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Will You Offer up Your Ink Blot Picture?

I think that pictures are great!
Hold on a minute, I think that I need to properly validate that statement.
I think that pictures (when given from God) are great!

That little bit in the middle makes a huge difference, to the statement.

When I get a picture, I see a small portion of the picture. I speak out (a form of painting 🙂 ) the picture that I see in my head. My Heavenly Father sees the bigger picture, and at His direction, my small picture can then be magnified by what He does with it.

I’ll try to explain what is going on in my head a bit better.
I do my small part, sometimes having some idea of where I’m going and sometimes just trusting. Father then comes along and does so much more that I just didn’t see with what I have just done.
I’m then just left with the thought of, WOW, You are just so GOOD Lord!

It can be like I paint a small picture, and then others see all the bits that I didn’t paint. Father comes along and makes the picture so much bigger!

In my mind I have an ink blott picture, but others see a masterpiece. (Sometimes, that is. 🙂 )

Now inkblot pictures can be very funny things.
To one person they can be nothing, to another rage and to another pure love. The difference is interpretation.

Now if Our Heavenly Father is involved with the interpretation, then the same inkblot picture can be whatever it needs to be at any particular time to the person who needs it.

For my inkblot picture to bless somebody else, I don’t need to have the interpretation! I just need to offer up my inkblot picture. (Even if I think, this is just a mess. 🙂 )

Did you know that? You can bless someone without even knowing quite what it is that you are doing.

My wife does this as a matter of routine now.
She used to say to me, so and so has just come to my mind, what does that mean? My off the cuff response was, “Well just pray for them then.”
She did. But now she does this almost automatically. I have even joined her in praying for …… at times.

In short my wife’s inkblot picture can be, ……. has come to my mind, I’ll pray them.

The real question is, When God gives you an inkblot picture to share, will you then share it?
Will you share it even if you don’t understand it?
Will you share it, even if you think that it’s going to make you look a bit silly?
Will you share it and allow God to bless someone else through what you share in Him?
Instead of hiding it away, will you allow your inkblot picture to be a fragrant offering that is acceptable, to your Loving Heavenly Father?

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The Fence in the Wind.

At church this morning my wife shared a picture with somebody. It was such a good picture that I thought I just have to write about that one. 🙂

The essence of what she said was, I’m reminded of the time when we had all them high winds and our fence was looking a bit unstable. It looked as if the wind was going to blow the fence down. Then my husband went and got a big piece of metal and put it into the ground and then used a piece of rope to hold the fence in place. (I effectively made an industrial strength tent peg and guy line.) Having God, Jesus in our lives is a bit like that metal and rope in place. He supports us when we would otherwise be blown down.

I told you it was good.
I also think that it is very much so true.
We can all have winds which can blow against us, some of which could overpower us if we are left to stand in our own strength. Having Jesus in our lives gives us an extra strength that we can call on, so that we don’t need to rely fully on our own strength, but can look to someone who is greater than us to help and guide us in all that we do.

In order to gain access to this extra strength, all we need to do is ask for God, Jesus to come into our lives. It can be as simple as asking, “Jesus, please come into to my life, help me to know You.”

If you haven’t already asked Jesus into your life, then I ask you to consider doing so. He can be the extra help and strength that you never knew you needed. He has so much Goodness for you if you will just ask Him in.

Below is a prayer that you could use to ask Jesus into your life.

Jesus,
Please come into my life.
I invite you into my heart and life, all that I am.
I may not fully know what it its that I’m doing, but I invite You, all the same.
I’m sorry that I’ve not done this before and I am sorry for the things that I gave got wrong in the past.
I ask that You will help me from this point onward.
I ask that You will be an extra strength in my life, so that I can be a stronger version of who I am.
Help to to hear and follow Your ways.
Thank you that You accept me as Your child.
Amen.

If you have just said this prayer for the first time, then can I encourage you to tell someone.
If you know someone who is a Christian, then I would encourage you to tell them of your decision to ask Jesus into your life.
I would like to personally say, “Welcome to the family and may your Lord God Bless you Greatly!”

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Some things you can only appreciate, if you experience them.

This is another one of them posts that I’m kind of reluctant to write.
However, all I can do is try to start it, and see if it goes anywhere.

(I’ve just re-read this post, and it feels a bit raw to me. I put this down to it being hot off the press, or written in real time. Effectively, it’s all happened and been written this week. Hoping this blesses somebody.)

This is going to be about a not so pleasant experience, but hopefully it will have a positive twist by the end. So please try to stick with it.

I’ve done something to my heels just recently. They are both feeling very much so bruised. I have no idea of what has caused it, but it hurts to put any weight on them.
This is a problem when it comes to walking, as you can’t walk without putting weight on your heels.
I’ve tried to walk just using the front part of my feet, but that doesn’t work either. I can still feel the pain in my heels and it also puts more strain on different parts of my legs, which I’m thinking could then cause me different problems with my legs.

What does this actually mean for me at the moment?
It means that I want to do very little.
It also means that I’m very much so confused, because there are things that I want to/need to do, but to do them means pain on some level. I would rather just sit on the sofa (which irritates me).
Sitting on the sofa isn’t plain sailing either.
Trying to find a position for my feet that I find comfortable can be a puzzle all of its own, and there just doesn’t seem to be any one solution that will just work. Just partial solutions that work for a short time.
Just walking to the toilet is awkward, but that is one thing that just has to be done.

So why am I writing all this?
The answer is the title of this blog. Some things you can only appreciate if you experience them.

I’ve spoken to a couple of people who have had serious trouble with their legs. I thought that I had some kind of idea of what life was like for them.
I didn’t, and I probably still don’t.
Unless you experience it, then how can you truly know it?

You might think that you understand what these past days have been like for me by what you have just read, but you can’t know it unless you’ve had a similar experience.
What I have written is just a small glimpse of what has happened for me these past days. Hopefully my heels/legs will return normal soon, and then life will return to normal. (Well, as normal as normal can be.)
So you, or myself can’t truly know what it is to experience this on a long term basis. (I certainly hope not to experience this on a longer time scale.)

Now, I said that there was going to be a twist, and here it comes.

When it comes to the things of God, you do need to experience them to appreciate them.

You can read all about God, but unless you put the things you read into practice, then you will never truly know them. (Or more importantly, Him.) You can know of the goodness that God has for you, but unless you truly walk it, then you can ever truly know it?

So are you willing to put the knowledge you have of God into practice?

If you don’t know God personally, then will you ask Him into your life? Will you try to have an experience with God, instead of just having a head knowledge?

If you already know God, then will you say yes to Him all the more, and then have a greater experience of all the goodness that He has for you?

So what do I mean by saying yes to God?
Me writing this post when I didn’t want to is one such example.
I kind of thought that it could be a bit self centred and look at me and my little pity party. (Hopefully the real reason for this post will come through. 🙂 )
It is my hope that someone will be encouraged to enter into more of Our Lord God Almighty by reading this. That they may be inspired to say Yes to Him for the first time, or even in a new deeper way.

Unless we do say yes to Our Lord God Almighty, then how else can we truly know Him in a greater measure?
It really is one of those things that you need to experience, in order to truly understand it.

Father,
Whether it is a small thing or a big thing that You are asking us to do, please help us to have a willingness to say YES to you, all the more.
Help us to have a confidence that we can trust You in all things.
Our Loving Father.
Amen.

_________________________________________

This is already a longer post than I intended, but there is an update on how my feet are. So for me this is Part 2.

Two days ago, as I was going to bed, I was starting to feel better.
I was starting to be able to put some weight on my left leg and with my fancy homemade walking stick (an aluminium pole covered in reflective red and white tape, plus a round topper) I was able to go to the supermarket to do some shopping with my wife. (She had the trolley, as she is disabled and has trouble walking every day.) We must have looked a bit of a sight, two people hobbling about, one with a fancy stick and one with the trolley. 🙂

As I was going to bed I was hoping I was past the worst of it.

The next morning, yesterday, I was very much so mistaken.
The pain had returned with a vengeance. I managed to have a shower. (In part, thanks to the grab handles we have for my wife.) But as I was washing my legs I noticed a raised bump on my left leg, on the front near to the ankle. I also noticed a similar, but smaller bump on the other leg, slightly higher up.

Now the increase in pain and these bumps freaked me out.
“What’s going on now! I thought I was getting better.”
I almost came to the point of tears (OK, I may have shed a couple.)
It’s at this point that I cried out to The Lord in a new way, “Please, just HELP me.” Was the general plea.

I don’t like to seek medical help, but the time had now come. (Or was overdue.)
I tried calling 111, (Our NHS medical help line number.) To hear the message of “All our operators are busy, you could try our online service, or hold.”
OK 111 online it is then. Then answering what seems like endless questions.
The service asks questions to rule out the more severe things first.
Is this a time to be thankful for endless questions?
Am I blessed by all these questions as things are not as bad as they could be?????? (Yes is most probably the answer here.)

I get to the end of the questions and I am told to contact my doctor. (Not feeling hopeful about this one.)

To cut a long story short, I phoned the doctors surgery to be greeted with options to choose from. (Press 1 for ….) For the several options I selected, the phone either went dead or gave a recorded message, then went dead. I tried a phone number, one of the messages gave me, to then hear a message of, “Our offices are closed at present, please call back at …..”.

“AAAARRRRRRR” Where is the help?

I go back to the doctors surgery number and select what I think is the wrong option, and finally, I manage to speak to a person.

I am told all appointments are gone and there is no availability to see a doctor. (I was expecting this, hence my reluctance to try.)
However, I was told I could be referred to a pharmacist. (It didn’t take too long for me to say yes to this.)

Again, to try and cut a long story short. I had two more phone calls.
I think one was possibly a doctor.
And then I finally went to the pharmacist, to see her in person.
She thought the bump was an insect bite. (Such relief. I’ve been blessed with an insect bite, and it’s nothing more serious. 🙂 )
She then goes on to tell me that what I had spoken to her, can take up to two weeks to recover from….

I’m now starting to feel like a bit of a fraud at this point.
You see, as I was walking to the pharmacy I had my fancy stick with me, thinking “I don’t need this, at this moment in time.”
There had been some time between the initial phone calls and me seeing the pharmacist, and my legs were doing better.
Looking back I’m thinking, “Is this the luck of the Lord?” (I’ll explain that phrase in a bit.)

In short was my Loving Father doing a work in me, even as I was trying what the world had to offer?

I would like to say that I have been touched by God and healed, but there hasn’t been any sudden healing, just a slow getting better.
However, we are talking hours instead of weeks.
That was lucky then! 🙂
Or was it actually the luck of the Lord….
Or to put it another way, Blessings from my Lord God Almighty.

The phrase, “The luck of the Lord”, is something that I have heard Ian Green say when he has visited our church in the past.
The general idea goes that good things follow when you follow the prompting of your Heavenly Father.
Obedience leads to blessings.

Yesterday morning, things looked so bad that I went searching in the world for help and answers.
I also did the best thing I could.
I cried out to my Heavenly Father.
The world said two weeks to recover.
This morning I can do a partial stamp of my feet on the ground.
That was not anywhere in my thoughts yesterday.
That sounds rather lucky to me, the Luck of the Lord…. ???? 🙂
Blessings from a Heavenly Father?
I’ll just say, Yes, Thank You and Amen to that one.

It really is something that you just have to experience to appreciate.
So if your Heavenly Father, your Lord God Almighty, prompts you to do something, then try to say yes to Him.
Blessings follow obedience.

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Keys to the Kingdom

I went out to my car, to go to work, this morning. As I put my hand in my pocket, I suddenly realised that I didn’t have my keys with me.
Now the car belongs to me. I have every right to use it. I have insurance and an MOT for it, but without the keys I was going nowhere.

Not too much of a problem really. I just went back inside my home, picked up the keys and then I could use my car to go to work.

The thought, “The keys to the Kingdom are yours for the taking, will you pick them up and take them with you?”, came to me.

We have so much available to us, but do we truly know this?
Or do we view it as, Yes I can see all the potential that is available (as in the car sitting on the driveway) but is it really for me (are the keys to the car really in my pocket?)

Matthew 7:11
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Our Father does indeed have good gifts for us.
So, will we pick them up and make use of them?
Will we continue to walk in obedience to Him, and thus remain in His Power and Authority.

Father,
Thank you that You do have so much goodness to pour into our lives.
Help us to see this, accept it and to walk in Your goodness.
Help us to pick up and make use of the gifts that You direct us to.
Help us to remain obedient to You, so that we can remain in Your Power and Authority.
Our Loving Father.
Amen.

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Sometimes, we just need to Do.

Proverbs 14:23

All hard work brings a profit,
    but mere talk leads only to poverty.

This verse in proverbs was very much so true for me just recently.
I was working on a shed, which I have been building for a family member, and I reached the point were I needed to cut a hole in a wood panel to fit a window.

For some strange reason I just didn’t want to cut the hole???

I knew that the hole needed to be cut, but there was just this resistance in me.
The weather is all wrong today. (A valid reason, if it’s raining.)
My mind is is the wrong place. (Sometimes another valid reason. Trying to work out …. when you can’t concentrate can lead to all sorts of trouble.)
Let me plan this out a little bit more. (Some planning is good, but over planning is just putting things off.)
I’ll just work on this bit over here. (This one’s 50 50. If the bit over here leads you closer to the point of doing what you need to, then all work leads to a profit. However, sometimes just doing this is another avoidance tactic.)
But I don’t like the idea of a hole being made in the shed, I’ll then have to deal with the said made hole. (This one is total nonsense, and I know it. I need the hole. I want the hole. The window will never get fitted, without the hole.)

As I said, I had lots of sillyness stopping me from doing what I needed to do.

Someone also shared a thought with me recently.
There was a person who was going to climb a mountain.
They had done all the preparation work and had all the equipment that they needed, but they were not taking that first step onto the trail. The time had come and they just needed to do.
They needed to take that first step onto the trail but for whatever reason they just didn’t want to take that first step.

When our Lord God speaks to us, then can we sometimes be like the person in the above picture, or like me with my resistance to cut the hole in the shed?

Whether we are asked to climb a mountain or just go for a gentle stroll, then are we willing to say yes to our Lord God Almighty?

Are we going to do the work that we need to, or are we just going to talk about it, and remain in poverty?

Our Heavenly Father has so much richness for us to walk into, if we will just follow His prompting and His ways.

Sometimes, can we find ourselves in a place where we know what it is that He wants us to do, but for whatever reason, we just don’t want to do it.
We would rather talk it over and over again, just going round in circles.

The other stopping point can sometimes be that, we find ourselves in the place of, if I do …… then how will I cope with what comes next?

If our Heavenly Father is asking us to do something, then it is for our own good.
It’s going to be for our profit, if we listen to, and follow Him.
We should not be worrying about what comes next, as He will be with us, and He is able to lead and guide us, through all things.

We just need to hear Him, Our Lord God, and follow His ways.

Proverbs 14:23

All hard work brings a profit,
    but mere talk leads only to poverty.

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Daniel, God is my Judge

This is the title of a mug that was given to me as a child once.

It was one of those mugs that was meant to tell you the meaning of your name. The rest of the text (that is on the mug) is below.

Daniel (God is my judge) you should always be aware of a judge who lives up there. Always watching you with love, be assured it’s God above!

It also has a picture on it, of a boy who had just broken a window, with the thought “WHOOPS!” There was then a big hand coming down through a cloud with an End of Year report on it.

I can remember never really liking this mug.
It painted a picture of a God who was watching my every move, and then compiling a large report of all that I was doing wrong. (I try not to dwell on how big this report was going to be. 🙂 )

I was not assured of a God who was above, but rather, I was concerned about a God who was watching my every move.

Needless to say, I tried to keep this mug at the back of the cupboard, just so that I wouldn’t have to look at it. 🙂

I have since become a Christian, and as such, I now understand some things a little bit better.

One of the things that I have come to understand is that “God is my judge” is a good thing to know, as a sinner who has been forgiven.
The end of year (or life) report has been dealt with by Jesus, at the cross. As such, I can now come to God with confidence, knowing that He Loves me and is even pleased with me. (Even when I’m not pleased with myself.)

God is my judge means that He sees what I’m trying to do, instead of the mess that I might actually be doing. 🙂

It actually means that there is a freedom for me to not be too concerned with what other people think of me, as God is my judge. (This is not a licence for me to do whatever I want to though, as God is my judge.)
But if I am more concerned with what God thinks of me, then I don’t need to be be worried about what others think of me, as it is His opinion of me that matters.

If I can truly grasp this, then I can know the freedom to be who I am meant to be. I can me, but walking in complete obedience to Him, my Loving Heavenly Father.

Father,
You see me and know me.
Forgive me and help me when I get things wrong.
Help me to always be moving closer to You.
My Loving Father.
Amen.

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Change can be unsettling

This is something we all have to deal with at some point in time.
Change is always happening around us all the time, after all.

But it is the bigger changes which can be more unsettling (at times).
How we deal with the changes which happen around us is the important factor.

We can look at all those bits we don’t like…. and complain about them. (Not such a good option.)

The Israelites did this in the desert… Back in Egypt we had ….

What the Israelites managed to forget is that they were in bondage in Egypt, they were slaves.

So why were they pining over Egypt?

Was it because they were heading into something new, and didn’t have the vision for the new?

Was it because they were experiencing change, and change can be unsettling?

When we are heading into something new, which Father has for us, then the enemy wants to hold us back, or even pull us back (if we let him).

1 Peter 5:8, : “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

When we are unsettled, it at these times when the enemy can try to whisper all the louder in our ears, and all the more so if Father is trying to lead us into his goodness.

The enemy will use whatever he can to stop us.

Wasn’t it better back in….?
Do you really want to be here?
You don’t know what your doing!

The enemy will use all the above lies and many more to try to stop us in our tracks.

We need to understand where the thoughts are coming from!

If they are from the enemy, then we need to rebuke them and send them away.

Sometimes when I’m feeling the pressure of such thoughts, I have (in my mind) stared down at the thoughts and said,
I see you, now be gone, in the power of my Lord Jesus Christ.

I then invite Father to enter into my mind and the situation instead.

John 10:27
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

We need to look to, hear, trust and follow Father in all things.

Father,
Help us to hear You more than anybody else.
Help us to truly know Your voice, so that we can follow You.
Thank you that You do Love us.
Amen

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Do we sometimes walk away from Blessings?

I had arranged to help a family member out by doing some work for them recently. As the time was coming near, I received a phone call.

“I’ve gone out and I’m going for a walk along the river with a friend. If you still want you do the work, then there is a key available ……”

There’s more to the story than I’m writing here, but this version makes my point that much better. 🙂

Well, I thought. You don’t want to be available, but you’d still like for me to do the work???
Hmmm, let me think about that one for a minute.
Day off for me then. 🙂

I stayed at home and did some work which needed doing in my own garden instead.

As I was working, the phone call kept making me smile.
It’s OK, you can still do the work, but I’m going to have a nice walk along the river, kept playing through my mind.

Then the thought, “Do we treat God in this way?” Came to my mind.

Does God make plans to bless us, only to have us be distracted and go off and do our own thing instead?

Do we leave God waiting and wanting to bless us, because we thought we had a better offer, and took that instead?

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.

Psalm 81:13-16

 13 “If my people would only listen to me,
    if Israel would only follow my ways,
14 how quickly I would subdue their enemies
    and turn my hand against their foes!
15 Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him,
    and their punishment would last forever.
16 But you would be fed with the finest of wheat;
    with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

You could consider reading all of Psalm 81, it covers this thought so well.

So, we have “honey from the rock”, on offer to us….. if we will just hear and follow our Lord.

Or in other words, Blessings in Abundance, if we will just hear and follow our Lord.

Father,
Yes please, I would like to have your Blessings in Abundance in my life.
Please help me to hear You that much better, so that I can then follow You, that much more.
My Lord God Almighty.
Amen.

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Sometimes, Life just Takes!

The above statement is something which I unfortunately know all too well.

Life is generally pretty good, but every once in a while something will happen, and then I’m left thinking, sometimes, life just takes.

Last night such an occurrence happened.
I’m not going to go into the details, as I’ll only make myself look small minded and petty. But suffice to say, I was left thinking, the title of this post and I was sulking pretty good. 😦

This morning I woke up to a proper weird dream.
I was at work and just turned to my PC monitor to do some work…. and the monitor was gone???
A complete stranger was sitting near by, who then went on to say. “They were in my way, so I moved them.”.
“Who the heck are you! And just what do you think you are doing.”
Went through my mind.
Just as I was about to go storming off to find a manager to complain to, I then woke up.

????, OK, so what on earth was that all about???
Then I remembered last night, and my sulking.

Yes, Life does indeed just take from you…. But how are you going to respond to it when life does take from you?
Sulk?
Storm off in a tantrum?
Or in some other negative manner?

Or will we be able to turn to Our Heavenly Father for His help and guidance?

Last night I did no such thing. I just sulked.
If we are honest, then have we all been there?
All I can do is see what happened, accept it, and try to do better next time.

So what could I do better next time?

I have already said that it would be better to look to Father for His help and guidance, But what would that actually mean?

Seek Him in the first instance.
Forgive who ever or what ever it is that has upset you.
And endeavour to not take offence or be upset at what has just been lost. (Not an easy task to do.)

Or you could get all wrong, have a weird dream, and then write a post all about it….???
No, no, no. This last one is the advice to not follow. 🙂
(That is unless Father tells you to do just that.)

Turning to Father when the wheels fall off is always going to be the best advice to follow.
He knows all about it already, and He is there to help, lead and guide us, if we will just turn to Him.

Forgiving is the next big weapon we have against upset.
It might, sometimes, not be easy, but it is worth while.
I’ve already written several posts about forgiveness.
I’ll list some below. If one jumps out at you, then you could possibly consider reading it???
Forgiveness is Key.
Forgiveness and Reconciliation are Two very Different Things
Accept, Repent and Forgive, There is Power Here!

The not taking offense when things go wrong is another tough one to do.
Something I read once comes to mind as I think about this.
Giving up or Letting go.
Giving up implies defeat, being beaten, and made into a victim.
Letting go implies release, handing over, not being the victim but taking control.
Outwardly, both giving up and letting go can look the same, but inwardly, the option you choose to take can make a big difference to how you deal with ……
Letting go and handing …… over to your Heavenly Father is always going to be the better option.

Writing about these things is relatively easy, but putting them into practice can be more difficult, but they are practisces that can lead to a happier personal statement of mind.

If you feel prompted to, then another post you could consider reading, if you are struggling to make good choices, is The Calling Abyss.
Don’t be put off by the title, it’s actually about turning your back to the abyss, and instead choosing life, even though it might hurt.

As I have already said, making good choices can be tough, but they can lead to a better and healthier state of mind.

Father,
I look to You to lead and guide me.
Please give me Your strength when I am weak.
Please give me Your wisdom when I’m acting not so wisely.
Help me to always be trusting and leaning on You.
My Lord God.
Amen.

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Is your greatest trophy just a foundation stone?

This is a thought that came to me as I was just pondering one day.

I was thinking about the church at Laodicea and Sardis, in Revelations.

Both churches thought that they were good and were strong in an aspect of their being. Then God comes along and effectively says, “You think you are good, but you are not as good or strong as you think you are.”

I do kind of feel that God could be saying to the churches (and individuals), “The thing where you think you are strongest at, if you are not careful, it could become a snare to you. Pride goes before a fall.”

I don’t think that God was really unhappy with the churches, but just wanting to take them to the next level.
I’ve already written about the church at Laodicea before, and this is a bit of a follow up. Summary of the previous post. God wants to take us to the next level, but in order to do so, he needs to shake us up a bit. He does this from a position of Love though.
The previous post can be found here. Are we like the church at Laodicea?

I do believe that God is happy with our trophies, but He also has something new for us to walk into.
Hence the thought, is our greatest trophy just a foundation stone… to the next great thing that God has for us???

If we keep our trophy on the pedestal that we would like to put it on, (you know how it can go, Look at what I have done 🙂 ), then will we be willing to move into the next thing that is waiting for us?

If we view our trophy as a foundation stone, then can we place it on the ground, stand on it, and then be ready for where God will take us next?

Hopefully it won’t break as we step onto it, but if it does, then maybe it wasn’t quite as good as we thought it was…???
If it does break, then don’t despair, God is able to rebuild all things and the next trophy could be so much better…. to be used as… a foundation stone…???

I’m not trying to say that we need to trample all our achievements into the ground, but are we willing to give our best back to God for Him to do with it, whatever He wants to?

A previous post, The Vast Battle, was running through my mind as I was pondering on this.
Instead of trying to relive an old battle, can we see the new land we should be looking to take hold of?

So, are we willing to use our best achievements as a foundation to step into the new that God has for us to move into?

As I have been thinking about this, Philippians 3:12-14, has come to my mind.
12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Father,
Thank you that You do have new things for us to walk into.
Help us to keep our eyes on you, so that we can always follow your promptings.
Our Loving Father.
Amen.