Several years ago God put a message on my heart about living
in the present. Without walking you
through the whole message let me just hit a couple of high points...
1. Everyone has a
past. My great nephew is 1 year old as
of July 6, 2013. He has a past. Of course he won't remember it! But I can promise you that his immediate
family members remember all 365 days of it! ha,ha,ha,ha,ha!
2. If you are alive
and breathing, you have a present. The
question is still up for grabs whether you are living in it or not.
3. We have a future
best we know – unless, of course, we die in the present.
Many people I see in the counseling process live in the ‘past
box’. They live there because of guilt,
shame, fear, blame, hiding and/or because those were the “good old days” of
accolades and pats on the back. Living
in the past works fine if everyone you know is willing to live there with
you. But most people aren't. Why?
Because, living in the past gets old!!
After awhile no-one wants to be around you because you are a broken
record whether you are living in the depths of despair or recalling your
wonderful deeds. The thing about the
past is that Jesus covered our past with the blood on the Cross at
Gethsemane. He covered the good, the bad,
and the ugly with His blood.
Other people I see in the counseling process live in the ‘future
box’. I call it the "when, if, and
what if” box. Evidence that they live
there comes from these kind of statements, "When we get that new
house", "When I get that new job position", "When the kids
all leave home" and "What if the loan doesn't go through", "What if we don't get the support",
"What if they hire someone else", etc, etc, etc. The thing about the future is that God holds
it in His hands.
So, let's clarify.......He has the past covered and He holds
the future. But, where does He dwell?....in
the ‘present box’. He dwells in today! He isn't in the past box when you are running
yourself crazy there and He isn't in the future box when you are doing all the
"when, ifs, and what ifs". Do
you understand He is in the moment? Not past, not future but NOW! He has the past covered! He holds the future! But, He dwells in the
present! If you are going to experience
Him daily it will be in the present!
Matthew 6:33-34(NIV) But seek
first his kingdom and his
righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore
do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has
enough trouble of its own.
I have been practicing the principle of living in the
present recently. Not just talking about
it, but doing it. It has increased my
prayer life sooooo much. My times with
the LORD are so much more personal. My
quiet times are sweeter. I realize it is
because He is dwelling in the present and I am meeting Him here. I don't spend energy on yesterday or
tomorrow. I don't sit around in the
depths of despair over bad choices even if it was just yesterday in something I
said or did. I don't sit around thinking
about accolades of the past to make me feel good today. I don't sit around waiting for some big sign
regarding the future and His plans for me.
I live in the moment to the best of my human ability to obey Him in
this. The hard part about this journey
is most people are living in the past and/or the future and they want to drag
you into their box. Stand firm, my
friend, in the present! And your love
towards all men will grow stronger because He is with you!! And finally, in living in the present, God is
really teaching me the principle behind "come as you are". We like to come when we have cleaned
up. Problem is then we forget to come! So, that old saying, "Come as you
are" has taken on a whole new meaning for me. I am learning to come whether I am happy in
the present, mad or ticked off in the present, frustrated or sad in the
present, rejoicing in the present, etc.
So, "dwell in the present, my friends" and "come as you
are"!
North East Asia........
We now have 32 women signed up for the North East Asia
trip. Yeah God!! Also, out of those 32 you have already
contributed towards the sponsorship of 30 of those women! I love it!!
Keep that support coming in! I am
still believing God to open the way for all 50 slots to be filled and believing
Him that all the support will come in accordingly! Be obedient as He leads you!
The team members will begin meeting weekly for prayer this
week. If you are interested in meeting
with the team members in different areas please let me know and I will connect
you with their locations and times. We
have teams praying in Tulsa, OK, Morrilton, AR, Jonesboro, AR, and Memphis,
TN. Contact me at vickie@purejoyinternational.org
and I will connect you. We start praying
weekly in Morrilton, AR tonight and all Monday nights up until we leave the
country. Prayer/team meeting time
usually lasts from 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Love you all and have a great week "dwelling in His
presence".
His,
Vickie
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