Would you like to see GOD?

"Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God." Matthew 5:8

For months, this verse worked me!  Day and night, no matter what I'd be doing, it was at least in the back of my mind.  I could not even shake it off.  "Blessed are the pure in heart".  It was my dilemma and at the same time my prayer.  It seemed that was my part, something I had control over.  And then, the second, the one about seeing God, would be some kind of a reward.

Lord, how could I be pure in heart?  Cause I'd sure like to see You! 

Growing up I used to think "pure in heart" meant perfect, holy, blameless, sinless, spotless, blemish-free, wrinkle-free.  In the back of my mind I knew I could never achieve such perfection so the best I could do was to just pretend that verse was not there.  Besides, I thought this referred to seeing God in the next life, in heaven.

But now, for the first time I was beginning to realize that "seeing God" was not referring to seeing Him in eternity only.  It was talking about seeing Him here and now.  With the spiritual eyes of faith. I just needed to figure out how to have a "pure heart".  

I started researching, praying, listening to sermons on the beatitudes.  In a sermon that my pastor preached years ago, even before we joined the church, I heard (on an audio CD) an explanation that caught my attention.  To be pure did not mean at all what I had thought for all these decades.  

It's like a glass of water.  Pure water means it has no additives.  If I add to it a drop of milk, it's no longer pure water.  If I add to it a grain of salt or sugar, it's no longer pure.  Pure means to be of one substance.  No additions.  Only molecules of water.  

Another verse that was brought up by my pastor was Psalm 86:11 "Unite my heart to fear Your name."  It was a prayer of David.  A united heart has only one focus.  God!  

We all know what it means to have a divided heart.  A child is sick, bills need to be paid, I just got stopped for speeding, and on top of it all I have a big written exam coming up tomorrow.  We try to focus on a million things at the same time.  And maybe God is somewhere in there, too.

When we have a "united heart", we're of one substance.  We focus on the Lord as much as I focused on this verse for all those months!  Twenty-four/seven.  "Blessed are the pure in heart!"....

I was still meditating on the first half of the verse, when one night I got out of bed sometimes after midnight, to go to the living room ("Loving Room" as I now call it) to spend some time with the Lord.  Peace.  Quiet. All are sleeping, the phone is not ringing, bills can wait, even a dish in the sink is forgotten for the time being!

It's the middle of January.  I take along a blanket and I wrap it around my body.  I usually sit in the dark, on the floor with my back leaning against a sofa.  I pray in the dark till the Holy Spirit guides me to pick up the Word and read.  As I'm sliding down, neither standing nor sitting, in a split second, the Lord shows me what it's like to "see God".  Also in a split second I'm somehow protesting, "Lord, I was not yet ready for that.  I'm still trying to figure out what it means to have a pure heart".  

And then, as I sat down, the Lord showed me in detail what He'd just revealed to me in that one split second.  He showed me that when my heart is constantly searching for Him, focused on Him, longing for His presence, I will see Him in FOUR different areas in life (in no particular order).

1.  In the Word.  From Genesis to Revelation.  He's on every page.  Not only to study about Him. Not only to aquire intelectual knowledge.  But to actually see Him, to know Him, to experience Him and His intimate presence.  

2.  In nature.  When my heart is pure, united, focused on Him, I will see Jesus in nature.  All over. Sky.  Clouds.  Mountains.  Rivers.  Lakes, ocean, trees, flowers, grass.  Animals, birds, creepy crawlers.  Everything He made has His fingerprint on it!

3.  In people's faces.  Every human face.  Tall, short, skinny, heavy, sick, healthy, male, female, adult, child, young, old, rich, poor, handsome, not-so-handsome, friend, foe, stranger, aquintance, free, or prisoner.  You get my drift.  If I see Him in every person, I'm likely to treat every person as I would treat Him.

4.  And this one boggled my mind!  In circumstances.  How astonishing to think that when He's constantly at the forefront of our minds and hearts, we'll see Him in absolutely every circumstance.

Need I mention a few?  Nah!  I won't.  I'll abstain.  But you know, there are good circumstances, "bad" ones, and even neutral ones.  Of course the "bad" ones, might only be "bad" in our own opinions.  When we realize that "bad" circumstances are taylor-made by a perfectly loving God for each of us, after we allow such circumstances to bring us closer to Him, we'll inevitably admit that they were not bad afterall.  

I just finished reading through the book of Job and one verse (among many) stuck with me: "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You." (Job 42:5) 

Would Job exchange places with anyone in the world at this time?  No!  Never!  Ever!  He can truly say "But now my eye sees You"!  Who would not want that?  How badly do we want it?

In reality anyone who has "tasted of the Lord", knows that this prayer is worth making more than any other:  "Lord, I trust You, I give You permission to send in my life whatever You see fit to help me to truly see You."

John 1:18 "No one has seen God at any time." 

In Exodus 33:20 God says to Moses "You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live."  Is it worth dying to ourselves, to our selfish desires just to "see God"?

In John 14:9 Jesus says to Philip "He who has seen Me has seen the Father".

So, the question is:  How badly do we want to see God?  No other question is as important for a human being.  Have you ever asked that of yourself?  Again, I mean with the spiritual eyes of faith. Notice Job did not say "my eye has seen You."  He says "my eye sees You." 

And with this I should draw to a close, Lord willing.  

When Jesus walked the streets of Israel, many people wanted to see Him.  Among the many that come to mind, there was a man who truly, really, badly, wanted to see the Lord.  Care to take a guess?  If you thought of Zacchaeus, good guess!  Luke 19:1-10 tells the story.  Zacchaeus was "a man"!  (And that would be more than many males are today.)  A man! (v. 2)  He was a "chief tax collector".  I'm sure that means he was good at what he was doing.  Good in the eyes of the world.

Successful!  For it further describes him as "rich".  Again, "rich" in worldly stuff.  But spiritually bankrupt.  Broke!  POOR!  A spiritual pauper.

And he had another flaw, drawback, as none of us is "perfect".  He was "of short stature". (v. 3)

But there was one grand thing about Zacchaeus.  He wanted to see Jesus.  He wanted to see Him soooo badly, Zacchaeus suddenly did not care what people thought.  Nicodemus waited for nightfall to come to Jesus, but Zacchaeus did not!  

Zacchaeus could not wait for night to come.  As far as he knew, he might never again have the opportunity.  So he did the unthinkable.  The beloved physician Luke tells us in v. 4 that Zacchaeus "ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him".  Can you picture him running?  Climbing a tree?  

I did a little research and learned that the sycamore tree in Israel is not the same as the one by that name that gows in North America.  Its fruits look like figs, but with unpleasant taste, and are eaten by the poor.  Its limbs grow low, close to the ground.

But Zaccheus took the risk.  It was well worth it to him.  He no longer cared who saw him or what the multitude would think.  

I challenge you to read the whole story in your Bible.  Suffice it to say that on that day, because Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus badly enough, his life was changed.  And his eternity.  

Is it worth seeing Jesus?

You decide.

But it does take a pure heart!  One that is constantly wanting Him badly enough to do whatever it takes to see Him.  

If you feel no such desire, there's a solution.  Ask Him for the desire.  A short heart-felt prayer like "Lord I don't feel the desire to see You.  Please give me that desire.  May it consume me day and night.  I would not want to rest till I see You."

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

Grace to you!

Natalia in Idaho

Loving Jesus, Loving God (A Word Picture)

What exactly does loving God look like?

He's invisible to the human eye.  

I was up praying last night.  In the middle of the night.  And the Lord gave me a "word picture" that I just HAVE TO share.  I have heard a lot that love is not a feeling but actions.  And in a sense it's true. But, I'm convinced that love does start out as a feeling and it's feelings that keep actions coming.  But if it remains just a feeling, is it true love?

What kind of actions will show true love?  

As I was praying, I started saying out loud the words, as if I was describing to a person sitting in front of me what the Lord was showing me.  And then I realized that the Lord was speaking to ME, through ME.  This is the word picture He gave me to show me what true love is:

It's a cold, dark, stormy night.  In the middle of the night, you hear a knock at the door.  You turn on the lights and go to see who's out there at this late hour.  Two people are standing there:  One is an old friend whom you have not seen for a long time.  The other is a complete stranger.  

You look in the direction of the first and he explains, "I drove for three hours to come see you.  I've been thinking a lot of you, I missed seeing your face, I missed talking and fellowshipping with you, I longed to just be in your company."  The feeling is mutual.  You invite him in.  

Then you look in the direction of the stranger, still standing there, shivering, hair disheveled, soaked by the cold rain.  It looks like the two just happened to arrive at your door at the same time.  

When you look in his direction, he knows it's his turn to speak, to explain himself, to beg for your mercy.  "My car broke down", he begins, "about a mile from here. No other homes in sight, I have no phone and would not know who to call anyway.  I'm far from any family or friends.  Would you please give me a bowl of food and shelter till morning light?  Maybe a cot to sleep on?  I'm cold and wet, I've walked in the storm and am thankful I came across your home. Please?!?!".  What can you say?  He too is a human being.  You invite him in, out of the cold rain still coming down in torrents.

You feed him and show him to a cozy sleeping area, nice and warm and dry!  He quickly falls asleep.

Now you turn your full attention to the friend.  You know he loves you.  He traveled a long distance, sacrificed, just to come spend some time, catching up, enjoying each other's company.

Unlike the stranger, he did not come to knock at your door for what you can do for him.  He had no other interests in mind.  He did not ask for favors and he did not even state a desire to do things for you.  He only wants to spend time with you!  Enjoys being in your presence.  

Which one of these really loves you?  The stranger who came to your home for what he can get from you?  Food, shelter, a nice warm place to sleep?  And in the morning will disappear as quickly as he appeared?  Or the one who sacrificed just to spend time with you?  Just to see your face without keeping track of time?

Well, if you were thinking on a spiritual level as I described the scenario, you already know where I'm going.  How many people come to Jesus, come to God, like the stranger?  "Lord, I'm afraid of hell, I know heaven is the only other option, so would You please take me into Your heaven?  Lord, I'm sick, would You please take my pain away?  Lord, I need this and that, would You please provide?"  

OR, "Lord, with me on Your team, You can't go wrong.  I'll tithe, I'll go on missions, I'll do whatever I can."  But these same people sometimes are doing so much stuff "for the Lord" that they find no time to spend with Him.

True men of God, even in the Old Testament found pleasure in His presence.  David, the man after God's own heart said in Psalm 16, verse 11 "In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

True love of God is finding joy, even pleasure in His presence. Enjoying Him soooo much in the intimacy of your secret garden, your prayer closet, that you'd never want to leave.  It's not about what He can do for us and it's not even about what we can do for Him.

It's about feelings of love.  But those feelings can only come from a new heart!

And what are the actions that are sure to follow those feelings?

First action of course will be spending time with Him.  One on One!  He and I!  When we truly love someone, we want to spend time with them.  Lots of it!  Alone, one-on-one! 

And as a result of spending time with Him, we get to know Him, to know His heart.  And then, it will result in us wanting to please Him.  When we truly love somebody, we want with all of our heart to please them.  And then, we don't tell them of all the wonderful things we want to do for them.  We will want to do what we know pleases them.  In other words, we will OBEY them!  Their desires!

Jesus said in John 14:15 "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." 

For those of us who do not FEEL love for Jesus, here's a suggestion:  Pray and ask for it.  "Lord help me to love You.  Show me what You've done for me so I can love You".  And also remember that "to know Him is to love Him".  How do we get to KNOW Him?  By spending time with Him.  The more time we spend with somebody, the more we know them.

In the Song Of Solomon He beckons us, "My beloved spoke, and said to me: “Rise up, my love, my fair one, And come away." He indeed is the LOVER of our soul and He desires that intimate fellowship with us!

Just one example from the Bible: Exodus 3:3-4 "Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight....” So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”" This has a deep meaning.  Moses made a conscious decision to "drop whatever he was doing" and make time to know the Lord.  And when the Lord saw his desire, He revealed Himself to him.  He will also honor our desires.  Want to know Him?  Want to love Him? Make time for Him!  You'll be richly rewarded.  My favorite quote of my pastor "God is equal opportunity!"

Are we going to "turn aside" today from our busy schedule and seek to know Him? Remember "the place where you stand is holy ground" (Exodus 3:5).  No need to look for a better place!  It's right where you are!  You will be richly rewarded!

To think about:  

Feelings that are not backed up by actions are not true love, they're just LUST! They're love of SELF! 

Actions that are not birthed in feelings of love, are LEGALISM!  Yes, we can perform actions without the feelings but, sooner or later, if we keep "working" for somebody we don't love, we will hate them! 

That's what the Pharisees did!  "Anything for God!  We'll keep the Sabbath, we'll tithe, we'll wear the long robes and make loooong prayers in public.......".  But they hated Him so much, they KILLED Him!  Think about it!

If you don't have a "secret place" yet, make one!  And remember, that could be anywhere you are!

In your bedroom, in the living room (I call mine "Loving Room") when all are asleep at night or when home alone, in your car, any place where you can be away from people, in peace and quiet.

Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God!..." "Knowing" refers to intimate relationship knowledge. 

May He give us a new heart, one that loves Him, enjoys His presence, desires to keep His commandments!

Until next time, LOVE HIM, SEEK HIM, while He may be found!

Natalia

What a great morning to be alive Beloved!

What a great morning indeed!  

And since I've been made alive in Jesus, every spring reminds me of His power to resurrect.  To bring life out of death.  In John 12:24 Jesus states "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain." 

So, in order to come to life, something must die FIRST! Every new human conception is a picture first of all of death!  An egg and a sperm must each first die to their own independence and to join in order to give birth to a new life! 

We must first die in order to be brought into a new life with Him! 2 Timothy 2:11 is clear "For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him."

This morning I'm in 1 Timothy 2:1 and it's like Jesus spoke to me:  "I exhort first of all that ....giving of thanks be made for all men".  Now I really had to stop and ponder on this.

Sometimes I tend to just read quickly over passages, too quickly.  This time, I stopped and said to myself, "this is too important to just hurry over".  When we dig for treasure in God's Word, let's not be too in a hurry, cause we may miss it.  Sometimes very valuable things come in small packages.

"Thank God for all men"!  That means men, women, boys, girls.  

When is the last time somebody cut me off on the highway and I thanked God for them?  Do I thank God for the mail man who brings bills or bad news?  Did I thank Him for the policeman that stopped me for speeding on the freeway and gave me a speeding ticket, the second citation in my life, when my first was 30 years earlier?

Can I thank Him for a neighbor whose dog or child makes my life miserable?  For a teacher who has me re-do my paper cause she knew the first was not as good as I can do? For a parent who did not raise me as well as I think I deserved?  For "friends" that are more like Judas? How about for sons and daughters that keep me on my knees longer than I would like to stay?  

For a shopper in front of us in line that is moving too slow?  For the driver that just took "my parking spot"?  For a spouse that is not doing his/her job as well as I would do it if I were in their shoes? How about for in-laws?  In-laws that are sometimes bound to bring us face to face with the worst in us?  To bring to light hidden things in us that we did not know or care to think that existed in us?  

The list is long.... 

Lord, help me make an effort to remember to give You thanks for ALL men!

His Grace to you!  And till next time, seek Him!

Natalia in Idaho

Welcome to my new blog!

"Why another blogger?", you might ask.  "Don't we have enough?", you wonder.

When the Lord tells you to do something, you'd better do it, I figure!  Don't want to end up like Jonah!

In my blog I will try not to give advice on how one should live his/her life.  That's not my calling.  The purpose of my blog is and will be to share from the roof top what the Lord has communicated and continues to communicate to me in my secret garden, in my prayer closet,  from His glorious Word.  

And you might wonder what the purpose of that is, what will be accomplished?

My prayers go out even now and every time I will blog that the Lord will use my simple words to birth in every reader a hunger and thirst for Him.  If  my blog will cause the reader to seek Jesus, to hunger and thirst for Him, it will have accomplished its intended purpose.

I will be that "mail-woman" that will deliver to you the love letter from the Lord and then, 
John 3:30 "He must increase, but I must decrease."

I pray that through this blog many will find their way to Jesus, call on Him and be saved.

Here are a few verses through which the Lord spoke to my heart encouraging me to blog:

(and I will be using NKJV, unless otherwise specified)

Matthew 10:27 says, "Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops."   When I came across this verse, I knew the Lord was not wanting me to keep to myself  the glorious treasure He was showing me from His Word, but to share with as many as possible.  I've been sharing for a while by emails with close friends and family, but I feel called to share with as many as will "listen". 

And then everywhere I turn in God's Word, I seem to keep hearing Him asking me to start doing it.  

Jesus says in John 8:26 "I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him."  If Jesus spoke to the world the things He heard from the Father, I am called to do the same.

Ruth 2:14 "eat of the bread, and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar.” ...he passed parched grain to her; and she ate and was satisfied, and kept some back."  and v.18 "she brought out and gave to her [mother-in-law] what she had kept back after she had been satisfied."  When I've been spiritually well fed and satisfied, I'm to also think of and share with those who otherwise would go without.

Esther 4:14 "For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”"

Isaiah 13:2 "Lift up a banner on the high mountain, Raise your voice to them; Wave your hand, that they may enter the gates of the nobles."

Isaiah 40:9 "O Zion, You who bring good tidings, Get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, You who bring good tidings, Lift up your voice with strength, Lift it up, be not afraid; Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”"

Isaiah 58:1 "Cry aloud... Lift up your voice like a trumpet".

Isaiah 58:7 "share your bread with the hungry".....He is the Bread that came from heaven.

Isaiah 59:21 "My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth".

2 Timothy 2:2 "the things that you have heard from me..., commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also."

Revelation 1:11 "What you see, write in a book".  And v.19 "Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this."

I will eventually share a few things from my personal life, as the Lord will show me to be useful to my readers.  And maybe some facts about me will indeed be useful so the reader will have a better understanding of where I'm coming from and the angle I'm seeing things from.  Hopefully some will identify and the light of Jesus will permeate their lives as it's done mine.

Till next time, Seek Him!

Natalia in Idaho