My Audience of One

On a sunny day in June, I was sitting in my garden of prayer, where I daily converse with the Lord. I admit I had a discouraged heart that morning, and found myself wondering if all my hours of labor on my website was invain, not knowing if it was bringing life to others. God used this moment to speak this word of exhortation to my heart.

Dear Child,

Listen to the birds, look at the beauty of the roses! The birds sing unto Me regardless if man appreciates them or applauds them! The roses bloom and scent the air, regardless if man appreciates them or applauds them! They fulfill the purpose of their creation, regardless of appreciation or applause from man.

They bring glory to My Name, by naturally without reasoning or questioning, doing that which, I, the Creator planned for them. They do it just to bring Me joy!

Child, may your life continue to blossom,

May your life continue to give fragrance,

Regardless of appreciation or applause from man!

The birds don’t reason, nobody is appreciating my song, so I won’t sing today!

Nor do the roses reason, nobody is admiring me today, so I will stop blooming and giving fragrance!

Child, do not reason or question, simply sing, bloom and gave fragrance through your writing just for Me!

                                                           Thus saith Papa                  

Cor. 15:58  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Rev. 4:11  Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

CHALLENGE: May this word of exhortation encourage your heart as it did mine, and remind you of “Your Audience of One” who sees and knows all your labor of love.

P.S. Mothers, this challenge is especially for you, for all the unnoticed, often not appreciated mundane things you do everyday.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

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Finding Gold in the Valleys

 

Dear Papa,

Does humility lead to obedience, or does obedience lead to humility?

Dear Child,

Humility leads to obedience, for only when you humble yourself before Me will you have the grace to be obedient. Even My Son learned obedience through suffering. And suffering will reap humility. Learn of Him, the expression of humility.

                                                            Thus saith Papa


Heb.5:8  Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

Heb.12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

1 Peter 5:5-6 For God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He might exalt you in due time. 

Suffering leads me to dependence on Papa, for then I realize my weakness. When I am weak, then I am humbled to rely on His strength, which is sufficient.

Suffering will teach me humility

Humility will teach me obedience

Obedience will teach me maturity

“God never intended that tribulation should have no fruit. His purpose is that all pressure lead to growth and all poverty lead to wealth. His destiny for His people is not continuous distress and poverty. Distress and poverty are not an end; they are the means to the end. The New Jerusalem is a city of infinite wealth. However there is not a nugget of gold in that city which has not been tried in the furnace of affliction, not a precious stone which has not passed through the fires, and not a pearl that has not been born of suffering.” Watchman Nee

Rom.8:17-18  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Note: Surely our spiritual wealth comes from trials!

CHALLENGE: May we all realize that the pure gold of our faith is extracted from the valleys of our lives and not from our mountain top experiences.


Ambassadors of His Kingdom

Dear Child,

The church will see My glory when the lives of My people bring glory to My name! The way you live and your walk will either bring glory or shame to My name, for you are called by My name. Realize the name you bear. You are not only My children, you are also My ambassadors on this earth which is only a temporal embassy, others judge My kingdom by what they see in your lives.


They judge the power and authority of My kingdom by how you use that power and authority.

They judge the values of My Kingdom by what is important to you.

They judge the principles of My kingdom by the principles you live by.

Walk worthy of that kingdom! For you are the only ambassador of My kingdom that some will ever see! You are the only epistle some will ever read.

Walk worthy of the high calling of a Child of God.

Thus saith Papa

Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

2 Cor 3:2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:

2 Cor 6:3 Giving no aoffence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed:

Challenge: We must all ask, “ Did my attitudes, words and actions bring glory or shame to His Kingdom today?”

Abiding in Him

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Dear Father,

                   How do I abide in You?

 

Dear Child

Abiding in Me is abiding in the Word for I am the Word, and if you do not abide in the Word, you can do nothing. Abiding is living with, you must live with and by the Word. Abiding is not just visiting BUT living with continually.

Abiding in Me is abiding in My Body. You can’t stay connected to the Head unless you are in the Body. Parts of the Body cannot operate in the Spirit apart from the Head.

Abiding in Me is talking with Me. If you live and abide with Me you will converse with Me.

Without these you are not abiding, you are only occasionally visiting.

                                                                    Thus saith Papa

 John 15:4  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

John 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

John 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

 Challenge: Are you abiding or only occasionally visiting?


Pathway to Maturity

Dear Child,

To lose life in the flesh, is to find life in the spirit.

The cross is self-denial, and doing that which I have ordained for you.

The cross is the key to obedience.

Obedience is the key to maturity

Maturity is the key to conformity to the image of My Son.

Take up the cross for the cross is the way to death of the flesh.

Don’t try to save that which satisfies the flesh for if it is starved it will die.

If it dies you will find spiritual resurrection and power

Thus saith Papa

Mat 10:38-39 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Heb 5:8 -9 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

There is no easy, painless path to maturity, the flesh must be crucified by daily taking up the cross.

We will never learn obedience without daily taking up our cross.

We will never mature without obedience.

We will never be conformed to His image without maturity.

Challenge: Which area of your old fleshly nature needs to be crucified by taking up the cross of self-denial in that area? Then you can state with conviction, “ Not my will but thine be done!”