What is the Lord saying to you today? Have you heard Him speaking? I’ve learned that hearing the voice of God and walking in His peace comes through quieting my spirit and soul before Him. It’s a discipline I’ve grown to love so much that I can’t live without it!
There are times when I become distracted and don't devote time like I should and my spiritual muscles grow weak. I am strengthened when I read His Word and when I worship Him with my life, my actions, and my words…and yes, of course through worshiping Him in song! I walk with Him and I talk with Him and He shows me that I am His own, just like the old hymn says.
There are times when I fall and get hurt because I forget to hold His hand. Yes, I’ve failed miserably. I’ve made dumb choices. I’ve let things out of my mouth that were not pleasing to Him. I’ve sought after my own good with impure motives. But He is a merciful God. So many times I have broken His heart, yet He still shows me His goodness. He provides and still wants to meet with me. The depth of His love is beyond my comprehension. All I know is the closer I get to Him, the harder it is to dig up the old me out of the grave. The truth is I have been raised with Christ and I am a new creation; old things have passed away and behold all things are new! See 2 Corinthians 5:17.
Getting to know the Lord is a journey. I want to know His perspective on things even if it means I have to let go of mine. He is a God of reconciliation and it is not His desire that we live in condemnation from not living up to His standards. It is His desire that we love Him with all of our heart, soul and mind. In doing that it means that we love Him with our actions. Come back to the cross and crawl if necessary, just get there!
Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,“Therefore I hope in Him!” The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly For the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:22-26 NKJV
Life with the Lord is an adventure! He is full of surprises and will introduce you to some of the most amazing people and places. When we get too focused on our own plans for our life or what others have told us we should be doing, we miss out on allowing the Holy Spirit to lead and the process of learning to trust Him with everything. A fully surrendered life is placing your faith and trust in God. He sees you and wants to speak to you. Maybe church has become repetitive to you. Maybe you feel you have never heard His voice. There are many places in the Word that tell us to seek Him and expect a response. He wants to show you great and mighty things! Would you call out to Him today?
‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV
We live in “me, me, me, I, I, I” culture and many of us have been exposed to a false God. It’s not about what He can give us. He has already given everything! He gave His life in place of ours. If we were to never receive another yes, another blessing, another answer to our prayers…is He truly enough? We cry these words out in our worship songs but when the testing comes and the ground is shaken; is our faith in Him strong enough to stand? Have you gone through trials? Have you been told no? Have you had someone do something unjust to you and not received justice? How do you handle these circumstances? Does it change your understanding of who He is? It shouldn’t.
“For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob. Malachi 3:6 NKJV
He wants to purify your heart so that you are ready to live with Him eternally. He seeks lives that produce a fragrant offering, not just a show on Sunday or when we are around spiritual people. That’s religion. Too many are trying to survive on milk but are so hungry for solid and healthy spiritual food. That is what they need to grow strong in the Lord. The church is starving!
I believe we are in a season of action and activation. I relate this to marriage. You can say good things about your spouse all day long. You can take happy family photos and post them all over social media but that is not evidence of a relationship you have together. A relationship with intimacy is built through trust and the ability to stand together through life’s ups and downs. Can God trust you with His secrets? Do you feel safe enough to crawl up in His lap and sit? What is He to you? Is He God or just a person from words off the pages of a book? Is this book truly His voice? I believe so, because I certainly have been changed by it!
Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:11-13 NKJV
He took my heart of stone and made it into flesh. My desire to yield and obey Him becomes easier as I grow to love Him more. He is not what some would tell you to “imagine” He is. He has told us who He is and the things that are important to Him. We come to Him with childlike faith, not our puffed up knowledge of Him. It’s through that relationship that our hearts are burned by the refiner's fire. We trust him enough to see our sin but also see ourselves made righteous and one with Him. We walk out our faith in fear and trembling of Him. We live our lives with reverence to who He is.
Some might say a life of faith sounds weak. How many of us have been taught to do whatever it takes to be successful and build our own kingdom? He teaches us to love our neighbors and build them up. He asks us to take up our cross and follow Him and build His kingdom. He asks us to be a disciple and to make disciples baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and Holy Ghost. But how many average Chriistians have recently led someone to a saving knowledge of the Lord, baptized and discipled them? That’s the church leadership and pastor’s job, right? WRONG. Oh, how the church would burst at the seams if we would begin walking with childlike faith, placing our hand in His and trusting where He leads! I desire for you to know Him in this way and come along on this adventure of getting to know Him. He loves you, He really does. Hear His voice today! Oh friend, let Him sing over you today!
The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”
Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV
© Without Walls, Heather Vecera
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