Flinging the Door Wide Open

It seems odd that we would have to schedule time to focus on God. But we do, if, we want to be transformed.  We tend to become immersed in our stuff and must intentionally choose to give our time to Him rather than our circumstance. .

God welcomes us . . .
wants us . . . 
and waits for  us:

Jesus issued the invitation:
[ Ask, Seek, Knock ] “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. (Matthew 7:7 )

God welcomes us to ask,
 wants us to seek,
and waits for us to knock.
God responds . . . flinging the door wide open . . .  changing our life.

The thing is . . . we need to understand what Jesus said in John 10:9 . . . He is the door to Life, opening our life up to possibilities beyond our imagination.  That said, it requires our effort and time to be directed toward God first.  God asked the Exodus people to plan on giving their time, a Sabbath, to Him: Moses said, "This is what God was talking about: Tomorrow is a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to God. Whatever you plan to bake, bake today; and whatever you plan to boil, boil today. Then set aside the leftovers until morning." They set aside what was left until morning, as Moses had commanded. It didn't smell bad and there were no worms in it. (Exodus 16:  23-24, The Message)

God welcomed, wanted, and waited for the people to spend a day with Him.  They did not understand that the door to possibilities . . . to living well . . . to living beyond their limitations would be wide open through God.  Time spent with God became a task to them, something they had to do, rather than an opportunity and celebration. A heart after God celebrates.
Direct your time and attention on God, who welcomes, wants, and waits for us to come to the Door.
Ask.
Seek.
Knock.

Get ready for the door to be flung wide open.

Learning to KickStart the day asking, seeking, and knocking at the door,
Kerrie

(written by Kerrie L. Palmer © 2010 All Rights Reserved)

Sabbat

Sabbat is an intentional activity that creates a space in our life to rest from the daily stuff of life.   Sabbat or shavath is the Hebrew verb for rest or ceasing activity.  The thing is . . . our time belongs to God . . .  . . . designated to be surrendered to Him.  Time is not given to only work but to intentionally resting in God.  If, we keep the time filled with busyness, we will discover the time does no good.

USA Today reported in 2008 about a study that evaluated over 12, 000 men for a five year period.  The results came as no surprise.  Those who did not take time to vacation had a higher incidence of heart disease and ultimately a higher rate of death.  A yearly vacation increased their health, reducing the risk of death by 21% and heart disease by 32%.   The results translate that rest is necessary.  If, we plan and prepare for rest each week, then, we will be healthier, more productive, and most importantly, alive!
 
I know for sure that we can work so hard that we miss the presence of God and what He is doing in us.  So.  We need to cease doing the "stuff" to know God.

It is clear:   “Be still, and know that I am God;
   I will be exalted among the nations,
   I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10, TNIV)

There is an art to becoming still and drawing closer to God.  To begin with, shabath requires planning and preparation. The Exodus people prepared for a day of shabath because God told them to do so: 

They gathered it every morning, each person according to need. Then the sun heated up and it melted. On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, about four quarts per person. Then the leaders of the company came to Moses and reported. (Exodus 16: 21-22, The Message)

Sabbat doesn't just happen. Intentionally plan a time of sabbat this week . . . to become still . . . and to know God.
Become healthier.
Manage your life with the wisdom of God by taking time for sabbat . . . ceasing the activity of the stuff of your life . . . becoming still to know God.
Live!
Learning to KickStart the day planning sabbat,
Kerrie

(written by Kerrie L. Palmer © 2010 All Rights Reserved)

Grateful

Gratefulness, a condition of the heart, impacts how we manage life and ultimately relate to God.  I Thessalonians 5:18 says, "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."  Seriously, can you imagine what would happen if we actually gave thanks in all circumstances?  One thing for sure . . . to give thanks in all circumstances . . . is to trust the heart of God. As we thank God, the Sovereign Lord,  we are able to see that He has gone out of His way to intersect with us in a life-giving relationship.

So, what did the Exodus people miss?

 Moses said to them, "Don't leave any of it until morning." But they didn't listen to Moses. A few of the men kept back some of it until morning. It got wormy and smelled bad. And Moses lost his temper with them. (Exodus 16: 19-20, The Message)

The people did not comprehend that God would accomplish His purpose through them.  God called them to go where they could not go without Him.   To live beyond their limitations, they needed to focus, follow, and give thanks to God.

When you think about it, there is no one more grateful than the one that understands what it means to be freed from captivity . . .  to go where  God says to go . . . to do what God says to do . . . impacting the world . . . "giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light" (Colossians 1: 12, NASB).  

Celebrate your release from the captivity of a life without Christ.
"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."  Be grateful.  Give thanks for a life in Christ with increased gratefulness each day.

Learning to KickStart the day with gratefulness,

Kerrie

(written by Kerrie L. Palmer © 2010 All Rights Reserved)

It's All About You

Questions to ask to live beyond the "normal" life . . . to be a courageous follower of Christ . . . living in the realm of His presence:

How did I get here?

Do I belong here?

What is the point of it all?


We tend to focus on the moment rather than on the big picture.   If, we look beyond ourselves it will become clear that God has something more for us.  The thing is . . . we must follow God's directions . . . and trust His plan in the process.

Trust is not easy to do and often becomes a struggle.  The Exodus people struggled trusting God  especially when life became overwhelming as it did when they were stuck in the dessert without resources.  They could not see beyond their need.  They were once again focused on their circumstance rather than on God.  Though God said He would provide manna at dawn: they did not see the presence of God in the light of the day:

 So Moses told them, "It's the bread God has given you to eat. And these are God's instructions: 'Gather enough for each person, about two quarts per person; gather enough for everyone in your tent.'" The People of Israel went to work and started gathering, some more, some less, but when they measured out what they had gathered, those who gathered more had no extra and those who gathered less weren't short—each person had gathered as much as was needed. (Exodus 16: 15-18, The Message)

 It seems to me that the people of God were constantly wanting to get out of their situations without seeing the bigger picture. They were blinded by the pressure of the situation.  Study the conversations between Pharaoh and Moses.  Pharaoh, a man living far away from the heart of God, could not understand the need to release the people.  After all, the slaves were holding up his nation's economy.  Without the slaves, their economy would tank.  That said, the people committed to God wanted to be released from the oppression of slavery but did not understand the point of it. The clue is in what God repeatedly told Moses to say. .  :  "Release my people so that they can worship me."

There it is . . . the bigger picture . . . worship.  True worship strips us of everything, opening us up to a fresh encounter with God.  It is all about God rather than ourselves.  I have a friend that says it this way:  "It is not about you.  It is not about me.  It is about God." 


Matt Redman wrote about it in the song, Heart of Worship:  

When the music fades, all is stripped away, and I simply come / Longing just to bring something that’s of worth that will bless your heart… / I’m coming back to the heart of worship, and it’s all about You, Jesus

See what the Exodus people could not see in dawn's light.  Step into the Light of God: In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.(John 1: 4-5, NASB).   Filter your vision through eyes of faith. Remember that life, in each and every circumstance,  is all about Jesus, the Light of all humanity, not the circumstance.  Hard to learn, but powerful to know. 

Learning to KickStart the day in Jesus,

Kerrie

(written by Kerrie L. Palmer © 2010 All Rights Reserved)

Step into Belief

What we believe impacts . . . our patterns of behavior . . . our conversations . . . our thoughts . . . everything. False beliefs opens the door to fear of what might or might not happen.  Believing God produces faith with an expectant attitude.

Though the Exodus people  had been rescued and freed . . . they did not believe . . . that God would  provide.  Their unbelief created blindness to God's provision.  We can see that the desire of God's heart was to provide.  The thing is . . .  the Exodus people needed a breakthrough in their unbelief:  That evening quail flew in and covered the camp and in the morning there was a layer of dew all over the camp. When the layer of dew had lifted, there on the wilderness ground was a fine flaky something, fine as frost on the ground. The Israelites took one look and said to one another, man-hu (What is it?). They had no idea what it was. (Exodus 16: 13-15, The Message)

God had told the Exodus people that He would provide "manna" in the dawn; however, they could not see that God's provision was in front of them.  Though they were freed them from slavery, they were enslaved to false belie.  They needed to step into the reality of believing God to be freed.  It is in the divine realm of belief that we live in expectation of what more God has for us:     All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it's not only around us; it's within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We're also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don't see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy. (Romans 8:22-25, The Message)

Stepping into the realm of belief creates a lifestyle of expectation, focusing on God rather than the "stuff" of this world.  Confidence and courage flow out of divine expectation. It is our responsibility to keep living in expectation, refusing to go back to the old ways of the unbelief patterns of thinking, speaking, and behavior.  This is only possible through focusing on God which leads to belief rather than on fear which leads us to unbelief.

Step into belief.
Live in expectancy.

Learning to KickStart the day stepping into belief,

Kerrie

(written by Kerrie L. Palmer © 2010 All Rights Reserved)

Listen

Worry.  Anxiety.  Stress.  It comes down to one solution. TRUST. The thing is . . . if trust is missing . . . it is impossible to live without worry, anxiety, and stress. 

For a variety of reasons we come to places in life where we can't trust God, Ruler of heaven, earth, and all creation.  When you think about it . . . being unable to trust God . . . is ridiculous.
What do we do to get to the point of failing to trust God?

We all know the answer.
We put trust in ourselves or others or circumstances, which apparently makes sense at the time.
We fail to realize God is our God.  

Listen to the conversation between God and Moses:   "I've listened to the complaints of the Israelites. Now tell them: 'At dusk you will eat meat and at dawn you'll eat your fill of bread; and you'll realize that I am God, your God.'" (Exodus 16:11-12, The Message)

God listened to the complaints.  God responded.  The Exodus people had to make the choice to trust what God said; however, they could not seem to trust.  God said He would provide bread at dawn and meat at dusk.  Trust would have required them to trust what God said rather than what they could see in the moment.  It may have seemed like a very long time between the dawn and the dusk as the minutes slowly went by in the hot, arid dessert.  The "inbetween" moments would have been a logical time to listen to worry.

As it does so often, worry begins a conversation in our mind and we listen.  Consequently, we open the door to anxiety and before we know it, stress takes hold of the body, mind, and soul. 

How many times do we listen to worry rather than to what God says?

God tells us over and over not to worry.  But.  We do.

Intentionally stop and listen:

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done (Philippians 4:6, NLT).

Listen to Philippians 4:6.   Don't worry.  Instead pray, trusting God to listen. God listened to the Exodus people; He listens to you and I. As the day wears on . . . refuse to listen to worry . . . intentionally  listen to God.


Learning to KickStart the day listening to God,

Kerrie

(written by Kerrie L. Palmer © 2010 All Rights Reserved)

Turn To Face God

There are days.  No one escapes the annoying . . . messy . . . wish-it-could-just-be-over kind of days. And, then there are the days . . . that we get it.  I mean we see what life is really about. Both kinds of days are overwhelming but from completely different perspectives.

It  happened to the Exodus people.  They were overwhelmed by all the changes in their life, which seemed too difficult to manage.  But.  The day came where they turned to face what was in front of them and they saw God:

Moses instructed Aaron: "Tell the whole company of Israel: 'Come near to God. He's heard your complaints.'"  When Aaron gave out the instructions to the whole company of Israel, they turned to face the wilderness. And there it was: the Glory of God visible in the Cloud.(Exodus 16: 9-10, The Message)

Simple. Powerful. True.  Turn around from all the stuff.  Face what is in front of you.  See God.

God is where He sends us.  God will go ahead of us.  God will work all things out.

Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. (Romans 8: 26-28, The Message)

God promises to work every detail into something good.  God is faithful.  The Spirit of God will pray in and for us, keeping us present before God.

So. What do we do to get out of the annoying . . . messy . . . wish-it-could-just-be-over kind of days?

Turn from the details of those kind of days . . . the realm of what we see without faith . . .  to the divine realm that can only be seen through eyes of faith . . . turn to face God.

Learning to KickStart the day turning to face God,

Kerrie

(written by Kerrie L. Palmer © 2010 All Rights Reserved)