" From Challenge to Change to Courage...God's Master Plan"
for you life!
Lesson 9
by Sharon Leaf
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| My brother John and me in Zion 2020 Stage 4 cancer doesn't keep my brother from enjoying God' beautiful country! |
Part 1 ~ Learning to listen ~ Believing God for direction
Why would God make a plan to know us and love us, yet not talk to us?
For example, just as Jesus communed with His Father, we are also able to commune with our Father, in the name of Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit. We have all the tools. Now it's up to us to use them.
In I Corinthians 2 Paul states, Who would ever believe we have with (us) the very thoughts and mind of Christ, and have with us the power to move the hands of God by prayer. This verse should motivate our desire to increase our understanding towards the things of God.
How do we know what God wants for us? We ask! In James 1:5,6 we read, If you want to know what God wants yo do do, ask Him and He will gladly tell you, for He is always ready to give a bountiful supply of wisdom to all who ask Him. And remember, if you don't ask with faith, don't expect the Lord to give you any solid answer.
Hearing God's voice is a personally unique process that grows with our desire to hear, and it is lived out by practice and the faith to believe God can and will talk to us. When Rob and I lived in Sweden for a year while attending an international Bible School, we literally had to live by faith on a daily basis ... to provide our monthly rent, food, supplies, bus fare, etc. Because of that experience, my faith grew by leaps and bounds. It was the same when we were volunteers on the WWII ship Restoration for fourteen months. We again prayed, and lived by faith. When I think about it, living by faith were some of the best years of my life. And guess what? I'm still choosing to live by faith!
God knows how to direct our success, our happiness and our decisions. He desires to use us to bring joy to others and receive joy in return. The Holy Spirit motivates desire and if we continue to seek Him, the desire will grow. We grow as we walk on our journey. Some travel the journey more quickly, others more slowly. It's important to remember to travel at 'your own pace'... don't compare yourself with others. The unknown should intrigue us. We have a void until we begin to find answers to our naturally inquiring minds.
Before we accept Christ, the Holy Spirit is considered to be upon us, gently leading us to Him. Once we accept Jesus, the Holy Spirit is then inside us, and enables us to grow and serve at the level we desire. Our growth process takes time spent studying God's Word, time spend with other believers who will help us along our journey, and most important, our time spent in prayer, seeking the Father. It's amazing what we can accomplish when we acknowledge Him in our lives. Ephesians 3:20 says, Now glory be to God who by His mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of. Infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes.
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| Famous church in Barcelona, Spain 2017 |
Part 2 ~ Our love for the Father is very personal.
The Bible assists us in knowing God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Since Jesus is the only one on the trinity who walked on earth, it makes it easier to have a relationship with Him. We read of His kindness and compassion towards others. Since Jesus no longer walks on earth, God sent us the Holy Spirit to give us access to His thoughts. I found out many years ago that God is only a prayer away.
God is as real as you want Him to be. Can you think of times when you were going through a crisis when God seemed more real than ever? Through the death of a loved one, health problems, the loss of a job, and life's failures in general, we pray more, we listen more, we depend on Him more. This recently happened to me! My daughter and son-in-law tested positive for the China Flue (Covid-19)! For a moment, my heart stopped and my world stood still. I prayed, I listened, and I'm depending on my Lord to bring healing to them!* Plus I'm surrounded by lots of prayer warriors!
(*Note: They are both now healed!)
Jesus will take every opportunity to make Himself real to us, but He cannot come to us without our permission, acceptance, and desire. There were times during my divorced years that I still loved God very much, even went to church and read my Bible. However, I did not want anyone even suggesting that I was doing wrong for going out dancing with my girlfriends, or dating a non-Christian. But through time, I came to my own crossroads when I knew that I had to give everything up and turn passionately back to my Lord. And that's when my life began turning around for the better! Yep, that's when Rob stepped into my life (read my novel Lady and the Sea to get then whole story).
As David states in Psalms 95:7, "Oh, that you would hear Him calling you today and come to Him."
Thought for the week:
If you don't believe you can hear from God,
then you won't.
The turning point is when you open yourself to the
possibility that He can and will
share His thoughts with you.
Whether near or far,
remember to keep reading and
keep that body movin'!
www.amazon.com/author/www.sharonleaf.com
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