21 Days of Listening Day 7: Peacemakers

This Week's Reading: Matthew Ch 5

During my quiet time when I woke up I heard nothing, absolutely nothing at all.

So, I got up and got ready for this convention that I am going to pray at today and then headed down to get a quick bite to eat.

So here I am now waiting for my three egg omelet and I hear the Holy Spirit tell me to go to Matthew 5. So I go and start reading, waiting for the spark that I've grown accustomed to when God wants to show me something.

And it came when I read this:

Matthew 5:9 NKJV
Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.

This is a verse that I have read many many times. I've always seen it as pretty straight forward.

Today I FELT the verse for the first time.

I still feel it as I am typing. I feel how much it grieves God to see us in so much conflict.

All over the world wars are being waged. Some of these wars are physical involving guns and rape and death. Others are in our homes using equally damaging psychological weapons. All of them affect our spirits... the true battlefield from where all conflict originates.

So why are peacemakers so important? True peacemakers not only stop physical wars but they also minister to our spirits. They appeal to the highest aspirations of the human experience.

Peacemakers challenge us to be Christlike and show us the path to reach that destination.
Please pray for the peacemakers in your life and ask God in your quiet time how you can be one of his peace makers.

How can we build instead of destroy?

21 Days of Listening: Day 5 The Spark

This Week's Reading: Matthew Ch 5

Some people have asked me "how does God speak to you? How do you know that it is God?"

One way that I experience God is what I call "The Spark".

Have you ever been reading something or watching a program or even just had a conversation when all of the sudden something triggers a jolt of energy within you? Maybe that jolt comes in the form of an idea or a feeling but either way that feeling is enough to momentarily stop you in your tracks.

Then we have a decision to make. Will we ignore the spark or ride the wave that it triggered within us?

In the past I used to ignore it. After all I have a lot of random thoughts swimming in my brain.

But then something interesting happened. I realized that I would get these same sparks when I read the Bible.
The more that I read the Bible the more often I'd have these triggers of inspiration. It was as if the Holy Spirit used my time in the Word to train me to see the genius he wanted to unlock within me.

The Holy Spirit has shown me that He is often the author of those sparks. We know that it is Him when it is in line with Jesus' message.

If you don't know what that message is try reading Matthew chapters 5-7. Read it through and I bet you will experience that spark at least once before you get to the end.

21 Days of Listening Day 6: Day and Night

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. - Joshua 1:8


This is one of those passages that I read a million times and never took seriously until one day I did. And it is true. 

Here is some of what I've learned about how it works. 

God is the Word. The more we read the Word, the more we know it and believe it. The more we know about the Word the more we know who God is, what God likes and dislikes, what God wants us to do, what God will do for us, and what God wants to do within us to transform us into our best self. 

The power of the Word in our lives is exponential. It just keeps growing and growing until we look back and see our lives transformed. 

Consider keeping a journal as you go through this season of listening to God. Write down those sparks even if you aren't sure if they are from God. That's ok. You'll be able to go back and review them and the Holy Spirit will reveal the truth to you. I good way to know if those sparks are from Him is to also write down two verses that agree with the spark you had. Those may come at a later time as you continue the journey.

Try reviewing them and the scriptures that accompany them in the morning before you start your day and in the evening before you go to sleep. You'll find in time that the the more you do this you will start to see God everywhere, all the time in every thing.

It is a fun journey. Enjoy.

21 Days of Listening: Day 4 - Footsteps

This Week's Reading: Matthew Ch 5

During my quiet time this morning the Holy Spirit showed me a lot about feet.

Sounds kinda weird but it'll make sense when you get to the end.

First He reminded me of the story of Moses and the burning bush. What he highlighted to me was that God told Moses to take off his sandals because he was standing on holy ground.

Then He said the following things to me (in bold below) while at the same time showing me some of the scriptures from the Bible in my memory. After I finished my quiet time I was surprised to find that every single thing was supported by Scripture, even the parts that I could not at first recall.

In short everywhere we step is Holy Ground because the Holy Spirit is within those who believe. When we walk in obedience we literally gain ground for God.

So walk boldly out into the world knowing that you will be victorious in your well doing.

Here is my journey.

Moses at the burning bush... Holy ground

And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, "I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned." When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." Then he said, "Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." And he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. (Exodus 3:2-6 ESV)

The disciples sent out... Where they were received they blessed

And he said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace be to this house!' And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.' But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, 'Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.' I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. (Luke 10:2-12 ESV)

Feet covered with the gospel of peace... We bring peace everywhere we go.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. (Ephesians 6:13-15 ESV)

Everywhere you step the land is yours

For if you will be careful to do all this commandment that I command you to do, loving the Lord your God, walking in all his ways, and holding fast to him, then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourselves. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours. Your territory shall be from the wilderness to the Lebanon and from the River, the river Euphrates, to the western sea. No one shall be able to stand against you. The Lord your God will lay the fear of you and the dread of you on all the land that you shall tread, as he promised you. (Deuteronomy 11:22-25 ESV)

"Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. (Joshua 1:2, 3 ESV)

We claim victory over all the land. Since God abides in us through the Holy Spirit then everywhere we go is holy land.

We must walk in authority when we walk in the fullness of the spirit. We are sons of God... The king of kings, the lord of lords. We are spiritual royalty

Every step must be taken in obedience to His will. We must walk in the spirit through obedience. Faith is radical obedience.

21 Days of Listening Day 3: Being Christlike

This Week's Reading: Matthew Ch 5

During my quiet time this morning I was hearing all kinds of noise from a dream that I had. In the dream I was panicking, frantically looking for something and felt that I was getting taken advantage of in my search.

When I woke up I was trying to figure out what the dream was all about but it didn't make any sense. So I started to pray in what has become my usual way (which I will share more on in the days ahead...). After praising God I then asked the Holy Spirit for help.

In speaking about the Holy Spirit Jesus said:

John 16:7, 12-13 ESV
"Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you."

"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come."

What a great gift the Holy Spirit is...

After thanking God for the Helper I began my silent time. Immediately thoughts of that dream filled my mind again so I asked for help. Then immediately the Holy Spirit said to me "Fear is not from the Lord"

Instantly those thoughts from the dream vanished and I was overcome with peace.

Often times we Christians forget that we have a Helper in the Holy Spirit. We think that we have to be Christlike all by ourselves. That is impossible.

We are called to be LIKE Christ, not to BE Christ.

This gives me so much comfort! Not only will I be forgiven when I fall short but also the Holy Spirit is there to help me stand tall. During our silent time the Holy Spirit has the space to speak to us.

Being silent helps the Helper do His job.

We do not have to try to be perfect. We just have to remember that we are not perfect, and know that the Holy Spirit is always there with us to help.

21 Days of Listening: Day 2 - The Helper

Be still, and know that I am God. Psalms 46:10

This Week's Reading: Matthew Ch 5

We are in our second day of the first week which focuses on Quieting the Mind. 

Some days are easier than others. 

I tried doing it this morning but was having a tough time. Then I started reading this book I'm almost done with called Good Morning Holy Spirit. In it Benny Hinn talks about the importance of having a relationship with the Holy Spirit.

This book is changing my life. 

But one of the things that he harps on a lot is that the Holy Spirit is our HELPER. Any time we are struggling to do God's will the Holy Spirit will give us that added boost that we need when we call on Him.

Help is just a few breaths away. 

So I asked Him for help for myself and now I am asking Him to help all of you along this journey with me. God we thank you and praise you for all that you have done for us and given us. We thank you for giving us the Holy Spirit as a Helper to guide us on the path toward your will for our lives. Holy Spirit please help us to be still and hear you loud and clear so that we can better understand God's will for our lives. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

I hope that in your silence you are hearing God loud and clear. 


What has God said to you today? Dare to share!

Week 1, Day 1: Quieting the Mind

Be still, and know that I am God. Psalms 46:10

This Week's Reading: Matthew Ch 5

One of the biggest obstacles for me in my spiritual journey was my mind. My mind races a mile a minute. It is quite easy for me to get lost in thoughts about the past, the future, or some problem that I’m trying to solve. All of the sudden I’ll look up and minutes have passed without me being aware of what is going on around me.

Not so great for my conversation skills.

The root of the problem is that I identified too closely with my mind. I always prided myself on being a smart person and so it was easy to connect my identity to my thoughts.

I was stuck in the philosophical rut of “I think, therefore I am”.

God helped me through this when he called me to a ten day fast which included the Master Cleanse, no music, no internet, and no TV. Let me tell you, the silence was deafening.

I was forced to confront my mind. When I tried to shut it up it just kept roaring on. But, when I stopped and listened to it a breakthrough occurred. It was as if I realized for the first time that all of the thoughts running through my head were not me. Once my mind  became aware that it was being listened to it immediately shut up. And then my spirit started talking.

We are not our minds, we are our spirit.

This time was one of those times in my life where I discovered a lot about who I am and what God wants me to do. It only took a few days and some silence to LISTEN to what God had been trying to tell me my entire life.

Here’s how we can learn to better listen to God.

Pray as you normally would for as long as you like. When you are done tell God that you will be quiet and ask Him to speak to you. Give yourself at least 5 minutes of silence to allow for this to happen.

At first your mind will start to wander. That’s ok. Let it run around and do its thing. You may have thoughts of doubt (this is stupid, God isn’t real, why would he talk to me?), fear (oh my goodness, what am I going to do about this problem at work? Did I leave the stove on? What if John hollers at Sally before I get a chance to?) or even bad memories…

It’s ok… just hold on and be patient.

Instead of trying to control your mind by beating it into submission just LISTEN to it until it shuts up. Don’t judge it or get offended by it. Just listen. Once it realizes that it is not in control then it will submit.

Then the spirit will speak.

You’ll know it is the spirit because there will not be any fear. Everything you hear will be in line with the Bible.

During this first week just start writing down the interesting things you hear. If you hear something and don’t know if it is from God or not you can ask me here or in the facebook group and we will do our best to help you along the journey.

I am willing to bet that if you spend at least 5 minutes a day LISTENING to God after you finish talking to Him in prayer he will definitely talk back.

God wants to have relationship with us. We just have to listen.

Let’s have fun with this. I’ll be here to help you along the way. Dare to share!

21 Days of Listening

So we just did Five Minutes of Prayer for ten days. That was pretty amazing! But I have a question for you:

How much of those five minutes were spent with you talking?

50%?

60%?

99.9%?

If you are like me you probably spent more time talking than you did listening. Talking isn’t bad of course. God wants us to share with Him what is on our hearts. It is not because He doesn’t know but rather because He wants to have a relationship with us.

But relationships are a two way street. It’s hard to hear when God talks back if we keep running our mouths right?

Well, here is my new challenge. Let’s build on what we have started with the 5 minutes of prayer and add on 5 minutes of listening. Of course you can do more but let’s try to do at least five minutes of each. The total time commitment is 10 minutes. Easy right?

Here are the rules:

5 Minutes of Prayer: Day 1 The Promised Land

OK...

So I prayed for 5 minutes this morning on the train and this is what happened. Recently a friend suggested that I read Exodus and Revelation to search for a connection there. So I've been reading Exodus. During my prayer time I was reminded of all of the abuses of Pharaoh against the children of Israel and how when they got their freedom and were in the wilderness they cried out to RETURN to that slavery rather than face the fear of the unknown.

Then God showed me

The Prayer Challenge

Raise your hand if you have ever heard someone say that they talk to God. Raise your other hand if you ever thought that they were crazy?

I see you over there with both hands raised.

I used to be the same way. I couldn’t grasp how that was possible. Why would some big far away God be bothered with the day to day world of little old me?

2012: The Year of Freedom

Happy New Year everyone! 

I hope that everyone had a safe holiday and that you are feeling loved and blessed by God and family during this season.

I’ve been spending the past several months praying and thinking about what to do next with this site and our group. I felt that I was supposed to write about something very specific, but since I had not heard clearly on what it was, I decided to take a step back and wait until God revealed it.

Then a few months ago someone asked me: “What does it mean to be a Christian?”