Building faith should be your goal for this weekend (and for the rest of your life). Are you waiting on something? Graduation, a new job, a fresh relationship, a wedding ring?? Is your faith in people or the Lord? Where in the "world" is your faith? The answer should be "my faith is not in anything in this world, but in God Almighty, because greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world!" 1 John 4:4 There are many desires that God has placed in your heart and He WILL bring them to pass. The dreams that He has developed in you WILL come true. Putting your faith in the Lord is a guarantee for success. It gets tough when you look around at your circumstances and feel discouraged, but Faith is based on the unseen realities. (Hebrews 11:1) Begin to set your sites toward the One who has promised to never leave or forsake you and your discouragement will become encouragement! Write the desires you have in your heart on a piece of paper and place them in your Bible as an act of faith. Dedicate at least 5 minutes to reading your Bible daily. Take the time to pray everyday. Praise Him even though you may not see results immediately, because that takes FAITH which wins divine approval for us. (Hebrews 11:39)
Devotional readings: Hebrews 11
Jude 1:17-23
Friday, July 31, 2009
Spiritual InventoryI: Things Not To Do List
I am walking an interesting course in my life right now. I love God and trust Him more and more every minute of every day. I see manifestation of the blessing that is on my life and on my house of worship. There are things, however, that look like they are going in a different direction from what His mighty word promises. I know that the enemy wants me to lose hope, but I refuse. What do you do when you prosperous in some areas and in other areas it’s stagnant or taking a turn for the worst?” Through many sermons, I have come up with my strategy: Spiritual Inventory.
God led me to Galatians 5:19-21 which is the ultimate checklist of what not to do as a child of the The Most High God. We are children of God, and we should not embarrass the name of the Lord!
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.”- John 1:12-13
So, I started at the top of the list to determine if there are any areas that need to be addressed with repentance, prayer, fasting, etc. Do your own inventory. You don’t want anything to hinder the growth of your relationship with Him, which will lead to prosperous relationships in your natural life. Let today be the beginning of becoming more like the awesome, daughter of the King you were fearfully and wonderfully made to be! Work on your shortcomings in the natural and the Lord will send His Super and a miracle is inevitable!
I love the way The Message translation makes it so relevant, and convicting. Let’s fix God’s temples, inside and out: It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on. This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom. -Galatians 19-21 The Message
God led me to Galatians 5:19-21 which is the ultimate checklist of what not to do as a child of the The Most High God. We are children of God, and we should not embarrass the name of the Lord!
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.”- John 1:12-13
So, I started at the top of the list to determine if there are any areas that need to be addressed with repentance, prayer, fasting, etc. Do your own inventory. You don’t want anything to hinder the growth of your relationship with Him, which will lead to prosperous relationships in your natural life. Let today be the beginning of becoming more like the awesome, daughter of the King you were fearfully and wonderfully made to be! Work on your shortcomings in the natural and the Lord will send His Super and a miracle is inevitable!
I love the way The Message translation makes it so relevant, and convicting. Let’s fix God’s temples, inside and out: It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on. This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom. -Galatians 19-21 The Message
Friday, July 17, 2009
Accept It With Contentment Rather Than Resentment
Accept It With Contentment Rather Than Resentment
We often find ourselves in interesting positions. We tell ourselves we are not going down a certain path, and lo and behold, we begin to inch that way without really much thought. It’s not necessarily always sin, but it can be behavior or acquaintances that may lead to sin. If you are connected to Jesus and He is the Lord of your life, He will step in and give you the strength to resist further travel down a detour from the street called Purpose.
I found myself being inched into a situation that could lead to sin recently. I talked to myself and assured God that I was not going to even look at that road, but how our minds deceive us! Amazingly, because that is how God does things, He gave me a reality check. Had it been a few months ago, I would have been angry with God, asking Him why, and having a pity party. But, He has allowed certain events to mature me to a point where I can be content with His loving rebuke and kind steering.
Please accept God’s direction and correction with contentment and not resentment. He wants the best for you and if you just endure, He will give you more than you could have ever imagined. Don’t let the enemy nudge you into “almost sinning.” It’s so easy to think that we can do this on our own when we are walking boldly with Christ, but you must never let your guard down! If this were not a battle, we wouldn’t have to put on the whole armor of God! Let God love you with His perfect love, and you will see the glory that He wants to bring upon you.
Devotional Reading: 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 (say it as a prayer for yourself and others)
2 Samuel 12:13-25 (The story of the aftermath of David’s
adulterous affair. He pleaded with God, but after his child
died, he continued to serve God mightily without
resentment.)
We often find ourselves in interesting positions. We tell ourselves we are not going down a certain path, and lo and behold, we begin to inch that way without really much thought. It’s not necessarily always sin, but it can be behavior or acquaintances that may lead to sin. If you are connected to Jesus and He is the Lord of your life, He will step in and give you the strength to resist further travel down a detour from the street called Purpose.
I found myself being inched into a situation that could lead to sin recently. I talked to myself and assured God that I was not going to even look at that road, but how our minds deceive us! Amazingly, because that is how God does things, He gave me a reality check. Had it been a few months ago, I would have been angry with God, asking Him why, and having a pity party. But, He has allowed certain events to mature me to a point where I can be content with His loving rebuke and kind steering.
Please accept God’s direction and correction with contentment and not resentment. He wants the best for you and if you just endure, He will give you more than you could have ever imagined. Don’t let the enemy nudge you into “almost sinning.” It’s so easy to think that we can do this on our own when we are walking boldly with Christ, but you must never let your guard down! If this were not a battle, we wouldn’t have to put on the whole armor of God! Let God love you with His perfect love, and you will see the glory that He wants to bring upon you.
Devotional Reading: 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 (say it as a prayer for yourself and others)
2 Samuel 12:13-25 (The story of the aftermath of David’s
adulterous affair. He pleaded with God, but after his child
died, he continued to serve God mightily without
resentment.)
Monday, July 13, 2009
Don't You Judge Me!
Don’t You Judge Me!
In a conversation I was having with a friend who hungers for the word, yet “isn’t ready” to commit fully, he accused me of judging his other friends who are living in sin. In context he was explaining how they encouraged him to do some sinful things just the night before. I just made him aware that because they are living in sin, they condone sin. I used to do the same thing, when I wasn’t where I was supposed to be in Christ. I would tell of my exploits and highlight this behavior as fun or “the time of my life.” We’ve all been or are still in a place where sinful behavior could be looked upon as “good times.” Little do we know, that we are promoting wrong behavior.
So, he said I was judging his friends. I immediately retorted, “No, judging would have been to say, ‘They’re going straight to hell for their perverse crass behavior.’ God loves them and would pleased for them to repent and turn to Him!” Then I said something that drove it home to him and I hope it drives it home to you as well. “Would you consider it judgment if I told you not to go down a ONE WAY street the wrong way? Would you say, ‘DON’T YOU JUDGE ME!’ in response?” There was silence and then it was made clear that judgment is when you attempt to determine someone’s destiny by their right now, but love is when you let someone know that their right now may hinder them from their destiny. If you drive down this one way street, there are consequences that may occur, but you have the God-given choice to turn around.
Share that with someone who needs to hear that today (including yourself). I love the Lord and all that He is in my life. He has turned me from my mess. Had not someone told me that I was in mess, I would have not been in position to be blessed. The word of God shows you, your church, good friends, and most importantly the Holy Spirit will illuminate your sin and you can choose to repent and change or stick with it to an uncertain end. YOU BE THE JUDGE!
Devotional Reading: Luke 6:37, 17:1-4
In a conversation I was having with a friend who hungers for the word, yet “isn’t ready” to commit fully, he accused me of judging his other friends who are living in sin. In context he was explaining how they encouraged him to do some sinful things just the night before. I just made him aware that because they are living in sin, they condone sin. I used to do the same thing, when I wasn’t where I was supposed to be in Christ. I would tell of my exploits and highlight this behavior as fun or “the time of my life.” We’ve all been or are still in a place where sinful behavior could be looked upon as “good times.” Little do we know, that we are promoting wrong behavior.
So, he said I was judging his friends. I immediately retorted, “No, judging would have been to say, ‘They’re going straight to hell for their perverse crass behavior.’ God loves them and would pleased for them to repent and turn to Him!” Then I said something that drove it home to him and I hope it drives it home to you as well. “Would you consider it judgment if I told you not to go down a ONE WAY street the wrong way? Would you say, ‘DON’T YOU JUDGE ME!’ in response?” There was silence and then it was made clear that judgment is when you attempt to determine someone’s destiny by their right now, but love is when you let someone know that their right now may hinder them from their destiny. If you drive down this one way street, there are consequences that may occur, but you have the God-given choice to turn around.
Share that with someone who needs to hear that today (including yourself). I love the Lord and all that He is in my life. He has turned me from my mess. Had not someone told me that I was in mess, I would have not been in position to be blessed. The word of God shows you, your church, good friends, and most importantly the Holy Spirit will illuminate your sin and you can choose to repent and change or stick with it to an uncertain end. YOU BE THE JUDGE!
Devotional Reading: Luke 6:37, 17:1-4
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