Voices

I will listen and believe the voice of truth.
Jesus You are the voice of truth, I will listen!

There are voices on the radio
voices on TV
voices in magazines
voices on billboards
voices from friends
voices from enemies
voices from the past
voices of fear
voices of lust
voices of envy
voices of jealousy
voices of judgement
voices of criticism
voices of flattery
voices of deception
voices of self congratulation
voices of self pity
voices of self centeredness
voices of self condemnation
voices of self accusation
voices of self pride

     Most of the voices listed are voices of our own, of the world  and of the enemy of our soul. 
     There are many voices in the world, which one do you listen to?
     If you want to hear the voice of Truth you have to seek it...Praise, Prayer, Study of the Word, Meditation...yes, it is a challenge, but the more you do it, the easier it becomes...you have to tune out from the other voices and tune into God.
     Change the channel of your voice tuner! Turn from the channels of the world, turn off your TV, radio, telephone(OH MY! Not the phone! Yes, turn off all of the texting!). God speaks to us when we listen, then we can hear His voice.
     Sometimes God speaks past all of the other voices, but if it's your desire to hear Him, why not make it easier to hear? Take time, quiet the voices from the world and listen for your Heavenly Father. He will speak to those that want to hear.

You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13

Mirror, Mirror?

     Recently I encountered a mirror that must have been set to make you feel like you're the "fairest one of all"! The lighting was perfect and even though I knew I was tired and couldn't be looking my best, this mirror didn't reflect that! As I checked myself out, I thought "Wow, not too bad! In fact, looking pretty good!". Then I moved to another location with different a different mirror and different lighting and I had a different reaction! Yikes! I looked as tired as I felt! As the reality of my physical appearance settled into my conscious mind, the Holy Spirit showed me this is often the same situation in our spiritual realities.
    When we live in the spiritual light of "the world" that only reflects the "light of the world", we think we're "not too bad". Then when we move into the light of the Holy Spirit, we realize that we need some reconstructive work!
     Do you think maybe this is what keeps some people looking for a church with a seeker friendly message, or from even attending church at all? Maybe they are not comfortable in the "light and mirror" that they encounter when they are exposed to the teachings of the Holy Spirit? 
     Beloved, avoiding God's light and mirror doesn't really work, we need to accept the reality of our condition, yes, it may not be pretty, but let's assess the situation and then deal with it in the light and the truth. Jesus is the "Light and the Truth", embrace Him and let His light shine into your life, let His reconstructive work do it's regenerative work. You will be blessed and your spirit will be beautiful.  

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. Romans 12:1-2(The Message)

~Lorna Mercer