Operation De-Clutter.........Dear Dad Day 56

Dear Dad,

I really enjoy spending time with You. Forgive me for neglecting our personal time for so many years. I can remember fleeing from Your voice when I heard You speak certain commands like “don’t go there”, “the time is now”, “you are supposed to be doing this”, “cut this person off”, “this friendship is only for a season”, “watch out”, etc. You definitely speak.... so there is no way I can truly say “I didn’t know”. I have grown to value Your words and anticipate Your voice daily. I have found the more I declutter the louder Your voice is in my heart. Decluttering first starts with me. I have to be intentional about allotting time in my day for You, and wait quietly to hear Your voice. Just like I brush my teeth, spending time with You is next on the agenda. Secondly, I have to disassociate myself from anything clouding my ability to hear from You. Once I got real with myself, many things I liked to do, many places I liked to go, and many people I liked to talk to had to be minimized so You could be maximized. Lastly, I had to move boldly in Your direction. I often hated on people who said they could hear from You. I swore up and down they were delusional and/or crazy..... until now I can identify with those crazy people. Over the last month You have told me so much stuff: good stuff, bad, stuff, stuff I didn’t want to hear, stuff that has overwhelmed me extremely.... and so on. I realize that this has happened 100% because I made the decision to be intentional about our relationship, and declutter my life with garbage that interferes with our connection. I can now proudly add, sitting at the feet of Jesus as one thing I enjoy most about day.

Kristen

Word on The Go: Psalms 27: 4-5; Psalms 37:5-7; Psalms 119: 113-120; Lamentations 3: 25-27; Matthew 6:6; James 4: 7-10 (The Message)

Psalms 27:4-5
 ⁴ I'm asking God for one thing, only one thing: To live with him in his house my whole life long.I'll contemplate his beauty; I'll study at his feet ⁵ That's the only quiet, secure place in a noisy world, The perfect getaway, far from the buzz of traffic. 

Psalms 37:5-7

^5-6 Open up before God, keep nothing back; he'll do whatever needs to be done: He'll validate your life in the clear light of day and stamp you with approval at high noon. ⁷ Quiet down before God, be prayerful before him. Don't bother with those who climb the ladder, who elbow their way to the top. 

 Psalm 119:113-120

I hate the two-faced, but I love your clear-cut revelation. You're my place of quiet retreat; I wait for your Word to renew me. Get out of my life, evildoers, so I can keep my God's commands. Take my side as you promised; I'll live then for sure. Don't disappoint all my grand hopes. Stick with me and I'll be all right; I'll give total allegiance to your definitions of life. Expose all who drift away from your sayings; their casual idolatry is lethal. You reject earth's wicked as so much rubbish; therefore I lovingly embrace everything you say. I shiver in awe before you; your decisions leave me speechless with reverence

Lamentations 3:25-27
God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks. It's a good thing to quietly hope, quietly hope for help from God. It's a good thing when you're young to stick it out through the hard times

Matthew 6:6
"Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.

James 4:7-10
So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet