Methods

On January 29, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 105: 4

Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face continually.

That is some good advice if I have ever heard it and it brings up a good point. This is a message for the ages. This is not the first time God has instructed His people to seek Him. So, the message for 2021 is a message for every day of the Christian life. It isn’t new, just what God wants to focus our attention on for this year. Let’s look at other ways to draw near to the Father as we answer the question, “How do we seek Him?”

Prayer, or better still, communication with Him is another key. What does that mean? We have lots of tools at our disposal but just chatting with Him is number one with me. Often, when we discuss prayer a more formal image comes to mind. Also, we usually think of prayer as a form of solicitation or request. Those are important communiques but in search of intimacy we need normal, not formal, conversation with Him. Yahweh is interested in everything you are interested in. So just talk with Him about those things. You will be surprised by some of His comments.

Here are some other ways to connect you may not have thought of. We can also journal, paint, sing, etc. These can all be ways to interact with God. What if you yielded your spirit to the Holy Spirit as your paintbrush hovered over the canvas? What if you just let what the Spirit is feeding your spirit flow out of the tip of the brush? Can you imagine that?

What about journaling? Is that something you like to do? Here is a journaling method you may not have yet discovered. It is called two-way journaling and you can find out more about it at Communion with God Ministries’ website. You can also go my website to see some of my journaling of scripture. Just click on “Journaling with Ivey.” It is a good jumping off place for your own journaling.

What other ways can you think of to draw you deeper in your relationship with God. What are other ways to seek Him?

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Seeking Covenant

On January 28, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

2 Chronicles 15: 12

They entered into the covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and soul.

This is us, entering into a covenant to seek the Lord, perhaps more intensely than ever before. How, though, do we seek the Lord? What are the practical tools at our disposal?

Most of us know the denominational church model of Christian service and worship. It is what we were raised in. Of course, we have watched that model shift over the years but still, it remains largely dependent on our church building. What do we do now that we are on our own? Of all the times, when we need the leadership of our pastors, we are isolated from them. How do these changes affect our answer to God’s call to us?

We must develop our other skills and other methods of drawing close to God. Foremost is one you probably already utilize but could grow into a bigger role for you. That is studying the Bible. Searching the Bible for answers and wisdom is seeking God and I find it always leads to communication with Him. One may simply need a rededication to time in the Bible or, perhaps, a new study tool is in the offing. I remember buying a Strong’s Concordance a long time ago. That was before online searches were available. The point is that it changed my study time significantly. One thing you can do is search out a theme. Using online search engines you can easily find every verse on a given theme or even a given word. Or maybe you are due a new daily devotional. Just be sure it is word-based. These can draw you deeper into the Word.

Another great option is to buy a Christian book. I have been so blessed by various books throughout the years. I remember how some of them stopped me in my tracks. The key is that they have to be Bible based rather than just opinion. I have read some really good books about Bible figures like Paul, Moses and David. The good authors don’t make these dry histories. They use the lives of those sages to reveal truths about our own.

Above all, be sure to stop and talk with God about what you are learning. Don’t let any of this become an intellectual pursuit of the mind. Make it about getting to know the Father better and hearing His thoughts. Don’t make Bible study a dull ritual. Dive in there and find life. Find out what books you enjoy the most. Let your spirit be engaged. That is the key for when you do, you are going to find life more abundant.

Email me and I will tell you my favorite book of all time. Also I might be able to recommend a book or two for you.

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Lost and Found

On January 27, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

1 Chronicles 22: 19

Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God.

I want to tell you a little story today. It is about when I set my heart and soul to finding the Lord and the effect that had. It was July 2005. I was very frustrated at not being able to hear the Lord clearly. I was getting dressed one morning and had Christian programming on the TV in the other room. I heard this minister talking about when he first got saved. In the middle of his story he told about something he heard God speak to him in those early days. He was newly saved, a baby in the things of God and yet God spoke to Him. Worse yet, he heard and recognized God’s voice. That was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. I was incensed that a babe in the woods should hear God’s voice so clearly while I struggled. In no uncertain terms, I told God what I thought, and I did not mince words.

There was a conference coming up in Anaheim. I knew God would be there, so I bought a plane ticket, made a hotel reservation and put God on notice that I was “going to get Him.”

Now when we talk about setting one’s heart and soul, or seeking God with all our strength brother, that described me. I was determined to go to Anaheim and get God. I pursued Him. The result? I sought Him and He found me. I went to get Him, but He got me. He must have been laughing in heaven at my threat to “get Him.”

The end of the story is that I came away from that conference having seen the Holy Spirit with my own eyes, had a prophetic dream, had prophetic words pouring from my mouth and more, more than I can describe. My life changed dramatically because of that event. You can imagine that it would. It turned out that God wasn’t holding out on me. Instead, I had a block in my heart that I couldn’t see but which he resolved through the dream. God touched me and it all began because I sought Him with all my heart and soul.

He is a good God, loving and kind. He wants an intimate relationship with you but as I learned during that week in 2005, we are in the driver’s seat. That is why the scriptures tell us to seek Him. He leaves the power in our hands.

Seek Him with all your heart and soul! What does that look like? Well, there must be persistence in it, right? There has to be determined purpose. I didn’t pray just once. I sought Him with absolute determination. And let me say, the rewards have been well worth the search. More than anything, I now know that God is attentive. He is listening to me but also listening for me. He is awaiting the sound of my footsteps approaching His throne room. I know that if I seek Him, I will always find Him. My desire, now, is for each of you to have this same kind of experience or if you have had one, to have another. Seek Him with all your heart, soul and mind and enjoy the rewards.

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2021 Message

On January 26, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Deuteronomy 4:29

But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.

There is no doubt that God is calling to His people. Whether or not this is the last of the end times, we don’t know, but we are certainly seeing signs which Jesus gave us as indicators of the last days. God is calling. He is calling you.

In November of 2020 I heard God saying, “Raise an army.” At first, I thought He might go on to instruct me to build the prayer team bigger. I thought He might be speaking of an army of intercessors or simply a prayer army. I thought He might encourage us to prayer again this year. No. As soon as I thought those things, the answer came through as, “No.” Prayer is an important part of any Christian’s life and this year, as last, we are fools if we are not praying continually (1 Thessalonians 5: 17). God is communicating something different this year. He is calling us to a different place in Him.

I believe with all my heart that what God is telling me to tell others is that He is calling His people to Him. He is asking us to step into a more devoted and immersive relationship with Him. The image I see is of dedication. I see us dedicating more time to seeking the Father and getting to know Him. I believe He is calling every single one of us to draw closer to Him.  The word I cannot escape is, “devoted.”

Let’s be honest with one another without judgment. You know that most of us are not as committed to our relationship with Yahweh as we might be. We used to go to church on Sunday and maybe participate in a Bible Study too. Those were the bigger parts of our connection with God. Christianity is no longer about Sunday church. Covid changed that. Instead of church services, Father is calling us to His bosom. He wants our breath and His interconnected. He wants to live in the midst of us. We need a transformation in our church, but it begins in our own hearts. Leadership come from below which means, it comes from you and me.

What does this look like? In the following days, I will endeavor to show you some of the ways you can deepen your relationship with the Father. To begin this journey, I ask you to seek the Father’s opinion about this message. I believe the 2021 message He wishes me to convey is that He is calling us to a deeper, more personal relationship with Him and that this is begun by seeking Him. Ask Him if I have it right. Is this the call that He has issued? Is this the message He wants you to hear for 2021?

You can use this link to post a question, https://iveyministries.org/ask-ivey/ or contact me directly at irorie@nulliveyministries.org.

 

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The Excellency of Brotherly Unity

On January 25, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 133

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to live together in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, as on Aaron’s beard, the oil which ran down upon the edge of his robes. It is like the dew of Hermon coming down upon the mountains of Zion; for the Lord commanded the blessing there – life forever.

I took today’s title directly from the caption of today’s psalm of King David. This is the theme of our present and ordained by God to be so. How amazing is it that we should fall upon this psalm at this time? Well, if you have worked with God for a while, you know He is prone to such “coincidences” though, I have to say, it still never ceases to surprise me a bit. This one is especially loud.

With apologies to our readers from outside the United States, this message may be uniquely American. As I sit here writing this, it has only been two days since President Biden lauded this same value as the theme for our country. Of course, Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love springs to mind. Just imagine, a city named itself for the Greek word which means love between and among human beings.

God is love (1 John 4: 8) so everything which is of God begins with love. If it does not, then it is not of God. If we cannot differ in ideas but agree on ideals, we are not operating in the love of God. Regardless of what you think of our current president, without regard for whom you voted, I want to be on record saying, President Biden is in the will of God as he speaks of unity. Those are not the President’s words; they are God’s, and we should praise the God of our hearts that our president is hearing the voice of God. And we, if we have any Christian love left to us, we should pray FOR him every day. The capitalization is to remind you not to pray “about” people or pray your will but rather to pray “for” them as God would have you pray.

What I wish to create in you is a heart and spirit of celebration. We can unite, if we choose, as “One nation, under God, indivisible.” We once thought those values so essential that they form the backbone of our Pledge of Allegiance. It is time we all, again, as children, pledge our allegiance to serving as a national brotherhood, led by and dedicated to God, indivisible. That we might be that bright shining city on the hill so that all nations shall see the glory of God in this place. My heart of heart cries out that this will be the legacy we leave and the image we show to others. United under God. Shining in and by His grace. Amen.

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Provider

On January 22, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Isaiah 41: 17

The afflicted and needy are seeking water, but there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst; I, the Lord, will answer them Myself, as the God of Israel I will not forsake them.

Sometimes we forget that we have the Almighty God of heaven and earth as our provider. Regardless of our need or affliction, He is well able to provide our solution. Even when there is no resource obviously available, He will make a way for you. He can make a river in a desert if that is the need. He can provide healing in your mind, body or emotions. He can give you favor in a difficult situation where there seems no hope at all. And where there is financial lack, He will lead you to a new source or increase your current one.

Jesus talked about how precious we are to the Father in Matthew 6. God provides for the birds of the air splendidly. How much more will He provide for us. Our part is to seek Him (Matthew 6: 33) and just believe. Sure, tell the Father what it is that you think you need but then relax and let Him meet your need in what you truly need. Thank Him that He is your provider and then let Him do His job. He promised it, Jesus confirmed it. That settles it.

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Marching Orders

On January 21, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Romans 12: 9 – 13

Love must be free of hypocrisy. Detest what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor, not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.

You have been called to this day and to this moment. These are the most unprecedented times in our history. So many issues clamor for our attention. We, however, in Christ, are up to the task. I have had a saying for many years that leadership comes from below. It has to because it is only in the trenches that we really know what the situations are. So, we always need leadership at the lowest levels and need those leaders to learn and grow. You are those people. Most of you don’t hold high political positions nor church positions. None the less, you are the leaders of the world. The “leaders” take their cues from us. We tell them in our actions and with our words who we are and what we value. So, these are the marching orders God has given us to help us lead a nation, a corporation, a church and a family. These are the rules by which we are to interact within organizations.

We should cling to these leadership guidelines and share them with others. We should require our businesses and volunteer organizations to adopt this paradigm. It is rule, not by the majority, not by an elite group. It is not rule by the few or the many but rather, rule by love. Love is the ultimate leadership characteristic and it must be taught and required. We, you and I, must learn to be devoted to one another, to give preference to the other, to honor one another, be diligent, fervent, devoted servants of our Lord, to persevere, to pray continually and to be generous in all things. As we do these things, we should also teach others to do the same. We should demand this pattern of behavior out of our friends and family. We should show our political, business and church leaders what we expect of them as we set the example. Let us follow Paul’s example and teaching.

We have been silent too long. We have been apathetic, lazy and worldly too long. It is time for us to stand up and be counted, not by our words, but by our deeds. We need to become the church made of living stones which bring glory to Jesus through our loving acts of kindness. Rise up. You have your marching orders.

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