Friday, September 4, 2015

"IF YOU LOOK FOR ME WHOLEHEARTEDLY , YOU WILL FIND ME."


This is from the Lord, and is the beginning of the essence of what I am always trying to tell you with the help of the Holy Spirit. God does not intrude on us, When we go out of our way to ignore the Lord, or have never even tried to meet Hi, He is still there. He still blesses us and provides for us. He still brings loving people into our lives for us to accept or reject. He continues to allow circumstances to come into our lives with the hope that something that happens to us, or someone we know, or something that we hear will help us to open our hearts to Him.

God is able to do so much more than we can even think to ask. (The Apostle Paul expands on this in Ephesians 3 )

The more we ask and the more we wait on Him to answer us with the eyes and ears of our heart open, the more He is able to show us what He wants us to know.

The more we turn our back on God Who Is Love, the more vulnerable we are to negative people, to troubling circumstances and to evil activities that we may be facing all alone.

When we seek the Lord He will show us that He has been close to us all along. He will reveal what else might have happened if He were not watching out for us.

But the difference between the Lord watching out for us, blessing and providing us behind the scenes, and knowing Who He is face-to-face is more than the difference between night and day.

Knowing the Lord and accepting His friendship until we are able to wholeheartedly acknowledge His sovereignty allow us to live in the fullness of life rather than to just exist.

Knowing the Lord gives us security than cannot even be imagined by those who have never heard of Him, who have turned their backs on Him, or who have rejected even the possibility that he exists and that He wants to love, provide and bless every human being who has lived, is living, and will ever live.

We don't have to look for Him because He is hiding, We need to seek Him because unless we do, the eyes of our spirit will not be open to our consciousness.

We have to look for Him not because He is difficult to find. God is with us and yearns for us to seek Him and respond to His invitation to be in a loving relationship with Him. He has given us free will be cause He did not make human beings as puppets. Love is not truly love unless the person who loves independently and without coercion chooses to love.

Too often these days people have the mistaken notion that there are many ways to "the Divine." Truly in the spiritual reality to which we have access there are powerful entities and spiritual forces that mimic the Creator. But the One True God is revealed only by His Holy Spirit in Christ Jesus.

If you want to know whether or not that is true, all you have to do is to ask and to expect an answer. The Lord will reveal Himself to you in exactly the way you need to know. He will answer your questions through people who are in your life, or who come into your life. Or you might accidentally or on purpose hear a teaching or a sermon.

Or you might come to a place in your life where you can't do anything to make what has happened better.

Or a new joy may come into your life than is like nothing else has ever been.

Then whichever of the above -- or even a combination of the above occurs, you will be ready to open the eyes and ears of your heart so that God Who Is Love can reveal Himself to you.

When that happens nothing will be the same. You will never be the same. You will be completely and absolutely who you were created to be and find a fulfillment you were not even able to imagine before that time.

When you truly receive God in Christ Jesus, you will move from existence into Life; death into eternity; sinfulness into purity. The Holy Spirit will then guard, guide, protect you and continue to reveal God in Jesus Christ to you.

Beloved, my prayer for you, as ever, is that you will respond t the Fullness of Love, Mercy, Grace, Joy, Peace, Life and Love today. Now.

Won't you give the Lord of Love a chance?

ALWAYS BE JOYFUL

 " . . .Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." [1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLT)]

In the above passage Paul teaches a hard lesson and at times in my life, it seemed absurd.  How and why would I be thankful in all circumstances?  What about when someone in my family was sick or recovering from an accident?  What about when I am in mourning?  What about when finances are in a mess and there is no work?

Over time in my walk with the Lord, I learned that no matter what is happening that is difficult, causing sorrow or engendering fear, when I praise the Lord I am able to receive His peace with the help of the Holy Spirit.  Praising the Lord and telling Him that I trust Him opens the channel to receive His provision and blessing,  Thanking Him in faith even before I receive what I need lets the Lord know I trust Him.

When I keep seeking His face, the Holy Spirit reveals the Lord to me more clearly.  When I realize He is responding to me -- even if the response is not exactly what I asked for -- or not at all what I asked for, I have learned to trust that whatever is happening, He will use it for my good.

The physical, mental emotional and spiritual changes that take place when I am able to praise the Lord, thanks Him and trust Him are amazing.  As St Paul also writes in Philippians 4:4-9, the revelation that God Who is Peace is with me when I focus on positive and worthwhile attitudes and circumstances that are part of what God has given me or done for me in the past.

No matter how difficult life may be in the present moment, the faithfulness of God and the realization the good and loving activity on His part toward me in the past encourage me. 

The Holy Spirit opens the eyes and ears of our heart to reveal God in Jesus Christ to us in special ways when we take the time to consciously be open to Him.  No matter what is happening in your life, I am praying that you will give the Lord a chance to show you how much He loves you and how much He wants to provide for you and bless you.

May the Lord continue to bless and keep you and yours.

In His Grace, Joy, Mercy, Peace and Love, as ever, Beloved -- In Jesus Christ, I am your friend/Mom/sister/cousin/niece/daughter/aunt/pastor.