A Note from DT

I was asked recently if there was a key to help unlock ones’ mind in order to experience more of the Lord’s voice in life.  There are several things that come to mind but one in particular that I have found to be profoundly impactful is to maintain a posture of forgiveness. Forgiving those who have wronged us is not only important, it is a non-negotiable in this walk.  In fact, I would go as far as to say that it is impossible to be in right alignment with God while consciously withholding forgiveness from someone else. This does not mean that we cannot have boundaries and it doesn’t mean that we have to continue in relationship with everyone, but it does mean that we are called to forgive. 

Luke 11 begins with an unnamed disciple who was inspired by Jesus’ connection to His Father and because of this he approaches Jesus and asks that he would teach him how to pray.  What Jesus tells him is often called ‘the Lord’s prayer’ but I would say it is much more than that, it was a blueprint for a life lived in relational connection to the Father.

“When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.”  Luke 11:2-4 

In this brief “prayer” we find that prayer is all about connection. We are connecting to our Father which speaks of stepping into our inheritance. It speaks of the daily bread in reference to the manna which came down from Heaven symbolizing that we don’t live by bread alone but by the very words of Gods’ mouth.  The prayer is about the family business…it’s about Heaven invading the earth, through our connection. It’s beautiful, but there does seem to be a catch. Verse 4 states, And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone. 

Jesus is teaching us that we pray from a place of access in order to usher heavens’ reality into the earth realm and forgiveness is the aligning factor.  Seeing this, forgiveness is not something we decide to do sometimes, it is a posture of alignment with God who has forgiven us and so we abide there. We are called to live in this connection to Him because of His forgiveness.  We live in the freedom of His forgiveness and so we cannot but freely release what we have been freely given…it is now apart of who we are.  Yes, receiving daily bread of heaven and aligning in forgiveness go hand-in-hand. 

So back to the original question.  What can one do in order to unlock their mind to experience more of the Lord’s voice in their life?  Well, I would go as far as to say that the Lord is desiring that we would enter into a deeper relationship with Him even more than we desire it.  In fact, the desire actually comes from Him.  And I will pose this thought: maybe God has been knocking on the door of many people’s hearts and they simply haven’t recognized it.  Have you ever been going about your day and have what seems to be random memories from the past come to mind along with a feeling of pain in your heart?  What many people will dismiss as a random occurrence is often the Lord allowing them to realize that there is unhealed relational wounds that they are carrying within.  The key is to recognize it. Once we are mindful enough to realize that random memories accompanied by pain is actually a sign of a relational wound we can then take up our God-given authority in order to address it. That authority comes in the form of forgiveness. God allows us to become aware of that which we have been unknowingly carrying and by releasing forgiveness we sever those entanglements which opens us up to the healing of our heart in order that we would see and hear Him clearly. So, if you feel you have been in a bit of a dry spell concerning your relationship with the Lord maybe He has been speaking to you after all.  Maybe some of the pains which seem to randomly show up are His way of knocking on the door and reminding us to align with Him through the act of releasing forgiveness.  He is always seeking to engage with us and often times the way of connection is far more simple and practical than we’ve been led to believe. 

-DT

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