June 2004
Monthly Archive
By Faith
Posted by Paul on 30 Jun 2004 | Tagged as: General
Sitting on the porch, oil lamp lit, soft glow and a sense of the presence of the Lord. It seems almost impossible that one can have such peace in the midst of so many things going on.
Yet that is exactly the way things have been in my life lately. The Lord enables me to live and walk in the real world, not as some “spiritual giant” who never has any “problems” with that silly grin on his face, that mask that says everything is ok when it isn’t.
I think in life we are always going to face challeges, battles and obstacles. Again, it is how we deal with them that matters and they produce character and faith to trust in God. It is an act of faith, of believing, of trusting, of overcoming. By faith we are made strong in Him whom we believe.
Faith comes by hearing and hearing comes by the word of God. As we spend time in the word, as we spend time in His presence, that is the time when we learn to become like Him. The more time we spend with the Lord, the more we become like Him and take on His character. That we are being transformed into a new creation even as He reveals Himself to us.
It is relational. It is getting to know Him. May we ever draw close to the Lord and find our strength in Him!
Till later,
Paul
Good Afternoon Lord!
Posted by Paul on 29 Jun 2004 | Tagged as: General
“Good afternoon Lord”
“Good afternoon Paul!”
“Sure is a beautiful day. I really am enjoying the rain, the cool breeze and the peace of your presence.”
“Thank you. I really like it when you take time to visit with me. I am always blessed to visit with my children. It’s a time for them to get to know me and for me to know them. It really does My heart good when my children take time to talk to me, wither in the morning or in the evening or anytime during the day, it thrills me to hear their voices.”
“You mean we can really bring joy to your heart, it’s that important to you?”
“Yes, I have always enjoyed communicating with my children. I love having that heart to heart relationship with them. I enjoy the times of fellowship, of laughter, of joy and in the times of sorrow, of hurt, of fear, even then I am there to comfort my children.”
“We have made things awfully complicated at times haven’t we?”
“Yes, at times you do”
“Lord, will you teach us how to communicate and share with you?”
“Yes”
“It is a matter of becoming still and allowing me to reveal myself to you. I know it is not easy to be still and quiet with so many things going on but as you continue to come into my presence, you will come to that place of quietness and rest. Often times I will speak through my word, through those that I send your way and in the times that you simply come into my presence and allow me to bring you to a place of stillness in me so that I can speak to your heart.”
“You mean like your doing right now, even as I am writing this sitting here at Isaacks?”
“Yes.”
“Lord thank you for the peace and rest that I sense this morning. Lord I ask that you would touch the hearts of those that read Hill Country Thoughts today. That you would bring peace and rest, comfort to those this morning who are going through the battles of life and that you would lead them in this day. Give them hope and let them see you with a new heart and a new spirit. Restore to them that which has been taken away and Lord thank you for your Son Jesus, who has open the door into your presence.”
“Your welcome.”
“Remember that I look forward to spending time with you. I always have time for my children.”
Till later,
Paul
In The Palm of His Hands!
Posted by Paul on 28 Jun 2004 | Tagged as: General
Sitting on the porch looking out the screen, looking off into the distance and …
“Lord?”
“Yes!”
“I am back. It seems to be one of those days that I am not sure of myself and I feel like a leaf in the wind being blown back and forth and it causes me to wonder if I am really hearing from you? If I am walking the path that you have set before me? Is this normal, am I missing you, am I off target?”
“No, your not off target. You are where I want you. You are in the place where I can talk to you, reveal myself to you. You are in the place where I can work in you, to mold you and shape you into that vessel that can be used for me.”
“But Lord, it is so uncomfortable. It’s like being on the edge of a cliff and I am about to fall off. I am afraid!”
“I know!”
“I am here. I will not leave you or forsake you. I will hold you in the palm of My Hands. Don’t you remember when you were young and you dreamed that as you were walking down the road that a hand extended from heaven and you stepped into the palm of that hand and were lifted up?”
“Yes Lord, I remember. It gave me such a peace and a rest and a joy.”
“And when I came to know your son Jesus as my Lord and Savior, even then you brought that back to my remembrance and made it more real. It seems like I have forgotten about that doesn’t it?”
“Yes”
“You mean even over the last few years, as I have walked this path, as I have gone through these battles in my life, that even in all of this I was in the Palm of Your Hands?”
“Yes”
“Who do you think has carried you through all of this? I have been with you each and every step of the way and yes, I know it is hard.”
“Even now I am preparing the way before you so that you can put forth my word, to share this hope with others, that they will see that it is ok to have doubts, to have fears, to be afraid and then for my children to realize that they can come to me and talk and share and give me those burdens, those wounds, those hurts and I will replace it with my love, my rest, my peace. I will replace it with faith. With that mustard seed of faith, though small, that will remove those fears, those hurts, those pains and that will allow me to apply my healing to my children’s hearts, to their inner most being.”
“Father, you mean we can experience that even now? Your peace, your joy, your grace?”
“Yes. Are not my mercies new each day. Is not each day a new day, a new beginning, a fresh start when you come to me?”
“Yes”
“Father, thank you for talking to me. Thank you for the rest, the comfort and strength to walk with you and thank you for removing those doubts, those fears. Thank you for holding me in the Palm of Your Hands.”
“Your welcome!”
“Remember I am always here for you and as you seek me, you will find me.”
Till later,
Paul
Storm Clouds Are Coming!
Posted by Paul on 28 Jun 2004 | Tagged as: General
Sitting on the porch watching some of the biggest, meanest looking dark clouds roll in. The wind is blowing and there is thunder and lightening.
You know what am doing? I am rejoicing, giving thanks to the Lord for the rain, the cool breeze and the release from the heat of the last few days as the Lord gives us a spectacular show, complete with sound effects!
What comes to mind right now as I am sitting here is the fact that the Lord is my shelter, my strong tower, my strength and my defence even in the midst of the storm.
How we react is what makes the difference in our walk with the Lord. Each day we have to make choices and decisions that effect us and those around us. We can choose to walk around with a woe is me, no one cares, why even bother attitude or we can walk in faith knowing that the Lord is in charge and well aware and He will speak to us. Through His word, through a friend. There are so many ways He will answer if we simply look to Him with a heart of faith. No, it isn’t easy, but then it wouldn’t be faith, would it?
So how are we going to react to the storms that are a coming? Are we going to see them as that which fine tunes us, sharpens us and makes us press in even more to the Lord or are we going to let it defeat us and bring us down?
As for me I choose to press on in, to allow the effects of the storm to work in my life, to remove all that is not of the Lord and that a freshness and a cleansing comes forth and knowing that I can continue to press on even more and that the Lord will continue to mold and shape me into an instrument to be used in His hands.
Each day is a new day, a new choice, an opportunity to grow in the things of the Lord. It is a time of learning to come into His presence, of meditating in His word and letting it become real within and applying it to our every day life. Realizing that we really can walk in the Lord here and now.
Today is the Day that the Lord has made! The choice is yours!
Till later,
Paul
"When Is Enough, Enough?"
Posted by Paul on 26 Jun 2004 | Tagged as: General
Do you ever wonder, “Lord, when is enough, enough? When does it stop, when does the attack of the enemy cease?”
The answer of course is they never cease. We will always be engaged with spiritual warfare, with life’s battles.
How we react, that is the question! How we deal with the things in our life, the daily battles, physical and spiritual, the attacks on our minds!
The one thing that I have learned over the last couple of years, in the midst of the battle with cancer, with chemo and radiation, with two major surgeries (I am cancer free now), the moving away of our children and grand-children, the oldest and her family to Virginia and the two youngest to Colorado to YWAM, the divorce and the fire yesterday in Colorado.
I have learned that the Lord reigns. He is still on the throne and the only thing that the enemy of my soul has done is increase my anger and my childrens anger toward him and it has increased our faith and trust in the Lord even more, knowing that the Lord will intervene on our behalf.
I know there is a time coming when all that has been taken will be restored and the Lord will be glorified because I know that I am where the Lord wants me right now, even though the path has been hard, He is still leading and guiding and giving me the strength to walk this path, and it is His strength because I could not do it.
In walking this path I am becoming more intimate with the Lord. Learning to communicate with Him. I think that is one of the things we have lost is how to communicate with our Father and by doing so we have forgotten how to communicate with each other.
As husbands and wives, as friends, we have forgotten how to talk, how to share, to let each other know what we feel, of being honest, wither happy or sad. We want to put on a face, rather than be honest and that shuts down the flow that is needed with the Lord and with each other. There is nothing wrong in telling the Lord, I hurt, I am angry, I am mad. Most of the time the Lord, as well as friends can see, that what we say, does not line up with what they see.
It is one of the things that the Lord is teaching me. To come to Him, to sit and to just talk. He wants to visit with us, He wants to talk with us when we come to him in prayer, in worship, in praise. Even when we come to Him in tears, with a heart that is breaking, He wants to listen.
All these events in my life to date have caused me to grow, to become stronger in the Lord, not in myself but in Him. He has given me strength, He has given me peace beyond understanding, He has given us His Spirit to enable us to walk the path that we are on. Sometimes on the mountain top and sometimes in the valley, but the thing is, He is with us no matter where we are and we need to remember that.
So when is enough, enough? Most likely when the Lord returns.
In the mean time we must choose how to react. Allow defeat or victory? I am not a supersaint, I have a lot of friends who will tell you that.
Yes, there are days it seems like if the hole gets any deeper, I won’t be able to get out but the minute I turned to the Lord and say “I need you Lord.” He is there !!
He will never leave us or forsake us and in the midst of our tears He will comfort us!
Till later,
Paul
It’s Me Lord!!
Posted by Paul on 25 Jun 2004 | Tagged as: General
It sure seems like I have a lot of conversations with the Lord lately!
I have discovered that He really likes it when we talk to Him and it really pleases Him when we learn to listen.
I am sitting here at Isaacks Restaurant having a cup of coffee, looking out the window and …
“Lord! You know there are a lot of questions going on in my mind. Trying to figure things out. Wondering how I can change them. Why are these things happening in my life?
“I noticed!”
“You Did?”
“Yes! I thought you already gave me those burdens, those hurts, those wounds, those misunderstandings!”
“I did”
“Then why did you pick them up again? Can I not take care of these things?”
“Yes”
“I know your heart. I am aware of all that needs to be done and I want you to trust me and see that I am able to work on your behalf as you focus on me!”
“I am a Father. I know the needs of my children. When they ask for bread, I will not give them a stone!”
“I know Lord, but it is so hard!”
“I know! I have not given you a spirit of fear but a sound mind. A heart that can trust and focus on me. I have given you my Spirit and I will increase your faith that I have given you. Just trust me and be still and know that I am God and I am working on your behalf. I will fulfill my word to you”
“You will Lord?”
“Yes!”
“Lord?”
“Yes”
“Teach me your ways. Make your word real and alive in me. Help me to know you more Lord!”
“And Father, I love you!”
“I love you too”
Till later,
Paul
