“When God speaks it’s not always for information, it is for transformation.” ~Margaret Feinberg.
As I write this it’s 3:30 in the morning. I’m awake watching James Robinson on “Life Today” Christian TV programming. His guest is Margaret Feinberg, speaker and author. Below are some notes I took during the conversation; followed by thoughts God gave me during and after the show. They may be a little scattered. Forgive me. I’m giving it to you how it was given to me…raw.
Feinberg opens her interview retelling a story of how she really wanted a job and one day received a phone call with good news that she was offered the job. She prayed and asked God whether or not she should accept the position. He guided her to this verse: “I will exchange your bronze for gold, your iron for silver, your wood for bronze, and your stones for iron. I will make peace your leader and righteousness your ruler” – Isaiah 60:17.
Shortly after, she was offered a better position. God exchanged the bronze for gold.God is not just back then and yet to come; He is also right now. He desires fellowship with us. Chasing after God is not a picture of you running after a God that you can never catch up with. It’s a picture of you hungering and thirsting after your God who so deeply desires to talk to you, everyday.
We’re wired, designed and created to run after God’s voice. How do I hear God’s voice? When is He talking to me and how will I know? I will know by the provision I see and by the sound I feel when I open my heart to Him and His word. However, if we are strangers to the Word of God, our hearing is impaired.
Rice: “It’s important to believe that God wants the very best for you. After all, He gave the very best for you.” (iStockphoto/ Thinkstock)
So how do you get clarity on things you read in the Bible?
When you hear the Word of God being preached in church, it confirms and brings meaning to what you read in the Bible…or it should. That’s one way to get clarity. Live in responsive mode. Don’t wait for a storm to get your attention. When God speaks, MOVE. GO. NOW… while the anointing is still upon you. It’s important to believe that God wants the very best for you. After all, He gave the very best for you.
God just said, “I can’t get to you through the clutter, through your mess, through the distractions and through all the stuff you’ve put in front of me.” You know what He saying, “I miss you.” I’m so convicted and holding back tears because brother, sister I’m trying just like you. I’m working and fighting all the time to get back to God. I wish I could tell you I have it all together. I wish could tell you that I have mastered obedience and discipline.
What I do know is that I’m making a commitment to God and publicly before you readers to stop making God jealous—to stop asking Him to compete with my career, friends, social life, everything. God created me (us) to worship Him with our whole hearts. You know what that means? That means that when He speaks, we respond. And we listen to Him and for Him. We don’t respond to our fleshly desires to do what we want to do. We have a choice. Our choices either bring us TO God or drive us AWAY from God. What are your choices doing? This post is not to make you feel guilty. It’s to help you recognize and understand the challenges we face as 21st century, young Christians.
Your Bible says to die daily to your flesh. Sometimes we don’t know how to die. Do you know what dying looks like? It’s a picture of you choosing God above all else. Listen to that still small voice (thought, hunch) to live holy and make decisions in alignment with righteousness and God’s Word. He’s jealous for you. Let me paint this picture.
You know when you have a boo and you’re SO JEALOUS when he/she is looking at someone else, spending time with someone else, wanting to talk to someone else versus talk to you? You rage with envy. So does God. He created you. Your envy is inherited, and it’s difficult to control. Can you believe that the Creator of all Heaven and Earth is jealous for you?! It gives me chills thinking about how awesome it is that God can have any heart in the world and actually WANTS to dwell in mine (and yours too)! “My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways” –Proverbs 23:26.
(Toshi Sasaki/ Thinkstock)
LET YOUR PAST BE THE PAST. GOD HAS.
It’s now 4 .a.m. My hands are shaking from trying to type all the things God is speaking to me. I don’t “hear” anything I’m just letting my fingers run. I explain that because I know sometimes we say we don’t know what God is saying or how He speaks. THIS is one way. THIS is for you. THIS is for me. God is speaking.
It’s timeout for emotional Christianity. I’m guilty of that. It’s timeout for “I feel like God doesn’t mind my… or doesn’t care if I…” because (what’s our favorite justifier) “God knows my heart.” Do you know what the Bible says about your heart? “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? –Jeremiah 17:9.
Dear brother. Sweet sister. You messed up years ago and you’re still hurt and bringing it up to God every chance you get cause you want to make SURE you’re forgiven. God is asking, “Why do you keep brining it up?” He’s merciful to your unrighteousness. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” –1 John 1:9 and “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more” –Hebrews 8:12.
Hear me. LET. IT. GO. Move on with the fear of God to not sin anymore. I almost can’t stand the cliché, “I’m not perfect; nobody is.” True. However, perfection is the mark, goal, bullseye. We should be PRESSING toward perfection, as Jesus is perfect. “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” –Philippians 3:14 and “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;” –1 Peter 1:15. After all, we want our hearts to look like Jesus’ right? I thought so. Now, press. Stop using Satan, your past, your current circumstances, your family, your feelings, your heart, YOURSELF as crutch to keep you bound. You were born victorious. You’re fighting to STAY that way, not to GET that way. Victory is yours!
This post was supposed to be about “How to Spend Time with God,” which was the request I received. I’ll blog about that later. Right now, I have to obey my Father. His plans supersede my own. I want God’s will for my life (gold over bronze). Join me in going for the gold! Remember, God loves you and so do I!
A friend sent this video below to me. It blessed me tremendously! Enjoy!
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