Skip to main content

Follow Me on Facebook

Gretchen Mure Rodriguez

Simple Words to Change Your Life


It was just over twenty years ago that I heard Fuschia Pickett say something that changed my life. She said, "You can have as much of God as you want." I'm sure I'd heard that said before, but that day it came with the breath of God upon it.

 That was the day I made the decision to wake-up early in the morning to start seek His presence before anything else. I had one small child and a baby at the time and sleep was a rare commodity. For the first couple of weeks, I remember thinking, "I'm too tired to pray, read my Bible, or even hear God!" He didn't rush in and start speaking right away, but I persisted. Not long after, my relationship with the Lord exploded with dynamic encounters of His presence. To this day, set-apart time with Him is my life-force and joy.

How much of God do you want?
Isn't it interesting that the Creator of all things allows us to decide how close we want to come? He gently draws us to Himself, but it takes an act of our will to shake off the distractions and respond. Yes, the Lord can swoop in and encounter us, but usually the most profound encounters are a direct result of choosing to prioritize our relationship with Him over everything else. (Especially, internet, TV, etc.) Intentionality on our part, choosing Him over and over and over again, invites the most profound encounters of His love. These quiet times are when we hear Him the clearest.

So busy!
Life really gets busy! I get it. But the truth is that somewhere in your day you have an extra fifteen minutes to prioritize your relationship with Him. It's not a chore. It's not a duty. If that's how you've been thinking about it, I encourage you to hand that thinking over to the Lord right away! If the desire is gone, ask Him to breathe it back into you. Learning to live out of a place of deep communion with the Lord is learning to live in peace, joy, wisdom, etc. "In Him we live and move and have our being." - Acts 17:28 That means outside of living in Him, we are dead, stuck, and lost for our identity. 
https://thefeelsartistry.wixsite.com/thefeels
Are you unable to still your mind?
One thing that happens to us when our minds are accustomed to the swirling thoughts, is that it's hard to get that wheel to stop spinning. It seems almost impossible to shut down the thoughts long enough to hear Him or feel Him. I find this happens to me if I've missed a couple of days of quiet time with Him. I'd love to hear how you get your mind/emotions to become still, so that you can focus on Him. For me, I put worship music on and sing until I feel the switch inside. If I'm especially stressed, it may take a good hour of pressing in and worshipping, but if I don't give up, my mind will slow and my spirit takes charge again!

What are the ways you create stillness? How do you press through when you feel dry?I'd love to hear from you in the comment section.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

You Are God's Mastepiece

Today's article is an excerpt from my book, Prayers on Fire , which I wrote with Brian Simmons. I pray it's a blessing to you. ~Gretchen    I’m mesmerized; awestruck over the beauty of your creation. The evidence of your creative genius streams from the heavens with glory. All of earth echoes your name. There is no denying that you are the Master Artist who set before us your most beautiful works of art.  The moon and stars are dazzling, brilliantly glowing against the night sky like jewels mounted in their settings. Still, I’m awed by something even more splendid than the wonders I see above. God, though you’re famous—great and powerful— you know me by name and call me your child. I am your masterpiece. My Father, whose name is known throughout the universe, you have created me to be just like you. Filled with glory, I’ll shine in the darkness, illuminating the world with your splendor and compassion. Crowned with majesty, I’ll stand in authority ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Making Peace with Catholicism...and Other Religions

I remember it clearly - watching a reel-to-reel movie in Sister Patricia's second grade class. Although I don't remember why the girl in the movie was crying, I do remember the affect it had on me. My heart was gripped by the fact that I wanted to know God more. The church was close to our home and I liked to hangout there, hoping to find God. One of the priests found it so odd, he phoned my Mom to let her know I couldn't be there everyday. Guess I looked a bit like a 7 yr. old hoodlum with my pigtails and missing teeth. In the eighteen years I grew up in Catholicism, no one ever taught me the deep spiritual truths of knowing God. All I knew was to attend mass, say my prayers, and take communion. And I did - until I visited a "non-denominational" church and felt God's presence for the first time. I was wrecked - in a good & bad way. Not only did I find what I had been looking for, I also became judgmental towards the Catholic religion. They had le...
6 comments
Read more

Parenting Messes & Victories- No Domestic Foo Fooey'ness Included!

We've been looking at different ways we encounter God. Today however, I want to talk about parenting. (You know, when I think about it, God actually has used my daughters many times to speak to me and to teach me a great deal about His love. I have encountered Him through my kids countless times!) A few weeks ago I met one of the leaders at the Youth group in which two of my girls attend. She asked me what I did to raise girls so in love with the Lord and told me I should write a book about it. I smiled, but thought, "Oh if you only knew! It hasn't been me, it's been all God." No false humility about it. I'm as shocked as anyone. Our daughters are 20, 18, and 15, and while I am incredibly amazed by their relationship with the Lord, I have no thoughts of writing a book on parenting. Today I only want to offer you my testimony. No sugar coating, no stories of home baked cookies, and domestic foo fooey'ness, but just a very candid look at our journey and...
Post a Comment
Read more