Over the past couple of days I have been watching several movies. This is quite out of character for me, I am not one to sit in front of the T.V. for hours and hours. However, recently I have had my wisdom teeth taken out. So to pass the time by I have been watching movies. To be honest I have watched about 8 movies in the past 3 days. That is right... wow!
Well, one of the movies was Prince of Egypt, it is a personal favorite from my childhood. Anyway, I am babbling but have a point. While watching the Prince of Egypt I noticed many things, but one of the biggest that stuck out to me this time was near the middle/end of the movie. Moses said, "Pharaoh has the power. He can take away your food, your home, your freedom. He can take away your sons and daughters. With one word, Pharaoh can take away your very lives. But there is one thing he cannot take away from you: your faith. Believe, for we will see God's wonders." This made me think about my own job. God has allowed me to work with international students for the past two years. I have been so afraid to live radically for Christ for fear of losing my job. Lately I have been convicted about this thought. No, I am not going to do anything stupid like stand on top of my office building yelling "turn or burn." I mean, God has given me this job for a reason. God has allowed me to be where I am to fulfill His purpose. My boss has the power to fire me from my job. He does not have the power to take away my faith.
Living in fear of the "what if's" and the "could be's" and so on is not going to get us/me anywhere. God's word tells us we are not to fear anyone but Him. The "Pharaoh's" in our lives seem to have so much power over us, yet we fail to see that God is bigger than anything else on this earth. He is the Creator. He is the Author of Life. He is the God of love, the God of hope, the God of salvation, He is the great I Am! There is nothing we can do to make God lose any power. He is the creator of power for heaven's sake! My fear of getting fired or of having my boss upset with me because I use my job as a platform to share the gospel, really is the least of my worries. God places us exactly where He wants us in His timing to do His will. He has told us our purpose is to know Him and make Him known. So my life goal is to know Him and make Him known in all that I do. Our lives are not to be sectioned off like a pie chart. When you look at a pie chart of your life you see what consumes most of your time. For example: work, friends, eating, sleeping, activities, etc. There are so many "compartments" in our lives it is easy for us to want to section them off. Yet, each of our compartments tend to spill over into each other. Our friends at work start becoming our friends outside of work. Our job ends up coming home with us at times. Our activities tend to include eating and friends and more. God is to be in every part of our lives. God is not a section or compartment of its own. He is the center point of each of our pie charts for our lives. He is the controller of each little area of our lives.
Even when we feel like us making Christ known could cause us to lose everything we have. We can remember that who or whatever our Pharaoh is in that situation cannot take away our faith. God promises to protect His children. He tells us in several places that His children will not be ashamed. Although we may be persecuted for our faith, we can stand strong knowing that God knows exactly what He is doing. Our persecutors can never take away our faith in God. How relieving?!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
The Great Gift of Ruin
Ruin is a gift, ruin is the road to transformation- Quote from the movie Eat, Pray, Love
A few months ago, the ladies in the office I work in and I decided to go see the movie Eat, Pray, Love. I had never heard of the book or even the movie, but I went along anyway wanting to spend time with the lovely ladies I work with. The scenery in the movie was amazing. The places Liz (Julia Roberts), the main character, went and the food she ate... I would love to be able to go and do and eat haha! Anyway, the point here is not about me. The movie is basically about Liz discovering happiness and spirituality in Hinduism. Although I do not agree with that, one of the greatest quotes throughout the entire movie was "ruin is a gift, ruin is the road to transformation."
This quote immediately made me think about my relationship with God and how I came into a relationship with Him. In order for me to come to Him, He had to completely break me. He ruined me of myself and brought me begging on my knees to Him for Him. I wanted nothing less than Him. In being broken and ruined II Corinthians 5:17 reminds us, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation." To become a new creation it has to be transformed from the old creation. The ruin of ourselves is a gift. It is the greatest gift we could ever receive, it is the gift of salvation. Ruin is not only a gift but it is the road to transformation. John 3:30 says "He must increase, but I must decrease." We have to be constantly seeking Him and Him increasing in us to become more like Him. We cannot just expect to be little Christs (Christians)if we are not spending time with Him, seeking Him out in prayer, and begging Him to make us more like Him. We become like those we spend the most time with/around. So if Jane (random name for this) is spending most of her time praying, fasting, in His word, reading books about His character, etc. then she is going to become more and more like Him. Her lifestyle choices, movies, music, books, and all other entertainment of sorts will reflect her convictions based on His word. His desires will become her deisres. The things that break His heart will begin to break hers. Her life will look radically different than it did before she started spending time getting to know Him.
This brings a whole new light to Romans 12:2 "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." I am going to skip over a major part (to be writen about later...) to keep going on transformation. The more we are in His word, praying, seeking Him, desiring to glorify Him...the more we are being transformed. Our minds are being shaped into Christ-like thinking and we are being transformed into Christ-like people. We will not reach perfection this side of eternity, however, we should not stop striving for Christ-like perfection. Do not forget that your "ruin is a gift, ruin is the road to transformation." Keep pushing on toward Christ-likeness.
God Bless!!
Friday, November 12, 2010
Wreck Me Righteous
Everyone has a story to tell. Some stories seem better than others because of detail or even the way they are told. Here is the story of how I came to know the Lord and some of the events that led up to that point.God is doing and is continuing to do many things in my life.
I grew up in a “Christian” home. My grandfather was a Baptist preacher, nana played the piano at church and was a good strong Christian woman. My parents always went to church but their relationship with each other definitely did not reflect what they said they believed. When I was 10 I walked down the isle of a tiny little Baptist church in a little bitty town. A week later I was baptized. However, those two events sadly meant nothing in my life. I was playing church at the age of 10. I thought I was safe because of praying a little prayer and walking a little isle so I wouldn’t go to hell. My life showed no reflection of what I claimed to believe. Honestly I do not believe I came to Christ until my freshman year of college. My life between 10 years of age and my freshman year (18 years of age) was spent living for myself and everything I could do to be pretty and cool and have the greatest boyfriend and etc. When I was in high school I dated a guy for about 3 months, we began talking about marriage. It freaked him out. He was not ready to settle down or do anything like that. For the most part I thought we had a moral relationship because we were not sleeping together. We did other things that very well could have led into that, yet there was strangely always a stopping point. That is sad but awesome, because even that shows God trying to protect me from something I did not understand. He called everything off. As hard as it was for me I thought, “he will come back.” The next week was the winter formal at my high school. I went with a group of girls. That night when the 3 of us left we left with 2 guys. One of the girls said she had to go home early, so we let her go. The other girl received a phone call from her mother telling her she had to come home immediately. Her mom had a bad feeling about us being out and she wanted her home right away. So we took the girl home. I thought we were going to IHOP or Waffle House, that is what the guys told my mom we were doing. We continued to drive around for a little bit and the guys decided to stop at a gas station. When we parked, the guy driving turned around, looked at me, and said “so you have a choice.” This was a normal thing. He would pretty much play the would you rather game or the ultimatum game. This time was different. He said, “you have two options. One, have sex with me or two, walk home.” I was shocked. That had not crossed my mind with him at all.
About 4 months earlier I made the mistake of having sex with a football player. I did not enjoy it and hate to admit that I even did that. When this guy found out about it he was furious that having dated him off and on I had never slept with him. He decided to change that. He repeated his words “have sex with me or walk home.” I didn’t want to choose either option, I wanted out of the whole game. By this time he had stepped out of the car and walked back to my door. He opened the door and grabbed my arm. “Have sex with me or walk home,” I looked at the guy in the passenger seat. I will never forget the look on his face. No one has ever had that look of fear in their eyes, well at least not that I had ever seen. The guy in the passenger seat took out a $5 bill and said “just go in. Go in and buy what you need. Just do it.” My eyes kept shifting back and forth. I didn’t know what to do. I finally told them I would go in but I was taking my phone with me so I could pretend to be on it and feel less awkward. He allowed me to do so. I called every person in my phone except my parents. Only one person answered, it was a friend’s mother. I couldn’t bear to tell her what was happening, I simply apologized for the late night phone call and hung up. I proceeded to buy a box of condoms and went back to the vehicle. The guy was waiting in the back seat and his friend was now in the driver seat. It was the longest walk back to the first parking space EVER. I got in and he proceeded to rape me. I cried. I just kept saying “please take me home…please just take me home.” He eventually got tired of hearing me say that and stopped. His friend had turned the radio up loud so he didn’t have to hear what was going on. The guy climbed in the front seat being so frustrated I would not just let him “enjoy” what was happening. He told the guy to just take me home. He did. That was one of the hardest things to overcome in coming to Christ. I could not believe that God would allow such a thing to happen and still be considered a loving God. My rape wrecked my view of God. I began to drink, buy drugs (didn’t take them…too big of a chicken, thank God), and race cars. I wanted to be a rebel. I acted out and was punished for my actions. The next year I decided to be little miss smarty pants. I took the hardest classes the school offered and was the president of a political club. Then when that didn’t work out I signed up for a mission trip to Venezuela. It was amazing. God did all sorts of things there and I would love to go back if given the chance.
In the fall I started college. God began working in me. The first day living on campus I met a group of students who were part of a campus ministry called Campus Outreach. One of the girls on my floor started a flag football team as well as a Bible study. I would go to parties but had no desire to drink. I was a busy body, doing anything and everything I could to be around people. I went to the Bible study, was on the flag football team, went to weekly Campus Outreach meetings, went to the BCM, went to fraternity parties, church, hung out in the school cafeteria more than I went to class, and etc. The next spring, He revealed to me how great He is and how I do not need the things of this world to be satisfied. I was not being satisfied because I did not have Him. He showed me that although I had been raped 2 years prior He could use that for His glory. He in no way desires bad things to happen to His children, just like any good father (Matthew 7). He knew that it would happen. Satan has to ask God’s permission before doing anything to His people (read Job…great example). God allowed this wretched thing in my life because He had (has) a plan to use it for His glory and to make His name great among the nations. He in no way wants me to make my own name great, rather His name is to be proclaimed through out the nations (Matthew 28:18-20).
God has given me the desire to share with anyone that breathes and does/does not know Him. Criteria, if they are breathing, hearing, and human…share with them. My goal in life is to make Christ’s name great among the world. He has given me a heart to go to another country to live for Him. He has me here right now for a reason. Because of past mistakes and taking out loans for college I am now tied to the U.S. financially until at least 2013. Until that time He has not allowed me to leave Jonesboro for more than 7 days (seriously … it is kind of funny and frustrating at the same time). God has a plan for me that will far exceed my plans for me. All I have to do is submit to Him and follow Him where He leads. I may not fully comprehend what He wants me to do, but I shall do it anyway .
God had to completely wreck me to put me on a path of righteousness. This seems to be a common theme with God though. A quote from the movie Eat, Pray, Love, "Ruin is a gift, ruin is the road to transformation." While I do not agree where she was going with the statement in the movie I wrote it down because it reminds me of how God has worked in my own life. He had to ruin me and show me that I was absolutely nothing compared to His greatness. II Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." We have to be transformed to become Christ-like. To be transformed we must change completely who we were to something new. God has to wreck us of who we were to make us into "little Christ's"... I am content with being wrecked righteous.
I grew up in a “Christian” home. My grandfather was a Baptist preacher, nana played the piano at church and was a good strong Christian woman. My parents always went to church but their relationship with each other definitely did not reflect what they said they believed. When I was 10 I walked down the isle of a tiny little Baptist church in a little bitty town. A week later I was baptized. However, those two events sadly meant nothing in my life. I was playing church at the age of 10. I thought I was safe because of praying a little prayer and walking a little isle so I wouldn’t go to hell. My life showed no reflection of what I claimed to believe. Honestly I do not believe I came to Christ until my freshman year of college. My life between 10 years of age and my freshman year (18 years of age) was spent living for myself and everything I could do to be pretty and cool and have the greatest boyfriend and etc. When I was in high school I dated a guy for about 3 months, we began talking about marriage. It freaked him out. He was not ready to settle down or do anything like that. For the most part I thought we had a moral relationship because we were not sleeping together. We did other things that very well could have led into that, yet there was strangely always a stopping point. That is sad but awesome, because even that shows God trying to protect me from something I did not understand. He called everything off. As hard as it was for me I thought, “he will come back.” The next week was the winter formal at my high school. I went with a group of girls. That night when the 3 of us left we left with 2 guys. One of the girls said she had to go home early, so we let her go. The other girl received a phone call from her mother telling her she had to come home immediately. Her mom had a bad feeling about us being out and she wanted her home right away. So we took the girl home. I thought we were going to IHOP or Waffle House, that is what the guys told my mom we were doing. We continued to drive around for a little bit and the guys decided to stop at a gas station. When we parked, the guy driving turned around, looked at me, and said “so you have a choice.” This was a normal thing. He would pretty much play the would you rather game or the ultimatum game. This time was different. He said, “you have two options. One, have sex with me or two, walk home.” I was shocked. That had not crossed my mind with him at all.
About 4 months earlier I made the mistake of having sex with a football player. I did not enjoy it and hate to admit that I even did that. When this guy found out about it he was furious that having dated him off and on I had never slept with him. He decided to change that. He repeated his words “have sex with me or walk home.” I didn’t want to choose either option, I wanted out of the whole game. By this time he had stepped out of the car and walked back to my door. He opened the door and grabbed my arm. “Have sex with me or walk home,” I looked at the guy in the passenger seat. I will never forget the look on his face. No one has ever had that look of fear in their eyes, well at least not that I had ever seen. The guy in the passenger seat took out a $5 bill and said “just go in. Go in and buy what you need. Just do it.” My eyes kept shifting back and forth. I didn’t know what to do. I finally told them I would go in but I was taking my phone with me so I could pretend to be on it and feel less awkward. He allowed me to do so. I called every person in my phone except my parents. Only one person answered, it was a friend’s mother. I couldn’t bear to tell her what was happening, I simply apologized for the late night phone call and hung up. I proceeded to buy a box of condoms and went back to the vehicle. The guy was waiting in the back seat and his friend was now in the driver seat. It was the longest walk back to the first parking space EVER. I got in and he proceeded to rape me. I cried. I just kept saying “please take me home…please just take me home.” He eventually got tired of hearing me say that and stopped. His friend had turned the radio up loud so he didn’t have to hear what was going on. The guy climbed in the front seat being so frustrated I would not just let him “enjoy” what was happening. He told the guy to just take me home. He did. That was one of the hardest things to overcome in coming to Christ. I could not believe that God would allow such a thing to happen and still be considered a loving God. My rape wrecked my view of God. I began to drink, buy drugs (didn’t take them…too big of a chicken, thank God), and race cars. I wanted to be a rebel. I acted out and was punished for my actions. The next year I decided to be little miss smarty pants. I took the hardest classes the school offered and was the president of a political club. Then when that didn’t work out I signed up for a mission trip to Venezuela. It was amazing. God did all sorts of things there and I would love to go back if given the chance.
In the fall I started college. God began working in me. The first day living on campus I met a group of students who were part of a campus ministry called Campus Outreach. One of the girls on my floor started a flag football team as well as a Bible study. I would go to parties but had no desire to drink. I was a busy body, doing anything and everything I could to be around people. I went to the Bible study, was on the flag football team, went to weekly Campus Outreach meetings, went to the BCM, went to fraternity parties, church, hung out in the school cafeteria more than I went to class, and etc. The next spring, He revealed to me how great He is and how I do not need the things of this world to be satisfied. I was not being satisfied because I did not have Him. He showed me that although I had been raped 2 years prior He could use that for His glory. He in no way desires bad things to happen to His children, just like any good father (Matthew 7). He knew that it would happen. Satan has to ask God’s permission before doing anything to His people (read Job…great example). God allowed this wretched thing in my life because He had (has) a plan to use it for His glory and to make His name great among the nations. He in no way wants me to make my own name great, rather His name is to be proclaimed through out the nations (Matthew 28:18-20).
God has given me the desire to share with anyone that breathes and does/does not know Him. Criteria, if they are breathing, hearing, and human…share with them. My goal in life is to make Christ’s name great among the world. He has given me a heart to go to another country to live for Him. He has me here right now for a reason. Because of past mistakes and taking out loans for college I am now tied to the U.S. financially until at least 2013. Until that time He has not allowed me to leave Jonesboro for more than 7 days (seriously … it is kind of funny and frustrating at the same time). God has a plan for me that will far exceed my plans for me. All I have to do is submit to Him and follow Him where He leads. I may not fully comprehend what He wants me to do, but I shall do it anyway .
God had to completely wreck me to put me on a path of righteousness. This seems to be a common theme with God though. A quote from the movie Eat, Pray, Love, "Ruin is a gift, ruin is the road to transformation." While I do not agree where she was going with the statement in the movie I wrote it down because it reminds me of how God has worked in my own life. He had to ruin me and show me that I was absolutely nothing compared to His greatness. II Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." We have to be transformed to become Christ-like. To be transformed we must change completely who we were to something new. God has to wreck us of who we were to make us into "little Christ's"... I am content with being wrecked righteous.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Is "The Modern Family" really "Better With You"?
This evening I watched a television program with my family called "The Modern Family." This show is about a family living in Los Angeles close to other relatives. This is loosely called a comedy. I say that because it laughs at sin. Claire (Julie Bowen) plays the role of a modern housewife. She has a brother who lives with his gay partner and their adopted vietnamese baby girl. Claire's father Jay (Ed O'Neill) divorced his wife and married a much younger woman. It saddens me to think that this is America's view of the modern family. We no longer care about family values. We simply care about what makes us "happy" or "comfortable" or even feel good. The show gives us a message that tells us it is not only ok to laugh at these issues but to allow them into our families.
I beg God that my own family does not chose this path. Everyday we are faced with the option to either choose God or to choose sin. This program shows these people constantly choosing to live in sin and openly laughing at the disfunction it brings about.
We also watched a program "Better With You." This is about three different relationships: 1) the marital relationship of the mother and father (Vicky and Joel Putney); 2) the relationship of Vicky and Joel's daughter, Maddie and her boyfriend Ben of 9 years living together; and 3) the relationship of 7 weeks between the other daughter, Mia -who is pregnant out of wedlock and preparing to marry the father of the child- and Casey.
This program also laughs at some of the issues that breaks God's heart. I found myself laughing at things I knew was not scriptural. These are things that absolutely break God's heart. If I saw my dad upset about something, maybe even crying, I would definitely not laugh at the issue! So how can we, as Christians (how can I) sit and laugh at these very things? I beg God to make me more like Him, to change my heart to desire the things He desires. For His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). "For as the heavens are higher than the earth,so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." We are called to a higher level of excellence. We are not called to be like the world. I John 2:15 and James 4:1-10 let us know that we are clearly not to love the things of this world. We are told that to be friends with the world means we are an enemy of God. We (Christians) were not sent into the world to become part of it, but sent to share with those who do not know our Father in heaven.
There is a silly yet simple question that can be asked, and has been by few, of why Christians remain on the physical earth once they come to know Christ. Why does Christ not allow them to go to Him in death immediately? We are told very plainly in John 17 that we are here to spread the message of Christ. Christ was sent into the world and we are sent into the world. We are not to become part of it, yet we are to take His word to those who are in this world (where else would we go :) ). We are also reminded here that Christ intercedes on our behalf. He also prays for those who will come to know Him after we have brought His word to them. We are not to be out there bashing others for not believing in Him. We are not to be yelling at others telling them they are going to hell for the wrong they are doing. We are to love them, give them grace, show them mercy, and share with them the love of Christ. How can we share with them if we are telling them Jesus hates what they are doing?
It makes me very sad that I have participated in watching these shows. Their elevated rating due to my laziness of walking out of the room. I basically spit in God's face and said the cross didn't matter in supporting both of these 30 minute programs. Is one hour really worth breaking God's heart? Is the modern family really better with you?
I beg God that my own family does not chose this path. Everyday we are faced with the option to either choose God or to choose sin. This program shows these people constantly choosing to live in sin and openly laughing at the disfunction it brings about.
We also watched a program "Better With You." This is about three different relationships: 1) the marital relationship of the mother and father (Vicky and Joel Putney); 2) the relationship of Vicky and Joel's daughter, Maddie and her boyfriend Ben of 9 years living together; and 3) the relationship of 7 weeks between the other daughter, Mia -who is pregnant out of wedlock and preparing to marry the father of the child- and Casey.
This program also laughs at some of the issues that breaks God's heart. I found myself laughing at things I knew was not scriptural. These are things that absolutely break God's heart. If I saw my dad upset about something, maybe even crying, I would definitely not laugh at the issue! So how can we, as Christians (how can I) sit and laugh at these very things? I beg God to make me more like Him, to change my heart to desire the things He desires. For His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). "For as the heavens are higher than the earth,so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." We are called to a higher level of excellence. We are not called to be like the world. I John 2:15 and James 4:1-10 let us know that we are clearly not to love the things of this world. We are told that to be friends with the world means we are an enemy of God. We (Christians) were not sent into the world to become part of it, but sent to share with those who do not know our Father in heaven.
There is a silly yet simple question that can be asked, and has been by few, of why Christians remain on the physical earth once they come to know Christ. Why does Christ not allow them to go to Him in death immediately? We are told very plainly in John 17 that we are here to spread the message of Christ. Christ was sent into the world and we are sent into the world. We are not to become part of it, yet we are to take His word to those who are in this world (where else would we go :) ). We are also reminded here that Christ intercedes on our behalf. He also prays for those who will come to know Him after we have brought His word to them. We are not to be out there bashing others for not believing in Him. We are not to be yelling at others telling them they are going to hell for the wrong they are doing. We are to love them, give them grace, show them mercy, and share with them the love of Christ. How can we share with them if we are telling them Jesus hates what they are doing?
It makes me very sad that I have participated in watching these shows. Their elevated rating due to my laziness of walking out of the room. I basically spit in God's face and said the cross didn't matter in supporting both of these 30 minute programs. Is one hour really worth breaking God's heart? Is the modern family really better with you?
Monday, October 25, 2010
World Impact Conference (Malachi 1:6-11)
Written in April 2, 2009
About a week or two ago I was listening to a Paul Washer sermon. In his sermon he asked some questions and wanted those who were in the audience and listening to journal through them or answer them in their own minds. Well, these are some really good questions that I believe need to be asked by all of us. Please feel free to share this with others.
You can find the sermon by clicking the following link: . It is really great, God was speaking through him straight to my heart and helped me start seeing things a little differently. Hopefully the sermon will do the same for you girls!
1) What did I do over the last year to advance God's kingdom?
2) What were the fruits of what I did?
3) What am I doing within the fellowship of the church?
4) What are my plans for this year? What am I praying about for this year?
5) Either you go down in the well or you are holding the rope, either way you go you are gong to have scars. Where are your scars?
6) Am I holding the rope for those who have gone down in the well? (Meaning for those who are doing active mission work over seas and in other ways am I aiding in that ministry) What does that look like for me? Explain how I hold the rope.
7) What did I do in the great commission this year? What were the fruits?
8) What are my plans within the great comission this year? How am I going to advance God's kingdom this year?
9)Am I in love with missions or am I in love with sharing the Gospel to those who do not know?
10) Why do I go to church every Sunday? Wednesday?
About a week or two ago I was listening to a Paul Washer sermon. In his sermon he asked some questions and wanted those who were in the audience and listening to journal through them or answer them in their own minds. Well, these are some really good questions that I believe need to be asked by all of us. Please feel free to share this with others.
You can find the sermon by clicking the following link: . It is really great, God was speaking through him straight to my heart and helped me start seeing things a little differently. Hopefully the sermon will do the same for you girls!
1) What did I do over the last year to advance God's kingdom?
2) What were the fruits of what I did?
3) What am I doing within the fellowship of the church?
4) What are my plans for this year? What am I praying about for this year?
5) Either you go down in the well or you are holding the rope, either way you go you are gong to have scars. Where are your scars?
6) Am I holding the rope for those who have gone down in the well? (Meaning for those who are doing active mission work over seas and in other ways am I aiding in that ministry) What does that look like for me? Explain how I hold the rope.
7) What did I do in the great commission this year? What were the fruits?
8) What are my plans within the great comission this year? How am I going to advance God's kingdom this year?
9)Am I in love with missions or am I in love with sharing the Gospel to those who do not know?
10) Why do I go to church every Sunday? Wednesday?
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Sweet Surrender
Written: April 24, 2009
I am seeing how fellowship is used for spriritual growth and how sharing things with our brothers and sisters in Christ helps us so much more than we could know (or admit). So I thought I would share this with you guys.
Last semester a sweet friend of mine shared a conviction of hers with me that I basically wrote off as something just for her. The more I thought about it and prayed about it, the more I saw that it was not just for her, it was for all. My convictions are greater in this area now as well and thought you guys might be blessed in this also.
What started the conviction in my friend was the playing of secular music at evangelical meetings. Her heart was set on not having that type of music played there. The arguements made here were "we are to become all things to all men" yet the other side of that arguement was "God needs nothing added to attract people to Him." What to do in this case...
My thoughts (and I believe my friend would agree with me) on this are we really should not have to add anything to draw people in to hear God's word. Yes, we are to become all things to all men. However, Jesus did not become a drunkard to the drunkards nor did He become a gambler to those who gamble. So why should we conform to the world "Therefore I urge you, brehtern, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:1-2
A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael (by Elisabeth Elliot)
Pg 126
"Saral came one day with an idea for drawing the women to hear the Gospel. She would teach them to knit with some pink wool she had been given, "and they will love me more and like to listen when I talk about Jesus."
Amy could not say yes to that. She explained that the Gospel needed no such frills. It is the power of God for salvation. Saral protested that there was nothing in the Bible which bore upon pink wool and knitting needles. Indeed there was-- Zechariah 4:6 'Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.' There was no need for tricks which might open houses-- houses were open. No need for methods of helping to humanize and fill bare and empty lives-- 'these women have a full day's work.' To try to help God with pink fancywork was, she felt, plain unbelief."
If it is not pushing us closer to God then it is pushing us away from Him....no matter what we think, it is pulling us away. So in thinking, praying, and searching the scriptures I have found that it is not for me to listen to any more. Psalm 1:1-3 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers. What seperates us as Christians from those who do not follow Christ?
What in our lives seperate us from others? Are we walking in the same counsel as the world or of Christ?
Music
Movies
TV
Attitude
Speech (the things you say)
Actions
Clothing
Books (the things you read)
Our delight should be in the law of the Lord and not in the world. We should be meditating on God's law day and night. By doing this we will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water yielding its fruit in season...and whatever we do it will prosper. Honestly, I want things to prosper in my life and my bet is that you want yours to do the same. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. Psalm 1:6 If we truly understood how great God is and what He did/does/will always do then we would not spend so much time, energy, and money on things that do not matter. We would spend more time worshipping and rejoicing to God with reverence and trembling (Ps. 2:11), we would spend more time evangelizing and fellowshipping and seving as we have been called to do so.
May God bless you!
For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.... Yes, brother, let me benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. Philemon 1:7,20
I am seeing how fellowship is used for spriritual growth and how sharing things with our brothers and sisters in Christ helps us so much more than we could know (or admit). So I thought I would share this with you guys.
Last semester a sweet friend of mine shared a conviction of hers with me that I basically wrote off as something just for her. The more I thought about it and prayed about it, the more I saw that it was not just for her, it was for all. My convictions are greater in this area now as well and thought you guys might be blessed in this also.
What started the conviction in my friend was the playing of secular music at evangelical meetings. Her heart was set on not having that type of music played there. The arguements made here were "we are to become all things to all men" yet the other side of that arguement was "God needs nothing added to attract people to Him." What to do in this case...
My thoughts (and I believe my friend would agree with me) on this are we really should not have to add anything to draw people in to hear God's word. Yes, we are to become all things to all men. However, Jesus did not become a drunkard to the drunkards nor did He become a gambler to those who gamble. So why should we conform to the world "Therefore I urge you, brehtern, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:1-2
A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael (by Elisabeth Elliot)
Pg 126
"Saral came one day with an idea for drawing the women to hear the Gospel. She would teach them to knit with some pink wool she had been given, "and they will love me more and like to listen when I talk about Jesus."
Amy could not say yes to that. She explained that the Gospel needed no such frills. It is the power of God for salvation. Saral protested that there was nothing in the Bible which bore upon pink wool and knitting needles. Indeed there was-- Zechariah 4:6 'Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.' There was no need for tricks which might open houses-- houses were open. No need for methods of helping to humanize and fill bare and empty lives-- 'these women have a full day's work.' To try to help God with pink fancywork was, she felt, plain unbelief."
If it is not pushing us closer to God then it is pushing us away from Him....no matter what we think, it is pulling us away. So in thinking, praying, and searching the scriptures I have found that it is not for me to listen to any more. Psalm 1:1-3 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers. What seperates us as Christians from those who do not follow Christ?
What in our lives seperate us from others? Are we walking in the same counsel as the world or of Christ?
Music
Movies
TV
Attitude
Speech (the things you say)
Actions
Clothing
Books (the things you read)
Our delight should be in the law of the Lord and not in the world. We should be meditating on God's law day and night. By doing this we will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water yielding its fruit in season...and whatever we do it will prosper. Honestly, I want things to prosper in my life and my bet is that you want yours to do the same. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. Psalm 1:6 If we truly understood how great God is and what He did/does/will always do then we would not spend so much time, energy, and money on things that do not matter. We would spend more time worshipping and rejoicing to God with reverence and trembling (Ps. 2:11), we would spend more time evangelizing and fellowshipping and seving as we have been called to do so.
May God bless you!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
The Things of This World
“But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.”
--I Timothy 6:6-9
My friends and I have this joke about me leaving the state of Arkansas. It seems as if the past 2 years God has not allowed me to leave for more than 7 days at a time. I had an opportunity to be apart of a mission team going to Indonesia for 8 weeks. The next year I began praying about moving to another state to pursue a short-term degree in culinary arts. Then later that year I began to pray about an opportunity to be apart of a mission team going to Brazil for 12 days. There are many other things I have been able to do. However, all of those things had to be 7 days or less. Today I jokingly asked a friend if she thought God would allow me to move out of the US sooner than what we originally expect, that expectation is roughly 4-5 years from now. The whole point of me asking the question had to do with the fact a co-worker and I began looking at pictures Peace Corps volunteers had taken over the years. My heart immediately went out to all of the people in those countries. Many of them have no idea who Christ is, those that do have misconstrued ideas of who He really is. Many believe Jesus was a prophet or a very moral person. God has placed something on my heart that has been there since the time I came to know Him. However, lately He is pressing it on my heart. I cannot be content with the things of this culture, nor can things of this world satisfy me. He does not let me forget that this world is not meant to be my home. My home is with my Father in heaven.
I have no reason to be concerned with things of this world. There is nothing here that I can take with me when I die, except for the salvation that is given to me by Christ Himself. The Lord has placed upon my heart to not be worried about cars or money or higher education or expensive things. I am concerned with the souls of those around me. God has given me a unique opportunity to work with over 900 people from 68 different countries. Hearing about the way a majority of people live in the countries that are represented makes me extremely sad. For the most part I do not know anyone from those type of areas, the people in the US from other countries are here because they can afford to be here (I am referring to the students I work with). It breaks my heart to see so many girls more worried about how well their hair and make up are done and what they are wearing to this or that party. It makes me sad to hear the amount of money spent every year at fast food chains. It tears me up to know that we chose to forget about the rest of the world when so many are perishing without know who Christ is. We are leaving them without clean water to drink; yet we have indoor water parks. We leave them without food to eat; yet we buy groceries and forget about them two days later. We leave them with no hope, dying in various parts of the world from things we do not take the time to educate them about. We are no better than they, we have the answers and do not share. I am speaking to myself here. There are so many ways that I could be helping and chose not to.
God has allowed our country to have access to some of the most amazing resources, wealth, knowledge, etc. Our poor are wealthier than the rest of the worlds poor. A friend was telling me about a guy taking a poll in soup kitchens. He walks into a soup kitchen and asks everyone in the room “how many of you have cable television?” Every person in the room raised their hand. All of these people could avoid the soup kitchen if they simply did away with cable. However, we as a whole would much rather try and keep up with the Jones’ than feed the hungry, clothe the naked, share the water, and educate those who have no chance. We are a self-centered people. Our everyday choices show this.
We are so wrapped up in sports and big cars and new computers and the latest phone and the nicest house in the subdivision. God has not allowed me to be content with these things. Last year I bought an iPhone. I just “had” to have it. Honestly, I thought I deserved it, I thought all of MY hard work and MY hard earned money had earned ME a new phone. From the time I bought it until the time I sold it, that thing was a lemon! I bought it with selfish intent and it showed. My work began to take over my life. I would answer emails at 2 am (or whenever my phone would beep and tell me I had an email). I was constantly holding on to that thing, I could not let it go. It was more important to me then…well…almost any other thing. That is called idolatry. My phone was my idol. How dumb is that?! Well, a friend helped me sell it. Which was awesome because it sold for 3 times what I paid for it. Apparently it was “worth” more than I thought, monetarily anyway. God used that instance in my life to show me a phone is a piece of junk. No matter what type of phone I own, I will not be taking it with me when I die. No matter what car I drive (if any) and no matter what clothes I wear. He has not allowed me to be content with the things of this world.
God is the only thing that matters in this world. We, as Christians, seem to be the first to forget that we were not made to impress those around us. Not even other people, God does not want us to try and impress Him either. He can see straight through everything we think, say, and do. He knows us completely. He knows more about us than we could know about ourselves. We are selling ourselves short. If we live only to keep up with the Jones’ we are missing the point of life…
Are you missing the point of life? Think about what your daily thoughts, words, and actions say about what you believe. Are you truly living out what God has called you to? Do you value God more than you value your possessions?
**Please know that I am not saying you should go sell your phone, car, clothes, etc. because you are “unspiritual” for having them. These are just the things that God has shown me.**
Monday, August 30, 2010
The Wise Fool
“He who restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.” –Proverbs 17:27-28
Every word has a meaning. Simple enough, right? The way each word rolls off our tongue, out of our mouth, and into someone’s ear. Each and every tiny little word has meaning. The way we say things can confirm or contradict the very words we speak. There are wise, loving, hurtful, shocking, funny, strange, made-up, serious, and so many other types of words. So what do our words say about us?
There are so many verses that talk about our words. There are at least 11 in Proverbs that I know of. In Proverbs 17:27-28 it says that even a fool can be considered wise when he keeps silent. “Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances,” –Proverbs 25:11. A word spoken in the right circumstances is like gold and silver! Fools can be considered wise and words in the right moment are like gold and silver. Wow!
Our words are powerful. We should mean what we say…say what we mean…build each other up. All we have to do is be kind hearted in our speech. As a woman in a “leadership” position in my job I often struggle with how I am to handle certain situations. Proverbs 31 tells us we are to open our mouth in wisdom. We are to teach with kindness on our tongue. God has told us how to use our words. So are we willing to use our words as they were meant to be used? He has told us that we are to build one another up (I Thess. 5:11), speak with kindness (Proverbs 19:22), gentle in answer (Proverbs 15:1), keeping your word in accountability and not spreading gossip (Proverbs 11:13). He has told us that we are to keep silent until the opportune time to speak.
So if our words have so much power, what are our words saying about each of us? What do we spend most of our time talking about? One of my favorite things to remember is a simple phrase I heard someone say “we speak most of the things we love, what do our words say we love?” Just like with a married person, within minutes you will know if someone is married. You do not have to look on their hand to see a ring, just have a conversation with them. The person you talk to will start talking about their spouse. That is the same way we are to be with our Father. It should not be something that we have to force into a conversation. If we truly love our Heavenly Father our conversations will naturally reflect what we love. Our love for Him will overflow from our heart to our speech and from our speech to our actions. It spills over into our choices of movies, music, televisions, and friends.
I dare you to ask yourself (and your accountability partner or friend) what your words say about you.
Every word has a meaning. Simple enough, right? The way each word rolls off our tongue, out of our mouth, and into someone’s ear. Each and every tiny little word has meaning. The way we say things can confirm or contradict the very words we speak. There are wise, loving, hurtful, shocking, funny, strange, made-up, serious, and so many other types of words. So what do our words say about us?
There are so many verses that talk about our words. There are at least 11 in Proverbs that I know of. In Proverbs 17:27-28 it says that even a fool can be considered wise when he keeps silent. “Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances,” –Proverbs 25:11. A word spoken in the right circumstances is like gold and silver! Fools can be considered wise and words in the right moment are like gold and silver. Wow!
Our words are powerful. We should mean what we say…say what we mean…build each other up. All we have to do is be kind hearted in our speech. As a woman in a “leadership” position in my job I often struggle with how I am to handle certain situations. Proverbs 31 tells us we are to open our mouth in wisdom. We are to teach with kindness on our tongue. God has told us how to use our words. So are we willing to use our words as they were meant to be used? He has told us that we are to build one another up (I Thess. 5:11), speak with kindness (Proverbs 19:22), gentle in answer (Proverbs 15:1), keeping your word in accountability and not spreading gossip (Proverbs 11:13). He has told us that we are to keep silent until the opportune time to speak.
So if our words have so much power, what are our words saying about each of us? What do we spend most of our time talking about? One of my favorite things to remember is a simple phrase I heard someone say “we speak most of the things we love, what do our words say we love?” Just like with a married person, within minutes you will know if someone is married. You do not have to look on their hand to see a ring, just have a conversation with them. The person you talk to will start talking about their spouse. That is the same way we are to be with our Father. It should not be something that we have to force into a conversation. If we truly love our Heavenly Father our conversations will naturally reflect what we love. Our love for Him will overflow from our heart to our speech and from our speech to our actions. It spills over into our choices of movies, music, televisions, and friends.
I dare you to ask yourself (and your accountability partner or friend) what your words say about you.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Rope Burns - Letting Go of Things in Our Lives
This weekend I was able to enjoy a trip to the lake with a wonderful family and a couple of friends. While we were there we had the chance to swim, wake board, water ski, tube, cliff jump into the water below us, and many other things. However, it was not until we returned that God showed me some amazing truths and parallels to His way of working in us and the very things we were able to do.
Being the control freak that I am I grab on to situations and things in my life rather than let them go and allow God to work. He has shown me it causes me far more pain to hold on then to let go. One of the things I enjoyed doing this weekend was wake boarding. I only tried it a couple of times and failed miserably. Yet, I loved it! When trying to wake board you are supposed to hold on to a bar connected to a rope that is connected to the boat while you are floating in the water with a board attached to your feet. The driver of the boat will then take off at a significant speed to get you standing vertical in the water, similar to surfing only you are attached to a boat. Well, during one of my few attempts the boat started to go and I was pulled under the water. If I would not have let go I could have drowned myself. Yet, I realized being under the water was not a goal and my body screamed, “LET GO!” So I let go. I did not want to drown or get rope burn from the rope attached to the bar. Often times in life I try to control my situations and try to hang on to a particular area of those situations until I get rope burn from holding on so tightly as God tries to show me that it is just going to drag me under. My stubbornness turns into scrapes, bruises, cuts, burns, and eventually scars. Just like a parent God cannot make those burns and such go away. Our parents try and treat the wound and keep it from scaring as badly. We will always have a memory of whatever happened that caused that scar. God is not going to just take all of it away, what would we ever learn if He just took it away? We would continually do the same thing over and over again because we did not ever learn the lesson He intended for us to learn. Just like in science, “for every action there is an equal reaction.” It is the same in life. For every action we take or thought we think there is an equal reaction. God is a graceful and forgiving God. He is also a just, righteous, and holy God. In Habakkuk 1:13 we are shown that God cannot look upon evil “Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and You cannot look on wickedness with favor.” Since God cannot look upon evil with favor and realizing that sin is evil and realizing that being controlling is a sin we realize that being controlling also is evil. God cannot look upon my evil with favor. Any sin that we commit is evil. He cannot look on any of our sins with favor. Thus we have to repent. Once we repent we are still going to have to deal with the affect of the committed sin. Just because we repent does not mean it will go away. Just like when we get a rope burn or other injuries. Once you treat it with Neosporin or a band aid, does not mean it is immediately going to go away and leave no scaring.
We are left to deal with our junk even after going to God. He is the one who walks us through and shows us how to avoid situations like the one we were involved in that caused the need for repentance. God does not want us to suffer, just like our parents do not want us to suffer or go through things that are difficult. God wants us to have faith in Him and trust that whatever it is that we are clinging to that it is far better if we let it go. We are basically saying that we are afraid to let the God of the universe take care of our problems and would rather try and fix it our self. God is just waiting for us to ask Him for His help. He is not a controlling father who is going to jump in and completely take over what we are doing. We have to ask Him for help. And when we ask Him for help we have to completely let go of the situation and give it to Him. We cannot be trying to touch or control any part of it. Once we ask for God to be in control, we need to get out of the drivers seat and sit in the back. We are along for the ride. Matthew 7:7-11 tells us if we ask it will be given to us. It also tells us about a good father providing the needs of his children, “how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” James 4:1-8 tells us that we cause arguments and we fights because we do not have things, yet we do not ask God for these things. We are missing what God wants us to do. He does not want us to try and cling to things, He wants to be a loving Father. We just have to ask Him for the things we want. We have to be willing to let them go for a while and wait on His timing.
God is perfect. He has perfect timing. Even when it is hardest for us to see why He has us in the season we are in, we have to trust that He is doing something. We should continue seeking Him and spending time in His word and being around His people and sharing with those who do not know Him. We are only to give up the things we are clinging to and lay them in His possession to take care of the matter for us. He is the ultimate mechanic who can and will fix the things we give Him. He will give us guidance. He is the greatest Father anyone could ever ask for. He will pull us into His arms and let us sit in His lap as we whimper from the wound. He will comfort us and hold us as we heal, as He heals us. Healing is a process and therefore takes time. He is with us for all of that time.
Being the control freak that I am I grab on to situations and things in my life rather than let them go and allow God to work. He has shown me it causes me far more pain to hold on then to let go. One of the things I enjoyed doing this weekend was wake boarding. I only tried it a couple of times and failed miserably. Yet, I loved it! When trying to wake board you are supposed to hold on to a bar connected to a rope that is connected to the boat while you are floating in the water with a board attached to your feet. The driver of the boat will then take off at a significant speed to get you standing vertical in the water, similar to surfing only you are attached to a boat. Well, during one of my few attempts the boat started to go and I was pulled under the water. If I would not have let go I could have drowned myself. Yet, I realized being under the water was not a goal and my body screamed, “LET GO!” So I let go. I did not want to drown or get rope burn from the rope attached to the bar. Often times in life I try to control my situations and try to hang on to a particular area of those situations until I get rope burn from holding on so tightly as God tries to show me that it is just going to drag me under. My stubbornness turns into scrapes, bruises, cuts, burns, and eventually scars. Just like a parent God cannot make those burns and such go away. Our parents try and treat the wound and keep it from scaring as badly. We will always have a memory of whatever happened that caused that scar. God is not going to just take all of it away, what would we ever learn if He just took it away? We would continually do the same thing over and over again because we did not ever learn the lesson He intended for us to learn. Just like in science, “for every action there is an equal reaction.” It is the same in life. For every action we take or thought we think there is an equal reaction. God is a graceful and forgiving God. He is also a just, righteous, and holy God. In Habakkuk 1:13 we are shown that God cannot look upon evil “Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and You cannot look on wickedness with favor.” Since God cannot look upon evil with favor and realizing that sin is evil and realizing that being controlling is a sin we realize that being controlling also is evil. God cannot look upon my evil with favor. Any sin that we commit is evil. He cannot look on any of our sins with favor. Thus we have to repent. Once we repent we are still going to have to deal with the affect of the committed sin. Just because we repent does not mean it will go away. Just like when we get a rope burn or other injuries. Once you treat it with Neosporin or a band aid, does not mean it is immediately going to go away and leave no scaring.
We are left to deal with our junk even after going to God. He is the one who walks us through and shows us how to avoid situations like the one we were involved in that caused the need for repentance. God does not want us to suffer, just like our parents do not want us to suffer or go through things that are difficult. God wants us to have faith in Him and trust that whatever it is that we are clinging to that it is far better if we let it go. We are basically saying that we are afraid to let the God of the universe take care of our problems and would rather try and fix it our self. God is just waiting for us to ask Him for His help. He is not a controlling father who is going to jump in and completely take over what we are doing. We have to ask Him for help. And when we ask Him for help we have to completely let go of the situation and give it to Him. We cannot be trying to touch or control any part of it. Once we ask for God to be in control, we need to get out of the drivers seat and sit in the back. We are along for the ride. Matthew 7:7-11 tells us if we ask it will be given to us. It also tells us about a good father providing the needs of his children, “how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” James 4:1-8 tells us that we cause arguments and we fights because we do not have things, yet we do not ask God for these things. We are missing what God wants us to do. He does not want us to try and cling to things, He wants to be a loving Father. We just have to ask Him for the things we want. We have to be willing to let them go for a while and wait on His timing.
God is perfect. He has perfect timing. Even when it is hardest for us to see why He has us in the season we are in, we have to trust that He is doing something. We should continue seeking Him and spending time in His word and being around His people and sharing with those who do not know Him. We are only to give up the things we are clinging to and lay them in His possession to take care of the matter for us. He is the ultimate mechanic who can and will fix the things we give Him. He will give us guidance. He is the greatest Father anyone could ever ask for. He will pull us into His arms and let us sit in His lap as we whimper from the wound. He will comfort us and hold us as we heal, as He heals us. Healing is a process and therefore takes time. He is with us for all of that time.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
The Power Behind Dry Bones
The Valley of Dry Bones would not have been the most ideal place to visit in the world. Yet God sent Ezekiel there. God's hand was on Ezekiel and He took him to a valley that was filled with dry bones. I can almost picture an extremely sandy, dry, desert like valley filled with bones scattered about God, told Ezekiel to prophesy and He would cause the bones to come together, the He would allow sinews (tendons) to form on the bones, then He would cover the bodies in flesh, and then He would give them breath to breathe. (That would make a sweeeeeet movie! I am just saying, come on hollywood!) So Ezekiel did what God told him to do. God made the bones come together. He put tendons on the bones and covered them with flesh. Then He put breath in the bodies so that they could breathe. God made these dry bones come together and make living things. Dry bones, do you get that... DRY BONES! This is not like Juliet who drank potion that would make her appear dead temporarily. This is not like something you see on CSI where a person was buried because they were thought to be dead. These were dry bones. God's power is never ending. He can do anything. Romans 8:38-39 says nothing can come between us and God. He is too powerful for anything to separate His people from Him. He can not be defeated.
Just a chapter before God makes a beautiful promise to Ezekiel for Israel. "I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes and be careful to obey My rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be My people, and I will be your God..." The promise keeps on going. God has so much power and shows it in the best of ways, by loving His people. Even when His people were in the midst of sin to the point they had completely turned away from their Father and worshipped statues made of the very things God had given them. Although He disciplined them, He did it out of His love for them. He told Ezekiel that He was going to bring His people back together. Not only that He was going to that, but He was going to give them a new heart and a new spirit. He was going to give them a piece of Him.
God has the power to change dead people who have become dry bones into living breathing people. That means God also has the power to move mountains, the power to bring you through whatever tough time you are in, the power to save the souls of those you are praying for, the power to bring in support for foreign missions. God loves showing His power to His children. All we have to do is have faith in Him that He can do it. Ezekiel was obedient and faithful to God. God told him to prophesy and he did. There does not seem to be a break between God telling him to do it and him doing it, which leads me to believe that it was an immediate reaction. We are sinful and may not immediately be obedient when God commands us to do something, but your act of obedience and faith can show you just how powerful God really is.
CHALLENGE: Seek God on an area of your life to be obedient and faithful in. See God shine His glorious power into your life this week. (It is Wednesday so let's say from Wednesday-Wednesday). Try it, I double dog dare you to. See what God will do in your life this week as you are obedient and faithful to His call in your life.
God bless!!
Just a chapter before God makes a beautiful promise to Ezekiel for Israel. "I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes and be careful to obey My rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be My people, and I will be your God..." The promise keeps on going. God has so much power and shows it in the best of ways, by loving His people. Even when His people were in the midst of sin to the point they had completely turned away from their Father and worshipped statues made of the very things God had given them. Although He disciplined them, He did it out of His love for them. He told Ezekiel that He was going to bring His people back together. Not only that He was going to that, but He was going to give them a new heart and a new spirit. He was going to give them a piece of Him.
God has the power to change dead people who have become dry bones into living breathing people. That means God also has the power to move mountains, the power to bring you through whatever tough time you are in, the power to save the souls of those you are praying for, the power to bring in support for foreign missions. God loves showing His power to His children. All we have to do is have faith in Him that He can do it. Ezekiel was obedient and faithful to God. God told him to prophesy and he did. There does not seem to be a break between God telling him to do it and him doing it, which leads me to believe that it was an immediate reaction. We are sinful and may not immediately be obedient when God commands us to do something, but your act of obedience and faith can show you just how powerful God really is.
CHALLENGE: Seek God on an area of your life to be obedient and faithful in. See God shine His glorious power into your life this week. (It is Wednesday so let's say from Wednesday-Wednesday). Try it, I double dog dare you to. See what God will do in your life this week as you are obedient and faithful to His call in your life.
God bless!!
Friday, July 2, 2010
My Wily Heart- desiring purity in heart, mind and soul.
Written by: Caitlin
This is an article written by a sweet friend of mine. Enjoy!
“How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word.”
Psalm 119:9
"No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."
Luke 16:13
“For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.”
Galatians 1:10
As a warning beforehand, this is going to be a completely honest article. Often when many of us Christian girls get together to talk of purity, it is easy for us to get on a high horse about the subject. Let’s not look down our noses at sisters who appear to be struggling, let us be honest: we are all struggling no matter where we are in life! No matter how many pledges we sign, rings we put on our fingers, groups we join, no matter if we even avoid the company of men entirely-temptation finds a way to creep in. Even if we maintain a physical purity, can we honestly say, when we examine our hearts, that we are truly making the best efforts possible to guard them?
Often times, when I look at my heart, I feel like the psalmist, as in regret he exclaims:
“Thus my heart was grieved, And I was vexed in my mind.
I was so foolish and ignorant; I was like a beast before You.”
Psalm 73:21-22
What a struggle it is for a young woman to guard her heart against the dreams and hopes that allude to romance. How easy it is to say with our lips that we stand for chastity, while in our hearts there rages a desire to find acceptance in the eyes of men. Who can’t deny enjoying the sensation one receives upon realizing you have a man’s attention? Yes, I want to be cherished! I want to be sought after, I want to be thought beautiful! If we look at so many of the things we do on a daily basis and examine them closely, how many things would we find that we do in the name of the Lord, but for the approval of others? Or, namely, just to be noticed by guys? I can think of words that I have said about purity of all things, that truly, I only spoke so someone would think I was some righteous goody tushu, who would make the perfect 50’s housewife.
I can only speak for myself on this. It is as though I serve the Lord with a secret agenda, as if I think, “If I keep putting the right amount of change in the coke machine, eventually I’ll get what I’m wanting soon enough!” I will read every Joshua Harris book, study my Bible, seek to adorn myself with modest apparel, and all the while say I’m honoring God. I’ll say I’m waiting to date, waiting for God to open up that door, contenting myself in the relationship I have with Him, and am in no hurry to seek a romantic relationship at all. Yet within, my flesh screams: “When is it going to be time Lord?! I’ve been waiting, I’ve been doing what you ask, when are you going to give me what I want?!” And here lies my problem. What do I want? Do I really want to be fulfilled in Christ Jesus? Or, do I do what I think He wants of me, in order to achieve what I think will make me happy?
In the back of my mind, the Spirit tells me how wrong my thoughts are. My heart groans; I want my relationship with the Lord to not be so! It is here that the words of Paul come to mind:
“For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?” Romans 7:15-24(NASB)
What would our lives look like, if we could view our flesh as God sees it? To utterly, despise it?
“Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him— a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.” Colossians 3:5-10(NASB)
In our hearts, we often have our ‘old man’ rising up, trying to gain dominion over the ‘new man’ we have received in Christ. We believers, are sealed in Christ. We belong to him, and by His grace He is daily transforming us. Daily leading us to see which passions we have clung to, that aren’t the fruit of His will. He has triumphed o’er those things which held us captive before, put to death the power that ‘old man’ had over us, and given us a new life in Him. I am a new creation, Christ has given me a new identity. Nevertheless, that ‘old man’ wants me to think he still has power. He wants me to think that I really can’t be free from him, that I have to just ‘put up’ with his ways. He wants me to think:
“I’ll always struggle with this, it’s just who I am. I’ll just go on doing the best I can, while knowing that this trial will always be a part of my life.”
What an awful lie to buy into! Yet how easy it is to convince oneself of this. We have become so accustomed with the way our society cheers for a woman to seek out the attention of men, that we can hardly imagine living any differently. How humiliating a realization it is, when we come to grips with how deceitful we truly are. How extremely humiliating when we realize the many ‘good things’ we do for the wrong reasons, as well as the many times we judge our spirituality by what other’s think of us, rather than what God thinks of us. How sad a realization it is when we see how we have empowered the old self to reign in our lives, and even influence the areas in which we think we were trusting God with. It is frustrating to no end! How can it be overcome? When faced with these truths of myself, I feel like echoing the words of Shakespeare: “Get me to a nunnery!”
So, what are we to do? Is running off to France and joining a convent really the only escape? I doubt it. Under that delusion I can easily see myself fancying finding true love with a monk from a nearby monastery, or being whisked away to care for a handsome widower’s children who stole my heart as he sang ‘Edelweiss’. (See how wily women are?!) Isolation isn’t the answer, even; though sometimes I wish it was.
Through a sermon that was preached at our church last Sunday, I believe God has given me a mindset in which to view this circumstance in a way that will enable me by Christ’s power, to resist this ‘old man’ when he tries to rise up. What would it look like, as I said before, if we could view our flesh as God sees it? To realize it is dead, old, and decrepit. To view it as an adversary. No longer as a part of who we are, but something that despises who we have become in Christ. Something that covets our relationship with Him, something that wants to take the rug out from under our feet and laugh at us as we lay on the floor in confusion in bewilderment. Something that wants us to doubt the freedom and assurance we have been given in Christ!
Recognizing a temptation as an enemy rather than a part of our makeup, enables us to deal with it as an enemy ought to be dealt with. Christ has given us the power to overcome, though how much we desire to be free from these things is up to us. Will we let something so weak and powerless, reign in our hearts? Upon feeling the temptation to act out according to the old man’s character, I pray God gives us the strength to be filled with rage. May we turn to Him in those times, fully conscious of His power keep us safe. Turning into His embrace is like charging a sword into the stomach of our adversary.
Earlier, I quoted Psalm 73:21-22, though there is more to this passage that I would like to share.
Psalm 73:23-28 :
Nevertheless I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand. With Your counsel You will guide me, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? and besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You. But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.”
In the two verses prior to these, the psalmist expressed his disdain for his circumstance before the Lord, referring to himself as foolish, and a beast. Yet afterward he proclaims: “Nevertheless I am continually with You; you have taken hold of my right hand.”
God was never away from him, even during his folly, God was near. How sweet a thing to remember! When we act out of our ‘wily ways’ God does not shake his head and say, “You’re on your own here, I’m too holy to be with you when you act this way. Let me know when you get everything straightened out…” God takes us by the hand when we are utterly beastly. When we have gone whoring after idols, He takes us by the hand amid our very shame, counsels us, and receives us unto glory.
I pray for myself, and my sisters as well, that we would be so utterly filled with love for Him, that the romantic idols our fancies seek after so often would fall to dust when we view them in light of His greatness. May He give us humility to see where we have fallen, and the strength to turn to Him in realization that only through His power, can we overcome.
It is also my prayer that we can encourage one another in this area, and be honest with each other amid our struggles. It is such a liberating feeling to share your heart with a trusted friend. Not only will your friendship deepen, but your eyes will be opened to areas in your life that need to be changed as you seek honesty with your sisters in Christ. Let us lift one another up in love for our King, and truly desire to be filled with Him. Not so we can snag a ‘righteous’ help meet along the way, but wholly for the sake of fulfilling what we were created to do; live for God.
Through a selfish mindset, it seems hard to imagine that surrendering our romantic ideas to Him could be more fulfilling. Here, we truly need to ask ourselves what it is that we want; fleeting moments of excitement? How many relationships have we made for the sole purpose of self-gratification? It’s a scary thought.
So often when we try to define purity, we talk of it in the context of guy/girl relationships, and it seems like this is the first place where we go wrong! If I am vowing to be pure for the purpose of honoring someone who struggles with the same things I do--if my sole purpose in striving for purity is to please another human, I think I need to re-evaluate my priorities.
Before I was given the name daughter, sister, friend, ect, my identity was with Christ. I belonged to Him before any earthly person had any claim upon me, and this still rings true today. How can we endeavor to do good things in the name of sinful people? If I ever was to marry, I would pray that whomever God brought into my life would desire me to seek God’s will more than my will, and his will. I pray for a desire to do good, to pursue purity, because my God is pure. Anything that tests my integrity threatens the unison of my walk with Him. How could I ever dream of fulfilling God’s will, if I am doing the things He desires of me for someone other than Himself?
May purity, modesty, humility, and all those traits we so desire to own, be a natural outpouring from hearts that care more for our Creator’s concerns, than the world’s.
This is an article written by a sweet friend of mine. Enjoy!
“How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word.”
Psalm 119:9
"No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."
Luke 16:13
“For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.”
Galatians 1:10
As a warning beforehand, this is going to be a completely honest article. Often when many of us Christian girls get together to talk of purity, it is easy for us to get on a high horse about the subject. Let’s not look down our noses at sisters who appear to be struggling, let us be honest: we are all struggling no matter where we are in life! No matter how many pledges we sign, rings we put on our fingers, groups we join, no matter if we even avoid the company of men entirely-temptation finds a way to creep in. Even if we maintain a physical purity, can we honestly say, when we examine our hearts, that we are truly making the best efforts possible to guard them?
Often times, when I look at my heart, I feel like the psalmist, as in regret he exclaims:
“Thus my heart was grieved, And I was vexed in my mind.
I was so foolish and ignorant; I was like a beast before You.”
Psalm 73:21-22
What a struggle it is for a young woman to guard her heart against the dreams and hopes that allude to romance. How easy it is to say with our lips that we stand for chastity, while in our hearts there rages a desire to find acceptance in the eyes of men. Who can’t deny enjoying the sensation one receives upon realizing you have a man’s attention? Yes, I want to be cherished! I want to be sought after, I want to be thought beautiful! If we look at so many of the things we do on a daily basis and examine them closely, how many things would we find that we do in the name of the Lord, but for the approval of others? Or, namely, just to be noticed by guys? I can think of words that I have said about purity of all things, that truly, I only spoke so someone would think I was some righteous goody tushu, who would make the perfect 50’s housewife.
I can only speak for myself on this. It is as though I serve the Lord with a secret agenda, as if I think, “If I keep putting the right amount of change in the coke machine, eventually I’ll get what I’m wanting soon enough!” I will read every Joshua Harris book, study my Bible, seek to adorn myself with modest apparel, and all the while say I’m honoring God. I’ll say I’m waiting to date, waiting for God to open up that door, contenting myself in the relationship I have with Him, and am in no hurry to seek a romantic relationship at all. Yet within, my flesh screams: “When is it going to be time Lord?! I’ve been waiting, I’ve been doing what you ask, when are you going to give me what I want?!” And here lies my problem. What do I want? Do I really want to be fulfilled in Christ Jesus? Or, do I do what I think He wants of me, in order to achieve what I think will make me happy?
In the back of my mind, the Spirit tells me how wrong my thoughts are. My heart groans; I want my relationship with the Lord to not be so! It is here that the words of Paul come to mind:
“For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?” Romans 7:15-24(NASB)
What would our lives look like, if we could view our flesh as God sees it? To utterly, despise it?
“Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him— a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.” Colossians 3:5-10(NASB)
In our hearts, we often have our ‘old man’ rising up, trying to gain dominion over the ‘new man’ we have received in Christ. We believers, are sealed in Christ. We belong to him, and by His grace He is daily transforming us. Daily leading us to see which passions we have clung to, that aren’t the fruit of His will. He has triumphed o’er those things which held us captive before, put to death the power that ‘old man’ had over us, and given us a new life in Him. I am a new creation, Christ has given me a new identity. Nevertheless, that ‘old man’ wants me to think he still has power. He wants me to think that I really can’t be free from him, that I have to just ‘put up’ with his ways. He wants me to think:
“I’ll always struggle with this, it’s just who I am. I’ll just go on doing the best I can, while knowing that this trial will always be a part of my life.”
What an awful lie to buy into! Yet how easy it is to convince oneself of this. We have become so accustomed with the way our society cheers for a woman to seek out the attention of men, that we can hardly imagine living any differently. How humiliating a realization it is, when we come to grips with how deceitful we truly are. How extremely humiliating when we realize the many ‘good things’ we do for the wrong reasons, as well as the many times we judge our spirituality by what other’s think of us, rather than what God thinks of us. How sad a realization it is when we see how we have empowered the old self to reign in our lives, and even influence the areas in which we think we were trusting God with. It is frustrating to no end! How can it be overcome? When faced with these truths of myself, I feel like echoing the words of Shakespeare: “Get me to a nunnery!”
So, what are we to do? Is running off to France and joining a convent really the only escape? I doubt it. Under that delusion I can easily see myself fancying finding true love with a monk from a nearby monastery, or being whisked away to care for a handsome widower’s children who stole my heart as he sang ‘Edelweiss’. (See how wily women are?!) Isolation isn’t the answer, even; though sometimes I wish it was.
Through a sermon that was preached at our church last Sunday, I believe God has given me a mindset in which to view this circumstance in a way that will enable me by Christ’s power, to resist this ‘old man’ when he tries to rise up. What would it look like, as I said before, if we could view our flesh as God sees it? To realize it is dead, old, and decrepit. To view it as an adversary. No longer as a part of who we are, but something that despises who we have become in Christ. Something that covets our relationship with Him, something that wants to take the rug out from under our feet and laugh at us as we lay on the floor in confusion in bewilderment. Something that wants us to doubt the freedom and assurance we have been given in Christ!
Recognizing a temptation as an enemy rather than a part of our makeup, enables us to deal with it as an enemy ought to be dealt with. Christ has given us the power to overcome, though how much we desire to be free from these things is up to us. Will we let something so weak and powerless, reign in our hearts? Upon feeling the temptation to act out according to the old man’s character, I pray God gives us the strength to be filled with rage. May we turn to Him in those times, fully conscious of His power keep us safe. Turning into His embrace is like charging a sword into the stomach of our adversary.
Earlier, I quoted Psalm 73:21-22, though there is more to this passage that I would like to share.
Psalm 73:23-28 :
Nevertheless I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand. With Your counsel You will guide me, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? and besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You. But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.”
In the two verses prior to these, the psalmist expressed his disdain for his circumstance before the Lord, referring to himself as foolish, and a beast. Yet afterward he proclaims: “Nevertheless I am continually with You; you have taken hold of my right hand.”
God was never away from him, even during his folly, God was near. How sweet a thing to remember! When we act out of our ‘wily ways’ God does not shake his head and say, “You’re on your own here, I’m too holy to be with you when you act this way. Let me know when you get everything straightened out…” God takes us by the hand when we are utterly beastly. When we have gone whoring after idols, He takes us by the hand amid our very shame, counsels us, and receives us unto glory.
I pray for myself, and my sisters as well, that we would be so utterly filled with love for Him, that the romantic idols our fancies seek after so often would fall to dust when we view them in light of His greatness. May He give us humility to see where we have fallen, and the strength to turn to Him in realization that only through His power, can we overcome.
It is also my prayer that we can encourage one another in this area, and be honest with each other amid our struggles. It is such a liberating feeling to share your heart with a trusted friend. Not only will your friendship deepen, but your eyes will be opened to areas in your life that need to be changed as you seek honesty with your sisters in Christ. Let us lift one another up in love for our King, and truly desire to be filled with Him. Not so we can snag a ‘righteous’ help meet along the way, but wholly for the sake of fulfilling what we were created to do; live for God.
Through a selfish mindset, it seems hard to imagine that surrendering our romantic ideas to Him could be more fulfilling. Here, we truly need to ask ourselves what it is that we want; fleeting moments of excitement? How many relationships have we made for the sole purpose of self-gratification? It’s a scary thought.
So often when we try to define purity, we talk of it in the context of guy/girl relationships, and it seems like this is the first place where we go wrong! If I am vowing to be pure for the purpose of honoring someone who struggles with the same things I do--if my sole purpose in striving for purity is to please another human, I think I need to re-evaluate my priorities.
Before I was given the name daughter, sister, friend, ect, my identity was with Christ. I belonged to Him before any earthly person had any claim upon me, and this still rings true today. How can we endeavor to do good things in the name of sinful people? If I ever was to marry, I would pray that whomever God brought into my life would desire me to seek God’s will more than my will, and his will. I pray for a desire to do good, to pursue purity, because my God is pure. Anything that tests my integrity threatens the unison of my walk with Him. How could I ever dream of fulfilling God’s will, if I am doing the things He desires of me for someone other than Himself?
May purity, modesty, humility, and all those traits we so desire to own, be a natural outpouring from hearts that care more for our Creator’s concerns, than the world’s.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Father's Day- A look at the role of our father's compared to our Father
We all have a father. Some of you may not know who your father is, you may have never met him but you know he exists. Some of you have a great father who you live with and see everyday. Some may have a father you live with but he is, well not great. Thankfully I have grown up having an amazing father. But I am not writing to brag on my father (as much as I would like to). So we all share a common denominator here, we all have a father. A father is the leaders, they are the initiators. They are the man of the house who takes care of their wife and children. Father's discipline their children when they do wrong and they teach them to do right. Father's love their family's, even when they make a big mess of things. Father's work hard and provide food, shelter, and clothing for their family. The list of things they do is endless. They get their so called "job description" from the Ultimate Father. Our God is the most amazing Father anyone could ever have. Now matter how terrible or how great your physical father is, God the Father beats him out by a landslide.
Our Father has provided for us in ways we could not even imagine. He has loved us when we spit in His face and chose sin/death over love/life. He is eternally great. Knowing that our father's get such a weighty job title from God Himself should give us a little more respect for them. In the past I have not been the best at loving either of my parents. I was rebellious and mean. The way I treated them and the things I said to them were uncalled for and not deserving at all. My parents have loved me through thick and thin. Even today when I was going through a rough time dealing with somethings with some people in my life (very vague...I know). They were both loving and understanding. They love me unconditionally. They, however, cannot ever love me as much as my Father loves me. I cannot love them as much as He loves them. God is love (I John 4:8). God's love reaches to the ends of the earth and outside of time. He wove you in your mother's womb. He knew you before you were born. He knows more about you than you could ever know about you (Psalm 139).
Psalm 139 does a great job of explaining how much our Father loves each and every one of us. I like using this chapter in writing encouraging letters to friends and family. So I am going to write it to all of you the way I would write it to someone really close to me. Although I may not know all of you who read this (now and at a future date), I do hope for you to get the same effect and the same desire for God when I read and re-read and go through this chapter. I hope you can get as much from it as I do. This is how much our Father loves us and our earthly father's could never love us as much as God can.
1 O LORD, You have searched me and known me. (He knows everything about you. He has searched you inside and out)
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar. (Just like in the jingle many people sing about santa "He knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you're awake..." Only God is real :) )
3You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. (He has seen your path and where you lie down. He knows you what you are going to do before you do it)
4Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O LORD, You know it all. (He knows what you are going to say before you say it. He knows it ALL)
5You have enclosed me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me. (He has given you a path and no one can change it. If you are His, you are His forever...and ever...and ever...and eternity)
6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot attain to it. (We cannot, in this lifetime, ever understand how He has such knowledge and such wisdom and such power. We can say "He is God and has all power" but we will not fully comprehend His Awesomeness until we meet Him face-to-face in our final home)
7Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.
9If I take the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
10Even there Your hand will lead me,
And Your right hand will lay hold of me. (No matter where we go He is there. We cannot go deep into the ocean and lose Him or high into the sky and hide from Him. Even our hiding place He sees us. He has full access to us 24/7 and then some)
11If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me,
And the light around me will be night,”
12Even the darkness is not dark to You,
And the night is as bright as the day.
Darkness and light are alike to You. (He is a light in the dark and nothing can shut Him down. When we are afraid of the night we know that He is still there with us shinning as bright as ever)
13For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb. (He wove you in! He made you to be. You were not just some cosmic accident. You are here for a purpose, a divine purpose from the most amazing God!)
14I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well. (We are told to praise Him because of all the great that He has done. We should praise Him everyday and not just once a week or once a month or once a year...everyday, every single day. He has given you every breath. He gave you eyes to read this. He gave you ears to hear and a nose to smell and tastebuds to taste... He is wonderful and magnificent in every way.)
15My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
16Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them. (He has seen you before you were even a thought in your parents head. He has known you long before you knew you. He knows how many days you have to live. He knew this before you were woven in by Him)
17How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.
When I awake, I am still with You. (Your earthly father thinks about you quite a bit but I doubt he thinks about you as much as God. God thinks about you more times than there are grains of sand. He loves you so much!)
19O that You would slay the wicked, O God;
Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed.
20For they speak against You wickedly,
And Your enemies take Your name in vain.
21Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
22I hate them with the utmost hatred;
They have become my enemies.
23Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
24And see if there be any hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.
Basically we can sum all of that up with:
YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER LOVES YOU!
Do not forget to show your earthly father how much you love him but do not forget to praise you heavenly Father for all He has done for you and how much He loves you even when you forget He exists. Love on your father and you Father today.
God bless!
Our Father has provided for us in ways we could not even imagine. He has loved us when we spit in His face and chose sin/death over love/life. He is eternally great. Knowing that our father's get such a weighty job title from God Himself should give us a little more respect for them. In the past I have not been the best at loving either of my parents. I was rebellious and mean. The way I treated them and the things I said to them were uncalled for and not deserving at all. My parents have loved me through thick and thin. Even today when I was going through a rough time dealing with somethings with some people in my life (very vague...I know). They were both loving and understanding. They love me unconditionally. They, however, cannot ever love me as much as my Father loves me. I cannot love them as much as He loves them. God is love (I John 4:8). God's love reaches to the ends of the earth and outside of time. He wove you in your mother's womb. He knew you before you were born. He knows more about you than you could ever know about you (Psalm 139).
Psalm 139 does a great job of explaining how much our Father loves each and every one of us. I like using this chapter in writing encouraging letters to friends and family. So I am going to write it to all of you the way I would write it to someone really close to me. Although I may not know all of you who read this (now and at a future date), I do hope for you to get the same effect and the same desire for God when I read and re-read and go through this chapter. I hope you can get as much from it as I do. This is how much our Father loves us and our earthly father's could never love us as much as God can.
1 O LORD, You have searched me and known me. (He knows everything about you. He has searched you inside and out)
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar. (Just like in the jingle many people sing about santa "He knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you're awake..." Only God is real :) )
3You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. (He has seen your path and where you lie down. He knows you what you are going to do before you do it)
4Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O LORD, You know it all. (He knows what you are going to say before you say it. He knows it ALL)
5You have enclosed me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me. (He has given you a path and no one can change it. If you are His, you are His forever...and ever...and ever...and eternity)
6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot attain to it. (We cannot, in this lifetime, ever understand how He has such knowledge and such wisdom and such power. We can say "He is God and has all power" but we will not fully comprehend His Awesomeness until we meet Him face-to-face in our final home)
7Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.
9If I take the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
10Even there Your hand will lead me,
And Your right hand will lay hold of me. (No matter where we go He is there. We cannot go deep into the ocean and lose Him or high into the sky and hide from Him. Even our hiding place He sees us. He has full access to us 24/7 and then some)
11If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me,
And the light around me will be night,”
12Even the darkness is not dark to You,
And the night is as bright as the day.
Darkness and light are alike to You. (He is a light in the dark and nothing can shut Him down. When we are afraid of the night we know that He is still there with us shinning as bright as ever)
13For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb. (He wove you in! He made you to be. You were not just some cosmic accident. You are here for a purpose, a divine purpose from the most amazing God!)
14I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well. (We are told to praise Him because of all the great that He has done. We should praise Him everyday and not just once a week or once a month or once a year...everyday, every single day. He has given you every breath. He gave you eyes to read this. He gave you ears to hear and a nose to smell and tastebuds to taste... He is wonderful and magnificent in every way.)
15My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
16Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them. (He has seen you before you were even a thought in your parents head. He has known you long before you knew you. He knows how many days you have to live. He knew this before you were woven in by Him)
17How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.
When I awake, I am still with You. (Your earthly father thinks about you quite a bit but I doubt he thinks about you as much as God. God thinks about you more times than there are grains of sand. He loves you so much!)
19O that You would slay the wicked, O God;
Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed.
20For they speak against You wickedly,
And Your enemies take Your name in vain.
21Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
22I hate them with the utmost hatred;
They have become my enemies.
23Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
24And see if there be any hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.
Basically we can sum all of that up with:
YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER LOVES YOU!
Do not forget to show your earthly father how much you love him but do not forget to praise you heavenly Father for all He has done for you and how much He loves you even when you forget He exists. Love on your father and you Father today.
God bless!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Ishmael and Isaac- Long Lasting Effects of Our Sin
When we think about sin we tend to categorize it in to punishable by death, worst, horrible, bad, not as bad, and so on and so forth. We look at things like sexual immorality, homosexuality, murder, incest, rape, drug addiction, and alcoholism and categorize them. We often forget about anger and malice and gossip, gluttony, greed, lying, speeding, and lusting (in what we consider small ways). We do not realize that our sin has a long lasting effect on future generations. When Eve took a bite out of the tree of knowledge of good and evil sin was generated from there until now and will continue until Christ returns. That sin flowed through them into further generations. But we are going to skip a huge chunk of that history and move to Ishmael and Isaac, for a particular reason.
Abraham and Sarah (formerly Abram and Sarai) were promised a son to be their heir. Abraham had also been promised descendants that were more numerous than the stars in the sky. When things did not happen within his timing, and even within Sarah's biological timing, they took matters into their own hands. Sarah suggested her servant Hagar to Abraham to bear them a child. Abraham, as several men might, took the opportunity and had sexual relations with Hagar. She bore him a son whom they called Ishmael. Later, Sarah bore a son and named him Isaac. When Abraham died Isaac received the inheritance, Ishmael did receive a blessing but not the one he thought he was entitled to. Because he was not the son God had promised Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac's sibling rivalry spun out of control. We now see it as Israel fighting against the Arab countries. (Talk about long lasting sibling rivalry)! Abraham sinned not only against his wife and his family and the poor servant girl, but he sinned against God. Not just any god but the Almighty God.
Our sin does not only effect us but it effects our children, our children's children, and our children's children's children...i think you get it. It goes so much deeper and spreads so much further than we could ever imagine! Our sin is disgusting to God! In Ezekiel 21 God tells Ezekiel to pass on a message to those sinning against Him (no doubt it was His baby, His son...Israel). He told Ezekiel to tell them "say to the land of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord: Behold, I am against you and will draw My sword from its sheath and will cut off from you both righteous and wicked. Because I will cut off from you both righteous and wicked, therefore My sword shall be drawn from its sheath against all flesh from south to north. And all flesh shall know that I am the Lord. I have drawn My sword from its sheath; it shall not be sheathed again.'" 21:3-5. He was telling the Israelites that because of their sin He was going to not just punish them but cut off righteous and wicked. He was serious, He still is. Sin is no joke, not just because it may make people feel bad or it may make us feel bad. It is us slapping God in the face and saying "Your Son coming to die means nothing!" I do not want my life to show that. I want to live a life honoring and pleasing to God. My petty lies or lack of self-control are not at all worth sinning against the God who created heaven and earth. The bitterness and anger that builds up is not worth pushing others away from knowing just how great our God is. My sin is not worth effecting further generations. If one sin of faithlessness from Abraham can turn into one sin of sexual immorality. Then that sin "bears fruit" quite literally in the form of a child that eventually has led to a war over who gets to own the land which costs so many lives. Is our sin worth it? What are we doing each day in our personal walk with Christ to fight and kill sin so that we may become more like Him? Romans 6:23 says "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." Although we may be sinful and our sin is punishable by death, we have hope in our Father. God has given us hope to repent from our sins and run to Him with open arms begging for forgiveness. Our sin truly passes down from generation to generation. That is one thing I do not want my children, grandchildren, and so on to inherit.
God bless!
Abraham and Sarah (formerly Abram and Sarai) were promised a son to be their heir. Abraham had also been promised descendants that were more numerous than the stars in the sky. When things did not happen within his timing, and even within Sarah's biological timing, they took matters into their own hands. Sarah suggested her servant Hagar to Abraham to bear them a child. Abraham, as several men might, took the opportunity and had sexual relations with Hagar. She bore him a son whom they called Ishmael. Later, Sarah bore a son and named him Isaac. When Abraham died Isaac received the inheritance, Ishmael did receive a blessing but not the one he thought he was entitled to. Because he was not the son God had promised Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac's sibling rivalry spun out of control. We now see it as Israel fighting against the Arab countries. (Talk about long lasting sibling rivalry)! Abraham sinned not only against his wife and his family and the poor servant girl, but he sinned against God. Not just any god but the Almighty God.
Our sin does not only effect us but it effects our children, our children's children, and our children's children's children...i think you get it. It goes so much deeper and spreads so much further than we could ever imagine! Our sin is disgusting to God! In Ezekiel 21 God tells Ezekiel to pass on a message to those sinning against Him (no doubt it was His baby, His son...Israel). He told Ezekiel to tell them "say to the land of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord: Behold, I am against you and will draw My sword from its sheath and will cut off from you both righteous and wicked. Because I will cut off from you both righteous and wicked, therefore My sword shall be drawn from its sheath against all flesh from south to north. And all flesh shall know that I am the Lord. I have drawn My sword from its sheath; it shall not be sheathed again.'" 21:3-5. He was telling the Israelites that because of their sin He was going to not just punish them but cut off righteous and wicked. He was serious, He still is. Sin is no joke, not just because it may make people feel bad or it may make us feel bad. It is us slapping God in the face and saying "Your Son coming to die means nothing!" I do not want my life to show that. I want to live a life honoring and pleasing to God. My petty lies or lack of self-control are not at all worth sinning against the God who created heaven and earth. The bitterness and anger that builds up is not worth pushing others away from knowing just how great our God is. My sin is not worth effecting further generations. If one sin of faithlessness from Abraham can turn into one sin of sexual immorality. Then that sin "bears fruit" quite literally in the form of a child that eventually has led to a war over who gets to own the land which costs so many lives. Is our sin worth it? What are we doing each day in our personal walk with Christ to fight and kill sin so that we may become more like Him? Romans 6:23 says "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." Although we may be sinful and our sin is punishable by death, we have hope in our Father. God has given us hope to repent from our sins and run to Him with open arms begging for forgiveness. Our sin truly passes down from generation to generation. That is one thing I do not want my children, grandchildren, and so on to inherit.
God bless!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
How Great is Our God?
There is nothing like knowing how big our Father is. Last night as I was coming back from running a few errands I noticed a quarter of the moon and a single star above it. Tonight when I was coming back from a friends’ apartment I again noticed the moon and a single star to the right of it. As I was driving I was thinking about how amazing God really is, it made me giddy and excited. Knowing that He has placed every star in its place and given every star a name. So if He can do something so miraculous as make a star. Not just the “twinkle twinkle” kind but the big blazing unimaginable group of stars that perfectly form a constellation. Our God is so much bigger than we chose to see. We so rarely chose to see that God created the very things before our eyes. He has created the simple things we see everyday like flowers and grass and trees and clouds. We take advantage of the fact that He has given each and everyone of those things a purpose. He has created the sea life in the depths of the seas that we still have no idea exists. Everything has been created for a purpose whether we acknowledge or even have knowledge of what that purpose is. So the great thing is that we can gather from the above blurb is that He must have a purpose for each and everyone of us. We may have no idea what He plans on using us for, but we know that if we are His He has a plan. “He has planned and who can frustrate it” (not quite sure of the reference on this one but you can google it and find it. –Jeremiah 29:11 is good too).
So if He has a plan for us and we are not sure what that is, what are we to do? This is something that I ask myself quite often. I am not sure where He wants me so I stay put doing the same thing until I am led by Him to do something further. Jeremiah 29:13 says “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” So I began to seek Him in different areas of my life. Everyone of them included leaving where I am now. I sought Him on culinary school, missions in one country, then in another, then for extended missions, and so on and so forth. Everytime a door was shut. But then I had to realize that His plans are not my plans and His thoughts are not my thoughts. In knowing we have a plan from the Almighty God of heaven and of earth our purpose in life has been set out for us in scripture as a guideline until He gives us further instruction. The instruction He has placed in His word should be the framework for what we think His leading is for our lives. If what we think is a leading from God is not scripturally accurate then we can discredit the leading. It is black and white, there are no blurred lines here. So in His intricately planned lives for each of us we should stop a bit more and not only smell the roses but thank God for the simple fact that He created them. We should thank Him for the very things we take for granted each day: sun light, moon light, stars, grass, flowers, His word, and the list goes on and on for days (oh and you can thank Him for each day He has given you because you never know how many more you will have).
Our passion for Him should not be hidden because we fear what others might think but we should openly confess Him and show others our belief in Him. This is not to show them that we are superior in any way, but so that they might know Him as well. Isaiah 59:1 says “The Lord’s hand is not so short that it cannot save and His ear not so dull that it cannot hear.” He can save anyone, anywhere, any way. He is God. He has allowed us the opportunity to confess or deny Him. He has made us in such a way that we are completely and totally different from every other living thing in this world. Remember the stars and the way they are placed. Remember He has placed you in a specific place at a specific time for a specific reason. Why should you not be thankful to Him for all He has done? How dare we live our lives as selfishly as we do! We should be on our knees every chance we get thanking Him and praising Him and laying glory down at His feet in worship as if it were the most expensive thing to be obtained. The Israelites, throughout the entire Old Testament , would live a rollercoaster lifestyle. They would be mindful of God and worship Him and then they would forget who their God was and make idols out of the blessings God would give them. We are so much like the Old Testament Israelites and have no idea at all. The God of the universe has created all things great and small. Are you going to chose to recognize those things and give Him thankful praises to glorify His name higher than the heavens?
The Heart of a Woman
Little girls, teenagers, and women of all ages love love. We love talking about it and dreaming about it and seeing it all around us. We go to weddings and wedding shows and look at wedding dresses and rings online. We talk about it in circles of other women our age. We encourage this idea of love and matrimony to the girls younger than ourselves. Our families encourage the very thoughts that drive us mad and make us desire to be madly in love. The women of our nation are doing anything and everything we can to attract the attention of the men. Every magazine we look at and tv channel we turn on even to the radio stations we flip through remind us of what we are “missing”. So what are we really missing?
Being a single Christian woman in our day is a very tough thing, especially around the months of February, May, and December. These are the times we are remembering that we are single. Between Valentines Day, wedding season, and the holidays (mostly referring to Christmas) we see so many couples and are reminded that we are single. However, we forget that there are so many others just like us. We all face this struggle at some point of our lives. Recently I have become very aware of my singleness, seeing as it is the season for love (May, wedding season). Every weekend this month there has been at least two or more weddings of people I have known getting married. This is a very tough thought and sight. I would love to be married and believe that God has placed that desire in my life for a reason. Over the past year I have been going through the Old Testament. It has reminded me in a few places that God is my Heavenly Husband. This is something I am quick to forget. He is not holding me physically. He does not call to make sure I am ok in the middle of the night after a really rough day. He … well He is not a physical man. Although, as I am reminded of my Heavenly Husband and begin to understand Him better I see how powerful His word is and how blessed I am to be able to sit and read it with out fear of being murdered or hated. I take for granted every last thing I am given. Singleness is by no means easy, but neither is marriage. As I said before I have many married friends. They tell me of the struggles they have had in living with someone else. The struggles of being a sinful woman led by a sinful man. Two people butting heads to get what they want. They have also told me of the many wonderful things that their marriages hold. I love hearing both sides because it is such a great reminder that it is not a slice of cake that I am not getting to partake in. It is hard and it is humbling and sanctifying. Many of the books and articles I have read on singleness shed light on the fact that God has His own timeline. It is not the one I think I should have, it is the perfect, holy, divine will of God. He has planned out our lives so perfectly. If we had access to the knowledge God has we would not ask for anything better, because we know His will is perfect. However, because we are sinful and we do not know the extent of His will we try to fill ourselves with what we think is best or what we want. This can lead to many things that we did not know we were asking for.
Women are so desperate for physical relationships that in the day to day flow we get all sorts of people involved in our desire. One thing I learned early on as a believer is we talk about the things we love most. In recent conversations with girls and women the topics of relationships and marriage are the first things that come up. I am just as guilty as any of these women. I have found myself in situations recently where I am realizing that most of my friends are getting married and I am left behind. I am missing out on this amazing journey called marriage. A friend invited me to spend some time with him while he was on leave from the military. Our friendship before (when I was a very young Christian and he was at the time not following God at all) was very flirtatious. I thought things about him that I knew were wrong. I also knew that if he never came to Christ I would and should not ever enter into any type of relationship with him outside of sharing the gospel with him. So when we went out with another couple and a friend I thought it would be all right. There seemed to be expectations on our friendship that were not there before. There was a constant sense of something physical. In my mind I was going crazy. He is a very attractive young man. He is currently serving in the military fighting for our country, which is also attractive to me. And recently he has surrendered his life to Christ. My mind was racing with how close do I sit to him, can we hug on each other like we used to, and so many other things. I was taken back to the Old Testament and reminded of Christ being my Heavenly Husband. So here I sat thinking “if my husband were to hear the thoughts in my head and see the actions I am even considering right now, how would he respond?” Our God is a jealous God. He wants us to seek Him and Him only. As women we are to follow God and seek Him with our whole heart and not worry about Mr. Right. A dear friend of mine was talking to me about all of this, she was telling me that a man needs to be so founded in God’s word that He will “stumble” upon me through scripture. We do not need to be out there searching for a husband. We need to love God with all of our heart, mind, and soul. We need to be doing anything and everything we can to live for His glory. Without complaining and without a selfish heart. All we do should be in pursuit of Him. So why are we spending thousands of dollars every year to make ourselves more appealing to men? If God is attracted to us from the inside out, then should we not be purifying ourselves with His word?
Paul Washer spoke on having Christianity worth exporting. He was trying to get a point across by asking questions about our devotional life and our church life. We are running the metaphorical marathon of life. To train for such a run we should have a workout plan. In following Christ we should have some form of daily devotion with God. So is our devotion life worth exporting to other lives or even other countries? Am I living in such a way that is pleasing to God? My initial question at the beginning of this article was “what are we really missing?” We as single women think we are missing so much because we are single. We are missing out on the joys of exploiting our singleness for Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Let us stop living to please men but to please God. Let us stand up and walk with God more so than ever. Keep Him in sight and never push Him aside. Love Him with all of your heart, soul, and mind and you will have the most rewarding relationship of your entire life on this side of eternity as well as on the other.
A Little Bit About the Blogger
Well hello friends old and new!
The purpose of this blog is to share with others the things that God has laid on my heart. That is where the name of the blog comes from "The Heart of This Woman." God has given me a passion for the nations and to see those from other countries come to know Him. He has provided me with a job at a school where I am in contact with people from over 65 countries and counting. He has blessed me tremendously and hope that the things He has laid on my heart will bless you as well. The Lord has also given me a passion for cooking, more specifically baking. I love to cook! I am baking Bailey to most of my friends and jump at the chance to help anyone cook for any occasion. I have sought the Lord on going to culinary school and that door was closed. However, I have learned far more from that experience than I ever would have imagined. There are many things I have sought Him about lately regarding leaving my current location to go on to do other things and all of those doors have been closed. Thankfully I am aware that He has planned something very specific for me. He has taught me how to seek Him through prayer and how to be in His word looking for what He wants me to do in life, other things you will see in this blog :).
I hope you enjoy this and are able to get something from it. I encourage you to comment, ask me questions, or even give me ideas of things to post about. I will try to post something at least once a week if not more. (Still getting used to the idea of blogging).
Have a great day and enjoy!!
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