"Hill Country Thoughts:Walking Daily With The Lord -Thoughts, Hopes,and Living in the Real World" "Without having seen Him, you love Him; though you do not [even] now see Him, you believe in Him and exult {and} thrill with inexpressible and glorious (triumphant, heavenly) joy.
Sometimes, the hardest time to write or talk is when your going through an inner conflict of the heart, of the mind, of the spirit. When everything within you cries out no more, no more!!
Yet it is through those tears, through that pain that healing is brought forth and yes grown men do cry! There is nothing wrong in letting go of all that is lock within. To release all that is within and cry out to God, " I am at the end, I have no other hope but you Lord!"
Through the tears, though blurry for awhile, we begin to see clearly and a fresh and to see with hope, that God is still there, still with us to carry us through and bring us into a place of rest and trust!
So cry out, let go and allow the Lord to release you from the hurts, the wounds, the pains. Allow the tears of the heart to be release this day!
I think we all have our days when things don't go exactly the way that we want or plan. When things appear to go to heck in a handbasket and you wonder why even bother? Why pray? Why even press in?
Then you begin to have a conversation with God and you say something like:
"You know God, I am really bummed about this issue, this problem, this situation and boy it sure looks like I am in a loosing battle! No matter what, it sure looks like it is going to pieces. What do I do Lord?"
You hear a still small voice whispering in your heart, "Praise me, worship me, trust me!"
"Say What!!!!! You want me to do what?"
"I want you to Praise me, Worship Me, Trust me!"
"Your kidding, right?"
"In the midst of all of this, you want me to worship you?"
"Yes"
"Ok, I sure don't see what this is going to do?"
"Lord, I am here, I am opening my mouth."
You ever so slowly begin to look to God, you began to focus on Him, on His word and you begin to sense His presence beginning to cover you, you sense a peace rising within, a calmness and you begin to realize in the midst of the storm, of whatever you are going through, whatever the situation, when you take that step of faith and are obedient and begin to honor the Lord with the words of your mouth, and the meditations of your heart, that you begin to rise up out of the pit of dispair, of hurt, of pain, of hopelessness and realize that the Creator of Heaven and Earth is in your midst.
He has come into that place of worship and praise and has become one with you and rejoices in the worship and praise as you have communion with Him and that worship and praise opens the door of your heart and spirit to the Lord so He can work in you the things that He has spoken and bring healing to you.
So even when you don't feel like it, Worship God. Cry out and let His Spirit come in through worship and praise and restore unto you the joy of your salvation!!
I wish I could say the the title above originated with me but it originated with JoAnn Reno Wray. A very special person, writer and author who shared the following this morning, or rather gave a link to her website for writers to download the following inspirational poster. Though I will only be showing the text portion here. I would encourage writers to go and download this awesome poster. Just go to the Words Aloft in the right panel and click on the Free Poster button.
Words Aloft
Let my words soar on the rising currents of your spirit
Let my words be powered by the heart of your inspiration
Let my words lead others on the incredible journey to your heart
Let my words reflect the vastness of your Mercy, new every morning!
(C) JoAnn Reno Way
What an awesome inspiration. It is the cry of my heart to soar on the currents of God's Spirit, that my words indeed would be powered by the heart of His inspiration, that the words that I write would lead others on the journey to the heart of God, of coming to know Him. That the words, the thoughts we share would indeed reflect the vastness of God's mercy, which is new every morning.
JoAnn, thank you so very much for sharing these thoughts and for encourage the hearts of many as the read your thoughts expressed here.
May all of us realize the privilege we have to be able to share what God has written on our hearts as we set at the kitchen table, at the computer, or sitting on the porch or laying on the grass in the yard, let us think upon Word's Aloft and let us soar with the Lord this day.
Let us write from the heart of God, from that which He has made real in each of us, that which will bring comfort and joy out of that which we share, that which has been made real in our lives.
I never know where I will be when the Lord gives me the thought for the day. Often times is it is on the front porch or I could be talking with someone, or it might be something that I read that was posted by another blogger that triggers something in my heart.
This morning it was while I was praying with my pastor in the prayer room at church and now I am sitting here at Issacks, a local resturant, having a cup of coffee and looking out the window watching people come and go, smelling the freshness of the day that began earlier in the prayer room at church. That too was a time of refreshing.
Last night we had a nice rain, a gentle rain and when I woke in the morning you could smell the freshness, a cleansing in the air. You could take a deep breath and feel refreshed.
That is what it is like when we take time each day to come into the presence of the Lord. As we are still and wait, His presence is like the rain that comes and cleanses. It removes the things that have clogged our minds, our hearts and our spirits and sets us free to enjoy the day that the Lord has given us.
Even in the midst of all that is going on in our lives we can enjoy that peace which passes all understanding, that enables us to pursue the day and allows us to declare that this is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it!
Be refreshed today. Breathe in the presence of the Lord and allow Him to refresh, renew and restore you this day!!
That has really stood out to me over the last couple of days since Weebie shared the following comment "My Dad always use to say to me ... when you've done all you know to do, just stand. " She was writing this in reference to my Storms of Life post.
In Ephesians 6:13 the Amplified Bible we read, "Therefore put on God's complete armour, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all the crisis demands, to stand [firmly in your place]"
What an awesome word of encouragement. That in the midst of the battles, in the midst of the storms, which I am watching from the porch at this very moment, the trees are bending and darkness seems to cover all, but in the midst of all this, in the midst of the storm we are to put on the full armor of God, we are to be clothed in the Lord, in His strength, in His power. We are to stand and resist, to be unshaken, unmovable because we stand not in our strength, nor in our power. We stand in the Lord, our strength is in Him. He is our anchor in the storms of life.
Let us stand firmly in the Lord, knowing that we have done all that we know to do in this battle, this storm, this trial and that He will bring us through and we will be stronger because of that which He has worked in us.
For some reason this word pondering has stuck with me through the evening. It is part of a theme that will be used at a conference next year.
So I looked up the word pondering. It means to consider something deeply and thoroughly, to meditate, to weigh carefully in the mind; consider thoughtfully. Of course that brought forth the deeper thought of meditating.
We are told all through the Bible, to meditate, to dwell, to consider and not only consider but to apply the word of the Lord to our hearts, to our minds, to our spirit. We are to allow the Lord to write His word upon our hearts, to make it a reality within. That we can draw strength from it during the time of spiritual warfare, when the enemy is throwing all kinds of things our way.
When fear, anger, hate, bitterness, loneliness, when any of these things come upon us we can turn to the Lord, to prayer, to His word, we can begin to meditate on Him and then a peace and rest will come to our heart, our mind and our spirit.
The Lord wants to make His word a reality in our life. The Word of the Lord is a lamp unto our feet and a guide to our path and as we meditate on it, as we read it, as we ponder it then it becomes part of us.
We are to ponder the word, we are to meditate on it, apply it and let it become real, become part of us. It is often in simplicity that the Lord reveals Himself to us. Through His word, He often confirms to us what He has been speaking.
Are you pondering the word? Are you asking the Lord to make His word alive and real in your life?
Let us ponder on the awesomeness of God and realize that we have the honor of being able to come into His presence and sit at His feet and ponder deeply and thoroughly the awesomness of our God.
Sometimes the hardest time to stand, is when you are in the midst of a battle, a trial or situation in your life that looks to be totally out of control, beyond hope or anything you can do to change it.
It is during these times that the enemy of our soul comes against us to try and destroy us spiritually, physically and mentally, to attack our mind and try to convince us, that the situtation, the battle or trial that we are going through is beyond hope and without an answer.
It is so easy to rejoice when we are on the mountain top but it is in the valley were we are forged and made strong. It is during this time that we are made strong, where things are changed in our lives. It is the place where we learn to trust God and choose to follow Him in spite of how things appear to the natural eye.
We are learning to see with the eye of the Spirit, we are not without hope, for our hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ and He goes before us, even in the midst of the storms of life, He speaks and says, "Peace, Be Still" and know that I am God.
Indeed He is God. He is well aware of all that is going on and as we rest in Him, as we trust Him, He will bring us through, for our Hope is in Him.
That which He has begun within us, He will finish. We will be made strong in Him!
Since beginning Hill Country Thoughts in April it has been amazing!
It was a matter of stepping out. Having faith and believing God would do that which He had spoken to my heart a long time ago. But I kept putting it off, saying, who me! You gotta be kidding Lord!!
Sometimes it takes us awhile to hear, not only to hear but to also obey the tugging of the Lord on our heart and then be willing to be quiet and still and allow the Lord to speak to our hearts. To confirm His word and then allow Him to bring forth that which He has planted within and makes into a reality as we yeild to Him.
We need to allow the Lord to use the talents, the gifts that He has given us. To have faith and believe. To step out, knowing that the Lord will go before us.
The Lord has given us an awesome tool, this blogging. He has given us the internet. Though it we can interact, share, encourage, lift up, as well as pray one for another.
Or we can just share and talk about the simple things of life, how your day is, what's on your heart, your prayer concerns, all these things are important to the Lord.
As I have shared, each one of you are very special. Your thoughts, your insights, your encouragements, are a blessing and very important. Even one word, share in the love of the Lord can be the key that opens the door for another person or confirms something to their heart.
The one thing that I have learned and that I am still learning is that our heavenly Father wants to hear our voice. He loves to communicate with us. He loves to listen and then when we become still before Him, He will speak to our hearts, to our minds as we come to Him. It may be that still small voice that we hear in our heart, or a word or thought that was shared in a post that brought confirmation or a scripture that has been shared.
So let us step out in faith and let us learn to hear His voice!!
Quiet - Still - Silence. Nothing seems to be happening, wondering what is going on. Neither here nor there, just in wonderment about things.
A day when your neither up nor down. Not happy nor sad. Have you ever had days like that?
You look back and wonder where you have been and look forward and wonder where your going!
It is at this time, that we have to be still and quiet and look to the Lord, to abide in Him for the answers that we are looking for. It is during this time of not knowing that we have to trust God to bring us to the fulfillment of His purpose for our lives.
A place where you come before Him and say here I am Lord. Open my heart to receive, my ears to hear and my eyes to see. Teach me Lord to trust in you during this time in my life, that I might be attuned to you.
Help us Lord to draw strength from you, from your word this night and be the anchor in our life that keeps us in you!
Today has been a quiet day. Relaxing, taking it easy, sitting on the porch just listening to the wind, the chimes and meditating on the things of the Lord and what all I have to be grateful for.
To wake up to the beauty of the day, the sun rising and the sky clearing, bringing hope of a new day and then watching as the end of the day settles in and we give thanks for the day that He has given us.
I just thought I would take a little time this evening to let you all know how much I appreciate it when you stop by Hill Country Thoughts.
I so appreciate your thoughts, your comments, your joys and your concerns. I feel bless that you feel at ease sharing and allowing me be part of what God is doing in your lives.
It is so neat to use a tool such as this to encourage one another, to be able to visit other bloggers and come away refreshed, renewed, sometimes happy, sometimes sad and often times involved when there is such a need as prayer or encouragement, exhortation, a word here, a thought there, a greeting to just say hello. It is so very important. Our dependence is on the Lord but He also tells us to lift up one another, to pray one for another and to encourge one another. To share His love.
Don't ever think what you write or type is not important because the one thing that you share, may be the one thing that brings hope, encouragement, rest or peace to that one that is blogging by.
As I have shared numerous times, we never know whom we may touch this day. So let us be good stewarts and use what God has given us, what He has written on our hearts for the day to bless others and let us blog on for the Lord!
It is so very important to make sure that we are attentive when we are involved with a conversation with people, with the Lord, in other words, pay attention!!!
Recently while I was at the VA Medical Center in Kerrville, Texas. I was talking with my doctor. My pastor was there also and while we were talking I got distracted for a few moments and my doctor made a comment about a medical procedure requiring surgery after I lose more weight and she had made a statement about removing a certain portion of my anatomy.
She said one thing, I heard another and all a sudden my pastor was laughing, my doctor was laughing, the nurse was laughing and I was turning about every shade of red that you could think of, all because I was not listening and she assured me that what I heard was not what she said!
So what was the lesson I learned? Learn to listen, stay attuned, give full attention to the person that you are talking to, that way you avoid misunderstandings, possible rumors and embarrassment :oops:
Likewise, we need to be attune to the Lord, we need to learn to listen, to have fellowship with Him, to be in His word and allow Him to speak to our heart, our minds, our spirit. The Lord may speak through His word, through our pastor, a friend, The one thing that I do know is that the Lord will never contradict His word.
More often then not, what we hear is usually a confirmation of something that the Lord has already spoken to us or revealed to us and He is just given us confirmation so that we know that we are hearing from Him and are on the right track.
For instance a few weeks back as I was seeking the Lord as to what He wanted me to write about that day and I wrote a title down and went on about the day, then I went back and mark through the title and wrote another one. I then went with the Pastor to Kerrville, and we were talking about Hill Country Thoughts, and He made the statement, you oughta write one about Clutter, of course, what He didn't know was earlier, I had changed the name of the post to Clutter. It was the Lord's way of letting me know that was the title He wanted. Again, being attuned and paying attention is very important!
A few days ago my pastor and I where having breakfast at the Sunshine Cafe here in Junction with some friends and we were just enjoying our coffee, sharing things and rather enjoying ourselves when I heard the waitress ask the lady at the counter what would she like, and the lady said, " I want what they are having!"
It got me to thinking. What are we reflecting through the day, at the various places we go. At work, at home, at the store, what are we reflecting.
Are we reflecting the Lord? Are we reflecting His peace, His comfort, His love? If not, why not? If there was ever a time that the world needs to see the reality of Christ, it is now!!
They need to see the reality of Christ within, to see the life changing power of the Lord, we should give off a fragrance as it where, a presence of the Lord that will draw others not so much by what we say but by what we are, followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.
No it is not easy and yes we do have our days, but we need to draw close to the Lord, learn to hear His voice and allow Him to make himself real in us, so that others will see Christ within the Hope of Glory, then we may hear others say, "I want what their having!"
I was sitting on the front porch last night, had the lantern lit, with an open flame, no globe because it is cracked.
I sat there in amazement watching various insects being drawn by the flame, by the brilliance and the beauty of it. As they where diving through the flame they were singed. They kept coming back until they were consumed by what appeared to be so beautiful and they were destroyed. The globe, the coverning was not there, there was no protection.
What makes us think that we can play with various temptations that come our way, that appear not to be so bad, that appear to be so beautiful until we are ultimately drawn in, consumed and destroyed.
We ought to have that globe, that coverning, that protection in our life. Who is that globe, that covering? The Lord Jesus Christ. We are to put on Christ, we are to renew ourselves, renew our minds daily in the Lord. Only then can we resist the enemy, only then can we resist the things, the fiery darts that are thrown our way. Only then can we remain strong. It is not our strength, it is His strength and He gives us the Holy Spirit to help us daily to walk in His power.
So don't be drawn by the light or the beauty of the flame but rather, be drawn to the Lord, who is your covering, your protection, who is with you each and every day as you drawn close to Him and are consumed by Him.
That's the word for today that the Lord has given me.
What does the word mellow mean. Made gentle by age or experience, rich and full but free from garishness or stridency, warm and relaxed, pleasant, agreeable, laid back. Pleasant, pleasing manner or behavior
That is the mood that I am in this evening, mellow, relaxed in the Lord, pleasant and agreeable, and I do believe that I am becoming gentle, rich and full in the Lord, kind of relaxed and laid back in the Lord and hopefully having a pleasing manner or behavior.
That is really neat to be able to relax in the Lord and to allow others to be a able to sense His presence.
Besides people would rather be around someone that is warm and relaxed and somewhat mellow, don't you think. :)
Last Sunday evening, my friend, Lewis, whom I have mentioned a number of times, invited me to join him and his family for hamburgers at the new city park.
It was a real awesome time and the thing that I observed was the beauty, the stillness and the quietness of the evening.
As we walked and shared the events of the day, it was hard to believe that there could be such peace and rest in the midst of all that is going on in the world, that with so much turmoil, so much anger, bitterness and hatred, yet in the midst of this, we were walking and enjoying the peace and presence of the Lord.
Knowing that in the midst of all that is going on, that we can put our trust in the Lord. That He will bring a calmness to us in the midst of the storms of life, He brings an assurance that He is well aware of all that is going on and that He is well able to bring us through.
What does He require of us but to seek Him and trust Him and walk in the peace that He gives.
I have found it so amazing that we simply have to make the choice each day whom we shall serve. It is as simple as that. We choose the way that we want to go. We can allow the enemy to rob us of our peace, our joy, our trust or we can choose to walk in all that the Lord has for us, as He teaches us to walk one day at a time with Him, trusting Him and knowing that He will give us the wisdom that we need for the day.
So walk in peace this day, as you walk with the Lord.
That has been a question that has been asked of me lately!
Why the changes that are happening now, why not sooner and my answer has been I don't know! I do know that God's timing is not our timing and that He will fulfill the promises to us in His own time.
I have asked the Lord, why didn't I change ten years ago, five years ago, why have I had to go through the things that I have been going through for the last sixteen months? Why couldn't I have the same passion, same hunger, same desires for the Lord back then, that I have now?
Again, Gods time is not our time but the thing is, I am where I am suppose to be, I am in the place where the Lord wants me, in a place where He can change me, mold me, make me into what He has purposed for my life because I am in a place that I have to be totally and completely dependent upon Him. I am in a place of restoration, of rebuilding, of being shaped into the tool that the Lord can use.
Out of the fire, out of the dealings is coming a fulfillment of all that the Lord has spoken to me, a new hunger, a consuming passion for His word, His presence, a place where I can share out of that which has been made real in my life! No longer theory but reality and that is an awesome place and it is the place that the Lord wants us as His people, a place of useability. I am in a place where all my Hope is in the Lord, for He is bringing in me the restoration and the healing that is needed.
As my pastor has said, "Why not now!" I agree, why not now!
My friend Lewis, who helped me a few weeks back to removed all the clutter from off my porch was back this afternoon after church and taking a nap, to help me to do some pruning, some cutting away and removing of a lot of dead limbs, things that where blocking a clear passage in my driveway, things that could do damage to a vehicle.
Isn't it a amazing how the Lord takes the simple things of life, well not always simple, most of the time, the simple things to teach us the principles of His word!
How often in our lives are there things that need to be pruned, cut away and removed so that we can grow properly, so that which is dead, is no longer draining life from that which is alive. We need to allow the Lord to prune and remove that which is not of Him so that we can grow properly, so we can heal and allow the Lord to apply the balm of His spirit, allowing Him to work in us and remove all that is not of Him, removing that which keeps us from receiving nourishment from the Lord, that which will help us to grow and become all that the Lord wants us to be.
Pruning is not easy and yes there is some hurt to us, but never more than we can bear, even if at the time it may not seem so. The Lord will apply the balm of healing to our hearts, to our minds, to our spirit as we come into His presence and allow Him to work on us. To shape us, mold us and refine and heal us through the process of pruning!
Allow the Lord to prune, to cut away and remove all that is not of Him and allow Him to replace it with Himself, allow the inner working of the Lord, the new man to come forth in your life this day. Grow and be strong in the Lord and walk in His ways.
I woke this morning with this question for the Lord. What is the word for today? And the word that came to my mind was Amusing. So I looked it up in the Websters 1848 dictionary.
It really is an awesome word. It has a number of meanings. It means to entertain the mind agreeably, whither by singing or conversation, to engage the attention by hope or expectation, having the mind engaged by something pleasing.
So I woke amused this morning, I woke with the presence of the Lord.
I have entetained my mind with the word of the Lord, with His praises, with His promises. I have chosen this day to allow the Lord to have center focus while sitting here at Issacks, drinking a cup of coffee. I have been able to make new friends, encourage others and be able to reflect that peace of the Lord to those around me and that is a God thing.
When we set our heart and affections on the Lord it really does open doors of opportunity for the Lord to use us for His purposes as He did this morning. Allowing me to talk to some men that where sitting across from me. The Lord just opened the door of communication, to share and to be real in the Him. It was a blessing to see a smile on their faces as we talked and I shared with them. Compelete strangers and the Lord opened the door.
Everyday is an opportunity to be used of the Lord! By what we say, what we write and what we share. Keep blogging!
I think that I am beginning to understand a little more what it means to be separated from God!
How He feels when we separate ourselves from Him!
How much it hurts the Lord. How He longs for that fellowship and intimacy and then to be neglected by the ones that He loves.
That has to hurt more then we can ever understand. To have his people divorce and separate themselves from Him, to grieve Him and to break His heart.
How often have we separated ourselves from God, from His presence, how often have we divorced ourselves from Him?
Yet our heavenly Father sent His son Jesus to save us, to reconcile us, to bring us back into fellowship, intimacy, and communion with Him.
Jesus is our advocate, our representative; He has made the way for us to come back into fellowship and intimacy with our Father.
Let us run back to Him, let us be reconciled and brought back into fellowship and intimacy with Him. He wants to bring us back; He wants to bring healing to all the hurts, the wounds, the things that we have suffered.
He is there for us, if we are but willing to call out to Him!
Right now I am sitting in a booth at one of our local restaurants enjoying a cup of coffee and fries, watching people as they come and go, hearing some of their conversations and thoughts and at the same time sensing the presence of the Lord!
That is the thought that the Lord has given me this day, that of enjoying His presence. To really realize that the presence of the Lord is with us no matter where we are!
At home, sitting on the front porch, at church, walking down the road, having a meal, no matter where we are, we can enjoy His presence.
That is the desire of God, of Our Father, to have fellowship with us, to enjoy His presence and to know that He enjoys our presence too. He is a Father that wants to hear the voice of His children. It delights His heart for us to have communion with Him, He loves to spend time with us.
Take time to come into His presence no matter where you are and enjoy the sweet presence of the Lord today. Let Him speak to you, let Him bring comfort to you as you meditate upon His word, as you dwell in His presence!
As you can tell from the title I am on the road. Actually on my way back to Junction after a very long day in San Antonio. Had doctor's appointment at Audie Murphy VAMC which went really super. I am on the mend, I am cancer free and I am praising the Lord for His faithfulness in all of this.
The last time I was here was three months ago and today was a follow-up and I would imagine I will see them about every three months for awhile. I have been blessed with good doctors and nurses at the VAMC in San Antonio and in Kerrville, Texas.
As I have shared before the Lord has been with me every step of the way! Giving me the strength to walk the path that I have been on. During all the time that I was in the hospital, recovering and going through surgery a second time, the Lord always gave me the opportunity to lift Him up and to share with others. To be able pray for them and to just listening to them at times.
This is not a path that I would have chosen but it is path that the Lord has been with me each and every step of the way. In ministering to others I was ministered to also by the Lord. I was blessed myself by the Lord.
We can use whatever it is in life that we go through as an opportunity to honor the Lord. We can make choices. We can become angry and bitter and give up or we can be like Joshua, we can choose to serve the Lord our God and allow Him to bring forth His purposes.
Who would have thought a year and a half ago that I would be sitting here at the keyboard, actually at my AlphaSmart Electronic notebook (that was giving to me as a gift last year before I had by second surgery) and be sharing my thoughts with others via Hill Country Thoughts.
God gives us opportunities to use all that we have for Him and in this case the Lord has given me a love for the internet and for those that use it and that it can become a means of helping others, a way of exhorting, lifting up and encouraging others in their walk in life.
What an awesome tool the Lord has given us, to be able to reach out and to touch others around the world. We never know who is reading what we have written, what we have shared, we may never know those who have visited and not left comments but none the less they were touched or encouraged by what you have shared or brought forth that day.
So keep on blogging, keep on sharing and put forth the things that the Lord has put on your heart for this day and trust the Lord for the outcome!
Isn't it amazing how things can just pile up and eventually occupy so much space that there is hardly any room to move.
We find ourselves stepping over things, pushing them aside but not really dealing with it. We keep putting off dealing with the clutter. That was how it was with my porch until one day I ask a friend to come and help me deal with the clutter.
What a difference. Everything is gone, cleared away and put into it's proper place. Now the porch can be used as it was intended to be used. A place to rest, to read, to meditate, to write and to just think and chill out and enjoy the closing of the day or watching the sun rise in the morning, the clutter is removed.
Isn't that how it is in life? Sometimes there is so much clutter in our life, in our mind, in our heart and in our spirit that it keeps us from walking in all that the Lord intended for us. There are so many hurts, anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, wounds and so many other things, that we come to a place that we cannot move, where we are frozen as it where.
It is only when we allow our friend, our Lord and Savior Jesus to come into the porch of our heart, of our mind, our spirit and allow Him to help us deal with those issues, and allow Him to remove them as we yield them to Him, that we can have true freedom, that we are set free from the bondage and blockage that those issues created in our life.
Allow the Lord this day to deal with the clutter in your life and allow Him to create in you a new hunger and passion for Him, to come into a new relationship with Him. For He will bring the changes, remove the clutter and allow you to walk in all that He has for you as you walk with Him. Each day, a new day, a new opportunity to get to know Him!
It is about 03:20 in the morning as I am writing this and I am sitting on the porch listening to the rain falling. Smelling the freshness of the rain and enjoying the sound.
The thunder and lighting is fading away and now all I hear is the gentle rain on the roof.
It is so amazing how simple things can speak to us and how they trigger memories of things.
Just as the storms of life come thundering into our lives and the battles rage within, there comes a point where the gentle rain of the Spirit brings a calmness to the soul, to the heart, to our spirit that gives us rest as we come into that safe harbor of the Lord.
As we allow the gentle rain of the Spirit to work within us, then a new hope, new life comes forth from those thing that we have gone through, even though at the time we don't understand. They are like seeds that have been watered and now are beginning to grow and bloom and bring forth a fragrance, that will draw others because we share out of that which we have experienced in our own lives.
It is during those times we learn to abide and dwell in the Lord. We come into His presence and we seek His face and it is during that time we abide under the shadow of the Almighty, under His wings we find comfort and strength and it is during those times that our heart, our spirit are mended and we fall in love again with our Father, with our Lord and it is during those times that we are refreshed.
Enjoy the day!
Allow the things of the day to draw you ever closer to the Lord!!
Right Now I am sitting on the porch in the cool of the evening, listening to the sound of silence. It is so peaceful and quite this evening!
I am writing by candle light and a pen that lights up while I am writing, sort of a light unto my path
Isn't that what the Word of the Lord is? A light unto our path, giving us guidance, direction, encouragement! It is such a joy to open the word and to be still and quiet before the Lord and allow Him to speak to our heart, to our mind, to give us the guildance that we need for the day.
Psa 119:105 "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (Amp)
God's word is a sure word and when we go to it with open hearts, the Lord will reveal Himself to us, often times in simplicity. I think at times we try to complicate God or box Him in, we just can't do it!
There is something restful about finding a place where you can set and meditate on the word, away from the distractions of things. For me it is the porch, for others the study, a closet, a place in the park, or where ever you find a place to be along with the Lord. When we ask the Lord to give us a place where we can be quiet before Him, He will bring you to that place.
Thought I would take this time to Wish Happy Mothers Day to three wonderful women
First I want to Wish A Happy Mothers Day, to Jodie, the mother of our children who has been there for them all the time. Who has taught them, loved them and has encouraged them throughout their lives. She is a blessing to them and to those around her and I know that our children love her dearly and give thanks daily for her. So we bless her this day and in the days ahead, that the Lord will fulfill all those things that He has spoken to her, that she will see the fulfillment of her dreams. Jodie is indeed a gem and a treasure. May God Bless her.
To my mother-in-love, Mary. She has been the best mother-in-law that any man could have. She has been there through the storms of life, she has been a prayer warrior, she has stood in the gap and she has been a source of strength many times. I appreciate all that she has done and for the love that she has for all those around her. May God Bless her!
And for My Mother. She has been such a source of strength to me all my life. She has been one that has spent many hours in the prayer closet, praying for her children, her grand-children and never given up on any of them, even when it look impossible, she was there praying, seeking the Lord for all us. I am thankful to my Mother for her love for me, my family and her grandkids, all of them. I pray the Lord richly bless her in the days and weeks and months ahead. Thank you Mom for being there, no matter the time or day. May God bless!
Just setting here on the porch meditating on the events of the day!
Seems like the porch has become my favorite spot in which to spend time away from the keyboard and the computer. Just to set out here and pick up a pen and write the thoughts that are on my heart and in my mind.
Listening to the sounds of the day, the activity of the neighborhood, the sounds of the birds, the barking of the dogs. I am rather enjoying it.
We take so many things for granted, not realizing that things can change in a moment of time and then they are gone. The times of talking, of sharing, a hug here and there, joys expressed and dreams realized, those are things that we need to remember. The grandkids, the family, how fast they seem to come and go and then they are gone.
Today made me think of the many things that I have to be grateful for in my life. My children, my grandkids, the friends in my life and the new friends that I have made as I am blogging along.
The Lord in His faithfulness has open new doors of opportunity to minister, to exhort, to encourage others, even in the midst of the storms that I am going through, the Lord is here and will continue to be here and I am so glad to see this medium of communication being used to the Glory of the Lord.
As I shared yesterday, you never know how many lives you will touch by the things you have shared, so be blessed my friends!
I have spent a good part of the day reading various blogs and posts and came away really refreshed today as a good many of the posts that I read where very real and very geniune and things that were shared where things that I could relate to!
No, they were not big "theological revelations," they were real thoughts, from real people, living in the real world and they shared their hopes, their dreams, their wounds and their prayers.
It showed me that there are others walking various paths in life, going through various things but the one thing that I saw today was that most of them where not without hope, that no matter the path they were walking, no matter what area of their lives were being touched, they looked to the Lord, they put their trust in Him, even, when to the natural mind, that would be the last thing you would expect, because our strength is indeed in the Lord. Our answers are in Him!
We never know who we will touch when we share what we have experienced in our lives, in our walk with the Lord. And we can only share that which we have been through, what has been made real in us and hopefully that will be a help to others.
So thank all of you for sharing, you have touched more lives than you can imagine!
Woke up this morning with the peace and the rest of the Lord!
To me that is an awesome thing.
To realize that we can truly enjoy the presence of the Lord daily in our life. That we do not have to be in bondage to the attacks of the enemy of our soul.
That like David of the Psalms, we can rejoice in the Lord. In the worship and praise we are given freedom, our spirit is set free and we can look to the Lord for the strength that is so needed in this day and time.
The Lord is teaching us what it means to have that doves eye, that single eye that stays focused on Him. That no matter what direction He leads we follow.
We set our hearts on Him and seek His face and seeking Him, He reveals himself to us. Through His word, through people, through situations. The Lord will always make himself know if we will but learn to be focused on Him.
Let us rejoice in the Lord! Let us give praise to Him!
Today has basically just been one of those days when you really don't do anything but yet you get a lot accomplished :-) Meaning physically not a lot was accomplished, but spiritually, well that is another matter. Much was accomplished here while blogging today and while visiting friends in town.
It has been mostly a reflective, spiritual type of day! Reflecting on the things that are going on in my life and being amazed at the faithfulness of God to continue to bring me through to His desired results.
Today has been a day when I have been blessed by visiting various blogs, such as Sparrow's Song, Kiwi Christian, and Weeble Wobbles. I am always blessed as I read along and follow what God is doing in their lives and it blesses me and lifts me up and then I go from their blogs to others and become further blessed!
The one neat thing about blogging, is it is a way of being able to encourage one another, to share, and lift up each other. Many of you have made me think, reflect and ponder things and that is a good thing.
So today, I am sitting here in the study, chilling, thinking on the Lord, relaxing in the fact that God is in charge, it is all in His hands and I have the opportunity to just worship Him and praise Him for all that He has done and is doing.
Sometimes, it is just good to sit back, look up and chill in the Lord :-)
Right now I am at church, sitting in the choir room listening to some friends singing and listening to the harmony in their voices and how will they blend together.
Is that not what the Lord wants?
To bring His people, His church, the Body of Christ, into harmony. Into unity so that we blend together and flow together, bringing forth a pure sound, that brings forth God's purpose!
One thing that I have observed over these last few weeks is that in the midst of our daily life, in the midst of the battles that we are going through, through the mountain top times and the valley times, when it looks like there is no answer, that is the time to praise the Lord, the time to lift Him up.
Last weekend, the enemy came in trying to destroy the peace, the rest, the joy that I have been experiencing and he came close, but I chose, to turn to the Lord and I began to praise Him, to lift up His name and remind myself of that which He has been doing and the promises that He has made and at that moment, the Lord in His faithfulness brought me up out of the pit that the enemy had made for me and I was able to move forward another another inch in the Lord.
It is an on going process. Each day, is a new day, with new opportunities to choose whom we are going to serve?
Are we going to serve the Lord or are we going to allow the enemy to rob us of that which we have been given!
We are and can live in Christ. We can find our strength in Him and then we can be a blessing to to others. To exhort, lift up and encourage one another!
We can cry together, we can pray together and we can rejoice together!
We can blend our voices together and bring forth a sound that is in harmony with Him, that will be a sweet fragrance of praise to the Lord!
The day that the Lord has made and I indeed will rejoice and be glad in it.
Today has been a pretty good day. A day that could have really been a downer if I had let it but I choose rather to yeild to the Lord rather than myself and of course, the Lord in His faithfulness, lifted me up out of quicksand of things that were about to drag me down.
I think that is why I like the Book of Psalms. We can identify with David, a man with a heart after God, but still a man, who made a lot of mistakes, tripped a few times, yet He continues to call out to God and God hears Him.
And like David, we too are human, we do make mistakes and we face battles in life but like David, we can call out to God and He answers and He gives us the strength to walk in the day that is set before us and prepares for the day ahead.
I like David, because He talked to himself too :) He would say why our thou cast down O My soul? Then tell himself to rise up and He would begin to Praise God. And we too can rise up and praise the Lord and walk in the newness of His life.
Be blessed this day!
Rejoice in the Lord Always, and again I say rejoice!!
Getting ready to head off to church this morning and just thought I would say good morning to you all and say be blessed in the Lord!
It is so neat to wake up to the presence of the Lord. To be able sense that the Lord has already prepared the way before us. That each day is a new day, a new adventure in the Lord. That we are giving many opportunties each day to reflect to others what it means to follow Christ.
That yes, we live in a real world, but we serve a real God who gives us real peace and joy as we begin to praise Him and lift up His name, then others will begin to see the reality of Christ within the Hope Glory. That our joy and peace comes from being in the presence of the Lord and we can have that presence no matter where we are. The presence of the Lord is with us as we praise Him, as we worship Him, as we gather together in His name.
Indeed, Today is the Day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it!
Just got back a little while ago from some very special friends house. They had invited me over to dinner and it was such a joy and a blessing to break bread with them and their children and to have a super time of fellowship.
Today was one of those days, that I really got to put into practice that which I shared yesterday, that in the midst of things that are going on in my life, that I can rejoice in the Lord, that I can stay focused on Him and even though a couple of curve balls were thrown my way, I was able to begin to praise the Lord in my heart and in my mind and of course, I began to rise up in the Lord and was able to worship and give glory to Him and the enemy of my soul was not able to rob me of the joy and peace and comfort that the Lord has been given me daily over these last few weeks.
Like David of the Psalms, we can speak to ourselves in the Lord, and tell ourselves to rise up and give Glory, Honor and Praise to the Lord and then find in that the strength to walk the path that is set before us.
Indeed, we serve an Awesome God!
Be blessed this night!
Till tomorrow,
Paul
:o
Hill Country Thoughts Paul E. Dawn Jr.
Kennesaw, Georgia
Think on This:
“As we spend that time with the Lord, as we ponder His word, it will bring forth fruit in due season, and it will be life to others as we share those things that the Lord has made real in our lives as we walk with Him, as we go through the trials of life, the dealings, as we mature little by little, we will be able to share with others that which has been made real in our life, not theory but the life changing power of the word" - Paul
Words Aloft
Let my words soar on the
rising currents of your spirit
Let my words be powered by the
heart of your inspiration
Let my words lead others on the
incredible journey to your heart
Let my words reflect the vastness
of your Mercy, new every morning!
