Tune It Out

Make 2014 a year for sharing

“Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’””– Matthew 4:4

Absolutely quiet.  Have you ever sat in a place and there was no sound at all?  No birds, no cars, no television or cellphone – just the sheer absence of sound.  In this day and age it is often beyond our ability to get to a point where there is peace and quiet.  I’ve found that even when the opportunity, to achieve complete silence, arrives I often cloud the moment with thoughts, worries and my own distractions in life.

If you find yourself silently, watching nature and the world around you, do you realize that there are thousands of radio waves moving past you.  We don’t see these sound waves and voices moving from one radio tower to another, yet they exist none the less.  How do we know they exist?   It’s simple.  Enable a receiver and an antenna and the sounds will be captured.  Connect a speaker and the sounds will be heard.  Cell phones, wireless internet traffic and radio signals are all examples of invisible sound waves that move between a transmitter on one end and a receiver on the other end.  Without the proper hardware on both ends the sounds are not heard.

I’ve heard people say to me, “God doesn’t speak to me.” or “I’ve never heard God.”  What we all must realize is that it’s the same principal.  We must have the appropriate receptor on our end in order to hear the word of God.  Most of us are looking for God to speak to us on our terms, when it’s convenient for us.  God is omnipresent, always with us, and always communicating with us.  He is not a Genie in the bottle that we call upon when we need help.  His desire is to be part of every thought, every moment of our life.  As we wake, as we live, as we speak and as we sleep; His love and mercy should be upon our lips.

God communicates with us through the Word – the Holy Bible.  Every word is captured at the hands of a scribe writing on God’s behalf.  Rich in depth, content and revelations which are as alive in the 21st century as the day they were captured, thousands of years ago.  Secondly, God communicates through the Holy Spirit, dwelling within each of us.  Jesus tells us in John 14:15-17, that God the Father will send us the Holy Spirit to dwell with us and counsel us, comfort us and guide us in the ways of Jesus Christ.  The key is to receive the Holy Spirit though.  It’s one thing to acknowledge His existence; it’s something completely different to develop a relationship with Him to be your mentor and comforter.  Righteousness, humility, love and compassion for others – these are all characteristics of the Holy Spirit within you.

If you want to hear words from the mouth of God, you must be willing to enter into a full relationship with Him.  This includes receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of your life, and receiving the Holy Spirit into your life as your counselor, mentor and guide.  The next step is to follow His teachings and directions in your life, with the understanding that God is in control and we are here to serve Him and His needs.  So many times I get caught up in the things I want to do for the Lord that I often forget to ask, “God, what will You have me to do today?”  Hearing from God daily requires tuning into His station and picking up on His message.  This is what sustains life, not the possessions of this world.


© Sondove Enterprises, 2014
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Let It Go

Read It, Learn It, Live It, Share It

“He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”" – Psalm 46:10

  It came upon the horizon just as it had the day before, and the day before that.  First the glimpse of orange and pink hues break through the darkness which lies upon the depth of my perspective.  Suddenly, the crescent broke the surface and began to rise over the imaginary line which separated the physical earth from the atmosphere.  I sat on the deck of the cabin and watched as the fog lifted from the earth’s surface and the sun in all of it’s glory became full in the morning sky, as if it were a toy ball sitting upon a wire in the distance.

  I picked up the guitar and strummed a few chords, just resting in peace with the Lord on that brisk morning in the Tennessee mountains.  Looking down into the valley, one could see the lights of the other cabins, just coming on as others were likewise rising to make the coffee that morning.  In the distance one could hear the cry of an eagle and the crunching of paws upon the dried leaves on the forest floor.  Perhaps a bear was walking toward the river for breakfast, or perhaps the chipmunks were playing once again and rustling the leaves as they ran.  I sang out a chorus of  “I Can Only Imagine” by Mercy Me, and then simply sat back and listened to the beauty of the stillness upon the mountain that morning.

  For 10 maybe 15 minutes, I wasn’t worried about the overdue bills, the projects at work or the truck that was in dire need of repair.  I wasn’t consumed with getting somewhere, or seeing someone, or hurrying to and fro.  I was simply resting in the presence of God the Father and the beauty that He has given us, and it felt incredibly good. 

  If you are like me, you find it hard to rest, to be still, to feel His presence each and every day.  Life has a tendency to consume every waking moment with some stress ridden thought of the action list that never seems to go away.  Between the act of being a responsible provider for the family, a productive employee at work, a conscientious student at school, a taxi driver, grocery shopper, nurse, chef, dry cleaner, landscaper, auto mechanic, teacher and loving parent; it is nearly impossible to stop and clear our mind for just a few minutes.

  God is still sovereign and oversees all things.  If you believe this to be true, as I do, then why are we so hesitant to trust in His word that He will carry our burdens and lighten our load, if we only trust in Him.  Exalt Him, raise His name on high, far above all things in this world and acknowledge that He alone can see us through our challenges, struggles and heartaches.  We spend countless hours trying to solve the problems of this life on our own without seeking His help or guidance.  When His desire is that we bring it to Him, lay it at His feet and follow His plan of action.  Hear His small still voice echo through your mind, telling you the way of righteousness and your path’s become much clearer.

  This doesn’t make the problems go away, but realizing that He is the creator of all things and omnipotent in His power, brings comfort in knowing that He alone understands the hurt, pain and suffering you are experiencing.  Find the opportunity each day to come before the Lord in quiet stillness with your heart open and ready to hear His word.  Lay your burdens down, acknowledge His authority and glory and fell His calming spirit over your life.  It is our own stress and anxiety that complicates the daily worries, nothing of His doing.  But, He is capable of calming your spirit and clearly seeing you through the day’s events, if you’ll trust Him.

             

© Sondove Enterprises, 2013
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Heavenly GPS

Read It, Learn It, Live It, Share It

“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" – Romans 8:31

 When we take the individual events of life in a single snapshot and weigh God's love based on one event we are blinded by emotions rather than truth. God's perspective on our life is eternal. From the moment He created the heavens and the earth, He knew you and knew everything about you. He sees the span of your life, the turns, the ups, the downs, the good and the bad. The bible tells us that He is for us in every situation, and yet it is so easy to point blame toward Him when things don't work out.

  Think about your view of the earth from satellite imagery. We have the technology now to look down upon an area of a city block or a few square miles. Picture yourself in a military situation watching a monitor with a satellite image of an area as a battle evolves. On the ground you have troops, walking down a street in a metropolitan city. They can't see what's around the corners up ahead, but from your vantage point with a tops down satellite image you can. Your communicating to the squadron leader through an earpiece. You are warning him of an ambush that lies in the alley up ahead. He hears you and you can see his response of pause. Then you see him turn to his squad and issue hand signals, splitting the team and directing them to spread out. You warn him not to, and then you see him remove his ear peace. The team proceeds forward, cautiously. From your perspective you see the enemy positioning themselves and maneuvering for the right angle. As your squadron move into the intersection with the alley, they are observant to both sides and looking into the shadows for the enemy. Unfortunately for them, they didn't realize that the enemy had moved up one block. As the squadron comes out of the alley back into the main street, the enemy is there waiting for them. Tragically the entire squadron is lost in the ensuing battle. From your post miles away observing through a monitor you watch as the event unfolds. Why didn't he listen to you? Why did he think he had it under control? You would have guided him safely through the streets and ensured victory over the enemy that lie in wait.

  We are challenged daily to walk upright and to stay consistent in His light. It seems that the trials and temptations of life continue to attack on a daily basis. I, for one, can testify that it is easy to become discouraged with the constant barrage from the enemy to steal one's joy. We must be able to stand firm in the promises of God when challenged in our faith. In this letter from Paul to those in Rome, we see him encouraging them to remain strong in their faith, despite their difficult circumstances. We should take this advice and lean into God's wisdom and knowledge when times are difficult, for God will provide your strength against the enemy at all times. This doesn't mean you won't struggle, it is an encouragement that God is still in control and will carry you through it. Remember, His view is eternal. It's not about the daily event, it's about the life story. Live your life with the confidence that He has your back and will get you to the finish line. Nothing can stop this from happening, nothing.

© Sondove Enterprises, 2012
For more Daily Thoughts go to: http://sondove.blogspot.com

Shhhhhh, Just Listen

 “Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before.” Joel 2:23

 

I love the Fall.  There is something magical, magnificent and inspiring to watch the leaves change and feel the crisp, cool morning air as I step out onto the porch.  There is a smell in the air of leaves burning and hotdog roasts which tell us all that the little things in life need to be cherished.  We race through life trying to stay on our schedule, because Lord knows if we get behind that our day-timer is unforgiving.  Lisa asks me periodically to think about this one question: “In 2 years will any of your busyness mean anything.”  This is not to say that the decisions we make in our work, school and life aren’t important, they are for the moment.  What she is reminding me of is that we must constantly be evaluating the long term benefit of spending quality time with each other and those important to us enjoying life’s simple pleasures, and get away from the stressful day to day churn in the office.

As usual she’s right on the money.  God has blessed you with unbelievable beauty and miraculous events each and every day.  The problem is that most of us are moving too fast to actually recognize them when they happen.  Have you ever thought that your busyness is simply a result of you trying to solve your problems without God’s intervention, rather than seeking the One who created it all for direction and help.  I have discovered that the more often I align my daily calendar with God in the morning how much easier my day flows, and the more I get accomplished.  If you think He isn’t interested in what you are doing throughout your day at the home, at work or in school, you are completely mistaken.  Scriptures tell us that He knows every hair on our head, every thought in our mind, every desire of our heart and every word before it’s spoken.  He knew you before you were born and placed a dream and a purpose in your heart.  For you to believe that any of that is true and not believe that He is interested in your daily decisions and actions doesn’t align.

If you keep a day-timer or scheduler on your phone or tablet, I recommend you schedule a recurring meeting with God every morning for the first 15 minutes of your day.  Prepare for that meeting just like you would prepare for other meetings or events in your day and come prepared with an action list for the day.  Share this list with God and ask that He bless your decisions throughout the day and that your day be filled with opportunities to share His love and glory with others.  Then take a few minutes and rest in the peace of His presence.  Listen to Him, hear what it is that He wants for you to do with each and every day.  We often get so preoccupied with our own schedule that we don’t leave time for God to provide us direction on what He wants us to do each day.   Perhaps we should prioritize His actions first and then figure out what to do with the rest.  Just give it a try for a week.  I guarantee it’s better than flying by the seat of your pants each day.

© Sondove Enterprises, 2012
For an archive of Daily Thoughts go to: http://www.10minutereader.com