A Real Person

Manning the computer help desk for the local school district was my first job.
And though I was just an intern, I took the job very seriously. But not every
caller took me seriously.

"Can I talk to a real person?" a caller asked.

"I am real," I said.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the caller said. "That was rude of me. What I meant to say was,
could I talk to someone who actually knows something?"

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Worth Repeating.......

"A new study shows that large doses of Vitamin E do not
protect against heart attacks and cancer, and might
actually raise the risk of heart failure. The study was
published in this month's Journal of Things that Scientists
Told You to Do Last Month That Turned Out to Be Harmful
This Month." --Dennis Miller

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DID YOU HEAR THE WHISPER?

Have you ever been in a situation – or met an individual – and thought to
yourself, "I don't know what it is, but something isn't right". More often than
not, we quickly dismiss the thought and later find out that the premonition was
right. As Christian leaders, we may desire to give situations and people the
"benefit of the doubt", but Scripture teaches that we should listen – and
respond – to God's whisper.

How often do you ignore the inner whisper that tell you when "something isn't
right"?

Do you repeatedly wish that you had listened to your "hunch"?

It is human nature to size things up by what they look like – but, not all
ducks look and quack like a duck. As a result,

God will often send a gentle whisper that warns us to be cautious of certain
situations and people. The enemy, however, will immediately try to get us to
dismiss the message. He will tell us that God's whisper is an example of us
being "paranoid". He will fill us with condemnation, and convince us that we're,
merely, "judgmental".. Nonetheless, listen to God's whisper. Stand firm in
knowing that Jesus forewarned:

"Stay alert. This is hazardous work I'm assigning you. You're going to be like
sheep running through a wolf pack....Don't be naive" (Matthew 10:16-17, MSG).

Naivety wants us to respond to winds, earthquakes, fires, and other disasters.
But, God wants us to hear – and respond to – His gentle voice. When the prophet
Elijah was in trouble, the Lord came to him in a whisper:

"...As the Lord approached, a very powerful wind tore the mountains apart...But
the Lord wasn't in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake. But the
Lord wasn't in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire came. But the Lord
wasn't in the fire. And after the fire there was only a gentle whisper" (1 Kings
19:11-12, NIRV).

Like Elijah, sometimes we will only receive a gentle whisper from from the Lord.
The questions are: "Will we listen?" and "Will we respond?" If we do, just
imagine how much pain, disappointment, and wasted time we'll be able to avoid.

Our cry:
Lord, thank You for Your gentle whisper that warns and guides me. Please
increase my sensitivity to Your voice, so that I may hear – and respond. Teach
me how to evaluate all situations and people with keen discernment. Let Your
Spirit sharpen my awareness, so that I will know – with certainty – when
"something isn't right".

For I am Your handmaiden. I am Your servant.

Recommended reading:
1 Samuel 16:7, New International Reader's Version
1 Kings 19:11-12, New International Reader's Version
Matthew 10:16-17, Message Bible Translation

Marsha DuCille
Publisher/Editorial Director
publisher@...