Category Archives: Peace

IS YOUR LIFE PRODUCING FRUIT?

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“Search me Lord and know my heart, try me and know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting”. Psalm 139:23-24

living waterWe can determine the condition of our heart by observing the fruit of our life. To measure fruitfulness, you can look over the past season or over the past year and see what has been produced. In the fall a farmer looks over the previous growing season to determine the condition of the field.  We can also look at the past year of our life and determine the condition of our heart by looking at the harvest.

Jesus taught His disciples that their life should produce fruit – from 60 to 100 per cent. A fruitful Christian is one that receives God’s Word and the Word that is planted in their heart produces a harvest even up to a 100 fold return. You may have a Word from God, but if it is not given to another in love, it will not produce a harvest. This is why the condition our heart is so important; it determines the fruit we produce. By observing the fruit our life has produced, we can tell what condition our heart is in. Many people, even those in full time ministry, who have unresolved issues in their life, lose their love, joy, and peace and as a result their heart begins to harden.

In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus describes the various conditions of the heart and explains why each condition hinders a person from bearing fruit. Unhealed hurts and wounds of the past cause a stony heart to be formed. A stony heart blocks and hinders you from forming and maintaining relationships, in the present. It is through forgiving those who have hurt us that we are healed and the stones in the heart are removed. Forgiveness frees you from the offense, the pain, and all fear that come from a painful hurt or rejection. As a result your life will be more fruitful as you walk out your true identity in Christ.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, I want my life to produce good fruit. Show me if I do indeed have a stony heart. I have been hurt in the past by___________. I ask You to cleanse my heart of all pain, resentments, and offenses I may have taken. Today, I choose to forgive_________ for ___________. I ask You to remove the stones and give me a new heart that can receive Your Word and become fruitful.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen

How to Find Perfect Love

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“Perfect love casts out all fear, for fear hath torment.  And he that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” 1 John 4:18

perfect loveWe are created in the image of God and designed to have intimate relationships bound in love.   I guess it would be safe to say we are created with a “need” to love, and be loved.

As an infant, the first time we are touched and held by our parent, our initial experience with physical love is activated.  But, only for a moment.  At the stage of infancy, the ability to hold-on to love has not been fully established.  The ability to hold-on when someone says they are holding you is what we label as trust.  Just as a baby will continue to cry until he/she learns how to trust, we as adults will continue to whine and complain until we mature and learn to trust God completely.

We first learn to trust through loving, nurturing parents.  Since they are our first source of nurturing, we begin to trust them as a source of comfort and “love”.  We trust them to return, even when they are away for a day.  Once trust has been established, they can be away for longer periods of time and we still feel secure and loved.  Their continual flow of love keeps our hearts soft and open to trusting.

Unfortunately, some people never fully experience that sense of trust.  A lack of love due to neglect, rejection or abuse is painful and causes emotions to shut down and their heart begins to harden.  Each time pain is felt, a stone is formed in the heart.    After a period of time, the stones form a wall around the heart for protection against further pain.  A person with a stony heart has a difficult time receiving love from God or others – and also have a tough time offering love to others.  Relationships are difficult, and unfortunately, the very thing that is needed to heal the pain is blocked out.

We all have areas of our heart that are stony due to the fact that we all have been hurt when love did not flow properly from early relationships in our lives.   Sometimes parents are unable to provide the relationship and unconditional love that helps build a soft, trusting heart.  Perhaps their own struggles caused them to have a hardened heart – and unable to love properly.

The fact is, as adults we need to understand that our example of love is Jesus Christ.  Through him our hearts can be softened in order to love others.  Regardless of hurts or lack of trust from early relationships, by opening our hearts to Christ we can love through hurts and disappointments.

Ask God for His perfect love to fill you; for God is the only one who has perfect love, (I John 4:18).

Imperfect love hurts; perfect love heals.

Preparation Call: A time for Fresh Beginnings

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“Behold, I make all things new.”  Revelations 21:5

dealing with offensesGod declares it is a time for the new things.  Fresh beginnings are upon us.

Many yeast ago, I knew the Lord had actually impressed upon me the need to “PREPARE” and lead my family into what I heard as a “Preparation Call”.  This calling came during a time when things were fine in our Country and our economy was actually pretty strong.  I was perplexed as to why I was being led to prepare.

“I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, I will hold thine hand, and I will keep thee. Behold the former things are come to pass and the new things do I declare before they spring forth I tell you of them.” Isaiah 42:69

I struggled for a long time with what God had laid on my heart.  It just didn’t seem to make sense and I continually asked God for answers.   I didn’t fully understand, but I think part of this Preparation Call was to be willing to learn how to accept God’s instructions in FAITH – rather than by intellectual understanding.

So, I pressed on trying to just come to grips with what God was asking.  I wrestled with it alone not daring to share this crazy notion with my family or anyone else.  I feared that they would assume that I had gone off the deep end and had lost my sense of reality.

But… one day I finally surrendered my flesh as I realized that my job was to follow in Faith, and be obedient to what God had laid on my heart.  I didn’t know the future, but I knew that my steps were ordered by the Lord – and I knew that He would guide my path.

Shortly after that, I told my family that we were going to begin Preparing.  They didn’t know what to think, but figured we were on a new journey.  And for certain, we were.

That day, over 20 years ago, we surrendered to the Preparation Call.  I didn’t know what exactly to expect and certainly didn’t have an exact blueprint of what we would be doing.

There is much more to the story, but we will share more later.  The wonderful fact is… God has done some amazing things in our lives along the journey.   The Preparation call was nothing at all like I imagined but we are definitely understanding more of why God called us to Prepare – and His hand of mercy was on us ever step of the way.

“I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, I will hold thine hand, and I will keep thee.  Behold the former things are come to pass and the new things do I declare before they spring forth I tell you of them.” Isaiah 42:69

We found the Preparation Call to be a time for fresh beginnings.   A brand-new lifestyle, the abundant life of God’s love is feasible for every follower.  When we are obedient to His call and open our hearts to God’s unfailing love, He will bless our steps – even when things just do not seem to make sense initially.

 

 

Abiding in His Presence

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If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.   John 15:7

Abiding in His PresenceIn today’s fast-pace and hectic lifestyles we often strive to accomplish our tasks in order to feel accomplishment.   Unfortunately, those busy tasks often cause us to ignore the vital importance of spending time in the presence of God.

The word “abiding” means to remain continuously.  Our need is to abide in His presence continuously and allow His words to remain in us continuously.  Unfortunately, too often we replace  abiding in His presence with other tasks and priorities and become overwhelmed with things of this world – rather than living victoriously in Him.

We can find a deep, comforting delight that just arises from spending time with our Heavenly Father and abiding in His presence.  There are a lot of people who enjoy quite moments alone and perhaps sit by their fireplace in deep meditation!  They may be lonely and hurting.  They might sit alone, however there is someone who is hidden from view, but ever-present and waiting for their reach.  Yet, for some reason, people often do not completely recognize His presence.

Recognizing God’s presence can be limited by the stresses of mind, feelings, physical condition, or even the weather conditions outside.  The rainfall or thick fog outside, the lack of sleep or intense pain, seem to obstruct people from the ability to grasp the fullness of His presence.

We simply need to call upon Him and surrender those moments to really basking in His presence.  He is always faithful to meet us.  As we rest expectantly in God’s presence, the Lord takes control and starts to draw our attention to God’s word and His peace that passes all understanding.  We begin to sense His comforting love as His presence fills our hearts.

There is a deep demand in every one of us to be close to our God.  Abiding in His presence is something to be sought after and not to be stayed clear of. While many try to live our lives according God’s word, our experiences with God will make it all come alive.  The Bible is a book of experiences, of men and women of God throughout history, whose lives were changed with a divine encounter.   Our lives will also be changed as we seek to abide in His presence.

There is more than simply understanding His presence.  The higher important thing is to appreciate His presence and enjoy the precious time with Him.  He is close to you, and His presence is real.  He is always present, a warmhearted friend, and the all-powerful Lord.   He is there to listen to your hurts, fears and disappointments, as-well-as your joys and victories.

This is a joyful reality for hurting hearts everywhere… God is with you, and is closer than ever.  You are not alone, He is always there.  Abide in Him.

Finding Your Destiny

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“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it”. Proverbs 22:6 (NIV)

Find Your DestinyMany people today are trying to find their destiny.  They want to know why they are here, and for what purpose.  Unfortunately, in their quest for answers people often look in the wrong places or seek counsel from the wrong people.

Did you know that your destiny was actually determined even before your birth?  There are many examples in Scripture where God revealed to the parents the destiny of their children.  Mary was told that her son Jesus would be the Savior of the world.  Hannah knew that her son Samuel was called to be a prophet, and she took him to live in the temple with Eli.  God told David that his son, Solomon would be the one who would build the temple.

Today, parents have the same awesome responsibility to call their children into their destiny.  David affirmed his son publicly.  Jesus was also affirmed by God publicly.  At his baptism God said, “This is my son in whom I am well pleased.”

God is our Destiny developer.  What He has called you to do, He will equip you to do.  Over time, as you experience His hand of mercy and grace, He will deposit into you the strength of character to carry out what He has called you to do.  What He has begun in you, He will complete.

Whether we like it or not, part of the journey is dealing with destiny distractions.  There are many, and we must seek God in dealing with these distractions.   These distractions are the things in life that get us off track.  These are the things that we do that lead us in another direction.  Here are some examples of distractions many people face:

  • Some people get easily turned away from their calling by pursuing their own grievances and enemies.  This will ultimately turn the direction of their life completely around from pursuing God’s high calling to their own cause.  This distraction can keep us pulled into a whirlwind for many years which will hinder or delay us from finding our destiny.
  • Another distraction is believing the lies of the enemy. Satan is the father of lies, and he plants lies in you so you doubt that you even have a destiny.
  • Fear is another distraction.  You will fear that you cannot do what God has called you to do, and then give up.

James 4:7-8 “Submit yourselves therefore to God; Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to”

Be bold and search for your destiny!  Ask God to reveal your destiny.

Jeremiah 29:13 “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”