Insight

I was asked once how old are people when they are walking out their heart, their child-God heart, the ABBA heart that He gives and remakes us in His kingdom. The answer surprised me: twelve years old.

I wonder if heaven when we get there we are given a perfect twelve year old body. I wonder if heaven is a perfect place for twelve year old children/youth. I just wonder.

I also know that children take a picture of their father at the age of about eight years old and they live with this image of God pasted upon their soul. If their father was absent they feel that have to chase and find God. If their father was abusive they identify God with the God of the Old Testament. If their father was sexually perverted they find it very difficult to trust God. Most are able to overcome this wound by faith. Their heart faith overcomes the soul picture of God.

If a child has a great father at the age of about eight, then they naturally trust God. There are things that they do not wrestle with. If the father was good then bad this greatly damages the child's image of God and they will always hold their heart close to themselves.

Just some thoughts.

How do you want it done?

I heard Camille Roberts teach the staff at Concord one day.

I can do what you ask me to do. However, you must choose two of the following. Do not ask me for all three, I cannot. But I can do two and I need you to choose.

1. Good

2. Fast

3. Cheap

I can do it good and fast but it will probably not be cheap.

I can do it good and cheap but it will probably not be fast.

I can do it fast and cheap but it will probably not be good.

You choose. 

Greatness

I see all types of people in my profession. I see the potential that most have for greatness. But very, very few will achieve it. I have cried out to God for myself and others and have learned about what God expects of me to do to be able to walk out what He has designed me for.

We are all created by a great God. In and out of His own being He purposes us toward His perfect will. He delights in our design and prepares us to fulfill the greatness He has purposed for us. There are several factors that can limit our experience of that greatness and the fruit there of. Some are of us and others are forced upon us. I have discerned from the heart of God that there are three key disciplines we must master to stay in the grace that God has purposed for us.

1. 1.       The discipline of Prayer.
2. 2.       The discipline of Focus.
3. 3.       The discipline of One.

I have seen men and women begin to fulfill their destiny of greatness only to be sidetracked by one of the above disciplines. It is my heart concern that you would understand what you must learn and practice in your life to fulfill all that God has for your life.

The Discipline of Prayer.

• a.       Intimate communion with God. Unlimited and unconditional access.
• b.      Vision Praying. Hearing the heart aches of God and knowing His character so well you guide His hands with your heart.
• c.       Learning how the heart prays.

The Discipline of Focus.

• a.       Raw, instant, obedience to the Word of God and Spirit of God.
• b.      Walking out YADA, quiet, still, rest, listening, reflecting.
• c.       Ruthless, consistently, mechanically faithful to design and desire of God.

The Discipline of One.

• a.       One with heart of God, order and then release of the joy in overflow.
• b.      One with the heart of spouse, children and family, order, and then release the joy in overflow.
• c.       One with Mentors, Peers and Disciples, order and then release the joy in overflow.

Meaning for Men

Simple, when the women in a man's life consistently release the joy and thus the wonderful fragrance of their heart toward their man, this produces a deep sense of purposeful meaning in the man's life and living. When the women withhold the release of joy due to fear it causes the man to doubt that his sacrifice was worth it and he pulls away from the battle lines of life.

A woman is wonderfully and horribly exposed when she opens up her heart and soul to release the joy. If she has known the protection of fathers and men in her life, it will be easy for her to boldly and with great confidence release the joy in front of her husband. This intoxicates the man and centers him on that female.When a good-hearted man has received the celebration of his wife's releasing of the joy, it is like drinking a pure heart wine. He will not be tempted by some woman offering dirty water to drink when he has heart rose wine at home.

Believing and Faith

Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. Genesis 15:6

Abram, later to be named Abraham, believed in the LORD. He believed what He said but that is not what makes the difference. He believed in the person of God. It was personal. Heart to heart. He believed in God's being. Not just His doing but His being. It is possible to believe a word He gives us, it is possible to believe somethings about God but do we believe in Him as a person?

Jesus introduced a revolutionary idea: That God was a person and you need to have a relationship with Him. The Pharisees had reduced their faith to compliance to some rules without any relationship. That is like couples who are married but don't like each other. Forget about love. God desires a person to person relationship. He desires for us deeply to experience His presence in our living and life.

Jesus warns us that those whom He will not allow into heaven are not because they were horrible sinners. The only criteria of getting into heaven is does Jesus personally know you? Have you talked to Him? Does He talk back? Or are you in a relationship with some rules but not a person?

Matthew records Jesus warning in his book, chapter 7 and verse 23, "I never knew you, depart from Me..." These are people who have attended church, done great things for God but did not know His Son.

Job was horribly attacked by Satan and tried to discredit God and His character. Satan wanted to ruin the personal relationship that Job had with God by making it seem as if God had personally abandoned Job. Even his friends assume that God has abandoned Job because Job has in some way abandoned God.

To know the person of God you must master the spiritual discipline of YADA.
1. You must learn how to be quiet.
2. In your quietness you must learn how to be still, very, very still.
3. In your stillness you must learn how to rest.
4. In your rest you must learn how to listen.
5. In your listening you must learn how to reflect back to God what He is saying to your heart without allowing any editing of your mind or your emotions.

God is never silent. He is quiet and gentle and you must be quiet and still and resting in faith and the ears of your heart wide open and receive what He says with an obedient heart. If you do, you will never lack from a sense of the presence of God in your life.

Men Are Like Trees

I have known a few men that I could not figure out. I got close to them and they seemed to be real in their relationship with God. But the closer I got to them God revealed to me something about the men. There are men without roots in God and there are those who have spent their life deepening their life into God.

Men who have their roots into God have fresh manna overflowing their life. Those who don't have roots simply echo what they have heard from others.

Dear Rod

Dear Rod;

You are a precious son to Me. I love loving you. 

I am going to be rough on you for the next few months. You are going to feel old feelings you knew as a child. You are going to be tempted to think and feel that I am the same as those who hurt you in your childhood. Your heart knows the truth. 

I cannot and will not explain to you now why I am doing these things and allowing these things to happen to you. You will feel lonely and abandoned. In your heart you know the truth but your mind and will and emotions will torment you for a season. 

Do not fake praise Me through this time. I hate fake praise. Learn to be very quiet and let your heart move forward in your chest. Let your tears and your groans speak for you, they will not dishonor My Name. If you move forward your mind to understand or to grasp what you are going through you will dishonor Me with your thoughts and soon your tongue. Be still and wait. Let your heart move forward in your chest. 

Like the heat of summer drives the corn roots deep into the Iowa soil, this season will drive My words deep into your heart. You have learned to trust what you cannot see or understand. Rest in Me. 

I do not delight in your pain. I do delight in you crawling up upon My chest and letting your heart rest on My heart. I do delight in your getting still in your pain to hear My heart beat and whisper your name. I do delight in you hearing My breathing and in every breath hearing of My great love for you. I do delight in your resting upon Me, nothing brings Me greater joy. It grieves me that you have not learned to find your way to My chest, My heart and My breathing but by trouble and pain. You are so easily pleased by the world and its deception and shadows.