patience

When God speaks

/ Patty Morris / Leave a comment

Ask the Lord to speak to you. And He will respond. A soft whisper in your heart. Or a blazing fire in the desert. It is God’s heart desire to communicate with you, His favorite child. His words are pregnant with meaning for you. New hope Fresh perspective. Encouragement. Direction. And lots of LOVE.

Read what God has already written in your Bible. Ask Him specifically where you should read. The Holy Spirit will highlight verses that come alive to you off the pages.

Sometimes you will hear His quiet voice speaking deep in your spirit in prayer. The Lord may speak to you through dreams and visions, signs and wonders. Or all of the above. He may speak to you through a friend or teacher. Do not limit God. He is full of surprises. He spoke to Moses through a fire!

Ask in faith believing you will hear from Him. There will be times of silence, but that’s just another test designed for you to pass. Wait quietly, patiently, knowing an outpouring of His LOVE and grace is on the way.

Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character. (Psalm 105:19)

Keep your spiritual eyes and ears open.

Write it down. Whatever the Lord tells you, write it down. Every word of God is precious and worthy of remembrance. Ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom to understand and apply the word to your life. His supernatural insights and encouragement are just what you need to get you through the days ahead.

Of course, there are many voices out there. Make sure the voice you hear is of God. Ask the spirit if Jesus Christ of Nazareth is his Lord. If he can agree, you will know that voice is from God. If not, silence that voice in Jesus’ name. Do not listen anymore.

Ask God for dreams and visions, signs and songs, inventions and creative ideas. He will give them to you. Write them down. And as you do, ask Him for interpretations of these dreams, visions, signs, songs, and ideas. His ways are higher than our ways. He often speaks in metaphors and parables. Their meaning may be profound. What seems clear to us at first may only be a shadow of what the Holy Spirit is really trying to communicate. So ask Him to interpret what He shows you–from His point of view. How can you apply that to your life? And write that down as well.

Open my eyes, Lord, to see the miracle-wonders hidden in Your word. (Psalm 119:18)

Stop and take a closer look. Take time away from your daily activities to hear the word of God. Do not be too busy to hear what God is saying. Moses had to turn away from shepherding his flock to investigate an amazing burning bush in the wilderness. Out of that fire, the Lord called Moses to his destiny–to deliver God’s people from bondage in Egypt. Moses had to give the burning bush more than a quick glance from afar. He had to take time away from his work, drawing near to the Lord to hear what He was saying. The Lord did not speak until Moses moved toward Him.

When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “Here I am!” Moses replied. (Exodus 3:4)

Follow. Whatever the Lord shows you to do, do it. Keep the faith. Trust in His timing, guided by His grace. God’s promise for the future may not come as quickly as you would like. But it will happen, just as the Lord has spoken to you–if you continue to believe and say so. Say, “I’m a believer, not a doubter.”

Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you would only believe, you would see the glory of God.” (John 11:40)

Thank God for His message to you. Take it to heart and do what He says to do. Be full of joyful expectation.

Ask for more. There is always more in God. More is coming. Ask and you will receive. Stoke the fire by reading your Bible. Pray in your Holy Spirit-inspired prayer language to elevate the discourse. God answers prayer. He responds to an open heart eagerly seeking to know Him better.

Love is the answer

/ Patty Morris / Leave a comment

How is your love life?

Relationships can be messy.  Conflicts are inevitable.  With all the division, quarreling and misunderstandings going on today, there seems to be only one real remedy–love.

Love your friends.  Love your family and your supporters.  But don’t forget to love those who disagree with you.  And love your enemies–those who persecute you, criticize you and lie about you.  Pray for them.  Love them.  Especially those who disagree with you–even if they are wrong.

Pray and ask the Lord for wisdom and patience.  He will show you how best to handle each situation.  If there is abuse involved, remove yourself from that situation.  If you need help, get it.

But if a person is merely annoying you, making you angry, cover that person in prayer.  The Lord may give you insight as to why they are being so disagreeable.  God may tell you to bind the evil spirits that are deceiving that person.  Bind them in Jesus’ mighty Name.  Then ask God to send that person witnesses to the truth, witnesses to whom they will listen.  Declare by faith a spirit of love over your irritant.

” Receive this truth:  Whatever you forbid on earth shall be considered to be forbidden in heaven. and whatever you release on earth will be considered to be released in heaven.”                                                                             Matthew 18:18  (TPT)

Many times the Lord will choose not to deliver us from trouble immediately but rather uphold us through that trial.  His goal is to develop our strength of character and endurance.  Our character is more important to God than our comfort level.

Endurance means patience, perseverance.  Patience can be defined as love on trial, love refined and pure, selfishness conquered.  This trial of love could be painful, but the fruit of it is worth it  Let patience have its perfect work.

Let’s see what our love life should look like. This is what God says He is working to develop in us.

Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s LOVE in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything without weakening! Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end].                                                                              1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (AMPC)

Unconditional love that is patient and kind, not self-centered–that kind of love never fails!  God says so.  And He is always right.  He is LOVE Himself.

So agree with God.  Stop complaining about that person who irritates you.  They may be just the sandpaper you need to smooth out your own rough edges.  Start calling yourself and your irritant patient and kind with each other.  Say that you are ever ready to believe the best about each other.  Be not touchy, fretful or resentful.  Take no offense with each other.  Instead, be quick to forgive.  Say these powerful words from the Bible out loud each day, and watch your relationships change.  God-given words spoken by a believer have great power and authority.  They have healed many a relationship, many a marriage.

And in the meantime, if someone refuses to love you back–even after all your patience and kindness–just bless them and get on with your life.  Give them grace–not what they deserve.  No resentment.  No bitterness from you.  You go free from any burden of hatred or offense.

How is it possible to love the unlovable? Only by the Spirit of God.  If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, His Spirit lives inside you.  Let Him have free rein in your life.  Let Him love the people through you.  Be His love letter.  Ask Him to help you.  Love is really the only answer.