So, where are you in trusting God? Is there some area of life that you need for Him to make larger or better? Can you trust Him to do that? Here a few tips for living it out: (Pages 42-45)
1) Know Who it is You are Trusting
Read the Bible and learn about God's character. The more you know about Him the easier it will be to trust Him. You might want to read the Psalms. You'll also want to get to know Jesus, for Jesus said that if we have seen Him, we have seen the Father. See John 14: 9. In fact read all of John. Look at the pages of John, and the other gospels, too, and see Jesus's love, His care, His compassion, and His power. That is who you are trusting. Watch Him as He deals with His sheep, and remember that you ARE one.
2) Decide What Needs to Change, and Define the Steps
Look at the areas of life that you want to be different, and ask yourself how much FAITH you are exercising in those areas. What first step do you need to take? Know that God will always be there to catch you if you fall, and He will always have your best interests in mind.
3) Ask yourself if there was anything from your past that has harmed your ability to trust. Was it people? The church? Did you have a traumatic experience? Find out where you got your "trust map" and begin to rewrite the path of your future. If necessary, get some counseling to help.
4) Share in the Faith Testimonies of Others
The Bible says that what others have done and what God has done in their lives helps our own faith. You will be amazed as you learn what God has done in the world, in our communities, in our circles of friends and family. Trust is a muscle that can grow as you learn to be certain that He can bring about what you cannot see. Of course you can't see it yet! It will only come into being as you take that step, the step of trust. Find a bible study, a prayer group, a community that will share their experiences with you, and you can share yours, too.
Now, I've shared what the key is that opens the door to blessing. Trust is the key.
The rest of this wonderful book is spent looking at some of the secrets God has given us so that it might go well with us in the areas of life that matter to us most: Our emotional well-being, our relationships, and our purpose. We will find that the Creator Himself has told us how to make the life He created work best. And then the final chapter brings you back to some UNRELIGIOUS secret things of God that will ground you and prepare you to live out all the secrets you've discovered in this book.
So see if you can find your book "The Secret Things of God" by Dr. Henry Cloud, and your bible, read them, and Let's go unlock some treasures!
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This will be all I'll write on this "book report". I do encourage you to find this wonderful book and your bible and read "the rest of the story". And go on a treasure hunt - you won't be sorry. You'll be "rich".
James 2:17 and Deuteronomy 4:29
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
Trust God Even When You Don't Understand
There are so many times when we pray and pray and seek God and what we ask for is not the way it turns out. What then?
There are 3 examples I think of for now: Josi whose life was spared through a miraculous discovery by a dog as she lay in the muddy field face down, unable to move after a terrible car accident that should have taken her life. She was spared. Now 3 years later, she is still fighting to be able to walk, talk, eat - I guess you could say she was spared, but for what purpose? We pray and pray, and nothing changes much. She was only 17 at the time. Our nephew, Mike, suffered with cancer, and died - in the prime of his life - 48 years old! He was a wonderful man, left his young son and wife. So heartbreaking. He is the uncle of Josi. We are very close to that family, and this is so hard for us. My sister, Pat, suffered with bladder cancer and fought the good fight, almost conquering the beast, and then succumbed to it on July 4th last year. We were devastated!
I know Josi has a purpose for her life. Her Dad, Joe, told me that he knows what the purpose is - because of this awful accident and her "miraculous" rescue, it brought his family to the Lord. They came together to pray every day, and God is present in their prayer - they FEEL him there!
It was so hard to understand why God would take Mike at such an important time in his life. And Patsy, too. But when we went to their funerals, pretty heartbroken over their deaths, it was not a gloomy funeral - either of them - it was more like a celebration.
That's because both Patsy and Mike were believers in God and heaven, and people got up and shared mostly about where Patsy and Mike are now, and how they all knew they would see them again. Everyone was sad, and tears flowed, and stuff, we miss them . . . but we were okay with it in another way. I think it's because we truly, really believe we will be with them again. I know that is true.
Because Jesus said he would take anyone who believed in Him with Him to heaven. I know that Jesus lives today, because I have seen him do so much over the years. I can honestly say that I know Him. So, when someone dies, we can know that we will see them again in a very real place just like now. And that is why the Bible says that as believers, we do not 'grieve like people who have no hope.' Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13 - 17. We are sad, but we are certain that it is not over.
Do I ever have doubts? Yes! I used to have lots of doubts, but I am realizing more and more that God the Father, Jesus His son, and the Holy Spirit is REAL! There is a lot I don't understand, especially when bad things happen, like Josi's accident, and Mike and Patsy's death. But I know He is real, and I trust Him with the things I do not understand and take comfort in the fact that He gets it even when I don't.
It's kind of like when my kids and grandkids were little, and things would happen that I understood, but they didn't get it. When they would ask, I'd explain, but they still didn't understand. When they were pre-school and young children they were not yet capable of understanding the things that adults can fully comprehend. So they would say "oh" and ask "when's supper"? Somehow you were all okay with the fact that you didn't get it, but I did. And I guess that's how I am. I don't have a problem with the fact that there are things I do not understand about God or why He allows some things to happen. If I can understand things my kids can't, I can certainly see how an infinite God can understand things that I can't.
When we connect ourselves to the SOURCE of all that's good, we open our lives up to unimaginable blessings. Reflect awhile on this truth and the power of this secret of God. Then maybe you will want to share what this all means to you!
(from pages 40 - 42)
There are 3 examples I think of for now: Josi whose life was spared through a miraculous discovery by a dog as she lay in the muddy field face down, unable to move after a terrible car accident that should have taken her life. She was spared. Now 3 years later, she is still fighting to be able to walk, talk, eat - I guess you could say she was spared, but for what purpose? We pray and pray, and nothing changes much. She was only 17 at the time. Our nephew, Mike, suffered with cancer, and died - in the prime of his life - 48 years old! He was a wonderful man, left his young son and wife. So heartbreaking. He is the uncle of Josi. We are very close to that family, and this is so hard for us. My sister, Pat, suffered with bladder cancer and fought the good fight, almost conquering the beast, and then succumbed to it on July 4th last year. We were devastated!
I know Josi has a purpose for her life. Her Dad, Joe, told me that he knows what the purpose is - because of this awful accident and her "miraculous" rescue, it brought his family to the Lord. They came together to pray every day, and God is present in their prayer - they FEEL him there!
It was so hard to understand why God would take Mike at such an important time in his life. And Patsy, too. But when we went to their funerals, pretty heartbroken over their deaths, it was not a gloomy funeral - either of them - it was more like a celebration.
That's because both Patsy and Mike were believers in God and heaven, and people got up and shared mostly about where Patsy and Mike are now, and how they all knew they would see them again. Everyone was sad, and tears flowed, and stuff, we miss them . . . but we were okay with it in another way. I think it's because we truly, really believe we will be with them again. I know that is true.
Because Jesus said he would take anyone who believed in Him with Him to heaven. I know that Jesus lives today, because I have seen him do so much over the years. I can honestly say that I know Him. So, when someone dies, we can know that we will see them again in a very real place just like now. And that is why the Bible says that as believers, we do not 'grieve like people who have no hope.' Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13 - 17. We are sad, but we are certain that it is not over.
Do I ever have doubts? Yes! I used to have lots of doubts, but I am realizing more and more that God the Father, Jesus His son, and the Holy Spirit is REAL! There is a lot I don't understand, especially when bad things happen, like Josi's accident, and Mike and Patsy's death. But I know He is real, and I trust Him with the things I do not understand and take comfort in the fact that He gets it even when I don't.
It's kind of like when my kids and grandkids were little, and things would happen that I understood, but they didn't get it. When they would ask, I'd explain, but they still didn't understand. When they were pre-school and young children they were not yet capable of understanding the things that adults can fully comprehend. So they would say "oh" and ask "when's supper"? Somehow you were all okay with the fact that you didn't get it, but I did. And I guess that's how I am. I don't have a problem with the fact that there are things I do not understand about God or why He allows some things to happen. If I can understand things my kids can't, I can certainly see how an infinite God can understand things that I can't.
When we connect ourselves to the SOURCE of all that's good, we open our lives up to unimaginable blessings. Reflect awhile on this truth and the power of this secret of God. Then maybe you will want to share what this all means to you!
(from pages 40 - 42)
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Trust God's character - not any particular outcome
What about the times when things don't work out so well? Does this mean that God has let you down?
The Bible is very clear on this: we do not trust God based on particular outcomes we can SEE, Our trust is based on His love for us and His character. The character of God and our journey with Him is what matters. He is pleased by our faith, our trust. It's easy to believe God on the mountaintop; but when we're in the valley and it's dark and we feel all alone, that's when our faith is tested.
As you all know, I Love to go to the mountains and enjoy the smells, the sounds, the sights - but every year when I have to come down from the mountains, I go through a time of darkness, feeling like I wish I could stay there in the mountains forever. Then, I have to pull myself together and get back to my regular life again! That's where I am and what I'm going through right now. It seems to happen every year. So I guess I can relate to what the author is saying about the mountaintop and the valley. The mountain top is when everything is going well, and we can know God loves us, and we experience Him and how He is working in our lives. The valley is when things go wrong. It seems as if God forgot us, like He isn't listening or noticing our needs. When we lose a loved one, a job, our health, or a relationship, these are the times when trusting God is difficult. But - they are also the times when we need him the most. They are the times when we need to know that no matter how bad it is, God is there with us, that He loves us and is going to take us through whatever we face.
If we keep holding on to God during the dark times, we will find that He never ever leaves our side as we walk through the pain and that when we come out on the other side, He is still there beside us and that our faith has been strengthened in the process.
Sometimes He does not deliver us from our difficulty at all, but simply gives us His presence and the presence of others.
Read the book of Job in your bible. Now there is a man who went through everything that could destroy his faith in a God who cares, but He kept holding on to God no matter what. He knew He was the only and true God, that He is a good God, and that He loves us. The same for us - when we have that kind of faith, even when we don't understand it all, we know enough to trust God based on His love for us and His character. He WILL bring us through our difficulties. He DOES care and He loves us!
(from pages 38 and 39)
The Bible is very clear on this: we do not trust God based on particular outcomes we can SEE, Our trust is based on His love for us and His character. The character of God and our journey with Him is what matters. He is pleased by our faith, our trust. It's easy to believe God on the mountaintop; but when we're in the valley and it's dark and we feel all alone, that's when our faith is tested.
As you all know, I Love to go to the mountains and enjoy the smells, the sounds, the sights - but every year when I have to come down from the mountains, I go through a time of darkness, feeling like I wish I could stay there in the mountains forever. Then, I have to pull myself together and get back to my regular life again! That's where I am and what I'm going through right now. It seems to happen every year. So I guess I can relate to what the author is saying about the mountaintop and the valley. The mountain top is when everything is going well, and we can know God loves us, and we experience Him and how He is working in our lives. The valley is when things go wrong. It seems as if God forgot us, like He isn't listening or noticing our needs. When we lose a loved one, a job, our health, or a relationship, these are the times when trusting God is difficult. But - they are also the times when we need him the most. They are the times when we need to know that no matter how bad it is, God is there with us, that He loves us and is going to take us through whatever we face.
If we keep holding on to God during the dark times, we will find that He never ever leaves our side as we walk through the pain and that when we come out on the other side, He is still there beside us and that our faith has been strengthened in the process.
Sometimes He does not deliver us from our difficulty at all, but simply gives us His presence and the presence of others.
Read the book of Job in your bible. Now there is a man who went through everything that could destroy his faith in a God who cares, but He kept holding on to God no matter what. He knew He was the only and true God, that He is a good God, and that He loves us. The same for us - when we have that kind of faith, even when we don't understand it all, we know enough to trust God based on His love for us and His character. He WILL bring us through our difficulties. He DOES care and He loves us!
(from pages 38 and 39)
Friday, September 4, 2009
Dare to be Vulnerable
When I was a 4-H leader, I was privileged to be able to go to a camp in Idaho called "Chatcolab". I learned so much there about myself and that I could, indeed, be lovable and had a lot to offer my circle of people! I started going there before I was baptized in the Spirit. We learned a lot about trusting others and ourselves. One of the "games" we played was to trust someone in back of me to catch me. I stood in front of someone and just leaned back while the other person caught me before I hit the floor. That took total trust! I had a very hard time with it, because I was so afraid that I would fall to the floor and hurt myself or the one behind me. Try it sometime. It takes total trust.
Page 35 of this book:
"If we do not trust, we are limited to our own resources, and we weren't created to do it all on our own." I think of the birth of each of my 7 babies. I was totally in the hands of my Dr. during the births. I could not have done that all on my own. I had to trust the Dr and the nurses that they knew what they were doing to help each of them make their appearance into the world. And then the babies had no choice but to trust me and Dad and all the caretakers in their lives. Because they were cared for and nurtured and trusted those in charge, each of them learned what they needed to learn to stay alive and grow - how to eat, how to walk, how to talk - everything. Because the babies were vulnerable to the ones who provide what is needed, they thrived! The babies could not get those things on their own. They had to trust Dad and I to teach them, to nurture them, to love them enough to do what is good and right for them. They had to trust us to provide for them the food, shelter, clothing, etc., that they needed. Now, as adults, the grown up babies - and us - are the same.
We need to trust, we need to be vulnerable, we need to have faith in the heavenly Father who will always care for us. We just need to trust HIM.
Page 36: "So, what do YOU need to trust God for? Well, pretty much everything, but most of all, the things that you are not able to provide for yourself." On page 37 there is a list that may be helpful to help you see what you can trust him in and for. "Did you go through them with God, or did you try to go it alone? Next time, let Him help you with your needs." (you may want to read the list, or make a list about your own struggles and what you've tried to handle in your life - by yourself). "It's not trust if we have no need. Take a step. Jump in. Dare to believe. God will not let you down!" Maybe you could share ways you've trusted God in situations you could not handle without Him, and how you found He was there. Sometimes we don't see it until we look back and remember situations or times, and then we can say oh, yeah, that was God working in my life!
Some more tomorrow! In the meantime, make your list of what is in your life NOW that you need to trust God for - what is there that you cannot seem to accomplish on your own?
Page 35 of this book:
"If we do not trust, we are limited to our own resources, and we weren't created to do it all on our own." I think of the birth of each of my 7 babies. I was totally in the hands of my Dr. during the births. I could not have done that all on my own. I had to trust the Dr and the nurses that they knew what they were doing to help each of them make their appearance into the world. And then the babies had no choice but to trust me and Dad and all the caretakers in their lives. Because they were cared for and nurtured and trusted those in charge, each of them learned what they needed to learn to stay alive and grow - how to eat, how to walk, how to talk - everything. Because the babies were vulnerable to the ones who provide what is needed, they thrived! The babies could not get those things on their own. They had to trust Dad and I to teach them, to nurture them, to love them enough to do what is good and right for them. They had to trust us to provide for them the food, shelter, clothing, etc., that they needed. Now, as adults, the grown up babies - and us - are the same.
We need to trust, we need to be vulnerable, we need to have faith in the heavenly Father who will always care for us. We just need to trust HIM.
Page 36: "So, what do YOU need to trust God for? Well, pretty much everything, but most of all, the things that you are not able to provide for yourself." On page 37 there is a list that may be helpful to help you see what you can trust him in and for. "Did you go through them with God, or did you try to go it alone? Next time, let Him help you with your needs." (you may want to read the list, or make a list about your own struggles and what you've tried to handle in your life - by yourself). "It's not trust if we have no need. Take a step. Jump in. Dare to believe. God will not let you down!" Maybe you could share ways you've trusted God in situations you could not handle without Him, and how you found He was there. Sometimes we don't see it until we look back and remember situations or times, and then we can say oh, yeah, that was God working in my life!
Some more tomorrow! In the meantime, make your list of what is in your life NOW that you need to trust God for - what is there that you cannot seem to accomplish on your own?
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Trust is the key
On page 28 of this book:
Opening yourself up to the gifts of God means trusting that He loves you and will provide for you. It means daring to be vulnerable with both God and the right people. It often means trusting beyond what you can see. It means believing in the character of God even more than you believe in your desired outcome.
God's blessings await you. You hold the key that unlocks them: trust. Trust is the key that opens the door to blessings.
Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; depend not on your own understanding. Seek HIS will in all you do, and He will show you the path to take."
This secret of trust is the key that opens the door to all the other secrets. Through trust, or FAITH, we connect with God in a way that shows our reliance on Him and our surrender to Him. This is what He desires most from us.
When I first experienced my personal relationship with God, with Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, I had no idea what it meant to trust God, but I soon learned - I had to trust HIM, because there was nowhere else to go. Our home and almost all our belongings were consumed in a house fire. We had our 7 children, and thank God, we were not home when this happened. This was a big clue - that God was at work, and that I could trust Him to continue to take care of us. And He did!
In the book, on page 30, the author talks about an incredible picture of the sunset over an ocean. I have a picture like that in my "prayer room" bedroom. I am also reminded of looking up at the night skies in the mountains and seeing the millions of stars, the babbling and beauty of the creek, the birds with their wonderful melodies, all the beauty of His creation everywhere. Ralph Waldo Emerson had a quote under the author's picture: "All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen." I also think of how we are all created with the same parts to our bodies - intricate and perfect! Sharon reminded us of that in a previous post. Look around you. Someone had to have created it all! Someone a lot bigger and smarter than I.
We had to have a creator! He made us! He cares about us! He cares for us! There is the verse, and I'm not sure where it is, but I'll find it and post it here, that if God takes care of the birds of the air, then He can take care of me. This just blows me away - and to think I would have missed it if I hadn't "investigated" - and trusted - and found the key.
So, how do we unlock the secret of trust? The first answer is that we take that very first step of faith. Like the Nike commercial says, we just do it!
We don't always know what's in front of us or what will happen next; (sometimes we'd probably panic if we did know!) but if we know the One who knows, we can trust Him to take care of things because we know He loves us.
This will be all I'll write for today. As you think of these things, and "Trust" and faith, look around you, and count the many blessings God has given you. Thank Him from the bottom of your heart - and keep on trusting Him. He's there, longing to listen and wanting to bless you.
Maybe you could share some times when you had to have that faith in someone bigger and smarter than you - a CREATOR - a time when you trusted God and He directed your path.
I would like to share a bit about an answered prayer. Paul just called. His daughter Sandy and her husband live in Tajunga, Calif - right where the terrible fires were raging. They were in Red Lodge when the fires broke out. All was evacuated all around them, and they didn't know what to expect when they got home on Tuesday. I told Paul I'd be praying - and I did. Sandy called to say the fire had burned all around their subdivision and through some of it. They are the third house down the mountain from the forest that was burning. The fire stopped at the end of their street. Praise God! Some of their neighbors weren't as fortunate, so pray for all of those caught in that awful fire. Today is Sandy and Loren's 26th wedding anniversary!
Opening yourself up to the gifts of God means trusting that He loves you and will provide for you. It means daring to be vulnerable with both God and the right people. It often means trusting beyond what you can see. It means believing in the character of God even more than you believe in your desired outcome.
God's blessings await you. You hold the key that unlocks them: trust. Trust is the key that opens the door to blessings.
Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; depend not on your own understanding. Seek HIS will in all you do, and He will show you the path to take."
This secret of trust is the key that opens the door to all the other secrets. Through trust, or FAITH, we connect with God in a way that shows our reliance on Him and our surrender to Him. This is what He desires most from us.
When I first experienced my personal relationship with God, with Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, I had no idea what it meant to trust God, but I soon learned - I had to trust HIM, because there was nowhere else to go. Our home and almost all our belongings were consumed in a house fire. We had our 7 children, and thank God, we were not home when this happened. This was a big clue - that God was at work, and that I could trust Him to continue to take care of us. And He did!
In the book, on page 30, the author talks about an incredible picture of the sunset over an ocean. I have a picture like that in my "prayer room" bedroom. I am also reminded of looking up at the night skies in the mountains and seeing the millions of stars, the babbling and beauty of the creek, the birds with their wonderful melodies, all the beauty of His creation everywhere. Ralph Waldo Emerson had a quote under the author's picture: "All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen." I also think of how we are all created with the same parts to our bodies - intricate and perfect! Sharon reminded us of that in a previous post. Look around you. Someone had to have created it all! Someone a lot bigger and smarter than I.
We had to have a creator! He made us! He cares about us! He cares for us! There is the verse, and I'm not sure where it is, but I'll find it and post it here, that if God takes care of the birds of the air, then He can take care of me. This just blows me away - and to think I would have missed it if I hadn't "investigated" - and trusted - and found the key.
So, how do we unlock the secret of trust? The first answer is that we take that very first step of faith. Like the Nike commercial says, we just do it!
We don't always know what's in front of us or what will happen next; (sometimes we'd probably panic if we did know!) but if we know the One who knows, we can trust Him to take care of things because we know He loves us.
This will be all I'll write for today. As you think of these things, and "Trust" and faith, look around you, and count the many blessings God has given you. Thank Him from the bottom of your heart - and keep on trusting Him. He's there, longing to listen and wanting to bless you.
Maybe you could share some times when you had to have that faith in someone bigger and smarter than you - a CREATOR - a time when you trusted God and He directed your path.
I would like to share a bit about an answered prayer. Paul just called. His daughter Sandy and her husband live in Tajunga, Calif - right where the terrible fires were raging. They were in Red Lodge when the fires broke out. All was evacuated all around them, and they didn't know what to expect when they got home on Tuesday. I told Paul I'd be praying - and I did. Sandy called to say the fire had burned all around their subdivision and through some of it. They are the third house down the mountain from the forest that was burning. The fire stopped at the end of their street. Praise God! Some of their neighbors weren't as fortunate, so pray for all of those caught in that awful fire. Today is Sandy and Loren's 26th wedding anniversary!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
The Search
I'm sorry I have been so "absent" from my blog for awhile. It's been a busy summer. But now I'm back, and I would like to share a bit of what I read while camping. It spoke so loud and clear to me, and blessed me immensely. I hope it will do the same for you.
I was reading 2 wonderful spiritual books. I read both of them over and over. They aren't very big books, but oh so good. The first one I'd like to share with you is "The Secret Things of God" - 1st Corinthians 4:1. (I gave each of you a copy of this book for Christmas last year. If you haven't read it, you will want to find it and open the pages. Such a good book!)
*************************************************************************************
The first chapter beginning on page 1, is "The Search" - Seek ye first the Kingdom of God AND His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well - Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:33 and 34.
The second chapter beginning on page 15, is "If You Seek God, He Will Show Up". In Jeremiah 29:13 - 14 we read "You will seek me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord". You do not have to have the biggest faith, or belief, in the world. Just the act of believing enough to SEEK is enough for Him to come to you. (I asked for God, and Jesus showed up - page 21).
This is The secret! To live out this secret means that you will:
1 - Seek Him in the quiet of your heart - go to a quiet place and tell Him you are looking for Him. Pour out your heart. Ask Jesus to meet you and come to you. Ask Him to show up in your life.
2 - Seek Him with another or others. Get together with someone or others who know Him well. It may seem strange, but you will find it one of the most incredible spiritual experiences you can have. Ask that person or persons how he found God and what God does in his life.
3 - Seek Him by reading the bible. He will talk to you there. It is His love letter to you. If you are not one who reads the bible much, start in Psalms and the book of John. Talk to God about what you are reading, and sit still and let Him talk to you.
4 - Seek Him for the answers you need in your life. Relationships, finances, troubles, healing, guidance, kids, or whatever you need help with.
SEEK AND YOU WILL FIND!!!!
On page 14, it says: No matter where you are in your faith journey - whether you are just testing the waters to see if there is anything out there worth believing in or you are a longtime believer desiring a richer, more fulfilling relationship with the Creator of the universe - the starting point is always the same. SEEK!. This is where it all begins.
SEEK AND YOU WILL FIND.
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This is only the first 2 chapters - very condensed and in my own words. You will want to follow along by reading it yourselves. And be sure to pick up your bible and seek some of the treasures that are in there. Please share here your thoughts and how God is speaking to you through your seeking and listening. If you can't find your book, or I didn't give you one, you will want to go purchase it for yourselves. It's a book that is worth every penny and the time spent in it. The author is Dr. Henry Cloud. Again - the book is "The Secret Things of God" - unlocking the treasures reserved for YOU"
Tomorrow I'll share some more of what is in this wonderful little book. See you then right here!
I was reading 2 wonderful spiritual books. I read both of them over and over. They aren't very big books, but oh so good. The first one I'd like to share with you is "The Secret Things of God" - 1st Corinthians 4:1. (I gave each of you a copy of this book for Christmas last year. If you haven't read it, you will want to find it and open the pages. Such a good book!)
*************************************************************************************
The first chapter beginning on page 1, is "The Search" - Seek ye first the Kingdom of God AND His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well - Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:33 and 34.
The second chapter beginning on page 15, is "If You Seek God, He Will Show Up". In Jeremiah 29:13 - 14 we read "You will seek me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord". You do not have to have the biggest faith, or belief, in the world. Just the act of believing enough to SEEK is enough for Him to come to you. (I asked for God, and Jesus showed up - page 21).
This is The secret! To live out this secret means that you will:
1 - Seek Him in the quiet of your heart - go to a quiet place and tell Him you are looking for Him. Pour out your heart. Ask Jesus to meet you and come to you. Ask Him to show up in your life.
2 - Seek Him with another or others. Get together with someone or others who know Him well. It may seem strange, but you will find it one of the most incredible spiritual experiences you can have. Ask that person or persons how he found God and what God does in his life.
3 - Seek Him by reading the bible. He will talk to you there. It is His love letter to you. If you are not one who reads the bible much, start in Psalms and the book of John. Talk to God about what you are reading, and sit still and let Him talk to you.
4 - Seek Him for the answers you need in your life. Relationships, finances, troubles, healing, guidance, kids, or whatever you need help with.
SEEK AND YOU WILL FIND!!!!
On page 14, it says: No matter where you are in your faith journey - whether you are just testing the waters to see if there is anything out there worth believing in or you are a longtime believer desiring a richer, more fulfilling relationship with the Creator of the universe - the starting point is always the same. SEEK!. This is where it all begins.
SEEK AND YOU WILL FIND.
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This is only the first 2 chapters - very condensed and in my own words. You will want to follow along by reading it yourselves. And be sure to pick up your bible and seek some of the treasures that are in there. Please share here your thoughts and how God is speaking to you through your seeking and listening. If you can't find your book, or I didn't give you one, you will want to go purchase it for yourselves. It's a book that is worth every penny and the time spent in it. The author is Dr. Henry Cloud. Again - the book is "The Secret Things of God" - unlocking the treasures reserved for YOU"
Tomorrow I'll share some more of what is in this wonderful little book. See you then right here!
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