Phil, this is excellent.
Thanks so much for sharing.
I love your writings.
Thanks much.
Blessings,
Pat Ferguson
At 09:25 PM 3/15/2010, you wrote:
>Double the Dose
>
>
>By Phil Scovell
>
>
>
>
>
>
>She was a self mutilator and just 15 years of age. As an
>intercessor, I deeply wanted to reach her, through prayer, with the
>truth that would set her free. My mind was touching on all she was
>currently facing and I wondered what I might do to make it easier
>for her. My thoughts, therefore, were on God and what He could do
>to reach her where she was.
>
>When I saw it, I smiled. It was a pleasant memory. Shortly after
>losing my sight at 11 years of age, my mom found a used
>tandem bicycle. Friends and family all took turns with me so I
>could still enjoy bike riding. It had been my all time favorite thing to
>do as a kid, besides flying kites and fishing and ice skating and
>climbing trees and playing ball and swimming and building model cars
>and, well, you get the picture.
>
>When I was outdoors, I normally was on my bike. I rarely walked
>anywhere, even to school, but instead rode my bike. I lived
>too close to school to be allowed to ride but since I was a member
>of our traffic patrol squad, protecting the little kids crossing the
>streets, in other words, I was granted a waver. Thus it was I was
>able to ride my bike the four blocks to school.
>
>When banana seats came into style, my uncle purchase for me a red
>stripped down stingray bicycle with butterfly handlebars
>and a long banana seat. Now I was able to give my girlfriend from
>church a ride.
>
>I well remember, shortly after getting my new bike, riding several
>miles out into the country to see my girlfriend. I just
>couldn't wait to show off what my new fire engine red stingray could
>do with its fancy speedometer, tremendous speeds, laying rubber
>power stops, the long banana seat so she could rid with me, and
>popping wheelies as I navigated just on the back wheel. She was, I'm
>sure, spellbound. She lived at the bottom of a very long, and high,
>hill. I remember the first, and only time, time I got my bike up to
>40 miles and hour, Becky holding on to me for dear life from the
>back, as I did my best to keep the bike from tipping over due to the
>sensitivity of the fast downhill speed. I never was able to
>accomplish 40 MPH again unless I was on that hill near her home.
>
>"What does all this have to do with Jesus?"
>
>I'm glad you asked. To refresh your memory, I was thinking about my
>up and coming prayer session with this 15 year young
>teenage girl who had become a self mutilator. My heart went out to
>her and I wanted the Lord to direct me in every way possible in
>order to help her to the best of my ability. The only way I knew of
>doing such a thing was to make sure God was in charge of the
>prayer session. So, again, I was thinking about the prayer session
>soon to come when a childhood memory of the tandem bicycle
>popped to the surface of my thoughts. It was a pleasant memory and
>one I often enjoyed in my array of adolescent memories. This
>time, the memory event, for some reason, was different. First, I
>saw just the picture of the tandem bicycle in front of me. Then, as I
>peered into the memory, or what I thought was a memory, I focused on
>what I was seeing. I assumed, and rightfully so, I would be on
>the back seat of the bicycle built for two but I wasn't. I was on
>the front and doing the driving, as it were, and, believe it or not, I saw
>Jesus, yes, you heard me, Jesus sitting on the back seat
>peddling. I could see a large shining headlight mounted on the handlebars for
>conditions of darkness, obviously, and an old fashion horn, twisted
>like a pretzel, sporting a large trumpet bell for the sound to exit as
>you squeezed a big rubber bulbous ball to make it honk loudly. I
>smiled again but in my thoughts, I protested. "Lord? Shouldn't you
>be on the front and my place should be on the back? After all, you
>are the Lord of my life so you should be doing the steering,
>directing, driving, and leading."
>
>To my amazement, the picture in my mind remained the same and the
>Lord said, "No. What you see is correct. I am on the
>back and you are doing the navigating; I'm along for the ride. I
>see where we are going; don't worry."
>
>I attempted to protest further because this picture had to be
>backwards. When the Holy Spirit reminded me of the truth, I
>accepted what I saw with understanding and greater appreciation of
>the Lordship of Christ.
>
>If you've ever heard me teach, read anything I've written, or even
>listened to some of my online audio recordings, you likely
>have heard me teach on this familiar passage of Scripture:
>
>?Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not unto your own
>understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your
>paths,? (Proverbs 3:5-6 AV).
>
>Quite simply, this passage of Scripture clearly teaches that Jesus
>wants to do whatever we want to do, (I.E. It is His will for our lives)
>
>Let's read this passage again and examine carefully its individual parts.
>
>Outline
>
>1. Trust in the LORD with all your heart.
>2. And lean not unto your own understanding.
>3. In all your ways acknowledge him,
>4. And he shall direct your paths.
>
>The meaning of the passage is self evident.
>
>1. Trust in the LORD with all YOUR heart. (Attitude).
>2. And lean not unto YOUR own understanding. (Agreement).
>3. In all YOUR ways acknowledge Him. (Awareness).
>4. And he shall direct YOUR paths. (Application).
>
>Did you notice the word "YOUR" is used in all four statements? If
>not, go back and read it again. In every case, this passage refers to
>"YOUR heart," and, "YOUR" own understanding," and, "All YOUR ways,"
>and the final statement of, "YOUR paths." It is impossible, therefore,
>to interpret this passage without putting focus on yourself.
>
>Attitude (Trust in the Lord with all your heart).
>
>This is a position of total belief; "With all your heart." "Trust"
>is who you are in Christ and no one can take that relationship with God
>away from you because it has been sealed by the Holy Spirit. The
>attitude is where we stand, that is, what we believe. Do you
>believe God can do
>the things you ask of Him? If not, then you haven't a good
>understanding of a covenant relationship with Him through Jesus
>Christ who is, by the
>way, God's covenant with us.
>
>Agreement (And lean not unto your own understanding).
>
>The word for "lean" is (rely) and the word for "understanding" is
>(discernment). In other words, don't try and figure things out on your
>own, using your own logic, or judgment. Trying to understand God's
>is like asking the question, "Can God create a rock so heavy, He
>can't lift it?"
>Agreement is much more easily understood, or should be, because it
>is a simple position of submission to Christ. No, it doesn't mean He is above
>us; that's a given. It means we are in agreement with Him through
>personal identity, thus, submission to his will, or, agreement with Him in
>identity.
>
>Awareness (In all your ways acknowledge Him).
>
>God consciousness, which creates spiritual intimacy, is through
>prayer. Prayer is exchanging your thoughts for God's. Trying to use our
>own discernment is a waste of spiritual energy and creates circular
>reasoning. In short, don't bother trying to reinvent the theological wheel to
>confirm what you already think is truth. Quite simply become aware
>of His present through prayer. No, you don't need to say it out loud; your
>thoughts are good enough for Him. Likewise, it is your thoughts
>where you will hear Him.
>
>Application (And He shall direct Your Paths).
>
>When I realized the Lord was telling me that He wanted to do what I
>wanted to do, this final phrase of the passage came to mine. I
>wouldn't have believed it otherwise but there it was, big as life,
>and offering total theological confirmation of what He had just said within my
>thoughts as I prayed. You see, I always thought it was the other
>way around, that is, we gave up things, and sacrificed things, in
>order to be closer
>to Him. We, in other words, wanted to be with Him when the real
>truth is, He wants to be with us. "Why?" You are going to hate yourself for
>missing this one. Because He loves us.
>
>Conclusion
>
>When I share these things I see in the Spirit, I'm referring, of
>course, to the Holy Spirit, people often find what I say ridiculous. This is
>due to being taught the opposite of who, and what, Jesus is, and
>what He wants to do. He wants to be with us. He wants to do what we want to
>do.
>
>Let me target something I want to point out. If what I'm saying is
>true, wouldn't believing God, and His promise in His Holy Word, be
>that much easier to embrace? Hence, answers to our prayers; our
>petitions, the things we ask of Him through prayer. He will direct
>our paths, not
>His paths; He knows where He is going. He confirms, in this
>passage, He will direct our paths. What happens if we make a wrong
>turn? That's
>easy. He will point us in the right direction because He is our
>Director. It's like riding a bicycle; you never forget.
>
>Your Fear Of Demons Is Due To Lies; Their Fear Of You Is Due To Truth.
>www.SafePlaceFellowship.com
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