Avoiding Busyness (Thirty Days To Greater Fruitfulness, Day 7)
This blog has been temporarily overtaken by my Thirty Days To Greater Fruitfulness Challenge. You can find out more by checking out the Introduction.
If you’re like me having “nothing” going on seems rather boring. Especially if you’re in the business of accomplishing change. Today has been a lesson in me not trying to make things happen. By the time most of my day was over, I told the Lord, “Lord, where should I go to do something to blog about today?” While I didn’t get a response, I sensed the Lord’s hand rest on me like a dad trying to put the breaks on an over-caffienated teenager. The only thing I can describe to you is that it seemed like the Lord wanted me to understand that it was important not to go out and “make something happen.”
That’s what this whole journey has been about in the first place, right? Slowing down and listening so that the activity that does happen actually has the marks of Jesus on it. And while activity is nice, I’m not in this for nice events or human made agendas. God works on a different plane and that’s what I’m attempting to tap into.
On a different note, yesterday in prayer I felt the presence of the Lord come into the room in a unique way that I haven’t sensed in a while. It was really refreshing and in my mind it’s an indicator that the Lord is up to something, though, what that is I’m not sure. All of that to say, make sure you enjoy His presence and really break past just the silence into an actual encounter with Jesus. It’s a world of difference that will change your world.
How about you? Have you been experiencing God’s presence as you’ve been listening? And how have you combated the need to feel busy?
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: Calendar by Adreanna Moyer Photography
The First Signs of Fruit (Thirty Days To Greater Fruitfulness, Day 6)
This blog has been temporarily overtaken by my Thirty Days To Greater Fruitfulness Challenge. You can find out more by checking out the Introduction.
Sometimes fruit doesn’t come in the way you would expect. Take this little experiment we’re on for example. I figured the first signs of fruit would be someone getting healed or delivered. Maybe someone would be set free from a besetting sin or by the end of the month someone would get saved. These were the thoughts I had as I prepared for this month.
But the first signs of fruit have actually been people slowly beginning to let me know that their beginning to focus more on listening and obeying what they hear from Jesus. And so now there is this small group of people from different parts of the country who are beginning to listen to Jesus and do what He says. Imagine what could happen if we all began to do this and encourage one another forward into obedience to Christ’s voice. I say all of that to say, you are setting an example and pulling other people into listening and obedience just by doing it yourself. The fruit will begin to speak for itself.
At the same time, we need to continue to press in for more of God’s power and authority to accompany our obedience. Sean Hughely, one of the guys who presses me to go further in Jesus, just tweeted this tonight and I believe it’s applicable for where we’re at:
“If Jesus Lives in you, He might just change someone’s life forever today…THROUGH YOU!! If that statement bugs you, check your faith meter.”
This is the crux of what we’re aiming at in this challenge: touching Jesus, obeying His voice, and changing the world by doing so.
So, have you seen any fruit since we’ve begun the challenge? Tell us in the comment section what’s changed from listening and being obedient.
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: Calendar by Adreanna Moyer Photography
Answers, Dialogue, and Faith (Thirty Days To Greater Fruitfulness, Day 5)
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 has been a day of gaining more clarity. It seems like if I hear from the Lord about something and it doesn’t make sense with what I see around me, if I wait, I will gain some clarity. Today it became abundantly clear why I couldn’t meet for lunch with the couple I was talking about yesterday. The simple answer? God knew that our house church meeting would go a lot longer than it normally does and that getting together would be next to impossible.
In other news, I’m finding that my ability to pray more specifically and less in cliches is increasing. I’m really excited about this because it seems like I’m beginning to have a relationship with God again just because I’m focusing on that part of the relationship I’ve neglected for so long: listening. I’m beginning to learn how to dialogue with God and I am enjoying it.
Finally, I want to write to everyone who is participating with me in this challenge and encourage them to combine faith with the prayers you are praying in this season. Any fruit we see will be from us stepping out in faith on the things we hear from Jesus. If this exercise will be meaningful at all it will be because we have combined faith with the words we hear from God. The result will be powerful.
So, how has your day been? What have you been learning?
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: Calendar by Adreanna Moyer Photography
Cluster Map
Pursuing Glory 