When God Seems Silent

This morning, during my prayer time – I prayed for help and guidance to see things through God’s eyes. Pondering on situations that seem unchanging. As a pastor who regularly hears people’s problems and concerns about their needs, hurts, pains, or illnesses – you quickly feel helpless when they seem so hopeless. Yet, you know in your heart the only one who can help them is Jesus! However, they are looking at their circumstances and can only see the reality of the things they have been living with or going through. Sometimes it feels like the heavens are silent. As I was praying for the numerous burdens that weigh heavy on my heart; my church family, the situation in Israel, the hurts and pains many have shared with me. This scripture came to my mind:

Prov. 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

A feeling of peace came over me. A knowing, that God IS hearing me and not silent to my intercessions. My Heavenly Father had heard my prayers.

As believers in Jesus Christ our lives are a walk of faith and trust. Trust in His teachings. To “trust” means to obey willingly without knowing the end from the beginning. To produce fruit, your trust in the Lord must be more powerful and enduring than your confidence in your own personal feelings, circumstances or experiences. We may not understand how, why or when God will answer our prayers, but we are assured in His word by trusting, He is working all things out together for the good of those who love him and called according to His purposes. (Romans 8:28).

Discerning Your Season

It is vital for us to know and understand seasons and how they affect destiny and purpose in our lives.  Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven;  seasons and time were created so purpose can be fulfilled, season’s change in our lives.  It is said that:

• Spring – Birth – age 20; everything is blooming (New Beginnings)
• Summer – Age 20-40;  making decisions of what you are going to do with your life.
• Fall – Age 40-60; reaping a harvest of your life’s decision.
• Winter – Age 60 – 80; reflecting on what you’ve already done, don’t have time for mess-ups.

God see’s how much time we’ve been given and how much we have been willing to give him back.  Time is one of our most valuable possessions. Timing is everything and we’ve got to know the will of God for our life. Ephesians. 5:15-16 Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people),making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil.

Matthew 16:1-3, “The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. He replied, when evening comes you say, it will be fair weather, for the sky is red, and in the morning, today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast. You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, BUT YOU CANNOT INTERPRET THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES.”

Jesus is saying that you can discern the signs of the weather in natural things, but you are blind in discerning the season in spiritual things.  The kingdom of heaven operates like a man in field, everything spiritual operates like seed in a field, we must see God as the Almighty Gardner.  Understanding cycles and seasons. In Genesis. 8:22 it says;”as long as the earth remaineth, there is seedtime & harvest”. Everything in life has cycles and seasons. Seasons were created so purpose’s can be fulfilled.  Prov. 27:12 A prudent man foresees the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished. Meaning, he recognizes the seasons.

Psalm. 23:3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the “paths of righteousness” for his name’s sake.  The word “paths” is actually taken from the Hebrew root ‘agol’, which means something round, circular or a cycle.  Just as in the natural we have four seasons, spiritually we experience winter, spring, summer, and fall in virtually every element of our lives; ministry, marriage, spiritual growth, business, finance, relationships, etc.

Spring

Is a time of planting and activity, a time of work and effort to carry out instructions gained in winter, a time of great spiritual and physical energy and a time that great energy is required. It is a time of plowing new and sometimes hard ground and a time to fertilize the soil with prayer.

Summer

Is a time of watering (praying) and weeding (doing warfare over) the freshly planted crop. It is a time in which the crop is in potential danger from the heat of summer, thus the need for much watering. It is also the time we begin to see the first evidence of our planting (First the stalk, then the ear, then the full colonel in the ear.)

In Luke chapter 4 verse 13, when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.

John 10:10– “The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy”.  Satan will try to steal everything good in your life.

Fall

Is the time of harvest; a time where the physical evidence of our hard work during previous seasons has arrived. It is a time of Thanksgiving, a time of refreshing and a time for storing for the winter that is sure to come. Fall is a time of reaping and distributing.

Winter

Winter is a time of uncomfortable-ness, a time when everything seems dead and lifeless, it is a time to get warm and intimate with God, a time to rest physically and to exist on what has been stored from the previous harvest. It is a time of gaining direction for planting, to glean from past mistakes, to repair and prepare for the coming spring.  It’s a time of testing and trial (spiritual winter)

Seasons Change, change is a part of Life and it is inevitable.  Change opens new doors. The Key to Your Success is to find out what season you are in.  Once you know your season then you can take the necessary steps you need to prepare for the next season of your life.  The problem with many people is that they don’t know what to do.  Listen, you can know what to do.  Each season corresponds to a particular action that you need to take.  For example, there is a time to plant and a time to reap. How do you know if it’s time to reap? You know it’s time when the harvest is ripe. The same is true of your life.

The four seasons of life; each of these seasons demands a particular action on your part.  During the Winter you need to pray and make a plan from the things learned this time of testing and trial.  In Spring you need to plant. For Summer you must water and cultivate. And during Fall you finally reap a harvest.  Here are some valuable quotes:

“The key to change is to let go of fear”

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending”.

“The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live”.

“There is nothing wrong with Change if it’s in the Right direction”.

“Sometimes it’s the smallest decisions that can change your life forever”.

“Life can either be accepted or changed.  If it’s not accepted, it must be changed, if it cannot be changed, then it must be accepted.”

You can never change what you tolerate.  As long as you are willing to live with something and tolerate it, it will never change.

Every season has storms in it, just because it’s sunny out, doesn’t mean it won’t rain.  Prepare with the storm in mind. (Buy an umbrella)!

Matt. 7:24-27 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

Notice storms came to both houses:  The difference one man built his house on the Rock. (The Word of God). The rock won’t stop the storm– but when storm hits you won’t crumble, you will be built on a rock that withstands storms.  The elements that come against us our developing our character.  God sees the plan He has for you. Sometimes He will intervene and arrange the circumstances to move things out of the way for His purpose to be fulfilled in your life.  Jeremiah. 29:11 For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.  (amp)

This is where we need to rest in God and have faith and trust that He is doing something greater than we can see right now.  Sometimes it’s unpleasant, but know He is working it out for your good. Trusting God often requires not knowing how God is going to accomplish what needs to be done and not knowing when He will do it.  We often say God is never late, but generally He isn’t early either.  Why? Because He uses times of waiting to stretch our faith in Him and to bring about change and growth in our lives.

On the other side of the spectrum are those who think that anytime is the right time. Jesus said of His unspiritual brothers, “For you any time is right” (John 7:6). Jesus was very aware of God’s right time. He said to his brothers, “The right time for me has not yet come.” To his mother, He said, “My time has not yet come.” God is aware of the importance of acting in the right time. The Bible says, “when the time had fully come, God sent his Son” (Galatians 4:4). God did not send Jesus too early or too late. Just at the right time. So to find out God’s time you simply need to ask yourself, “What season am I in?” Now understand that your life has many kinds of fruit. Right now you are cultivating your spiritual life, ministry, relationships, career, education, money, and health all simultaneously. Each of these compartments may be in a different season.

For example, your spiritual life may be in the Fall season while your health may be in the Winter season. This means that you are experiencing spiritual refreshing while you’re unhealthy in body. What do you do then? Spiritually you reap the wonderful Spirit-filled life and share it with others, while physically you must vision yourself healthy and plan about becoming healthy.

Life is not simply reaping. I know everyone wants to reap, but there can be no reaping unless there is planting. And no one would plant if there was no Spring time.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.   Galatians. 6:9 “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not”. Ecclesiastes. 3:11 “He hath made every thing beautiful in his time”.

The Seasons of Life
 – By: BJ Morbitzer



 There was a man who had four sons


He wanted his sons to learn
 Not to judge things too quickly.


So he sent them each on a quest,

In turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

 The first son went in the winter,


the second in the spring,


the third in the summer,


and the youngest son in the fall.



 When they had all gone and returned
 he called them together
 to describe what they had seen.


 The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.


The second son said it was covered with buds and full of promise.


The third son disagreed;

 he said it was laden with blossoms
 that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful,
 it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.


The last son disagreed with all of them;

he said it was ripe and
 drooping with fruit full of life and fulfillment.

The man then explained to his sons
 that they were all right, because they
 had seen only one season in the tree’s life. He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season. That the essence of who they are,
 and the pleasure, joy, and love 
that come from that life,
 can only be measured at the end,
 when all the seasons are up.



If you give up when it’s winter
 you will miss the promise of your spring,
 the beauty of your summer, and the
 fulfillment of your fall.

 Don’t let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.


Don’t judge life by one difficult season.

 Persevere through the difficult patches,
 better times are sure to come in time.


Aspire to inspire…Before you expire.
 Live Simply, Love Generously, Care Deeply. Speak Kindly.


And leave the rest to God.


Happiness keeps you Sweet

Trials keep you Strong,


Sorrows keep you Human.

Failures keep you Humble,


Success keeps you Growing,


But only God keeps you Going. You may of missed your season but there is:

Good News! The Bible says that you can “redeem the time” (Ephesians 5:16 KJV). Redeem means to repurchase. God will let you buy back some time. As God said through the prophet Joel, “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten” (Joel 2:25).

So if you have blown your opportunities and missed your time of success, you can repent and ask God to redeem the time you lost or was stolen. God will put you back in the race and rewind the clock and let you start over again!  Praise Be To Our God!

God’s Providence & Reformation

Every January, our church engages in a 21 day Daniel Fast. We start the new year out by sowing our first 3 weeks to the Lord. Prayer, Fasting & Giving a First Fruit Offering, which is a whole offering. A whole offering is our first week’s income. We have been committed to this, for about 15 years now, and I personally have seen breakthrough, deeper revelations and love relationship with our Lord as a result of this. We just completed our fast, God was speaking to me about how His providence is what guides our lives. The book of Esther doesn’t have the name God written in it once, yet His providence is seen all throughout this book. It’s what brought Esther to the Palace, and she was chosen to be the next queen. His hand was on Esther to bring reformation to save her people from being Annihilated. When she heard of the plot of Haman, she called a 3 day fast. Esther still had her part to play in this as to not miss the providence and purpose of God. She obeyed the voice of her cousin Mordecai and The Kings eunuch, which is a type of holy spirit. The King’s eunuch knew what the King liked, so when Esther was brought into the place where she could have picked all the glamorous clothing and jewels, she listened to the King’s eunuch as he suggested what to choose. While all the other maidens where taking all the glamorous, jewels and loading themselves up with all bling and bling! Esther, chose to obey the voice of the King’s eunuch, and in doing so, when brought before the King, she found favor in His eyes. Esther was a simple, jewish girl, living out her convictions. What, I believe the Lord was showing me through this is; we can miss what His providence and purpose is in our lives, if we are not sensitive to hear his voice guiding us as to the how, what when, where. Fasting, helps us to clear out all the clutter in our lives, makes us more sensitive to hear God’s voice. We are living in times, where God is looking for reformers.  I encourage you to seek His face, cause in doing so His providence will guide you to your destination.

Spiritual Tabernacle Part 2

God is looking for a holy generation, righteous sons and daughters to be raised up after His own heart, to reproduce Godly seed in the earth.

1Pet. 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

When we as individual stones are determined to grow spiritually, becoming all God desires us to be, there’s nothing that could stop what God would do in and through us to reach the world for Him.  As the world is growing darker, the church needs to grow brighter.

Is. 60:1 ARISE [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you—rise to a new life]! Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!)

 When we commit ourselves to passionate spiritual growth it reflects God’s glory.

This will cleanse the scent of the world from us while producing the aroma of the Holy Spirit on us.

We will attract others to Jesus, when our lights shine with the radiant Glory of the Lord, bringing light into darkness; this allows atmospheres to shift, to expel the darkness.

2Cor. 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

 In this verse, what does it mean to “come out”?  It doesn’t mean we are to come out from the world for we know that scripture says we are the light and salt of the world, Christ’s ambassadors, representation of the Kingdom of Heaven to the earth.  “Come out” refers to not being a partaker of what this world partakes of but to separate from the worldly desires that feed the flesh and produce corruption.   1John 2:16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh [craving for sensual gratification] and the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] and the pride of life [assurance in one’s own resources or in the stability of earthly things]—these do not come from the Father but are from the world [itself].

We are in the world, but not of it. Ephesians 5:8 says; “we were once in darkness but are now the children of light, so walk as children of light”.

 Eph. 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Col. 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

We are here on the earth our true citizenship is now in the Kingdom of Heaven.

When we are truly transformed from the inside out, we will be empowered with the Holy Spirit to Arise and Shine and bring the God’s Radiant Glory to a lost and dying world.

 

Spiritual Tabernacle

1Pet. 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. 7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, 8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

The apostle is referring to the believer as a living stone being built as a spiritual tabernacle.  We as believers are what makes up the church, each stone being placed to form the building.  Living stones.   Each stone is built upon Jesus Christ the chief corner stone which He is referred to in verse 6.   In order for the stones to fit properly to construct a strong building, they sometimes have to be cut, smoothed out and then placed to the building so that it can be strong and weather the storms that come against it.

Whatever is going on in your life, trust in the builder, who is building your spiritual tabernacle,  you may feel like your being cut, or smoothed.  He is the master builder and cuts away those things that are not fitting for his house.  When He is done, the latter house will be greater than the former house.   Hag. 2:9 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.

Pastor Carmela Muratori

Walking In Divine Health

Walking In Diving Health

 

3John 2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

God desires for His people to be in health and prosper in every area of live. Sadly, most neglect this one area and do not take care of the temple of God. 1Cor. 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? We read the word, quote healing scriptures, which is right and good. But to do this and continue to neglect our physical bodies is frankly ignorance. I was a Christian 10 years when I learned this principle. When my own health was not at it’s best and I would apply the word of faith, run to the altar for prayer and still no manifestation of healing. I began to seek the Lord who is the creator of all things and knows how he created humans to sustain life and He is so faithful to answer the cry of our hearts for truth. He guided me thru diet and nutrition and since then, I have applied the knowledge He gave me through books, and people He began to send into my life. Hos. 4:6 says: My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee. Many times we cry out for God to answer, but we reject the vary answer He brings, because it is not something we want to do or hear. It doesn’t come in the way we think. I was hungry for truth and when He sent it. I did not reject it. I began to apply what I was learning and since have received the health and healing I was asking for. Almost all disease is caused by nutritional deficiencies and here are some nuggets I have learned that I want to share with you to help you get on the road to receive and walk in divine health.

Raw Foods is the best way to regain and build your health. Life begets life, death begets death. Living foods is what your body needs, which have all enzymes and nutrients in tacked. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds.

How do we get more nutrients out of our food?

#1 way is by juicing. Juicing takes out all of fiber and therefore there is no digestion process. This gets about 92% of nutrients to the cellular level.

Raw foods are made up of cells and the nutrients are contained within those cells. . When we eat a raw food the amount of nutrients we receive are based upon how well we chew that food. Many people do not chew their food well, therefore those nutrients don’t get utilized and pass right through our body and wasted.

Another way to receive the most nutrients from our food is blending. By blending our food we break through the cells of the food, therefore we activate the nutrients and receive the most nutritional benefit of raw foods. I quote Dr. George Malkmus “we receive 7 times more nutrients at cellular level”. This is also great for people who have dentures and can’t chew their food well.

Here is a quick recipe for blending foods: You can blend in blender. Best machine to invest in is a Vitamax. Be creative!

1 handful of spinach or Kale.

1 leaf cabbage

¼ c pineapple

1 tomato

1 celery stalk

1 carrot