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The writings and thoughts of Bill Elliott are not only vocalized, but can be found here in written form, too. Sample Voice File
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Bill Elliott posted on September 07, 2001 18:25  
| Good choices.... bad choices. How are we EVER to distinguish the right ones from the wrong ones?? I mean... the ones that result in the following of a 'good path' in your life... and the ones that result in the following of a bad, or unhealthy path in your life? Especially, I have been giving timely consideration to the Lord in all these choices... these decisions we make in our lives... sometimes, they are quite significant, and sometimes they are moderately trivial. Regardless of their 'weight', they ALL comprise God's will for your life... God's leading of your heart, soul, and mind.... His gentle, still small voice... whispering ever go gently on our hearts... 'suggesting'... 'recommending'... 'encouraging'... us as to the direction(s) to take... the paths to follow. |
| Still.... His voice is SUCH a small and sublte voice... wishing upon wishes here that He would sometimes just SCREAM at me... letting me hear, without a doubt, what He is saying... what He wants me to hear... to know... to do.... and, therein, remain true to His leading. But... see... that would be way too easy... that would certainly remove that precious element of trust we need to have with Him... that quiet, simple surrender we experience when we submit OUR wills to HIS. Not at all an easy thing to do... regularly, let alone once in a while. The greater the regularity of following His leading, the closer the walk and the talk with Him.... therein, is His will... therein, is His desire... to fellowship with us THROUGH the steps we take... |
| Still.... as I face choice after choice... I often grow fatigued with 'straining' to hear His voice.... strain to get that every subtle nudge from Him... and that is where my heart found this nugget of truth... this nugget of freedom... and certainly, this precious nugget of movement in my life. See, at this point, you might want to go back and read the Dead Weight story... learning that the Lord needs us to at least be moving in our lives for Him to steer us.... for Him to correct our direction. |
| Given that you have read the Dead Weight story, the bulk of this story will certainly cascade through those thoughts... through those truths and concepts presented there.... With that, I have been learning how the Lord places SO many choices before our lives... before our hearts... some good, some bad, some perfect, some flawed.... and I really started to consider the weighting of these choices... to do-the-math, as it were... to 'vaalue' the merit of the choices. Logically, attempting to clarify which choices was 'really' the right choice.... which choice 'made the most sense'... which choice would 'equate more value' in my life.... and lastly, which choice was actually that perfect will of God.... |
| And the Lord showed me... pressed me to the wall... burdened my heart.... weighed me down, yet lifted me high.... to see... ALL these choices were right choices.... all of them had already been weeded through by His divine grace... and I was facing some 5-odd perfectly good choices.... none of them being 'wrong'... none of them being 'out of His will.... none of them being 'the wrong path' for my life.... Allow me to divert for a moment to share.... |
| As you know, God has made us with a free-will.... the ability to yea/nea God... the ability to yea/nea right and wrong... the ability to lead a completely selfish life, or a selfless one, or even one balanced in the middle... able to do as we please... able to learn and grow... apart from Him, as we desire.... or close to Him... up to us. When we are far from God, who has truly moved? In the depths of our rebellion and hatred... in the grossest moments of our lives... in the very deepest pains we have experienced and caused.... was He NOT right there with us?. ...walking alongside? ...waiting for US to call on Him, and ask assistance? ...ask guidance? |
| As we took 'the wrong' choices.... the ones that were NOT really in the midst of His will... the ones that were really bad choices for us... does God REALLY begin to run 'defense' to avert the changes in His plan?? Does He REALLY run up the road ahead of us... putting all the "Truman Show" things in their proper place so-as to continue the illusion we have been living within?? NOT... No, not at all... God is NOT on the defense... He does NOT have a plan to protect... These paths.... the choices... these directions we choose are laid before us as OnGrowing challenges towards a closer and more intimate walk with Him... to encourage us to lend a listening ear... to get us to 'lean-in' when He is speaking... to be able to be SURE as to what He is saying.... where He is leading. So... back to the choices... |
| See... God presents us with these choices.... not ALL are always good... not ALL are always best for us in THAT moment. See... the Bible shares "... And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.", which is to say that He allows SO many things to occur in our lives... to get us to grow... to mature... to learn... to stretch our faith. Therefore; as you are facing these choices... consider that each of them are really RIGHT choices... they are ALL genuinely His will for your life... He is JUST waiting for YOU to choose which ONE He will bless... which ONE He will give you strength through... |
| The Lord is waiting for you (me) to simply make a choice... they ALL are right choices... once the choice is made, HE will begin that good work... to bring the HOW together... to shape His will in you.... to meld your life... and certainly to move your world... and bless the very thing you touch... for, in that choice, you were seeking His face.. His guidance.... His mercy... |
| That shared, your choice is truly blessed... even as you are choosing. Tough to understand, I know... Trust me... "I" know... I stood there facing choices too... facing the many avenues my life would/could take, given each choice... Which one is THE choice... I am learning... it is the one you choose... that is the one He is waiting to bless... when your heart is selfLESSly willing to accept Him into your life... to accept Him through your life... these choices suddenly become blessed by Him... honored by Him... remember, the Bible reads; "All things work together for good, to those that are 'the called' according to His purpose". Hard to refute that... hard to see any other way around His leading there. |
| But... it is ALL back to OUR choice!! See that?? WHO, HOW, WHEN, and WHERE we choose to share His love... choose to live His life.... choose to surrender OUR will... is our choice... He merely blesses these choices... causing us to move into an OnGrowing relationship with Him, and those around us... no longer are we now Dead Weight... we are moving... we area much easier to steer.. He can change our direction with so much less strain and struggle... Read this: "Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." |
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