Browsing Tag

Singing

Devotional

Losing Words

When my husband was asked to play the lead role in a play in Chicago years ago, he had one month to memorize his spoken lines, the lyrics to eight songs, and the accompanying musical pieces on guitar. 

The play ran for a month and a half, and at the beginning of that run, there were times when he forgot his lines.

He lost the words he needed to speak. 

And a beautiful thing would happen. His fellow actors helped to remind him of the forgotten words. They would improvise a line that sparked his memory, and he would then remember. The words would all come flooding back to him. 

Many things can cause us to forget what we desperately need to remember, and this usually happens when hard times encroach upon us. Fear, stress, sadness, pain, and anxiety can make our minds go blank. But there is hope.

It is vitally important to work at planting the word of God deep within us. It is a source of strength and guidance, always readily accessible to us, especially in times of need for ourselves or another. The bottom line is that the word of God is not just reliable but powerful enough to speak into every situation of our lives. 

We have received from God the gift of the Helper to remember the word. He not only teaches us all things but also reminds us of every word Jesus taught and found in the scriptures. But we must study and meditate on it for the Holy Spirit to remind us of it. 

Let’s be the type of people and friends with a ready word in and out of season. We need each other but are only as good to one another as the quality of our intimacy with the word of God, both written and living.

So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. – Isaiah 55:11, NASB

My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. –Proverbs 4:20-22, MSG

These things I have spoken to you while remaining with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you. —John‬ ‭14‬:‭25‬-‭26‬, NASB

Cuando hace años le pidieron a mi esposo que interpretara el papel principal en una obra de teatro en Chicago, tuvo un mes para memorizar sus líneas habladas, la letra de ocho canciones y las piezas musicales de guitarra que las acompañaban.

La obra duró un mes y medio y, al comienzo de esa ejecución, hubo momentos en que se olvidó de sus líneas.

Perdió las palabras que necesitaba para hablar.

Y algo hermoso sucedería. Sus compañeros actores ayudaron a recordarle las palabras olvidadas. Improvisaban una línea que despertaba su memoria y luego la recordaba. Todas las palabras volverían a él.

Muchas cosas pueden hacer que olvidemos lo que necesitamos recordar desesperadamente, y esto suele ocurrir cuando nos invaden tiempos difíciles. El miedo, el estrés, la tristeza, el dolor y la ansiedad pueden hacer que nuestra mente se quede en blanco. Pero hay esperanza.

Es de vital importancia trabajar para sembrar la palabra de Dios en lo más profundo de nosotros. Es una fuente de fortaleza y guía, siempre fácilmente accesible para nosotros, especialmente en momentos de necesidad para nosotros mismos o para otros. La conclusión es que la palabra de Dios no sólo es confiable sino lo suficientemente poderosa como para hablar en cada situación de nuestras vidas.

Hemos recibido de Dios el don del Consolador para recordar la palabra. Él no solo nos enseña todas las cosas, sino que también nos recuerda cada palabra que Jesús enseñó y encontró en las Escrituras. Pero debemos estudiarlo y meditarlo para que el Espíritu Santo nos lo recuerde.

Seamos el tipo de personas y amigos que tienen una palabra lista dentro y fuera de temporada. Nos necesitamos unos a otros, pero somos tan buenos unos con otros como la calidad de nuestra intimidad con la palabra de Dios, tanto escrita como viva.

Así será mi palabra que sale de mi boca; No volverá a Mí vacía, sin realizar lo que deseo y sin lograr el fin para el cual la envié. – Isaías 55:11, LBLA

Hijo mío, atiende a mis palabras; inclina tu oído a mis dichos. No se aparten de tus ojos; guárdalos en medio de tu corazón. Porque son vida para quienes los encuentran, y salud para toda su carne. –Proverbios 4:20-22, MSG

Estas cosas os he hablado mientras permanecía con vosotros. Pero el Consolador, el Espíritu Santo, que el Padre enviará en mi nombre, él os enseñará todas las cosas y os recordará todo lo que os he dicho. —Juan 14:25-26, LBLA

Still Small Voice

New Day Dawning

Expect the unexpected from My hand. I will fill your heart with joy everlasting. You have suffered much and have been patiently waiting on Me. I will reward your faithfulness in the midst of your tears and troubles. Be of good cheer, dear one. I am with you always. Watch and see what I have prepared for you. Listen to the singing of the birds in the morning hours. They bring a new song of hope for you. New days are dawning in your life. Beautiful plans will unfold before your eyes. Plans that have been running ahead of you for ages. They were created in My mind long ago when I thought of you, before you were born. My plans for you will come to pass. Continue to trust My heart and My hand of provision.

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. – John 16:33, NIV

But God shows undeserved kindness to everyone. That's why he appointed Christ Jesus to choose you to share in his eternal glory. You will suffer for a while, but God will make you complete, steady, strong, and firm. – 1 Peter 5:10, CEV

For behold, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. ‘The blossoms have already appeared in the land; the time has arrived for pruning the vines, and the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land. – Song of Solomon‬ ‭2‬:‭11‬-‭12‬, ‭NASB‬

Espera lo inesperado de Mi mano. Llenaré tu corazón de alegría eterna. Has sufrido mucho y has estado esperando en Mí pacientemente. Recompensaré tu fidelidad en medio de tus lágrimas y problemas. Ten buen ánimo, querida. Estoy contigo siempre. Mira y descubre lo que tengo preparado para ti. Escucha el canto de los pájaros en horas de la mañana. Traen para ti un nuevo canto de esperanza. Nuevos días están amaneciendo en tu vida. Hermosos planes se desarrollarán ante tus ojos. Planes que han estado por delante de ti durante años. Fueron creados en Mi mente hace mucho tiempo, cuando pensaba en ti, antes de que nacieras. Mis planes para ti se harán realidad. Sigue confiando en Mi corazón y Mi mano de provisión.

Os he dicho estas cosas para que en mí tengáis paz. En este mundo tendrás problemas. ¡Pero anímate! He vencido al mundo. – Juan 16:33, NVI

Pero Dios muestra bondad inmerecida hacia todos. Por eso designó a Cristo Jesús para que os escogiera para participar de su gloria eterna. Sufrirás por un tiempo, pero Dios te hará completo, estable, fuerte y firme. – 1 Pedro 5:10, NVI

Porque he aquí, el invierno ha pasado, la lluvia ha cesado y desaparecido. 'Las flores ya han aparecido en la tierra; Ha llegado el tiempo de podar las vides, y la voz de la tórtola se ha oído en nuestra tierra. – Cantares de los Cantares 2:11-12, LBLA

Devotional

10 Keys to Spiritual Creativity

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.