Give and it Shall be Given to You.

Many years ago, when I first started my walk with God, I was shopping. I hadn’t been a Christian long and I thought I heard God say ‘speak to that young man.’ There was a lad cleaning scuff marks off the walls outside the supermarket in Tahmoor. I’d never heard God speak and I remember thinking; I can’t talk to this boy. I don’t know him and I wouldn’t know what to say. I got what I came for and he was still there, still cleaning when I left. I thought it was my imagination and then God said; “Speak to him.” It was a louder, more insistent voice.

“Oh, well, perhaps if he looks at me…”

The boy glanced my way but I wasn’t sure that he ‘looked at me.’ So, I got in the car and drove out of the lot when I heard a very insistent; “SPEAK TO THAT BOY!”

I drove around the block, came back and parked the car once more saying to God, “You’d better give me something to say if I’m going to do this for you.”

I walked up to the lad (16 years old or so) with no idea what I was going to say and blurted out; “I don’t know if you’re happy in your job, but if you’re not, go the library and borrow anything you can on positive thinking. It’ll change your life, I promise.”

The boy’s whole demeaner changed and he gave me a big smile and said thank you so much.

I walked back to the car and put my hand on the door handle and I heard the Lord say; “That boy was going to commit suicide.”

In that moment I knew, if I hadn’t spoken to that young man, God would never have revealed this final piece of information. People don’t want to commit suicide. They feel they have no other option.

Someone later said you can’t say that to a person. That’s not honouring God. I said; Yes, I can. I came to God because He spoke to me through these kinds of books and He can do the same for this fellow.

God asked me one day, what all these books have in common and I answered; a belief in a higher power, a creator, God. That’s when I became born again and I didn’t have the wisdom to convey that to the young man, so I gave him what I had (just as Peter did to the lame man – silver and gold have I none but such as I have I give thee) and I expected God to do the rest.

The reason I’m telling you this is because, if you remember I mentioned the other day that I’m going to give a church donation larger than normal and I did that on Sunday. I marked on an envelope where the money was to go, in what part of the ministry I’d been led to support. It was a big step on my small income. I dropped it in the collection box. I didn’t tell anyone. It was between me and God.

I sat back down in my seat. Just as the Lord made mention after the fact that the boy was going to commit suicide, this too, after I’d drooped the money and sat down, I heard the Lord say; “There’s someone who needed to go to this school and couldn’t except you brought in the resource. This person is going to make a huge impact in My name.”

On both counts, if I hadn’t been obedient to the Lord, I don’t think the Lord would have said anything towards the difference I’d made or not made. He wouldn’t burden me with the negative outcomes. He wouldn’t have jumped down my throat for not following his word, but He did let me know of the positive outcome of my actions in each of these events.

Then, right at the end of the service, the speaker said; “I have a word here for someone: God has broken the chains that have held you stuck in place. Shake those chains free. Shake your hands and feet and let those chains fall to the floor.” I couldn’t help but wonder if that wasn’t for me, as I’d given a large donation and perhaps now have broken the spirit of lack that has been plaguing my life, in spite of being a diligent giver all these years.

The Lord repay your work, and a full reward given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge. Ruth 2:12 (My bible study today.)

A Pathetic Life or a Providential Life?

Hell tells us we have a pathetic life. I see pathetic lives in other people, even in myself at times. If we lift up our gates and open the doors (of the heart, mind, ears, eyes and tongue) to God, those hellish thoughts dissipate. Chuck out the ‘junk mail’ that flows to your doors and stand on the word of God. 

Hell puts forth dishonest questioning with bad intent. It tells us we're stupid and we won't be able to do it (whatever that is to you). Don’t answer. Instead think about truth. You have a team; God, Jesus, Holy Spirit and Angels. That is providence. Trust the means that cause things to turn out okay. Hell is trying to get you to worry and despair through evil thoughts. We need to say no to these thoughts, then we shall live a joyous life. Hell will stir up in you to do/say the wrong thing then hell will berate you for doing what it’s suggested.

To live by truth takes time. It’s all done in little bites of progress. Little by little we change, one issue at a time, we’re brought into higher and higher levels of glory; from glory to glory. At all times we’re drawn either into hell or into heaven and the choice is ours as to which place we live in, which place we live from.

The remnant is truth hidden by the Lord and stored until it is revealed to us. Only what’s useful at the time will be pulled out of storage; love, wonder, innocence, playfulness, peace, joy, laughter, inspiration, creativeness. These things will kick in when we look for the good experiences. And this is God’s providence.

When life doesn’t seem to have purpose or meaning, there’s a truth. That truth is the trillions of factors God is working through to draw you to Him. The moment might be unpleasant but in the long run everything will be fine. Get out of those negative emotions (hell’s playbook). Look at the long game. Turn yourself into the right direction and you will get there. You’re aiming for a state of health and happiness and it will come through providence when you turn and look at the light. 

What is the light? Jesus is the light. He is the way, the truth, and the life.

The Lord is always with you. When you look to Jesus, angels will come. When you look to Jesus, Holy Spirit will come. Take what you know to be good and do it. Be grateful for that little positive thought, as that breaks the negative spell and the angels, Holy Spirit and Jesus will work on your behalf.

Recognise and strengthen the partnership that already exists between you and God.

1 Thessalonians 3:11-13

“Now may the Lord God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you. And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish blamelessness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.”

The above verse brought me back to something I wrote towards the end of last month, where an Israeli woman and her two young children (9 months and 4 years), were kidnapped and murdered by the Palestinians. In handing the dead bodies over for a prisoner exchange, the Palestinians were celebrating. Hundreds of them came out to cheer the death of this family.

Like most people around the word, I was mortified over their behaviour and more than a little vexed. Men, women and children all cheering the killing of the “Jew” and her little ones. A friend was texting me and we were discussing it. She spoke of the Muslims as monsters over this one act more than any other and I agreed with her. I felt a check in my spirit and later deleted the conversation. Although I still felt it to be true, I decided it wasn’t a good thing to put in print.

At church the next week, I opened the gates and the doors (heart, mind, ears, eyes, tongue) and was drawn into the heavenlies during worship, sitting under the ‘fountain of living water’ surrounded by a bright light. I was soaking under the fountain, looking at my fingers in amazement as they were glowing with light and I heard the Lord say; “Can you forgive? Can you forgive them, as Jesus forgave the Roman soldiers?” Instantly I knew what He was getting at, even though I wasn’t thinking about it at the time – that was the check in my spirit from earlier in the week.

Can I forgive the Muslims of this horrific act that they were celebrating in their depraved and monstrous way? Can I have mercy on them as Jesus did towards those who betrayed and killed Him? (Father forgive them for they know not what they do.) For God loves all people and wants none to perish; not even the Muslims who rejoice in the death of a Jewish mother and her babies.

For Jesus, I can forgive. And so, I had to let go of the anger, repulsion and sense of outrage that was burning within and replace it with forgiveness, compassion and love. If only all of the world could do this; the world would be a much better place.

It was later, during bible study, that we read 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13. It was here I could see the consequences of forgiveness. In forgiving, I will be established as blameless before God. A rather important outcome, don’t you think?

A providential life, one ordered and orchestrated by the Lord. A life of joy and peace - that’s what I aspire to. Don’t you?