Dear Friends,
Last night I returned home from some time away camping with my family. The time was filled with family fellowship, outdoor activities, working on writing the book, reading, campfires, and more.
A very precious part of the time away were my times of stillness sitting by the water and listening to Jesus. As I sat on the beach, gazing out at His creation and listening to Him, the noise and business of the world settled and what really matters came into focus so clearly.
These are the truths that are ringing afresh in my heart:
~ Jesus is what matters and the only place we will find true satisfaction.
~ His Word is the food our souls crave and is Truth that we can confidently base our life upon.
~ Time in His presence transforms our hearts and gives us the right perspective on everything.
~ Nothing is worth allowing in our lives that will hinder us from growing closer to Jesus.
These truths are so rich, powerful, and real. They are meant to shape and be the heartbeat of our daily lives. I find over and over that this requires daily receiving the Lord’s grace to remember them, live them out, and reject what will pull us away from our Jesus. We all constantly need to remember them.
As the Lord spoke to me, refreshed me in His presence, and convicted my heart, He showed me ways to respond to these things. It included:
~ Seeking to let Jesus have 1st place in my heart at all times . This includes: daily meeting with Jesus, walking through my day with Him, and looking to Him to meet all of my needs.
~ Soaking myself in His Word. Some ways I do this: reading my Bible, memorizing verses, listening to the Bible on audio, and grabbing glimpses at my Bible throughout the day.
~ Setting aside special times with Him. This is my daily devotions, as well as other times through the day when I can pause and meet with Him (in addition to walking with Him through the day).
~ Addressing the things that I feel hinder my sensitivity to Him or draw me away from Him. Practically, one of the things that I realized that was threatening a growing sensitivity to the Lord’s voice was time spent on the computer. This has meant setting more serious boundaries for my computer time - Nothing is worth hindering my relationship with Jesus!
These are things Jesus has been teaching my heart. How needy my heart is to continually learn from Him – how needy my heart is of JESUS! He is pursuing us, friends! (Jeremiah 31:3) He wants us to know Him, walk with Him, and experience the fullness of joy that only His presence can bring! (Psalm 16:11)
This morning as I embraced the fullness of normal life, the Lord gave me this precious verse, “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!” Psalm 105:4
Together let’s seek our Lord and His presence continually – allowing nothing to hinder us – and we will discover the joy that results from seeking what matters most!
Seeking Jesus with you,
Amy Vest
P.S. Here is a picture of me in the hammock in the middle of talking with Jesus and treasuring the Word… I am so glad that we are able to seek Him together this summer!
Last night I returned home from some time away camping with my family. The time was filled with family fellowship, outdoor activities, working on writing the book, reading, campfires, and more.
A very precious part of the time away were my times of stillness sitting by the water and listening to Jesus. As I sat on the beach, gazing out at His creation and listening to Him, the noise and business of the world settled and what really matters came into focus so clearly.
These are the truths that are ringing afresh in my heart:
~ Jesus is what matters and the only place we will find true satisfaction.
~ His Word is the food our souls crave and is Truth that we can confidently base our life upon.
~ Time in His presence transforms our hearts and gives us the right perspective on everything.
~ Nothing is worth allowing in our lives that will hinder us from growing closer to Jesus.
These truths are so rich, powerful, and real. They are meant to shape and be the heartbeat of our daily lives. I find over and over that this requires daily receiving the Lord’s grace to remember them, live them out, and reject what will pull us away from our Jesus. We all constantly need to remember them.
As the Lord spoke to me, refreshed me in His presence, and convicted my heart, He showed me ways to respond to these things. It included:
~ Seeking to let Jesus have 1st place in my heart at all times . This includes: daily meeting with Jesus, walking through my day with Him, and looking to Him to meet all of my needs.
~ Soaking myself in His Word. Some ways I do this: reading my Bible, memorizing verses, listening to the Bible on audio, and grabbing glimpses at my Bible throughout the day.
~ Setting aside special times with Him. This is my daily devotions, as well as other times through the day when I can pause and meet with Him (in addition to walking with Him through the day).
~ Addressing the things that I feel hinder my sensitivity to Him or draw me away from Him. Practically, one of the things that I realized that was threatening a growing sensitivity to the Lord’s voice was time spent on the computer. This has meant setting more serious boundaries for my computer time - Nothing is worth hindering my relationship with Jesus!
These are things Jesus has been teaching my heart. How needy my heart is to continually learn from Him – how needy my heart is of JESUS! He is pursuing us, friends! (Jeremiah 31:3) He wants us to know Him, walk with Him, and experience the fullness of joy that only His presence can bring! (Psalm 16:11)
This morning as I embraced the fullness of normal life, the Lord gave me this precious verse, “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!” Psalm 105:4
Together let’s seek our Lord and His presence continually – allowing nothing to hinder us – and we will discover the joy that results from seeking what matters most!
Seeking Jesus with you,
Amy Vest
P.S. Here is a picture of me in the hammock in the middle of talking with Jesus and treasuring the Word… I am so glad that we are able to seek Him together this summer!
