Pick Up That Axe

Jesse Birkey's picture

Hey!  How’s it going?  That question for a blog is about as useful as a radio host saying, “Watch this.”  But I guess you could always use the comment section below to let me know.  Sorry, I’m a little hopped up on caffeine right now and feeling a bit silly.  This could be interesting.

 

But there is a light at the end of this potentially pointless tunnel.  I just came out of the presence of the Lord and so my heart is fired up.  I want to spend the next few words encouraging you in the same way he just encouraged me. 

 

As I sat with the Lord just enjoying the sweet atmosphere, a picture began to form in my mind’s eye.  I saw a hardhat and a pickaxe.  Then I heard the soft voice of the Lord flow through my heart.

 

“Get your hardhat and pickaxe and start digging into the greater riches of my heart.  You will meet resistance—not from me but from your adversary.  He will try to drain your energy and courage.  He will try and discourage you.  Press in and only listen to my voice.”

 

I think there are times that our relationships with the people around us begin to grow stale.  What is it, the seven-year itch for marriage?  Although one Internet commenter stated, “The seven-year itch is a myth.  Marriage actually grows stale after 10 years and 11 months.”  Weird timing on that one.  My guess is that the author has something personally invested in that number.

 

The same is true about our most important relationship:  God (see what I did there.  I can bring things back around.)  If things have grown stale between God and us it’s not a problem on his end but on ours. 

 

God’s heart is endless and the riches of his glory are so deep we might never ever be able to search them all out.  Even with an eternity to work with.  There are always new things to discover.  But we are the ones who need to step forward.  We are the ones who bear the responsibility of actually moving through the open door into the greater portions of his heart.

 

So why are many of us contently discontent to remain in a place with God we feel has lost its sizzle?  I think it mostly has to do with our adversary’s influence in our lives.  We have trouble hearing in one instance and we hear, “He doesn’t want to talk to you anymore.”  Something doesn’t work out the way we want and we hear, “God wants you to remain in this struggle.  He’s teaching you something through pain.  He won’t deliver you until you’ve suffered enough.”  We don’t get any new revelation on things and we hear, “God doesn’t want to share with you anymore.”

 

So we swallow these lies and settle for something less than what we were promised:  abundant LIFE.  Now, I will admit that I believe there are times that God will not reveal something because it’s too great for the stage of the road we are on.  Revealing it would hurt us so he holds back until we have the tools/maturity to handle it.  But that doesn’t mean there aren’t many amazing things he wants to show us right where we are.

 

There is way too much abundance in the heart of God for us to ever feel bored in our relationship with him.  I think it’s true that walking into his heart is effortless as much as it depends on God.  But the enemy before us is a different story.  We need some tools to deal with him hence the hardhat and pickaxe God told me to pick up.

 

We must dig through the lies forming a wall in front of us and persevere until we reach the rich valleys of his goodness.  We must not allow the voice of our adversary to drain our energy with discouragement along the way.  The line, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” is hogwash.  If it were true we would never grow.  I suppose there are many who don’t but that doesn’t change the fact that the opportunity for abundance is in front of each one of us.  We can have it and have it to the fullest.

 

Christ in us is the hope of glory and that hope will turn the winter into spring if we let it.  Rest in his love instead of getting all worked up that nothing new is happening.  Listen to the voice of Jesus instead of the voice of the enemy.  Seek out resources about things that spark your spirit.  Listen to others who have insight into things you’d like to have.  Sometimes the voice of God is leading us to people he’d like to use to move us into the deeper places.  Don’t ignore those he’s pointing out.

 

Blessings,

 

Jesse and Kara

 

Add new comment

Comments

Add new comment

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Results

Results 361 - 370 of 487

Pages

Intimacy With God Through Journaling [Kindle Edition]

by Janet Gilham

It is a joy to celebrate the release of another new ebook of two-way journaling by one of our students, Janet Gilham! It was an honor to write the forward to this book, which contains 28 days of journaling. This makes it ideal to use for a month of your daily devotions. Each journal entry reveals the heart of God toward you and thus brings warmth and healing to our wounded hearts.

Price: $3.99
Intimacy with the Holy Spirit eBook

Intimacy with the Holy Spirit eBook

by Mark and Patti Virkler | 223 Pages

This book leads you in meditating on and journaling about several hundred verses that discuss the Holy Spirit. You will grow in intimacy with the indwelling Holy Spirit, and the anointing within you will increase! You will exclaim as the disciples did on the Emmaus Road: “Did not our heart burn within us…while He opened to us the Scriptures?” (Luke 24:32)! In addition to being led to journal through these verses, you will read numerous two-way journal entries from Mark Virkler, as well as a powerful five-page prayer at the conclusion of the book.

Price: $10.95

Journaling Questions e-booklet

100's of journaling questions arranged in categories

Jumpstart your two-way journaling! People often ask me, do you have good journaling questions I can use in my dialogue with Jesus? The answer is yes! Predicting the date of His return is not going to work out well. So how about hundreds of GREAT two-way journaling questions you can ask the Lord!

Price: $6.95
Lamad Faculty Handbook eBook

Lamad Faculty Handbook eBook

by Mark and Patti Virkler | 78 pages

This book presents lamad (revelation-based learning) standards  for teachers and curriculum writers. Lamad is a Hebrew word found in the Old Testament and it is translated "to teach" or "to learn."  It is a kind of learning that involves the Holy Spirit granting divine revelation to the heart of man. Thus it goes beyond western rationalism as a learning methodology.

Price: $7.96

Meditation: How to Study the Bible in the Presence of God ebook

Click here for Kindle version.

This book is our more academic version of this topic, designed more for the theologian.

Our practical, hands-on, user-friendly version for personal or group use is Hearing God Through Biblical Meditation.

Price: $2.99
Naturally Supernatural eBook

Naturally Supernatural eBook

by Mark and Patti Virkler | 161 Pages

A step-by-step guide on “abiding in Christ” or how to let go and let God live naturally and powerfully out through you. Disarmingly simple. Mind-blowingly powerful.

Price: $14.95

On Things Above ebook

by Murray Dueck | 232 Pages

On Things Above by Murray Dueck is an amazing book of 52 prophetic activations. I have hungered to see such a book as this for many years. It is one thing to be prophetic yourself; it is another to teach someone else how to become prophetic. Murray will teach you how to be more prophetic.

Price: $16.00
Operations Manual eBook

Operations Manual eBook

by Mark and Patti Virkler | 134 Pages

We have helped hundreds of churches establish Schools of Ministry or church-centered Bible schools over the last 25 years. This manual draws together insights and approaches for how to do it easier, faster and better. Enjoy as you build on the success of those who have gone before you.

Price: $55.96
Overflow of the Spirit - PDF eBook Cover

Overflow of the Spirit PDF eBook

284 Pages | Instant Download & Pay No Shipping! | by Mark Virkler and Charity Kayembe

Mark and Charity have teamed up again to write a book on how to easily manifest the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit. It took us several years to break through all the confusion and present a clear, simple understanding of how to release the nine-fold manifestation of the Holy Spirit everywhere you go and with everyone you touch. It is not hard! It can’t be since these are gifts of the Holy Spirit, not things you have to work for.

Price: $15.99

Playtime with Jesus eBook

Helping Kids Know God | Jessica De Krijger

The goal of this little booklet by Jessica De Krijger is to help young children, ages 3 and up, learn how to start hearing God's voice for themselves. It is never too early to teach your children that they can hear from God. They are primed to do this. God's Spirit is urging them to come to Him. So reinforce this call with this beautiful full-color booklet which you can read to your children. Discover more at the Playtime With Jesus Website.

Price: $3.20

Pages