Category: Spiritual Rhema… Sparks from the Anvil!

For I am the clay, and God is the Master Potter!

I’m always being reminded of late that God has a rhyme and reason for everything He does… and nothing is ever wasted!

This also applies to the trials and tribulations that we face; and really it matters not the reason why, or the cause of the trials, whether they are a normal part of the trip, or whether they are disciplinary and corrective; God uses both, and nothing is wasted.

God has promised that He would complete the work that He has begun in us; and also that He is with us ALWAYS, just as He promised He would be; and it is all important that we understand that from God’s perspective all of the training that we are going through, is about developing our faith and trust in Him; and it is most important in these times, in our wilderness experiences and feelings of isolation and aloneness, in those times when we feel as though God has left us, and/or forgotten about us, it is especially important during these times that we know, by faith, that truly He is closest to us; and it is during these times that very often he is carrying us.

So even in those times when we are tempted to think that God is a far off, quite the opposite is true; and in fact God is rather inviting us to come in a little closer, and experience His presence in even greater intimacy; and it is during these times when we are not conscious of being taught, that God is very active in our lives molding and shaping, and stripping away from us the flesh and the world.

The challenge for us during these times is to find our rest in Him, despite what may be going on around us; and in the midst of our earth shaking storms, and the whirlwinds of our life, in the midst of all of that turmoil and confusion, to find our place of quite rest in Him, and there to be still, and know that I AM is still God, and that He has our situation well in hand! Selah

We must remember that God’s purpose, in all of this, is always to work out of us the world and the flesh; and work into us the likeness of His Son, and cause us to be conformed into the image of Jesus Christ, in order that we may be more fit for His service.

The process is not fun; and often it is filled with dangerous pitfalls, and times of heightened anxiety, discouragement, along with those feelings of aloneness.

However, that is exactly the point; and it’s in these times that we learn to disengage our reasoning abilities, our understanding, and all our earth based perspectives and rationalizations; and instead revert to God’s Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), where we are now navigating totally under the leading, inspiration, and direction of the Holy Spirit; as He illuminates and applies His perspective, His understanding, and His direction, in the midst of our circumstances; and this happens through our mediation and study of God’s Word!

This is the process we signed up for, whether we realized it or not, at the time of our conversion, when we were born-again; and we may rest assured that this process will continue for the rest of our lives, until we graduate to Glory. Selah

Below is an interesting perspective about this process, from Chuck Pierce.

Shalom,

Skip Barland

From: The ElijahList [mailto:propheticword@elijahlist.com]
Sent: Friday, April 30, 2010 12:30 AM
To: Skip Barland
Subject: Chuck Pierce: A River is Rising!

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Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet!

(Psalms 119:105)

The Bible happens to be our operation’s manual for life. In it we can find sound and wise instructions, from our Creator, on any number of subjects, necessary for life, and also for eternity.

I’m reminded of a testimony I once heard from an old Texas preacher, of how he said that he had always owned a Volkswagen bug, and how he thought that was God’s chosen car for him.

He went on to say that in every Volkswagen vehicle he had ever owned, the method for starting it was always the same, “You mashed down on the accelerator, and crank the engine, until it starts.”

He said this one year, back in the late sixties (I think it was) that he had bought himself a brand new Volkswagen, and was having nothing but problems. He said he thought for the first time, he had gotten a lemon.

As it happened, he was scheduled to do a retreat up in the mountains, and was afraid of having car problems and getting stuck; so he broke down, and for the very first time, he opened the glove compartment, and took out the owner’s manual for this car.

He said the very first thing he read was, “DO NOT ‘MASH’ DOWN ON THE ACCELORATER TO START THIS CAR; this car has been equipped with an automatic choke, and to start, merely press once on the accelerator to the floor, and then turn the key and start the car!”

Like most guys, myself included, we don’t like to read instruction manuals; and the reason is, we always figure that we can figure it our ourselves; but in this case, this guy had suffered needlessly, because he didn’t know what he didn’t know.

He went to say, “You know, the manufacturer of this vehicle wrote an operations manual for its proper operation and maintenance; and in order to get the maximum life and efficiency from the vehicle, it would have been wise for him to have started by first reading the manual; and he would have then avoided lots of problems.”

He went on to say that our manufacturer, and Creator, who is God, also wrote an Operations Manual, and it is found in the Holy Bible (Book of Information Before Leaving Earth)!

The same thing applies to our life, as it was with that Volkswagen, if we would just follow the Operations Manual, we’d avoid a lot of heartache and pain; but being the dumb clucks that most of us are, who think we already know it all; we most always end up learning the hard way.

One thing we all will learn eventually, that is if we live long enough, and if we are smart enough to seek out a relationship with God, and that is, just as the Bible instructs, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Prov 9:10)

So here are our marching orders today, for all who have an ear to hear what the Spirit is saying to the church, in these days:

Proverbs 3:1-7

Further Benefits of Wisdom

¹ My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart,

² for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.

³ Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.

⁴ Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.

⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

⁶ in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

⁷ Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.

To quote a commonly used blessing, that was often spoken by one of my favorite characters in an old television series that I used to watch: “Live long and prosper!” But even before we can even begin to hope to do that,
if we are not operating in Wisdom, according to the our Operations Manual, then our chances of living long, and of our prospering at anything, are slim to none.

Our life is a gift and a choice; and God has given each of us a free will, and the opportunity to choose on whom, or what, we will spend it?

It has always been God’s purpose that we, who are part of His creation, who are also created in His image, and after His likeness, that we of our own free will and volition, would choose to spend our lives on Him; as that has been His plan all along, and His reason for creating us, to begin with.

To the extent we don’t operate in this way, is what SIN is all about, were all of us like dumb sheep have gone astray, and the Lord has laid upon Him, Jesus, the inequity of us all!

However, being the gentleman that He is, He will never force Himself upon us, but He leaves it for us to decide?

It’s my pray that more and more this message will get out, for it is the ONLY hope, not just for our nation, but also for the entire world; that people will begin to take God’s warnings seriously, and that more people would listen to His instructions, and start by being born-again, and being saved! Selah

Shalom,

Skip Barland

From: Express Email Marketing [mailto:mailer_response@emailcounts.com] On Behalf Of Two Listeners
Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2010 2:32 AM
To: theskipper@cox.net
Subject: GE – April 29 – No Message, But –

Attention all hands…

battle stations!!!

Prepare for attack!

In these days and times in which we live, it is very important that we keep our heads, and not panic. Jesus warned us that what is about to befall this world, will be a “Time of Sorrows“ (see Matthew 24:7-8; 21-22; and Mark 13:7-9), the likes of which, Jesus said, we have never experienced in the past, and nor will we ever again experience anything like it, in the future.

Our battle strategy and tactics, for these last days, in order to prepare for what is coming upon the world, start by our battening down the hatches, lock and loading, and keeping our powder dry, if you know what I mean.

Think of yourself as if you were an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician), working in an emergency, or say a cop, or really any sort of job that you might be working at, where you are working under any kind of pressure; in most cases, out of necessity, in order to do your job, you have to disengage your emotions, because you cannot allow yourself to be distracted, you have to focus; and this is especially true if you are working, as I said, under pressure, or are dealing with an emergency.

It would be much the same as a skipper on a nuclear submarine (as you can see in the above picture), if say they were engaging the enemy in a fire fight; he can’t afford to panic and lose his composure, because to do so would mean certain death for him, and his crew.

It’s the same with us, folks, and that is the reason why God has us go through these obstacle courses, called our trials and tribulations.

It’s much the same as what our young recruits go through in boot camp, or Special Forces, or in Navy Seal Training, all of it is to prepare these people for the battle that lies ahead!

To use this analogy of the soldier, or Seal Team, if you can’t even make it through the training, or in our case, in the little battles, trials and tribulations of everyday life, without getting beat-up and defeated, and becoming depressed; and if you haven’t yet learned the necessity of trusting God, applying His Word, relying upon it, and then confessing His Word, in order to overcome and defeat the enemy’s strategy, in even the small trials, then how can you expect to survive what is coming?

The answer is, you can’t, and you won’t! That is why what I am saying is so important; because it certainly appears, from everything I can see, that for much of the church today, at least here in America, and I dare say also in Western Europe, most of the so called Christians are totally oblivious and don’t have even a clue as to what is going on, and the danger our country is in today.

Now mind you, I’m not talking about your eternal salvation here, not at all; because if you are born-again, then your eternal salvation is secure in Jesus Christ; but what I am talking about is your temporal salvation, in how you maintain and survive while still in this world.

We are in a war, folks, the Bible makes that very clear, and as the Apostle Paul said, if we are going to win this war, we have to learn how to use our Spiritual Weapons!

Fear is natural, and it is never a matter of eliminating it all together; that won’t ever happen, and fear will always be present; and sometimes even it is healthy to have a measure of it, to keep us on our toes; but the sort of fear that we are to resist is the kind that paralyzes us, and causes us to want to flee.

The famous lines, spoken by John Wayne, in one of his war movies, which I think is very apropos here, is when he said: “All
wars are filled with brave men, who are afraid, and would rather be somewhere us;” and so it is with us.

The issue never about avoiding fear all together, because, as I said, that won’t happen; but rather it is to train ourselves how to manage it, so that we control it, and not let it control us!

We have been fortunate, here in the U.S, because we have yet to experienced anything like what happened in Europe, during WWI and II, at least not yet. Where it was our cities being bombed, and our citizens killed.

I think that is about to change, however; especially if this administration continues to meddle in Israel’s affairs, and pressures them to compromise there security, and give more land for peace.

How many of you have read George Washington’s prophecy for the United States? There are three parts to it, the first covered the Revolutionary War; the second, the Civil War; and the last part covers a way we haven’t seen yet; where Washington was told by an angle that we would lose our sovereignty for a time; but would regain it back.

WASHINGTON’S OWN WORDS

“And again I heard the mysterious voice saying `Son of the Republic, look and learn.’ At this the dark, shadowy angel placed a trumpet to his mouth, and blew three distinct blasts; and taking water from the ocean, he sprinkled it upon Europe, Asia and Africa. Then my eyes beheld a fearful scene: From each of these countries arose thick, black clouds that were soon joined into one.

Throughout this mass there gleamed a dark red light by which I saw hordes of armed men, who, moving with the cloud, marched by land and sailed by sea to America. Our country was enveloped in this volume of cloud, and I saw these vast armies devastate the whole county and burn the villages, towns and cities that I beheld springing up.

As my ears listened to the thundering of the cannon, clashing of sword, and the shouts and cries of millions in mortal combat, I heard again the mysterious voice saying, `Son of the Republic, look and learn.’ When the voice had ceased, the dark shadowy angel placed his trumpet once more to his mouth, and blew a long and fearful blast.

“Instantly a light as of a thousand suns shone down from above me, and pierced and broke into fragments the dark cloud which enveloped America. At the same moment the angel upon whose head still shone the word Union, and who bore our national flag in one hand and a sword in the other, descended from the heavens attended by legions of white spirits. These immediately joined the inhabitants of America, who I perceived were well nigh overcome, but who immediately taking courage again, closed up their broken ranks and renewed the battle.

“Again, amid the fearful noise of the conflict, I heard the mysterious voice saying, `Son of the Republic, look and learn.’ As the voice ceased, the shadowy angel for the last time dipped water from the ocean and sprinkled it upon America. Instantly the dark cloud rolled back, together with the armies it had brought, leaving the inhabitants of the land victorious!

“Then once more I beheld the villages, towns and cities springing up where I had seen them before, while the bright angel, planting the azure standard he had brought in the midst of them, cried with a loud voice: `While the stars remain, and the heavens send down dew upon the earth, so long shall the Union last.’ And taking from his brow the crown on which blazoned the word `Union,’ he placed it upon the Standard while the people, kneeling down, said, `Amen.’

In any case, what follows I think is worth remembering. It was written by two lone women, during the bombing blitz gred in London, during WWII, when they were living movement by moment, not knowing whether the next bomb might fall on them.

Read, and commit it to memory, so that when the time comes, and you are tempted to panic and lose it… you’ll know better.

“Keep your Spirit-Life calm and unruffled.”

Keep your Spirit-Life calm and unruffled. Nothing else matters. Leave all to Me. This is your great task, to get calm in My Presence, not to let one ruffled feeling stay for one moment. Years of blessing may be checked in one moment by that.

No matter who frets you or what, yours is the task to stop all else until absolute calm comes. Any block means My Power diverted into other channels.

Pour forth – pour forth – pour forth – I cannot bless a life that does not act as a channel. My Spirit brooks no stagnation, not even in rest. Its Power must flow on. Pass on everything, every blessing. Abide in Me.

See how many you can bless each day. Dwell much in My Presence.

“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” – Proverbs 4:23

(from; God Calling, January 26 – Keep Calm)

You have your orders… now go and Do it!!!

Shalom,

Skip Barland

From: FullnessOnLine [mailto:fcm@fullnessonline.ccsend.com] On Behalf Of FullnessOnLine
Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 4:05 AM
To: theskipper@cox.net
Subject: What The Lord Is Saying Today

“My cross is too heavy”

Jesus said:

“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny

himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me”

(Matthew 16:24)

The following devotion speaks to a very important point in the life of every Christian. It seems we all eventually come to the place in our life where we feel the load that we bear is too heavy!

Not so, because the promise of God’s Word is:

1 Corinthians 10:13 (The Message)

¹³No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.

It certainly would seem that from God’s perspective, even though the Bible makes it clear that as any loving father is towards his children, God also desires that we prosper and be in health; but only as our soul prospers. This is what the Bible says is God’s desire for us (see 3 John 1:2), but only as we are maturing and growing in faith!

Also we can learn from scripture that it is said that even our Lord had to learn obedience through the things which he suffered (see Hebrews 5:8)… and so how is it that we figure it will be any different with us?

No, you see God’s priority is not to make us comfortable in this life; but rather it is to prepare us for eternity, and for our future ministry, and assignment in the earth, and fulfill our destiny.

So let us understand that these trials and tribulations, which we try so hard to avoid, are God’s training ground to prepare us for what lies ahead. They are not to defeat us, but rather they are to teach us how to overcome the obstacles that the enemy will place in front of us.

This pattern is seen all throughout the Bible.

• Did not God tell Abraham to leave the comfort and security of his home and family, and go to a place he knew not; and when he finally arrived in the Promised Land, he found he had to live in tents, as a stranger; and that he was right in the middle of a famine.
  
• What about Joseph? After receiving his prophetic dream, and God’s promise for his future, he spends the next 13 years of his life in the toilet; first almost being killed by his brothers; then he is sold as a slave; then he is framed for something he didn’t do; and finally he is thrown into prison!
  

  Joseph was 17 when this ordeal began, and it wasn’t until age 30 that he understood why. Joseph had no idea that God was fulfilling his dream and his destiny, and that all of this was in training for him to become the Prime Minister of Egypt, and thereby save his family from the coming famine. (read Psalms 105:16-19).
  

• What about the Children of Israel having to wander in the desert for forty years? Listen to what God said the reason was: “He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD” (Deuteronomy 8:2-3).
  
• Then we read the Hall of Fame chapter in the Bible, in Hebrews 11; where each one of these individuals were tested severely, and it was not because God didn’t care about them, but it was because He had prepared something better. But that something better comes only after having our faith muscles tested, in preparation for the assignment which God has foreordained for each of our lives.
  
• Look to Jesus in the New Testament, did He not send his disciples into the storm; and then came walking out to them on the water? This was also a test.
  

It was President John F. Kennedy, who brought this to our attention, during the Cuban missile crisis (in 1960), about how in the Chinese language the word for crisis (“Wei Ji 危机“) is made up of two characters “Wei 危” and “Ji 机“, where “Wei 危” means “danger,” and “Ji 机“, means “opportunity.”

Now if we could only learn to see our trials and tribulations, which we are facing, in this same way; as opportunities for us to grow, in order that we might exercise our faith muscles, and learn to overcome our obstacles.

Let us also remember that the Bible says (in Hebrews 11:6) that without faith it is impossible to please God!

These are the mountains that the Bible says we can speak to, which are those material, financial, emotional, or physical obstacles that Satan places in our path, just like he did with Job.

The Bible teaches us that we can speak to these mountains, as Jesus has instructed us to do, and cast them out of our way!

Let us think about these things, in whatever it is that we are facing today; and let us begin today to see our trials and tribulations also as opportunities, and as the Bible says: “Let us glory in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5) Selah

Shalom,

Skip Barland

—–Original Message—–
From: HEARTLIGHT [mailto:editor@heartlight.org]
Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 1:30 AM
To: myutmost@maillists.heartlight.org
Subject: My Utmost For His Highest : “What You Will Get”

Change Happens!!!

More and more we find ourselves living in a world where everything around us is changing, and most often, these days anyway, these changes are not for the good.

One obvious case in point, the man currently sitting in the White House got elected using “CHANGE” as his campaign motto and mantra; and look how that is working out so far.

I don’t know about you, but I typically don’t always do so well with change, myself; and I would even go so far as to say I bet that most of you are the very same way.

I think it is human nature to be this way, and to resist change, at least it is most often among the older generation, say forty and above.

Howbeit, it wasn’t always that way for most people; and that was the point I believe Jesus was making about the children, whom His disciples had been trying to keep away from the Master.

Jesus merely told them not to do that; and He went on to say that unless we become as they are, then we can’t even experience the Kingdom of Heaven!

What I think Jesus was saying is that for God to use us, whomever we are, we must first of all be teachable, and open to change, not afraid do fail.

Most kids are like that naturally, and are sponges, always looking for new experiences, and always wanting to do and learn new things.

Most of us were also that way, ourselves, once upon a time… and if we are going to be used of God, as adults, then we had better learn to be that way again!

I think the older we get the more we tend to like only the status quo, as long as our emotional and physical needs are being met, and we are comfortable. But I’m discovering, having read the Bible, that our being comfortable is just not a priority on God’s list; but our being conformed into the image of His Son, our elder brother, Jesus Christ is.

I am finding that this process of our always being transformed and changed, into the image of our Lord, cannot happen unless we get use to change, and begin to accept it.

The Bible teaches us about old and new wineskins to make this point, and John Paul Jackson, in his e-letter (below) makes that same point.

There is a certain fluidness that is necessary if we are going to be used of the Holy Spirit, that requires our being use to change, on a moment’s notice; that is if we are to go with the flow of the Holy Spirit, and what He is doing in any one time or place; and the truth is, He is always doing a new thing; as we can readily see in the Bible.

John 3:8 (The Message)

7-8″So don’t be so surprised when I tell you that you have to be ‘born from above’—out of this world, so to speak.

You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it’s headed next.

That’s the way it is with everyone ‘born from above’ by the wind of God, the Spirit of God.”

Even though the Bible says clearly that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever; nevertheless, one of the great paradoxes we find in the Bible is that, though He changes not, He is also a God of change, in that He never does the same thing twice, in the same way!

We can see this all throughout the Bible, that God always was doing something new; as evident in the fact that He never does a miracle twice, in the same way.

We see that in Jesus’ ministry, and also we see it all throughout the Tanakh (Jewish Old Testament).

Sometimes I think change is necessary because God is trying to introduce Himself to a new culture, or a younger generation; and in those situations it is of paramount importance that we adapt, and are pliable to whatever changes are required, so as not to be a hindrance to the move of the Spirit.

We are very wrong if we think God uses our comfort level and our life experiences as His standard for everyone else, as a plum line or reference marker… because He doesn’t!

In fact that has never been the case in any generation.

Every fisherman knows well that if he is going to catch fish, he must always adapt his bait to the taste of the fish, and not his own.

Consequently in history, because of most people’s resistance to CHANGE, in every revival in history, instead of the next move of God being able to build upon the last, and the last move being the ceiling for the next; rather what typically happens is, the ones who are most resisting the next move of God are the participants of the last move.

This is what normally happens; you have people saying things like, “This can’t be God, because it is so different from what I’m used to and what I experienced!”

It is a huge mistake for us to think this way; and really when you think about it, for us to even think that any move of God, before we can accept it, it must pass muster with us, and have our approval first… I mean how myopic and small minded is that?

For us to think that God only likes the sort of music and things that we have grown accustomed to, things that agree with our particular culture, our taste, and our life experience, is to try and keep God in a very small box; which He will not allow anyone to do.

If the Bible has anyone message that we need to learn from, it is that if we are to be used of the Lord, and are to be in the flow of the Holy Spirit is doing in the world, at any one time, or in any location, are our being fluid and malleable, and accustom to change, is an absolute necessity!

Let’s take Caleb as our example:

• Caleb’s courage was first displayed after his return from his spy mission into the Promised Land. He was willing to take a stand with God when the crowd was more than willing to oppose God’s will. As we recall, ten of the spies returned with “bad news”. They stated that taking the land was beyond their ability (Numbers 13:31).

• Joshua and Caleb reported just the opposite. In fact Caleb, “quieted the people before Moses”, and said, “Let us go up at once, and occupy it; for we are well able to overcome it” (Numbers 13:30).

• He also said, “If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us” (Numbers 14:8).

• Caleb was simply trying to motivate the people to go up and possess the land which God had promised (Genesis 17:8). They in turn desired to kill him (Numbers 14:10).

• Think about it! These people would rather have killed Caleb than listen to his words of exhortation.

• As the Bible says of Caleb: “So Hebron has belonged to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite ever since, because he followed the Lord, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly.” Joshua 14:14

As Christians grow older, we should grow in faith. The classic example of persevering faith is that of the eighty-five year-old Caleb ben-Jephunneh.

God himself certified Caleb to be a man of great faith, one who obeyed God fully. He is an inspiration to all true believers—not just older people, but everyone who is maturing in Christ.

The only caveat I would add is that God never contradicts Himself, and that whatever God does always lines up with His Word; but the sort of things we have been talking about here are more in line with the subjective preferences and tastes of the individual; which has to do more with the culture they are from, than it does anything else.

We need to understand that God is always adapting to new cultures and new generations of kids; just as He once did with us, and our parents most likely resisted us as well, in the same way; and then for us to think it ends with us… well, I don’t think I have to tell you how foolish that is.

Read on and see what John Paul Jackson has to say on this subject.

Shalom,

Skip Barland

From: Streams Ministries [mailto:eletter@streamsministries.com]
Sent: Sunday, April 25, 2010 7:01 PM
To: theskipper@cox.net
Subject: What has God put on your heart to do? by John Paul Jackson

What has God put on your heart to do? April 2010 by John Paul Jackson Is there something you’ve been considering doing lately? Do you have a thought rolling around in your head that maybe you should be paying more attention to? What has God put on your heart to do? You are probably familiar with Jesus’ metaphor of new wine and new wineskins (Matthew 9:17). The general explanation is that when God is doing something new, we need to be open to it. Many of us rightly equate this metaphor to moves of God that seem large and obvious, such as church wide or citywide revival. But it can also apply to our lives on a more individual, everyday scale. Some of us have been Christians for so long that we have become rather set in our ways. Perhaps we’ve even adopted a type of spiritual atrophy and aren’t doing anything other than what we have done in the past. However, throughout Scripture, the people of God who are known for their great faith had to bend with the Holy Spirit. They had to leave behind their normal schedules and typical behavior in order to follow the plan of God for their lives. They accepted the “new wine” when it was presented to them, and they were open to the often radical change it had on their plans and life goals. New wine — the new thing God is doing — requires new wineskins: people who are willing to be soft and pliable in God’s hands. They change shape as God pours into them, and they listen when He speaks. What is God asking you to do that may require a bit of bending on your part? What have you been considering doing that maybe you should just go ahead and do? Is it getting up earlier to spend time with Him? Is it exercising regularly? Is it being kind to someone? Is it writing the book you’ve been thinking about writing or applying for a different job? Perhaps this recurring thought you’ve been having is something you should listen to. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:10, “God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.” The Holy Spirit is the Great Communicator who searches the very deepest parts of God and then reveals them to us. The Spirit of the Living God dwells in, empowers, prepares and equips us so that we can get where we need to go and do what God has called us to do — so we reach the purpose for which He created us. Our next step could be as simple as paying attention to the idea that keeps coming up, the thought that keeps returning to us. What is God telling your heart to do? Are you doing it? Whatever it is, it is sure to be a grand adventure, and it is sure to produce change. http://www.streamsministries.us/ss/display.php?M=307857&C=3de8374a24f90d8fbf1dde4015041573&S=707&L=2&N=764

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