OUCH!

A dear friend responded to my last post “OUCH! Thanks for the reminder!”

That’s a bit how I felt when writing that post and reading that portion of my Bible study – Discerning the Voice of God. I don’t remember all I have written over the last year and half but it is pretty safe to say that what I have posted has been messages I felt God was teaching me at the same time I was writing them. I too felt an "ouch" when first thinking of that last post. But ouches can be good. Sometimes we need something prickly to get us out of our rut of habits and misdirection.

I opened up my Bible study again this morning and read a quote by Jim Cymbala, pastor at Brooklyn Tabernacle of New York:
"Our spiritual ear will never be sensitive to His voice if we have a personal agenda to which we are already committed. God leads and speaks to the humble who have surrendered their plans and want to do His will. With an ‘open heaven’ and a surrendered will, we will be able to clearly hear God’s voice in our hearts.”

According to Pastor Cymbala's quote, to hear the voice of God in our hearts we must be more dedicated to God's plans in our lives and live a life surrendered to Him.

A verse has been popping up in my head for the last week or more and even more since writing that post. James 5:16 “the prayers of a righteous man availeth much.” A reminder of righteous living from Beth Moore, a righteous person does not willing or purposefully sin against God. We cannot ever call ourselves sinless but we can be living in such a way we where we are not purposely ignoring the leading and directions of Jesus, His Word and His Spirit.

I have also been praying for quite sometime to “hear” Jesus’ voice as I once did and to be able to pray effectively for others as I once did. These are some of the answers I have been getting: hear My voice, obey My voice immediately and listen some more. Basically it comes back to John 14:23
“…if anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching…”

I say I love Him, I must obey like I’m supposed to – immediately and completely. I want to hear Jesus' voice, so I must live a life surrendered to Him and His plans. I want my prayers to be effective and powerful for Jesus and His people, so I must live a righteous life.

What about you? Do you want to recognize the voice of Jesus in your life? Do you want your prayers to avail much?

“We must trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus.” (A quote from an old hymn.)

Thanks for being on this journey with me!

Lavish love

Ephesians 3:16-19 explains Paul's desire for all of us to understand how wide and long and how high and deep is the love of Christ.

Beth Moore in her Bible study A Woman's Heart God's Dwelling Place(pg 168) shares her Inspired thoughts on this passage that I really wanted to share with you.

"How wide and long and high and deep - with His lavish love Christ embraces us equally in four perfect directions. This verse about the completeness of Christ's love for us might be applied like this: God's love for me extends in every direction. Because I am His child, all that is behind me must be worked toward good, even when I have failed (see Rom. 8:28). In addition, everything ahead of me belongs to God. My future is entirely His, and His love extends through circumstances I have not yet known (see Jer. 29:11). No matter how deep I sink into a pit of despair, His hand can extend that much deeper to lift me out (see Ps. 40:2). No matter what heights this human experience can boast, God's ways are higher. Every day I spend with Him, I am lifted out of insignificance to ascend and take my place in God's high calling in Christ Jesus (see Isaiah 55:9; Phil. 3:14).

God's Word states that this life is only a breath, a disappearing vapor, very brief. And we get only one opportunity to experience Him as mortals relating to an immortal Savior. Will you agree to experience Him in His fullness? Will you revel in your God through the breadth, length, depth, and height of this human experience? Can you say to Him, 'I want to experience every part of You that is possible this side of heaven'? If you can, then you will 'know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God' (Eph. 3:19)."

I hope you have a few minutes to think about this and to begin to grasp how great is the love of Christ Jesus (for each of us)!

Have a blessed day and Thanksgiving weekend!
Renee