Ways God Speaks to us - Part 3

In the past two posts, I mentioned 4 ways that I've noticed God speaks to us and I gave you examples of the first three. If you missed them, please check the archives.  My hope is that many of you have begun to realize that God has been speaking to you for years and perhaps you didn't know it. If you did know it, I hope I've given you affirmation of God's constant presence and involvement in your life.

Here are the four ways. (Not an exhaustive list. Just my experience)

 

• Gently guiding us / Revealing
• Discerning/Perceiving
• Direct speech by Angels
• Direct speech by Holy Spirit

Today we will deal with the fourth way God speaks to us and the most rare. Directly. I'm including dreams and visions in this category because through them God is speaking to us one on one.  Here are some examples from Scripture. Notice how specific the communication is:
 
Saul's conversion on the road to Damascus in Acts 9 where Jesus Himself calls to Saul saying "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" Saul answers and he and Jesus tells him to go into the city and wait.
 
Ananias, the same chapter, received specific communication from Jesus in a vision telling him to go to a certain house and lay hands on Saul to receive his sight.
 
Peter sees a vision while on the housetop in which Jesus tells him specifically that "What God has cleansed, you must not call common." Jesus was instructing Peter to accept Gentile believers into the fold.
 
Philip was instructed by an angel to travel down a certain road where he saw a chariot and a eunuch in it who was reading Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.”  So he did and was able to explain the Scriptures to this man and he believed!
 
Acts 18: Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent;  for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.” And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
 
Acts 23: But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.”
 
So, you see that when the Lord speaks to us directly, it's normally to give us specific directions or tell us specifically what to do or what will happen.  Isn't that amazing? Some people would say.. yea, that was in Acts. Things like that don't happen today? Really?

I'll give you an example from my own experience. Years ago, I was stuck in a dead-end job that I absolutely hated. I had been a Christian for a few years and I was begging God to deliver me. I was sure He had something else for me to do with my life. I had spent years searching different job opportunities.. school options.. and came up empty. Finally at the end of my prayer walk one morning before work, I simply lifted my hands and gave it all up. I completely surrendered to God and told Him that I'd stay where I was.. that I'd scrub toilets for a living if that's what He wanted. I felt such peace after that and a couple yards later as I was nearly home I heard this voice. It wasn't audible. It came from deep within me. And it spoke with authority and yet it was full of joy. The voice said. "I've got something for you to do that will blow your socks off!"  It literally said that. I laughed at first. But then I wondered where it came from because I wasn't thinking about jobs or my future anymore, I was just praying. So, I told God that if that was Him, Thank-you and I went on my way. At the time I wasn't writing anything. I hadn't written in years.. but two years later, I got my first publishing contract and they've been coming ever since.  I now know that was God's voice I heard.

Since then I've heard Him speak directly to me several times. Usually in instruction or answering a question or just telling me He loves me. Sometimes it's a warning. People tell me it's just my imagination. Satan tries to tell me I'm crazy, but I know the Lord's voice. 

 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. John 10:4

How do you know it's the Lord and not you or Satan?  Here's some criteria that may help you.

It's clear and specific.
It's directed at you
It brings peace
It is authoritative
It seems to come out of nowhere when you least expect it.
It never defies anything in Scripture.
 

So, what about you? I'd love to hear your stories!!  Have you heard from God?

Tis a writer's life for me!

Can you get too close to the story you're writing?

The answer is YES.  I've been working all week on edits for my next release Veil of Pearls.  Just when I thought I was done with the story, it shows up in my email once again!!  You see there are two kinds of edits in the publishing business. A substantive edit and a line edit. The substantive edit reveals things that don't make sense, holes in the plot, characters that need some work, things like that. Usually, my edits on these are pretty light. This time. Not so much! In fact, I had to delete an entire chapter! Plus move several scenes around, introduce a new character, etc.. etc.. Of course once you do that, everything else in the story is affected. Sigh.  But, I have until next Friday so I should be good. It's just HARD WORK. (Just in case there are any wanna be writers out there who think my life is easy!)

  My problem this time? I think I was just too close to the whole story. And because I was rushed, I didn't take the time to ponder things. Pondering is a good thing for all you writers out there. I highly recommend it. All it requires is stepping away from the computer, talking a walk, thinking about what you just wrote and any upcoming scenes and working through the details, making sure everything makes sense. If you don't do that. If you get rushed, things can end up garbled.  But Thank God for good Editors!!! Mine is Traci Depree.. a lovely lady and an author herself. She always catches my goofs. God love her!
Never fear, though, the story is going to be FABULOUS! I'm very excited about it.

So, other than that what have I been doing?  Well, I hired some maids (very cheap ones) to clean my filthy house and they spent 3 hours getting it spotless! They even got the wood floors so clean, my hubby and my stepson and I are slipping on them. I even fell once!   Not complaining, though. I just haven't had time lately to clean.

We went and saw Courageous last week. Check for the post on my review. Go see it!!! Bring the men in your life!!
My best friend is moving away.
I found out another good friend doesn't have cancer! Praise God!
I made an appointment to be tested for Sleep Apnea. Uggg. I don't think I have it, but I do wake up alot.
And my hubby and I are enjoying the new show, Person of Interest, with Jim Cavaziel. Hubba hubba. (The hubba hubba is for both my hubby and Jim)

What's new with you this week?

Rainy and cold in California!.

Last week I had my shorts and T-shirt on and it was 85. This week, I have jeans and a sweater, and it's 65. What the heck?  I guess Fall is here. Plus it's raining! I always love the first rain of the season (For those of you who don't live in California, it doesn't rain all summer!)  The air smells so fresh and clean and somehow, its as if the parched land just breathes a sigh of relief.  Soon, all the brown hills will turn green again.
That part is good. The part that is bad is that the rain won't stop until April!  But I suppose that will help me stay inside and get all my books written!!
What's it like where you are?

Wordless Wednesday!



Abandon ship! Head for the lifeboats!



Ways God speaks to us - Part 2

God wants to talk to you. Does that surprise you? It did me at first. I mean, why would God want to talk to little ole me? But the truth of the matter is He does. He's desperate to talk to us. All you have to do is read through His Word to see that. Repeatedly throughout History, God reached out to mankind, through direct communication, through signs, wonders, prophets and finally by sending His one and only Son. Today we have the Holy Spirit who fills us and guides us and tells us things the Father wants us to know.  If you're a believer in Christ, you are adopted in God's family. He is your father. And like a good father, He wants to be involved in your life. He Loves to spend time with you. Wants to talk with you. .

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “ Abba! Father!” Romans 8:15

Last week I mentioned 4 ways that I've noticed God speaks to us and gave you examples of the first two. I hope that perhaps you thought of moments in your life when God spoke to you and you didn't even realize it.

• Gently guiding us / Revealing
• Discerning/Perceiving
• Direct speech by Angels
• Direct speech by Holy Spirit

Today, I'll cover the third way God speaks to us. Theses last two ways are far more rare than the first two, but they do happen, and they've happened to me.

 
Do Angels speak to us? Yes. Absolutely! They spoke to people in the Bible all the time. They spoke to people after Jesus's Resurrection as well. And they've probably spoken to you too! 
You just may not have recognized it.
 
I believe we each have an angel or at times, multiples angels assigned to watch over us.  The Bible is clear on this:
For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways Psalm 91:11
Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven Matthew 18:10
Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels Hebrews 13:2
An example of an angel speaking to someone after the resurrection can be found in John 20 when Mary went to the tomb to see Jesus, an angel appeared to her and spoke to her, telling her Jesus had arisen.
 
I believe I had a personal encounter with an angel once. Maybe she was even my guardian angel. I was walking on the trail behind my house as I do every day. This was before I was an author and I had to go walk early in the morning before I went to work. It was my quiet prayer time, the only place I could go to be alone. Usually, there's no one up there at that hour. It's barely dawn and everything is misty and cold.  I reached the end of the trail, turned to head back and there appeared before me a woman.. probably 30ish. Young. Attractive but not in a made up way. She had a gorgeous dog with her. It looked like an Alaskan Malamute with bright blue eyes. I was startled because there had been no one following me on the trail and there's no place she could have come from. And I hadn't heard her at all. She smiled at me as she passed. And she said "God Bless you." That's it. Just God bless you. Now, let me tell you that nobody says "God Bless you" here in California.. not unless you're in church! In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it isn't outlawed soon. So I was so stunned, I kept walking, shaking my head. After a few minutes, I turned around and she was gone.
 
Was she an angel? I don't know. Have other angels spoken to me in my lifetime? Probably. Just don't discount the stranger who appears in your life with a word.  Check it with Scripture. Ask God if that was from Him. And if it is.. be blessed!

On a side note, I know of a very Godly, trustworthy man whose guardian angel frequently appears to him. My husband has also seen angels on several occasions. They exist. They are God's messengers and their purpose is to minister to God's kids.  Don't worship them. Don't fear them. But open your spirit to believe they exist and to receive whatever they have to tell you.

Can you think of a time you might have had an encounter with an angel?

Tune in next week for the final way God speaks to us--directly.

Courageous - my review!

Courageous - the Movie! My thoughts.


First of all, it's GREAT to see a movie that has no sex or violence or foul words, but even more than that, a movie that has a great theme, a moral, and talks freely about God and the Bible. All in all, I thought the movie was pretty good. It kept my attention, had great drama and action. Hey, I even cried!! On the down side, the acting wasn't superb and the plot seemed to wane in the beginning. But I could set that all aside due to the fabulous theme of Fathers stepping up to be Leaders, the Protectors, the Instructors, the Providers, and the Spiritual Guides of their wives and children!! We see so little of that in this culture. I, for, one grew up without a Dad so I understand first hand the horrible effect that can have on a child's sense of belonging and value.

The Movie is an appeal to Fathers to step Up! To not be ashamed to be Men of God. To be courageous enough to take a stand against this culture and say I am a man of God. I will be faithful to my wife and cherish her! I will spend time with my kids and instruct them with Biblical principles! If even half the Christian men in this country would do this, we could change the next generation and quite possibly save our country from its present course!
 
So, I highly recommend you grab your neighbors and friends and go see this movie. I truly believe that those men who open their hearts to its message will be forever changed and will leave a legacy of honor and integrity after they die.

I highly recommend this book, releasing today!!

A Necessary Deception
Laurie Alice Eakes
Publisher: Revell

When young widow Lady Lydia Gale helps a French prisoner obtain parole, she never dreamed he would turn up in her parlor. But just as the London Season is getting under way, there he is, along with a few other questionable personages. While she should be focused on helping her headstrong younger sister prepare for her entré into London society, Lady Gale finds herself preoccupied with the mysterious Frenchman. Is he a spy or a suitor? Can she trust him? Or is she putting her family in danger?

Readers will enjoy being drawn into this world of elegance and intrigue, balls and masquerades. Author Laurie Alice Eakes whisks readers through the drawing rooms of London amid the sound of rustling gowns on this exciting quest to let the past stay in the past and let love guide the future.

Available at Christianbook.com  and Amazon

Endorsements

Four-Star Review from Romantic Times

"The first in Eakes’ Daughters of Bainbridge House series, this is a great Regency-era novel with characters who may not be who people think they are." --Patsy Glans

"With her clean, sleek prose, Laurie Alice Eakes is one of the best storytellers the world has today. A Necessary Deception is one of her best, deftly weaving an intriguing spy chase with the elegant life of the ton in a beautiful love story that kidnaps unwitting readers and holds them hostage to the very last page."--Delle Jacobs, award-winning author of His Majesty, the Prince of Toads

"In A Necessary Deception, Laurie Alice Eakes weaves the fine silk threads of historical richness, dangerous intrigue, and forbidden romance into a flawless literary tapestry. This is Georgette Heyer meets Terri Blackstock in 1812 Regency London, an adventure that will leave readers breathless."--Louise M. Gouge, award-winning author of At the Captain's Command

"Laurie Alice Eakes writes a page-turning story with an in-depth knowledge of the period, an eye for detail, and an escalating mystery that will keep readers guessing till the end."--Ruth Axtell Morren, author of Wild Rose and The Rogue's Redemption

"Intriguing, suspenseful, masterful, and romantic--all the things you want in a great book! Add to that enchanting characters with real problems and real flaws who grow throughout the story, and a twist-and-turn plot, and I guarantee that once you dive into this book, you'll be happily lost in Regency London for the duration."--MaryLu Tyndall, Christy Award nominee and author of the Surrender to Destiny series, Hey!! That's me!! LOL

"Laurie Alice Eakes's novel is a captivating combination of romance and suspense set in the glittering Regency period."--Jane Myers Perrine, author of Second Chance Bride

"A Necessary Deception will lure you into a fascinating Regency full of danger, surprises, and a romance to quicken your pulse."--Jillian Kent, author of Secrets of the Heart

"A time of romance and intrigue with characters who grip one's heart and won't let go--this is the kind of book I look forward to reading when I want to be uplifted and carried away."--Jennifer Hudson Taylor, author of Highland Blessings and Highland Sanctuary