Browsing Tag

Eternity

Still Small Voice

The Everlasting Way

September 14, 2024

Take my hand and come with me up the narrow way. I have so much to show you. Come, refresh your soul. Let’s walk the street paved with love. This way will always lead you to me. Come near and never depart. All other roads take you down paths of sorrow and shame. My way spreads into an oasis of joy and refreshment and peace. Step out of the way that leads to doubt and disillusionment. It will lead you to a dead end. All roads end and have no eternal future. But my way goes on and on and always leads back to me. It’s a never-ending circle of hope. It’s never the same, but always eternal. Step away from the paths carved out by earth dwellers, and step into the highway of holiness where we walk together for an eternity.

BIBLE VERSES TO STUDY

See if there is any path of pain I’m walking on, and lead me back to your glorious, everlasting way— the path that brings me back to you. —Psalms‬ ‭139‬:‭24‬ ‭TPT‬‬

The highway of the upright is to turn away from evil; One who watches his way protects his life. —Proverbs‬ ‭16‬:‭17‬ ‭NASB

And you know the way where I am going. —John‬ ‭14‬:‭4‬ ‭NASB

Toma mi mano y acompáñame por el camino angosto. Tengo tanto que mostrarte. Ven, refresca tu alma. Caminemos por la calle pavimentada con amor. Este camino siempre te llevará a mí. Acércate y nunca te apartes. Todos los demás caminos te llevan por senderos de dolor y vergüenza. Mi camino se extiende hasta un oasis de alegría, refrigerio y paz. Apártate del camino que conduce a la duda y la desilusión. Te llevará a un callejón sin salida. Todos los caminos terminan y no tienen futuro eterno. Pero mi camino continúa y continúa y siempre conduce de regreso a mí. Es un círculo de esperanza sin fin. Nunca es el mismo, pero siempre es eterno. Aléjate de los caminos tallados por los habitantes de la tierra y entra en la carretera de la santidad donde caminamos juntos por toda la eternidad.

VERSÍCULOS DE LA BIBLIA PARA ESTUDIAR

Observa si estoy caminando por algún camino de dolor y llévame de regreso a tu glorioso y eterno camino, el camino que me lleva de regreso a ti. —Salmos 139:24 NVI

El camino de los rectos es apartarse del mal; el que vigila su camino protege su vida. —Proverbios 16:17 NVI

Ustedes saben el camino por donde voy. —Juan 14:4 NVI

Still Small Voice

Heavenly Alignment

January 12, 2024
Y

our calibration begins with me. You feel out of sorts – anxious, worried, fearful, but that isn’t my desire for you. I want you free from all that restrains you. I want you free from oppression, birthed in the pit of rebellion and pride. You are my child, born again of the Spirit. You’re surrounded by a host of helpers, ready to carry out my word. I need your breath to agree in faith with my breath—with what I have planned long ago. You will be synced with me. Keep seeking to align with all my words and all my ways. We will be one. Never doubt that. You have been set apart for me and I will see to it that you are preserved for eternity. No one and nothing can snatch you from me. I cradle you in my arms, and I will never let go. I am faithful and true and trustworthy. The alignment has begun, and I will see it to completion.

BIBLE VERSES TO STUDY

The Lord of Armies has sworn: As I have purposed, so it will be; as I have planned it, so it will happen. I will break Assyria in my land; I will tread him down on my mountain. Then his yoke will be taken from them, and his burden will be removed from their shoulders. —Isaiah‬ ‭14‬:‭24‬-‭25‬ ‭CSB‬‬

And the Lord said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel. —Amos‬ ‭7‬:‭8‬ ‭JUB‬‬

For he knew all about us before we were born and he destined us from the beginning to share the likeness of his Son. This means the Son is the oldest among a vast family of brothers and sisters who will become just like him. —Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭29‬ ‭TPT‬‬

T

u calibración comienza conmigo. Te sientes de mal humor: ansioso, preocupado, temeroso, pero ese no es mi deseo para ti. Te quiero libre de todo lo que te restringe. Te quiero libre de opresión, nacido en el pozo de la rebelión y el orgullo. Eres mi hijo, nacido de nuevo del Espíritu. Estás rodeado de una multitud de ayudantes, listos para cumplir mi palabra. Necesito que tu aliento esté de acuerdo en fe con mi aliento, con lo que he planeado hace mucho tiempo. Estarás sincronizado conmigo. Sigue buscando alinearte con todas mis palabras y todos mis caminos. Seremos uno. Nunca dudes de eso. Has sido apartado para mí y me encargaré de que seas preservado para la eternidad. Nada ni nadie podrá arrebatarte de mí. Te acuno en mis brazos y nunca te soltaré. Soy fiel, verdadero y digno de confianza. La alineación ha comenzado y la completaré.

VERSÍCULOS DE LA BIBLIA PARA ESTUDIAR

El Señor de los ejércitos ha jurado: Como me he propuesto, así será; como lo he planeado, así sucederá. Derribaré a Asiria en mi tierra; Lo pisotearé en mi monte. Entonces su yugo será quitado de ellos, y su carga será quitada de sus hombros. —Isaías 14:24-25 NVI

Y el Señor me dijo: Amós, ¿qué ves? Y dije: Una plomada. Entonces dijo el Señor: He aquí yo pongo una plomada en medio de mi pueblo Israel…—Amós 7:8 JUB

Porque a los que antes conoció, también los predestinó a ser hechos conformes a la imagen de su Hijo, para que él fuera el primogénito entre muchos hermanos. —Romanos 8:29 LBLA

Still Small Voice

Eden of Before

October 24, 2023
O

pen the gate of your heart, and let Me in. I am your gardener. Your heart is a garden. Let Me care for it. I will need to pull some weeds that are strangling the beauty I want to produce in you. Let’s prune together. Let’s plant together. Let’s water the garden of your heart. This is our garden. It’s time to take a walk together, step-by-step. Let Me lead you. Let Me plant My goodness within you. Accept My seeds in your garden and care for her. We’ll protect her grounds. We’ll secure her gates. We’ll work together to bring back the Eden of before; where we walk together in the cool of the day—a day that extends to eternity—a day that never ends.

BIBLE VERSES TO STUDY

“And the Lord God had planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had formed.”—Genesis‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬ ‭JUB‬‬

“They will come and shout for joy on the height of Zion, And they will be radiant over the bounty of the Lord— Over the grain, the new wine, the oil, And over the young of the flock and the herd. And their life will be like a watered garden, And they will never languish again.” —Jeremiah‬ ‭31‬:‭12‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬

“Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” —Proverbs‬ ‭4‬:‭23‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬

A

bre las puerta de tu corazon y déjame entrar. Yo soy tu jardinero. Tu corazón es un jardín. Déjame cuidarlo. Necesitaré arrancar algunas malas hierbas que están estrangulando la belleza que quiero producir en ti. Podemos juntos. Plantemos juntos. Reguemos el jardín de tu corazón. Este es nuestro jardín. Es hora de dar un paseo juntos, paso a paso. Déjame guiarte. Déjame plantar Mi bondad dentro de ti. Acepta Mis semillas en tu jardín y cuídalas. Protegeremos sus terrenos. Aseguraremos sus puertas. Trabajaremos juntos para recuperar el Edén de antes; donde caminamos juntos al fresco del día, un día que se extiende hasta la eternidad, un día que nunca termina.

VERSÍCULOS DE LA BIBLIA PARA ESTUDIAR

“Y plantó el Señor Dios un huerto hacia el oriente, en Edén; y puso allí al hombre que había formado.” —Génesis‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬ ‭LBLA‬‬

“Vendrán y gritarán de júbilo en lo alto de Sión, y radiarán de gozo por la bondad del Señor: por el grano, por el vino y por el aceite, y por las crías de las ovejas y de las vacas. Su alma será como huerto regado, y nunca más languidecerán.” —Jeremías‬ ‭31‬:‭12‬ ‭LBLA‬‬

“Con toda diligencia guarda tu corazón, porque de él brotan los manantiales de la vida.” —Proverbios‬ ‭4‬:‭23‬ ‭LBLA‬‬

Still Small Voice

Treasures of Darkness

October 5, 2023

I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden wealth of secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name. — Isaiah‬ ‭45‬:‭3‬ ‭NASB

Come with Me through the gardens, through the meadows, through the wilderness, and through the forests. I am with you in each season of your life. I am enough for you when you presume you are in lack, or when this world has consumed your spaces. During each season, we will walk together and find the hidden treasures in darkness. Walk with Me, talk with Me, and I will usher you in behind the veil, where all of My treasures are laid bare. They have been preserved for you, My dear one. It is all waiting for you and your child-like faith and trust to receive from My hand. Give Me your worries and I will give you hope. Give Me your pain and I will give you My balm. Give Me your ear and I will give you My secrets stored in My heart from eternity—for all those who value My voice, and seek My face. Give Me your hand, and I will guide you into all truth that leads to life with Me.

Te daré los tesoros de las tinieblas y las riquezas escondidas de los lugares secretos, para que sepas que soy yo, el Señor, el Dios de Israel, quien te llama por tu nombre. — Isaías 45:3 LBLA

Ven Conmigo a través de los jardines, a través de los prados, a través del desierto y a través de los bosques. Estoy contigo en cada estación de tu vida. Soy suficiente para ti cuando presumes que te falta, o cuando este mundo ha consumido tus espacios. Durante cada estación, caminaremos juntos y encontraremos los tesoros escondidos en la oscuridad. Camina Conmigo, habla Conmigo y Yo te conduciré detrás del velo, donde todos Mis tesoros quedan al descubierto. Han sido preservados para ti, querida Mía. Todo está esperando que tu fe y confianza infantile reciban de Mi mano. Dame tus preocupaciones y Yo te daré esperanza. Dame tu dolor y te daré Mi bálsamo. Dame tu oído y te daré Mis secretos almacenados en Mi corazón desde la eternidad, para todos aquellos que valoran Mi voz y buscan Mi rostro. Dame tu mano y Yo te guiaré a toda verdad que lleva a la vida Conmigo.

Devotional

10 Keys to Spiritual Creativity

January 9, 2017

Many of us think that being a ‘creative’ is about self-expression. I’m here to ruffle a few feathers and challenge that long held view. Over the years I’ve come to believe that living a truly creative life isn’t at all about us. Unless we’re willing to take our ‘selves’ out of the equation, the path of pure creativity cannot flow through us.

Creativity is a spiritual process. Thoughts, inspirations, and dreams find their way into our inner being. But how do they get there? I believe creative ideas come from one of two places in the spiritual realm. The source and motive behind them is what distinguishes life-giving creativity from corrupting creativity.

God is the first and unsurpassed ‘creative.’ Our creative pursuits should always spring from Him not ourselves or other sources. We are spiritual vessels to be used by God for His purposes. If God has a purpose for each of our lives, He also has a unique and creative plan tailored just for us. He alone knows how our life journey will also weave into someone else’s path.

The creativity given us should uplift humanity in some way; build it up, not tear it down. It should cause us to seek higher spiritual pursuits and not temporal pleasures. If what we create causes another to live an ordinary or shackled life, then our contribution is of no value. Freeing the human soul from the clutches of carnality should be our highest creative aim. And we have to trust that God has a storehouse of imaginative ways to reach each individual.

When I was in art school some of the exercises we did entailed drawing or painting whatever came to us. We used our hands and brushes as physical tools of deliberate expression. Writers do it too with free writing. God wants to use us the same way, special tools in His hand to create majestic works of art that transform the human spirit for eternity. But we have to be willing to let go and allow the Spirit of creativity to direct us.

We have to let go of what we think we know in order to be filled with what we don’t know. We have to drain our soul of our ‘selves’ and ‘our’ ideas about God to be filled with deeper revelations of God’s heart and His desires for us.

Some years ago God questioned the motivation behind what I did. Why do you do what you do? If we want our creative pursuits to matter, we have to be willing to question our motives. We have to be willing to lay down our desire for self-expression just for the sake of expression, the desire for fame or validation, and the desire for fortune. Those motives stain the purity of spiritual creativity.

Revelation 3:8 contains a message to the church in Philadelphia, which in Greek means ‘brotherly love’.

‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”: “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.

Over the years I’ve thought about creativity, God, and our unique purposes while living our one life on this earth. I’ve collected a few spiritual keys to a creative life that honor God and uplift our fellow sojourners.

  1. FAITH: It all starts with believing in God’s majestic grandeur – His omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience. His infinite creative power and imagination is beyond our comprehension. God’s thoughts are higher than our wildest dreams. If he deposits an idea in us and we try to flesh it out without His help, it’ll probably remain stagnant. If we put our trust in His dynamic ability to reveal His deep reservoir of creativity, He’ll gift us with unique ways of expressing His truths.
  2. FOLLOW: When we consistently follow the Word of God, our life will be created. We are to be followers of Jesus – the Word of God. Without Him we can do nothing and with Him all things are possible. Jesus created us and everything we see and everything we don’t. When we truly follow Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He offers us the gifts of His divine fullness. He is everything we need and even more than we could ever imagine.
  3. FELLOWSHIP: Who but the Spirit of God is able to reveal the secret things of God? Let us fully surrender to the leading and teaching of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a person, not some energy or force. He is our ally, our teacher, and our comforter. Let us become one in spirit and the shadow of the Holy Spirit. Say what He says and do what He tells us to do. But we have to take the time to fellowship with the Spirit and listen to that still small voice that searches the deep things of God and reveals them to those who are in pursuit.
  4. LOVE: Putting others first is the essence of love. When we die to self it opens the door to creativity because we’re willing to lose in order to gain. You can only fill an empty container. When our hearts are aligned with God’s, then our life’s purpose will undoubtedly include serving others. Our creative endeavors should always lean toward depositing life into another and always naming that life ‘God.’
  5. GRATITUDE: Being thankful opens the heart and hand of God to His endless bounty. God so loves it when we are grateful for all that He is and all He has done for us. Greed just fills us with corruptible things, leaving no room for the eternal. When we loose our grip on earthly things, we open our hearts and minds to receive God’s treasures.
  6. INTEGRITY: We must be the same person when we’re around others and when no one is looking. That’s the mark of a person of integrity. God needs to be able to trust us with the gems of His heart and to carry through to completion the purpose He’s planned for us.
  7. HUMILITY: Having a teachable spirit opens us up to God’s endless imaginings. If you think you know it all then you’re not being receptive to the enchanting thoughts of God. Acknowledge your weakness before God and His strength and He will send dreams, stories, songs, paintings and all sorts of goodies to your heart.
  8. PURSUE: Being a truth-seeker will lead you to God’s wisdom. Those who seek do find. Those who ask are given. And to those who knock, doors will be opened. Wisdom is saying or doing or not saying and not doing the best thing at the right time. Without God’s wisdom creativity loses its strength to transform.
  9. FORGIVE: Without letting go and forgiving those that have wronged us, we cannot plant seeds of inspiration in our spirits. We need to be a garden ready for God’s perfect ponderings not a field of bitter roots. Forgiveness is at the heart of God’s ways. It’s not enough to be like-minded, we must be like-hearted to be co-creators.
  10. RECYCLE: Surrendered souls have stories that God can use. We must be willing for God to use our suffering for the benefit of another. God can recycle our pain and birth a purpose out of it. Nothing we have experienced in our lives is wasted with God. He heals our wounds, comforts our hearts, and strengthens us to be a soothing balm for others. We must tell the story together, sing the song together, and display His goodness and loving-kindness together.

It is my desire that our creative journey will take us straight to the chamber of God’s heart. It is there that we will find the unique ways of expressing His love for the world. It was His love that created us for good works and I know He longs to embrace us and release His dreams into our spirit like a breath of life for us all.