Month: August 2020

Tune In

August 29, 2020Blog, Personal Growth, Sunday Sermons, , Leave a comment
Sunday Sermon 8.29.20
Developing Discernment Series

We are enveloped 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by radio signals. These radio waves are used for fixed and mobile communication, broadcasting, navigation and many other applications.

They are the lowest frequency waves in the electromagnetic spectrum, and travel at the speed of light. Their characteristics can be long waves and cover the Earth very consistently, or shorter waves and reflect off of the ionosphere and travel around the world; or they could even be shorter wavelengths that bend or reflect very little and travel only in the line of sight.

Those signals that envelope us unawares, are a vivid picture of the voice of God that is constantly speaking to us, 24/7.

What is needed? We need to tune in. Check the receiver. Turn on and tune in to His voice.

“It’s the nature of God to speak”

A.W. Tozer

You see, God wants to have fellowship with you and He wants you to hear him.

We have to find His frequency and tune in to it. When we do we recognize His voice and He then is able to lead us. John 10:4

To hear the voice of God, we must listen for it. It is a conscious and intentional choice we make. A decision to find the frequency of God in the midst of a loud, busy and distracting world.

Revelation 3:20 tells us that Jesus is knocking at the door of our heart and the first step we must take is to actually hear that knocking. Not ignore it or allow it to blend in with the noise of the world.

… if anyone hears my voice and opens the door…”

Rev. 3:20

That’s a big if!

The choice is ours to open the door of communication with Him. To recognize His knocking, His voice, His signals surrounding us. To tune in to His frequency.

God is a Spirit, and therefore communication with Him is Spirit to spirt, not brain to brain. John 4:24 Our spirit then communicates what we hear to our mind. Some call this “an inward witness” others a thought or prompting.

The Old Testament prophet called it “the still, small voice”; another translation says, “a gentle whisper”. 1 Kings 19:12

God is a god of communication, words with power. Here are some ways His voice has been heard and recorded in the bible.

He can speak in the thunder of creation, a trumpet blast, loud voice, many waters, in the wind, fire, earthquake, angels, dreams and even inaudibly.

The key is, learning to discern his voice from others. Learning to tune in to His frequency.

His promise is that if we seek Him, we will find Him. Jeremiah 29:13 Applying it to this lesson, if we seek His frequency and recognize it as such, we will find it.

If we call out to Him, He will answer. Jeremiah 33:3

If we hear Him, He will warn us. Psalms 81:8

A key to hearing Him, and tuning in, is being still. Psalm 46:10 It is often in the stillness that we hear His voice. Much like Elijah heard His voice in the gentle whisper, and not in the wind, earthquake or fire. But when he did hear it, he took action. He covered himself and went out. Then the voice kept on speaking to Him. And he was tuned in, picking up the God signals, and hearing the voice of God.

There are lots of other signals that we must tune out and discern their source. We get signals from our own emotions, heart and desires; forces outside of God, from the demonic; and from the Word and Spirit of God.

These all must be discerned, identified and recognized as God’s frequency, God’s voice or another.

Jesus said, “My sheep know my voice and another they will not follow.” John 10:5

As believers, our discernment is based on these foundations: The Word of God, prayer, meditating on His Word and acts, being still before Him and listening for that “inward witness” from His Spirit to our spirit; that gentle whisper from Him.

The signals of God’s voice are all around us, bouncing off Earth’s surfaces and reflecting through the atmosphere. They travel fast and yet are low enough for us to tune in to.

They are meant for us to hear, discern, and tune in to for a clear, two way communication with Him.

“He that has ears to hear, let him hear.“ Let him tune in to the voice of God on God’s frequency, and let him discern the different voices and frequencies all around him.

Go with God.

When the Sound of the Jackhammer Becomes Normal

August 24, 2020Blog, Encouragement, Personal Growth, , , Leave a comment
that blasted jackhammer!

We have lived in our new home for 55 days now and for almost every one of those 55 days our understanding of the “quiet lil’ community” we moved into has been severely skewed.

This is normal? Really? This is not what we were expecting or promised!

I have wondered if we should reset our normal, or as Physicists call it address “renormalization”.

The blasted jackhammer seems to never stop!

the sound of the jackhammer

I don’t want this to be my normal, and scientists say that it will be accepted as resetting normal “unless it registers as a signal to rise above the background.” Well, I’m telling you it IS registering above the background, that’s for sure.

But that has had me thinking… where else in my life is there a signal that needs to register above the normal, background of my life? Are there signals that I am missing either willfully or inadvertently?

The jackhammer sound does not belong with such frequency in my happy lil home and sweet lil neighborhood. But am I missing other signals, other signals that:

  • are deafening
  • are irritating, annoying
  • don’t belong
  • are disrupting my safe environment and atmosphere
  • make it hard for me to do what I need
  • make me have to readjust my plans
  • infringe on our happiness and pleasure
  • cause me to view the source with contempt

All of these have been effects of the loud and obnoxious jackhammer in my life. The jackhammer is the cause and these are the effects.

Yet, I know there are other causes/signals in my life too, having the same effects.

And the truth is, I have absolutely NO INTEREST is resetting normal or renormalization!

So unless I decide take the signal from that proverbial frog and jump out of the boiling, water pot, I will be cooked, and life as I know it will end forever.

Remember, that classic frog when placed in cool water with heat signals warming up gradually, didn’t even notice his life was ebbing away until he had no sensations at all. By then he was dead to it all and noticed nothing changing around him.

things are heating up around us

He had the sense to recognize the signal of hot water not being his friend and used his fatty, frog legs to get himself out of there and not become someone’s snack.

There are times when it is important to not let distractions around you get you off track; to just forge ahead. But there are other times, when not noticing the loud and obnoxious sounds around you is terminal and will become a slippery slope in the loss of so much more for you, your family and friends.

I trust that in your life, right now, you will be able to identify the loud and obnoxious signals/sounds that are seeking to effect your life, lifestyle, happiness and fullfillmet.

Let’s not allow them to reset our normal, but instead to be the signal that rises above the background and sounds an alarm to us that the water is boiling and our sensitivities are being deadened.

We cannot allow the sound of the jackhammer to become normal.

Cheers to you.

Eyes to See

August 22, 2020Blog, Personal Growth, Sunday Sermons, Leave a comment
Developing Discernment Series
Sunday Sermon 8.22.20

Continuing with our series on discernment, we will look at how our senses are used and trained to distinguish and discern spiritual things.

Today’s focus is our eyes. What we see, how we see and developing our spiritual eyesight.

“There’s more to it than meets the eye” as the saying goes, is a pretty accurate description of what developing discernment with our eyes is like. It is the awareness that there is something else going on here, beyond what we are seeing.

I’m certain that each of you have had that “hunch” at some point in your life. You know, the time when the reaction was waaaaay off balance from the statement or question. Maybe it was with a friend, child, or partner, but you had no problem discerning that there was way more to that response than meets the eye.

Perhaps even in business settings, or world event contexts you have realized there’s something else going on here. Yep, that is part of discernment and yep, you’re right. Something else is going on.

Now to distinguish just what, though.

Remembering that there are two kingdoms we are influenced by and live under, we must learn to see them both, and recognize when one is usurping authority from the other. We learn to recognize good and evil, light and dark.

The Apostle Paul taught us:

  • we walk by faith not by sight 2 Cor. 5:7
  • we have not received the spirit of the world 1 Cor. 2:12-13
  • no eye has seen… but God has revealed it to us by his spirit 1 Cor. 2:9-10
  • the eyes of your understanding may be enlightened Eph. 2:18

When Paul was converted, he was literally blinded. He could see nothing for 3 whole days. Cut off from the world as he saw it, he was about to enter the Spirit realm which would teach him new things and grant him fresh revelation and perspective. His spiritual eyes would be activated, when he was prayed for by Ananias.

It is from this position that he tells us the things listed above. A position of having his spiritual eyes activated. A position of having eyes to see what the Spirit is doing.

There is a similar story in the Old Testament found in 2 Kings 6.

Elisha was a powerful and famous prophet. He and his servant were in a city that had been surrounded by enemy forces and the servant was very stressed out by it. The servant asked Elisha what they were going to do.

Elisha told him, “those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” v.16 But the servant was having none of it. He didn’t see a thing! He didn’t see what Elisha saw, he only saw with his physical eyes, not his spiritual eyes like Elisha.

So, Elisha prayed for him, “Open his eyes Lord, so that he may see.” v. 17 “And he opened the servant’s eyes and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire…”

The servant’s spiritual eyes were opened, in addition to his physical eyes. There was truly more to it than met the eye. He now had the activation of his spiritual eyes.

In order for us to see into the spiritual realm, our spiritual eyes must be activated. The eyes of our heart must be focused on Him and the spiritual world.

We should expect to see with the eyes of our heart and spiritual eyes if we are maturing and growing in our daily walk with Him. Heb. 5:14

You see, our Creator wants to communicate with us. He made us for just that and sent Jesus as The Word, to reunite us with Him in that perfect relationship of open communication.

That Creator, endowed us with five senses all to be used in that open communication. Because God is a spirit, and lives in the spiritual realm, we communicate with Him in that realm. But we have to grow in the realm and learn to bring that realm down to earth. Remember the prayer – “on earth as it is in heaven”? (Of course God uses the natural realm to speak to us too. He is not limited in the way He can speak to us. But we are.)

There are plans, purposes, strategies and agendas for us to see in the heavenlies and bring down and apply here on earth. The Kingdom of Heaven will ultimately rule here on earth. How? By and through people who see with spiritual eyes and walk in the spirit realm seeing beyond the obvious into motivations and secret agendas.

This is not some weird doctrine, it is the Word.

Matt. 6:23 – the eyes are the light of the body… if your eyes are unhealthy your whole body will be full of darkness

1 Sam. 16:17 – don’t look on the outward appearance, the Lord sees not as man sees

Psalm 119:18 – open my eyes to see wondrous things

2 Cor. 4:18 – we fix our eyes on what is unseen, for what is unseen is eternal

Mark 8:22-25 – Jesus touched his eyes and opened them and he saw clearly

As we develop discernment, our desire is to have our eyes opened, to see into the spirit realm and understand what the spirit is doing.

This will spare us from false teachings, and deception and keep us anchored to The Word and our great God.

We need to be as wise as serpents in these days. Not everything we see is all there is. There is much more behind the scenes and developing discernment, starting with our spiritual eyes is one of the keys to unlock “on earth as it is in heaven.”

I’m asking the Lord to give the readers of this eyes to see.

Won’t you join me in asking for your spiritual eyes to be activated?

Go with God.

I created a bible study for this, it is attached here. Enjoy.

discernment-2-eyes-to-seeDownload

Retirement Report Card

August 18, 2020Blog, Encouragement, , , 2 Comments

It was one year ago that that I stood at the threshold of a whole, new way of life. A total change in all I had known, done, hoped for, and trusted in. It was not without tears, questions, and uncertainties that I decided to declare, “Time to refire” (not retire); it had become my theme and it surged from the deepest part of my soul.

pens from the party

We gathered together with family and friends and celebrated the past, all the while looking forward to an exciting, unknown and new future. It was such a wonderful time, surrounded by so many who had walked with me through seasons and times in my life. I was and am so blessed to be influenced by people of such quality and character.

Be careful what you declare. Be careful what you wish for. Your words are powerful and creative! Oh boy, have I been reminded of that truth through this past year.

Little did I know or understand what was to unfold as far as His plan for my “refirement”. All I knew was it was time to refire and not lay down and become a retired couch potato.

Within a week of that festive celebration, I was hired to work part-time in my favorite boutique AT THE HARBOR, which is my favorite place in Orange County. The whole story is remarkable and I still shake my head at how it worked out so perfectly – me.

Lady Debra at Dana Point Harbor

Then, around the first of the year, prompted by a desire to write and encourage people, I began my website and blog underdebrasplam.com. It has been such a rewarding opportunity for sharing and teaching and I am so absolutely grateful to you for your following and support.

My new brand

A few months into my new job, it was time for a new church too. Through a series of events and a miracle with my husband we eventually felt directed to a church in San Juan Capistrano.

After a few weeks attending there together, we knew it was the place for us to become involved. We loved what was happening there and wanted to be a part of it.

Dennis and the Pastor began a beautiful relationship of mutual respect and together we have had the joy of conversations, meetings, prayer and planning in church matters and ministry. We have been so happy and fulfilled to help and serve where needed.

In fact, I never dreamed of becoming involved again in music, praise and worship; but Someone higher than I had other plans. All those years of training and experience were not to be lost, or stored away, because it was TIME TO REFIRE!

As you know, last month we moved, only 8 miles from where we were, but again, it was a move towards refirement. We know it is all about refirement and doing what we are s’pose to be doing, sharing it here in this place.

We meet weekly with different groups and are in some ways more busy now than we have been in a long time.

new friends of my refirement

I have certainly refired!

One year ago, I faced a very uncertain and unclear future.

Today, I celebrate the hundreds of open doors, untold opportunities, joyous encounters, new possibilities, fresh energy and insight that has been mine this past year.

It is with pregnant expectancy that I peer into the next year as well, because I am convinced it is still TIME TO REFIRE.

Oh, and I am proud to say that the report on retirement is A+.

Cheers to you.

Developing Discernment

August 15, 2020Blog, Personal Growth, Sunday Sermons, , , Leave a comment
Sunday Sermon 8.15.20

Last week we spoke about the need for discernment in these days and I feel impressed to stay with that theme – DISCERNMENT for the next few “Sunday Sermons’. Therefore, today we will begin a series I’ve entitled – “Developing Discernment“.

There is an urgency in my spirit that says we must sharpen our sensitivity to what is happening, changing, being presented and being birthed in our nation and in our lives.

We must see beyond the obvious and evident and see with “spiritual eyes” what is happening. That is where developing discernment is absolutely vital.

Let’s review what discernment means, and this week, look at the biblical definitions.

Discern or it’s related forms are only used a total of 25 times in the bible. The Old Testament uses 5 different words that are translated in a form of discern and the New Testament uses 4 different words.

Taken together, the OT definitions are: to scrutinize, look intently; to hear intelligently; to know by seeing; to separate mentally, distinguish; and to see.

The NT definitions are: to separate thoroughly, in public as a channel; to scrutinize or investigate; decisive, critical or discriminate; and to test or approve.

To help fill out the definition further, here are some synonyms for discernment = sensitivity, shrewdness, insight, perception, discrimination.

And lastly, some antonyms = unperceiving, obtuse, purblind (never heard of that one), tactless.

Thank you for wading through those tall word weeds, I know they can be cumbersome to some. (I hope there are those who ponder and further study those meanings, tho’)

Developing discerning means that we learn to scrutinize, investigate and separate or distinguish with spiritually discriminative senses any given situation, word, person, or spirit.

Jesus told his disciples –

“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves”

Matthew 10:16

Did you notice that word, shrewd? It is a synonym for discerning.

Jesus was warning the twelve, and his warning stands for us, we are sheep among wolves in our generation and we need to be exceedingly shrewd, and discerning among the wolves.

In another place it says –

Solid food is for the mature, who have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Hebrews 5:14

That passages tells us that it is through practice and exercise that we develop discernment. Discernment is like a muscle that strengthens and becomes more defined with regular workouts.

With regular work outs our discernment muscle learns to distinguish between good and evil, truth and error, spirit and flesh, God and Satan. Left alone though, the muscle will atrophy – waste away.

But it takes more than human flexing and pumping and determination to develop our discernment muscle. The discernment that we are taking about developing requires a spiritual activation, spiritual drive and spiritual direction.

The Apostle Paul identified one of the nine gifts of the Spirit as “the gift of discerning of spirits”. 1 Corinthians 12:10 So we know it is a gift of the Spirit.

But all who are born again have received a rebirth by the Spirit and thereby can and should be Spirit led and fed. That is not a spiritual gift, per se, but a benefit of being a child of God and heir in His kingdom.

Therefore, we learn to grow in the Spirit, follow the Spirit, walk in the Spirit and discern the spirits around us. Our life on this planet should be one of developing discernment to the things of God.

I believe, in the months that lie ahead, it will be imperative for believers to understand the times (like Issachar of old) and discern what the Spirit is saying. If they don’t, they will be deceived with the rest of the unbelievers. (check out 2 Thessalonians 2 again!)

It is my prayer, that all believers be strengthened in their Spirit and learn to discern the days and times in which we live, thereby walking in full victory in the Spirit.

To that end, from now until Rosh Hashanah (Sept. 18-19) our Sunday Sermons will be on activating our five senses to discern spiritually.

If that’s your desire, won’t you join me in presenting yourself to Him this week and inviting Him to touch your eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and hands and teach you to mature in developing discernment?

Go with God.

Those darn masks

August 11, 2020Blog, Personal Growth, , Leave a comment

I have to chuckle each time I pick up my cell phone, with my mask on, and the facial recognition tells me I can’t be identified and I must enter my passcode.

Here we have the most elaborate and advanced mini computer ever created in our hand and it won’t work with face masks.

What’s so amusing is this is clearly stated in the Face ID set up directions, created and listed in November of 2017.

What Facial Recognition software is able to do is truly amazingly powerful. It uses a “TrueDepth” camera to analyze 30,000 invisible dots on your face and then create a depth map of your face, while at the same time creating an infrared image.

The neural engine of the bionic chip transforms that depth into a mathematical representation and compares it to the facial data that is loaded into the camera.

Voila, it is either you and you’re in or it’s not and you need your passcode.

This facial rec is s’pose to be intuitive and secure and is able to adapt to changes in your appearance and location.

The odds of a stranger picking up your phone and being able to access it with their face is 1 in 1,000,000. Add to that the fact that your phone allows 5 unsuccessful match attempts then locks, and you are said to be very secure.

Oh, and I forgot to mention it is all encrypted and protected by “Secure Enclave”. (whatever or where ever that is…)

Lastly about facial recognition, not only is it amazingly powerful but it has many uses. It is used to unlock your phone or ipad, you can make purchases, sign in and it even auto fills for you.

Obviously, facial recognition is not only used on phones. It is also used in DMV data bases, airports, Customs and Border Protection, traffic cams, police departments, Dept. of Homeland Security, retail stores, find missing persons, aid investigations and diagnose diseases, to name a few.

The seemingly infinite power of an A12 Bionic, 64-bit hexa-core ARM, high performance mobile chip is within your reach and available to you pretty much anytime you want.

And yet, it is rendered useless by those darn masks!

Hmmmm…

Reminds me of another infinite power that has abilities and uses which are available for us, all within our reach… and yet, we choose to cover ourselves with those darn masks.

Hmmm… think about it.

Cheers to you.

Give us a discerning heart

August 8, 2020Blog, Inspiration, Personal Growth Leave a comment
Sunday Sermon 8.8.20

“Discernment”, “discerning” are words not used frequently these days and yet, in my opinion, they are needed now more than ever.mm

How would you define them? Go ahead, think about it, create a simple and clear definition. Remember, though, discernment is not wisdom, understanding or knowledge; they are all different words.

It took me several attempts and mental edits to make it clear and concise in my mind. How did you do?

Here’s what the pros tell us discernment is: “the ability to judge well”. Another says, “to separate or distinguish between two or more things”.

Discernment is the ability to see clearly and decide between:

  • right and wrong
  • truth and error
  • good and bad
  • primary and secondary
  • essential and indifferent
  • permanent and transient
  • good, better, best
  • in Christian worldview the ability to think and see Biblically

Discernment is lacking and yet so vital today. It has always been so. So vital in fact, King Solomon, in about 900 BC made it his number one request from God!

“Give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong”

1 Kings 3:9

What a request! He could have asked for anything. He pretty much had a blank check from God. He thought long and hard and concluded that what he needed most in his reign, life and influence was discernment.

God heard, God honored his request and God gave him more than discernment. In fact, because he asked for discernment and wisdom in order to be a good leader and distinguish between right and wrong, God said He would give him wealth and honor greater than any other king. Thus, that is why Solomon is counted as the wisest and wealthiest man of all time. BECAUSE HE ASKED FOR DISCERNMENT.

This so impacted me as a young Christian, Solomon’s request for wisdom and discernment, that I made it my life verse, goal and prayer. It is powerful.

King David also desired discernment.

Psalm 119:66 – Teach me knowledge and good judgement, for I trust in your commands.

Psalm 119:125 – I am your servant, give me discernment that I may understand your statutes.

Some call discernment a 6th sense. Some call it how things look in God’s eyes.

No matter what we call it, scripturally it is called for. Today we need it. We must call for it in our lives in a greater measure.

1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 – examine everything sensibility

1 John 4:1 – do not believe every spirit, test the spirits

2 Peter 1:3 – God has given us everything we need for godliness

Matthew 7:1,6 – be careful not to cast your pearls before swine

In these days, we need to be able to distinguish between truth and error, good and bad. We need to be able to discern or judge well. We need to be able to separate between things and sort and sift wisely.

Let’s join Solomon and ask God to “give us a discerning heart.”

Go with God.

Self care

August 5, 2020Blog, Encouragement, Leave a comment

With our latest technology advancements, you can find charging stations all over the place.

  • Electric vehicle charging stations at stores, gas stations, parking lots, transportation centers
  • Cell phone charging stations at airports, shopping centers, stores, stadiums, churches
  • Home charging stations in nearly every room and vehicle
  • Electric bike & scooter charges onboard or on street corners

Think about it. We cannot live, it seems, without our equipment being charged up and ready to go, so we have made places in our life to do just that, get them fully charged.

And yet, we often find that our life is running on empty and in need of a recharge. That recharge we need is called self care by many and is essential for our health.

It is vital that we pay attention to our body, but self care involves these areas too:

Self care is not selfish, no matter what that voice in your head is telling you. You are not being selfish when you are getting your rest, because in doing so you will become more energetic and be able to do more.

Self care is not a one time or rare experience, like going to the spa. Self care is essential maintenance to your well being and actually the well being of those around you. (Ask your spouse or a family member if they like you better rested or tired. 🙂 )

Self care in not a sign of weakness. In fact, it is wisdom at work in your life.

Self care is not only for some people. Everyone must find what it is that recharges them and get charged back up. Is it golf, sewing, alone time, a book, getting outside, a good movie? Find where your recharging station is and get plugged into it.

This has been my personal challenge these last couple of days. You can go and give and do and repeat until you feel yourself running near empty.

So when you see your charge being depleted, be brave, don’t deny and do what is needed to get that vital recharge.

Take care of yourself, you are essential.

Cheers to you.

Close the door

August 1, 2020Blog, Encouragement, Sunday Sermons, , Leave a comment
Sunday Sermon 8.1.20

Early this morning, this phrase came crashing into my heart and upon my mind, “Close the door”.

I hadn’t heard a door slam, nor had there been creatures invading us; the weather wasn’t threatening, neither were the circumstances. So why the imprint of this phrase on my psyche?

While pursuing its import, two main points developed before me.

We, adult humans are faced with 35,000 decisions each day with 226.7 of them alone, having to do with the food we eat (or don’t). That means, if we spend 7 hours sleeping each night, (and we assume no choices are made in our sleep, a BIG assumption) then, that means we make 2,000 decisions per hour or 1 decision every 2 seconds!

That’s alot of choosing, options, brain stress and distractions!

Many of those decisions are unconscious, but they are still decisions that the brain encodes 10 seconds before we even consciously, and with awareness make the actual decision. The brain has decided and then the conscious thoughts justify the decision. The decision is made in the neurocircuitry of our brain by predicting outcomes ahead of time. Then we actually make the choice in real time.

All of that research was published long before Covid and still remains true. But with Covid, those decisions have been confined to a smaller setting – our home, or the area we spend most our life in.

There are so many influences, voices, reports, demands, people, speaking or often yelling at us with directives. And what is spoken as truth this week, often morphs into something entirely different next week.

Our heads, hearts, and emotions are bombarded, battered and bruised with the onslaught information, (or misinformation) and in my view, these all are distractions, that must be cut off.

Close the Door point 1 – CLOSE THE DOOR on distractions that bring you anything but life, faith, hope, peace, and joy.

Turn off, stop listening daily, ignore notifications, stop feeding fear, don’t read it, refuse to own it. Don’t give place in your life to the endless, fearful distractions.

It is one of those 35,000 decisions you can make now, ahead of time and get your brain in the encoding process. Close the door to distractions.

In Matthew 6:6, Jesus told his disciples, to go into their room and CLOSE THE DOOR (and pray). He instructed them to close out distractions, shut themselves in with who really mattered, and focus on what was more important.

I am not saying to close yourself off from the world and only pray, that’s just weird and ineffective. I am saying, in order to be strong and effective in your mission on earth, you must learn to close the door on distractions while focusing on what is important.

Another place we see “close the door” in the Bible is in 2 Kings 4.

A widow, with two sons was facing creditor problems involving the seizing of her sons for repayment. She was desperate, so she sought out the prophet Elisha. She confessed to him she had nothing of value in her home (to sell) “except a small jar of olive oil.” 2 Kings 4:2

He told her to gather from her neighbors as many empty jars as she could and not just a few. Then she was to go inside her house and “shut the door” behind her and her sons, where they would then pour her oil into each empty jar that they had gathered.

She did as she was told – gathered, shut the door and poured into each jar. When there were no more jars to fill, her oil stopped flowing. Every jar had been filled and were now filling her home. She had plenty to sell, paid off the creditors, and lived off of what was left.

Close the door point 2 – You have all you need at home (your little bit of oil), you need to pour it out into empty vessels.

Your family and those who enter your home need what you have. You can fill them with your words, actions, kindness, encouragement, prayer, help, correction, insight, love. What you do behind the closed doors of your home is where the “anointing” starts. The outpouring of God’s spirit of love and favor – His anointing oil of the Spirit, starts at home, behind closed doors. Pour out your “little” oil there and see how you little becomes much.

It is my determination to ask the Lord to help me close the doors of distraction in my life, and work within me behind the closed doors of my home to fill up empty vessels.

I want His help in recoding my neurocircuitry and decision making prowess. I want to equip my brain with the positive and faith building data to allow it to predict the most favorable outcomes. This is a decision I have made!

Won’t you join me?

Close those doors, keep pouring out.

Go with God.