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The Matter of Growth
No matter how you feel about yourself, the Lord is in the business of making you new. He is going to plant you by the River of Life and make you grow.
I have told you before that I felt stupid growing up. There has always been a sense of not knowing or understanding in everything that I have learned.
I have spent many brain cells sitting in front of a book wrestling with the pages to put them into order so I was able to fully understand the action I was about to take. I was looking for the hidden path to reveal the mysterious answer hidden from me.
A Woman with Answers
I wanted to be smart at math, at music, at French, at my latest craze but I would hit a road block and have to hunker in to keep it going. Most of the time I quit saying it wasn’t meant to be.
But that wasn’t really the answer. The answer was that the Lord was not shining His light on that for me. The answer was that it was not a need but a want. The answer was that it was not part of my vision from God to play an instrument, speak French or be a scientist.
A Woman with a Conflict
I was conflicted because there was really nothing I was good at that the Lord shined His light for me to excel with. I had no natural abilities to speak of. This created a zeal in me to know who I am and what I am naturally gifted to do.
I tried everything that I could think of but my life conflicted with my need to know. I got better at designing cars when the computer age came. So, obviously I am going to excel at that and I did. What I really got better at was listening to this still small voice I kept hearing.
A Woman with a Passion
The most amazing thing that has ever happened in my life happened right under my nose. I became a Christian. I began reading the Bible. My brain was open to every story, every line, every word. I became passionate about reading and learning the Bible.
I excelled at remembering every detail of the stories I read. Then I excelled at relaying what I learned. Then I excelled at giving women hope. Then I excelled at making Christian living a priority in my life and doing what the Lord has assigned to me.
A Woman Called
This became the only subject calling my name for continuous growth. The River of Life is the only place I felt free to learn. The only thing I became passionate about. I had no idea what reading the Bible was going to do in my life. I didn’t know it was alive.
I just knew I was called to dive deep into it.
I knew I had to swallow it.
I knew I had to be planted by the River of Life to feel alive.
The still small voice I heard before I was a Christian became understandable to me as a Christian. The Holy Spirit was and still is directing me into His vision for me in every area of my life.
I knew I has a called to this.
A Grown Woman
This passion for knowing and following Jesus has lead me into many situation where I have had to use His words to break free from it. Even this morning I had to use them to break free from bitterness.
His word is a lamp for my feet and the light to my path (Psalm 119:105).
There has not been one day since, when I read the Bible, that I don’t hear the Lord preaching, teaching and leading me into me to grow into my vision in every area of my life and ministry.
Join me in Midlife Ministry Makers for The Peaceful Pace Part 4: Peace in Growth, A Firm Foundation this week to discuss make every day a day of growth in your life and ministry (Lifistry) using the Lifistry Disciplines as a guide.
We are diving deep for divine direction into Tool #170 Every day has an Appointment with God to Grow You.
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Hope is my Upward Call Habit
Over the years I have not chased my calling to lead very hard because I did not trust that it would be. I trusted what my circumstance was saying and not what the Lord was saying.
What I did not realize was that all those leadership roles I garnered and lost were tests of training. Would I accept it?
I did at first, but when it was over, I failed. I wallowed in my “Downward Fall” from leadership and that caused my character to go right along with it.
A Life Fuelled by Emotion
I have a ton of Demonic Diva’s (emotions that overcome sound judgment) living inside me. They want the centre stage in my leadership. I had gotten in the habit of letting my circumstances control my emotions. As a result the Diva’s would take control of who I am.
My wallowing gave the Diva’s life. I have turned aside from worshipping the Lord and made my emotions kings.
The Journey Fuelled by Hope
The King of my life is Jesus and He brought with Him a whole host of heavenly character traits that I have available to me. I called them “Heavenly Hosts”.
I had to become aware that “Wallowing Wilma” (one of my Diva’s) had to be decreased with in me daily so I can begin fuelling my life with habits that move me to chase my “Upward Call”.
Going uphill needs lots of fuel. If I am to gain my “City on the Hill” (predestined leadership role) I must be fuelled by hope.
Shifting to Hope
Hope can be accomplish with just a one degree shift in thinking daily. As a result our actions make the shift as well.
We might have been rolling downhill with nothing to grab onto. Shifting to hope grows a branch large enough to grab onto. It stops the “Downward Fall” just long enough for us to pick up steam and shift upward again.
Just a tiny shift to hope will make a huge difference in your life some day. Meet “Shifting Shawna” right where you are today. She will get you closer to Jesus and your vision.
The Midlife Ministry Makers community will meet you right where you are and build you up as you shift your direction to your vision from God. We build up our “Everyday Christian Living” skills to make our uphill journey unshakable. Join us today and start climbing toward your City on the Hill tomorrow.
Kathleen derbyshire, everyday Christian living mentor -
When should your Vision from God Take Precedence?
Why would you bother to set boundaries or goals if you believe your life has no purpose? Why would a Christian believe they have no purpose? When Jesus chooses you He tells you what your purpose will be and that purpose will change your whole life therefore it always takes precedence. If you give your vision from God preference everything you do and become should point you in the direction God has pointed to. This is my vision from God – to help you remember your vision from God and walk in it through teaching you how to improve your life skills. Do not think for one second you are not worthy. If you are chosen by God you are worthy to do everything He has assigned for you.
Would you modify your vision from God? Would you delete your vision from God? Would you ignore your vision from God? I know when you read these questions your skin went red hot. As you thought about it guilt began to bubble up from the pit of your soul. If any of these answers are “yes” then I have to question whether you are a disciple of Jesus Christ. You have to question if you are a disciple of Jesus Christ. This is not to criticize you it is to wake you up. Wake up to the fact that you have a calling on your life that Jesus has predestined you to walk in. Wake up to the fact that if you don’t do it someone else will and the joy from it will be theirs too. Wake up to the fact that Jesus wants you to prepare for this calling. You are worthy to do everything Jesus has assigned for you.
When I believed Jesus was who He said He was He told me I would speak all over Canada. I noodled that for a while then He gave me more. I would open a Life Skills Center for women in Essex County so they are capable to succeed in whatever God has assigned to them. Then He told me I would get the money from writing books. Okay, I know this sound awesome but I did NOT believe it. I was initially excited but my excitement waned into unbelief as time went by. How can I speak about Him when I was the only one in my house saved? This is impossible. How can I open a center for women when I had absolutely no money and in debt up to my eyeballs? This is impossible! How can I write a book because I just don’t have time with a husband, four kids and a full-time job? This is impossible. I had one big problem after another with this vision from God. Not that I didn’t want to do it or would give up the opportunity for all the world but it was impossible in my eyes therefore not believable.
The one thing I never took into account was preparation time. We are the ‘right now” generation. I put the vision out of my mind but the desire was still there. I learned how to speak publicly and to write creatively. I joined Toastmasters and took every writing course I could get my hands on. I wrote a bunch of Life Skills Workshops but they are just chilling on my computer. I gave up because there were no opened doors. I found the Lord would open a door then close it, open another one then close it and again open then close. He kept my foot in it just enough to remind me of what He had said. There were many doors He opened only to close them not long after. There was no long term doors open which frustrated me. For my whole life I have longed for stability but there has been none until Jesus. Jesus gave me my vision but He wanted me to be completely dependent on Him for the doors. He would open a door and worn me He was going to close it. I always knew the door was closing before it closed. I thought He was teasing me but I know now He was training me. He gave me time to get my emotions in check by the time the door actual closed. He taught me to put my all into whatever He opened for me for as long as it was open. Then when it closed He taught me to put my all into learning until the next door opened.
Fast forward to today, all the training has paid off. I have written a book called The White Picket Fence to help women set Biblical boundaries so they can get into the will of God. Did you catch that? Book, women, life skills – vision from God. I am beginning to do podcasts this month with WE Podcasts in Windsor. Did you catch that? Speaking all across Canada – vision from God. The only thing left is the Life Skills Center. Do you think He will do it? He will do it because He has buried the desire deep into my soul. His desire is to train all women, not just the saved. His desire is to train you and me. The vision He gave me is His desire for women, His desire for me, His desire for Essex County, His desire for you. His desire for me is to help you move toward His desire for you. You know what it is. You know what it feels like. You have ignored it long enough, squashed it long enough, forgotten it or don’t believe it long enough. The Holy Spirit is here to remind you of what Jesus has already told you. Ask and you shall be reminded of the God ordained tasks He has laid out for you.
Let me ask those questions again. Would you modify your vision from God? Would you delete your vision from God? Would you ignore your vision from God? Say “no” now and go. I don’t have the center opened yet but the Revealed in Me Blog is open every day, every hour. I have dedicated my blogging to help you get into the will of God and be successful wherever He sends you, whatever that looks like. If you have problems saying “no” to your church family or even your own wants buy The White Picket Fence novel and learn how to set Biblical boundaries. If you don’t know God well enough to know what His plan is for you start reading the Bible every day to know Him better. If you just don’t believe what God has planned for you drop to your knees and ask Him to show you truth. The time has come for you to DO what God has called you to DO. We are in this together to serve each other, in the name above all Names, Jesus Christ.
Send me an email if you have any questions or just need someone to lead you back to Jesus.
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A Soul in Sync
I want to first start with a description of what the soul is because I keep forgetting myself. Our soul is our life and defines who we are, what we believe and what we stand for. It is our volition (desire), our mind (intellect), and our emotion. Our soul is moulded by experience, knowledge and understanding. God gave us talents that we nurtured with our soul. The Bible talks incessantly about soul, heart and mind being something that we need to guard. Our soul is what the world is after. They want us to think like them and in doing that we become them. They will not be happy until we are all like them. We are called by Jesus Christ to think differently from the world.
One Foot in the World One Foot in the Church
Our soul is sanctified (separated) from the world for us to think like Jesus., to take on the mind of Jesus. This is not as easy as it sounds. We read in the Bible we are being called out of the world but the world will hate us (John 15:19). This is why some of us have one foot in the world and one foot in the body. There are some who are just dipping their toe in the body because their soul is weak. A weak soul is a direct result of quenching the Spirit. A weak soul will not be allowed in the New Jerusalem because a weak soul has a penchant for sin. It follows its flesh and makes the flesh its master instead of the Spirit (Galatians 5:19-21).
Sanctification Not a Choice; Soul Sync a Choice!
Being sanctified is not our choice, it belongs to God alone, but after salvation we have the choice to live in the world or live in the body of Christ. We can choose to have our mind changed by God or we can choose to have the same mind as the world. The choice is ours to sync our soul with His Spirit or to sync it with the World. When we sync our mind with the Spirit we can expect change, we can expect wisdom, we can expect understanding and we can expect Jesus to move in us. We cannot expect any of this with the world. I do not need to go into a list of things the world expects from us but God expects Jesus from us. We are to have the mind of Jesus (1 Corinthians 2:16) therefore the deeds of Jesus. We are to sync our mind with the Spirit and bring our body into submission with our soul (1 Corinthians 9:27).
A Mind Meld with the Master
I know you are reading this thinking how impossible it is to kick habits, change ways, and most ridiculous to think like Jesus! God sent His only Son as an example to us but He also wrote this great book called the Holy Bible that we would have a reference book. Paul told Timothy All Scripture is given by the inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be complete thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16). ALL Scripture can be used to train us up into the mind of God and that is exactly what we will do. We are going to create a mind meld with the Master that we will be equipped for every good work the Master sends us to do. God is more than willing to reveal Himself in the Scripture and reveal Himself in us to others. I pray that He reveal Himself in you just as He is revealed in me!
Action
For this week pray to the Master He would give you an open heart for knowledge while we mould our mind into the mind of Christ using Scripture to solve about worldly issues. Pray for me also to bring today’s problems to Him for solution. If you have an issue that keeps plaguing you please IM me or send me an email at Kathleen@thelifeskillsstrategist.com and I will point you in the direction of Jesus and His Word for correction advice.
I know that if we choose life in the Word we will find solid Biblical strategies to improve our life. I ask Jesus to reveal himself in you just as He is revealed in me.
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A Mantra to get into His Will!
By Kathleen Derbyshire
Have you ever noticed that when things are going well our communication with God is so much better but when things are not so well it is hard to pray? I find my mind wondering back to my problem over again. I think about things that will help solve my problem rather than asking the Holy Spirit to give me the way to solve my problem. As a matter of fact I forget to ask Him in the good times too. Revelation is what I need more than anything else so going it on my own looks less and less useful. We know deep down that God’s ways are the best ways so we should just ask God!
Jeremiah 33:3 should be our mantra if revelation is what we want to solve our problems. I love this verse because it tells me how to get revelation. I am not looking for new information I am looking for information I do not know. I am looking for information regarding the salvation of my problems. I am looking for information regarding the building up of my character. I am looking for information to manage with the world and those who live in it. I’m sure that you are looking for the same thing. We need to know how not to make mistakes or how to recover from the ones we already made. This can only be done if we get revelation from the Father. Let’s pick this verse apart and add others to make sure we fully understand what revelation is and how we can utilize it to do what Jesus really wants us to do. In other words we need revelation to remain in the will of God.
Our mantra Jeremiah 33:3 says, Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.
Let us start with the simple but powerful words from our Lord ‘call to Me.’ He says this because He is the only One who can guide us in a direction that will result in solutions for our troubles. I wish that this was my first line of defense but it is not right now. I call on the Lord when I cannot figure it out on my own. My own strength is my immediate resource for issue resolution. If God has gifted you will administration and exhortation as He has with me you are nodding your head right now but if you have another gifting like mercy, compassion or helps you might go to God first and you are finger wagging me. We are all gifted differently and those giftings lead us in specific directions resulting in not really needing God to be productive BUT that is not what He wants from us. He wants us to call on Him because He is the one who knows what our future holds, what our past was and what our present status is. Psalm 34:17 says emphatically, the righteous cry out and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all of their troubles [emphasis mine]. All we need to do is cry out or call to Him to begin the process of Him hearing us and answering us.
Without the hearing He cannot answer us! Our biggest problem may not be the crying out part but the listening part. Three verses come to mind in this stage of our mantra, Psalm 91:1 and Psalm 42:7-8. The former tells us that we need to dwell in His secret place to learn how to hear Him. His secret place is a hard place to find and be inside of. We have to be persistent in looking and resolute in staying, which means we need to be determined to hear Him. My mind is a terrible place sometimes but that is where the secret place is. We can find a place on this earth that makes us happy and peaceful but the minute we leave it our peace and happiness disappear like a puff of smoke. In this secret place with the Father our hope, peace and joy remain and we carry it with us where ever we go because it is in us not in the world. This is also where that latter verse picks up. In the secret place Deep [God] calls unto deep [us] with the noise of His waterfalls. And all of His waves and billows go over us. If we are indeed in the secret place we will hear everything He has to say. We are being called into the deep with the Father and His deep will go over us resulting in us seeing the great and mighty things He needs to show us.
The vision of God for us is what we need to solve our problems. We want to see what He is doing in the World so that we can go in that direction. We need to see, He is doing His works on this earth, and whether we participate or not, His works will get done (Isaiah 55:10-11). All of our problems stem from being out of the will of God so when we are in the will of God we are participating in His works therefore outside of the problems we have created. When He shows us great and mighty things that we did not know it is His workings on the Earth. If we want to see His workings in Heaven look around because whatever is worked out in heaven is now on the Earth (Matthew 6:10). The great and mighty things are happening but we just don’t see them. If we want to see them then we must dwell in the secret place until we believe and trust in Him. Once this process is done He will give us vision of what He is doing, the things which we do not know.
Our mantra from now on should be Jeremiah 33:3 (HCSB). Our first defence with problem solving is to cry out to God and He will hear us and answer us! He will open our eyes to see what He is doing on the Earth today so we can go that way as well. All of this takes time as well as Spiritually enhanced problem-solving skills that we can only be given to us from the Father. He gives us revelation to go in His direction, which in itself is a problem solving skill that we must nurture in our secret place with Him. As we are called in to the deep His Words wash over us with the shadow of the Almighty. God has, over the years, Revealed in Me that getting revelation is a process every Christian needs to learn! I have enhanced my problem solving skills in the secret place and so can you! If you want to move into the will of God get into that secret place with God and see how He moves!
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Our Weapons for War!
We are going to 1 Samuel 17 today to the story of David and Goliath. We think much about this story and the content of it because David is the hero. We love David because he is the underdog in this story but there is so much more to it for us to learn then just that. We are all underdogs compared to God. David displays that we are nothing in our own power but when God sends us to do a job He equips us to do it the way He wants us, in particular, to do it. He gives us our own weapons to fight His battle.
Saul is King of Israel at this time but God has already left him and anointed David to be His King. David knows he is anointed to be King but has become a servant to the man he would replace. God has positioned David into the kingdom but has not moved him into his anointed position. David had gone home to take care of his fathers flock when Goliath becomes a phenomenon to Israel. He comes out 40 days straight and taunts God’s chosen people who respond by allowing fear to overtake them.
Young David is told to bring goods to his brothers and the supply master by his father to the battlefield. Goliath, the challenger, was almost 10 feet tall and the hero of the Philistines but he is no match for God’s man. He was not a hero to David either because he was defying God. Saul, who should have offered himself up to protect his people only offered up his gear and weapons to the man who would kill this hero of Philistia.
God sent David into his battle with his weapons and He sends us into our battle with our weapons. For ten years I heard that our battle should be on our knees but for just as long I had no understanding of what exactly that means. My number one weapon was not prayer it was problem solving. Yours might very well be something else like love, compassion, nail banging or house building. We take what we have as a weapon and use it to solve problems but mostly in the physical world. Our enemy is in the Spiritual world. Once we become Christians we are given a great vision of the Spiritual world and it doesn’t just include God and the angels but Satan and his demons too.
Saul tried to supply David with his weapons to fight but David said he had not tested them but he knew what he had tested and they were tried and true. God gave him the weapons he was to fight this giant with and he gave Saul his. Saul chose not to use his. God gives us the weapons we are to fight with too and they are perfectly suited for us to fight the giant we are fighting at this moment. We are not to use untested weapons of war we are to recognize and use our own weapons because they are what God has given us to fight with. Up until this year I did not fight my battle with prayer nor did I prevent a fight with prayer but I did fight my battles with the weapons God gave me. He has given me a fantastic memory for Scripture! Those were my weapons but now He is giving me a new weapon. This weapon is mine alone and I intend to practice with it and get so good at it that I will be able to knock down any giant.
What is the weapon that Jesus has given you to fight with right now? Do you use it or do you attempt to use someone else’s? Spend the next day or two answering these questions then own the weapon He has given you right now and perfect it’s use just as David perfected the use of his sling. For the battle you fight is the Lord’s and your weapon is from Him so He can deliver your enemy into your hands.
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Focus on Doing My Best
In my quest to become useful in the Kingdom of God I have done a ton of things, some failed, some successful for a time and some never got off the ground. Some I told God I would do and some He told me to do. I am somewhere in between right now. I am working on projects that have been going for a couple of years but they need more of God in them or they need to end. I have to tell you I am a little scared to do anything right now because I am gun shy. I don’t want to give up what I am doing now but I don’t want to start anything new either because I am scared.
I am not allowing fear to cripple me but I am allowing it to stop me from making mistakes – if that makes any sense to you. I think my fear at this moment moves me into the sound mind realm. In my not so sound mind I made decisions that cost me a lot of money and a lot of time only to see them fail. In my not so sound mind I made decisions that cost me emotionally and physically. Each of these has taken its toll on me and made me scared today. As a result my decision-making is much more thought provoking and much more focused. My first thought when I have to make a decision is – what is this going to cost me? I am not just talking about any decision I am talking about all decisions.
My goal daily now is to talk to Jesus about everything. I am trying to focus on doing my best at everything I do. Today was my first day at it and I have failed miserably already. As I was driving home from my day job the Spirit told me to pray before changing tasks from now on so on my way into the house I prayed that I would be a better wife, a better cleaner, better at everything that I do in this house. Then I went to my kitchen and did what I do and forgot to pray but then I came down to write this and prayed. For someone who used to pray once a month (if that) God is really doing a work in me daily to keep me in communion with Him.
Pray for me to continue this goal of doing the best I can with everything I do and to be in constant communion with Jesus. If you want to join me in this task let me know you are coming along by commenting and we will banter back and forth through out this quest. Comment regarding what you are learning and how you are learning it. We are going deeper with Jesus so not all He reveals to you is for my ears but some can be. Ask Jesus how you can teach me and I will ask Him how I can teach you. Enjoy these next couple of days communing with Jesus and expect to be transformed through all He reveals to you!
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Cry out to Him and See!
There is nothing like a death in the family to make us evaluate (or me anyway) the things we are doing. We watch as people walk through the room and how they react. We react with curiosity about how they have impacted the lives of those they knew. We evaluate how they have impacted our life. The only real way we can know what they have done for others is to listen to stories and listen intently to how people felt about that person. This is a skill that we must learn to utilize as we get older because we learn much about ourselves and about others. We can know someone all of our life and still not know the impact that person has had on others outside of our own relationship with them.
This begs me to ask of myself, “How have I had an impact on those in my life?” Have I created an atmosphere of love or contention? Have I taught my loved ones that I am determined or lazy? BUT the biggest question is, “Have I shown (not told) them that I love Jesus?” Will that be the first thing people say or will they have to find out from the pastor during my service. I have no other desire for you to know anything other than my love for Jesus and how I work that out in my life. What I want you to see is I love Jesus, I love my family, I love my friends and anyone whom I can touch through my teaching of Jesus Christ and my writings about how we can learn from Him.I want you to see my passion for the Word when I teach you what Jesus has been teaching me. I want you to see my determined devotion to Him while I help you learn what I have learned. I want you to see my steadfastness in doing what Jesus has asked me to do. In this you will find out that I have dedicated my life to knowing Jesus by studying His word so I can be of use to the women in the area in which Jesus has placed me. I cry out to God daily for them and I ask Him to position me to be of the most use to them.
How can we go forward when we feel like we are not doing enough? Jeremiah 33:3 says “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’” Cry out to Jesus and ask Him daily what He has planned for you. He will reveal in you just as He will reveal in me just exactly what He wants us to learn and how He wants us to use that knowledge. Then we must do it!
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My Soul Longs for Him!
I have been juggling three very good books over the last week and wonder how much more does God need to teach me. The most phenomenal thing is that they all are related to each other at this very moment. How amazing is that? Not at all because we are dealing with our God here! I am reading The One Year Chronological Bible, Water in the Dessert and The Spiritual Man. Each book has its own theme yet each book at this moment is speaking to me loud and clear.The One Year Chronological Bible is designed to allow us to read Scripture in the order in which it happened. I have read the New Testament already and am reading the Old Testament now, Numbers 5. I have read about the building of the Tabernacle and the placement of the tribes around the Tabernacle. Since I am not a numbers person I have to really force myself to go through any part of the Bible that adds, subtracts and divides people. I am reading it differently now based on the other books I am reading at the same time. What I learn in this Book continuously is when God chooses His people He takes good care of them and since I will never be done reading this book He will continue to teach me this fact. This Book continuously makes my soul long for Him.
The second book I pick up is Water in the Dessert by Sherry Stahl. To tell you the truth I didn’t want to pick this book up at all because first, I am not in a dessert right now and second, the green eyed giant. Each of them was a darn good excuse for not reading this book but they were just that, excuses. Sherry bases this book, so far, on the Exodus account of the Israelites being freed by God. Ironic enough that is what I just got finished reading. My Spirit was there but my soul and flesh did not want to pick this book up. That giant had a hold of me and I couldn’t shake it so I have to have a talk with soul. Had my soul not been transformed by the Spirit I could have been years longer letting that giant take me down. This book (or study) has helped me to bury deep in me the truths I know about our Jesus Christ and make my soul long even more for Him!
Then I pick up the most simple but complex book The Spiritual Man by Watchman Nee. This book is most fantastic. It is a pondering book for certain. It is not one of those books you can read and walk away from without pondering the information. I have read a couple of Watchman’s books thus far and my soul is changed forever because I understand my soul better. As I read this book (I am on page 61) my soul becomes more aware of exactly what it should be doing. What wonderful information to know! It makes every Word I read in the Scriptures jump out at me and leave a mark so deep that I will be able to feel it forever. It, and Watchman’s other books together, have helped to create in me a longing for Jesus that cannot be quenched with just Sunday meetings. I long to hear the Spirit talk to me all day long.
Reading three books together may sound daunting to you but to me it is exciting. I read the Bible to know Jesus so the rest of the books I read have meaning in my life. Can they help me to understand the Word better? Can they help me live the Word better? Can they help me teach the Word better? These are the questions I ask when I read a book. If I am stranded on an island and I could pick three books to have I would choose these three books. BUT if I could only choose one it would most definitely be the Holy Bible. We will never long for Jesus by reading any other book! When God reveals Himself to us He does it through His own Word! Choose the Word over any book and He will reveal Himself to you!
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Excited to Learn? YEAH!
Knowledge is one thing but understanding is a whole new ball game. I love it when I begin to understand something whether related to the Word of God or at my job or even just reading a book that is hard to understand. I ponder stuff all the time and ask why a lot. Jesus is so patient with my questions and my lack of knowledge that it just blows me away when He teaches me something new. I do not deserve to know this much or to understand anything He is teaching me because I am so dim witted sometimes. How many times does He have to teach us something before we learn it? Well, let’s see what the Word has to say about that.
I want to start with Proverbs 6:6 when Solomon calls someone a sluggard. Lazy people cannot learn so he says to them go to the ant, O sluggard, observe her ways and be wise. He wants us not to be lazy and learn fully what we need to learn. Wisdom does not come in one day so the fact that he refers to us becoming wise tells me that he knows we will have to take our time learning and be taught often.
Psalm 106:35 tells us that they mingled with the nations and learned their practices. That is us Christians. We mingle with the world and learn their ways in time and act like them but we need to mingle with God and learn His ways so we can become knowledgeable about the things of God. To do this we will have to take our time learning and be taught often.
The Bible was written for us to learn from and Paul needed to tell us just that in Romans 15:4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. The length of time it takes us to learn is shown here in the term perseverance. Why would we need perseverance if our learning were going to be quick? Again, we will have to take our time learning and be taught often.
Proverbs 1:7 says that the beginning of knowledge comes from fearing the Lord. Fearing the Lord is not based on what you don’t know it is based on what you do know. We cannot gain a fear of the Lord until we know the Lord. He has buried many secrets in His Word that He expects us to uncover. It takes learning to uncover those secrets. Only fools despise wisdom and instruction – be not a fool and fear the Lord. Take time learning and be taught often.
Read books but always come back to the Word! These are just a few verses that tell us about learning. Jesus taught us the whole time He was on the earth so that we would have a mentor; someone to teach us the ways to walk. Jesus said take His yoke upon us and learn from Him for He is gentle and lowly in heart and we will find rest for our souls (Matthew 11:29). Our learning begins and ends with Scripture. We can be taught the Bible from others but the truth can only be found in one place – the Holy Bible. It tells us that we need no other teacher (1 John 2:27) than Jesus and that God will send no one else to tell us the truth (Hebrews 1:1-3) because Jesus has told the truth to us, recorded and distributed it to us that we may learn. When the mystery of the truth is revealed to us it is an exciting thing to comprehend because it has taken us time to learn and we were taught often!
Be persistent this week to spend time in the word with the FULL understanding that it will take time to learn and we will need to be taught many times before we understand. God will reveal His mysteries to us if we persist.
