This is another example of the teaching my family received from my Mother.  It still stands up as a practical and wise way to understand how to “hear” from God.  Dave Burwell

God speaks to us by four methods:

1. Through circumstances
2. Though other people
3. Through His Word, the Bible
4. Through our minds 

When we are children, circumstances are the effective means of training, such as the child touching the hot stove and learning why his/her mother said, “Don’t touch”.  When we are newly commited to Christ, God speaks to us things that happen more often than the other three ways.

As we grow, people with experience and understanding are used to teach us.  This is the hardest for a young Christian to accept because of pride…”I’d rather do it myself” or wanting to “hear” from God directly.  They feel it would prove their maturity.  But it really proves the opposite—a mature person accepts the wisdom of others.  Young Christians have yet to learn to differentiate between the voice of God and the voice of His subtle imitator, Satan. 

God gave His Word to men of faith and they are recorded in the Bible.

He expects us, if we belong to His family, to know and live by what He says.  He does not need to voice what we can read.

When we reach spiritual maturity in Christ, we are in 24 hour communication with Him and He uses all four ways to speak to us. We have learned to know that what we get in our mind must be in harmony with Scripture.  God does not contradict Himself.  The Holy Spirit brings to our remembrance what we have read in the Word at the needed time.

God is so good to teach us this way, step by step.  Can you imagine what it would be like if a bunch of children had all the abilities of adults without the wisdom and experience to use them?  Maturity in Christ comes by learning every day and being quickly obedient to put into practice what you are shown

WARNING: BEFORE BREAKTHROUGH (CROSSING OVER)

The Lord finally got my attention one morning, about eight years ago, regarding what I saw going on around me and apparently within me as well.  I had been observing spiritually mature people acting in ways that they used to before they solved some of their “flesh” issues.

The Lord used the 2 x 4 across the forehead approach that morning to say to me “Duh!”  What did Chuck Pierce prophesy regarding April 20, 2001?  It was going to be a “crossing over” for those that had been going through transition for the previous 3-4 years.   Well, guess what, the enemy knew that also and will use any vulnerable area still not completely killed off in our flesh (soul) to try and foil Gods’ plan.

For example, I was working at home booking Steve Archer and supporting a couple of ministries.  My vulnerability, when I am working, is to focus in on the work and focus out any distractions.  Unfortunately, distractions also include paying attention to family and friends without acting irritated if they “bother” me while I’m working.  The first 2 x 4 smash on the forehead was when Diane said I was acting “glum”.  I didn’t feel glum, but I had blocked off normal relationship and kindness as a distraction.  Don’t worry, I won’t divulge to everyone how each of you may act when the devil starts probing your weaknesses and vulnerabilities.

Here are some of the examples of what can happen:

Vulnerability:                                      Manifestation:

Fear                                          Worry, 2nd Guessing, Procrastination, Hopeless

Lust                                           Uncontrolled thoughts, Fantasies

Greed                                        Hoarding, Manipulation, Selfishness

Bad Attitude                              Anger, Irritation, Moodiness, Mean, Grumpy

Selfish                                       Controlling, Non-responsive, Manipulative

Self Worth-in Christ                Confusion, lack of direction, withdrawing

Look at yourself and those people that God has given you relationship with and ask the question: “Where am I vulnerable and how am I acting?”  Then repent to the Lord and also those that have been impacted by your behavior and then with the Lord’s help “FIX THE PROBLEM”.

Put up a spiritual hedge of protection around you and the vulnerable area.  Ask your mate or someone close to you to tell you if you’re acting in an old fleshly (soulish) manner.  And then look forward with full Hope, Faith and Joy to the crossing over that will happen in your life.

PHIL. 4:8 “whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things (fix your minds on them).

               

The following truisms were received over the past few years by the Burwell family from Grandmother Virginia Burwell:

For God’s People:

1. The Will of God will never take you to where the Grace of God will not cover you. 

2.  God speaks to each of us every day.  It is our choice to listen.  The gift of free will we possess, allows us to make the decision to follow His direction or not. 

3.  Whenever we work close to another person, whether in an office or home, small offenses can become the source of great conflict.  Resentment and irritability soon follow.  God brings these “offenses” into our lives to develop character qualities in us. He uses individuals in our lives to accomplish His goal of making us more Christ-like.  So the next time you complain or resist a habit or action from someone close to you, ask God if it has been placed there to develop some quality in you.

4.  Pride is the root source of the need to change another person.  A man’s wisdom gives him patience to let go of little offenses.  This is where spiritual maturity is seen in the day-to-day activity of life.  Is there someone close to you who has some habit you really desire to change?  Give up that desire to the Lord.  Who knows, He may even change it after you let go of the need to change it.   Proverbs 19:11

5.  “Genetic Predisposition” 

Illustration:  Aspen trees have a root system that is invasive, “traveling” underground and “popping up”, becoming new Aspen trees.  Left to themselves they will crowd out other plants in the garden and dominate the space.  There are two ways to control:  “Kill the parent” or chop off the roots coming from the “parent”.  The latter will have to be done consistently until they no longer affect the “garden”.

God wants us to apply this illustration to ourselves.  All of us have genetic predispositions (the sins of the fathers). When I “heard” the two words above while in the bathtub this AM, I was reminded of words I got in January of 2007…..“To avoid the consequences, COMMIT to being CONSISTENT”

6.  There are many disciplines that are needed to be learned and experienced to produce the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).  Here are a few examples:

• Disciplines in relationships (God, family, friends)
• Disciplines in environment (church, home, school, etc)
• Disciplines in care for physical body (food, habits, cleanliness, etc)

You can probably list many more.

Tulip planting illustration:  Tulips need cold to bloom (40 degrees or below) and to be planted in the Fall, 6 inches deep in the soil, in order for them to bloom in the Spring.  Their “disciplines” seem harsh by our standards, but that is what it takes for them to produce strong, upright, colorful blooms, to be what God intended to be.

Last Saturday night, the Lord gave a ‘word’ that one of the most anointed speeches ever given was from a very worldly leader, in our religious perception, during World War 2.

GOD’S MAN IN THE NATURAL LIFE

Winston Churchill was not known as a Godly man, but in retrospect, God used him, probably more than any other man on earth during WW2, to motivate the allied nations against the evil that was trying to overtake the globe.

We as Life Coaches can learn much from the way that God used Churchill to follow the scripture in 1 Corinthians 14:3 (Worldwide English (New Testament)) But the person who is a prophet speaks words from God to people plainly. He helps them to believe and to be strong, and he comforts them.  Yes, I am aware I suggested that Churchill was being used by God as a prophet.  If God can used a donkey to speak to men in Numbers 22:28-30, I believe that the fruit of Churchill’s leadership during this critical time in our history, qualifies him to be called a prophet.

The following is a part of the speech that Churchill gave in May of 1940 when he was first appointed Prime Minister and before Hitler began the attempt to invade Britain in Sept 1940.

“I say to the House as I said to ministers who have joined this government, I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat. We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many months of struggle and suffering.
You ask, what is our policy? I say it is to wage war by land, sea, and air. War with all our might and with all the strength God has given us, and to wage war against a monstrous tyranny never surpassed in the dark and lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy.
You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word. It is victory. Victory at all costs – Victory in spite of all terrors – Victory, however long and hard the road may be, for without victory there is no survival.”

This speech could easily be used as an admonition to us to do as Paul said to Timothy “Fight the Good Fight” (1 Timothy 1:18, 1 Timothy 6:12, 2 Timothy 4:7) and to be prepared for what Jesus said to His disciples in the 24th chapter of Matthew in describing the signs of the coming of the end of this age.

GOD’S MAN IN THE SPIRITUAL LIFE

Rees Howell’s was not know to the general public as a statesman like Churchill.  God, however, used him, probably more than any other man on earth during WW2, to fight the Spiritual battle against the spiritual evil that was trying to take over the globe.

In September 1940, when Germany was trying to bomb Britain into submission, Howell’s and his Christian college staff, began to pray.  The following is paraphrased from a portion of the book, ‘Rees Howells Intercessor’ by Norman Grubb: 

September 8. At first, in a time when the bombing of Britain was causing heavy inflictions upon the civilians, Mr. Howells and the college saw their faith levels raised to believe God that no bomb would ever fall on any of the colleges properties. As the time went on Mr. Howells came through to victory knowing that his prayer was answered, not because of selfish need, but because of the work of the Kingdom. In the afternoon meeting he said, “I could put it in print that no devil can touch anyone here.” September 10. “After the victory of Sunday there is great liberty to pray that God will really deal with the devil in the Nazis and put an end to this wicked system. Our prayer for London is that God will turn the tide now and save lives”. September 12. “We prayed last night that London would be defended and that the enemy would fail to break through, and God answered prayer. If we have protection for our properties, why not get protection for the country?” “September 14.”Because we have believed, God has made known to us what is to come to pass. Every Creature is to hear the Gospel; Palestine is to be regained by the Jews; and the Saviour is to return”

Churchill, in his War Memoirs, gives September 15 as “the culminating date” in that Battle of the Air. He tells how he visited the Operations Room of the RAF that day and watched as the enemy squadrons poured over and ours went up to meet them, until the moment came when he asked the Air Marshal, “What other reserves have we?”. “There are none,” he answered, and reported afterwards how grave Mr. Churchill looked, “and well I might,” added Mr. Churchill. Then another five minutes passed, and “it appeared that the enemy were going home. The shifting of the discs on the table showed a continuous eastward movement of German bombers and fighters. No new attack appeared. In another ten minutes the action was ended.” There seemed no reason why the Luftwaffe should have turned for home, just at the moment when victory was in their grasp. But we know why.

After the war Air Chief Marshal Lord Dowding, Commander-in-chief of Fighter Command in the Battle of Britain, made this significant comment: “Even during the battle one realized from day to day how much external support was coming in. At the end of the battle one had the sort of feeling that there had been some special Divine intervention to alter some sequence of events which would have otherwise occurred”.

It seems apparent to this Life Coach, that without God’s man in the Natural and also with God’s man in the Spiritual, the battle would not be won.  The is true in all aspects of our lives.  We all need those that God has called to fight the daily battles in life and surround them with those that God has called to fight the Spiritual battle that we are continually confronting.

THE AFTERMATH OF THE VICTORY IN LIFE

Anyone who knows a little of  history is aware that the “Battle of Britain” was the primary turning point toward the victory of ‘Good over Evil’ during WW2.  It has been said that to forget history is to repeat it.  We can use this turning point as a model of the battle we all fight daily.  Commitment to victory in the natural life with commitment to victory in the Spiritual life in parallel is a critical understanding for us as Life Coaches.

Some years ago the Lord showed me that in all areas of our lives, we are to Keep It Scriptural, Spiritual, Easy & Simple (KISSES).  Winston Churchill and Rees Howells are historical examples of where God used two men, who may have never even met, to use KISSES to turn the tide in a world war.

Churchill cleverly summarized this with a speech in October 1941, after the tied was turned: “This is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”

The inspiration that the beleaguered Nation of England received from this “Keep It Simple” admonition by Churchill can also inspire us in out daily lives in God’s Kingdom on earth.  (To hear Churhill’s speech and other inspiring speeches from this great man click on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Utv9rCHlpkM.)

On Mike’s Blog (see link to the right) Mike posted ”Acts of Micro-Good Samaritanism.  I suggest you read this as it is a perfect example of Life Coaching in action.  Sometimes I am guilty of being “wordy” (Diane confirms this) and the saying “a picture is worth 1,000 words” is definitely true when it comes to being a visible “light in the darkness”.

Please comment below with your own examples of being or seeing a “good Samaritan”.

For those of you that could not make last Saturday night’s One Accord meeting, we had a very unique and productive time seeing a small glimpse of how the ministry Freedom Trails can work.  (See Susan’s note below)  We are encouraging all One Accorder’s to consider a special offering to Freedom Trails to help with the upfront expenses for this worthy ministry.  In addition to the brief overview below, Freedom Trails incorporates Holy Spirit led and Bible based elements to this ministry.  (Comment below if you are interested on how to contribute or would like more information)

An Overview of Equine Assisted Therapy & Learning

Equine Assisted Therapy (EAT) and Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) programs incorporate horses in an experiential setting for psychotherapy, personal growth and learning. It is collaboration between trained and certified professionals working with the clients and with horses to achieve specific goals. Sessions are intense and effective, often resulting in breakthroughs much more rapidly then other therapies or learning situations.

EAT and EAL are experiential by definition. Clients learn about themselves and others by participating in activities with the horses, and then discussing feelings, behaviors, and patterns. This processing component allows clients to truly integrate their experiences with their lives. Though many experiential learning programs are effective, EAT and EAL bring a new dimension by using horses, which bring their own unique energy to the session.

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 I just wanted to send out a heart filled thank you to all who participated in the Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) session last night. Thank you for coming out and doing something that was unfamiliar and that you didn’t fully understand or know what to expect. God has put this ministry in front of me to minister to woman and teens and help them gain freedom from challenges that God has and still is healing me from.   I appreciated and learned a lot from each one of your constructive comments and pray that you were able to gain something valuable from the experience as well.  Thank you again for all your support and prayers for this ministry, my family, and me.

God Bless, Susan Karol

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The One Accord meeting schedule and the instructions and menu will be found under the “One Accord Fellowship” tab at the top of the web page.  Click on the “Meetings” drop down and you will see the meeting page show up.  To add comments about your attendance, menu item, questions, etc., please use the “Leave a Reply” option at the bottom of the “Meetings” page.  I will be reviewing the comments regularly and updating the page and/or responding to your questions and comments.

This will replace all other methods of One Accord meeting communication via the internet.