What do we see and hear and understand?

A collage of thoughts … I’m unsure there is a theme, but there might be. I was thinking one day, earlier this month about my eyesight deteriorating and my hearing not being so good and what that might mean in my travels with the Lord.

Eyes to see
but what is seen
Ears to hear
but what is heard
A mind to understand
but what is comprehended
Feet to travel
but where do we walk
© March 8, 2015

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”  ~ Matthew 11:15

“Seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.”  ~ Matthew 13:13

The level of one’s commitment to Christ as Lord is demonstrated by the degree of our obedience to God’s will as revealed in His word.

Isaiah prophesies to the people as God instructed (Isaiah 6:9-10, Matthew 13:14-15)

“Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,
and seeing you will see and not perceive;
For the hearts of this people have grown dull.
Their ears are hard of hearing,
And their eyes they have closed,
Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.”

If we claim to be Christians, we must strive to make our lives obedient and pleasing to God.

“Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!”
~ Isaiah 6:21

“Do not be wise in your own eyes.”  ~ Proverbs 3:7

God makes Himself known
He reveals His glory
and all that is ungodly
and how we do not live righteously,
but as foolish people.
We claim to be so wise, so smart,
but our hearts are darkened.
We do not have the Truth of God,
the Light of the Lord within us
and if we claim otherwise
and do have His Light,
we are ignoring the signs
God has given us
and follow instead every lie,
every falsehood
that creeps into our minds.
We lust after another
We dishonor our bodies
(based on Romans 1: 18-19, 21-22, 24-32)

“Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.”         ~ II Timothy 2:7

Continually, I hold on to the verse in II Timothy 1:7 --
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

“Hold fast the pattern of sound (or healthy) words which you have heard from Me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.”  ~ II Timothy 1:13

As we trust the Lord more and more, we are able to receive Him and His blessings abundantly.

When we pray, but do not trust the Lord to respond, do not wait on Him,
we will not receive His blessings. We must be still, not anxious. Anxiety and worry are not of God.

Do not let the concerns of another tear you apart. Remain resting in Christ. He will bring you through it.

Trust Me
Depend on Me
Do not fall prey to distractions
I will equip you
Must believe in Me,
obey Me
Trust
in My Promises
Do not falter

The new man/woman
You became
he/she
You accepted
Christ
Believed
on Him
in Him
and His Promises

Yet,
a part of you
remains
in the darkness
You are blinded
holding onto your
former conduct
that you remember well
and go back to
again and again

You are
the new man/woman
not the old one
you gave up

Why do you follow after
that which corrupts
your thinking
and takes you down
paths of deceit
and jealousy
and bickering
with another

Be renewed
Be the new man/woman
for  which God created you

Put away lying
Speak truth
not corruption, not dissension, not contention
Build up, encourage

No bitterness
or clamor
or evil speaking

Be kind
tenderhearted
forgiving

You are no longer in the dark as some still are
The Light of the Lord resides in you.
Walk as that Light – the Light of Jesus -
goodness, righteousness, truth
that which is acceptable
to the Lord.
(based on Ephesians 4: 17-  and 5:8-10)

Do not trod the paths
that lead to darkness
You do not belong there

Why do we hold on to things that only bring discouragement?
Why does not former conduct have such a hold on us?

We know the scheming of Satan
for we lived among them
The power of Christ
overcame his strength
at the cross
when upon His death
and burial
He arose to live forevermore
and gave to each
one who believed
on Him
the power to overcome

We know the way of Christ
for we became new
The power of Christ
in us
through the Holy Spirit

Yet,
for all we know
and all we have been given
we do not utilize
Christ’s power in us

We do not turn away
completely
from every disgusting
thing Satan brings out way
We do not turn to
The One
who is always with us
who never forsakes us
whose might is greater
than anything we can imagine

God and Satan
obedience sought
in all things
Satan’s goal
is to take you away
from Christ
to show you how bad
you are
how good you will never be
Satan leads you along the path
of what feels good,
your rights, your needs.
It’s all about you
and the more you lap it up,
the more your faith in Christ
diminishes
and for all God’s calling
The voice you used to hear so well,
so plainly
is growing faint
and His light dimmer and dimmer

Why do you persist in following
the avenues of deceit,
of living to self?

Give it up
Stop this foolishness
It does not build you up
Satan tears you down
and you see that as the way it is
The way you are

It is not! You are not!
Christ died for you!
Whatever did Satan do for you?

Why do you find it easier to stick like glue
to the enemy …
to the sin of
adultery
uncleanness
jealousy
selfish ambitions
envy
drunkenness
idolatry,
fear
anger
lying
witchcraft
hatred
outbursts of wrath
contentions
heresies
murder
gluttony

than to follow
the Way of Your Savior
the way of
Love
Joy
Peace
Gentleness
Kindness
Faithfulness
Self-Control
Patience
Goodness
Honesty
Patience
Discipline

“Lest Satan should take advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of his devices.” 
~ II Corinthians 2:11

“Nevertheless, when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.”  ~                             ~ II Corinthians 3:16

A veil covers their heart of understanding;
their minds blinded

“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”  ~ II Corinthians 3:17b

Where the spirit of Satan is, there is bondage, enslavement

When we became Christ’s, “we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully.”                                        ~ II Corinthians 4:2a

“We do not lose heart.”  ~ II Corinthians 4:1

We do not give up nor give in
We do not stay where we had been
We are recipients
of God’s mercy,
God’s grace

God’s image shines on you
for you belong to Him
Do not return to the hidden world of sin

“We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed;
We are perplexed, but not in despair;
persecuted, but not forsaken;
struck down, but not destroyed.”  ~ II Corinthians 4: 8-9

We have God’s power in us

It is His power that delivers us,
protects us
saves us
encourages us
secures us
It is nothing within ourselves
that enables us
to move out
move on
move beyond

As His children, God promises to be with us
wherever we walk, He walks
He is our Father in heaven
We are His son, His daughters on Earth
The promise is two-fold.
If we do not believe,
If we do no act in faith,
If we do not trust,
His promises play forlorn.

It is unfortunate when we restrict His movements;   when we say we believe in Him, but do not trust in His power.

I daresay many of us restrict His movements – we say we don’t, but if we really stopped to think about it, we’d find we plod ahead, do what we think best before we seek God’s advice and rely on Him. How do we know what is right or wrong?

Is cancer a death sentence?  (Visit the blog,: The Race: our journey with cancer  http://theracetorunwithendurance.blogspot.com/.

Cancer is an enemy.
Can it be a friend
Can you make friends with an enemy
Satan is The Enemy
Why would you want to make friends with him

We react negatively to the threat of cancer.
 We become distraught,
disconnected,
dismayed.
Fear overtakes us.
Who gave us fear --
It is not God!
Fear is a work of The Enemy
Fear does not belong
within us
How do we stand up against it
Trust in God

“Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”  ~II Corinthians 7:1

Open your heart to God

God gives us blessings daily, but sometimes we don’t perceive them.
When we are not  focused on God and His goodness, and when we are stuck on a negative focus, we see only the problems, only the struggle. We do not see God. We do not see His gifts.

Thank the Lord for all that blocks the path to Him and the stones will be removed. Not clear sailing, but a clear path to see the way God chooses for us. If we are obedient to His leading, we will follow Him whatever the cost, because being close to the Lord, being at peace within our souls, is best.

Whatever the cost?!  Best know what the cost is we speak of. You give children to the Lord, dedicate them to His will, His service. Can a spouse, a wife, dedicate her husband to the Lord? What does dedication mean?

Whatever comes, and we do not know what that will be.

Do not fear.
The Lord does not give us a spirit of fear
That comes from The Enemy
The Lord gives us Power and Love
and a Sound Mind – good sense

Power and Strength
Love and Mercy and Grace
Trust more in God
than in the fear Satan drives into you

Jesus is the Song of Life
of Love
of Peace
of Joy
Bring into your consciousness
awareness of Me and My Presence!

Trust Me
Thank Me
I will lift you up
Above
Far above
your every circumstance
Be mindful
of Me
of My Presence
as you
go about
your day
Do not remove
your focus
on Me
Do not
let the spoils
of Satan
drop you
a peg
Do not
let Satan
drown you
in quick sand
Rise up
Rise up
My child
I AM with you
Be thankful
Offer praises
to Me
Do not
give in
Do not
give up

Look onward
Look around
Look upward
I AM there
I will bring you through this trial
Triumph will come
I AM your peace
Don’t let anxiety and worry
steal away My Peace
within you,.
I AM your source
I AM your resource
I AM your life blood
I will lead you through the darkness of this journey
Take hold of MY hand --
Do not release your grip
Rest your head upon My lap
and find comfort
I AM with you
every step of the way.
© March 22-23, 2015)

God shows us
See and believe
See and understand
See and trust more
There are signs everywhere

“Gather up the fragments that remain; so that nothing is lost.”  ~ John 6:12

Utilize everything
what you do not need,
what I have given you
abundantly,
give to another.
The blessings will flow.

(c) Cathy Orrick Luders 

God is ... but are we -- available to our children?

“I AM with you always,” Jesus tells us in Matthew 28:20b

God … Jesus … and the Holy Spirit
always available to us
His children

But what about
our children
Are we available to our children
or are other things
wishes
of more importance
always taking precedence?

Proverbs 22:6 tells us to “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Are we teaching our children about God, about Jesus, His ways?

Do our children learn about prayer – family prayer / personal prayer?

 Do they learn about faithfulness, patience, fairness, sharing, courage, honesty, overcoming fear?

If we are too busy now to spend quality time with our children,

what will we do when we have time to give and they are not available?

Will our children grow up to be just like us? Will it be a positive thing or negative?  Will we not see it?

Children learn first from their parents or other caregivers, watching their movements, listening to the sounds of their voices. They pick up and put on these traits. And then we wonder the why of it all.

If we do not make time to live our life pleasing to the Lord, our children will see how we live and do likewise.

If our preferences take us away from the Lord’s commands, then our children will follow in our steps.

If reading and studying the Bible is not our cup of tea, then we are missing out on all the Lord has for us – His guiding principles, His blessings, His promises, and so are our children.

We, as Christ’s followers, are complete in Him. He abides in us and we abide in Him. He desires so much for us – His children, as individuals, parents and children. We can be oh so much. Our children – we must teach them, love them, show them the rights and wrongs in life according to our Holy God.

Are we obedient in all things of God or do we allow Satan to take advantage of us? We cannot pretend we don’t know what Satan is up to. (See II Corinthians 2: 9, 11)

When will we turn away from that which is wrong? If we claim we do no wrong or we see no wrong, then we are not honest or faithful to God or ourselves. We let Satan lead our every movement and then we say we didn’t see it coming.  But we do see it coming… we choose to ignore, we refuse to ask God for help.  

The Holy Spirit within us shows us, tries to get us to see the error of our ways, but when we have no regard for Him, refusing to see or hear, we are effectively saying God is not important, and our children follow suit. They too question the importance of God and don’t know who Jesus is or what He represents.

Whose way do you follow?

 Whose way do you obey?

 Whose way is your master?

 Whose way will bring you through the many perils of life?

 Whose way has your best always at heart?

Do not forsake The Way of Christ.

 He who loves you is there for you Always -- for you, for me, for our children past, present and future. Do not turn away from Him who gives you the gift of life to a life that is filled with death and destruction.  

Take to heart the message in this song, The Cats in the Cradle --