Four ways God may lead you

Posted by Admin on Jun 19, 2017 in Book of Luke | 3 comments

Recently I started reading the book of Luke. Before I began, I prayed, “Lord, I’m asking You for a life-changing nugget or chunk of Truth from each chapter. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Wouldn’t you know it? He came through for me right off the bat. In the very first chapter of Luke, I discovered four ways God uses to lead us. He has other methods as well, but the four I found in Luke One are extremely helpful.

Before I launch into this, here’s a word of caution. God’s leading never violates His Word. If the direction you are seeking to take is contrary to the Bible, it’s not from God. Abort that plan!

Another tidbit: If someone speaks a prophetic “word” over you, you are not obliged to obey it, especially if it doesn’t confirm what the Lord has already shown you. A verse in the Amplified Classic is my rule of thumb concerning all things prophetically/supernaturally imparted: “And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds…]” (Colossians 3:15a).

1. …it seemed fitting…

“…it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order…” (Luke 1:3)

Luke was a physician who took it upon himself to thoroughly investigate the life and works of Jesus and to document it all in book form.

How did he come up with such a project? Was it through a prophetic utterance or an angelic visitation? No; he launched into his writing assignment because it seemed fitting to him!

Does that freak you out? Have you always thought you needed a “supernatural word” for something to be of God? I’m here to encourage you: If you’re born of God and submitted to Him, then those things that seem fitting to you are very likely from the Lord. Joyce Meyer has said that sometimes believers accomplish very little with their lives as they sit and wait for a word from God. She then adds, “God can’t steer a parked car! Get moving so He can actually steer you in the right direction.”

It seemed fitting to Dr. Luke to record the events of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. He wasn’t directed through a spectacular leading; God merely stepped in through Luke’s desire. And the result? He infused Luke’s writing with His anointing as he chronicled the miraculous events of the Lord’s life, including the now-familiar details surrounding the birth of Christ.

When something seems fitting to you, go ahead and step out. Obviously, you will need to keep listening for direction from Him as you go…and always give Him veto power. Barring any redirection, go ahead—step out. You’re being scriptural just like Dr. Luke!

2.   …while he was performing his priestly service…

“Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division…an angel of the Lord appeared to him…” (Luke 1:8; 11a)

One way God shows up in your life to deposit direction is while you—like Zacharias—perform your priestly service before God! Yes, this does apply to you! He supports godly consistency in your daily life. Do you volunteer regularly in your local church? Do you have a practice of prayer, Bible reading, or ministering to the Lord and others in your private life? Then keep it up! God is working with you, and as you go, don’t be surprised when He drops a truth or guidance “bomb” on you…just because you’re faithful to “show up”!

3. …and…was filled with the Holy Spirit…

“…and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she cried out with a loud voice and said…” (Luke 1:41-42). “And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying…” (Luke 1:67).

Another, more spectacular way, God may choose to lead you is to fill you with the Holy Spirit—instantly—for a specific task, which usually involves speaking out under the anointing of God.

Saul experienced something like this before he became king. First Samuel 19:23 records, “He proceeded there to Naioth in Ramah; and the Spirit of God came upon him also, so that he went along prophesying continually until he came to Naioth in Ramah.”

This kind of filling with the Holy Spirit is instantaneous and never human-initiated. God simply sees fit from time to time to overshadow a person, filling them with a specific “dosing” of the Holy Ghost, and to use their mouth for a specific purpose.

Of course, He will neither violate His Word with such an utterance, nor will He use someone else to impose direction on you that goes against what He’s already shown you. Remember the Amplified Classic version of Colossians 3:15 and let His peace and His Word be your umpire.

One caution: Just because you or someone else has been used in the instantaneous filling of the Holy Spirit for the purpose of prophetic utterance, it doesn’t mean that everything you or they say from there on out is prophetic. First John 4:1 not only gives you the permission, but also the responsibility, to test such things. The apostle Paul wrote concerning prophetic utterances. …examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). In other words, not everything that is called prophetic is prophetic!

As someone who has experienced this kind of filling with the Holy Spirit for the purpose of speaking out a specific word, I am very aware that it is often exhilarating to be used of God this way…and that very exhilaration leads to another caution:

Don’t get addicted to the feeling of being used by God! He uses you not to give you a rush or a high or to pad your spiritual resume; instead, He uses you to carry out a task or to impart a specific word to help someone else. That’s it; nothing more. You are still you; you still possess every single flaw and wart after delivering a prophetic word that you had before you stepped out. You are still required as a Christian to continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12b).

If you refuse to “make up a word” just to achieve the “high” of being use of God, then you will be better positioned to receive the “real McCoy” from the Lord when He sees fit—and you’ll know it when it comes! People will be helped and God’ll get the glory. Keep this in mind as you seek to be used by Him.

4. Obedience to God’s Word

“…it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zacharias, after his father.  But his mother answered and said, ‘No indeed; but he shall be called John’…And they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, ‘His name is John.’ And they were all astonished. And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God” (Luke 1:59-60; 62-64).

Way back when the angel appeared to him while he was serving in the temple, Zacharias was told about this child. But now he had big troubles…you see, he had questioned the veracity of that angelic word and was instantly silenced. Muted. Not able to say a word…and his pie hole had been out of commission for over nine months!

But God, in His goodness, made a way for Zacharias to redeem himself and show himself faithful to the original directive from the Lord.

When people pushed Elizabeth to name the child Zacharias, she insisted he be called John in accordance with the word given to her husband. Her voice was overridden by the people, however, who turned to Zacharias for his ruling.

“And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, ‘His name is John’” (verse 63). No longer a doubter, Zacharias proved his submission to the heavenly word when he wrote on the tablet the name given in the original angelic proclamation.

As a result of Zacharias’ obedience, not only was his voice restored, but he was also filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied detailed intel from the Lord concerning his newborn and the One whose way he would prepare.

In your life, have you encountered seasons of “muteness”, silence, or nothing going on? Perhaps God is granting you a breather; but perhaps something else is going on. Maybe somewhere down the road you disobeyed Him: maybe you neglected to step out in something He told you to do; maybe you stepped out into something He told you not to do.

Ask Him to show you what’s going on—and He will. In the Old Testament, a young man once lost an axe head in the river while a group of them were clearing land. Elisha the prophet asked him where he was working when the axe head went missing; when the youth took the prophet to that spot, Elisha threw a chunk of wood into the river….and the axe head floated to the surface! (See 2 Kings 6.)

This is the “axe head principle”. The axe head represents God’s will for you. Its loss is an illustration of what happens when you deviate from God’s purpose—you end up feeling lost or out of place. So, like Zacharias, when you go back to the “spot” you last moved in the will of God, and once again you obey what He told you back then, you recapture the “axe head”, you resume your stable walk, you regain your voice, and the purpose of God will once again direct your life.

The first chapter of Luke illustrates four of the ways God leads His people. Despite how varied they are, the common thread that weaves them together is this: Our part is always to maintain a submitted heart before God. Whether the leadings He brings to you are spectacular or not, understand this: “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:6).

Dorothy

Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. Proverbs 16:3; NIV

 

© 2017, Dorothy Frick

Read More

Thoughts on the authority of the believer

Posted by Admin on May 11, 2017 in Authority of the believer | 8 comments

Have you ever had questions about your authority as a believer…I mean deep questions—questions such as “why didn’t ‘it’ happen when I prayed/declared/confessed/said such and so…?” I sure have.

Last night I was minding my own business, cleaning up after dinner. Down on the inside of me that Voice I’ve grown to recognize spoke directly to me about this very topic:

“I’ve not given you CONTROL on the earth; I’ve given you AUTHORITY. But that authority comes at a cost.”

He had my attention. Before I could dry my hands and sit down to study this further, I heard, “For instance, when My disciples couldn’t cast the demon out of that boy, I told them, ‘This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer and fasting.’ A COST.”

A cost. That intrigued me. I knew that Jesus had already paid the full PRICE for my redemption—I’d freely received salvation through faith in Him and His sacrificial death on the cross. There was nothing else I needed to do to secure my salvation; Jesus paid the entire price.

But I realized this word “cost” held a different connotation. Although Jesus paid the PRICE for our salvation, He was reminding me that to walk effectively in the life and authority He purchased, I…you…would, indeed, incur COST. And, like the verse He pointed out to me, one such cost is prayer and fasting.

I sensed, however, that He wasn’t referring specifically last night to prayer and fasting. Instead, I felt He was shining light on something even more sweeping and overarching—which was to live a prayerful, fasted life unto Him—the kind of life that disciplines itself to listen first before acting or speaking. The kind of life that takes a measured, prayerful approach when pursuing its own interests or asserting its own will.

Then another verse came to me, Luke 14:28. “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?”

Before leaping into authority mode, I could see the Lord was showing me the need to make an honest assessment of my own willingness and ability to follow through—to persevere to the bitter (but preferably, victorious) end. In other words, if I couldn’t stand the heat invariably generated by a pronouncement of authority, it would be better not step into the authority kitchen at all—at least not yet. Many people suffer major setbacks simply by making premature authoritative declarations before counting the cost and preparing themselves for the ensuing battle. They put the cart before the horse…and suffer for it. God doesn’t want that.

Again, another Scripture came to me. First Corinthians 9:24 states, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.”

To win, an athlete incurs cost. Verses 25-27 following this Scripture list several of those costs:

• This athlete exercises self-control in all things.
• The runner avoids aimlessness.
• The boxer resists making empty jabs at the air.
• The athlete disciplines his body and makes it his slave.
• The believer takes great pains not to be disqualified after preaching to others.

Finally, I was directed to 2 Timothy 2:5. It said, “Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.”

There are laws of nature and man. When anyone pushes against or violates any of them, consequences happen. I realize, likewise, that “rules of engagement” govern the Kingdom of God—“rules” such as:

• Follow me as I follow Christ (1 Cor. 11:1)
• Have this mind in you that was in Christ Jesus (Phil. 2:5)
• The greatest among you shall be as the servant (Matt. 23:11)
• Faith works through love (Gal. 5:6)
• Lay aside the old self and put on the new self (Col. 3:9-10)
• Walk by the Spirit and you won’t fulfill the lust of the flesh (Gal. 5:16)

And perhaps most pertinent to effectively operating in authority:

• Submit therefore to God; resist the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:7)

I must say, I went to bed last night with quite a bit to think about—He’s not given us CONTROL on the earth; He’s given us AUTHORITY.

And that authority comes at a cost.

Dorothy

Read More

Abandon the quarrel before it starts

Posted by Admin on Apr 5, 2017 in Daily walk | Comments Off on Abandon the quarrel before it starts

“The beginning of strife is like letting out water, So abandon the quarrel before it breaks out.” Proverbs 17:14

Have you ever waded into the breached dam of contention? Before you know it, you find yourself swept away in a torrent of hurt feelings and strife. Family members or friends dear to your heart seem like bitter enemies after such an encounter. Your soul stings with every thought of them; the pain demands resolution, but fear of stepping back into the flood waters of angry words and dredged up past transgressions freezes you into inactivity.

Perhaps you’ve never experienced this. Perhaps you navigate relationships with grace, thoughtfulness, and dignity, confronting every disagreement with wisdom, kindness, and fairness, humbly taking into consideration your own weaknesses as well, bringing every potential conflict to a quick, peaceful, and loving resolution.

I WISH I could say this about myself. I cannot. You see, I have found myself in the tango of turmoil more than once, even after swearing to myself “NEVER AGAIN” and committing to wise and peaceful discussions—or deflections—whichever seems to suit my fellow “disagreer”.

How, how, how, I asked myself recently, do I train myself to abandon the quarrel before it busts down the dam?

Well, the Lord came through for me (yay, God!) with some instruction as I was seeking Him about this. Instruction is good; doing it is better.

Unfortunately, living in this fallen world, I will have ample opportunity to practice. Not sure I’ll be always be proficient; but as a child of the King, He will help me every time I fall to get back up again. It is my fervent desire to grow in this and to put into practice what He has shown me.

Here’s the Scripture the Lord dropped on me as I prayed. First Corinthians 10:13 is a lengthy verse, but it’s enormously helpful. It says

“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”

Standing on the edge of an ill-advised quarrel is definitely a temptation. Your pulse quickens as you think of defending of your honor and exposing how very wrong the other person is. However, throwing yourself into the quarrel sucks you right up the vacuum cleaner—trapping you and your “sparring partner” with all of the other dirt!

As I prayed about this verse, God plopped a four-point flow chart down on the inside of me revealing how to deal with the beginning of strife, any time, any place. As an acronym, the first letters of the words He gave me spells the word “ALTAR”—the very spot you must place yourself at the onset of strife—that is, if you want to invite God’s intervention.

1. ALERT! The Lord showed me that with my most recent quarrel, I had let down my guard. The quarrel had started before I even knew what was happening—and soon enough, I was in the thick of things and neither of us were benefitted. Had I been on the alert, I would have recognized the flashing warning signals…and I would have abandoned the quarrel before it started! It is because we live in a fallen, troubled world that we must be diligent to maintain vigilant, prayerful alertness for the signs of impending “tit-for-tat” verbal “slap fights” (which sometimes manifest as “helpful insights” into the other person’s secret motives or varied dysfunctions) before we get swept up in the flood of contention and hurt.
2. LOOK to the Lord. Once you realize that you and your friend are cruisin’ for a contention bruisin’, immediately force your attention to the One who loves both of you. Look to the Lord for help; don’t look to your mental database for a quick list of past transgressions they’ve committed against you. If you will take charge right then—right when the strife starts—and quietly invite the Lord into the conversation, I believe God will arrive on the scene to intervene.
3. TRUST Him. He has answers, solutions, and a way of escape. As you are busy trusting Him, your mind won’t be hashing and rehashing your best comeback to their points against you. Trusting Him to do what He does best—being God—will open the door for Him to step into the middle of your situation.
4. AND (Don’t leave this next part out!)
5. RECEIVE the way of escape. As soon as you are alert to the onset of strife, look to God and trust Him to open up your escape route…and He will. Your next step? Abandon the quarrel, receive the way of escape He’ll provide—and take it…all the while resisting the urge to land one last jab.

I realize this set of steps—ALTAR—seems simplistic. However, the weeks, months, and years of hurt and blame that emerge from the crippling incapacitation of verbal slap fights consisting of dominance-jockeying, recitation of past transgressions, labeling/name-calling, and harsh judgments destroy relationships and send many lives down bitter dead-end paths of sullen despair, callous resentment, or defeated hopelessness.

By no means does Scripture teach that confrontation is always harmful; the Bible calls us to go to the brother who has offended and speak to him about it. It also urges us to go to the people we hurt and apologize. We are even called to bring a word of correction to one who has strayed. However, never are we commanded to jockey for dominance, recite old laundry-lists of transgressions, brand each other with demeaning labels, or hit one another with harsh judgments.

May God help all of us as we navigate the ups and downs of every relationship in our lives.

Dorothy

If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.  Romans 12:1

Read More

The good fight of faith

Posted by Admin on Mar 17, 2017 in Daily walk, Help from God | Comments Off on The good fight of faith

Read More

To turn the hearts of the fathers

Posted by Admin on Feb 9, 2017 in Daily walk, Prayer Perspective | Comments Off on To turn the hearts of the fathers

It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. Luke 1:17

One morning toward the end of 2016 as I was keeping my appointment with God, I heard this snatch of a verse: “…to turn the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous.” I looked it up and found it in the book of Luke. It was the angel’s proclamation to Zacharias, John the Baptist’s father, about this yet-to-be conceived child.

I thought about my generation and the swelling tide of disobedience and chaos throughout the earth…particularly in America. I want nothing more than to see an outpouring of hunger and thirst for the things of God and a moving of His Spirit upon every living soul in this generation—including the rebellious.

As I began praying about this, however, I glanced back at the Scripture open upon my lap. In my New American Standard Bible one phrase was capitalized to show it was an Old Testament quote. It read this way:

…TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN…

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from it. I knew God was showing me something I’d never thought about before. And then it hit me: The hearts of the fathers had drifted away from their children, and it was epidemic in our culture and world—and this turning away—this gross disinterest—was responsible for most of the chaos and upheaval surrounding us.

I thought of my dad and his difficulty with showing affection. I thought of his temper and tendency toward punitive actions and belittling words. And yet despite his massive flaws and mistakes I knew his heart was for me…and knowing that had helped to keep me somewhat steady in life.

Then I thought of my days as a camp counselor. We all knew it: you were either staff-oriented or camper-oriented—you either put the kids first or you prioritized hanging out with or flirting with other counselors.

I also thought about my teaching career. I had observed some who consistently arrived to school as late as possible and left right after the buses. There were those who sat in the lounge “chill-axin’”throughout every break; others stayed glued to their computer most of the day; and toward the end of my career, as smart phones worked their way onto the scene, I knew of teachers who constantly texted back and forth to each other while supervising students.

I thought of ministries and para-ministries, men and women in governmental positions (both elected and appointed), business leaders and executives, even those in volunteer roles—and yes, fathers and mothers. In every one of these cases, I could instinctively recognize those who prioritized “my ministry; my office; my position; my career; my needs; my desires; my gifting; my talent; my abilities; my expertise, my insight” above everything else. These were the ones—the “fathers”—of whom the angel spoke, whether they were male or female; whether they had children of their own or not.

These were the ones whose hearts had turned away from the children. These were the ones who viewed with gross disinterest those entrusted to their stewardship . These were the ones whose hearts were stuck on self.

You see, my dad was extremely dysfunctional and often unkind; but he wasn’t stuck on self. There’s a big difference.

And I then I saw it. Our nation doesn’t so much need a spiritual outpouring on the disobedient; instead, what we desperately need is a move of God on the fathers—on every last one of us called to leadership in any capacity—whether to steward, shepherd, teach, nurture, guide, direct, correct, or oversee anyone else. Without such a move, the full outpouring of the Holy Ghost upon the rebellious, the disobedient, and the unpersuadable will be stifled.

The hearts of those in leadership must be broken and redirected once again to genuine care for those under their oversight.

And as for the rest of us? I sense the same is true for both you and me: Consider your ways toward those entrusted to you—whether they be many or few. Is your heart genuinely toward them—sincerely listening, pondering, and probing the Spirit of God on their behalf—or is there some “stick-age” in your stewardship—gross disinterest—stuck on self?

Don’t feel bad if you discover you’ve been stuck on self; all of us have been to some extent or other. But now it’s time for the One who has stewardship over each one of us to correct, redirect, and transform our focus, unsticking our stick-age, and to bring our hearts into alignment with His heart…turning us back in genuine concern for those He’s entrusted to each one of us…eradicating any remnant of gross indifference from our souls.

And I believe that as those of us in any leadership capacity at all will yield to Him and turn in real compassion toward those He’s given us, then “the disobedient and incredulous and unpersuadable” will turn “to the wisdom of the upright” (see Amplified Classic) and be transformed.

Lord, prepare us to follow You fully—even in this!

Dorothy

Read More