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”
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UNCOMMON Journaling is the key
to unlock YOUR dreams!

LORD, teach me what it means to seek Your Kingdom and Your righteousness first.

Randy, “whenever you lack clarity” as to what to say or do, get alone with Me, quiet your mind, read My Word, and write down what you hear. That is seeking My Kingdom and righteousness first. Confusion is never from Me. Connect to Me – I AM the Vine. Fruitfulness is My state of being. It will be yours too as long as you stay connected to Me.

Randy, I AM the source of breakthrough. Prayer and praise open the gateway to heaven. I have wanted you to spend much more time praying for hurting people like you used to. I AM bringing you back closer. Working harder is not the answer. It never has been. Abiding in Me always has. I love you with an everlasting love. I AM – I AM the God of the present – always here for you.

Pr 23:4-5 Do not overwork to be rich; Because of your own understanding, cease! Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly away like an eagle toward heaven.

Joh 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

Randy, thank you for pressing in. My love, My grace is sufficient. Peace be with you. My peace is with you. Rest in Me. Rest in Me! Get it – REST. I was never in a hurry. I don’t want you to be either.

Now Rest. Stop writing. Close your eyes. Picture being with Me at the Sea of Galilee. Just you and Me – friends.

Write Ben and Renato to ask for their forgiveness in making them feel like they couldn’t have access to you. Do I ever restrict access to Me? Of course not. So why should you do otherwise?

Randy, I want you to to start a class with Renato called “Words From Jesus!” Start in December. Let your friends and followers experience Me in a new way this Christmas.

Randy, let’s go for a walk around the lake. Do you see the mother with her little boy? She has nothing to give her son this Christmas, but you can reach out to help. Go talk to them. Listen to them. Bring them My peace, My hope. OK now tell them about Me. They can’t see Me yet, but you can. Tell them about Me. Tell them how much I love them. They need to know someone loves them.

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.