For seven years after accepting the Lord, I worked in a peculiar ministry. As a Literature Evangelist, I shared quality Bibles and simplified commentaries on scripture for families: for adults and children.

Eventually, I trained other men of faith to do the same work as me. I would also preach the Word of God, often to replace pastors unable to be in their pulpits in various areas of Ontario, the Maritime province of Nova Scotia, and in Newfoundland.

How I learned to live by faith in the Lord’s leading

I will share one of those stories here. Scheduled to preach in Bellville on Sabbath, I drove from Peterborough, Ontario, via an old road I had never before driven.

Several miles from the city, I became fatigued and pulled over into the entrance drive of a cornfield. After the nap, I prayed over my open Bible, asking the Lord to be with me and give me words of encouragement to the people (the pastor’s son had just drowned in Lake Ontario).

A knock came on my car window. It was a young boy about 12 years of age. Asking if I was okay, he noted my Bible and said: I am a Christian too. I asked, “Which church do you attend, son?” Well, his answer revealed that I was preaching in his family’s church tomorrow! I asked the lad if he would mind if I told the folks how we met while preaching my message tomorrow — the title being: The Just Shall Live by Faith.

How the Lord led me to another young man 

As usual, I took my lunch on the road while working as a Literature Evangelist. This day, I was by Lake Ontario in a park in Trenton. Praying for guidance, I felt that the Lord was holding me back without question. Then all of a sudden, I heard a still small voice say “go now”. As I drove from the park, I stopped at the road junction to ask for directions from an approaching teenager. He noticed a small book on my passenger seat: Steps to Christ, and said: “my mother has that book”.  We chatted about how he was living away from home, his mother being a believer in my church’s College Park family in Oshawa, Ontario. I said to him. “I am certain that your mother is praying for you”. I spoke more words of encouragement and praised the Lord for his patience with me that he would use me to talk to this young man.

I have many more stories like this recorded in my written journals over the seven years in this sacred ministry.

Scriptural Meditations Part 2:  God moves in His natural kingdom to bring blessings my way when I seek him first. He alone is the Great Rearranger who moves upon the atomic nature of the universe; giving ideas that bring forth results for the provision of his own children.

• I am recognizing that all power, wealth and honour comes as directed from you Yahweh; you created everything in heaven and on earth; everything good is of Your Kingdom and I am exalting you as the head over all. 1 Chronicles 29: 11-12
• All good things related to my life’s needs are coming my way for provision because I seek first our Lord’s kingdom and His righteousness. Matthew 6:33
• My God is an enabling God who activates nature to manifest and change form by faith for his children when asked. Psalm 107: 29; Joshua 10: 11-13; Jonah 1: 10-17; Matthew 8: 23-27; Mark 4: 38-40; John 21: 4-12; Matthew 21: 19-22; Exodus 3: 1-4, 15: 3-5; 1 Kings 18: 36-46
• My Lord hears my prayer claiming his covenant promises that he puts in my heart and mouth and then acts on my behalf to bring justice my way. His hand is not shortened, that he cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that he cannot hear; He sets up a standard against my enemies to protect me. Isaiah 59:1, 16, 19
• I have courageous action-based faith that Yahweh will give me the tools to prevail to give me success in all my ventures despite major obstacles in life or business, just as He gave David victory over Goliath. 1 Samuel 17: 45-53

Scriptural Meditations Part 1:  Over the years in ministry and business life, I believe I have succeeded abundantly based on trusting the Lord’s blessings. My meditations include this kind of prayer-based thinking. Here I share only a part of a large document of scriptural prayer meditations on many life and business subjects. I am also careful not to advocate a prosperity gospel, yet in my mind, I must trust the Lord for the provision of life’s necessities and recognize his blessings when accrued.

• I confidently trust, lean on, and rely on Yahweh/Father God, that I will be supported when I declare His righteousness in His entire kingdom on earth among the nations; because He will not hide His face from me, as He listens to me when I cry out to Him, who alone is my help. Psalm 22: 4, 5, 9, 22, 28-29, 30
• I joyfully dance in the Lord being established with strength and boundless prosperity. Psalm 30: 6, 7, 11; Psalm 122: 6-7
• I am calm and courageous speaking wisdom from an understanding heart, submitting godly thoughts to musical meditations expressing my inherent redemption as He guarantees to receive me into my inheritance of eternal life.  Psalm 37: 30-31; 40: 3, 9-10; 49: 3-5; 7-8. 15
• The Lord increases my family’s peace, protection, and firm prosperity increasing in proportion as we trustingly take refuge in Him; He makes our right and just behaviour shine like the noon-day sun in all effects of causation. Psalm 37: 4-7; 11, 19; 22-26
• I am committing my works unto Yahweh and my thoughts and plans are established and succeed. Proverbs 16: 2-3
• I order my thoughts, conduct, conversation, and actions in the will of Yahweh’s Word and his entire revealed will, and manage my decisions to not wander from his commandments; and I, therefore, am rewarded by inheriting all your promises. Psalm 119: 1-7
• I am succeeding, increasing my business sales, selling continuously and vigorously in the marketplace, making entire penetration in my field of business expertise, because as a partaker of the divine nature, all my natural springs issue from you and you are able to make all grace abound toward me that I may have abundant provision in all good things. 2 Peter 1:4, Psalm 87:7, 2 Corinthians 9:8
• God reveals my moment of timing with regard to my life purpose with all the plans clear before me as with Moses, including what I am to preach regarding His current truth. John 9: 3, 4, 22, 13-34
• God keeps His secrets and protects my business and life purposes from idea-theft of ungodly men. 1 Sam 21: 12-13
• I trust Yahweh to give me Spirit led insights like David when he said “I knew it” regarding anyone who would tell one of my business secrets. 1 Samuel 22: 22; 23: 9-12
• I am waiting to see what God is going to do for me in all my business ventures. 1 Samuel 22:3; Genesis 31: 10-16, 50: 18-21
• As a sinner, I have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous. 1 John 1:9
• I am a son of Yahweh attested to and confirmed by Jesus Christ. Psalms 82:6; John 10: 34-36; Romans 13: 1-2

“The Lord will guide you into all the truth” applicable to you. (John 16:13)

To live by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and be led in all your most beneficial ways one must learn the discipline of ongoing listening for the direction of the Lord and acknowledge His methods of opening up our viewpoint to see the right way to walk. David won most of his battles because he always wanted to hear God’s view first (Psalm 27:7, 11)

We live in a world order which is becoming increasingly difficult to hear God speak to us through His Word, or the “still small voice” (Isaiah 30:21)

This is increasingly true when you are surrounded by excess talking and clamour while facing a choice when in need of information that may be yet unknown or purposely held back from you by men who feel superior in education, religion, or health care. For example, it was found out that many hysterectomies were unnecessary in the 60s yet many a doctor ran ahead with multiple surgeries even when it was known it was unnecessary. No one should hold back pertinent information because money per operation is a primary goal. I see this mindset continues today in some disciplines.

We must not trust every word of others or the feeling within ourselves, but cautiously and patiently try the matter, whether it be of God. Do not give ready heed to every news-bearer, for they know man’s weakness that it is prone to evil and deceptive in dialogue. It is supreme wisdom, not to be hasty in action, or stubborn in our own opinions. It is essential wisdom to not believe every word we hear. An obedient life, submissive to the Lord, makes a man wise toward God and gives him experience in many things. The more humility and obedience within and without to God’s will, the more knowledgeable will he be in all things, and the more shall his soul be at peace. ¹

Amidst others of rank, where you cannot hear yourself think let alone hear God speak it is hard to make a rational decision. Montaigne noted in his essay on presumption: “occasions surprise me and move me contrary to my premeditation”. The smartest contemplative person can be derailed from original rational thinking in a few minutes of chaos under decisional pressure.

This is particularly true if we replace the guidance directly from God with an: if, then, else flowchart, which I am prone to do because I have been trained in writing computer code. I learned the hard way that this can be like rolling the bones or tossing the dice without rational thought versus the leading of God directing as we pray for guidance in His Word and discern what light He has on the subject at hand. Dreams even if frightening, where warnings can come in the wee hours can save you from a bad decision. If the Spirit of Christ leads in either of these two methods sit up and go to your journal and immediately write down the leading and ask what this means – it is vital to do this before it is lost. Carry your journal and ponder the guidance and take it to heart and change course if necessary.

As a Christian resist the temptation of trying to find things out only on your own.

When the founder of Buddhism was bidding his followers farewell, he said: “You must be your own light”. When Socrates was about to take that fatal cup one of his disciples mourned that he was leaving them orphans. When Jesus was about to ascend to heaven He said of the Holy Spirit, “if I go I will send him to you” (see John 14:18; 16:5-7,13; Luke 1:79; John 10:4)

Divine guidance is only available to Christians, who obey the directives of and rely on the Father in Heaven. Such obedience offers: Peaceful quietude (Psalm 23:2), good decisions (Psalm 25.9, 32:8), lifetime guidance (Psalm 48:14), wise counsel (Psalm 73:24), internal divine directions (Isaiah 30:21, John 16:13), lead amidst uncertainties (Isaiah 42:16,48:17).

Praise the Lord for His amazing grace. May He lead you into the paths of a peaceful life in all your decision making away from the chaos of mankind who can ruin your choices and bring regret for not taking the time to listen in the quiet hour with the Lord Jesus Christ in His sacred scriptures daily.

¹ _{Thomas a Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, Glen Jackman modern edit}

‘I am among you as one who serves.’—Luke 22:27 NLT.

In the Gospel of John, we see Jesus frequently speaking of His relation to the Father, presenting the spiritual motives that guided Him. His consciousness of the power and the guidance of the Holy Spirit linking Him to his Father’s mind — echoed by how He acted kindly and gently among men — proved the clearest picture of humility ever lived among humankind.

Though He is the Son of God in heaven, as a man upon earth, He took the place of entire subordination, giving God the honour and the glory which is due to Him. And what He taught so often was made true of Himself: ‘everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.’ (Luke 14:11; 18:14)

Listen to the words by which our Lord speaks of His relation to the Father — see how frequently He uses the words not, and nothing, of Himself. The not I, in which Paul expresses his relationship to Christ, is the very spirit of what Christ says of His relation to the Father: “The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (see Galatians 2:20) Jesus taught self-abnegation by the way He lived. Hover over these texts to see each one of His statements relating how the Father led Jesus as He sought to reconcile humanity to God: (John 5:19, 30, 41; 6:38; 7:16, 28; 8:42, 50; 14:10, 24)

The above scriptures reveal insight into Christ’s life and work. They tell us how it was that the Almighty God was able to work His mighty redemption work through Jesus. They show what mindset Christ’s enlightened consciousness viewed His dependence as a man, respectfully reliant as the Son upon the Father. They teach us about Christ’s essential nature and life as a man while His work of redemption was accomplished. He was nothing, that God might be all. Jesus resigned Himself, His will and His powers entirely for the Father to work in and through Him — as He offered us reconciliation, mercy and grace. Of His own power, His own will, and His own glory, of His whole mission with all His works and His teaching,— of all this He said, It is not I; I am nothing; I have given Myself to the Father to work; I am nothing, the Father is all.

This life of entire self-abnegation, absolute submission and dependence upon the Father’s will, Christ found to be one of perfect peace and joy. He lost nothing by giving all to God. God honoured His trust, and manifested all for Him, and then exalted Him to His right hand to administer the kingdom, beside Him, reflecting the majestic glory of this fact: When God reaches out to us to bring us to Himself, by seeing Jesus, we recognize that the Father is waiting in love, to bind you to Him in love. And because Christ had thus humbled Himself before God, and God was ever before Him, Jesus also found it possible to humble Himself before men, and to be the Servant of all. His humility was simply the surrender of Himself to God, to allow Him to do in Him what He pleased, whatever men around might say of Him, or do to Him. The primary purpose of this demonstration of humility was to draw all men to Himself and thereby to the Father.

It is in this state of mind, in this spirit and disposition, that the redemption of Christ has its virtue and potent effectiveness. It is to bring us to this disposition of self-abnegation that we are perceptive to and taking on the mind of Christ. This is the true self-denial to which our Saviour calls each of us: the acknowledgement that self has nothing good in it, except as an empty vessel which God must fill, and that any claim to be or do anything self-warranting may not for a moment be allowed. It is in this, above and before everything, in which the conformity to Jesus consists, the being and doing nothing of ourselves, that God may be all.

Here we have the root and nature of true humility. It is because this is not understood or sought after, that our humility, individually and in the church is so superficial, and lacks vitality. We must learn of Jesus, how He is meek and lowly of heart. He teaches us where true humility rises to find its strength—in the knowledge that it is God who works all in all, that our place is to yield to Him in perfect resignation and dependence, in full consent to be and to do nothing of ourselves.

Christ came to reveal and to impart to us, by example—a life which fully honours God, that came through death to sin and self. If we feel that this life is too high for us and beyond our reach, let this felt inability, drive us to seek it in Him; it is the indwelling Christ via His Spirit who will live in us, this meek and lowly life. Without abiding in Christ, we can do nothing useful in His kingdom. (John 15:5)

If we long for this, let us, above everything, seek the secret of how God works on this earthly plane among humanity. Every moment God works all in all; the mystery, of which, every child of God, is to be the witness — that we are nothing but a vessel, a conduit of lovingkindness, through which the living God can manifest the riches of His wisdom, power, and goodness.

The root of all virtue and grace, of all faith and acceptable worship, is that we know that we have nothing but what we receive from our Creator, and bow in most profound humility to wait upon God for it.

Christ’s life manifested a pure conscience, an existential humility witnessed by the very spirit, demeanour and tone of His whole life. Jesus was just as humble in His intercourse with men as with God. He felt Himself the Servant of God for the women and men whom God made and loved. As a natural consequence, He counted Himself the Servant of men, that through Him God might do His work of love. He never for a moment thought of seeking His honour or asserting His power to vindicate Himself. His whole spirit was that of a life yielded to God to work. ¹

It is not until Christians study the humility of Jesus which he taught as the very essence of His redemption, as the very blessedness of the life of the Son of God, as the only true relation to the Father, that we will begin to understand the first and the chief of the marks of the Christ within us.

¹ Glen Jackman’s summary edit of Andrew Murray’s thinking. From chapter three of the book Humility: The Beauty of Holiness New York; London; Glasgow: Fleming H. Revell; in the public domain.