Humility (Thirty Days To Greater Fruitfulness, Day 10)
This blog has been temporarily overtaken by my Thirty Days To Greater Fruitfulness Challenge. You can find out more by checking out the Introduction.
Today was one of those days that takes everything out of you. Nothing went according to plan, everything was rush, rush, rush, and by the time the end of the day rolled around I still hadn’t spent my 30 minutes listening to what the Lord had to say. On top of all of that, by 10:00 A.M. this morning of one the issues I mentioned in an earlier post became significantly more difficult than it already was. So I spent the entire day stewing on the issue with no resolution. I was emotionally drained and physically spent.
You can imagine, then, that by the time 11:25 P.M. rolled around and I went to sit down and listen, that I wasn’t expecting much. At best–tired, quiet prayer; at worst–falling asleep and waking up half-way through the night, only to feel guilty as I drug myself to bed. But what actually happened was really surprising.
I sat down in the sun room off the front of my house and I just laid my whole entire day in front of Jesus. I especially laid the whole situation that had been causing me grief all day and totally admitted that I had no idea how to fix the situation. As I sat there and listened I knew that I was entering into a holy moment that was somehow intended for this 3o Day experiment. For the first time in a long time I was able to see that I had absolutely no idea how to deal with the situation in front of me and that I was absolutely helpless to fix it myself. I also began to see how so many of my ideas that I typically would use to fix this sort of thing are just that: my ideas, nothing more, nothing less.
I can’t explain it to you in words, but a holy freedom and clear, crisp humility gripped my soul for the first time in a long time. I had become dependent on God, probably for the first time in a while. And as I had, I began to sense the pleasure of the Lord. Shortly thereafter there was a flood of revelation that poured into me from the Holy Spirit. He gave me intercession for our house church. He gave me revelation about the condition of a friend’s heart that helped me pray for my friend. He gave me a prophetic word for another friend and directions on how to deliver it. It was the most satisfying time of prayer that I’ve had since I started.
But all of this came when I became totally convinced that I could not solve anything on my own. In a lot of ways, the whole encounter felt like the Lord was very kindly breaking my hip (Genesis 32:25-35). My encouragement to you, if you’re joining me, is to find this place of humility before the Lord. Become convinced that you can no longer produce anything on your own. In a lot of ways, if this is the only fruit that comes from this 30 Days, it will have been more than worth it.
Has the Lord shown you the value of humility through this experiment? How did He bring you there? Leave a comment in the comment section and let us know.
Join us on the “Thirty Days to Greater Fruitfulness” experiment. For the rest of September we are spending 30 minutes in silent prayer listening to Jesus and then acting on what He asks us to do. Then we blog about the changes that are occurring in our lives through the marriage of listening and obedience. It’s not too late. If you’re just checking out that experiment feel free to jump in. And if you want more information, you can check it out here.
Photo Credit: September WallPaper Calendar by DewDreams
Peace In Storms (Thirty Days To Greater Fruitfulness, Day 9)
This blog has been temporarily overtaken by my Thirty Days To Greater Fruitfulness Challenge. You can find out more by checking out the Introduction.
My default mode is one of activity. I like to be doing something to make something better, even if it kills me. Sometimes this works out well for me. It gives me the ability to lay down my life for others frequently. Other times, it can be a hindrance to my walk. I will seldom slow down to take care of myself, even if taking care of myself would be a better use of time.
And it just so happens that now I find myself in a season where I could make myself really busy. Things are moving and changing quickly in our house church. There are a couple of situations that are screaming for attention, none of which I initiated, and I would be perfectly justified in trying to spend a lot of time and emotional energy trying to bring resolution to these issues.
But for the first time in a long time, I’m not. I’m resting in Jesus and doing what He says. Is this the right thing to do? Possibly. But here’s what I know. In my flesh I would run around getting opinions about both of the situations that I’m facing. Then I would set around, stew, and try and make the best decision. Today, that’s not what I’m doing. Today I’m waiting for the Lord to speak into the situation and not moving until He does.
Why is this fruit? Well, here’s my take. When I get into busy seasons where the Lord is moving, I’ve tried to make things happen before. Inevitably things slow down, most likely because I begin to operate on my natural resources. What happens when I abandon my natural resources and wait for God’s? Well, only time will tell…but that’s why we’re in this challenge…
Have you experienced the peace of Christ in the midst of storms since we started? How has that changed things for you? Leave a comment and let us know.
Join us on the “Thirty Days to Greater Fruitfulness” experiment. For the rest of September we are spending 30 minutes in silent prayer listening to Jesus and then acting on what He asks us to do. Then we blog about the changes that are occurring in our lives through the marriage of listening and obedience. It’s not too late. If you’re just checking out that experiment feel free to jump in. And if you want more information, you can check it out here.
Photo Credit: September WallPaper Calendar by DewDreams
Hearing His Voice (Thirty Days To Greater Fruitfulness, Day 8)
This blog has been temporarily overtaken by my Thirty Days To Greater Fruitfulness Challenge. You can find out more by checking out the Introduction.
Probably one of the greatest assets in this whole journey is an ability to sense the Lord’s voice and leading. Truthfully, this is why we’re even attempting this experiment. We’ve been disconnected and unable to hear. So it’s great that things are beginning to open up as far as my ability to hear His voice.
This morning I was driving to meet with another leader in the body of Christ for breakfast. While I was driving, my mind drifted back to two different friends that I had in my early days as a believer, one in high school, the other in college. Each of these guys turned to Jesus or returned to Jesus during our friendship. In each of these relationships, my hope was that these friends would be life-long buddies who would serve the Lord side-by-side with me. Each of them eventually fell into deep sin and rebellion. One has even publically denied Christ. Neither of these friends had been on my mind prior to that point, but after thinking through each of their situations, the Lord’s voice broke in: “Many are called, but few are chosen.”
When the Lord spoke these words, they hit me like a thunderbolt, and I began to see the biblical parable come alive in my spirit (Matthew 22:1-14). Guests invited to the wedding feast, each making excuses for why they could not come. And then from there I saw others from our day come and talk to Jesus about their busyness. Lord, I have this business to start, Lord my kids have this event they’re part of, etc. My heart was struck by the tenderness of the Lord in the midst of the seriousness of the situation. There are many that are called but few will make the adjustments to be ready for the feast. And I saw all the times I and others had done the same things. My heart was tender. I very much did not want to go to my meeting. I know this is a message that needs to be shared…I share it here because it came as part of this thirty day challenge, but it is so much more than that.
This seems to be one of the increasing realities of this challenge. I get quiet before God and listen. Nothing happens. Then as I’m driving or talking or working, I begin to hear the voice of Jesus. My guess is that being faithful to listen doesn’t just extend to our 30 minutes. It makes us listen better constantly.
One last thing. Tonight he showed me that part of the reason I haven’t heard as much is I haven’t done a few of the things he told me to do previously. Now I’m making a list and going back to finish them. Faithfulness is key in this journey. If you have something the Lord has shown you and you haven’t done it yet…consider this your friendly kick in the pants. Go do it!
So, how have you been hearing His voice lately? Let me know in the comments section.
Join us on the “Thirty Days to Greater Fruitfulness” experiment. For the rest of September we are spending 30 minutes in silent prayer listening to Jesus and then acting on what He asks us to do. Then we blog about the changes that are occurring in our lives through the marriage of listening and obedience. It’s not too late. If you’re just checking out that experiment feel free to jump in. And if you want more information, you can check it out here.
Photo Credit: September WallPaper Calendar by DewDreams
Cluster Map
Pursuing Glory 