. We can hear Him on our own, but sometimes He has to speak through someone else to really get our attention.
Anointed men and women of God; the Pastors, teachers, worship team and leadership all prepare themselves to deliver God’s Word and His message to the church body assembled together. They spend time in God’s presence in order to clearly hear and speak what He has to say. They study and stir up those gifts that will teach us, encourage us and equip us. Shouldn’t we want to be in church where we can hear what He has to say and be blessed by the anointing placed upon those who minister?
Hebrews 10:24-25 declares, “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 
not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
When we assemble together we consider one another, we stir up love and good works, and exhort one another.  It is as we bond together, that we are able to be encouraged and stirred up. This will cause us to be fine tuned to hear God and then be able to share His Word, Love and Grace with others. If we aren’t fine tuned we become garbled, in and out messengers who aren’t able to bless others.
Operating in His gifts and anointing is only productive if we are fine tuned to HIM! It is my desire to be tuned in to the voice of God, receive His Word, and then be able to share that Word with others. I pray it is your desire too. 

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Adapting to Body Hurts

6/16/2016

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Yesterday I shared about the limitations imposed by my cut finger and how God wants us to be free from limitations to do the impossible.

This morning I was trying to get ready and I thought about how when one part of the body is hurt or missing the whole body suffers. I can only use 3 fingers and my thumb to do some things. I am not supposed to get it wet, so anything to do with water has to done one handed.

My body is adjusting to not having the use of my left hand however I still miss using it for certain things.

In the Berean Study Bible, 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, Paul talks about the body parts as being one unit comprised of many parts, all forming one body.

                “The body is a unit, though it is comprised of many parts. And although its parts are
                  many, they all form one body. So it is with Christ.  For in one Spirit we were all baptized                         into one body, whether Jews or Greek, slave or free, and we were all given one Spirit to                         drink.”

One part is not more important than another, yet when working together as a unit, all the parts are vitally important. He goes on to say that one part cannot function without all the other parts.

When we, as the body of Christ, are hurt or missing, the whole body has to adapt and adjust. You are missed! As a body, every part is important and every part needs to be where they are supposed to be and doing what they are supposed to be doing.

We should be aware of the Body of Christ around us. We should know when one is hurt, missing or lost. The Spirit within us will cause us to recognize this if we are looking and listening. So many times, I am so wrapped up on my little world that I fail to see what the other parts are going through. It is only when adjustments have to made, that the need becomes more real.
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Challenge today: Become more aware of the Body of Christ and the members. If you are not doing your part, start. If someone around you is hurting or missing, find a way to help them until they are better.
Blessings!
Lynn

 

 
 
 
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No Limitations

6/15/2016

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Yesterday while working in the kitchen at church camp, I sliced the end of my pinkie finger. The camp nurse suggested that I go get it looked at since it might need stitches. So my friend, Susan, took me to the urgent care clinic.

Turns out it only needed to be glued and wrapped with gauze. Thank you Jesus! I did not want to have to have stitches. I did have to have a tetanus shot though.

This morning as I was trying to shower, I faced some challenges. My cut finger limited my ability to perform certain tasks. I had to hold it up in the air and keep it from getting wet. The big bandage was in the way of everything I tried to do. Doing tasks with one hand proved quite a challenge.

Many challenges come our way daily. We, as Christians, live in this fallen world but we’re not of this world. We face situations that would try to limit us, cause us to stumble, or even incapacitate us. Sometimes, people around us will try to limit us.

I really needed help to shower, because of the limitations imposed by the bandage and the cut. Our spiritual help comes from God, our deliverance through Jesus, and guidance through the Holy Spirit.

Whenever I took off the bandage that the nurse had wrapped my finger in and put on a smaller, more flexible bandage then I wasn’t limited anymore. I have a reminder of the wound, but it doesn’t hinder me anymore. However, I do have to take special care of the wound and follow the instructions carefully.

We are told in Romans 12:2 to put off the old man and be renewed in our minds daily. When we follow these instructions, we can overcome any limitations caused by challenges that may come our way .Putting off the “heavy cumbersome wrappings” of this world and putting on Christ, will enable us to move freely in the call He has placed upon us without limitations.
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His call and gifts are not a cumbersome wrapping or covering but an “easy and light yoke” that causes us to live, work and exist in this world but as children of the Most High God. We are equipped and able to do the impossible without limits!
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    Author

    Lynn Jones, Co-Founder of HHMI enjoys reading, studying and sharing God's Word. She believes that every Word in the Bible is Holy Spirit inspired and profitable for daily living. Her prayer is that as you read the newsletters and blogs, that you will be enriched and equipped for every good work of the Lord's.
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