Talk with Jesus. Read His word.Trust Him.

 Matthew 17:20b

“For I assure you: If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.

This is one of those “faith” verses that we are all familiar with.  I would say it is almost impossible to find someone who hasn’t heard these words spoken before.  Even those claiming they do not believe in the Scriptures have heard this spoken, or read it someplace, or may have even spoke these words themselves.

I say amen to that.  We all need those encouraging words at times in our lives.  It may be for your personal relationship with Jesus, or your relationship with your spouse, maybe for healing in your own body or  a loved ones life.  Then it could be for financial reasons. Or many other reasons we encounter in a lifetime.

Do you think those of us that hang on to this verse more than others are more apt to receive our answers than someone who barely believes in faith?  I don’t believe that.  That would mean the Lord puts your requests ahead of mine because you memorized a verse. I do not believe God does that.  He loves us all equally as the next.  He has made us in His image.  We are fearfully and wonderfully made. He likes your blonde hair as much as my red curly hair. He likes my freckles as much as your pale skin.  Ok, that’s our physical appearance.  What about our hearts?  He desires us to all be filled with His love in our hearts.  But I may have a little bubble in mine, where yours is filled to the brim.  That makes no difference to Jesus.  What He wants most of all is for us to rely on Him, in faith, for all of our needs and wants.  He doesn’t measure our prayers.  He already knows what is in our hearts.  We don’t need to plead with Him.  No matter our need or request, He will be there for us. 

16 Rejoice always! 17 Pray constantly. 18 Give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (‭‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭HCSB‬‬)

Sometimes we think we know the answer and how Jesus will respond.  Well why would we need faith and trust in Jesus if we knew the answers.  It all comes down to this.  Jesus loves  us more than anything.  He wants to supply our every need.  He wants to answer every prayer.  But those answers are coming from Jesus’ heart and His mouth.  He knows what’s best.  

It comes down to us reading the Scriptures, letting them stick in our hearts.  And having that faith, even if it’s only the size of a mustard seed.  Just sit back, put your feet up, and talk to Jesus.  Let Him hold you in His arms, console you, speak His love to you.  He wants that relationship with you.  It is often in those times that I find my greatest moments of peace and comfort.  For that I am so very grateful.   

As we start a new season, autumn, we get to see God’s magnificent masterpiece of the brilliant colors of the landscape.  But also we can settle down some, rest a little, and prepare for the coming of a new year.  

May you all find your rest and your peace in Jesus.  Be rejuvenated.   

Stir Up Your Gift

 Keep your gift alive and active.  Stir it up, use it.  

“Do not neglect the gift that is in you; it was given to you through prophecy, with the laying on of hands by the council of elders. Practice these things; be committed to them, so that your progress may be evident to all. Pay close attention to your life and your teaching; persevere in these things, for by doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers.”

‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭

This is a Scripture that should be familiar to all of us.  Most of us have requested prayer for something.  For ourselves we want to see the power of God present in our lives.  That would be evident through the gifts God has given us.  You remember in a previous blog I wrote about the gift of discernment.  Especially when praying for others.  For many you may be led to pray for healing in someone.  And the list is unending.  

The above Scripture in Timothy tells us to keep that gift alive.  Pray that God sharpens our gift(s) everyday.  Use your gift everyday, even if it’s just you and God interceding for someone. Keep it alive and active.  

For this blog, I was not a writer.  The most writing I did was in my own personal journal.  Those entries followed my daily devotions and prayer time.  One day the Lord placed on my heart to write a blog.  I shared this, after days of praying about it, to my husband.  I was sure he’d ask me if I was ok.  This is not something I ever spoke of or even dreamt about.  To my surprise he said “that’s a great idea”.  Oh my goodness, now what?  The next step was sharing with someone I totally trusted.  I was having tea one day with our Pastor’s wife.  I asked her what she thought.  WOW!  She was so excited.  She showed me how to set a blog up.  And to step out in faith.  The rest is history.  

Knowing this is totally a gift from the Lord, not of my own desire.  But my desire is to please Jesus, honor Him, and follow through.  I pray everyday with my devotions and prayer time, Lord is there anything I should share today?  Sometimes it’s a few weeks in between.  I’ve even taken a break at times to get a fresh perspective.  But I know this is my gift and I must use it.  

I would encourage you, pray about your gifts.  Ask Jesus what He would desire for you to do.  Ask Him about something that may be on your heart.  Maybe it’s a one time thing for someone specific.  Maybe it’s for several people. One thing I know for sure, it is NOT about us. It is about Jesus and glorifying Him.  We must ask Jesus to sharpen our gift, to refresh it.  Be open to the Lord to use you to spread His love.  All for His glory.  

Is Discernment Important?

In general, discernment is accurately evaluating ourselves, people, and situations. We discern things correctly by clearly perceiving what is true, right, and essential. This is said to be according to the King James Version of the Bible. 

Discern" is "To examine, prove or test; scrutinize

According to Dictionary .com it defines discernment as "the faculty of discerning, discrimination, acuteness of judgment and understanding.

And according to Cambridge.org definition of discernment is "the ability to judge people and things well."

One of the very first things I learned as a new Christian was to pray everyday for the gift of discernment.  I was a brand new Christian and did not totally understand what all of that meant.  I just knew it was important.

My husband and I together prayed everyday for discernment, an understanding of discernment, what it all meant as a new believer, as a strong believer, and for sharing the Gospel with others. As time went on it seemed every message I heard mentioned discernment.  I knew and felt strongly I needed discernment and wanted to be filled with it.  I wanted to know how to pray for someone effectively.  I did not want to just pray a lot of words. I wanted to pray with power, understanding, compassion, and positive results.

 Ephesians 6:11 tells us to put on the full armor of God.  This helps us to pray effectively, battle strongly against the enemy and its tactics.

 Without discernment, one is vulnerable to deception and unable to stand firm in faith effectively.   When I am praying for someone with a specific need I must ask the Holy Spirit for discernment.  I need to understand a little bit of what the person is going through.  I need to understand the spiritual aspect of the prayer need.  It is not something I take lightly.  And to turn that around when I need prayer for a specific reason I fully expect and want that person to be filled with Godly discernment.  I want to know that person is prepared to pray for my need(s).  Think about it, do you go to a doctor that has no knowledge about your condition?  No, we expect that doctor to be well prepared.  

I want to encourage you faithful readers.  Discernment is a very important gift from the Holy Spirit.  I hope and pray you seek this for your own life everyday.  Ask Jesus to pour it over you.  Let it drench you.  It is so very important.