Greetings to you all everywhere,

Today I will write of a defining moment that began in November 2018.

Some of you might remember the picture I included of me in my Joy Ride With the Holy Spirit blog. There I sat at my desk with the unorganized files that I was searching through in piles all around me. I not only found the file I was looking for, but I also did a good deal of organizing. When I have things in order, I benefit in many ways. Another way specifically is finding the topic that I am writing about today.

But before I move on to this Defining Moment, I should mention the message in our sermon for last Sunday’s service. We have several pastors in our church, and on this day, Pastor Rusty Jones took the pulpit.

He spoke of our God, a God of Order. He began in Genesis, a great place to start, wouldn’t you agree?

God told Adam not to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil (then Adam told Eve). I would like to point out in Genesis 2:16-17; and 2:20-22 that God told Adam not to eat that fruit before He had even created Eve. You might ask why point this out? I say it explains why the Bible says that sin came through Adam, not Eve. I am reminded that I pointed this out in my poem “Nothing New Under the Sun” in my book “Inspire Me”.  By not listening to God’s command to protect them, disorder came upon Adam and Eve and their lives in the garden. Before that time, everything was in God’s perfect order by His design.

As our Pastor progressed in his sermon, he used the word “order” as an acronym and a valuable teaching tool. It certainly resonated with me. Let’s look back at the first paragraph of this blog. “When I have things in order, I benefit in many ways.”

This sermon talked about order in our spiritual life and this is how he used the acronym:

Our responsibility: Psalm 69:32

Request God’s guidance: 1 Chronicles 15:11-15

Desire righteousness: Matthew 5:6

Engage our culture: 2 Samuel 6:18-19

Ready to dance: 2 Samuel 6:13-15

I have included a few of the scriptures that our Pastor used and I hope you look those up. We can see how we benefit from following God’s order, but it doesn’t stop there. We benefit physically and emotionally by following God’s order for our lives in those areas also. Just think of the joy King David had as he danced before the Lord and everyone! Spirit, Soul, and Body…oh how connected we are!

Now for the Defining Moment of this day…(although taken from what I wrote about in November 2018). Do you remember what was going on in your life during this month and year? I don’t remember many specific events, so I am glad I wrote this down.

Here is what I wrote:

One morning (I didn’t include the day) I headed for the couch with my devotional. My devotional was from the makers of the “Chosen” movies and it was titled “Chosen” also. As I settled myself on the couch, I noticed my Bible lying on the ottoman. I left it there and continued with my devotional.

The title for that day was “Wolves” on day #38:

As I read about false prophets, I was thinking of all the fake news and preachers that have “watered down” the Gospel and of course, the false prophets. The authors did an excellent job of describing the wolves and evil schemes.

The last paragraph jumped off the page at me! “But detect we must, lest we be deceived. So how do we do that? We stop opting for one-off Jesus stories and spiritual inspiration and go directly to the inspired WORD OF GOD!! We read His stories and meditate on His Words. We replace instant gratification with long-term soul satisfaction by allowing Christ to determine our preferences and desires. We reject any message promising ease or lack of resistance as contrary to Jesus’s example and message. We learn who He is and who we are in Him. WE ARE CHOSEN.  Not by wolves to be exploited, but chosen by the true and living God, to be with Him now and for all eternity.”

BAM! I was ready to get things in their proper order because I have to admit, I have been known to read a devotional and the verses of scripture referenced in it or listen to an online sermon or prophecy without really making time for just me and the Lord in His Word.

(I am adding this thought. It is not wrong to read a devotional or listen to a sermon as it may sound like I am suggesting. After all, this was taken from a devotional! Those things can land us right where the Lord wants us in His Word. But there are times we spend doing only those things that prevent us from simply being still before God (I’ve mentioned sitting still doesn’t come to me naturally) and letting Him speak to us personally through His Word. You know that One-on-one time.)

On with what I had written:

So I gladly picked up my Bible and started reading the book of John. I hand out Pocket Testaments which are the book of John and I had recently given one to two of my grandchildren, Drake and Anna.

I started in chapter 6…So much of Jesus’s righteousness, forgiveness, the truth of who He is, and before you know it, I’m in chapter 9. JESUS HEALS THE BLIND MAN. When I came to verses 39-41, I realized I needed a better understanding of those verses (remember I tend to make things somewhat complicated). I looked it up in Matthew’s Concise Concordance and several other reliable resources and this is their explanation…The Pharisees were full of pride and would not accept the Gospel of Grace. Still blind in the darkness. That brought clarity (no pun intended) and I could see it was pretty simple and I was complicating it as I had done previously. Thank you, Lord, for clarifying Your Word and helping me with my natural tendencies.

Then my thoughts went back to chapter 6 and the story of the boy with 5 loaves and 2 fish. I imagined how the boy’s mother, who had likely packed his lunch, felt when she either heard or saw how the Lord worked His miracle for the multitudes. It came alive to me and brought me so much joy even though I have read and heard this story many, many times.

By this time, David and I were ready for breakfast. As I am writing about this in this blog, again, a poem comes to mind… “Feasting At His Table” in my “Inspire Me” book. I feasted first on His Word and was filled. Then I was ready for the day.

Now continuing… Of course, I just had to tell David what I had walked through in my quiet time in God’s Word and yes, my Chosen devotional.

When I came to the part of the 5 loaves and 2 fishes my thoughts and discussion went to the meaning of numbers in scripture. 5+2=7; 5, meaning grace, 2, meaning unity, and 7, meaning finished or complete. David asked, “Where does it say, in the Bible the meaning of numbers?” I said, “God uses numbers, animals, colors, and everything He created to help us learn more about Him, for example, the Lion. Jesus is called the Lion of Judah but in other instances, the devil is like a lion roaming the earth to see whom he can devour.” We talked about the difference between the two lions; one lion being Jesus protecting and defending His people the church, and the other lion, the devil to kill, steal, and destroy. The false prophets in sheep’s clothing, and us listening to fake news and watered-down sermons instead of going straight to God’s Word referred to the wolves.

Ok, so we finished our conversation on wolves, lions, and numbers, over breakfast, and went about our busy morning. I, speaking for myself was still processing so much that was already packed in that morning, meditating on God’s Word.

Anna, our youngest grandchild was about 6 years old at that time. I sat down to visit with her as she ate breakfast that same morning. Immediately she was eager to tell me about her dream. She said, “I just had it, Grandma, so I can remember it easily.” In her dream, she was in her classroom and the teacher announced that it was time for recess. Anna was sitting on a couch and the wall behind her disappeared so she could see the children playing in the playground. She saw them playing with a lion! The lion appeared very tame and the children were petting it and talking to it. She was very concerned because she knew the lion was a wild animal and could seem harmless but suddenly attack them! Then she woke from her dream!

Wow! What a morning!

 First going to the inspired Word of God.

Reading about the wolves and not following them (false prophets, “watered down” sermons, or fake news.)

Seeking clarity of scripture and tendencies to complicate the message.

God is giving and using the meaning of numbers, animals, and everything He created. The example we discussed of the lions mentioned in the Bible and the difference.

The joy it brings when we see God work His miracles. Like the mother who packed the boy’s lunch of loaves and fish.

The Pharisees are blind due to their pride and not accepting the Gospel of Grace. And the ones that had been blind could see clearly as they accepted Jesus as their Savior. The power of the Gospel of Grace!

And my precious granddaughter had a dream with the wall disappearing so she could see the innocent children playing with a lion and the danger it posed. I would have thought that the lion was Jesus, but Anna was afraid of the lion and was very aware of how it could turn on them. So, we knew that was the roaming lion seeking whom he could devour and he is certainly after our innocent children!

These were all in my mind, messages from God. I praise Him and thank Him from the bottom of my heart!

The end of my 2018 writing.

So, in my New Year’s Eve blog, I started with unorganized files and the need to get things in order. I even included evidence of that mess! Lol! By getting better organized I benefited by finding what I consider a defining moment that I had written about. What a good way to start the new year!

Our sermon this past Sunday on “God is a God of Order” was the bonus just waiting for that day. I couldn’t have ever organized all of these events myself. I have learned some valuable lessons but mainly a deeper understanding of God’s ways. And that they are always the best in all areas of my life because He knows we benefit from order. He is a God of Order!

You may find this interesting also. What is a defining moment?

A defining moment is a point in your life when you’re urged to make a pivotal decision, or when you experience something that fundamentally changes you. Not only do these moments define us, but they have a transformative effect on our perceptions and behaviors.

I believe our time with the Lord and His Word, and the numerous other things He puts together for us should lead to defining moments. They should not only define us as His chosen ones but transform our perceptions and behaviors therefore changing us to look and live more like Jesus. Christians! Christ followers!

Reflecting on defining moments can help us understand how they have shaped us, and how we can continue to grow. What are some of your defining moments? Maybe you should write them down. I’m glad I did.

 I hope I have motivated you to not only do this but get your life in order by spending time with the Lord and His Word first, then include devotionals, videos, songs, blogs, testimonies, etc., and let’s certainly not leave out poetry! Lol!

Most of us have such busy lives! But even if you have to set an alarm to get up earlier God will help you get everything else in order and redeem your time. Let’s keep the acronym ORDER in mind. The first letter O represents Our responsibility and keeping God’s order has benefits we can’t imagine. Oh, my brothers and sisters let’s get Ready to dance!

Thank you again for spending your valuable time reading my blogs and books.

God bless you,

Reba