Family of God: Re: [Awake4HisReturn] Stillness: A New `Frame' of Mind

I find myself being too impatient i want to have everything done yesterday. Have asked god to help me there.

On Fri Apr 8th, 2011 7:15 AM CDT Michael J. Knight wrote:

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>Stillness: A New `Frame' of Mind
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>"Be still, and know that I am God ..." (Psalm 46:10a).
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>When it comes to my relationship with God, if I am not in tune with Him,
>I tend to put up a fight. I like to defend my position, or I want to run
>ahead of Him without His permission, or I would rather go kicking and
>screaming into the next level of faith instead of letting go, as God had
>intended for me all along. Whatever the case, I am a flurry of movement,
>whether bodily or verbally.
>
>Stillness isn't something I naturally relate to. It is something I must
>consciously – with the help of Jesus-- work at. Just drinking in
>God's presence or waiting for Him to speak to me or even do things in me
>is difficult. It's not that I am ADHD. It's just that there are times
>when seemingly doing nothing (i.e., "being still" as I often wrongly
>understand it) makes me uncomfortably aware of just how empty I am and
>how impatient I can truly be.
>
>But God, who is rich in mercy and ever mindful of my personality flaws,
>has a way of working into me the things that I cannot naturally
>understand myself. And so I will share an illustration with you about
>God's gentleness that I hope will inspire you toward abiding in Him.
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>The Journal Entry
>
>Praying for direction is something I do often. I want to know what God
>wants me to DO, because if I know what God wants me to DO, then I can
>plan. I have a goal, and with that goal, I have a sense of being in
>control of my destiny. I am secure in the knowledge of what is clearly
>expected of me.
>
>Early last year, I spent a block of time seeking God for the next steps
>of my life, with the hopes of learning more specifics about my career
>path, my marital status, and any exciting adventures that God might have
>for me. Part of the message that I received from God was Psalm 46:10,
>but it didn't really sink in. Though I wrote it down as part of my
>journal entry that January day, the message left but a whisper in my
>spiritual consciousness. I took it more as an afterthought than as the
>still, small voice of God. Yet, this was exactly the message God had for
>me that year. I just didn't know it yet. Not until God, in His
>creativity repeatedly showed me. And the first avenue He used was art.
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>A Creative God Moment
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>I love art shows. I love the beauty and the originality of the different
>art media – pottery, paintings, crafts, and metal work. It inspires
>the artist in me. So when I heard about an art show in a neighboring
>city, I gladly headed out the door with my friend, David, to enjoy a
>wonderful outdoor feast for the senses.
>
>We were about halfway through the exhibits when David saw some artwork
>that caught his eye. I resisted the urge to move on ahead and followed
>him instead to peruse the small display of paintings. These
>garden-inspired paintings were on glass. Each painted glass panel was
>encased in a wooden frame, and inscribed on each wooden frame was a
>Scripture verse.
>
>I liked the concept, so I too joined in rummaging through the bins to
>find the painting that had the particular Scripture verse that I felt
>best spoke to me. I had always loved Jeremiah 29:11 and often quoted it
>over my life and the lives of others. Just to refresh your memory, it is
>the verse that begins "I know the plans I have for you, declares the
>Lord". I always loved that verse because it portrays the active role God
>has in our lives. It was reassuring to know I wasn't going to fly blind
>through life because God had a master plan for me that was good and
>hope-giving and prospering.
>
>When I found the painting with the verse I wanted, I decided I didn't
>like the color scheme at all. I disappointedly returned it to the bin. I
>wasn't about to buy an ugly painting, no matter what the message. I
>noticed that David was contemplating a painting with more vibrant colors
>of red and yellow flowers. That's more my style, I thought, secretly
>hoping that David wouldn't buy that one. My wish came true. David found
>a more subdued picture that he liked better. Here was my chance. I
>picked up the discarded picture and carefully read the verse. I bet you
>can guess what it said: "Be still and know that I am God."
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>Because I am prone to spiritual cluelessness, I didn't recall my January
>journal entry. I bought that painting because it was pretty, took it
>home, and decided to nail it on my wall above the TV because that is
>where it looked best -- nothing really spiritual about it to me.
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>Message Received
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>Fast forward a couple of months. During the night of the worship
>service, the worship leader had everyone, including the choir, sit down
>and wait on the Lord to speak to our hearts. I was actually in the right
>attitude to listen, so I closed my eyes and waited for Him to speak.
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>And did He speak! His message to me was… well, by now you can
>probably guess. The third time must be the charm, as they say, because I
>finally started to get it. I began to understand that God was calling me
>away from performance, away from what I was most comfortable with:
>doing. I was a human being for a reason. If I were truly meant to do,
>do, do, then I would be called a human doing, wouldn't I?
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>Instead of feeling empty or lacking inside or upset that God was holding
>me back from something; I simply felt God's peace, something I
>desperately needed. I wasn't chafing in God's presence. I didn't feel
>the need to do anything except exist in His presence. I felt His
>acceptance and wholeness. It was truly amazing.
>
>I still have that picture hung where I can see it the moment I close my
>eyes at night and the moment my eyes open in the morning. It is a
>constant and visible reminder that I don't need to do anything for God.
>He has done it all for me. I can simply be in His presence, knowing that
>He has my back, knowing that He will accomplish all that He wishes in
>His time and His way.
>
>Remember
>Only one life, will soon be past,
>Only what is done, for Christ will last.
>
>The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the
>communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. (2 Corinthians
>13:14)
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>Love & Prayers,
>
>Michael J. Knight.
>
>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/A-C-T-S/
><http://groups.yahoo.com/group/A-C-T-S/>
>
>What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God.
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