Followers

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Daisies on a Hill


Visit my blog on Wordpress!

Click on the link above to visit my blog on Wordpress.com. Complete with paintings, commentaries, essays, and new recipes,
you're sure to love it.

Monday, March 1, 2010

The Spiritual Treadmill

Ruby’s Corner
The Spiritual Treadmill
By Ruby Craft
March 1, 2010


“God is faithful through whom you were called
into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”


Hello again,

It’s time to have another Ruby’s Corner session. I haven’t written in a while
But the Lord has been dealing with me lately and I wanted to share what I have gleaned as I read His word. I’m thinking I’ll finish reading the Bible again by the end of May.
One of my prayers this year, 2010 is that I will spend more time in the Lord’s Presence this year than last year. God is faithful to keep me on His spiritual treadmill. I
Sometimes get bounced around and respond in the wrong way, but my purpose in life is to live for Him and to enjoy Him forever. This treadmill experience started many years ago when I gave my heart to Christ as a little eight year old. That day by my Mom’s bedside, I prayed, asking Him to come live inside me and forgive me of my sin.
Do you know? I have given my heart to Him many times since. There is always something to surrender to Him. He wants me to listen, be quiet and to let Him talk to me as I walk with Him on the spiritual treadmill. To keep the treadmill moving, I have to
Find time to fellowship with Him. This is giving myself to Him, and in that, sharing time with just Him. I talk; He talks, through the word, or sometimes He just talks in my mind.
While I am on the treadmill, the devil is trying to make it stop or trip me up. He uses circumstances, or people to do this. How many of you know what I’m talking about. She knows the Word, but has trouble walking it out. Everybody I know has trouble staying on the Spiritual Treadmill and walking it out. No one is perfect and though we try, we can’t always be perfect. We have to practice two things: Absolute determination that God is going to have first place, and no one is going to get me off my treadmill. To do this you must practice forgiveness, practice a sense of humor, practice courage, and spend all day in His presence whether you are washing dishes, trimming a bush, or getting ready to perform. You have to listen when the Holy Spirit says, Go sit.
“Sit” means to get your Bible out and take some time to listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to you. Stop talking. Get some index cards to write special verses down, and treat this time as special. You may have to fix a cup of tea, or some hot cocoa. You may have to have a bowl of oatmeal, or two eggs to keep your body quiet, but get in your quiet place and settle into some sitting down with the Lord time. This is the only way you will really start having more victory than defeat in your life.
The first great lesson a new person in Christ learns is that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Obedience is important and the Holy Spirit will nudge you if you are to sit down and study. He wants to fellowship with you. The hindrance many times is when our own spirit is not settled enough to sit down. It is used to the television, to movies, to entertainment of some kind. To get a Bible out and just read and take notes is wonderful discipline. What you sow you reap. Spend little time, you reap little spiritually. Spend more time: He wants to hang around with you. You become aware of Him all the time, while driving, at work, or while doing things around the house.


Let’s turn to Genesis 26: Isaac had to re-dig Abraham’s wells because the Philistines had filled them up when Abraham died. He dug two wells and arguments broke out with the people in the area. Finally he moves completely away and there is peace when he digs the next well. He calls the place Rehoboth which means a wide or broad place, an avenue, a street. He said of that place, “At last the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.”
This is one of the verses I have been praying aloud to the Lord this last week. Lord, make room for us and let us be fruitful in the land where we are.
Another verse I have been praying back to the Lord is in 1 Samuel 7: This passage is talking about the Philistines who were constant enemies of Israel. This is what Samuel told Israel: “If you return to the Lord with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your hearts to the Lord and serve Him alone; He will deliver you from the band of the Philistines” We are fighting the Philistines spirits everyday. Look at what Israel did. The men gathered at Mizpah. Samuel prays for them. The people pour out water and fast that day. They confess their own sins against the Lord. Samuel judges them.
Look how the Philistines respond. “The men are down there praying! Let’s attack.”
The men cry out to Samuel, Don’t cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us; that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines” Samuel takes a young, suckling lamb and offers it to the Lord. He cries out to the Lord for Israel and the Lord answered him. As the Philistines draw near, and the men go into battle, the Lord thunders a great thunder against the Philistines and confuses them so that are routed before Israel. The men of Israel pursued the Philistines with boldness and courage. There was peace in their land from then on while Samuel lived.
Samuel takes a stone and names it EBENEEZER saying, “THUS far the LORD has HELPED US.” This makes me want to find a big stone and paint those words on it.
Have you been fighting with a Philistines type spirit that attacks when you get on the spiritual treadmill? The more you do and pray, the more it comes against you. Well read further. Here is another verse that is good news.

Ps 40:1 says, I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry.
“I waited patiently” means to bind together gather, patiently tarry, wait, and can also mean gathering of waters of the people.
And Ps. 27:14 says The Lord will give strength to those who hope in Him. Because he is all powerful, He will eventually bring His promises to pass.
Ps 41:ll-12 says, “By this I know that thou art pleased with me, because my enemy does not shout in triumph over me. As for me, Thou doest uphold me in my integrity. Thou dost set me in thy presence forever.
Ps. 42:11 Way are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.
2 Cor 2:12-18 speaks of a veil that lifts for those who come to Christ. Sometimes there is a veil that is on us keeping us from coming to a truth or seeing with our spiritual eyes what is happening. When we get into the Word and stay on the spiritual treadmill, we become more focused on the Lord and He reveals things to us about our future in Him and the promises that He wants to fulfill in our lives. I pray now that veils would come off your eyes. Veils that keep you from seeing the truth, and knowing what God has for you.
I pray veils of darkness, unbelief and doubt to come off of you so you can see the fulfillment of the promises God has planned for you and for this church.
Luke 10: 19 says, “Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall injure you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.”
In the Greek the word authority has the beside it like a title in a name. Tread has the meaning of continuous treading so you can read the verse this way, “Behold I have given you THE Authority to continuously tread upon serpents, scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall injure you.”
My last comment is this that we get up and brush the devil off and get on the treadmill when he tries to deflect us and stop us because the word power in that verse refers to the devil’s power. When I looked it up in the Greek, it is powerful warfare. Has the devil been coming at you from all sides in powerful warfare? God expects you to keep treading and if you have been slammed by the enemy, he expects you to forgive the person, get up and tread more. This year is not a time to sit and soak in your sorrows, but it is a time to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might and to recognize the attack of the enemy and pray that stronghold off you or off God’s people.
Our church has been strong regardless of the attacks in 2009, but I am praying that we will rise up and find the land fruitful this year. Lord let us stay on the spiritual treadmill, and not waver. Forgive those people in the past who have tried to stop us, who have come against us not knowing that it was really satan attacking us through them. Forgive those who left mad, who didn’t repent and get right with you. Forgive those people who have been told to come and haven’t. Forgive people for being apathetic and spiritually unconscious for awhile. Forgive people for gossiping and spreading lies about us as a church. Lord, will you send revival this year, and will you gather people at our church who want to sit before you, walk on the treadmill and even run with you. Will you raise up a band of people, an army of spiritual people who will abide with you longer periods of time and even join us for all night sessions at the church. Will you move Holy Spirit in our midst and will you teach us to run and not be weary, to walk and not faint, and to sit in your presence and listen to what you have to say.
Love, Ruby