Mood:  special

S.

2 Thessalonians 3:5 (NKJ)  Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.

O.

Paul desires that the 'The Supreme Guide'...God....would remove all hinderances that block the path to the soul, spirit and mind. He asks that those who have 'Victory Over Falsity and Lies' (the Thessalonians) would be steered into 'purpose' and have the desire to show kindness and good will to God. These 'desires' would result in a sustaining perserverance, a cheerful and hopeful endurance to go through their 'purpose'....just as Jesus had.

A.

I, too, desire to find a clear path to right thinking. I, too, desire a straight path to my soul and spirit, without blockages. I DO have the victory, through Jesus. Because of what Jesus did for me on the cross, my heart should be steered and turned to loving God, showing Him kindness and good will, all blockages to loving God, removed. The result of being freed from 'heart-blockages' is that I 'sticking to' Him with the desire to stay with Him, no matter what, because of my love for Him and what He has done for me. 

God showed me an example of 'Endurance' when He revealed Jesus to me. Jesus endured a terrible death on the cross because He loved His Father...because He could see the future results of being steered by Father God down the straight path to His heart (Jesus had God's desires in His heart)...that result was His Supreme Good Will for ME! He died for me, endured death for me, stuck it out for me...because of the love and 'opened path' in His heart to God!

P.

Father, I pray that You would clear the path to my heart of blockages so that You can come right in! I want YOUR desires, YOUR planes and purposes...and that YOU would have a straight path into my spirit, soul and mind! Keep me enduring, Father....the results will be YOUR desires in my heart!

Mood:  quizzical

S.

Psalm 78:1-3 (NKJ) Give ear, O my people, to my law; I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.

O.

We can be the receiver of God's Divine revelations! How? By listening with interest and attention to God's directions and instructions in His Word. He will free up and unstop His mouth (the limits and boarders of His Words)...letting His Words bubble out and spring forth...by using 'sayings and parables'. These 'sayings and parables' are the expressions of basic truths using simple stories to illustrate moral lessons, using comparisons...parallels. He will 'gush forth from His mouth', using puzzles and riddles (parallels and symbols)...expressions and sayings...which we have heard and recognize from the past, recounted to us by those who came before us.

It is then OUR job to decipher these puzzles, riddles and parallels in order to apply them to our own lives!

A.

God's whole Word is full of puzzles, riddles, parallels and symbols. I love how He hides things in His Word for me to dig out! It's a Book of Hidden Treasure that keeps me digging in order to find the 'How-To-Really-Live' instructions for my life. As I keep studying, I always uncover 'veins of gold' that are wells of wisdom and knowledge for my personal life. To some people, these same old stories get boring. But when you really dig into them, there is personal gold for your life. Each story or scripture has a deeper, spiritual meaning....one that can be applied to personal life. It just takes digging to get that gold out! God did this on purpose so that we would constantly be searching for more of Him and His Word, drawing us into a personal relationship with Him.

P.

Father, I thank You for Your Word. I thank You that it draws me into a closer intimate relationship with You. Thank You for Your puzzles and parallels...Your 'veins of gold'. Keep me ever digging in Your Golden Truths. Keep me always curious, Father, and hungry for more of Your Word!

S.

Psalm 95:6-8 (NKJ) Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice: Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, As in the day of trial in the wilderness,...

O.

When we worship God, knowing that we are lead by Him and that He is our Creator and Shepherd, we are to LISTEN to Him. The work 'IF' in this scripture..."IF you will hear His voice"...is a conditional word. We have the choice to hear Him or not to hear Him. If we DO hear Him...open our hearts and minds to what He is telling us, with the intention to obey Him....then we will understand where we are to go or what we are to do. If we DO NOT listen to Him, with the attention to obey, we will wander through this life, getting lost and off the 'chosen road'....away from our 'place of purpose'.

A.

I can see a maze. God's voice guides me through that maze to the place at the end...the exit. If I listen to His voice with the intention to obey Him, I'll not get stuck in corners or in wrong turns. I'll find the 'exit' quicker, and without strife or worry. This is the maze of my life. When I worship Him, knowing that He is the one with 'my life's plan', and when I listen to Him with the intention to obey Him, I will go through this life without 'road blocks' or problems. I will find the purpose God has for me in this 'adventure of life'.

P.

Father, help me to never be 'thick-headed' and to always hear Your voice with the intention to obey You! I know You are my Creator and Shepherd. Help me to always find YOUR way through this maze of life and not to go MY way. Your way is always THE way!

Mood:  hug me

S.

Psalm 91:1 (NKJ)  He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

O.

The person that practices going under the protection of the "Upper Most and Most Powerful God", El Shaddai, will stay permanently in the rest of His protection. In this place of personal secrecy, He hovers over us in order to 'submerge' us in Himself as we pass through this temporary life.

A.

God SO wants us to be protected! He knows how hard this life on earth can be! So He gives each and every one of us a spiritual 'place' to go in Him; our personal 'Secret Place'; a place of rest and protection that we can hide in anytime. But we have to PRACTICE in order to 'get there' and 'abide' there. We have to practice submitting our hearts and our minds to Him and allow HIS thoughts and His Spirit to reach us from the inside.

Because we are human, this can be hard. But God knows this. As we practice getting closer to Him, listening to Him, thinking on Him, we have the ability within our own selves to hide in the shadow of His wings/protection. All of Psalm 91 tells us of this 'secret place'. It's our 'how-to' guide to find our personal 'secret place' with our Most High Almighty God...our El Shaddai!

P.

Father, I thank You for having the foresight in all that we will need! I thank You that You have provided each one of us a personal inside place to nestle into Your arms and rest and be protected in You. Thank You, Father, for Your Secret Place!

Mood:  caffeinated

S.

1 Thessalonians 4:12(NKJ) ...that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.

O.

Paul tells the Thessalonians (those who are 'Victorious over falsity/lies') to love each other (vs. 8,9) and all those in Macedonia ("extended lands")(vs 10)...and to love these more and more. Those 'Victorious over falsity/lies' are to lead a quiet life/to hold peace in our lives and to 'mind our own business'(vs. 11).

We, as the 'Holders of THE Truth', are to do all these things in order that we make due use of these opportunities to conducting ourselves and our lives OUTSIDE THE FOUR WALLS OF THE 'CHURCH'...towards the PRE-chosen...so as to make it known that WE HOLD ALL THAT IS NEEDED IN THIS LIFE...and we LACK NOTHING!

A.

I am alive and living! And the conduct of my living is seen by others; the 'chosen' and the 'pre-chosen'. HOW I live my life is the proof of what is inside of me. My words mean nothing without action to back them up. If I want others to know that I hold THE ANSWER/JESUS...that I hold all that is needed to get through this life with fulfillment and hope, then I have to live out that TRUTH in front of others. If it isn't true, if my life is full of lies and falsity, then THAT is what will be seen. But if I am full of Jesus...THE TRUTH...then all will see that I truly HAVE the Answer, the Hope, the True Reason for Life and LIVE by and in Him! HE IS LIFE...MY Life! I have to walk in and with Him everywhere I go...inside and outside of 'the church'! Wherever Life is, wherever there is living, Jesus is THERE! He is LIFE...there is no other life...no other way for our spirits to find life...except in the Life and Truth that HE gives!

P.

Jesus, live fully IN and THROUGH me! Remove all fake things inside of me and replace them with only REAL things...YOU and all You are! Live in me Lord, fill me up and overflow Yourself through my life!

Mood:  amorous

S.

1 Thessalonians 3:12 (NKJ) And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you,...

O.

Paul, "humility", asks God to make the Thessalonians, the "Victory over Falsity" to be extravgent and more than sufficent in their brotherly love and good will to each other, including all types of people.

A.

We, as God's people, are to be REAL! And the evidence of BEING REAL is HOW we love each other. We are to love each other, including every single type of person (color, personality, etc.) with extravagant love and good will...above and beyond measure....and IN HUMILITY!

These are supernatural qualities that a human being can't do without God. I can not love like this by myself. I have to have God, who IS Love, as the Supreme Quality in my life...and to ooze Him out of me, from the inside out. I, as a human, can not love like Him by myself.

LOVE IS THE EVIDENCE THAT I AM A CHILD OF GOD!

P.

Father, I don't know how to love. YOU know how to love! I pray that YOUR love would saturate me from the inside out so that I can see, hear, touch, smell and taste through YOUR eyes, ears, hands, nose and mouth! Use ALL my senses, Father, to ooze out Your love onto others....make ME Your EVIDENCE!

Song Lyrics by Sidewalk Prophets from the album Live Like That

Sometimes I think
What will people say of me
When I'm only just a memory
When I'm home where my soul belongs
Was I love
When no one else would show up
Was I Jesus to the least of those
Was my worship more than just a song
(Chorus) I want to live like that
And give it all I have
So that everything I say and do
Points to You
If love is who I am
Then this is where I stand
Recklessly abandoned
Never holding back
I want to live like that
I want to live like that
Am I proof
That You are who you say You are
That grace can really change a heart
Do I live like Your love is true
People pass
And even if they don't know my name
Is there evidence that I've been changed
When they see me, do they see You
Chorus) I want to live like that
I want to live like that
I want to show the world the love You gave for me
(I want to live like that)
I'm longing for the world to know the glory of the King

Mood:  happy

S.

Psalm 30:11,12 (NKJ) You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;(twist, turn) You have put off my sackcloth (a mesh/ a net) and clothed me with gladness, To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent.(dumb, silent, to be ashamed) O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.

O.

God, You have transformed, for me, with the ability to 'twist and turn' in order to escape from 'entrapments and snares'. Yuo have loosened the 'net' and equipped me with happiness, joy, and pleasure. And Your purpose for this? To brighten me up and give me a merry heart. Your purpose and intent for me is to celebrate YOU...Your reputation, splendor, honor and abundance...so as to testify of You, revere You, and worship You...for all time!

A.

How can a person worship a god they don't know? God WANTS to know us. God tries to make it easy for us to know Him...if we only watch for Him and listen to Him.

He 'loosens' the 'nets' that ensnare us...the traps of life that could cause us to sin and prevent us from getting close to Him (God HATES sin). He then gives us the ability to 'twist and turn' to get out of those 'sin-snares'. FREEDOM!

BUT....God doesn't stop there...He then gives us His joy...His evidence of freedom! This 'joy' is to give us a merry heart...from the inside-out, causeing thanksgiving and praise to overflow into worship and testimony to Him. He gives us a voice through His joy, gladness and happiness!

We have reached our purpose....and His intentions for us....to PRAISE AND WORSHIP OUR GOD, A GOD IN WHO WE KNOW PERSONALLY!

P.

Dance with me Jesus! Forever dance with me! In every single thing I do, help Your dance with me to be a testimony of praise to You, revealing Your joy and peace in every step I take. Thank You for Your dance of Freedom, Lord....I praise and worship You with all I have in me...and it's all the joy of YOU! YOU, Lord, are my ARMOR OF JOY!

Mood:  quizzical

S.

1 Thessalonians 1:6,7 (NKJ)And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe.

O.

You, who have triumphed over lies and untruths (Thessalonians/"Victory over Falsity"), have become 'imitators' of:

1. 'restraint and humility' (Paul/"small, little"),

2. 'love of the growth of life' and 'love of God's Word' (Silvanus/ "lover of the forest and words")

3. the 'honoring of God' (Timothy/'honor of God')

4. Jesus, the Master, Anointed One, Savior (Lord)

You have taken hold of this thinking and teaching under much pressure and trouble, amid exceeding joy and gladness from Holy Spirit. The result is that you have become 'examples'...a 'print' or 'type' that comes from many 'blows', your conscience being offended and disquieted, over and over, resulting in a 'print/imprint/stamp'...a 'mark' or an 'example'. You have become an 'example/print/mark' to all the 'extended land' (Macedonia), to those in 'grief and trouble' (Achaia)...and to those who have faith and are persuaded that you hold the TRUTH!

A.

A frequent question that I've been asking myself is 'why do Unbelievers not gravitate to Believers'? What is it that we are doing wrong to be so shunned by the world instead of drawing them to us...WE WHO HAVE THE ANSWER?

This scripture holds part of the answer to this disturbing question and raise up the next question: ARE WE BEING EXAMPLES?

I am to be an example to an 'extended land'. I am to hold all the traits of Jesus, Paul, Silvanus and Timothy, as examples of a 'one' who holds the TRUE ANSWER! That is what is supposed to set me apart from the 'world' along with the joy and gladness from Holy Spirit. 

I need to 'soak' in Holy Spirit so as to completely change from the inside out. Holy Spirit can not be contained...He has to ooze out of me and draw others. Light should shine out of me as if, without speaking one word, I shine with THE 'secret of Life'. If this is a Believers goal, than ALL Believers, together, WOULD be that GLOWING SECRET that would draw others. Where can we START....what has to happen to us Believers to draw others to the Secret? Where have we failed? 

P.

Father, forgive me for failing You. Forgive me for not being the shining example of Your Son. Show me, fully and completely, how I can change that. Fill me with Your Spirit, who changes from the inside out...with His supernatural revelation of the ANSWER....JESUS!

Mood:  spacey

S.

Psalm 55:6-8 (NKJ) So I (David/'Beloved') said, Oh, that I had wings like a dove (Holy Spirit)! I would fly away and be at rest. Indeed, I would wander far off, And remain in the wilderness. Selah. I would hasten my escape From the windy storm and tempest.

O.

God's Beloved One (US) says, "I wish that I could soar high in the Spirit without effort, just as Holy Spirit does, exhibiting feelings of joy that cannot be expressed! I would fly away, covered in God's protection and be at permanent rest. SEE! I would be restless to move into further, distant and extended spiritual places, extending my spiritual boarders. I would stay permanently in pastureland...GOD'S pastureland. THINK ABOUT IT! I would be eager with excitement to come to deliverance and safety and FREEDOM from out of mental and spiritual sudden attacks and trials.

A.

Oh how my spirit desires these deeper and higher places! ESPECIALLY during times of testing! To soar with Holy Spirit would be a dream come true...deeper and more extended spiritual places! A place of total FREEDOM! To see and experience God's supernatural things and then to just SIT there...soaking everything in so as to never loose them...oh, what a place and time to be in! The best thing of all this? I CAN! For my God has given me the gift of Holy Spirit! All I have to do is TAKE Him, by faith! And TRUST in Him! I can sit right there...the more I submit, the more I receive! WOW!

P.

Father, Thank You for the gift of Holy Spirit! Take me deeper in Him, Lord...show me my extended spiritual boarders...and beyond! Thank You for that safe and secure place...in YOUR Spirit, Father!

Mood:  special

S.

Psalm 56:8

You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book?

tears=juice, essence, spirit....produced by squeezing

bottle=a 'containter' for holding liquid and made of skin (the human body)

book=to remember, recount, enumerate

O.

God keeps an account of our 'waverings'...the times we had compassion and pity on others and the times we didn't. Our 'tears of compassion' come from our 'hurts' inside. These 'hurts' are squeezed out of our spirit, when we have compassion on someone, and become a new part of our spiritual character; a new attribute/trait for our spirit. These 'hurts' are the 'juice' of a new spiritual character trait, adding to our spirit more goodness and righteousness. These spiritual traits are placed into our human body (God's 'bottle made of skin'). God then writes them on His memory...in His 'book'...so that there is evidence of our 'deed of compassion'. (I'm thinking this is 'evidence' for us when the 'Accuser/Satan' comes against us with accusations)

A.

I love this thought; God uses my hurtings to give me new spiritual traits and new personal character features! What remains of my hurtings (the juice) is turned into something that ADDS to my spiritual character. Then God uses these  as evidence against the Accuser! God uses my 'hurtings' in so many ways! He has a plan for my total life...each and every step I take is used to bring me into a life like Jesus'. Each pace I take is used to bring my transformation into who Jesus is.

WOW! What a God I have!

P.

Father, how amazing Your plan is for each of our lives. Give each Believer eyes to see and understand the WHY'S of each hurt, Father. Help us to know Your evidence from these hurts...that we would SEE them as evidence and NOT as hurts. Build my character and understanding, Lord, on the juice of all my hurts!...and THANK YOU!