This week God has been pressing it on my heart to think about what our lives look like. How do we represent Him? Do people see Him at work in our us? Is He present in our actions and in our everyday talk? Are we hiding away the gospel in our heart or are we letting in live out loud in our life?
Today He has once again pressed on my heart a very import topic to every Christian's life...Worship. Sadly enough when most people hear that word their mind goes straight to a Sunday morning service with a worship band playing and group of people praising God. And if you ask them how their worship is they think about things like "do lift my hands in praise to Him", "do I close my eyes during worship" "do I allow the holy spirit to move upon me"? But what I am actually talking about today is the worship of God in your everyday life. Do you worship Him with your life?
I think there are many ways we can worship God as a lifestyle. It should be happening in our homes, at our jobs, in our cars.....everywhere we are His worship should be present. Worship is more than a song, it is even more than a feeling. It should be something that takes place in our heart, our mind, our body and our soul. It should be a passion that runs through us because we have fully given ourselves to God. We are no longer our own, but we have been bought and paid for with the blood of Jesus. (1 Corinthians 6:19) Therefore our lives should reflect that.
It is very hard to worship God if you let day after day go by making selfish decisions where you don't stop and think "how is this affecting my relationship with God". I know it may sound a little "over the top" to some to think that each decision I make could affect my worship to God, but I would say absolutely. Just as much so as decisions you make in your marriage could affect your relationship with your spouse. Make enough selfish decisions and see what kind of distance that creates between you and your spouse. See if they feel important to you, thought of, or even if they feel like they are in the top 5 places of your priorities. Why would our creator not look down on us and wonder the same thing. Why would He not ask us "have I even crossed your mind today"?
What does worshipping God with our lifestyle look like? First and foremost I would say it looks like putting Him first in all you do. Having the mind set of "if this does not draw me closer to God, why am I even entertaining this in my life?". I would say it involves filtering out "stuff" that takes up your time if your not spending enough time with Him. It involves putting others before yourself as Jesus instructed us to do. And most important is doing all of these things out of pure joy....not duty and not obligation.
Sure I can cruise through life obeying a list of do's and don'ts. I can make sure I try to keep all the commandments. Or I can shut myself out from the world so I just don't have to deal with temptation on daily basis. But I know that God sees deep inside my heart, and I know that He knows there is no worship in that. And if worshipping Him is really my ultimate goal, then I want my heart to be driving the things I do and don't do that please Him. Loving Him and showing Him that my discipline and obedience come with great joy IS worship. Nobody ever wants you to do something for them begrudgingly. They would almost rather you not do it at all. And I would venture to say that God probably feels the same way. But when we serve Him, it blesses Him...which in turn opens the door for Him to bless us. Not because He is a God who is up there "keeping score", but because we have lined ourselves up to receive His blessings.
The equation is pretty simple. Allow Him to change your heart, then worship Him with all of that heart and then feel His favor and blessings on your life. That's the circle....He blesses us, that changes our heart even more, we worship Him with our life, He blesses us... And the most important part is that we get to tell others about this and help grow His kingdom!
God, I pray we worship You today with our lifestyle. We honor You and we praise You because You are worthy. You are faithful and true, and we want to live a life that pleases You. Please help us see the areas of our life that need worked on so we can worship you with ALL of what we do. Not so You will love us more, but so that we can show You more of our love! Holy Spirit live in us and create and attitude of worship inside of us that we can draw from each and every moment of the day. In Jesus name, Amen
Friday, February 27, 2015
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Do I Live Like I'm Committed To Him?
If you have worked with, gone to school with or just been friends with a large group of people, then you may know someone like the example I am about to use. Have you ever known someone who was married, but when you first met them you had no idea? And sadly enough you had to know them for a while before you actually figured out they were? I once with worked with a guy who when I first met him I had no idea he was married. He did not wear a wedding ring, he did not speak as if he were in a committed relationship, and his actions certainly did not reflect that of a man who was committed to one woman. So much so, that I remember the day I heard him use the word "wife" I about fell over. My mind immediately went to the times that I had heard him or watched him flirt. The language that had come out of this his mouth about other women that totally indicated to me that he was certainly single. And I remembered thinking to myself.....does his wife have any idea that this is how he acts when he is not around her?
I used that example because today I wanted to challenge some people to take a look at their life, their walk with Jesus, their commitment to Him. I used the example of a marriage because the I believe that our relationship with Jesus is like a marriage. It is a commitment like marriage and it should be as life changing to you as marriage is to a single person. I firmly believe that one of the best ways you can honor your wife in marriage is for someone to see how good of a husband you are to her. For someone to see how devoted and committed you are to your marriage. For people to see that you honor your wife with your words and your actions as much when you are not around her as you do if she is standing right beside you. To see that you LIVE the life of a "married man".....not a man who is married but still trying to live the single life.
When we accept Christ into our life there should be a change that takes place in our heart. Not a change that is only seen by God when He looks into your heart, but a change that people see when they look at your life. Just as much as getting married should make you stop living the single life....accepting Jesus should make you stop living the worldly life. What exactly am I getting at?....I'm talking about being set apart. Looking different. Not just "thinking" different than the world, but actually living, speaking and looking different than the rest of the world. A life and a language that points people to Jesus. Matthew 7:13-14 says “Go in through the narrow door. The door is wide and the road is easy that leads to hell. Many people are going through that door. But the door is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life that lasts forever. Few people are finding it." I'm talking about living in a manner that someone would not be shocked if they were getting to know you and one day you said the words "yeah, I'm a Christian".
It is very clear that the point of accepting God's amazing gift of Jesus Christ was not just so "I" could get into heaven. It was also so that once I found Jesus I could point others to Him. In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus said “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” This was the instructions of Jesus. This was not someone's interpretation of what Jesus "may have" meant, they are His own words. And I thinking trying to live a life that looked like Jesus' did is one way we can do this.
So I ask this question as I bring this to an end...."If I'm still living the "single life", even though I say I'm "married to Jesus", then how do I expect people to see that knowing Him has changed my life....and it can change theirs too?" Please, today, let God speak to your heart about the change He may desire to make in you, so that you can be effectively used by Him. Because being a vessel He can use is really what a life with Him is all about...
God, Today I ask you to speak directly to our hearts. I ask You to look into our lives and have Your Holy Spirit point out in us the things that You would like to see changed. Help us to be open to Your correction and direction in us. Help us to humble ourselves and see the things that we do that do not reflect You. If we are made in Your image, then help us look like You in ALL we do....our actions, our language, our thoughts, our forgiveness, our mercy and our love. In Jesus name, Amen.
I used that example because today I wanted to challenge some people to take a look at their life, their walk with Jesus, their commitment to Him. I used the example of a marriage because the I believe that our relationship with Jesus is like a marriage. It is a commitment like marriage and it should be as life changing to you as marriage is to a single person. I firmly believe that one of the best ways you can honor your wife in marriage is for someone to see how good of a husband you are to her. For someone to see how devoted and committed you are to your marriage. For people to see that you honor your wife with your words and your actions as much when you are not around her as you do if she is standing right beside you. To see that you LIVE the life of a "married man".....not a man who is married but still trying to live the single life.
When we accept Christ into our life there should be a change that takes place in our heart. Not a change that is only seen by God when He looks into your heart, but a change that people see when they look at your life. Just as much as getting married should make you stop living the single life....accepting Jesus should make you stop living the worldly life. What exactly am I getting at?....I'm talking about being set apart. Looking different. Not just "thinking" different than the world, but actually living, speaking and looking different than the rest of the world. A life and a language that points people to Jesus. Matthew 7:13-14 says “Go in through the narrow door. The door is wide and the road is easy that leads to hell. Many people are going through that door. But the door is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life that lasts forever. Few people are finding it." I'm talking about living in a manner that someone would not be shocked if they were getting to know you and one day you said the words "yeah, I'm a Christian".
It is very clear that the point of accepting God's amazing gift of Jesus Christ was not just so "I" could get into heaven. It was also so that once I found Jesus I could point others to Him. In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus said “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” This was the instructions of Jesus. This was not someone's interpretation of what Jesus "may have" meant, they are His own words. And I thinking trying to live a life that looked like Jesus' did is one way we can do this.
So I ask this question as I bring this to an end...."If I'm still living the "single life", even though I say I'm "married to Jesus", then how do I expect people to see that knowing Him has changed my life....and it can change theirs too?" Please, today, let God speak to your heart about the change He may desire to make in you, so that you can be effectively used by Him. Because being a vessel He can use is really what a life with Him is all about...
God, Today I ask you to speak directly to our hearts. I ask You to look into our lives and have Your Holy Spirit point out in us the things that You would like to see changed. Help us to be open to Your correction and direction in us. Help us to humble ourselves and see the things that we do that do not reflect You. If we are made in Your image, then help us look like You in ALL we do....our actions, our language, our thoughts, our forgiveness, our mercy and our love. In Jesus name, Amen.
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Walls....
It seems like God has put me in contact lately with so many people who put up walls. And again and again I see that it's not something the person meant to do, but something has happened to them that caused them to kick into protect mode. And as much as that is our natural instinct to protect, that doesn't necessarily mean it's the healthiest thing for us to do. In fact, the very walls we build around us to protect us probably cause more damage than they do good.
Think about the purpose of a wall. It is there to either keep something in or keep something out, but in both causes it is there to create separation. Take a home for example. We build walls around our home to give us a safe and climate controlled place to be. A place that we can go to to get away from the rest of the world and the storms that come our way. A place where the things that are behind the walls are ours and we don't have to share or expose those things to anyone else. Our home becomes "our space". But just like staying locked up in your home and secluding yourself from the outside world is not healthy for you, neither is staying behind the emotional and social walls that we build.
From most of the people I have come in contact with, I've seen that the walls they build are due to trust issues. Which typically will come from some deep pain that was caused by someone else. But what we must realize is that people are imperfect and hurt people will typically hurt people. Damaged people will/can damage other people. But if we build walls around ourselves every time someone hurts us or lets us down, we are doing damage to ourselves that has no effect on the person who actually hurt us. But it will have negative impact on future relationships and people who have not done anything to us. So how do we avoid this? How do we trust again? How do we learn to put ourselves back out there knowing that we risk getting hurt again? We trust God and not people....
I know that's way easier to say than it is to do. And I know the first thing that comes to a person's mind who does have walls is "...but you don't know what I've been through". And you are right. I do not, but God does. And if anyone can help you and heal you it is Him. Who knows better than Him what it feels like to trust someone with something you care so much about, only to watch them trample all over it and destroy. He did trust this world with His son....and He did have to watch as this world destroyed the very thing He trusted them with.
If I had to go back through all my blogs and see a piece of scripture that I have referenced the most, it may be Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding". And as many times as I have read that verse, today something different stood out to me as I thought about walls. The verse says trust Him with your heart, the very thing we want to protect. Then it says to do this by not leaning on your own understanding...which would be your mind. The very thing that tells us we need to build walls...our mind. So God is saying "stop letting your mind get in the way of Me and your heart". Your mind is always going to try to use common sense, reason and logic to get you to react and put up walls. But the heart must rely on faith and trust to not react ...and let God take over. Psalms 56:3-4 is also a scripture that I feel speaks directly to us when we have that urge to throw up a wall. It says "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?" To be able to say "what can flesh do to me?" is to put your complete trust in God. It is when we are afraid that our minds again tell us that we must do something to protect ourselves. But Godly wisdom says you are doing something, you're trusting God. And that is the best thing you can do! Let Go....Let God!
God, Thank You that we can trust You to protect us. Thank You that you, the maker of our heart and soul, have given us instructions in Your Word on what to do when fear kicks in. Help us to not react when hurt people hurt us, but instead give us strength to trust You and pray for them. And help us God to allow You to help us remove any and all walls we have put up. If those walls have caused damage in our current relationships, please begin the healing process so all of our relationships can be as you designed the to be. In Jesus name, Amen
Think about the purpose of a wall. It is there to either keep something in or keep something out, but in both causes it is there to create separation. Take a home for example. We build walls around our home to give us a safe and climate controlled place to be. A place that we can go to to get away from the rest of the world and the storms that come our way. A place where the things that are behind the walls are ours and we don't have to share or expose those things to anyone else. Our home becomes "our space". But just like staying locked up in your home and secluding yourself from the outside world is not healthy for you, neither is staying behind the emotional and social walls that we build.
From most of the people I have come in contact with, I've seen that the walls they build are due to trust issues. Which typically will come from some deep pain that was caused by someone else. But what we must realize is that people are imperfect and hurt people will typically hurt people. Damaged people will/can damage other people. But if we build walls around ourselves every time someone hurts us or lets us down, we are doing damage to ourselves that has no effect on the person who actually hurt us. But it will have negative impact on future relationships and people who have not done anything to us. So how do we avoid this? How do we trust again? How do we learn to put ourselves back out there knowing that we risk getting hurt again? We trust God and not people....
I know that's way easier to say than it is to do. And I know the first thing that comes to a person's mind who does have walls is "...but you don't know what I've been through". And you are right. I do not, but God does. And if anyone can help you and heal you it is Him. Who knows better than Him what it feels like to trust someone with something you care so much about, only to watch them trample all over it and destroy. He did trust this world with His son....and He did have to watch as this world destroyed the very thing He trusted them with.
If I had to go back through all my blogs and see a piece of scripture that I have referenced the most, it may be Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding". And as many times as I have read that verse, today something different stood out to me as I thought about walls. The verse says trust Him with your heart, the very thing we want to protect. Then it says to do this by not leaning on your own understanding...which would be your mind. The very thing that tells us we need to build walls...our mind. So God is saying "stop letting your mind get in the way of Me and your heart". Your mind is always going to try to use common sense, reason and logic to get you to react and put up walls. But the heart must rely on faith and trust to not react ...and let God take over. Psalms 56:3-4 is also a scripture that I feel speaks directly to us when we have that urge to throw up a wall. It says "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?" To be able to say "what can flesh do to me?" is to put your complete trust in God. It is when we are afraid that our minds again tell us that we must do something to protect ourselves. But Godly wisdom says you are doing something, you're trusting God. And that is the best thing you can do! Let Go....Let God!
God, Thank You that we can trust You to protect us. Thank You that you, the maker of our heart and soul, have given us instructions in Your Word on what to do when fear kicks in. Help us to not react when hurt people hurt us, but instead give us strength to trust You and pray for them. And help us God to allow You to help us remove any and all walls we have put up. If those walls have caused damage in our current relationships, please begin the healing process so all of our relationships can be as you designed the to be. In Jesus name, Amen
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Help My Heart To Be Content...
In the past I have written about the dangers of complacency in your relationship with God, or the place that you are at with Him. I've talked about how we can loose our drive to chase after more with God when we become complacent. And how He does not want us to be complacent, He wants us to want to go deeper with Him...and He wants to take us there. However this morning as I was praying about what to write today, I heard God place the word "content" on my heart. I stopped and said "I thought you didn't want us to just become content with where we are?" And that's when I felt Him say look up the definition of the two words....you must understand the difference. So I did. The definition of complacency is "a feeling of quiet pleasure or security, often while unaware of some potential danger, defect, or the like; self-satisfaction or smug satisfaction with an existing situation". And then I looked up the definition of content, which means "in a state of peaceful happiness". Wow! I immediately said to God "I get what your saying!"
God does not want us to become complacent because when we do we do not leave Him room to move in our life. We are just walking around almost "blind" to anything around us. We are merely existing. But He does want us to be content. I felt Him say "when I can get you to be content, I can get you to hear me. And when I can get you to hear me I can take you to the next place. But I must get to you to live in peace and to appreciate where I have you now before we can move forward." I firmly believe we are to search out why God has us where we are. What are we supposed to learn right here? What are we supposed to do while we are right here? What are You(God) doing while I am right here to prepare me for where we are going next? See, that is not a place of complacency because you are still seeking, you are still listening and you are still learning.
There were 3 things that I felt God say to me that needed to be in this blog today. Part of which I believe were directly for me, but part of which were going to be for someone reading this today...
One was this....God said "If I can get you to appreciate where I have you right now, then I can get you to appreciate where I want to take you. But if you can't appreciate this place, you won't even realize or recognize when I take you to a better place."
The second one was this....God said "I need you to remember what this feels like, so when I take you out of this place and on to the next place, you' ll have something to compare it to. Not in a bad way, but this is so you'll know I have moved in your life".
And the third was this....God said "you'll always know what "where you've been" feels like, but there is no way to know what "where I want to take you" feels like until I get you there. But I want you to remember that in both places I provided because you remained content. And that is what I wanted to teach you".
I believe God never wants to leave us where we are. I have stated that several times before. BUT, I do believe He wants us to learn to live in peace, being content, no matter where He has us. If He is constantly looking into our heart, then He knows if you are just "making the best of it" while you wait for Him to "hurry up and just move". OR, does your heart say to Him "I may not like this place, I may want you to move me out of this place, but I will live in peace and joy while you have me in this place"? If you don't know the difference then that would be a great place for you to start with Him today. Ask Him to show you what true contentment...true peace, feels like in the midst of any situation. Allow Him to teach you how to live, love and laugh right where you are. So when He brings you into a better place you will be able live, love and laugh bigger!
If God allowed the Israelites to wonder around for 40 years because He didn't feel they were ready for the promise land, then don't think He won't let you sit a little longer where you are so He can teach you and prep you for your "promise". (see Joshua 5:6) He knows what is best for us, and as a good God He doesn't want to give us something that He knows our hearts are not quite ready for.
God, Thank You that you know our hearts. Help our hearts to become content and learn to live in peace while we await your next move. Help us to not stop seeking you, but to seek, listen and wait with joy and excitement in our hearts for how much more you have waiting for us. We love you and honor you where we are God....not necessarily because we love "this" place, but because we know this is the place that you could teach us something to get us to the next place. In Jesus name, Amen.
God does not want us to become complacent because when we do we do not leave Him room to move in our life. We are just walking around almost "blind" to anything around us. We are merely existing. But He does want us to be content. I felt Him say "when I can get you to be content, I can get you to hear me. And when I can get you to hear me I can take you to the next place. But I must get to you to live in peace and to appreciate where I have you now before we can move forward." I firmly believe we are to search out why God has us where we are. What are we supposed to learn right here? What are we supposed to do while we are right here? What are You(God) doing while I am right here to prepare me for where we are going next? See, that is not a place of complacency because you are still seeking, you are still listening and you are still learning.
There were 3 things that I felt God say to me that needed to be in this blog today. Part of which I believe were directly for me, but part of which were going to be for someone reading this today...
One was this....God said "If I can get you to appreciate where I have you right now, then I can get you to appreciate where I want to take you. But if you can't appreciate this place, you won't even realize or recognize when I take you to a better place."
The second one was this....God said "I need you to remember what this feels like, so when I take you out of this place and on to the next place, you' ll have something to compare it to. Not in a bad way, but this is so you'll know I have moved in your life".
And the third was this....God said "you'll always know what "where you've been" feels like, but there is no way to know what "where I want to take you" feels like until I get you there. But I want you to remember that in both places I provided because you remained content. And that is what I wanted to teach you".
I believe God never wants to leave us where we are. I have stated that several times before. BUT, I do believe He wants us to learn to live in peace, being content, no matter where He has us. If He is constantly looking into our heart, then He knows if you are just "making the best of it" while you wait for Him to "hurry up and just move". OR, does your heart say to Him "I may not like this place, I may want you to move me out of this place, but I will live in peace and joy while you have me in this place"? If you don't know the difference then that would be a great place for you to start with Him today. Ask Him to show you what true contentment...true peace, feels like in the midst of any situation. Allow Him to teach you how to live, love and laugh right where you are. So when He brings you into a better place you will be able live, love and laugh bigger!
If God allowed the Israelites to wonder around for 40 years because He didn't feel they were ready for the promise land, then don't think He won't let you sit a little longer where you are so He can teach you and prep you for your "promise". (see Joshua 5:6) He knows what is best for us, and as a good God He doesn't want to give us something that He knows our hearts are not quite ready for.
God, Thank You that you know our hearts. Help our hearts to become content and learn to live in peace while we await your next move. Help us to not stop seeking you, but to seek, listen and wait with joy and excitement in our hearts for how much more you have waiting for us. We love you and honor you where we are God....not necessarily because we love "this" place, but because we know this is the place that you could teach us something to get us to the next place. In Jesus name, Amen.
Monday, February 23, 2015
Worth and Value...
The world we live has a way of making us feel one of two ways a lot of the time. One is that we are worth so much! How much? As much as we can offer back to the world. It can make us feel like we are worth something as long as we have something to offer it. But in this messed up, sin filled world, the moment we don't have something offer anymore, is the moment we aren't nearly as important to it. The second way (and sadly more common way) this world can make us feel is that we are worthless. Even growing up we learn at a very young age how to treat kids with "more worth" and "less worth" based on who we want on our team, who is more fun to be around, how someone looks or who is more popular. Even though none of those things truly have anything to do with "worth".
I looked up the definition of the word "worth" and this is literally what it said. "the level at which someone or something deserves to be valued or rated." The words that just jumped off the screen at me as I read that was "deserves to be valued or rated". Deserves huh? By who's standard. Who is to say that one person's worth is more than another person's. Sadly enough society would use things like an income, or one's intelligence, or one's looks or sex appeal, or one's business sense/success to determine if one person is "worth more" than another. But today I have great news! None of that determines your worth! Not to God....
Jesus Christ left heaven and came to earth to live a life without sin....to die a death He did not deserve....and to defeat death by raising up 3 days later. And the best part of that story is that He did NOT have a list of names in heaven that He came to do that for. He came and died for us ALL. I will admit that's even hard for me to accept sometimes when I watch the evil that goes on in this world. That a person who is doing evil and bringing death and destruction to people is worth just as much as me to God. But they are. He values their life and would love to see them accept the gift of Jesus just as much as He would me, you or anyone else in this world. That is truly an unconditional love!
Today, if you are just not feeling like you are worth much....if this world has beat you down....if people have trampled on you.....if circumstances have not gone the way you imagined them....and you are left feeling like your value or your worth is "less than", then please know that you are being fed lies from the enemy. You are worth so much to God that He gave His son over to this world to be sacrificed for YOU! God did that just to make a way for you to have a relationship with Him. He did that to take away the power of sin over our lives. And then as if all of that were not enough, He sent His Holy Spirit to be with us. To help us, to guide us, for us to tap into and draw strength, power and wisdom from. He did that for YOU! He values you enough to do all of the things I just said even if this world only contained you. However, it is also important for you to know that because we live in a world full of people, He does not value one over another. Romans 2:11 says "For there is no partiality with God". Another translation says "God does not show favor to one man over another".
So no matter what this cruel world has dished out at you, please know that God is the lover and healer of your heart and soul. He longs to show you your worth and importance to Him. He also wants to show you how much He can use a person just like you. There are things that He designed you to do and you worth so much to Him that He wants to trust you to do those things. I promise you, if you seek His face....if you seek His Will....if you seek His promises to you.....you WILL find your value and worth.... and so much more!
God, Thank You that our worth and our value is not measured by the world's standard. Thank You that You understand us as we are, you love us as we are, but You will not leave us as we are. That You love us enough to help us be better....to be all that YOU created us to be...despite how much the enemy has tried to convince us of who we are. Thank You that you desire an intimate relationship with us! In Jesus name, Amen.
I looked up the definition of the word "worth" and this is literally what it said. "the level at which someone or something deserves to be valued or rated." The words that just jumped off the screen at me as I read that was "deserves to be valued or rated". Deserves huh? By who's standard. Who is to say that one person's worth is more than another person's. Sadly enough society would use things like an income, or one's intelligence, or one's looks or sex appeal, or one's business sense/success to determine if one person is "worth more" than another. But today I have great news! None of that determines your worth! Not to God....
Jesus Christ left heaven and came to earth to live a life without sin....to die a death He did not deserve....and to defeat death by raising up 3 days later. And the best part of that story is that He did NOT have a list of names in heaven that He came to do that for. He came and died for us ALL. I will admit that's even hard for me to accept sometimes when I watch the evil that goes on in this world. That a person who is doing evil and bringing death and destruction to people is worth just as much as me to God. But they are. He values their life and would love to see them accept the gift of Jesus just as much as He would me, you or anyone else in this world. That is truly an unconditional love!
Today, if you are just not feeling like you are worth much....if this world has beat you down....if people have trampled on you.....if circumstances have not gone the way you imagined them....and you are left feeling like your value or your worth is "less than", then please know that you are being fed lies from the enemy. You are worth so much to God that He gave His son over to this world to be sacrificed for YOU! God did that just to make a way for you to have a relationship with Him. He did that to take away the power of sin over our lives. And then as if all of that were not enough, He sent His Holy Spirit to be with us. To help us, to guide us, for us to tap into and draw strength, power and wisdom from. He did that for YOU! He values you enough to do all of the things I just said even if this world only contained you. However, it is also important for you to know that because we live in a world full of people, He does not value one over another. Romans 2:11 says "For there is no partiality with God". Another translation says "God does not show favor to one man over another".
So no matter what this cruel world has dished out at you, please know that God is the lover and healer of your heart and soul. He longs to show you your worth and importance to Him. He also wants to show you how much He can use a person just like you. There are things that He designed you to do and you worth so much to Him that He wants to trust you to do those things. I promise you, if you seek His face....if you seek His Will....if you seek His promises to you.....you WILL find your value and worth.... and so much more!
God, Thank You that our worth and our value is not measured by the world's standard. Thank You that You understand us as we are, you love us as we are, but You will not leave us as we are. That You love us enough to help us be better....to be all that YOU created us to be...despite how much the enemy has tried to convince us of who we are. Thank You that you desire an intimate relationship with us! In Jesus name, Amen.
Friday, February 20, 2015
Seek, Find, Fulfill.....
Know today that you are the child of a King. No matter who this world tries to tell you you are.....that is not you. You were specifically and intricately designed by our God. You are NOT like everyone else. In fact, there is no one else like you. The way you think, the feelings you feel, the way you see things....all there for a reason. God has a purpose for you and there is only one way to discover what that is. Seek Him! The amazing thing about seeking God, is that as you seek to discover who He is, He reveals to you who you really are. I can't even begin to find the words to describe how He does this, but He does.
Each of us have a story....for some, your story is how God rescued you from all the things you never had to experience.....for others, God rescued you from a life of pain and destruction....and for even others, God is rescuing you from where you currently are. No matter what your story is, someone out there needs to hear it. Someone out there can only relate to you and your story. You are going to be how they see and find God. Don't hide your testimony out of fear, guilt or shame. Let the world see that God can rescue them and change their life, and you know it because He rescued you.
God never wants to leave us where we are. It is His desire to grow us into His image. And I use the word grow because when something grows...it always grows. Things either grow, or they die. But when something is grow it is always changing. And God wants us to continue to grow as we chase after Him. He wants to continually make you better than you were yesterday. Which should always give us something to look forward to tomorrow.
Do not become complacent. Do not become content. Ask God to continue to mold you into the exact person He had in mind from the moment you were created. Then ask Him to reveal to you the purpose He has for you on this earth.....and set out to fulfill that purpose. Nothing....absolutely nothing compares to discovering that you were created to do something, and then doing it. It is a feeling of peace and satisfaction that can only come from God. But what I love is.....He is never done with us. He will constantly use us as long as we constantly make ourselves available to Him!
God, Thank You that You made each and every one of us special. Help us to see ourselves the way you see us, and not the way the world sees us. Holy Spirit guide our paths so we ARE seeking God's plan for our lives and help us to always be impacting the lives of others so they too will seek what God has for them. In Jesus name, Amen
Each of us have a story....for some, your story is how God rescued you from all the things you never had to experience.....for others, God rescued you from a life of pain and destruction....and for even others, God is rescuing you from where you currently are. No matter what your story is, someone out there needs to hear it. Someone out there can only relate to you and your story. You are going to be how they see and find God. Don't hide your testimony out of fear, guilt or shame. Let the world see that God can rescue them and change their life, and you know it because He rescued you.
God never wants to leave us where we are. It is His desire to grow us into His image. And I use the word grow because when something grows...it always grows. Things either grow, or they die. But when something is grow it is always changing. And God wants us to continue to grow as we chase after Him. He wants to continually make you better than you were yesterday. Which should always give us something to look forward to tomorrow.
Do not become complacent. Do not become content. Ask God to continue to mold you into the exact person He had in mind from the moment you were created. Then ask Him to reveal to you the purpose He has for you on this earth.....and set out to fulfill that purpose. Nothing....absolutely nothing compares to discovering that you were created to do something, and then doing it. It is a feeling of peace and satisfaction that can only come from God. But what I love is.....He is never done with us. He will constantly use us as long as we constantly make ourselves available to Him!
God, Thank You that You made each and every one of us special. Help us to see ourselves the way you see us, and not the way the world sees us. Holy Spirit guide our paths so we ARE seeking God's plan for our lives and help us to always be impacting the lives of others so they too will seek what God has for them. In Jesus name, Amen
Thursday, February 19, 2015
What You Have Is Personal & It Is Yours
This morning God was pressing in on my heart to pray for all the people have left "the church". He was showing me how sad it is when people leave the church due to other people. Our relationship with Jesus should not be based on anything other than us and Jesus. When we allow other things to come between that, we have just allowed the enemy to have his way in our lives.
Could you imagine if the relationship you had with your wife or your husband was solely based on how well you got along with your in-laws? That you based your commitment, your love, your devotion or even your presence on how well you got along with all the people related to your spouse. The very thought almost sounds silly. Anyone who watched this go on from the outside would clearly say "that's not love". But this is what people do to Jesus all the time. I have a friend who's wife will not attend church because of some bad feelings she has toward a church she once attended. Listen, I will be the first to tell you that if you base your relationship with Jesus on my ability to always be everything you need me to be, it's not going to be good. I would hope and pray that my life would be a life that would point people to Jesus, but I am going to have a bad day. I am going to disappoint someone. I am going to let someone down. And when that time comes, I would hate to think that someone would allow anything negative I would do affect their relationship with their savior.
What you have with Jesus should be personal. So personal in fact, that nothing and no one should be able to do something to cause harm to what you have with Jesus. The Church as a body is a bunch of imperfect people coming together to serve a perfect savior. The very fact that we are all together in the same building should represent that we all see a need for God in our lives. There should not be one single person in the church that thinks they have "their stuff" together any more than the next person. At any given time each of us could find ourselves in the middle of a struggle we never expected. Any of us could find ourselves tempted in a way we did not see coming. Each of us could find ourselves in need of those very people to the left and right of you at church to pray for you, lift you up and help you get back on the right path. Let's not judge those around you at church, instead let's realize we are all broken people in need of a savior, and humble ourselves enough to realize none of us need him any less than the next person.....because we all do need Him!
No matter what side of the line you find yourself on today as you read this blog, ask God to show you how you can help improve "the church". If you have allowed pride to set in when it comes to your walk with Jesus and you have found yourself even once looking down your nose at someone else in the church, then repent and ask Jesus to search your heart. Then allow Him to direct and correct you where needed. If you are a person who has used "the church" or someone in the church as a reason to step away, as a reason to not be as close to God as you should be or once were....then today is also a day for you to repent. Tell God that you can see that you let your personal relationship with Him become less than personal. That you know He died for all of us because of our imperfections and you are sorry for judging the actions of others and allowing that judgement to cause a reaction out of you.
Love.......Love......Love......is what He called us to do to each other. He is the judge and the jury....we are just to love. Jesus set all the examples that we need to live by. John 3:17 states that God did not send Jesus into the world to condemn (some versions say judge) the world, but to save it. If Jesus was not sent to judge the world....then why do we think we can? He was sent with a message to save the world. We have that same message. He forgave everyone who hurt him and still offered them that message.....Shouldn't we be doing the same. Love.....first love Him, then ask Him to help you love everyone else because you realize they are all just as imperfect as you.
God, Thank You that our relationship with You is personal. That our salvation is not based on anyone else....it is between You and I. Help me to have an unoffendable heart just like Jesus did. When someone hurts us because of their own imprecations, help us to immediately pray for them. Help us to not judge them, not get angry at them, not have vengeful thoughts toward them and not to react the way the enemy would have us react. Help us to ALWAYS take it to you, and let you deal with them in love. And let nothing damage what we personally have with you. In Jesus name, Amen.
Could you imagine if the relationship you had with your wife or your husband was solely based on how well you got along with your in-laws? That you based your commitment, your love, your devotion or even your presence on how well you got along with all the people related to your spouse. The very thought almost sounds silly. Anyone who watched this go on from the outside would clearly say "that's not love". But this is what people do to Jesus all the time. I have a friend who's wife will not attend church because of some bad feelings she has toward a church she once attended. Listen, I will be the first to tell you that if you base your relationship with Jesus on my ability to always be everything you need me to be, it's not going to be good. I would hope and pray that my life would be a life that would point people to Jesus, but I am going to have a bad day. I am going to disappoint someone. I am going to let someone down. And when that time comes, I would hate to think that someone would allow anything negative I would do affect their relationship with their savior.
What you have with Jesus should be personal. So personal in fact, that nothing and no one should be able to do something to cause harm to what you have with Jesus. The Church as a body is a bunch of imperfect people coming together to serve a perfect savior. The very fact that we are all together in the same building should represent that we all see a need for God in our lives. There should not be one single person in the church that thinks they have "their stuff" together any more than the next person. At any given time each of us could find ourselves in the middle of a struggle we never expected. Any of us could find ourselves tempted in a way we did not see coming. Each of us could find ourselves in need of those very people to the left and right of you at church to pray for you, lift you up and help you get back on the right path. Let's not judge those around you at church, instead let's realize we are all broken people in need of a savior, and humble ourselves enough to realize none of us need him any less than the next person.....because we all do need Him!
No matter what side of the line you find yourself on today as you read this blog, ask God to show you how you can help improve "the church". If you have allowed pride to set in when it comes to your walk with Jesus and you have found yourself even once looking down your nose at someone else in the church, then repent and ask Jesus to search your heart. Then allow Him to direct and correct you where needed. If you are a person who has used "the church" or someone in the church as a reason to step away, as a reason to not be as close to God as you should be or once were....then today is also a day for you to repent. Tell God that you can see that you let your personal relationship with Him become less than personal. That you know He died for all of us because of our imperfections and you are sorry for judging the actions of others and allowing that judgement to cause a reaction out of you.
Love.......Love......Love......is what He called us to do to each other. He is the judge and the jury....we are just to love. Jesus set all the examples that we need to live by. John 3:17 states that God did not send Jesus into the world to condemn (some versions say judge) the world, but to save it. If Jesus was not sent to judge the world....then why do we think we can? He was sent with a message to save the world. We have that same message. He forgave everyone who hurt him and still offered them that message.....Shouldn't we be doing the same. Love.....first love Him, then ask Him to help you love everyone else because you realize they are all just as imperfect as you.
God, Thank You that our relationship with You is personal. That our salvation is not based on anyone else....it is between You and I. Help me to have an unoffendable heart just like Jesus did. When someone hurts us because of their own imprecations, help us to immediately pray for them. Help us to not judge them, not get angry at them, not have vengeful thoughts toward them and not to react the way the enemy would have us react. Help us to ALWAYS take it to you, and let you deal with them in love. And let nothing damage what we personally have with you. In Jesus name, Amen.
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Who Has God Put In Your Life?
In this busy world we live in, take the time to thank God for the friendships that HE has put in your life. Having Godly people in your life is never something you should take for granted. He has placed specific people in your life to help you walk this journey. And you may be there to help them walk their journey too. Love each other and speak truth to each other. Be there the help each other through the bad times, and to celebrate together in the good times.
Today, if you don't already do this on a regular basis, take the time to look for the people that God has placed in your life. First, thank Him for caring so much about you that He has taken the time to put those people in your life. Second, let those friends know how much they mean to you today. Tell them that you do see them as a gift from God and maybe think of a time you can tell them that they helped you in a way that they didn't even know. Let the know that it is a two way friendship and you are there for them too.
Never take for granted that you have people in your life that love you. Know that these are the people that God has placed in your life to sometimes say the hard things to you....and you may have to say the hard things to them. But it's important that it is always done IN LOVE, and you ARE always looking out for each other.
If you feel that your life might be lacking some Godly relationships then take that to God today. Ask Him to send Godly people into your life that you can build friendships and relationships with. We all need that! Ask Him to help you be the kind of friend that someone would need in their life too. Always remember that true friendships go both ways...there are moments of giving, and there are moments of receiving.
If as you read this God is bringing someone to your mind that you know you need to mend some things with, then allow Him to do the work in your heart to allow that mending to begin. And pray for them as well. If it was a Godly friendship than He would not want there to be friction in it....however, if it was not a Godly friendship then be open to the pruning the God may be doing in your life. As one door opens, another door closes. Let Him be the one that shows you which doors really need to be opened and closed.....and then be obedient in that. Remember, God is the only one who is and always will be looking out for you. He wants nothing more than to better you and draw you closer to Him. Adding and removing people in your life may be how is beginning to do a work in you. The question is, will you recognize it...and allow it to take place.
God, Thank You for the friendships you have placed in my life. But most of all thank You for the people that You have allowed me to develop relationships with. Those friendships that offer safety, truth and love. Those people that won't hesitate to tell me what I need to hear, but have the heart and wisdom to do it in such a manner of love that I want to hear it. You have placed people just like that in my life...and for that I thank You. In Jesus name, Amen
Today, if you don't already do this on a regular basis, take the time to look for the people that God has placed in your life. First, thank Him for caring so much about you that He has taken the time to put those people in your life. Second, let those friends know how much they mean to you today. Tell them that you do see them as a gift from God and maybe think of a time you can tell them that they helped you in a way that they didn't even know. Let the know that it is a two way friendship and you are there for them too.
Never take for granted that you have people in your life that love you. Know that these are the people that God has placed in your life to sometimes say the hard things to you....and you may have to say the hard things to them. But it's important that it is always done IN LOVE, and you ARE always looking out for each other.
If you feel that your life might be lacking some Godly relationships then take that to God today. Ask Him to send Godly people into your life that you can build friendships and relationships with. We all need that! Ask Him to help you be the kind of friend that someone would need in their life too. Always remember that true friendships go both ways...there are moments of giving, and there are moments of receiving.
If as you read this God is bringing someone to your mind that you know you need to mend some things with, then allow Him to do the work in your heart to allow that mending to begin. And pray for them as well. If it was a Godly friendship than He would not want there to be friction in it....however, if it was not a Godly friendship then be open to the pruning the God may be doing in your life. As one door opens, another door closes. Let Him be the one that shows you which doors really need to be opened and closed.....and then be obedient in that. Remember, God is the only one who is and always will be looking out for you. He wants nothing more than to better you and draw you closer to Him. Adding and removing people in your life may be how is beginning to do a work in you. The question is, will you recognize it...and allow it to take place.
God, Thank You for the friendships you have placed in my life. But most of all thank You for the people that You have allowed me to develop relationships with. Those friendships that offer safety, truth and love. Those people that won't hesitate to tell me what I need to hear, but have the heart and wisdom to do it in such a manner of love that I want to hear it. You have placed people just like that in my life...and for that I thank You. In Jesus name, Amen
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
The Call...
God hear our prayers,
and look into our hearts
Help us do the things today,
That make us set apart
Help us be your hands and feet,
To those who need You most
And may every step we take,
Be led by Your Holy Ghost
Help us listen to Your Spirit,
And let Him search our heart
So that in this messed up world,
We can do our part
Spread Your love,
Spread Your grace,
And spread Your mercy too
So we see the people that you love,
Exactly as You do
Help us not to judge,
Lest we will be judged too
But help us to be faithful ,
In all we say and do
Your kingdom's work before us,
Our hearts unite as one
As Your Holy Spirit guides us,
To do what must be done
Show them Jesus with our lives,
Not just with our words
And let our testimonies,
Be seen and not just heard.
and look into our hearts
Help us do the things today,
That make us set apart
Help us be your hands and feet,
To those who need You most
And may every step we take,
Be led by Your Holy Ghost
Help us listen to Your Spirit,
And let Him search our heart
So that in this messed up world,
We can do our part
Spread Your love,
Spread Your grace,
And spread Your mercy too
So we see the people that you love,
Exactly as You do
Help us not to judge,
Lest we will be judged too
But help us to be faithful ,
In all we say and do
Your kingdom's work before us,
Our hearts unite as one
As Your Holy Spirit guides us,
To do what must be done
Show them Jesus with our lives,
Not just with our words
And let our testimonies,
Be seen and not just heard.
Monday, February 16, 2015
What Season Are You In?
I know a lot of people who don't really care for the winter months. If you live around where I live it can tend to mean that life outside has to pretty much stop for 3 or 4 months. And if you enjoy being outside this can be very hard to accept. Winter represents 3 or 4 very cold and lifeless months that other than getting to either enjoy playing in some snow (or watching your kids play in it), there really isn't a whole lot else to do outside. However, near the end of each winter comes those days where you step outside and it's not quite as cold as it was yesterday. Then you notice that the grass is starting to turn green again. The trees are starting to grow leaves and signs of spring are all around you. Flowers start to bloom and the signs of winter are all but gone. Its seems like it never fails though, winter doesn't like to give up easy. And almost every spring after some thing start to grow again there will be one of those extra cold nights and frost will settle in and try to kill off some of that new growth. People will cover their flowers and do what they can to protect that which has already started to grow. All in and effort to not let the cold kill off the new beauty of spring.
Those seasons I just described very much remind me of our walk with Jesus once we give out lives over to Him. We may not have even realized it, but before Jesus we were stuck in a very cold and lifeless part of life. And when you were living right in the middle of it, you try to make the best of it, just like winter. But once you discover Jesus and you see what "life producing life" feels like, you never want to go back to "being cold" again. John 15:1-17 is a great passage that describes what you life should begin to look like once you start your journey with Christ. And yes I said "begin to look like" because God knows it is a process. He knows that the moment you accept the gift of Jesus Christ in your heart your life doesn't instantly show "fruit". But the longer you walk with Jesus and the more mature you become as a Christian than the more fruit your life should have in it. Like the seasons, starting your walk with Jesus is like the beginning of Spring. You will notice things happening in your life as a result of your new heart and your new way of thinking. Galatians 5:22 give us a "check list" of the fruit that our lives should start to produce. Things like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and faithfulness. All things that Jesus demonstrated for us, and all things that as we stay connected to him (John 15:5) we should begin to walk in as well. But unlike the seasons, when you walk with Jesus and learn to rely on Him, there doesn't have to be another "winter" to come and kill off the good things that have taken root in your life. I'm not saying you won't face hardships, because you will. We live in a sin filled world and because of that things are going to hurt you, try to rob your joy and try to steal your peace. That is the main goal of the enemy. But what I am saying is that when Jesus truly becomes the source of everything listed in Galatians 5:22, then the enemy has no power over removing the God given fruit from your life.
One thing I want to close with......there is a reason we use the term "going through seasons in life". And that is because we can have set backs. However, that is all they should be...a momentary set back. You may be realizing some of the fruit in your life is missing...or even the production of fruit in your life has slowed down. Maybe it's your work in the ministry, fulfilling your God given assignment, your desire to chase after His will or even your ability to witness to others has taken a back seat lately. If any of that describes how you have felt lately, then go into your secret place with God and get honest with Him. It's His desire to get you back on track and show you how loved and necessary you are. The fruit the your one single life can produce has the ability to add to His kingdom in ways we can't even begin to comprehend. We all play and important role in His plan and staying connected to the vine (Jesus), and being a branch the produces fruit, is the best way to allow yourself to be used by God.
God, Thank You for changing our heart and renewing our mind. Thank You that You don't want to leave us where You find us, but bring us out of that cold, dead season of our life and into something new that produces life. Thank You that Your Word promises us that if we abide IN Jesus then He will abide IN us. Help us to fight off the enemy when he attempts to drag us back into the dead parts of our old life and may we rely solely on our relationship with Jesus to help us keep producing good fruit in our lives. In Jesus name, Amen.
Friday, February 13, 2015
What's Blocking Your Faith?
I want to start this blog off by saying that I by no means think that the 3 things I am about to write about are the only 3 things that can block a person's faith. However, these are the 3 things that I felt God put on my heart today that someone needed to hear about. And it is always my prayer the He gives me something, and I write about it. So before I even begin, let me ask you this question. Have you ever felt like your faith goes so far and then it just seems to either stop or just feels like it gets weak? Why is that?
One of the 3 things that can block your faith is unforgiveness in your heart. How God feels about unforgiveness can be found in several verses in the bible....Mark 11:25-26, Ephesians 4:26-27, Matthew 6:14-15 and Ephesians 4:32 are just a few. However, the verses I want to really focus on are Mark 11:25-26, where we are clearly instructed that if we go to God with unforgiveness in our heart then we are to stop right there and forgive that person before we approach God any further. Now this does not mean we can't pray to God if we are struggling with forgiveness with someone. Actually, I would highly suggest taking that to God and asking for His help. But what it does mean is that until you have this cleared up in your own heart, the Lord can see it's there and He is going to continue to work on it with you until you have forgiven. One reason I believe God wants us to clear unforgiveness up is also so the enemy cannot use it against us. God is wise, and He knows that when we need to ask for forgiveness for something we have done, then the first thing the enemy is going to do to us is say "how can you dare ask for forgivenss when you haven't forgiven that person". Do not give the enemy that kind of power over you. Give it to God, choose to forgive and leave it with Him. Do not worry about justice, things being fair or who is right or wrong. Just let God know you forgive them and you trust Him with the situation. And then let go of it.....
The 2nd thing that will block your faith is the need to control. God knows that as long as you have the need to be in control you will never allow Him to be fully in control. And the need to be in control is really just a lack of trust in God's control. Proverbs 3:5 tells us "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding." When we have the need to be in control it is because we are looking at only the things we can see and we are basing all of our decisions, all of our choices, off of those things. We cannot see all that God can see, so we are not having faith that His ways are wiser and better than our ways. We are placing all trust in the circumstances around us and reacting based on those things. Jeremiah 29:11 says "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord....". It does not say "you know the plans I have for you". God says, forget the situation you see, forget the circumstances around you, I see so much more than you and you just have to trust me. You just have to have faith that I've got this....
The 3rd thing that God pressed on my heart that will block someone's faith is fear. And fear will come after you every single time you are supposed to act in faith. Fear says "don't go into the unknown, it's not safe there". Faith says step out and see that you have nothing to fear. They go directly against each other and every single time you will give into one. But you can beat fear. And I don't mean you can beat it once...I mean you can beat it forever! Psalms 56:3-4 says "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?" This kind of peace only comes from one place....faith in your salvation through Jesus Christ. Faith in your salvation says "what can this world do to me?'. Like Paul said in Philippians 1:21 "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." This means, if I live then everything I am, everything I do, will be for the glory of Christ...and if I die, then I will be with Him. So it's a win win situation. There is no fear in that statement. It is a statement of pure faith! But it goes even further than that. Because God wants us to trust Him because we KNOW that He loves us and wants only the best for us. 1 John 4:18 states "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear...", which is saying "trust God's love". Put your faith in the fact that in His love there is nothing to fear...
We may not alway understand God's ways. And so many times I am so glad for that. I don't want to serve a God I can "figure out". I want to serve a God who is so much bigger than that. And I do. Many times, "in the moment", I had no idea where God was going to take me in a situation. Some of that was because I stepped in too much on my own, and now He had a lot of "my doing" to "undo". And faithfully He always has and always will when I release it to Him in FAITH!
God, You amaze me! Your so faithful and worthy of our praise. Thank You that today You want us to know that our faith in You can help us overcome anything in our lives. Please God help us get past the unforgivenss in our hearts, the fear the enemy wants to put inside us and the need to be in control, so that we can SEE what You can do when we fully release things over to you and trust you. I love you, I praise you and I honor you today! In Jesus name, Amen
One of the 3 things that can block your faith is unforgiveness in your heart. How God feels about unforgiveness can be found in several verses in the bible....Mark 11:25-26, Ephesians 4:26-27, Matthew 6:14-15 and Ephesians 4:32 are just a few. However, the verses I want to really focus on are Mark 11:25-26, where we are clearly instructed that if we go to God with unforgiveness in our heart then we are to stop right there and forgive that person before we approach God any further. Now this does not mean we can't pray to God if we are struggling with forgiveness with someone. Actually, I would highly suggest taking that to God and asking for His help. But what it does mean is that until you have this cleared up in your own heart, the Lord can see it's there and He is going to continue to work on it with you until you have forgiven. One reason I believe God wants us to clear unforgiveness up is also so the enemy cannot use it against us. God is wise, and He knows that when we need to ask for forgiveness for something we have done, then the first thing the enemy is going to do to us is say "how can you dare ask for forgivenss when you haven't forgiven that person". Do not give the enemy that kind of power over you. Give it to God, choose to forgive and leave it with Him. Do not worry about justice, things being fair or who is right or wrong. Just let God know you forgive them and you trust Him with the situation. And then let go of it.....
The 2nd thing that will block your faith is the need to control. God knows that as long as you have the need to be in control you will never allow Him to be fully in control. And the need to be in control is really just a lack of trust in God's control. Proverbs 3:5 tells us "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding." When we have the need to be in control it is because we are looking at only the things we can see and we are basing all of our decisions, all of our choices, off of those things. We cannot see all that God can see, so we are not having faith that His ways are wiser and better than our ways. We are placing all trust in the circumstances around us and reacting based on those things. Jeremiah 29:11 says "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord....". It does not say "you know the plans I have for you". God says, forget the situation you see, forget the circumstances around you, I see so much more than you and you just have to trust me. You just have to have faith that I've got this....
The 3rd thing that God pressed on my heart that will block someone's faith is fear. And fear will come after you every single time you are supposed to act in faith. Fear says "don't go into the unknown, it's not safe there". Faith says step out and see that you have nothing to fear. They go directly against each other and every single time you will give into one. But you can beat fear. And I don't mean you can beat it once...I mean you can beat it forever! Psalms 56:3-4 says "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?" This kind of peace only comes from one place....faith in your salvation through Jesus Christ. Faith in your salvation says "what can this world do to me?'. Like Paul said in Philippians 1:21 "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." This means, if I live then everything I am, everything I do, will be for the glory of Christ...and if I die, then I will be with Him. So it's a win win situation. There is no fear in that statement. It is a statement of pure faith! But it goes even further than that. Because God wants us to trust Him because we KNOW that He loves us and wants only the best for us. 1 John 4:18 states "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear...", which is saying "trust God's love". Put your faith in the fact that in His love there is nothing to fear...
We may not alway understand God's ways. And so many times I am so glad for that. I don't want to serve a God I can "figure out". I want to serve a God who is so much bigger than that. And I do. Many times, "in the moment", I had no idea where God was going to take me in a situation. Some of that was because I stepped in too much on my own, and now He had a lot of "my doing" to "undo". And faithfully He always has and always will when I release it to Him in FAITH!
God, You amaze me! Your so faithful and worthy of our praise. Thank You that today You want us to know that our faith in You can help us overcome anything in our lives. Please God help us get past the unforgivenss in our hearts, the fear the enemy wants to put inside us and the need to be in control, so that we can SEE what You can do when we fully release things over to you and trust you. I love you, I praise you and I honor you today! In Jesus name, Amen
Thursday, February 12, 2015
100% Truth....100% Love...
Have you ever felt the urge to talk to someone about Jesus, but the more moments you let pass by, the more you talked yourself out of doing it. Many things can come into play when you face a moment like this. It may be the personality of the person that makes you nervous to do this. It may be the lifestyle that you know they live and the fact that anything you say about God's word and God's truth is going to go against that lifestyle. Or it may just be the fact that speaking out in a moment like that has just always been hard for you to do. All of these things are very understandable reasons to be nervous or even scared to open up a conversation about Jesus to a nonbeliever. However, that is exactly why we should not rely on our own strength in a moment like this. Let Go and Let God!
I'm a firm believer in the fact that God will strategically place you in situations, places and even conversations that are an open door for you to introduce someone to His love. Sometimes we are obedient...and sometimes we let that moment pass us by. I hate to even say it, but it's true...sometimes we are so busy in our own agenda that we don't even realize the moment came and went. We are just going through life with our own set of plans each day and we don't stop and look for the opportunities that God is giving us.
Fear will always be the number one thing that the enemy will place right smack in front of you when it's time to share the gospel with someone. But I recently read something that has really stuck with me. It said "Both Fear and Faith require a believe in something you can not see"...so true! So what is expected of us? Are we expected to just walk down the street screaming of God's love? Are we expected to tell every single person we meet about Jesus? I would say no to the first one and I don't think so to the second one. What I do believe is that we are supposed to stay so close to, and in touch with, the Holy Spirit that when He says "now is the time", we just step out and do it. I believe that is the kind of obedience that God is looking for out of us. We step out of fear and step into faith and we share the amazing message of God's love.
Which brings me to my other point....we are there to tell them about God's truth...IN LOVE. So many times we are guilty of telling them the truth, but we forgot the love part. You don't want to guilt someone into coming to God. You don't want to drag someone to God. You want to create and environment with that person that allows the Holy Spirit to speak to their heart about what is missing in their life....God. The feeling of God's forgiveness, God's grace, God's mercy and most importantly...God's love. Hopefully we can all remember the moment that we realized just how much God loves us and the meaning behind what Jesus did for us. That is the moment we want to help someone else find. And doing it in love is really the only way that is going to happen.
So do I believe God expects us to spread the word....ABSOLUTELY. Do I believe He expects us t speak 100% truth, even when it's not easy....ABSOLUTELY. Do I believe He expects us to do it in love...ABSOLUTELY.
Standing on the street corner and screaming that everyone it going to hell may be the truth, but the love part is missing. God wants us to be effective. Jesus demonstrated how do it in love and He wants us to do it just as He did. Matthew 10:16 says "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves." and 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 says "Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love." I think with those 3 verses alone it is quite easy to see what is expected, and how it is expected.
I have said this to my friends before and I'll say it now. When it comes to speaking God's truth to someone.....If you had a friend that you knew was doing something that was going to lead to them either spending their life in prison or even dead, would you warn them? Would you try to get them to stop? Would you do all you could for that friend to get them to change the destructive path they are on? Well.....we all have friends that are on a path that is leading them straight into hell. Why is it we are not doing all we can to get them to change that destructive path? Help them understand their sin, and God's love. And what happens when we lay our sin at His feet.
God, Thank You that through your gift, Jesus Christ, you have already provided the way. Help us to rely on Your Spirit to tell us when it is time to share Your Word...and how to do it. Help us step out of ALL fear and speak in boldness and love about Your truth. May our own lives speak so loudly about what Your love can do to change someone that people will see You at work in us before we even speak the first word. In Jesus name, Amen.
I'm a firm believer in the fact that God will strategically place you in situations, places and even conversations that are an open door for you to introduce someone to His love. Sometimes we are obedient...and sometimes we let that moment pass us by. I hate to even say it, but it's true...sometimes we are so busy in our own agenda that we don't even realize the moment came and went. We are just going through life with our own set of plans each day and we don't stop and look for the opportunities that God is giving us.
Fear will always be the number one thing that the enemy will place right smack in front of you when it's time to share the gospel with someone. But I recently read something that has really stuck with me. It said "Both Fear and Faith require a believe in something you can not see"...so true! So what is expected of us? Are we expected to just walk down the street screaming of God's love? Are we expected to tell every single person we meet about Jesus? I would say no to the first one and I don't think so to the second one. What I do believe is that we are supposed to stay so close to, and in touch with, the Holy Spirit that when He says "now is the time", we just step out and do it. I believe that is the kind of obedience that God is looking for out of us. We step out of fear and step into faith and we share the amazing message of God's love.
Which brings me to my other point....we are there to tell them about God's truth...IN LOVE. So many times we are guilty of telling them the truth, but we forgot the love part. You don't want to guilt someone into coming to God. You don't want to drag someone to God. You want to create and environment with that person that allows the Holy Spirit to speak to their heart about what is missing in their life....God. The feeling of God's forgiveness, God's grace, God's mercy and most importantly...God's love. Hopefully we can all remember the moment that we realized just how much God loves us and the meaning behind what Jesus did for us. That is the moment we want to help someone else find. And doing it in love is really the only way that is going to happen.
So do I believe God expects us to spread the word....ABSOLUTELY. Do I believe He expects us t speak 100% truth, even when it's not easy....ABSOLUTELY. Do I believe He expects us to do it in love...ABSOLUTELY.
Standing on the street corner and screaming that everyone it going to hell may be the truth, but the love part is missing. God wants us to be effective. Jesus demonstrated how do it in love and He wants us to do it just as He did. Matthew 10:16 says "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves." and 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 says "Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love." I think with those 3 verses alone it is quite easy to see what is expected, and how it is expected.
I have said this to my friends before and I'll say it now. When it comes to speaking God's truth to someone.....If you had a friend that you knew was doing something that was going to lead to them either spending their life in prison or even dead, would you warn them? Would you try to get them to stop? Would you do all you could for that friend to get them to change the destructive path they are on? Well.....we all have friends that are on a path that is leading them straight into hell. Why is it we are not doing all we can to get them to change that destructive path? Help them understand their sin, and God's love. And what happens when we lay our sin at His feet.
God, Thank You that through your gift, Jesus Christ, you have already provided the way. Help us to rely on Your Spirit to tell us when it is time to share Your Word...and how to do it. Help us step out of ALL fear and speak in boldness and love about Your truth. May our own lives speak so loudly about what Your love can do to change someone that people will see You at work in us before we even speak the first word. In Jesus name, Amen.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Forgiven and Set Free!
I want to ask you to go with me in your mind to a scene in a court room. There sits a judge and a person who is guilty and about to have judgement passed down on them. There is no question of their guilt, all the evidence is clear and what they are being charged with is exactly what they did. So the question is not a matter of innocence or guilt, but one of punishment and consequences. So as the person sits there waiting to hear the judge tell them their sentence, they also sit there with regret. They know what they have done, they see the wrong in it and they wish in that very moment that they could go back and change things. They want to say sorry, but at this point it seems to late. However, what they don't know about the judge is that he can see all of these things on their face and he has compassion on them. At a moment when he could tell them that they are going to prison for the rest of their life, he instead tells them that he is going to drop all charges. That he has the power to do so and that is his choice. As he sees the face of the person light up with hope he then proceeds to tell them they are free, but that freedom has to mean something to them. He explains that he is going to erase their record of any wrong that they have committed, but they have to give him their word that they will leave that court room and try to live a different life. They have to look him in the eye and say that it really and truly means something for them to receive this kind of forgiveness, and they do not and will not take it for granted. Then the judge goes on to explain that every time they can't find it in themselves to make the right decision in a situation...every time they are in a situation that looks like something from their past and their first instinct is to react like they would have before...DON'T! And if they need one thing to help them make the right decision in those moments, then to think back on that day when everything they did wrong was forgiven. Take themselves back to the moment when "the judge" had compassion for them and showed them grace and mercy they did not deserve....then let that be the very thing that motivates them to do what is right. Let that be the reason they make the good choice and not fall back into their past ways and decisions. Let their gratitude and appreciation for the fact they were forgiven help them to react out of love and do things differently.
What I have just described is the very thing that happens the moment we meet Jesus....like really meet Jesus. This is the scene that takes place when we come to Him broken and know that we have sin in our lives that could sentence us to hell forever. He is the judge that wants to show us compassion, grace and mercy. He is the one who wants to erase all the bad decisions we have made, as well as all the bad choices that have hurt our life and the lives of others. He is the one who has the power to give us a fresh start and let us walk away a free person. His power cannot be overthrown by anyone or anything else. Once he slaps the label of forgiven on you, then it is done! However, just like in John 8:11, the one thing He asks of us is to "go and sin no more". And just like I explained above, Jesus knows there will be situations where we will be tempted, we will "feel" like falling back into our old ways and we will mess up. But what He wants us to do is, in that moment, stop and think about the grace you were shown, the forgiveness you were given, the compassion He had on you...and the let the gratitude and appreciation help you make the right choice and do the right thing that would be pleasing in His eyes. But also, the other beautiful thing about Jesus is that He will be there to forgive you when you do mess up. That is not a license to mess up....because the love and gratitude toward Him should change your heart so you won't want to sin, but because we will never be perfect like He was, we will need to go back to Him again and say "sorry, please forgive me". And He will be there with open arms to say "it's why I died for you...".
God's love...the very death of Jesus done out of love for you and I....are not easy things to wrap our heads around. No one will ever be able to show you that kind of love in this lifetime. He made a way for us to live forgiven and set free. His desire is for each of us to spend eternity with Him.....but ultimately the choice is yours. The hard hearted person could have sat in that court room and said back to the judge, "I don't want or need your forgiveness. Send me to prison"....but why? Let God soften the heart, accept His gift of forgiveness and live a life the points others to Him.
God, Thank You that You are a just, yet compassionate judge. That You already made the way for us to receive the forgiveness even before we asked for it. Help us to have the heart to believe, receive and walk in the grace and mercy that You offer to us each and every day of our lives. And may our lives be pleasing in Your eyes and point others to you. In Jesus name, Amen.
What I have just described is the very thing that happens the moment we meet Jesus....like really meet Jesus. This is the scene that takes place when we come to Him broken and know that we have sin in our lives that could sentence us to hell forever. He is the judge that wants to show us compassion, grace and mercy. He is the one who wants to erase all the bad decisions we have made, as well as all the bad choices that have hurt our life and the lives of others. He is the one who has the power to give us a fresh start and let us walk away a free person. His power cannot be overthrown by anyone or anything else. Once he slaps the label of forgiven on you, then it is done! However, just like in John 8:11, the one thing He asks of us is to "go and sin no more". And just like I explained above, Jesus knows there will be situations where we will be tempted, we will "feel" like falling back into our old ways and we will mess up. But what He wants us to do is, in that moment, stop and think about the grace you were shown, the forgiveness you were given, the compassion He had on you...and the let the gratitude and appreciation help you make the right choice and do the right thing that would be pleasing in His eyes. But also, the other beautiful thing about Jesus is that He will be there to forgive you when you do mess up. That is not a license to mess up....because the love and gratitude toward Him should change your heart so you won't want to sin, but because we will never be perfect like He was, we will need to go back to Him again and say "sorry, please forgive me". And He will be there with open arms to say "it's why I died for you...".
God's love...the very death of Jesus done out of love for you and I....are not easy things to wrap our heads around. No one will ever be able to show you that kind of love in this lifetime. He made a way for us to live forgiven and set free. His desire is for each of us to spend eternity with Him.....but ultimately the choice is yours. The hard hearted person could have sat in that court room and said back to the judge, "I don't want or need your forgiveness. Send me to prison"....but why? Let God soften the heart, accept His gift of forgiveness and live a life the points others to Him.
God, Thank You that You are a just, yet compassionate judge. That You already made the way for us to receive the forgiveness even before we asked for it. Help us to have the heart to believe, receive and walk in the grace and mercy that You offer to us each and every day of our lives. And may our lives be pleasing in Your eyes and point others to you. In Jesus name, Amen.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Seek...
Matthew 6:33 says "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."
Today God is really pressing on my heart the word "seek". He is not so much even telling me to seek more of Him...but He is pressing it on me to talk about what and why we seek the things we do.
Matthew 6 says to "seek first the kingdom of God". This means that every decision we make, each and every day of our life, should be made based on pleasing God FIRST. I know that some people will read that and think it sounds a bit extreme, but I would have to counter that with the question...Does it? If I know and recognize that everything I have, everything I am, is because of God's blessings, then how does seeking Him first seems extreme? The thing that I have found when it comes to seeking God's will, is that it will truly cause me to listen for Him more. When you want to know what He wants for you, you listen. When you just go through your day making your own decisions you will find that you "unconsciously" aren't even listening for Him at all. And listening for Him is far more important than talking to Him or telling Him what we need. He has things to show you...things to tell you, but it takes the "seeking" part from you.
Think about the decisions you are making...or even the ones you are praying about. Get honest with yourself and ask the tough questions like "do I benefit from this the most?". Sometimes, even with the best of intentions, we will look for all the reasons God would want us to do something because it really is something that we want or we are going to benefit from. But I would challenge you with this thought.....sometimes the things He wants us to do the most do not benefit us. They may in the long run in ways we cannot even see, but for the most part, things God calls us to do are selfless acts that might even benefit someone or something else. But again, it take honest seeking to allow God to get that real with you. Don't rob yourself from a blessing that God has in store for you by making decisions without seeking Him.
And let me close with this thought...and trust me this may not and easy thing to do. Today, get real with God and ask Him to reveal to you the decisions that you have made without Him or His blessing. And if He shows you things, be ready and humble enough to undo, redo, step out of, change or start over whatever it is He presses on your heart. I recently had to do something like that and even though it was very difficult, it drew me close to him and showed me a level of obedience with Him that I didn't even know existed in me. But it also made me realize that the difficulty really came from the fact that I didn't truly seek Him before I made that decision. Lesson learned....
God, Thank You for guiding us. Thank You for instructing us. Thank You for directing and correcting us. Thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit to help us make decisions. Help us God to slow down and seek You before we step into anything. May we become so disciplined, that being obedient is far more important than being selfish. Teach us to seek.....and then let us see the benefits of it on our lives. In Jesus name, Amen
Today God is really pressing on my heart the word "seek". He is not so much even telling me to seek more of Him...but He is pressing it on me to talk about what and why we seek the things we do.
Matthew 6 says to "seek first the kingdom of God". This means that every decision we make, each and every day of our life, should be made based on pleasing God FIRST. I know that some people will read that and think it sounds a bit extreme, but I would have to counter that with the question...Does it? If I know and recognize that everything I have, everything I am, is because of God's blessings, then how does seeking Him first seems extreme? The thing that I have found when it comes to seeking God's will, is that it will truly cause me to listen for Him more. When you want to know what He wants for you, you listen. When you just go through your day making your own decisions you will find that you "unconsciously" aren't even listening for Him at all. And listening for Him is far more important than talking to Him or telling Him what we need. He has things to show you...things to tell you, but it takes the "seeking" part from you.
Think about the decisions you are making...or even the ones you are praying about. Get honest with yourself and ask the tough questions like "do I benefit from this the most?". Sometimes, even with the best of intentions, we will look for all the reasons God would want us to do something because it really is something that we want or we are going to benefit from. But I would challenge you with this thought.....sometimes the things He wants us to do the most do not benefit us. They may in the long run in ways we cannot even see, but for the most part, things God calls us to do are selfless acts that might even benefit someone or something else. But again, it take honest seeking to allow God to get that real with you. Don't rob yourself from a blessing that God has in store for you by making decisions without seeking Him.
And let me close with this thought...and trust me this may not and easy thing to do. Today, get real with God and ask Him to reveal to you the decisions that you have made without Him or His blessing. And if He shows you things, be ready and humble enough to undo, redo, step out of, change or start over whatever it is He presses on your heart. I recently had to do something like that and even though it was very difficult, it drew me close to him and showed me a level of obedience with Him that I didn't even know existed in me. But it also made me realize that the difficulty really came from the fact that I didn't truly seek Him before I made that decision. Lesson learned....
God, Thank You for guiding us. Thank You for instructing us. Thank You for directing and correcting us. Thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit to help us make decisions. Help us God to slow down and seek You before we step into anything. May we become so disciplined, that being obedient is far more important than being selfish. Teach us to seek.....and then let us see the benefits of it on our lives. In Jesus name, Amen
Monday, February 9, 2015
Praise Your Way Through A Spiritual Attack
The words "spiritual attack" is something I have become very familiar with over the past year. I grew up knowing what a spiritual attack meant, but until I was in the middle of one, I could not have put to words what one would feel like. But now I not only know what one is, but through the wisdom of the Holy Spirit I know how to even see it coming.
God has a plan and a path for each one of us to follow. And the enemy wants to do anything and everything to stop that from happening. When we are not following that plan (or God's will), the enemy will sit dormant in our life because we are of no real threat to him. But the moment we start to realize that God is calling us to something and we begin to explore that....watch out! This is the moment we pop up on the enemies "radar". At first he may do small things like tempt you, try your patience or just try and frustrate you to knock you off your path. But when you dig in your heals and show him that what God wants for you in THE MOST important thing in your life, then he will turn up the heat on you. And it is in those moments that you MUST dig in deeper with the Lord and rely more on God. Do not think this is the time to stand strong on your own because you are "good" Christian and you've got this. That is exactly what the enemy would want you to do. This is one of the traps he loves to get us in. He wants you to let your pride take over and try to stand up to him without using the power and name of Jesus Christ. However, this would not be using Godly wisdom. And don't think you need to launch an attack back at the enemy either.....this is just something else he would want you to do. He is looking for a fight and the best way to disappoint him is to live in peace. When he comes at you, pray for God to give you a supernatural peace that the enemy knows nothing about. Something that allows you to find joy and gives you a reason to show love even in the worst of situations. ONLY God can provide that. Satan wants you to find peace and joy in the things this world has to offer because he knows they will eventually fail you and set you back even further than you were. When you rely on the things of this world for the feeling of love, peace, joy and a word people love to use..."happiness"...then you stop relying on God for all of these things. And when they let you down...and they will....you realize the distance that those things created between you and God. Ask God to provide an inner peace...and He will. Ask Him to show you joy in your life...and He will. Pray for Him to help you give the love to others that you are receiving from Him...and He will. But He will only do these things when you ask. So ask!!
Praise Report: Last week I didn't get to blog much. The reason for that was because my schedule was all thrown off and I had to take a couple of unexpected days off work. At a time when it was 16 degrees outside my furnace completely stopped working. And because I can see when the enemy is coming after me now, I knew this was not just about a furnace stopping. This was a spiritual attack to come at me from a financial side, to try to stress me out, to try to make me worry and to get me to react. However, I was not going to give the enemy that kind of satisfaction. I started off by dealing with this problem in prayer and then I watched the Lord do His work. In a matter of 48 hours He put me in touch with people in Illinois, Wisconsin and my home town to get me a conversion kit for parts that are no longer made. I saw people offer me free help over the phone for stuff that should have been billable. I watch God provide finically for $700 worth of parts that I did not expect to have to buy. And then God provided the skill set I needed to do the work myself.(something I had never done). To some in may sound silly to give God the credit for all of those things, but I'm here to tell you that it was only when I took my hands off of it, and trusted Him, that everything began to fall into place.
I know the enemy wanted to use this as one more way to "wreck me", but I refused to allow that to happen. God brought me through it...and to GOD I give all the credit. Thank you Lord for being a God that loves me enough to get involved in even the smallest details of my life!
God, Thank You that you want to get involved in the smallest details of our lives. Please help us stay humble enough to allow You to. Give us the wisdom to see the enemy's attacks on us and go straight to You for help. Do not let us fall into the trap of fighting the enemy on our own....Your Word promises us we don't have to, and that when we call upon the name of Jesus the enemy will run in fear. So let Your name always be the first thing we call upon when things get tough. And then, remind us to go and tell others what all You did to help us. Thank you again God for ALL You do for us each and every day of our lives. In Jesus name, Amen
God has a plan and a path for each one of us to follow. And the enemy wants to do anything and everything to stop that from happening. When we are not following that plan (or God's will), the enemy will sit dormant in our life because we are of no real threat to him. But the moment we start to realize that God is calling us to something and we begin to explore that....watch out! This is the moment we pop up on the enemies "radar". At first he may do small things like tempt you, try your patience or just try and frustrate you to knock you off your path. But when you dig in your heals and show him that what God wants for you in THE MOST important thing in your life, then he will turn up the heat on you. And it is in those moments that you MUST dig in deeper with the Lord and rely more on God. Do not think this is the time to stand strong on your own because you are "good" Christian and you've got this. That is exactly what the enemy would want you to do. This is one of the traps he loves to get us in. He wants you to let your pride take over and try to stand up to him without using the power and name of Jesus Christ. However, this would not be using Godly wisdom. And don't think you need to launch an attack back at the enemy either.....this is just something else he would want you to do. He is looking for a fight and the best way to disappoint him is to live in peace. When he comes at you, pray for God to give you a supernatural peace that the enemy knows nothing about. Something that allows you to find joy and gives you a reason to show love even in the worst of situations. ONLY God can provide that. Satan wants you to find peace and joy in the things this world has to offer because he knows they will eventually fail you and set you back even further than you were. When you rely on the things of this world for the feeling of love, peace, joy and a word people love to use..."happiness"...then you stop relying on God for all of these things. And when they let you down...and they will....you realize the distance that those things created between you and God. Ask God to provide an inner peace...and He will. Ask Him to show you joy in your life...and He will. Pray for Him to help you give the love to others that you are receiving from Him...and He will. But He will only do these things when you ask. So ask!!
Praise Report: Last week I didn't get to blog much. The reason for that was because my schedule was all thrown off and I had to take a couple of unexpected days off work. At a time when it was 16 degrees outside my furnace completely stopped working. And because I can see when the enemy is coming after me now, I knew this was not just about a furnace stopping. This was a spiritual attack to come at me from a financial side, to try to stress me out, to try to make me worry and to get me to react. However, I was not going to give the enemy that kind of satisfaction. I started off by dealing with this problem in prayer and then I watched the Lord do His work. In a matter of 48 hours He put me in touch with people in Illinois, Wisconsin and my home town to get me a conversion kit for parts that are no longer made. I saw people offer me free help over the phone for stuff that should have been billable. I watch God provide finically for $700 worth of parts that I did not expect to have to buy. And then God provided the skill set I needed to do the work myself.(something I had never done). To some in may sound silly to give God the credit for all of those things, but I'm here to tell you that it was only when I took my hands off of it, and trusted Him, that everything began to fall into place.
I know the enemy wanted to use this as one more way to "wreck me", but I refused to allow that to happen. God brought me through it...and to GOD I give all the credit. Thank you Lord for being a God that loves me enough to get involved in even the smallest details of my life!
God, Thank You that you want to get involved in the smallest details of our lives. Please help us stay humble enough to allow You to. Give us the wisdom to see the enemy's attacks on us and go straight to You for help. Do not let us fall into the trap of fighting the enemy on our own....Your Word promises us we don't have to, and that when we call upon the name of Jesus the enemy will run in fear. So let Your name always be the first thing we call upon when things get tough. And then, remind us to go and tell others what all You did to help us. Thank you again God for ALL You do for us each and every day of our lives. In Jesus name, Amen
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Meek, Weak and Humble = Strength
Jesus never meant for us to think like the world thinks. He came into this world and not only introduced us to a whole different way of thinking and living, but He also showed us how it was done. He had all the power He could have ever needed to do anything He wanted to do while He walked the face of this earth, but He lived a pure and humble life. He taught using words of love and wisdom, not words of authority and force. And He proved and taught over and over again that the weak will be made strong and the strong will be made weak. Even in His death He allowed those in authority, who thought they were "strong", to sentence him, and put Him, to death. But He showed them 3 days later that even in all of their authority, their crucifixion and death itself could not keep Him down.
God's Word promises us that the weak will be made strong and the strong will be made weak. When things are going on around you that make you feel "out of control", just rest in the fact that "you" don't need to be "in control". Rest in the peace of knowing the One who is in control and the fact that NOTHING can stand up against His strength.
Even last night as I was praying I was just sick about the latest ISIS killings. And the human side of me wanted to cry out to God and say destroy all of these evil evil people. But instead I simply prayed that I know I serve a just God and there will be a day that justice will come down on them. It may not be while they still breath on this earth, but it will happen some day. However, as long as they still have the chance to be saved, I had to pray that God would rescue them from their own evil ways and turn their hearts from darkness to light. In my own strength those are not words I can even begin to produce after seeing the things these men have done. But when I think about the fact that Jesus came to die for them just as much as He came to die for me, I become very humble and realize it's not my place to decide "who" His salvation is for. He offers it to ALL and those who reject it will face Him on day of judgement.
So I found myself thinking about the idea of staying weak and humble this morning. The idea of not allowing myself to think I am worth more in the eyes of God than any other human that walks the face of this earth. He values us all the same...He loves us all the same. That is not for me to understand, but that is for me to accept. So I pray that God will keep me at this place of humbleness so I can continue to pray for the hearts and salvation of those that I love, those that are hard to love, those that have just flat out wronged me and hurt me and those that are evil in this world. I pray that every time I go to Him in prayer He reminds me of "my need" for His grace and mercy, and keeps me at a place of weakness and humbleness. Because I am at my strongest (in Him) when I recognize my own weakness and rely on His strength.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 says "And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
God's Word promises us that the weak will be made strong and the strong will be made weak. When things are going on around you that make you feel "out of control", just rest in the fact that "you" don't need to be "in control". Rest in the peace of knowing the One who is in control and the fact that NOTHING can stand up against His strength.
Even last night as I was praying I was just sick about the latest ISIS killings. And the human side of me wanted to cry out to God and say destroy all of these evil evil people. But instead I simply prayed that I know I serve a just God and there will be a day that justice will come down on them. It may not be while they still breath on this earth, but it will happen some day. However, as long as they still have the chance to be saved, I had to pray that God would rescue them from their own evil ways and turn their hearts from darkness to light. In my own strength those are not words I can even begin to produce after seeing the things these men have done. But when I think about the fact that Jesus came to die for them just as much as He came to die for me, I become very humble and realize it's not my place to decide "who" His salvation is for. He offers it to ALL and those who reject it will face Him on day of judgement.
So I found myself thinking about the idea of staying weak and humble this morning. The idea of not allowing myself to think I am worth more in the eyes of God than any other human that walks the face of this earth. He values us all the same...He loves us all the same. That is not for me to understand, but that is for me to accept. So I pray that God will keep me at this place of humbleness so I can continue to pray for the hearts and salvation of those that I love, those that are hard to love, those that have just flat out wronged me and hurt me and those that are evil in this world. I pray that every time I go to Him in prayer He reminds me of "my need" for His grace and mercy, and keeps me at a place of weakness and humbleness. Because I am at my strongest (in Him) when I recognize my own weakness and rely on His strength.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 says "And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
God, Thank You for loving me in and through my weakness. Please remind me daily that this IS the place I need to stay so that I can remain humble and hear from you the most. Help me to pray for those that need it most and not to pass judgement on them. Change the mindset of this world so man will stop trying to build himself up higher than You. In Jesus name, Amen.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
What You Seek.....You Will Find.
What you seek....you will find. If you want to include God in that, then you will find what God has for you. However, if you choose to exclude God from what you are seeking, then you will find what the world has to offer you. And God's Word is very clear that this world has nothing to offer us but heartache and trouble.
God is a God of peace, a God of love, a God of forgiveness, a God of grace and mercy.....and He is a just God. He looks into the heart of a man, and looks past the mind. This world looks into the mind of a man, and looks past the heart. If it truly is peace and joy that you seek, then God is the ONLY place you will truly find it. You may find temporary things in this world that seem to offer peace or joy, but temporary is exactly what it will be and the world will always take you down a path that pulls you further from God if He is not in it. John 14:27 says "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
Christ could not have been any more blunt about the peace you will find IN HIM...and the fact that this world can not offer it to you.
NO MATTER what is going on in your life, seek peace in Christ. He can give you a supernatural peace and a supernatural joy in all of life's circumstances. Though you may feel like you are being attacked from every side, peace and joy can be in your heart. Take every moment to remind the enemy that he can not and will not rob you of that. Remind the enemy that you know what John 10:10 says (The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.) and through the power of Jesus you WILL have an abundant life IN Jesus. Do not allow the enemy kill, steal or destroy one more minute of your life!
God, may Your people find peace in You today. No matter what the world throws at us, no matter what the enemy tries to use against us, may we stand firm on Your Word and Your truth. May the power of Your love defeat all negativity in ours lives and change the hearts of those who do not yet know your peace. Give us the strength to be able to offer the love, grace and mercy that is offered up to us. In Jesus name, Amen.
God is a God of peace, a God of love, a God of forgiveness, a God of grace and mercy.....and He is a just God. He looks into the heart of a man, and looks past the mind. This world looks into the mind of a man, and looks past the heart. If it truly is peace and joy that you seek, then God is the ONLY place you will truly find it. You may find temporary things in this world that seem to offer peace or joy, but temporary is exactly what it will be and the world will always take you down a path that pulls you further from God if He is not in it. John 14:27 says "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
Christ could not have been any more blunt about the peace you will find IN HIM...and the fact that this world can not offer it to you.
NO MATTER what is going on in your life, seek peace in Christ. He can give you a supernatural peace and a supernatural joy in all of life's circumstances. Though you may feel like you are being attacked from every side, peace and joy can be in your heart. Take every moment to remind the enemy that he can not and will not rob you of that. Remind the enemy that you know what John 10:10 says (The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.) and through the power of Jesus you WILL have an abundant life IN Jesus. Do not allow the enemy kill, steal or destroy one more minute of your life!
God, may Your people find peace in You today. No matter what the world throws at us, no matter what the enemy tries to use against us, may we stand firm on Your Word and Your truth. May the power of Your love defeat all negativity in ours lives and change the hearts of those who do not yet know your peace. Give us the strength to be able to offer the love, grace and mercy that is offered up to us. In Jesus name, Amen.
Monday, February 2, 2015
Stay Prepared...
As I was traveling in to work today I felt like I was supposed to turn off the music and just listen in the silence for what God had to say to me. Literally within 1 minute of doing that I began to hear (and see) what God wanted to show me. Part of this I fully believe was for me, and part of it was for today's blog.
Like I said, within 1 minute of saying "ok God, speak to me, I will make this drive in silence so I can hear from you", He began to show me what it was He wanted me to see. It started by a semi truck having to make a quick change of lanes and ending up in front of me. When this happened the truck threw a lot of dirt and dirty water up off the road up onto my window. At first I was like "oh great" because if there is one thing I like when I'm driving, it's a clean windshield. And when I got in the car this morning the rain last night had really left me with a crystal clear view, which I was really enjoying. So why did a semi splattering my windshield allow me to hear (and see) what God was trying to show me?......Well, that's because I quickly remembered that I STILL had not refilled my windshield washer fluid and now this very mucked up windshield was going to be my view for the rest of my drive to work. And why was this my view now.....because I was not prepared. The very hard to see through windshield was not like this because of the semi, but it was like this because I didn't have something to clean it with. And this was my own fault. Had I been prepared, the nothing about this moment would have even been worth thinking about. I would have washed the windshield and gone on in to work with a clear view. But what God was showing me was how we do the same thing in life all the time. We are going through life looking ahead and getting very used to this "clear view" that we have. So much so that we take it for granted and let our guard down on staying prepared for the day that the vision is not so clear. Then the enemy comes along and throws something up in front of us to distract us, to throw us off, to catch us unprepared to deal with him and to cause us to lose focus. Now just because my windshield was extremely dirty and very hard to see through now didn't mean I all the sudden didn't know how to get to work, but it did mean that I was very distracted and frustrated for the rest of my drive. Which is exactly what the enemy wants to do to us. He might know that he can't stop us in our tracks, but if he can do anything to distract us and frustrate us, he will. And one of the reasons he may be able to do this is because we were not prepared (spiritually) for what it was he was going to throw up in front of us. Keeping our spirit strong in the Lord is extremely important. It is the very backbone to being able to stand up to the enemy and say "not today satan, not today!". When you can counter satan's attempts by either speaking out scripture to him, knowing how to immediately pray to God for wisdom in a situation or just standing firm on what you know and believe because you are keeping yourself close to God by allowing Him to speak to you through you devotions and prayer in your secret place, then nothing satan tries to throw up in your path will have an affect on you. Just like the dirt on my windshield would have been no big deal had I been able to use my cleaner to get my windshield right back to clean and clear again. Don't let the enemy catch you "unprepared". Take every day as an opportunity to draw closer to God and ask Him to help you, and teach you how to be prepared for satan's schemes. Don't rely on your own strength, because when you do you will quickly find out how in your humanness, you were not as prepared as you thought you were. And just like my drive in today, it is not "in the moment" that you want to find out that you were not ready to deal with what is right in front of you. You have the power, in Jesus, to defeat the enemy long before he even has a chance to attack.....by being prepared!
Matthew 13:25-30 is the parable about the enemy coming to sow weeds among the good seeds while the man was sleeping. Don't let the enemy catch you sleeping! Don't allow him to attempt to ruin something good in your life because you let your guard down and gave him a chance to find a way in while you were "sleeping" or unprepared.
God, Thank You that you provide ALL we need to keep the enemy in his place. Do not let us take that for granted and allow ourselves to become unprepared. Remind us daily how important it is to keep our spirit strong IN YOU. Also God, help us to see when others have let their guard down and come along side them to help pick them up. Help us speak words of love into their life so they will get back to where they need to be with you God...so they too can defeat the enemy's plans in their life. In Jesus name, Amen
Like I said, within 1 minute of saying "ok God, speak to me, I will make this drive in silence so I can hear from you", He began to show me what it was He wanted me to see. It started by a semi truck having to make a quick change of lanes and ending up in front of me. When this happened the truck threw a lot of dirt and dirty water up off the road up onto my window. At first I was like "oh great" because if there is one thing I like when I'm driving, it's a clean windshield. And when I got in the car this morning the rain last night had really left me with a crystal clear view, which I was really enjoying. So why did a semi splattering my windshield allow me to hear (and see) what God was trying to show me?......Well, that's because I quickly remembered that I STILL had not refilled my windshield washer fluid and now this very mucked up windshield was going to be my view for the rest of my drive to work. And why was this my view now.....because I was not prepared. The very hard to see through windshield was not like this because of the semi, but it was like this because I didn't have something to clean it with. And this was my own fault. Had I been prepared, the nothing about this moment would have even been worth thinking about. I would have washed the windshield and gone on in to work with a clear view. But what God was showing me was how we do the same thing in life all the time. We are going through life looking ahead and getting very used to this "clear view" that we have. So much so that we take it for granted and let our guard down on staying prepared for the day that the vision is not so clear. Then the enemy comes along and throws something up in front of us to distract us, to throw us off, to catch us unprepared to deal with him and to cause us to lose focus. Now just because my windshield was extremely dirty and very hard to see through now didn't mean I all the sudden didn't know how to get to work, but it did mean that I was very distracted and frustrated for the rest of my drive. Which is exactly what the enemy wants to do to us. He might know that he can't stop us in our tracks, but if he can do anything to distract us and frustrate us, he will. And one of the reasons he may be able to do this is because we were not prepared (spiritually) for what it was he was going to throw up in front of us. Keeping our spirit strong in the Lord is extremely important. It is the very backbone to being able to stand up to the enemy and say "not today satan, not today!". When you can counter satan's attempts by either speaking out scripture to him, knowing how to immediately pray to God for wisdom in a situation or just standing firm on what you know and believe because you are keeping yourself close to God by allowing Him to speak to you through you devotions and prayer in your secret place, then nothing satan tries to throw up in your path will have an affect on you. Just like the dirt on my windshield would have been no big deal had I been able to use my cleaner to get my windshield right back to clean and clear again. Don't let the enemy catch you "unprepared". Take every day as an opportunity to draw closer to God and ask Him to help you, and teach you how to be prepared for satan's schemes. Don't rely on your own strength, because when you do you will quickly find out how in your humanness, you were not as prepared as you thought you were. And just like my drive in today, it is not "in the moment" that you want to find out that you were not ready to deal with what is right in front of you. You have the power, in Jesus, to defeat the enemy long before he even has a chance to attack.....by being prepared!
Matthew 13:25-30 is the parable about the enemy coming to sow weeds among the good seeds while the man was sleeping. Don't let the enemy catch you sleeping! Don't allow him to attempt to ruin something good in your life because you let your guard down and gave him a chance to find a way in while you were "sleeping" or unprepared.
God, Thank You that you provide ALL we need to keep the enemy in his place. Do not let us take that for granted and allow ourselves to become unprepared. Remind us daily how important it is to keep our spirit strong IN YOU. Also God, help us to see when others have let their guard down and come along side them to help pick them up. Help us speak words of love into their life so they will get back to where they need to be with you God...so they too can defeat the enemy's plans in their life. In Jesus name, Amen
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