When I don’t know what to do
I hear You whisper, ‘be still’
In that whisper I understand Your voice
I answer, “I know You will”
When my heart is scared
Again that sickening sense of dread
I am so grateful for Your whisper
Shhh; in You Father, my fears fall dead
Your whisper causes me to lean
Enter into Your personal space
I am reminded You invited me here
For an intimate encounter, face to face
Your word is Your bond
My safe tower and protective hedge
Never fear just continue on
Summons me onward to the edge
Whisper again Father
As I ignore the wind and rain
For in Your very being
I find the peace to just refrain
Refrain from fear and the doubt
Remind myself You are God
And what you have began
Cannot return unto you void
It shall accomplish what You please
Prosper in what You have purposed
As long as I stay close to You
Reminded of what You purchased
So gentle like the early rains
Soft like a spring time breeze
When I hear Your whisper
Relax and rest just breathe
For when the time is right
Until then just press on and prepare
For eye has not seen You whisper to me
All that I have for you there
© Copyright 2019 all rights reserved laurette laster
“but just as it is written [in Scripture], “T HINGS WHICH THE EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND THE EAR HAS NOT HEARD, A ND WHICH HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, A LL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE H IM [who hold Him in affectionate reverence, who obey Him, and who gratefully recognize the benefits that He has bestowed].”
(1 CORINTHIANS 2:2, 9 AMP)
Can you identify?
Trying to figure things out can get us out of balance or land us in a rut.
If our schedules get too busy, we can lose our sense of balance also. Balance is a function of the inner ear. I am a logical person, so when something doesn’t make sense it can throw me off balance.
Isn’t it nice when life makes sense? You know those brief moments of time where we can catch our breath and think ok, I can go again. But we know that too often life doesn’t make sense, and the need for conflict resolution is required, in order to restore balance. What can we do if others do not see the need for this action?
How many relationships have been lost due to fear of confrontation? The place of conflict is often an unfamiliar and an uncomfortable place. So it goes the way of way passivity or ‘Christians being nice’ which is actually deadly. Passivity or to be passive is not a safe place. It is like a land mine buried in shallow ground, just under the surface waiting to blow.
As mature Christians we need to be strong and be willing to address issues as they arise. So how many people have been hurt? Or worse yet entire relationships destroyed and lost due to fear of confrontation? I believe the answer is many more than we would like to admit. The truth is; either I value myself and the comfort I find in my limited belief system, above the relationship, or I value the relationship enough to fight for it. The fight may involve challenges to my old way of thinking. But more important it just might unearth and root out some old ways of thinking. Old ways of thinking that are sabotaging and destroying the very things I desire. I bet we have all heard this saying, “Stinking Thinking.”
I want to clarify that I am not making references to dishonest people, or people with deceptive practices. That is a completely different subject matter. I am not talking about accepting liars, cheats, or scammers and suggesting there can be resolution with them. Only liars can get along with liars, cheats with cheats, etc. They need to honestly repent before there can be any hope of having dealings with this kind of people.
If something is off or out of balance, I need clarity and resolution. This need is very important to me and I am sure I am not the only one. I like at least, to be able to have an intelligent conversation about the subject. I don’t have to like it, but I like to think I am valuable enough to warrant issues being resolved. When issues are shrouded in secrecy all my flags go up.
There were and are many things I valued about my time working for Concord Hospitality Group. I must say today there was one thing that stands out that I believe helped me grow and become a better communicator. It was handling conflict and my accountability to others.
In upper management it was never ok or tolerated to walk away from issues without both sides understanding, or at least attempting to understand the why, and the what. We were required to hold in store weekly manager meetings, there were conference calls, emails, conventions, check in calls or visits from bosses doing a heart check. Asking questions was not only allowed it was encouraged and expected. How else can we understand if we cannot get our questions answered? And listening was crucial. If someone makes a decision and then cannot, or will not discuss why that certain decision was made, I immediately wonder what the motives behind the decisions are. It makes me question the integrity of the person or people keeping the secret. But I also now believe looking back from healed old damage this behavior has the propensity to make others feel like they are wrong or not good enough. I realize we are not responsible for others feelings, but we are responsible to others in all kinds of relationships.
The lack of honest feedback reeks of insecurity to me. So when someone doesn’t know how to discuss hard issues, I totally get it. It isn’t easy. We need to learn how to have conversations and develop communication skills. In the early stages this can be and usually is, extremely awkward and uncomfortable. But communication is necessary. When others are not comfortable and and avoid discussions that lead to clarity this throws me off balance. If motives are pure and upright and honesty is at the core, then what is the problem, right? When dealing with people of God, especially those who say they hold to Christian values, and these issues come up, it makes no sense to me. Actually it breaks my heart. This shouldn’t be among Christians.
God isn’t hiding, God isn’t keeping secrets, and God isn’t making quick secretive knee jerk reactions and decisions without valid reasons, and neither should we! God made Himself accessible through Jesus Christ, and now His ways are available for all of mankind. He even had them written down and recorded them in a book, making His higher thoughts and His higher ways available, to whosoever will.
Psalm 51:6 Behold, You delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. So. God desires truth in our inward being. God doesn’t look at the outward appearance like man does. The inner (inward) ear is the place of balance. I don’t think these are coincidences. This morning during my prayer time these two truths collided and came together.
God desires truth in our inward man or inner being. I was reminded of something. The inner ear is where balance functions. So hearing and understanding what God intends is crucial for mankind to have a balanced Christ centered life.
There is fluid chamber in the inner ear. If I understand correctly what I read, this area resembles a level and functions in much the same way. If the fluid gets out of balance we can have the feeling or sensation of dizziness. Our outward conditions didn’t become shaky it is an inward or internal imbalance. As I was thinking about the function of the inner ear and the inward heart or being of man, I see a direct correlation that explains to me the importance of living a balanced life. I also see that others inability to discuss issues can throw us out of balance and this is what the enemy uses. Other messed up people just like us.
The inner ear has two main parts. The cochlea , which is the hearing portion, and the semicircular canals is the balance portion.
With this being said what I do with what I hear is crucial to my balance. If someone else is less than honest and unwilling to have open communication I must listen for the whispers of God.
I shared a blog on New Year’s Day about hearing the whispers from My Father.
Listening is not an inactive action or idle mindless time, listening is crucial to our well being. It is a very active time. I must be about my Father’s business while dealing with issues. Some of the issues I deal with may try to throw me off balance. I however, at this stage of my life cannot afford to allow the actions or the inabilities of others to throw me off balance.
According to the Bible the heart is wicked beyond what we know. In Jeremiah 17:9 The Lord is speaking to Jeremiah when He says;
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it or understand it?
The Lord tells Jeremiah, He searches the heart and examines the mind to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.
Geneva Study Bible commentary says
“((i) Because the wicked always have some excuse to defend their doings he shows that their own lewd imaginations deceive them and bring them to these hardships: but God will examine their deeds by the malice of their hearts,)” quoting 1 Samuel 16:7. This is the verse The Lord speaks to Samuel about not looking on the outward condition saying He, The Lord, had rejected the one Samuel thought looked like the right one. People look on the outward appearance but The Lord looks at the heart.
We must beware our imaginations can deceive us.
Recently I was listening to a preacher on the radio; he was speaking about soul ties. At one time I found myself bound by very strong soul ties, so the topic is very interesting to me. Soul ties involve familiar spirits. Soul ties are extremely deceptive and deceiving. Most often these feelings are camouflaged and we interpret them as The Spirit of God. Soul ties involve our soul, which is our mind, will, and emotions, and do deceive us. This preacher said to beware because soul ties make your spirit rise up and then, imitate and take the place of The Holy Spirit. Then you believe it is God and you deceive yourself and others.
When this happens some start thinking God is telling them to do something or beware of someone.
Too often this is our immature spirit man talking and we are being deceived by the enemy. These are familiar spirits that landed or attached themselves to our souls during injury. Old wounds, or trauma that caused unexplainable pain and fear, that is not healed are breeding grounds for familiar spirits. The pain may be physical, or mental, or emotional. The spirits become embedded in our souls. The only way to recognize and expel these lies is through sound godly council, and the word of God, the living all powerful word. The word of God will divide the thought and intent of our own thoughts and hearts. Without The Helper, The Spirit of Truth, who will guide us into all truth, we are deceived by these soul ties and familiar spirits. We get duped and say it is God.
If we remain immature and isolated the more deception grows. We need people who oppose our thinking and vice versa. Being opposed and challenged is where we grow and where we know what we know. I don’t just think I know something. I know, and I can often bring an example of how God made me to know the thing, whatever it is.
Romans 14:23 tells us that what is not of faith, is sin. And again in Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
We also know that envy, jealously, and discords are considered witchcraft and works of the flesh.
So how can I know if I am being led by His Holy Spirit, or if another spirit is working within me? In the multitude of many counselors is safety.
How can I be sure I am pleasing God with my actions? How can I be certain?
I must go before The Father and admit that I might be wrong and be willing to talk to the other person. And guess what? You must be willing to do the same thing!
We must be willing to sit down and have an intelligent conversation. There could be underlying issues, other facts, that one or the other isn’t aware of. We must agree that there is a place where we can agree for the betterment of all. I may not get my way, and you may not get your way, but in the end God wins and we do not lose valuable team members or relationships. This can only happen when honest, respectable, open communication is allowed.
If we cannot do this or if we refuse to have open dialogue we are the problem not the solution or the resolution. Now think about the word, it is re-solution. Re-store, re-plenish, and rejoice, re- means to bring back to right standing, anew, again. The unwillingness to offer another solution or a re solution may indicate fear and be a sign that you are afraid of change. Fear of change is petty and immature. If either party has unwillingness to be open, honest, and transparent it will be a blessing blocker and a block to future growth and intimacy. In other words this unwillingness to be open and transparent may be the leading cause of premature deaths among relationships.
“for I made the decision to know nothing [that is, to forego philosophical or theological discussions regarding inconsequential things and opinions while] among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified [and the meaning of His redemptive, substitutionary death and His resurrection].
In these out of balance times I am reminded that, “There are so many things I don’t know but there is One thing I do know. God is FAITHFUL and His word is His bond!”
God bless you and keep you and make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance toward you and give you Shalom.
Until next time, thank you for listening with me. Laurette
Through All Seasons 