We have things facing us throughout the day. We have decisions to make, places to go, work to do. We have to decide what to have for breakfast and what to wear. We have to think about whether or not the car needs gas, what appointments we have today, what assignments or jobs should be handled, whether it is time for a dental appointment, and lots lots more. How can we possibly take the time to abide in Christ?

One year when I was camping I encountered a skunk. This particular skunk had gotten his head stuck in a yogurt cup. The poor thing was wandering in circles and bumping into things. His field of vision was limited to the inside of the yogurt cup. That skunk with the limited vision represents us with our limited knowledge. Our knowledge is only as extensive as our education and experiences. If we make a mistake it is as if we bumped into something and we just move on, trying not to bump into that same thing. Soon we bump into something else.

God is ready, willing, and able to guide you into the right decisions and paths. He is waiting for you to allow Him to do so. Put your faith in Him. Seek Him and acknowledge Him. You can't go wrong.

We read in the Bible about the things God has done. We know that God created the entire universe. Yet, we confine Him to our human perception of who He is and what He can and will do.

God is not a human and does not do things in a way that we can understand. We are not meant to understand the why and how of what God does and can do. We are, however, supposed to take the things that are in the Bible very seriously. When the Bible says we can move mountains if we have enough faith, it means it! When it says we are healed by the stripes Jesus took, it means it! When it says we are given gifts to use for edification of the body, it means it! Everything in the Bible is there for a reason!

I generally do not take anyone's word on what is the truth unless I have good reason to believe that person is totally honest. Even then, that person might have been deceived and honestly feels what they are saying is the truth when it isn't.

My thoughts don't want to be brought into captivity. They want to wander hither and yon as they please. It takes effort to bring my thoughts into captitivity to the obedience of Christ. If I keep thinking about the Lord then my thoughts are being brought into captivity. If my mind strays off of Him then they aren't. Most things take practice and effort. This is no different. I need to keep trying. I need to remind myself I've got a goal I've set and need to work toward achieving it.

I need to continue finding out about God. I need to continue reading my Bible and praying that I understand the things God has for me there. I need to continue learning how to listen to God's voice. We're talking about the God who created the universe. Is anything impossible for Him? (Hint- -the answer to the question is, "No.")

This scripture tells us that the Word of God works in us. The hindrance to that statement would be GETTING THE WORD IN US IN THE FIRST PLACE! If the Word isn't in us then it can't work. It is like a pitcher with water in it. If the pitcher does not have water poured into it then when you tip it to get a drink nothing will come out! The water can't do the work of quenching your thirst if you didn't put any water in it in the first place!

Luke 11:28, "But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it."

Ephesians 6:17, "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

Hebrews 11:3, "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."

It is not up to God to fill you full of Him. He won't force Himself on you. It is up to you to fill yourself with Him. Don't complain that God is far from you. Don't complain that God won't listen to you. Fill yourself with Him. READ YOUR BIBLE!

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."
Psalm 46:1

When I start thinking along those lines I have to thump myself over the head for being SO STUPID! I AM a child! I am a child of God!! He will help me with my decisions and He is able to watch over me. DUH! I just have to ask. If that is the hardest part, why don't I do it all the time??

If we put God in a place of importance then we will remember to ask His help and advice. We will remember that He is protecting us and wanting to guide us. We will be able to live without fear. We will never despair. We will never give up.

He says, "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye," in Psalm 32:8. He is willing to be with us throughout our entire life. Every step we take, He is there. It is up to us to realize it. It is up to us to accept His help, strength, and refuge He is offering. Do you need those things? That's a silly question, of course you do! He is there beside you. He is holding out His hand. Take it.

Let's take a look at this one carefully. This is a scripture that you need to have tattooed on your brain and in your heart. This is about a house, or dwelling place. The main purpose of a dwelling place is for protection. A good one protects you from the heat, cold, rain, snow, etc. It also provides you comfort and a place to relax.

We want to have a strong habitation and we have one. There is something that is left up to us, however. We have to stay in it continually. God is not going to force us to accept His protection, His peace, His love, His comfort, or anything else. He leaves that choice up to us.

What does it mean to seek God's face? What is in a face? If you pay close attention to someone's face you can see a lot of things. In their eyes you can see if they are at peace. In their countenance you can see if they are happy, sad, mad, scared, or indifferent. You can tell what they think about you. When you are seeking God's face you are seeking His heart and His mind. You are interested in what He is thinking.

In order to seek God's face we need to step way out of our comfort zone. We have to be ready to set aside any ideas and thoughts we already have about God. We have to be ready to accept anything that God reveals to us. We need to let go of everything. We have to let go of everything that is near and dear to us. As long as we are holding on to earthly things we will never ascend to the level of stepping into heavenly things.

We have to humble ourselves. In humbling ourselves we have to let go of those things that are important to us. We have to face the fact that everything we are and everything we have are because of Him. In ourselves, we have nothing that is of any value. We have done nothing in ourselves that will withstand the test of time. NOTHING!

"Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For every man shall bear his own burden."

Are you hungry for more? Are you hungry for a close relationship with Him? Let go of yourself because you have nothing to offer Him that He needs. Find out what He is telling you. Seek His face. Don't be looking for His blessings. . .they will find you as you humbly seek Him!

But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone. Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest. Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you.

Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?"

There are way too many people that just ignore Him. They know in their hearts there is a God, but they choose to let Him do His thing while they do theirs. They have no fear, nor even respect for Him.

Most people categorize God in a category with which they feel comfortable. For example: God is Love. Absolutely! You get no argument from me! However, God is more than that. He is the Creator, the Light, the Rock, the Alpha and Omega, Heavenly Father, and much more. He is to be feared, reverenced, worshipped, praised, thanked, and much more. God cannot be categorized or boxed. He cannot be limited nor explained in human terms.

Think about it this way. . .what would you think, what would you do, and what would you say if you heard someone announce, "God has entered the room?"

What's so great about a shield? Silly! You know the answer to that question. From what does God shield you? Whatever you want! Are you being attacked by mean people, fear, anger, illness, or money problems? Is there anything else from which you need to be shielded? That's what God can do for you! He is THE Ultimate Shield! There are no holes in that shield! There are no weak spots in that shield! It is available to you.

NO GOOD THING will He withold from you if you walk uprightly. Upright: with honesty and integrity. Ah, there's the rub! How can we do that? The next sentence is the answer. Trust in Him to help you. If you put your trust and faith in Him and allow Him to have control over your life then you will walk uprightly. You will do better than that. You will begin to ooze the love of God out of your life. You will begin to have the attributes of God.

Try it...I know you will like it!

There are things in our lives that hinder our walk with the Lord and with our spiritual growth. God will reveal those things to us. It is up to us to get rid of them. If they are long-time habits or learned behaviors then we will need His help to get rid of them.

In Luke 9:23 Jesus said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." For what purpose is the cross used? It is for dying. We need to die to the things that hinder our relationship with God. We need to die to our "self" which is our pride, our self-esteem, our "what's in it for me?" attitudes.

If anyone feels they are separated from God then it is they, themselves that are lost. When there comes a time in a person's life when they feel they need to get closer to God then all they need to do is seek Him. Some people seek Him half-heartedly. They find Him, because He is never far, but they don't get to know Him. When life gets too distracting they wander away again. Maybe they never wander as far as they were before, but they wander.

Many of His personality traits, desires, methods of operation, and other attributes are spelled out in the Bible. By reading it you learn more about Him. You can never get everything out of the Bible that is in there. Each time you read it you will learn more.

Listen listen listen. Find out what personal things He has to say to you. He wants to tell you how much He loves you. He wants to tell you what to do and say. He wants to commune with you. Don't just keep talking to Him. That is not a conversation; that is a monologue.

Every day we need to know what decisions to make. We don't know what each day is going to bring our way. We don't know what problems or disasters might befall us. We need to place our trust in the One who does know and who can help us. We need to do this each and every day. We need to give our day to Him and ask Him to help us through it.

He desires our thoughts. He desires to guide us. Think how foolish we are when we try to handle things on our own without including Him! How often do we know with absolute certainty that we are doing the right thing/making the right decision? I am way too foolish and prideful to even imagine that I know what is best! Yet, I frequently step out without Him! Somebody smack me upside the head! What is wrong with me??

I have apologized to Him for pulling away from Him. The wonderful thing is that I know that He still loves me even though I've not been giving Him 100%.

There is only one way to really know if you would like that food item or not. You would have to taste it. You would actually have to put some of the food in your mouth. You would have to make yourself taste it.

The only way that someone would be able to know how wonderful God truly is would be for them to make the effort to "taste" God. They would have to make themselves work on finding out more about God. They would have to, on purpose, read their Bible and spend time in communion with God. They would have to experience God for themselves in order to know for sure how wonderful He truly is!

Look how far mankind has come from that time. Most people have forsaken God. They have chosen to turn their backs on Him. They have chosen to believe that they know what is right. If they do believe in God, then they probably believe they know what God does and doesn't like. They probably do not seek to find out what God wants them to do and to say.

Make a list of your accomplishments. What skills do you have? What awards have you won? Look at that list and cross off all the things that you did not do all on your own. You could start by crossing off your talents because those were given to you by God. You did not create them yourself. Any awards you won because of athletic abilities or because of any other natural skills or talents would be because of what God gave you. If you do it honestly then you probably will cross off everything or almost everything.

If God was returned to His rightful position of being the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and End, the Creator, and God Almighty what would happen to the divorce rate? wars? gangs? jails? locks and keys? Think about it.

You are the temple of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit lives inside you (1Cor 3:16). Let me place a little more emphasis on the last part:
THE HOLY SPIRIT LIVES INSIDE YOU!

Our scripture says we are changed into the same image from glory to glory. We are being changed into the image of Jesus! The closer we get to the Lord, the more we learn about Him, the more we learn about the things the Holy Spirit within us is capable of doing, the more we are looking like Jesus! This means that people can actually see Jesus when they look at us!

No, no, no that doesn't mean that we begin to have facial features like Jesus had. It means they can see attributes of Jesus in us. They will see His compassion, understanding, and love in our expressions.

I hope that, when we are in heaven, we will be able to find out how many lives we have touched. So many Christians feel frustrated because they don't feel they are doing anything important for God. If you are allowing the Holy Spirit in you to work then you will have spoken exactly the right words, you will have prayed exactly the right prayers, you will have done exactly the right things over and over and over.

Rom 8:4, "That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

Gal 5:25, "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." Walking in the Spirit is a choice. We have to make that choice every single day. You can't walk in the Spirit if you don't know the heart of God. You won't know the heart of God if you don't read your Bible and spend time in communion (prayer) with Him. You can't walk in the Spirit if you don't stay in constant contact with God.

There are riches in God that you have never experienced! There isn't just one valuable thing, there is an endless supply of valuable things buried in God! We could spend the rest of our lives seeking to know all there is to know about God and we will never reach that point. However, the journey in the search will uncover an untold amount of riches.

I can't even tell you all the things that God has done in my life that are valuable! Every day with Him holds new treasure. He has protected me and my family an immeasurable number of times. He has given me both tiny and huge treasures of joy and peace every single day! He has provided me with strength and with wisdom when I needed them the most!

Let's take a quick look at more riches:

You have two shovels you were given. One is the Bible and the other is prayer. Start digging! Your riches await!

In this scripture, the people think they are alive, yet they are dead. It says they have a name. It sounds like they think they are alive and doing God's will just because they have a name. It sounds like they are content to think that the name, the reputation, will be enough. They think their affiliation with a respected church is enough.

Do you know people like that? I refer to them as pew-warmers. They come in to a church, looking to receive something for themselves, take what they can get, and they go home. They don't practice anything they've learned. Or, they go to church and think that, just because they are going to church, that is all God requires of them. They don't read their Bible on their own. They think they are alive, but they are dead. They are dead to what God wants them to be doing!

Those people that are using excuses to get out of doing what God wants them to do will have a very hard lesson some day. What do you think God's response will be to the following?

Some day you will have to answer for the decisions you have made. You will be responsible, even if you were tricked, fooled, lied to, or otherwise confused. Satan is in the business of tricking people into doing things that hinder their walk with God. He's good at what he does, so he can easily disguise things and make them appear to be good things.

Choose wisely. If you choose not to take the time to develop a relationship with God then you will be easily fooled. You will not know what God's opinions are and what God's will is until it is too late. What excuses are you going to offer to God when He asks you, "What have you done with what I gave you?"

A series of related studies:  What is God's Will?

If we keep trying to do the right things and keep failing in our attempts we might give up trying. After all, how many times can you fail at something before you figure you can't do it? Once you get to the point where you decide you can't do it on your own, then it is easier to accept help.

Then, I imagine Him near me all day long. I imagine Him in the same room, in the car, and walking with me during the day. Then, when I say something I shouldn't, I apologize. Most of the time I end up not saying the things I shouldn't because I am aware of His presence. If someone is observing you, then you will probably act differently.

Walking in the Spirit is something that the world doesn't teach us. This is something that is a heavenly thing. God doesn't tell us to do something that is impossible for us to do. He challenges us to do things that are difficult, and He will provide us with the help to do them.

It isn't an easy thing to be focused on the things of God. We live in the world. We are influenced by the things of the world. We are taught to not believe in things we can't see, hear, taste, or touch. It takes a conscious decision on our part to walk in the Spirit. It is difficult because it is a concept known by God, but not known by man. The main thing is that it is a worthwhile thing to do. We don't know how worthwhile until we do it!

Look how far away we have gotten from what God wanted! Most of the world doesn't give Him the time of day. He wants to spend time with us. He wants to communicate with us. He wants to bless us. He wants us to bless Him.

Even within the church itself we are not allowing God to teach us His ways. We are not allowing Him to rule in all areas. People took "control" away from God and are very reluctant to give it back.

"Walk" with Him today. "Meet" with Him throughout the day. Spend time with Him. Let's try to find out just how He wants things. Let's try to find out what His plan is. Let's not conform to what the world expects. The world is wrong!!! Don't let the world influence your personal relationship with God!!!

We can be doing all those things regularly and still have our hearts far from God. If our heart is toward God, we have made Him our top priority. He is the love of our life. He is the One we long to spend time with. We will be thinking about Him at every opportunity. We will be wondering what He thinks about things. We will be asking His opinion on everything that happens. We will be taking every opportunity to tell Him we love Him.

If you aren't hearing from Him during your prayer times then there is something wrong with your prayer times. Of all the parts of prayer listening just might be the most important. Are you listening?

There are an awful lot of churches that promote the lack of spiritual understanding. I've heard pastors say, "God will always....[do whatever]," and I've heard pastors say, "God won't ever...{do such and such]." Since they are the "learned" pastor the people in the congregation usually accept what is said as factual information about God and are satisfied.

My son and I were talking the other day about churches we've attended and he made the comment that he thought people were afraid of me and that was why we've been shunned by previous brothers and sisters in Christ from churches we used to attend. It startled me because it hit home in my spirit.

As I thought more about it I realized that when I began exercising the gifts the Lord has given me people backed away and some even got angry. They got uncomfortable thinking that God would use a regular person like me to speak to them. Rather than submit these things to the Lord and ask for verification, they would react in the flesh and close me out.

In order to obtain spiritual understanding we have to let go of all understanding that we have in our heads. You see, spiritual understanding is actually not understanding at all. It isn't understanding the why's and the how's of God. Spiritual understanding is just understanding that God CAN and WILL do ANYTHING HE PLEASES if we allow Him to use us. Spiritual understanding is basically understanding that you cannot understand the things of God.

Let's back up a little to verses 22 and 23:
"Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian.  And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you."

Gideon's heart was in the right place.  From the experiences he had (see last week's Bible study if you missed it) he knew that God was ordering his steps and was the reason he had turned into such a good leader.  So, very wisely, he proclaimed what he had learned to all the people.  After all, that was the way God intended it all along.  He wanted to be their King and Ruler!

Then Gideon proceeded to do something to honor God.  He collected up a bunch of gold earrings that the people had collected off of their defeated enemy.  (Right off the bat this sounds bad.  It should have brought to someone's mind the story of the golden calf that the people had made while waiting for Moses at Mount Sinai.  That should have hinted that caution was necessary.)  Anyway, what started out as an honor to God turned into idol worship.  Instead of dedicating the ephod to God and worshipping God, their focus turned to the ephod, itself.

First of all, did God need another ephod?  The high priest already had one.  An ephod is part of what the high priest wore.  It makes me wonder where Gideon got the idea.  Perhaps he was doing as Moses did in Numbers 31:54.  However, there was a big difference.  Moses had the gold they offered up to God put into the tabernacle.  Gideon put the ephod in the city in which he lived.  It really wasn't given to God, but was made to admire.

The ephod was probably beautiful and probably very expensive.  People wanted to see it.  Perhaps some people wanted to have it for themselves, or imagined what it would be like to have it for themselves.  Anyway, the ephod's original purpose was to turn people's eyes to God.  They would see the ephod made of jewelry taken from their defeated enemy and praise God for helping them to arise out of the condition of being captives in their own land to being the conquerors.  Instead, they focused only on the ephod, itself.

Can you think of any examples today of things that should bring us to the throne of God but only serve to distract us from focusing in God?

Church buildings sometimes become way more important than they should.  I've seen where people fight with each other over what color of paint to use, what type of carpet to put in, and whether to use rooms for storage or classrooms.  I was in a Palm Sunday service at a church that, instead of any teaching or evangelizing, they did a presentation on the progress of the construction of their new building.

What about the "miraculous sightings of Mary" or "images of Jesus' face" seen in skyscraper windows or on a potato?  What is worshipped there, God or the miracle?

What about people planning church services and neglecting to let God choose what is done there?  What about the line drawn between clergy and laity?  What about what clothes people are told to wear at church?  What about a magnificent pipe organ?  Need I go on?

All things that we do for God, give to God, or are about God should be secondary.  If we don't see God first and foremost then perhaps the "ephod" should be removed or destroyed.

It was hard to narrow this study down to just one verse because there is a kind of long story that goes with this man, Micah.  The main thing we need to look at is the fact that he had made items that were to be used in his worship of God. 

He also, apparently, was worshipping other gods as he had a "house of gods."  The Israelites did that a lot during the times of the judges and of the kings.  They would worship the gods of the land they occupied or the gods of the husbands and wives they took from other peoples. 

Anyway, he felt he needed certain things in order to properly worship God.  He decided he needed his own priest so he made one of his sons his priest.  Later he encountered a Levite passing through the land and hired him to be his own personal priest.  He even said in verse 13, "Now know I that the LORD will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest."  Micah thought that God would pay special attention to him because of the priest and the ephod.

Back then God indicated that priests would be the middle men between the Israelites and Him.  The priests offered the sacrifices, took care of the tabernacle, etc.  Today we don't need any men to be our middle men.  Jesus is our priest.  Heb 4:14 tells us, "Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession."

Last week's study mentioned another ephod, one that Gideon had made.  This week we are looking at the ephod that Micah made as well as the teraphim.  Teraphim is images, idols, masks, or other things that represented God or other gods.

Today we may have things that we use to help us to get closer to, worship, or pray to God.  Some people use a rosary.  Some people burn candles.  Some people have a certain chair.  Some people use a particular book, other than the Bible.

There are also rituals that people use.  Some people always begin with the same scripture, phrase, or song. Some repeat the same prayers over and over and over, like a chant.

There are particular objects that are used and there are particular methods that are used.  When we get into a routine with the things of God then we may very well miss God altogether.  He wants us to come to Him with nothing in between us.  We can become so focused on ritual and on idols we create to represent God that we don't improve our relationship with God, Himself.

God doesn't require pomp and circumstance from us.  He doesn't require us to wear certain clothes or to say certain things.  It isn't like it was in the Old Testament where there were rules about who could approach God and how they could approach Him.   Thanks to Jesus making the ultimate sacrifice He became the middle man between us and God. 

Heb 4:14-16, "Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."

We can go straight to the throne of God.  We don't have to hide behind any rituals.  We can open our hearts up to Him.  We need to have a continually fresh relationship with Him.  Once again, we must remove and destroy any "ephods" that get in the way of a close relationship with God.  I'm going to ask God to reveal anything that I have put in a place of importance that interferes or hinders my relationship with Him.  How about you?

These things can't be described in human terms because the human mind can't comprehend things like tasting God.  However, if you have spent time with Him and have gotten to know more about Him by diving deeply into your Bible you have tasted Him.

"O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him."
Psalm 34:8

The Psalms show that David had that kind of relationship with God.  He was experiencing God.

"He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler."
Psalm 91:4

"The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower."
Psalm 18:2

The things of God are not the things of this world.  We must open our minds to those things He wants us to experience.  We must not place mental limitations on God and on what we will choose to believe about Him.

Here are some more things that only make sense in God's realm and not in our human realm:

"He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him."
John 6:56

"Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ."
1Peter 2:5

Let these things that you read in the Word be transformed within you by the Holy Spirit.  God wants you to receive things from His Word.  He wants you to experience Him.  Don't approach a relationship with God as you would a relationship with a person.  It isn't even close to being the same thing.  Just seek Him with an open mind and allow Him to build that relationship in His way.  You won't regret it!

Over and over there are places in the Old Testament that refer to something that happened back then and that also refer to something that was going to happen in the future.   Let's look at two examples.  In Daniel 9:27 he speaks of the temple becoming desolate.  The temple was destroyed after that prophecy.  The temple will be rebuilt and will be desecrated again during the end times, a second fulfillment.  Psalm 41:9 speaks of Daniel's betrayal by his friend as well as Jesus' betrayal by Judas, two fulfillments of the same prophecy.

Our scripture in Joel is viewed as something that will be coming in the future.  It is considered some of the things that will happen in the end times, when Jesus returns again.  Yet, if we examine the entire chapter we see that it refers to people who have gone away from giving God priority in their lives.

Could that be applicable to the world today?  Could that be applicable to you today?

The chance is probably very good that we are not where we should be in our relationship with God.  We are probably very very far from "loving our neighbor as ourselves" and from "being holy as He is holy" as well as from where God has shown us each personally where He wants us.

We should be weeping because of our disobedience.  We should be fasting so our minds are turned towards Him.  Rending our heart means we are totally serious and repentant for what we have and haven't done.  It is time to tear ourselves open in front of God and allow those things to be revealed that we keep hidden.

When we speak meanly to someone we are doing it to God.  When we refuse to do as we know God wants us to do then we are wounding God.  We are not just hurting ourselves by the things we do, we are hurting God.

It is time to stop PLAYING church and PLAYING Christian.  It is time to turn to God with ALL our heart.  Every moment of our lives belongs to Him.

I wonder what I will say when I am in front of the Lord and He asks me about things I did.  Over and over He may ask me, "Why?"  What will I answer?  I can only think of one answer and it is certainly not a good one, "I felt like it."

Things must change and they must change NOW!  Are you with me?  Shall we encourage each other?  Shall we throw off those dumb things that hold us back and begin to climb out of this pit of self-service?  Let's go!

I'm used to talking with people.  With people you get an immediate reaction to the things you are discussing.  With God it is so very different.

I'm trying to think of a way to put this in words.  The things that God does are so "way out there" that there aren't always words that adequately describe them.  He let me know He understood what I was trying to say.  Then, it was as if He became solid, except it was only in my mind.   See, I told you it was hard to describe.  I felt like He became more "real" so I could see that He wasn't far away from me.

Gosh, it seems the more I try to explain the harder it gets.  Have I totally confused you?  I'm confusing me!

When I go about my day I am often too busy for God.  I push Him to the side in my mind a lot.  When I am zooming along in my mind at high speeds of concentration I am bypassing Him.  When He demonstrated His "solid existence" He was showing me that I must concentrate on Him being actually with me as a human would be with me.

I am a visual person and like to see a demonstration of what I am learning.  I am not very good at learning abstract things.  God has been very very patient in teaching me about Himself.  Maybe that is why I am able to teach other people what He has taught me.  He has had to show me things in many different ways so I understand and that allows me to have simple ways to pass it on.

I'm hoping that this will help somebody else in the same way it helps me.  (Boy, I hate it when the words feel awkward.)  As I am making this journey toward being in God's will every moment of every day I must focus on Him.  By focusing on Him I will know why it is important for me to become humble and to become nothing.  When I don't have the purpose for being "nothing" in front of me I don't have the motivation to keep silent or to do whatever it is that will cause me to be humble.

By feeling God's "real-ness" I can visualize Him being between me and other people.  He is the reason that I must be humble.  It is because I love Him that I am desiring to please Him.  I have been put into some very hard situations lately with other people where I was feeling used, taken advantage of, and treated badly.  Normally I would protest or provide a tongue lashing for the guilty party.  God wanted me to be silent, not only silent in my mouth but silent on my face -- no angry or hurt looks.

I have had a great deal of difficulty in forgetting what I wanted to do and doing what God wanted me to do.  I didn't want to ruin what God desired to do but I often just couldn't help myself.  Now He has given me a great helping tool.

Our scripture is about David blessing God in front of all the people.  He, too, was marveling at God's "Bigness" when he said, "Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all." 

God is God and He is not able to fit inside my poor little brain.  I prayed this morning that the seams in my brain burst so I can hold more about God in my head.  Yet, no matter how BIG He is, no matter how GREAT He is, and no matter how POWERFUL He is... He loves me and He loves you.  He wants to have a close and intimate relationship with each of us.  He provides whatever we need to help us on our end of the relationship.

So, if you need to see Him or touch Him or hear Him or smell Him to be able to become closer to Him then He will take care of it.  Don't ask me how He does it.  He's God.  He has a way.

Whew!  This was a tough study.  Be sure to email me if you need me to try to explain a bit more what the heck it means.