Thus says the LORD: “If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech; If you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; Then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday; Then the LORD will guide you always and give you plenty even on the parched land. He will renew your strength, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring whose water never fails” (Isaiah 58:9-14).

Go with the flow. Let life open up to you. Don't force things.

We should always wait on the Lord, and we should always follow His timetable.

Frustrated? In want of something that just isn't happening? Can't figure out why prayers aren't answered? There's only one solution: Let go of whatever it is you are yearning for and send it into God's Hands. Trust beyond surrender. Put your mind on other matters. Anxiety inhibits grace and can be caused by the spirit of fear.

Once received, such graces are enhanced every time we are diligent, overcome a bad habit, confess a sin (making a real effort not to repeat it), or turn away from what tempts us. God blesses us to encourage us in good and withdraws blessings to indicate when we are in error. Graces are enhanced every time we turn the other cheek. I have seen a number of cases where what seemed like a disaster caused by the evil of another was simply ignored and followed by graces that greatly exceeded what the evil took away. Every temptation is a gift because it is the chance to be more like Jesus.

Be real with yourself and do not bind yourself to material things but to God. And don't forget that your life is as transitory as a flower's.

Don't fear but see it at the root of other negative emotions. Fear is often the reason we dislike others, limit what we do, and isolate ourselves. Meanwhile, pride blocks grace and covers over our true selves.

The more we overcome negative emotional reactions, the more we begin to feel peace, happiness, and freedom.

There is what is called a stream of life that flows from God and in Scripture it is called the “living waters.” It’s crystalline and like regular water, but is actually sparkling grace. It is impeded only when we throw rocks into it.

Those rocks are our tendencies to selfishness, which cause the “water” to divert around us. By far the largest rock is pride.

And when water is forced around a boulder, it tends to get rough. If there are too many rocks, they plug the stream like a dam.

Are you blocked? Is there a "dead end"? Are prayers "bouncing off"? Have you blotted out His other way of manifesting: light?

Our goal in life, our path to the miraculous, and to Heaven, is to remove whatever boulders may be in the stream of life that has been designated for us. In that way do we quicken the flow, letting the stream come with full fruition. That occurs through the purity of our intentions. Pray in the right way. Be possessed by Christ.

From there, we have to let ourselves flow with it. That means releasing many of our tensions, timetables, troubles, anxieties, and routines to God, knowing that He is there when we need Him. He monitors events in our lives much more closely than we ourselves could ever hope to monitor them and while He may take His time, if it's in the stream of life -- in His Light -- He is never late.

[adapted from Michael Brown's The God of Miracles]

[resources: Special Michael Brown retreats: Florida, January 27, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 2/16, and Houston: prophecy, afterlife, spiritual warfare, healing, 2/17] 

[Print article]