Thursday, August 23,
2012, 6:53 a.m. – the Lord woke me with the song “My Sheep.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Corinthians 16. The Lord spoke to my
heart concerning some matters I was bringing before him in prayer today. So,
today I will write what I wrote in my journal concerning what has been going on
in my life, and how the Lord Jesus is encouraging me through his word this week.
Introduction
Eight years ago this November the Lord put me on a new
journey in my spiritual life. He began speaking to me through dreams and
visions as I read his word each day and spent time with him in prayer. The
dreams and visions were like allegories or parables, which the Lord used to
give me the practical application of his word to my world today that he wanted
me to have and to share. Through the means of dreams and visions, as applied to
God’s word in all practical understanding to my world today, the Lord also gave
me a gift of knowledge in showing me things I would have never known by any
other way. Many of those things he has shown me have been verified through
other sources and through others to whom God is speaking. I learned some years
later that having an understanding of current events in relation to the
teachings of scripture is also part of the gift of prophecy.
Then, a year ago this past April, the Lord gave me a new
gift – the gift of writing songs of praise and adoration to my God and songs of
sharing the gospel message of Jesus Christ. The songs can be compared, in some
ways, to David’s Psalms, and they are all based off scripture. Most of the
songs lately have been based off very specific passages of scripture, so they
are scripture put to music, basically. The songs are not for entertainment
purposes, but are utilizing the gift of prophecy in yet another form in sharing
the messages God gives to me each day, and are more for devotional purposes to
go along with what the Lord teaches me each day through his word. The songs
have been such an encouragement to my heart, too. The Bible teaches that we are
to speak to one another (to those in the body of Christ) with psalms, hymns and
spiritual songs, so these songs are for the purpose of edifying the body of
Christ, too. So, that is why the Lord has me share them with the body of
Christ.
As the songs increased, the dreams and visions decreased to
where I was having few and far between, and when I did have them, the Lord did
not connect most of them to current events in the way he had previously. So, it
appeared to me that he was phasing out this ministry of dreams and visions as a
way to communicate his messages, not independent of his word, but in all
practical application of his word as applied to our world today, and that he
was increasing the number of songs, instead.
Saturday
The Lord encouraged me this morning through the words of
this song, “Trust Him”: http://youtu.be/ZMz-qAqocQM
Sunday
The Lord encouraged me through
this song “Servant of the Lord” - http://youtu.be/9TTC8Vr7D_Y.
I woke from a dream, so I recorded
it, and then the Lord spoke to me through 1
Corinthians 12 on the subject of spiritual gifts, as recorded in the
writing “Body Parts.” I did not get
any definite connection with the dream to anything. The song, though, was about
being a servant of the Lord and being set apart for the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Mon-Tuesday
The Lord gave me a new song to
write, “Love Never Fails,” based off 1 Corinthians 13. Due to technical
issues with computers and microphones, the song has not yet been recorded. Yet,
the Lord Jesus gave me some life opportunities to show love instead of to just
to write about it. So, these days were mainly spent demonstrating Christ’s love
to others, which was really good. I like those days! The Lord also gave me the writing, "One Who Edifies," based off 1 Corinthians 14.
Wednesday
I woke from a dream again. The Lord
encouraged me through the song “No Less”
- http://youtu.be/ntBP1BhcyzQ. I read 1
Corinthians 15. Some of the dream seemed to fit with the passage of
scripture and other parts of it with current events, but there was nothing
definite I could sink my teeth into. Yet, what I did understand of it did fit,
to some degree, with the scripture or with the current events, as well as with
situations in my life presently. Yet I did not get anything definite from the
Lord.
We have been having computer issues
for the past month. I use the computer for the ministry to which God has called
me, so I have to have one that works. My husband purchased a new one for me
because the old one appeared to be crashing, and he bought one with good sound,
because I write music, but the sound did not work well with MP3s, so it kind of
backfired on us. We didn’t know if it was that particular kind of sound card
that was an issue or if it was just the system itself, so we traded hard drives,
only to experience the same issue in another system. We had already gone to the
work of transferring all my files, loading software, changing settings, etc. on
the new system, and now we could see that this particular system was just not
going to work.
So, we traded it for another
system, and are presently in the process of loading software, changing
settings, etc. again. Yet, we hit many snags along the way, because software
companies decided we had used up our licenses, so we had to contact them to get
permission to load the software again. And, then there was the microphone
issue. The one I had been using picked up noises from the neighbors two doors
down the street, so I purchased another microphone that would not be so
powerful, but this one barely picks up my voice at all. So, I broke down
crying. I am a female, after all, and that is what most females I know do when
things just seem to all go awry. Yet, I cried my frustrations out to the Lord
and he encouraged my heart, and he had me write “Take Your Stand,” based off the passage in 1 Corinthians 15.
Today
I’m praying about the ministry
to which God has called me. I talked with the Lord about how I sense the songs
have replaced the dreams and visions, but how I have had dreams much the past
week, in particular, but how I am not sensing the same witness of the Spirit in
my heart concerning the dreams as I had previously. It seems as though the gift
he had had given me previously of knowledge in relation to D&V as practical
application of the word of God to today has been stilled, even though the
dreams themselves seem to have increased lately. The song the Lord woke me with
this morning is “My Sheep,” which is
based off John 10 and is about the Lord’s sheep knowing his voice and following
him, but how they will not follow a stranger’s voice. That is kind of how I
have been feeling about the dreams lately… that they are not of God and God is
not speaking through them like he had before. I don’t want to close any doors
God has opened, but I also don’t want to pursue doors he has closed, so I
desired to know God’s will in this matter.
Then, I began to wonder,
because of all the computer problems I was having and technical issues with
software and microphones, etc., if the Lord was closing this door of ministry
of writing out my quiet times each day and of writing songs, and if, perhaps,
he had another door open for me. Was I fighting against the Lord by trying to
resolve these computer issues? Was he using the computer issues as a way of
letting me know that this door was closing? I try to be sensitive to his voice
and not push my way forward with bullheadedness, thinking I know what he wants
when it might be something else, so I inquire of him when things seem to go
awry to see if this is him moving me away from something or if this is just a
test of my faith and it is Satan just trying to discourage me. And, then I read
1 Corinthians 16. When I got to
verse 9, the Lord spoke to my heart (vv. 8-9):
“But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a
great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose
me” (1 Co. 16:8-9 NIV).
The encouragement to me today
was to stay put in doing what I am presently doing, not to go backwards and
spend time on dreams when the Lord has closed that door, and not to move in a
different direction from where I am presently until the Lord clearly points me
in another direction, or until he clearly closes this present door. He no
longer speaks to me through dreams and visions in the way he once did, so I can
clearly determine this to be a closed door. He still speaks to me much through
my daily quiet times, and I sense his voice speaking much when I am writing out
what he teaches me each day through his word. He is still giving me tunes and
words to go with those tunes, so I can clearly say he is still using me in this
way, and I will trust him to resolve all my technical issues.
My “opposition” is Satan, who
would like to get me chasing tails and wasting time on things not of the Lord,
and he would also like to get me feeling frustrated over computer and technical
issues to the point to where I would begin to question my present ministry. The
encouragement, thus, was to stand, to be encouraged, to wait for the Lord, to not
fear when foes (Satan) attack me, to trust the Lord in this, to hear his voice
speaking, to be discerning of what is his voice and what is not his voice, to
persevere, and to stay put in doing what he presently has me doing, because I
know he is in this work. I know I have been called to be a minister of the
gospel, and that is what I am doing.
Lord Jesus, I pray you will
help me to do the work to which you have called me, and that you will give me
the wisdom to know how to work with these technical difficulties. I pray that
you will move mountains in my life, and that you will take care of all
opposition, because it is not by my might or power, but by your Spirit that
this work will go on. In Jesus’ name I pray these things. Amen!
“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of
courage; be strong. Do everything in love”
(1 Co. 16:13-14 NIV).
My
Sheep / An Original Work / June 24, 2012
Based off John
10:1-18 NIV
My
sheep hear me. They know me.
They
listen to my voice and obey.
I
call them and lead them.
They
know my voice, so they follow me.
They
will never follow strangers.
They
will run away from them.
The
voice of a stranger they know not;
They
do not follow him.
My
sheep hear me. They know me.
They
listen to my voice and obey.
I
call them and lead them.
They
know my voice, so they follow me.
So,
I tell you the truth that
I
am the gate, so you enter in.
Whoever
does enter
Will
find forgiveness and will be saved.
Nonetheless
whoever enters
Not
by the gate; other way,
He
is the thief and a robber.
Listen
not, the sheep to him.
So,
I tell you the truth that
I
am the gate, so you enter in.
Whoever
does enter
Will
find forgiveness and will be saved.
Oh,
I am the Good Shepherd,
Who
laid his own life down for the sheep.
I
know them. They know me.
They
will live with me eternally.
The
thief only comes to steal and
Kill
and to destroy the church.
I
have come to give you life that
You
may have it to the full.
Oh,
I am the Good Shepherd,
Who
laid his own life down for the sheep.
I
know them. They know me.
They
will live with me eternally.
They
know my voice, so they follow me.
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