January 2005
Monthly Archive
Are we listening, Really?
Posted by Paul on 31 Jan 2005 | Tagged as: General
It is so amazing to truly take time to listen to the music, to the songs we sing and listen to and then ask the Lord to let the reality of the words we sing become a alive within.
We were born to worship, to praise the Lord, to be brought into an intimacy with Him. I can remember when I first came to the Lord back in 1969, how much I loved to sing, to worship, to be in the presence of the Lord.
But somewhere along the way I became “mature” in the Lord and I lost touch of that first love, that passion to serve the Lord. I got into a rut, I became lukewarm, sometimes hot but often times cold.
It has only been over the last couple of years, that I have come to realize how important worship, praise and adoration and time spent in the word of the Lord is. Through the events of my life the Lord brought some major life changing events.
Things that I myself would have not chosen, but the Father in His love allow me to go through them to get me to the place that He wanted me to be. Oh, I am sure it was not His preferred will but now I am learning to know my Father and my Lord all over again.
I am learning to hear the words, the songs, the praise and the worship. I am learning to listen to the words written and hopefully they are being written upon my heart! As I have written before, it is so important to truly listen to the music. Not to just hear it, but to listen. The Lord wants to teach us to listen, to truly hear with our hearts.
Are we listening, are we allowing the Lord to fine tune us to hear the songs, the music, the words with an anticipation that each day He will reveal Himself to us? His desire is to daily walk with us, to share, to listen, to lead us on this path called life.
Are you listening? Do you hear that still small voice, that speaks in your inner most being and says “Be still and know that I am Lord. That in my presence you will find strength, you will learn to hear and I will write my words, my songs upon your heart.”
When we truly learn to hear the words, the music, we will be changed. As we listen, we will be changed. Daily transformed and conformed to the Lord.
Let us learn to listen and hear!!
Till later,
Paul
Sometimes!!
Posted by Paul on 27 Jan 2005 | Tagged as: General
Sometimes it is really rough to get up, to press on, to push forward when everything within looks like one big battle after another, struggle after struggle that seems to never end.
But yet there is within, that still small voice, that speaks to us, lets us know, that it is all right, that our Lord is with us.
And it is as we learn to respond to that still small voice in the midst of all that is going on, that we begin to grow and begin to move forward in the Lord.
It is a day by day, moment by moment walk with the Lord that gives us the strength to press forward.
It is the hope within, knowing that we don’t have to have a spirit of fear, of anxiety, but rather to put on the full armour of the Lord. That He has given us a spirit of strength and hope.
That our focus is turned from us, to Him and to others. In doing so, healing is brought to us and makes us stronger in our weakness because our dependency is on Him.
It is one of those things that is hard to put into words, in our weakness we are made strong, in becoming a servant, we become free. It is realizing that it is Christ within that lives, no longer us that lives, yet we live.
In other words, we are ourselves in Christ, becoming that portrait, becoming all that we are meant to be and to fulfill His will in our lives.
There are days and sometimes weeks that we have to choose to rise up each day over the pain, over the battles, the wounds and the hurts and make a sacrifice of praise and worship, of adoration to the Lord.
In that action, we are lifted by the spirit of the Lord to overcome those obstacles, events in our lives, by the word of God, by the spirit and enabled to walk in the Lord.
Sometimes the Lord will send people our way to encourage us. To remind us that greater is He that is within us. I had the privilege of meeting a new friend this week, a member of CWG who took time to come and visit me here in Kennesaw.
We talked about writing, life and about the Lord. It was a time of encouragement to me and I came away blessed and strengthen in my spirit. I want to say thank you because you indeed blessed me, encouraged me and reminded me how blessed I am with my children and grand-children here in Georgia.
As I look back I can see how the Lord is slowly but surely bringing me forth into His purpose for this day and time. That He is given me the honor and privilege to be a pen in His hand. To write what He puts on my heart.
Sometimes daily, maybe weekly. That He is molding me and shaping me into His image, His character, to reflect the Christ within. Most importantly He is teaching me to look beyond myself, to look to Him and to draw strength that I need each day to walk with Him.
There is hope and there is purpose for each of us and it is only when we cry out to our Father, that He lifts us above the wounds, the pains, the hurts, to walk with Him.
To draw His strength, that overcomes the dark nights of the soul and brings out of that darkness into the light of His presence and enables us to walk each day, to reach out and to focus on Him, to give to others what has been given to us.
I know that it is only as I write, as I share, as I talk that I can express the things that the Lord has and is writing on my heart, that which hopefully will cause others to draw closer to the Lord, to find their strength in Him.
It is during this time of writing, of sharing, of giving out of what the Lord has given me, that I am coming into the purposes that the Lord has for me.
That it is as we yield to the Lord, that we will find the strength to press on and in and know that we are pleasing our Father and that He will teach us to focus on others and thus setting us free to receive healing from Him.
Till later,
Paul
The Portrait!!
Posted by Paul on 24 Jan 2005 | Tagged as: General
“You are the canvas. The paint and brushes are the trials and pain! The Portrait is His Son.” Page 31 – The Night Shift – by Ron Mehl
I am in the process of reading this book and this particular quote caught a hold of my heart because it is something that I really began to recognize or see taken place in my life in my walk with the Lord.
It has been through the dark night of the soul, through the battles, through the trials that I have and I am being changed by the Lord.
When it looked like nothing was happening, when it seemed so hopeless, that was the time that I was being made stronger, being molded and shaped in so many areas of my life!
It is amazing to look back now to the beginning when all the events happen. When it seemed I was being attacked from all sides.
From the chemotherapy, the radiation, the two surgeries, the recoveries, the battles with social security and the unwanted divorce.
Yet out of all of this, the Lord is changing me, enabling me to walk with my head up, my heart open, knowing that I am becoming a portrait of Him.
Through the things that we go through, we are being conformed to Him. Molded and shaped to reflect the character, the love and the passion of the Lord. We are to be a portrait of Christ.
We are to be that canvas. To allow the trials and pains of our lives to be the paint brush that is used in our life to reflect Him.
The finished product, that which others will see, will be that which reflects the Lord, that they will see Christ within, to see the hope, the new life and the new beginnings He has given us.
That others will see the hope that is within.
For Is it not all about Him?
Till later,
Paul
Out Of The Mouth Of A Child!!
Posted by Paul on 23 Jan 2005 | Tagged as: General
Yesterday was a beautiful day in spite of the overcast skies and the rain.
The Lord’s presence was so strong, making me aware that He truly is in control of all things, all events in our lives and as we yield to Him, His purposes in us will be fulfilled.
Yesterday, as I was sitting in the living room relaxing, taking it easy, thinking about things. My young grand daughter Rebekah came up and gave me a hug and said “Grandpa I love you.” She then asked and answered a question and it made me realize how much the Lord is in charge and always confirms things to us and often times it is out of the mouth of a child!
The question Rebekah asked and answered was “Grandpa, does Jesus want you to stay here in Georgia? Because I think He wants you to stay here.”
I was in awe of the Lord for I knew this was His way of speaking to my heart through my seven year old grand daughter and letting me know this is where I will be for a season.
As I sat at Starbucks last night, just relaxing and thinking of the events of the day I counted myself blessed because I know my Father loves me and His plans are good plans and He is allowing me the privilege of putting pen to paper, to share my heart. To share with others the hope that is within.
I pray that which the Lord gives me to share helps others to soar to new levels, new depths in their relationship with the Lord, that they will find strength in the word, in His presence and hopefully in the things shared from the heart.
Each one of you who blog’s by, who write, who comment or just take time to read are very special to the Lord.
We are each unique to our Father and as we press in, as we yield to Him, a change is brought within. We begin to grow and mature because of what the Lord is doing. That we are learning to walk in the here and now and that we can serve an ever present Lord!
We are being brought to a place to truly know our Father. That we are being brought to a place of abiding, of dwelling, of learning to hear the heart beat of God. How awesome is that!
I know that this is something that I share often but I feel like it is something that the Lord wants repeated and it is this.
Do not ever think what you have to share is not important, for it is. I cannot tell how many times the Lord has used many of you to speak to my heart, to my spirit and gave me the extra boost in the spirit that I needed.
Don’t let the enemy rob you of the gifts that your heavenly Father has given you. A few words shared in the spirit goes a long way.
Be blessed my friends. Rejoice in that which the Father has given you and hold tight to His hand as you follow Him, for He will guide you through this path called life!!
Till later,
Paul
