Ever been in a season of life when you can't believe how much God is at work??? I sure hope so 'cause it's incredible! Most of 2011 was a spiritual drought for me, but over the past few months (and what I know will be for ALL of 2012 and beyond), I've been reaping a harvest of lessons and Holy Spirit stirrings and peace and guidance that felt so distant and non-existent last year. It's great! It's more than great - it's absolutely cool, yo!
The only downside I can see in this kind of season is that because God is so at work, it's hard to keep up! I mean, it's like lesson after lesson keeps coming my way ... I've barely begun to grasp, let alone learn and DO, one lesson, and God starts workin' on me in some other area. Take the revelation "believe without seeing" for example. Man ... I'm not even close to putting that to TOTAL work in my life, and yet God is already (and has been for a while) convicting me about my attitude (more so in general than about my current life circumstances) ... and I'm only beginning to change my attitude in small ways day after day (I've still got soooo far to go) ... and He's moving on to "Do everything without arguing and complaining" (Philippians 2:4). ... Wow! Will it ever end???!!! Hahaha!
Thankfully, no, it won't.
God is too faithful to leave me the way I am. And boy, am I thankful for that!!! I want to be more like Jesus, people! Don't you?
It's amazing how God works when we let Him.
Be sensitive to the Spirit, my friends ... He's got so much to teach you! :)
. . . about life lessons, parenting lessons, and faith lessons learned and LEARNING!
Showing posts with label 30-day Jesus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 30-day Jesus. Show all posts
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
30-Day Jesus Day 6: Believing Without Seeing
Haha! A long while back, I started a blog project called 30-Day Jesus. It was supposed to be 30 straight days of posting about Jesus and what He was doing in my life each day ... to help me be more consistent in my prayer and devotions. Ha! Well, it looks like I only made it to day 5 and gave up. What a dork. ... I guess I'll have to call it "30-Day Jesus" because it's 30 days of Jesus posts ... not in a row ... but just Jesus and what He's doing in my life. ... Every time I post one of my 30-Day Photo Challenge pictures, I think of these 30-Day Jesus posts. It might be good to finish this blog project, so here I go - day 6 is today. :)
I've been thinking a lot about the goodness of God over the past several months. To be honest, I've struggled a lot with believing that God WASN'T good. Eek! Don't tell anybody I said that. A youth pastor who doesn't believe God is good? Umm ... no. "Ban her from the church!" "Get her away from those teenagers!" "Kick her out of the Christian community altogether!" ... Haha! Okay, so I'm taking that a bit far. ... But that's how I've felt! "Oh my gosh. I'm a leader in my church ... I'm teaching the teenagers about Jesus ... people think I've got it together ... and I don't believe God is good???" Ahhh!!!! Yeah, it was quite the struggle for a lot of months.
Thankfully, recently, God's been really at work in my life. He always is ... but recently, it's been extra amazing! :) The Holy Spirit brought a phrase to mind several weeks back that has changed my perspective entirely. I was on my way to my Thursday morning Bible study, when the Holy Spirit whispered to my spirit, "Believe without seeing." Although I couldn't think of the Scripture passage He was pulling this from, I immediately knew He was speaking directly to me and that finding the context of this phrase would be huge. I burst into tears as I thought more about what this phrase really entailed ... and what it meant for my current circumstances.
For so many months, I had been focused on everything but Jesus. I had been wallowing in past hurts, suffocating in dreams that had still not been met, and feeling quite depressed and defeated. ... On Thursday mornings, we had be reading and discussing the book, "Lies Women Believe" by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Wow, that's a great book! And the very first lie was "God is not really good." At the time, I had no idea that I was believing THIS SPECIFIC lie. But as we kept studying the book and things began to sink in, wow! Putting my finger on the lie really started changing my perspective. God was at work! He was telling me that I should no longer be depressed and defeated, that I was to BELIEVE in HIM no matter what my circumstances ... even though I couldn't SEE what He was doing and what He was gonna do.
And since that morning, I've been a new woman! I still have a long way to go in so many areas ... but God is really working in me about my circumstances. Believe without seeing. That phrase has really changed my life. ... Oh, and by the way, that phrase comes from Thomas' story after Jesus' death and resurrection - go read about it in John 20:24-29. Wow, it's good stuff! ... No matter what you're facing today, know that Jesus is at work in your life. Even if you can't SEE the work, BELIEVE. BELIEVE! If we believe without seeing, our faith will grow like crazy! Because that's what faith is - BELIEVING WITHOUT SEEING. :)
I've been thinking a lot about the goodness of God over the past several months. To be honest, I've struggled a lot with believing that God WASN'T good. Eek! Don't tell anybody I said that. A youth pastor who doesn't believe God is good? Umm ... no. "Ban her from the church!" "Get her away from those teenagers!" "Kick her out of the Christian community altogether!" ... Haha! Okay, so I'm taking that a bit far. ... But that's how I've felt! "Oh my gosh. I'm a leader in my church ... I'm teaching the teenagers about Jesus ... people think I've got it together ... and I don't believe God is good???" Ahhh!!!! Yeah, it was quite the struggle for a lot of months.
Thankfully, recently, God's been really at work in my life. He always is ... but recently, it's been extra amazing! :) The Holy Spirit brought a phrase to mind several weeks back that has changed my perspective entirely. I was on my way to my Thursday morning Bible study, when the Holy Spirit whispered to my spirit, "Believe without seeing." Although I couldn't think of the Scripture passage He was pulling this from, I immediately knew He was speaking directly to me and that finding the context of this phrase would be huge. I burst into tears as I thought more about what this phrase really entailed ... and what it meant for my current circumstances.
For so many months, I had been focused on everything but Jesus. I had been wallowing in past hurts, suffocating in dreams that had still not been met, and feeling quite depressed and defeated. ... On Thursday mornings, we had be reading and discussing the book, "Lies Women Believe" by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Wow, that's a great book! And the very first lie was "God is not really good." At the time, I had no idea that I was believing THIS SPECIFIC lie. But as we kept studying the book and things began to sink in, wow! Putting my finger on the lie really started changing my perspective. God was at work! He was telling me that I should no longer be depressed and defeated, that I was to BELIEVE in HIM no matter what my circumstances ... even though I couldn't SEE what He was doing and what He was gonna do.
And since that morning, I've been a new woman! I still have a long way to go in so many areas ... but God is really working in me about my circumstances. Believe without seeing. That phrase has really changed my life. ... Oh, and by the way, that phrase comes from Thomas' story after Jesus' death and resurrection - go read about it in John 20:24-29. Wow, it's good stuff! ... No matter what you're facing today, know that Jesus is at work in your life. Even if you can't SEE the work, BELIEVE. BELIEVE! If we believe without seeing, our faith will grow like crazy! Because that's what faith is - BELIEVING WITHOUT SEEING. :)
Monday, May 16, 2011
30-day Jesus Day 5: The Psalms
I stared reading Psalms again recently. Saya was talking about heaviness of that book recently ... the ups and downs of the writer ... and I got to thinking about my life. I am up and down ... All. The. Time. Sheesh.
My season of life is so lame sometimes. Sure, I need to be thankful and look at things from God's perspective and be content ... and the list goes on. But I'm not. I'll keep trying ... but I'm not always doing and saying and being the right things. And that's okay. That's what I'm learning ... that it's okay to not have it all together. I've been fooling myself into thinking that I am supposed to have it together ... that I CAN have it together! Ha! Only one person ever had it together ... Jesus. Duh! So, again, I'm learning that I don't have it together (took me a while, huh?), and that's okay.
I've been gathering some encouragement from the Psalms. Here's what I've found so far .....
Psalm 1:3 --- "He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all he does, he prospers."
Psalm 2:11 --- "Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling."
Psalm 3:3 --- "But You, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the Lord, and He answered me from His holy hill."
Psalm 4:8 --- "In peace, I will both lie down and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety."
Psalm 5:11-12 --- "But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread Your protection over them, that those who love Your name may exult in You. For You bless the righteous, O Lord; You cover him with favor as with a shield."
Psalm 6:4 --- "Turn, O Lord, deliver my life; save me for the sake of Your steadfast love."
My season of life is so lame sometimes. Sure, I need to be thankful and look at things from God's perspective and be content ... and the list goes on. But I'm not. I'll keep trying ... but I'm not always doing and saying and being the right things. And that's okay. That's what I'm learning ... that it's okay to not have it all together. I've been fooling myself into thinking that I am supposed to have it together ... that I CAN have it together! Ha! Only one person ever had it together ... Jesus. Duh! So, again, I'm learning that I don't have it together (took me a while, huh?), and that's okay.
I've been gathering some encouragement from the Psalms. Here's what I've found so far .....
Psalm 1:3 --- "He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all he does, he prospers."
Psalm 2:11 --- "Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling."
Psalm 3:3 --- "But You, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the Lord, and He answered me from His holy hill."
Psalm 4:8 --- "In peace, I will both lie down and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety."
Psalm 5:11-12 --- "But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread Your protection over them, that those who love Your name may exult in You. For You bless the righteous, O Lord; You cover him with favor as with a shield."
Psalm 6:4 --- "Turn, O Lord, deliver my life; save me for the sake of Your steadfast love."
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
30-day Jesus Day 4: The Funk
Well, the 30 days of devotions right in a row is out! Sheesh! I have proven that I am the most undisciplined person in the world ... and now, the whole world can see it! Haha! Oh, well. I'll keep bloggin' the 30-day Jesus ... it just, obviously, won't be 30 days straight.
I was talking to my youth group kids, tonight, about ... yep, you guessed it ... my journey concerning an eternal perspective. And sharing it with them made me wanna share it with you.
At the beginning of the year, I posted about my goal to further gain an eternal perspective. And like I told my SoZo-ers, I am amazed at God ... because when we ask Him to teach us things ... HE DOES! Ha! Not very profound, I know. But a really awesome concept when you think about it. ... The GOD of the UNIVERSE cares enough about ME to TEACH me things!!! Wow!!! And ever since I asked Him to teach me more about this thing called an eternal perspective, He has. :) Lately, He's been bringing lessons in the form of The Faith Dare. So I must share again ... from this great book.
The last couple of chapters have talked about "getting out of the funks of life" and "overcoming our circumstances." Good, right?
The first part - The F.U.N.K. - talked about the definition of "funk" and gave an acronym for it. Really good stuff.
Funk - "a cowering fear or a dejected mood." Did you know that is the definition of "funk"? 'Cause I sure didn't.
The second part - the acronym for "funk" - is this ...
F - a problem with our FOCUS; a time when our FEELINGS prevail
U - UNDER the circumstances, UNDER the condition, UNDER the weather
N - NEEDY or NOT thankful
K - KEEPING the fire of the funk burning by tending to it, KEEPING it alive
If you really stop and think about this acronym, you will be amazed at how right it is. Man, the funks of life (our bad moods and even the things we fear) always start with getting our focus off Christ. Hebrews 12:2-3 says, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him, endured the Cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him, who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Jesus DESERVES our attention ... our FULL attention. He does not ever want us to take our eyes off of Him. In other words, He always wants us to maintain an eternal perspective. And if we remember what Jesus went through to give us our very lives and the right perspective in the first place, we will have the right focus; we will not be weighed down by our circumstances.
Secondly, when I get stuck under my circumstances, I tend to stay under them. I let myself dwell on the difficult and frustrating times. And usually, these trying times come from an ungrateful heart towards God. ... Bummer.
If we will hang on to the promises of God, though, we will not fall into the funks of life so often. Check these out ...
~ Psalm 142:1-3
"I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy. I pour out my complaint before Him; before Him, I tell my trouble. When my spirit grows faint with in me, it is You who know my way."
~ John 16:33
"I have told you all this so that you may have peace in Me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world."
~ Romans 12:21
"Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good."
~ 1 John 5:4
"For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith."
Wow. What goodness and grace from God.
Oh, to learn this lesson! If we would strive to get out of our funks instead of wallowing in them ... if we would be thankful and not needy ... if we would get out from under our circumstances ... if we would keep our perspective in the right place ... we would so honor God.
Help us, Lord Jesus ... to let go of ourselves and live for You! :)
I was talking to my youth group kids, tonight, about ... yep, you guessed it ... my journey concerning an eternal perspective. And sharing it with them made me wanna share it with you.
At the beginning of the year, I posted about my goal to further gain an eternal perspective. And like I told my SoZo-ers, I am amazed at God ... because when we ask Him to teach us things ... HE DOES! Ha! Not very profound, I know. But a really awesome concept when you think about it. ... The GOD of the UNIVERSE cares enough about ME to TEACH me things!!! Wow!!! And ever since I asked Him to teach me more about this thing called an eternal perspective, He has. :) Lately, He's been bringing lessons in the form of The Faith Dare. So I must share again ... from this great book.
The last couple of chapters have talked about "getting out of the funks of life" and "overcoming our circumstances." Good, right?
The first part - The F.U.N.K. - talked about the definition of "funk" and gave an acronym for it. Really good stuff.
Funk - "a cowering fear or a dejected mood." Did you know that is the definition of "funk"? 'Cause I sure didn't.
The second part - the acronym for "funk" - is this ...
F - a problem with our FOCUS; a time when our FEELINGS prevail
U - UNDER the circumstances, UNDER the condition, UNDER the weather
N - NEEDY or NOT thankful
K - KEEPING the fire of the funk burning by tending to it, KEEPING it alive
If you really stop and think about this acronym, you will be amazed at how right it is. Man, the funks of life (our bad moods and even the things we fear) always start with getting our focus off Christ. Hebrews 12:2-3 says, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him, endured the Cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him, who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Jesus DESERVES our attention ... our FULL attention. He does not ever want us to take our eyes off of Him. In other words, He always wants us to maintain an eternal perspective. And if we remember what Jesus went through to give us our very lives and the right perspective in the first place, we will have the right focus; we will not be weighed down by our circumstances.
Secondly, when I get stuck under my circumstances, I tend to stay under them. I let myself dwell on the difficult and frustrating times. And usually, these trying times come from an ungrateful heart towards God. ... Bummer.
If we will hang on to the promises of God, though, we will not fall into the funks of life so often. Check these out ...
~ Psalm 142:1-3
"I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy. I pour out my complaint before Him; before Him, I tell my trouble. When my spirit grows faint with in me, it is You who know my way."
~ John 16:33
"I have told you all this so that you may have peace in Me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world."
~ Romans 12:21
"Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good."
~ 1 John 5:4
"For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith."
Wow. What goodness and grace from God.
Oh, to learn this lesson! If we would strive to get out of our funks instead of wallowing in them ... if we would be thankful and not needy ... if we would get out from under our circumstances ... if we would keep our perspective in the right place ... we would so honor God.
Help us, Lord Jesus ... to let go of ourselves and live for You! :)
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
30-day Jesus Day 3: I am of Great Value to God
So much for 30 days of devos ... wow. I've missed, what? 3 days? Ha!
Last night was a rough night.
I found out that the payroll company didn't withhold enough taxes last year, so I owe the government $700. Yeah ... lame.
Well, that's a bummer but not the end of the world.
But it still put me in a funk ... a big one.
"Stupid money" turned into "I don't have $700, nor will I have $700 by Tax Day" ... which turned into "I don't make enough money" ... which turned into "Well, if I'd only passed the Praxis, I'd be a teacher, and I'd be making some money, saving it back, and able to pay this stupid $700 without a problem." And then this one took a turn for the really bad. "I failed the Praxis so many times." "I failed." ...... "I'm a failure." "I am a screw up." "I. Am. Worthless."
Yeah. Big one. I told you.
Oh my gosh. I don't know how the mind does this ... takes something so silly waaayyyy too far!
Oh, man. It was awful. I cried for more than an hour, wallowing in my "worthlessness." ... I was feeling it bad. For a while, I really believed that I was worthless. And in feeling worthless, I felt ashamed for feeling worthless, which made me feel even worse.
I kept thinking over and over again ... what is the deal? Why do I feel this way? Man, this is bad. But I discovered something about myself ... something I don't like. The core of any of my "depths of despair" days is believing lies from Satan. I know it is a lie, but far too often, I fall for it. On a fairly regular basis, I believe that I am worthless. I think that is the root of my insecurities ... I believe that I am a screw up, a failure, a worthless person.
Can you believe that? I'm having trouble believing it ... 'cause I'm a child of God. I AM VALUABLE TO HIM!!! And of GREAT value, at that! So how can I believe that I am worthless ... that I'm not enough? .... Somehow, I have based my value on my own performance. And I guess that doesn't seem too far-fetched ... perhaps a lot of people do it ... but me? How could it be me? I'm supposed to have it together? ... Ha! See!!!! Oh my gosh!
Ya see ... I have tricked myself into thinking that I SHOULD be perfect ... that I CAN be! What??? .... Only Jesus is perfect. So what is my problem? My problem is I'm listening to the Devil's lies ... I'm believing them. I'm believing them. And believing the lies has been holding me in a state of fear. Fear of messing up ... fear of disappointing someone ... fear of not reaching my own standards. It's totally ridiculous.
... So after my crazy pity party, I finally grabbed my devotional book and my Bible. And guess what my next chapter was about? Living in the Miracle of WHO I AM!!!" ... And here is the prayer that came out of it ....
"Lord, here I am wallowing in my despair, feeling more worthless than perhaps I've ever felt ... feeling like a failure ... why me? And you bring this devotion to me. You remind me that you made me on purpose, that you have a plan for me, that you are God. How easily I lose your perspective! Oh, Jesus, I need your help. Please keep me from feeling worthless. Remind me that you CHOSE me, you've CALLED me, and you LOVE me. Please continue showing me what to do. Give me clear direction, and give me a peace that passes all understanding. Keep me, Lord. Sustain me. I need you. And please, God, be glorified in my life."
So it's gonna be a process ... coming out of fear and despair and feelings of failure often take a while. But I'm gonna work at not believing Satan's lies and work at seeing myself the way God sees me. ... Hey, there's that eternal perspective again! Man, it is a difficult thing to learn and around every corner!
I am of great value to God.
Last night was a rough night.
I found out that the payroll company didn't withhold enough taxes last year, so I owe the government $700. Yeah ... lame.
Well, that's a bummer but not the end of the world.
But it still put me in a funk ... a big one.
"Stupid money" turned into "I don't have $700, nor will I have $700 by Tax Day" ... which turned into "I don't make enough money" ... which turned into "Well, if I'd only passed the Praxis, I'd be a teacher, and I'd be making some money, saving it back, and able to pay this stupid $700 without a problem." And then this one took a turn for the really bad. "I failed the Praxis so many times." "I failed." ...... "I'm a failure." "I am a screw up." "I. Am. Worthless."
Yeah. Big one. I told you.
Oh my gosh. I don't know how the mind does this ... takes something so silly waaayyyy too far!
Oh, man. It was awful. I cried for more than an hour, wallowing in my "worthlessness." ... I was feeling it bad. For a while, I really believed that I was worthless. And in feeling worthless, I felt ashamed for feeling worthless, which made me feel even worse.
I kept thinking over and over again ... what is the deal? Why do I feel this way? Man, this is bad. But I discovered something about myself ... something I don't like. The core of any of my "depths of despair" days is believing lies from Satan. I know it is a lie, but far too often, I fall for it. On a fairly regular basis, I believe that I am worthless. I think that is the root of my insecurities ... I believe that I am a screw up, a failure, a worthless person.
Can you believe that? I'm having trouble believing it ... 'cause I'm a child of God. I AM VALUABLE TO HIM!!! And of GREAT value, at that! So how can I believe that I am worthless ... that I'm not enough? .... Somehow, I have based my value on my own performance. And I guess that doesn't seem too far-fetched ... perhaps a lot of people do it ... but me? How could it be me? I'm supposed to have it together? ... Ha! See!!!! Oh my gosh!
Ya see ... I have tricked myself into thinking that I SHOULD be perfect ... that I CAN be! What??? .... Only Jesus is perfect. So what is my problem? My problem is I'm listening to the Devil's lies ... I'm believing them. I'm believing them. And believing the lies has been holding me in a state of fear. Fear of messing up ... fear of disappointing someone ... fear of not reaching my own standards. It's totally ridiculous.
... So after my crazy pity party, I finally grabbed my devotional book and my Bible. And guess what my next chapter was about? Living in the Miracle of WHO I AM!!!" ... And here is the prayer that came out of it ....
"Lord, here I am wallowing in my despair, feeling more worthless than perhaps I've ever felt ... feeling like a failure ... why me? And you bring this devotion to me. You remind me that you made me on purpose, that you have a plan for me, that you are God. How easily I lose your perspective! Oh, Jesus, I need your help. Please keep me from feeling worthless. Remind me that you CHOSE me, you've CALLED me, and you LOVE me. Please continue showing me what to do. Give me clear direction, and give me a peace that passes all understanding. Keep me, Lord. Sustain me. I need you. And please, God, be glorified in my life."
So it's gonna be a process ... coming out of fear and despair and feelings of failure often take a while. But I'm gonna work at not believing Satan's lies and work at seeing myself the way God sees me. ... Hey, there's that eternal perspective again! Man, it is a difficult thing to learn and around every corner!
I am of great value to God.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
30-day Jesus Day 2: Freedom
Day 2 ... rock it!!! :)
On Monday nights, I hang out with a handful of my teenagers at Senior High Bible Study. I've raved about how great Andy is doing with it before ... and he really is doing an incredible job! This past Monday night, we took a look at Galatians chapter 5 and thought on the concept of "freedom." It was a great discussion, and everyone gleaned some great stuff from the passage.
Tonight, I took a look at this passage again for my devotions. I want to share my thoughts about Galatians 5 with you ...
Andy's question for us: "What does Galatians 5 tell us about freedom, about ourselves, about Christ, and about Christians?"
~ FREEDOM: It's not easy! The only way to truly live in freedom is to submit to God. Only when we give up our own desires, can we really walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-17).
~ OURSELVES (ME): We shouldn't get too caught up in rules; but instead, we should share, live, and be faith to a world that hurts in effort to please God (Galatians 5:6). When we walk in freedom, good things come out of our lives - the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
~ CHRIST: Only He can free us from our sin (Galatians 5:1).
~ CHRISTIANS: We can't think that freedom means we can do anything we want, and so, sin. No! We must use our freedom (otherwise known as our ability to overcome sin) to serve others and honor God in all we do (Galatians 5:13).
Good stuff, isn't it??? I pulled all of these ideas out of our Bible study on Monday. Wow! Thank you, Lord, for our FREEDOM!!!
On Monday nights, I hang out with a handful of my teenagers at Senior High Bible Study. I've raved about how great Andy is doing with it before ... and he really is doing an incredible job! This past Monday night, we took a look at Galatians chapter 5 and thought on the concept of "freedom." It was a great discussion, and everyone gleaned some great stuff from the passage.
Tonight, I took a look at this passage again for my devotions. I want to share my thoughts about Galatians 5 with you ...
Andy's question for us: "What does Galatians 5 tell us about freedom, about ourselves, about Christ, and about Christians?"
~ FREEDOM: It's not easy! The only way to truly live in freedom is to submit to God. Only when we give up our own desires, can we really walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-17).
~ OURSELVES (ME): We shouldn't get too caught up in rules; but instead, we should share, live, and be faith to a world that hurts in effort to please God (Galatians 5:6). When we walk in freedom, good things come out of our lives - the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
~ CHRIST: Only He can free us from our sin (Galatians 5:1).
~ CHRISTIANS: We can't think that freedom means we can do anything we want, and so, sin. No! We must use our freedom (otherwise known as our ability to overcome sin) to serve others and honor God in all we do (Galatians 5:13).
Good stuff, isn't it??? I pulled all of these ideas out of our Bible study on Monday. Wow! Thank you, Lord, for our FREEDOM!!!
Friday, February 11, 2011
30-day Jesus Day 1: A New Attitude
The Faith Dare: Day 16
A New Attitude
I think it was sometime over the summer that I started this book, The Faith Dare. Sheesh. That's ridiculous, isn't it? I'm only have way through the book, and it's stinkin' February!!! Ha! That's so Mical. ... The Faith Dare is a great devotional book that I've worked through from time to time. I'm pretty A.D.D., so I can't stick with one thing for too long. But Day 16 of this book is my Day 1 of my Jesus journey.
A new attitude ... about trials.
Did you know that our trials are yet another area of our lives in which we need to have an eternal perspective? Yes, in our difficult times, we need to see God's bigger picture. He's always at work. Aren't you glad? And there are (at least) three reasons to see trials in light of eternity.
#1 - God preserves and fulfills us through trials.
For proof, check out Psalm 138 and specifically verse 8 ... "The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; Your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of Your hands."
#2 - God conforms us to His image through trials.
Romans 8:28-29 ... "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers."
#3 - God disciplines us (allows us to go through trials) to make us holy.
Read Hebrews 12:1-11 for this one and specifically verse 10 ... "For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness."
James 1:2-4
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
Whenever life is hard, God has a plan. I will look to God and count each circumstance a gift.
- Debbie Alsdorf ... The Faith Dare
A New Attitude
I think it was sometime over the summer that I started this book, The Faith Dare. Sheesh. That's ridiculous, isn't it? I'm only have way through the book, and it's stinkin' February!!! Ha! That's so Mical. ... The Faith Dare is a great devotional book that I've worked through from time to time. I'm pretty A.D.D., so I can't stick with one thing for too long. But Day 16 of this book is my Day 1 of my Jesus journey.
A new attitude ... about trials.
Did you know that our trials are yet another area of our lives in which we need to have an eternal perspective? Yes, in our difficult times, we need to see God's bigger picture. He's always at work. Aren't you glad? And there are (at least) three reasons to see trials in light of eternity.
#1 - God preserves and fulfills us through trials.
For proof, check out Psalm 138 and specifically verse 8 ... "The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; Your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of Your hands."
#2 - God conforms us to His image through trials.
Romans 8:28-29 ... "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers."
#3 - God disciplines us (allows us to go through trials) to make us holy.
Read Hebrews 12:1-11 for this one and specifically verse 10 ... "For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness."
James 1:2-4
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
Whenever life is hard, God has a plan. I will look to God and count each circumstance a gift.
- Debbie Alsdorf ... The Faith Dare
Thursday, February 10, 2011
30-day Jesus :)
It seems like everyone and their second cousin is starting a blog project, so why not me?
Tomorrow starts a 30-day journey into getting my relationship with Jesus back!!! I thought I'd blog about it to keep me accountable. :) I need to get back into the habit of spending quality time with Jesus every single day. This is shameful ... but it's been almost a year since I was consistent in my prayer and devotions (everyday consistent, that is). Boo. That is awful. So I'm gonna try to get back to my Jesus times.
It's called "30-day Jesus" ... and it starts tomorrow A.M. :)
Tomorrow starts a 30-day journey into getting my relationship with Jesus back!!! I thought I'd blog about it to keep me accountable. :) I need to get back into the habit of spending quality time with Jesus every single day. This is shameful ... but it's been almost a year since I was consistent in my prayer and devotions (everyday consistent, that is). Boo. That is awful. So I'm gonna try to get back to my Jesus times.
It's called "30-day Jesus" ... and it starts tomorrow A.M. :)
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