Tag: trust

Are You In The Flesh Or In The Spirit?

On By josephbarlowIn Encouragement, Journal, Ministry, TeachingLeave a comment

JUNE 9, 2020

Hey Friends,
Do you want to know whether you are in the flesh or in the Spirit?
Do you want to know if you are pleasing God or at war with Him?
You CAN know!

Years ago I came home from work and Nancy said, “You need to go into (one of our daughter)’s bedroom. She’s throwing a fit.” Before I walked in, I said, “Lord I don’t have anything. But I’m trusting you.” So, I walked in and said, “How ya doin’?”
She said “Terrible.”
Everything was wrong. To her this was a major crisis. It was some great injustice and her temper was totally justifiable in her eyes.
So I asked her a question:
“On a scale from one to ten, how are you doing in walking in love right now?”
She said zero.
I said, “Okay, how about Joy? One to ten, how are you doing?”
“Zero.”
“How about Peace?”
“Zero.”

I want through all nine fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22,23 and she rated herself a zero on every one of them.
I said, “Did you realize that, if you have a zero for each of those, then you’re walking in the flesh and not in the Spirit?”

I don’t remember what she said next, but I do remember the complete change in her attitude. The storm was passed by. She was no longer in emotional turmoil.

Through her finding out she was in the flesh, she was able to locate where she was emotionally and spiritually, where she wanted to be, and that it was her will that would get her there. She chose to walk in the Spirit and instantly received the reward of choosing to walk that way. She had peace, joy, love and all the rest.

So, friends, how are YOU doing?
Are you walking in the Spirit or the flesh?
On a scale of 1 to 10 rate yourself
How are you doing when it comes to walking in:

Love?
Joy?
Peace?
Patience?
Kindness?
Goodness?
Faithfulness?
Gentleness?
Self-control?

Romans 8:5-9 “For they that are according to the flesh, do mind the things of the flesh: but they that are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace: Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. Now if any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is not his.”

You get to choose.
Love ya

Rest

On By josephbarlowIn JournalLeave a comment

Did you know it takes patience to rest?

I’m on a sabbatical right now and when you are used to doing, doing, doing then rest is not an easy process to yield to.

Resting is a process.

It allows your body, mind and soul to do things that couldn’t happen while you were so busy.

Activity inhibits some critical processes. Rest is not really rest in the truest form, it’s simply a change of processes.

Constant activity requires your body to stay in a constant state of defensiveness so that you can continue uninterrupted in your constant busyness. But this constant state of defense requires that other processes be reduced in their priority. Some never happen. Some healing processes never happen when we stay busy.

Rest is where you tell your body, “I’m going to slow down now and give you time to catch up, heal, regroup, re-assess, regenerate, reinvigorate.” There’s so much work that needs to be done inside us. If we think it’s unimportant we will never give time to it. Rest is more important than we know.

Did you know it takes faith to rest?

I know there is a God.

I know that I am not Him.

I know He’s bigger than me, more capable, more loving.

I know that He knows that I need rest.

So within His creation, His system, He has made room for me to rest, time for me to take a break.

When I rest I must trust Him for all the things that I was relying on myself for.

I must rest. He is good. He will take care of all those things. I need not worry. I need not fear. God is good. Good night! Time to rest.

Trouble In The Land – What To Do

On By josephbarlowIn Encouragement, Journal, TeachingLeave a comment

Hey Friends,

The Lord spoke this to me a few months ago:
Here’s my journal entry from 2/19/2011
Good morning Lord,
There’s a lot of turmoil in the world today – Wisconsin, DC, several states budget battles, in other countries rebellion against standing leadership
Son, there’s coming even more shaking. The Kingdom of Darkness will continue to work to consume itself and any others it may.
 
If no one takes responsibility to correct things the people will return to anarchy.
 
Son, be fiscally responsible. Always believe me for the things I tell you to do. Trust that my provision will come and don’t shrink back from your stand of faith.
 
I am God and I can and will provide. The government is not God. It cannot provide all that it has promised. Great disappointment will follow these broken promises and you will see violence throughout the land. The way this shakes out depends on what the righteous will do. Pray for those who are called to stand up and speak that they would allow me to speak through them.
42248