I realize this is kind of a strange title for a message, but I think you will understand as you read. I have a cat that I have interacted with for about five years, and through the cat, God has shown me a few things that I would like to pass on. When the Holy Spirit wants to teach you something, He can, and will use whatever He knows will do the job best. He is talking all day long through many different things, and if you listen carefully, you will hear Him talking to you. He also knows how you think, and also how to turn the volume up loud enough for you to hear Him, so don't worry about missing Him. God knows literally every detail about you. So, here are a few things He showed me through the cat.

The cat gets fed twice a day without fail, once in the morning, and once in the late afternoon. Even though the cat always gets fed, she is used to begging like crazy several hours before it's time to be fed, I guess because she figures, that's what insures her being fed. I would have fed her anyway, because I care about her needs. God is no different, and knows your needs. We sometimes beg Him over and over, thinking that is why He is meeting our needs, when in fact, He planned to meet our needs all along, whether we begged or not. Do you make your kids beg for dinner? No, you feed them because you love them, and care about their needs. God is aware of every molecule that moves, including you.

The cat feels comfortable coming up to me all the time simply because she is familiar with me through daily interaction. Relationship is built through daily interaction, and not just through position. The cat doesn't know, or really care necessarily who I am, she just knows me because we interact alot. The way we get to know God, and build a close relationship with Him, is just to interact alot on a daily basis. If I just read about the cat, it wouldn't make me closer to the cat. God wants you to talk to Him all day long about everything that is going on, and He loves talking back to you, and He talks very plainly about all kinds of things. And you don't need all the Thee's and Thou's, He can speak and hear normally no matter how you talk. He even knows your thoughts. Scary I know.

The cat is usually very forgiving and thick-skinned, she usually doesn't keep a record of wrongs, no matter what has happened during that day. Given a short time, she will be just as open and affectionate as ever, even if her tail got stepped on, or whether she was corrected, or whether she got a bath that morning. We also need to be forgiving, and have a really short memory when someone "steps on our tail". Everyone has their problems, so you will never find a problem-free person. Besides, if we just reject someone, God will just send four more people with the same annoying problem, so that He can teach us to love them. Remember, we have our "stuff" too, that they are enduring.

The cat is accepted and loved, even though she does things that are wrong. If the cat gets into the garbage, or pees somewhere other than her box, I don't just throw her out the door (although I have been tempted a couple times). God always loves and accepts us, even with all our junk, because He knows we are a work in progress, and in time we will change for the better with His help. Likewise, we must also realize that those around us will change in time, with Gods help. As we pray, we have a much better chance of seeing someone change. People only change when they see their problem clearly, and the only One that can give them that kind of revelation is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit goes right to the heart and illuminates and convicts. He also knows the right timing.

So, as I look over at the lump of fur sleeping on the chair in the living room, I am thankful for the things God has shown me through the cat. If God can use a donkey to speak to Balaam, then He can sure use other things. He also speaks through prayer, His written word, music, tv, objects, books, people, or whatever; because He knows that's where our heads are at, at the time. If you ever want a prophetic word from God, just start reading the bible and within minutes, a phrase or word will just "pop out" at you and be highlighted, that's Him talking. God loves talking to His kids, and He encourages us to listen. So whatever God uses today to talk to you, know how much He loves you, and how wonderful He thinks you are. He is waiting to talk to you right now; yep, right now.