Dear People Who Keep Company With God,
When I returned home from Paraguay, I had something to happen that initially was not clear, but it soon became apparent the Lord was calling me to, “Come aside by your self to a deserted place and rest a while.” Mark 6:31
I was not able to stop working and take an extended vacation or sabbatical, but in my heart I stopped and went with Him. Other than the basic stuff, I cleared my agenda, canceled some appointments, plans, put my dreams on hold and got still on the inside. And then the Holy Spirit began to untangle me and the rest in my heart became remarkable, even intoxicating at times.
This has been an emptying and pruning time as I opened my heart up and gave the Holy Spirit total access to my thoughts, beliefs, understandings, desires and philosophy of life. There was and is some changing, or really exchanging, of the thoughts and intentions of my heart happening, even to this moment. I was able to bring closure to some things that have happened over the past season of my life. Here are a few high lights of my time of coming aside.
How did I get to where I am now? I got here because God called me and wanted me to be with Him (Mark 3:13). He pursued me and continues to pursue me. I just responded to His voice. The most important thing about my calling is first and foremost, to simply be with Him. God is so relational; a Father, brother, friend and bridegroom all speak of His desire for life-long relationship. This time has been such a renewing of relationship with Him, but not only Him, it has emphasized to me the value of relationships on this earth.
Relationships are built on trust and it is always a two-way street of trust. I trust Him and He trusts me. He has entrusted me with keys of the kingdom. We have authority and power based on our relationship of trust to do what He calls us to do (2 Cor. 3:4-6). That is what I call the just show up anointing. When I show up in the places He sends me, He shows up. When I do things He calls me to do, He is doing them (Mark 3:13-14). I am carrying Him inside and on me. The Dove of the Holy Ghost has landed.
I cannot disappoint God. If you look at the original twelve whom He called and appointed, all of those guys blew it and betrayed Him, but only one disqualified himself and I am not destined to be that guy. According to the Bible and church history the other eleven all fulfilled their destiny in a glorious fashion. The Holy Spirit is sensitive, but He is not so sensitive and finicky that He lifts off from us in our immaturity and growing process. Just don’t be rebellious or religious and you can expect ongoing close encounters with Him.
God is not fully understandable, He is shrouded in mystery, His ways are beyond finding out (Rom. 11:33), and the truth is I do not want a God who I can fully understand. So practically, I had to leave some things in the mysterious hands of God. I may never understand why we lost a grandchild, a spiritual son to murder, friends to disease and accidents, but I can and did leave why in God’s big hands and moved on in my heart. There is some really powerful and delicious fruit coming in the days ahead from the lives that were planted in the Lord.
I have some words, dreams, visions and revelations of the Lord that were so real yet they never came to pass or maybe have not come to pass yet is a better way of saying it. I do not have any peace about giving up on them or trying to make them work anymore. But God did tell me, “I will be your rear guard” (Isaiah 52:12 & 58:8). So I am covered regardless of what happens and I am sleeping really well in spite of the enemy’s mockery.
Jesus gives us all burdens, stuff we are to do in this life, but He said they would be light (Matt. 11:28-30). Sometimes we add to the burden and they are not so light. We try to do it in ways, human ways that yoke us to something or someone other than Jesus. Good intentions may not be so good in the spiritual world. Just getting with Jesus, I got free of a lot of burdens and yokes that I did not even know I had. That alone can make all the difference in the world in your life.
There is no waste in God’s kingdom, because He causes all things to work for our good (Rom. 8:28), if we will allow it. As Arthur Burt said, “Let your past failures be the fertilizer for your future success.” I feel pruned, dug around and very well fertilized for the times ahead.
Many Blessings, BW