We have a living God, a speaking God! One who loves us, His children, and He particularly loves to speak to us! He can speak to any one of us who love Him.

“In the Last Days I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh: your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams” (Acts 2:17).

You might be thinking, “I read the Bible every day, so I’m hearing from the Lord every day.” While it’s good to read the Bible, the recorded Word of the Lord, which is the foundation of our Christian faith, it’s wonderful to also hear straight from the Lord and “take heed to His sure word of prophecy, as to a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in our hearts” (2 Peter 1:19).

His Word says to “Stir up the gift of God which is in you” (2 Timothy 1:6). So, every day should be a new experience for us, a new listening to the Voice of the Lord. Why live only on yesterday�s spiritual food, when we can have fresh “manna from Heaven” (John 6:58) every day? Jesus still speaks today! Listen to what He told me on June 15, 2008:

I have the keys – SIMPLE KEYS to BREAKTHROUGH. It’s not complicated. You have to trust me on this. Just keep writing down what You hear me saying. I know what works and what doesn’t. I am the Alpha and Omega, so I see the end from the beginning. I have to show You before you can show others. What you shared at Soul Purpose Church today was good. Even though it seems that most people didn’t get it, seeds were planted. You have a generous heart. What you’re doing in secret, I will reward openly. That’s My word – that’s My promise.

BREAKTHROUGH RESOURCES

• #WFJ: THE MIRACLE OF CHRISTMAS IS CHRIST! (Dec 19, 2009)
• #WFJ: The $14,400 Miracles (Dec 12, 2009)
• #WFJ: The Spiritual Triangle Between Virginia, the U.K., and Italy (Dec 5, 2009)
• Opportunities to invest in yourself and the Kingdom of God (Nov 4, 2009)
• The Angel Breakthrough and the $14,400 Miracle (Sep 14, 2009)

Words from Jesus, “a pen in God’s hand, giving love a voice”

• Words from Jesus to Abigail Slocum (God Whispers)
• Words from Jesus to Renato Amato (Healing Broken Hearts)
• Words from Jesus to R. Joseph Peck (UNCOMMON Stewardship)
• Words from Jesus to Bertha Hinson (His Gateway)
• Words from Jesus to Lynne Lee (Closer Walk With God)
• Words from Jesus to Bahama Bob (Dream and Visions)

Blessings to learn to discern the voice of God and obey Him!

Joseph

Joseph Peck, M.D.
“Blessed to be a blessing”
THE CONNECTOR and The Journal Guy
Breakthrough Life Coach
Creative Marketing and Communication Specialist

Empower 2000, Inc.
“Raising the Bar of Leadership to Empower People, Businesses, and Communities”
Changing Lives to Disciple Nations
www.empower2000.com
540-445-1GOD (540-445-1463)

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P.S.S. Spiritual Journaling will transform your life!

UNCOMMON Journaling is the key
to unlock YOUR dreams!

Jesus, I’m all ears, what do You have to say to me. I long to sit at Your feet and learn from the Master.

Thank You Randy for setting aside the time this morning to meet with Me, an opportunity for both of us to enjoy one another’s company. It’s so important for us to spend this time together. Not only will this be of great benefit to you and your family, but as others see the example you set and the fruit that results from abiding with Me, they too will be encouraged to come sit at My feet. Communion with Me, communion with God, is where the abundant life starts. It begins by resting in Me. It’s so simple, yet so few people grasp this. Yet, I was My Body to be ready when I return.

Randy, I want you to write down scriptures that jump out at you that you read this morning.

Ps 131:1-3 (all) LORD, my heart is not haughty, Nor my eyes lofty. Neither do I concern myself with great matters, Nor with things too profound for me. Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, Like a weaned child with his mother; Like a weaned child is my soul within me.  O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forever.

Yes, Randy, you get in now. You must remain humble for Me to do a great work through you. For several years, you were trying to convince people that you were an expert. They already knew that. You were promoting yourself, which hurt you and pushed people away. You were talking way too much, rather than focusing on the gap for people who needed and wanted your help. I tried to grab your attention several times asking you to meet with Me daily like this, but you kept returning to your old ways. Finally I used Renato and Nancy to show you the power of daily communion with Me and posting our conversations on the web. It was not My desire for you to experience all the turmoil you did. Your choices led to that. My desire for you is My Father’s best.

Randy, still, I tell you that I AM well pleased with you. Your heart kept seeking Me, pressing in. I was not going to allow you to slip out of My grasp. Now, Randy, do as Psalm 131:3 says, “hope in the LORD from this time forth and forever.” I AM your good Shepherd. I watch out for My sheep.

Randy, yesterday I taught you a very important lesson. You could have easily accomplished everything that I asked you to do. But you chose to spend more than an hour modifying the Journal 777 blog navigation when you could have simply written that down to do within the next few days. I never ask you to do more than you can get done. I never ask you to hurry. Still, I will bless the choices you made to advance My Kingdom and your success in the marketplace. I AM training you to obey Me completely. You are definitely getting better at that.

Randy, I love spending this time with you. Look over there. Do you seen the rainbow. It’s My reminder of My covenant with you, not just Noah. The rainbow follows the rain, the storm. You’ve been through a storm, a big storm. Now, I’m shining My light into your life to expose a rainbow in your life. Isn’t it peaceful just sitting together watching what our Father is doing.

Ps 132:1-5 LORD, remember David and all his afflictions; How he swore to the LORD, And vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob: “Surely I will not go into the chamber of my house, Or go up to the comfort of my bed; I will not give sleep to my eyes Or slumber to my eyelids, Until I find a place for the LORD, A dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

Randy, this scripture is a reminder of the importance of meditating on the My Law day and night. Before nurturing your physical body, nurture your spirit. Your doing comes out of your being – always. Be with Me and what you do will come from Me and through Me. Rest in Me. I AM your Vine. You can’t even go one day and bear fruit without staying connected to Me. My fruit is always eternal.

Ps 132:9 Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness, And let Your saints shout for joy.

Yes, Randy, for you to effectively serve as a priest for Me, you must unabashedly do the right thing. You must be in My Word to keep the right things in your mind. Stay connected to the source. My Word is My love letter to you.

Ps 133:1,3b Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity! … For there the LORD commanded the blessing – Life forevermore.

Randy, you know that true and lasting UNITY always begins with your own communion with Me and then emanates out from your marriage. As you spend more time in My Word and in 2-way dialog with Me, you will experience more unity in your marriage. One of the main reasons I brought Jerry and Renato into your life was to bless your marriage. They model the love and respect for their wives that I want you to show Julia. You have much to learn. So do all My children. 

Ps 134:1 Behold, bless the LORD, All you servants of the LORD, Who by night stand in the house of the LORD!

Randy, you are one of My faithful servants. Most of My children are too busy to sit at My feet and listen to Me. They think that by doing things for Me they are honoring Me. But busy lives are not a testimony of My goodness and greatness. They are a testimony of what people can do, not what only God can do. As one of My servants, you must model sitting at My feet daily. That is how You bless Me and how I AM able to bless you most abundantly. I am thrilled that you and Renato are going to start the Words From Jesus course in December. I will bless both of you in extraordinary ways as a result of that. Taste and see that I AM good.

Randy, as you practice listening to Me, you are also practicing listening to people.

Ps 135:1-4 Praise the LORD! Praise the name of the LORD; Praise Him, O you servants of the LORD! You who stand in the house of the LORD, In the courts of the house of our God, Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; Sing praises to His name, for it is pleasant. For the LORD has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel for His special treasure.

Randy, most of My children spend little if any time in My house, in My inner courts. But, My servants understand the importance of one-on-one time with Me. How can you experience an abundance of My love, My grace, My mercy on a daily basis without resting in My presence? Randy, as you sit at My feet every day and share our conversations and experiences, others will be drawn in to My courts too. I AM the Father to the fatherless. I AM returning the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers.

Pr 27:1 Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth.

Randy, I AM helping you overcome your habit of boasting. Yesterday, when you were asked at the Brick’s home what you are doing, you went on and on boasting to what’s coming down the pipe. You could have simply shared that you are teaching a few different online courses with Jerry and others. As Julia has told you many times, don’t boast about finances. As the apostle Paul says, only boast in Me. As you become a great steward of your own time, talent, treasure, and temple, your life will become a testimony of My good ness and greatness. Your life well lived will speak much more about Me than your words. Be patient as I unfold My plan step-by-step. I AM a step-by-step God, a lamp unto your feet. 

Pr 27:2 Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips.

Randy, you are doing much better with this now. You understand now that you are an expert with Journaling, Coaching, and Web 2.0. When people come to you in these areas for your help, they already recognize that. As you spend much more time listening and less time talking, you will experience much more fruit. I AM bridling your passion in a positive way. It’s OK to be openly passionate, but you much choose the circumstances wisely.

Pr 27:5 Open rebuke is better Than love carefully concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

Randy, Julia is truly a gift from Me. She will tell you things that no one else will. Listen to her. I brought Bernadette Doyle, Kevin Nations, and Brian McFadin into your life for you to realize the way you were being was unfruitful for the marketplace. Thank you for paying heed. My desire is for you to bear much fruit, so our Father is glorified. The same applies to other Team Destiny members.

Randy, now post this message to the Journal777 blog and complete the tasks that I brought to your mind yesterday. Enjoy. Be blessed in My name!

1) Randy, FOCUS on the Journaling Course and BIG TICKET offers for the remainder of 2009. Enjoy the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Spend lots of quality time with family and friends. That’s your love language. It’s Ok to say “No” to people who want your help chop down trees for them. You are a BIG PICTURE guy. Keep your eyes on the forest. Delegate the tree cutting to capable and responsible others. Put the oxygen mask on yourself first before helping others.

2) Godly STEWARDSHIP comes before being strategic and fruitful. You must be faithful in the little things, with what I entrust to you before I will give you more. That’s why your “UNCOMMON Stewardship: How To Steward Your Time, Talent, Treasure, and Temple Through Journaling” course will be your greatest Christmas gift ever. Your primary target audience for this course is Christian writers, people who enjoy writing and want to experience much more – of Me and fruitfulness as well.

3) Randy, I want to UNLEASH YOUR SPIRIT. As Brian McFadin told you, what manifests in your life is a function of how you are BEING. Being is always going on. People tend to fix their attention on doing or having (e.g. more time, more money), but it’s when they change their being – how they are – that fruitfulness will happen automatically.

BE VULERNABLE and BE HUMBLE to allow people you meet to contribute to your life.

Brian hit the nail on the head when he said “You’re being a know-it-all is what’s getting in your way!“

4) “It’s a numbers game!” (Stephen Beck). “Spread the word! with Affiliate marketing” (Jerry)

Today (Nov 13), I had you recall the passage from The Greatest Salesman in the World book that “Many have achieved great success with one sales talk delivered with excellence.” That is what you saw with Stephen Beck, the webinar expert. Your niche, your sales talk, is the UNCOMMON Stewardship one. Master that and the world will be ours.

5) GET ORGANIZED
http://journal777.com/reason-11-to-journal-get-organized/

In his book “The Total Money Makeover,” Dave Ramsey writes, “You can get anywhere if you simply go one step at a time” The way you eat an elephant is one bite at a time. Find something to do and do that with vigor until it is complete; then and only then do you move to the next step. If you try to do everything at once, you will fail.

The power of FOCUS is what causes our baby steps to work. When you try to do everything at once, progress can be very slow… Because you attack several areas at once, you don’t finish anything you start for a long time. That makes you feel that you aren’t accomplishing anything, which is very dangerous” The power of focus is that it works. Things happen” The power of priority causes the baby steps to work.

Brian Tracy, a motivational speaker, says “What does it take to succeed on a big scale? A tremendous God-given talent? Inherited wealth? A decade of postgraduate education? Connections? Fortunately, for most of us, what it takes it something very simple and accessible: clear, written goals.” According to Brian Tracy, a study of Harvard graduates found that after two years, the 3 percent who had written goals achieved more financially than the other 97 percent combined!”

6) Keep Your Commitments
http://journal777.com/reason-12-to-journal-keep-your-commitments/

Letting your “Yes” be “Yes” and your “No,” “No” is extremely important. Every time you fail to honor your word, it takes away the power behind your spoken word. You lose credibility.

Like many of you, I have trouble saying “No.” As a result, I find myself over-committed. It’s easy to justify this wrong behavior by saying I’m meeting the needs of those around me. But God doesn’t ask or require us to meet everyone’s needs.

When you’re late for a meeting or appointment, even a few minutes late, that’s failing to keep your word. Often it’s easy to justify why that happens, but an excuse is just that – an excuse. Rarely are we late because of circumstances outside of our control.

When I journal using the “Yesterday…” method, I list both highlights and low points for each day. By reflecting on the low points, I notice character flaws in me that need prayer and work to overcome.

I have a few very simple gauges that let me know if I’m too busy. Being late is one of them. Another is not taking care of my body, the temple of the Holy Spirit. Failing to exercise at least 5 days per week is a bad sign. As I complete this book, I am being most convicted by this particular section. This is an area I must work hard at to improve at.

7) Pr 4:5a Get wisdom! Get understanding!

When you change your thinking, you will change your life!

Blessings of the Day

1) Read Lynne Lee’s profound email from November 15

2) UNCOMMON Stewardship: How To Steward Your Time, Talent, Treasure, and Temple Through Journaling

The writing continued: “How true! God only uses broken men and women, no others will do! Others are too self-confident in their own strength! God has to break them, melt them and mold them again in the hands of the Potter to make them better vessels! But He won’t force it! The breaking depends upon you, your yieldingness and willingness to be made willing, total humility, which is synonymous with total love, so you’re willing to go anywhere, anytime, and do anything, for anybody, and be nobody, to please Him and help others!”

These words inspired me to give my entire life in full time service to the Lord and others, until about 32 years later He reminded me of them and warned me that He was going to have to break me and remake me into “another vessel” (Jeremiah 18:4), so that I could be fit for the Master’s use and ready for the new ministry that He was going to assign me. To impress upon me what He was about to do in my life, He then led me to read the following:

The Story of Bamboo …

Once upon a time lay a beautiful garden. And there in the cool of the day was the Master of the garden, who went for a walk. Of all the dwellers of the garden, the most beautiful and beloved was a gracious Bamboo. Year after year Bamboo grew yet more beautiful and he was conscious of his Master’s love and watchful delight. Yet he was modest and gentle. Often when Wind came to revel in the garden, Bamboo would throw aside his dignity and dance merrily, tossing and swaying and leaping and bowing in joyous abandon. He would lead the great dance of the garden which most delighted his Master’s heart.

One day the Master drew near to contemplate his beloved Bamboo. With eyes of curious expectancy, Bamboo bowed his great head to the ground in loving greeting.

The Master spoke: “Bamboo, Bamboo, I would use you.”
Bamboo said, “Master, I am ready, use me as you want!”
“Bamboo,” the Master’s voice was grave, “I would be obliged to take you and cut you down.”

A trembling of horror shook Bamboo. “Cut … me … down? Me, whom You, Master, have made beautiful in Your garden? To cut me down? Ah, not that! Not that! Use me for Your joy, O Master, but cut me not down!”
“Beloved Bamboo,” the Master’s voice grew graver still, “if I don’t cut you down, I cannot use you.”

The garden grew still. Wind held his breath. Bamboo slowly bent his proud head. There came a whisper.
Bamboo replied, “Master, if You cannot use me unless You cut me down, then do Your will and cut!”

“Bamboo, beloved Bamboo, I would cut your leaves and branches from you also.”
“Master, Master, spare me! Cut me down and lay my beauty in the dust, but would You take from me my leaves and branches also?”

“Bamboo, alas! If I do not cut them away, I cannot use you.” The Sun hid his face. A listening butterfly glided fearfully away. Bamboo shivered in terrible expectancy, whispering low, “Master, cut away.”

“Bamboo, Bamboo, I would divide you in two and cut out your heart, for if I do not cut so, I cannot use you.”
“Master, Master, then cut and divide.”

So did the Master of the garden took Bamboo and cut him down and hacked off his branches and stripped off his leaves and divided him in two and cut out his heart.

Lifting him gently, he carried him to where there was a spring of fresh, sparkling water in the midst of Master’s dry fields. Putting down one end of Bamboo in the spring, and the other into the water channel in his field, the Master laid down gently his beloved Bamboo.

The spring sang “welcome”! The clear sparkling water raced joyously down the channel of Bamboo’s torn body into the waiting fields.
Then the rice was planted and the days went by. The shoots grew. The harvest came. In that day was Bamboo, once so glorious in his stately beauty, yet now more glorious in his brokenness and humility.

For in his beauty he was life abundant.
But in his brokenness he became a channel of abundant life to his Master’s world!

“He said unto them, ‘Whoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever will save his life shall lose it; but whoever shall lose his life for My sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.” (Mark 8:34,35).

“Verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it stays alone: but if it die, it brings forth much fruit.” (John 12:24)

… my life!

Needless to say, this has been the story of my life, especially in these last three years… When I thought that I was doing such a great job for Him, the Lord took me aside to a lonely place, where He had to break me and remake me into a new vessel. A little over a year ago, I suffered two heart attacks, and my heart literally stopped for a few minutes. When I was brought back to life, I saw the need of the “broken hearts”!

While laying there, in “intensive care”, I saw the need of not only the other patients that were in the Cardiologycal Hospital with me, but also the need of the nurses, and of the doctors! The Lord showed me that the whole world is full of hearts that are broken, and that this was going to be my new ministry: “Healing Broken Hearts“!

I now rejoice and am exceeding glad, “for He that is mighty has done to me great things; and holy is His Name” (Luke 1:49).

Renato Amato
Soul Care and Spiritual Wellness Coach
Cofounder of HEALING BROKEN HEARTS, a worldwide ministry reaching out to those whose hearts are filled with pain and are looking for someone to coach them to victory.