The building had been reduced to $187,000 from $330,000 during negotiations. The question was, would we be prudent to continue to seek a better price (Possibly losing it.) or ought we consider this price? As we sat around the table and had the discussion, some of us were challenged with the bigger picture, was this what we needed to do? Yes, it expanded our hand print into the city. Yes, it was a good building in good shape. Yes, clearly the value was there for us.

The dream caused me upon waking to think about who this dream might be talking about. I think the over riding thoughts were two fold. In the dream, were we hearing from God? And what were the consequences of the purchase? The issue was never money, size, location or style.

Too often in our life we want to move ahead with things. Yet always, we ought to want to hear from the Lord. We ought to give consideration to where it puts us, where it points us.

Over the last few days I have been noticing a trend. It has to do with health and even death. It has to do with what gets dramatized. What we go after “in the Spirit”. What we battle against. What are the results? I am seeing and observing the results of “because we can” playing out in folks lives as much as I see the results of “doing nothing”.

I am not pulling back in my prayers, but a lot of what we may call faith is not necessarily faith of the God kind. It is simply because we want to. (I think in the coming days you will see various people posting about the “desires of the heart”.) “What I want” is a powerful prayer motivator, yet…

I felt a real strong emphasis on make sure you are hearing Him. Not to do because you have to and perhaps not even because you can. But more importantly, because you hear and are given direction. Because He chose you for this purpose for this time.

Yesterday while working with a client I saw this, “A movement for wholeness in a fragmented world” on their website. Wholeness indicates a healthiness, a working together, even towards a common goal. (You can have 100 workers on a farm and they may all be doing different jobs but at the end of the day they will have the thought process of getting produce and product to market.)

I wrote this earlier.

The consequences of actions.

If you ever watched Bruce Almighty! You probably recollect the scene of the consequences of an unredeemed mind, “let’s get it over” thinking and self-centeredness. Floods, rioting and pain were the results.

I sat here and pondered the thoughts with which we pray or declare. You have not because you ask amiss, we are told in James.

So, what are the consequences?

• Elation?
• A check off your list?
• Pride?

The heart of God ought to be our initiator.

And so even as I reviewed the dream, I thought what was our motivator? Who was the initiator of our “buying” thinking”? Consequences?

God is reaching out to His people. We have placed great emphasis on consistency and I think it is an important character value, YET when we are talking about decision making, “we always did it that way” may not be the consistency we need. Our consistency needs to be in following Him. And He may not always ask to do it the way it was done “last time”.

More and more the need to hear God and determine the consequences is important. We need to be looking at the big picture of bringing wholeness(Right thinking and actions.)to our own fragmented thinking before we carry it to the world.

God is in the little things. Keep that in mind in the coming days. It will be sustaining when others contend.

The heart of God is our initiator.