Tag Archives: jesus

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES: JAN. 19, 2025

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Worship is a powerful tool that I believe is so under used and understood. I am only beginning to see the critical importance of it. I’ve always loved worship music and worship time during a church service, However, having daily worship incorporated into my devotional time has taught me about “spirit” I never had thought. I use the word “thought” because I have always done my devotional time through my mind which is always thought about connected to flesh. It controls my body’s functions and it also mostly controls my actions. So, as I’ve added worship to my devotional time, I now am beginning to find what it is like to have this time controlled by Spirit which is eternal and is so much more powerful than my mind. When spirit takes control of this time my mind relaxes and releases the concerns it has. My whole body just relaxes and I find rejoicing so easy because I just want to rejoice instead of being anxious over anything. One other thing is that the messages for the day become clearer.

God’s Holy Spirit and our own spirit have always seemed mysterious to me even though I knew beyond any shadow of doubt that they were real. In spite of this knowing, I’ve relied on my mind to understand as best I could. Well, understanding Spirit is far more about what scripture has always taught us to do–TRUST, have FAITH, BELIEVE. This is spiritual language and today this language is growing for me!

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES: JAN. 15, 2025

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God isn’t done with His awakening for me. This morning was another one of them. As I began to journal I was lamenting the struggles of late and the lessons attached to the struggles. I even asked Jesus when these struggles would finally cease? I was utterly amazed at His response, mainly because I wasn’t really expecting one. He said, “When you decide to praise Me when temptations/struggles hit, you will see the glory of My Work. Let your temptations be a reminder to PRAISE ME instead of a torment to run from. Satan wants to use these tempting moments to confuse you, shame you. You are learning that in worship of Me Satan has no place to reside. He sees Me instead of you. So, use these times, all struggling times as a reminder to PRAISE ME. Praising Me shows your complete TRUST in ME. This is what God your Father has been working to teach you.” Today you get it!

I wept! As I began to read my bible I was reading in the last chapter of II Timothy where Paul was encouraging Timothy. He told him to never give up the fight and to Preach the Word. Others would turn away, but keep himself focused on the goal–the final goal. How I Praise and Thank God for never giving up on me. Only GOD could ever take a past and turn it into a time of Praise and Worship! And of all things–use it to His Honor and Glory!

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES: JAN. 8, 2025

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There is so much to continually praise God about. Stepping into praise of God disallows the concerns in one’s life to dominate one’s mind and emotions. It doesn’t remove the concerns, it just puts them into a category of release. I can trust God to do what He does and I’m not suppose to, and for me to see what part, if there is any.. Spending time each morning in true worship of God our Father awakens my spirit to His Holy Spirit. How I love this impact and clarity.

I have always wanted to serve God with my life. I’ve written so many times how this service would hopefully provide a love from God that would take away the images, the memories, the abuse and bitterness of my past. I thought that removing them would be the only way to obliterate the ongoing confusion in my mind, part of which was scriptures that said God loves us (me). Instead of honoring my prayers, God chose to realign them into trusting Him to use all of these memories as tools. Only God’s miraculous ways could ever turn torment into a tool of Light helping others believe their own torment can be healed and used by God.

My greatest healing is not the removal of these memories, it is the removal of the bitterness and replacing it with the desire to share them as needed for someone else caught in the devil’s trap believing God doesn’t care for you. For, God cares immensely! One just needs to allow Him entrance into the darkness of our soul where all of this bitterness is held and holding oneself captive.

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES: JAN. 7, 2025

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Today a remarkable step is being taken. Someone I’ve known a good deal of my life is coming for help. He has been someone who has helped me on my own journey. Today, I get to be a helper for him with a difficulty he recently told me about. When he was a messenger of Light for me at some very difficult times in my life, I now pray I can be a messenger of Light for him. God has a way of doing this and I feel honored to return a favor.

I know I keep bringing up The Holy Spirit in my daily writing of late. It is incredible to me how much I’ve missed throughout my life about this loving, powerful Gift Jesus Christ gave to me–to each of us as we have asked HIm into our heart and lives. Throughout the New Testament, The Holy Spirit is spoken about/referenced. I’ve always read these references as something nice, but very mysterious. Today, I finally find what has been so mysterious taking root in me. The fact that The Holy Spirit is mysterious is simply because I’m flesh with limited capacity for understanding Spirit. God Himself is mysterious. Jesus Christ today is mysterious, yet because God sent HIm to earth to live for us in flesh and die for us in flesh, do we better understand Him.

I feel as though a cloud has been lifted from me. Instead of confusion, I am finding a contentment of Trust replacing it. I am beginning to rejoice in what I don’t know and thanking Christ for what I am now finding. I don’t need to understand so much as I have needed to TRUST what I couldn’t understand. God is worthy to be Praised and I join the ones who have been Praising Him already!

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES: JAN. 6, 2025

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I don’t know about you, the reader, but I have to admit my human weaknesses far more often than I wish were true. This morning as I was having my devotions I was reminded by Jesus that it is one thing to confess my weaknesses, but along with confession I must make a plan to address them. Then I was reminded that “faith without works is dead” (James 2:17). If I have faith that I can overcome my weaknesses but I don’t put effort into it, I am simply stuck with the weakness/es.

I attempt to give thoughtful advice to those who come for counsel. And, every once in a while, I am reminded that what I had just said, God wants me to put into my own practice. I then have to tell the one sitting across from me that “we can work on this together”.

As I have added worship music to my devotional time I am finding a renewed effort to confront flesh with Spirit. As my spirit awakens through worship it is accompanied with a passion beyond myself that I know is God’s Holy Spirit. He is the very One who will fight this battle, weakness, for me as I release my struggle to Him through my worship of Him. Worship is far more than singing a favorite chorus or hymn. It likely starts there, but God’s Spirit speaks to us in these times if we allow ourselves to listen. I am a newbie at this, but I want to continue growing for God’s Holy Spirit to be in full control of my everyday life.

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES: JAN. 2, 2025

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What in the world would we do without Jesus? As I’ve listened to the worship music this morning while having my devotional time, I’ve needed to just stop and let the spirit of worship sink into the depth of my being. Jesus–there is just nothing like him except God Himself and The Holy Spirit. The one exception is that He came into our world just like you and me and He did it all just for you and me. There just isn’t any greater example of love than this!

Helping others find Jesus in the midst of their strife is a commitment I’ve made in stepping into this counseling world. However, I’m also finding that keeping Jesus in the center of my own self is a critical element. How can one help others if Jesus isn’t the center of oneself? Starting the day with worship music playing in the background of my devotional time has been a game changer for me. If you haven’t listened to “I Speak Jesus” then please dial it up on YouTube and let it minister to you. It speaks loudly the entire purpose of living out the life of a christian in the name of Jesus! “I just want to speak the name of Jesus!”

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES: JAN. 1, 2025

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HAPPY NEW YEAR! Welcome to the year of 2025. As light is just beginning to show the out of doors, I see the ground is covered with snow. We didn’t have a white Christmas, but we are having a white New Years. The rain and snow are blessed gifts to our area. We need it all each year to fill our reservoirs for the coming year of irrigation.

I was asked during the time our kids and grandkids were here, what I’d want sung and said at my funeral? I told them I wanted that service to be put together with things they wanted. I’d be dead and I’ve always wondered why people don’t put together a service that makes them feel better. As I have pondered this since being asked I’m realizing that a last remembrance is the purpose for the funeral. I’ve never liked the focus being on me for fear the ugliness of my life would be brought out and that’s what people would remember.

Getting to use the ugliness of a past as a tool in God’s toolbox to help others makes one’s past a Light, is nothing less than a miracle. Yesterday I met with a young man who had asked for counsel. I didn’t know him, but I know his wife rather well and all of his wife’s family. As he told me why he was seeking counsel I couldn’t help but identify with it. When he was mid-stream in telling me his story, he asked what the counseling sessions would do for him? I then said I’d like to give him some background on the person he is talking to once he’d finished giving me his background. When he was done I gave him a piece of my own story and what God has done for me. I concluded that this is what God wants to do with his past during the counseling sessions. He smiled big and said that he was really glad to be here.

When my time comes I want my service to glorify the God who brings such incredible healing and purpose to one’s life no matter what story it has attached to it. This is what I want people to remember as they leave my funeral service one day. Our God is faithful to the end!

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES: DEC. 31, 2024

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Today I go back to the room I use for counseling. But, before I take this step, I want to take a moment and reflect upon the year I will step out of in just a few more hours. There are lessons I know God wants me to take with me into the new year, not just as lessons to know, but lessons that have changed me–my life.

As I was reading my devotional, the author was pointing out that no matter how young or old we are, God has continued purpose for having us here on earth. We need to seek this purpose out regardless of our age. I do know the truth in this for at the age of 72 God had me enter into this area of counseling. This has been an amazing step for this grandpa to take. Little did I know how much God would continue to grow me in so doing.

This Fall, as I was introduced to the idea of starting my day with worship music, I seem to have been introduced to God’s Holy Spirit in a way which I’ve never known. I’ve always wanted to have The Holy Spirit as mine, but have never gotten past the “wondering how” part of this step. Awakening my own spirit this time of the day, there is nothing more my spirit wants than to surrender to God’s Holy Spirit for the day. This step is far more than a lesson to learn, it is a life-change. It is as though the new creation I am is finally found.

As this year of 2024 ends I want to move into 2025 more alive than ever before. However, the more alive is defined by alive in Christ because His Gift of The Holy Spirit is alive in me. This is no longer a hope, but a reality! Thank You God for never giving up on me (us).

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES: DEC. 28, 2024

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It is incredible how God works. For many years (40+) my older two daughters have longed to settle their issues with their mom. They have wanted to do this for all of their adult years. Only a couple months ago they met with her. She has begun to get her own help from her childhood which has allowed her to be vulnerable. With all this, God opened the door for an immense amount of healing to take place. Yesterday I was able to talk with my kids and hear the full story. I couldn’t help but weep with joy with them!

I’ve read through the bible many times in my lifetime, yet, this morning something became very clear to me that I’ve overlooked until now. In the little book of Galatians Paul is writing about belief vs rules. The old testament is filled with rules to follow. The new testament is all about believing. What hadn’t hit me so powerfully until this morning is that even in the old testament, the characters who are called the men of God are those who believed along with following rules. Abraham, Moses, Joshua and all of the prophets–believed. It was one thing to follow rules, believing was the foundation for these men to be called men of God. Somehow, this shouldn’t be a new thought and it isn’t. It is the reality of the firm foundation of BELIEF. I lived a long time wanting to believe and now that foundation is firm.

God just never quits with us and how grateful I am for this!

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THE JOURNEY CONTINUES: DEC. 24, 2024

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The beauty of Christmas is upon us. The Love of God has been poured out to us through God’s Son Jesus. In my mind I can see why the Jews of old thought Jesus had come to be their earthly ruler and not a spiritual one. However, being a gentile as I am, I am so grateful God included us in His remarkable plan to redeem mankind for we sure aren’t able to redeem ourselves with our selfish nature being so strong.

The reminder that Satan is here to steal, kill and destroy all of God’s perfect plan, is so very evident. Christmas is such an exciting time. However, I hardly ever experience one where relationships don’t turn sour in someway. Take a step away from the turmoil and one can see Satan smiling at this. However, no matter what Satan attempts, it only takes an apology, a humble sorry, a hug, forgiveness to change that strained relationship back to Godly love. God did a miraculous work sending Jesus to model how this Love of God works.

How grateful I am for this blessed time of God’s Great Love!