Listening to His Voice in difficult times.

"The people who were standing nearby said, "see how much He loved him."  But some said, "This Man healed a blind man.  Why couldn't He keep Lazarus from dying?""  John 11:36-37.

I cannot begin to express how important it has been in my life to listen to the voice of God and allow His words to carry me through situations and circumstances no matter what other people are saying around me.

In John chapter 11 we read about Jesus and his good friend Lazarus.  Jesus is out in the world traveling and ministering when He receive's word that His friend Lazarus is very sick. (Verse 3)  Jesus, being lead by The Spirit says in verse 4, "Lazarus's sickness will not end in death."  What a statement of faith!  How about this verse for an example of speaking out in faith no matter what the natural circumstances are showing!

You can read John 11 and see how the story unfolds in detail but for the sake of this post I'll summarize.  Jesus has received word that Lazarus is very sick.  Again, Jesus being lead by The Spirit declares that Lazarus will not die and stays where He is for the next two days.

The story progresses and Lazarus dies, or as Jesus puts it, Lazarus simply "fell asleep".  Jesus comes to the home of Lazarus and his sister's, Mary and Martha, 4 days after the death of Lazarus.  By the end of the story we see Jesus standing in front of the tomb where they've laid Lazarus to rest and calling out "Lazarus, come out!"  Lazarus emerges from the tomb, alive and wrapped in grave-clothes.

The main point here is that Jesus didn't allow the opinions of the people around Him to determine His actions.  He didn't allow the whispers behind His back to determine His trust and faith in the Father.  He'd received the voice and instruction from God telling Him to wait and that's exactly what He did.  He obeyed the voice of God.  All He did was listen and obey.  It didn't matter about the people talking about Him, it didn't matter about the ones voicing their opinion on the matter.  He was determined to obey the voice of God.

The same is true for our lives.  When we've heard the voice of God and received His direction for a specific situation in our lives it doesn't matter what others are saying around us.  Because if it's contrary to the voice of God than it's wrong.

Let me ask you, what has God spoken to you?  What direction has He given you concerning difficult situations and circumstances in your life?  Make sure you're listening to His voice and direction and block out the voices around you telling you to do something different than what He has already spoken to your heart.

I call you blessed,

~ Jen.

How to pray!

"And He withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, saying, "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done." Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him." (Luke 22:41-43 NASB)

For the believer, prayer should be the simplest thing we do in life.  Yet, we can easily make prayer more complicated than it should be.

Prayer is necessary for our lives and yet it gets pushed to the bottom of the list, left for the end of the day and many times forgotten altogether until necessity demands otherwise.

Prayer is one of the most important ways we communicate with God and so it's necessary for our lives that we pray often and we pray without hesitation.

The often repeated quote by a great man of God, Smith Wigglesworth has been a favorite of mine when he said, “Most days I never pray more than 10 minutes but I also rarely go 10 minutes without praying!” 

I have always liked that quote because it paints a picture of his prayer life which was more connected and ever-aware of God with him and in him wherever he was and whatever he was doing.

Prayer is active communication with God more than it is a compartmentalized amount of time set in our scheduled day.  I will say it’s important to have both active in our life.  Make sure you set a specific time each day to spend in prayer with God and also keep yourself open to be actively speaking with Him throughout your day.

There is a passage in Luke which is so simple and when we consider the revelation available from the verses we see a brilliant picture of how Jesus communicated with God while He was on earth.

The first part of the verses says "And He withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and began to pray...” Notice Jesus withdrew about a "stone's throw away...” It's important that we get away from the noise and busyness of life when we pray; we need to quiet ourselves and settle down when we pray.  However, notice Jesus was only a stone's throw away.  We aren't supposed to remove ourselves from the situation we're praying over or remove ourselves from life completely.  We are simply supposed to step aside for a moment while we get clarity and strength from Heaven.  Is there a specific issue you're praying about?  Don't walk away from the situation, don't retreat in defeat.  No, step aside for a moment while you receive wisdom and the answers you need from God through prayer.

No matter what situations or circumstances may look like God has the best for the situation and He knows your way forward. This is how we should approach God when we pray.  We know He has the best for our lives, we know from His word that He has pre-ordained good things for you and I to live out.  So when we pray we should be seeking His will and His plans above what we think is best.

Finally we see the immediate response to Jesus’ prayer from Heaven.   "...Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him."  Because Jesus got quiet before Heaven, He humbled Himself before God and gave God control over the situation; God honored Him and sent His angel to strengthen Jesus for what was going to happen next.

Keep In Mind These 3 Simple Keys to Prayer

           

            1.) Go get still and quiet before God but don’t forget He is with you everywhere and you can talk to him wherever you are, sharing your day with Him.

            2.) Don’t try and force an answer you want or think is best. Listen for His plan and look for his wisdom to come to your heart about those things that are happening around you.

            3.) Take your strength from His presence for the situation at hand. Jesus came that you might have life and that more abundantly. Take and receive plenty of help, strength and peace in the presence of the one who is more than enough and supplies your every need!

I call you blessed,

            ~ Jen

Refilling your life in Him

Typically I try to take Monday's off while I'm out on the road traveling.  Monday is the day to catch my breath and rest from a busy weekend of ministering.  It's typically on  my days off that I have to make sure I take time to read in the word of God and replenish myself.  When I'm feeling tired or drained spending time with Him is a sure way to replenish myself and refuel.

My supply for life comes from this time of rest in His presence.  In life if we don't stop to refuel we'll get delayed somewhere along the line.  I've learned, in my personal life or in my ministry, if I don't stop and allow myself to be refueled through Him I'll become burned out quickly.  Nobody else can do this for me, I must initiate this time of rest for my own life.  

This is the #1 way you can keep out of negative thought patterns and attitudes creeping on you and altering your day to day environment.  You have to have enough on the inside to stabilize you just from dealing with the world and your surroundings as it is. But when the enemy of your soul comes and makes a play for your mind and emotions to get you off track your ability to recognize it and shut it down will be greatly increased when you have been re-charging your spirit with the word of God and spending time with Him.

All those negative feelings and worries don't have the right to stick around in the same environment as the presence of God and His words stirring in your soul.

So, what are you believing Him for today?  Are you seeking His face, trying to hear His voice for direction in your life?  Are you stressed or worried about life?  Don't allow those negative feelings to stick around.  Kick them to the curb and allow the power of Jesus that lives inside you to take over those areas and fill you with hope, joy, peace, and victory. And if you need to, steal away for a little while today with your bible and a cup of coffee and get a fresh supply for your heart and mind.

I call you blessed,

Jen

Your Gift, Your Calling

In this blog post I wanted to share with you some ways you can become good stewards of the calling God has placed on your life.  There are specific steps which every successful leader has taken in their lives which will help propel you into the place God has prepared for your life.

"How can I progress or move forward in God’s plan for my life?"   That's a question I get a lot.  Hopefully through this blog we can discover some truth's which will help you move towards your goals of walking in the calling God has given you.

First of all, you need an on going communicating relationship with God.  The kind where it’s a part of your everyday life. Where you are looking for and expecting His guidance and leading in everyday situations. Nobody gets to the place of hearing God on the big things without first developing a relationship with Him and learning to hear his leading for the smaller things in life.  When you move along with your day ask The Holy Spirit to lead and guide you in everything you do.

Secondly, you can’t be afraid you will fail. This will keep you immobilized every time.
If it's time to take some steps forward then pray and get direction. Talk about it with a couple trusted mentors or leaders in your life and get their feedback and then once you have taken these steps all that is left is to take action.  Remember, if you're operating in God's will and direction for your life than there is no possible way you can fail!

Thirdly, get around people that are successfully walking out God’s purpose for their life and observe how they do what they do. You can learn so much just by simply being around the right people. On the flip side you can lose a lot of ground if you are still hanging around people who have no direction.  Remember the word of God says "Where there is no vision the people perish."  Surround yourself with people who have a vision for their lives.

The last thing I always tell people looking for their purpose is this. Start where you are.
Get involved where you are and if you are seeking God He is going to steer you right over to where you need to be.

Remember that God’s promise to you is that He would be the author and the finisher of your faith. He is in this for the long haul.  Jesus said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

I believe these will be some key steps which will help you discover the vision and help you steward the calling and gifting's God has given you.

Believing the best of you and for you today,

Jen Tringale

Anchored in Trials

 "I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency]." (Philippians 4:13 AMP)
Paul was locked away in prison while he wrote this letter.  If we look back through the book of Acts we read about Paul in Jerusalem being persecuted by the Pharisee's.  The Pharisee's didn’t accept Paul’s ministry or his message and were threatened by the gospel of Jesus. Really they were opposed to anyone preaching Jesus as the Son of God in that day.

 So Paul goes to Jerusalem and meets with the Church.  One day as Paul is walking into the temple, he is taken captive by the local Pharisee's claiming he has broken the law by preaching against the law of Moses and bringing gentiles into the temple.  There is such a riot over this issue that the Roman soldiers are called in to figure out what's going on and bring some sort of resolution.  We could spend weeks going through the story of how Paul ended up in jail by the Roman government and the significance of everything involving the story.  However, in this post we simply need to understand that Paul was imprisoned while he penned these letters.

Even though Paul was imprisoned at this time of his life he still takes every advantage available to witness and minster to those around him.  During Paul's journey to Rome where he would appeal to Caesar, he ministered to and preached Jesus to countless high profile government officials.  He didn't allow his physical circumstances to get in the way of him fulfilling the call of God on his life.  Mere chains were not enough to drag Paul down and prevent him from influencing government and culture.

There is a verse found in the book of Jeremiah, if you've spent any amount of time in church you've heard this verse before.  It says, "For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts  and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome." (Jeremiah 29:11 AMP)
The word says, "Before you were in your mother's womb, I knew you."  God knows you!  Let that sink in for a moment, reread it a few times.  God knows you!  Not only does God know you, He has a plan and purpose for you, plans for good and not for evil.  He has chosen you for success.  God has set a plan for your life that only you can fulfill with His strength because He created you specifically for this purpose.  What is that purpose?  Seek Him and He will reveal His plans to you.  Jesus told us to "knock and keep on knocking..."  He said "Those who seek me will find me..."
Today I want you to be encouraged.  No matter where life has taken you, no matter what unfortunate circumstances have come your way, know that God knows you, He has a plan and purpose for your life, and through the strength of Jesus Christ you can overcome any and all situations, persecutions, and circumstances that stand in your way and try to prevent you from fulfilling your God given destiny.

I call you blessed,

        - Jen.

Focus on Eternity

You know, I learned a long time ago that it's best not to focus on the physical things in my life but to keep my focus on heaven and on what God has promised me.
2 Corinthians puts it this way, "For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 KJV)

It says in verse 16 "...though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day."  We can experience setbacks in our lives and yet remain confident and strong that we're being built up in our spirit man.  When we decide to stand in the face of defeat and say " I place my faith in God that He is performing a good work in my life and He turns all things, even adverse circumstances, to my good", we are becoming stronger and stronger in our spirit, the core, and the center of who we really are.

Verse 18 says to place our focus on eternity.  You see, God has a set plan for your life. In other words, He has prepared for you the realm of influence you will have, authority and even a geographical place for you to carry out His purposes.  He's set you aside for such a time as this, to be the deliverer of His answer to the world's problems.  When you have a plan for your life like that, you can't fail.  When you have a plan for your life like that, you don't look at the chaos in the natural.  No. You look at the success in heaven.  Has God called you to start a church in your community?  Then turn your gaze to heaven and see the people of your community in heaven.  Turn your eyes to heaven and see the success that your church will have.

When we take our focus off eternity, off heaven, we are giving our worries and fears in the natural too much credit.  We know that they deserve no credit because we operate from a higher place than just what you can see, feel and hear. This is why we are victorious in what we set out to do for His kingdom.

So place your focus on Eternity.  See His plans for your life walked out in victory.  See the answer to your prayers that have already been received and answered in heaven.  

Dreaming

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever shall believe in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."  John 3:16

We all know this verse by heart.  Actually John 3:16 is the most well-known verse in the entire bible by Christians and non-Christians alike.  The verse is pretty straight forward.  God gave us Jesus. But what if we could take this verse and the understanding of what Jesus accomplished through His life, death and resurrection and apply it to our lives in order for us to live extraordinarily today?

Jesus accomplished everything for humanity when He rose from the dead after His crucifixion.  That's why when He was hanging on the cross He said "It is finished."  He has finished His part of securing everything for us.  Now, you and I get to uphold our end of the bargain and we get to use the power He released to us through His name to bring restoration to the world.

The book of Acts quotes the prophet Joel when it says,
‘In the last days,’ God says,
‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your young men will see visions,
and your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out my Spirit
even on my servants—men and women alike—
and they will prophesy....  (Acts 2:17-19 NLT)

So how do we live an extraordinary life?

We allow the Holy Spirit to manifest Himself thru our lives. We develop a partnership of moving in step with what He shows us. We allow Him to speak through our lives to others.

What I've always loved about this verse is the part about dreaming.  It says "Your old men will dream dreams..."  I believe that dreaming dreams is not something only reserved for a specific age group but that God is inspiring all of us as believers to dream dreams. Dreams are not meant to stay dreams. Dreams are meant for coming true and then starting over with newly inspired dreams and walking those out too!

So I'll ask you a question, “what are you dreaming about? God is calling us to live extraordinary, to dream big dreams and set out on adventures in partnership with Him!

Spend time with God. Ask Him to reveal the dreams He has placed within you. Get ready for some amazing adventures with Him as you walk it out one step at a time!

Remember, Jesus accomplished everything for your life on the cross. Because of Jesus we can dare to live out our dreams and see them become a reality!

I call you blessed,

Jen Tringale
www.jentringale.com