Here, let me reach around this tree trunk in my eye to pluck that toothpick from yours!

I love it when the Lord springs these out-of-the-blue revelations on me using old, tried and true verses I've known my whole life; the thought-I'd-seen-from-every-angle, and, yea, OK, probably didn't-give-much-thought-to-anymore, I admit, verses.

In a daily devotional today, Joyce Meyer referenced Matthew 7:3-5.  Well, I know the word, but not so much the exact addresses, so I looked it up...  I jump on any excuse to look things up in my Bible! 

And why beholdest thou the speck that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the plank that is in thine own eye? 
Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the speck out of thine eye; and behold, a plank is in thine own eye? 
Thou hypocrite, first cast out the plank out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the speck out of thy brother's eye. 

 At first I started to dismiss the passage as one that I of course knew, but I was drawn to keep reading all three verses and as I read the last something hit me.

Jesus says THEN SHALT THOU... 

He does not tell us not to discern and assist a brother with the speck in their eye - He says don't go poking around someone's eyeball when you can't see yourself!!

Get straight with Him first, then HE will guide you to whom HE wants you to free up.  Without a plank in your own eye, you will see others THROUGH HIS EYES!

We are called to love our neighbor as ourselves - well, sometimes that is going to mean laying the proverbial cards on the table: in love of course.  But there is the spirit-led, Bible-taught, Jesus way to do it - or the flesh's way. There is the sin of pride and boasting, or the love of Christ in us.  Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would give us the words we need when we need them and you know what I've discovered?  He keeps His promises! 

If we mind our own business, Jesus will lead us when there is someone else He wants us to help.  Otherwise - just keep minding your own business! 

Our only job is to pray for others, not fix them!  How freeing is that?!  Look at all the weight just lifted from your shoulders!

Imagine how much lighter we'll all feel when we start chiseling away at the planks in our own eyes, too!

Enjoy a blessed week!

Wow, has it really been almost two years?! Oh my... no wonder the Lord has been after me!

God can be so funny in how He works sometimes…   If you’re not paying attention to the Holy Spirit you can totally misread a message – or the enemy leads your flesh to see what it wants to in something the Lord wanted you to see completely differently.

The important thing is He never turns His back on us when we miss Him! 

 If you feel any kind of nudge in your spirit, any kind of hesitation before you close your Bible or study book, mark the page and come back to it later!  Do not forget!  If we diligently seek Him, He waits patiently for us to ‘get it.’

Oh, and when we do finally see what He wanted to tell us – what a blessing!  The fact that we have an omnipotent, all-powerful heavenly Father, who simply spoke and creation came into being, who loves us each enough to speak to us individually, personally, is almost more than we can fathom in the natural.  A Father who knows our hearts like no other could, who wants more and better for each one of us than even we can imagine…    But our spirit knows Him intimately and is not at all surprised.  Let your spirit lead you, not your head, certainly not your feelings or emotions!

Slow down, brush aside all the distractions of the enemy, and just spend a quiet moment letting your spirit do the communicating.  See what wondrous thing our amazing heavenly Father may have to show you!

Oh…   What’s He been telling me?  "WRITE!  It’s been far too long, write!" 

In Jesus’ name, here I go!