Discovering the Secret Echo

By Margaret Feinberg

When God really wants to get your attention, He doesn't just say something once. He echoes. The same scripture, idea, or theme will reappear until you can't help but wonder if a greater something, or Someone, is at work.

The persistent voice of God in our lives--the sacred echo--is available if we take time to slow down and really listen. But do you begin to hear God's voice in your life?

1. Take Time to Seek God

The first step is to take time to seek God. What does it look like to seek Him? Well, King David displayed his search for God in his life, his leadership, and even the songs he wrote. In Psalm 63, he wrote, "Oh God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water."

So how can you seek God? Through prayer--which is simply talking to God. Spend time letting God know your concerns, your questions, your doubts. Ask God to speak to you. At the same time, don't forget to take time to thank God for who He is and all that He has done.






2. Be Honest, Be Dependent

In our modern world, it's easy to think you can do things on your own. But if you want to begin hearing God's voice, you need to seek Him and recognize your dependence on Him.

That means being honest with Him. Admit your need for Him. Confess your disappointment with Him. Ask Him to give you ears to hear and eyes to see the ways in which He is speaking. And ask Him for the ability to discern His voice apart from your own.

3. Hear God in Scripture

 

Next, it's essential to spend time in scripture. The Bible is like God's megaphone for His people. That's why Hebrews 4:12-13 describes the Word of God as "living" and "active." If you want to hear God's voice in every aspect of your life, then you need to spend time in the Word, because scripture provides balance, confirmation and direction.

Many times a scripture will be an actual sacred echo. For example, you may read Matthew 5, which says, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God" and find a much needed reminder on the attitude you need to deal with a conflict in your life. God may use scripture to expose an area of sin, compel you to give or serve, or confirm something He's already spoken to your heart.

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4. Ask God Questions

As you're spending time in the Bible, consider prayerfully asking God questions. It may seem simple, but asking God a question implies humility and dependency. Ask God to give you insight. Ask Him to reveal things that are hidden. Ask Him to show you how to pray. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you. Ask and keep asking.

You may even want to write down small question marks next to scriptures that you don't understand. These portions can be explored later in commentaries and in discussions with members of your spiritual community.

(I specifically like this, it seems futile that these are all questions the picture speaks for itself. But I trust that the answer is something worth waiting for.....that excites me more than anything else yay!)






5. Be Quiet, and Listen

As you're spending time in scripture and asking God questions, it's essential to take time to listen.

You may find that a certain issue or person keeps coming to your mind. Spend time praying about that situation and individual. Or you may find that a verse or passage applies perfectly to the circumstances in your life. Thank God for the His wisdom. Or you may feel compelled to drop a note or call someone out of the blue. Be sure to follow through on these nudges. You may discover that God is speaking to you--convicting, revealing, exhorting, and communicating with you!

6. Practice Hearing the Echoes

 

After you've tried these things, if you still find yourself struggling to hear God's voice, try some very practical steps.

Find a quiet place where you can unplug from the busyness of the day. You may discover that the challenge of Psalm 46:10 to "Be still, and know that I am God" takes practice.

In addition, you may find distractions of to-do's filling your mind. Keep a pen and pad of paper nearby to write those things down as they flutter through your mind. Then intentionally return to the time of stillness.

Finally, you may discover that spending more time in worship--whether through music or scripture read aloud--can be a helpful tool to drawing your focus to God and what He has for you.

7. How to Know if it's God

As you begin to hear things, you may find yourself wondering, "Was that God or not?" That's why the scripture is so important. If you feel something that goes against God's commands, then it isn't from Him. Remember that He's in the business of loving and redeeming mankind.

Some questions to ask yourself when evaluating the echo:

• Does what I heard line up with the vision God has for my life?
  

• Does what I heard line up with the wise counsel in my life?
  

• Does what I heard leave me with a sense of peace?
  

• Is what I heard blanketed with love?
  

Be Patient--Speak, Listen, and Wait

Along the journey of hearing from God, don't lose heart or patience. Developing any spiritual discipline takes time. It requires a measure of hard work and waiting. Remember that prayer has three parts: speaking, listening, and waiting. Take time with each one.

As Philippians 4:6 encourages, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God." When you do, you may be surprised and delighted that God is speaking to you more than you ever imagined.

Coldfusion Administrator Resetting of Password

I am thinking this might be useful and handy in the future, so let me put this in my blog as entry. I keep on forgetting password I specify so I would know how to reset them eventually. This one is for ColdFusion Administration for versions ColdFusion 6 MX, ColdFusion 7 MX, and ColdFusion 8:

 

-Stop the "ColdFusion MX Application Server" Service

-Open the "neo-security.xml" file contained at %CFMXInstallRoot%\lib

-Find the line: "<var name='admin.security.enabled'><boolean value='true'/></var>" and change the true to false, then save the file

-Restart the "ColdFusion MX Application Server" Service

-Go to the ColdFusion Administrator again and set a password

My First Blog using Microsoft Word 2007

I have learned that you can do blogging from Microsoft Word 2007 and then publish it directly to your blog. I have been working on Wordpress platform lately and finding ways to get my work better and ease the pain of my users. This blog was created using Microsoft Word and published directly to my blogspot.

Prayer for Guidance

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.” —Psalm 32:8

Sometimes, Lord, it’s so hard to see. We squint and struggle to make sense of what you’re showing us. Help us know when you are guiding us, Lord, and when we are clutching at the wrong answers. Help us know, as this peace process unfolds, how to best follow your voice, how to love each other with your perfect love, and how to continue to turn to you and, when it’s your will, to wait until the time you choose to answer our prayers. Thank you for teaching us how to live in your care and respond to your voice.

Father, I come before you today in the name of your matchless son with several concerns. You know each of these things and have been preparing me for them even as you are using them to prepare me for tomorrow, and for that I can only thank you. Your word tells us that suffering will produce endurance, leading to character and hope. It is this hope that I long for, though I am not yet ready for it. I am impatient, I lack the resolve and the faith to step confidently in the direction you have designed for me. It is, in part, a case of not knowing your will and is, in part, seeing the timing of it all that can only be attributed to providence. I say that I just want to know for sure what path I am to take, but am afraid to listen to the answer. Oh, if only I could just know what way to go and avoid the strife that I believe will be my guide in this! But then, how would I gain endurance? How would I learn to hope only in you?

You have promised to care for us and you have brought us through the storms of life many times. Why do I fear? Why do I look for my own answer to this problem when your answer is perfect? You promise the grace to face each day, but I am so quick to ask for the grace for tomorrow before its time.

Through the years, you have provided for my needs whether I sought to honor your name or not. Why do I fear? Why do I retain my grip on things of this world when the promise I hope for is so much better? Why do I ask for more faith and then complain as my faith is tested? Why do I pray for a deeper sanctification then complain when the heat turns up?

Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief! Remind me constantly to seek my joy in you and you alone. Turn my gaze toward you and not to your gifts. Keep me from idolatry. Plant a resolve within me and a peace that only comes from finding you to be the only treasure worth seeking. Make the right path plain to me and give me the courage to walk on it. Give me the peace to hold up as you fulfill these things, for I don’t have it within myself. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring but you do. Walk before me and make my path straight. Keep my eye on you so that I will follow your steps and not fall to my own path. My family is counting on me in this and I don’t even know what it is that I don’t know.

But you do. I look at two options in this decision. There may be more, but I am blind to them. Blind me to all options but the one you have chosen. I will follow your ways with a confidence not in my understanding but in your mercy, for I deserve nothing that I ask. It is only through your son that I dare to bring this matter before you.

I come before your throne in confidence that you will remain faithful. I thank you for the times of peace that you have given me as I anticipate your deliverance and the joy that I have felt as I remember that you are shaping me into one who will rely only on the steady ground of your mercy. Remind me of your power when I forget. Show me your glory when I look to my own solutions.

For all of this and those things that I have not mentioned, I pray.

Time Leadership for Bloggers

Cracking the shell is a necessary activity to find the nut and eat it. The same goes for theories and concepts. Applying it to a real life situation is like cracking the shell of that theory. And the lessons you learn are the golden nut of insight you find inside that shell.

Cracking the shell is exactly what this post is about, and the nut we’re cracking is the theory of the Time Leadership matrix (or Eisenhower matrix). In this article, I’m going to present a case study on how to use this technique. I took my own blogging activities as the subject.

Time Leadership - a short recap

Time Leadership is a term coined by Stephen Covey and it’s about taking control of your activities by determining their relative importance and urgency.

For a quick recap: The Eisenhower Matrix has two axes:

• Importance - Do you regard the activities as important? This is defined by you: What’s important with respect to your values, ambitions and goals?


• Urgency - Is there time pressure to do the activities? Time pressure is often applied by others, or by circumstances.

Combined, these two axes create a matrix with four quadrants:
I: Quadrant of StressActivities are both important and urgent.
II: Quadrant of ValueActivities are important but not urgent.
III: Quadrant of DeceptionActivities are not important, yet they are urgent.
IV: Quadrant of RegretActivities are neither important nor urgent.

The Time Leadership Matrix for my Blogging Activities
I’m going to discuss all the topics in the matrix briefly, but for your overview I present the entire matrix beforehand

Word of the Day

Another busy morning, Lhay popped up again in my IM and gave me a link to this word:

chutz·pa

Audio Help /ˈxʊtspə, ˈhʊt-/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[khoot-spuh, hoot-] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun Slang.
1. unmitigated effrontery or impudence; gall.
2. audacity; nerve.
Also, chutzpah, hutzpa, hutzpah.
[Origin: 1890–95; <>

Source:
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Beijing Olympics 2008

I am constantly watching the 2008 Beijing Olympics. I particularly watch swimming, tennis, basketball, volleyball, gymnastics. I like Michael Phelps (USA), Katie Hoff(USA), Natalie Coughlin(USA), and Lisbeth Trickett (AUS) in swimming. I also like the women's basketball as well as men's basketball.

Here is an updated medal standings:

For a complete result click here

Christian Music

At the early morning of today, Lhay just popped up on my IM and gave me a link to this song. I like it and I am playing this song on my blog. I am posting here the lyrics as well as the singer and composer.

Jesus, My Everything
by Matt Maher


I've been looking for a reason...
I've been longing for a purpose..
I'm losing all my meaning...
I've run out of excuses.
Lord, it's hard to know you,
I don't always see your plan.
But holiness is calling me
so take me as I am.

You are my everything,
you are the song I sing;
I'll do anything for you.
Teach me how to pray,
to live a life of grace;
I'll go anywhere with you.
Jesus, be my everything.

Lord, I get so tired
of the struggle within.
I settle in complacency
and I'm weighed down in my sin.
So lead me past emotion,
'cause they change with the wind.
I want to be a true disciple
to daily choose your hand.

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Quotes about my feelings...

As I am browsing over the internet, it is always my past time to look on some quotable quotes. Sometimes we cannot speak about our feelings even to the closest pal you may ever have. It is hard to find the right words for the feelings you have inside. Although, there are times you think you can open up to somebody but there will always be some missing pieces to what you might be saying to that person. I think for me that is always true. I am a person who looks as if I do not carry any heavy loads. I am a very jolly person and at times, I talk a lot of nonsense. But my true feelings always lurks inside of me. I find my refuge to the mightiest of us all, that is God. I just let Him rule my life even when I was young and until now, I still do the same.

It is a given fact that a newborn child has to cry, for only in this way will his lungs expand. A doctor once told me of a child who could not breathe when it was born. In order to make it breathe the doctor gave it a slight blow. The mother must have thought the doctor cruel. But he was really doing the kindest thing possible. As with newborn children the lungs are contracted, so are our spiritual lungs. But through suffering God strikes us in love. Then our lungs expand and we can breathe and pray.

Here are some of the quotes I find in the internet:

Chip Brogden: It is not a question of God allowing or not allowing things to happen. It is part of living. Some things we do to ourselves, other things we do to each other. Our Father knows about every bird which falls to the ground, but He does not always prevent it from falling. What are we to learn from this? That our response to what happens is more important than what happens. Here is a mystery: one man’s experience drives him to curse God, while another man’s identical experience drives him to bless God. Your response to what happens is more important than what happens.

The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.

Dr. Meredith Grey: Pain, you just have to ride it out, hope it goes away on its own, hope the wound that caused it heals. There are no solutions, no easy answers, you just breath deep and wait for it to subside. Most of the time pain can be managed but sometimes the pain gets you where you least expect it. Hits way below the belt and doesn't let up. Pain, you just have to fight through, because the truth is you can't outrun it and life always makes more.

Many of our emotional problems, and the pain connected with them, will be replaced by peace if we learn the art of divine acceptance. There have been several milestones of acceptance in my life that led me from emotional pain to peace. There's a lot of truth in the old adages such as not crying over spilt milk. Sometimes we just have to accept the fact that the milk is gone, but then we can always get a refill and proceed with a determination to not spill it the second time round.

If you are reading these lines and feel a need to share suppressed emotions, but cannot because you feel that you can trust no one to not hurt you then the solution is to let the mind assume control and tell yourself: "If I suffer pain because I trust another with my feelings it will not be as bad as the emptiness I now feel because I hide them. Therefore, I will share my innermost feelings, even at the risk of pain. Some pain mixed with pleasure is much better than non-existence."

Life is always less painful to one who communicates than to one who does not. In one way of looking at it we could say: "All emotional pain is an indication of a failure to communicate."

What Does My Birth Date Mean?

***My Birthdate: November 26***

You lucked out the the skills to succeed in almost any arena.Put you in almost any business or classroom, and you'll rise to the top.You're driven and intense, but you also know when to kick back and cooperate.Your ability to adapt to almost any situation is part of what's going to make you a success.

Your strength: Your attention to detail
Your weakness: You can be a little too proud of your successes
Your power color: Turquoise
Your power symbol: Arrow pointing up
Your power month: August

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?http://www.blogthings.com/whatdoesyourbirthdatemeanquiz/