"Make Room For Me" by Becky Maisenbacher

Make Room For Me

Since November, I have been looking forward to this Christmas. Reflecting on Jesus’ birth and the reality of this coming special season, I recently asked our Father if He had anything to share. Days passed without an answer, however, as I awoke this Monday morning to the sweet whisper of Holy Spirit I heard His voice, “Make room for Me. Tell My people to make room for Me.”

Immediately I saw in my mind’s eye Mary and Joseph as they wandered, seeking an available room to rest from their journey, only to find all lodging filled. How lonely it must have been searching and hoping to find a room. I’m sure they trusted God would provide for them, but where? We find in Matthew 1:18-20 and Luke 2: 1-20 the story of their journey and Mary giving birth to Jesus in a manger.

As I read the Scripture again and pondered this event, I once again, heard the Spirit’s whisper – “Becky, tell them to make room for Me.” I then laughed aloud, “Isn’t that like you Father, to share a simple, straightforward, uncomplicated, message so we all can relate and understand. However, it’s also true as Scripture states in Psalm 25:2, It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.” Sometimes He allows us to grow in understanding as we explore with Him and hunt for truth. I have experienced heavenly dreams that took time to understand, but basically God has always spoken directly, succinctly, and truthfully. “Be careful. Don’t go in there now. Go this other way. Give a call to them. Text this message. Pray for them. Spend some time with me today. Isn’t this beautiful! Read this chapter and verse. I love you. I am with you. I delight in you. You’re going to be ok. I will help you. Follow My peace.”

You get the idea, because I’m sure you’ve heard His gentle guiding whispers in your life too. God is all about relationship and simplicity. I personally believe people have made knowing God a bit complicated, where we look to those instructing us more than we look to Him. It is wonderful to have clergy, teachers, and pastors to guide and comfort us, but the One who is closer than a friend, always available, who cares for us, comforts and loves us, desires to guide us in this life and help us is God our Father, Jesus the Son, and Holy Spirit. I turn 75 this Spring and choices I made early in life without consulting Him were not very fruitful, in fact some were devastating. However, the choices made while spending time with Him, developing a relationship with Him, and asking Him for guidance and truth have led to some of the best choices of my life.

The Gospel is naturally supernatural! When we search for Him we will find Him. He delights in you and desires to be known by you. He is asking you to consider making room for Him now and in this New Year 2025.

You may ask. “Where do I start?” Ask Him to come into your life and make Himself known to you. Keep a journal and write down impressions or thoughts. Talk to Him and transparently share your heart with Him. Read His word. Studying His word will help you become familiar with His voice. Enjoy the peace you will find in His presence.

May I also submit to you a few foundational Scriptures that have guided me in life. I hope they bring truth to you too.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.

“The second is this. Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measured you use, it will be measured to you.” Matt. 7:1-2

“Honor your father and mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” Deut. 5:16

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” Galatians 6:7-8

Therefore, you are without excuse, every man of you who passes judgment, for in that you judge another, you condemn yourself; if you who judge practice the same things.” Romans 2:1

It is not that we acquire the sins of others when we judge, but judging others does condemn us to blindly continue in the same sin or poor choices, missing the mark and causing us to be unavailable to God’s grace and healing.

The wonderful simplicity of His kingdom is when we realize our lack, we can come to Him and ask for His forgiveness, once again being placed in right standing with Him.

As we’ve entered not only a new season but also a new era, let Him find room and lodging in your heart so this coming year will not only be the most peaceful, but also the most joyful as e maHeHe makes Himself known to you. His Spirit is speaking: “Please make room for Me.”

Merry Christmas to you and family and blessings for the New Year!

In His Love,

Becky Maisenbacher

info@thecovenantcenter.com
www.thecovenantcenter.com

Becky and her husband Richard have been in ministry for over 45 years. Pastors and founders of The Covenant Center, they have also served as elders and board members of various churches, as well as facilitated numerous home groups and classes.

They are dedicated to bringing freedom and wholeness to the wounded and captive through covenant understanding, healing, transformation, restoration, and reconciliation.  They desire to see each person trained, equipped, and activated to serve in the Kingdom as they walk in their identity in Christ, being strengthened in their gifts, fulfilling their destiny.  Richard and Becky encourage and support individuals to grow in relationship with the Father, Jesus and Holy Spirit, maturing in wisdom, holiness, character, and the prophetic.

God Is Our Refuge And Strength - Becky Maisenbacher

Well, here we go with another year of challenges sprinkled with victories. As we stepped into 2021, you may have paused to ask, “Lord, What will this year bring?” We make resolutions, lay out strategies to instill hope, attempting to pump up our endorphins and dopamine levels to feel better about life and to help us make it through another year. We look to prophetic voices trusting they will declare a word of encouragement and hope that this will be a terrific year and all will go well. I’ve certainly entertained these strategies at times myself, especially when I had experienced deep loss and needed great hope. But in truth, even though we may declare and make resolutions to experience hope, adventure, joy, surprises and excitement while fulfilling our dreams, life will also undoubtedly bring challenges, battles, disappointments, sadness, and loss. So you may be saying, somewhat sarcastically, “Great message Becky!”

 I’m not here to pop bubbles, but if you read and study scripture it doesn’t take long to understand that life has always been teeming with challenges. If we gain wisdom through our life experience as some suggest, then we can identify with Ecclesiastes which speaks of not only the vanity and striving in life, but also the sadness or pain - 1:18 states: “Because in much wisdom there is much grief, and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain.” Your life may seem like a large slinky, stretched and spiraling round and round with a rhythmic pattern of rotations. Year after year cycling through this magnificent and yet perplexing journey called life, with daily chores, household schedules, work schedules, play schedules and appointments, sprinkling a few plans for fun or refreshing including vacations, holidays and celebrations.

You see, Solomon, the possible author of Ecclesiastes tried wisdom and all forms of worldly pleasure too, including human achievement and the aspiration of great wealth and recognition. But he pessimistically concluded that all was emptiness as he scanned his works and observed the troubling injustice of life. We would probably diagnose him today as extremely depressed reading his wanderings as he touches on the grave and wrestles with the idea that whether man is rich or poor, he ends up as dust. How easy it is to become cynical and discouraged when we aspire to greatness and find it has not filled the hole in our heart. We may attempt do all the right things and yet in one unsettling moment everything we have worked for evaporates and we find our paradigms challenged. Even David cried out in his psalms asking God why do good men suffer and the wicked seem to prosper?

There is good news! After his search for life, the author of Ecclesiastes states his conclusion found in Ecc. 12: 13-14 to be the real source to the meaning of life – reverence for God. He states: “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.”

The author recognized that he had left God out of the equation in his search for happiness and meaning. He recognized how life can seem unjust and meaningless without a relationship with God. Through his wanderings and wondering, he found a key to understanding. When God is at the center of your life, even through you may see or experience the mixture and injustice of life, you will align with heaven and be guided and secure in His divine purpose. You will also find comfort and peace as you grow in the understanding that the treasures of this world are but a vapor, compared to a life centered in God which holds an eternal treasure.

What great wisdom and resolution the author presents to us as we begin this year. and deal with recent events. Recognizing and returning to the only One who can truly fill the ache and hole in our hearts – our Father. King David declared in Psalm 27:1 - “The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?” Throughout scripture we are continually encouraged to have faith and trust in Him. We don’t always understand His ways, but we can always choose to trust. The author of Psalm 71 in verses 5-8 reflects (speculation is this was spoken from an aging David):“For you are my hope, Adonai Elohim, in whom I have trusted since I was young. By you I have been sustained from my birth; You who took me from my mother’s womb. My praise is continually of you. I have become a marvel to many; for you are my strong refuge. My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all day long.”

No matter what may transpire in your future, may our Father continue to be your strong tower and refuge as well as your place of comfort and strength.

In His Love,

In My Distress He Answered Me - Becky Maisenbacher

This week, I have tried to wrap my head around the senseless violence that we have graphically witnessed.  I have experienced a sea of emotions from grief  to outrage. My heart is overwhelmed with the depravity and endless carnage in the world.  Assassinations, murders, contempt, brutality, wars, bullying, hate, rage, revenge. Jesus! How do we make sense of this? What can I do? I’ve prayed, I’ve written my congressmen, I’ve sat on committees and discussion groups to what avail? The lack of respect and sanctity for human life still permeates the landscape of our nation.  

I was reminded twenty-two years ago during a time of intercessory prayer at TCC; the weightedness of God’s presence drove us to our knees.  We wept and cried out for God to heal the racism and cultural divide in our country.  I remember one visitor in a correcting manner declared out loud: “Oh that’s already over with.” My heart sank with her comment and the lack of awareness of what was to come and be exposed. God visited us that sacred evening and revealed his heart to our tiny prayer group; the depth of the prejudiced and bigotry still hidden in the hearts of some and that he would be coming to bring justice and lift up, promote and redeem the centuries of injustice especially to the African Americans.  To this day my heart cries out to God to bring restitution and redemption to all who have suffered the centuries of being dehumanized, humiliated and abused. So this week as I quieted my thoughts, I believe he came with some clarity for prayer and understanding: “ In my distress I called to the Lord and he answered me,”(Ps. 120:1).

I submit to you the following for reflection:

Becky, you and many others are sensing the pain in my heart for my creation. This was not my intended plan in the garden, but as I chose to give man free choice, evil was also birthed.  Even as I sent my Son to earth to bring life, abundantly, I have watched the darkness grow in the hearts of men and I feel the pain and anguish through my people. As I wept watching Mary’s anguish at Lazaraus’ grave, I still today sense the pain and continue to count the tears of my people, just as my servant David cried out to me: “You have taken account of my wanderings; Put my tears in Your water-skin, (Psalm 56:8).

Remember beloved when you observe and experience the pain and injustice of this world, know that I am with you and very aware: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places,” (Ephesians 6:12). 

And in my time though it may appear that I linger, know that I will come and wipe away every tear (Revelation 21:4). I will expose darkness and bring my righteousness and justice: "I will go before you and make the rough places smooth; I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars,” (Isaiah 45:2).  Trust me and know that: “I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem you from the grasp of the violent," (Jeremiah 15:21). Always remember to: watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life, (Prov. 4:23; for if you entertain wickedness in your heart, the Lord will not hear, (Psalm 66:18).

Then I heard the following melody from years past.  I believe it is a clarion call to the body to arise. It is time!  Much of the world is lost in darkness and people in their pain and disillusionment need God! Be guided by His Spirit.  Choose to move forward in the things he places within your heart, and in his love and grace touch a hurting world in His name. He is calling you! 

People Need The Lord by Steve Green

Everyday they pass me by
I can see it in their eyes
Empty people filled with care
Headed who knows where

On they go through private pain
Living fear to fear
Laughter hides their silent cries
Only Jesus hears

 People need the Lord, people need the Lord
At the end of broken dreams, He's the open door
People need the Lord, people need the Lord
When will we realize people need the Lord?

 We are called to take His light
To a world where wrong seems right
What could be too great a cost
For sharing life with one who's lost?

 Through His love our hearts can feel
All the grief they bear
They must hear the words of life
Only we can share

People need the Lord, people need the Lord
At the end of broken dreams, He's the open door
People need the Lord, people need the Lord
When will we realize that we must give our lives?
For people need the Lord, people need the Lord

The Beatitudes - A Road Map For Life - Becky Maisenbacher

I’ve recently been reflecting on the myriad of experiences and teachings through life, especially the spiritual moments that have deeply impacted me. Maybe it’s because next month I hit the big 70 in earth years and I’m feeling a bit nostalgic, but it seems a gift of age to be able to reflect and see His nature and character displayed throughout my life. My conversion at age 4, the call to missions at age 11, His miraculous protection in the head on car crash as I turned 26, and His continual grace and mercy through the joy as well as the sorrow of life. I personally am still a lover of Him and His names. As I’ve shared with you before, reflecting and speaking His names has brought me great comfort as well as strengthened me through many trials; choosing to focus on His character and nature. But the Beatitudes have been a pivotal marker, like referencing a road map to help me in life’s journey. I’ve shared before the guidance and wisdom contained in Jesus’ message, and I find myself here once again in 2020 reading and reflecting as well as documenting my “travels” as we enter this new year and decade. I know this post is long, but if there is one thing I would desire to leave with you, it would be this. Maybe you would like to take a “short” ride with me as we re-read the encouragement and guidance from Jesus, as He show us the way to surrender in His skillful work of transformation.

The Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-12, known as The Sermon on the Mount, are a road map that helps us to identify where we are in our journey of transformation. When we accept Jesus to live within us, we begin a covenant journey of God exchanging our nature for His nature. As we surrender to God, we enter a progressive process where He desires to take all of who we are and He gives us all of Him. I was astonished when I first comprehended the revelation of covenant with Jesus. He begins to exchange our character for His character; our nature and integrity for His nature and integrity. God’s goal is to make us look more like Him. This is a process often takes us by surprise, with twists and turns, shock and even pain. When the winds of adversity blow, the enemy is often the source of our challenges and trials; but in those hard places God gives us an opportunity to be changed and conformed to His image, to be blessed, enlarged and satisfied.

The life of Jesus is a prophetic image of the Beatitudes. He shared this poignant and sobering sermon and then He walked through every verse to show us the way to God’s kingdom. His message encourages us that we are blessed on “account of Him” (vs. 11). Blessed (makarioi) is to be characterized by the quality of God. In other words, when God dwells within us with His nature, we are able to experience His kingdom and so we are blessed. Blessed also means to be fully satisfied; not due to any reward or fulfillment we experience, but we are satisfied because Jesus lives within us. We learn to walk through adversity and trials basically satisfied because we know that Christ dwells within us.

As challenging trials and testing have occurred, it has been comforting for me to head to the Beatitudes, where I have become aware of the surgery Holy Spirit was performing on me in my exchange process. When we can see how God is working to bless us in our circumstances and mature us into His image, peace is restored. This process of covenant exchange is a divine work orchestrated by Holy Spirit.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,(Matt. 5:3):

One of the first stops we will encounter on our transforming journey is to recognize how spiritually helpless we are without God. When we understand that we are unable to make anything of ourselves, we then become blessed or fully satisfied. Jesus shared that he only did what he saw the Father doing. Jesus was saying “You are fully satisfied when you realize your spiritual helplessness, and that you can not make more out of yourself.” We gain new depth and revelation into Jesus as the captain of our salvation, as well as God’s amazing grace and mercy.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. (vs. 4):

In Gethsemane, Jesus mourned, identifying with our hopelessness and our helplessness. He showed us how to surrender to God, when we recognize that we can’t make any more of ourselves. Mourn (hoi penthountes) is the sorrow we experience from our sin and the sins of others. We become faced with our own humanity. When we begin to see and mourn our hopelessness and the futility in trying to change ourselves, we then become blessed, and God comforts and encourages us. The kingdom becomes manifest, and we become satisfied. His great love and comfort becomes tangible to us. We begin to marvel at His extravagant and amazing love that turns our mourning into dancing.

Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth, (vs. 5):

As we experience situations where we are humbled or made meek, we learn to yield to God. Meekness can be defined as “accepting God’s dealings with us as ‘good,’ without disputing, contending or resisting.” Throughout scriptures Jesus experienced persecution, betrayal, rejection, abuse, slander and great humiliation. He became a living model of the character of meekness and humility that God desires to impart to us. Jesus continually surrendered himself to God’s will. When we learn to accept God’s dealings with us without anger or contentiousness, God is able to bless and enlarge us. He gives us strength as He releases His healing virtue to overcome pain in our soul and teaches us humility.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. (vs6):

When we hunger and thirst after God, we are famished and in need of constant refueling with the righteousness and essence of God. We choose to surrender to His laws and commands; we conform to His desires and will, and then He fills us and satisfies us. We become content, peaceful and filled. Jesus always revealed God’s righteousness. He became the image on earth of the nature and character of God.

Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. (vs. 7):

We will experience situations when we will be challenged to extend mercy. Mercy involves thought and action. God is the one who gives strength for grace as He requests that we extend mercy to avoid sin. Jesus exhibited active compassion when He saved the woman’s life by asking “Who has not sinned-throw the first stone.” He moved with compassion and healed many. He demonstrated for us how to pardon other’s by God’s grace. So when we find ourselves in a circumstance to choose revenge or to extend mercy; we become blessed when we choose mercy and obtain God’s mercy for ourselves. We learn the importance of forgiveness and how to love our enemies and to pray for those who have persecuted us. We begin to see God’s creation through His eyes and His love.

Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. (vs.8)

Becoming pure in heart is a process of purification or continual cleansing. This process by Holy Spirit frees us from negative things residing in our heart, our thoughts, emotions and paradigms. As we begin to surrender to His covenant exchange, we are blessed and are able to behold God with clearer vision. We are able to gaze upon His beauty with greater clarity. The blood of Christ becomes more real to us as He enlarges our understanding of His cleansing blood that purifies us. Our past, no longer defines us and we begin to see ourselves as His beloved. He takes our old heart; He purifies it (katharos) and cleanses it from the toxins of sin and guilt.

Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God. (vs. 9)

We do not become blessed simply by making peace between two parties. Peacemaker in this context is one who is able to make peace in others, because he has first received the peace of God in his own heart. So we are fully satisfied and blessed as we receive His love and covenant of peace. We begin to understand the Cross as we identify with the violence Christ suffered. We see clearly how His suffering canceled the enemy’s power forever. We begin to experience God’s peace and are then prepared to extend it to others.

Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (vs.10) Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. (vs.11); rejoice and be glad for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you (vs.12)

As we begin to walk in God’s righteousness or His revealed will; false accusations, rejection, reproach, defamation and taunting will occur. We begin to identify with Christ’s sufferings, the rejection, betrayal and false accusations He endured. God’s kingdom becomes more manifest in us as we begin to respond with His nature, extending love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness instead of our old nature of disappointment, bitterness, anger or revenge.

His kingdom emerges from within us and we become carriers of His love and presence. We begin to experience the life of His Spirit. We grow in His grace, wisdom, power and might. We see and hear more clearly into the heavenly realm, as we begin to experience our rewards (misthos) here on earth as well as those being established in heaven. The eyes of our understanding open to greater depth and revelation of His kingdom and life.

God’s covenant exchange is a life time process. We may walk through the Beatitudes cyclically as God deals with us. First, we are faced with a challenge we cannot change. We begin to understand we are unable to make anything out of ourselves. We then begin to mourn, because we see our sin and helplessness. We become humbled in our weakness and begin to hunger for His righteousness and revealed will, knowing He is the only one who can save us. We gain insight of His grace and begin to develop mercy that we choose to extend to others making us more Christ-like. Our heart becomes purified in this situation. We obtain His peace and are then able to share that peace with others. We learn to bless, forgive, encourage and love as we face persecution; and we receive more of the nature of God and His kingdom expands. New challenges present themselves and we begin the journey again.

As we live out our daily experiences, Holy Spirit is working to change us more into Christ’s likeness. When challenges try to overtake us, we can learn to rest in His love being assured that all is well. God has given us a road map to identify the points of our transformation process. And as we travel with Him on this amazing and progressive journey; He will continue to exchange His nature with us, establishing His kingdom and covenant.

In His love -

Believe In Me - Becky Maisenbacher

While in prayer on Sunday Morning at The Covenant Center, May 19, 2019, I heard the Spirit of the Lord say:

Whose report do you believe? I ask you, Whose report do you believe? Do you believe Me? Do you believe My word? Do you know that, yes, sorrow comes but there is still joy in the morning? I’m setting you up, I’m setting you up for miracles in your life. I’m setting you up for promotion. Yes, the season has been hard. Training is hard, challenges are hard, gathering wisdom and understanding often comes through pain, but I am setting you up for promotion. Who do you think that that I am? I ask you beloved, who do you think that I am? Do you think that I have not created you before the world began? Do you think that I have not given you favor? Do you think that I am not the One who promotes you? Do you think I am not the One who prospers you? Do you think I am not the One who heals you? Do you think I am not the One who orders your steps? The darkness and the enemy would come to torment you. There are many that are being tormented in this day. I haven’t done it! You say “ I’ve missed it, He’s not with me anymore, why is He not speaking to me? I guess I’ve missed it. I guess He doesn’t love me. I guess it was never real. I guess He’s not real.”  But I say to you, I am real and I created you for My divine purpose, and it shall be so because what I start I finish. And I ask you today, who do you believe? What do you believe? And as I spoke to My disciples I said to them, Believe in Me. Trust Me, for I am with you always. Believe in Me and know that I am with you and I have good things planned for you and I plan to prosper you, I plan to give you favor. But know that some things take time because I am not throwing you together for you to lose or to fail. I am building you to be victorious.

So, even though at times it may seem like suffering, and even though at times it may seem I am quiet, know that I am with you always! I am with you always, And in time I will unfold the plan in your life and you will see Me prosper you because you believe in Me.and you are Mine. Do you sense the wind? The wind is blowing! The breath of My Spirit is blowing!  You’ve entered a new season. Feel the wind blowing upon you and your family. Feel the wind blowing upon the embers of the passion that has softened or died because of the hardships you’ve gone through. I’m blowing on those embers (blowing into the mic). Be revived! I’m sending My angelic host - be revived, be revived, be revived. Be revived with the vision I gave you. Be revived with the gifts that I’ve given you. Be revived with the hope that I’ve placed within you and imparted to you. Be revived in My love. For this is a new day!  I know, I know, you’ve heard new day, new day, new day. But it is a new day for you! Even though your schedule may not look like the schedule of others, I ask you, don’t compare! Don’t compare! This is not a competition. I’m dealing with you individually. I’m dealing with your life, I’m dealing with your family, I’m answering your prayers. Look to Me. Trust Me. Believe in Me. For I have not left you, and you will see things begin to spring forth and you will say, “Thank You, Lord, it is well with You.  It is well with my soul.” 

So rejoice and give Me praise because I am the God that is more than enough. I am the King of the Universe and you will see Me move on your behalf. 

Thank you Lord for your love and provision. That you guide us and walk with us. Thank you that you have plans not to harm us but to give us hope. Thank you that you walk with us and guide us even in uncharted waters and even in darkness. Lord, we believe and ask you to help us with any unbelief. We choose to trust you and place our hope in you. Help us to sense the wind of your Spirit and see with Spirit eyes your plans and purposes. Thank you that all provision comes from you - that you are our supply. Thank you Lord that you are always with us. We rejoice in your loving kindness and goodness. We thank You, Lord!

Be blessed in His love and grace!

Get Wisdom And Understanding! - Becky Maisenbacher

Discernment. Logic. Reasoning skills. These were all important concepts to help develop language skills in our students, during my tenure as a Speech-Language Therapist. It was important for students to not only learn their vocabulary and sentence development, but to also acquire the ability to weigh and rightly discern situations to make quality decisions. It is still important in life to gain understanding. Life works more smoothly when we have knowledge. In Proverbs we find the timeless words of wise men and Rabbi’s who taught on the ways to conduct one’s life. Some have described Proverbs as “Wisdom Literature.” We find in chapter 4 suggestions for a better less painful plan to life in the author’s wise and fatherly instruction: “Pay attention, hear intelligently and gain or recognize understanding to live life well.” He states: “Hear, O sons, the instruction of a father, and give attention that you may gain understanding, for I give you sound teaching; Do not abandon my instruction…. Keep my precepts and live. Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding!…Do not forsake her, and she will guard you; Love her, and she will watch over you. The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom; And with all your acquiring, get understanding. Prize her and she will exalt you; She will honor you if you embrace her. She will place on your head a garland of grace; She will present you with a crown of beauty.”

We can have intellectual knowledge and still end up with a very difficult life. Is it possible that our society has grown in material wealth but possibly failed in encouraging children and young people to develop their understanding and discernment, while learning to think, communicate and reason for themselves. Even Isaiah 1:18 emphasized the importance to “come and reason together.” Instead of making decisions by cultural norms, familial belief structures, he said-she said, what would happen if we were able to pause, take in and process information and respond more slowly to others and situations; while taking time to gain understanding and perspective and prayerfully seeking the Spirit of Truth who comes with divine wisdom and revelation?

Proverbs 4 closes with further guidance in verses 20-23. “My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; Keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their whole body. Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.”

Father, Spirit of Truth, please come and help us to gain wisdom, revelation and understanding as we apply heaven’s principles and precepts to our lives, our relationships and decision making. Thank you for transforming our hearts to better align with you and your word. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, will give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. May the eyes of your heart be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling and what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. (Eph. 1:17-19a).

In His Love,

Believe! - Becky Maisenbacher

While shopping the after Christmas holiday sale in a local hobby store in January of this year, I was scanning the available items when my eyes focused on a pure white rectangular throw pillow with cursive script boldly declaring "Believe," followed by a swirling line of silver ending with one delicate glittering silver star. This may seem a bit strange, but I have not been able to get the image of that succinct and concise script expressed on a simple pillow. Believe! What a simple message and yet so profound. My thoughts traveled back to our forefathers - far back to Abraham and Sarah, to David, Solomon and especially Mary and Joseph as the shimmering star hung in the heavens showing the way to the wisemen, marking the Lord's birth and declaring to all that night to "Believe." Everyone at some time in life must choose to believe, even when the signs are not there and hope seems like a vapor. God has given His grace, faith and strength to us to choose to believe. Sometimes circumstances and obstacles seem so overwhelming, but God uses these very moments to teach us to persevere, endure and to nurture hope and trust.

I don't know about you, but the past ten years were challenging. There were moments when I wanted to give up and yet my heart would not allow it. You see, we often blame the enemy for our challenges when God is actually performing heart and soul surgery on us. This is the work of the Cross which includes the path of brokenness. Some call this work the process of transformation while others refer to it as the PIT - Person In Training. We essentially learn He is strong and we are weak. We learn to look outward to service instead of inward to our own wants and desires. We are taught to wait on God for promotion instead of promoting ourselves. We learn to be content in Him and what He has provided, instead of wishing or even pouting that we lived in someone else's shoes. We learn that time is not particularly important to God and that he is interested in our personal development, including character, gifts and integrity. We also learn He trains and teaches, and the lesson may be followed by a test, allowing us to see the progress in our growth and development. In the process of transformation He will dismantle all that we are, so He can fill us with all that He is. Transformation is a covenant exchange.

How often we encounter the challenges of life and immediately blame the enemy or someone else. Yes, sometimes we open doors for attack through our own poor choices, but most of the time the circumstances are staged for God to work deeply within us. I spent too many moments moaning and whining to God, even begging Him to deliver me from harsh situations, until I finally realized my circumstances were being orchestrated by Him. He used each situation to destroy unbiblical belief systems, and unhealthy mental structures I developed while in the world. As He demolished the old systems in me, He renewed my mind and taught me to lean on Him. He rebuilt kingdom structures and taught me to serve. He strengthened me to stand, to endure and persevere when waves of adversity flow, and He grounded me in His promises teaching me to trust. He continues to develop obedience and the understanding of sacrifice.

You may ask, "How long does this covenant exchange process take?" It simply takes as long as it takes for you to surrender to His divine work and plan for your life. To allow Him to teach and train you, mature and transform you into the vessel He desires you to be, so you can accomplish the work He places before you. If you have given your life to God, He will wield His scalpel and reshape your character. Often through adversity He changes us from the inside out. It is His mercy that guides and transforms a surrendered heart, because He wants you to succeed. He loves you and one of His greatest desires is to have relationship with you and bless you. And like a good Father, he desires to prepare you and equip you to touch a world in His name. So as you yield and allow Him to change you more into His character and image, He will provide all that He has laid up for you. He will release your inheritance and you will know the reward of His joy and peace, contentment and life as He comes to you with His presence.