Journals of the Heart

You are browsing the archives of 2009 July.

I look at you and My heart beats with joy and I rejoice over you. In fact, I am so happy I can’t help but sing songs of love over you (Zephaniah 3:17). Listen to the song I am singing and you will know how much I love you. You will know without a doubt how precious you are to Me.

Some men look the part of a father—but they are not—while other men don’t look the part of a father and are. Perhaps it would simplify things a bit if God would give us a clue as to what His thoughts are on the subject.

We could offer our thoughts on this subject, but it would probably come more from natural reasoning rather than from spiritual discernment.

Consider the verse in John 20:23 and take Him at His Word. Will you stand in the gap for the forgiveness and the release of another’s sin? Will you be one who comes boldly before the throne of grace to receive mercy in time of need for yourself and others? Will you be one who dares to go outside the confines of religious communion and enter into spiritual communion where the wine and bread multiply when it is put in the hands of a repentant giving heart? Will you be broken bread and poured out wine in the life of another. Will you be one who takes communion with such a heart as to become communion in a dying world?

Come sit under the apple tree with Me…come and savor the sweet crisp taste of My Presence. Did you know apples help regulate blood sugar and blood pressure and have been considered the “King of Fruits.” The juice of apples can even regulate heart burn. Do you feel the pressure of the times and circumstances? Do you have spiritual heart burn? Like apples in the natural heal on a natural level, time in My Presence heals both the natural and the spiritual. Selah (Meditate)

If I’ve learned anything, it’s that all life experiences have character building value that is needed for our next step. What may seem difficult at the time usually turns out to be a valuable experience.

Using today’s glasses to appraise experiences that took place back in the 1940s is unfair to say the least. For that reason the thought that I’m sharing today is not for appraisal, but for praise. Since circumstances were much different back in the 40s than they are now—my story is not a unique one. Many men and boys of all ages experienced similar things.

During some time of personal contemplation I was asking the Lord what He was doing with me right at the very moment. I was interested in the here and now. To my surprise, He gave me a vision of a snake shedding its skin and told me to look the process up on the Internet. So, I did and found some very interesting correlation between the habits of snakes and how that coincides with the Christian walk.

We look at others and wonder why they can’t seem to overcome areas of struggle in their lives while at the same time we are fraught with our own inability to achieve victory in our own areas of weakness. We wonder why others can’t seem to see what we see or be as righteous as we are and yet we need glasses of our own. To put it in a nutshell, we forsake grace and set ourselves up as a judge who has the ability to somehow discern and evaluate the motives of another man’s heart which only the Lord can truly see. Sure we can see outward manifestations or what we call symptoms; but, are they the full indicator? Not necessarily. I know the Word says we shall know them by their fruit. Notice the word is know them, not judge or speak evil of them. Knowing should lead to prayer and intercession, not judgment least we be judged.

Several years ago the term old order became popular among the up and coming ‘stars’ of the kingdom. If someone wanted to do things the way they had done them in the past they were considered to be old order. Even though no one really said it, everybody knew that the old order people should be put into a spiritual nursing home for their own safety. Otherwise, they could get run over by the new order people.

However, in the meantime I wanted you to know we have updated SWAP with a lot of new features. You may now listen via the SWAP PLAYER, by GENRE, by CD or by using our preselected FAVORITES. We will be adding new artist and new favorites in the weeks to come.

Little children cover their eyes to hide for many reasons such as: for fun, hide and seek, out of fear, excitement, or because they feel like they have done something wrong. When they hide their eyes because they feel like they have done something wrong, it is often because they are not sure what will happen to them. Life or people have taught them to be wary. Grace was absent on an experiential level. This is about to change for them and for you.