Tag Archives: hearing from God

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Stomping All Over the Scripture

stairstogod

On our adventures out west this past month, Staci and I stayed at a good friend’s house a couple of days.  Each time we would go up or down the steps, I realized that I was stomping all over scripture passages.  Actually stomping on these words from God……. but in a good way.

How many times do we talk about our spiritual Christian journey being like a physical journey, a trail to walk, a mountain to climb, a path to follow, and in this case, a stairway to climb?  Did you ever think that each and every step we take may contain a message from God Himself?  If we get in a hurry, we may miss one of the messages.  If we really get in a hurry and don’t pay attention, we may miss the message and worst of all, the step itself.  And we fall flat on our faces.  I’m telling you that because that’s what I did on this staircase.

But Hey!, I’ve got a good excuse.  I thought I heard the elk bugling outside so I hurriedly ran up the stairs to get to a window to look out over the mountain.  Some where between “be supportive of one another” and “count your blessings”, my clumsy size 10 1/2 shoes missed the next step.  Missed by that much! Missed just enough to trip, fall, and catch myself on “Forgive and forget”.  I certainly wanted to forget what I just did, but I had trouble forgiving myself for falling on the stairs.  I limped, shuffled, crawled, and staggered to make my way to the window.  False alarm…. no elk, just a coyote, and a sore elbow.

I guess what I’m experiencing here as I rub both elbows and a wrist to make the pain disappear is this.  Have you ever been in such a hurry to hear something from God that you missed the everyday messages, and hurt yourself in the process?  The daily steps that we take to get us higher and closer to the top(God) may just be what we are supposed to be seeing and “hearing”.

I don’t know about you, but climbing a set of stairs sometimes seems to me  like a bother, a chore, just something to take to get from one floor to the next.  Never mind the view as I go, just want to hurry and get to the final destination of the next room.

I think this is what I’m seeing in these steps.  I want to hear from God so bad that I miss all the “little” messages he’s got placed in every step I take.  Steps that I take each and every day.  Everyday steps, boring steps, steps that seem like a bother, a chore, may actually be filled with messages from God.  We mess up and fall spiritually when we make the mistake of missing the “little ” messages because we think He speaks to us only in the “BIG” messages.  You know what I mean.  We want to see the writing on the wall, hear it in the lightening, from some major event in our life.  I’m finding out in my own life, that God is speaking to me in small steps.  In everyday activities. In what sometimes seems like just a normal routine.

That’s what was refreshing to me about these steps I’m stomping on.  I’m beginning to realize that my spiritual journey is one small step at a time.  There  occasionally may be a big event that takes place, but each and everyday there are definitely small steps to take….. one at a time.

But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in all the way which I command you, that it may be well with you.’ Jeremiah 7:23

So,……… in this spiritual journey we are on, let’s focus on something really, really big.  Focus on something really, really important to our lives.  Let’s focus on a major STEP that God has placed in our lives.  What would that be you say?  The next small step.  The ordinary step right in front of you that is leading to higher ground spiritually.  Don’t get caught up in how God is supposed to be “talking” to you.  Better to be caught up in how you need to be “listening ” to God.  It’s one small step of many.  It’s the step right in front of you.

See Ya!  Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher

 

 

 

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Here’s The Story of Why There’s a Wilderness Preacher

 

Click on the short video above to understand better why I write the wilderness preacher blog.  It’s my prayer that you continue to read and watch as we both travel on our spiritual journeys together.

My writings have allowed me to reach out and “connect” with so many of you.  Men, ladies, younger guys and gals, I treasure all of the friendships that have developed.  I look forward to continuing this connection with you.  It’s not about me, it’s about coming alive on our travels and not just going through the motions.  There is a need to share with each other that I pray can come from these stories each week.  Stay tuned……….

See Ya!  Dan Ainsworth wildernesspreacher, and your friend

 

 

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I Got Some Sense Knocked into Me!

tools

Here’s a picture of some of the tools I’m using as I build my log home.  The blue tool with the long handle is called a peavey.  It has a metal spike at the end and also a hook.  When this is placed on the log, I now have leverage to roll a massive log wherever I want.  Power!!  I feel like a MAN because I can now move a 1500 lbs log with just my own muscles.  Be careful, I know, I know.  But it is a rush to be able to move that much weight.  I feel like a super hero.  Call me Thor, or Batman, or a Jedi,…….or LOG Man!!!! cause I got the power!  I need a theme song.

But be careful.  With the proper leverage, you can move the world.  Amazing to me how this huge log can be rolled with such little effort on my part.  With these forces of weight and movement battling with and against each other there is a high probability that things may not roll your way.  Things may not go as planned. Did I remind you and myself to be careful?  Well let me say it once again.  There is danger involved with moving and building with logs.  Be careful.  But sometimes I don’t pay attention, ……….even to myself.

While humming my “theme song” and enjoying all this power, I proceeded to roll this log into position.  It continued to roll on its own.  I ah,.. I ah,….. turned loose of the handle.  Ok, I’ll admit it.  I turned loose of the handle, it continued to roll, but then flipped back in reverse and the end of the handle caught me square on the side of the face.  (I feel like I’m giving an insurance report.)  It hit me like a ton of bricks.  I felt like Rocky Balboa himself had just given me an uppercut.  The theme song in my head suddenly changed.  I saw stars,……. my knees buckled…….and now I am down for the count.  It didn’t knock me out, just knocked me cuckoo.  Didn’t knock my brains out, just “changed the channel” I was on.  It didn’t knock me senseless………. It knocked some sense into me.

Proverbs 24:16– For a just [man] falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

It’s good to know I got up again.  But in a way it’s good to know that I got 6 more times left.  I feel like a cat with 9 lives now.  Well, down to about 4 now.  What I mean is this.  We all fall. We all fail.  At least one of us here falls while singing his own theme song!  I tell myself all the time to be safe,…. be careful.  There is not a day goes by that Staci doesn’t tell me to be careful.  She even calls me from time to time to make sure “I’m OK”.  ( I’ll have to tell ya sometime about the time I fell off the log pile cause I was trying to get to the phone.)  Be safe, Be careful.  I here it over and over.  But when it hits you up side of the head, you get a better understanding of it.

I’ve always said that God Himself will remind you of things that are needed in your life.  He will even hit you between the eyes to get your attention.  With a two by four, on in my case a peavey tool.

I bet you’ve had God “hit you” just to make you take notice of a situation in your life.  That’s what is so “good” about falling.  When you fall, He is there to pick you up.  He’ll pick you up seven times which in Bible terms means as many times as is necessary.

Be careful out there.  Stay safe.  With a very sore jaw this has taken on a newer and more important meaning in my life.

See Ya!   Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher, part time Rocky punching bag