He's Listening

"Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my sighing. Listen to My Cry for Help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, oh Lord, you hear my voice; and in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." Psalm 5:1-3

Having faith is about two things, trust and patience. When we are suffering, those seem to be the two hardest things to muster up. I found that it is in my daily time with the Lord where I have grown a heart of trust within me. You can't ignore God everyday and run at your own pace and then expect him to appear like a genie and solve your big personal dilemmas. He's an intimate God who wants to be a part of every small detail of your life. Until you still yourself before him by reading your Bible I assure you that you will live in more confusion than peace. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, "God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and love and a sound mind." Wouldn't it be nice to not feel confused, overwhelmed or out-of-control? Growing in a relationship with Jesus builds a fortress of trust in our heart and mind.

Patience on the other hand is a muscle that must be worked every day. Every time you drop that pencil and it rolls way back underneath your desk, you have to say praise the Lord with a smile on your face instead of swearing. When someone cuts you off while you're driving you have to say a prayer for them instead of cursing them. When you're having one of those days and everything seems to be going wrong you must remember that they're just small inconveniences and not disasters. Not exaggerating our circumstances is one way to start to have patience. It's a moment by moment exercise that works incredibly by making you into a person of faith one tiny step at a time.

So, today why don't you purpose it in your heart to begin your day by seeking God. Crying out to him and letting him know what you need for the day. THINK ABOUT IT, the God of the Universe who created everything including you, wants to hear from you. He wants to know what you're up against, what victories you need. He wants to comfort you, guide you, heal you, and simply just be with you.  Getting to know him is how you will get to trust him and he will work everything out. Find comfort in the fact that the God of the universe truly listens to you and cares about you.

I've had some circumstances that didn't change but they changed me and that's what God intended. I've also seen clear cut miracles where someone who was blind received their vision and another where a situation that was believed to be impossible worked out perfectly! Each true child of God has stories of great miracles and victories. When your relationship with God grows, you will begin to have your own stories and miracles. That is how it is intended to be. God blesses us and then we go and bless others. The Great Commission is exactly that! Go and tell of the greatness of God! Take your heart to him and tell him what's going on in your life. He's listening.

Psalm 18:6, "In my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears." 

Psalm 34:4, "I sought the Lord and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears..."

If you want to receive my posts automatically then just sign up on the blog to have them e-mailed to you. Also, find me on Instagram @Jesusdeevah

Stop

There are certain things in life that just cause you to stop dead in your tracks. It could be visual or audio or something such as a delicious food with the essence of all of the herbs, spices and flavors wafting through the air. I'm an avid lover of beautiful visions such as art and nature and the sounds of of good music and don't even get me started about how I stop to pet a puppy or kitten.You must admit that there are just certain things that make you stop and experience the wholeness of the moment. I'm sitting here in my car waiting for my grandson and as I am scrolling through my Tumblr account I thought it was funny that you can look at ten, twenty, thirty pictures but all of a sudden one particular picture will make you stop. It catches your eye and something inside of you says, "That is something I want to look at a lot." It makes my senses heighten or reminds me of some memory, but one thing I know is that it just makes me feel something.

During my bible study this week, Priscilla Shirer talked about how the sheep know the voice of their shepherd. His voice, his sounds and his inflections are set apart from all the other shepherds. He even has a special language for each individual sheep and when they hear that tone or call they stop, their ears perk up and they run to him. In biblical times there would be several shepherds that would all put their flocks in one huge pen. When morning came each shepherd would stand at the entrance and call out to his own and they would push past the others to follow him. When they heard his voice they immediately stopped what they were doing and payed attention only to him.

Do you know what comprises your soul? It is your talents, inflections, temperament, likes, dislikes, character, personality.... Each of us is so uniquely designed and crafted by God that not only do we all have a unique look but the things that make us stop are unique in their own right. Do you know why the sheep recognize their shepherds voice? Because he spends countless hours with them. He abides with them during their grazing, walks in the pastures with them, tends to their wounds, protects them from predators... He will take one small lamb aside at a time and teach it its own special language that just the two of them share. Each sheep is unique and special to him. Their shepherd is their father.

Some of us have our ears perk up when we hear the calling of God for us to come and repent, asking him to be our Savior. However, others may not due to defiance, stubbornness, rebellion or apathy. Those who choose to spend time with the Holy Shepherd learn from him. They commune with him in the pastures and allow him to set the pace for their lives. They grow in the grace and knowledge of him as they draw to his side and follow him. They allow him to feed them, heal them, guide them and protect them. Matthew 18:12 tells the story of the shepherd who left his flock to go after just one lamb that wandered. It continues by saying that Jesus will come for you if you are lost because you are of such worth to him. He doesn't desire for even one of his sheep to perish.

Do you know your Shepherds voice? Do you sidle up to him or do you wander? Do you trust him to set the pace for your journey? Do you believe he is the Savior or are you exhausting yourself trying to lead the flock yourself? Do you STOP and turn your attention to him when he calls? Oh, how we love to wander and seek out our own desires. Beware though my little lambs because Satan is out there and it is the one who is separated from the herd that he will go after. Draw near to your Shepherd, for all you need, he provides. He will never leave you or forsake you so stop looking over the fence. Follow where he leads and keep pace with him.

Read Psalm 139

Attentions Averted

Ever since the warm weather has arrived all the little critters have been busy around our yard. Prior to that I could walk our dog and he would be fully engaged in our experience. However, now that the deer, squirrels, bunnies and especially chipmunks are around it's impossible to keep him focused. His eyes and senses are keenly aware of the actions stirring around him and he no longer is engaged in our walk. I am constantly guiding him with the leash to redirect him and using my voice to get his focus on my commands. As I was walking him this morning I couldn't help but call to mind the lesson I studied this week in my bible study about keeping our focus on Jesus so as to not let the devil get a hold on us.

There are so many distractions in this world! I recently felt like I was in a hole and dirt just kept falling in on me slowly. I was so focused on the distractions that it took me longer than usual to cry out to God for help. (Read Psalm 4). My body was weary, my emotions tinged with anxiety and my spirit struggled with hopelessness. There wasn't any big crisis going on but it was a feeling like death by a thousand cuts. I had let my emotions trump my faith. That is how sneaky Satan is when he wants to take us down into a stronghold position! After reaching out to some dear Christian friends who re-focused me, I put my sights squarely back on Jesus. I got back into my bible to restore hope, gave my body rest, nourishment and hydration to get strong again and made a list of my problems to review with new eyes. In a matter of one day I had a new perspective and plan.

Satan's main goal is to get our eyes averted from our Savior. Like chipmunks to a dog we stray after earthly diversions. In this latest lesson from God I learned that we are no more than humans who are driven by self serving desires. I was trying to be everything to everybody and not let anyone down. My selfish desire to make all of life's wrongs right and play god backfired on me and broke me. I am not the Queen of Everything, I am a daughter of the King. It wasn't until I surrendered on my knees and told God that I want what He wants for me and to set the rhythm for my life. I want to march to His drum beat because mine was too fast and too furious! Guilt was my engine and it was revving!

Psalm 138:6, "Though the Lord is great, He cares for the humble, but He keeps His distance from the proud."

God will let us wear ourselves out. He waits for us to come to Him in our weariness so that hopefully we will let Him restore us and teach us His ways. His desire is not that we continue on a road of self destruction but that we would surrender in obedience to His good and perfect plan for us. He wants to give us an abundant life!

Matthew 7:24-27, "Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys me is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse, because it is built on the rock. But, anyone who hears my teaching and ignores it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come, and the winds beat against the house, it will fall with a mighty crash."

Keep your attention on Jesus.