Deep Inner Peace and Fulfillment

 

 

God orchestrates every nuance of our life. His abundant light overcomes the densest gloom. His power and majesty slay every demon in spiritual darkness, which comes against us (1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 1:3).

He encourages us to take our focus off our mortal frailty or our competent human abilities, and to concentrate on the reality of Christ in us (Colossians 1:27). God’s presence in our life provides us with deep inner peace and fulfillment.

Nothing this world has to offer can take the place of His goodness and grace. When the issues of life become more than we can bear, we sit on our Heavenly Father’s lap and snuggle in the safety of His arms.

I love to spend time in the night watches praising, praying, writing blog posts, and crying or rejoicing in the presence of our Father God (Isaiah 26:9). We are in Him and He dwells within us (Galatians 2:20).

This state of abiding in Christ is accomplished by one swift act of total surrender. It may take a deep trial, a layoff from work, rejection from a mate or a week-end retreat; but when our soul yearns for God, we readily relinquish our will to Him.

Once we make up our mind to allow Christ to live His life in and through us, our life starts changing – both in miniscule growth, as well as leaps and bounds (1 Samuel 16:7). We exhibit more and more of Christ’s divine nature and we never, ever leave His presence (2 Peter 1:4; 2 Corinthians 5:17).

Prayer:

Father God, You only want what is best for Your children. Every action You take in our life, even the trials and tribulation, is an act of Your love. You wound, but You never break, and You always heal (Job 5:18). You fill the void within each of us and You satisfy the longing in our soul for something greater than this temporal life (Psalm 107:9). Your affection and provision never fail us.

Thought for the Day:

God’s children sing of His mercy and strength, which is new every morning; and we praise our loving Father for being our stronghold, refuge and fortress in all our times of trouble.

– Lamentations 3:22-23; Psalm 59:16-17

Meditation

Many people wonder how to meditate on God's Word. I have a favorite method that really works for me. I take a verse, or part of a verse, and I meditate on and stress one word at a time. This way, the value of the verse sinks into the very depths of my soul. For instance, look at Psalm 23:1 - capitalized words are emphasized.

THE Lord

The LORD is

The Lord IS my shepherd

The Lord is MY shepherd

The Lord is my SHEPHERD

The Lord is my shepherd, I SHALL NOT

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not WANT.

This does not change the meaning of the verse, but it puts the emphasis on a different word each time. This process grasps my soul to its very core, as the truth of each word infiltrates every cell in my body and its truth reverberates through my entire being! This method also helps me to memorize the verse a little at a time, because I clearly see each and every word.

Try it again with Psalm 104:1 -

BLESS the Lord,

Bless THE Lord

Bless the LORD

Bless the Lord, O my SOUL.

Bless the Lord, O my soul. O LORD my God

Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord MY God

Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord, My GOD

Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord, My God, YOU are

Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord, My God, You ARE

Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord, My God, You are VERY great

Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord, My God, You are very GREAT.

Prayer:

Father God, remind us to hide Your Word in our heart, so that we will not sin against You (Psalm 119:11). Meditating on Your Word encourages our soul, which gives life to our body (Psalm 43:5; Romans 8:11). Help us to fall asleep every night, deliberating on Your Words that we have hidden in our heart. Cause us to hear Your loving kindness in the morning, for we put all of our trust in You; help us to know the right way to live, as we lift up our soul to You (Psalm 143:8).

Thought for the Day:

I look forward to the night watches, so that I can meditate on God's Word. - Psalm 119:148

Keeping Watch

Did you ever notice that God created some people as early risers and some people who stay up all night? Yes, I said that God created them this way. We do not all have to spend quality time with the Lord in the morning. He programs our bodily clocks differently, so that we keep Him company every hour of the day and night. There are even special “watches” during the night and early morning (Mark 6:48; Exodus 14:24; Judges 7:19; 1 Samuel 11:11).

The Bible tells us in Mark 13:35 that:

The First, Evening Watch is Sunset To 9 P.M. (Lamentations 2:19)
The Second, Midnight Watch is 9 P.M. To Midnight (Judges 7:19)
The Third, Cock-Crowing Watch is Midnight To 3 A.M. (Luke 2:38)
The Fourth, Morning Watch is 3 A.M. To Sunrise (Matthew 14:25)

God loves company even in the night watches (Psalm 119:148). I take the second and Third Watches with the Lord every night between 9PM and 3AM. This is my perfect time to read His Word, to write a devotional about what I learn, to pray for those God puts on my heart and to sing praises to Him as I do my household chores. My husband enjoys the Morning Watch with the Lord and then he researches for, prays about and internalizes his weekly sermons. My girlfriend spends her lunch hour with the Lord. She reads her Bible and prays instead of socializing.

One day, Jesus dismissed the crowds that came to hear Him preach. Then, He sent the disciples across the lake while He went up into the mountain to pray. They encountered a tempest on their way across. Jesus did not come to help them during the initial hours of the storm, but He waited until they had already struggled for hours in a raging squall. In the darkest watch of the night, Jesus walked out to them on the water (Matthew 14:22-34). Jesus often comes to us in the darkest watch of our “night” too. When life gets too difficult, when our heart is broken, when everything goes wrong and we despair of all hope. This is when Jesus comes to our aid, and He is always right on time.

The important aspect here is that we spend time with the Lord every day, preferably all day as we pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 1:2, 5:17). God gives us countless opportunities to spend time with Him throughout the day and the night. We pour out our heart in prayer and worship in the presence of our Almighty God. We lift up our hands to Him and praise Him for the lives of our children and for those who are needy, homeless or distraught (Lamentations 2:19). Our eyes are open all during the day, and even in the night watches, as we meditate on God’s precepts and promises (Psalm 119:148).  

Prayer:

Father God, You watch over everyone who loves You (Psalm 145:20). A thousand years in Your sight are like a day, or even as short as one watch in the night (Psalm 90:4). You will never allow us to stumble as long as we depend upon You. You watch over us endlessly, because You never sleep or even take a nap (Psalm 121:3-5). When I wake up with a song filtering through my mind or a prayer on my heart, I know my spirit has been remembering You and thinking of You even as I sleep (Psalm 63:6).

Thought for the Day:

As long as it is day, we must do the Lord’s work, because the dark night is coming when no one will be able to hear His Truth. – John 9:4

 

 

 

God Uses Our Dreams

Read: Job 33:14-15

“And He said, "Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream" (Numbers 12:6).

The following passages from the Bible clearly establish the fact that man is a triune being composed of a body, soul and spirit:

“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7).

"May the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 5:23 RSV)

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow (body), and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

Most people know a great deal about their body. Born Again Christians understand what our spirit is. But what is the soul? Our soul is our personality. It contains our thoughts, our will and our emotions. Our soul discloses to us what we really like and dislike, what we feel passionately about, what we really want to do and how we actually feel. So often, however, we go through life at such a hectic pace, that we ignore our soul. Then, we get sick, or we binge, or we act inappropriately and wonder what in the world is going on with us!

Our soul is a very important part of our complete human make-up. Our mental and emotional health and our actions are all influenced by the state of our soul. David says of God: “He restores my soul” (Psalm 23:3). God cares about our soul.

When we ignore our soul, it often speaks to us through dreams. The Lord gave us the ability to dream in order to help us to know what is really going on in our soul:  “I will bless the LORD who has given me counsel; My heart also instructs me in the night seasons” (Psalm 16:7 NKJV). Our soul often uses dreams to resolve a situation we are actually experiencing and to help us to bring balance to our life.

The Psalmist told us that God counsels us at night through our dreams: “You have tested my heart; You have visited me in the night;” (Psalm 17:3 NKJV).

Dreams reveal to us what we often fail to hear in our waking moments, because we rush through the day paying little attention to how life is affecting us.  In dreams, every person, place or thing and even numbers, colors, shapes and every detail represents an aspect of the truth that our soul is trying to reveal to us. There are many common symbols that have basic interpretations, but God will also use some symbols to speak to us personally. The Internet has many sites, which help to interpret the symbols in dreams; such as the Christian Dream Dictionary (http://www.cddictionary.com).

Dreams often express the beliefs, feelings, intents and needs of our soul. Even painful dreams have a message that we need to hear to be set free. Both the Lord and demonic influences also affect our dreams. Jesus truth heals us. If, however, your dream does not line up with God’s Word, then it is demonic. Satan can influence dreams to accuse our thoughts, motives and desires or to mislead us. If any dream is contrary to the Word of God, we know it is from Satan.

If we take the time to listen, the Holy Spirit will use our dreams to encourage us or to deal with truths, which He is trying to expose through our daily circumstances. Some dreams call on us to change our ways: “For God speaks once, yea twice, yet man perceives it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, in slumberings upon the bed.” (Job 33:14-15). Recurring dreams are often hints from the Holy Spirit that there is a persistent need that requires our attention.

When a dream reveals discontentment in some area, the only way we become content from within is to relinquish our negative mind-set and concerns that do not glorify God and to ask Him to fill those areas with His peace. “It shall be even as when a hungry man dream, and behold, he eats; but he awakens, and his soul is empty; or as when a thirsty man dreams, and behold, he drinks; but he awakens, and behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite” (Isaiah 29:8).

Dreams can also serve as our barometer in registering our spiritual progress. When we are sensitive to the Holy Spirit, God quickens portions of our dreams to expose our motivation and desires that are not yet in line with His will. When the Holy Spirit searches the soul of man, He brings to light the attitudes, beliefs and opinions that do not glorify Him. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name” (Psalm 103:1). As we pay attention to our dreams, they restore our equilibrium in body, soul and spirit.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, give me dreams during the night watches. Help me to discern between good and evil and to understand the messages You want me to hear through my dreams. Lead me in Your level path because of my enemy (Psalm 27:11) and cause me to hear Your loving kindness in the morning (Psalm 143:8).

Thought for the Day:

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when dreams come true, there is life and joy. - Proverbs 13:12 (NLT).