My guitar teacher, Tamara, taught me the first thing you always do is tune your guitar before you start playing. This morning, God taught me the same lesson. Here’s what I recorded in my journal.
My son, listen to and for my Voice until you are tuned in and in pitch, walking in perfect harmony with my Spirit—yielded only to me. Sit with me at our prayer altar. Sit with my Words. Listen with the intention to hear and know and love as I do with you.
Plant seeds in fertile soil if you want the best harvest. For many people, you must help cultivate and compost to fertilize their soil with my love, truth, and grace. You must repeatedly go on their turf embodying the fruit of a spiritually rooted life until they start asking questions, reacting, picking on you, testing you, and engaging in a trust building process of coming to faith and growing their own spiritual garden.
People will try to spit out and reject and blend everything you offer them because of their history, their socialization, and their worldview. But don’t run away from their tests and challenges because you’re uncomfortable. Just keep showing up with God’s love and truth and grace. Be the real deal: Jesus with skin on. Don’t try to be someone you’re not. Just be you. Authentic. Just apologize and ask for forgiveness when you mess up. Extend forgiveness when they hurt you. Love more…not less. Enjoy building relationships with and for me and my Kingdom.
If you live by the spirit you must keep in step.
What’s your relational garden looking like?
What kind of fruit are you growing with and for God?