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Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know. 6 Recognize Him in all your ways, and he will make your paths straight.

Showing posts with label Guidance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guidance. Show all posts

Friday, October 22, 2021

God's thoughts?

What if you only cared about what God thought of you, instead of what others thought about you?

What if you only cared about what God thought of others, instead of what you thought of others?

How would your life be different? 

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know. 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Friday, September 10, 2021

Why God Hides Himself and 5 ways to Find Him - Joseph Mattera

OCTOBER 8, 2019/ https://josephmattera.org/god-hides-5-ways-find/

Scripture teaches us in Isaiah 45:15 that God hides Himself. This means that He does not reveal Himself to casual seekers – truly it is the glory of God to conceal things but the glory of kings to search things out Proverbs 25:2, hence it is a royal and noble task to plumb the depths of the knowledge and glory of God!

Diamonds are usually not found on the surface of the earth – they have to be sought out and dug up out of the earth. If they were easily found they would be common and as worthless and common rock and dirt. So, how does a person find God and to whom does He disclose Himself?

For one, it says in Jeremiah 29:13 that we will find Him when we search for Him with our whole heart! He reveals Himself to those who search for Him as for hidden treasures. Proverbs 2:4-5

Secondly, we need to respond to Him when He initiates contact with us: when He prompts our heart to seek His face we need to immediately respond and seek Him Psalm 27:8. We are to seek the Lord while He may be found, Isaiah 55:6, which means there are God-ordained opportune times when He is specifically drawing us to Himself – to ignore this prompting is to take advantage of the grace of God since no one can come to the Father unless the Spirit draws Him John 6:44 another moment like this may never come!

Thirdly, we need to consider the fact that God never told us to “merely say prayers” but to hunger and thirst for Him and earnestly seek Him Matthew 5:6; Hebrews 11:6.

Fourthly, He expects believers to regularly carve out time and initiate contact with Him as He admonishes us to intentionally grow in the grace and knowledge of Him and draw near to God so He can draw near to us 2 Peter 3:18 and James 4:8.

Lastly, God doesn’t reveal Himself to the casual observer but to those who prioritize a worshipful relationship with Him above all else. This means carving out quality time pouring over His word, worship, and prayer on a daily basis that gives God the opportunity to reveal Himself and mature us in His Son. He said, “I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me” Proverbs 8:17.

Sunday, November 1, 2020

Perspective? How do you "See" and "Hear"?

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know, your own perspective, and understanding. In all your ways acknowledge and recognize Him, and He will make straight your paths.

Luke 8:18

So pay attention to “how” you hear. To those who listen to my guidance, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what they think they understand will be taken away from them.

Friday, June 5, 2020

Christian Mystics and Now!

I've enjoyed the books of several Christian "mystics". Andrew Murray, Watchman Nee, and A.W. Tozer. These are people that God gave spiritual eyes to see and spiritual ears to hear. And they shared God's heart and mind, how God felt, and what He thought to their generation.

Their asceticism was simple and did not bring glory to themselves. They knew God, and the things of the world had little appeal to them.

Now...
The mysteries of the believer's union with the Father through the Holy Spirit are being made clear to all of us.
Hebrews 8:11. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. 
Acts 2:17-18 ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
Revelation 19:9. Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” 10. And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
1 Cor. 14:1 Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.

Monday, February 10, 2020

And behold, I Am with you always,

There is never a time that the Holy Spirit is not present in our lives.

Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Luke 12:32  “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Hebrews 13:5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Thursday, February 6, 2020

The "Here and Now" and the Presence of God

The "Here and Now" is where we pay attention. To pay attention means to consciously focus on one aspect of that which we are aware.

We can be aware of many things in the here and now and still not pay attention to them.

Definition: the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others.

"Attention is the behavioral and cognitive process of selectively concentrating on a discrete aspect of information, whether considered subjective or objective, while ignoring other perceivable information"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention

"Attention is the cognitive process that makes it possible to position ourselves towards relevant stimuli and consequently respond to it. This cognitive ability is very important and is an essential function in our daily lives."
https://www.cognifit.com/attention

"Attention is a complex cognitive function which is essential for human behavior. Attention is a selection process for an external (sound, image, smell...) or internal (thoughts) event which has to be maintained at a certain level of awareness. It is not a stable but rather, fluctuating skill."

http://www.happy-neuron.com/brain-and-training/attention

From all this information we begin to understand that paying attention takes conscious effort.

Two Bible verses come to mind…

Romans 8:14 All that are led by the Spirit of God, they are the children of God.

John 10:27  My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

And this one…

Matthew 10:19 When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour.

These verses speak of the present-tense indicative verb of paying attention to the Holy Spirit in the here and now. Not just acknowledging God's presence but recognizing Him and "choosing" to pay attention and to engage in your relationship with Him.

The enemy does not want you to do that. He will use distraction by trying to get you to focus, not on the present situation I call the "Here and Now" but on the past using condemnation/hopelessness or the future using speculation/fear... Or both.

Reality does not exist in the future or in the past.

We exist and have our being in the "Here and Now". It is where we make our choices and decisions that will shape our future. Do you trust in your limited perspective and understanding in your situation, or will you choose to pay attention to the Lover of your Soul and trust in His Guidance and Counsel? "Now" is the time, and "here" is the place we create the future God wants us to have.

Philippians 3:12 (NLT) I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.

Proverbs 3:5 (CEV) With all your heart you must trust the LORD and not your own judgment. 6 Always let him lead you, and he will clear the road for you to follow.

Sunday, February 17, 2019

God's Grace?

Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.
God's Guidance = God's Grace! "The path I should go, the steps I should take."

Okay, a relationship where God guides and I am expected to trust and obey. My problem is I have an expectation of result. I seem to remember a promise. It created a hope. I paid attention because of it.

So I listened and obeyed. Okay, I'll admit I may have been distracted. I may have paid less then attention. So the "promise"? He is Faithful. Okay. TRUST AND OBEY! The promise was given on the basis of... "By grace, through Faith"

This is the "Key" to PEACE!

John 14:27. "I am leaving you with a gift... peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid.

Tuesday, March 6, 2018

God's Hand?

Today I found myself saying to a business colleague of mine that "I see God's hand in this opportunity". We agreed that we can't go wrong trusting in His Guidance, no matter what the outcome.
God's Hand is motivated by love, manifest through Grace, informed by "His" plan, guided by His will and committed to our highest good.
You can't go wrong knowing that He goes before you preparing the way. So trust in His guidance and act accordingly.
Proverbs 3:5-6

Thursday, January 18, 2018

THE LORD, A COVENANT GOD

Deuteronomy 7:9 
Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, 

Hebrews 11:6 Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who diligently search for him.

Hebrews 3:1. Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see. 2. This is why the ancients were commended. 3. By faith we understand that the universe was formed by God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

By Faith we understand...

Matthew 9:20 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21. She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” 22. Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.

Matthew 8:5. When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help.6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.” 7 Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?” 8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. "But just say the word, and my servant will be healed." 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith... 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.

By the Holy Spirit we hear the promise. In hope we believe it's truth. In obedience we trust His Guidance. And in joy we proclaim His faithfulness.

BIBLICAL FAITH in its basic form...

God Initiates - We Respond


Sunday, April 9, 2017

God's Creative Guidance

There is not a thing that you cannot overcome trusting in God's creative guidance.

Monday, October 13, 2014

The Will of the One who has "All Authority"

Matt. 28:18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying,...

 “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth...

19 Go therefore (So now because of this go) and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

Friday, September 27, 2013

What is "dogma"?

Dogma is a principle or set of principles laid down by an authority as incontrovertibly true.[1] It serves as part of the primary basis of an ideology or belief system, and it cannot be changed or discarded without affecting the very system's paradigm, or the ideology itself. They can refer to acceptable opinions of philosophers or philosophical schools, public decrees, religion, or issued decisions of political authorities.[2]
The term derives from Greek δόγμα "that which seems to one, opinion or belief"[3] and that from δοκέω (dokeo), "to think, to suppose, to imagine".[4] Dogma came to signify laws or ordinances adjudged and imposed upon others by the First Century. The plural is either dogmas or dogmata, from Greek δόγματα. The term "dogmatics" is used as a synonym for systematic theology, as in Karl Barth's defining textbook of neo-orthodoxy, the 14-volume Church Dogmatics.

Jesus said “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

Monday, March 28, 2011

Awake in Reality?

Do you trust In the perspective of your five senses or trust in God's present guidance in the "Now"?

Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.
 6. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Corinthians 6:2 KJV   For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Valid

1 having legal efficacy or force; especially : executed with the proper legal authority and formalities
2 a : well-grounded or justifiable : being at once relevant and meaningful b : logically correct