Newness of Life

Thinking of late how He is always speaking to my heart, my inner man. That if I will go down into that secret chamber, the closet of my heart where I alone dwell without any distractions or thoughts for others or fear of man, I will begin to hear Him much more clearly! Cultivate a quiet heart, free from anxiety, fear, and doubt for the Lord speaks quietly to your inner man and we must be listening to hear Him. I want to shout this from the housetops because our culture is in danger of losing the quiet, peaceful, reflective place due to too many distractions. Remember that the first trial for the seed of God’s word is simply to find a space to fall and there to remain undisturbed. How can the seed remain if we are so easily distracted from some God-given thought, word, conviction, or revelation? We lose many seeds when we fail to maintain a quiet heart without which we cannot grow deep roots of faith and obedience. Lord, give more grace!

“For thus saith the Lord, that after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.” Jer 29:10 This evening the good Lord reminded me that in His perfect time, He will perform his “good word”. For the Israelites, it was seventy years of captivity and then He would bring his promised deliverance. I was really struck with the fact that God has alloted a designated time frame. God had not forgotten his promises, and he was not doing things in an arbitrary manner. He had a purpose that required a certain amount of time. Seventy years were allotted for them before God performed his promises to them. This verse comes directly in front of a very well-known and recited verse that has given many hope in the midst of a painful wait. The famous verse of which I speak is Jeremiah 29:11: “ For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you...