I have been finding time every day to rest in the presence of God like never before. For me this entails stopping all my work, unplugging from the “inter webs”(😊), and listening to the Word (on my Bible app or reading it out loud) or some anointed worship music…and then, deliberately being quiet and still while meditating on God. I think about His goodness and His love, and His mercy towards us, His people. I think about His righteousness and His justice and rejoice in the truth of the power of Him as a “Man of War” (Exodus 15:3).

Reflecting on the expressions of God in my life and the lives of my loved ones, I began to open my heart to Abba Father and surrender to Him in adoration and thanksgiving.

As I develop this practice of “pressing in” to the atmosphere of heaven, I am learning how to hear the heart of the Lord. He impresses His desires and instructions by downloading them into my spirit and I write them down. One of the things I have become sensitive to is the need to execute His Will in my life in the exact way He intends.

Let me explain…

Have you ever heard someone speak of some spiritual or biblical event, encounter, or revelation that sounded ALMOST true…but there was something slightly “off” about it? I am learning that there is more to this than just shrugging it off and walking away.

In these dark, uncertain times, God is deliberately teaching/training us to recognize the TRUTH of HIS WORD! There are many “voices” going out in our atmospheres and environments. Some are authentically righteous, grounded in the truth of God’s Word…and some are messages deviously designed to seem like truth but can be, in fact, messages of confusion, conflict and division.

As followers of Jesus and residents of the Kingdom of God, it is vital that we know what is true and what isn’t. Our lives, quite literally, depend on it.

So how do we discern what is God’s truth and what is counterfeit?

“ My dear friends, don’t believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about God comes from God. There are a lot of lying preachers loose in the world.” 1 John 4:1 (The Message Bible)

There is a lot of information out there. More than we can adequately process without causing ourselves worry, doubt and mistrust. Truth is sometimes lost in chaos. It can often be wrapped in opinion and bias. As Christians, we must take everything we hear and see to the Lord. Spending time talking with Him about issues, sermons, television programs, social media sites, news sources, friends’ opinions, etc. is the only way to gain insight, confirmation or protection from the information we are inundated by in these difficult times. The Word admonishes us to “carefully weigh and examine” what we take into our hearts and minds and when in doubt, always consult the Holy Spirit. Only He can tell you what is truth for you, and only the Word of God should be our standard for living our lives.

We must understand that the Word of God is as true and relevant today as in any other time in history. Our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ is “the same yesterday, today and forevermore” (Hebrews 13:8, New King James Version)! Praise God! This means that even when what we take in is ‘one degree off,’ we have a Loving Father who will always make Himself available for us to ask Him what His desire, hope and instruction is for us to live victoriously.

It is more important than ever to hear God’s instructions, directions and plans for us with clarity and precision. It will give us the confidence, boldness and authority to execute His Will for our lives demonstrating His Power and Glory to those around us. We are “His workmanship” and need to know how and when to move as He commands! Stay focused, and vigilant…and He will do “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,” (Ephesians 3:20, New King James Version)!

Until next post, blessings…VW1.