How do you say I love you to someone? Sure you express it with words. That is probably the most common way one human lets another know that they love them. But when we "really" love someone don't we take it a step further. Don't we do kind things for that person. Don't we do special things for that person that we don't do for others. Don't we make sure we don't do things that we know would hurt that person's feelings. And yet don't we still mess up sometime and hurt them anyway? If someone told you that the way you are loving your wife, husband, boyfriend or girlfriend is so "rule based" and "law like" would you agree with them, or would you explain that all of those things you do and don't do is just simply another way for you to show that person how much you love and respect them. I think we even use the term sometime...."those are simple acts of love". So we go beyond saying the words "I love you" and display our love through the way we conduct ourselves.
So if this is how we are when it comes to loving another human, then why is is so hard for people to grasp the way our lives should look to show God that we love Him? If loving your spouse means that you don't cheat on that spouse, then we obey and respect that. However, it showing God that we love Him means we should not do certain things in our life, then all of the sudden we need someone to show us that those things are wrong. And don't get me wrong, we have all been at a place in our walk with God where the need to understand was there and possibly the desire to just show God love wasn't as strong yet. But eventually I think God's desire is for our hearts to be the reason we are letting Him change the way our lives look, and not let our minds be the reason. God is a very, very loving God, but He also made it very clear in His Word how much He despises sin. So knowing this about God, wouldn't one of the biggest ways to show Him our love back to Him be to cut out anything the resembles sin, draws us closer to sin or could cause us to sin? Isn't this just like not putting yourself in a place to be cheating on your spouse because you love your spouse. Why put yourself at risk of messing up when you know there are things you can do to assure that you don't mess up. And I'm not talking about perfection....as much as I am a believer that we are to strive for it, God knew we could not achieve it the way Christ did, so He offered up His son as a way to forgive us for those times we do mess up. But again, just like I would hope you wouldn't not continue to purposely hurt your spouse even if they forgave you, we shouldn't purposefully try to hurt God either. We don't cut things out of our lives because their is a book of rules or laws that says "you won't get into heaven if you do this or that"......we do it to say "God, you showed me your love is the biggest way you possibly could, Your Son. So I want to demonstrate my love to you by making choices and living a life that is pleasing in your eyes". Then that's it.....that's really it...that statement is what motivates you to do the things you do.....and not do the things you don't do. Not because your mind is convincing you of right or wrong, but because your heart is driven to show Him love with your life!
God, Thank You for the love that You continue to show us as we mess up....and as we grow. Thank You that You DON'T give up and that Your love, grace and mercy is new EVERY day! I personally pray that the choices I make in my life will be pleasing in Your eyes and that You can see that it is the love in my heart for You that drives me to do the things I do. Please help me keep my heart free from the things the world wants to weigh it down with, so it can stay filled with the love of and for Christ. In Jesus name, Amen
Friday, January 30, 2015
Thursday, January 29, 2015
It's All About The Heart...
I was thinking this morning about what causes people to do the things they do some times that just don't line up with God's word or go completely against it. Especially when that someone is us, or another Christ follower. I'm not talking about what can we lay blame on or point the finger at. But I'm more talking about what is going on inside of us, or that other person, and what needs to happen to fix what is breaking inside?
I fully believe that the very thing that causing a person to start to stray or begin to become comfortable with "a little" sin in their life is a condition of the heart. We can blame on outside influences, circumstances, temptation....the list goes on and on...but really it comes down to the condition of the heart. I have watched so many people (including myself) realize that they are not where they used to be, or need to be, and so they attack it from a logic or physical point. We will try to do more good, serve more, become more "strict" about prayer time or dive in and read the bible more. But really all along the problem is really IN the heart. It can be for many reasons that we let our hearts change. Maybe something has happened and bitterness has set in. Maybe we are harboring unforgiveness toward someone or even God for something that happened to us. Maybe we walked to close to the "line" of sin by putting ourself in places and situations that are not of God and our heart has grown cold. But no matter what has caused it.....there is a problem in the heart. You can try to correct that problem by modifying your behavior, but until the root issue is dealt with, the behavior changes will just be more external acts in an attempt to fix and internal problem.
God has always been and always will be after our heart. He knows that where our heart is, is also where our passion, devotion, love and thoughts will be. However, the enemy also knows this. That is why the enemy wants to do things...sometimes even the smallest things....to get our heart just a little bit more away from God. But again, the answer to a long lasting fix is not to "do" more, but to give more. Give God space in your heart. Clear out worldly things that are taking up the place in your heart where He either used to be or wants to be. Get alone with God and talk to and listen to Him. Take a close look at the feelings that are flowing through you and get honest with yourself about where God is in them. Is there bitterness? Is there unforgiveness? Are there selfish desires? Have you let jealousy or envy enter in? Are you frustrated? These are all valid things to ask yourself if you really want to address what is going on in your heart. Don't let the enemy convince you that "you" are valid in holding onto these thoughts and feelings. Give them over to God, ask him to help you and give you His strength to overcome some of these struggles and strongholds, and then ask Him to work on your heart. To take whatever coldness or hardness that you have allowed to enter in and remove it and return your heart to be as tender as He designed it to be. Intimacy with God...time alone in praise, worship and prayer... and having someone who is Godly and wise to go to, are great ways to get your heart back to the place it used to be....or to a whole new place with God.
Realize the issue IS your heart and don't let your mind try to fix it for you. Only God has the answers that you need. If a doctor told you that you had a physical heart problem, would you allow him to perform surgery on your mind to try to correct it? No! You would want that doctor to go into the heart and get to the root of the problem and do what it takes to fix it. Ask God to do the same thing. Nobody knows what you need better than Him!
God, thank You that You are a God who is concerned with our heart. Thank You for each time You have convicted us, out of love, to show us we were going astray. Help us know how to respond to You so our heart can get back to the place that You want it to be. Help us fight off the ideas that we can fix this on our own. We know those are not from you, so enable us, in the name of Jesus, to put the enemy in his place and listen and respond only to You. In Jesus name, Amen
I fully believe that the very thing that causing a person to start to stray or begin to become comfortable with "a little" sin in their life is a condition of the heart. We can blame on outside influences, circumstances, temptation....the list goes on and on...but really it comes down to the condition of the heart. I have watched so many people (including myself) realize that they are not where they used to be, or need to be, and so they attack it from a logic or physical point. We will try to do more good, serve more, become more "strict" about prayer time or dive in and read the bible more. But really all along the problem is really IN the heart. It can be for many reasons that we let our hearts change. Maybe something has happened and bitterness has set in. Maybe we are harboring unforgiveness toward someone or even God for something that happened to us. Maybe we walked to close to the "line" of sin by putting ourself in places and situations that are not of God and our heart has grown cold. But no matter what has caused it.....there is a problem in the heart. You can try to correct that problem by modifying your behavior, but until the root issue is dealt with, the behavior changes will just be more external acts in an attempt to fix and internal problem.
God has always been and always will be after our heart. He knows that where our heart is, is also where our passion, devotion, love and thoughts will be. However, the enemy also knows this. That is why the enemy wants to do things...sometimes even the smallest things....to get our heart just a little bit more away from God. But again, the answer to a long lasting fix is not to "do" more, but to give more. Give God space in your heart. Clear out worldly things that are taking up the place in your heart where He either used to be or wants to be. Get alone with God and talk to and listen to Him. Take a close look at the feelings that are flowing through you and get honest with yourself about where God is in them. Is there bitterness? Is there unforgiveness? Are there selfish desires? Have you let jealousy or envy enter in? Are you frustrated? These are all valid things to ask yourself if you really want to address what is going on in your heart. Don't let the enemy convince you that "you" are valid in holding onto these thoughts and feelings. Give them over to God, ask him to help you and give you His strength to overcome some of these struggles and strongholds, and then ask Him to work on your heart. To take whatever coldness or hardness that you have allowed to enter in and remove it and return your heart to be as tender as He designed it to be. Intimacy with God...time alone in praise, worship and prayer... and having someone who is Godly and wise to go to, are great ways to get your heart back to the place it used to be....or to a whole new place with God.
Realize the issue IS your heart and don't let your mind try to fix it for you. Only God has the answers that you need. If a doctor told you that you had a physical heart problem, would you allow him to perform surgery on your mind to try to correct it? No! You would want that doctor to go into the heart and get to the root of the problem and do what it takes to fix it. Ask God to do the same thing. Nobody knows what you need better than Him!
God, thank You that You are a God who is concerned with our heart. Thank You for each time You have convicted us, out of love, to show us we were going astray. Help us know how to respond to You so our heart can get back to the place that You want it to be. Help us fight off the ideas that we can fix this on our own. We know those are not from you, so enable us, in the name of Jesus, to put the enemy in his place and listen and respond only to You. In Jesus name, Amen
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
What Do You Choose To Believe?
There are many mysteries to God, and for that I am very grateful. If He was a God we could figure out with our human minds then He wouldn't be much of a God at all. And if He was a God we could easily figure out, there would be no need for faith in our relationship with Him. His thoughts are far greater than our thoughts and His ways are far greater than our ways! (see Isaiah 55:8-9)
Sometimes I wish that God would have picked another group of people throughout history and had them write a "Bible Part 2". I know that sounds kind of crazy, but the reason I think this is so there would be a book of stories about what God has continued to do over time. So we could see (and believe) that God is a God that is STILL doing...not just a God that did things "back then". He is a God that still does things.... and He has never and will never stop. The bible is full of points of reference, stories and examples of God's power and love. He is a God of healing, restoration and miracles...and He is a just God. The point of the things we read in the bible are to show us that if He did it before, He can do it again. It is to build our faith and allow us to point people to the bible to build their faith. It is a recording of God and how He has always been there throughout our existence trying to have a relationship with us. Trying to get us to see that the need for Him in our life far outweighs the need for sin in our life. And the more of Him that we have in our life, the less power sin has over us. What a beautiful thing!
Throughout my life I have met people who have read pieces and parts of the bible and tried to hard with their human mind to figure out IF they should believe it or not. God gives us that freedom because He is a loving God and will not force Himself upon us. But one day we will ALL get to see how real God is. (see 2 Corinthians 5:10) And on that day we will ALL find out that our belief, or unbelief in God, is not what made Him real. We will stand face to face with Him and see...HE IS REAL! But as you walk through this life what you will find is that your belief or unbelief in Him will only determine how "real" He can be in your life.....not how real He IS. We put limits on how much God can impact our lives by determining how much we are going to let Him be "real" to us. And I just want to say that if you really want to see how real He is, then just surrender to Him. Just say "God, I surrender my mind to you and give up on trying to see IF I believe.....I'm just going to release it all to You and let you show Yourself to me". When you do this we tell the enemy that you are done playing games by letting him entertain your thoughts. That you are taking every thought and holding it captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ and weighing every thought you allow to enter into our minds against the standard of God's Word.(see Corinthians 10:5) And when the thought, the idea, the situation, the temptation doesn't line up with God's standard then you will turn from it and turn to God. Tell the enemy you are going to allow God to give you direction and even correction when necessary....but no matter what you are going to believe in God for everything!
What I am simply trying to say is that you can believe whatever you want to. That is your God given right and you have that freedom (especially in this country), but what you choose to believe or not believe will not determine whether God rules over all. It will not make God any more or less powerful. It will not put limits on God in this world....but it will put limits on Him in your life. He is God....and one day each of us will have His realness revealed to us. So you can either wait for that day, at which time it will be too late for you.....or you can tell Him that you believe in Him NOW and want to spend each day of your life showing others just how real He is. How real His love is, His forgiveness is, His grace is and His mercy is. The choice is yours, but I BELIEVE if you choose Him you will never regret it!
God, You are real...Your love is real...and for that we THANK YOU! I pray that we will allow You to show up real in our lives. That we will allow others to see Your realness in our lives. That our minds would break free from this world and that trap of sin and that we would give ALL of our heart to you. May the things we do, and not do, with our time, our choices and our lives show you just how much we love You back. In Jesus name, Amen
Sometimes I wish that God would have picked another group of people throughout history and had them write a "Bible Part 2". I know that sounds kind of crazy, but the reason I think this is so there would be a book of stories about what God has continued to do over time. So we could see (and believe) that God is a God that is STILL doing...not just a God that did things "back then". He is a God that still does things.... and He has never and will never stop. The bible is full of points of reference, stories and examples of God's power and love. He is a God of healing, restoration and miracles...and He is a just God. The point of the things we read in the bible are to show us that if He did it before, He can do it again. It is to build our faith and allow us to point people to the bible to build their faith. It is a recording of God and how He has always been there throughout our existence trying to have a relationship with us. Trying to get us to see that the need for Him in our life far outweighs the need for sin in our life. And the more of Him that we have in our life, the less power sin has over us. What a beautiful thing!
Throughout my life I have met people who have read pieces and parts of the bible and tried to hard with their human mind to figure out IF they should believe it or not. God gives us that freedom because He is a loving God and will not force Himself upon us. But one day we will ALL get to see how real God is. (see 2 Corinthians 5:10) And on that day we will ALL find out that our belief, or unbelief in God, is not what made Him real. We will stand face to face with Him and see...HE IS REAL! But as you walk through this life what you will find is that your belief or unbelief in Him will only determine how "real" He can be in your life.....not how real He IS. We put limits on how much God can impact our lives by determining how much we are going to let Him be "real" to us. And I just want to say that if you really want to see how real He is, then just surrender to Him. Just say "God, I surrender my mind to you and give up on trying to see IF I believe.....I'm just going to release it all to You and let you show Yourself to me". When you do this we tell the enemy that you are done playing games by letting him entertain your thoughts. That you are taking every thought and holding it captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ and weighing every thought you allow to enter into our minds against the standard of God's Word.(see Corinthians 10:5) And when the thought, the idea, the situation, the temptation doesn't line up with God's standard then you will turn from it and turn to God. Tell the enemy you are going to allow God to give you direction and even correction when necessary....but no matter what you are going to believe in God for everything!
What I am simply trying to say is that you can believe whatever you want to. That is your God given right and you have that freedom (especially in this country), but what you choose to believe or not believe will not determine whether God rules over all. It will not make God any more or less powerful. It will not put limits on God in this world....but it will put limits on Him in your life. He is God....and one day each of us will have His realness revealed to us. So you can either wait for that day, at which time it will be too late for you.....or you can tell Him that you believe in Him NOW and want to spend each day of your life showing others just how real He is. How real His love is, His forgiveness is, His grace is and His mercy is. The choice is yours, but I BELIEVE if you choose Him you will never regret it!
God, You are real...Your love is real...and for that we THANK YOU! I pray that we will allow You to show up real in our lives. That we will allow others to see Your realness in our lives. That our minds would break free from this world and that trap of sin and that we would give ALL of our heart to you. May the things we do, and not do, with our time, our choices and our lives show you just how much we love You back. In Jesus name, Amen
Friday, January 23, 2015
Knowing God's Peace
To me, my faith in God means that in any given situation I can find peace in Him. And I can find peace because I know I serve a powerful and faithful God. The peace I have found comes directly from the fact that even in the worst of situations, if I trust in Him, He will bring me through it. And if I walk in His will, His outcome will always work toward what is good for me.
Grander earth has quaked before
Moved by the sound of His voice
Seas that are shaken and stirred
Can be calmed and broken for my regard
Through it all, through it all
My eyes are on You
Through it all, through it all
It is well
Through it all, through it all
My eyes are on You
It is well with me
Far be it from me to not believe
Even when my eyes can't see
And this mountain that's in front of me
Will be thrown into the midst of the sea
Through it all, through it all
My eyes are on You
Through it all, through it all
It is well
So let go my soul and trust in Him
The waves and wind still know His name
It is well with my soul
It is well with my soul
It is well with my soul
It is well with my soul
Through it all, through it all
My eyes are on You Lord
Through it all, through it all
It is well with me.
Today I just want to say that if you are going through something, you can find peace in God. And if you know someone who is going through something, please help them find the peace that only God can bring them.
Below are the lyrics to a song by Bethel & Kristene DiMarco called "It Is Well". These lyrics talk about experiencing God's peace better than any words I could come up with on my own. I hope they speak to you as much as they have spoken to me.
The one line in the song that speaks the loudest to me is "so let go my soul and trust in Him, the waves and wind still know His name". If the voice of Jesus can calm the waves and wind, it can calm any situation in my own life too. (see Mark 4:35-41)
Moved by the sound of His voice
Seas that are shaken and stirred
Can be calmed and broken for my regard
Through it all, through it all
My eyes are on You
Through it all, through it all
It is well
Through it all, through it all
My eyes are on You
It is well with me
Far be it from me to not believe
Even when my eyes can't see
And this mountain that's in front of me
Will be thrown into the midst of the sea
Through it all, through it all
My eyes are on You
Through it all, through it all
It is well
So let go my soul and trust in Him
The waves and wind still know His name
It is well with my soul
It is well with my soul
It is well with my soul
It is well with my soul
Through it all, through it all
My eyes are on You Lord
Through it all, through it all
It is well with me.
God, Thank You for the peace that only You can bring into our life. It is a peace that our souls long for and we spend so much time trying to fill it with other things. Please forgive us for trying to find peace in anything other than you. You are a loving and faithful God....and according to Your Word, it is in You that our souls will find rest and You are where our hope comes from. Thank You! In Jesus name, Amen (see Psalms 62:5)
Thursday, January 22, 2015
You Have Been Forgiven!
Who I was and who I am......these are powerful words that should represent change. Meaning you have changed because you were rescued by Jesus Christ. And then after that rescue, you have to continue to grow in Christ! Changing and looking more like Christ, thinking more like Christ, being more like Christ. "Who I was" for you could represent someone from 2, 5 or even 8 years ago. Someone that you no longer look like at all. Or it could represent someone from just 2 months ago. Your past doesn't have to "years old" in order to say "I am a new creation!". If you can look back 2 months ago and say I don't look like that person anymore (for the better), than you have just as much to celebrate as the person who has been living a rescued and changed life for 10 years now. The important part is to walk in your new life and not let anything take you back to the "old person" from your past.
Along that journey of change you are going to run into obstacles. Satan is going to do things to remind you of who you used to be. Temptations are going to come along that would have caused you to fall in the past. Even people you know are going to try to remind you of how ugly your past looks and doubt that you could ever be any better. And some of that may even cause you to stumble, but it no longer has the power over you to make you fall. The important thing is that you stand firm in Christ when those times come. You stand firm in the new creation He has made you to be and you rebuke the things that want to drag you back down. Whether it be circumstances, temptations or even people that the enemy wants to use to remind of you of your past, you have no reason to go back there. Not in your actions and not in your mind. And in those moments you stop and ask Jesus to show you, remind you and/or reveal to you who HE has made you now. I am not saying there are not many lessons to be learned from our past...there are! But I am saying that NOTHING should cause you to dwell on it or look back on it and make you feel guilt and shame. If you gave all of that to Jesus then it is done....it is settled....it is dealt with....and most importantly, IT IS FORGIVEN!
John 3:17 states that God did not send Jesus to condemn the world, but save the world. If you have given it all to Jesus and asked for and received forgiveness, then Jesus not longer condemns you. So don't let anyone or anything else condemn you either! No matter your past, once it has been laid at the feet of Jesus, you have been washed as white as snow. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 talks about the things that can stop you from inheriting the Kingdom of God, but it goes on to say that once you receive the forgiveness of Jesus Christ, you have been washed, sanctified and justified in the name of Jesus. No matter what you have been rescued from, in that moment you just received the Kingdom of God.
Please don't receive the forgiveness of Jesus and then walk out the rest of your life feeling guilt and shame. Take the gift the Christ has given you and go give it to others. Let them know that Jesus is where they can find forgiveness, and once they have, nothing in this world has the power to condemn them. Then they too can walk out their new life and tell others how much Jesus has changed them.
God, thank You for washing away our sins....our past...our ugliness. Thank You for not reminding us of who we used to be, even though, if anyone would have the right to, it would be You. But instead You see us through the blood of Jesus. Your grace and Your mercy covers ALL. Help us to know that when we are dealing with others who may have a past that is worse than ours. Remind us that it is our place to show the love of Christ, not to condemn them. In Jesus name, Amen
Along that journey of change you are going to run into obstacles. Satan is going to do things to remind you of who you used to be. Temptations are going to come along that would have caused you to fall in the past. Even people you know are going to try to remind you of how ugly your past looks and doubt that you could ever be any better. And some of that may even cause you to stumble, but it no longer has the power over you to make you fall. The important thing is that you stand firm in Christ when those times come. You stand firm in the new creation He has made you to be and you rebuke the things that want to drag you back down. Whether it be circumstances, temptations or even people that the enemy wants to use to remind of you of your past, you have no reason to go back there. Not in your actions and not in your mind. And in those moments you stop and ask Jesus to show you, remind you and/or reveal to you who HE has made you now. I am not saying there are not many lessons to be learned from our past...there are! But I am saying that NOTHING should cause you to dwell on it or look back on it and make you feel guilt and shame. If you gave all of that to Jesus then it is done....it is settled....it is dealt with....and most importantly, IT IS FORGIVEN!
John 3:17 states that God did not send Jesus to condemn the world, but save the world. If you have given it all to Jesus and asked for and received forgiveness, then Jesus not longer condemns you. So don't let anyone or anything else condemn you either! No matter your past, once it has been laid at the feet of Jesus, you have been washed as white as snow. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 talks about the things that can stop you from inheriting the Kingdom of God, but it goes on to say that once you receive the forgiveness of Jesus Christ, you have been washed, sanctified and justified in the name of Jesus. No matter what you have been rescued from, in that moment you just received the Kingdom of God.
Please don't receive the forgiveness of Jesus and then walk out the rest of your life feeling guilt and shame. Take the gift the Christ has given you and go give it to others. Let them know that Jesus is where they can find forgiveness, and once they have, nothing in this world has the power to condemn them. Then they too can walk out their new life and tell others how much Jesus has changed them.
God, thank You for washing away our sins....our past...our ugliness. Thank You for not reminding us of who we used to be, even though, if anyone would have the right to, it would be You. But instead You see us through the blood of Jesus. Your grace and Your mercy covers ALL. Help us to know that when we are dealing with others who may have a past that is worse than ours. Remind us that it is our place to show the love of Christ, not to condemn them. In Jesus name, Amen
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
You're not alone....
Through many times in my life I have felt like I was in a lifeboat, alone, floating in the middle of the ocean. When I have felt like this I've pictured a scene from some movie where a big rescue boat is going to pull up beside me and "make everything all better". But we all know that when we are going through something it is rare that one thing happens that makes everything better. Usually it is a process that we are going to end up going through...and "better" is somewhere at the end of that process. However, as I have gone through things this past year that I never would have dreamed I would be, and as I have gone through things recently, I have found that I am not alone in that lifeboat. Yes I might have the feeling that I'm in a boat being tossed around by the ocean wave and no matter what side I look on I don't see the safety of "land" anywhere is sight, but what I do see is that I am NOT alone in the lifeboat. Deuteronomy 31:6 says " Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” It is the fact that I know He is sitting beside me in every single situation that allows me to KNOW that "better" is coming one day. I know that not one wave in that ocean that's tossing me around is going to overtake me as long as I have Jesus there with me. I know that as long as I stay in His will His protection will always be there. I know that, though the enemy wants me to feel alone and abandoned, I am not. And I know that while I am floating around in this ocean getting through this storm I have the perfect opportunity to be in some amazing communication with Jesus. Sometimes it takes getting us out of our busyness so we WILL talk to Him......and more importantly LISTEN to Him.
Whatever your circumstance may be....you are not alone! Psalms 18:6 says "In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears." That same God that David cried out to is the same God that we cry out to today. And the same way He heard David's voice, He hears ours. Dig in deep with God and get closer to Him than you have ever been. Cry out to Him, know that He hears you and then look for and listen for Him in everything you do. The Holy Spirt was sent to help us. Romans 8:26 and John 14:26 both refer to the Holy Spirit as our "helper", but Romans 8:26 also says "He helps us in our weakness". Maybe the reason we don't feel God's help so much in our time of need is because we still are trying way to hard to help ourselves. Maybe we need to learn how to release the issue to Him, trust in Him and rely on Him. And I say "we" because this is something that I find I still need to work on every time something new comes up in my life. But the important part is that I am noticing more now then I used to when I need to let go, how I need to let go and how to be at peace as I let go. And that is because He never fails me and my trust in Him has only increased over the past 2 years of my life.
God, give us the eyes to see that You are there with us. Not sometimes, but all the time! Give us the wisdom to know how to let go and fully give things over to you. Do not let the enemy create doubt and fear in our minds. We may be in a storm, we may feel like we are in the middle of the ocean on a lifeboat being tossed around by the waves.....but we KNOW you are there with us. And that should be the one thing that brings us peace in ANY situation. Thank You for ALL that you do for us! In Jesus name, Amen
Whatever your circumstance may be....you are not alone! Psalms 18:6 says "In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears." That same God that David cried out to is the same God that we cry out to today. And the same way He heard David's voice, He hears ours. Dig in deep with God and get closer to Him than you have ever been. Cry out to Him, know that He hears you and then look for and listen for Him in everything you do. The Holy Spirt was sent to help us. Romans 8:26 and John 14:26 both refer to the Holy Spirit as our "helper", but Romans 8:26 also says "He helps us in our weakness". Maybe the reason we don't feel God's help so much in our time of need is because we still are trying way to hard to help ourselves. Maybe we need to learn how to release the issue to Him, trust in Him and rely on Him. And I say "we" because this is something that I find I still need to work on every time something new comes up in my life. But the important part is that I am noticing more now then I used to when I need to let go, how I need to let go and how to be at peace as I let go. And that is because He never fails me and my trust in Him has only increased over the past 2 years of my life.
God, give us the eyes to see that You are there with us. Not sometimes, but all the time! Give us the wisdom to know how to let go and fully give things over to you. Do not let the enemy create doubt and fear in our minds. We may be in a storm, we may feel like we are in the middle of the ocean on a lifeboat being tossed around by the waves.....but we KNOW you are there with us. And that should be the one thing that brings us peace in ANY situation. Thank You for ALL that you do for us! In Jesus name, Amen
Monday, January 19, 2015
Setting the example...
This weekend I found myself in a conversation that I didn't expect to have. It wasn't one of those conversations that I knew was coming so I had time to prepare for it. It just happened, and I was sitting with someone trying to put my relationship with Jesus into words. Words that had meaning to me, and words that would mean something to them. I'm not sure how often this has happened to you, but it can be harder than you think. Not because I was trying to explain the gospel to them, they got that part. But I was trying to explain why I live my life the way I do. It was very obvious to them that I had a strong belief in Jesus, but why did that cause me to do, and more importantly, NOT do certain things.
As I reflected on that conversation later, it brought me to today's post. Jesus taught the disciples by letting the look intimately into His life and then asking them to do what He what did. For them, this meant witnessing a man who was going to be living each day without sin...completely without sin....and then trying to live as they saw Jesus live. They got to sit with Him, walk with Him, talk with Him and watch Him minister to others, however, He did not just expect them to only "do" what He did, but He would teach them along the way as well. Explaining what the Father wanted and why He was here to change things. He was teaching them to remove an old way of thinking and introducing a whole new way to get to the Father. Yes, they may have gotten to see it first hand, but we still have the chance to mirror His life by every detail we read in the bible about Jesus' life and His teachings. We have just as much opportunity to live the way Jesus lived and understand why.
Jesus taught His disciples by letting them into His life.....letting them witness all that He did and then teaching them along the way. Would you or I be willing to do the same? Do you live a life so close to Jesus that you would be willing to let someone "mirror" your life as you teach them why you do and don't do certain things? Does that thought scare you? To be perfectly honest, it does me. Why?.....because that means they are going to also see my flaws, my mistakes. But shouldn't they? Shouldn't they see you receive grace and mercy from Jesus and then also see how you offer that same grace and mercy to others? Could you let them see how much time you spend with God? Your time in prayer, devotions, serving and listening. Would they see you trying to grow more in Christ and would you be able to explain why all of these things are important? I ask these questions for 2 reasons....One is because there really may be a day (if it hasn't happened already) that God sends someone into your life for you to guide. For you to not just tell them how amazing God is how much you want to serve Him....but to also show them that with your own life. And the 2nd reason I ask those questions is this....shouldn't you already be living like you are trying to "show" others who Jesus is and how amazing He is to you? If you haven't thought about that before, let today be an awakening. We, as Christ's followers, should be living lives that we would invite people to live. Admitting that we do have faults, but showing them how we are forgiven and that in itself is what drives us to try to live different than the rest of the world. If we know God is willing to show us grace and mercy when we mess up, when we sin, then shouldn't our love back to Him drive us to not want to put that grace and mercy to the test. Just because we know He loves us, that shouldn't give us an excuse to "test" His love, forgiveness, grace and mercy. And then there is the part where WE need to show others how to offer that same love, forgiveness, grace and mercy to others by doing it...probably one of the most important parts of serving Jesus.
As you live out each day of your life you really have 2 choices....you can live it for yourself and act how you want to act, or....you can live it for Jesus and live in a way that people will see Him in your live. The choice is yours, but either way someone IS watching your life and if you claim to follow Him they are either going to be drawn to Christ or pushed away, by how they see you live.
God, help us remember that everywhere we go, everything we do, is supposed to bring honor and glory to Your name. Help us see that there is a lost world that NEEDS to see You in our lives, not just in our words. Let the changes that You have made on the inside of us be seen clearly by others on the outside of us. And help us to mirror the love and forgiveness that Christ demonstrated for us. In Jesus name, Amen.
As I reflected on that conversation later, it brought me to today's post. Jesus taught the disciples by letting the look intimately into His life and then asking them to do what He what did. For them, this meant witnessing a man who was going to be living each day without sin...completely without sin....and then trying to live as they saw Jesus live. They got to sit with Him, walk with Him, talk with Him and watch Him minister to others, however, He did not just expect them to only "do" what He did, but He would teach them along the way as well. Explaining what the Father wanted and why He was here to change things. He was teaching them to remove an old way of thinking and introducing a whole new way to get to the Father. Yes, they may have gotten to see it first hand, but we still have the chance to mirror His life by every detail we read in the bible about Jesus' life and His teachings. We have just as much opportunity to live the way Jesus lived and understand why.
Jesus taught His disciples by letting them into His life.....letting them witness all that He did and then teaching them along the way. Would you or I be willing to do the same? Do you live a life so close to Jesus that you would be willing to let someone "mirror" your life as you teach them why you do and don't do certain things? Does that thought scare you? To be perfectly honest, it does me. Why?.....because that means they are going to also see my flaws, my mistakes. But shouldn't they? Shouldn't they see you receive grace and mercy from Jesus and then also see how you offer that same grace and mercy to others? Could you let them see how much time you spend with God? Your time in prayer, devotions, serving and listening. Would they see you trying to grow more in Christ and would you be able to explain why all of these things are important? I ask these questions for 2 reasons....One is because there really may be a day (if it hasn't happened already) that God sends someone into your life for you to guide. For you to not just tell them how amazing God is how much you want to serve Him....but to also show them that with your own life. And the 2nd reason I ask those questions is this....shouldn't you already be living like you are trying to "show" others who Jesus is and how amazing He is to you? If you haven't thought about that before, let today be an awakening. We, as Christ's followers, should be living lives that we would invite people to live. Admitting that we do have faults, but showing them how we are forgiven and that in itself is what drives us to try to live different than the rest of the world. If we know God is willing to show us grace and mercy when we mess up, when we sin, then shouldn't our love back to Him drive us to not want to put that grace and mercy to the test. Just because we know He loves us, that shouldn't give us an excuse to "test" His love, forgiveness, grace and mercy. And then there is the part where WE need to show others how to offer that same love, forgiveness, grace and mercy to others by doing it...probably one of the most important parts of serving Jesus.
As you live out each day of your life you really have 2 choices....you can live it for yourself and act how you want to act, or....you can live it for Jesus and live in a way that people will see Him in your live. The choice is yours, but either way someone IS watching your life and if you claim to follow Him they are either going to be drawn to Christ or pushed away, by how they see you live.
God, help us remember that everywhere we go, everything we do, is supposed to bring honor and glory to Your name. Help us see that there is a lost world that NEEDS to see You in our lives, not just in our words. Let the changes that You have made on the inside of us be seen clearly by others on the outside of us. And help us to mirror the love and forgiveness that Christ demonstrated for us. In Jesus name, Amen.
Friday, January 16, 2015
Have You Found Shelter?
Psalms 91:1-2 "Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him."
I have always found it amazing that animals have the instinct the find shelter when the weather starts to get bad. They know that when their surroundings become unstable the safest thing they can do is find shelter. I think our souls have that same instinct....but do we listen to them? Our soul longs to be in a place of safety, comfort....a place we can trust. And all of Psalms 91 tells us that God is that shelter, He is that refuge. He is there for us to run to when the "storms" of life come, but He is also there for us to find rest in when life has just go us weary. God's desire is for us to allow Him to be our shelter, to trust Him with all areas of our lives and then live like we trust Him. Just as you would trust the house you live in (your physical shelter) to protect you from the elements of the weather....that is the kind of trust we need to have in God. You would not lay in bed at night and wonder if the roof is going to blow off your house, or if the walls are going to stand one more night. No, instead you would go in your home and know that no matter how bad the weather gets out, you and your family are safe and protected inside this physical shelter that you call home.
No matter what life throws at you...in the good times and the bad....know that God is your shelter, He is your strength and He is trustworthy. I have said this in many other posts and I will say it once again...God will not force Himself upon you. He desires for you to throw your care, your concerns, your worries, your heartache, your finances, your stress, your relationships...even your ministry.....whatever it is.....He wants to help you with it! But He knows that it's your heart that will either allow you to get to that place, or stop you. Don't let another day go by walking around with a shelter for your soul and an absolute trust in the maker of your soul.
God, Your word is true! Your word contains promises that are for each and every one of us. Do not let the enemy convince us that they are not for us. No matter where we come from, what we have done, whether we have slipped back into sin or haven't yet asked for Your forgiveness.....You are there for us. Thank You so much for that kind of love, grace and mercy. May we be wise enough to turn to You for shelter and live under your love and protection. In Jesus name, Amen
I have always found it amazing that animals have the instinct the find shelter when the weather starts to get bad. They know that when their surroundings become unstable the safest thing they can do is find shelter. I think our souls have that same instinct....but do we listen to them? Our soul longs to be in a place of safety, comfort....a place we can trust. And all of Psalms 91 tells us that God is that shelter, He is that refuge. He is there for us to run to when the "storms" of life come, but He is also there for us to find rest in when life has just go us weary. God's desire is for us to allow Him to be our shelter, to trust Him with all areas of our lives and then live like we trust Him. Just as you would trust the house you live in (your physical shelter) to protect you from the elements of the weather....that is the kind of trust we need to have in God. You would not lay in bed at night and wonder if the roof is going to blow off your house, or if the walls are going to stand one more night. No, instead you would go in your home and know that no matter how bad the weather gets out, you and your family are safe and protected inside this physical shelter that you call home.
No matter what life throws at you...in the good times and the bad....know that God is your shelter, He is your strength and He is trustworthy. I have said this in many other posts and I will say it once again...God will not force Himself upon you. He desires for you to throw your care, your concerns, your worries, your heartache, your finances, your stress, your relationships...even your ministry.....whatever it is.....He wants to help you with it! But He knows that it's your heart that will either allow you to get to that place, or stop you. Don't let another day go by walking around with a shelter for your soul and an absolute trust in the maker of your soul.
God, Your word is true! Your word contains promises that are for each and every one of us. Do not let the enemy convince us that they are not for us. No matter where we come from, what we have done, whether we have slipped back into sin or haven't yet asked for Your forgiveness.....You are there for us. Thank You so much for that kind of love, grace and mercy. May we be wise enough to turn to You for shelter and live under your love and protection. In Jesus name, Amen
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Lost In The Maze
When I was a kid I used to love to do mazes in school or in books that I had. The ones where you would start in the middle with your pencil and keep drawling a line until you find a way out. I didn't realize it then, but there was already a "problem solver" personality developing in me. I can remember thinking at times though, "there has got to be more than one way out of this thing", but there wasn't. There was a single door to exit the maze and my job was to find the right way to it. There may have been many different paths to get to that one door, but there was only one door. And I can also remember times when I would find a way that I thought for sure was going to lead to the way out, only to find that it ended up being a dead end. And then I would have to back track to see where I took a wrong turn at....and get back on track to finding that one way out again.
I have said all this because today God was showing me that our lives are all like those mazes that I played with as a kid. Each of us starts this journey and we are all going to head off in different directions, but God wants us to know that in the end there is only one way, Jesus Christ. Jesus is the one door that will lead you out of this maze we live in...and to eternal life! As many people find out, there are many ways to finding Jesus, just like there are many ways to find that one way out of the maze. Some find the quickest way with very little twists and turns....and some stumble around it the maze for what seems like forever before they finally find a way to Him. Some of us insist upon running into one dead end after another...but what I think God really wants us to do is stop, take a step back and look at the big picture. Like the maze, when all you focus on is the next turn ahead of you, it is really hard to see the way out. But when you would pull back and look at entire maze it was much easier for your eyes to see the path that was there all along. In life, Jesus is that path that has been there all along. He is just waiting for you to see the way to Him.
Now here is where a life with Jesus is a little different than those maze puzzles. When you find Jesus...when you find the way....it is like He hands you a rope that is tied to Him...to the opening, and then sends you back into the maze to help others find the way. That is His ultimate goal. It's not just for us to find the correct path and then cruse our way out of the "maze", but instead to say "now that I know the way, I really need to go back in and show others who were lost like me". For some that comes very easily and we feel the calling to go out and lead people to Jesus right away. But for others that creates a fear in us. A fear that we will be rejected if we talk about Jesus. A fear that if we tell people we have "found the way" then they will begin to critique our lives and all of our mistakes. A fear that our lives are too ugly to represent Jesus to someone else....our past is just to messy and people wouldn't believe that Jesus could make us different. But I am here to tell you that people are stumbling around in the maze just waiting for someone to talk to them about the RIGHT way out. If you have that answer, then don't keep it to yourself. The bible makes it very clear that we are to plant the seeds....then let God do the watering. Don't fear the rejection....no matter what, you're still planting the seed...your still pointing them to the path then will lead them to Him.
If you know Jesus as your personal savior, then start today by just forwarding this blog, or even some other message about Jesus, to someone that doesn't know Jesus as their personal savior. Let today be the day that you start to show someone else the way out of the "maze" they have been stumbling around in for years. Don't let the enemy keep them lost one more day....and don't let him stop you from sharing the answers that you have found in Jesus.
God, thank You that You provided a way out of this world. Thank You for Your Son. Your love is so amazing, and sometimes have to stumble around for far to long before we realize exactly what it is that You did for us. You provided THE answer to rescue us from this world and the sin within it. Help us to see that Jesus is THE way...and help us to point others to Him. Let us see God that we walk around with the answers within us to help a lost and dying world. Give us the courage and confidence to show others the way to You....through pure love. In Jesus name, Amen
I have said all this because today God was showing me that our lives are all like those mazes that I played with as a kid. Each of us starts this journey and we are all going to head off in different directions, but God wants us to know that in the end there is only one way, Jesus Christ. Jesus is the one door that will lead you out of this maze we live in...and to eternal life! As many people find out, there are many ways to finding Jesus, just like there are many ways to find that one way out of the maze. Some find the quickest way with very little twists and turns....and some stumble around it the maze for what seems like forever before they finally find a way to Him. Some of us insist upon running into one dead end after another...but what I think God really wants us to do is stop, take a step back and look at the big picture. Like the maze, when all you focus on is the next turn ahead of you, it is really hard to see the way out. But when you would pull back and look at entire maze it was much easier for your eyes to see the path that was there all along. In life, Jesus is that path that has been there all along. He is just waiting for you to see the way to Him.
Now here is where a life with Jesus is a little different than those maze puzzles. When you find Jesus...when you find the way....it is like He hands you a rope that is tied to Him...to the opening, and then sends you back into the maze to help others find the way. That is His ultimate goal. It's not just for us to find the correct path and then cruse our way out of the "maze", but instead to say "now that I know the way, I really need to go back in and show others who were lost like me". For some that comes very easily and we feel the calling to go out and lead people to Jesus right away. But for others that creates a fear in us. A fear that we will be rejected if we talk about Jesus. A fear that if we tell people we have "found the way" then they will begin to critique our lives and all of our mistakes. A fear that our lives are too ugly to represent Jesus to someone else....our past is just to messy and people wouldn't believe that Jesus could make us different. But I am here to tell you that people are stumbling around in the maze just waiting for someone to talk to them about the RIGHT way out. If you have that answer, then don't keep it to yourself. The bible makes it very clear that we are to plant the seeds....then let God do the watering. Don't fear the rejection....no matter what, you're still planting the seed...your still pointing them to the path then will lead them to Him.
If you know Jesus as your personal savior, then start today by just forwarding this blog, or even some other message about Jesus, to someone that doesn't know Jesus as their personal savior. Let today be the day that you start to show someone else the way out of the "maze" they have been stumbling around in for years. Don't let the enemy keep them lost one more day....and don't let him stop you from sharing the answers that you have found in Jesus.
God, thank You that You provided a way out of this world. Thank You for Your Son. Your love is so amazing, and sometimes have to stumble around for far to long before we realize exactly what it is that You did for us. You provided THE answer to rescue us from this world and the sin within it. Help us to see that Jesus is THE way...and help us to point others to Him. Let us see God that we walk around with the answers within us to help a lost and dying world. Give us the courage and confidence to show others the way to You....through pure love. In Jesus name, Amen
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Great Expectations
Have you ever found yourself looking around at other people's lives and wondering why that person seems so blessed or why someone who doesn't walk with the Lord seems to have it good? Has the thought overtaken your mind to the point of frustration when things in your life don't seem to be going the way you want them to be? Is it any surprise to you that the enemy would come after you like this. Attacking your mind, your hope, your focus....wanting you to feel like everyone else has it better than you and your walk with God, that you are trying to desperately to do right, is getting you nowhere. The enemy wants to make you question your walk with God. The enemy wants you to focus on what it seems like your "not getting" from God instead of what you have WITH God. And the best thing you can do when satan tries to storm your mind with these kind of thoughts is take a step back and say "God, I may not understand my life right now, I may not understand why I am where I am right now....but I do understand that this life is just temporary and Your word promises great things to come. People, and what they do, can not be controlled, but my hope, my faith and my trust is in you (not in the world or in other people) and I have great expectations for what is to come! I will do my part and walk out Your will...and not lose focus or hope on Your promises for my life."
Proverbs 23:17-18 says "Do not let your heart envy sinners, But be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day; For surely there is a hereafter, And your hope will not be cut off." What great words....No matter how hard the enemy tries to get you to compare your life to the life of someone else, don't do it. God has a plan for you...and He does not want you to lose hope! Learn what it is He needs you to learn right where you are. Appreciate any and all good that He is supplying to you right now....and expect more! Trust that He is good on His promises and testify to others of all the good things He has done for you. It is important to have 1 or 2 good godly people in your life that you can vent to, be completely open with and receive advice from. But it also very important that you not become the person who just complains to anyone who is willing to listen. Don't make your very big God look small to others because you make Him sound like is a god of "can'ts" and not a god of "cans". Be faithful in what He has given you and watch how He can and will multiply that.
God, it can be so hard to be among blessed people when life gets hard. Please help us to be happy for their blessings, not envious. Help us to rejoice with them when good blessings come their way and not let our thoughts be consumed by wondering where our blessings are. Help us to be grateful for all the good that you supply to us and help us be faithful with what you have entrusted us with so we can walk into our future with You having Great Expectations for where you are going to take us! In Jesus name, Amen.
18
Proverbs 23:17-18 says "Do not let your heart envy sinners, But be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day; For surely there is a hereafter, And your hope will not be cut off." What great words....No matter how hard the enemy tries to get you to compare your life to the life of someone else, don't do it. God has a plan for you...and He does not want you to lose hope! Learn what it is He needs you to learn right where you are. Appreciate any and all good that He is supplying to you right now....and expect more! Trust that He is good on His promises and testify to others of all the good things He has done for you. It is important to have 1 or 2 good godly people in your life that you can vent to, be completely open with and receive advice from. But it also very important that you not become the person who just complains to anyone who is willing to listen. Don't make your very big God look small to others because you make Him sound like is a god of "can'ts" and not a god of "cans". Be faithful in what He has given you and watch how He can and will multiply that.
God, it can be so hard to be among blessed people when life gets hard. Please help us to be happy for their blessings, not envious. Help us to rejoice with them when good blessings come their way and not let our thoughts be consumed by wondering where our blessings are. Help us to be grateful for all the good that you supply to us and help us be faithful with what you have entrusted us with so we can walk into our future with You having Great Expectations for where you are going to take us! In Jesus name, Amen.
18
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
The Passion After The Storm...
As I was going through my devotionals this morning I noticed there was a certain theme to each one of them. They all had a different topic, but the theme was the same. And that theme was to "stay grounded" or "stay put" in Christ. No matter what fears come your way, no matter what trials come your way and no matter what temptations come your way....stay solid in Jesus...during and after!
It is quite obvious that the one thing the enemy wants to do is cause you to stray from God. It is his number 1 goal. It is the only thing that allows him to move into your live and cause trouble. If he cannot get you to distance yourself from God, then he knows he has nowhere to move in. We often hear messages or read about things the things that can cause distance too. And for the most part they are always things of the this world...sin, heartache, trouble, temptation....these are topics we tend to hear about the most. However, there is also one thing, that if we are not careful, can cause us to distance ourselves in a way that we are almost completely oblivious to. And it could be one of the most dangerous ones because we can be so blind to it. What I am referring to is a distance that comes between you and God because the calm has come from the storm you were in. Things look better. The "light at the end of the tunnel" is finally starting to shine or the headache that has been crushing you is finally losing it's grip on you. These all sound like great things...and they are, but what we must not forget when things start to look better is the One who made them better for us. We lean so hard on God in the difficult times, but then we tend to start to stand on our own again when the hardship (whatever it was) starts to ease up. DON'T do this!!! This again is something the enemy wants you to do. God just brought you through something that may have looked impossible on your own. During that time you relied on Him, grew closer to Him, told others about Him and maybe even started doing more work for Him. Then as time passes and the storm passes, we can find ourselves praying less, making less time for Him, giving our testimony less....and even serving less. Not because we are trying to shut God out of our life, but because there is this human side to us that feels like we need to "stand on our own 2 feet" again once things start to look better. And I can't help but think that when we do this....when we act like this....God is just shaking His head (in love) and saying "did you not learn anything?".
This trap can be so easy to fall into. I've even caught myself in it and I have to remind myself of all He just brought me through. What did I learn from it all? I know this will not be the last thing I will "need" Him for and the closer I can stay to Him when things are good, then the easier it is going to be to get through the next thing satan throughs at me. But most importantly.....the closer I can stay to Him when things are good, the more He can use me to impact the life of someone else who may be in the midst of their storm. And ultimately I can't help but think this is really what it's all about....it's His design. To bring us through things so we will point others to Him when they are going through things. And what a better way to do this than to continue to grow in Him and through Him even after the storm is over. What better way put satan in his place than to show him...not only did I make it through the storm, but because of the storm I came out stronger and closer to God and have a desire to serve Him even more. When we look at it like this, it enables us to one day look back on the storm that He brought us through and say "thank you for that storm, it got me where I am today".
Look at the enemy and quote Genesis 50:20 "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive."
God, we thank You for bringing us through our trials, heartaches and temptations. But God we apologize for the times that we have backed off in our "chase for you" after the storm has passed. Help us keep the zeal that brought us through the storm so that we can praise You, worship You and serve You in the good times, just as passionately as we did in the hard times. Help us to look for ways to be used to help those who may be going through what you just brought us through! In Jesus name, Amen.
It is quite obvious that the one thing the enemy wants to do is cause you to stray from God. It is his number 1 goal. It is the only thing that allows him to move into your live and cause trouble. If he cannot get you to distance yourself from God, then he knows he has nowhere to move in. We often hear messages or read about things the things that can cause distance too. And for the most part they are always things of the this world...sin, heartache, trouble, temptation....these are topics we tend to hear about the most. However, there is also one thing, that if we are not careful, can cause us to distance ourselves in a way that we are almost completely oblivious to. And it could be one of the most dangerous ones because we can be so blind to it. What I am referring to is a distance that comes between you and God because the calm has come from the storm you were in. Things look better. The "light at the end of the tunnel" is finally starting to shine or the headache that has been crushing you is finally losing it's grip on you. These all sound like great things...and they are, but what we must not forget when things start to look better is the One who made them better for us. We lean so hard on God in the difficult times, but then we tend to start to stand on our own again when the hardship (whatever it was) starts to ease up. DON'T do this!!! This again is something the enemy wants you to do. God just brought you through something that may have looked impossible on your own. During that time you relied on Him, grew closer to Him, told others about Him and maybe even started doing more work for Him. Then as time passes and the storm passes, we can find ourselves praying less, making less time for Him, giving our testimony less....and even serving less. Not because we are trying to shut God out of our life, but because there is this human side to us that feels like we need to "stand on our own 2 feet" again once things start to look better. And I can't help but think that when we do this....when we act like this....God is just shaking His head (in love) and saying "did you not learn anything?".
This trap can be so easy to fall into. I've even caught myself in it and I have to remind myself of all He just brought me through. What did I learn from it all? I know this will not be the last thing I will "need" Him for and the closer I can stay to Him when things are good, then the easier it is going to be to get through the next thing satan throughs at me. But most importantly.....the closer I can stay to Him when things are good, the more He can use me to impact the life of someone else who may be in the midst of their storm. And ultimately I can't help but think this is really what it's all about....it's His design. To bring us through things so we will point others to Him when they are going through things. And what a better way to do this than to continue to grow in Him and through Him even after the storm is over. What better way put satan in his place than to show him...not only did I make it through the storm, but because of the storm I came out stronger and closer to God and have a desire to serve Him even more. When we look at it like this, it enables us to one day look back on the storm that He brought us through and say "thank you for that storm, it got me where I am today".
Look at the enemy and quote Genesis 50:20 "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive."
God, we thank You for bringing us through our trials, heartaches and temptations. But God we apologize for the times that we have backed off in our "chase for you" after the storm has passed. Help us keep the zeal that brought us through the storm so that we can praise You, worship You and serve You in the good times, just as passionately as we did in the hard times. Help us to look for ways to be used to help those who may be going through what you just brought us through! In Jesus name, Amen.
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Access To Your Heart
I saw a picture on Instagram yesterday that really grabbed my attention. It was a picture of a hammer, 3 nails and a letter. The letter read "Son, I need you to build a bridge, here are all the tools you will need. See you soon. Love, Dad"
This picture grabbed my attention more than anything I have seen lately. It caused me to think about my connection to God and how much access we have to Him. But it also caused me to think about the question, "how much access does He have to us?". One of my favorite people in the bible is David. He is someone that I feel like I can relate to in the bible (not compare to, but relate to)....and to be perfectly honest, that is for both the good and the bad that was in David. But when I think about the connection that David had with God I envy it. I long to be that close to and that connected to Him. And for God to feel as connected to me as I think He felt to David. So why aren't I? Why aren't we? What stops us from being just as connected to God as anyone we read about in the bible? I think the answer is within us and has nothing to do with God Himself. Just like the picture I described said, He has built the bridge, there is really nothing more He could do. It's what we have to do....
I think about David writing the Palms and how much time he spent pouring his heart out to God and listening for God. That is the difference...access to his heart. David, as well as others in the bible, spent time with God. They didn't "make time" for God, they spent time with him. It was a lifestyle. God had full access to his heart because David gave it to God. If we want to have that same kind of relationship with God then we have got to stop making time for Him and start spending time with Him. Spend so much time with Him that you find it hard to make time for other things. Maybe they could spend so much time with God back then because they didn't have 150 other things pulling for their time and attention. Yeah, we have come a long way in the advancement of technology, but I also think we have just made our lives busier as well. We have made ourselves more connected to the world and given more attention to the world because of it. For some, work doesn't really ever end. Yes they come home from the office, but the office is always connected to them in some way. For some, you stay so connected to your "friends" through social networking that you read more about the lives of people that you don't even speak to on a regular basis than you read the Word of God. We give so many things in this world more access to our mind and our hearts than we do God. And sometimes we will chalk them up at "doing good" so we can justify how busy that "thing" keeps us.
I know we all have busy lives, trust me I get that...I live it. But what I am simply saying is that we may be lacking in that closeness we should have with our creator because we are not giving Him the kind of access to us as He has given us access to Him. When it comes to getting closer to God there is always room for more. It is the one thing in life that the more you do, the more you try, the more you give yourself to Him....the more you get from Him. There are not to many things in life that the more you pour yourself into "it" the more you get from it. But God operates just like that. And...He challenges us to try Him and see. Give...give more of yourself to Him, give more of your resources to Him, give Him more access to you and see what He gives you back in return.
God, thank You for sending Your Son to build a bridge from You to us. I personally am sorry Lord for not fully thinking about the meaning of that more often. Thank You for the access you have given us to You and help us to realize that we NEED to give You more access to us too. Help us to clear the busyness out of our lives....not to make more time "for" You, but so we can spend more time "with" You. Thank You for loving us, never giving up on us and always showing us more grace and mercy than we could possibly deserve. In Jesus name, Amen
This picture grabbed my attention more than anything I have seen lately. It caused me to think about my connection to God and how much access we have to Him. But it also caused me to think about the question, "how much access does He have to us?". One of my favorite people in the bible is David. He is someone that I feel like I can relate to in the bible (not compare to, but relate to)....and to be perfectly honest, that is for both the good and the bad that was in David. But when I think about the connection that David had with God I envy it. I long to be that close to and that connected to Him. And for God to feel as connected to me as I think He felt to David. So why aren't I? Why aren't we? What stops us from being just as connected to God as anyone we read about in the bible? I think the answer is within us and has nothing to do with God Himself. Just like the picture I described said, He has built the bridge, there is really nothing more He could do. It's what we have to do....
I think about David writing the Palms and how much time he spent pouring his heart out to God and listening for God. That is the difference...access to his heart. David, as well as others in the bible, spent time with God. They didn't "make time" for God, they spent time with him. It was a lifestyle. God had full access to his heart because David gave it to God. If we want to have that same kind of relationship with God then we have got to stop making time for Him and start spending time with Him. Spend so much time with Him that you find it hard to make time for other things. Maybe they could spend so much time with God back then because they didn't have 150 other things pulling for their time and attention. Yeah, we have come a long way in the advancement of technology, but I also think we have just made our lives busier as well. We have made ourselves more connected to the world and given more attention to the world because of it. For some, work doesn't really ever end. Yes they come home from the office, but the office is always connected to them in some way. For some, you stay so connected to your "friends" through social networking that you read more about the lives of people that you don't even speak to on a regular basis than you read the Word of God. We give so many things in this world more access to our mind and our hearts than we do God. And sometimes we will chalk them up at "doing good" so we can justify how busy that "thing" keeps us.
I know we all have busy lives, trust me I get that...I live it. But what I am simply saying is that we may be lacking in that closeness we should have with our creator because we are not giving Him the kind of access to us as He has given us access to Him. When it comes to getting closer to God there is always room for more. It is the one thing in life that the more you do, the more you try, the more you give yourself to Him....the more you get from Him. There are not to many things in life that the more you pour yourself into "it" the more you get from it. But God operates just like that. And...He challenges us to try Him and see. Give...give more of yourself to Him, give more of your resources to Him, give Him more access to you and see what He gives you back in return.
God, thank You for sending Your Son to build a bridge from You to us. I personally am sorry Lord for not fully thinking about the meaning of that more often. Thank You for the access you have given us to You and help us to realize that we NEED to give You more access to us too. Help us to clear the busyness out of our lives....not to make more time "for" You, but so we can spend more time "with" You. Thank You for loving us, never giving up on us and always showing us more grace and mercy than we could possibly deserve. In Jesus name, Amen
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
A Prayer for the New Year
It is my prayer that as we begin this new year we look for and declare God's goodness!
God, today we offer all of our praise to You. It is from You that we know anything good has come in our past..and anything good will come in our future! We thank You for all that you have provided for us, not just last year, but throughout our lives. Help us to see You in all the good of our every day lives and give You honor and praise! I pray that we remember to worship You daily instead of just waiting until we stand in Your presence on Sunday. Worshiping You in our thoughts, our actions and our obedience as You have called us to do.
Give us eyes God to see past the damage and the hurt that may be in our past and look ahead to the bright and hopeful future You have for us. One that includes more of You! Strip us of the things this world has piled on us that You never intended to be there. Strip us down to the simple God loving and God fearing people that You created us to be. Help us to love others more and represent You well to those around us. Give us direction in our day to do the very things that You created us to do. I pray that Your people would realize that we are Your hands and feet here on this earth and that everything we do will either draw people to You, or push them away from You. Give us Godly wisdom!
In all the power and authority of the name of Jesus I pray that we would put the enemy in his place, pray healing over those in need and see lives be saved! Let us walk into this new year with the confidence that these things can be done in Your name. Not because of anything we have to offer, but because we worship, believe in and call upon the name of Jesus!
Thank You for trusting us to do the work that needs to be done. And thank You for loving us enough to direct and correct us as You see necessary.
In Jesus name, Amen
God, today we offer all of our praise to You. It is from You that we know anything good has come in our past..and anything good will come in our future! We thank You for all that you have provided for us, not just last year, but throughout our lives. Help us to see You in all the good of our every day lives and give You honor and praise! I pray that we remember to worship You daily instead of just waiting until we stand in Your presence on Sunday. Worshiping You in our thoughts, our actions and our obedience as You have called us to do.
Give us eyes God to see past the damage and the hurt that may be in our past and look ahead to the bright and hopeful future You have for us. One that includes more of You! Strip us of the things this world has piled on us that You never intended to be there. Strip us down to the simple God loving and God fearing people that You created us to be. Help us to love others more and represent You well to those around us. Give us direction in our day to do the very things that You created us to do. I pray that Your people would realize that we are Your hands and feet here on this earth and that everything we do will either draw people to You, or push them away from You. Give us Godly wisdom!
In all the power and authority of the name of Jesus I pray that we would put the enemy in his place, pray healing over those in need and see lives be saved! Let us walk into this new year with the confidence that these things can be done in Your name. Not because of anything we have to offer, but because we worship, believe in and call upon the name of Jesus!
Thank You for trusting us to do the work that needs to be done. And thank You for loving us enough to direct and correct us as You see necessary.
In Jesus name, Amen
Monday, January 5, 2015
Fear of the New Year
There are many great things to look forward going into a new year. I've seen several posts from people naming all the things they are looking forward to as 2014 ends and this new year starts. For some it will represent leaving a year of pain and disappointments behind. For some it will be the year that some very big things take place like the addition to their family, positive changes in their career or the purchase of a new home...just to name a few. However, for some, walking into a new year creates fear. Fear that this years may bring more disappointments, more loss, more changes and/or more of the unknown that they just faced in 2014. And the enemy wants to use all of these things to create fear as you start this new year. But you have the power, in the name of Jesus, to say that's not going to happen.
No matter what 2014 looked like for you, if you put your trust in God, there is no reason to fear what 2015 has to offer you. Other than losing my father in 2008, I would have to say that 2014 brought some of the most life changing hurts and disappointments of any year of my entire life....from the beginning of 2014 right up until the end. The enemy just continued to come after me...and I continue to offer my praise up to God. I have said many times before and I will continue to live by this...."I may not know my future, but I KNOW the one who holds my future in His hands". And I trust Him!
If thinking about what 2015 might look like brings a sense of fear into your mind, please let go and let God have the fear. 2 Timothy 1:7 says "For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." God does not want you to take one more step into your future with the feeling of fear. He wants you to walk boldly into your future. Not because "you" have all the answers, but because you trust that He does. He expects us to do our parts...and then to trust that He will do His part. By our part I do mean living a faithful and obedient life, offering every part of your heart and life up to Him...not holding any parts back from Him. Giving Him full access to you, your thoughts, your decisions, your family, your career...everything....and following whatever call He has placed or will place on your life. This is how we say to God "I am Yours and You are mine".
Psalms 56 1-13 is a very honest psalm about the things that David was fearing, and how he was going to trust God through that fear. But the part I love is how in verses 10-13 David says he will praise God, he will trust God, he will fulfill his vows to God and he will not fear what mere mortal can do because he knows he walks in the presence of God. As you walk into 2015 make sure you walk into it in the presence of God. Leave any fear that wants to follow you from 2014 at the feet of Jesus and tell the enemy that you are not going to allow him to bring fear with you into 2015. Trust that God truly does want better for you than anything that may have taken place in 2014 (or years past) and then chase after what it is that He has for you. Do your part, then trust Him to do his.
God, You are the maker of time. Who better should we trust our future to than You. Help us to learn from our past mistakes, but not carry those mistakes into our future. Heal us of any pain or disappointments of our past and teach us how to look forward to what You have in store for us. Help us to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit and stop hearing the voice of the enemy. Give us the wisdom to know that fear and doubt do not come from You...so we need to put those things in their place in the name of Jesus and praise, trust and worship You as we walk into our future. In Jesus name, Amen.
No matter what 2014 looked like for you, if you put your trust in God, there is no reason to fear what 2015 has to offer you. Other than losing my father in 2008, I would have to say that 2014 brought some of the most life changing hurts and disappointments of any year of my entire life....from the beginning of 2014 right up until the end. The enemy just continued to come after me...and I continue to offer my praise up to God. I have said many times before and I will continue to live by this...."I may not know my future, but I KNOW the one who holds my future in His hands". And I trust Him!
If thinking about what 2015 might look like brings a sense of fear into your mind, please let go and let God have the fear. 2 Timothy 1:7 says "For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." God does not want you to take one more step into your future with the feeling of fear. He wants you to walk boldly into your future. Not because "you" have all the answers, but because you trust that He does. He expects us to do our parts...and then to trust that He will do His part. By our part I do mean living a faithful and obedient life, offering every part of your heart and life up to Him...not holding any parts back from Him. Giving Him full access to you, your thoughts, your decisions, your family, your career...everything....and following whatever call He has placed or will place on your life. This is how we say to God "I am Yours and You are mine".
Psalms 56 1-13 is a very honest psalm about the things that David was fearing, and how he was going to trust God through that fear. But the part I love is how in verses 10-13 David says he will praise God, he will trust God, he will fulfill his vows to God and he will not fear what mere mortal can do because he knows he walks in the presence of God. As you walk into 2015 make sure you walk into it in the presence of God. Leave any fear that wants to follow you from 2014 at the feet of Jesus and tell the enemy that you are not going to allow him to bring fear with you into 2015. Trust that God truly does want better for you than anything that may have taken place in 2014 (or years past) and then chase after what it is that He has for you. Do your part, then trust Him to do his.
God, You are the maker of time. Who better should we trust our future to than You. Help us to learn from our past mistakes, but not carry those mistakes into our future. Heal us of any pain or disappointments of our past and teach us how to look forward to what You have in store for us. Help us to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit and stop hearing the voice of the enemy. Give us the wisdom to know that fear and doubt do not come from You...so we need to put those things in their place in the name of Jesus and praise, trust and worship You as we walk into our future. In Jesus name, Amen.
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