~ Melody Morrison- "I am sure I talk too much and listen too little.
In elementary school, I got in trouble for talking too much. Every. Year. My friends forgive me. The pastor forgives me when I answer a rhetorical question aloud in the middle of his sermon. In my family, we all interrupt each other. My husband? He is incredibly patient. God bless him. (Photo courtesy of pixabay.)
God is patient too. Unimaginably so. I faced up to myself and recognized where to start—by listening to God. Yes. I interrupt Him all the time. I thank and praise Him for His goodness and the overwhelming beauty of the earth. Then I ask about people and things that concern me. I dart off on rabbit trails. Maybe I have ADD when I pray. When I confessed I needed help with this, guess what happened? I got quiet and still for about thirty seconds.
Ask me a question you want an answer to, I heard God whisper to my spirit.
God is a great shot. Direct hit. Right between the eyes of my heart. Do I genuinely want an answer? Do I believe He will answer? Or am I just mentally rattling off a to-do list for myself? What if He answers with something uncomfortable?
I don’t understand how this happens, but when we empty our minds of all the clutter and motion and become intentional listeners, we find God present. We don’t go to Him in prayer. We recognize His nearness. He dwells in us, and we in Him.
Yet our focus on the “now-ism” of our lives distracts us. We don’t hear God because of the noise in and around us. I am retired, and I must still set a timer to stop and be still. But God answers. It’s a little scary, but it’s good.
God makes wars cease. Sounds a lot like peace. The Lord is with us. Sounds like power. Between the promise of peace and power, God tells us to be still. Still can also be translated as return, desist, calm down, cease striving, stop fighting, or be in awe.
We are in God’s presence. Be still. Cease striving. Stand in awe. Listen. God will surprise you.
He says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
Psalm 46:10 NIV
What keeps you from listening?
(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)
Father, when in school, many of us talked too much, failing to listen to the teacher as we should. The teacher was patient with us to a point, and when we recognized where we should start, we learned that we needed to listen more than talk.
You are patient with us, too, as we learn to listen to Your instructions, not rambling on and on about what we think we should do. When we praise You for the remarkable beauty of the earth, may we stop long enough to listen to what You have to say to us.
As we get quiet and still for a few minutes, You speak to us in our spirits. As we empty our minds of all the clutter and motion, and become intentional listeners, we'll find You present. We don't have to go to You, as You are always nearby, even within us.
Setting a timer for this alone time with You, seems to work for some of us. We need to stop and be still. You make the wars within us to cease, and help us be in awe of You. Help us to actually listen to You. We're surprised what You end up telling us!
We pray for this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
976-980 One-line Scriptures for those of you who want to learn some more verses this week- or to review them from when they were first posted-
976- Philemon v. 25 "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen."
977- Ps. 70:4a "Let all those who seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee."
978- Acts 1:8a "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you."
979- Pro. 10:3a "The LORD will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish."
980- Ps, 126:6 "He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."
~Quotes for today-
Barbara Wilder- "I try to remember my accomplishments come not from me but from the empowering strength God provides through the Holy Spirit. The power comes through how we respond to situations. Setting an example for others to follow, as Jesus did, is a positive response. The power we have to influence others in truth and humility is important."
~Words of wisdom-
- Christ is in heaven praying for us! Commit yourself unto Him, as He is able to keep you from stumbling. Trust in Him, as He is the faithful and true Witness, and will deliver you from all falshood and sin, and keep you true to the end.
We will learn a lot from the mistakes of others. If the wisest and wealthiest king in the Bible, [Solomon] warns us that following worldly desires is a dead-end road, we would be wise to believe it!
~ Words from the Father in a journal:
"I want to assure you that My Son's Blood is where there is power to be found! Your speaking His Name and Blood against whatever comes against you is exactly what I
have in mind for your victory. Keep in mind that what Jesus did for you is what you need to refer to, as the source for your ability to be an overcomer."
Encouragment
Cindy Sproles- "Being submissive is not a sign of weakness, nor is it surrender. Being submissive is coming together in agreement, dropping the hard act, and working together. It's a matter of respect for one another, not disrespect. God doesn't teach us with tools like disrespect or anger. He teaches us with compassion and love. Gentleness. Kindness."
#11 of 23 Parallels between Moses and Messiah:
God gave Moses signs and wonders to perform so Pharaoh and the Israelites would believe the Lord sent him (Exodus 4:1-9, 7:8-17).
Messiah performed may signs and miracles so the people and their leaders would believe God, His Father, had sent Him (John 3:2, 5:36, 10:37-38).
Upcoming posts:
7/1st- PRAYING IN DIFFICULT TIMES
Glenn Packiam
8th- TAKE YOUR EYES OFF THE PROBLEM
Audrea Morrell
15th- THE MANY-SIDEDNESS OF JESUS
Jean's blog (Click to see snippets of the 7 recent posts) Helpful ways the Lord helped me in my marriage
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