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June 28, 2015

Now that I've introduced Scriptural Discernment by Lots, with the Bible and it's little abbreviated from the Bible Promise Book, published by Barbour Publishers, Holy Spirit has prompted me to go deeper and really address what you are going to encounter in discernment. Discernment is everything - after Loving the Lord with all your heart and strength, and your brother as yourself. I'd put discernment right after that - because without discernment, you can't fulfill your destiny or obey the Lord. We can't rely on other people for discernment, because they're not walking in our shoes. They don't know what God is doing in our lives, they don't understand the gifts that we've been given from birth and the graces that the Lord wants to give us. So we can't go to other people for discernment for ourselves, at least I can't. I've tried all my life to find someone who could help me discern, and I've never really found anyone, other than my husband. He's really helped me with discernment, the Lord created that relationship dynamic for guidance and especially for preparing us for Heaven - we prepare each other for Heaven by being obedient to the Lord. So, it's IMPERATIVE that we can discern God's will for us, that we don't have to go to someone else that has their own ideas. And that's what this is all about.

First of all, using the Bible as an oracle involves a sacred trust. Holy Spirit is committed to bringing direction into your life, and with that comes the sacred responsibility of obedience, and honoring His known will and His

Word.

He declares His word to Jacob, his statutes and rules to Israel. He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his rules. Praise the Lord. Psalm 147:19

I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand. With Your counsel You will guide me, And

afterward receive me to glory. Psalms 73:23-24

... if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. James 1:5

In many other religions, people wander around in their lives, not knowing what their real mission is. That's not something that taken terribly seriously in other faiths. But it's taken very seriously in Christianity. The Lord wants you to know your mission and what He's created you to do. And so He's willing to reveal that to you. But you have to seek Him with a very pure heart, and very detached heart. That's huge. Detachment is probably the most important thing, next to honesty, when you go for discernment from the Lord and discernment. You have to be willing to look at it, totally from His angle, and not your own.

This is not a prayer practice that is to be taken lightly. The Lord has extended His wisdom to you so you can walk in His ways, therefore you are expected to honor and obey Him when He reveals His will to you. Approach Him with the deepest sincerity and respect, expecting Him to reveal His will to you. Faith - and the expectation that if you ask, that He'll give it to you, is extremely important. He's going to speak to you, and somehow, in your inner man you to need to be convinced that the Lord cares and He will speak to you. If you seek Him, He's going to reveal His will to you.

There is a tendency to open the Bible Promises and just read the heading, and just run with that. No, that's not going deep enough. We need to read the Scriptures under the heading and listen for that still, small voice, that quiet leading in our hearts, that one particular Scripture that has the anointing.

Going once is not enough. We go three times and see how the words intersect like a puzzle piece to tell a story, and give us solid direction. God's ways are not our ways - at first this may seem very awkward because

He is going to give it to you as He sees it, not as you see it. There is a need, therefore, to be open and aware that the situation you are inquiring about may be vastly more complicated than you first thought.

Things, people, events, tendencies, tie together. It's not always black and white. The secret is detachment. We must detach ourselves from the answer God gives us. We can't in any way manipulate Him, God forbid!

We listen to Him as God, the Almighty, the One Who Knows all things - therefore our hearts must be deeply humbled before Him, our minds empty of our own will, and with all our being long for the truth.

This transition from human reason to God thinking is not an easy one. We may expect Him to answer us a certain way and be very frustrated when the answer doesn't seem to make sense.

One of two things is going on when this happens: sometimes, He is not addressing your question, He is addressing what needs your attention now, in present time, what is first and foremost in His mind.

Or, He is answering you, but it's from His perspective and you're going to have to work to bend your mind around it. This is where three readings come in handy. They are like navigational points. One describes your location from east to west, the other describes your location from north to south. And the third one describes your location by elevation. In this way you get a pinpoint of the issue and several aspects to examine it by. So, three readings are very important For a very complex situation, you may end up using more than three.

But don't allow yourself to go overboard, and just keep getting readings until you get something you like! Uh, uh...it doesn't work that way. Take very seriously the first three readings that you get, and really allow them to sink in. You may have to wait a day or so, or a few hours for things to settle in your mind, and maybe Holy Spirit to help unravel the puzzle for you, so you can see it from His viewpoint.

So, what I want to do now - I'm going to get my little Bible Promises book out and I'm gonna turn to different pages, different headings and explain to you the different times that we've received these headings and readings. And I'm hoping this will kinda give you a head-start on understanding what these readings possibly can mean. Some are pretty self-explanatory.

There are 167 different topics in this little book. It goes alphabetically.

ANGER: talks about God's anger here. But when I get this, it doesn't usually have to do with God's anger, but mine. My temper rising up, or the Lord warning me - you're going to get angry if you aren't careful. Whenever we get angry, our thinking gets distorted. The one I like is: He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he that takes a city. Verses telling us not to be controlled by anger.

CHILDREN'S DUTIES: Has to do with my own children sometimes living up to the bargain as being part of our family. This does not mean that you give your life up for your parent's will, but that you honor them. Some cultures get very confused and think that children have to do everything that their parents want them to do, especially the matriarchal cultures. It's just a given that you're going to do as your mother asks you to do with your life - and that's totally wrong. First comes God. First you give your life to God. You honor your parents. But you don't obey them in your life path, you obey God in your life path. And there's a lot of misunderstanding and conflict about that. But, since it came up, I just wanted to share that perspective with you.

COMFORT: I've gotten at times when things were really difficult, or going to BE difficult and the Lord was saying I'm going to comfort you. These are wonderful Scriptures once you get them, to command the situation to flee. In other words, these are strong arrows and spears that you can speak to situations, and can quote - and these are your strength. You know, if the devil's trying to get you to worry about something - you can speak directly to the problem. It says, "Cast your burdens upon the Lord, and He shall sustain you. He shall not suffer the righteous to be moved." No, instead YOU can say, "No, I'm not going to be worried. I'm going to cast my burden upon the Lord, because He says He shall sustain me and never allow me to be moved." In other words, you can speak right back to that fear and cause it to be moved.

GOD'S CORRECTION: Right away this tells me that there's some correction going on, whether it be for myself or if I'm going to a situation for someone else. I love this one because it's just as clear as it can be! This is wonderful if you're going through a really hard time.

I'll give you one example...ahh, I love this! We were going to a funeral, and we went to where the service was being held, and afterward I wanted to pick something up at Walmart before I went to the funeral dinner. So, we stopped at Walmart, and I kinda had a check in my spirit - you know: "you should probably just go straight to the gathering and not be going shopping". But then I thought, "No, no, I just need one thing, I'll just run in a get it and be done." Well...I ran in and got it, and when I came out, I was backing out of my parking place and another lady was backing out of her parking place...and we had an accident! That is the first accident I have had in I don't know how many years. She slammed into us! She must have floored it when she backed up. We've got this truck, and we are very, very slow because we're so big, so I was backing out very slow - and she just slammed into us.

To make a long story short - that was a very painful experience, that was God's correction. In fact, when I went to the Bible Promises book - I got "God's Correction". It was like, "You weren't supposed to be doing this. You were supposed to go straight to the dinner that they were having, and console these people and be there for them. Instead, you were being selfish and going shopping." See, the Lord...He's pretty up front about these things. And this is how you learn the fear of God - is when He takes His hand off your protection. You learn to fear that if you don't obey Him - things can happen. He wants our obedience out of love first and foremost, and I think that's most of the time where I'm at. But when that doesn't work, He has no problem using fear as a second motive. Anything to get you to obey! And to have respect for Him - holy respect.

ENVY: I've gotten this one when I'm dealing with people, I'm praying for people, and I'm trying to unravel a messy situation. When envy comes up I know there's some type of jealousy going on, maybe even between a husband and wife.

ETERNAL LIFE: This is wonderful - often it's all about the Rapture. Okay - so, let's say the situation I might get this reading...let's say I've had a really hard week, and things have just been really difficult and I just don't know if I can stand it anymore. My knees are ready to buckle, and I go to the Lord for a rhema and this is what comes up. He's reminding me, in a moment - in a twinkling of an eye - that we'll be raised incorruptible, that we'll be raised. And He's saying, "Just hold on! It's coming! The time is coming when you'll be with Me. I know it's hard right now. But the sufferings of this present moment are NOTHING compared to the glories that will be revealed to you in Heaven." So that what's I'll get about the Rapture.

Other times I'll get this when someone's died, and the Lord will give me the perspective, "Okay, this is not so much about them dying as it is them coming to Me and coming to eternal life. And that can be very comforting when you focus on that. There's a lot of Scriptures under this heading that are very comforting.

FAITH: Sometimes when things aren't working out, and I wonder, "Why isn't this working?" or I'm faced with a really threatening situation, like losing our housing or something and I go to the Lord for a rhema, and I'll turn up the Faith page. Assurance to have Faith. Watch. Stand fast in the faith, be strong in the Lord.

FEAR: Is good because it gives a lot of reasons NOT to have Fear. Many, many Scriptures under Fear. Especially when I'm thinking about the future. A lot of times He'll use these Scriptures to tell me that He's protecting me. My favorite - He shall cover thee with His feathers....Psalm 91. The premier Psalm declaring God's Protection over us.

FOOD AND CLOTHING: Usually means, "Be happy with your food and clothing - don't be chasing after these things." This was more in the past for me, now I really don't care too much about anything, other than what I really need to keep my Youtubes going. He's telling us, "I'll take care of the food and clothing, but don't get your minds on the world or anything else. That's how He uses those Scriptures with me.

FORGIVENESS: is obvious. Now, I've done something here a little different. Because I use this book as an oracle, I will take a blank page and separate two topics, one falling onto the left and one on the right. I this case, I opened to Food and Clothing on the left hand page, and Forgiveness on the right. So, I've taken a blank page (or sheet of paper the right size) and stuck it in between the two topics so when I open to the page, there's no confusion which one is intended.

FRUITFULNESS: Sometimes, when things are getting real difficult with a situation, it seems like a lot of confusion is going on - I get Fruitfulness at those times. When I think of fruitfulness I think of pruning, and think to myself, "Yeah, the Lord is pruning me a little bit." Sometimes it heals me to understand why things are so stressed, that there's a pruning going on. And of course, the beautiful promised of the tree planted by the water bringing forth fruit - that's a wonderful promise. So, it could mean that I'm bringing forth a lot of fruit, that I'm abiding in the Vine, or the Lord's reminding me that I can bear NOTHING outside of Him. Or He's doing some pruning and it's a little uncomfortable, and He wants us to now that, and not to be stressed about it. In the end, it's going to bring forth more fruit, even more fruit when He's done.

GOD'S FAITHFULNESS: When things are dire - like, I don't know if we'll have the money to fix the car, or tires or whatever, and we go for a rhema and we get this, it means He's got it covered. He's already there, He's got it covered.

GOSSIP: Here's one you don't want to get! Oh, when I open to gossip I tremble: "Lord, have I spoken a word, have I judged someone in my heart, have I spoken a word of judgement, have I gossiped?" Believe it or not, on this particular one about a gossip separating good friends, I've gotten this as a warning when the Lord is telling me that the enemy is lying about His character, the enemy is trying to separate me from God by talking about the Lord in deprecating terms and saying, "Well, He's not going to do this, He's not faithful. He's angry at me, He doesn't want anything to do with me." That's gossip, too.

So, if you start feeling self-condemnation and the Lord doesn't love you...so many of us fall into that trap...understand that that's a Lying, Gossiping spirit and he's trying to separate you from the Lord. Don't listen to him! When there's no tale -bearer, the strife ceases. This is really a terrible thing - especially people who put down ministries and ministers because of what they've heard on the internet and what they think. But, they've never been a part of that ministry, they've never sat under that person as a teacher - they're just listening to reports - evil reports - that are coming up from different places. And they're not investigating those reports for themselves to see how accurate they are, how balanced they are - they're just taking other people's word for it. And they become stumbling blocks, because every ministry has a gift to share, and no ministry's perfect - there's going to be some error in every ministry. But, it you focus on the error, then you negate the good that is there, the gift that that person has been given. They have a gift, and you never get to receive that gift that the Holy Spirit wants to give you because people have gossiped about that person, and told all kinds of stories - and you're focusing on that. So, it's just as much a sin to be a tale-bearer as it is to listen to it, to listen to gossip and to be a stumbling block. In the Kingdom of God, it's a terrible thing to put down others' ministries because you don't agree with something or you think they're wicked people, because that's what is being told to you on the internet. You don't bother to check out THEIR sources because you're lazy, you know - you just take their word for it and go with it. And it feels good sometimes: "yeah, they're really bad, we need to stay away from THEM" Just like a self-righteous thing, but it's extremely destructive and the judgement is going to come with stumbling blocks....is horrendous, because there are so many people out there who need different kinds of ministry. And some of these ministries have what they need, but because they hear a false report and gossip, they won't go to that ministry, so they never get what the Holy Spirit intended for them to have. It's a very serious and sad thing. So Gossip is probably one of the worst things you can do.

I remember a story about a monk who, someone came to him, talking about how they had gossiped. She was confessing it to him. And he told her to go home, take a feather pillow and open it and shake it out the upstairs window. So she went home, cut open her pillow and went upstairs and shook it out all over the ground. The next week, she went back for confession, and the priest said, "Well, did you do what you were told?" and she said, "Yes, I opened my pillow out of the second floor window - the feathers flew everywhere!" And he said, "Good! Now go home and pick up all the feathers."

So you see, that's what gossip does: it's impossible to retrieve the damage that a bad report causes. And the Lord will hold us accountable for every idle word. So when I get Gossip - I shake. 'Cause if I've gossiped, it's a really serious sin.

GROWTH AND GRACE: Is another reading I've gotten when things are a little difficult and I've made some mistakes, and I've asked for forgiveness and He'll come back and give me Growth and Grace. The promises are beautiful, showing us that we are to press on in our growth in His grace, that we are to walk to please God. So this is a comforting one, where the Lord is basically saying, "Yes, I know you blew it - but you're growing.

GUIDANCE: That a wonderful that I get when the Lord is telling me that He's speaking to me. "This is the way, walk in it." This reading is very useful when you're asking, "Lord is this you? Are You speaking to me?" You know, when you're in your devotions and you feel the Lord is speaking to you, and you - of course bind the lying spirits off the book - and you open it and get Guidance. Wow! That's a wonderful one - that means Yes, I'm speaking to you - you're "hearing a word behind you". That's a beautiful confirmation that you are hearing from the Lord.

GUILT: This is another one that makes me shake in my boots! When the Lord really wants to confront me with something, or when we're counseling a couple, or counseling someone and we get Guilt - it means that there's some things there that need to be confessed, they need to look at and need to confront - some things that they've done. I don't think the Lord EVER gives this to us when someone comes along and they're very contrite over what they've done. No, this would be for someone that's trying to hide something, and the Lord's just coming right in their face and saying, "no, - you're guilty". I've gotten that one for myself - and it's no fun!

HELP IN TROUBLES: Scriptures about help in trouble, lifting you up. This is a beautiful one, you know, when you are really feeling low. I've gotten this one when we were seeking the Lord on taking Ezekiel to the hospital, we asked the Lord through the Bible Promises if it was necessary, and we got Holy Spirit and Help in Troubles. So, off to the hospital we went, and he had emergency surgery. "My flesh and my heart fails, but God is the strength of my heart..."

"And the Lord will not cast off forever." Now this is the second page of Help in Troubles, and when I get this one, this is one acknowledging my sin, but talking about the Lord's mercy. "though He cause grief..." or "rejoice not against me..." When I get that - it's kinda like guilt - yes, you've sinned!

HOLY SPIRIT: now, this is my favorite! When I open to this page - or actually it's four pages in the book - this is also another one that will confirm that you are hearing the Lord's voice. If you are wondering if it's really the Lord and you open to Holy Spirit - wow - that's the best news you could possibly get. "The anointing you've received abides in you, and you do not need man to teach you." This is what I'm trying to do for you guys, on my channel. I'm trying to help you get to a point where you don't need a teacher, where you're totally relying on Holy Spirit. These verses speak of Holy Spirit's guiding us into all Truth.

HONESTY: This is one that follows a page of Holy Spirit, right between pages. So I've taken a page the same size and placed it in between them, so there's no question which page I'm opening to when I get to this place.

HOPE: I get that when things seem really dark. I get that a lot when I've blown it... It's like the Lord is saying, "There's hope for you...there's hope!" Things that speak to our hearts and say, don't give up hope.

HOSPITALITY: when I get that, it's usually about feeding or clothing someone, taking care of their needs in some way. Another time the Lord's given this to us is about using our gifts - like the gift of music or the gift or writing. I prefer to take Hospitality as corporal works of mercy, like buying something for someone if we have the money, or taking a food box to someone or taking someone to the store - like the elderly lady up front, seeing to it that she has a way to get to the store and helping her with her grocery shopping. That's hospitality. Sometimes I'll even get that when the Lord wants us to put someone up for a time.

HUMILITY: I get this a lot, and that's because I have a lot of pride. So, the Lord is continually admonishing me "And whoever will humble himself..." My heart always sinks when I get humility, because that's the Lord's way of saying, "Your pride is active again - and it's causing problems." And that's really painful. But, I want to know - I want to know when that pride is getting up there. I beg Him to tell me when I'm starting to fall into pride. "Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God..."

LAZINESS: Work hard! Apply yourself... another time I get it, let's say my mind is straying on the internet and I'm really curious about what someone said about prophetic events or whatever catches your eye - you know how that goes! And then, if I go to the Lord about a rhema about something and I get Laziness, and under that it says: "Drink water from your own cistern." That's pretty important - that means don't listen to other prophetic voices - you've got your own relationship with the Lord and you need to be focused on what He says to you. So...laziness, we are continually reminded to work harder.