"Give Me an Ear to Hear"

 Reflections4Life™ December 18, 2022

“Give Me an Ear to Hear”

“Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, As in the day of Massah in the wilderness, "When your fathers tested Me, They tried Me, though they had seen My work.” Psalm 95:8-9

Scripture Contemplation: Exodus 10:20; Psalm 95; Isaiah 6:10; Zechariah 7:12; Romans 2:5; Hebrews 3; 4; Ephesians 4:18; Proverbs 28:14…

©Ruthe McDonald.

As we are in the throes of the Holiday Season, some of us are occupied with the hustle and bustle, while others may just be reflecting, may we remember the reason for the season and teach our children and anyone who has an ear to hear what this Holiday season truly represents. May we, ourselves, have an ear to hear what God is speaking to His children, receiving all that He has ordained for each of our lives.

I decree that this week’s Reflections will be a continued source of encouragement and inspiration for your heart, mind, and soul. Beloved, let your hearts and ears be open to God as never before. God is speaking and in order to hear Him, we must be still and surround ourselves with an atmosphere that is conducive to hearing our heavenly Father. If you must, pull away from things, people, and places. Get in the presence of God and be open to what He is speaking to your heart in this season of your life.

Beloveds, hear God today. Hear the voice of Your Father, speaking to you. Hear the Lord today, reminding you not to take your eyes off Him. Do not be deterred by the seemingly long wait. Do not allow Satan to twist in your heart and mind what God has spoken to you. Stand strong in the Lord and on the power of His word. Hear God, today, speaking to your heart, showing you the way to go, and the steps to take. Delay is not a denial, nor a change in the heart of God concerning His promises to you.

Many have given up hope, are walking in despair, and have even turned away from God because their hearts have hardened against the Father, His truth, and His promises. At first, we believed with all of our heart and soul what God spoke to us. We believed His word and promises and faithfully went about our day, walking in obedience and working towards our goals. Then something(s) happened. Our faith took a hit, as the promises we received seemed further away. Our lives do not seem to be mirroring the joy we pictured when we first received the promises. There have been attacks, trials, and tribulations. This has caused many to lose faith, and hope, giving up and walking away from the Father, hardening their hearts when He speaks or sends a messenger.

These are the times, Beloved, when we must truly guard our hearts and dig in our heels, and be careful of what and who we allow into our space—our head, ears, and heart. We must surround ourselves, as we immerse ourselves in the word, prayer, and worship, with people who will encourage us. We may even have to become accustomed to walking part of the journey alone, although, we have Christ with us always.

Hebrews 3:12-15 (ESV) Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

Do not allow thoughts to override the agreement made in your heart when you heard God speak and call your name. The enemy whispers in our ears, bringing thoughts to our minds, trying to get us to reason with and doubt what God has spoken to the ears of our hearts.

Unlike Eve, do not enter into a debate of words or conversation with Satan. He will only try to twist and reason away, to bring confusion and doubt to what God has already declared and decreed to you. All that God has spoken to you, as your heart was softened to His voice—the enemy seeks to disturb and destroy. The enemy will try as he did with Eve, to get you to reason with the word of God spoken to you. He will debate you on what you received until you begin to question, doubt, and become uncertain about what you heard. The objective is to cause you to not move on to what God has told you but instead pull back and eventually for walk away, while your heart hardens against the voice of God. Doubt has transitioned into unbelief, and faith has become fear. Now, there is rebellion in the heart and soul against all things of God.

I understand how it feels when you receive a promise from God, a vision—a vision so bright you need sunglasses! Your heart is pumping with excitement as you work towards that vision and have faith in what God has spoken and shown you; faith that He is going to bring to pass that very thing. Then after waiting for it to manifest, a few bumps in the road appear. A couple setbacks take place. In fact, your life does not look like anything you imagined it would when you believed what God said. This is definitely not the vision you had for your life. Far from it.

Isaiah 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Stand strong on the word of God today. Do not be deterred by what things look like or feel like but by the promises and word of God. Feed your spirit and soul with the word of the Father, governing your conversations. Things are rarely what they appear to be, however, with God, you can trust exactly what He says. Remember what He has already done for you. He is the same God, who changes not.

My Beloveds, may the spirit of peace and prosperity finds permanent rest in your lives. I decree that every good thing that God has ordained for your life will become evident to you. Hear and believe what God is saying to you today, Beloved. Do not be discouraged by the tests and trials, or the opposition you may be facing. Believe in what God has spoken. Keep your ears open to the voice of the Father by spending time in prayer and worship. Surround yourself with like-minded worshippers, encouraging one another in this walk. You got this! You are blessed. Now go…and be a blessing!

©2022. Ruthe McDonald. All Rights Reserved.

"When Your Heart Badly Aches"

Reflections4Life™  October 3, 2021

“When Your Heart Badly Aches”

“A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face; a sad heart makes it hard to get through the day.” Proverbs 15:13 (MSG)

Scripture Contemplation: Isaiah 3:13-15; 25, 26; Micah 7:1-6; Zephaniah 3:18-20; Romans 9:1-5…

Having witnessed and experienced enough heartache to last a few lifetimes—it is not always easy to get through or to get past. Unfortunately, although many of us were taught that time heals all wounds, for most, I am not finding the truth in that. To be honest, I find that time teaches you lessons and how to deal with wounds. Or, it is another year of heartache to add to the previous years. I can, however, confidently say and take comfort in this one thing: When your heart badly aches, God will be there with you to pick up the pieces and embrace you until you are ready to take on the world again. He does not want us wallowing in hurt and pain, however, to get busy with the business of living a whole, healthy, vibrant life. He has great things in store for us.

I decree today’s Reflections will bring comfort and peace to you. Let it be a continued source of encouragement and inspiration; bringing peace and revelation to your heart, mind, and soul. Though you may have experienced or, are currently in the throes of heartache, I urge you to give all to God. Lay them at the altar and allow God to soothe your soul and your heart with His love and kindness and tender mercies. Allow the Father the opportunity to love on you, and fill your heart with everlasting love and joy.

At times, the heartache we experience seems like it will never end. It feels as though tomorrow will never come and the sun will never shine again. Trust me, Beloved, the sun will shine again and each day that you move forward is the opportunity to experience a love that will cover a multitude of pain and heartache. Trust—God knows what He is doing, and He knows what you need and how to love on you.

That feeling like you cannot take another breath because it hurts so badly? Yes. Been there far too many times to count. Yet, even in all of that heartache, one thing I always remember and hold onto is that this too shall pass. God’s love for me is constant; it doesn’t change, and He’d never leave or abandon me.

These are the pivotal times in your lives when you must throw caution to the wind and trust God to be God. Trust Him to know what you need. Trust Him to feed you and love you and have already worked towards mending your heartaches. God cannot fail, but He needs your cooperation. He needs you to trust Him to be your heart mender, your mind regulator, your spirit restore-er. Allow God to be everything, so He may pour into you everything that you need to make it through the times of heartache.

I can only imagine what you may have or are experiencing at this time, but I know God knows exactly what you are feeling, as well as thinking. Allow me to share a bit of wisdom with you. It may not be what you want to hear at this time, but what you need to hear. Sometimes getting hurt, experiencing certain heartaches can be the best thing that has ever happened to us. Oh! Sure it does not feel like that at the time. Yet, when everything settles down and you look back over where God has brought you, you may see with a clearer vision that some heartaches were worth the pain for where you are today. You may have never have gotten into a position for the blessings that God has ordained for your life if you had stayed content, were never hurt, or decided that you wanted more.

Heartaches are not just about romantic relationships. Anything that has hurt us; has brought pain to our hearts; any significant loss can be considered heartache. Our heartaches can spur us to move, to be creative, more vocal, and less comfortable where we are currently at in life. Sometimes that bit of heartache jars us into action we would have never otherwise acted upon. I sincerely believe that heartache can actually become a blessing in disguise. If we allow God to do what He desires to do in our lives.

Zephaniah 3:18-20 (MSG) “The accumulated sorrows of your exile will dissipate. I, your God, will get rid of them for you. You’ve carried those burdens long enough. At the same time, I’ll get rid of all those who’ve made your life miserable. I’ll heal the maimed; I’ll bring home the homeless. In the very countries where they were hated, they will be venerated. On Judgment Day I’ll bring you back home—a great family gathering! You’ll be famous and honored all over the world. You’ll see it with your own eyes— all those painful partings turned into reunions!” God’s Promise.

My Beloveds, may the spirit of peace and prosperity find permanent rest in your lives. I decree that every good thing that God has ordained for your life will become evident to you. Do not wallow in your heartaches. Yes. They are real. Acknowledge and be honest about what you are feeling. Then allow God to lead you to a place of comfort and healing in Him. God desires to not only heal your heartaches, to soothe them with the balm of His love, but He also wants to position you to a place of joy and blessings. So, do not wallow long or close yourself off. Let God become the balm on your heart that brings new life and happiness better than you have ever experienced before. You are blessed. Now go…and be a blessing!

©2021. Ruthe McDonald. All Rights Reserved.