Slow down friend!

Sometimes God just wants us to slow down. Even in the face of a need for more laborers in God's vineyard, slowing down is a God idea.

How do you know you need to slow down?

1. When you cannot recall the last time you had a good talk with close friends and family. i.e. You have not been watering your precious relationships.

2. When you automatically think up physical solutions to all problems and issues rather than waiting on God or praying about it. You got a good answer to everything and know someone who can make it happen even. No need for God really.

3. When God seems so near yet so far. You are going through all the motions, church meetings, working etc. but there's a certain intimacy or something missing deep in your soul. This may be very hard to detect unless the Holy Spirit calls our attention to it. We just tend to keep on going on filling our days with activity.

4. When you consistently cannot remember what God spoke to you last Sunday in church or last night at your quiet time even. Gone with the wind.

5. When there are too many things, too many balls in the air being juggled around us. Nothing seems to be landing but we are very busy trying to keep the balls moving without them crashing around us.

6. When other people's needs and expectations seem to have drowned out you... so much so that you find it difficult to discover what you want anymore let alone setting about getting it. You do things based on history and people's expectations rather than what is good and desirable for you and what fits in God's purpose for your life.

7. When you laugh a lot less now than you used to. When little things don't amuse you as much as they used to. When you see more to complain about in your heart than to be thankful for. When you really cannot find much to appreciate God for around you on a typical day in your life.

These are dangerous times and indeed the last days. But if we find ourselves in even 1 of the above situations then it is really time to slow down and rediscover our first love, that intimacy and light-heartedness with God that we once had. He loves us, this Jehovah and He wants to spend time with us much more than anything in the world.

So how can I slow down?

1. Increase my time of prayer. Pray without ceasing. Prayer is a release as well as a source of strength. It's opening up a communication channel, giving access to the Almighty into my life to show me things I'd otherwise never see and rearrange things in ways that i'd never be able to figure out on my own. It's taking my focus off the daily grind and looking into the bigger picture drawn by the Master of time Himself.

2. Increase my time alone with God and His word on a daily basis. This is the source of wisdom for living. Hidden nuggets that enable God's will in our daily lives are released from here. Leads to less struggle and more results. Less worry, anxiety and greater peace.

3. Increase the amount of time I spend talking about and sharing the word of God with someone. Friends and/or family. Iron sharpens iron. Divert more and more conversation away from contemporary topics and more towards God's promises. Start this with like-minded friends and family at first and grow in it to everyone in your inner circle. You will learn more about God from them and as you share, you grow.

Can I really afford to slow down now?

1. Yes. Eat now for the journey is still far. 1 Kings 19:7-8. This is a marathon, not a sprint.
2. If we are serious about pursuing God, then we need to allow Him reach out to us.
3. Yes. Truth is you're not really in control of your circumstances. You can make many plans, but the Lord's purpose will prevail. (Proverbs 19:21 NLT). Life happens.
4. If you don't and something happens to you, we'd think about you for a bit and then move on with our lives. Meanwhile, you'd have missed out on fulfilling God's purpose for you.

How long do I slow down for?

1. As long as it takes. You will know that you know that you know that you are ready to move on to the next level when you're ready.
2. Be sure. Do not be presumptuous. What you think you may be losing, may be better off lost or you may get it faster and easier after reconnecting with God.
3. Hear it for yourself. Do not rely on someone's interpretation. God can speak to you directly. Don't settle for anything less than God's voice to you directly. He will speak to you in a way that you can understand and be sure. Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say,"This is the way you should go," whether to the right or to the left. (Isaiah 30:21 NLT). Go for this with all of your zeal and strength.

You are blessed.

Your Access To Divine Grace!

The starting point of grace is salvation. The grace of God is available to all who are saved, but not all have access to it. The ticket that gives you access to grace is humility. James 4:6,10 says, "…God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. …Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up."

Humility simply means refusing to overestimate yourself or count on your credentials and giftings. There is no crime in being gifted, but you run into trouble, when you take your eyes away from God and depend on your gift. The measure of grace you enjoy is a function of your level of humility. In his time, Moses was the meekest man on the face of the earth, no wonder he enjoyed so much grace (Numbers 12:3). If you maintain humility, you will never need to beg for grace. A proud man is the one who counts on his abilities and constantly thinks that he is more qualified than others, but the humble man relies heavily on God.

Also, grace is only for those who acknowledge their need for God’s help. Look at the story of king Asa in 2 Chronicles 14. The Bible says that he had "...an army of men that bare targets and spears…and…that bare shields and drew bows…all these were mighty men of valour" (2Chronicles14:8). But when the Ethiopians came against him in battle, he did not trust in his men nor in his weaponry. We are told, "And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee." And the Lord destroyed all his enemies before him (2 Chronicles 14:12).

Even though Asa had everything needed for battle, in his prayer he said, "For we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude." That was what brought the victory. The acknowledgement of your need is what opens the gateway of grace to you. Only those who acknowledge their need for Him qualify for His grace.

Without God we can do nothing but you must acknowledge your helplessness before you can link up to divine power. Don’t pretend to be self-sufficient or claim to be what you are not. God does not lift the already lifted. He is looking for the helpless and the lowly, who are heavily dependent on Him. So, the earlier you acknowledge your total dependence on God, the sooner you will begin to enjoy His grace.

If you have been living outside the zone of grace, it is time to return and say, "Lord, I am no longer trusting in myself, but in You." Don’t wait till you are tired of pushing before you call for grace, call for it even before you step out for the day. You must learn to rely heavily on God and have no alternatives beside Him. Put your case in His hands and take your rest, that is your escape route from shame.

Meditate on these: 2 Chronicles 20:12, 2 Corinthians 3:5

(written by a friend)