This past week has been quite a scramble around the shop. We have a lot of spring cleaning to do around the compound to get my unit read to go off to Florida for shows in a couple of weeks, along with keeping up with sales and managing a couple of projects that are on the table. It has been very hard to get my time in the word this past week and I really felt it so I want to speak to that issue. As the week went on I began to really feel unsettled on the inside, big time. It’s kind of like having a knot in your stomach when you’re having a falling out with your best friend. Whenever I get this feeling I stop what I’m doing and sit down and take a while praying and just looking over my life. In doing that I usually find something that is out of kilter, or some area where the Holy Spirit wants to tell me something, but I’m too busy to see, to intuit, or pay any attention. It’s really quite an interest phenomenon that I have seen throughout my life. Every time, as I peruse across things, I’ll come upon something, sometimes something quite unexpected: money, projects, decisions, relationships or a special situation, and when I pass over it with my mind it’ll just jump out and say, “Me, me, its me!” Then I’ll see something that needs to be done in regards to that and I’ll go do that and then everything in my spirit settles right back down. 

     For example, I’ve had that happen with my investment portfolio. I’ll feel unsettled. Then I’ll let my mind purpose over things, over my life, while I stay poised in prayer and BOOM, there is it. It’s a stong conviction, or kind of a got-your-hand-caught-in-the-cookie-jar sort of feeling and I know that’s it and then I’ll pray and I’ll be able to see clearly what I need to do, or words will come to mind that are directive, “You need to move your investments to cash, the market is going to do a down turn.” and every time, without fail, my divine intuition is right on. I always mess up when I question and doubt, second guess, my divine intuition.

     If I’m not sure as I’m perusing, I keep looking, thinking, asking until something stands out, the problem comes to light and I see what to do. This past week it was simple, “You’ve been missing your time in the word. You’re not abiding. In doing so you’re not fully releasing the power of my Spirit in your life. You’re drifting away. Get back with my word and my voice.”  So I did and the unsettled feeling in the pit of my stomach went away. There are so many ramifications to this life in the Holy Spirit. When we are close to His word, we are close to Him (Jesus) and when we are close to Him, His Holy Spirit and His angels (And many such powers) are released to go to work on our behalf. As we drift away those powers stop being as effective for us as they should be. So, as we abide we release much power as well as the design of God, his voice and the moving of His Spirit in us and His angels into our futures to prepare things for us. As we choose to abide (John 15:7) we release his love, his grace and his power to do much on our behalf and things begin to go better in our lives, things begin to turn out better, to work out and even when things go bad they seem to end up working for our good.

     We have a real God! And he is really willing to help us and he has designed ways for us to enter into that help, so that anyone can do it. He is no respecter of persons. Anyone who chooses to cultivate abiding in Jesus enters into special covenant relationship with Him and all the forces at his disposal and so in this way we move out of a life of just doing our best and seeing how things turn out and move in close with an awesome Father who knows all, sees all and will help us navigate our way, but He won’t do that if we don’t choose to let him and how we do that is by learning to abide (I John 3:21 to 24) There are awesome, hidden keys to this Christian life that you must discover if you want to release God’s working power in your life, so that means you must set out on a journey of learning and discovery, and abiding is one of the principles you must learn and grow into if your faith is to move away from just religious rules and into a dynamic, vital, living relationship that really has an effect on your life. Many never discover this life in the Spirit. If you are reading this – I pray you do.  I am currently studying and writing on abiding and will release writings and videos soon to encourage and aid you . Be blessed this week, spend time in the word. It’s time well invested.  30 minutes in the word can save you thirty weeks of problems, or a $30,000 dollar mistake in your investments, or the life and safety of your loved on. Be blessed this week.  Love, Sam