Do You Struggle with Knowing God's Will?

“The essential prerequisite to knowing the Will of God is our disposition toward it…If we are predisposed to question or reject the Will of God, we will never know what it is.” 

-Walking Thru the Darkness by Neil Anderson  

So many people, striving to serve the Lord, have a wrong view/belief of God because of being programmed by past pain or trauma. They might see Him as condemning them, standing over them with a big stick, or never being satisfied with their performance – feeling like they can just never succeed at the Christian life, will never be able to measure up to the standard. 

They might think of God as judgmental, harsh, condescending, critical, aloof, or a task-master. 

Maybe they don’t even realize that they view Him in this way, subconsciously, in their heart of hearts. 

Our perception of God, our belief in God and Who He is and who we are in Him lies at the very bottom of our ability to know the Will of God.

How, pray tell, can you put your complete trust and faith in a distant Someone who doesn’t love you unconditionally, who is watching to punish you if you make a mistake, or who is never pleased with you, never satisfied with your performance?  

Your ability to connect with God, to know His perfect Will, and obey it, to possess that faith that it is impossible to please Him without, is hinged completely on your very core belief about Who He is and what He thinks of YOU.

“Ye shall know the Truth and the Truth will make you free!” Your heart must know the truth; not just your head. Cry out to the Lord Jesus to show Himself to you, as He really is; to reveal the heart of the Father to your innermost soul. Claim His promises for YOU, yourself, holding nothing back. 

Romans 5:1

“Therefore since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God thru our Lord Jesus Christ.” 

Romans 8:1 (ESV)

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death (Indescribably wonderful!).” 

Colossians 1:12-14 (ESV)

“Giving thanks to the Father, Who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light (Isn't that awesome!?). He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of His Beloved Son, in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Hallelujah!).”

2 Peter 1:4 (NAS)

“…He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that thru them you may become partakers of the Divine Nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.” 

2 Peter 2:4&9 (NAS)

“And coming to Him as a living stone, rejected by men but choice and precious in the sight of God…You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him Who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light (What a blessed truth).”

And don’t think you’re not being humble, if you claim all these promises for yourself. You must! 

"Humility is confidence properly placed." - Neil Anderson

But...Brokenness?? The Cross??

"Preach Jesus Christ, and Him crucified."

The message of the Cross. How stark and cold and cruel. How marvelous, how wonderful, how rich the Love, the Sacrifice poured our for me. How real it is, in contrast with the fakeness, the frivolity, the emptiness which the World has to offer. 

"Take up your cross and Follow Me. [Not Billy Graham. Not your parents. Not Oswald Chambers. Not Bill Gothard. Not Neil Anderson. Not Ken Ham. Not your friends. Not your pastor.]"

Oh, the misery, the pain, the heartache? 

No! 

The Joy. The perfect Love, that permeates and flows and casts out fear. The Freedom. Complete. 

The brokenness? Yes. But rushing in between and encircling round those broken pieces is flowing the Love and Light of Jesus Christ, Filling, Restoring, Healing, making all things new. It is now His Story, bringing only Him Glory. 

Restoration...

Reconciliation...

Renewal.

All thru and because of those broken pieces. 

"I have loved you even as the Father has loved Me. Live within My Love. When you obey Me you are living in My love..."

WAIT

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried:
Quietly, patiently, lovingly God replied.
I pled and wept for a clue to my fate,
And the Master so gently said, "Child, you must wait."
"Wait? You say wait?" my indignant reply.
"Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!
Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?
By faith, I have asked, and am claiming your Word.
My future and all to which I can relate
hangs in the balance, and you tell me to Wait?
I'm needing a 'yes' and a go-ahead sign,
Or even a 'no' to which I can resign.
And Lord, You promised that if we believe
We need but to ask, and we shall receive.
And Lord, I've been asking, and this is my cry:
I'm weary of asking! I need a reply!"

Then quietly, softly, I learned my fate
As my Master replied once again, "You must wait."
So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut,
And grumbled  to God, "So I'm waiting for what?"
He seemed then to kneel, and His eyes wept with mine,
And He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens, and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead, and cause mountains to run.
All you seek, I could give, and pleased you would be.
You would have what you want --- but you wouldn't know Me.

You'd not know the depth of My love for each saint;
You'd not know the power that I give to the faint
You'd not learn to see through the clouds of despair;
You'd not know the job of resting in ME
when darkness and silence were all you could see.
You'd never experience the fullness of love
As peace of My Spirit descends like a dove;
You'd know that I give and I save (for a start),
But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

The glow of My comfort late into the night,
The faith that I gave when you walk without sight
The depth that's beyond getting just what you asked
Of an infinite God, who makes what you have LAST.
You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee,
What it means 'My grace is sufficient for thee.'
Yes, your dreams for your loved one overnight would come true,
But oh, the loss! If I lost what I'm doing in you!
So be silent, My child, and in time you will see
That the greatest of gifts is to get to know Me.
And though oft' may My answers seem terribly late.
My most precious answer of all is still, WAIT."

-Unknown

FEAR- The Subtle yet Powerful Enemy

This is a followup of sorts to my last post; those fears; let's tackle them once. They're powerful aren't they? How many things have I not done that I should have because of fear? How many times have I disobeyed the Holy Spirit because of fear? Not stepped out of my comfort zone to love somebody because of fear? Lost my joy and peace because of fear? Not heard from the Lord because of fear (even fear that I can't or won't hear correctly)?

It's so subtle. It's bondage. It's just pure bondage! How many regrets do I want in my life because of letting myself be controlled, even if only a small bit, by any kind of fear or anxiety? I want no part of it in my life.

Cry out to the Lord; He will hear, and answer; thru His grace He showed me that I must renounce each of my fears, one at a time, by name (some deep down and hidden) in the Name and thru the blood of Jesus. I am a child of the King! Those fears have no place in my heart, in my life. I am free thru His Blood and His Grace! This does not mean everything's gonna be easy-peasy; it's a battle! This Giant of Fear must be combated every day!  

Key verses that the Lord has given me:

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, and of power and of a sound mind."

"Perfect love casts out fear."

"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father."

"Let the peace of God rule in your heart."

I am not inferior. YOU are not inferior!

I am free from the law of sin and death. "Neither do I condemn thee" says Jesus; "Go and sin no more."  "Follow Me."

No fear. 

Are You Dissatisfied With Your Life?

Are you dissatisfied with your walk with Jesus?

Do you sometimes feel dead and empty inside?

Do you sometimes wonder what in the world God's purpose is for you? For your life? For right now?

Do you struggle with fear? Fear of people. Fear of failure. Fear of not doing the right thing. Fear of judgement. Fear of condemnation. Fear of- well, you search your heart and fill in the blank.

Does your heart cry out for reality?

Dear Jesus please, I want to always stay warm and soft, tender-hearted and pliable, never blocking feelings, never deadening myself to pain so I don't feel it, never blocking joy and love because it's too scary to let myself open up that much. I want to always be sensitive to the still, small voice of my Lord, the Holy Spirit inside of me. To truly walk in the Spirit. To not be ashamed or scared to truly feel. To truly grieve; to truly love and care.

We don't need more normal, caramelized (where did that word come from!?), fake-ified, lukewarm people; we need- the Lord needs- REAL people that are completely surrendered to His Spirit, filled with His Spirit, and are not afraid, not desensitized, not ashamed. Bold. Not perfect people, no siree; but all-the-way people, sold out to Jesus, loving Him with all their heart, soul, mind and strength to the best of their ability. Loving people with complete abandon, with the heart of Jesus. Holding nothing back. Jesus' pure, unadulterated, unquenchable, abundant life and light piercing and pouring into the lives of others, impacting, making a difference.

It's not unreachable. It's not impossible. It's not!!

Feline & Equine- My 3 Favorite Animals, Wisdom and Relationships

My three favorite animals are probably cats, horses and deer. Interesting; when I stop and think about it, those three all have common traits; they're attractive, poised, graceful, and in a way independent, yet very relational; they all speak a very complex and subtle language, which is only recognized if a person knows them and is paying attention. They respond positively to calm, quiet gentleness and kindness. Harshness, manhandling, force, loud noises and action all produce very negative effects on their behavior, and destroy relationships. Winning their affections and devotion is a notable feat, a wonderful experience, and requires patience and a certain amount of giving into the relationship- not just taking or using.

I wonder if there's an analogy here, or any insight into my life or the mind of God? Does this tell me something about myself and how my heart operates? Does it teach me anything about the Lord's way of working with people? What about effective/wise methods of responding to, working with or building relationships with people?? Training children? Leading lost or hurting people to Jesus? Influencing and impacting others? Giving and receiving love? I'm just beginning to grasp this- this whole- concept I guess?? It's an idea, the beginning of an idea, a gem of insight...still on the tip of my brain...

"But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee." Job 12:7

"Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it." Prov. 16:22

"Wisdom is the principle thing; therefore get wisdom,...get understanding." Prov. 4:7

"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgements, and His ways past finding out!" Rom. 11:33