I believe, help my unbelief (Mark 9:24). Ever been there? This is just what we so often feel when life throws trials our way.
My wife and I faced a long series of major health and family challenges starting in 2011. There were times when trusting the Lord was not easy, but I found that having regular times of personal communion helped me a lot. During those intimate times I wrote out what the Lord said to me. (His words are in blue).
We all face challenges in our lives. Right now I know a number of people who are going through very serious health concerns, major family issues, or significant financial problems. In many cases these situations are long-term and prayer can seem unproductive and even futile. The weight of their problems is often overwhelming and discouraging.
I too have faced similar challenges where my prayers seem to be ineffective. When they are not answered quickly or the way I desire, I begin to question. Why is it so hard and taking so long? Where are you, Lord? In these times my faith in God’s truths becomes challenged. Promises like: “He causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28) seem to be just words. Sometimes, I get discouraged and even angry. Here is what the Lord said to encourage me when I talked to him about this (His words are in blue).
I have found that everything goes best when I consciously include the Lord in every area of my life. However, during those seasons when I am very busy or distracted, it is often too easy to forget His presence, and to not interact regularly with Him.
Seeing the Lord working really helps me to include Him in my life. While I know some people who are true seers who commonly see very clear visions with their natural eyes, this is not my usual way of seeing. I tend to see with the eyes of my heart. When the Lord spoke to me in my journaling about this difference, it helped me to have confidence that I can see Him. (His words are in blue).
In this blog I share the two-way journaling of a good friend of ours named Pamela. Here is what the Lord had to say about His love for her. I was really blessed, and I thought all of us would benefit from reading this expression of God’s love. (God’s words to Pamela are written in blue.)
“Love. I want to talk to you about love.
Love is Who I am. The essence of My being is love. Love is not something I do, or grow in, or express only – it is the essence of My character, my being, my DNA – so to speak. Every thought is love, every word is love, every action is love – only pure love. All of My creativity is love, all of My wisdom is love, all of My expressions are love because it is the composite of all that I am.
The light of My being radiates love. Whenever I give, the gift may vary, but it is always a gift from love. The precision of My planning, the strategies, are all love.
Even the very atmosphere of heaven radiates love because the energy of My Being, which is love, permeates the atmosphere. When you are here, you will feel love, see love, breathe love, taste love, and be love because you will be transformed into My perfect image and likeness in human form just as your Elder Brother, Jesus.
That is My full intention for you – to conform you into the image of Jesus Christ. My desire is a race of “love beings” – My children, My sons and daughters.
When you know Me, you know love. This is what intimacy is, My child, My daughter Pamela. You are Mine, you are My love child. Get to know yourself as mine – get to know Me as yours.“
When we are in the midst of a crisis, or when we are facing challenging issues, it is easy to forget how much God loves us and is concerned about us. It is in these times that we need to be reminded of who He is and how much He cares for us. David’s words in Psalm 103 show us how:
1 Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
This is good medicine: take the time, draw near to God, and remember when the Lord has shown His great love to you personally. Write these times down, and in times of stress and difficulty review them and praise Him for how much He loves you.
Even better, share them! We can all benefit from hearing examples of God’s great love for us.
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Here is some more wisdom from the Lord on how to deal with fearful thoughts. (His words to me are in blue)
Recently, I have had to face a variety of new challenges. I know that God is with me and at work in all of this, but my thought life still has been affected at times. When I went to the Lord about these negative thoughts and emotions he shared the following (His words are in blue):
In my last few posts I have been sharing how God has been answering the question of how to love like Jesus. The answer is that we must personally receive and experience God’s love first. All true love is birthed out of His love for us.
This past Easter weekend I watched the movie of C. S. Lewis’ classic book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. What a perfect movie for Resurrection Day, as it showed the power of Jesus’s sacrificial death and resurrection!
One thing that really moved me was Lucy, the youngest of the Pevensy children. Her childlike faith made it possible for her to be the first to believe in the magical land of Narnia, to trust in talking animals and healing oil, and to really know and trust Aslan. The negative comments, rational thought and logic of her brothers and sister couldn’t sway her–she believed!
In speaking to me about how to love, Jesus said, “Let Me show you how much I love you, so that you can overflow with My extravagant love.” (see my blog The Greatest Question: How do I love Like Jesus Loves?) Part of my life journey has been as a student in His school of love. I have been learning what may impede God’s love for me, and more importantly, how to receive His love. Today, I want to share how God has helped me make choices to readily receive His love.
The key to loving others is first personally receiving God’s love. We can understand that God’s love is eternal, and that He loves us. We can even cite scriptures about God’s love–but how do we really know that He loves us? Today I want to share some of what God taught me about how experiencing His love helps us to truly know His love for us.
If you are like me, learning to love like Jesus is your goal and greatest challenge. Yet so often I feel that I fall terribly short. While I know that with God all things are possible, this type of love often seems beyond my human capabilities.
“Let’s talk about love, My child. To freely give My love you must first freely receive My love. This is a basic Kingdom principle: freely receive, freely give. The more you receive, the more you have to give. But it is often hard for many to really receive My love, so their love account is often low, and sometimes even depleted. It is hard to love when you feel unloved or when you feel unlovely. So the key to loving is receiving My love. Why is this hard for so many?”