A HUNGER FOR RELATIONSHIP

As I walked with the Lord today I talked with him about his words in John 8:32-32 “If you abide in My Word, then you are truly disciples of Mine: (32) and you shall know the Truth and the Truth shall set you free”

I also talked with Him about His Words in John 10:27: “My sheep hear My voice and I know them by name, and they follow Me”

I shared that I love reading and studying the Bible as His written Word, and I also love being able to hear His voice as The Word when He advises, guides and directs my steps with each new day. The Written Word is always consistent with His voice as The Word. I thanked Him that He has taught me to spend time with Him in reading His written Word and time with Him as Supernatural Guidance helping me learn how to know the difference between my own imagination and thoughts, and His Still Small Voice. How amazing that He would allow me to learn to hear His voice in these ways.

Individuals have asked me how to hear His voice. I share with them that it is the same process by which they learn to hear the voice of their friends, loved, or spouse. The more time you spend with your friend, loved one, or spouse, the more familiar your are when you hear their voice even in a group of gathered people. The more time you spend listening and understanding their heart regarding their specific concerns, the more you become sensitive in how to build a strong relationship with them.

I am learning to listen to His voice and not my own imagination so that the Truth of His Voice can lead me in what I think, what I say, and how I live.

I invite you, dear reader to experience Him as The Truth in this way, as well.

I talked with the Lord today about the thirteen years we spent in Windham, Maine. They included a very, very special growing number of over 350 friends who loved Jesus, as well. I remembered how He manifested himself as Apostle, Prophet, Pastor, Teacher, Evangelist and Healer so many times. Getting to know Him in, more and more in each one of these ways, was amazing for all of us.

I was never really “the Pastor”, or any of the things on the list. A few of the older ladies were allowed to call me “pastor”, but everyone else simply called me by my given name, Adra. We were all aware that the Lord alone deserved any of these titles.

As one of our special friends, Patty, reminded me, I had been allowed by the Lord to be an instrument in helping each one of us become more aware of Him when He manifested Himself in any number of these ways. They were very special times, often at that time, called The Charismatic Movement of the 70’s and Promise Keepers in the later 80’s.

I have come to know that we are only to accept assignments that allow Him to introduce Himself in any number of these amazing ways. Even now, He has given me the assignment of working with individuals and families. My assignment is to allow Him to introduce Himself as “Counselor and Therapist”.

Individuals often refer to me their counselor and therapist. Yet each one of them know, that at the end of each session, I thank Him for being in our mist as “The Counselor” during the entire session. In each session, I am able to experience His supernatural presence and guidance, allowing me before we part, to sincerely thank Him for the Wisdom and Counsel He just provided as “The Wonderful Counselor, and Mighty God in our very midst!!!

My prayer, dear reader, is that this may be your experience as well.

I talked with the Lord today about His being Discernment. I shared that as I experience new insight I know that He alone is the source. I shared that each new insight comes from His supernatural presence and guidance wanting me to know myself and know Him more and more intimately. 

I talked with Him about experiencing Him as Discernment. I shared that when He comes to me as Discernment I am able to clearly understand the difference between several things;

First, the presence of my flesh and its desires, which is most often very strong:

Secondly, the presence of the flesh and desires of others, which is also naturally also strong;

Thirdly, the supernatural presence of Satan, as an angel of light, wanting us both, even as husband and wife, to follow our flesh and its desires for choices that we make;

And fourthly, the supernatural presence of the Lord, as Holy Spirit, wanting neither of us to follow our flesh and its desires, because of our natural “sIn, or self-centered nature”. He, instead, desires to direct us to follow His heart and voice protecting us from our natural self-centered nature.

I shared how, when His supernatural presence and guidance leads me, I am able to see Satan wanting to pull together the presence of my flesh and its desires with the flesh and the presence and desires of my wife. I also shared how His supernatural presence of Discernment comes to protect both of us.

I went on to think about how when as a husband, experiencing Him as Discernment was laid aside several times. I wanted to go in a certain direction and my wife did not. I went on to remember how my insisting on my choice led to unnecessary pain and hardship for our entire family. I thanked Him for his incredible forgiveness as my eyes filled with tears, a forgiveness which is ever fresh, once again

I told the Lord, again today, that I am so very, very grateful that He comes to us as Discernment again, and again, in order to protect us. How amazing that the God and Creator of the universe, along with His Son Jesus, and the supernatural presence and guidance of the Holy Spirit express Their love in this wonderful way.

 My desire, dear reader, is that you may know Him in this way, as well. ype / to choose a block

In my walk today I focused on experiencing Jesus as meekness and gentleness. His gentleness and meekness is that he does not use guilt, fear, or shame to motivate us to change, but only His unconditional love. He is so very different from my experience with people who frequently use fear, guilt, and shame to motivate us.

I realized that only Satan is “the accuser of the believer” (Revelation 12:10) because he is directly opposite of Jesus. Satan uses the flesh of others to do his bidding of laying on guilt, fear, and shame under the guise of being loving and helpful. Whether it be parents with their children or adult to adult, guilt, fear, and shame is never, ever from Jesus.

Jesus, instead, uses the gentleness of His still small voice to make us aware of things that will separate us from relationship with Him, oneself, and others. This gentleness is called “conviction” of our conscience or spirit whereby we sense potential harm or loss of relationship which we have come to value and so we voluntarily move away from it. It is like an earthly father who gently guides his son or daughter into making wise choices based on the father’s years of experience and wisdom as a way of protecting their child.

I am so glad that Jesus and my Heavenly Father take the time to gently, with His still small voice of the Holy Spirit, to protect me from things that I might not realize could be harmful. When I follow His heart for each situation I can easily be sensitive to His still small voice. When I follow my own heart I find myself in situations, by looking back, that I wish I had avoided.

How amazing is Jesus, our Heavenly Father, and The Holy Spirit to guide us and protect us with each new day and each new situation we encounter. I am so very grateful.

My prayer, dear reader, is that you, as well, will grow in knowing Him as meekness and gentleness.

In my walk today I told the Lord, “I love experiencing You as Patience”. I went on to say how, as Patience, He allows me to learn by my mistakes and to learn at my own pace. How amazing that the Creator of the universe would allow me to learn at my own pace (which I consider to be very slow) and by my mistakes (which I consider more frequent than I want them to be).

I also went on to talk with Him about how grateful I am that He has made known something very important to me. It is that He actually celebrates each new insight with me that I gain from experiencing Him as patience. How personal and amazing is it that the God of creation would take the time to celebrate new insights with me!!!

One of the most meaningful things I experience is the Lord celebrating with me how to let go of the many, many regrets of the past, painful memories, and how to let go of the many worries or concerns about the future. I say to Him, with each new day, that “I again let go of the regrets of the past, painful memories, and the worries or concerns about the future”, I begin to welcome and actually feel His presence as supernatural Rest. In those minutes His supernatural rest it is like time no longer matters, and regrets fall away, as well as, worries about the future.

In experiencing Him as Rest I am reminded of Jesus’ words, “Come unto Me all you who are weary and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble of heart and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:29-30)

It is in returning each day to experience Him as Patience and Rest that I am empowered anew to face whatever comes my way.

My prayer is that His peace and rest will become part of your everyday journey, as well.