Tag: Jesus

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Stop Listening to No.

Have you ever found that when you try to step into something new, then “No” can be hiding just around the corner?

“No” can be a bit of a tricky thing at times.
Instead of just standing in front of us and shouting “No”, directly at us, it tries to persuade us to not bother, by as many different means as it can muster….

“Do you really want you do that?”
“You don’t know what you are doing?”
“Who are you to do that?”
“No one is going to listen, so why even bother?”
“You’re so tired, just settle down and take a break.”

The above are just a few of the many schemes that “No” tries to throw at us, and all the more so if we try to step into something that Our Heavenly Father wants us to step into.

The question then becomes, “Who are we going you listen to, “No” or Our Loving Heavenly Father?”

John 10:27-28
27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.

Will we be counted as His sheep?
Ones who hear his voice, know that it is His voice, and then follow His voice?

I’m reminded of a thought that I had some time ago. It goes….

When The Lord Our God speaks to us, then what can the easiest word be? …., No?
No means no change, no action required. No changing of our thinking. No means, no changing of the status quo, no rocking the boat or upsetting anybody.

When The Lord Our God speaks to us, then what can the hardest word be? …., Yes?
Yes could mean doing something. Yes could mean being available when you are not ready to be available, when it’s inconvenient to you. Yes could mean changing how you see or think about something. Yes could mean taking some kind of action, when you don’t quite know what it is that you are doing. Yes could mean causing upset and disruption around us. Yes can indeed be a very challenging word, when The Lord Our God asks us to do something.

What could be the consequences of replying “no” to The Lord Our God, when He asks something of us?
No change?
No movement?
Everything staying just as it is?

What could be the consequences of replying “yes” to The Lord Our God, when He asks something of us?
Change to a situation?
Breaking down of barriers that have been in place for too long?
Break through in ….. ?
His Kingdom coming here on the earth, as it is in heaven?

Where do we want to be when The Lord Our God asks us to do …….. ?
Do we Want to be saying no or yes, to The Lord our God?

If we reply with a “no”, then Our Lord God will accept our “no”.
He has given us free will, which means the freedom to choose after all.

But what if we hear Him and we want say yes to Him, but no is just throwing …… at us, then can we change our no to a yes?

I think that with His help, we can change a “no” to a “YES”.
We can ask for His help.
We could try asking,
“Lord, if this is You, then please help me to know it, that much more.
If You want me to do ….. then please give me the strength and guidance for the next step.
Help me to say Yes to You and to follow Your ways, even when I am unsure of what they are, providing that it is You that I’m following and not just my own thoughts.”

John 10:27-28
27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.

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He Who IS All Powerful, is able to stroke the butterfly wing.

OK, I know that the title of this post sounds a bit funny, but I also think it is very much so true.

Our God is Awesome!
Great and Mighty in Power!
He made the heavens and the earth. All that is seen and not seen. He set the stars in their place. He formed the earth.
The might and power of the volcano, He directed.
We can only start to marvel at how Great Our God is!

Yet this is not the whole picture. For our God also has Great Control!
Our God who Has Absolute Power, also Has Infinite Control.
He can work on the most delicate of things and not crush them.
He is even able to stroke the butterfly wing, and Not damage it.
He can even do one better than that. He can touch the damaged butterfly wing and bring a healing touch!

Our God IS Awesome!
Able to heal the broken hearted, with the most delicate of touches.

We just need to say yes to Him. For He does wait for our permission.
If we say no He will listen to us.
But He yearns for us to say Yes to Him. He’s just waiting to bring a healing touch to where it is needed. His touch might not be what we want, but it will be what we need.

So will we say yes to the One who is able to touch the damaged butterfly wing and bring a healing touch so that we will be able to fly, once more.

Lord God Almighty,
Please, bring Your touch of peace to all who need it.
To the broken hearted, bring Your peace.
To the crushed in spirit, bring Your peace.
To those who don’t know where to turn, please bring Your peace.
For You are able to make the difference.
Amen.

If you need to, then please dwell on the above prayer for as long as Your Lord God directs you to.

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How do you pray, when you feel you just can’t do anything?

I see a vessel
When you are at your weakest, God is there to build you up and make you stronger.

More posts that may help those who are struggling.

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Should I take route 1 or route 2?

Last week I wrote about how I felt like I had fallen flat onto my face. I’m now thinking that it was more of a stumble than a fall.

I effectively hit a road block that has caused me to reassess what route I need to take. You see, I actually have two ideas that I would like to try to do something with.

Route 1 was the route that I was more invested in.
It came first, and as such it is more developed than route 2, which I have been playing with, a little bit.
With route 1 I have a plan of action (of sorts). I kind of think I know how to go about putting route 1 into action. Route 2 is a different story.
I can see that route 2 could be better than route 1, but I don’t have a plan of action for route 2, just at the moment.
So why is it that I kind of have a niggling feeling at the back of my head that route 2 should be the one that I should be trying to work on?

I understand route 1. I can’t quite say the same for route 2 (yet).
I do like both routes but route 1 would be my preferred choice, but I keep hitting stumbling blocks with it.
Is it time to put route 1 on the shelf for the moment and take a look at route 2 instead?
OK, let’s just try that then. Let’s just see if I can take the next step on route 2 and then see where it takes me???

Have you guessed where this next part of the post is going yet. 🙂

When it comes to following Our Lord God Almighty, then how well do we do when it comes to following His thoughts over our own thoughts?

If you are like me, then our own thoughts can be easier to hear.
I can perceive them and see where they are going. There’s an amount of security and solidity to them. (Even if they can lead me into trouble of my own making, at times.)

When it comes to hearing my Heavenly Father’s thoughts, it can be a different story.

I might get a good solid idea of what or where I should be going with something, but most of the time it seems that as I do, then I start to understand.

It’s not my preferred way of doing things.
I would like to have a good solid plan before I set out.
I would like to have some confidence that my efforts are going to be worth while, that I’m not just wasting my time.

But if my Heavenly Father is leading to go down a route that I am unsure of….. then will I trust Him enough to follow His leading?

I’m not talking about following every little thought that enters my head.
That would be a recipe for disaster, pushed and pulled by the wind and tide to end up who knows where? 🙂

I’m talking about following His prompting, when I know that it is His prompting. Even if it is going against my wants and wishes.
Will I be able to trust my Lord God’s ways, over my own.
I’m hoping that the answer is ultimately “yes”, even though some times it’s not so easy to do so.

Father,
I do acknowledge that You are Lord God Almighty.
I do know, that You know, what is Best.
Please help me to know Your voice that much better, so that I can follow You that much more closely.
Amen.

John 10:27-28

27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.

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Don’t go sticking your head in the sand.

A little while ago I wrote about “To Jump or to walk away?” I feel like I tried to take the leap. …… and now I feel that I have fallen flat onto my face.

I was trying to take a route that I kind of didn’t want you take, but yet I felt compelled to try it all the same.
Has that route now finished?

At the time I was considering whether to apply for a patent, or not.
I did start to take the steps to apply. I contacted professional people to assist me. I even started writing a first draft to send to the professional person that I was going to work with.
Then I found the prior art that stopped everything.
Short version here, for a patent to be considered, there needs to be no prior art. So finding the prior art stopped me in my tracks.

I did try searching for the prior art before I started the process, but I didn’t find any, at that point in time. Then I found some, when I wasn’t looking for it. …… (Sometimes that’s just the way it goes.)

What to do now?
Ignore it?
Pretend that it isn’t there?
How well would that work out?

Not very well is probably the answer.
If I could find it, then a professional searcher is very likely to find it. Do I really want to set sail on a boat that has a large target on it, just waiting for the torpedo that will sink it?
Not a good option.

It has got me thinking, when we find something that we don’t like, then how do we deal with it?
Do we just try to ignore it and pretend that it isn’t really there?
We’ve all probably been there at some point in time. 🙂
How well does it work out when we take this tatic?
It’s called sticking your head in the sand, and it’s generally not a good thing to do.

If there is something that we need to deal with, then it’s going to be better if we deal with it.

So, now that I feel as though I have fallen flat onto my face, do I regret leaping?

No. I don’t regret leaping.
I am a bit upset that I didn’t find the prior art when I first went searching for it. But I have learnt from the road I travelled.
I have made a new contact that could be useful in time.
Maybe the value has been the lessons that I have learnt???
I have written about this in a previous post of, “Do we sometimes need to try again?“

Another thought that keeps coming back to me is, “We are only meant to bring the loaves and fishes.“
Ultimately we are meant to walk the walk that is before us, but does that mean that we will always have success in all that we do? In our own eyes I’m talking about. All we are meant to do, is be willing to bring what we have to the table. What the results will be belongs to another.
Are we willing to bring what we have to the table, regardless of what the outcome will be?

It’s one thing to write or just talk about these things, it’s another to actually walk them. Sometimes things are just not as easy as we would like them to be, but, will we be willing to have a go at, …… anyway?

Ultimately I’m just so pleased, and amazed that I found the information out before I really started to spend any real resources on a ship that was possibly bound to sink.
I have to give thanks and praise to my Lord God for this.

So is the path that I was trying actually over???
Maybe, and maybe not? I might just need to take a different route?
I just need to keep looking to my Heavenly Father and ask, “Where am I going to next?” He does have my back and I can trust Him and His plans for me.
Back to a bit more smoke grappling for me then. 🙂
For the moment, I’ll try to continue in the same way as Habakkuk did.

Habakkuk 3:18-19

18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
    I will be joyful in God my Saviour.

19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
    he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
    he enables me to tread on the heights.

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I wrote the above last night.
Today is a new day and an email from the professional seems to indicate that what I thought was dead, might not be quite as dead as I thought it was……

Just need to hear my Heavenly Fathers thoughts and try to follow His prompting, all the more now.

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Do it for the Fun of it!

Have you ever started doing something just for the fun of it, but then at some point it just became that much more serious?
I’m talking about when you were doing something just for the love of it, but then it started to change into something that seemed to matter in a big way. Then all of a sudden, the fun factor just seems to up and leave the room.

The question that is playing on my mind at the moment is, “Why does this have to get so serious? Can’t I just do this for the fun of it?”

If you haven’t guessed it by now, I’m trying to have a serious word with myself about not loosing the fun in what I am doing.
Unfortunately it’s all too easy to do just this.
We start something and it’s just something that we play with, and it’s a bit of fun. But then at some point, we start to take it (or ourselves) too seriously, and then the fun just disappears as it becomes the hard slog of work.
Why do we do this?

Do we do this with our Lord God as well?

Is there something that Our Lord God wants for us to work on, that is meant to be fun for us, but somehow we just manage to miss the fun factor in it.

How do we do this?
Take it too seriously?
Hold it too tightly?
Maybe we just see the work to be done and omitt the fun that should also be present, for whatever reason we manage to grab hold of?

Matthew 11:28-30
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

In the above verse we can see that there is a work for us all to do. “Taking a yoke upon us”, is clearly saying “do the work that He has for us.” But it also states that His yoke is “easy” and His burden is “light”.

So why is it that we can become overburdened and worn out?

Do we pick up more than we should do?
Do we try to rely to much on our own strength rather than resting in and calling on His strength?
Do we pick up more than we should because others won’t do their bit?
Will we allow others to help out with what we are doing?
Will we share that which we are carrying?
Will we cope if someone else tries to do something differently to how we think it should be done?

The above are just some few questions which have just gone through my mind.
Do any of them apply to you?
Are there any other thoughts that Our Heavenly Father is bringing to your mind now, that He wants you to talk to Him about?

I’ve heard it said that the way we do church can be like a football stadium on match day.
23 people (including the ref) running about on the pitch in need of a rest, while 40 thousand spectators, who are in need of exercise, stand around and shout. 🙂

Can we do any better than this?
I do hope that the answer to this one is a yes.
But how can we make it a yes?

First thing is to be aware that there is a problem. (Houston, we have a problem.)
Then are we willing to change how we do ……..
I am talking about everybody being willing to change. Not just, “Oh, if only they would just do this!” 🙂
The real question is, “Am I willing to change what I do, so that I am no longer part of the problem?”

A really annoying phrase someone said to me once is, “If you’re not part of the solution then you’re part of the problem!”
I’ll try to not dwell too much on this one, (I’m thinking that it could be a rabbit hole to avoid at the moment). But a previous post of “Somebody else’s problem” does ask the question of “Should I pick this up or put this down?”

Another thought that keeps running through my mind as I write this is, “Can we see potential for development, in place of neat and tidy?“
Yes, it’s another previous post. A link is above for anyone who would like to read the full post.
Quick summary. We like neat and tidy, but in trying to keep things neat and tidy, do we then choke potential for development? We might not be able to have both, as potential for development could mean doing something differently, and possibly in a slightly awkward manner. In a messy way, …. possibly?

From starting a post that was asking, “Can we keep the fun in this?” Well, I seem to have got all serious again. 🙂

There are times when we do need to be a bit more serious, but hopefully we can can still keep an element of fun to what we are doing. Can we try to remember that His yoke is meant you be easy, and His burden light?

Matthew 11:28-30
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

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The pace you Run at Matters.

Pace has very much so been on my mind recently. The pace I’ve been thinking about is not running away with myself.

Sometimes, when I have a thought like this, things just then seem to happen. Yesterday was one if those days. As I was going about my business, I had two people run/trot in front of me, when they could have just walked. It made me smile. OK Lord, it’s OK to pace yourself.

The first instance was as I went to reverse off my drive. I put my car into reverse and was about to go, but just then a man came into view. I instantly hit my brakes, before I’d even moved. He saw this, then walked/trotted past the back of my car. “It’s OK, I’ve seen you. You could just walk.” Was my thought.

The second time was but just a couple of minutes later. I was approaching a zebra crossing and was about to go over. I could have gone over safely, but a different man was just coming into view (I don’t think the first man was running as fast as my car 🙂 ). As I saw him, I slowed down to let him cross (he did have the right of way.) I did slow down a bit faster than normal, but it wan’t an emergency stop. He did cross in front of me, but at a slightly quickened pace (all while having a good pace is playing through my mind). “You could have just walked. I’ve already stopped, and I have the time to wait for you you cross in front of me.” Was something of my thoughts, as again I smiled to myself.

Later on in the day, I was at the shops, having something to eat with my wife. In the distance, I could see a small child running off into the distance, looking round as they do. Big grin on it’s face as it was just running away. A parent was soon behind it, bringing it back, still with it’s smile on its face. I’ve seen it many times before, as I guess you might have. This time the thought comes. “What would happen if the child ran too far ahead? If it ran out of the sight or reach of it parent.” Thankfully this didn’t happen, but OK Lord, I’m getting the message. It’s OK to pace yourself, and go at the pace You set.

The pace that I’m talking about is the pace you go at when Our Father starts you show you ………

This week has been a slightly quickened pace week, for me. I’ve been seeing a few more things (or more correctly, more has been revealed to me by Our Lord.) This has had the effect of getting me a bit more excited than usual.
When I start to see something new, then my mind can go into overdrive. It can be a fun ride, but it can also be exhausting. Hence my need for pace. I don’t want you get too ahead of myself (just like a toddler running away could) and end up lost in my own thoughts.
I would rather remain in My Lords thoughts, or at His pace.
I needed to know that it’s OK to slow down. I don’t want be like the two people, who kind of ran before my car, when they could have just walked. I also don’t want to be in the position of a toddler running off into the distance. 🙂

Yes it’s good to ride the wave, but don’t get too far ahead, and then wipe out.
Instead, keep to a pace that can be sustained.
If you are in a sprint race then sprint with all that you have, but if you are in a marathon then set a more manageable pace. His pace.
Keep to the beat of His drum, and wait on Him to see where He will take you and what He will show you.

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To Jump, or to walk away?

Have you ever been at a place where you could see a really good route to take?
The kind of route where there could be real benefits, but it’s all new to you?
The kind of route where it all looks rather daunting, but you still want to take it all the same.

I’m kind of facing a bit (or a lot) of this at the moment.
It’s a bit like….

I am currently feeling that I am standing on top of a cliff, waiting to jump.
I’m hoping that I do have a parachute on my back and not a backpack full of lead weights. 🙂
I’m hoping that the parachute is in good order and will work, when it is needed.
I’m hoping further still that the parachute turns out to be a paraglider that will catch an up draught and lift me up to new heights that I’m barely daring to dream about and that I will cover a vast distance without even knowing how I’ve managed to do any of it.
At present, I’m still only on the cliff top, thinking…. do I go… or not….???

It’s a rather daunting place to be at. I can see the potential, but I can also see the risk.
I see that I could soar…. or I could fall flat on my face.
So do I go, or not?
I’m currently looking like I’m going to take the next step, and then it’s a case of here we go.

How many times has Our Loving Heavenly Father brought us to such a point?

If He brings us to such a point, then will we be willing to just JUMP!

I’m not advocating reckless jumping, but hearing His voice. Knowing that it IS His Voice, and then following His leading of where it is best to go.

How many times is Our Lord God just waiting for us to say “Yes” to His plans?

He won’t push us off the edge of the cliff!
He has given us freedom of choice.
So He patiently waits for our choice, to jump, or walk away.

He has soooo much goodness for us, if we can just hear, know and follow His plans.

Jeremiah 29:11
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 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.”

Lord God,
Help us to know and follow Your voice that much better.
If you are leading us in a way that You want us to take, then please help us to Know that it Is You who is leading and guiding us.
Help us to know, trust and follow You that much better.
Our Loving Heavenly Father.
Amen.

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Try to Not just dismiss someone’s problems/difficulties.

The title of this post has very much so been very relevant to me just recently.

I’ve seen first hand someone worrying over something that I think is actually very small, and should not really be anything to be too concerned about. No I will not be sharing the details, but I do I intend to share some of my thoughts/lessons I have learned, through the experience.

So, where to start?
Repeating the title??

Try to Not just dismiss someone’s problems/difficulties.

If we see someone struggling with something rather small, and what we think is rather insignificant, then it can be very tempting to just brush it off as nonsense. We could possibly be tempted to just say, “Oh come on, just get over it man (or woman)!”

How helpful would such words be???

This is were it can get very confusing right from the start.
For one person, the above words could be just what they need to hear. If the rebuke brings about a change of thinking that leads to holiness, then it could be just the thing to do.

However, if the person receiving the rebuff doesn’t receive the rebuff in a good way, then could it just become an extra weight for them to carry?

The extra weight could reveal itself as thoughts like, “Why am I worrying about this? This is so small and insignificant. Is there something seriously wrong with me, because I just can’t seem to let this go, even though everyone keeps telling me that this is nothing!”

Are you starting to see how this can get very confusing, right out of the starting blocks?

I’m thinking that the only place to start looking into this, is to ask the question, “Why are you saying, what you are saying?”

Are you operating from a position of frustration or love?
If you are operating from a position of frustration, then are you just unloading your frustrations onto someone who is already carrying a load that is too heavy for them, regardless of what you think about the lightness of their load?

Operating from a position of frustration is always going to be a bad starting point.
However, The Lord Our God can turn our bad starts around for His good and His glory. But how much better will it be if we can make a good start?

Could operating from a position of love be a better start?
I’m hoping that everyone is saying yes to that one. 🙂

A rebuke from a friend sent in love should be so much easier to bear with when compared to a rebuke from an enemy who just wants to taunt and ridicule you.

Do you want to be a friend or an enemy to the one in trouble? (No matter how small the trouble is.)

I’ve written about How to help someone who doesn’t want help in a previous post. I’ve also written about (in a round about way) why are you bringing a word of …… to …… in a post called A word from the Lord, or a word from the enemy.
If you are prompted to, then consider having a read/re-read of one or both of them.

If you do see someone struggling with something that you think is just tiny, then is there a better response than just, “Pull yourself together man (or woman)!”

Could you bring words of encouragement instead?
Words of encouragement from the Bible could be a good start.

Philippians 4:13
13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Jeremiah 29:11
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 hope and a future.

Psalm 73:26
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.

2 Corinthians 12:9
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

The above are but only a small number of encouraging bible verses that can be found, in the bible.
The bible is actually just fully loaded with the Good Stuff. We just need to read it and be fed by it!

I think that I should try to sum this post up now, before it just becomes an epic full length book. 🙂

If a word of rebuke is needed, then can we bring it in love?
If a word of encouragement is needed, then can we bring that in love?
And Lord, can we please have the discernment to know what is needed, for any given situation.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

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Breakthrough of the Teabag!

I had a breakthrough this morning. My teabag split, just as I was at the finishing point of making my morning tea…. and the tea leaves broke through into my tea. 🙂 …. Or should that be 😦

It’s not the type of breakthrough that I like.
So why am I writing a post about it?
Because I think that there are some lessons that can be learned from the experience.

The first one is that I was inconvenienced by the breakthrough.
I had my plan, it was to drink the cup of tea. It was ready and brewed, all I needed to do was to remove the tea bag.
But as I did, the breakthrough was discovered.
What now?
Do I just ignore this breakthrough and continue to drink the tea as I had planned to?
Not a good option.

When breakthrough happens in your life, then are you ready to be inconvenienced by it?
Whatever that may mean?

Once I had accepted that my plans had to change, I then needed to do some clear up duty.
I had to throw the tea away. The tea went down the plug, whilst the tea leaves were caught in a make shift filter. I didn’t want them to clog up the plumbing. I then had to empty the remaining tea leaves in the cup into the bin as well. Then finally the cup was washed up, to remove the final remnants.

When breakthrough comes, will there be some clearing up, cleaning to be done?
Will some things need to be thrown out?
Will some things need to be filtered or dealt with differently, dependant on what we see?
Do we have the necessary skills, tools in place for this?
Can we try to pre-arm ourselves with these skills, tools?
Do we even know what we will need?

I then needed to start all over again and make a fresh cup of tea.

Once we have got over the inconvenience of breakthrough and dealt with the clean up that is needed. Then will we be ready and willing to start over again?
Will we be able to follow the old pattern or will there be a new pattern to follow?
Will we be able to know His way, and then follow His leading and His ways?

Lord,
Are we ready for Your Breakthrough?
Please help us to be ready.
Help us to say Yes to You that much more.
If there are things that we need to know about, then can You pre-teach us those lessons, so that we can be that much more prepared for You, and Your breakthrough.
Our Loving Heavenly Father.
Amen.

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One Vital Step… Just not Done.

I came home from work today and went into the kitchen.
I saw the slow cooker out on the side. Ah, a good slow cooked meal to eat tonight. (Have you guessed where this is going yet?)

I looked at the slow cooker, and something just didn’t seem right.
The gravy wasn’t bubbling. The vegetables looked a little bit on the raw side. There was no heat in the pot!

What’s going on here then?

A quick look at the slow cooker and the problem was soon revealed.
It was plugged in and switched on at the mains…. but, the switch on the slow cooker itself had not been switched on. Doh.

Everything else had been done.
The meat had been prepared and added to the pot.
The vegetables had been cleaned, peeled (where needed) and cut and added to the pot.
The gravy had been mixed, and the herbs had been added…. to the pot.

Everything that was needed to be done to make a lovely slow cooked meal had been done…. except for one final step.
The switch hadn’t been turned to the on position, on the slow cooker.

I just smiled to myself, and thought, “We will be eating something different, to what was planned for tonight, then.” 🙂

I then also thought, “How many times do we do this with God?”

How many times have we been asked to do something, by our Loving Heavenly Father, and then only gone and done so much, and then just stopped?

How many times have we done all the vital preparation work and then just stopped because of ……

How many good home cooked meals have we missed out on, from Our Lord God Almighty, because we just didn’t take that last final step?

How many times have we been left with the promise of a good meal, but only been left with an uncooked meal…. just because we didn’t do….. ?

Our Lord God Almighty has so much goodness for us, if we will just follow His ways.
If we will just go over that final hurdle.

Psalm 81:8-16
8 Hear me, my people, and I will warn you—
    if you would only listen to me, Israel!
9 You shall have no foreign god among you;
    you shall not worship any god other than me.
10 I am the Lord your God,
    who brought you up out of Egypt.
Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.

11 “But my people would not listen to me;
    Israel would not submit to me.
12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts
    to follow their own devices.

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.”