Author: jma47

Continual

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This morning I woke myself up talking out loud mid sentence.  “…and our communion is continual with Him, but is it with us?”  I lay there thinking about this.  He is always speaking to us, guiding and directing each step, but are we continually listening?

Isaiah 58:11 says, “The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”

This verse made me think of Job 21:24.  The Amplified says, “His pails are full of milk (his veins are filled with nourishment), and the marrow of his bones is fresh and moist.”  Our mutual communion with the Lord is our spiritual health and strength.  Intimate communion with Him is amazing grace!

Psalm 63:5 Amplified says, “My whole being shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.”

The Dawn of Understanding

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For the last two days the Holy Spirit has been giving me expanded information for my Inner Peace notes.  Sometimes He speaks something that I don’t have a grid for.  Maybe it is something I’ve never heard before, or it goes contrary to what I have been taught.  Revelational insight is His way to build that grid.

Psalm 25:14 Amplified says, “The secret (of the sweet, satisfying companionship) of the Lord have they who fear (revere and worship) Him, and He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its (deep, inner) meaning.”

1 Corinthians 2:10 Amplified says, “…the (Holy) Spirit searches diligently, exploring and examining everything, even sounding the profound and bottomless things of God (the divine counsels and things hidden and beyond man’s scrutiny).”

Personality clashes are a world’s view, that can be spiritually redefined as flesh clashing again flesh.  It is one’s flesh refusing to be humble, or one’s flesh resisting the Holy Spirit at work through others.

Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”  The Lord works everything in our lives for our good.  “O Lord, let the eyes of my understanding be open to grasp Your higher way in my relationships that You’ve designed to complete Your work in me.”

1 Corinthians 12:25 says, “That there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.”  This is possible when both are walking in the Spirit, yielded and humble, flowing in His grace together.

The moment we chose to humble ourselves before the Lord, His grace is there to empower us to continue to walk in the Spirit.

Lesson From The Ant

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This morning I had another invasion.  The lesson I am learning from my ant invasions is about their diligence.  This time they came in through a crack in the top of the broom closet where it meets the ceiling.

Proverbs 6:6 says, “Go to the ant, you sluggard!  Consider her ways and be wise.”  The opposite of sluggard is the character of diligence.  Diligence means careful and persistent work or effort.

One diligent ant scout took the message to the ant house.  “Good news!  I found food in abundance.  It will take you a long time to get there, but it will be worth it.  Follow me!”  The ants came all the way from the outside, from the ceiling in the laundry room, down the wall, across the threshold, all along the hallway molding, to their garbage can destination in my kitchen.  They came in droves because of one seeker who found what it was looking for.

Are we as diligent in spreading the Gospel?  John the Baptist prepared the way for others.  John 1:40-41 says, “One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.  He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which is translated, the Christ).”

Another great example is the woman at the well.  She went and told the men of her city about Jesus.  John 4:29 says, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?”  They left the city to see what she was talking about.

Let’s heed the lesson of the ant: be diligent to spread the good news.

That Opportune Time

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I woke up thinking about Galatians 6:9 which says, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by satan during His most vulnerable time.  In Luke 4:13 it says, “Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.”

Weariness can be that opportune time.  Emotional fatigue dulls our spiritual senses, and we can easily fall prey to fleshly reactions.  Ephesians 4:27 says, “Nor give place to the devil.”  We are not to give any opportunity, or ground over to satan in our lives.  That means we have to be on our guard.  Weariness comes from our flesh and loss of focus on Him.

Proverbs 4:23 is a command.  It says, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”  That diligence is defined through Colossians 3:23.  It says, “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.”  The Amplified says to work at it from the soul.  Our soul is our mind, will, and emotions.  We are do things wholeheartedly as unto the Lord.  This will help us keep our focus and not withdraw emotionally.

Constantly renewing our minds, strengthening our faith, and being thankful are powerful weapons to fight off emotional fatigue.  They refresh and strengthen our spirit, and consequently weaken our flesh.

Flesh Rises Up In Pride

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Our flesh rises up in pride.  It raises itself up above others, and against the God’s truth.

When we humble ourselves and submit to the Holy Spirit’s work, we get low.

Each and every situation in our lives gives us a choice.  We either react in our flesh, or we respond with a humble spirit.

Philippians 2:3 says, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.”  Lowliness of mind is a mindset.

Thoughts become actions.  Actions follow our thoughts.  Our thoughts will determine if we walk in pride or humility.  Philippians 2:5 says, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”

R Flesh Opposes The Holy Spirit

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Galatians 5:17 says, “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you co not do the things that you wish.”

Each time our flesh rises up and we don’t humble ourselves and submit to His will, we are opposing the Holy Spirit and blocking His way in our lives.

Paul said in Philippians 4:12 that he knew how to be abased.  Abase means to make low, humble, lower oneself.  It describes a person who is devoid of arrogance and self-exaltation.  One who is willingly submitted to God and His will.

Ephesians 4:30 tells us to not grieve the Holy Spirit.  When our flesh opposes Him, He is grieved.

“O Lord, make this truth a governor for our lives.”

Invasion

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This morning when I went into the kitchen it was evident that the ants had arrived. I had several trails meandering over my countertops. The army had invaded overnight.

Wipeout.

Now where are they getting in?
Ah, the kitchen window.
So I liberally doused the area with clove oil to stop them.
Then I went outside to see where they were. Invisible. So I stared at the black metal edging until I could see it moving. Then I doused that with my clove oil.

Do you ever have thoughts invade your mind?
How do they get in?
They are called fiery darts in Ephesians 6:16 which says, “Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.”

Faith quenches the fiery darts like clove oil stopped my ant march this morning.
Perfect illustration to what the Holy Spirit was speaking to me just an hour before I walked into the kitchen.

2 Peter 1:5 Amplified says, “Employ every effort in exercising your faith to develop virtue (excellence, resolution, and Christian energy)…” Verse 9 says that without it we are blind (spiritually) shortsighted, seeing only what is near to us.

Hebrews 11:1 Amplified says, “…faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to our senses.”

James 1:4 says, “Let patience have its perfect work…” Amplified uses have full play and do a thorough work.

It takes faith to be patient.
Abraham did not waver in unbelief
He did not focus on the obvious
He was strengthened in faith (he employed every effort in exercising his faith to develop patience)

Patience requires absolute trust
Trials facilitate our patience becoming deeply ingrained; an integral part

Not casting about wildly in our mind, but maintaining inner peace by acknowledging that everything is under His control and timing

Impatience is flesh
1 Samuel 15:19. Samuel asks Saul: why did you not obey the voice of the Lord?
Impatience is rooted in unbelief leading to disobedience

Patience is integral to the Christian walk
It isn’t something we put on for the moment
It is part of our identity IN Christ.
He uses our trials to ingrain patience

Need faith?
Romans 10:17 says that faith comes by hearing the word of God

Another way to stop your unruly mind instantly?
Praise

Romans 4:10 Amplified says, “…but he grew strong and was empowered by faith AS HE GAVE PRAISE and glory to God.”

We can learn from Abraham’s life
AS Abraham waited, his focus was on Who God is at all times. He kept his faith strong by praising God in his situation. We glorify the Lord through our praise as we face the impossible, resist dialogue, and endure through His grace strength.