I've been turning on some of my handy dandy technological wonders to no sound recently. Easily fixed, but odd. The third time it happened, I knew God was saying something to me. Most people who don't hear God don't even know there are fascinating happenings they could be sensing. I'm wondering what my part is to hear things of the spirit consistently myself and to communicate the opportunity to others.
Hmmm...this is a post I'll probably be updating often..as I hear more...
I love this life.
Copyright 2013 Leah Lambert Smith
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Monday, March 18, 2013
Practice Makes Peaceful
I am secure
In My Father's Secret Place
So very sure
Hidden in His love and grace
There is no fear
Strong enough to penetrate
Through these mighty wings that shield
My Father's Secret Place
Copyright 2002 Leah Lambert Smith
I've had some worrisome (born of fear) thoughts today. If I believe "there is no fear strong enough to penetrate through these mighty wings that shield my Father's secret place", how does worry mesh with the concept of my thoughts being a secret place with God (see prior post)?
There is a heavenly secret place of God, under his rule and reign, that is totally free from fear. But then there is my mind, where I have free will. My mind is an amazing place set up to be filled with wonder, confident creativity and intimate discussions with the Holy Spirit (the mind of Christ)...or it can be a timid place full of fear, anger, and insecurity. I can go back and forth between the two. It's my choice. It's when I keep it as a secret place with God, that no fear will penetrate the love, grace and mercy that flow there.
So, I practice consistent thinking. I renew my mind (Romans 12:2). I cast down and take captive thoughts that don't line up with God's truth (2 Cor. 10:5). Practicing with daily challenges, such as today when I worried, sets me up for success when the challenges are greater. As always, the Holy Spirit facilitates, changing me from glory to glory (2 Cor. 3:18). Practice can be work, but progress is delightful.
I love this life.
Copyright 2013 Leah Lambert Smith
In My Father's Secret Place
So very sure
Hidden in His love and grace
There is no fear
Strong enough to penetrate
Through these mighty wings that shield
My Father's Secret Place
Copyright 2002 Leah Lambert Smith
I've had some worrisome (born of fear) thoughts today. If I believe "there is no fear strong enough to penetrate through these mighty wings that shield my Father's secret place", how does worry mesh with the concept of my thoughts being a secret place with God (see prior post)?
There is a heavenly secret place of God, under his rule and reign, that is totally free from fear. But then there is my mind, where I have free will. My mind is an amazing place set up to be filled with wonder, confident creativity and intimate discussions with the Holy Spirit (the mind of Christ)...or it can be a timid place full of fear, anger, and insecurity. I can go back and forth between the two. It's my choice. It's when I keep it as a secret place with God, that no fear will penetrate the love, grace and mercy that flow there.
So, I practice consistent thinking. I renew my mind (Romans 12:2). I cast down and take captive thoughts that don't line up with God's truth (2 Cor. 10:5). Practicing with daily challenges, such as today when I worried, sets me up for success when the challenges are greater. As always, the Holy Spirit facilitates, changing me from glory to glory (2 Cor. 3:18). Practice can be work, but progress is delightful.
I love this life.
Copyright 2013 Leah Lambert Smith
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Synergy
Galatians 5:22-23 (NCV)
But the Spirit produces the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. There is no law that says these things are wrong.
Notice how it reads when I turn around the list of the fruit of the Spirit. The first list is from the verse above and the 2nd list is tweaked a bit. I wanted to put similar words in each list together, thus the odd spacing:
1) self-Control, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, kindness, patience, peace, joy, love.
2) I control the gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, kindness, patience, peace and joy of my love.
For the fruit of the Spirit to grow richly in my life, cooperation of my self and the Spirit is required.
The Spirit of God is never a bully. He won’t force mature fruit upon me. He doesn’t make me do anything. He has come along-side so that I can be and do so much more than I could on my own. That’s grace. It’s an amazing synergy.
I love this life.
Copyright 2013 Leah Lambert Smith
But the Spirit produces the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. There is no law that says these things are wrong.
Notice how it reads when I turn around the list of the fruit of the Spirit. The first list is from the verse above and the 2nd list is tweaked a bit. I wanted to put similar words in each list together, thus the odd spacing:
1) self-Control, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, kindness, patience, peace, joy, love.
2) I control the gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, kindness, patience, peace and joy of my love.
For the fruit of the Spirit to grow richly in my life, cooperation of my self and the Spirit is required.
The Spirit of God is never a bully. He won’t force mature fruit upon me. He doesn’t make me do anything. He has come along-side so that I can be and do so much more than I could on my own. That’s grace. It’s an amazing synergy.
I love this life.
Copyright 2013 Leah Lambert Smith
Friday, March 15, 2013
Do I Stink?
I love this life! I am head-over-heels wildly in love with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. I am adored and cared for by the Almighty God whose love for me is unconditional and limitless. It’s truly a life abundantly above and beyond what I could ask or think (Eph. 3:14-20).
Therefore, it has grieved me that people I love have cast aside, and even vilified, what I consider so precious because they have been hurt by Christians.
Life in Jesus is a process. Though I was reborn into His life, like a baby, I have to grow up. 1 Peter 2:2 (AMP) reads, “Like newborn babies you should crave (thirst for, earnestly desire) the pure (unadulterated) spiritual milk, that by it you may be nurtured and grow unto [completed] salvation.”
Growing up is messy. When I misbehaved as a child, my mother would say, “Stop showing your butt!” – as in – there of parts of you that should remain hidden. If I am truly growing in Christ, I can’t just hide everything about my behavior that is uncomfortable to see, it has to be gone from me.
Romans 8:13 (AMP) reads, “For if you live according to [the dictates of] the flesh, you will surely die. But if through the power of the [Holy] Spirit you are [habitually] putting to death (making extinct, deadening) the [evil] deeds prompted by the body, you shall [really and genuinely] live forever.”
I am habitually in the process of getting rid of dead stuff that has been a part of me. Dead stuff tends to stink. I mean, it can nasty stink! I must appear foolish always walking around bearing nasty dead stuff that that has risen to the surface, and is now in the process of falling off.
AHA!
“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29 NIV)
God loves to choose that which appears foolish to communicate His truths. God chose a shepherd boy to kill a giant (1 Samuel 17). He chose singers leading an army to overcome the enemy (2 Chronicles 20). It appeared to the Jews absolute foolishness when Jesus said whoever eats his flesh and drinks his blood will have eternal life (John 6:53-66)
I know there are times I can be dismissed as a nasty, smelly, foolish hypocrite. I understand that. But there are things occurring amidst the stink, times that God’s glory is perceived shining clearly through me and into the life of another, as I’m being changed from glory to glory. This is not the way I would have set it up; this is God’s plan, His wisdom (His sense of humor?). The more I meditate on it, the more beautiful and powerful it is. The Holy Spirit prepares a heart to receive Jesus. I trust He knows people well enough to touch their hearts in a way that supersedes anything smelly carnality may have inflicted upon them.
I love this life.
Note – I received this aha moment while reading this sentence in this blog post of Jason Ministries – “So what the world sees from the carnal Christian is not Christ’s reflection, but the agitated filth that is being forced away from the spirit.”
Another Note – Here’s a bit more insight on this subject – True Life and Beloved, Let Us Love.
And Another Note – Speaking of messy, I just wrote a blog post wondering how I may look in the spirit realm when I lack self-control. I entitled it “Incontinence” (yes, I went there).
Incontinence
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
While reviewing the fruit of the spirit, I looked up each fruit in Strong’s concordance. Temperance is Strong’s Number G1466. The definition reads:
From G1468; self control (especially continence)
The word continence jumped into my imagination. Two definitions of continence are:
1. Self-restraint; moderation.
2. Voluntary control over urinary and fecal discharge.
I used to carry a lot of of anger. At the least it was expressed through snide remarks. Sometimes it was fully revealed. It was an area where I showed incontinence, lack of self-control. I wonder if, during those times of incontinence, it might appear in the spirit realm as if I were wetting or soiling myself . How appropriate that would be!
Physical incontinence tends to occur at the periphery of life, infancy and old age. One, I would expect to change with maturity; for the other, I might feel pity.
If someone shows lack of self-control toward me, I can certainly empathize. I hope for his or her future, believing the person will change with maturity. I don’t dismiss communication made during such times. There may be bits of truth I can see expressed amongst the sludge…
I love this life.
Copyright 2013 Leah Lambert Smith
I used to carry a lot of of anger. At the least it was expressed through snide remarks. Sometimes it was fully revealed. It was an area where I showed incontinence, lack of self-control. I wonder if, during those times of incontinence, it might appear in the spirit realm as if I were wetting or soiling myself . How appropriate that would be!
Physical incontinence tends to occur at the periphery of life, infancy and old age. One, I would expect to change with maturity; for the other, I might feel pity.
If someone shows lack of self-control toward me, I can certainly empathize. I hope for his or her future, believing the person will change with maturity. I don’t dismiss communication made during such times. There may be bits of truth I can see expressed amongst the sludge…
I love this life.
Copyright 2013 Leah Lambert Smith
Love-Colored Glasses
Believing the best of someone, means I see that person as complete,
whole and mature. I speak and behave in a way that acknowledges the
person is of value to God and therefore worthy of my respect. End from
beginning, through love, I can choose to see good regardless of the
person’s behavior. My view is consistent as if I see through
love-colored glasses. Love-colored glasses have an anointing on them (a
super-power!) of confidence and leadership. The wearer steers his part
of any relationship or conversation in a loving direction.
I’m not there yet.
I suppose my cry of, “Where’d I put my glasses!” can have spiritual connotation.
When circumstances show me an area of love I need to grow into, it’s time to cooperate with the Holy Spirit, and change. If I tried to change myself, I would fail. The Holy Spirit has a great track record of changing me from glory to glory.
2 Corinthians 3:18 is my favorite scripture, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” This scripture contains amazing hope for us all.
I look forward to a transformed Leah.
I love this life!
Copyright 2012 Leah Lambert Smith
I’m not there yet.
I suppose my cry of, “Where’d I put my glasses!” can have spiritual connotation.
When circumstances show me an area of love I need to grow into, it’s time to cooperate with the Holy Spirit, and change. If I tried to change myself, I would fail. The Holy Spirit has a great track record of changing me from glory to glory.
2 Corinthians 3:18 is my favorite scripture, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” This scripture contains amazing hope for us all.
I look forward to a transformed Leah.
I love this life!
Copyright 2012 Leah Lambert Smith
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Light of Christ
I carry light, the full spectrum of light.
Light reveals.
Keep the light uncovered and lifted high.
The higher light is lifted, the less shadow remains.
Copyright 2013. Leah Lambert Smith
Matthew 5:14-16 NKJV
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Luke 11:33-36 NKJV
“No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.”
Light reveals.
Keep the light uncovered and lifted high.
The higher light is lifted, the less shadow remains.
Copyright 2013. Leah Lambert Smith
Matthew 5:14-16 NKJV
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Luke 11:33-36 NKJV
“No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.”
Monday, March 4, 2013
Age
There is something about an older man
An older man of integrity
You know he has had many opportunities to choose the coward's way
To give in to fear when courage is hard
But that is not his lifestyle
He has taken responsibility when faultless
He has shown wisdom in patience
And grace and mercy to the undeserving
These qualities render him worthy of respect
And reveal unique beauty
His eyes speak of his goodness
There is something about an older man
An older man of integrity
An older man of integrity
You know he has had many opportunities to choose the coward's way
To give in to fear when courage is hard
But that is not his lifestyle
He has taken responsibility when faultless
He has shown wisdom in patience
And grace and mercy to the undeserving
These qualities render him worthy of respect
And reveal unique beauty
His eyes speak of his goodness
There is something about an older man
An older man of integrity
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