Tuesday, March 15, 2005

intuition

"The older one becomes in the Lord the more intuitive one becomes. Everything is not cut and dry. With a clear word from God or supernatural sensation we advance with boldness, but when it is a still small voice or conscience or an impression or no guidance whatsoever, we will be less impulsive and more deliberate with each step. We will wait upon the Lord longer. We will be less confident in ourselves, and more dependent on the Lord. This dependency breeds humility. We eventually learn that we cannot reduce God to a formula, and we can never be certain where or how He may be speaking to us in a particular situation. We learn to look for faint traces of Spirit in common, ordinary vessels and in our daily lives, instead of the mighty rushing wind at the believer's meetings."

- Chip Brogden, Can You Hear What The Spirit Is Saying?

Live free! Live in Father's love!

Saturday, March 12, 2005

entrusting

Over the past several weeks, my world has been rocked and my faith has been challenged in ways that I never could have imagined even three months ago. Issues related to family and faith have brought me to the end of myself and caused me to cry out to the Father for deliverance.

At times the inward pain has almost been unbearable, but in my darkest moments the Father's mercy and grace have shone brightly. One of His redemptive purposes in allowing me to go through the fire has been to reveal anew that His mercies are new every morning and that His grace is sufficient for me. Without His mercy and grace to sustain me, I'd be wasting away in hopelessness and despair.

I've been reminded of David's words in Psalm 51:17 - "A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise." As I've seen how my hardness of heart has affected my wife and children, I've been broken. In the midst of my brokenness, two portions of Scripture have been a tremendous source of peace and encouragement:

"while suffering, He (Jesus) uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously" (1 Peter 2:23)

"let those also who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right" (1 Peter 4:19)

Even now, the Father continues to say, "Entrust yourself, your wife, and your children to Me. Release yourself and your family into My lovingkindness and faithfulness."

Live free! Live in Father's love!

Wednesday, March 09, 2005

living loved

The freedom to live loved comes from a heart-felt appreciation of these realities:

* You have a Father who loves you more than any other human being on this planet ever has or ever will.

* Nothing you can do today will make God love you any more, and nothing you can do today will make God love you any less.

* God is not disillusioned with you because he had no illusions about you to begin with.

* Because shame, guilt and condemnation have no role in helping you live in God’s life, he has removed them in Christ and does not manage them for your growth.

* He wants to make himself known to you daily and teach you how to recognize and follow his voice.

- Wayne Jacobsen, Living Loved.

Live free! Live in Father's love!

Saturday, March 05, 2005

the doorway

"The doorway into the Father's love begins at the cross. Seeing what Father and Son accomplished together in that climactic moment defines love in a way that you can only experience in him. This is the love that will allow you to feel perfectly safe in the Father's presence. It frees you to be exactly who you are, weaknesses and all, and never again have to pretend before him.

"Then you will discover that life in God rises out of your security in his love, not your insecurity that you don't love him enough."

- Wayne Jacobsen, He Loves Me!, p 89.

Live free! Live in Father's love!

March snowfall in Lancaster County, PA Posted by Hello