Posts Tagged ‘Os Hillman’
January 9, 2010
[10:37am] Father, thank You so much for this new day, and the new contentment in You and Your plans for this little life. I read this by email this morning, which seems so incredibly appropriate for this time in this little life.
When Your Sails No Longer Have Wind
“He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.” -Psalm 107:29-30
Imagine for a moment you began an exciting sailing adventure. You’ve been trained to navigate and sail on the ocean and be ready should trouble arise. You are confident you can handle the challenge. However, midway in the journey your resources have dried up. It almost seems God has intentionally destroyed all the skills you have to deal with the weather and the obstacles and your sails are now damaged. Even your engine has broken down. And to make matters even worse, your oars were lost overboard. You are stuck in the middle of the ocean and there is no wind to propel your boat. You are, as they say, “up the creek without a paddle.”
All of this leads you to the end of yourself and you say, “Lord, I don’t know why you brought me out here only to die.” The silence is deafening.
January 3, 2010
[11:23am] First written journal of the new year. We are at Reston Bible church for the service. This is where we’ve come for most of the Sundays. Sara as many friends here, and I know them too. I was thinking this morning about You bringing us together, dear Lord. It is our three month anniversary… Now seven months we’ve been together in total. We do thank You for this, Father. =)
Dani’s five-year-old advice of, ‘prosper where Your planted,’ His was ringing true now for our lives. Youth stripped away global as a business opportunity and we’re so grateful for that. You have also very wonderfully given us some new ideas about how to build sponsor missionary. We have three missionaries at present, each with their own page. We now face the challenge of missionary review, as our third signup is someone we don’t know.
But You have also given us the means of earning income as well. We can, by the numbers, earn enough for our own expenses, about $2000 per month, but that my mom has been paying about $1200 of it and Sara and I barely bringing in any business. We have this new focus and not a steady source of referrals from Tom.
We have a good business and a good focus on what to offer. We have a service—website building, and it seems very good. Tom is one of the direct reasons, other than You primarily, Lord, who helped us get the business going. Father, now we feel our need for You and Your Providential help. We need to now go after finding our own clients.
Action: PR, not sales… Just wanted to let You know were in business, for example.
June 20, 2008
[10:35pm] Dear Lord, You have brought me on yet another buying tour. We lost two of our first three properties. Well, actually no. You asked us to give one up, and then we lost the other, in part mostly because of my poor decisions financially. I guess I am pretty uncomfortable, but that’s part of this process You’ve said. You said to get comfortable being uncomfortable. And I can think that that plays a potential role certainly with the idea of starting to pass out CDs and talk with people in DC. But You’ve told me that this time is about becoming a nobody, and nobodies do not get recognition, and certainly if they ever do, they pass along that credit and all the glory to You, Father. It is uncomfortable for me, as I’m used to getting credit and getting praise for my age. Father, please forgive (I forgive you, John.) my doubting heart and my resistance too. I know You may take real estate away as part of this nobody process, and especially, I imagine if I place more dependence on that than I do on You. I am confused, Father, and trusting You. That’s all I can do. I trust You. —
Today’s Prayer
God, I know that you had the power to part the Red Sea, and that You still have that same power. It was scary for Moses and the people of Israel to step out into that fast-moving water. But, by faith, they obeyed and you blessed. When I face my “Red Seas” of life that look scary, that make me feel helpless or uncertain, please give me the courage and faith to step out and follow You. Help me to keep moving through the doors of opportunities You provide; through the difficult decisions and circumstances of life, because I know You are here with me, just like you were with Moses at the Red Sea. May you get the glory for all that is accomplished. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Paul’s Disagreement with the Prophet by Os Hillman
“Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles’” -Acts 21:10,11
June 19, 2008
Today’s Prayer
Dear God, I need to learn to take one day at a time. Your Word reminds me, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34). I give all my worries and concerns to You, God, the all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present, Almighty God. Please give me peace, grace, and wisdom for the day. Lord, I also pray for the people in this world who live in war-torn nations, poverty, unhappy homes and abusive situations. Please reach down and show them Your love, that they may know that You are God and that You care about them and will give them rest. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Removing Hindrances
“But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us” -1 John 4:18-19
I was in another country and had just completed a teaching on how spiritual strongholds (2 Cor 10:4) can hinder us from fulfilling our destinies. A woman approached me at the end of the meeting and asked me if I could join her and her friend for lunch so that she could learn more. I just happened to be available, so I agree to join them. I noticed the woman was slightly overweight and exhibited extremely high energy and was aggressive.
Before she began asking me questions I asked her to tell me about her relationship she had with her father. “Why in the world would you ask me such a question? What does that have to do with spiritual strongholds?” I pressed her for the answer to my question.
March 27, 2008
In the entire Old Testament, there were really only four major men that God used, and a handful of others that played a part in their lives.
“For many are called, but few are chosen.” -Matthew 22:14
The Parable of the Wedding Banquet
“Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’
“But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
November 29, 2007
A Heavenly Strategic Planning Session by Os Hillman
And the Lord said, “Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?” One suggested this, and another that. – 1 Kings 22:20
There are few times we get a glimpse of what goes on in Heaven. Here is one instance when the angels were conferring with the Lord about the judgment of King Ahab for his sin and who was going to set up Ahab for this judgment.
If God wanted to use you to impact your world for Jesus Christ, what circumstances would have to be created in order for you to respond to His call? Would prospering you materially encourage you to this end? Would a major change in what you are presently doing be necessary? What would your response be should God and the angels conclude that the only way to move you into a position of fulfilling God’s purposes was to remove some things that might be very dear to you? Would you agree with their plan if you knew this would be the only way you would achieve the purposes for which God made you? Hard questions, aren’t they?
This is the very thing God does in many who have been called for a special mission. Moses had to be stripped of his royal position in the family of Egypt and sit in the desert for 40 years. The apostle Paul had to be knocked to the ground, blinded, and receive a personal visitation from Jesus. The 12 disciples had to leave their jobs for three years to follow Christ. Imagine what kind of disruption this had on their lives. There are many examples of God bringing major upheaval in the lives of those He called for His purposes. Why?
The reason is that we do not seek God with a whole heart in times of prosperity and comfort. Prosperity and comfort tend to breed complacency and satisfaction. It is rare to find the man or woman who seeks God with a whole heart who does so simply from a grateful heart. We often must have pain or crisis to motivate us. Eventually, that crisis bridges us to a new calling, and we embrace that calling if we are open to the Holy Spirit’s work in us. We can actually thank God for the change that was required to get us to this place, but it is not without anguish of heart.
