As I processed yet another Thanksgiving holiday I found myself having so so much to be thankful for this year. God has poured out His blessings in ways I couldn't even imagine. And even though the enemy would love for me to focus on the storms that brew up in my life, I would rather just let each day be "Thanksgiving".
I titled this blog "The "Giving" Behind Thanksgiving" because I think we tend to forget that "Thanksgiving" is a word...not just a holiday that happens once a year. It is an attitude we should live in, and it is a the perfect way to defeat the enemy on a daily basis. Again, the enemy is constantly trying to kick up little storms every single day of your life. Some of those you can quickly avoid and some you just have to rely on God to see you through. But when you can praise and thank your way through a storm you are removing the power that satan wants to have over you. Perspective goes a long way in your walk with God. And it really comes down to where you choose to place your focus...on the bad, or on the good? Yes, each of us are going to go through bad times, trials and pain because as I have stated many times before, we live in a corrupted and sinful world. And even though the enemy can throw situations at us, he can't control whether we allow them to consume us or not. That choice is up to you.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 God's word tells us "in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you". In Philippians 4:6 is says "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God". And in Psalms 7:17 we read "I will give to the Lord the thanks due to His righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High". Do you see the common theme here.....Give Thanks! Again and again we are instructed to give thanks to God. Thank Him for His goodness. Thank Him for His gift of Jesus. Thank Him for His righteousness. Praise Him in ALL times. We must maintain this attitude because it IS this attitude that defeats the plans of the enemy. We do not thank God because the circumstances look good. We do not praise Him only when the diagnosis looks good. We do not honor Him only when life is going in our favor. Not matter what is going on around you, Jesus still came and died on a cross to make a way for us to be in fellowship with our creator, and that is plenty enough reason to praise and thank Him. When we can adopt this attitude in our life then the rest of the things that are stated in those verses will take place. We will not be anxious, we can make our requests known to God, and we can keep joy in our heart in the midst of any storm. Why.....because we know WHO has us, not what has us. When the enemy wrecks your day using circumstances then for that moment those circumstances had you....not God. But when you can look at your circumstances (and the enemy) and say "this might not be exactly what I desire in my life right now, but I trust God to see me through this" then you are CRUSHING the enemy under your heals using God's peace. Yes, under your feet! Romans 16:20 says "And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you".
So if you are tired of feeling defeated and beat down by satan, then start fighting back using God's peace, God's joy and your own thankful heart. If God's word instructs us to do this then there is great purpose in it. Jesus Christ came to set us free....that freedom is from the chains and bondage of sin in this world....but it is also freedom from thinking that way the world thinks (Galatians 5:1). Today, and every day, can be "Thanksgiving" for you...and the blessings and attitude change that come from that can create a new joy in your heart. If you don't think so, test it and see.
God, thank You for Your goodness, thank You for Your grace and mercy that we are so undeserving of, and thank You for that blessings that You pour out on us each and every day. Help us to see the things we should be thankful for first...not our problems. And let the joy and peace that You put in our hearts crush the enemy and his plans. Then let that peace and joy be contagious to those we come in contact with as we shine Your light out into the world. In Jesus name, Amen
Monday, November 30, 2015
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
No More Emptiness
There are many feelings that the enemy puts on us that the human heart has a hard time dealing with. Rejection, abandonment, a break in trust, and deep emotional hurt are just a few of them. When these feelings come into our hearts, by the actions of others or circumstances we found ourselves in, they wreak havoc on our hearts, our personalities and the way we interact with others or handle future relationships. One of the things that happens to us is the feeling of emptiness...which sometimes gets followed up by a defense mechanism of isolation. Sure we may not physically isolate ourselves from others and the world, but we will be very careful not to let anyone have a place in our life to hurt us, reject us, or abandon us again. And this leads to a life of emptiness that God never intended for us to live. Emptiness that came from the enemy and got adopted by us. And sadly enough so many times people go through years of mistakes and regrets trying to find things to fill that emptiness. But the fact is, that makes about as much since as trying to fill a cut with dirt and expecting it to heal. A cut won't heal like this, in fact it will probably get much worse. It takes the proper care and medicine for that cut to heal. And when your heart has been wounded we can't try to heal it by filling it with the things of this world. When you do, you will find that the emptiness can actually become more dominate in your life. The One who created our heart knows exactly what it takes to heal it and fill it so it will flourish in the way that He intended it to. And just because God didn't create the pain you are experiencing, doesn't mean He can't be the answer you need. If you got a physical illness you wouldn't avoid going to the doctor just because the doctor didn't make you sick, right? You would go see a doctor and see what things he could do to restore your health. Well, when we experience emotional sickness, spiritual sickness and a wounding deep inside our souls, then please understand that God is the "doctor" who can restore you to a new and healthy place. In fact, God's healing power is so amazing that He not only can heal you, but He can restore you to a place that is even better than before. I know, because I have personally experienced this in my own life.
I know that Psalms 23:1-6 is a pretty famous passage from the bible, but I hope as you read it now you understand that these are words of healing. This is a promise that not only can God restore you, but He can make you better than before. And He can sustain that, meaning, the longer you walk with Him the more His strength and His presence will carry you through ANYTHING you face.
"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever."
I know that Psalms 23:1-6 is a pretty famous passage from the bible, but I hope as you read it now you understand that these are words of healing. This is a promise that not only can God restore you, but He can make you better than before. And He can sustain that, meaning, the longer you walk with Him the more His strength and His presence will carry you through ANYTHING you face.
"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever."
If you have faced the things I mentioned, and they have left a feeling of emptiness causing you to build walls to protect yourself, then please let today be the day that you give God room to be the healer of your heart and soul. He wants nothing more than to restore you, set you free from the bondage of pain and sin, and make you to better than before. But He needs a trusting and willing heart in order to do these things for you. He will not push His way in, but He also will not walk away from you and leave you where you are. He will keep placing things in your path to bring you out of where you are.....however, it's up to you to reach out and take His hand, or choose to walk this out in your own strength. But please remember, the last thing the enemy wants you to do is trust in the Lord and believe. He knows that when you do that, he has lost his grip on you and God's goodness will take over from there.
John 16:33 says it best..."These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Jesus is not the maker of the pain you may be experiencing, but please remember He understands our pain. He came as a man and experienced it all. He was betrayed, rejected and abandoned...He experienced emotional and physical pain on levels we can't even comprehend, and yet He walked out the purpose that God gave Him. All to absorb the pain and sin of the world for us, so that we could receive His forgiveness, His love, His healing, His strength and His power...allowing us to overcome this world and look to something bigger than it....to keep our eyes on Him!
God, thank You for Your overwhelming love. The power that Your love has to heal is truly amazing. Please help those who need to experience Your love and Your healing humble themselves and reach back out to You. And help those of us who have experienced it never stop talking about it....for we need to understand that we hold the answer that so many are searching for....You! Thank you God! In Jesus name, Amen
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Reconstruction Of The Heart
For weeks now I have been driving past the construction that is going on where I work. They are in the middle of adding a new parking lot to prepare for some expansion that will be happening soon. As I've watched the changes take place daily I've noticed things being taken away and things being added. Today God began to talk to me about how a physical reconstruction like this parking lot is a lot like the reconstruction he wants to do in us.
Ezekiel 36:26 says "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh". When I read this I can't help but think of the construction site going on out in front of my building. Soon there will be a brand new parking lot there and it won't look anything like it once did. The old storage units that were once there were tore down years ago. The trees that needed to be removed to make room are now gone. They've brought in machines to dig down into the earth and remove the top layer of dirt so that new soil and gravel could be put down to lay a foundation for the asphalt that will soon be there. A new access road is going to come in near the end, and when this is complete the land that once sat there with no purpose will have a whole new purpose. And just like the things I just described will take place here in the natural, it is very familiar to what God does to us in the supernatural, and sometimes even in the natural, when He wants to reconstruct our hearts.
The process can be slow and the process can sometimes not be too easy. But if you rely on God, He will do just like the construction workers are doing, only in your heart and mind. He will remove the old things that were there from your past. He will take away the things that do not serve a purpose. He may have to dig down a few levels to remove the "dirt" from you life...things like pride, stubbornness, anger, unforgiveness, rebellion, self-righteousness.....the list is different for each of us. And then He will lay new things down to build up a foundation for which He will build your new heart...your new mind....your new life. He will put things in place like forgiveness, self-discipline, unconditional love, gratefulness, peace, joy, humbleness, meekness, righteousness(in Jesus)....and so on. He will lay down the foundation that He knows is needed in order for you to reflect Him in your new life. He will take a person that once walked around in this world without purpose and He will build you up for the very thing that He knows you were designed for. He will give you new purpose.
Is this process easy and peaceful? It can be....or it can be hard and sometimes a little painful. It really just depends on the amount of surrender you give Him, and the willingness to hand over your old ways and take on His new ones. Please understand that it's not all about works....it's not about what others see you "do" differently, but it's more about how different your heart looks to the One who can see deep inside of it. He knows that when the reconstruction of your heart takes place BY HIM, that things will naturally be done different by you. There will be filters you put in your life of the things that you allow into it. You will walk with spiritual eyes and wisdom to protect the relationship you have with Jesus. You may need to filter things out, like the places you go, and even some people that are toxic and a distraction to what God wants to do in you. However, you will also find that you have a new desire to be worshiping Him more, spend more time with Him, fellowship with His people more...telling others about all He has done for you. Once a true reconstruction has taken place in you, it will become your heart's desire to see it done in others. Not because you see their flaws and are being critical and judgmental of them (if that is your motivation then please check that with God), but instead it will be that you want everyone you come in contact with to feel the love, forgiveness, acceptance and purpose that you are now experiencing. You will want to give away the very gift you have received....Jesus!
God, thank You that You love us as we are, but want to reconstruct us to look more like You, think more like You, love more like You and be more like You. Please removed the stubborn cold dead hearts inside of us and give us a new heart....a new way of thinking....a new life. One that has purpose and pleases you. My we always reflect You as You constantly do a work in us. In Jesus name, Amen
Ezekiel 36:26 says "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh". When I read this I can't help but think of the construction site going on out in front of my building. Soon there will be a brand new parking lot there and it won't look anything like it once did. The old storage units that were once there were tore down years ago. The trees that needed to be removed to make room are now gone. They've brought in machines to dig down into the earth and remove the top layer of dirt so that new soil and gravel could be put down to lay a foundation for the asphalt that will soon be there. A new access road is going to come in near the end, and when this is complete the land that once sat there with no purpose will have a whole new purpose. And just like the things I just described will take place here in the natural, it is very familiar to what God does to us in the supernatural, and sometimes even in the natural, when He wants to reconstruct our hearts.
The process can be slow and the process can sometimes not be too easy. But if you rely on God, He will do just like the construction workers are doing, only in your heart and mind. He will remove the old things that were there from your past. He will take away the things that do not serve a purpose. He may have to dig down a few levels to remove the "dirt" from you life...things like pride, stubbornness, anger, unforgiveness, rebellion, self-righteousness.....the list is different for each of us. And then He will lay new things down to build up a foundation for which He will build your new heart...your new mind....your new life. He will put things in place like forgiveness, self-discipline, unconditional love, gratefulness, peace, joy, humbleness, meekness, righteousness(in Jesus)....and so on. He will lay down the foundation that He knows is needed in order for you to reflect Him in your new life. He will take a person that once walked around in this world without purpose and He will build you up for the very thing that He knows you were designed for. He will give you new purpose.
Is this process easy and peaceful? It can be....or it can be hard and sometimes a little painful. It really just depends on the amount of surrender you give Him, and the willingness to hand over your old ways and take on His new ones. Please understand that it's not all about works....it's not about what others see you "do" differently, but it's more about how different your heart looks to the One who can see deep inside of it. He knows that when the reconstruction of your heart takes place BY HIM, that things will naturally be done different by you. There will be filters you put in your life of the things that you allow into it. You will walk with spiritual eyes and wisdom to protect the relationship you have with Jesus. You may need to filter things out, like the places you go, and even some people that are toxic and a distraction to what God wants to do in you. However, you will also find that you have a new desire to be worshiping Him more, spend more time with Him, fellowship with His people more...telling others about all He has done for you. Once a true reconstruction has taken place in you, it will become your heart's desire to see it done in others. Not because you see their flaws and are being critical and judgmental of them (if that is your motivation then please check that with God), but instead it will be that you want everyone you come in contact with to feel the love, forgiveness, acceptance and purpose that you are now experiencing. You will want to give away the very gift you have received....Jesus!
God, thank You that You love us as we are, but want to reconstruct us to look more like You, think more like You, love more like You and be more like You. Please removed the stubborn cold dead hearts inside of us and give us a new heart....a new way of thinking....a new life. One that has purpose and pleases you. My we always reflect You as You constantly do a work in us. In Jesus name, Amen
Monday, November 23, 2015
Asking Or Telling?
I was challenged this weekend to really consider how I approach God in my secret time....so I hope this blog challenges you in the same way. Some of what I'm about to write is credited to the message at our church yesterday, and the rest is what God has placed on my heart since then. I hope as you read today's thoughts that is makes you ask yourself (and God) if the desires of your heart are your desires that you are pleading for God to bless...or are they God's desires that He is asking you to walk out in your life.
My first question to you today is do you have secret time with God? By that I don't mean do you do devotions, go to bible studies or even prayer meetings, but instead, do you have intensional one on one time with God. Do you purposefully set aside a time that you are not doing anything else except spending time with God? It is so easy to fit prayer in during our other activities in life. Our lives can get pretty busy and praying while you are driving to and from work, praying while you are doing things around your house, even praying while you are waiting on that animal to cross your path during a hunt (that one was for the men...haha) is all great, but this is not your secret time with God. Saying that your relationship with God can flourish from only these kinds of talks would be like saying that you can have a good marriage if the only time you talk is on the phone while your driving, or at the grocery store, or cleaning the house...but you never take time to sit down and have a face to face conversation with your spouse. That marriage is not going to flourish because of the lack of attention it is being given, and neither will your relationship with God. A good marriage needs intimate talk time, personal talk time, intentional talk time...and so does your relationship with God. He needs to know that the time you make for Him is more important than just fitting Him in when it's convenient for you....He needs to know you have intentionally set aside time to be with Him. This is the intimacy that God wants with us and this is the kind of intimacy that changes us.
My second question is, what kind of talk are you having when you do talk to Him? Are you telling God who all is sick in your life that needs healing? Are you telling Him the "lack" that is in your life that you need His help with? Are you just telling Him how you need help with this and that...and just making the entire prayer time about requests? If so, then I would say it might be time to stop talking for a bit and just listen for Him. He has things to say to you. He has His own list of requests for you. He has a path that He wants to lead you down and He desperately wants to use you to advance the kingdom. But unless we are doing a lot of listening, we can miss out on a lot of blessing and instructions from Him. Yes, we all have desires in our hearts, and a lot of them are very pure and it only makes sense to us that God would want to do these things for us. But even with those, do you ask God if your desires are His desires? In yesterday's message at church it was said that we can't go to God with a list. We must go to Him asking Him what His will is and allow Him enough room to move in our lives that He builds the list for us. Then we ask Him for the things we need in our life to accomplish His things. Whatever He wants for you, I can promise it will be so much better than anything you can imagine for yourself. It may be hard to see in the moment, but God doesn't live moment to moment like we do. He is always looking at where He wants to get you, not just where you are.
When we make time and space for Him by create a secret place in our life to talk and listen to Him, and then we lay our lists down on the alter and allow Him to show us His will for our life, then we will begin to see changes in our life that take us to a whole different level. He has work for us, He has blessings for us, He has plans for us and He has a blueprint for our lives....but if we are not asking Him, instead of telling Him, it is very hard for Him to show us all of these great things.
God, thank You for the plans you have for us. Plans to prosper...plans for a future...plans with a hope! (Jeremiah 29:11). Holy Spirit help us to lay our plans down at the alter and ask and listen for God's plans. Help the desires of our heart to be in complete alignment with You and help us to know that because of the time we are spending You. Remind us that You do have things to reveal to us and if we would come seeking, You will show us. Thank You for Your plans and Your blessings. In Jesus name, Amen
My first question to you today is do you have secret time with God? By that I don't mean do you do devotions, go to bible studies or even prayer meetings, but instead, do you have intensional one on one time with God. Do you purposefully set aside a time that you are not doing anything else except spending time with God? It is so easy to fit prayer in during our other activities in life. Our lives can get pretty busy and praying while you are driving to and from work, praying while you are doing things around your house, even praying while you are waiting on that animal to cross your path during a hunt (that one was for the men...haha) is all great, but this is not your secret time with God. Saying that your relationship with God can flourish from only these kinds of talks would be like saying that you can have a good marriage if the only time you talk is on the phone while your driving, or at the grocery store, or cleaning the house...but you never take time to sit down and have a face to face conversation with your spouse. That marriage is not going to flourish because of the lack of attention it is being given, and neither will your relationship with God. A good marriage needs intimate talk time, personal talk time, intentional talk time...and so does your relationship with God. He needs to know that the time you make for Him is more important than just fitting Him in when it's convenient for you....He needs to know you have intentionally set aside time to be with Him. This is the intimacy that God wants with us and this is the kind of intimacy that changes us.
My second question is, what kind of talk are you having when you do talk to Him? Are you telling God who all is sick in your life that needs healing? Are you telling Him the "lack" that is in your life that you need His help with? Are you just telling Him how you need help with this and that...and just making the entire prayer time about requests? If so, then I would say it might be time to stop talking for a bit and just listen for Him. He has things to say to you. He has His own list of requests for you. He has a path that He wants to lead you down and He desperately wants to use you to advance the kingdom. But unless we are doing a lot of listening, we can miss out on a lot of blessing and instructions from Him. Yes, we all have desires in our hearts, and a lot of them are very pure and it only makes sense to us that God would want to do these things for us. But even with those, do you ask God if your desires are His desires? In yesterday's message at church it was said that we can't go to God with a list. We must go to Him asking Him what His will is and allow Him enough room to move in our lives that He builds the list for us. Then we ask Him for the things we need in our life to accomplish His things. Whatever He wants for you, I can promise it will be so much better than anything you can imagine for yourself. It may be hard to see in the moment, but God doesn't live moment to moment like we do. He is always looking at where He wants to get you, not just where you are.
When we make time and space for Him by create a secret place in our life to talk and listen to Him, and then we lay our lists down on the alter and allow Him to show us His will for our life, then we will begin to see changes in our life that take us to a whole different level. He has work for us, He has blessings for us, He has plans for us and He has a blueprint for our lives....but if we are not asking Him, instead of telling Him, it is very hard for Him to show us all of these great things.
God, thank You for the plans you have for us. Plans to prosper...plans for a future...plans with a hope! (Jeremiah 29:11). Holy Spirit help us to lay our plans down at the alter and ask and listen for God's plans. Help the desires of our heart to be in complete alignment with You and help us to know that because of the time we are spending You. Remind us that You do have things to reveal to us and if we would come seeking, You will show us. Thank You for Your plans and Your blessings. In Jesus name, Amen
Friday, November 20, 2015
Compassionate...Not Critical
This morning I was praying in my car asking God to give me something practical to talk about today. Something that a lot of people would be able to relate to, but also something that would challenge us to be better people. I always want to God to challenge me to be a better person...not just in the natural, but also in the spiritual. I don't ever want to get on "cruise control" with God and just ride this life out. I want to feel like I am always growing closer to Him and He is constantly showing me more about who He is and how He is. If I am always opening myself up to more of Him and inviting in change, then I know He will just continue to change me into who He created me to be.
So literally as I was praying about what to write today a dump truck pulled up beside me on the highway...and the moment I looked over at it God began to speak to me. He started by asking me if that dump truck was full or empty? As I answered, saying "I have no idea", He said to me "that's right, you don't". Then He went on revealing to me that in the same way that I don't know if that truck is carrying a heavy load, I also don't know what kind of load the people that cross my path are carrying. And He showed me that to many times we are critical on people when we really need to be compassionate toward them.
When you see a dump truck going down the road you really have no idea if it's carrying a load or not. I mean, if it is carry a very large load you may see it heaping out of top of bed, but a load that large is quite obvious. But what if it is carrying a load that isn't visible to your eyes? Are you just assuming it's empty if you can't see it's load? Are there signs that if you really take the time you can tell it's carrying something? Like maybe by looking at the tires you could see if there is a lot of weight on the truck? Or when takes off from a stop maybe it takes off a little slow because of the weight it is carrying? You may already see where I am going with this....and I kind of hope so. Because what God revealed to me is that people are very much like this. They can be carrying around "loads" and it can be affecting them, but we have no idea, especially if we are not really paying attention to them. We are so quick to judge someone by their actions before we consider that those actions might be a results of what they are going through or carrying around. Of course when the thing they are going through is so large that it becomes very obvious (just like the dump truck), then we will go 'oh man, they have a lot on them. I feel bad for them'. But tons of people we come in contact with every single daily are under some kind of bondage. But are we taking the time to even notice, or to try to help them? Most of the time no, we are just critical or judgmental of the behavior that the bondage is causing. People show signs of being under bondage just like a dump truck can show physical signs of having a heavy load. Does the person's joy seem to be gone? Does the look on their face, or the way they are carrying their self, just seem defeated? Is the language they using that of a person who is feeling depressed? Some of these things you can even see from a distance. You can tell when you see a single mom trying to deal with her kids in the store if life is going good, or if she is just mentally and physically exhausted. Or if a man is being kicked around by life just by the way he is carrying himself. But it's all about asking God to help you see with your spiritual eyes, and then taking the time to care.
Showing compassion to others is the job, yes job, of everyone who claims to walk with Christ. It is who Jesus was, so it should be a very important part of who we are as we represent Him. In this time of the year (near Christmas), you are going to come across many people who just feel defeated as they face a holiday that has been turned into gift giving...however, they just can't make ends meet to be able to give much, if anything. So as you are out and about, ask God to help you see people the way He does, and then let your compassion move you to the point of sharing. Share whatever it is that God places on your heart, and trust that if He asks you to step out, He will provide. If it is financially, He will provide. If it is a to give an encouraging word, He will provide. If it is to show love, He will provide. Whatever it is, He will provide if you only open yourself up to Him and TRUST HIM. And in these moments both you and the person you are reaching out to will receive. God has an amazing way of doing this!
Galatians 6:2 "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."
Ephesians 4:32 - "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you."
Colossians 3:12-13 - "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive."
God, thank You for the example of Jesus when it comes to compassion. Please give us Your heart for others today. Open our spiritual eyes to see people the way You see people. And help us to show compassion to the burdened and brokenhearted BEFORE we are critical or judgmental of them. And Holy Spirit help us to trust that if You are calling us to reach out to them, then You will provide exactly what we need to do it. In Jesus name, Amen.
So literally as I was praying about what to write today a dump truck pulled up beside me on the highway...and the moment I looked over at it God began to speak to me. He started by asking me if that dump truck was full or empty? As I answered, saying "I have no idea", He said to me "that's right, you don't". Then He went on revealing to me that in the same way that I don't know if that truck is carrying a heavy load, I also don't know what kind of load the people that cross my path are carrying. And He showed me that to many times we are critical on people when we really need to be compassionate toward them.
When you see a dump truck going down the road you really have no idea if it's carrying a load or not. I mean, if it is carry a very large load you may see it heaping out of top of bed, but a load that large is quite obvious. But what if it is carrying a load that isn't visible to your eyes? Are you just assuming it's empty if you can't see it's load? Are there signs that if you really take the time you can tell it's carrying something? Like maybe by looking at the tires you could see if there is a lot of weight on the truck? Or when takes off from a stop maybe it takes off a little slow because of the weight it is carrying? You may already see where I am going with this....and I kind of hope so. Because what God revealed to me is that people are very much like this. They can be carrying around "loads" and it can be affecting them, but we have no idea, especially if we are not really paying attention to them. We are so quick to judge someone by their actions before we consider that those actions might be a results of what they are going through or carrying around. Of course when the thing they are going through is so large that it becomes very obvious (just like the dump truck), then we will go 'oh man, they have a lot on them. I feel bad for them'. But tons of people we come in contact with every single daily are under some kind of bondage. But are we taking the time to even notice, or to try to help them? Most of the time no, we are just critical or judgmental of the behavior that the bondage is causing. People show signs of being under bondage just like a dump truck can show physical signs of having a heavy load. Does the person's joy seem to be gone? Does the look on their face, or the way they are carrying their self, just seem defeated? Is the language they using that of a person who is feeling depressed? Some of these things you can even see from a distance. You can tell when you see a single mom trying to deal with her kids in the store if life is going good, or if she is just mentally and physically exhausted. Or if a man is being kicked around by life just by the way he is carrying himself. But it's all about asking God to help you see with your spiritual eyes, and then taking the time to care.
Showing compassion to others is the job, yes job, of everyone who claims to walk with Christ. It is who Jesus was, so it should be a very important part of who we are as we represent Him. In this time of the year (near Christmas), you are going to come across many people who just feel defeated as they face a holiday that has been turned into gift giving...however, they just can't make ends meet to be able to give much, if anything. So as you are out and about, ask God to help you see people the way He does, and then let your compassion move you to the point of sharing. Share whatever it is that God places on your heart, and trust that if He asks you to step out, He will provide. If it is financially, He will provide. If it is a to give an encouraging word, He will provide. If it is to show love, He will provide. Whatever it is, He will provide if you only open yourself up to Him and TRUST HIM. And in these moments both you and the person you are reaching out to will receive. God has an amazing way of doing this!
Galatians 6:2 "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."
Ephesians 4:32 - "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you."
Colossians 3:12-13 - "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive."
God, thank You for the example of Jesus when it comes to compassion. Please give us Your heart for others today. Open our spiritual eyes to see people the way You see people. And help us to show compassion to the burdened and brokenhearted BEFORE we are critical or judgmental of them. And Holy Spirit help us to trust that if You are calling us to reach out to them, then You will provide exactly what we need to do it. In Jesus name, Amen.
Thursday, November 19, 2015
You Are Not Alone
I really felt God pressing it on my heart today to tell someone...you are not alone. One of the feeling the satan likes to put on us is isolation. He wants us to feel disconnected from God, he wants us to feel rejection if we feel we have disappointed God, and he wants us to feel alone. BUT, you are not alone, you have not disappointed God and he will NEVER reject you. We can choose to reject God, but he does not reject us. If the enemy has made you feel any of these things then please recognize them as the enemy and rebuke the thoughts and feelings that have come in through feeling alone or rejected.
Rejection from people is a very real feeling too, and one that hurts. Rejection in friendships and relationships is by far the worst. But these are not feelings that God intends for us to go through or feel. God is a God of acceptance and restoration. It is true that sometimes when we make choices that we feel God wants us to we can be faced with rejection from those who do not understand, but that is not because God wants you to go through that, it's because man as the right to act upon free will. If you know you are standing on God's truth and God's word, and you are being faced with rejection or opposition from people, then please find rest in John 15:18-22. It says "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin." Sometimes when we follow God more closely, and we try to walk the more narrow path that He has laid out for us, people have a hard time with it because it makes them take a closer look at their life. And they might not like what they see. The Pharisees couldn't stand Jesus because every time He spoke it went against what they had built "their religion" upon. There wasn't room from grace, mercy and love in the things they were living by. It was a rules based religion that brought on condemnation...but Jesus brought a love the brought forth conviction and then He offered a grace and mercy to cover your wrongs. So they rejected Him....and sometimes you will face that same rejection for the things you stand on. But keep standing, because YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
The other kind of rejection or isolation can come from the enemy trying to make you feel "less than" or "not good enough". Listen, these are just lies. Yes God wants us to try our absolute best...why wouldn't He considering He gave us His absolute best (Jesus). But God also knows that man cannot live sin free, perfect lives. If we could, the what Jesus did would not be nearly as significant. Jesus was perfect FOR US because we can't be. So when you mess up (and we all do), do not turn from God in shame, because the enemy has a way of making you feel rejected from God, when really it is you who is rejecting what God has for you. He loved you in your sin, He loved you in your repentance, and He will continue to love you when you mess up. The key is to live a life of repentance, not a moment of it here and there. Meaning, when you mess up, you take it straight to God and repent and ask for help and wisdom to not go there again. You do this before the enemy has a chance to cause shame, guilt and distance between you and God. You reject the things the enemy is trying to put on you, and you accept what God has for you.
You are not alone...you never have been, and you never have to be. He is always there and He is only held back by the distance that we place between Him and us. Today, let God in a little deeper and allow Him to touch and heal the parts of you that cause you to feel rejected, either from the actions of others, or the ideas of the enemy. Let God show you how accepted and loved you truly are. He will bring you in just as you are, but He loves you to much to leave you that way. He has a way of healing every wound that has been self inflicted, or inflicted by circumstances, or inflicted by others....If you doubt that at all, then ask Him and see what He can do.
God, thank You that Your word says You will never leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6). Heal the hearts of those who feel alone, rejected, shameful, hurt or distant from You. Open their spiritual eyes and ears to hear Your Holy Spirit and quiet the lies of the enemy. Let Your love wash over them and clean away everything this world and the enemy has put on them. And allow them to feel the freedom that you designed us to walk in. In Jesus name, Amen
Rejection from people is a very real feeling too, and one that hurts. Rejection in friendships and relationships is by far the worst. But these are not feelings that God intends for us to go through or feel. God is a God of acceptance and restoration. It is true that sometimes when we make choices that we feel God wants us to we can be faced with rejection from those who do not understand, but that is not because God wants you to go through that, it's because man as the right to act upon free will. If you know you are standing on God's truth and God's word, and you are being faced with rejection or opposition from people, then please find rest in John 15:18-22. It says "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin." Sometimes when we follow God more closely, and we try to walk the more narrow path that He has laid out for us, people have a hard time with it because it makes them take a closer look at their life. And they might not like what they see. The Pharisees couldn't stand Jesus because every time He spoke it went against what they had built "their religion" upon. There wasn't room from grace, mercy and love in the things they were living by. It was a rules based religion that brought on condemnation...but Jesus brought a love the brought forth conviction and then He offered a grace and mercy to cover your wrongs. So they rejected Him....and sometimes you will face that same rejection for the things you stand on. But keep standing, because YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
The other kind of rejection or isolation can come from the enemy trying to make you feel "less than" or "not good enough". Listen, these are just lies. Yes God wants us to try our absolute best...why wouldn't He considering He gave us His absolute best (Jesus). But God also knows that man cannot live sin free, perfect lives. If we could, the what Jesus did would not be nearly as significant. Jesus was perfect FOR US because we can't be. So when you mess up (and we all do), do not turn from God in shame, because the enemy has a way of making you feel rejected from God, when really it is you who is rejecting what God has for you. He loved you in your sin, He loved you in your repentance, and He will continue to love you when you mess up. The key is to live a life of repentance, not a moment of it here and there. Meaning, when you mess up, you take it straight to God and repent and ask for help and wisdom to not go there again. You do this before the enemy has a chance to cause shame, guilt and distance between you and God. You reject the things the enemy is trying to put on you, and you accept what God has for you.
You are not alone...you never have been, and you never have to be. He is always there and He is only held back by the distance that we place between Him and us. Today, let God in a little deeper and allow Him to touch and heal the parts of you that cause you to feel rejected, either from the actions of others, or the ideas of the enemy. Let God show you how accepted and loved you truly are. He will bring you in just as you are, but He loves you to much to leave you that way. He has a way of healing every wound that has been self inflicted, or inflicted by circumstances, or inflicted by others....If you doubt that at all, then ask Him and see what He can do.
God, thank You that Your word says You will never leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6). Heal the hearts of those who feel alone, rejected, shameful, hurt or distant from You. Open their spiritual eyes and ears to hear Your Holy Spirit and quiet the lies of the enemy. Let Your love wash over them and clean away everything this world and the enemy has put on them. And allow them to feel the freedom that you designed us to walk in. In Jesus name, Amen
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Refuse To Be Taken Out
Have you ever gone through a season of life where it just seems to be one thing after another hitting you. When we are walking in deep sin we seem to notice these times less because something inside of us almost expects things to not be going well....this is especially true if you can be honest with yourself about the sin you are messed up in. But what about the times when you really are trying to walk God's path out for your life? What about the times when you know you are really digging in with God to get to a deeper place....why is it that attacks sometimes come at you at times like this? Well, here is what I have noticed when a season like this hits....satan is attacking from the outside because he has lost access to you on the inside.
There have been times in my life when my heart was corrupt. And during those times I had given access to my heart, my thoughts, my emotions, and so much more, to the enemy. So the havoc that he was wreaking on me was from the inside out. I was creating situations in my own life that gave him access to the relationships in my life, I was giving him enough ground that I was surrendering blessings to him that God intended for me, and I was allowing a pride to sink in that made me to stubborn (and stupid) to even see how much access I truly had given him to me. But I was still smart enough to know that because of the life I was living, I really couldn't expect things to go "well" for me. I knew I had secret sin and even outward sin in my life....I just had learned to live with it.
But then I came to a place in my life where surrender came in a way it never had with God. A surrender that meant I really gave it ALL to Him unconditionally. I gave Him full access to my life to clean it up, help me right some wrongs, put filters in place to protect what I was developing with Him, and to heal me....something I didn't really know I needed or was possible. And to feel a true forgiveness from Him that was covered in a grace and mercy that I really had never experienced. And THAT is when I became a threat to the enemy. Why now? Because now I had something real. Something I could tell others about that might change there life. Now I had removed all the claws that the enemy had sank deep into me, and I was not giving him access to me anymore. So what's his next plan? Well, just like with war, if you can't penetrate the inside of the base, then you attack from the outside and try to find a weakness. And this is exactly what he does.
When your inner man (or woman) has been strengthened by God then the enemy knows he doesn't stand a chance from getting back inside of you. The very presence of God is inside of you now and the enemy can see that. So his only tactic is the get you to walk away from that. He knows God isn't going anywhere, but just the book of Job, he is going to try everything he can to get you to walk away from God. And so he starts....he will hit you with unexpected circumstances, maybe financially, maybe physically, maybe relationally....or maybe for you in a way that would personally hurt or affect you deeply. But nonetheless, he is going try hard to get you to believe that what God has done on the inside of you was not real or was not worth it. DON'T buy into this lie!!! The more you can stand firm WITH God and stand up to the enemy, the stronger your relationship with God will get. Also the more you are opening yourself up to receive blessings from God. You will feel God's strength when the enemy tries to hit you with things and it is almost like they just begin to bounce off of you. I'm not saying he won't find a way to hurt you or put a "dent" in your side sometimes, but when your peace, joy and comfort truly start to come from God, and God's presence in your life, then the enemy and his tricks just won't have the same affect on you as they did in the past.
Today, I want to encourage you to stand up to satan in a way you never have before. Put him in his place once and for all. Whatever it is that he is tempting you with, hurting you with, causing fear with or just attacking with...lay it at Jesus feet and say "NO MORE"! Tell God I can't do this on my own, and I really have no desire to. Help me to walk in your path and allow You to fight this for me. Give me the strength and wisdom I need to make decisions that remove the enemy's power from my life. And allow my roots to go so deep in you God that I cannot me shaken and I cannot be moved. Not because of me, but because of He that is in me!
God, thank You for what we find when we truly find You! The peace, joy, love, forgiveness and acceptance is far far beyond anything this world has to offer and I pray today that people will find it, experience it, get a renewal of it and surrender their ways to you and FINALLY, ONCE AND FOR ALL remove any and all power that the enemy has to control them, their life, their emotions and most of all their place with You. I pray these things in the powerful name of Jesus, Amen
There have been times in my life when my heart was corrupt. And during those times I had given access to my heart, my thoughts, my emotions, and so much more, to the enemy. So the havoc that he was wreaking on me was from the inside out. I was creating situations in my own life that gave him access to the relationships in my life, I was giving him enough ground that I was surrendering blessings to him that God intended for me, and I was allowing a pride to sink in that made me to stubborn (and stupid) to even see how much access I truly had given him to me. But I was still smart enough to know that because of the life I was living, I really couldn't expect things to go "well" for me. I knew I had secret sin and even outward sin in my life....I just had learned to live with it.
But then I came to a place in my life where surrender came in a way it never had with God. A surrender that meant I really gave it ALL to Him unconditionally. I gave Him full access to my life to clean it up, help me right some wrongs, put filters in place to protect what I was developing with Him, and to heal me....something I didn't really know I needed or was possible. And to feel a true forgiveness from Him that was covered in a grace and mercy that I really had never experienced. And THAT is when I became a threat to the enemy. Why now? Because now I had something real. Something I could tell others about that might change there life. Now I had removed all the claws that the enemy had sank deep into me, and I was not giving him access to me anymore. So what's his next plan? Well, just like with war, if you can't penetrate the inside of the base, then you attack from the outside and try to find a weakness. And this is exactly what he does.
When your inner man (or woman) has been strengthened by God then the enemy knows he doesn't stand a chance from getting back inside of you. The very presence of God is inside of you now and the enemy can see that. So his only tactic is the get you to walk away from that. He knows God isn't going anywhere, but just the book of Job, he is going to try everything he can to get you to walk away from God. And so he starts....he will hit you with unexpected circumstances, maybe financially, maybe physically, maybe relationally....or maybe for you in a way that would personally hurt or affect you deeply. But nonetheless, he is going try hard to get you to believe that what God has done on the inside of you was not real or was not worth it. DON'T buy into this lie!!! The more you can stand firm WITH God and stand up to the enemy, the stronger your relationship with God will get. Also the more you are opening yourself up to receive blessings from God. You will feel God's strength when the enemy tries to hit you with things and it is almost like they just begin to bounce off of you. I'm not saying he won't find a way to hurt you or put a "dent" in your side sometimes, but when your peace, joy and comfort truly start to come from God, and God's presence in your life, then the enemy and his tricks just won't have the same affect on you as they did in the past.
Today, I want to encourage you to stand up to satan in a way you never have before. Put him in his place once and for all. Whatever it is that he is tempting you with, hurting you with, causing fear with or just attacking with...lay it at Jesus feet and say "NO MORE"! Tell God I can't do this on my own, and I really have no desire to. Help me to walk in your path and allow You to fight this for me. Give me the strength and wisdom I need to make decisions that remove the enemy's power from my life. And allow my roots to go so deep in you God that I cannot me shaken and I cannot be moved. Not because of me, but because of He that is in me!
God, thank You for what we find when we truly find You! The peace, joy, love, forgiveness and acceptance is far far beyond anything this world has to offer and I pray today that people will find it, experience it, get a renewal of it and surrender their ways to you and FINALLY, ONCE AND FOR ALL remove any and all power that the enemy has to control them, their life, their emotions and most of all their place with You. I pray these things in the powerful name of Jesus, Amen
Monday, November 16, 2015
A Prayer In Dark Times....
Coming out of a weekend of such crazy world events I am at a bit of a loss of words to write. The one thing you can't do is ignore the evil things that are going on around us in the world...but at the same time, I do NOT want to glorify the work of satan. I do not want to give so much attention to the darkness that we forget about the light. So today, rather than write a blog, I just simply want to offer up a prayer. Something that I hope we all can do as we cover the people in Paris, and others around the world that have experienced loss and injury. And as we lift up world leaders who have tough decisions ahead of them.
God, I first come to You and thank You for Your blessings in our lives. Even in the times that seem dark I don't want to overlook Your goodness. God I will praise You in the storm...whether that storm is in my personal life, or across the world. You are the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, and no acts of evil can change that....But Father today we lift up a country that is hurting. We lift up those that have experienced loss and those that have been injured. God we ask the you comfort these families in ways that only You can. Help a country look to You for peace when the answer to "why" just don't seem to be there. We lift up the leaders that have tough decisions ahead of them God. We pray that Your wisdom be upon them and we pray they will turn to You for guidance. Holy Spirit I pray that Your presence be at every meeting where every decision will be made. I pray that we look to You for answers to the justice that is needed and we look to you for protection.
God we ask for your protection over our land. We ask that our government be wise about decisions that are made that could affect the security of our country. Please help us look to You and pray to You as a country despite the division that the enemy has tried to create in our country. And God I especially lift up the families around the world who have experienced loss because a family member died because of their belief in You. God, please bless these families and let their belief in You and faith in You not be shaken, but come out stronger in the end. We do not understand the evil that is in this world, but I honor the men and women who would not bow to it, even in the face of death. I can only pray that I too would be that strong if faced with the same thing.
God, I pray for those that are watching these events in the media and don't know that their hope lies in you....I pray that those of us who do know you would reach them. I pray that we would spread Your love, Your message, Your hope to all in need and that in the dark times it would just cause Your light to shine brighter. Let those of us who know You be even more bold in our faith in times like this and show the enemy that we will not be silenced....and we will not be shaken.
We love you God and we trust You....and despite the recent events in the world, we will honor You with praise and trust today. Thanking You for the hope we have in dark times. In Jesus name, Amen
God, I first come to You and thank You for Your blessings in our lives. Even in the times that seem dark I don't want to overlook Your goodness. God I will praise You in the storm...whether that storm is in my personal life, or across the world. You are the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, and no acts of evil can change that....But Father today we lift up a country that is hurting. We lift up those that have experienced loss and those that have been injured. God we ask the you comfort these families in ways that only You can. Help a country look to You for peace when the answer to "why" just don't seem to be there. We lift up the leaders that have tough decisions ahead of them God. We pray that Your wisdom be upon them and we pray they will turn to You for guidance. Holy Spirit I pray that Your presence be at every meeting where every decision will be made. I pray that we look to You for answers to the justice that is needed and we look to you for protection.
God we ask for your protection over our land. We ask that our government be wise about decisions that are made that could affect the security of our country. Please help us look to You and pray to You as a country despite the division that the enemy has tried to create in our country. And God I especially lift up the families around the world who have experienced loss because a family member died because of their belief in You. God, please bless these families and let their belief in You and faith in You not be shaken, but come out stronger in the end. We do not understand the evil that is in this world, but I honor the men and women who would not bow to it, even in the face of death. I can only pray that I too would be that strong if faced with the same thing.
God, I pray for those that are watching these events in the media and don't know that their hope lies in you....I pray that those of us who do know you would reach them. I pray that we would spread Your love, Your message, Your hope to all in need and that in the dark times it would just cause Your light to shine brighter. Let those of us who know You be even more bold in our faith in times like this and show the enemy that we will not be silenced....and we will not be shaken.
We love you God and we trust You....and despite the recent events in the world, we will honor You with praise and trust today. Thanking You for the hope we have in dark times. In Jesus name, Amen
Friday, November 13, 2015
Wisdom...Ask, Receive, Walk In It!
One of the things that I have prayed for as I have walked closer to God is wisdom. And I will be honest, before I got to the place I am now, if someone would have told me that, I really would not have understood what they meant. I would have thought, "oh, you mean that God will help you make good choices". But I've learned that asking God for wisdom truly goes far far beyond that. It is about seeing things with new spiritual eyes. It is about having the wisdom to not put yourself in a place where a good or bad decision has to be made. It's about not walking in the flesh, but doing things that are simply pleasing to God...and knowing what those things are.
James 1:5 says "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him". I find a few things interesting about not just this verse, but this entire passage of scripture. First, it doesn't just say God will give you wisdom if you ask, but it says He will give it liberally, meaning generously. God wants to give it to you, He knows how much His wisdom will help you in life, but He won't press it on you, He wants us to come to Him asking for it. And then He wants to bless us with it. It also says "without reproach", meaning there is no shame or guilt. He will not make us feel shameful for coming to Him and admitting we need His wisdom, that on our own we are making bad choices, and we need His help. The second thing I find interesting about this passage in James 1 is that before verse 5 it talks about being in "various trials" and trying to walk through them with patience. Then after verse 5 it talks about how we have to ask in faith...without doubt. We have to believe that when we ask God for help, He supplies it...in His timing, not ours. We have to be willing to submit our mind, our reasoning, our ways to Him so He can show us His ways. We can't say "God give me patience and wisdom as I keep doing things that same way I always have". One of the ways He is going to give you wisdom it to get you to see what you have been doing, and then to do it differently. When I have prayed deliverance over people we will talk about the doors they have opened in their life (and spiritual life) that got them bound up and oppressed, then we talk about getting away from those things. You cannot keep flirting with temptation and expect to beat it.
Part of walking in the wisdom that God has for you is getting into His Word and seeing what it has to say about things like temptation, faith and walking in Jesus' righteousness. How we have to be alert (watch, stand fast in faith.. 1 Corinthians 16:13). How we have flee from lusts (not just sexual) and pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace (2 Timothy 2:22). And how we must submit yourselves therefore to God and resist the devil... (James 4:7).
The enemy is constantly putting situations in front of us to get us to stumble, some may be hard to avoid, but some are completely avoidable. God's wisdom will help you see the difference between the two. And once you start to walk in that wisdom, you will start to see things more clearly...which again, drives the enemy crazy. You can see his plans before they even impact you, and you can rebuke them and put him in his place, which is under your heals (because of what Christ has already done...Romans 16:20). For example, seeing that a situation has stirred a fear up inside of you...instead of letting that fear take root in you and the enemy using it against you, use wisdom, admit the fear, and lay it at Jesus feet. Being wise about this takes the power away from the enemy and tears down a wall that the enemy would try to get you to hide behind. It puts God completely back in charge over your life. This is just one example of asking God to show how to deal with something, and then using the wisdom and strength that He has put in you to actually do it. He has so much for us if we just submit, ask, receive and walk in it.
God, thank You so much for ALL that You have us. Help us to realize that when we come to You and submit and ask...you deliver! Holy Spirit, guide our hearts and our minds to a place where we can fully walk in the wisdom that God has for us. And may others see the transformation in our life and want what they see in us. In Jesus name, Amen
James 1:5 says "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him". I find a few things interesting about not just this verse, but this entire passage of scripture. First, it doesn't just say God will give you wisdom if you ask, but it says He will give it liberally, meaning generously. God wants to give it to you, He knows how much His wisdom will help you in life, but He won't press it on you, He wants us to come to Him asking for it. And then He wants to bless us with it. It also says "without reproach", meaning there is no shame or guilt. He will not make us feel shameful for coming to Him and admitting we need His wisdom, that on our own we are making bad choices, and we need His help. The second thing I find interesting about this passage in James 1 is that before verse 5 it talks about being in "various trials" and trying to walk through them with patience. Then after verse 5 it talks about how we have to ask in faith...without doubt. We have to believe that when we ask God for help, He supplies it...in His timing, not ours. We have to be willing to submit our mind, our reasoning, our ways to Him so He can show us His ways. We can't say "God give me patience and wisdom as I keep doing things that same way I always have". One of the ways He is going to give you wisdom it to get you to see what you have been doing, and then to do it differently. When I have prayed deliverance over people we will talk about the doors they have opened in their life (and spiritual life) that got them bound up and oppressed, then we talk about getting away from those things. You cannot keep flirting with temptation and expect to beat it.
Part of walking in the wisdom that God has for you is getting into His Word and seeing what it has to say about things like temptation, faith and walking in Jesus' righteousness. How we have to be alert (watch, stand fast in faith.. 1 Corinthians 16:13). How we have flee from lusts (not just sexual) and pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace (2 Timothy 2:22). And how we must submit yourselves therefore to God and resist the devil... (James 4:7).
The enemy is constantly putting situations in front of us to get us to stumble, some may be hard to avoid, but some are completely avoidable. God's wisdom will help you see the difference between the two. And once you start to walk in that wisdom, you will start to see things more clearly...which again, drives the enemy crazy. You can see his plans before they even impact you, and you can rebuke them and put him in his place, which is under your heals (because of what Christ has already done...Romans 16:20). For example, seeing that a situation has stirred a fear up inside of you...instead of letting that fear take root in you and the enemy using it against you, use wisdom, admit the fear, and lay it at Jesus feet. Being wise about this takes the power away from the enemy and tears down a wall that the enemy would try to get you to hide behind. It puts God completely back in charge over your life. This is just one example of asking God to show how to deal with something, and then using the wisdom and strength that He has put in you to actually do it. He has so much for us if we just submit, ask, receive and walk in it.
God, thank You so much for ALL that You have us. Help us to realize that when we come to You and submit and ask...you deliver! Holy Spirit, guide our hearts and our minds to a place where we can fully walk in the wisdom that God has for us. And may others see the transformation in our life and want what they see in us. In Jesus name, Amen
Thursday, November 12, 2015
The Hope Only God Can Bring...
One of the most beautiful things I have experienced in this life so far is watching a person who had no idea of their worth, their value and their identity, come to Jesus and discover all of those things and more. Along with that, one of the saddest things I have seen, is watching a person be so close to discovering these things, but then quit seeking and just go back to the familiar ways of the world...even if it's the very world that caused them so much pain and confusion to begin with. Breaking free from disfunction can be one of the hardest things a person does, but to try to do it without God can be nearly impossible. People just don't realize the evil that is at work around them each and every day of their life. And I don't say that to give glory to the darkness...I say it to say fighting darkness without light is way way harder. God wants to be the light that lights your path....but you have to be willing to let him in order to step out of that darkness and see your life in a whole new light.
If you have ever stepped foot into a pitch dark room and tried to navigate your way through it, then you know exactly how hard that can be. You may find your way to the other side, but you are going to run into stuff, stumble over things and take a risk of getting hurt along the way. However, if you take that same pitch dark room, and you let me hand you even the smallest flashlight, then navigating your way through it becomes so much easier. Now let me hand you an even bigger light and the walk through it becomes even easier. To the point that you don't run into things, you might stumble over something you just didn't see....but the risk of getting hurt is almost not even there. Why? Because you relied on the light to show all the things you would not have been able to see in the dark. THIS IS GOD! God wants so desperately to be the light in your life that breaks through the darkness and shows you all the things that the enemy has put in your way to cause you to stumble, fall and get hurt throughout your life. It's a beautiful picture honestly....I mean, why stumble through the darkness of life on your own when you have someone who loves you so much that they just want to take you by the hand and guide you?
Am I saying that life becomes a piece of cake...a walk in the park...and you'll without trouble or heartache once you meet Jesus...No, because we live in a corrupt world. But what I am saying is anything that comes your way doesn't have to be dealt with alone anymore. The strength that God can put in us to overcome and face things in life, that could have just taken us out without Him, is almost hard to put words to. In fact, it is hard to put words to because it's an experience you go through with Him. It is beautiful, and I'm so glad I've experienced Him in my life. I KNOW for a fact that I would not have gotten where I have without Him. I have faced darkness on my own. I have faced the reality of my own sin. I have faced the pain caused by sin and the path "I" chose. And I have faced being at the end of myself and realizing that I can't I take one more step in this self destructing way that I am headed. And yes, I have been at the point of thinking that ending it all was the only answer. BUT GOD!!! But God came along side me and showed me that He sent His son as a gift to me to help me in times like this. To remove my ugliness, my sin, my pain, my mistakes, my past....and to show me a new value, a new worth, a new way, a cleansing from the inside out. And then He showed me that He would take all of that junk I had walked through, the stuff that was self inflicted, and the stuff that was just done to me...He would take it all and show me a way to help others. A way to share the very thing that changed my life....show them HIM.
So, today I once again will put myself out there and say if you don't know Him in this way, then please feel free to email me at wordsworththought@gmail.com and let me share with you ways that I KNOW He can not just help you, but he can completely transform you. He can show you the value, worth and purpose that HE had in mind when He created you. The very thing the enemy does not want you to know, because when you realize how God sees you, and the power and strength you can get from accepting His love, His forgiveness and His love...then you will discover that you have all you need to defeat the enemy. And before you know it, YOU will be sharing your story with someone new and helping them see how God can change their life too.
If you are reading this, and you do have a story of redemption....then PLEASE go share it with someone today. Let them see and hear how God has changed your life and share the very hope with them that you have found in Him.
God, thank You for Your love. A love that doesn't just make things better, or change things...but a love the completely transforms our life into what you meant for it to be. Holy Spirit please come along side those of us who feel the need to reach out to someone and give us the wisdom, knowledge, courage, strength and words of love that they need to hear to grasp the hope that God brings to their life. In Jesus name, Amen
If you have ever stepped foot into a pitch dark room and tried to navigate your way through it, then you know exactly how hard that can be. You may find your way to the other side, but you are going to run into stuff, stumble over things and take a risk of getting hurt along the way. However, if you take that same pitch dark room, and you let me hand you even the smallest flashlight, then navigating your way through it becomes so much easier. Now let me hand you an even bigger light and the walk through it becomes even easier. To the point that you don't run into things, you might stumble over something you just didn't see....but the risk of getting hurt is almost not even there. Why? Because you relied on the light to show all the things you would not have been able to see in the dark. THIS IS GOD! God wants so desperately to be the light in your life that breaks through the darkness and shows you all the things that the enemy has put in your way to cause you to stumble, fall and get hurt throughout your life. It's a beautiful picture honestly....I mean, why stumble through the darkness of life on your own when you have someone who loves you so much that they just want to take you by the hand and guide you?
Am I saying that life becomes a piece of cake...a walk in the park...and you'll without trouble or heartache once you meet Jesus...No, because we live in a corrupt world. But what I am saying is anything that comes your way doesn't have to be dealt with alone anymore. The strength that God can put in us to overcome and face things in life, that could have just taken us out without Him, is almost hard to put words to. In fact, it is hard to put words to because it's an experience you go through with Him. It is beautiful, and I'm so glad I've experienced Him in my life. I KNOW for a fact that I would not have gotten where I have without Him. I have faced darkness on my own. I have faced the reality of my own sin. I have faced the pain caused by sin and the path "I" chose. And I have faced being at the end of myself and realizing that I can't I take one more step in this self destructing way that I am headed. And yes, I have been at the point of thinking that ending it all was the only answer. BUT GOD!!! But God came along side me and showed me that He sent His son as a gift to me to help me in times like this. To remove my ugliness, my sin, my pain, my mistakes, my past....and to show me a new value, a new worth, a new way, a cleansing from the inside out. And then He showed me that He would take all of that junk I had walked through, the stuff that was self inflicted, and the stuff that was just done to me...He would take it all and show me a way to help others. A way to share the very thing that changed my life....show them HIM.
So, today I once again will put myself out there and say if you don't know Him in this way, then please feel free to email me at wordsworththought@gmail.com and let me share with you ways that I KNOW He can not just help you, but he can completely transform you. He can show you the value, worth and purpose that HE had in mind when He created you. The very thing the enemy does not want you to know, because when you realize how God sees you, and the power and strength you can get from accepting His love, His forgiveness and His love...then you will discover that you have all you need to defeat the enemy. And before you know it, YOU will be sharing your story with someone new and helping them see how God can change their life too.
If you are reading this, and you do have a story of redemption....then PLEASE go share it with someone today. Let them see and hear how God has changed your life and share the very hope with them that you have found in Him.
God, thank You for Your love. A love that doesn't just make things better, or change things...but a love the completely transforms our life into what you meant for it to be. Holy Spirit please come along side those of us who feel the need to reach out to someone and give us the wisdom, knowledge, courage, strength and words of love that they need to hear to grasp the hope that God brings to their life. In Jesus name, Amen
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Are You Using Your Words, Or His?
Do you ever stop and think about how many words come out of your mouth in a days time? How many different topics did you discuss with people throughout your day? How many of those topics or words were life building, loving, meaningful words? How many were pleasing or not pleasing to God? Did you speak truth today? Was that truth wrapped in judgement or love? Did the person you were talking to feel loved as you spoke to them, or did they feel condemned? It is true that you can't control the way something you share with someone is received by them, but you can control that way it is delivered by you.
Today I wanted to challenge anyone who reads this to think about the saying "speak truth in love". To many times we use the excuse "I was just being truthful" to attempt to get by with saying something hurtful, condemning, or judgmental....but what was really more important in the conversation, getting what you wanted said said, or having them receive it because your words were wrapped in love? The bible talks to us a lot about our words and the power they have to tear down or build up. Matthew 12:37 says "For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned". This is something to think about when you start to open your mouth. The person you speaking to is not the only one listening to the words coming out of your mouth. When you have said what you had to say, will God look at you say they were justified, or condemning? Before you answer that, remember what all God has forgiven you for, and then ask yourself again how much right you have to justify the things that you said? I know that might sound a little harsh, but this is one of those moments that I want to speak truth...in love. I am challenging you to look inward, not outward. If you had to justify what you just said to God, instead of to the person you spoke them to, could you? God is the one who knows everything we have ever done....and everything you haven't done when you should have. So if you feel like letting words fly out of your mouth that may come across as condemning to to someone, ask yourself if you could justify condemning them to God? Or would He say back to you, "Please let my Holy Spirit be what convicts them, and don't let your words be what condemns them. If they hear love come out of your mouth, then they will see Me in you...and that could change everything".
This is a topic that means a lot to me...why, because out of all the things I have done wrong in my life, this is by far one of the things that is at the top of my list. I put truth before love far to many times when I was speaking to someone I had conflict with. And you know what I learned from that...It just let to more conflict. When we experience the true grace and mercy that God has for us, and we realize, truly realize, just how much He has forgiven and washed away from our past, then we can approach even the toughest conversation with grace, mercy and love. Why is this? Because God will put a check in our gut that says "who are you to condemn them? I didn't condemn you when I had the chance...I forgave you and loved you. And that is what made you love Me more. Do you want them to know Me and love Me, then let them see Me in you".
I know this is a tough pill to swallow because people can do some pretty hurtful things for us, and the first feeling that can come to our flesh is just how justified we are to say what we really want to back to them. But is the thought that is making your flesh rise up coming from God, or the enemy? When you can get honest with yourself and say "these thoughts, these feelings, these words I want to say, are not from God. I need to submit to Him before I go say anything to them", God will change what you want to say. Since I truly surrendered my life over to God some of my best responses to people have come AFTER I took it to God in prayer. Let me just tell you from my own experience, it is really hard to justify harsh words to someone after you just came out of prayer with God about it. Am I saying you will always get it right, no, but I am saying that the more you practice letting Him work through you, the better you will get at this.
Pray, submit, speak love, speak truth, use life giving words and watch what God can do that you can't do on your own. He will amaze you, and He will bless you for it.
Proverbs 18:21 - "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit."
More Scripture on our words:
Ephesians 4:29, Psalm 14:19, Matthew 12:36, Proverbs 25:11, Proverbs 16:24, Proverbs 29:20, Ecclesiastes 10:12, Isaiah 55:11, Proverbs 10:19
God, thank You for addressing this topic in Your Word. Please help us seek You before we allow hurtful words to come out of our mouths. Holy Spirit, help us to always speak truth IN LOVE....remembering that LOVE is the most important part. And help us use words that give life, not death, to our conversations. In Jesus name, Amen
Today I wanted to challenge anyone who reads this to think about the saying "speak truth in love". To many times we use the excuse "I was just being truthful" to attempt to get by with saying something hurtful, condemning, or judgmental....but what was really more important in the conversation, getting what you wanted said said, or having them receive it because your words were wrapped in love? The bible talks to us a lot about our words and the power they have to tear down or build up. Matthew 12:37 says "For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned". This is something to think about when you start to open your mouth. The person you speaking to is not the only one listening to the words coming out of your mouth. When you have said what you had to say, will God look at you say they were justified, or condemning? Before you answer that, remember what all God has forgiven you for, and then ask yourself again how much right you have to justify the things that you said? I know that might sound a little harsh, but this is one of those moments that I want to speak truth...in love. I am challenging you to look inward, not outward. If you had to justify what you just said to God, instead of to the person you spoke them to, could you? God is the one who knows everything we have ever done....and everything you haven't done when you should have. So if you feel like letting words fly out of your mouth that may come across as condemning to to someone, ask yourself if you could justify condemning them to God? Or would He say back to you, "Please let my Holy Spirit be what convicts them, and don't let your words be what condemns them. If they hear love come out of your mouth, then they will see Me in you...and that could change everything".
This is a topic that means a lot to me...why, because out of all the things I have done wrong in my life, this is by far one of the things that is at the top of my list. I put truth before love far to many times when I was speaking to someone I had conflict with. And you know what I learned from that...It just let to more conflict. When we experience the true grace and mercy that God has for us, and we realize, truly realize, just how much He has forgiven and washed away from our past, then we can approach even the toughest conversation with grace, mercy and love. Why is this? Because God will put a check in our gut that says "who are you to condemn them? I didn't condemn you when I had the chance...I forgave you and loved you. And that is what made you love Me more. Do you want them to know Me and love Me, then let them see Me in you".
I know this is a tough pill to swallow because people can do some pretty hurtful things for us, and the first feeling that can come to our flesh is just how justified we are to say what we really want to back to them. But is the thought that is making your flesh rise up coming from God, or the enemy? When you can get honest with yourself and say "these thoughts, these feelings, these words I want to say, are not from God. I need to submit to Him before I go say anything to them", God will change what you want to say. Since I truly surrendered my life over to God some of my best responses to people have come AFTER I took it to God in prayer. Let me just tell you from my own experience, it is really hard to justify harsh words to someone after you just came out of prayer with God about it. Am I saying you will always get it right, no, but I am saying that the more you practice letting Him work through you, the better you will get at this.
Pray, submit, speak love, speak truth, use life giving words and watch what God can do that you can't do on your own. He will amaze you, and He will bless you for it.
Proverbs 18:21 - "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit."
More Scripture on our words:
Ephesians 4:29, Psalm 14:19, Matthew 12:36, Proverbs 25:11, Proverbs 16:24, Proverbs 29:20, Ecclesiastes 10:12, Isaiah 55:11, Proverbs 10:19
God, thank You for addressing this topic in Your Word. Please help us seek You before we allow hurtful words to come out of our mouths. Holy Spirit, help us to always speak truth IN LOVE....remembering that LOVE is the most important part. And help us use words that give life, not death, to our conversations. In Jesus name, Amen
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
A Call Out To Men!
As I posted yesterday, I spent the weekend listening to a speaker talk about what it truly means to be a man. Much respect went out to this speaker as he talked about his life, because as he told his story you could see that what he really had to do when he met Jesus was undo every thought he had of what being a man really was. He was the world's definition of a man....that don't take anything from anyone, tough exterior, walls build up all around him, show no emotion except anger kind of man. This was instilled in him from his father and it truly was all he knew about being a man...until he met Jesus. And even though he and I were different kind of men, I definitely grew up with the wrong mindset of what being a man meant too, and some of the things he shared this past weekend was a refreshing reminder of what it means to truly be a Godly man.
When I think of the most manly man I know, I picture Christ. He was a tower of strength, but as gentle as they come. He knew when was the right time to show righteous anger (Matthew 21) and he knew how to be loving and gentle enough that even the little children would be drawn to him (Matthew 19). Jesus never had to go around earning his place with the people, demanding their respect, or creating fear of who He was. People were just drawn to Him. I can imagine His character being one that would just make you want to be around Him. He always carried a servants heart and never asked people to treat Him different because of who He knew He was. And as I think of that, how the Son of God could be so humble, I think this is the man I want to be like. This is the character I want to posses. I want to react the way He reacted, I want to care like He cared, I want to serve like He served and I want to point people to God the way He did. I want to look like the man He was, not the kind of man the world tries to create.
A few things really stuck with me over the weekend that I would like to touch on today in hopes that it touches someone else and sticks with you too. One was, to be a man is to be a "leader". It doesn't mean you take "ownership" of things, it means you take "responsibility" of things. For a long time I had this wrong. Men, in our homes we are not to rule and dictate, we are lead and serve. Yes, we are to serve our families, not be served by them. The respect we all want as men isn't something that can be forced or "expected" like we sometimes act. It is something that is earned and appointed to you because of the character you posses. Our speaker went all the way back to Adam and Eve and the sin that was committed in the garden and put in a way I had never really thought of. A very eye opening way. He said we often hear the woman took the apple and then gave it to Adam....but what if the man would have led woman by saying no to the sin, instead of ok? And even if she had already committed the sin and he hadn't....when God came looking for them, instead of saying "the woman you gave me..."...what if he would have said "I have not led correctly, so please do not charge her with this sin, but hold me responsible for it". Wow! He went on to say this is exactly how Jesus approached our sin, as they put Him on the cross He looked up to God and said "don't hold this against them, they know not what they are doing". That picture will forever be inside of me. Adam fell by not leading and taking responsibility, but Christ came and set a new example for us, and He led by example and took responsibility for sin He didn't even commit. That is a real man...and even if in my past I haven't always done it right, this is the man I will forever model my life after. I want to posses His meekness, humbleness, character and wisdom as I allow God to mold me into a man like Jesus.
The other thing he touched on was how men need to serve. We need to serve God, our families and the church. Matthew 23:11-12 says "But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted". Men, our wives would respect us more and love us more if they could trust us to serve them and our family, take responsibility when things don't go just right, and do it all with the humbleness that Christ carried. They need to see Christ in us!
When we, as men, learn to be the kind of leader that Christ was, our homes will change, our communities will change, our nation will change.
God, thank You for the ultimate example of what a man should look like..Your Son Jesus Christ. Help us lay all of our failures at your feet and try today to do it different, to do it right, to do it Your way! Holy Spirit, help us to allow you to guide us, direct us, and correct us. And let homes be impacted and changed by the changes we are allowing you to do in us. In Jesus name, Amen
When I think of the most manly man I know, I picture Christ. He was a tower of strength, but as gentle as they come. He knew when was the right time to show righteous anger (Matthew 21) and he knew how to be loving and gentle enough that even the little children would be drawn to him (Matthew 19). Jesus never had to go around earning his place with the people, demanding their respect, or creating fear of who He was. People were just drawn to Him. I can imagine His character being one that would just make you want to be around Him. He always carried a servants heart and never asked people to treat Him different because of who He knew He was. And as I think of that, how the Son of God could be so humble, I think this is the man I want to be like. This is the character I want to posses. I want to react the way He reacted, I want to care like He cared, I want to serve like He served and I want to point people to God the way He did. I want to look like the man He was, not the kind of man the world tries to create.
A few things really stuck with me over the weekend that I would like to touch on today in hopes that it touches someone else and sticks with you too. One was, to be a man is to be a "leader". It doesn't mean you take "ownership" of things, it means you take "responsibility" of things. For a long time I had this wrong. Men, in our homes we are not to rule and dictate, we are lead and serve. Yes, we are to serve our families, not be served by them. The respect we all want as men isn't something that can be forced or "expected" like we sometimes act. It is something that is earned and appointed to you because of the character you posses. Our speaker went all the way back to Adam and Eve and the sin that was committed in the garden and put in a way I had never really thought of. A very eye opening way. He said we often hear the woman took the apple and then gave it to Adam....but what if the man would have led woman by saying no to the sin, instead of ok? And even if she had already committed the sin and he hadn't....when God came looking for them, instead of saying "the woman you gave me..."...what if he would have said "I have not led correctly, so please do not charge her with this sin, but hold me responsible for it". Wow! He went on to say this is exactly how Jesus approached our sin, as they put Him on the cross He looked up to God and said "don't hold this against them, they know not what they are doing". That picture will forever be inside of me. Adam fell by not leading and taking responsibility, but Christ came and set a new example for us, and He led by example and took responsibility for sin He didn't even commit. That is a real man...and even if in my past I haven't always done it right, this is the man I will forever model my life after. I want to posses His meekness, humbleness, character and wisdom as I allow God to mold me into a man like Jesus.
The other thing he touched on was how men need to serve. We need to serve God, our families and the church. Matthew 23:11-12 says "But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted". Men, our wives would respect us more and love us more if they could trust us to serve them and our family, take responsibility when things don't go just right, and do it all with the humbleness that Christ carried. They need to see Christ in us!
When we, as men, learn to be the kind of leader that Christ was, our homes will change, our communities will change, our nation will change.
God, thank You for the ultimate example of what a man should look like..Your Son Jesus Christ. Help us lay all of our failures at your feet and try today to do it different, to do it right, to do it Your way! Holy Spirit, help us to allow you to guide us, direct us, and correct us. And let homes be impacted and changed by the changes we are allowing you to do in us. In Jesus name, Amen
Monday, November 9, 2015
Passion And Fire!!
I got to go to a Christian men's event this weekend and listen to a speaker talk to men about stepping out into all that God has for them. Listening to what it really means to be a man, not by the world's standards, but by God's. And we got to be motivated to never stand where we are or to step backwards....but in ALL situations continue to move forward, take one more step. Wherever you are with God today, make sure you are taking another step forward..and another the next day, and the next day, and so on. This was not said over the weekend, but in my own words I would say that there are only 3 places you can ever be with God. You are either moving backwards and away from Him in the wrong direction, or you are standing still and being complacent where you are, or you are hearing His call and moving closer to Him. You will always be in one of those 3 places, but the last one is always where He wants us to be....moving closer to Him with each new day that He blesses us with. And today what God has pressed on me is that we (the people of God) have to do this by keeping our passion and fire!
Sometimes when God puts words on my heart I like to look up the true definition to them so I can fully understand what God is saying to me. So today I looked up the definition of Passion and Fire. I felt God saying that to many times we don't keep the passion and fire that He puts in us. We get all stirred up and by a good message, a good blessing, a conference we attend, or something else...but then that doesn't last. Why is this? Well I hope that by the end of this blog I will have shed some light on that and helped you desire to keep, or find, that passion and fire that God wants alive inside of you.
The definition of passion is a "strong and barely controllable emotion". As humans with many emotions, we can have passion come over us for many things. We can be passionately in love, we can become passionately angry or happy about a topic, or we can we can be passionate about helping a cause. But none of these things should even come close to the passion we have for God. By it's very definition we should be careful about the things we say we are actually passionate about. What things in your life get you to the point of barely being able to control your emotions? God and His gift to us, Jesus, should be at the top of that list...far at the top.
Now fire is a different word. We don't use it to describe our emotions very often. You might here someone say they are "fired up" about something, but we don't use fire to describe out emotions as much as we do passion. By definition, fire means "the light and heat and especially the flame produced by burning". So I found it interesting the God put the word fire on my heart because you can't have fire without burning. So what's burning? That was my question for God...and this is what I got...."the passion".
We have to remember that God created our emotions. Therefore, He knew from the beginning how they were to operate. And right from the beginning (Adam and Eve) the enemy has tried to play with those emotions. But the ONLY way He can is if we allow Him to. Eve entertained a conversation with the enemy and allowed Him to get in her head....when she should have stopped herself and rebuked him. But she gave him room to move in her mind, emotions and life....and so do we. But we don't have to!
So God put this passion in us that we discover when we come into a relationship with Him. Then, when we allow Him to, He lights that passion on fire and it becomes a burning passion within us. And when this happens you know it. Loving Him, pleasing Him, serving Him, knowing Him, getting closer to Him....all of these things become so much more important then ever before, but the key is to KEEP them important. Because when He's burning in you, the light and heat is seen and felt by others. But the enemy will try to "have conversations" with you...DON'T LET HIM! He is literally standing there with a bucket of water to pour on your burning passion for God. And He knows exactly what the tempt you with so he is in the right position to pour it on you. But YOU have to be the one, through the strength of Christ, to say "NOTHING is more important than this burning passion that God has put in me, and I will protect it at all cost and not let anything hinder it or put it out".
You will find your passion and your fire when you dig in deeper with God. When you open up your life to Him in a way that He can tell you what needs to go, what needs to stay, and what needs to be added. I find it very interesting that Revelation 3:16 says that God would rather us be hot (fire) or cold (no fire), then somewhere in the middle where we are just warm because we allow the enemy to keep things in our life that keep our flame so small that it's almost unnoticeable. What Christ did for you want seen by ALL......so if you are going to live for Him, then do it with a passion and a fire that is also seen by all! Let it be an all consuming fire!!!
God, thank You that You do chase us. You are not ok with us moving backwards, and You are not ok with us just standing still, but You want a burning passion it us for You so that we have no choice but to keep moving forward with You because we can't find satisfaction in the status quo....we just need more! Our souls and our hearts long for more of You....and then let others see more of You in us so that we have to explain what You have done for us and in us. In Jesus name, Amen
Sometimes when God puts words on my heart I like to look up the true definition to them so I can fully understand what God is saying to me. So today I looked up the definition of Passion and Fire. I felt God saying that to many times we don't keep the passion and fire that He puts in us. We get all stirred up and by a good message, a good blessing, a conference we attend, or something else...but then that doesn't last. Why is this? Well I hope that by the end of this blog I will have shed some light on that and helped you desire to keep, or find, that passion and fire that God wants alive inside of you.
The definition of passion is a "strong and barely controllable emotion". As humans with many emotions, we can have passion come over us for many things. We can be passionately in love, we can become passionately angry or happy about a topic, or we can we can be passionate about helping a cause. But none of these things should even come close to the passion we have for God. By it's very definition we should be careful about the things we say we are actually passionate about. What things in your life get you to the point of barely being able to control your emotions? God and His gift to us, Jesus, should be at the top of that list...far at the top.
Now fire is a different word. We don't use it to describe our emotions very often. You might here someone say they are "fired up" about something, but we don't use fire to describe out emotions as much as we do passion. By definition, fire means "the light and heat and especially the flame produced by burning". So I found it interesting the God put the word fire on my heart because you can't have fire without burning. So what's burning? That was my question for God...and this is what I got...."the passion".
We have to remember that God created our emotions. Therefore, He knew from the beginning how they were to operate. And right from the beginning (Adam and Eve) the enemy has tried to play with those emotions. But the ONLY way He can is if we allow Him to. Eve entertained a conversation with the enemy and allowed Him to get in her head....when she should have stopped herself and rebuked him. But she gave him room to move in her mind, emotions and life....and so do we. But we don't have to!
So God put this passion in us that we discover when we come into a relationship with Him. Then, when we allow Him to, He lights that passion on fire and it becomes a burning passion within us. And when this happens you know it. Loving Him, pleasing Him, serving Him, knowing Him, getting closer to Him....all of these things become so much more important then ever before, but the key is to KEEP them important. Because when He's burning in you, the light and heat is seen and felt by others. But the enemy will try to "have conversations" with you...DON'T LET HIM! He is literally standing there with a bucket of water to pour on your burning passion for God. And He knows exactly what the tempt you with so he is in the right position to pour it on you. But YOU have to be the one, through the strength of Christ, to say "NOTHING is more important than this burning passion that God has put in me, and I will protect it at all cost and not let anything hinder it or put it out".
You will find your passion and your fire when you dig in deeper with God. When you open up your life to Him in a way that He can tell you what needs to go, what needs to stay, and what needs to be added. I find it very interesting that Revelation 3:16 says that God would rather us be hot (fire) or cold (no fire), then somewhere in the middle where we are just warm because we allow the enemy to keep things in our life that keep our flame so small that it's almost unnoticeable. What Christ did for you want seen by ALL......so if you are going to live for Him, then do it with a passion and a fire that is also seen by all! Let it be an all consuming fire!!!
God, thank You that You do chase us. You are not ok with us moving backwards, and You are not ok with us just standing still, but You want a burning passion it us for You so that we have no choice but to keep moving forward with You because we can't find satisfaction in the status quo....we just need more! Our souls and our hearts long for more of You....and then let others see more of You in us so that we have to explain what You have done for us and in us. In Jesus name, Amen
Friday, November 6, 2015
You Are Who HE Says You Are!
Today I just wanted to send a word of encouragement and to everyone who reads this and tell you that you are NOT who this world says you are.....you ARE who God says you are! If you are unsure what what that means about you, then seek Him...ask Him...allow Him to show you exactly who He created you to be. You are not a person who should be living in fear, you are not a person who should be ruled by sin, you are not a person who should be tossed about by life like the waves in the sea. You have the ability to do all things through Christ who SHOULD BE your strength. You do NOT need to walk in doubt or confusion. You do NOT need to wonder and worry about your future. When you surrender all to God and give Him power over your life, He will set your feet on His path and secure you firmly. He will give you a renewed confidence....not in yourself, but in the One who has you!
Today let Christ's perfect life, undeserved death, and resurrection mean something in your life! Praise Him and give Him glory for all you have! Trust Him for all you need! Believe in Him with all your heart! And serve Him with all your guts! Let the world see that circumstances will not defeat you, trouble will not defeat you, heartache will not defeat you....not because of who you are, but because of whose you are! Walk in a new found worth because you realize and receive that Christ did what He did for you. He loved you in your sin, He wants to help you defeat anything that has you burdened and oppressed, and He wants to deliver you and set you free...AND He wants to use you in ways you can't even begin to imagine. He has work to be done to advance His kingdom that He had you in mind to do when He created you. Give Him the opportunity to show you just how amazing He designed you to be when brought you into this world...and let nothing stop you from discovering and living in the truth of God's grace, mercy, forgiveness, love and power.
God, thank You that YOU say who we are...not the enemy, not the world, not our mistakes, not our past, not our sins...BUT YOU! Help us to believe this today. Holy Spirit help us see ourselves through the eyes of Christ and find our worth in Him! And help us to help others to see You, hear Your truth and get set free from everything this world has put on them. In Jesus name, Amen
Life giving scripture:
Ephesians 2:10 - For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Philippians 4:13 - I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Colossians 2:10 - And you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.
Colossians 1:13 - He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son
Philippians 4:19 - And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:7 - And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 3:12 - In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.
Ephesians 3:20 - Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us
Today let Christ's perfect life, undeserved death, and resurrection mean something in your life! Praise Him and give Him glory for all you have! Trust Him for all you need! Believe in Him with all your heart! And serve Him with all your guts! Let the world see that circumstances will not defeat you, trouble will not defeat you, heartache will not defeat you....not because of who you are, but because of whose you are! Walk in a new found worth because you realize and receive that Christ did what He did for you. He loved you in your sin, He wants to help you defeat anything that has you burdened and oppressed, and He wants to deliver you and set you free...AND He wants to use you in ways you can't even begin to imagine. He has work to be done to advance His kingdom that He had you in mind to do when He created you. Give Him the opportunity to show you just how amazing He designed you to be when brought you into this world...and let nothing stop you from discovering and living in the truth of God's grace, mercy, forgiveness, love and power.
God, thank You that YOU say who we are...not the enemy, not the world, not our mistakes, not our past, not our sins...BUT YOU! Help us to believe this today. Holy Spirit help us see ourselves through the eyes of Christ and find our worth in Him! And help us to help others to see You, hear Your truth and get set free from everything this world has put on them. In Jesus name, Amen
Life giving scripture:
Ephesians 2:10 - For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Philippians 4:13 - I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Colossians 2:10 - And you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.
Colossians 1:13 - He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son
Philippians 4:19 - And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:7 - And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 3:12 - In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.
Ephesians 3:20 - Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Peace....Not Impatience
In a world filled with impatient people it is very very easy to just fall into that same groove. We can find ourselves becoming impatient at the drive through line, even though we don't have anywhere else to be. We can find ourselves keeping up with the traffic so much that we are going 10 or 15 miles an hour over the speed limit just because we are keeping up with all the other people who are in a rush to get where they are going. And we can find ourselves getting upset over things that really aren't worth getting upset about, things that test our patience.....even though we really don't have a logical reason to be impatient in that moment. I mean, have you ever pulled up to a 4-way stop sign and found yourself getting upset because people weren't going fast enough. Or found that every line in the grocery store was full and the idea of having to wait was making you angry, even though you had plenty of time to wait? What are these feelings about and why do we allow our patience to be tested so much? Where is our peace?
This topic is personal to me because this is an area that God has really worked on me...and continues to work on me. It is a place I have to come back to every so often and remind myself that this is not worth getting worked up over and I need to be patient in this moment. And how do I know that God wants me to be more patient?....because He keeps putting me in situations where I have rely on and wait on Him. Situations that are completely out of my control and I have 2 choices....become impatient and mess it up by doing it my way, or patiently wait and let Him grow me and teach me while I wait. Over the past 2 years I have learned that when we do wait and trust His timing, He really can teach us so much....so much that we miss out on when we rush Him or get tired of waiting and sidestep Him and do it our way. And let's not kid ourselves...even though He is God, we often push through and force situations, or just do them our own way, when we don't feel like He is moving in our time. But please let's not forget, He is the keeper of time, and doing things in His time is always going to be the best way. And in the end, when you look back over a situation and can see every place His hand was, you will stand in awe of how much He was at work while you waited. And then not only has He moved in your life, He has also built a testimony for you to tell others. Because remember, it'a not always about us, but it can be about what He can do through us when we allow Him to.
God has showed man that He's got them all throughout time. The bible is full of stories of what happened when man waited on God, and what happened when they didn't. But it is also full of wise words when it comes this topic...and instructions on remaining patient. Romans 8:25 says "But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance" and Romans 12:12 says "rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer". So it is not about being patient only when we see God moving, it is about trusting Him and continuing to rejoice and pray while we wait on God to move. It's not a conditional patience either, we don't just remain patient because things look good or things look like they are lining up...it is about remaining faithful and knowing that you serve a good good God. The enemy wants you to look around and say "this isn't looking good and my patience are wearing thin"....but Galatians 6:9 tells us "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart". So you honor Him, you tell of His goodness, you allow others to see you giving Him all the glory while you wait, and He will honor that. How do I know this...because I am in a season of reaping as I write this blog today! And God has carried me though a tough couple of years to get here, but never once did I lose heart that He had something good for me. I honored Him with my trust, my patience, my unconditional love.....and by continuing to tell others of His goodness. He is the only thing that has brought me this far. And when the days looked dark I reminded the enemy of God's faithfulness and rebuked every bit of doubt that he tried to bring into my thoughts....Knowing that my life would be a living testimony for Him IF I did things His way......just as each and every one of your lives can be too!
So the next time you feel that feeling of impatience rising up in you, submit it to God and ask Him for His peace....a peace that surpasses all understanding...because it's God's peace in us. (Philippians 4:7)
God, thank You for Your peace. When it comes over us it can calm every storm. Help us overcome the impatience that we have learned from the world we live in and to honor you with our trust as we seek Your peace. And let others see your peace and your patience in us and want what we have...giving us a chance to tell them of Your amazing goodness. In Jesus name, Amen
This topic is personal to me because this is an area that God has really worked on me...and continues to work on me. It is a place I have to come back to every so often and remind myself that this is not worth getting worked up over and I need to be patient in this moment. And how do I know that God wants me to be more patient?....because He keeps putting me in situations where I have rely on and wait on Him. Situations that are completely out of my control and I have 2 choices....become impatient and mess it up by doing it my way, or patiently wait and let Him grow me and teach me while I wait. Over the past 2 years I have learned that when we do wait and trust His timing, He really can teach us so much....so much that we miss out on when we rush Him or get tired of waiting and sidestep Him and do it our way. And let's not kid ourselves...even though He is God, we often push through and force situations, or just do them our own way, when we don't feel like He is moving in our time. But please let's not forget, He is the keeper of time, and doing things in His time is always going to be the best way. And in the end, when you look back over a situation and can see every place His hand was, you will stand in awe of how much He was at work while you waited. And then not only has He moved in your life, He has also built a testimony for you to tell others. Because remember, it'a not always about us, but it can be about what He can do through us when we allow Him to.
God has showed man that He's got them all throughout time. The bible is full of stories of what happened when man waited on God, and what happened when they didn't. But it is also full of wise words when it comes this topic...and instructions on remaining patient. Romans 8:25 says "But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance" and Romans 12:12 says "rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer". So it is not about being patient only when we see God moving, it is about trusting Him and continuing to rejoice and pray while we wait on God to move. It's not a conditional patience either, we don't just remain patient because things look good or things look like they are lining up...it is about remaining faithful and knowing that you serve a good good God. The enemy wants you to look around and say "this isn't looking good and my patience are wearing thin"....but Galatians 6:9 tells us "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart". So you honor Him, you tell of His goodness, you allow others to see you giving Him all the glory while you wait, and He will honor that. How do I know this...because I am in a season of reaping as I write this blog today! And God has carried me though a tough couple of years to get here, but never once did I lose heart that He had something good for me. I honored Him with my trust, my patience, my unconditional love.....and by continuing to tell others of His goodness. He is the only thing that has brought me this far. And when the days looked dark I reminded the enemy of God's faithfulness and rebuked every bit of doubt that he tried to bring into my thoughts....Knowing that my life would be a living testimony for Him IF I did things His way......just as each and every one of your lives can be too!
So the next time you feel that feeling of impatience rising up in you, submit it to God and ask Him for His peace....a peace that surpasses all understanding...because it's God's peace in us. (Philippians 4:7)
God, thank You for Your peace. When it comes over us it can calm every storm. Help us overcome the impatience that we have learned from the world we live in and to honor you with our trust as we seek Your peace. And let others see your peace and your patience in us and want what we have...giving us a chance to tell them of Your amazing goodness. In Jesus name, Amen
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Filled Up, Poured Out...The Process
I saw a picture on a social media site the other day that showed and empty cup and had a caption under it that read "nothing can be poured from an empty cup". This was probably one of the most simple, yet powerful pics/statements I've seen posted in quite a while. The truth behind this is something we all need to realize. We spend so much time....no, we waste so much time looking at others and their lack of God, their character flaws and their mistakes that we often forget that what God really wants to do is get to look inward at ourselves so He can cleanse and fill us. I haven't made this statement for a while, but I used to quite often...."God called us to love people and leave it up to Him to judge them, but we have turned that around to where we think we are called to judge people and let Him love them".
Why is is so important for us to make sure we are allowing God to fill us? Because there are 2 things that take place when God fills us, one is an emptying out of the things He does not want in us to make room for what He does want in us. And two, there is a filling up for the point and purpose of pouring back out. God will never fills us just for the sake of us walking around full. If that is the mindset you have been walking around in then the enemy has been selling you a lie. God's plan and purpose is to reach anyone and everyone He can. So when He fills us up it is for the purpose of us pouring back out to others. Now having said that, let me also say this. As God takes you through the process of emptying out all the things that the world put in you so He can fill you with His fullness, He will also show you when it is time for you to start pouring out to others. Don't let the idea scare you because again, that fear is from the enemy, not God (2 Timothy 1:7). Your first encounter of pouring back out may simply be you sharing your story of redemption with someone who is going through a similar situation that God rescued you from. It doesn't mean He is going to drop you on a stage, behind a pulpit, preaching His word. In fact, many people who advance God's kingdom will never do it from up on a stage in front of hundreds of people. They will do it through one on one connections with people, through small community outreaches, or through a small ministry that they find they fit into. But no matter what it is you feel God calling you to do to reach others, be sure you don't run out and do it without allowing Him to fill you first.
Christ was the perfect model of what "living by example" looks like. And even though we will never be what Christ was, perfect, we can live a life that reflects Him to others. And the only way we can do this is by making sure we are letting God flush out the impurities in us, and fill us up with His fullness. But then we don't just hold that in, we pour it back out into others just as Christ did. The cycle of getting filled up and then pouring back out also teaches us to not rely on ourselves. It is never about us, it was never supposed to be, and it never will be. It is not about our capabilities or our weaknesses. Anything that we accomplish is due to what He has put in us. So we thank Him for our accomplishments, and we recognize Him when we overcome our weaknesses, and we honor Him by trusting that as we pour out He is already starting to filling us up for the next thing He has for us. This cycle...this process...will also deepen our relationship with Him. And that is always a part of it. He wants us to go deeper, and when we are constantly filling up and pouring out, we deepen our trust, our faith, our ability to rely on Him more than ourselves, and our belief that we can be affective for the kingdom of God.
Ephesians 3:14-21 talks about being filled, being used, and honoring God in it! "For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."
God, thank You that YOU do fill us, but help us see that it is always for the purpose of pouring back out Your love, Your grace, Your mercy, Your forgiveness and the message of Your love to those around us. Holy Spirit enable us to do this not because of ourselves, but despite ourselves. In Jesus name, Amen
Why is is so important for us to make sure we are allowing God to fill us? Because there are 2 things that take place when God fills us, one is an emptying out of the things He does not want in us to make room for what He does want in us. And two, there is a filling up for the point and purpose of pouring back out. God will never fills us just for the sake of us walking around full. If that is the mindset you have been walking around in then the enemy has been selling you a lie. God's plan and purpose is to reach anyone and everyone He can. So when He fills us up it is for the purpose of us pouring back out to others. Now having said that, let me also say this. As God takes you through the process of emptying out all the things that the world put in you so He can fill you with His fullness, He will also show you when it is time for you to start pouring out to others. Don't let the idea scare you because again, that fear is from the enemy, not God (2 Timothy 1:7). Your first encounter of pouring back out may simply be you sharing your story of redemption with someone who is going through a similar situation that God rescued you from. It doesn't mean He is going to drop you on a stage, behind a pulpit, preaching His word. In fact, many people who advance God's kingdom will never do it from up on a stage in front of hundreds of people. They will do it through one on one connections with people, through small community outreaches, or through a small ministry that they find they fit into. But no matter what it is you feel God calling you to do to reach others, be sure you don't run out and do it without allowing Him to fill you first.
Christ was the perfect model of what "living by example" looks like. And even though we will never be what Christ was, perfect, we can live a life that reflects Him to others. And the only way we can do this is by making sure we are letting God flush out the impurities in us, and fill us up with His fullness. But then we don't just hold that in, we pour it back out into others just as Christ did. The cycle of getting filled up and then pouring back out also teaches us to not rely on ourselves. It is never about us, it was never supposed to be, and it never will be. It is not about our capabilities or our weaknesses. Anything that we accomplish is due to what He has put in us. So we thank Him for our accomplishments, and we recognize Him when we overcome our weaknesses, and we honor Him by trusting that as we pour out He is already starting to filling us up for the next thing He has for us. This cycle...this process...will also deepen our relationship with Him. And that is always a part of it. He wants us to go deeper, and when we are constantly filling up and pouring out, we deepen our trust, our faith, our ability to rely on Him more than ourselves, and our belief that we can be affective for the kingdom of God.
Ephesians 3:14-21 talks about being filled, being used, and honoring God in it! "For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."
God, thank You that YOU do fill us, but help us see that it is always for the purpose of pouring back out Your love, Your grace, Your mercy, Your forgiveness and the message of Your love to those around us. Holy Spirit enable us to do this not because of ourselves, but despite ourselves. In Jesus name, Amen
Monday, November 2, 2015
Walking In His Fullness...
The longer I walk with God, the more I see the need for people to understand His grace and mercy, along with His guidance and direction, and His blessings and favor...and how they all fit together. Often we talk about all that we want from God, that blanket of protection and forgiveness and the feeling of His blessings falling on our life, but do we talk enough about what it might take to truly walk in His favor, knowing we are going in the direction that He has for us?
When I think about the picture of all of these things working together I think about a puzzle. A puzzle is one thing made of many pieces. In order for it to come out right in the end you must have all the pieces. You would never be able to open up the box to a puzzle and say "I only want to uses these pieces, but I expect this to come out like it's supposed to when I'm done". It won't. It might resemble the picture on the box, but there will be empty spots where the maker of the puzzle intended for things to be. It will not be whole, and it will not be complete. You could be "satisfied" with the end result being partial if you wanted to be, but you won't be able to complain if it doesn't turn out right. Picking and choosing the pieces you want to use will never give the puzzle a chance to be complete. It may make working on it easier because you just skip the over difficult pieces and "maybe" come back to them later, but without each piece connecting as it was designed to, the picture will have voids in it that can NEVER be filled with anything other than the missing piece.
Sometimes the hardest thing for people to accept is that God has a plan for their life. There are many reasons for this, but all of them come from the enemy playing games with us. He tries to convince us that God is not that concerned with us, that our life isn't "that" important, that God couldn't possibly use someone like us...and even that our past, and the sins of our life (current or past) are too deep for us to us to find our way back to the path that God once had for us. All of these things are lies. The enemy doesn't want to us to realize that God has a plan for us because then we just might start to seek it. And once that happens, and you begin to experience the fullness of grace and mercy, correction and direction, and blessing and favor all working together, you will NEVER want to go back to the places satan once had you. And then he has lost his grips on you for good. So of course he would rather keep us ignorant to it, to stubborn to change, or even to blind to see the pieces that are missing in our life. If he can keep us there, then we will never be that complete puzzle that I mentioned earlier.
John 15 talks all about what it takes to live in the fullness of God. How Jesus is the vine and we are the branches, and the fruit that we produce in our lives is a direct reflection of how much we are walking in all the things I have mentioned. In order for you to even understand that you are a branch connect to the vine (Jesus) then you must accept and receive the grace and mercy part. In order to remain a healthy branch, then you must receive the pruning that God wants to do in your life, the guidance, correction and direction part. And then once these things are in place your life starts to produce good fruit, the blessings and favor part. We can't miss this, we can't rush this and we certainly can't skip over some parts to get to parts that sound attractive. As I have stated many times before, God sees our hearts and He knows when you are all in, and He knows when you are just walking through the motions. He wants a committed relationship with you and He wants fullness in your life....not to look like a puzzle of missing pieces that someone gave up on.
There is no better time than now to ask God how well you are connected to the vine, and then allow Him to show you where you are doing good, and where there may still need some pruning. Don't allow the enemy to cause you to focus on the pruning part....give God full access, then let Him show you His fullness. Don't be the one that settle for the puzzle that is missing pieces and almost looks complete, and don't be the rose bush that never quite bloomed to it's fullness because it never got pruned properly. Trust God and let Him show you what it really looks like when it all works together as He designed it. Grace and mercy, correction and direction, and His blessings and favor.
God, thank You that you are the designer of our lives. Nobody knows what is best for us better than You. Holy Spirit help us learn to surrender our ways to God and trust the things He wants to do in us and through us. And let our changed lives be a living testimony of how truly amazing and powerful You are. In Jesus name, Amen
When I think about the picture of all of these things working together I think about a puzzle. A puzzle is one thing made of many pieces. In order for it to come out right in the end you must have all the pieces. You would never be able to open up the box to a puzzle and say "I only want to uses these pieces, but I expect this to come out like it's supposed to when I'm done". It won't. It might resemble the picture on the box, but there will be empty spots where the maker of the puzzle intended for things to be. It will not be whole, and it will not be complete. You could be "satisfied" with the end result being partial if you wanted to be, but you won't be able to complain if it doesn't turn out right. Picking and choosing the pieces you want to use will never give the puzzle a chance to be complete. It may make working on it easier because you just skip the over difficult pieces and "maybe" come back to them later, but without each piece connecting as it was designed to, the picture will have voids in it that can NEVER be filled with anything other than the missing piece.
Sometimes the hardest thing for people to accept is that God has a plan for their life. There are many reasons for this, but all of them come from the enemy playing games with us. He tries to convince us that God is not that concerned with us, that our life isn't "that" important, that God couldn't possibly use someone like us...and even that our past, and the sins of our life (current or past) are too deep for us to us to find our way back to the path that God once had for us. All of these things are lies. The enemy doesn't want to us to realize that God has a plan for us because then we just might start to seek it. And once that happens, and you begin to experience the fullness of grace and mercy, correction and direction, and blessing and favor all working together, you will NEVER want to go back to the places satan once had you. And then he has lost his grips on you for good. So of course he would rather keep us ignorant to it, to stubborn to change, or even to blind to see the pieces that are missing in our life. If he can keep us there, then we will never be that complete puzzle that I mentioned earlier.
John 15 talks all about what it takes to live in the fullness of God. How Jesus is the vine and we are the branches, and the fruit that we produce in our lives is a direct reflection of how much we are walking in all the things I have mentioned. In order for you to even understand that you are a branch connect to the vine (Jesus) then you must accept and receive the grace and mercy part. In order to remain a healthy branch, then you must receive the pruning that God wants to do in your life, the guidance, correction and direction part. And then once these things are in place your life starts to produce good fruit, the blessings and favor part. We can't miss this, we can't rush this and we certainly can't skip over some parts to get to parts that sound attractive. As I have stated many times before, God sees our hearts and He knows when you are all in, and He knows when you are just walking through the motions. He wants a committed relationship with you and He wants fullness in your life....not to look like a puzzle of missing pieces that someone gave up on.
There is no better time than now to ask God how well you are connected to the vine, and then allow Him to show you where you are doing good, and where there may still need some pruning. Don't allow the enemy to cause you to focus on the pruning part....give God full access, then let Him show you His fullness. Don't be the one that settle for the puzzle that is missing pieces and almost looks complete, and don't be the rose bush that never quite bloomed to it's fullness because it never got pruned properly. Trust God and let Him show you what it really looks like when it all works together as He designed it. Grace and mercy, correction and direction, and His blessings and favor.
God, thank You that you are the designer of our lives. Nobody knows what is best for us better than You. Holy Spirit help us learn to surrender our ways to God and trust the things He wants to do in us and through us. And let our changed lives be a living testimony of how truly amazing and powerful You are. In Jesus name, Amen
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