God spoke to me last week that He will spend my lifetime loving me.
Francis shared such a timely, timeless, sure word worth sharing.
Tag: prayer
To The Aged; Redefine Your Outlook Thru Scripture
As I was reading my bible last night, I wasn’t reading any direct account of this, but I had a lens to see so many elderly people in scripture actually displaying the culmination of God in their lives during this season. Modern American society would have those nearing their elder years to feel comfortable dimming their vision in life, get comfortable in a viewing seat and no longer speaking up.
I want to declare that God has never overlooked someone in the story of His glory based on their age. So many circumstances in your life you endured to test your character, to strip away ego, to round out your wisdom. There has been purpose in every step along the way. If you are viewing yourself as elderly, your impact in God’s kingdom on this earth is not over with and God wants you to know he has not withdrawn his eye from you. The first supernatural encounter we hear of in Moses’ life was when he was 80 years old. Abraham didn’t receive the promise God had given him at a much younger age until the season of bearing offspring (fruit) was over at 100 years.
Do not limit God’s ability to move through your because you are reducing your perspective of his ability due to your age or season in life. He is not limited by your timeline but is limitless in the faithfulness of his promises over your life. There are great adventures in God in store yet for those of you advanced in years. Adventures you have been waiting a lifetime for. Expect God to be supernatural, expect him to move, there are yet new things in God, you are still a child of the king- heir and recipient of everything Christ died to give humanity.
Do not limit your perspective on who he is by looking around you and accepting what society is handing you. This is not your portion. Look to him for what is next in your life and continue to be open to hearing God, stepping out in faith, taking risk, and loving others and yourself extravagantly. This season is gift to be celebrated and embraced fully through the power of his spirit living inside you. You are a blessing to the body of Christ and you are needed in this hour for the fullness of his glory to be seen in His body on the earth.
Two-Fold Mature Spirit Partnership
I wanted to write a brief piece mentioning walking with God in everyday life that is two-fold in living life that springs from the spirit of God.
The first part is hearing. I don’t always hear a phrase or words or a song from God unless I’m being intentionally reflective or asking God a direct question in my mind and thoughts. I do often notice inspired thoughts as I am just going through life open to direction. This can come as a reminder to do something I have completed forgotten, or it can be an inspired way to encourage someone or do an act of service or it can be a solution that previously you couldn’t see or something that requires your attention. I notice these thoughts when they come into my head are not my own and they often feel more like an invitation for partnership that has life and glory on the other side of it rather than a command or requirement. These are the types of communication I believe Jesus referred to when he says I do what I see my father doing. These can come as pictures in your head or ideas in your imagination but they truly are powerful and divinely inspired even if they don’t feel revolutionary or earth shattering. Obedience always results in lasting fruit. And sometimes this just looks like your character choices in maintaining or pursuing connection in relationships.
This is the first step of hearing and living a life flowing from the river of God. The second part is where the wisdom of maturity comes in. Just because you’ve received inspiration doesn’t mean to run and execute it immediately. Often there is freedom to when you are inspired to respond at leisure or right away in peace. But there can also be a shelf period when hearing from God. I recognize this in other believers I respect and admire. They receive a thought but then carry it within them until God orchestrates circumstances and timing for its release or execution. For instance, you may feel inspired to say something to a certain individual that would be encouraging to them but perhaps don’t feel peace about writing it through an email or calling them on the phone. Perhaps the Lord has you run into them by chance two days later and God brings that word of encouragement you had for them to mind and you share it in that moment. This often is the best way to pursue obedience. God really often does not need our initiative when taking care of kingdom business, often he just is looking for our response in the midst of his continuous divine orchestration.
One caution in this is when things have sat so long on the shelf or get pushed to the back they fall off and never happen. Keep in mind the world doesn’t end when this happened. There is no condemnation in walking in the spirit with the Lord. Everything, including our learning and failure, carries value. But perhaps there is an act or a word or a communication or a thought or a creative idea that the Lord has invited you into once that maybe is still ripe with glory available for you to bring to earth from the heaven in your mind. The waiting on God to create the opening is a part of the maturing process of hearing from God and walking hand in hand with him. Friends influence each other and what a privilege share life with a living, intimate, kind, forgiving God.
One way you may have to listen beyond your understanding is in regards to your own self worth. God will tell you a million times that you are worthy, lovely, righteous, worth his love, and full of nobility but somehow we continually need to be reminded to believe it! Often we are our own worst critique and rarely cut ourselves some slack. Jesus continually reminds me of his undeserved favor, and his kindness and affection is something you need to be open to hearing, and not only that, but believing it!
Blessings on your adventures is hearing and walking with Jesus!
Dusting off the Stories of what God has Done
God is always the same and what he did once he would do again. God is not a respecter of persons and what he would do for one he would do for any. These two statement encourage the hope and possibility of what God did once for someone else, he would do for me. In saying that, something he did twenty years ago for me, he can do for you now. So I’m walking down the memory lane of life as it is always the front page of who God still is today. Take anything as hope of what can do for you.
- I trusted God with my love life and he brought me the most amazing husband any woman could ever dream of. As I’m writing this he is charging my cell phone for me and asking if I have water because he was going to refill it for me as I’m sitting in bed on a Saturday typing this about him.
- I’ve never made over $10,000 a year in my entire adult life yet God has financed sending me to 23 different countries over the course of my life. For whatever reason, the way my heart is wired is that I feel most romanced by God when he sends me to travel somewhere. I know I couldn’t, and wouldn’t want to do anything without him sending me.
- I’ve screwed up, meaning I’ve failed at something he’s asked me to do, and yet he’s never fired me, punished me, abandoned me or quit being kind to me. Because of this I really realized the grace of God is truly a gift. It is not earned.
- God redeemed the ending of my family when we were younger. My parents separated and both happily remarried. My siblings are all risking love in some measure in their life. This sometimes requires the greatest courage. I am proud for the measure they continue to risk being known and loved despite how we’ve seen it can possibly end up.
- God has given me peace. In different seasons of life due to different things I have different measures of peace but in all of life I have a strong underlying trust in God that always imparts to me a steadfastness that I feel all the time. Like I’m being held, or embraced, or hugged and I feel safe and sturdy. I love God for imparting this feeling to me on an ongoing basis.
- I realized through frequency to get over myself, my understanding, my ways, control, anything I would hold on to for fear or security. From plans to stuff, he really does take care of everything and often, when I let him, way better than I could ever put things together. Like I really am blind and dumb compared to all he sees and knows. It is wisdom to trust him, let him lead, and put everything in his hands.
- Unity, relationships, connection, obedience, service, humility, love, faith, truth, these things really are the majors in life and everything else is truly unimportant and meaningless in comparison.
- I really feel like my death is in God’s hands as much as my birth was. I didn’t control my birth, God did. In the same way, I don’t think anything is random and he knows all of the days of my life and will work out the plans and dreams he has for sending me here in the first place.
- I don’t fear death in any way. Almost daily I feel the fragility of this realm of life and time. It is such a thin veil and my true self is timeless and in an always state. I do not want to miss what he wants to show me and teach me and also truly enjoy the day with him as this is me loving to be alive with him. This is living.
- I feel humbled by God’s goodness and love. I definitely don’t deserve any of it, but he shows me that I’m worthy because he says I am. Who am I to disagree?! 😉
- I thought I was going to go into tangible stories about specifics God had done for me–
- Oh-my father’s transplant was an answer to prayer-he met my husband and is still alive!
- And also my grandfather’s life was spared in a time where he was being killed by being given the wrong medication in the hospital but the error was found out and he became himself again to pass in peace at a later time.
- Also I was filled with the holy spirit, a tangible experience in my body that overcame me that I still feel today and a way I interact with God directly spirit to spirit rather than just mind to mind, early morning alone in a gymnasium in a Lutheran church!
- I received God’s forgiveness and being made right with God through what Jesus Christ suffered on my behalf on the cross, making a way for me to stand blameless and confident before God because he has made me his family and his friend.
- I thought I was going to write more specific stories like the ones above, but it appears God is an active living miracle in my life. I am so grateful to have the ability to see and breathe and feel and taste and express myself and sit in peace and have freedom. I am so thankful to share life with my husband and spend the passing of time in his company.
These are a few thoughts that come to mind when thinking about what God has done for me in my life. May it be an encouragement and blessing to you. Oh yeah – don’t waste your time overly concerning yourself with what other people think of you. It is not your responsibility nor does it matter beyond your upright heart before the father. Acceptance or praise of man is not the bread that that gives life but rather the word of God. Blessings!
happyreign 