Saturday, September 23, 2017

September 23

My dad is a big man and has a voice that is as big as he is. I was very careful to follow the rules because I never wanted him to use that big voice to chastise me. He was very loving towards me even though his voice was quite powerful and frightening at times. He's just a human, imagine being able to see and hear God! We would fall on our face in fear! We live in such close proximity to God, but we never see Him or hear Him. Maybe He's protecting us from certain death. He's such a powerful being that we would surely die if we saw His face and our ear drums would certainly be blown if He spoke. Have you ever stood next to a high rise building? You're so close to it that you can't see the whole thing! That's how I think of God, He's so enormous that we can't see Him even though we're standing next to Him. The voice of a being that large would be deafening. Knowing His size, why would anyone want to disappoint Him by disobeying Him?


If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him." Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? John 14:7-9

Friday, September 22, 2017

September 22

During a major storm, a tree fell into the road across from a vacant lot we own. It laid in the road for a couple of days until the county had time to move it. After they cut it up, they began piling it onto our lot. Even though the lot appeared empty, there were utilities running through it. As they moved the tree with their heavy equipment they busted a water pipe that supplied our tenants with water. The county noticed that the water meter was putting out an unusual amount of water, so they shut the water off without notice. My tenants spent an entire day without water not knowing what happened. We are living in a day and age where the living water of Jesus is flowing freely. There will come a time when that water will be cut off and no one will know what happened. What was once a free gift, and easily accessible, will take great effort to receive and will subject, those who are left here, to torture and ridicule. With all that's going on in the world today, it seems that the time of Jesus return is nearing. Please don't wait to tell your friends and family about Him. It will not be easy to live in this world after He returns and takes His bride, the church.


Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. Revelation 3:10-11

Thursday, September 21, 2017

September 21

For all the years that I've sold real estate, I've never sold anything that I've lived in until just recently. It can be a nail biting experience and a bit of a gamble. You think you have a solid contract and all is going well until the other agent calls to tell you that there's an issue. You're like "What do you mean there's an issue?" You've already moved out because you have to be completely out for the final walk through and you had to find a new home. There's nothing you can do if it falls through at the last minute! I don't know how people do it if they're depending on that closing. Thankfully, we finally closed after a few close calls and our move wasn't wasted. This is why we must depend on God's timing. It could be that He's teaching us to depend upon Him for everything, including the timing of this closing. He could have been training the buyers to be persistent and push through their trials. The lesson is to wait on the Lord, His timing is perfect!


Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! Psalms 27:14

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

September 20

My new yard is full of camellia bushes. It's hard to tell that they are there because they've been left unkept for a very long time. They are suffering from lack of light and are bending under the weight and burden of many different kinds of vines. I'm surprised that some of them are still alive because the vines have twisted around their limbs and are almost choking them. The only way to get rid of those vines is to clip them off at the roots and carefully pull them off the plant. It's a very tedious job, but if we want to enjoy their beauty when they bloom, then it's a must. Are you tangled up and suffering with burdens because you've gone too long without care? If so, it's time to give all of those burdens to Jesus. He cares for you and wants nothing more than for you to flourish and bloom. Let Jesus cut off, the things you're suffering from, at its root and begin to remove them one by one.


 Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. Psalms 55:22

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

September 19

After several months of going through the process of selling our home and moving to a new one, I began to feel like I wasn't hearing God's voice clearly. I'd become so dependent upon hearing from Him that it seemed I'd become hearing impaired, I got a little anxious. Morning after morning I would beg to hear His voice and He would whisper to me and I would strain to recognize His words. I muddled through and still honored my commitment to Him to bring a fresh word to His followers. The truth is that I was so pre-occupied with many other things that my own thoughts were interfering with my reception. It was like being between radio stations where I was only picking up part of the station. God had not grown distant from me, I was the one who muffled the speaker. After I refocused and gave Him the attention that He deserved, something broke and I could hear Him clearly again. I broke! I surrendered! I admitted my weakness and He became my strength. 

The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. The LORD is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed. Psalms 28:7-8

Monday, September 18, 2017

September 18

Now that I've moved into the forest, I see and hear different things. One of the gifts from this move is seeing the Eastern Bluebird. Our driveway meanders through an open field before it enters a tree covered area where the house is, that's where I've seen a very large family of them. It is not a common bird that I remember seeing growing up, that doesn't mean that they weren't there, I just didn't notice them. They have beautiful blue feathers and a reddish colored chest and are slightly larger than a sparrow. Imagine my thrill as I walked down the driveway and saw them flitting all around me. In this day where there is so much tragedy and turmoil, it's nice when God opens your eyes to the gifts that only He can give. It's not something that I can hold, so no one can take it from me. That memory is now buried in my soul for me to refer back to when I need a lighthearted moment. God has given us many beautiful things to behold, take notice, it's a refreshing break.


"You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you. Nehemiah 9:6 

Sunday, September 17, 2017

September 16

As Christians, we need to be careful whom we condemn; especially when it's those who are spreading the gospel message and teachers of the Word. When we label others as heretics and false prophets who are working diligently for the kingdom and who are bringing a solid, Bible based message, we are the ones who look bad. I attended a conference where the women who spoke has been labeled just that. I listened with skepticism and like a Berean, I checked on her every word. I found that this woman is real! She loves Jesus with all her heart! You just can't fake that! We need to stop tearing one another apart! A real heretic or false witness will be found out, look at the sons of Sceva! They evoked the name of Jesus when they had no relationship with Him and the demon possessed man tore them apart! Take notice: it was a demon who tore them apart, not another Christian! Stay diligent in your studies so you know the difference. Be more of a fruit inspector and examine their fruit!

But the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?" And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

Acts 19:15-16