Day10

It is the time of year when we contemplate the cross and all that God did to pursue us with His love. As you sit quietly today, listen to the heart of God as He speaks forth His plan of redemption through His Son, Jesus. This is the ONE we have been invited to come to. Amazing...

Here is my servant, whom I uphold, 

my chosen One in whom I delight;

I will put my Spirit on Him and He will bring justice to the nations.

He will not shout or cry out, or raise His voice in the streets.

A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out.

In faithfulness He will bring forth justice;

He will not falter or be discouraged till He establishes justice on earth.

In His law the islands will put their hope. 

This is what God teh Lord says---

He who created the heavens and stretched them out, 

who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, 

who gives life to its people, 

"I, the Lord have called your in righteousness;

I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you...to open eyes that are blind,

to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

I am the Lord; that is my name!

I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.

See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare;

before they spring into being I announce them to you." (Isaiah 42:1-9)

Praise God the mystery has been revealed to us! Thank You Jesus for Your obedience unto death. Help us Lord, to crucify our sinful desires to Your cross and to follow You in the light of Your life. You are the gentle, humble King and we bow before You as Lord. Thank You Jesus.

Day 9

"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

the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" (Luke 11:13)

These are words that Jesus shared with His disciples as He was teaching them how to pray in connection with our daily bread that we need. I woke up this morning feeling convicted about careless words I spoke last night. As I poured out my heart to my Shepherd, I was again grateful for the salvation that comes daily to us through repentance and rest. (Isaiah 30:15). He's so gentle, but firm. As you sit quietly in your garden today, ask, seek, knock--- boldy (Lk. 11:1-13), knowing that our Abba desires to fill us with His Spirit. Our daily bread. 

Day 8

Last night, as I took a few moments to review my day with the Lord, my heart was full of praise. The dynamics of yesterday would've typically been a day that would make me cranky, critical and impatient with others, but it turned out to be a wonderful day, full of joy. I saw the fingerprints of God's grace all over it! I didn't 'try harder' at all. The only thing I can attribute it to is the "one thing" that matters. Thank You Jesus for rewarding me as I simply close the door and spend time with you in secret. (Matthew 6:6)

"Daughter, daughter, you are worried and upset about many things,

but only ONE THING is needed. Choose what is better,

and it will not be taken away from you."(Lk. 10:41-42)

Lord, I pray for all my sisters who are walking with me on this 

30 day challenge. 

May we choose You over everything else and may we experience your joy

that results from our obedience to Your voice.

Day 7

How is it with your soul today?

I woke up this morning feeling anxious, restless and irritable; what I have come to realize is a symptom that my soul is dry, dusty, thirsty. Here in the central valley we have dust storms that make us all irritable as the dust becomes so thick we can't even see across the street, and tumbleweeds roll into our yards (gardens). We're scared to even breathe fearing disease in the wind. We wait anxiously for the rain to come to settle the dust and stop the crazy wind. I now realize when that is happening inside of me, and I know I must go to my garden alone, close the door, and wait for the rain of His Spirit to settle the dust so I can see reality in the light of His Word. 

"Oh God, your are my God.

I earnestly search for you.

My soul thirsts for you; 

my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land 

where there is not water.

I have seen you in your sanctuary and 

gazed upon your power and glory (in silence).

Your unfailing love is better to me than life itself: how I praise You...

You satisfy me more than the richest of foods." (Psalm 63)

As I sat in silence, my soul cried out to God "I thirst for You. Satisfy me this morning with your unfailing love." In solitude and silence, as my mind would start to wander, I would say again, "I thirst for You. You satisfy me." And then, I wait. The dust settles, my soul drinks deeply. Now I can see the weeds that need to be removed. All praise to God, as I got up to face my day, the dust was settled. I can breathe. It will stir up again, and again I will wait for the rain. 

"I wait quietly before God, for my salvation comes from Him."(Psalm 62)

Thank You Jesus, for inviting us to come.

Day 6

For God who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," 

has made us understand that this light is the brightness of the glory of God

that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

But this precious treasure---this light and power that now shine within us---

is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies.
So everyone can see that

our glorious power is from God and is not our own. (2 Cor. 4:6-7)

Just like an athlete goes into training to develop His God given talent, we go into the garden to train our hearts and minds to be in step with the Spirit. As you sit at the feet of Jesus today, dwell on the power that is now in your weak body. Be still. Be quiet. Be silent for at least 5 minutes. Let the seed take root in your soul. This precious treasure. The brightness of the glory of God will penetrate every dark shadow of your life and bring glory to Himself as He shines through you with power. 

Day 5

"Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my sighing. Listen to my cry for help, 

my King and my God, for to You I pray. 

In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice;

in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." 

(Psalm 5)

As you come to Jesus today, be silent for a few moments as you wait, expecting the Lord to tend to the soil of your soul. Pour out your heart and then be still; wait expectantly. Don't judge this time. Don't evaluate it. Rest in it. Be quiet. Breathe deeply as you rest in the knowledge of His sovereignty and love.

Day 4

Jesus said, "Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends." Rev. 3:20

On the way home from Hume, my daughter asked me; how do we set our minds on what is lovely, praiseworthy etc. while processing ugly, difficult and hurtful things we face everyday?  What a great question! The simple answer is this: we process the darkness in the light (Psalm 139:11-12). So, as you think through or deal with ugly, hurtful things, you do so through the lens of TRUTH. 

For example, a loved one (or you) has an overwhelming disease that needs to be dealt with and thought through. You deal with it with the foundation in place (and this is where you FIX your mind) that God is good, strong, sovereign and His love will never fail no matter what we face. That is the beautiful, lovely, admirable thought you dwell on (Phil. 4:8) even as you deal with the pain. Our natural bent is to dwell on the pain and quickly appeal to God for peace. He provides it as we dwell on Him, but we need to choose to set our minds on truth. 

"Lord Jesus, help us to walk in the light as You are in the light so we can be one with You, give us the power we need today to put Your Word into practice."

Day 3

When we open God's Word to do our Bible study, we often are looking for information; when we come to the garden to rest in the presence of the Lord, we are longing for transformation. His Spirit is renewing us to be more like Him.  So as you 'remain in His Word' today, read slowly, carefully and reflectively. Read it a few times and listen for a phrase or thought that stands out to you. What is the Word saying to you today? How will you respond? Listen carefully.
Psalm 27:8 "My heart says of you, "Seek His face! Your face, Lord, I will seek."

Day 2

Remember, where the Spirit is, there is freedom. These 30 days don't all have to be in a row! That's why they say Day 1, not specific dates. You can't fall behind...Jesus will always meet you where you are. Of course, everyday is great, but that is not the rule...the invitation is to come.
From Hebrews 4:16 I pray,  "dear Abba, as we approach your throne today, we would do so with confidence realizing it is not a place we can't enter, but it is a humble King who sits there waiting for us. Thank you for making a way through Your very blood. So we come to you to receive mercy and all the grace we need to help us live in You today. Lord Jesus give us rest as we sit with You now."

Day 1

Welcome friend. I hope you will find this blog encouraging as you take the time to go into your secret room, close the door and spend time with your Abba. He promises to reward you! You are responding to the invitation of Jesus Himself. He has invited you to come.
I am praying for you today as Paul prays in Philippians 1:9-10,
"Lord, I pray that our love for each other will overflow more and more, and that we will keep on growing in our knowledge and understanding. Lord, I pray that we would understand what really matters..."

shhhhh

30 Day Challenge

Colossians 2:6

Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

If you were with me at Hume Lake, this verse should sound very familiar. Beginning Monday, March 22, I will add a short post of encouragement for you for 30 days. Jesus is inviting you to COME TO HIM...will you?

Feel free to post your comments and thoughts. Let's spur one another on!