Category Archives: Listening to His Voice

When Joshua wouldn’t leave…

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Ever hear of Joshua, the son of Nun? If you were privileged to attend Sunday School at all you are probably familiar with some of his accomplishments:
  • Was Moses’ right hand man and successor
  • Only one of two of the original generation to enter the Promised Land
  • Led the march around the walls of Jericho
  • Led the great ambush at Ai
  • Responsible for the treaty with Gibeon
  • Quoted the famous line, “As for me and my house…”

Of course, he is responsible for many other things as well. One thing about Joshua struck my attention this week and it is found in Exodus 33:7-11:

“Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of meeting. And it came to pass that everyone who sought the LORD went out to the tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp. So it was, whenever Moses went out to the tabernacle, that all the people rose, and each man stood at his tent door and watched Moses until he had gone into the tabernacle. 

And it came to pass, when Moses entered the tabernacle, that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses. All the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the tabernacle door, and all the people rose and worshiped, each man in his tent door. So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.”

Did you see that?! Joshua, the servant of Moses, who walked with him, did his bidding and learned everything he could from the great man of God, did not leave the door of the tent of meeting when Moses went back to camp.

All of the other people watched from their own tent door as Moses went in and out of the tabernacle. That is where God communicated to Moses what He desired for the children of Israel to do, how to act, where to go, etc. He talked with him “face to face, as a man speaks to his friend”!

Dutifully, Joshua lay prostrate outside the door of the tabernacle while Moses was inside. But when Moses had finished, Joshua stayed.

Why?

Most of it will be speculation but we can assume with confidence that Joshua was after the heart of God. He knew where Moses got his strength; he wanted the same.

He had watched God perform miracle after miracle through Moses and if he was to be any leader at all he would need that same power. There was only one way to get it and that was to not leave the presence of God!

Friends, we need not think we can do great exploits for God without spending time with Him! We must sacrifice of our time and actually develop relationship with Almighty God if we expect to be used of God.

If we want the power of God, we must connect to the Source!

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We don’t have to be in a Tent of Meeting, or a Tabernacle or a Church building to connect to God. But it is necessary food to our souls to be in fellowship and worship with others of like-precious faith.

joshua

The Holy Spirit is alive and working in the hearts of His children, if you have been filled with that spirit. But just like any other relationship, if there is no communication, then there is no fellowship, no sharing and no imparting.

Are you like Joshua today? Are you standing at the door waiting on God, desiring to hear His voice, feel His presence and drink in His glory?

Or are you in a hurry? Too busy to stop and spend time with the Savior, too many irons in the fire that you cannot pause long enough to connect to the power?

Let’s resolve to be like Joshua today. Plug in. Get connected.

You will be infused with power from on high! Jesus will meet you at YOUR Tent of Meeting, your place of prayer, whenever you call on His name.

You will be strengthened, blessed and given courage to take on whatever comes your way and lead others to come to know the Savior.

Stay at the door of the tent…be a Joshua!

Kingdom2

 

 

 

Keep me in the valley

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Perhaps you have heard this beautiful song:

My God is awesome
He can move mountains 
Keeps me in the valley
Hides me from the rain
My God is awesome
Heals me when I’m broken
Strength when I’ve been weakened
Forever He will reign!

I have heard that song many times and love it. So much strength and truth imparted in those words. But this time, I saw something different than I had before. Just like reading  God’s Word, even though you have read it 100 times, the Lord will show you something unique, if your heart is sensitive.

Keeps me in the valley.

Normally when we think of this phrase, and the valley, we are thanking God that He takes care of us in the valley. He walks with us through the valley, through our trials and tests. We compare the valley to difficult times and seasons and are grateful for a loving God who never leaves us nor forsakes us. All of this is true and relevant.

But what if the Lord KEEPS us IN the valley?

In other words, what if He wants us to STAY in the valley for a while? He keeps us there, not just taking care of us, but causing us to stop, to pause in the valley, in our circumstance so He can teach us.

The valley is not always a place of doom and gloom; it is rich, lush and fruitful! There is water there, life-giving water for our body and soul. Many dictionary definitions tell us that a valley is a low area between hills, often with a river running through it. Water is life. Water is sustenance, strength and refreshing. Jesus said, “But whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” John 4:14.

Before we can dance on the mountaintop we must go through the valley.

Why am I in the valley?

There are many reasons we could find ourselves walking through the valley. It could be all about spiritual warfare; our enemies are not flesh and blood, we are fighting principalities and darkness in the spirit world!

It could be something that someone else has done that has put us in the valley. A rebellious teenager, a wayward loved one, a tragedy, financial distress, job loss; there are many things that may force us into a valley experience but we can overcome, and even prosper, through this temporary season.

Maybe we are the reason we are in the valley; possibly rebellion of our own, stubbornness, rejection, anger, jealousy, and even being unwilling to forgive. All of these will cause us to walk through the valley.

What is in the valley?

Jesus is there. Strength is given, wisdom is imparted. Knowledge is increased.

This is usually a quiet time; you can hear the whisper of the Lord because you are sensitive to His voice. You are listening for an answer, or possibly a Word, to understand your circumstance. If an understanding doesn’t seem to arrive, then rest in the confidence that He is in control and He is guiding you through this time of depth and richness in His presence.

There is Grace in the valley.

Forgiveness and renewal for past wrongs can all be taken care of in the valley! We take time to focus on our strengths and weaknesses, asking God to point out things that need to be dealt with…and we actually deal with them right then and there. “Every valley shall be filled, every mountain and hill shall be brought low.” Luke 3:5. We can attribute this verse to the fact that when we conquer the valley there is nothing we cannot accomplish. We come out stronger and wiser than when we entered.

The valley is the only way to get to the mountain.

Once we are back on the mountain, we may realize why the Lord took us through that particular valley. It might not have been just for us! We may need that wisdom and experience in the future to help someone else through their own valley.

The valley is temporary.

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.” Psalm 23:4. We don’t live in the valley, we walk through it. Sometimes it takes longer than we want it to, but rest assured, He is orchestrating it all.

You will have trouble in the valley if your faith is based on emotion instead of the Word of God.

Focusing on circumstances and feelings will only leave you frustrated and you will miss the beauty of walking alongside the Lord in the valley. “He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside the still waters.”  Psalm 23:2.

And the ultimate? “He restores my soul.”

Jesus KEEPS me in the valley to restore my weary soul! We cannot avoid heartache and suffering in this life but if we believe in Jesus Christ, we can approach the valley with confidence knowing He is not only there waiting but He will renew us, restore us and revive us; giving us a reason to dance on the mountaintop.

Even in a pandemic, which surely seems like a permanent valley to us all right now, Jesus is there, He has not forgotten us, He has NOT forsaken us. Use this time to draw up close beside Him, hear His voice, rest in His presence. He is in the valley!

Are you going through a valley experience right now? Have you been through a difficult valley but overcame with the help of the Lord? Feel free to share with us how God is helping you to learn and grow through this season. Others will be strengthened by your testimony!

Kingdom2

That time I made him get rid of his change…

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For years, The Sweetheart carried change in his right pocket. Not just a couple of quarters for a Coke. Not a dime or two to dash into the telephone booth. (Yes, we can remember those!) He carried a large handful of change every day.

I was frustrated that after 35 years of marriage my beloved was still carrying a pocket full of change. I could hear him coming a mile away and recognize him in a room even if I was blindfolded. He jingled when he walked and it was distinct. It always sounded the same; on the downbeat, a jingle, on the upbeat it was more like a breath before the next clanging of copper and silver. (Do they still even use copper in our pennies?)

As time and methods have evolved down through the years, we no longer need so many coins. A bottle of pop, or soda, usually costs more than a couple of quarters, and most all vending machines take paper money now.

If you see a phone booth on the corner it probably belongs to Superman, not AT & T. While living overseas we didn’t even need those gold and silver euros for parking; we paid with our phones!

So one day, after hearing me gripe for years about “getting with the times”, he did it. He emptied his pockets for the very last time and added the last of his coins to his savings basket.

He no longer jingled; he could now sneak up on others if he was so inclined.

I couldn’t hear him coming down a hallway.

Change

What had I done? I had begged for him to change, I had teased and bugged him until he had given in. Now I wanted the jingle back. There were even a few times we NEEDED the change!

I wanted it back because it was a part of him. I insisted HE change to please me but when I finally got what I had asked for I discovered it wasn’t what I wanted at all.

Why do we think we ALWAYS know what is best for someone else? We are constantly trying to change them, to mold them into what WE want them to be.

God didn’t make us all the same and that is a wonderful thing. I have habits and annoyances that drive The Sweetheart up the wall but he loves me for who I am and realizes he cannot change me after all of these years.

Me? I keep trying. Ugh.

How many times have we been guilty of things like this in the spiritual?

We pray, think we have all of the answers, even go so far as to tell God what we want done, how things should be adapted according to our desires.

I think that sometimes God sits back, folds His arms and says, “Okay, have it your way.”

“And He gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.” Psalm 106:15

Then we are left with the results. There is no jingle or happiness in our lives because we have tried to manipulate the Almighty into doing what WE think is best. Instead, we should be trusting the One who sees down the road.

He is the Master conductor. We can trust Him and His ways. He does all things for our good, looking ahead to make sure every piece of the puzzle will fit. He sees that we are not only taken care of but that we thrive.

What kind of change are you pushing for?

Maybe you are trying to force it, wanting too much, too fast, or trying to bargain with God in order to get your way.

“The LORD Almighty has sworn, ‘Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen.'” Isaiah 14:24.

Remember that pocket change. You might get what you ask for but you won’t like the end result.

Let that handful of silver stay in your pocket until God says, “It’s time.”

Kingdom2