Good Morning Garden

Where is there in our praying a time for us to listen to what our heavenly Father has to say? In our praying, like in our worship, we seem to feel that if we are not saying something or doing something we are getting nothing out of it.
We need to have some time in our day when we can be still and allow the quiet presence of God to surround us in such a way that even His slightest whisper will sound in the depths.       

Michael & Alison Smitherman

The Singing NetSurfers

I will sing to my Lord as long as I live, I will sing

praise to my God while I have my being.

One of our greatest gifts from God is also one the biggest obstacles to communing with God. Our sensory perception brings to us every sound, smell, touch, sight and taste. Yet it is this ever present flood of our physical senses that can block that still quiet voice, the spiritual voice of our father and creator.

It is in our spiritual or metaphysical perception that we truly communicate with God. There we find God waiting for us. He speaks to us in our spirits, thoughts, feelings, understandings and realizations. He reaches out to us through our obedience, faith and forgiveness. Therein abides the most powerful force in our lives, yea even the universe. But it is a small quiet voice in this wilderness of sight, sound and sensation.

Therefore, let us seek the quiet, still places in our souls and in our world. And infuse it into in our hearts, minds, spirit and will. Let us tune our mind to the spiritual. Even amidst the noise and haste, we can find that inner quietness where God is. Then, like an unstoppable silent tide, let God’s power rise through us, envelop us, empower us and lift us up to God. There, we truly become the children of God that we were created to be. There we live in Eden. 

Being quiet,

Z gardener

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The problems you face will either defeat you or develop you – depending on how you respond to them. Unfortunately, most people fail to see how God wants to use problems for good in their lives. They react foolishly and resent their problems rather than pausing to consider what benefit they might bring. Here is the fifth way God wants to use the problems in your life:

5. God uses problems to PERFECT you.

Problems, when responded to correctly, are character builders. God is far more interested in your character than your comfort. Your relationship to God and your character are the only two things you’re going to take with you into eternity. We can rejoice when we run into problems – they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady.

Romans 5:3-4 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Here’s the point:God is at work in your life – even when you do not recognize it or understand it. But it’s much easier and profitable when you cooperate with Him.

Michael & Alison Smitherman

The Singing NetSurfers

I will sing to my Lord as long as I live, I will sing

praise to my God while I have my being.

Think of when we were small children and faced with walking across a log bridge to get where we needed to go. Oh, how we wish we didn’t have to walk across it. Will I fall, will it break, is there another way to get across, why does this have to be the way  to the other side? Yet, when we have crossed it once, with nervous fear tingling in our bodies, we were at once more confident, braver and stronger for the crossing. Then, when we had to cross it again we were sure it would hold, hopeful that we could do it without falling and each time it became easier.

So it is with handling problems the right way. How could our faith increase, our hope be assured and our character strengthened had we not faced the bridge and crossed it once.?How could they increase without the need for perseverance, and how would we develop strong character, hope and faith unless we had to cross it many times?

You see, it is only through facing and overcoming problems that our faith and character are perfected. As much as we like to avoid facing problems, without them we would never truly become the creatures God created us to be. So, what do we prefer, temporary and imperfect comfort for our bodies here or eternal and perfect communion with God?

Praise God from  whom all blessings flow. For it is his good pleasure that we become his children.

Bridge walking,

Z gardener

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God uses problems to PROTECT you.

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When your thoughts flow freely, they tend to move toward problems. Your focus gets snagged on a given problem, circling round and round it in attempts to gain mastery. Your energy is drained away from other matters through this negative focus. Worst of all, you lose sight of Me.

A renewed mind is Presence-focused. Train your mind to seek Me in every moment, every situation. Sometimes you can find Me in your surroundings: a lilting birdsong, a loved one’s smile, golden sunlight. At other times, you must draw inward to find Me. I am always present in your spirit. Seek My Face, speak to Me, and I will light up your mind.

Romans 12:2          Do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Michael & Alison Smitherman

The Singing NetSurfers

I will sing to my Lord as long as I live, I will sing

praise to my God while I have my being.

What a precious gift is a moment in physical time. How much would one give for just a few more when facing death or when embracing a loved on who is departing? Treasure each moment as the miracle of beauty, sensation and awareness that it is. In physical reality those moments  are the things of which we have an absolutely  finite number.  Even one is more precious than wealth, and then it is gone.

The past is a memory and the future, but a dream. It is in the present that we live, decide and shape this precious moment; and all the future moments for eternity.    Be fully in each moment, enjoying the awesome physical wonders around us. But more importantly, yea critically essential, be always focused on the spiritual miracles that are God with us in that moment. 

When we focus our attention on the present with God, he will enlighten our physical world without and our spiritual world within.  And when we share one of those moments in prayer for, or helping another, we have given our most valuable earthly gift, our finite moments in physical time.  When we get it right, t hen Eden will be the garden we inhabit.

Renewing focus,

Z gardener

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A young man was worried about paying for his final year of college. A benefactor, hearing of the young man’s plight, sent a note through the mail that said, “Don’t worry–you will graduate.” In the midst of his dire financial circumstances, the young man failed to remember a principle: When a person with power and resources speaks, the results are certain.

The disciples of Jesus discovered this truth when Jesus directed them to cross the Sea of Galilee and a storm arose. The disciples were in great fear, forgetting it was Jesus who said they would “cross over to the other side” (Mark 4:35). They were in the center of God’s will while experiencing threatening circumstances, forgetting that God’s will is the safest place on earth to be found. One with power and resources had said they would arrive on the far shore, and they did.

The next time perilous circumstances arise in your life, remember that no circumstance shall keep you from fulfilling God’s will.

Isaiah 54:17   “No weapons formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,” says the Lord. 

Michael & Alison Smitherman

The Singing NetSurfers

I will sing to my Lord as long as I live, I will sing

praise to my God while I have my being.

What does it mean to have safety. Does it mean we will be free from danger or peril. In the physical world we may think so. But true safety, the certainty that we will arrive at our true destination, may mean facing very perilous circumstances. But we are assured that following God’s will is the only way to ensure our true safety.

When, by following God’s way, we find ourselves facing danger or trouble, we can feel totally safe because God, the only true power, has got our backs.

Backed by God,

Z gardener

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I WANT YOU TO BE ALL MINE. I am weaning you from other dependencies. Your security rests in Me alone–not in other people, not in circumstances. Depending only on Me may feel like walking on a tightrope, but there is a safety net underneath: the everlasting arms. So don’t be afraid of falling. Instead, look ahead to Me. I am always before you, beckoning you on–one step at a time. Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, can separate you from My loving Presence.

Deuteronomy 33:27       The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemy before you, saying, “Destroy him!”

Romans 8:39          Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Michael & Alison Smitherman

The Singing NetSurfers

I will sing to my Lord as long as I live, I will sing

praise to my God while I have my being.

The need for security is among the highest of universal human needs. Yet true security can not be achieved by our own efforts. It is only when we depend on God for security that we find it. How, one may ask, can I trust that which I cannot see or feel. The answer is that we do not see and feel God with our sensory faculties.

We must go beyond our physical perception and learn to use our metaphysical or spiritual perception. This happens when we pray and commune with God in our hearts (spirit) and mind (consciousness) and our will. It is there that we feel, hear and experience God. Those who do not believe in or spend time in the spiritual world, cuts themselves off from God. Yet even then, we are not separated from God. God is ever present, we have just closed our hearts to him and ignored his presence.

A man with his eyes closed is just as blind as he who cannot see. He could stand in the brightest light, yet see nothing but darkness because his eyes are closed. The light is still there, waiting on us.

Un-separated

Z gardener

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SEEK MY FACE, and you will find more that you ever dreamed possible. Let me displace worry at the center of your being. I am like a supersaturated cloud, showering Peace into your mind. My Nature is to bless. Your nature is to receive with thanksgiving. This is a true fit, designed before the foundation of the world. Glorify Me by receiving My blessing gratefully.

I am the goal of all your searching. When you seek Me, you find Me and are satisfied. When lesser goals capture your attention, I fade into the background of your life. I am still there, watching and waiting; but you function as if you were alone. Actually, My Light shines on every situation you will ever face. Live radiantly by expanding your focus to include Me in all your moments. Let nothing dampen your search for Me.

Philippians 4:7 MSG    Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Michael & Alison Smitherman

amduo@bellsouth.net

I will sing to my Lord as long as I live, I will sing

praise to my God while I have my being.

What is the “one thing” that every human seeks? At its core, the goal of all of our seeking is for peace. That freedom from disturbance, conflict, worry, fear, stress and anxiety that allows security, harmony, joy, hope and love to define our lives. There is a sure way to find true inner peace. But it is not to be found in seeking worldly things. Nor can it be found by seeking it alone.

True peace can only be found by seeking and being with God. We may find physical comfort, some solace and bounty by building up material things around us. But true peace can only be found within us and it only comes through our relationship with God. We may slake our thirst and appetite with food, but to quench our thirst for true peace, we must drink from the well of faith.

When we seek God first in all things, all things will happen to us for our best good. More so than we ever dreamed possible and more than is ever possible on our own.

Christ’s peace be with you,

Z gardener

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