Revelation Whispers!

I love it when God shows me things in the middle of the night....even when it's "a thing" that's hard to hear.

Tonight wasn't a "bad" thing. It was just one of those things where I go "duh"......that's so obvious! And OBVIOUSLY it was something I needed to have brought to my consciousness.

Here goes.....

I LOVE revelations from God - those moments when He speaks to me so clearly that I know exactly what I'm supposed to get, supposed to do, etc. AND, what God "revealed" to me in this night was this....not all guidance from Him is going to be through these glorious revelations.

Many "revelations" will be much less dramatic - they will simply be from the Word.

It was so clear.

"You don't feel connected to Me because you are only open to seeing Me in one way. I am ALWAYS guiding you through Scripture. Don't wait for the dramatic revelation. All of my Word is revelation. I have not forsaken you. Go there for answers."

I've had this urge for the past month to buy a new Bible. I even went and looked at them at Lifeway and my favorite store, Amazon. I was waiting until my birthday to get it with money from my Mom. Now it seems so clear that thought was actually a God whisper, a guidance. It was so quiet I didn't even hear it.

O.K.....God is desiring for me to know Him in the small things, the quiet things, the whispers, the Word.

LOVE IT! It will change my life!

And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 2 Peter 1:19

Angry

A few "posts ago" I said I was getting pieces to the puzzle.

During my meditation time today, I definitely turned over a couple!

I'm angry.

So here is the conversation my therapist self had with my angry self....

Therapist self: So you're angry.

Me: Yes.

Therapist self: What's underneath the angry?

Me: hmmm....Disappointment, hurt, sadness, powerlessness

Therapist self: And what does your spiritual self think/know?

Me: That I've given my power over to my emotions for the last four days and that is why the addict behavior is back.....that I need to grieve for the relationships that I want but am not going to get....that I have to forgive and move on.

Therapist self: Good. I have taught you well!

Those darn puzzle pieces!!!

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16

Continuing to Learn

I have a job where I'm very blessed to have the opportunity to learn EVERY day!

Sometimes a client says JUST what I needed to hear and that was VERY true today!

These statements seem SO simple, but they are so POWERFUL!

If I crack open the door to the addiction, it takes over. What I thought was just one "drink (bite)" turned into a five days of alcohol (food). I can't open that door."

Was that his voice or mine? Was that his thought or my thought?

It's been a rough few days. 4 days to be exact.

I guess the good news is that it used to take many more days before I came out of the fog. I can remember when a friend of mine would say "but it's only been three weeks. That's a much shorter time for you."

3 weeks.....4 days....

Even though I don't like it, I guess it is progress.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Think on These Things....

I L O V E a good murder mystery.

48 hours....Dateline....Snapped....Disappeared....Solved....Paula Zahn....

The list could go on and on. So EARLY this morning I woke up (as I normally do) and I reached for the remote. At that moment, this Scripture came to my mind:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

I AM NOT saying there is anything wrong with these shows. But I KNOW what I heard, for me, the moment I reached for the remote.

Instead, I surfed the channels and found The Gaither Hour. After one hour of gospel music, I am starting my day refreshed, more connected to God, and with a peace that I would not have had otherwise.

So the "to do" list on my Direct TV is changing. Some deleted. Some added. But all with this in mind....Whatever is lovely, whatever is pure, think on these things.

How Then Were Your Eyes Opened?

His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” Some claimed that he was.

Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”

But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”

“How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.

He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.” (John 9:10-11)

I AM THAT MAN!

I wish I could talk with him. I wonder if there were times that he would have preferred to stay blind. Were all the things he saw worth it? Was he excited at first and then questioned this blessing later on?

Regardless, Jesus washed him and then he could see, and one thing is FOR SURE, he had to learn to operate differently in his world because of this great miracle.

I AM THAT MAN!

It's been stirring for a while. Little pieces, like a puzzle, being turned over, sometimes one at a time, sometimes in groups. But I hadn't seen the front of the box. What is this a picture of? What am I going to have once I fit all of these pieces together? AND then it came with such clarity.....Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes and now I can see.

And as if I needed any more confirmation, Jesus must have taken a picture of this puzzle and handed it to my pastor because he held it up for me to see again on Sunday. Here are some of the pieces that he puts words too for me....

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (well not this one, but it was on the overhead)

Fear of ReJection

I will not back down from what God is doing inside of me!

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Tim 1:7)

Sometimes BIG things can't happen without a BIG problem!

What you fear reveals what you value the most. What you fear reveals where you trust God the least!

My slanderers pursue me all day long; many are attacking me in their pride. When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me. (Psalm 56:2)

Oh, Yes, the mud has been applied, washed off, and now I can see.

I'm not sure why God thinks I'm ready to see this now and, even though I'm trying, I can't see the beauty of the puzzle yet. I'm still in shock from the picture that has become so clear to me. But I know it's coming...



The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified. Isaiah 61

Random

It's odd, but I don't have "normal" quiet time. My quiet time seems to be most of the time. I'm doing life but am aware that bigger things are going on around me, and I try to pay attention.

I use my "normal" quiet time to try and make sense of the things that pop up during the "non-normal" quiet time.

This mornings was random....

(1) I'm feeling led having the desire to memorize a whole chapter of Scripture. Hmmm...that is NOT LIKE ME! I barely have memorized verses of Scripture, so a whole chapter???? I think I'm going to start with James 1.

(2) This Scripture has been coming to my mind more OFTEN than not....A double-sided man is unstable in all his ways. I remembered that it used to be on this blog and I deleted it when I did the re-vamp. However, it popped up on Friday after lunch with a friend. It has continued to surface over the last few days. I'm not sure what God is trying to tell me and I don't want to jump to conclusions, so I'm LISTENING to hear more specifically where I am to apply this in my life.

However, I thought I should, at least, look it up to see where it is in the Bible.

And Guess Where It Is?

James 1.....

Wow! Maybe, not so random....

A Double-sided man is unstable in all his ways. James 1:7

Glorifying God

A few weeks ago, I called a dear, trusted friend. You know, one of those friends who tells you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. Our conversation went something like this:

Me: Why do I need to lose weight? It doesn't bother me. It doesn't bother hubby. Focusing on it seems to take a lot of attention away from other things that seem really important to be focusing on.

Friend: You're deceiving yourself.

Me: Really?

Friend: Yes, you're deceiving yourself. I've got to go, but we need to talk more about this later.

Although we talk every day, we didn't talk about it again....until two days ago, that is, after God answered the question for me.

I was walking down the hall at my office and OUT OF THE CLEAR BLUE SKY comes this conversation. (if you really want to call it a conversation)

God: Do you know why I want you to lose weight?

Me: No, Why?

God: To Glorify Me!

O.K. Well, that's simple enough. Not much to argue with there.

So, I text friend the conversation that I just had with God. I think her words back to me were "Love it".

And isn't it interesting that this Scripture really exists...

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31