LORD, teach me what it means to seek Your Kingdom and Your righteousness first.

Randy, “whenever you lack clarity” as to what to say or do, get alone with Me, quiet your mind, read My Word, and write down what you hear. That is seeking My Kingdom and righteousness first. Confusion is never from Me. Connect to Me – I AM the Vine. Fruitfulness is My state of being. It will be yours too as long as you stay connected to Me.

Randy, I AM the source of breakthrough. Prayer and praise open the gateway to heaven. I have wanted you to spend much more time praying for hurting people like you used to. I AM bringing you back closer. Working harder is not the answer. It never has been. Abiding in Me always has. I love you with an everlasting love. I AM – I AM the God of the present – always here for you.

Pr 23:4-5 Do not overwork to be rich; Because of your own understanding, cease! Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly away like an eagle toward heaven.

Joh 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

Randy, thank you for pressing in. My love, My grace is sufficient. Peace be with you. My peace is with you. Rest in Me. Rest in Me! Get it – REST. I was never in a hurry. I don’t want you to be either.

Now Rest. Stop writing. Close your eyes. Picture being with Me at the Sea of Galilee. Just you and Me – friends.

Write Ben and Renato to ask for their forgiveness in making them feel like they couldn’t have access to you. Do I ever restrict access to Me? Of course not. So why should you do otherwise?

Randy, I want you to to start a class with Renato called “Words From Jesus!” Start in December. Let your friends and followers experience Me in a new way this Christmas.

Randy, let’s go for a walk around the lake. Do you see the mother with her little boy? She has nothing to give her son this Christmas, but you can reach out to help. Go talk to them. Listen to them. Bring them My peace, My hope. OK now tell them about Me. They can’t see Me yet, but you can. Tell them about Me. Tell them how much I love them. They need to know someone loves them.

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

If your life was compared to a train, how fast would you say that train is going?
On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate the level of stress in your life?
On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your energy level?

Journaling helps you slow down your RPM’s – that’s a guarantee. That leads to REST, which in turn allows REFLECTION. Reflection leads to character transformation and a contemplative life. For those born again of the Spirit of God, that leads to REVELATION from God. Together rest, reflection and revelation, form the tri-cord of LEVERAGE. And leverage equals speed. It’s being able to get a lot more done with much less effort for God’s sake.

Most people in America live unexamined lives. Their pace of life is so fast that they don’t have time to catch or notice the blessings that God drops down from heaven every day. They fail to appreciate the precious gift of every day of life and God’s precious creation surrounding them.

The Bible emphasizes over and over and over again the importance of having a thankful heart and praising God in all circumstances. God created us as human beings, not as human doings. You who labor and are heavy leaden, STOP working so hard and come to Jesus NOW. He give you the rest you sorely need and deserve. Jesus will also help carry your burden as you become equally yoked to Him. That’s power – God’s POWER.

Your diamonds are in your backyard. Put another way, God has already provided ALL the resources you need to do what He is asking you to do today. “When the student is ready, the Master (Coach) appears.”

On June 19, 2008, while my wife and I were driving 6.5 hours from Culpeper, Virginia to Glenridge, New Jersey, we listened to a CD discussing health and wellness. That CD discussed the importance of anti-oxidants to combat the damaging effects of free radicals. Stress increases free radicals in your body which in turn cause a whole host of medical problems, including atherosclerosis (heart disease, strokes) and cancer. Your body needs rest – every week, nearly every day. Your body also needs regular exercise.

You and I are not the answer to the world’s problems. Jesus is. However, in Christ, with Christ, and through Christ, we can collectively change lives and disciple nations. What else matters? What is your role in the Body of Christ?

Blessings to plan plenty of time to Rest, Reflect, and receive Revelations!

R. Joseph Peck, M.D.
“Blessed to be a blessing”
THE CONNECTOR and The Journal Guy
Changing Lives to Disciple Nations
Community Transformation Specialist
www.empower2000.com

P.S. Sign up TODAY for my free E-course ““30 Days To Breakthrough” God wants to transform your life NOW!

P.S.S. Spiritual Journaling will transform your life!

UNCOMMON Journaling is the key
to unlock YOUR dreams!

I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, And on Your wondrous works. (Psalm 145:5)

What daily habit can I start to guarantee I will slow down and hear God?

To me, “busy” is a bad four letter word. Yesterday, I shared how the Holy Spirit led me to Track #11 of CD #2 of Bill Hybel’s book “Too Busy Not to Pray” and how I applied the 3 steps to reduce my rpm’s the next morning. The following in an excerpt from Track #11:

To have an authentic walk with Jesus Christ, time is required. Something good is going to have to give way. Some practical vehicle will have to be employed to get the rpm’s down from 10,000 to 5,000 to 500, where you can be at peace with God and be in a condition to hear what the Lord is saying. Nobody ever said the Christian walk is easy.

I want to offer you a practical, tested, guaranteed rpm-reduction approach that will help you slow your life down so that you can stop playing games and begin living an authentic Christian life. It’s a shree step program that really works… You can begin to learn to “be still and know” that God is God (Psalm 46:10)

STEP #1: The first step toward rpm reduction is called journaling. Journaling means keeping a journal, in this case a spiritual journal. It involves writing down your experiences, observations, and reflections looking behind the events of the day for their hidden meanings, recording ideas as they come to you.

In his book “Ordering Your Private World,” Gordon McDonald suggests journaling, but with a different twist. Go to a drugstore, he said, and buy a spiral notebook. Plan to write in this notebook every day, but restrict yourself to one page. Every day when you open to the next blank sheet of paper, write the same first word: Yesterday. Follow this with a paragragh or two recounting yesterday’s events, sort of a postgame analysis… According to McDonald, this exercise causes a tremendous step forward in spiritual development.

Most of us, the author said, live unexamined lives. We repeat the same errors day after day. We don’t learn much from the decisions we make, whether they are good or bad. We don’t know why we’re here or where we’re going. One benefit of journaling is to force us to examine our lives.

STEP #2: Write out your prayers. Some people tell me they don’t need to schedule regular time for prayer; they pray on the run. These people are kidding themselves. Just try building a marriage on the run… As with the journal, I limit my writing to one page… Once I write out the prayer, I put the notebook on the credenze and kneel down … I find I pray much more effectively on my knees. I read the prayer aloud, adding other comments or concerns as I go through it.

STEP #3: Listen to God. This step is so important … These moments in God’s presence are the ones that really matter… You can’t become an authentic Christian on a diet of constant activity, even if the activity is all church related… The archenemy of spiritual authenticity is busyness. It’s time to slow down, reflect, and listen.

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, You are a God who usually speaks in quiet whispers. I love being in Your Holy of holies to hear You and to speak softly to You. Help me to daily apply the three steps above to reduce my rpm’s even further and may many others follow this example. Thank You Jesus for Your peace that passes all understanding. You are my Rock and my salvation. I praise You and Your holy name. Amen and Hallelujah!

Link of the Day
Ordering Your Private World – by Gordon McDonald

Blessings to apply these 3 simple steps each morning to slow your rpm’s way down!

“Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent.” (Revelations 3:3)

What can I do TODAY to prevent fires, rather than rushing around to put them out?

A recent letter I received from the Pentagon Federal Credit Union states, “No one ever plans to fail, but many fail to plan.” Because I have a heart to serve, I easily fall into the trap of allowing other people’s “emergencies” to pull me into the tyranny of the urgent. But it’s my desire to live most of my life in Quadrant 2, doing things that are important, but not urgent.

On Sunday August 26, I got up at 5:10 AM after 6 ½ hours of sleep. I went to our sunroom, knelt down, and prayed for a few minutes. I think I also sang a few songs to God, but I’m not sure because I was busy the evening before. Because of my recent devotionals about QBQ, I asked God the question, “What can I do TODAY to increase my finances?” It didn’t take Him long to go to work.

When I went to my office, I started iTunes intending to listen to a scheduled playlist for the 26th day of the month. However, I discovered I needed to create new playlists because last week I upgraded my hard drive and operating system on my main computer. During the process of creating playlists, the Holy Spirit prompted me to load Psalms 74-150 into iTunes. While retrieving my NIV Bible on CD in our basement, I noticed the 2 CD set “Too Busy Not to Pray.” I was prompted to load those too into iTunes.

While listening to CD #2 of “Too Busy Not to Pray,” Track #11 jumped out at me. Bill Hybels talked about decreasing your RPM’s from 10,000 to 5,000 to 500 each morning. I felt strongly convicted and was driven to action. I listened to that track at least two more times that morning.

The next morning (August 27), I decided to apply the three principles (steps) of slowing down discussed on Track #11. My first step was to write (type) one full page in my spiritual journal starting with the word “Yesterday.” As I recounted the events and people from the day before, I became more and more aware of how God was at work in that day. My second step was to write (type) one page of personal prayers.

To see what I wrote in my spiritual journal on the morning of August 27, visit today’s Link of the Day.

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, on December 29, 2006 You told me my theme verse in 2007 was to be”Be Still” (Psalm 46:10). While preparing my devotional for January 1, 2007, You told me that was Your message for the entire world in 2007. Guide me to ruthlessly eliminate hurry from my life. Do likewise for my readers. Thank You Jesus. Amen.

Link of the Day
Yesterday… – my journal entry for August 27 [see below]

Blessings to learn and apply simple principles to slow down your RPM’s from 10,000 to 500!

I then chose to sit next to John, a teenager whose life is being turned around by God. Because John respects me, I knew it would encourage him by being with him. I was encouraged to hear John singing. Within a matter of 5-10 minutes, the crowd grew to at least 60-70 people in the high school auditorium. I noticed an extremely high and positive energy level. Julia (my wife) arrived around 10:40 AM and sat on my left. She had run a 10 mile race earlier that morning in Bealeton.

Pastor Matt Gregory began his sermon by sharing that 90% of people who come to church do so because a family member or friend invites them. He then called forward all the people who were present at the very first SPC worship service in March 2005. Then he called forward people who had come to SPC because of being invited by someone already up front. (i.e. the second generation). Next he called forward third generation SPC attendees. By this time, almost no one remained in the audience. One could easily sense an atmosphere of fellowship and a breakdown in tension by having people get out of their seats. Then more humored followed. By this time, people had let down their barriers and were ready to hear from God. The title of Matt’s message was “Borrowing and Lending Faith.” I think I’ll do a devotional about that later this week.

After the worship service, I immediately went to talk to Bud. The Holy Spirit had instructed me earlier that morning to give him a brochure inviting him to the 17th Annual International Institute on Nation Transformation in Argentina Sept 28 – Oct 5. I also gave Bud a Harvest Evangelism DVD titled “Marketplace Transformation.” Bud seemed quite interested in going to Argentina and told me he has a good pastor friend who might be up for that too.

Before leaving SPC, I talked to several other people and helped load carts into the SPC trailer. When Julia invited me to have lunch at China Jade in Culpeper with a few other families, I accepted the invitation, even though I had initially thought I’d skip lunch.

When Julia and I arrived at China Jade, we saw the Jarvis family and went to talk to them. Then we joined the Smith and Gregory families to eat. The conversations were authentic. I did a better job than usual listening.

When I got home, I immediately laid down for what turned out to be a 3 hour nap. I was exhausted.

——————-

Morning prayer page for Monday 08-27-07

LORD, yesterday morning I asked You the question, “What can I do TODAY to increase my finances?” It didn’t take you long to go to work. You led me back to the CD set “Too Busy Not to Pray” and then You imprinted the message from Track #11 of CD#2 on my heart. Thank You for doing that. Thank You that I had time to listen to that message several more times. Thank You that this morning I am applying the 3 principles to slow down my RPM’s from 10,000 to 500.

I’ve had a ton of excuses why I’ve let me prayer life slip. I’ve had a ton of excuses for why I’ve allowed people to get me in the fast lane that leads to nowhere. I’ve had a ton of excuses on why some words (prophecies) You’ve spoken to me haven’t come true. My own busyness has hurt my relationship with Caren, Robbie, and Julia. It has damaged their faith. Please forgive me. I know I need to assume personal responsibility for what is being manifested in my life and family. I need to stop blaming others, especially Julia, for holding me back. I need to be a man of action as well as prayer. I need to be an answer to my own prayers much more often. I need to be a good steward with my time. I spend too long talking to people on the phone. This wastes my time and their time. I haven’t been preparing adequately for my meetings with my clients.

This past Friday (August 24), I vented my anger to Julia in front of John and then Caren.

I’ve been asking You over and over to bless my finances and yet things just seem to get worse and worse. I’ve been telling You what I want to see happen instead of asking You what I need to do to be successful. I’ve allowed journaling and emails to draw me into the tyranny of the urgent.

Thank You LORD for yesterday!