I believe that one of the most important things we can do as followers of Jesus Christ is to stand out from the world we live in. Standing out allows us to be a light in a dark place and should allow others to see God at work in our life. As I have stated many times before, if we don't have something that makes us look different from everyone else, then why would the people around us want what Jesus has to offer. For example, if you heard of someone moving all of their finances over to a new bank that opened up in your town, and all they did was complain about all the troubles they have had since they moved to that bank, then what reason would you have to do the same? You probably wouldn't. Even if the bank you were worth wasn't the greatest, you would probably still just stay where you are and hope it gets better. Well, isn't this what we do when we claim to have Jesus in our lives, but all we do is complain about all the problems, hardships, heartaches and issues that life throws at us? Aren't we supposed to be overcomers of this world? John 16:33 tells us that we can overcome because the One we follow did! It is all about what you want to invest more into, the world that will bring you tribulation, or Jesus who will bring you peace.
As this year comes to an end, and a new one begins, it is a great time to look back and see what you have been investing in more. Did you spend more time talking about all the negativity around you, or did you place your focus and trust on Jesus? Did you tell others about His goodness, or did you tell others about your troubles? Did you allow the enemy to control you through circumstances or did you remind him where your peace and joy comes from? Overcoming is something we are called to do. It shows God's power at work in our life and it is a living breathing example that God's Word is still alive and true today. And I believe that as brothers and sisters in Christ it is our job to encourage one another, as well as challenge one another, to look for God in our everyday life. Look for His hand at work in the situations and circumstances that life dishes out to us...and most of all praise Him, glorify Him and show others that He IS the answer they need in their life. We are walking this earth as representation of the One we serve...So how well was He been represented by you this past year and how much better could He be represented in this coming year. I do not ask that question to bring forth feelings of guilt, shame or condemnation, but instead I am encouraging you to do a self examination of your life...the conversations you have had with others...and whether the world you live in had more of an impact on you, or if you had more of an impact on it. I'm not a big "New Year's resolution" person, but if I could say that I have a goal for 2016 it would be that I do make more of an impact on the world around me and that it has less of an impact on my life...and especially my relationship with the One I serve, Jesus Christ.
God, first of all, thank You for the year You just brought us through. Thank You for Your provision, protection and blessings....even if the enemy made it hard for us to see Your hand at work in our life, we KNOW You were there...so thank You! And as we go into this new year please help us deepen and strengthen our relationship with You. Please help us look for more of You and see more of You. Help us to represent You in every area of our life and realize that one of the only ways that is going to happen is by us submitting every area of our life to You. Help us to fully understand that when we offer complete surrender to You, we also open the door to Your amazing power to be at work in our life. Help us to trust You more, love like you love, forgive like you forgive and demonstrate Your grace and mercy by offering it to those around us. In Jesus name, Amen
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
I Feel Him And See His Blessings
This tends to be a season where we count our blessings, but if we are in the midst of a hardship, the hardship can seem to be much harder. But today I pray that through the midst of anything you are going through, your blessings will stand out the most.
The enemy loves to cover the everyday blessings of life with the everyday hardships of life. And depending on what you are going through, being able to look around, over, or through those hard times to still see your blessings can be a challenge. That is why it's important to start each day by thanking God. I like to thank Him for the things I can see, and thank Him for the things He is doing that I can't see. This is my way of telling the enemy, "I don't need to see God's blessings to know they are there. I know you want me to see my circumstances, but I choose to see God's blessings". And that really is what it comes down to, what we choose to see. I have been through seasons where that choice was easy, and I have been through seasons where it was hard. In both seasons I lean on God for the strength to make the right choice.
Please understand that I am by no means downplaying the hard things we go through in life sometimes....but at the same time, I also will not downplay God's ability to get us through them. I have faced the death of a loved one, the sting of divorce, the hurt of strife in a family...these are very serious things, and I can tell you that without God I would not have overcome them. That is not a canned message that I just tell people. I truly and honestly mean that without God these things would have given me enough reason to just quit. But I hold on the the promises I read in God's word and I have felt His very presence in my time of need. He is there all the time, but when you call out to Him He is there to hold you and help you through. I have prayed with the manliest of men and watched them crumble in tears as they felt God's presence come over them. It is real, it is powerful and it is one of the warmest feelings of love you will ever experience. But most of all it delivers a peace that truly surpasses ALL understanding (Philippians 4:7).
As you come through this Christmas season I encourage you to welcome His presence. Whether this is one of the most joyful times of the year for you, or due to life's circumstances it is one of the hardest times of the year for you, His presence can make a difference. It is my heart's desire for anyone and everyone to experience God on a deeper, more personal and more spiritual level. Because when you do, not only will it change you, but it will change how clearly you can see all of His blessings around you. And this something you will want to share with others too!
God, thank You that You are always near. Today I pray for those who struggle during this time of the year. I pray that You will show up in their life in such a powerful way that nothing the enemy is trying to do to bring them down will work. I pray for relationships with you to go to a new and deeper level, and I pray for breakthrough in people's lives. I pray for restoration on every level, and testimonies to be built out of it. In Jesus name, Amen.
The enemy loves to cover the everyday blessings of life with the everyday hardships of life. And depending on what you are going through, being able to look around, over, or through those hard times to still see your blessings can be a challenge. That is why it's important to start each day by thanking God. I like to thank Him for the things I can see, and thank Him for the things He is doing that I can't see. This is my way of telling the enemy, "I don't need to see God's blessings to know they are there. I know you want me to see my circumstances, but I choose to see God's blessings". And that really is what it comes down to, what we choose to see. I have been through seasons where that choice was easy, and I have been through seasons where it was hard. In both seasons I lean on God for the strength to make the right choice.
Please understand that I am by no means downplaying the hard things we go through in life sometimes....but at the same time, I also will not downplay God's ability to get us through them. I have faced the death of a loved one, the sting of divorce, the hurt of strife in a family...these are very serious things, and I can tell you that without God I would not have overcome them. That is not a canned message that I just tell people. I truly and honestly mean that without God these things would have given me enough reason to just quit. But I hold on the the promises I read in God's word and I have felt His very presence in my time of need. He is there all the time, but when you call out to Him He is there to hold you and help you through. I have prayed with the manliest of men and watched them crumble in tears as they felt God's presence come over them. It is real, it is powerful and it is one of the warmest feelings of love you will ever experience. But most of all it delivers a peace that truly surpasses ALL understanding (Philippians 4:7).
As you come through this Christmas season I encourage you to welcome His presence. Whether this is one of the most joyful times of the year for you, or due to life's circumstances it is one of the hardest times of the year for you, His presence can make a difference. It is my heart's desire for anyone and everyone to experience God on a deeper, more personal and more spiritual level. Because when you do, not only will it change you, but it will change how clearly you can see all of His blessings around you. And this something you will want to share with others too!
God, thank You that You are always near. Today I pray for those who struggle during this time of the year. I pray that You will show up in their life in such a powerful way that nothing the enemy is trying to do to bring them down will work. I pray for relationships with you to go to a new and deeper level, and I pray for breakthrough in people's lives. I pray for restoration on every level, and testimonies to be built out of it. In Jesus name, Amen.
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Let Your Yes Be Yes...And Your No Be No
This morning God was pressing it on my heart how important the words we speak are. They can give life and death to so many things in our life and we just don't realize the power of the words we speak. But today what He was pressing on me are the times we say yes to Him, but do not carry out our word, or we say no to sin or the enemy, and don't stick to that either. Both of those situations are critical to growth in your relationship with God.
Matthew 5:33-37 is an interesting passage of scripture because it is talking about "our word". By that I don't necessarily mean "the words" we speak, but more like the integrity of the words we speak. In these verses Jesus is simply saying we shouldn't swear by an oath. He is saying this because He is stating that we shouldn't have to. That our word, our yes and no, should be solid. They should stand for themselves because we are men and women of our word. Because if we claim to represent Jesus Christ in our life we should not give our word to someone without there being 100% truth behind it and 100% intent to keep our word. I love how The Message translates it, it literally says "And don't say anything you don't mean". That's a pretty powerful statement. Jesus telling us that whether we are speaking to God, or the people around us, we should mean every word we say. That goes back to my blog the other day about "little white lies"(There's No Such Thing As A "Little Lie"), there are no such things. If something is not 100% truth, then it is a lie, plain and simple. The Message also goes on to translate the last sentence in that passage as this...."When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong". Meaning, don't twist the truth, don't twist your promises, don't twist your story so it "fits". We do this don't we...and not just with people, but with God too. And I mean WE. I have done this with God and others throughout my life. We tell God we will do something one way, but then when it comes right down to it, we say things like "well God, I didn't mean all the time", or "God, I thought you just meant for a season, I didn't want to change this in my life forever". And how about this one, "well God, when I promised to serve I didn't know it was going to be at this time of the week, and have other things I do then". I know we do, or have done, that in our lives.
Letting our yes be yes and our no be no is critical for God to build us up to be "truth tellers" and men and women of God reputations. Yes I said God reputations, not good reputations. See I don't want to be known to have "good characteristics", which is what having a good reputation is all about. No, I want to be known as having "God characteristics". I want to be the kind of man that when people think about me they think, "He is a man of God. He isn't perfect by any means, but He chases of God's heart, God's desires and God's will. And if he messes up, he quickly humbles himself before God and allows God's correction and direction to take over. And if He gives you his word, he is good for it". But do you know who I want to say that about me the most....God. I want God to search my heart and know these things are true about me. And that starts by my yes being yes, and my no being no. If I tell Him yes, then that is my answer! I will not try to get out of it, change my mind, or twist my words to make them fit my situation. I will just do what I told Him I would do.
Now how about the no being no part? Where is that the most critical? When you are staring the enemy in the face with temptation and sin in front of you, that's where. This is when you tell the enemy NO, and you mean it. You don't flirt with temptation and you don't flirt with sin. The enemy will try to trip you up, and when you tell him no, he will just try to bring it right back in front of you with maybe an even slightly different look the 2nd, 3rd or 4th time. He wants to see if he can persuade to slip. If he can get the no to be a maybe. If he can get you to mess up so he can apply the guilt and shame that he knows will follow. He knows if he can plant a thought in our minds first about IF we are a man or woman of our word, then he can quickly convince us that this is how everyone else sees us too. And that is when he presents you with the word "failure". But this is NOT how God sees you, in fact, it's not even a word that exist in God's language.
So today, if you are not already there, let your yes be yes and your no be no....and stand on the desire to please God first. He will bless you for it, and it will build that God reputation with others.
God, I'm sorry for all the times I backed out of my yes or no. For not being a man of my word to you first, but also in the eyes of others. Thank You for Your redemption! Help us to not take advantage of Your grace and mercy when it comes to this area of our life. And help us see the importance of representing you well to the rest of the world. In Jesus name, Amen.
Matthew 5:33-37 is an interesting passage of scripture because it is talking about "our word". By that I don't necessarily mean "the words" we speak, but more like the integrity of the words we speak. In these verses Jesus is simply saying we shouldn't swear by an oath. He is saying this because He is stating that we shouldn't have to. That our word, our yes and no, should be solid. They should stand for themselves because we are men and women of our word. Because if we claim to represent Jesus Christ in our life we should not give our word to someone without there being 100% truth behind it and 100% intent to keep our word. I love how The Message translates it, it literally says "And don't say anything you don't mean". That's a pretty powerful statement. Jesus telling us that whether we are speaking to God, or the people around us, we should mean every word we say. That goes back to my blog the other day about "little white lies"(There's No Such Thing As A "Little Lie"), there are no such things. If something is not 100% truth, then it is a lie, plain and simple. The Message also goes on to translate the last sentence in that passage as this...."When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong". Meaning, don't twist the truth, don't twist your promises, don't twist your story so it "fits". We do this don't we...and not just with people, but with God too. And I mean WE. I have done this with God and others throughout my life. We tell God we will do something one way, but then when it comes right down to it, we say things like "well God, I didn't mean all the time", or "God, I thought you just meant for a season, I didn't want to change this in my life forever". And how about this one, "well God, when I promised to serve I didn't know it was going to be at this time of the week, and have other things I do then". I know we do, or have done, that in our lives.
Letting our yes be yes and our no be no is critical for God to build us up to be "truth tellers" and men and women of God reputations. Yes I said God reputations, not good reputations. See I don't want to be known to have "good characteristics", which is what having a good reputation is all about. No, I want to be known as having "God characteristics". I want to be the kind of man that when people think about me they think, "He is a man of God. He isn't perfect by any means, but He chases of God's heart, God's desires and God's will. And if he messes up, he quickly humbles himself before God and allows God's correction and direction to take over. And if He gives you his word, he is good for it". But do you know who I want to say that about me the most....God. I want God to search my heart and know these things are true about me. And that starts by my yes being yes, and my no being no. If I tell Him yes, then that is my answer! I will not try to get out of it, change my mind, or twist my words to make them fit my situation. I will just do what I told Him I would do.
Now how about the no being no part? Where is that the most critical? When you are staring the enemy in the face with temptation and sin in front of you, that's where. This is when you tell the enemy NO, and you mean it. You don't flirt with temptation and you don't flirt with sin. The enemy will try to trip you up, and when you tell him no, he will just try to bring it right back in front of you with maybe an even slightly different look the 2nd, 3rd or 4th time. He wants to see if he can persuade to slip. If he can get the no to be a maybe. If he can get you to mess up so he can apply the guilt and shame that he knows will follow. He knows if he can plant a thought in our minds first about IF we are a man or woman of our word, then he can quickly convince us that this is how everyone else sees us too. And that is when he presents you with the word "failure". But this is NOT how God sees you, in fact, it's not even a word that exist in God's language.
So today, if you are not already there, let your yes be yes and your no be no....and stand on the desire to please God first. He will bless you for it, and it will build that God reputation with others.
God, I'm sorry for all the times I backed out of my yes or no. For not being a man of my word to you first, but also in the eyes of others. Thank You for Your redemption! Help us to not take advantage of Your grace and mercy when it comes to this area of our life. And help us see the importance of representing you well to the rest of the world. In Jesus name, Amen.
Monday, December 21, 2015
A Blanket Of Love For You
If you were cold and I had a blanket for you, would it not make sense to take that blanket and use it? Or would you choose to sit there cold and deny yourself the comfort of being warm? If you did choose not to take the blanket, would you be able to give me some logical reason why you are better off without the blanket? I know these might sound like silly questions, but each and every day these are the choices that people make about receiving the fullness of God's love. It is offered to anyone and everyone who will receive it, but the key is that you have to want to receive it. Receiving God's salvation and receiving God's love are not the same thing. Many mistake them for the same thing, but once they understand the difference, then they understand what they have been denying themselves.
Just like His love, God offers anyone the chance to receive salvation through Jesus Christ. It doesn't matter your past, and it doesn't matter the condition of your present. The only thing that matters is the condition of your heart the moment you decide to accept His gift of salvation. Ephesians 2:8 tells us that is is "by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God". So this means that 3 things take place... a) you realize you want to spend eternity with God (in heaven), b) you realize you're not going to do it on your own (we need God), and c) you choose to accept God's forgiveness and grace on your life, and choose to trust (faith) that accepting the gift of Jesus' life, death and resurrection is the only true way to get there according to God's word (repentance of sin). When these things happen you have received God's gift of salvation, freely given. However, this does not mean that you all of the sudden understand the fullness of God's love. This is something that comes to us as we grow in God. And that happens by spending time in His word and in the secret place with Him (your alone time of prayer). Sure, you can let someone preach to you and tell you about God's love, but this does not mean you will experience it. I can tell you all about bungy jumping, but until you step off that ledge and take the plunge for yourself, you will not fully grasp how it feels to bungy jump. Right? And the sad thing is, this does not just apply to those who are not saved yet. I have met hundreds of Christians who have receiving God's salvation, but still do not understand the depth of love that He has for them. And so I go back to my example of the blanket....why would you sit in the cold when there is something there to keep you warm.
God's love offers so much more than words can explain, and that's why hearing about it it far from the same as experiencing it. The peace and absolute joy that can be experienced all the time when you realize that His love for you is real, is personal, is deep and is protective, is far better than anything this world has to offer as "love". Sadly enough, we throw the word love around so much anymore in the world that it has lost a lot of meaning. But when you truly experience the love of God you will not just have a new understanding of the meaning, you will feel the meaning of love. And He will go from your "God" to your "daddy". You can literally feel His affection and when He has to correct you, you will feel the love behind that too. You will begin to see that it IS His love that steers us, stops us, opens and closes doors for us, and brings us peace. And it won't be containable. You will want to tell others about it because it's a gift you know everyone should have.
There is plenty of scripture that talks about God's love for us and how His love should change us. But what does it for me is when I think about what Jesus went through, when He could have stopped it at any time, but He didn't. When I think that God knew what all His Son would have to face for us, and He allowed it just for us. When I consider the depths of pain that I know I have caused Him, yet He still did it all for me, and has continued to bless me and show me favor....that is when I personally feel His love. And knowing all He knows about me, He still invites me to curl up on His lap and receive His love every time I go to spend time with Him. That's love....and that's the "blanket" I offer you in this cold world we live in. So please don't choose to sit in the cold when there is a blanket waiting for you.
God, thank You for Your definition of love. Thank You that it does not look like the love we find in the world we live in. Thank You that it IS for everyone, and I pray today that someone who needs it will feel it in a whole new way. I pray Your love covers them like a blanket and the warmth of it brings them a peace they have never experienced. In Jesus name, Amen.
Just like His love, God offers anyone the chance to receive salvation through Jesus Christ. It doesn't matter your past, and it doesn't matter the condition of your present. The only thing that matters is the condition of your heart the moment you decide to accept His gift of salvation. Ephesians 2:8 tells us that is is "by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God". So this means that 3 things take place... a) you realize you want to spend eternity with God (in heaven), b) you realize you're not going to do it on your own (we need God), and c) you choose to accept God's forgiveness and grace on your life, and choose to trust (faith) that accepting the gift of Jesus' life, death and resurrection is the only true way to get there according to God's word (repentance of sin). When these things happen you have received God's gift of salvation, freely given. However, this does not mean that you all of the sudden understand the fullness of God's love. This is something that comes to us as we grow in God. And that happens by spending time in His word and in the secret place with Him (your alone time of prayer). Sure, you can let someone preach to you and tell you about God's love, but this does not mean you will experience it. I can tell you all about bungy jumping, but until you step off that ledge and take the plunge for yourself, you will not fully grasp how it feels to bungy jump. Right? And the sad thing is, this does not just apply to those who are not saved yet. I have met hundreds of Christians who have receiving God's salvation, but still do not understand the depth of love that He has for them. And so I go back to my example of the blanket....why would you sit in the cold when there is something there to keep you warm.
God's love offers so much more than words can explain, and that's why hearing about it it far from the same as experiencing it. The peace and absolute joy that can be experienced all the time when you realize that His love for you is real, is personal, is deep and is protective, is far better than anything this world has to offer as "love". Sadly enough, we throw the word love around so much anymore in the world that it has lost a lot of meaning. But when you truly experience the love of God you will not just have a new understanding of the meaning, you will feel the meaning of love. And He will go from your "God" to your "daddy". You can literally feel His affection and when He has to correct you, you will feel the love behind that too. You will begin to see that it IS His love that steers us, stops us, opens and closes doors for us, and brings us peace. And it won't be containable. You will want to tell others about it because it's a gift you know everyone should have.
There is plenty of scripture that talks about God's love for us and how His love should change us. But what does it for me is when I think about what Jesus went through, when He could have stopped it at any time, but He didn't. When I think that God knew what all His Son would have to face for us, and He allowed it just for us. When I consider the depths of pain that I know I have caused Him, yet He still did it all for me, and has continued to bless me and show me favor....that is when I personally feel His love. And knowing all He knows about me, He still invites me to curl up on His lap and receive His love every time I go to spend time with Him. That's love....and that's the "blanket" I offer you in this cold world we live in. So please don't choose to sit in the cold when there is a blanket waiting for you.
God, thank You for Your definition of love. Thank You that it does not look like the love we find in the world we live in. Thank You that it IS for everyone, and I pray today that someone who needs it will feel it in a whole new way. I pray Your love covers them like a blanket and the warmth of it brings them a peace they have never experienced. In Jesus name, Amen.
Friday, December 18, 2015
A Prayer During Hard Times
Lately I have heard of a lot a people who are going through hard times, loss and heartache. I know from experience that when you are in the midst of these times it feels like the end of your world, and there's no recovering from this moment....and if you're not careful, every thought can become consumed by negativity and darkness. This is how the enemy creeps in during our difficult times and makes us feel completely defeated. But I am here today to say, you can be healed and restored from even the most difficult things. I have faced some very difficult things in my life and the ONLY reason I was able to was because of the hope and strength I found in and through God.
I want to offer up a prayer to help anyone who knows they need God in the midst of their difficulty, but you just can't even find the words to say to him....
God, I know You are near me. I know this because Your word promises that you will never leave nor forsake me. But God right now I need to feel Your presence. I need to feel Your all consuming presence in my heart, my mind and my soul. I need to find rest in You. I need to feel the peace that only comes from You. Please help me overcome the darkness that is trying to take me over and restore the joy that comes from You...a joy that can be found in the midst of my storm. God I surrender my situation to you. I surrender all the pain and I surrender all the confusion this situation is causing me. Please meet me where I am and help me get through this. Restore the pieces of me that have been torn and fragmented through this situation and make me whole again. Teach me what you need me to see as I go through this so that You can make something good out of something the enemy meant to destroy me. And soften my heart so that anger and bitterness do not settle in. I want to stay sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and obedient to anything you call me to, even as I want through this very difficult time. I KNOW that my hope and my healing is in your hands, and I declare Your healing over me right now. I receive anything You have for me and I speak life in the blessings and favor You will show me as I walk this out in a manner that brings honor and glory to Your name.
I thank you God for the blessings You have brought and continue to bring into my life. The ones I can see, and the ones I can't see. Help me look at things more with my spiritual eyes so I can see Your goodness all around me...and avoid the things the enemy is trying to attack me with. I want ALL of my peace and joy to be given to me supernaturally by You....and I surrender all circumstantial peace and joy I have been living in to You right now. I will defeat the enemy and his plans by NOT focusing on my circumstances, but by focusing on You. I thank You now for the healing that is already taking place inside of me. Use me to help others even as I walk this out...telling others how You are carrying me through this...and that You can do the same for them. My Hope is in You and You alone!
In Jesus name, Amen
I want to offer up a prayer to help anyone who knows they need God in the midst of their difficulty, but you just can't even find the words to say to him....
God, I know You are near me. I know this because Your word promises that you will never leave nor forsake me. But God right now I need to feel Your presence. I need to feel Your all consuming presence in my heart, my mind and my soul. I need to find rest in You. I need to feel the peace that only comes from You. Please help me overcome the darkness that is trying to take me over and restore the joy that comes from You...a joy that can be found in the midst of my storm. God I surrender my situation to you. I surrender all the pain and I surrender all the confusion this situation is causing me. Please meet me where I am and help me get through this. Restore the pieces of me that have been torn and fragmented through this situation and make me whole again. Teach me what you need me to see as I go through this so that You can make something good out of something the enemy meant to destroy me. And soften my heart so that anger and bitterness do not settle in. I want to stay sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and obedient to anything you call me to, even as I want through this very difficult time. I KNOW that my hope and my healing is in your hands, and I declare Your healing over me right now. I receive anything You have for me and I speak life in the blessings and favor You will show me as I walk this out in a manner that brings honor and glory to Your name.
I thank you God for the blessings You have brought and continue to bring into my life. The ones I can see, and the ones I can't see. Help me look at things more with my spiritual eyes so I can see Your goodness all around me...and avoid the things the enemy is trying to attack me with. I want ALL of my peace and joy to be given to me supernaturally by You....and I surrender all circumstantial peace and joy I have been living in to You right now. I will defeat the enemy and his plans by NOT focusing on my circumstances, but by focusing on You. I thank You now for the healing that is already taking place inside of me. Use me to help others even as I walk this out...telling others how You are carrying me through this...and that You can do the same for them. My Hope is in You and You alone!
In Jesus name, Amen
Thursday, December 17, 2015
There's No Such Thing As A "Little Lie"
How many times growing up have you heard the words "little white lie"? Or the words "everyone one lies"? We are programmed to believe at a young age that there lies...and then there are little white lies, sometimes also referred to as just an exaggeration of the truth. But the only exaggeration that there really is, is that there is a difference between the two. There is not in God's eyes.
In yesterday's blog I talked a little about my past and the messed up relationships I was in. I'm not sure what God is asking me to go into my past so much, but if it is to benefit someone who might read this, then by all means I will be obedient. You see, part of that problem I had with the relationships I had (and I don't mean romantic ones, I mean even just my friendships), was the fact that there was very little depth to them. Because I was being so fake with God, I was also being fake to everyone around me. Living a life of "lies" because I couldn't really be myself around people. Why was that? Because who I was on the inside didn't match who I was pretending to be on the outside. And the foolish thoughts I had was that I could fool God just like I was fooling the people I was the closest to. I was lying to those around me about how good my relationship with God was, and for the most part they had no idea. But I was also lying to God....and He did know it. And I can honestly say that when I look back His grace and mercy was still there, but His patience with me was wearing thin. And His tolerance of my lies and my sins was also wearing thin. Lies are so dangerous, more so than society gives them credit for. They are the enemies way of getting us to build a trap around ourselves. It is like handing you a shovel and telling you to dig yourself a hole and jump in it. Then while you're in it, just keep digging it deeper. If I asked you to do that, you might look at me like I'm crazy and say why in the world would I do that. But when the enemy does it with lies we don't even realize what we're doing. When lies get told there is something that happens on the inside of us too. It is a quieting of our conscience (which is really the Holy Spirit). The more we choose to lie, the more we choose to ignore the nudging that the Holy Spirit will do to us. And as we ignore that nudging lying becomes easier and easier....at least we think it does. But that hole we are digging is just getting deeper and deeper, and the trap the enemy is setting for us is getting worse too. Almost always when a lie is told then there has to be something to support that lie, so we find ourselves having to "live up to" the lie. Which no matter how "small" the lies is, it's already causing damage, even if we can't immediately see it. Then that lie will lead to another as we begin to "cover our tracks". And a lot of the time that one little lie (in our minds) ends up leading to multiple lies to keep it all covered up. And so the desensitization begins. And the next thing you know you are forced to flat out ignore the Holy Spirit just so you don't get caught in the mess you have made. That "slippery slope" that started with the first "little lie" has now become a construction ground for future lies to be built upon.
To be blunt, lies cause pain and mistrust. And usually it is within yourself before it even happens on the outside. We know we are hurting God and we know we are becoming less and less trustworthy. And I don't care who you are or how callous you are, that will begin to eat away at you. But here is the good news.....it is NEVER too late to turn to God and utter the words "please help me". It is the place I came to over 2 years ago and those are the words that started the change that took place in me. I first came clean to God, and then I came clean to everyone else. This is what created the platform for God to change me on the inside. Do I know my past is forgive...ABSOLUTELY, but did it still cause damage, yes! Do I ever forget that, NEVER! Not because I let the enemy remind me of who I used to be, but because I let the Holy Spirit remind me of what all God brought me out of. And then I use that, and my love and appreciation for God, to not fall back into those old ways. I have learned that the truth....not a version of the truth...but THE TRUTH is what God wants. He wants it when we are dealing with Him, and He wants it when we are dealing with others. He sees in our hearts and He already knows when the words (or actions) that we are about to use are not 100% truth.
If not being truthful (or call it what it is....being a liar) is an area you struggle with, then go to God first and clean out your closet, then be prepared for Him to send you to someone you trust and have you clear the air with them too. That is exactly how He began a work in me and to this day I am so thankful that I didn't fight it. The person God sent my way received me with love and was there for me as I allowed God to perform this purging process in me. I had to apologize to some, I had to confess to a few others, and I had to do it EXACTLY the way God was instructing me. It was His way and His healing that got me to where I am today. By no means am I perfect, but I am guided and directly by the Holy Spirit in a way I never was before. And I am so thankful for that. And no matter how deep the hole is that you have dug for yourself, you can allow Him to reach a hand out to you and begin to pull you out and clean you up.
Scriptures on lying: Proverbs 6:16-19, Proverbs 12:22, Psalm 101:7, Colossians 3:9-10, Luke 8:17, Proverbs 12:19, 1 John 2:4, Ephesians 4:25
God, thank You for your cleansing that You can do in our lives when we humble ourselves and let you. Thank You for the nudging of the Holy Spirit and I pray for each and every person who has quieted that in their life. Today I rebuke the lying spirit of the enemy in the name of Jesus and ask for Your truth to come alive in people's hearts. In Jesus name, Amen
In yesterday's blog I talked a little about my past and the messed up relationships I was in. I'm not sure what God is asking me to go into my past so much, but if it is to benefit someone who might read this, then by all means I will be obedient. You see, part of that problem I had with the relationships I had (and I don't mean romantic ones, I mean even just my friendships), was the fact that there was very little depth to them. Because I was being so fake with God, I was also being fake to everyone around me. Living a life of "lies" because I couldn't really be myself around people. Why was that? Because who I was on the inside didn't match who I was pretending to be on the outside. And the foolish thoughts I had was that I could fool God just like I was fooling the people I was the closest to. I was lying to those around me about how good my relationship with God was, and for the most part they had no idea. But I was also lying to God....and He did know it. And I can honestly say that when I look back His grace and mercy was still there, but His patience with me was wearing thin. And His tolerance of my lies and my sins was also wearing thin. Lies are so dangerous, more so than society gives them credit for. They are the enemies way of getting us to build a trap around ourselves. It is like handing you a shovel and telling you to dig yourself a hole and jump in it. Then while you're in it, just keep digging it deeper. If I asked you to do that, you might look at me like I'm crazy and say why in the world would I do that. But when the enemy does it with lies we don't even realize what we're doing. When lies get told there is something that happens on the inside of us too. It is a quieting of our conscience (which is really the Holy Spirit). The more we choose to lie, the more we choose to ignore the nudging that the Holy Spirit will do to us. And as we ignore that nudging lying becomes easier and easier....at least we think it does. But that hole we are digging is just getting deeper and deeper, and the trap the enemy is setting for us is getting worse too. Almost always when a lie is told then there has to be something to support that lie, so we find ourselves having to "live up to" the lie. Which no matter how "small" the lies is, it's already causing damage, even if we can't immediately see it. Then that lie will lead to another as we begin to "cover our tracks". And a lot of the time that one little lie (in our minds) ends up leading to multiple lies to keep it all covered up. And so the desensitization begins. And the next thing you know you are forced to flat out ignore the Holy Spirit just so you don't get caught in the mess you have made. That "slippery slope" that started with the first "little lie" has now become a construction ground for future lies to be built upon.
To be blunt, lies cause pain and mistrust. And usually it is within yourself before it even happens on the outside. We know we are hurting God and we know we are becoming less and less trustworthy. And I don't care who you are or how callous you are, that will begin to eat away at you. But here is the good news.....it is NEVER too late to turn to God and utter the words "please help me". It is the place I came to over 2 years ago and those are the words that started the change that took place in me. I first came clean to God, and then I came clean to everyone else. This is what created the platform for God to change me on the inside. Do I know my past is forgive...ABSOLUTELY, but did it still cause damage, yes! Do I ever forget that, NEVER! Not because I let the enemy remind me of who I used to be, but because I let the Holy Spirit remind me of what all God brought me out of. And then I use that, and my love and appreciation for God, to not fall back into those old ways. I have learned that the truth....not a version of the truth...but THE TRUTH is what God wants. He wants it when we are dealing with Him, and He wants it when we are dealing with others. He sees in our hearts and He already knows when the words (or actions) that we are about to use are not 100% truth.
If not being truthful (or call it what it is....being a liar) is an area you struggle with, then go to God first and clean out your closet, then be prepared for Him to send you to someone you trust and have you clear the air with them too. That is exactly how He began a work in me and to this day I am so thankful that I didn't fight it. The person God sent my way received me with love and was there for me as I allowed God to perform this purging process in me. I had to apologize to some, I had to confess to a few others, and I had to do it EXACTLY the way God was instructing me. It was His way and His healing that got me to where I am today. By no means am I perfect, but I am guided and directly by the Holy Spirit in a way I never was before. And I am so thankful for that. And no matter how deep the hole is that you have dug for yourself, you can allow Him to reach a hand out to you and begin to pull you out and clean you up.
Scriptures on lying: Proverbs 6:16-19, Proverbs 12:22, Psalm 101:7, Colossians 3:9-10, Luke 8:17, Proverbs 12:19, 1 John 2:4, Ephesians 4:25
God, thank You for your cleansing that You can do in our lives when we humble ourselves and let you. Thank You for the nudging of the Holy Spirit and I pray for each and every person who has quieted that in their life. Today I rebuke the lying spirit of the enemy in the name of Jesus and ask for Your truth to come alive in people's hearts. In Jesus name, Amen
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
When He Is First, Beautiful Things Can Happen
I've mentioned several times in my blogs that the past 2 years of my life has been the craziest time of my life. There has been a lot of heartache, a lot of trials and a lot of blessings. God has completely changed me from the inside out, and has those changes have caused me to fall fully and completely in love with Him in a deeper way than I even knew was possible. But the number one thing that God has done the most over the past 2 years is transform my relationship with Him. And I KNOW that because He has worked so much on me in that area, it has also transformed my relationships with others. And today I wanted to take a moment and just touch base on what that has looked like and why so many may struggle in their life when it comes to relationships.
Recently I asked got engaged to a woman that I KNOW with full certainty God brought into my life. When I look at how we met, and why we met, it is so obvious that without the two of us chasing after God, we would not have met. And through that meeting God has built a friendship and a love that words can't even describe. She truly is a gift from God and I know not to take that gift for granted. She represents God's grace, God's mercy and God's love for me. I know my past, I know the ugliness of my past, and I know how undeserving I am of this love that HE has created. But I also know that my past is not how God sees me. It is forgiven and no longer even a part of who I am. He has rebuilt me to be the man I am now and for that I will be forever grateful. But I have said all of that to say this....the reason that this relationship, and others in my life, are going so well is because my relationship with Him is by far the most important one in my life. See, there was a time when I could not have said that in full honesty. I had put many things before God, including some of the relationships that were in my life. And I led a life that hinged on my happiness being in those relationships. And friend let me tell you, that is a very unhealthy place to be. Your relationship with Him has to be the most important thing in your life. It has to alway come first, and it has to always be the one that has your focus. When the day comes that it isn't, then you need to do some repenting and reorganizing in your life. I say that because when the enemy slides other things into your life that come before God, he also can bring those other things crashing down in an attempt to destroy you. But when your joy, your peace, your rest, your security, your identity, your worth, your value, your ability to love and be loved ALL comes from your relationship with God, then no matter what the enemy "thinks" he is going to do in the natural, it doesn't rock you. And when you establish relationships in your life based on your relationship with God, they too will be much healthier and happier relationships. Why is that? Because as long as I am always trying to please God, and not man, then my flesh won't be what determines how I treat people...how I treat those relationships. (see Galatians 1:10 & Colossians 3:2) My fiancé knows that I am a trustworthy man because my heart is to please God. I know how to love her because I know how to love God. And I know how to treat her because I see her as a gift from Him, and I take that very serious. She knows that God comes first in my life, and since I don't want to do things that hurt him, I naturally won't be doing things that will hurt her. Her heart is protected by my desire to love Him. And the best thing is, I know the same about her. Our relationship is what it is because we are both chasing after Him, not each other. And we will continue to chase after His will and His desires because we have seen the fruit of those choices.
Today, if you have some rough relationships in your life then I challenge you to look inward instead of outward. Ask God to search your heart and see if your relationship with Him truly is first. Ask Him to help you see others the way He sees others, and ask Him to help you do things that ONLY please Him, then see how much it changes the relationships around you. He may ask you to apply filters in some relationships, He may ask you to step away from a few, but He may also bring some news one into your life that will truly bless you. All because you decided to say YOU are first in my life at all costs God!
God, I'm sorry for all the times You were not first. I thank You for Your amazing grace, mercy, forgiveness and love for all the times that I acted in my flesh and did not put You first. Help me to stay on the path that keeps my relationship with you first, and help those who struggle with their relationship with you, and with others. Show them the fruit of doing it Your way. In Jesus name, Amen.
Recently I asked got engaged to a woman that I KNOW with full certainty God brought into my life. When I look at how we met, and why we met, it is so obvious that without the two of us chasing after God, we would not have met. And through that meeting God has built a friendship and a love that words can't even describe. She truly is a gift from God and I know not to take that gift for granted. She represents God's grace, God's mercy and God's love for me. I know my past, I know the ugliness of my past, and I know how undeserving I am of this love that HE has created. But I also know that my past is not how God sees me. It is forgiven and no longer even a part of who I am. He has rebuilt me to be the man I am now and for that I will be forever grateful. But I have said all of that to say this....the reason that this relationship, and others in my life, are going so well is because my relationship with Him is by far the most important one in my life. See, there was a time when I could not have said that in full honesty. I had put many things before God, including some of the relationships that were in my life. And I led a life that hinged on my happiness being in those relationships. And friend let me tell you, that is a very unhealthy place to be. Your relationship with Him has to be the most important thing in your life. It has to alway come first, and it has to always be the one that has your focus. When the day comes that it isn't, then you need to do some repenting and reorganizing in your life. I say that because when the enemy slides other things into your life that come before God, he also can bring those other things crashing down in an attempt to destroy you. But when your joy, your peace, your rest, your security, your identity, your worth, your value, your ability to love and be loved ALL comes from your relationship with God, then no matter what the enemy "thinks" he is going to do in the natural, it doesn't rock you. And when you establish relationships in your life based on your relationship with God, they too will be much healthier and happier relationships. Why is that? Because as long as I am always trying to please God, and not man, then my flesh won't be what determines how I treat people...how I treat those relationships. (see Galatians 1:10 & Colossians 3:2) My fiancé knows that I am a trustworthy man because my heart is to please God. I know how to love her because I know how to love God. And I know how to treat her because I see her as a gift from Him, and I take that very serious. She knows that God comes first in my life, and since I don't want to do things that hurt him, I naturally won't be doing things that will hurt her. Her heart is protected by my desire to love Him. And the best thing is, I know the same about her. Our relationship is what it is because we are both chasing after Him, not each other. And we will continue to chase after His will and His desires because we have seen the fruit of those choices.
Today, if you have some rough relationships in your life then I challenge you to look inward instead of outward. Ask God to search your heart and see if your relationship with Him truly is first. Ask Him to help you see others the way He sees others, and ask Him to help you do things that ONLY please Him, then see how much it changes the relationships around you. He may ask you to apply filters in some relationships, He may ask you to step away from a few, but He may also bring some news one into your life that will truly bless you. All because you decided to say YOU are first in my life at all costs God!
God, I'm sorry for all the times You were not first. I thank You for Your amazing grace, mercy, forgiveness and love for all the times that I acted in my flesh and did not put You first. Help me to stay on the path that keeps my relationship with you first, and help those who struggle with their relationship with you, and with others. Show them the fruit of doing it Your way. In Jesus name, Amen.
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Expect The Roar, Don't Fear It
I heard an interesting fact the other day about how a lion's roar is so powerful that it literally can paralyze their prey. I looked more into this and it is one of technics that the lion uses to take down it's prey. Just the sound of it's roar can instill so much fear into the animal that it's about to attack that the animal literally can't move. This gives the lion just enough time to make it's attack before the animal can get away....And as I thought about this, God gave me a slightly different view of it all. Why does this work on it's prey? Because they don't expect it. What if every animal in the desert area was smart enough to know that there are lions all around them, and they just expected the roar. How much power would this take away from the lion if the element of surprise just wasn't there?
Today I wanted to talk to you about fear. Not fear as in someone jumped out and scared you, or you saw a bug or mouse and got freaked out. But the kind of fear that prevents you from living life the way God intended for you to live it. The kind of fear that is debilitating to living a purpose driven life where you are stepping out into new things for God when He calls you. 1 Peter 5:8 says "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour". And this is the verse that made me think about those animal being paralyzed by fear. This verse tells us that the enemy is just like that lion, roaming around around looking for someone to devour, someone to attack. And it says he is like a roaring lion, which tells me that, just like a the roaring lion in the wild, he wants to paralyze us with fear. He wants to intimidate you and make you think that you NEED to fear him. However, the verse starts off by telling us to be sober-minded, why? Because God's word is FULL of warnings to us. It is a book of instructions and warnings telling us how to live the life that God wants for us. And this verse states this BECAUSE God is telling us the enemy is out to paralyze us and attack us, we should be on the look out, we should expect it. We should not be like the animal in the wild who gets caught completely off guard. Fear is what prevents them from getting away from the lion because the instant that they heard the roar, they had no idea what to do. Their minds probably say run, but their body is so stricken with fear that they literally can't. And even when they regain their ability to run, there is immediate panic over which way to run, what do I do, how do I get out of this situation? And this is exactly what the enemy wants us to react like when he catches us off guard because we were not on the look out for him.
Now let me be very clear in stating that I do NOT think we are supposed to live a paranoid life because the enemy is on the prowl. But I do believe we are supposed to live in God's wisdom. Looking out for the traps satan sets for us and avoiding the situations that give him access into our lives. Being aware of conversations and situations that leave us with our guard down. These are the kind of things he does to set us up for the attack, and it's a lack of Godly wisdom that enables him to sneak in around us at times like this. But staying purposeful about living in God's will can prevent this again and again.
But then we come back to that fear I mentioned earlier. The fear that "prevents" us. Are the animals in the wild never supposed to go drink from the water hole because there are lions out there? Of course they are, but they ARE supposed to be smart about it. They don't walk into dangerous territory alone, and they don't do things they are not strong enough to do yet. They use wisdom to know their ability, not fear to hold them back. There is a difference. God will grow you and get you strong enough to take on the enemy, and He will show you when that time is right. If a recovering drug addict got saved and wanted to go minister to other drug addicts, it would not be wise to do it the very next day while they are still weak. That is not fear holding them back, that is wisdom. But if 5 years from now they still didn't think God could make them capable of helping others in that old lifestyle, then that would be fear holding them back. Knowing the difference can help you stand up and face the enemy when he is trying to intimidate you with fear.
God, thank You that even if the enemy prowls like a lion, we have YOU as our protector. Help us be wise and watchful, not ever bowing down to fear, but allowing You to show us what to do and when to do it. Holy Spirit, touch those today that have been paralyzed by fear, and show them how trustworthy God is to help them overcome anything the enemy has tried to use to hold them back. In Jesus name, Amen
Today I wanted to talk to you about fear. Not fear as in someone jumped out and scared you, or you saw a bug or mouse and got freaked out. But the kind of fear that prevents you from living life the way God intended for you to live it. The kind of fear that is debilitating to living a purpose driven life where you are stepping out into new things for God when He calls you. 1 Peter 5:8 says "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour". And this is the verse that made me think about those animal being paralyzed by fear. This verse tells us that the enemy is just like that lion, roaming around around looking for someone to devour, someone to attack. And it says he is like a roaring lion, which tells me that, just like a the roaring lion in the wild, he wants to paralyze us with fear. He wants to intimidate you and make you think that you NEED to fear him. However, the verse starts off by telling us to be sober-minded, why? Because God's word is FULL of warnings to us. It is a book of instructions and warnings telling us how to live the life that God wants for us. And this verse states this BECAUSE God is telling us the enemy is out to paralyze us and attack us, we should be on the look out, we should expect it. We should not be like the animal in the wild who gets caught completely off guard. Fear is what prevents them from getting away from the lion because the instant that they heard the roar, they had no idea what to do. Their minds probably say run, but their body is so stricken with fear that they literally can't. And even when they regain their ability to run, there is immediate panic over which way to run, what do I do, how do I get out of this situation? And this is exactly what the enemy wants us to react like when he catches us off guard because we were not on the look out for him.
Now let me be very clear in stating that I do NOT think we are supposed to live a paranoid life because the enemy is on the prowl. But I do believe we are supposed to live in God's wisdom. Looking out for the traps satan sets for us and avoiding the situations that give him access into our lives. Being aware of conversations and situations that leave us with our guard down. These are the kind of things he does to set us up for the attack, and it's a lack of Godly wisdom that enables him to sneak in around us at times like this. But staying purposeful about living in God's will can prevent this again and again.
But then we come back to that fear I mentioned earlier. The fear that "prevents" us. Are the animals in the wild never supposed to go drink from the water hole because there are lions out there? Of course they are, but they ARE supposed to be smart about it. They don't walk into dangerous territory alone, and they don't do things they are not strong enough to do yet. They use wisdom to know their ability, not fear to hold them back. There is a difference. God will grow you and get you strong enough to take on the enemy, and He will show you when that time is right. If a recovering drug addict got saved and wanted to go minister to other drug addicts, it would not be wise to do it the very next day while they are still weak. That is not fear holding them back, that is wisdom. But if 5 years from now they still didn't think God could make them capable of helping others in that old lifestyle, then that would be fear holding them back. Knowing the difference can help you stand up and face the enemy when he is trying to intimidate you with fear.
God, thank You that even if the enemy prowls like a lion, we have YOU as our protector. Help us be wise and watchful, not ever bowing down to fear, but allowing You to show us what to do and when to do it. Holy Spirit, touch those today that have been paralyzed by fear, and show them how trustworthy God is to help them overcome anything the enemy has tried to use to hold them back. In Jesus name, Amen
Friday, December 11, 2015
Going To The Job Equipped
There really is nothing like getting ready to do a job, or even getting started, and then finding out you don't have the tools you need. This has happened to me time and time again when I start to work on something I've never worked on before, whether in be a car, a plumbing job, or just fixing something around the house. And then you're left with one choice at that point, at that is to stop what you are doing and go get the tools you need. Thanks to technology and the internet, it is easier these days to know what you need to do a job and be prepared for it ahead of time.
Today, God was speaking to my heart about a very similar thing. It actually came to me on my drive to work when I passed a utility truck. When I looked in the back of it, it had racks holding shovels, pick axes, rakes and lot of other tools. They were well organized and you could tell they were on their way to a job site. As I passed them I felt God talking to me about what it looks like to be prepared to do HIs work. I felt Him speaking to me about how many times we want Him to call us to a higher purpose, but we don't want to do what it takes to be prepared for it. And actually, all throughout my life I have seen ministries come and go, or not even get off the ground, because the people that God was calling to it were not prepared. But, I have also seen ministries take off and do amazing things because the people who were called to it had taken the time (even before they were called) to be ready for the call. See, if we go back to that utility truck that I passed on the highway, and I again think about all the tools I saw in the back of it, I would bet they had that truck ready before they even got the call for the job. They didn't get the job first and then either go find a bunch of tools, or have to go purchase them. They would have been prepared for the work they were going to do before they even got the job. But do we think that way about being called by God? Are we always making sure our spirit, our mind, and our heart is ready for whatever He may call us to step out and do? We really should be. We should always be ready and alert for His calling...as if it could happen at any moment. It really is when we can stay in this place that we give Him full access to call us into the purpose He has for us, whether it be just that day, or for a lifelong ministry. However, to many times people walk through life giving just enough of themselves to God to be called a "Christian", and then comparing themselves to others and wondering why they aren't being called by God. Have you asked Him to search your heart? Have you given Him access to ALL areas of your life that may need cleansed to prepare you? Have you been honest enough with yourself to say, "I'm not as prepared as I could be"?
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT) says, "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work". Being prepared starts here...in God's word. When we set aside time get into His word, and spend time talking to Him, He begins to do things in us that can only be done in those times. He does things we can't do on our own. They usually start on the inside of us and will increase our faith, our wisdom, our knowledge, and strengthen our spirit to prepare us to step out when does He calls us. It would be very foolish of us to think, I'll wait until God calls me and then I will prepare myself. But sadly enough this really is what so many people do. Going back to that utility truck one more time, if you called that company to do a job for you, and they showed up without one tool, would you call them again? Or would you call someone who is prepared to do the job next time? This may be why you are not seeing God call you to do as much as He is calling your Christian brother or sister.
Let's be vigilant, let's be prepared, let's be purposeful and let's allow Him the place He needs in our lives to prepare us so WHEN (not if) we are called, we are ready.
God, thank You that You want to use us. We were all created for a purpose and too many times we let this world distract us and rob us from fulfilling that purpose. Today, help us say NO MORE...and take the time necessary to prepare our hearts, minds and spirits to be ready for your calling. Then help us take what You have equipped us with and go out and advance Your kingdom. In Jesus name, Amen.
Today, God was speaking to my heart about a very similar thing. It actually came to me on my drive to work when I passed a utility truck. When I looked in the back of it, it had racks holding shovels, pick axes, rakes and lot of other tools. They were well organized and you could tell they were on their way to a job site. As I passed them I felt God talking to me about what it looks like to be prepared to do HIs work. I felt Him speaking to me about how many times we want Him to call us to a higher purpose, but we don't want to do what it takes to be prepared for it. And actually, all throughout my life I have seen ministries come and go, or not even get off the ground, because the people that God was calling to it were not prepared. But, I have also seen ministries take off and do amazing things because the people who were called to it had taken the time (even before they were called) to be ready for the call. See, if we go back to that utility truck that I passed on the highway, and I again think about all the tools I saw in the back of it, I would bet they had that truck ready before they even got the call for the job. They didn't get the job first and then either go find a bunch of tools, or have to go purchase them. They would have been prepared for the work they were going to do before they even got the job. But do we think that way about being called by God? Are we always making sure our spirit, our mind, and our heart is ready for whatever He may call us to step out and do? We really should be. We should always be ready and alert for His calling...as if it could happen at any moment. It really is when we can stay in this place that we give Him full access to call us into the purpose He has for us, whether it be just that day, or for a lifelong ministry. However, to many times people walk through life giving just enough of themselves to God to be called a "Christian", and then comparing themselves to others and wondering why they aren't being called by God. Have you asked Him to search your heart? Have you given Him access to ALL areas of your life that may need cleansed to prepare you? Have you been honest enough with yourself to say, "I'm not as prepared as I could be"?
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT) says, "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work". Being prepared starts here...in God's word. When we set aside time get into His word, and spend time talking to Him, He begins to do things in us that can only be done in those times. He does things we can't do on our own. They usually start on the inside of us and will increase our faith, our wisdom, our knowledge, and strengthen our spirit to prepare us to step out when does He calls us. It would be very foolish of us to think, I'll wait until God calls me and then I will prepare myself. But sadly enough this really is what so many people do. Going back to that utility truck one more time, if you called that company to do a job for you, and they showed up without one tool, would you call them again? Or would you call someone who is prepared to do the job next time? This may be why you are not seeing God call you to do as much as He is calling your Christian brother or sister.
Let's be vigilant, let's be prepared, let's be purposeful and let's allow Him the place He needs in our lives to prepare us so WHEN (not if) we are called, we are ready.
God, thank You that You want to use us. We were all created for a purpose and too many times we let this world distract us and rob us from fulfilling that purpose. Today, help us say NO MORE...and take the time necessary to prepare our hearts, minds and spirits to be ready for your calling. Then help us take what You have equipped us with and go out and advance Your kingdom. In Jesus name, Amen.
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Overcoming Doubt....Maintaining Peace
Since the beginning of time man has struggled with doubt. One of our first accounts of this was Eve doubting God's word when it came to eating from the tree in the Garden. Why did this happen? Because the enemy came and whispered lies into her ear. She gave voice to the enemy and he began to mess with her by saying things like, "has God indeed said" and "you will not surely die". You see it wasn't Eve that created the doubt inside herself, it was the fact that Eve gave the enemy a platform to speak to her that created the doubt. And all throughout history that is what the enemy has sought out again and again....a platform to speak into our lives. And sometimes even when we know something is from God, satan can plant the smallest seed of doubt and sit back and watch it grow.
What is the key to taking a stand against doubt? How do we forbid the enemy to plant thoughts in our hearts and minds that create doubt? And how do we know "the answer" when doubt creeps in? I have had many people confess that when doubt creeps in their number one struggle is now knowing which thing is from God, and which thing is from the enemy. They will be so sure they heard from God about something, and then all the sudden what they were once so sure about, they now are questioning. I'll admit this is something I too have struggled with many times as well, and I will not pretend like I have found the magic answer to these questions. But I will say this, I have found that He will reveal things to me when I give Him a chance to. Let me explain what I mean by that. If I hear from God and begin to follow something I believe He has called me to do, He leads me and He makes a way. He does not call us to something and then put road blogs and detours in our path. He guides us. That does not mean everything God calls us to is easy. It just simply means that the things that try to prevent us from carrying out His will are things He will help us overcome. However, when we follow our fleshly desires, and things come against those, the ability to overcome becomes much harder and a lot more of our own work. That is usually a good indicator that this IS the will of God, or this is something I am chasing. But what about the times when God clearly calls you to something, and then the doubt sets in once you begin to carry it out. How do we fight that and know the difference? James 1:6 says, "But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind". And that really is it. It really is about faith. Every time the enemy tries to stir doubt in you it is also a time for God to grow faith in you. The reason I say that is because when you are not sure, but you lay it at Jesus' feet, then you are giving Him a chance to show you. And the faith is, that if I take a step in the wrong direction, you will correct me. And if I take a step in the right direction, you will keep guiding me. In Matthew 21:21 Jesus told them "if you have faith and do not doubt". Jesus put these two things in the same sentence for a reason...and that is because one kills the other. Doubt will kill faith and faith will kill doubt. There is not room for both, but there is room for mercy from God when we go to him like the man who wanted his son healed in Mark 9:24. The man admitted to Jesus, "Lord, I believe, help my unbelief". This kind of admission is different from doubt, because it IS you laying it at Jesus' feet. It is an admission of weakness and it gives God a place to move, because He WILL help your unbelief.
So what are some of the keys to fighting doubt? Humbly and honestly seek God, and then seek Him more. Be patient, allow God to show you His plan in His timing. Look at the things that are in your way. Are they things that God will use to grow you as you overcome them, or are they things that you must battle in your own strength to get where you want to go? Fast! If you are in doubt about something, then fast and pray about it. Nothing puts the flesh under submission like fasting, and it can allow you to rely more on God and see in the spirit more clearly. And last, PEACE.....peace is what you will feel when you are seeking God's will. Even if that is in the midst of a storm, you will find His peace. When doubt kicks up in you and causes you to look down 2 different paths, then only one of those will lead to God's peace. Do not be fooled by the world's peace, it IS NOT the same. The peace the comes from making a worldly decision is a flat out lie and will very quickly lead a serious lack of God's peace. It will last for moments, where God's peace lasts forever. And God's peace will create peace around you, where the world's peace will usually end up creating some kind of chaos and trouble around. And seeking God's wisdom will show you the difference.
Seek Him, seek a stronger faith in Him, seek His joy and His peace...and stomp on the doubt that the enemy tries to put in you. With God's strength this can be done!
God, thank You for the peace that surpasses all understanding. It is THE thing that let's us know we are in Your will. Holy Spirit please help anyone today who is stuck in a situation of doubt and guide them down the path that God has laid out for them. And then give them the ability to explain to someone how they overcame doubt so You will always receive the glory. In Jesus name, Amen
What is the key to taking a stand against doubt? How do we forbid the enemy to plant thoughts in our hearts and minds that create doubt? And how do we know "the answer" when doubt creeps in? I have had many people confess that when doubt creeps in their number one struggle is now knowing which thing is from God, and which thing is from the enemy. They will be so sure they heard from God about something, and then all the sudden what they were once so sure about, they now are questioning. I'll admit this is something I too have struggled with many times as well, and I will not pretend like I have found the magic answer to these questions. But I will say this, I have found that He will reveal things to me when I give Him a chance to. Let me explain what I mean by that. If I hear from God and begin to follow something I believe He has called me to do, He leads me and He makes a way. He does not call us to something and then put road blogs and detours in our path. He guides us. That does not mean everything God calls us to is easy. It just simply means that the things that try to prevent us from carrying out His will are things He will help us overcome. However, when we follow our fleshly desires, and things come against those, the ability to overcome becomes much harder and a lot more of our own work. That is usually a good indicator that this IS the will of God, or this is something I am chasing. But what about the times when God clearly calls you to something, and then the doubt sets in once you begin to carry it out. How do we fight that and know the difference? James 1:6 says, "But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind". And that really is it. It really is about faith. Every time the enemy tries to stir doubt in you it is also a time for God to grow faith in you. The reason I say that is because when you are not sure, but you lay it at Jesus' feet, then you are giving Him a chance to show you. And the faith is, that if I take a step in the wrong direction, you will correct me. And if I take a step in the right direction, you will keep guiding me. In Matthew 21:21 Jesus told them "if you have faith and do not doubt". Jesus put these two things in the same sentence for a reason...and that is because one kills the other. Doubt will kill faith and faith will kill doubt. There is not room for both, but there is room for mercy from God when we go to him like the man who wanted his son healed in Mark 9:24. The man admitted to Jesus, "Lord, I believe, help my unbelief". This kind of admission is different from doubt, because it IS you laying it at Jesus' feet. It is an admission of weakness and it gives God a place to move, because He WILL help your unbelief.
So what are some of the keys to fighting doubt? Humbly and honestly seek God, and then seek Him more. Be patient, allow God to show you His plan in His timing. Look at the things that are in your way. Are they things that God will use to grow you as you overcome them, or are they things that you must battle in your own strength to get where you want to go? Fast! If you are in doubt about something, then fast and pray about it. Nothing puts the flesh under submission like fasting, and it can allow you to rely more on God and see in the spirit more clearly. And last, PEACE.....peace is what you will feel when you are seeking God's will. Even if that is in the midst of a storm, you will find His peace. When doubt kicks up in you and causes you to look down 2 different paths, then only one of those will lead to God's peace. Do not be fooled by the world's peace, it IS NOT the same. The peace the comes from making a worldly decision is a flat out lie and will very quickly lead a serious lack of God's peace. It will last for moments, where God's peace lasts forever. And God's peace will create peace around you, where the world's peace will usually end up creating some kind of chaos and trouble around. And seeking God's wisdom will show you the difference.
Seek Him, seek a stronger faith in Him, seek His joy and His peace...and stomp on the doubt that the enemy tries to put in you. With God's strength this can be done!
God, thank You for the peace that surpasses all understanding. It is THE thing that let's us know we are in Your will. Holy Spirit please help anyone today who is stuck in a situation of doubt and guide them down the path that God has laid out for them. And then give them the ability to explain to someone how they overcame doubt so You will always receive the glory. In Jesus name, Amen
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Where Does Your Confidence Come From?
Today I just want to send an encouraging word to anyone reading this.....KNOW where your confidence comes from! In the world we live in right now, with all the craziness, all the evil and all the division on topics, it can be so hard to feel at peace or confident that NO MATTER WHAT, God is still in charge. But I'm here to say, HE IS!!
There are a few things the enemy is going to try to do to you day after day after day....and he can be relentless. He wants to rob you of any peace, any joy and any confidence in the Lord. It's the number one thing he has, to try and gain access into your life. But you do not have to give into him. Yes, he may not stop trying, but the good news I have for you is, through Christ you have the ability to wear the enemy out before he wears you out. And I really mean that!
I love how Ephesians 6:13 says this..."Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand". And that truly is the key, to refuse to let he enemy knock you down. I have a funny visual in my head when I think of this. Do you remember those fun punching bags we used to have as kids that had sand in the bottom to make them heavy and no matter how hard you hit it, it would just pop back up? That is how I see myself when it comes to the enemy, and you should too. Sure he tries to hit us with unexpected circumstances and things that are out of our control, and it's his attempt is to knock us down. But because we can rely on God for our strength, we can bounce right back to our feet. And sometimes he can't even get close enough to us to take a hit because Jesus steps in front of us before it happens. Yes, this really is how I see God. He is my protector, He is my defender, and He is the reason I can stand at all, just like Ephesians 6:13 says. It is our job to stay as close to God as we can, and it is His promise that as we do He will be there for us. Therefore my confidence is not longer in myself or my own abilities, if it was I would have no confidence at all. I have watched myself make the wrong choices and do the wrong things to many times. My confidence comes from the fact that if I go to Him before choices are made, if I got to Him before my flesh produces the wrong actions, if I go to Him about anything and everything, He will guide my footsteps. Proverbs 3:26 says "For the Lord will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught". When I read that, how can I not place my confidence in Him? It does not say he might keep your foot from being caught, it says he WILL keep your foot from being caught. And the key to allowing Him to do that in your life is making sure your foot is not in front of His. Follow His leading in your life, but don't expect Him to walk behind you and get your foot out of every trap you step into. At some point we must learn to wait on the Lord, listen for the Lord and trust in Him. This will keep you out of many of the traps the enemy tries to set before you. But be sure to give honor where it is due when you do overcome or completely avoid those traps. 2 Corinthians 3:5 tells us "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God". We overcome because of Him! Even if you miss one of the enemy's traps, he would love nothing for than for you to beat your own chest and take all the credit for it. Then he can get your confidence to be in yourself and the next trap he sets for you will certainly play off of that.
This is not a story of gloom and doom though. Let me be clear is saying I walk in victory because of God, I do not just get by. In John 14:26 Jesus said, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit...he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you". The Holy Spirit walks with me daily, and I learn how to walk in victory from Him. And then I hold onto this promise in Isaiah 41:10..."Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand". And daily I remind the enemy of these things. My strength, my help, my righteousness...it all comes from my God. So you are not battling me alone...and my confidence is in Him!
God, thank You that we do not battle the enemy alone. Help us remember that, and open our lives up to You so You can battle with us and for us. Help our hearts and our minds remember that our confidence should come from being Yours...and let nothing in this world shake that. In Jesus name, Amen
There are a few things the enemy is going to try to do to you day after day after day....and he can be relentless. He wants to rob you of any peace, any joy and any confidence in the Lord. It's the number one thing he has, to try and gain access into your life. But you do not have to give into him. Yes, he may not stop trying, but the good news I have for you is, through Christ you have the ability to wear the enemy out before he wears you out. And I really mean that!
I love how Ephesians 6:13 says this..."Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand". And that truly is the key, to refuse to let he enemy knock you down. I have a funny visual in my head when I think of this. Do you remember those fun punching bags we used to have as kids that had sand in the bottom to make them heavy and no matter how hard you hit it, it would just pop back up? That is how I see myself when it comes to the enemy, and you should too. Sure he tries to hit us with unexpected circumstances and things that are out of our control, and it's his attempt is to knock us down. But because we can rely on God for our strength, we can bounce right back to our feet. And sometimes he can't even get close enough to us to take a hit because Jesus steps in front of us before it happens. Yes, this really is how I see God. He is my protector, He is my defender, and He is the reason I can stand at all, just like Ephesians 6:13 says. It is our job to stay as close to God as we can, and it is His promise that as we do He will be there for us. Therefore my confidence is not longer in myself or my own abilities, if it was I would have no confidence at all. I have watched myself make the wrong choices and do the wrong things to many times. My confidence comes from the fact that if I go to Him before choices are made, if I got to Him before my flesh produces the wrong actions, if I go to Him about anything and everything, He will guide my footsteps. Proverbs 3:26 says "For the Lord will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught". When I read that, how can I not place my confidence in Him? It does not say he might keep your foot from being caught, it says he WILL keep your foot from being caught. And the key to allowing Him to do that in your life is making sure your foot is not in front of His. Follow His leading in your life, but don't expect Him to walk behind you and get your foot out of every trap you step into. At some point we must learn to wait on the Lord, listen for the Lord and trust in Him. This will keep you out of many of the traps the enemy tries to set before you. But be sure to give honor where it is due when you do overcome or completely avoid those traps. 2 Corinthians 3:5 tells us "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God". We overcome because of Him! Even if you miss one of the enemy's traps, he would love nothing for than for you to beat your own chest and take all the credit for it. Then he can get your confidence to be in yourself and the next trap he sets for you will certainly play off of that.
This is not a story of gloom and doom though. Let me be clear is saying I walk in victory because of God, I do not just get by. In John 14:26 Jesus said, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit...he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you". The Holy Spirit walks with me daily, and I learn how to walk in victory from Him. And then I hold onto this promise in Isaiah 41:10..."Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand". And daily I remind the enemy of these things. My strength, my help, my righteousness...it all comes from my God. So you are not battling me alone...and my confidence is in Him!
God, thank You that we do not battle the enemy alone. Help us remember that, and open our lives up to You so You can battle with us and for us. Help our hearts and our minds remember that our confidence should come from being Yours...and let nothing in this world shake that. In Jesus name, Amen
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
What Are You Harvesting?
It's funny that God would put this topic on my heart today, considering we are going into winter and farmers would not be planting crops right now, but nevertheless He has. So my question today is, what are you harvesting in your life?
Harvesting and planting are clearly two different things. You can't plant one thing and harvest something different. That is why I felt like God wants us to look at what we are harvesting and then look back at what we planted to receive that. And I don't just mean that in a negative way. Yes there are lessons and wisdom to be gained by looking back at our life and seeing where we "planted" the wrong things, and the harvest that came forth because of that. But I believe it is just as important when God is showering us with blessings to look back over the past months/years and see what you have been doing for Him that allowed Him to be able to shower you with those blessings.
A farmer would never expect to plant one crop, but then harvest a completely different crop. He (or she) knows that whatever was sown into the soil is what is going to grows there. And a wise farmer also knows that the abundance of that crop is going to depend on how well the fields were taken care and tended to during that growing season. It would be completely foolish for a farmer to sow seed into the ground and then go on vacation for a few months, thinking they will come back to some amazing harvest. It just doesn't work like that. Those fields need to be taken care of, fed the right nutrients and weeded in order for that harvest to be all it can be. And just like that, we can't sow something into our lives, or the lives of others, and then step back and stop doing what God is calling you to do...the work part.
That old saying of "you reap what you sow" is true, but sometimes it is also an area where we see God apply His grace to our lives. Speaking for myself, I can tell you that ONLY because of God I have not always reaped what I have sown. God's loving grace and mercy has spared me at times from getting what I deserved. And there is not a day that goes by that I don't thank Him for that. But He will only do that at certain times of our life to show us His goodness and get out attention to turn to Him. It is to be appreciated, but not expected. For the most part, what you sow is going to be what you reap, or harvest. And it's sad that so many people just keep harvesting the same kind of "crop" in their life, but never look back to see why...or what they could do differently.
God talks about sowing and harvesting all throughout His word. And one of the things He says very clearly is that we need to sow wisely into our own lives and we need to harvest His fields. And those 2 things go hand in hand. We can not sow worldly things into our lives and then think we can be used in some amazing way by God. The enemy would love for us to think we can, but don't by into that lie. When we sow what the rest of the world sows, then our life, and the troubles we face, look just like everyone else in the world. So how are you going to reach people for God when you are dealing with the same sin, and the same heartache, and the same trouble as the rest of the world? We have to allow God to set us free, we have to walk in that freedom, and then we have to show others what being delivered looks like. It is ONLY when our lives look different than the world that people will want what we have. And then you can and will be used by God to harvest His crops....and advance His kingdom. Be ready to get your hands dirty, as any good farmer would. Be ready to do some work, because sometimes that's what seeing a good harvest takes. But most of all, but ready to feel the peace and joy that come from allow God to help you weed out the things that have been killing your harvest and receiving what He had intended for you all along. When you get to this place with God, then you find just as much joy by sowing into others and watching them grow, as you do when your reaping good things in your own life.
God, thank You for the wisdom found in your word about the things we need to sow into our own lives. Thank You for wanting to use use to harvest your fields to advance Your kingdom too. Holy Spirit guide us in sowing and harvesting good things in our lives so our lives can be an example to others. All through Your strength and all for Your glory! In Jesus name, Amen
Harvesting and planting are clearly two different things. You can't plant one thing and harvest something different. That is why I felt like God wants us to look at what we are harvesting and then look back at what we planted to receive that. And I don't just mean that in a negative way. Yes there are lessons and wisdom to be gained by looking back at our life and seeing where we "planted" the wrong things, and the harvest that came forth because of that. But I believe it is just as important when God is showering us with blessings to look back over the past months/years and see what you have been doing for Him that allowed Him to be able to shower you with those blessings.
A farmer would never expect to plant one crop, but then harvest a completely different crop. He (or she) knows that whatever was sown into the soil is what is going to grows there. And a wise farmer also knows that the abundance of that crop is going to depend on how well the fields were taken care and tended to during that growing season. It would be completely foolish for a farmer to sow seed into the ground and then go on vacation for a few months, thinking they will come back to some amazing harvest. It just doesn't work like that. Those fields need to be taken care of, fed the right nutrients and weeded in order for that harvest to be all it can be. And just like that, we can't sow something into our lives, or the lives of others, and then step back and stop doing what God is calling you to do...the work part.
That old saying of "you reap what you sow" is true, but sometimes it is also an area where we see God apply His grace to our lives. Speaking for myself, I can tell you that ONLY because of God I have not always reaped what I have sown. God's loving grace and mercy has spared me at times from getting what I deserved. And there is not a day that goes by that I don't thank Him for that. But He will only do that at certain times of our life to show us His goodness and get out attention to turn to Him. It is to be appreciated, but not expected. For the most part, what you sow is going to be what you reap, or harvest. And it's sad that so many people just keep harvesting the same kind of "crop" in their life, but never look back to see why...or what they could do differently.
God talks about sowing and harvesting all throughout His word. And one of the things He says very clearly is that we need to sow wisely into our own lives and we need to harvest His fields. And those 2 things go hand in hand. We can not sow worldly things into our lives and then think we can be used in some amazing way by God. The enemy would love for us to think we can, but don't by into that lie. When we sow what the rest of the world sows, then our life, and the troubles we face, look just like everyone else in the world. So how are you going to reach people for God when you are dealing with the same sin, and the same heartache, and the same trouble as the rest of the world? We have to allow God to set us free, we have to walk in that freedom, and then we have to show others what being delivered looks like. It is ONLY when our lives look different than the world that people will want what we have. And then you can and will be used by God to harvest His crops....and advance His kingdom. Be ready to get your hands dirty, as any good farmer would. Be ready to do some work, because sometimes that's what seeing a good harvest takes. But most of all, but ready to feel the peace and joy that come from allow God to help you weed out the things that have been killing your harvest and receiving what He had intended for you all along. When you get to this place with God, then you find just as much joy by sowing into others and watching them grow, as you do when your reaping good things in your own life.
God, thank You for the wisdom found in your word about the things we need to sow into our own lives. Thank You for wanting to use use to harvest your fields to advance Your kingdom too. Holy Spirit guide us in sowing and harvesting good things in our lives so our lives can be an example to others. All through Your strength and all for Your glory! In Jesus name, Amen
Friday, December 4, 2015
The Flesh, Or The Spirit...The Battle Within
Each and every day there is a battle the goes on inside of us. It's a personal battle and not one person is free from it. The battle is between our flesh and our spirit...and in every outcome of that battle the results will reflect which one was stronger in the moment, and which one had to submit.
Since the beginning of time there has been a battle between what our flesh desires and our spirit knows is good for us. And until you come to know Jesus as your personal Savior, you may not even realize this battle is going on. You may look back on your life and see the paths you took because your flesh won that battle...and you may look back and see the mistakes you avoided because your spirit won that one. God is alway trying to direct our paths. Yes to guide us through life and protect us, but ultimately to lead us to Him. We were created to be with Him and our spirits know that long before our flesh realizes it...and so the battle begins.
If you have been in church long, then you have heard a pastor talk about how you never have to teach a child to be bad, you have to teach them to be good. Why is this? Our human nature (our flesh) gravitates to seeing what we can get away with from even the earliest of ages. And until we know how to be hear from God and be guided by the Holy Spirit, it was our parents who had to teach us and tell us no. They had to teach you not to do this, and you should do this. They had to teach you how to not throw fits when you didn't get what you wanted. How to use your kind words and not the words that naturally wanted to fly out of your mouth when someone made you mad. And doesn't that sound a lot like how the Holy Spirit guides you as you begin to walk with God. Teaching you how to put your flesh in check and do what the spirit God put in you is telling you to do. Whether we realize it or not, there is something deep down in us that wants to have relationship with God. Something that wants to please Him too. That is why we can still feel guilt over something wrong that we did that not one single person knows about. Because our spirit had to submit to our flesh, and something about that created a feeling of guilt.....later to be recognized as conviction. When the flesh wins a battle it opens the door for the enemy to bring in feelings that God never really intended for us to have to walk around with. Feelings of guilt, shame and condemnation are just a few. And if you have walked around with those feelings for very long then you know they can open doors to other feelings like rejection, abandonment, depression and sorrow. These are the things that we can get set free from when we start to submit to Christ and let the Holy Spirit guide us. And until you have walked in THAT freedom it is really hard to explain just how freeing it really is. It does not mean that you found the secret to perfection, but it does mean that you mess us less. It means that a new desire rises up in you to please God and the flesh doesn't win the battles that it used to. And when you truly start to walk with God in submission and surrender, you really start to understand and feel His love in a whole new light. So then when the flesh does rise up and remind you it is still there, you feel God's grace and mercy cover you and your mistakes. And walking in repentance and humbleness with God becomes more important than walking in justification and pride.
Romans 8:8 tells us that "those who are in the flesh cannot please God". A very bold and blunt statement. So I will pose the question to you then....What has been more important to you lately? Pleasing the flesh, or pleasing God? Galatians 5:16 says "Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh". It truly does come down to which desires are the most important to you. I know this because I let my flesh drive my decisions for far too long. I was tore up on the inside because of it too. It wasn't until I found (really found) God's love in the middle of the mess I had created that I understood how badly He wanted to set me free from all of that. And once I saw how much surrender and submission made my life better, and that His plans really did make me prosper (Jeremiah 29:11), then my desire to please Him and not my flesh really took over. Yes, my flesh still tries to get it's way, but I don't have to put it in check by myself any more. I have the power and the spirit of Christ living in me and He and He alone makes me an overcomer!
God, thank You that You sent us the Holy Spirit to help and guide us. Help us to listen for Him and listen to Him when our flesh is trying to win a battle. Give us the strength it takes to overcome the desires of the flesh and tell others how amazing life really is when we submit to You and live a life that pleases You. In Jesus name, Amen.
Since the beginning of time there has been a battle between what our flesh desires and our spirit knows is good for us. And until you come to know Jesus as your personal Savior, you may not even realize this battle is going on. You may look back on your life and see the paths you took because your flesh won that battle...and you may look back and see the mistakes you avoided because your spirit won that one. God is alway trying to direct our paths. Yes to guide us through life and protect us, but ultimately to lead us to Him. We were created to be with Him and our spirits know that long before our flesh realizes it...and so the battle begins.
If you have been in church long, then you have heard a pastor talk about how you never have to teach a child to be bad, you have to teach them to be good. Why is this? Our human nature (our flesh) gravitates to seeing what we can get away with from even the earliest of ages. And until we know how to be hear from God and be guided by the Holy Spirit, it was our parents who had to teach us and tell us no. They had to teach you not to do this, and you should do this. They had to teach you how to not throw fits when you didn't get what you wanted. How to use your kind words and not the words that naturally wanted to fly out of your mouth when someone made you mad. And doesn't that sound a lot like how the Holy Spirit guides you as you begin to walk with God. Teaching you how to put your flesh in check and do what the spirit God put in you is telling you to do. Whether we realize it or not, there is something deep down in us that wants to have relationship with God. Something that wants to please Him too. That is why we can still feel guilt over something wrong that we did that not one single person knows about. Because our spirit had to submit to our flesh, and something about that created a feeling of guilt.....later to be recognized as conviction. When the flesh wins a battle it opens the door for the enemy to bring in feelings that God never really intended for us to have to walk around with. Feelings of guilt, shame and condemnation are just a few. And if you have walked around with those feelings for very long then you know they can open doors to other feelings like rejection, abandonment, depression and sorrow. These are the things that we can get set free from when we start to submit to Christ and let the Holy Spirit guide us. And until you have walked in THAT freedom it is really hard to explain just how freeing it really is. It does not mean that you found the secret to perfection, but it does mean that you mess us less. It means that a new desire rises up in you to please God and the flesh doesn't win the battles that it used to. And when you truly start to walk with God in submission and surrender, you really start to understand and feel His love in a whole new light. So then when the flesh does rise up and remind you it is still there, you feel God's grace and mercy cover you and your mistakes. And walking in repentance and humbleness with God becomes more important than walking in justification and pride.
Romans 8:8 tells us that "those who are in the flesh cannot please God". A very bold and blunt statement. So I will pose the question to you then....What has been more important to you lately? Pleasing the flesh, or pleasing God? Galatians 5:16 says "Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh". It truly does come down to which desires are the most important to you. I know this because I let my flesh drive my decisions for far too long. I was tore up on the inside because of it too. It wasn't until I found (really found) God's love in the middle of the mess I had created that I understood how badly He wanted to set me free from all of that. And once I saw how much surrender and submission made my life better, and that His plans really did make me prosper (Jeremiah 29:11), then my desire to please Him and not my flesh really took over. Yes, my flesh still tries to get it's way, but I don't have to put it in check by myself any more. I have the power and the spirit of Christ living in me and He and He alone makes me an overcomer!
God, thank You that You sent us the Holy Spirit to help and guide us. Help us to listen for Him and listen to Him when our flesh is trying to win a battle. Give us the strength it takes to overcome the desires of the flesh and tell others how amazing life really is when we submit to You and live a life that pleases You. In Jesus name, Amen.
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Passing The Test
Each and every day we are tested and tried is some small way, and on some days a big test will come our way. As much as I believe the enemy is constantly bombarding us with chances to mess up, I think God is also giving us opportunities to get it right. It really just depends on how you want to look at it. And of course the enemy wants you to only see the negative side of everything.
I used to be one of those people who did see the negative side of most things. I was always wondering why is this or that happening to "me". I wouldn't say I was a negative person, but I certainly was not walking around looking for the good in every situation. However, a few years ago God really began to work on that in me and started to teach me that I just had a wrong perspective on the things I went through. Instead of seeing everything I go through as another chance to fail or be defeated, I started to see them as another chance to rely on God more. Another chance to allow Him to show me the way out. And another chance to tell people about Him in the end. It didn't mean that bad things didn't still happen to me, it just meant that I spent more time looking for God's goodness during the "storm" than I did complaining about the storm or be blinded by the bad/negative. I mean, if Paul could write and praise God from a jail cell where he had no idea what the outcome was going to be like, then why couldn't I look for, and find, God's goodness in my situations?
I know the things we face in life are not fun and I am not tying to dismiss the pain we sometimes go through. But what I am trying to say is that the things that hit us hard do not hit God hard. We have to keep in mind that He is the same God, with the same power, and the same faithfulness, no matter what the situation we are facing is. We are the ones who tend to put degrees on what situations God can help us with and what ones are even to big for Him. Sure, we may not say that out loud, but our measure of faith sure does at times. Give us something small to deal with and we will say "Oh, God's got this" every single time. But let it be something big, something huge, maybe even something life changing, and watch to see if the same people will be so quick to have the same response. And I'm not saying that as a slam to anyone, I'm just being real and challenging us to ask ourselves, "why wouldn't God have the big things as much as He does the little. After all, He's God". James 1:2-4 says "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing". The verse doesn't tell us to count the small things we go though joy, it says count it "all" joy. How can we walk into a situation and say I will face this with joy? Because IF we believe the God is who He says He is, then this is just another opportunity for Him to shine in our lives, increasing our faith, and the faith of those who are watching from the outside. He literally CAN use our bad situations to create good, build up our faith and strengthen us.....the key is, will we let Him?
It can be very easy to get caught up on and focused on the bad. I mean, that is why the enemy is bring bad into your path. He wants to change your focus, shake you up and see if he can get you to fall....or at least stumble. But if we keep laying it at Jesus' feet and say "I believe you will see me through this" then the defeat toward the enemy is already taking place. But let me be very clear in stating that IF passing a test, or overcoming a trial, has to have a certain outcome in your mind, then the enemy may already be lining you up for defeat. Be very careful not to have a picture in your mind of what the outcome needs to look like to call this a victory. God will show you the victory despite the outcome. One of the toughest trials I walked through in my life did not turn out the way I had envisioned, but God created a victory. I gave Him full access to my situation and I put no exceptions on the end result. I prayed for His will to be done and for Him to make my life better because of what I was going through. And not only did He do just that, but He grew me at a time when I could have just thrown in the towel. That statement in not a pat on my own back, it is me testifying to HIS greatness, HIS power, HIS love....and in the end, because I praised Him in my trail, I fully believe I am walking in HIS reward. And I praise Him for that too!
God, thank You that you never leave us nor forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:6) You don't just walk through the storms of life with us, but you will carry us if we humble ourselves and let you. Please help those who struggle to give authority over to you during the trials of life. Help them see just how strong you can be when we are week and submit to you. Holy Spirit help us to have eyes to see God's goodness in the midst of the trial and praise His name through it all. In Jesus name, Amen
I used to be one of those people who did see the negative side of most things. I was always wondering why is this or that happening to "me". I wouldn't say I was a negative person, but I certainly was not walking around looking for the good in every situation. However, a few years ago God really began to work on that in me and started to teach me that I just had a wrong perspective on the things I went through. Instead of seeing everything I go through as another chance to fail or be defeated, I started to see them as another chance to rely on God more. Another chance to allow Him to show me the way out. And another chance to tell people about Him in the end. It didn't mean that bad things didn't still happen to me, it just meant that I spent more time looking for God's goodness during the "storm" than I did complaining about the storm or be blinded by the bad/negative. I mean, if Paul could write and praise God from a jail cell where he had no idea what the outcome was going to be like, then why couldn't I look for, and find, God's goodness in my situations?
I know the things we face in life are not fun and I am not tying to dismiss the pain we sometimes go through. But what I am trying to say is that the things that hit us hard do not hit God hard. We have to keep in mind that He is the same God, with the same power, and the same faithfulness, no matter what the situation we are facing is. We are the ones who tend to put degrees on what situations God can help us with and what ones are even to big for Him. Sure, we may not say that out loud, but our measure of faith sure does at times. Give us something small to deal with and we will say "Oh, God's got this" every single time. But let it be something big, something huge, maybe even something life changing, and watch to see if the same people will be so quick to have the same response. And I'm not saying that as a slam to anyone, I'm just being real and challenging us to ask ourselves, "why wouldn't God have the big things as much as He does the little. After all, He's God". James 1:2-4 says "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing". The verse doesn't tell us to count the small things we go though joy, it says count it "all" joy. How can we walk into a situation and say I will face this with joy? Because IF we believe the God is who He says He is, then this is just another opportunity for Him to shine in our lives, increasing our faith, and the faith of those who are watching from the outside. He literally CAN use our bad situations to create good, build up our faith and strengthen us.....the key is, will we let Him?
It can be very easy to get caught up on and focused on the bad. I mean, that is why the enemy is bring bad into your path. He wants to change your focus, shake you up and see if he can get you to fall....or at least stumble. But if we keep laying it at Jesus' feet and say "I believe you will see me through this" then the defeat toward the enemy is already taking place. But let me be very clear in stating that IF passing a test, or overcoming a trial, has to have a certain outcome in your mind, then the enemy may already be lining you up for defeat. Be very careful not to have a picture in your mind of what the outcome needs to look like to call this a victory. God will show you the victory despite the outcome. One of the toughest trials I walked through in my life did not turn out the way I had envisioned, but God created a victory. I gave Him full access to my situation and I put no exceptions on the end result. I prayed for His will to be done and for Him to make my life better because of what I was going through. And not only did He do just that, but He grew me at a time when I could have just thrown in the towel. That statement in not a pat on my own back, it is me testifying to HIS greatness, HIS power, HIS love....and in the end, because I praised Him in my trail, I fully believe I am walking in HIS reward. And I praise Him for that too!
God, thank You that you never leave us nor forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:6) You don't just walk through the storms of life with us, but you will carry us if we humble ourselves and let you. Please help those who struggle to give authority over to you during the trials of life. Help them see just how strong you can be when we are week and submit to you. Holy Spirit help us to have eyes to see God's goodness in the midst of the trial and praise His name through it all. In Jesus name, Amen
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Trusting The One Who Is Trustworthy
Has it ever crossed your mind that even to "trust" requires some form of trust? I know that might come across as sounding strange, but it really is true. You really can't trust someone unless you know they are trustworthy. You have to trust that you really can trust someone. So when this is a person, that usually will happen by the amount time that you spend with them, the way you have gotten to know them, and the actions that you have seen out of them. However, when this is God, how do you establish that trust? Especially if a relationship with Him is new to you?
Trusting in the natural takes either seeing something for yourself or hearing something from others. For example, you may not give a company your business unless you have heard good things about them. Testimonies from others who have done business with that company saying how good they are or well they treat their customers. What you find out may be enough to either make you decide to move forward with them or not. And how about people? When we get to know someone we either establish our own opinion of whether to trust that person, or we will hear from someone else who tried to trust them. But either way, we will have to make the final choice as to whether we feel like they are trustworthy. In both of those scenarios the things you are basing your decision on is the past and the present. A company may have a long standing reputation for being a great company who treats their customers well....so their past makes them look trustworthy. However, you may meet someone and know nothing about their past, but just in a matter of days realize that this person, and the character they display, shows them to be a trustworthy person. Again, these are things in the natural that we can determine by what we see....but is trusting God any different?
There are typically 3 types of people who come to know God. One is the person who grew up in church and learned about God most of their life, until the day came that they finally gave their life to Him. Another is the person who knew who God was, but never really knew much about Him. They may have had friends they attended church (or church events) with, and one day God got ahold of their heart. Then there is the 3rd type. Someone who didn't know anything about God, never really stepped into the doors of a church, and didn't really realize what Jesus came to do for them. This person usually has an experience where God interrupts their life and changes it in a split second. Maybe they are reached by someone doing a street ministry and God found, and changed them, right where they stood. In each of these scenarios God showed them that they could trust Him with their life. One knew God's past, once knew God in the present, and one found God in an instant. But they all found Him to be trustworthy. To me that is amazing!! But the key is to grow from that point and continue to trust God more and more. Getting in God's word will show you what He has done throughout history and how men and woman fully relied on Him, and He was always there for them. It will also give us the full picture of how He loved us enough to give us His son for our benefit. Showing that we can trust Him because He gave more than we possibly ever could.
If there is anything God's word shows us the most, it is that His love is trustworthy. He gave His son to us knowing we still might reject Him. He made a way when He didn't have to. God shows us through His word that He has always been trustworthy, and He can show you through the time you spend with Him now that He is still trustworthy. But what He really wants is to show you the most is that He can be trusted with your future. Learn to trust Him by allowing Him room to move in your life. Watch what He can do and let that establish even more trust in Him. Letting go can be scary and hard, but when you see that the more you let go to Him, the more He is able to do. Then you will begin to understand that trusting Him is really what we were designed to do.
Scriptures on trust: Proverbs 3:5-8, Psalm 56:3-4, Jeremiah 29:11-14, 1 John 4:18, Psalm 13:5, Psalm 40:4, Isaiah 26:3-4 and Philippians 4:6-7.
God, thank You that You are trustworthy, faithful and true! Please help those who struggle with trust to KNOW that You hold their future in the palm of Your hands and You only want to draw them closer and closer to You. Heal the hearts that have been damaged by mistrust and allow them to see Your goodness. In Jesus name, Amen
Trusting in the natural takes either seeing something for yourself or hearing something from others. For example, you may not give a company your business unless you have heard good things about them. Testimonies from others who have done business with that company saying how good they are or well they treat their customers. What you find out may be enough to either make you decide to move forward with them or not. And how about people? When we get to know someone we either establish our own opinion of whether to trust that person, or we will hear from someone else who tried to trust them. But either way, we will have to make the final choice as to whether we feel like they are trustworthy. In both of those scenarios the things you are basing your decision on is the past and the present. A company may have a long standing reputation for being a great company who treats their customers well....so their past makes them look trustworthy. However, you may meet someone and know nothing about their past, but just in a matter of days realize that this person, and the character they display, shows them to be a trustworthy person. Again, these are things in the natural that we can determine by what we see....but is trusting God any different?
There are typically 3 types of people who come to know God. One is the person who grew up in church and learned about God most of their life, until the day came that they finally gave their life to Him. Another is the person who knew who God was, but never really knew much about Him. They may have had friends they attended church (or church events) with, and one day God got ahold of their heart. Then there is the 3rd type. Someone who didn't know anything about God, never really stepped into the doors of a church, and didn't really realize what Jesus came to do for them. This person usually has an experience where God interrupts their life and changes it in a split second. Maybe they are reached by someone doing a street ministry and God found, and changed them, right where they stood. In each of these scenarios God showed them that they could trust Him with their life. One knew God's past, once knew God in the present, and one found God in an instant. But they all found Him to be trustworthy. To me that is amazing!! But the key is to grow from that point and continue to trust God more and more. Getting in God's word will show you what He has done throughout history and how men and woman fully relied on Him, and He was always there for them. It will also give us the full picture of how He loved us enough to give us His son for our benefit. Showing that we can trust Him because He gave more than we possibly ever could.
If there is anything God's word shows us the most, it is that His love is trustworthy. He gave His son to us knowing we still might reject Him. He made a way when He didn't have to. God shows us through His word that He has always been trustworthy, and He can show you through the time you spend with Him now that He is still trustworthy. But what He really wants is to show you the most is that He can be trusted with your future. Learn to trust Him by allowing Him room to move in your life. Watch what He can do and let that establish even more trust in Him. Letting go can be scary and hard, but when you see that the more you let go to Him, the more He is able to do. Then you will begin to understand that trusting Him is really what we were designed to do.
Scriptures on trust: Proverbs 3:5-8, Psalm 56:3-4, Jeremiah 29:11-14, 1 John 4:18, Psalm 13:5, Psalm 40:4, Isaiah 26:3-4 and Philippians 4:6-7.
God, thank You that You are trustworthy, faithful and true! Please help those who struggle with trust to KNOW that You hold their future in the palm of Your hands and You only want to draw them closer and closer to You. Heal the hearts that have been damaged by mistrust and allow them to see Your goodness. In Jesus name, Amen
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