In John 15:5 Jesus says to us “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Over the past few months, I have realized more and more what this means. I know that we all think that we are in control and that we are the “masters of our own destinies” but we have a creator who created each of us uniquely and that creator is shaping and molding each of us into His perfect creation. So many times we wander off on our own, choosing this and chasing after that. We so easily lose focus. We work hard for everything that we have, but what we strive to work for is false hope. We place our worth in what mankind says about us, about what we have or what we have accomplished and (more often) about what we have not accomplished. But, what about God, what does He have to say about me? What does He have to say about you? He tells me that I am His Friend (John 15:14), He tells me that He loved me before I loved Him (1 John 4:19), He tells me that He died for me (John 3:16) He tells me that He is my rock and my redeemer (Psalm 19:14), He tells me that He is my refuge, my strength and my ever-present help in troubling times (Psalm 46:1) and He tells me that He will never leave me nor forsake me (Deuteronomy 31:8). He tells me that He will be with me always, even until the end of the ages (Matthew 28:20) and He tells me that I can do nothing without Him. The only way for us to grow, to live to our full potential and to be the creation that God intends for us to be......is that we must remain in Him.
OK fine, you say, but how do you do that? When we accepted Christ as our savior we were adopted into a unique family (John 1:12) and we became sons and daughters of the Most High God! Did you catch the key word here? FAMILY! God is molding you and shaping you into the unique individual that you are and He has personally planned a specific, unique job for you to do! But, in order for you to live to your full potential; you must be obedient to His shaping your will into His will. When His will becomes our will, we follow wherever He leads us, obediently. A very important way for us to find out His will for us is to join a church fellowship where we can grow and mature. We need each other, just as iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17), two can defend themselves and a cord of three can not be easily broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12), we support each other in time of need and we hold each other accountable by building each other up (1 Thessalonians 5:11). Jesus said “This is my command: Love each other.” (John 15:17). Being part of a church family is a very important way of helping you to remain in Christ and to be obedient to His will for your life.
OK, so......I am remaining in Christ, I am obediently following His will for my life; I have my FAMILY....now what? Do what Lisa said last Thursday; it’s time to put on the full armor of God! Trust me, Satan has read the Bible, he knows how it ends, he knows where he will spend eternity and he knows that he already has the lost souls of the world spending eternity with him....he just wants to make your life miserable because he can’t separate you from God (Romans 8:38-39). He doesn’t want you to tell others about Christ! He doesn’t want you to be obedient. He will pick at you. He will poke at you and he will look for the tiniest opening in your armor to get you off track. That’s why we have to hold on and remain in Christ. That’s why we have to find and remain in a church family. That’s why we must dig deep into and read His Word. That’s why we need to pray without ceasing and that’s why we need to be obedient to God as He molds us and shapes us in His own design, to become like His Son, Jesus Christ.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Stand Firm and Fight!
Do you feel like you’re being attacked? Rise up and put on your armor! Do you feel like you’re in a battle? Rise up and put on your armor! Have you been moving forward with God only to find you’re being hit from every side? Rise up and put on your armor! This is a call for you to rise up and become the mighty warrior that God intends for you to be! Don’t sit idly by and watch the enemy take the things that God has given to you, but instead, stand and fight! Because greater is He who is in you than He who is in the world! (1 Jn 4:4)
In Ephesians 6:14-18 we learn about the armor of God:
[14] Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, [15] and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. [16] In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. [17] Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. [18] And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
This is how to be strong and powerful in the Lord. First, you are going to put on the full armor of God. Don’t just put parts of it on because you will be exposed. With the full armor on, you can stand and fight. Verse 12 tells us that we aren’t struggling with people, but we are struggling against the evil one. So we start by putting on the belt of truth. There are two ways to look at the belt of truth. Ephesians 1:13 says that the word of truth is the gospel of your salvation, so the word of truth is the good news of Jesus. You must believe the good news of Jesus in order to put on spiritual armor. John 17:17 also says that Jesus’ word is truth, so the word of God is truth. We need to know the Word of God and be ready. The Scripture talks about having the belt of truth “buckled”. This “buckling” is actually a “readiness”. It referred to the way, in that time, one would wrap his garment around his waist and tie it up so that he would be ready to move in the battle, free and unhindered. We must be ready as well. What does the breastplate of righteousness represent? Righteousness is walking and living according to what is right before God. It means lining up your beliefs, attitudes, thoughts and behaviors with God’s word. Choose every day to walk in a way that is pleasing to the Lord. Put on your feet the good news of peace. Jesus gave us His peace (that’s more good news), now we must choose to walk in it. To “put on” peace means that you determine that you are going to walk in peace each day, and then every time you are tempted not to be peaceful, you remind yourself again that you are going to stay in peace. And don’t go into battle with fear in your heart. Set your heart to respond in peace. Next, take up your shield of faith. Your faith is your covering, and will keep the fiery darts of the enemy at bay. We need to trust God for everything and trust Him in every circumstance. Faith is believing God to act out of His infinite power on our behalf. As believers in Christ we also need to put on the helmet of salvation. Cover your mind with the knowledge that you are saved and no one and nothing can take that away from you. The enemy will always attack your mind. That’s why you must continually renew your mind with the truth of God’s Word. Choose what thoughts you will dwell on. Some thoughts that come to your mind need to be dismissed immediately, while the word of God should be meditated on continually. That’s how you renew your mind. The sword of the Spirit is the only offensive weapon in your armor, and is your most powerful weapon in defeating the enemy. Use Scriptures that support your stance and speak them out loud over your circumstances. This is the same thing Jesus did when he was tempted by Satan in the desert. We are to stand and resist the devil, not turn and run. There is no armor for our backside, so we must stand and fight. When we put on the armor of God, we are putting on Christ and His identity, His authority, His power and His truth. No enemy can stand up under the mighty power of God. We know that God has already won the battle, so stand, mighty warrior of God... Stand firm and fight!
Ps 20:7-8 "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm."
In Ephesians 6:14-18 we learn about the armor of God:
[14] Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, [15] and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. [16] In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. [17] Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. [18] And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
This is how to be strong and powerful in the Lord. First, you are going to put on the full armor of God. Don’t just put parts of it on because you will be exposed. With the full armor on, you can stand and fight. Verse 12 tells us that we aren’t struggling with people, but we are struggling against the evil one. So we start by putting on the belt of truth. There are two ways to look at the belt of truth. Ephesians 1:13 says that the word of truth is the gospel of your salvation, so the word of truth is the good news of Jesus. You must believe the good news of Jesus in order to put on spiritual armor. John 17:17 also says that Jesus’ word is truth, so the word of God is truth. We need to know the Word of God and be ready. The Scripture talks about having the belt of truth “buckled”. This “buckling” is actually a “readiness”. It referred to the way, in that time, one would wrap his garment around his waist and tie it up so that he would be ready to move in the battle, free and unhindered. We must be ready as well. What does the breastplate of righteousness represent? Righteousness is walking and living according to what is right before God. It means lining up your beliefs, attitudes, thoughts and behaviors with God’s word. Choose every day to walk in a way that is pleasing to the Lord. Put on your feet the good news of peace. Jesus gave us His peace (that’s more good news), now we must choose to walk in it. To “put on” peace means that you determine that you are going to walk in peace each day, and then every time you are tempted not to be peaceful, you remind yourself again that you are going to stay in peace. And don’t go into battle with fear in your heart. Set your heart to respond in peace. Next, take up your shield of faith. Your faith is your covering, and will keep the fiery darts of the enemy at bay. We need to trust God for everything and trust Him in every circumstance. Faith is believing God to act out of His infinite power on our behalf. As believers in Christ we also need to put on the helmet of salvation. Cover your mind with the knowledge that you are saved and no one and nothing can take that away from you. The enemy will always attack your mind. That’s why you must continually renew your mind with the truth of God’s Word. Choose what thoughts you will dwell on. Some thoughts that come to your mind need to be dismissed immediately, while the word of God should be meditated on continually. That’s how you renew your mind. The sword of the Spirit is the only offensive weapon in your armor, and is your most powerful weapon in defeating the enemy. Use Scriptures that support your stance and speak them out loud over your circumstances. This is the same thing Jesus did when he was tempted by Satan in the desert. We are to stand and resist the devil, not turn and run. There is no armor for our backside, so we must stand and fight. When we put on the armor of God, we are putting on Christ and His identity, His authority, His power and His truth. No enemy can stand up under the mighty power of God. We know that God has already won the battle, so stand, mighty warrior of God... Stand firm and fight!
Ps 20:7-8 "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm."
Monday, March 22, 2010
WHAT'S YOUR STORY?
A few years back, in a Ladies’ Bible Study that I was in, the question was asked of one of the women, what’s your story? I was thinking about that the other day and how we all have a story. Some stories are mild, some stories are heartbreaking and some stories are horrendous. Some people are more than willing to tell their stories and some people are so ashamed of their story that they would never reveal it. Simply because we are human we are all in the last category. All Christians have the same shameful story. Oh you might say, “But, Cindy, I grew up in church, I never did anything bad, and I have always been a good person.” But, my response to you is that no, you were filthy as the dirtiest rags, but you’ve been washed clean by the blood of Jesus Christ. All stories are the same; we’ve all been saved by grace.
Saved by grace. That means God in his awesome love for us, reached down into the muck and mire and pulled us up out of the slime pits of Hell. When we accepted Christ as our Savior, our death sentence was repealed, we’ve been cleaned up, given pure white robes, a crown has been placed on our heads and we have been given an inheritance. We are now called children of God and Jesus calls us Friend. What I would like to know is if we’ve all come from the same black hole and been given the free gift of life by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and we call ourselves Christians because we are now Jesus followers, then why do we try to tear each other down? Aren’t we told to build each other up? I’m not saying all Christians do this, but I am saying that the church (in general) tends to kill it’s wounded.
Surfing the internet, I ran across a fictional story that illustrates this. A girl with a very “bad” past accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior and she became a hard worker and respected person in the church. Over time, she and the pastor’s son got engaged. When the church found out about this they called a meeting to discuss it. The congregation believed that this girl was not good enough for a pastor’s son because of her colorful background. After dragging up her past and forcing her to relive it, the pastor’s son who couldn’t stand to see his fiancé crying anymore stood up and said “what is really on trial here? Is it my fiancé’s past or whether or not the sacrifice of Jesus is really enough to redeem someone, forever?” At that point, the whole church realized that Jesus IS enough and they all realized that they were “killing their wounded.”
What I am saying to you is that if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal savior then you are one of the walking wounded, your story is the same as my story and everyone one else’s. Before you were saved by grace, there was no light in you at all, nothing, total darkness. In fact, all humans are responsible for nailing Jesus to the cross. But because of God’s amazing grace, you are the light of the world, an example of Christ’s love; you have the Holy Spirit in you! God didn’t call us to compare sins. We’ve been called to lovingly hold each other accountable, to sharpen each other as iron sharpens iron and to build God’s Kingdom together. As Christians, we are all held to a higher standard.
“For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." Heb 8:12 (NIV)
Saved by grace. That means God in his awesome love for us, reached down into the muck and mire and pulled us up out of the slime pits of Hell. When we accepted Christ as our Savior, our death sentence was repealed, we’ve been cleaned up, given pure white robes, a crown has been placed on our heads and we have been given an inheritance. We are now called children of God and Jesus calls us Friend. What I would like to know is if we’ve all come from the same black hole and been given the free gift of life by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and we call ourselves Christians because we are now Jesus followers, then why do we try to tear each other down? Aren’t we told to build each other up? I’m not saying all Christians do this, but I am saying that the church (in general) tends to kill it’s wounded.
Surfing the internet, I ran across a fictional story that illustrates this. A girl with a very “bad” past accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior and she became a hard worker and respected person in the church. Over time, she and the pastor’s son got engaged. When the church found out about this they called a meeting to discuss it. The congregation believed that this girl was not good enough for a pastor’s son because of her colorful background. After dragging up her past and forcing her to relive it, the pastor’s son who couldn’t stand to see his fiancé crying anymore stood up and said “what is really on trial here? Is it my fiancé’s past or whether or not the sacrifice of Jesus is really enough to redeem someone, forever?” At that point, the whole church realized that Jesus IS enough and they all realized that they were “killing their wounded.”
What I am saying to you is that if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal savior then you are one of the walking wounded, your story is the same as my story and everyone one else’s. Before you were saved by grace, there was no light in you at all, nothing, total darkness. In fact, all humans are responsible for nailing Jesus to the cross. But because of God’s amazing grace, you are the light of the world, an example of Christ’s love; you have the Holy Spirit in you! God didn’t call us to compare sins. We’ve been called to lovingly hold each other accountable, to sharpen each other as iron sharpens iron and to build God’s Kingdom together. As Christians, we are all held to a higher standard.
“For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." Heb 8:12 (NIV)
Thursday, March 18, 2010
A Prayer for You
One of my favorite prayers in Scripture is Ephesians 1:17-21 (AMP), so I pray this for all of you who read it:
“For I always pray to the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation of insight into mysteries and secrets in the deep and intimate knowledge of Him, by having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints, and so that you can know and understand what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age and in this world, but also in the age and the world which are to come.”
The only way that we receive wisdom and revelation is when the Holy Spirit floods our understanding with light. And when He does, we know and understand and expect the good things that God has called us to. There are three things in this prayer that we can know – the hope of expecting good things that are to come, the abundance of what we will inherit as one who is set apart for God, and the surpassing greatness of His power toward those of us who believe. This is the same strength that He worked in Christ when He was raised from the dead and where He set Him at His own right hand in heaven, where He resides in authority and power and might over all angels and anyone who has a title, not only on the earth, but in heaven, now and in the age to come.
Paul’s prayer continues in Ephesians 3:16-21 (AMP), which I also pray for you:
“May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the Holy Spirit Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality. May Christ through your faith actually dwell in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love, that you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth of it; that you may really come to know practically, through experience for yourselves, the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge; that you may be filled through all your being unto all the fullness of God, may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself! Now to Him Who, by the action of His power that is at work within us is able to carry out His purpose and do superabundantly, far over and above all that we dare ask or think -- To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen.”
This prayer is given so that you will be strengthened with power through the Holy Spirit who indwells you. That you would so understand the permeating love of God through your own experience, that you would be filled to overflowing with God Himself. And to God, who is able to do more than we can ever ask or think, to Him be the glory forever.
“For I always pray to the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation of insight into mysteries and secrets in the deep and intimate knowledge of Him, by having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints, and so that you can know and understand what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age and in this world, but also in the age and the world which are to come.”
The only way that we receive wisdom and revelation is when the Holy Spirit floods our understanding with light. And when He does, we know and understand and expect the good things that God has called us to. There are three things in this prayer that we can know – the hope of expecting good things that are to come, the abundance of what we will inherit as one who is set apart for God, and the surpassing greatness of His power toward those of us who believe. This is the same strength that He worked in Christ when He was raised from the dead and where He set Him at His own right hand in heaven, where He resides in authority and power and might over all angels and anyone who has a title, not only on the earth, but in heaven, now and in the age to come.
Paul’s prayer continues in Ephesians 3:16-21 (AMP), which I also pray for you:
“May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the Holy Spirit Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality. May Christ through your faith actually dwell in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love, that you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth of it; that you may really come to know practically, through experience for yourselves, the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge; that you may be filled through all your being unto all the fullness of God, may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself! Now to Him Who, by the action of His power that is at work within us is able to carry out His purpose and do superabundantly, far over and above all that we dare ask or think -- To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen.”
This prayer is given so that you will be strengthened with power through the Holy Spirit who indwells you. That you would so understand the permeating love of God through your own experience, that you would be filled to overflowing with God Himself. And to God, who is able to do more than we can ever ask or think, to Him be the glory forever.
Monday, March 15, 2010
WHAT IS THE COST?
Sometimes, I’ll be at a store and I’ll see something that I want, but there is no price tag on it, so I’ll say “I don’t see a price tag, so it must be free!” But, of course, I know it’s not free; besides, nothing in life is free, right? In this day and age (especially with the economy in shambles) we’re all looking for a bargain, and if it’s free, well, that’s even better.
If you are a Christian, have you ever stopped to think, I mean really think about what it cost Jesus to redeem you? The other day, I heard the song “Here I Am to Worship” by Chris Tomlin and the song begins with the words “Light of the world, you stepped down into darkness.” That got me to thinking about what Jesus; the Prince of Heaven had to give up. The second verse says “Humbly you came to the earth you created.” Can you imagine that? The CREATOR of everything humbly came to earth! The One that Heaven revolves around, the Lamb of God gave up everything and became like us, weak and frail. Why would He do that? Have you ever wondered about that, why?
We all know the verse John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” But how can anyone, even God love the world so much that He would send His one and only Son to die for it and how could Jesus love His creation so much that He would die for it? Not only did He just die, but He was betrayed by one of His own, He was beaten to a bloody pulp (within an inch of His life) and knowing the horrible death that was before Him, He was made to carry the cross that He would die on.
When I hear on the news that someone will be executed tomorrow night at 6:00PM (for instance) I can’t help but think about that person and what is going through his mind. What would I think about if I knew that my life would be taken from me at an exact time? Yet, Jesus knew before He even created anything, that He would have to leave Heaven which 1 Corinthians 2:9 tells us "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" To come here, to earth, to die!
Chris continues in his song “I'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross.” I have a plaque in my study that says “When He was on the Cross, I was on His Mind.” We’re told in John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” and in John 15:15 Jesus tells us “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” So now I know. Jesus died for me because He had the greatest love imaginable and I am His friend, but I still don’t understand it. We’ll never fully understand why He would sacrifice Himself for us, except that He loved us so much!
This takes us full circle. I could do nothing to save myself from being eternally separated from God, but because He loved me first, before I ever even heard of Jesus, He died for me. So, the phrase, nothing in life is free, is not true. The gift of salvation is free.....all you have to do is accept it.
If you are a Christian, have you ever stopped to think, I mean really think about what it cost Jesus to redeem you? The other day, I heard the song “Here I Am to Worship” by Chris Tomlin and the song begins with the words “Light of the world, you stepped down into darkness.” That got me to thinking about what Jesus; the Prince of Heaven had to give up. The second verse says “Humbly you came to the earth you created.” Can you imagine that? The CREATOR of everything humbly came to earth! The One that Heaven revolves around, the Lamb of God gave up everything and became like us, weak and frail. Why would He do that? Have you ever wondered about that, why?
We all know the verse John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” But how can anyone, even God love the world so much that He would send His one and only Son to die for it and how could Jesus love His creation so much that He would die for it? Not only did He just die, but He was betrayed by one of His own, He was beaten to a bloody pulp (within an inch of His life) and knowing the horrible death that was before Him, He was made to carry the cross that He would die on.
When I hear on the news that someone will be executed tomorrow night at 6:00PM (for instance) I can’t help but think about that person and what is going through his mind. What would I think about if I knew that my life would be taken from me at an exact time? Yet, Jesus knew before He even created anything, that He would have to leave Heaven which 1 Corinthians 2:9 tells us "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" To come here, to earth, to die!
Chris continues in his song “I'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross.” I have a plaque in my study that says “When He was on the Cross, I was on His Mind.” We’re told in John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” and in John 15:15 Jesus tells us “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” So now I know. Jesus died for me because He had the greatest love imaginable and I am His friend, but I still don’t understand it. We’ll never fully understand why He would sacrifice Himself for us, except that He loved us so much!
This takes us full circle. I could do nothing to save myself from being eternally separated from God, but because He loved me first, before I ever even heard of Jesus, He died for me. So, the phrase, nothing in life is free, is not true. The gift of salvation is free.....all you have to do is accept it.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Playing Games With God? - A Look At Gaming Addiction
In this age of technology and the internet, there are so many new things to experience that we never had to deal with in the past. A few years ago, my daughter found an online kid’s game that was so different from anything I had ever seen. I was mesmerized. Most of the characters on the game were actual people (and mostly adults) from all over the United States playing the same game I was playing! It was amazing! I love games, I love technology and I love competing and working tasks, so this game was right up my alley. Little did I know that I would become addicted to this online game and spend countless hours over the next three years of my life playing games and wasting my time. I’m all for spending time relaxing and being entertained, but this had gone too far.
How did I know I was addicted? I pretty much knew all along. But I justified it because it was a harmless game! There was nothing bad about it. Even my children were allowed to play. And, of course, I had to help them! It was a time to bond, right? But one phrase kept coming up over and over and clued me in to know that I was truly addicted. While chatting with other people playing the game, I could hardly go a day without saying or hearing, “This game is so addictive!” Deep down, I knew I was addicted. The game was all-consuming. I would wake up thinking about it and I would play it until I went to bed. Somehow, I still found time to spend my cursory time with God and my bible study, but most of my time was spent playing the game and reaching the next level.
As I became more aware of my addiction, I started talking to God about it. I knew it was taking too much of my time, but the pull was very strong to keep playing. I knew I had removed God from the center of my life and put an idol there instead. So I asked God to remove the desire from me to play, and, thank God, I was eventually set free! But it was not without some pain and there wasn’t instant freedom. After a while, I eventually became strong enough, through God’s grace, to quit playing for about 9 months. I filled my extra time with bible study and more time with God. When Christmas came around with the extra vacation time that it brings, I found myself thinking about playing again. So I bought some time on the game. But you know what? I found that God really had changed my desire! I felt dead to the game. I actually felt the way the verse in Romans 6:11 tells us to "count yourself dead to sin but alive to God through Jesus Christ". It didn’t have that same pull on me anymore. Now I’m able to play the game in a balanced way. I buy some time on it here and there when we have some vacation. But even then I know the plans God has for me, and it’s not to waste my time playing games! I’ve had a call on my life for a number of years, and this was a definite detour to what God has for me to do. We do have an enemy who knows our weaknesses. And he will use them to keep us from what God has for us. Don’t let him keep you from God’s purpose for your life! When you pray and ask God to make His desires your desires, He’s going to answer that prayer because it lines up with His will. You can overcome addictions because "He who is in you is greater than He who is in the world." (1 Jn 4:4) Don’t give the devil a foothold and continue to waste your life bowing down to something that is not God. Let’s give up playing games with God and move on to what He has for us to do!
Dear Heavenly Father,
There are things in this world that have a pull on me that are keeping me from the plan You have for my life. Please forgive me for putting other things ahead of You. I ask You to give me the desires of Your heart, and take away these fleshly desires that have kept me from your purpose long enough. I pray this in the mighty name of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
How did I know I was addicted? I pretty much knew all along. But I justified it because it was a harmless game! There was nothing bad about it. Even my children were allowed to play. And, of course, I had to help them! It was a time to bond, right? But one phrase kept coming up over and over and clued me in to know that I was truly addicted. While chatting with other people playing the game, I could hardly go a day without saying or hearing, “This game is so addictive!” Deep down, I knew I was addicted. The game was all-consuming. I would wake up thinking about it and I would play it until I went to bed. Somehow, I still found time to spend my cursory time with God and my bible study, but most of my time was spent playing the game and reaching the next level.
As I became more aware of my addiction, I started talking to God about it. I knew it was taking too much of my time, but the pull was very strong to keep playing. I knew I had removed God from the center of my life and put an idol there instead. So I asked God to remove the desire from me to play, and, thank God, I was eventually set free! But it was not without some pain and there wasn’t instant freedom. After a while, I eventually became strong enough, through God’s grace, to quit playing for about 9 months. I filled my extra time with bible study and more time with God. When Christmas came around with the extra vacation time that it brings, I found myself thinking about playing again. So I bought some time on the game. But you know what? I found that God really had changed my desire! I felt dead to the game. I actually felt the way the verse in Romans 6:11 tells us to "count yourself dead to sin but alive to God through Jesus Christ". It didn’t have that same pull on me anymore. Now I’m able to play the game in a balanced way. I buy some time on it here and there when we have some vacation. But even then I know the plans God has for me, and it’s not to waste my time playing games! I’ve had a call on my life for a number of years, and this was a definite detour to what God has for me to do. We do have an enemy who knows our weaknesses. And he will use them to keep us from what God has for us. Don’t let him keep you from God’s purpose for your life! When you pray and ask God to make His desires your desires, He’s going to answer that prayer because it lines up with His will. You can overcome addictions because "He who is in you is greater than He who is in the world." (1 Jn 4:4) Don’t give the devil a foothold and continue to waste your life bowing down to something that is not God. Let’s give up playing games with God and move on to what He has for us to do!
Dear Heavenly Father,
There are things in this world that have a pull on me that are keeping me from the plan You have for my life. Please forgive me for putting other things ahead of You. I ask You to give me the desires of Your heart, and take away these fleshly desires that have kept me from your purpose long enough. I pray this in the mighty name of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Monday, March 8, 2010
OUTSIDE LOOKING IN
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. How God has a job for all of us. A few months ago I saw a bumper sticker that read “get in, sit down, shut up and hold on.” In fact, I’ve taken that bumper sticker on as my personal motto where God is concerned. You can’t tell God no, because if it is His plan, He’ll make it happen and quickly!
One year ago this month, I went to a women’s retreat and at the retreat, I told a good friend of mine, that I just didn’t have time to get involved with the church, that I was “just too busy.” Too much outside stuff going on and I just didn’t have the time to invest, and because of this, I told her that where our church was concerned, I felt like an outsider, looking in. Oh, it wasn’t the pastor’s fault or anyone in the church, it was me, it was my attitude and as a Christian the Bible tells me that “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:” Phil 2:5 (NIV) and His attitude is “Father, let Your will be done, not mine!”
God has a way of changing attitudes. Somehow, God has rearranged my priorities, my thoughts are no longer about me, myself and I, but my thoughts are “God, I can’t wait for You to take my life and make it Your own....just use me for Your glory and Your honor.” I knew that God had a plan for me, but as hard as I tried to hold Him off (so I could finish what I had started) He kept making things happen so that I had no choice but to do what He was asking me to do. I can’t wait to finish my obligations so that I can get into His work full time and I’m at peace, because I now know that He will allow me the time to do what He wants me to do and to complete my obligations. I’ve realized that if you open yourself up and ask God to use you, He will and in ways that you never dreamed of.
Are you on the outside looking in? Do you find yourself getting “just to busy” and you don’t have a lot of time for God and His church? If you are a Christian, you already have the peace that comes with a relationship with the Holy Spirit, but, I have learned that if your spirit is restless, then you are not in Gods' will, so ask God what it is that He wants you to do. If you open yourself up to Him and listen closely, He will tell you. If you are in God’s will, He will make sure that whatever you are asking will happen, because His will then becomes your will.
Since Jesus went through everything you're going through and more, learn to think like him. Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. 2 Then you'll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want. 1 Peter 4:1-2 (MSG)
What about this years retreat you ask? I’m teaching, and no, the irony has not been lost on me. Like I said, He will use you in ways that just one year ago, you never dreamed of.
God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Heb 4:12 (MSG)
One year ago this month, I went to a women’s retreat and at the retreat, I told a good friend of mine, that I just didn’t have time to get involved with the church, that I was “just too busy.” Too much outside stuff going on and I just didn’t have the time to invest, and because of this, I told her that where our church was concerned, I felt like an outsider, looking in. Oh, it wasn’t the pastor’s fault or anyone in the church, it was me, it was my attitude and as a Christian the Bible tells me that “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:” Phil 2:5 (NIV) and His attitude is “Father, let Your will be done, not mine!”
God has a way of changing attitudes. Somehow, God has rearranged my priorities, my thoughts are no longer about me, myself and I, but my thoughts are “God, I can’t wait for You to take my life and make it Your own....just use me for Your glory and Your honor.” I knew that God had a plan for me, but as hard as I tried to hold Him off (so I could finish what I had started) He kept making things happen so that I had no choice but to do what He was asking me to do. I can’t wait to finish my obligations so that I can get into His work full time and I’m at peace, because I now know that He will allow me the time to do what He wants me to do and to complete my obligations. I’ve realized that if you open yourself up and ask God to use you, He will and in ways that you never dreamed of.
Are you on the outside looking in? Do you find yourself getting “just to busy” and you don’t have a lot of time for God and His church? If you are a Christian, you already have the peace that comes with a relationship with the Holy Spirit, but, I have learned that if your spirit is restless, then you are not in Gods' will, so ask God what it is that He wants you to do. If you open yourself up to Him and listen closely, He will tell you. If you are in God’s will, He will make sure that whatever you are asking will happen, because His will then becomes your will.
Since Jesus went through everything you're going through and more, learn to think like him. Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. 2 Then you'll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want. 1 Peter 4:1-2 (MSG)
What about this years retreat you ask? I’m teaching, and no, the irony has not been lost on me. Like I said, He will use you in ways that just one year ago, you never dreamed of.
God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Heb 4:12 (MSG)
Friday, March 5, 2010
Getting Through Change
Sometimes change is thrust upon us, and sometimes it is of our own choosing. But either way, the measure that we will find joy in the change is dependent upon our attitude. Change can be scary. There can be so many unknowns. And sometimes we even assume that the unknown will be bad. Or, sometimes the circumstances we’re in are just plain bad, and there’s nothing we can do about it. We may have no control over our situation, but we can control our attitude in the situation.
The Israelites who had just come out of Egypt were in for a big change. They were moving from slavery into the freedom of their promised land. You’d think that would be exciting, but God lead them to their promised land by way of the desert. As they moved out, God gave them a test. The first test came when the Israelites were being pursued by the Egyptian army and they had come to a dead end right into the Red Sea. They looked at their circumstances - an army on one side and the sea on the other, and asked “Why?”— “Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die?” In Ex. 14:12 (NIV) they asked, “Didn’t we tell you to let us alone; let us serve the Egyptians? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” They faced their new situation with fear and complaining. Has God moved you out of your “Egypt” only to find you complaining that you want to go back? Remember, the Israelites were slaves in Egypt. Why is it that we want to go back into bondage? The Israelites didn’t have the Holy Spirit living within them to give them strength. But as believers in Christ, we do have the strength of the Holy Spirit living within us. Why don’t we call upon the power of the Holy Spirit? Do we not realize what we have? Or do we not believe that God can do what He says He can do? Or perhaps we don’t know the word well enough so we don’t call upon the Spirit and wield the word of truth. I had previously written that there is power in our words, and I believe that to be true. But there is even more power in God’s word. God’s word can break strongholds. “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12 NASB)
In this situation, the Israelites were trapped between Pharaoh’s army and the Red Sea. But God was on their side and he told Moses to raise his staff. When he did, the Red Sea parted, and the Israelites were able to cross on dry land. When God finally allowed the Egyptian army to come across, the sea covered them, and not one survived. This was a difficult test for the Israelites, but God allowed it because it gave Him glory when the Israelites and the Egyptians saw the power of God. After the Israelites saw God’s power, they were joyful and sang to the Lord. But they had more to learn about their attitudes. God wants us to have a good attitude in the situation, not only after there’s a good outcome. Paul tells us his secret to doing just that in Philipians 4:12 when he tells us “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” The secret to a good attitude when we are going through change and the situations of life is that we have strength in Christ. Isn’t it amazing to know that Jesus loves us and empowers us to do those things that He calls us to go through? We can have a good attitude in our difficult circumstances because we can draw on the strength that Jesus offers to us. And God will receive glory when we show a good attitude through our hard situations. This is a huge lesson to learn because situations will continue to change throughout our life, and its all about what we do, and how we go through them.
Dear Heavenly Father,
We praise You that You are the Unchanging One. And though our situations in life continually change, we can rest in the fact that You never change. You are the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. We ask that You show us how to keep a good attitude in all situations through the strength of the Holy Spirit and through Your powerful word. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
The Israelites who had just come out of Egypt were in for a big change. They were moving from slavery into the freedom of their promised land. You’d think that would be exciting, but God lead them to their promised land by way of the desert. As they moved out, God gave them a test. The first test came when the Israelites were being pursued by the Egyptian army and they had come to a dead end right into the Red Sea. They looked at their circumstances - an army on one side and the sea on the other, and asked “Why?”— “Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die?” In Ex. 14:12 (NIV) they asked, “Didn’t we tell you to let us alone; let us serve the Egyptians? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” They faced their new situation with fear and complaining. Has God moved you out of your “Egypt” only to find you complaining that you want to go back? Remember, the Israelites were slaves in Egypt. Why is it that we want to go back into bondage? The Israelites didn’t have the Holy Spirit living within them to give them strength. But as believers in Christ, we do have the strength of the Holy Spirit living within us. Why don’t we call upon the power of the Holy Spirit? Do we not realize what we have? Or do we not believe that God can do what He says He can do? Or perhaps we don’t know the word well enough so we don’t call upon the Spirit and wield the word of truth. I had previously written that there is power in our words, and I believe that to be true. But there is even more power in God’s word. God’s word can break strongholds. “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12 NASB)
In this situation, the Israelites were trapped between Pharaoh’s army and the Red Sea. But God was on their side and he told Moses to raise his staff. When he did, the Red Sea parted, and the Israelites were able to cross on dry land. When God finally allowed the Egyptian army to come across, the sea covered them, and not one survived. This was a difficult test for the Israelites, but God allowed it because it gave Him glory when the Israelites and the Egyptians saw the power of God. After the Israelites saw God’s power, they were joyful and sang to the Lord. But they had more to learn about their attitudes. God wants us to have a good attitude in the situation, not only after there’s a good outcome. Paul tells us his secret to doing just that in Philipians 4:12 when he tells us “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” The secret to a good attitude when we are going through change and the situations of life is that we have strength in Christ. Isn’t it amazing to know that Jesus loves us and empowers us to do those things that He calls us to go through? We can have a good attitude in our difficult circumstances because we can draw on the strength that Jesus offers to us. And God will receive glory when we show a good attitude through our hard situations. This is a huge lesson to learn because situations will continue to change throughout our life, and its all about what we do, and how we go through them.
Dear Heavenly Father,
We praise You that You are the Unchanging One. And though our situations in life continually change, we can rest in the fact that You never change. You are the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. We ask that You show us how to keep a good attitude in all situations through the strength of the Holy Spirit and through Your powerful word. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
Monday, March 1, 2010
YOU WILL COME BACK STRONGER!
On January 28, 2010, Lisa’s posting was titled Have You Strayed? I would like to readdress that subject because just recently I have been reminded how easy it is for us to stray. I know that there was a time in my life that I strayed and I believe that God calls us back to Him in different ways, for me it was very painful, broken heart painful.
Just before we left Florida, God started calling me back to him, well, rather I tell people that He reached out and grabbed me by the hair of my head and said “Cindy, enough is enough, it’s time to come back!” I believe that God lets us go through things, to get those things out of our system. We’re not thinking about God when we are constantly thinking about ourselves. I believe God gives us up to our selfishness and let’s us “go it” alone. Well, we think that we are going it alone, but if you are a Christian, God is always close by. Sometimes we push God away, but He will never leave us.
The Bible gives us a perfect example of another person that strayed. That would be Peter when He denied Jesus three times when Jesus was crucified. After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to Peter and the other disciples while they were fishing. After the disciples brought their fish to shore and they were all sitting around by the campfire, Jesus asked Peter 3 times “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” The third time, Peter was very hurt because Jesus asked him 3 times “do you love me?” Then Jesus said “Feed my sheep” meaning, you were weak and turned away from me, but now that you are back....you are going to come back stronger and I have a job for you.
I know how Peter must have felt. When Jesus called me back to Him, all I could do was beg for His forgiveness because I am the one that turned my back on Him. But, He didn’t see it that way, oh, He did ask me if I loved Him and when I said yes, Lord, you know that I love you, then He said, you’re going to come back stronger and oh by the way.....I have a job for you!
I think that anytime we stray from God and come back to Him, that we come back stronger and that He has a job for each of us. It’s up to us to say yes and follow wherever He leads us. You might be surprised where God leads you, but I can tell you that He has a job for you and it’s better than you could ever imagine. Can you hear Him calling you? He has a job for you to do and when you come back to Him, you will come back stronger.
Dear Father,
I know that someone reading this post has strayed from you. I know that we are allowed to stray from you in order to get things out of our system and I know that when we come back to You that You will bring us back stronger. Dear Lord, I pray that when the person reading this does turn back to You, that You bring him or her back stronger and I know that You will give that person all the strength that is needed to do the job that You have planned. My fervent prayer Lord, is that it’s never our will, but in all things, Your will be done.
verses referenced is: John 21:15-17 (NIV)
Just before we left Florida, God started calling me back to him, well, rather I tell people that He reached out and grabbed me by the hair of my head and said “Cindy, enough is enough, it’s time to come back!” I believe that God lets us go through things, to get those things out of our system. We’re not thinking about God when we are constantly thinking about ourselves. I believe God gives us up to our selfishness and let’s us “go it” alone. Well, we think that we are going it alone, but if you are a Christian, God is always close by. Sometimes we push God away, but He will never leave us.
The Bible gives us a perfect example of another person that strayed. That would be Peter when He denied Jesus three times when Jesus was crucified. After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to Peter and the other disciples while they were fishing. After the disciples brought their fish to shore and they were all sitting around by the campfire, Jesus asked Peter 3 times “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” The third time, Peter was very hurt because Jesus asked him 3 times “do you love me?” Then Jesus said “Feed my sheep” meaning, you were weak and turned away from me, but now that you are back....you are going to come back stronger and I have a job for you.
I know how Peter must have felt. When Jesus called me back to Him, all I could do was beg for His forgiveness because I am the one that turned my back on Him. But, He didn’t see it that way, oh, He did ask me if I loved Him and when I said yes, Lord, you know that I love you, then He said, you’re going to come back stronger and oh by the way.....I have a job for you!
I think that anytime we stray from God and come back to Him, that we come back stronger and that He has a job for each of us. It’s up to us to say yes and follow wherever He leads us. You might be surprised where God leads you, but I can tell you that He has a job for you and it’s better than you could ever imagine. Can you hear Him calling you? He has a job for you to do and when you come back to Him, you will come back stronger.
Dear Father,
I know that someone reading this post has strayed from you. I know that we are allowed to stray from you in order to get things out of our system and I know that when we come back to You that You will bring us back stronger. Dear Lord, I pray that when the person reading this does turn back to You, that You bring him or her back stronger and I know that You will give that person all the strength that is needed to do the job that You have planned. My fervent prayer Lord, is that it’s never our will, but in all things, Your will be done.
verses referenced is: John 21:15-17 (NIV)
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