What do you believe...really?

To my beloved "Fam"-

One of my biggest fears as a Dad is that I haven't adequately demonstrated how to practically walk out the life of faith that I say that I believe. I want to take a minute to exhort my family of the importance of taking seriously the simple commands of Jesus when He speaks to you in your quiet moments. I know what you're thinking! You don't have any quiet moments, right? You are so busy doing other things that you can't remember the last time that you came quietly away with your God to pour your heart out to Him and then listen for His response. I won't take time to "pontificate" on the need for this discipline in this entry but will only say this. If you are too busy to not take a few minutes of every day to listen to His voice, then you need to drop something because your priorities are out of whack. By the way, that "something that you need to drop" is probably not an hour of homework...but it might involve a few less minutes a day of "tube time"! (Are you smiling? You know that I love you and you also know that I'm right on this one, right? :) )

OK. This part is for those of you who are currently living out your life by sitting at the feet of our Lord on a daily basis to pray, to read His word, to praise Him and to basically enjoy His presence as much as He enjoys yours! Do you believe that He speaks? Do you believe that He speaks to you? And if He does, then what do you think that you should do with what He tells you? (For the purposes of this entry, I am talking about little everyday things that you need to be talking to Him about.) Well, I have some answers. Here they are.

Re: the little adjustments that He may be speaking to, just move out. Try them. So what if you've not "heard Him" as you had supposed! Because these are small adjustments, they will not do damage and remember that He will NEVER tell you something that is contrary to His word so you don't have to worry about doing damage to yourself or anyone else by what you act on. I love what your mother says about hearing His voice. She says that she "has more confidence in God's ability to speak to (her) heart than her ability to hear Him" which is to say that God will speak to her (and you and me too!) in a very personal way and one that you will know is His voice. So, if you think you've heard Him, just move out. Don't wait. If you wait until all the lights are on green, you'll never leave the "driveway" of your heart.

Let me repeat for emphasis. Practice this discipline in the small things that He may be speaking to you that are not "major life change decisions". Let me give you an example. Let's say that you are praying about a challenge that you are having with one of your personal relationships. This could be your spouse, a friend, one of your teachers at school, one of your parents, anyone. In your quiet time, you sense that God is telling you to go do something to serve that person. You don't need the counsel of anyone to act on that, do you? Of course not. So don't wait, take a chance. Do it!! Do it NOW!

Here's a friendly warning. Unless you guard your heart daily, learning to love what God loves...hate what God hates and cultivate a friendly relationship with Him where He can whisper into your ear, doesn't it make sense that you will have trouble "mustering up the faith" to trust Him in weightier matters? (I can still see that you're smiling 'cause you know that I'm right :) )

The next time I write to you, we'll talk about moving out in faith when He speaks to the bigger things of your life, but until then, "be faithful in little..." my children. You're good! You're His! He's yours! So....Life is good...(and eternal life is better!). Rock on!!

I love you,

Dad
Ephesians 2: 10

Now,