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Have you heard it said that misery loves company? Have you seen this in action? Have you had others seek out your company so they could complain at length, refusing any attempt of yours to minister grace and joy, and trying to drag you down with them? Have you ever done this to someone else? They may say that they want comfort, but they refuse comfort. You do not minister life to them by agreeing with and facilitating this. I met people in desperate circumstances. Did I ever give in to pity and commiseration? Do not mistake these for compassion and mercy. I ministered life and redemption to those who desired it, and commissioned you to do the same in my name. 

Do you like to get gifts? Who doesn’t? You like some gifts more than others, but you accept them with the understanding that they are for you. The gifts I give are better than those from anyone else, but the gifts I give you are not for you. They are for others. The gifts I give are special abilities you may employ to serve others. My prophets speak to others rather than to themselves. They are my messengers, employing the gift I give them to relay my message to others. The same principle holds for other gifts I give to equip you for ministry. Have I not called you to lay down your life and be the servant of all? It is more blessed to give than to receive. You will find joy in exercising the gifts I give you to serve others. 

Do you consider the pursuit of happiness to be the highest goal? Consider my servant Paul. Would you consider him to be happy according to the commonly accepted definition? He led a life of affliction and torment. Yet would he have cast aside the burdens and sorrows he carried for me? He did not consider them worthy to compare to the glory that would be revealed in him. The concept of happiness that your culture seeks is shallow and not consistent with Biblical principles. Who would seek to lose their own life to save it? Yet if you lay down your life and pick up your cross and follow me you will have eternal life, treasure in heaven, and true happiness. 

Do you have questions about your faith? Were you taught that this is wrong; that accepting what you don’t understand is an essential aspect of faith? I would rather that you came to me with honest questions rather than pretend they don’t exist. I want you to understand the difference between asking in faith and asking in doubt. If you come as my adversary demanding that I prove myself you will not get satisfaction. Yet I have more to teach you and this is a process that involves questions and responses. Come to me believing and in a teachable attitude. Ask, seek, and knock and you will get answers. 

You live in a culture obsessed with superficial beauty. You know this is vain, yet beauty is a desirable quality that can run deeper than the surface. What characteristics do you find most desirable in others? Do you find anything less attractive than those for whom nothing has meaning except as it relates to them? No amount of surface beauty will overcome selfishness and self-absorption. On the other hand, is anything more attractive than a sense of unselfconscious grace? Even if you feel yourself to be average or even below in superficial beauty you can develop this more important and enduring form of attractiveness. 

We look for ways to donate to victims of natural disasters where the majority of the money actually goes to the victims and not to administrative expenses, and where the organization is a Christian ministry so the compassion of Christ can be expressed through the help given. Below is such an organization. We have given through endPoverty.org for years. Their newsletter is below, and they have a special link to give to those in need in the Philippines. 

You live in a culture that values freedom of speech. Do not assume from this that everyone’s words have equal value. The freedom to speak does not assure an audience. You practice this principle intuitively as a listener, seeking out words of wisdom and insight and avoiding idle chatter. At a meeting convened for a lecture or sermon the entire audience is silent and attentive to the one they have come to hear. Do you regard my words above those of any man or woman on earth? When you come to me be at least as attentive as you would to them, for I am in heaven, and you are on the earth. My disciples followed me because I had the words of life, and I still do. 

Good morning, blessed Holy Lord Jesus. What would You share with me today for Your people?
 

Do you understand that humility is an important Christian concept? Yet it has no meaning until after you have demonstrated a clearly superior performance. It is only then that you can acknowledge those who have contributed to your success, or give me glory saying a man can have nothing except he receive it from heaven. One who boasts of his own achievements is a braggart, and one who boasts having no achievements is a fool. Are you willing to acknowledge me in all your ways, and give me the glory due to me? If you have this attitude of humility then you are in a position for me to pour out my power through you, for I can trust you to handle the response properly. 

The following journaling is from Michael Gridley, as Mark taught the 4 Keys to Hearing God's Voice to the students at Global School of Supernatural Ministry in Mechanicsburg, PA. 

Lord, how would You have me use the eyes of my heart?