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Have you ever needed to deal with a situation where denial is playing it’s part in some way?

If you have, then you might see a truth or two in this week’s post title.
For denial, can very much so, be a tricky thing to deal with.

I am coming to the thought that one of the first things that denial does, is state (ever so quietly), “I’m not here, there’s no problem here, the problem is somewhere else!”

How can you deal with a problem, if you don’t see it?
Hence part of the reason why denial can be so difficult to deal with.

You can be hit with a wall of,
It’s not me it’s you!
What’s your problem.
I’m not upset, you’re the one who’s upset. (Upset could be changed for, angry, disappointed, annoyed, and many other emotions.)
You’re talking utter nonsense, I’ll just not listen to it.
(I dare say that denial has many more tactics than the few that I have listed here.)

If there is denial working in me, then I can possibly do something about it. But if denial is working in others, that we are dealing with, then that can be all the more challenging.

I’m just going to ask the question of, “What can I do if denial is working it’s will out in me?”

The first thing to do is ask the question of, “Is there any denial in me?” Then be willing to hear the truthful answer, and act accordingly.

You could try to clear the decks, by asking in your Heavenly Fathers presence, “If there is any denial in me, then please take it away, and fill the space with You and Your Truth instead.”

The essence of the above paragraph is to try and ask, “How much of the problem is me?”

John 8:31-32
³¹ To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. ³² Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Have you also found that, sometimes it can be easier to see others faults, so much more easily, than our own?
Is this possibly because denial is playing a bigger part in us than we would like???
Could we try to follow David’s example instead?

Psalm 139:23-24
²³ Search me, God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting.

If we seek The Lord Our God, and ask for His help, then He can lead us in the path of, the right way to go.

The words of a prayer, have come to my mind.
Instead of seeking to be understood. Please help me to understand.

If you are lead to, then try to dwell on the above scripture for as long as The Lord Our God directs you to.

_________________________________________

1 John 1:5-10

Light and Darkness, Sin and Forgiveness

⁵ This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

⁸ If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

A bit of a strange tittle for a post, but there it is. 🙂

It’s how I have been left feeling after an incident at work, or more to the point, as I was trying to leave work.

The short version, (I tried to write the long version, but it just didn’t work) is that I go through a security gate as I cycle home that is monitored by a camera and an intercom system. On one particular day, it just didn’t quite work, as I was trying to go home. I had to call the security on my phone instead, and even then, not only did I find out that the intercom was not working, but the gate release was also having a moment. I was effectively at the gate (rattling it a bit) inwardly screaming, “Let me go home!”

Eventually the gate did open, and I could go home.
I was just a bit annoyed, but looking back I wasn’t as annoyed as I think I could have been.
Is a previous post of “Take a breath, and remember to smile.” starting to become a part of me??? 🙂

I hadn’t reached the point of “And!!!”, just yet…. but it was coming.

The following days at work, and a number of emails titled, “When my day is finished, then let me go home!” Managed to bring me to it though.

The final email was very short. It stated that, “it was a switch that was stuck.”

I just looked at it and thought, …. “And!!!” …… “Are you going to fix said switch then???”

I spoke to my manager, and part of his response was, “you’re only going to annoy people if you keep going on about this. Perhaps they will fix it now that you have brought it up?”

It just left me thinking, “You’re just not getting this. It’s all well and good knowing there is a problem, but it’s not going to mean much, unless someone commits to fixing the problem.”

It brought back memories of “One Vital Step… Just not Done.” When the slow cooker was prepared, but not switched on.
Doing that last step does make all the difference.

I have to admit that I then went on a bit of a sulk mission, or a bit of a quiet quit.
I kind of thought “I can’t be confident that I’ll be able to leave the site without any problems and no one seems to care. So why should I care about any of my work that I’m expected to do? I’ll just do what I have to.”

Thank fully it didn’t last too long. I was soon reminded of the, “Accept, Repent and Forgive” way of thinking (I perhaps didn’t listen to it as quickly as I should have though. 🙂 )

It also got me thinking, do we quiet quit or go on a sulk mission when things don’t go the way we want them to in the church?
What I mean is, do we stop giving our best because we are upset with …… ??

Unfortunately it can be all to easy to fall into the wrong mindset, if we are not on our guard against it. We need to be on our guard against the enemy. Taking offence for anything and then going on a sulk mission could be one of the enemies biggest weapons that he has against us.

Instead, can we try to bring whatever is causing us grief to Our Heavenly Father for His input?
When He gives us His input, then will we be able to follow His leading?
Will we be able to take the path that He sets before us to take?

Will we be able to seek forgiveness and reconciliation in place of, I’m right and your wrong?
Will we be willing to ask, “Is there any offensive way in me?”
Will we be willing to listen to the answer, if Our God brings something to us?
And, then will we be willing to work on anything that we need to?
Following the prompting of Our Loving Heavenly Father?

I’ve been watching Elevation Church, just recently.
This weeks (at the time of writing this) was,
Come Out Of The Cave-Pastor Daniel Floyd-Elevation church.

Pastor Daniel was talking about the time just before Gideon. Judges chapter 6. The Israelites had gone astray and The Lord had given them over to the Midianites. It was so bad for the Israelites, that they were living in caves.

Pastor Daniel Floyd’s basic message was, come out of the cave and step into the good that God has for you. (There was a more to the message than just that. 🙂 )

As I was reading some of the comments of “I’m coming out of the cave of ……” I kind of thought, “I’m not really in a cave at the moment.”
But then I thought, “Or am I in a cave, but it’s so comfortable that I don’t recognise it as a cave???”

Pastor Daniel had said that all the Israelites were in the caves, and that they may have grown used to the caves, and even possibly found some comfort in them. The Israelites might even have felt more safe and secure in the caves.
But the caves were not where they were meant to be.

Which leads me to the title of this post of, “Are we Cave Dwellers, without knowing it?”

If we are in a situation long enough, then do we just accept it as the norm?
Even if it’s not where we should be?
Even though it’s that much less, than what we should be experiencing?

Do you feel that you are living the abundant life of blessings that you feel you should be?
I know that I quite often feel that there should be more, in some way. Is this because I am living in a cave of some sort, that I don’t even recognize?

So, do I actually need to step out of the cave, that I’m struggling to even see, in order to step into all the goodness that My Lord God Almighty has for me?

Stepping out of a cave. and going out into the open, where enemies could be waiting, is a bit of a daunting proposition. But, if The Lord Your God is telling you to go….. then you’re not going in your own strength. You’re going in His Strength!
Now that puts a different slant on things.

We have a need to keep in step with Our Lord God, and as we do this, then can we expect to see that much more of His Kingdom, opening up before our very eyes?
If we can keep in step to the Beat of His Drums, then how much more will we see?
If we can be carried along with Him instead of carried away by ourselves, then again, how much more will He show us?

We all may long to see miracle’s, signs and wonders, but do we need to shift our longing to see more of Our Lord God Almighty instead?

Are miracle’s, signs and wonders, just the train of His robe?
Is it just the train of His robe that you are longing to see?
Shouldn’t we be fixing our eyes on The One who goes before the train of His robe?
Our Lord God Almighty!

My Lord God Almighty,
Please help me to see, know and follow You that much more.
Please help me to step out of any cave that I might be hiding in and to follow Your leading that much more closely.
Please help me, to be one who hears, knows and follows Your Voice, that much more.
My Loving Heavenly Father.
Amen.

This has been going round my head just recently. In some respects it sounds like an oxymoron to me. After all, if we judge, then are we not passing judgement?

Matthew 7:1-2 is the obvious passage to go to when thinking about judging others.
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. ²For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

So from Jesus, we are called to not judge. But are there other scriptures that we can look to?

When Saul was trying to take David’s life, how did David respond to him. One of his responses can be seen in,
1 Samuel 24:12
“May the Lord judge between you and me.”

When Joseph’s brothers came to him, afraid that he was going to deal badly with them when their father had died, (to be honest, they had treated him pretty badly, selling him into slavery and all that.)
What was Joseph’s response?
We can see it in,
Genesis 50:19-20
¹⁹ But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? ²⁰ You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

Jude 1:9
⁹ But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”

In the above instances, I think, we can see a judgement taking place, but without doing the judging personally. It’s almost as if they are judging the situation, and not the person.
They are leaving room for God to take that role.

David says, “May the Lord judge between you and me.”
Joseph says “Am I in the place of God?”
And even the archangel Michael says, “The Lord rebuke you!”

There is judgement being made, but they are not doing the judging, they are leaving room for The Lord to do that.
Can we do likewise?
This is possibly/probably a big ask.

When someone hurts us, we then naturally judge. It’s in our instincts.
“How dare you do ………. to me!!!???”
Have you ever been there? I’m pretty certain that I have.
Can we do better in the future?

What happens when we allow ourselves to judge the person instead of the situation?
Misunderstandings. ….. possibly?
Misunderstandings are the enemy’s playground. If we allow misunderstandings to enter into us, then are we dancing to the tune of our enemy?
It’s going to be so much better if we can get into step with The Lord our God!
Can we seek to understand, rather than to be understood?

Can we apply Love to the situation instead?
1 Peter 4:8
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

These are not easy things to wrestle with, but with God, we are able to do all things.
Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

I think that I have written about some of the steps that might possibly be needed to come to this place, in the past. Below I shall list some posts that might be helpful to others (At the end of this post).
If the The Lord prompts you (one just stands out to you,) then do consider reading that one. He will be your best guide for what you need right now at this moment. If you ask Him for His help, then He can lead you to just what you need at this very moment.

The words of a certain song have just come to my mind. They seem to be taking on a new meaning to me.

We make space, we make room.
We have come to yield to You.
We make space, we make room
How we long to be close to You.

You could consider listening to the song. A YouTube search for “We Make Space” should find it.

Our Loving Heavenly Father,
Please help us to always bring all things to You, for Your help and guidance.
You do know what is the Best way to go.
So please help us to see, hear and know Your ways, so that we can follow You, that much better.
Amen.

______________________________________

Forgiveness is Key

Forgiveness and Reconciliation are Two very Different Things
Reconciliation may or may not be the next step after forgiveness.

Accept, Repent and Forgive, There is Power Here!
Three little words, such power.

The Church on the Cliff Top
Will we listen for the small steps as well as the vision?

Are we willing to be challenged?
Will we listen to Father, even when He challenges us?

Let the Rubbish be put Outside
When Jesus asks for something, will we then hand it over?

I don’t like cats!
Can we view those people, who we struggle with, in a different light?

OK, this post starts with a disclaimer. If this starts to make your head hurt, then just stop reading. I’m only barely grasping at straws with this one. 🙂 Rather than being annoyed by this one, if it isn’t for you, then please stop reading and let this one go by for someone else to read.

If you are still with me, then let’s buckle up and see where this takes us??? 🙂

God is ALL Powerful!
Hopefully we can all agree on that one.
Time is also different for God.
Hopefully we can agree on that one as well. The bible does state in,
2 Peter 3:8
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.

So time is different to God than it is for us (mere humans).
But what does that different look like???
Could it be something of an “Intstataneous Eternity” ???

I know, an “Instantaneous Eternity”, sounds like an oxymoron. It just doesn’t, humanly speaking, make sense. They are two opposite ends of the spectrum of time put together. For us mere humans, it just can not be.
But, is God constrained by the same laws of time that we are?

I’ve already stated that time is different for God, and shown a Bible verse to back this up. So I do think that God is Not constrained by the laws of time as we are.

So, is there any reality to the idea that God could, in an instant, experience an eternity?
An “Instantaneous Eternity ” ???

I’m just putting an idea out there. But if there is any truth to the idea, then what could this possibly mean?

One of the things that I have struggled with is freewill working with predestination in unity.

To me, they were opposites on the same spectrum.
To me, they have looked as if they were an oxymoron.
My thinking used to be we either have freewill to make our own choices, or we are predestined to follow a path that has been laid down before us. How could we have both, working in unity with each other?

Enter God with His time frame of “Instantaneous Eternity” … ???
In all our instances we have the freewill to make our choices.
God, in His “Instantaneous Eternity” already knows what our freewill choices will be, as they are just a history, that He already knows… ??

Isaiah 46:9-10
 Remember the former things, those of long ago;
    I am God, and there is no other;
    I am God, and there is none like me.
¹⁰ I make known the end from the beginning,
    from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,
    and I will do all that I please.’

So could we have freewill and predestination, working hand in hand, both at the same time??

I’m not trying to say that this “Instantaneous Eternity” idea is fully correct. I just don’t have the credentials to do that. All that I’m doing is passing on something that I’ve had a glimpse of, that I am trying to make sense of in my own mind.

At best, could I class this account as being an instance where
1 Corinthians 13:12 applies?

¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

For any who are still with me, I hope that I haven’t made your head hurt too much. 🙂

I do pray that anyone who has read this, and all it has done is cause confusion, that Our Lord God would intercede and bring clarification or just let it fall away as an idea that doesn’t matter.

I also pray for any who have read this and can possibly see something here, that Our Lord God would also intercede and bring His clarification, and a way to apply these thoughts, in a way that brings Glory to Our Lord God Almighty.

Proverbs 9:10

¹⁰ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
    and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

______________________________

As I have thought about this post, a thought has come to me.
It comes from the 1 Corinthians 13:12 verse.

¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

If Our God dwells in the “Instantaneous Eternity”, then when we go to be with Our Father in Heaven, (for those who accept and follow Our Lord God Almighty) then will we then experience the “Instantaneous Eternity” also???

But what about those who don’t know and follow Our Lord God Almighty?
Will they then experience an “Instantaneous Eternity” of the not so nice place… (Hell) ???
Will they, in every instant, know the full terror of all that is in their realm???

Suddenly, Hell seems to be a whole lot more, of a scary place to be. … ???

If Our Heavenly Father prompts us to speak up for Him in …… , then can we do so, so that we can then lead as many as possible away from such a place???

If you haven’t made the choice to follow Our Lord God Almighty, then maybe you might want to change that position now?
The starting place could simply be asking, “God, if You are really there, then help me to see and know You.”
If you do take that first step, then Our Lord God will lead and guide you.
We all, just need to be willing to hear, and follow His ways.

Another follow up step could be to use the Lords Prayer as a model for how to pray.
A previous post of How Do You Pray when you feel you just can’t do anything? looks into how to do this.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

3 There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

²     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
³     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
⁴     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
⁵     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
⁶     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
⁷     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
⁸     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

From the above verses we can see that there is indeed a time for all things. I’m going to be a bit cheeky and say that,
“There is a time to line your ducks up, and a time to knock them down.”

OK, I know that, that bit isn’t in the bible, but it is a thought I had that lead me to the above verses, that are. 🙂

If you are anything like me, once I’ve set my ducks up, (little metal duck targets I’m thinking of, so no actual ducks were hurt in this picture. 🙂 ) Then I want to knock them down immediately, or as close to that as I can. 🙂

The thing is though, does that fit in with Our Heavenly Fathers plans?

Is there a difference between the two times?
And can we know what that difference is?

Sometimes it may well be right to knock them down, the moment that they are set up. They are little target ducks to be knocked down, after all.

But what if a world record attempt is being done for most number of duck targets to be knocked down in one go??? ….
(is there such a record… ???)

If there was such an attempt, then the time for setting up and knocking down would matter that much more.
Setting up for a record attempt can take a lot of time, and extra time may be needed to ensure that everything is set up, just so.
Then when the knocking down occurs, it needs to be synchronised so that all are knocked down at the same instant.
A time for setting up and a time for knocking down.

Can we know the difference?
Will we listen for the right moment to do ……. ?
Having said that, is Now the right moment to do ……. ?
Are there also times when anytime is the right time?
Times when we just need you do something, instead of just standing still?

I’d like to be able to answer the above questions, but I can’t. I’m just like everyone else, looking for the right time.
But Our Lord God Almighty Knows what the right time is, for all things!

So if I want to do something immediately, but He says to wait ….. Then will I be able to hear His voice, and more importantly, will I then be able to follow His leading?
Likewise, if I want to stay still, but His voice says to move, then will I be willing to follow His leading and move?

Lord God,
You do indeed know All Things.
Please help me to hear and follow Your voice that much better.
Help me to trust Your timings and to know that You work all things together, for Your good.
Amen.

Have you ever had one of those times when you were holding onto to something so tightly, then someone comes along and says,
“Let go, an adjustment is needed.”

I heard a story were such an occurrence happened.

There was a couple who were happily sleeping under a duvet.
At some point in the night the 1st partner (I’m not going to say whether it was the husband or the wife, 🙂 ) complained, “I need some more duvet, I’m getting cold!”
The 2nd partner responded, “You already have most of the duvet, you can’t have the little that I’m left with!”
But the 1st insisted that they were cold.
The 2nd partner eventually turned the light on, then looked at what was going on. They then got out of the bed, went round to the 1st partner and said, “Please let go of the duvet.”.
The 1st partner did just that. The 2nd partner then took the corner of the duvet and walked it down the bed, covering the 1st’s legs. They then took the other corner that the 1st was holding onto, and then brought it over their shoulders.
The 2nd partner, then duly went back to bed, and said, “We can both go to sleep, warm under the duvet now.” (Other words, muttering or joking may have been said. 🙂 )

An adjustment was needed.

The 1st partner was holding on so tightly to the duvet in the wrong way, so that it wasn’t keeping them warm.
They had everything they needed to be warm, but an adjustment was needed.
Thankfully the 1st partner allowed the 2nd partner to make the needed adjustment.

Can we sometimes make the same mistake of holding onto, too tightly …….. ?
Do we then, need to allow an adjustment to be made?

Can we sometimes find ourselves in places where we feel out of our depth, and then just cling to whatever we can?
Could we release our grip and instead cling to Our Lord God?

The Israelites at the Red Sea, had to effectively let go of Egypt and step into what God had planned for them. (Exodus chapter 14)

In 1 Kings 17:7-16 we can read how a widow who didn’t have enough to feed herself and her son, then goes onto to feed Elijah, herself and her son, as she makes an adjustment and follows Elijah’s instructions to make him some bread, even though she didn’t have enough for herself.

1 kings 17:14
¹⁴ For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’”

As the widow gave what she had, back to God by feeding Elijah, she was then able to supply not only Elijah’s needs, but also her own, and her son’s needs.
She made an adjustment and God provided.

Is there an adjustment that we need to make to our thinking or actions?
Will we release what we have, to allow God to be the provider of our needs?

Philippians 4:19
¹⁹ And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.