I don’t know about you, but for me, Spring is one of the most difficult times to live in Gunnison. When most people think of Spring, they think of flowers blooming, gentle breezes through sunlit meadows, and birds chirping in trees full of brand new leaves. But here at 8000’ in central Colorado, its more like frozen brown stalks protruding from the snow, a strong, cold, west, wind driving a hard wet snow, and a couple a Ravens fighting over a piece of road-kill.
We all expect the serious cold in the winter. I think most of us have made some level of peace with that, but when late March and early April roll around, we are ready for a break. I think this it what makes springtime here seem so long and downright unjust.
I have noticed that, even more than in mid-winter, I start to hear a lot of negative talk about this valley at this time of year. Sorry to say, some of it is heard coming from my own lips. But this year, with the combination of “spring weather,” and the economic difficulties that many have been facing, the talk seems to be even worse than normal. I am writing this today as a simple reminder to all, those who live here, and those in other parts of the country, to remember that our words are powerful and we will one day give an account of them to God.
There are two verses from Proverbs that have been rolling around in my heart for the last couple of days. They are: (Proverbs 11:11) “Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.” And, (Proverbs 10:11) “The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.”
Our words are very important for several reasons. First, they are an accurate reflection of the condition of our hearts. Sorry, no two ways about it, if I am habitually running down my home, my community, my neighbors, or my nation, no matter what the natural circumstances may be, I have been spending too much time meditating on the negative and not enough time in the Word and Presence of God – period.
Secondly, we are the people of God. We are here to speak blessing over our community, not to join in the chorus of negative talk that you can find anywhere at any time coming from the lips of those who do not regard God. Yes, I know, today is sunny and bright, but tomorrow, and for the next five days, it is supposed to snow. If we let that be a catalyst for spewing criticism, cynicism, and depression into the air, then I guess we had better like living in an atmosphere of criticism, cynicism, and depression.
Third, our faith matters to the life and future of our community. Our words are seeds that will produce a harvest for eternal life, or for death. I have heard a lot of people in recent weeks, many of them Christians, using their words to curse the economy of this county. I don’t know about you, but I am ready to see the Godly prospering in this community. I am ready to hear the victorious shouts of triumph as God’s people enjoy the fruit of believing His promises. If that is what we want, that needs to be what we are speaking, praying, and expecting.
And finally, we are called to be a thankful people. On our worst day, you and I have the privilege of living in one of the most beautiful valleys in this nation. We have a wonderful community, good friends, a strong fellowship of believers, (an amazing pastor/teacher☺), and more in the way of material blessing than 90% of the people on earth. What are we griping about again?
If you will remember to pick three things to be thankful for every day, and keep those things in the forefront of your thinking, you will find yourself living in a different world. Things might be the same, but you will be different, and you will make a difference.
We can do this. Are you with me?
Pastor John
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
God Conversations
I love the way God speaks to His kids. We all want to know what God is saying, but I think nearly every Christian I have ever known has been challenged by the process of learning to discern the voice of God.
Some believers don’t realize that God actually communicates with His family on a regular basis. Many of them spend their lives looking around at the circumstances of life, trying to interpret from them some kind of message from God. Most become confused and frustrated, and there is little or no biblical foundation for such a practice.
Jesus said in no uncertain terms that, His sheep hear His voice, and the voice of a stranger they do not follow (John 10:1-5). That tells us that, not only is He communicating with us, but He is also communicating with us through words, and in a way that we can identify and understand. Jesus has sent the Holy Spirit to live in us–vitally connected to our born-again human spirit so that we can know God’s thoughts toward us on a daily basis. What a deal!
Of course there are several ways that God “speaks” to us. It is way beyond the scope of this little article to cover all of that, but He does speak to us through His written word, the inward voice, and the inward witness. Sometimes a scripture just stands out to us, and we have a deep inner knowing that God is communicating something specific and personal to us at that moment. I would call that a combination of speaking through the written word, and the inward witness–that inward nudge that says, “hey, this is for you!” Sometimes a few words bubble up from our spirit, bringing a fresh understanding, a sense of peace, and instant faith. That too is the Father speaking to us.
I have noticed that most of the time, when God is speaking to me, He starts with a word, and then expands it. For example, my first clue might be that a particular Scripture stands out sharply to me during my prayer time. I always like to prioritize anything that I feel God is saying, so I will immediately begin to ask the Holy Spirit to continue to show me what He is trying to say. I will generally make a note of the verse, and plan to spend time throughout the coming days, or even weeks, thinking about it over and over again. I will usually do a little study, and pull out more verses that pertain to the same subject. I try not to jump to conclusions, or finish God’s thought for Him, but to allow the Holy Spirit to just keep speaking as much or as little as He desires. I am not always successful on that last point, but that is my aim.
For example, the other day during a time of corporate prayer, the Holy Spirit spoke to me, to Karen, and to the others in the meeting, about the fact that He had called us (not just those in attendance, but RMCM in general, and other believers in the valley) here to increase in THIS land, to increase specifically through multiplying ourselves spiritually, and through that process to fill the valley with His presence. He strongly emphasized the word THIS; called to THIS land, meaning this time, place, and in these conditions.
We all prayed this out in a few different ways, and the Lord continued to paint the picture of what He was saying more strongly and clearly on our hearts. I thought that after the meeting, I would go to my office and pick up my study on our current topic for our midweek service. But the word that God had spoken was so strong that I simply could not get away from it. Well, I could, you always have a choice, but I could tell that, and I just don’t know how else to phrase this, the flow of life was on the word about increase and multiplication. So, I abandoned my pre-planned study, and began to seek God further on this subject. To make a long story short, I ended up teaching from that word that came up in prayer both Wednesday night and the following Sunday morning.
I share all of this with you simply as an example of following the leading of the Holy Spirit in your conversations with God. I think most of the biggest mistakes I have made, and the times that I have felt like I couldn’t hear God, were all the result of my deciding to lead the conversation with Him instead of following His lead. Certainly we come at times with a specific need or question for the Lord. He encourages us to seek, ask, and knock. But once He starts to speak, let Him lead! If He begins to talk but it seems to you that He is on a different subject, settle it in your heart–His subject IS the right subject.
One final note. Yesterday I was headed out in the car, so I looked through the podcasts on my iPhone for something to listen to. I found a series by a favorite teacher that had been taught last fall, and I have had for months, but had never heard. The title had nothing to do with what the Lord had been speaking to me about (increase and multiplication). I started to listen, and within moments this man went into all of the exact same scriptures that the Lord had led me to meditate on and teach for the last week. His “repeating Himself” confirmed to me that He isn’t done speaking on this subject, so I will just keep listening. I believe this is the way to lead a long and spiritually healthy life. Just invite and encourage the God conversations.
Some believers don’t realize that God actually communicates with His family on a regular basis. Many of them spend their lives looking around at the circumstances of life, trying to interpret from them some kind of message from God. Most become confused and frustrated, and there is little or no biblical foundation for such a practice.
Jesus said in no uncertain terms that, His sheep hear His voice, and the voice of a stranger they do not follow (John 10:1-5). That tells us that, not only is He communicating with us, but He is also communicating with us through words, and in a way that we can identify and understand. Jesus has sent the Holy Spirit to live in us–vitally connected to our born-again human spirit so that we can know God’s thoughts toward us on a daily basis. What a deal!
Of course there are several ways that God “speaks” to us. It is way beyond the scope of this little article to cover all of that, but He does speak to us through His written word, the inward voice, and the inward witness. Sometimes a scripture just stands out to us, and we have a deep inner knowing that God is communicating something specific and personal to us at that moment. I would call that a combination of speaking through the written word, and the inward witness–that inward nudge that says, “hey, this is for you!” Sometimes a few words bubble up from our spirit, bringing a fresh understanding, a sense of peace, and instant faith. That too is the Father speaking to us.
I have noticed that most of the time, when God is speaking to me, He starts with a word, and then expands it. For example, my first clue might be that a particular Scripture stands out sharply to me during my prayer time. I always like to prioritize anything that I feel God is saying, so I will immediately begin to ask the Holy Spirit to continue to show me what He is trying to say. I will generally make a note of the verse, and plan to spend time throughout the coming days, or even weeks, thinking about it over and over again. I will usually do a little study, and pull out more verses that pertain to the same subject. I try not to jump to conclusions, or finish God’s thought for Him, but to allow the Holy Spirit to just keep speaking as much or as little as He desires. I am not always successful on that last point, but that is my aim.
For example, the other day during a time of corporate prayer, the Holy Spirit spoke to me, to Karen, and to the others in the meeting, about the fact that He had called us (not just those in attendance, but RMCM in general, and other believers in the valley) here to increase in THIS land, to increase specifically through multiplying ourselves spiritually, and through that process to fill the valley with His presence. He strongly emphasized the word THIS; called to THIS land, meaning this time, place, and in these conditions.
We all prayed this out in a few different ways, and the Lord continued to paint the picture of what He was saying more strongly and clearly on our hearts. I thought that after the meeting, I would go to my office and pick up my study on our current topic for our midweek service. But the word that God had spoken was so strong that I simply could not get away from it. Well, I could, you always have a choice, but I could tell that, and I just don’t know how else to phrase this, the flow of life was on the word about increase and multiplication. So, I abandoned my pre-planned study, and began to seek God further on this subject. To make a long story short, I ended up teaching from that word that came up in prayer both Wednesday night and the following Sunday morning.
I share all of this with you simply as an example of following the leading of the Holy Spirit in your conversations with God. I think most of the biggest mistakes I have made, and the times that I have felt like I couldn’t hear God, were all the result of my deciding to lead the conversation with Him instead of following His lead. Certainly we come at times with a specific need or question for the Lord. He encourages us to seek, ask, and knock. But once He starts to speak, let Him lead! If He begins to talk but it seems to you that He is on a different subject, settle it in your heart–His subject IS the right subject.
One final note. Yesterday I was headed out in the car, so I looked through the podcasts on my iPhone for something to listen to. I found a series by a favorite teacher that had been taught last fall, and I have had for months, but had never heard. The title had nothing to do with what the Lord had been speaking to me about (increase and multiplication). I started to listen, and within moments this man went into all of the exact same scriptures that the Lord had led me to meditate on and teach for the last week. His “repeating Himself” confirmed to me that He isn’t done speaking on this subject, so I will just keep listening. I believe this is the way to lead a long and spiritually healthy life. Just invite and encourage the God conversations.
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