In the book of Genesis, there were two trees in the garden. One was the tree of life and the other, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Its message is simple and yet profound. One brings life and the other death.

When I think of this, I also think of Robert Frost and his poem. “Two roads converged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled and that has made all the difference.” I have meditated on this title now since yesterday, but it wasn’t until I started writing that it came alive to me. We are on a journey and it matters the paths we choose along the way. We reach destinations along the way and a final destination in the end.

The concept of the two trees is very interesting. God, in His infinite wisdom and love, chose to give us a choice. He didn’t want robots. He wanted to have a creation that would simply love and trust Him. Was that too much to ask? After all, He is the reason we exist, right? If there is never the chance of losing love, then there must not be such a thing as love.

It is interesting to note that death did not enter the equation until Adam and Eve ate of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It says their eyes were opened, they could discern good and evil, and they knew they were naked. It was then they hid themselves and tried to cover themselves. So, what was the problem with this tree.

The choice of the tree of life could have brought them eternal life and closeness with the Father, while the choice of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil led them down the path to eternal death and separation from Father. Note that there were other trees in the garden they could eat from and they did. It is conceivable then that a period of time had passed before the serpent came around. They must have had time to choose to eat from the tree of life. Why didn’t they? What would have taken them so long to decide? These questions remain a mystery.

Mankind is continually on a quest for knowledge. 2 Timothy 3: 7 “1This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 6For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, 7Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Does this look familiar in our world today? The more knowledge a person attains usually the more arrogant and proud he becomes. It doesn’t necessarily make him wise. Look at our world and all the technology we possess. Look at how miserable most people are. Is this wisdom? Is it truth? Knowledge without wisdom is foolishness and leads to death and destruction. There are many professors and doctors who have gone off on their own imaginations. What is dangerous is when they try to convince others that their beliefs and theories are truth, after all they are the ones with the degrees. They must have learned something in school. Somewhere down the road, someone else comes along and disproves them to their shame. The cycle goes over and over again.

Wisdom! What a wonderful word. But how does one get it. Proverbs 1:7 “The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning and the principal and choice part of knowledge [its starting point and its essence]; but fools despise skillful and godly Wisdom, instruction, and discipline” Wisdom comes by yielding to the Lord, by humbling oneself and acknowledging there is someone greater. Pride and arrogance come through knowledge. The enemy’s lie to Eve was, “you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” They were protected and covered in innocence. By there own choice, they became naked and unprotected. The whole lie was based upon pride and arrogance. It was the enemy that stated that he would ascend to the throne of God and would be as God. He became proud and arrogant in his own beauty, Ezekiel 28: 11-19.

Although, the scene for us is different today, we can still eat of the tree of life through Jesus Christ. We can choose to trust Him and let Him cover us once again. We can walk in innocence, not having to know the depths of good and evil. We can walk in a whole new realm where godly wisdom, knowledge and love abound. By two people the choice was made for humanity, but through one person, Jesus and His sacrifice we can now make our own choice.

So once again, we come back to the choices, the tree of life or the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Each one of us have to choose. What will you choose? Life or Death

Some of you reading this post right now might not believe a word of what I am saying and that is okay. This could mean that you don’t believe something simply because someone says it. However, if you are really seeking the truth and wanting to find it, you will not let this message pass you by without checking it out, even if you don’t believe in God. Oh, you can go on with your life blaming others for things that happened to you and even God himself and you can live a wasted, useless life. At the end of life it is only the truth that remains while everything else was just a facade, trickery and illusions. It doesn’t matter what we have believed and lived if it wasn’t the truth. Without the truth, life has no meaning and purpose. The emptiness in our hearts will grow until it consumes us. Relationship after relationship will come and go. Why not take a chance right now, check it out and see if this might be the thing that changes your life? You have nothing to lose except maybe a little of your time. It might change your life and you just might find what you have been searching for all your life.

I want you to know that I have my faults and am human. I have made mistakes and have come through many bad situations. I blamed others for a time and I even shook me fist up towards the sky. “God, how could you have let this happen!” It wasn’t until later in my life that I discovered the truth. God gives us all the freedom to choose. It’s not about who did this to me or why, rather it is what can I do to not let this affect me and drag me down. I will not live on the bottom. I am a person who has a destiny and a purpose. I will fly high on the wings of His Spirit, high above these things that try to distract and hinder me. I am loved by Him and that is all that matters, period. Don’t let mediocrity consume you. Take a chance and go for it.

Joseph

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What’s it like to be in the presence of Jesus? Have you ever been there? I have and you can too? Are you interested?

There is no place like His presence. When you are there nothing else seems to exist. Your body and mind is at total peace. Sometimes your body tingles and your strength fades away. Sometimes the atmosphere is so heavy you can’t even stand or sit. There is an awe that envelopes you as you realize where you are. Nothing is hidden and yet you are covered. His love permeates your whole being and you know you are loved, He doesn’t even have to say a word. You can stay as long as you want. Sometimes you feel like you could even fly and your troubles are long gone.

How do you get there? You have to start at the beginning. Check out my earlier post called, Who do you trust?. This will save the space of having to retype the post here. Once you have committed your life to the Lord, you can begin your journey of walking close to Him. It’s all about trust as I shared in the post. You have to be willing to lay down everything to get closer to Him. You can’t lie to Him, He knows everything and every thought you have. It is simple surrender.

Do you like to worship and praise Him? There is something about true worship from your heart that draws you close to Him. You can feel His presence. How deep do you want to go? Ezekiel 47 talks about a river and Ezekiel walking into it. The further he walked, the deeper it got until he could no longer touch the bottom. The river began to carry him. Do you want the river of life to carry you. Can you trust Him to carry you? Your level in His presence depends on your level of trust in Him. As you read the story in Ezekiel, notice He starts on the shore. It was a journey. His level of trust grew in time as he continued to walk and trust.

As you walk, you will find areas of doubt, areas of fear, areas where you judged others or Him, areas of sin in your life, areas of hurt or wounds in your heart. These things can hinder you from going deeper, but as you deal with them, by His grace and love, you can continue on. He already knows anyway. He longs for you to know Him. He longs for you to trust Him. He longs to share His heart with you. He wants you to know how much He loves you. He would like to be your friend.

You are only limited by how far you are willing to go, my friend. His invitation stands. Once you experience His love, you will want more. Your life will change. It is good. I’ve been there and I keep going back. I look forward to the day when I can be with Him in eternity, the day when I will be able to see clearly and not be hindered by this earthly body. I know He is greater than what I have seen, and I have seen a lot. I know that day will come, but for now I must continue here and complete my destiny. I hope that this will help you. I hope that you will let the river carry you.

When things come against you, put on some praise or worship music and sing to Him. Pray and ask Him what to do. Remember the eagle and how it rises above its problems on earth. It lets the winds carry it high. Let His Spirit carry you as you go deeper. Worship Him. In everything, let Him have the glory.

Feel free to write and let me know how you are doing? You can use the Contact page on the web site. May you be blessed. May His favor shine upon you and may you be filled with His peace. May the mountains and obstacles in your life be leveled and may you find Him. Walk in His grace, mercy, peace, joy, and love.

Joseph

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Ever feel like you are at the end of the road and there is no where else to turn. There is no way out. Where do you go from here. You feel like your destiny will never come. You were heading down a road that you thought was going to get you there. Now it is a dead end. What do you do?

Your dream is not happening the way you plan? Let me ask you a question. What’s in your hands? Have you noticed the needs of those around you? Are you willing to learn new skills? Are you willing to travel down a different path to get back on track? (Well, I did start out with only one question on my mind.)

I hope you don’t mind while I share some of my story. Sometime during my late teens I got this big dream. The dream was massive and involved helping a lot of people. I was on fire, but nothing went the way I thought it would. I am closer now to that dream than I have ever been. I have been down a lot of different paths, but I am heading in the right direction.

There were many times I wondered where I was. I was sure I had failed and I would never reach my destiny. I wanted to quit, but Father doesn’t know the word quit. He never stops. He never gives up. He never stops loving. As I look back through the years, I am glad I haven’t reach my dream. I wouldn’t have been ready. There have been lives I needed to touch and I also needed their touch. I have needed the valleys to help me see who I really was and to truly appreciate the mountain tops. It was during the times of heartache and loneliness that I found out who He was. These were the times He became more real to me than flesh and blood. Did I like the trouble of these times? No! Were they good for me. Yes! Would I go through it all over again. Yes, gladly! I won’t trade what I have for anything.

So what’s this about. What do I mean by “what’s in your hands?” It is simply this. Don’t focus so much on your dream and making it happen. Keep it in front of you but don’t try to make it come to pass. Always walk towards it, even if you have to go by a longer way. Focus on those around you. How can you help someone else? Be teachable. There were many times I found myself out of work. There were people who needed help, so I offered. I learned a lot of skills in a few short years. I also found out that others were just like me. They had a story too. They needed to be heard. They needed someone who would simply listen to them. Some of them became good friends. Some of them were out of my league, or so I thought. What’s in your hands?

Give your life away. Help others. Smile at others. Let them know that someone cares. If there is a need you can fill, help. This is a wonderful time to learn something new. People love to share. I learned how to hang and float sheetrock. I learned how to paint. I learned how to restore antique vehicles. I even became an electrician. I can build cabinets. I know how to convert a bus into a motorhome or tour coach. I even went back to school and got a degree and learned how to build this web site. And the list goes on.

My mother is back in school right now at the age of 67. She didn’t get her G.E.D. until she was in her 50’s. It’s never to late to do something new. I know a lot of people now. These are a diverse crowd. I have heard many stories. Some have helped me to walk better. Some have saved me a lot of time and even my life. I have learned how to love. I have become more patient and understanding. There is a reason people do things. What we see is not always the reason behind it. Everyone needs to be loved.

Take the time to care today. Give and it will be given back to you in greater measure. You can’t out give God. You can refuse to receive from Him, though. Learn how to give and receive. The person you are receiving from needs to be blessed too. Don’t cheat them out of their reward.

Check out the sunrise. Look at the sunset. These are pictures painted for you to enjoy. Listen to the birds sing. Hear the leaves blowing in the wind. Listen to a waterfall or to the waves of the sea. Do you think there is a God? Don’t miss His touch. Don’t miss His voice.

What’s in your hands?

Have a great and wonderful day.

Joseph

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How do you separate this? Easy! Check out the first four books of the New Testament in the Bible and you can see this easily. Relationship with Jesus or religion with the Pharisees. Who accomplished the Father’s will?

A relationship with Jesus superseded all the laws of the Pharisees. A relationship with Jesus healed the sick and caused the blind to see. A relationship with Jesus brought the dead back to life. A relationship with Jesus made it okay for the disciples to pick and eat grain on the Sabbath even though it was against the law of the Pharisees. A relationship with Jesus is a life filled with grace, mercy and love. A relationship with Jesus fulfills the law. A life of religion is a life lived by the law. Which one will you choose?

In fact, it was the Pharisees that Jesus chastised and gave most of His comparisons against. Notice, it wasn’t against the world or the lost but rather against the religious. Jesus cared for the lost. He healed them. He took the time to teach them. He brought the children close to Him. Take a look at Paul’s early life in the book of Acts. He was zealous for the Lord. He exposed and saw many Christians killed until Jesus met Him on the road. His eyes were blinded for a season, but he was finally able to really see what it was all about. He had a revelation. He had been zealous for the Lord and religious, but now he had a relationship. How was he changed? This man who judged everything by the law eventually wouldn’t even judge himself. Check out the following scripture:

“I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. 4My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. 5Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.”(NIV - I Cor. 4)

How can we judge ourselves? We are just human. Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. There is a higher walk here. Please don’t miss this. Meditate on it until you get it. There is another level. If we have the relationship and walk with Him, we live in a different realm.

What is the difference between a caterpillar and a butterfly? A caterpillar is a very limited creature. It is destined to stay close to the ground. It is easy prey to its enemies. Its sight distance is very limited.

The butterfly, on the other hand, can rise above the things that held it down. Its sight distance is much greater. It can fly above the things that were obstacles before. Gravity takes on a whole new meaning because flying supersedes it. Please hear this. It can operate on a whole new level. It can feel the wind beneath its wings and soar higher and higher.

What was the cost of going from a caterpillar to a butterfly? Death! The caterpillar had to willingly lay down its life to attain a new one. One could argue that it would have died one way or the other, so it wasn’t that big of a choice, but nevertheless, it did have to make a choice. It had to spin the web before it was killed or too weak and old to do it. It made a choice.

We also have to make a choice. We can live our lives like the caterpillar and be grounded all of our lives, or we can receive the invitation from Jesus to die to ourselves and become alive in Him. Then we can soar to new heights and live the way we were meant to live. We can walk with Him. We can supersede the things that hold us down. Walk with Him.

Relationship or Religion - It’s your choice.

I hope this message has brought you encouragement. Many are the voices that preach the law and try to make men live by it. Many are the programs that try to keep us comfortable so we will stay where we are. They want our money to build their own kingdoms. They want the praise and worship that should go to Him. The goal is all the same, to make you live like a worm. Don’t listen to them. Get out of your comfort zone and spread your wings and fly.

Joseph

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Do you have a story? Someone needs to hear it. Don’t think so? Look around you and listen. Can you see it in their eyes? Can you read between the lines? Can you see them in the distance?

I went to a meeting this morning to listen to a guest speaker. The main speaker was telling stories about professional athletes and what made them stand out in his mind. Then the MC got up at the close of the meeting and shared just a brief story about how he grew up. These stories really motivated me, especially the one about the MC. I had no idea he had gone through a particular situation. I had been watching him from a distance. It helped me to identify with him and it encouraged me. After the meeting I got a chance to talk to him. I wanted to encourage him to continue to share his story. He told me that he had hoped his story didn’t bring anyone down. Interesting!

I have meditated on this almost all day and have decided to write about it. I needed to hear his story this morning. I needed to be encouraged. The main speaker had talked about sports legends and how they overcame obstacles, but it was this man’s story that helped me the most. I could identify with him. Don’t ever think you have nothing to share. People view us differently than we think. We know all of our faults and weaknesses and too many times we focus on that part of our lives, while others may see only our success and strengths. If we let them in a little, maybe they can be encouraged to succeed also.

Our lives are living books. People read our pages everyday as we write. I smiled at Sally today as she handed me a cup of coffee at the coffee shop. I gave Nick a pat on the back and told him what a great job he was doing. I opened the door for someone who had their hands full of packages. What is all of this? Just more writing in my book. What did Sally think about the smile? What about Nick or the person with the door? How did it make them feel? What was going on in their lives before that moment?

Sally might have just broken up with her husband of five years. Maybe she felt rejected and unloved. Maybe she felt like no one cared. Maybe that smile just encouraged her that she mattered. Someone smiled at her. Someone noticed her today. That one little thing might have changed her whole life. She was no longer headed down a path of self-pity, depression, anxiety or whatever it might have been, but now she takes another path and starts to believe again. Maybe things can get better. Would this be worth a smile?

What about Nick? Maybe Nick was at a crossroads in his life. He had been trying to get something in his life to go right for a change. Everything he had touched just seemed to go nowhere. Now, all of a sudden, someone comes up to him, pats him on the back and comments on what a great job he is doing. How does that make him feel? Do you think he might just have a better day?

How does your page read for today? It’s not too late to add another sentence. It’s not too late to add a whole chapter. Give out of what you have. You’ll receive a lot more than you give. You can change the world, one person at a time. Choose to make it a better place. What’s your story?

Have a great day.

Joseph

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Part 3 - Have you ever been around someone you wanted to help, but when you said something nice they almost took your head off with their reaction? Maybe you even felt like they stabbed you in the heart and it hurt, even if they didn’t mean it. Have you ever done that? Yes, of course you have. I know I have and still do sometimes. More often than not, it is to a family member. We always think, they should know better.

If you missed the first parts, click for Part 1 and Part 2.

So, what happened? Well, it is generally the result of self-protection and a wounded heart. You just ran into the massive wall around their garden or, if you were in the garden, into one of the thorn bushes. That reaction was most likely premeditated. What do I mean by this? I mean that something happened to that person that hurt them deeply. Rather than deal with it and get the healing they needed, they probably made a decision that the next time this incident happens they are going to do a particular thing, (whatever reaction they consciously or subconsciously decide to do). The problem is that it may happen to someone they love. They are like a wounded puppy in this area. When this particular situation happens, they feel like they are cornered, they are hurt and the only thing they can do is lash out. It doesn’t matter whether the intentions were to harm or not, the vow or judgment has locked them into the reaction.

How do we get out of this cycle and just how long is it going to take? Good question. Sometimes it just takes a short time, but that depends on the seriousness and depth of the damage. For instance, if someone gets seriously hurt in a car wreck and has to go to the hospital for major surgery to repair bones, tendons and cuts, it will take a while to get healed. Now compare this with someone who receives minor injuries and is out of the hospital in a day or two. It is the same way with our hearts. Some wounds just take longer to mend. Some trust issues take a long time and it makes a difference how many times this trust was violated. Each situation is unique and so is each person. God treats each of us as individuals. He records every tear we cry. He cares. Now that we can see that there is no specified time for change, we can go on with how to get rid of the cycle.

The first thing we need to do is find out why we are reacting this way to a particular situation. There is definitely an issue of trust. Number one, we don’t trust that person in this area of our heart. What are we going to do about it? Well, maybe they don’t need to be there, but maybe they also don’t deserve the reaction we gave them either. Maybe we could have been polite in our response. Maybe they had no clue they weren’t supposed to be there. “But I don’t trust men or I just don’t trust women.” Why not? There lies the judgment and IF you don’t deal with it, it WILL wreck that area of your life and start spilling over into other areas. “But I don’t know what to do or it hurts too much” Good! What do you mean good? We finally got to the bottom of the problem. If it didn’t hurt it wouldn’t be a problem, right? Now, we can find the answer and make it go away.

The next thing we need to do is determine if it concerns the wall around our garden or the thorny plants within. If it is the wall that we built to protect us, we can ask Jesus to be our protection. But what if we don’t trust Him that much yet. That is okay. Start where you are. One step at a time. There is an old expression, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” We are not going to be totally transformed overnight. It is a work in progress, going from glory to glory. The more you trust the Lord for your protection, the more others can see your garden and get a glimpse of Who He is. The more they see Who He is, the more they will be drawn to Him. Let me ask you a simple question. Who are you most drawn to, a person who emanates love or a person who is bitter and brash? One of the major problems we have is that we take too many things personally, especially when they might not have anything to do with us at all. Did the reaction above have anything to do with us or was it concerning something or someone else? But if we took it personally, then we allowed another bad plant in our garden. Chances are, the next time we are around that person, we have judged them in that particular thing whether it was true or not and maybe we will miss a chance to help them change and get set free. We have the choice to help make it worse or to help heal.

Okay, so we have decided to work on the wall thing, but what about the thorns. We’d really like to have some true and wonderful relationships with others, but how will we let them see who we are without them or us getting hurt? Let’s start removing the thorns that we planted to protect us from pain. Here again, we go back to the trust issue. Some of the words we have allowed to grow in our garden were seeds of self-protection, self-preservation, pride, competition, greed, lust, envy, jealousy, and others like this. In Jesus, we don’t need to prove ourselves anymore. He won’t love us any more than He already does. So therefore, we don’t need to prove anything to anybody else either. If we have to be someone other than who we are for anyone, we are destined to live a life of lies, misery and bondage and besides, people don’t like fakes anyway. Freedom is knowing who you are and being true to yourself. It is being okay with who you are and knowing you are on a journey of change.

We need to find the truth and sow these seeds in our hearts. We need to study the Bible and ask Holy Spirit to interpret it for us as we read. As we plant the seeds of truth into our gardens, we dig up the lies that were planted there. Sometimes this hurts because the thorns can stick us. It hurts to admit that we are wrong. It is humbling and it is necessary if we are to continue on our journey. Now, as these new plants grow, there is a new aroma in our garden. The more truth and love that grows, the less room there is for the bad stuff. It simply gets replaced. Forgive others for their humanness, their foolishness, and their frailties. The cost of unforgiveness and bitterness is greater than you think. It will cause your physical body to shut down, decay and eventually die. Don’t take my word for it, look at those who are bitter and unforgiving and see what their lives and health are like. What you sow is what you reap. If you share love, you will reap love. If you share bitterness and hatred, you will reap it. Create a brand new garden, watch over it and be careful of what seeds are getting sown into it, let the Lord protect you and reap the benefits of freedom and a wonderful, joyous, and fulfilled life. Dare to laugh. Dare to smile. Dare to see the world from a different point of view. Dare to help change this world by sharing your life with others. The storms will come, but He will lift you higher if you let Him. You can soar higher than the eagles. You can look down on those mountains you thought were insurmountable. It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it. It has been for me personally.

Dear friend, I hope you have been encouraged by this message. This has only been a brief overview. There are many lessons to be learned on this path of life. Don’t let the little things overcome you. Don’t let distractions hinder you. If it is not about love, let it go. If it is not about truth, don’t believe it. There are many voices in the wind. Most of them have their own agenda. Search for the truth with all of your heart and you will find it. Contrary to what others say, we can find the truth and walk in it. We can find true love. We can find our purpose and destiny. We can fulfill this destiny and have a life that’s full of joy no matter what circumstances come or go. There is someone who will never leave you, nor forsake you. My prayer for you is that you live your life to the full and that if I don’t meet you on earth, I’ll see you in heaven for all of eternity.

Have a blessed life.

Joseph

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Part 2 - Now that we have decided to do something about it, what do we do? For some of us this has been going on for years and that little flower is under a mess of stuff and those walls are like the great wall of China, however, there is hope.

This is a good place to be. We have the chance to start over again. I am going to try and explain this as simply as I can with illustrations. Life is very complex and to make it simple is very difficult, if not impossible. Now, if you have come this far, then it means you felt the tug on your heart. This also means that the Lord has touched your heart and He wants you to get to know Him and His wonderful love for you. First of all, you need to know this. You really, really need to know this. If you were the only one on earth when He died 2000 years ago, He would have still died for you. He loves you that much. And the reason I am writing this is that I believe it too. You are precious in His sight, no matter what your life has been like. You can start over again with a new and wonderful life. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. It matters today what you will do with the rest of your life.

The scripture says that no one can come to the Father, except the Father must first put out the invitation. And no one can come to the Father except through Jesus Christ. Now, you felt the tug, right? So you are being drawn to Him. You have received your invitation. So, how do we get to Father God? We get there by believing, trusting and relying on His Son, Jesus Christ. How do we do this? Who is He? He will become real in our life. That tug you feel is Him asking you to meet with Him.

Let’s look at a natural analogy. Let’s say that you are at an exquisite restaurant on the edge of the sea. The sun has just gone down over the horizon. The sky is showing all the magnificent colors of sunset. You are out on the patio and the sound of the crashing waves reaches your ears as the ocean mist touches your face. There is a beautiful lady standing by the rail. Her hair is flowing in the sea breeze. About twenty feet away from her is a handsome and distinguished gentleman. You watch them as their eyes meet for the first time. You can see the chemistry and you know there is genuine love in the air. Now what would happen if they just had that brief moment and then walked away from each other and never met again. It would be a sad story, right? But people do that every day.

So what will you do now. Imagine that you are like the lady by the rail. The gentleman has seen you and would like to invite you to his table. The choice is yours. Do you let fear have its way or some other memory from your past? Will you let anything spoil this opportunity at having a brand new life, a fresh new start? Well, if the choice you have made is to accept the invitation you can continue reading. Well, I guess you can continue no matter what your choice, I just know it would be better if you choose the former.

Okay! So Who is this person, this Jesus? That’s what it is all about. How can you know someone unless you spend time with them? How can you trust them if you don’t have a relationship? How can He be real to me? I want something more than just words on a page in some history book.

It’s simple. Ask Him to make Himself known to you. Spend some time with Him. Take walks. Read the Bible. Start with the New Testament. Ask Him to show you things you need to know in the scriptures. Ask Him to be your friend. Ask Him to forgive you of all your sins. Ask Him to place His love in your heart. Give your life to Him. What is it that you want? Ask your questions. It’s your life. If you ask for the truth and you really want to know, you will find it.

This is the beginning of your new life. This is the beginning of the change in your garden. The love that is placed in your heart will continue to grow as long as you nurture it and continue with the relationship. As time goes by, you will find places in your heart of bitterness, unforgiveness, vows, fears, judgments, self-pity, self-protection, and all kinds of things. These are the thorn bushes, briers and vines. Little by little you can get rid of them by His grace, mercy, forgiveness and love. Soon everyone around you will notice a different you. They will begin to see the beauty in the midst of your garden as the other things get removed. They will ask you what you have been up to. Things that used to bother you no longer do. You will see life differently. You will feel like you are alive for the first time in your life. There really is something to look forward to and to live for. Go ahead. Check it out. What do you really have to lose?

Are you feeling a war inside right now? What will others think? You know all those silly excuses that pop up. They really don’t seem that silly right now, do they. Let me ask you a question. What would it hurt to check it out and see if this might be real?

I had some doubts in the beginning. Now, I wouldn’t trade anything for this relationship. To find someone who cares for me and loves me more than anyone else in this world is awesome. Even if everyone were to leave me, I’d never be alone again. I have a purpose and a destiny. You know what, you do too. Go for it. Don’t let anyone get in your way.

Next time we will go more in depth concerning the enemies of your garden. Answers - Part 3

May the Lord, Himself show you Who He is. May He fill your heart with His love. May you find the thing you’ve been searching for all of your life. May you find your purpose and your destiny. Let His love pour over you and fill you fresh. Have a wonderful life.

Joseph

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