A church sign in Ohio...

"The best way to get the last word is to apologize."

Fear...It is Black & White

So, I had a thought this morning about fear. I'll just get right to it. How many of us are living in fear? How many of us resemble or even portray the people of the Bible such as Moses, Joseph, Jeremiah, Jonah, and so many others? All of these people were commanded by God to do something - Moses, lead the people, Joseph, take Mary as his wife, Jeremiah, prophesy to the people, Jonah, preach to the people - and each one of these people, initially told God He was nuts. They either said that there was no way they could possibly do that, because they weren't ready or good enough, or they explained to God how everyone would react and so He couldn't possibly expect them to put themselves in that situation. Some of them (maybe even all of them) used both of these complaints. They were afraid that they weren't good enough or able enough and/or they were afraid of the reactions of others - of displeasing them.

Doesn't that sound like so many of us today. We know God is calling us in a certain direction, whether it be a vocation, a relationship, or something else, but wer're so afraid that we give God excuses to explain to Him why He must be mistaken. God mistaken - I don't think so. We have got to stop living in fear and therefore, doubting and disobeying God. We are to listen to only Him. Yes, He can use other people to teach us or show us things, but His will for our life is only shown to us. We have to stop listening to the chaotic world around us and put our focus on Him. Stop listening to our own fears or even the fears of others in their trying to protect us that prohibit us from fully following Christ. He is our one and only master - and our friend. He is in control.

Back to the Bible now. Isn't it cool that despite all these people's fears God still worked out a way in which the people eventually chose to do it His way (yes, God allows us to choose - His way, or ours). Ultimately God won out, and guess what, His way was the right way!! Sure, God had to use some drastic measures to get ahold of some of them (remember the Big Fish story and Jonah) but they listened after that. They followed Christ. I'm sure they were still afraid but they chose to trust in God. To trust that God was bigger than the people they feared and that He was bigger than them so their deficiencies wouldn't matter. In fact, their deficiencies would allow God to work and to shine through.

I don't know about you, but I'm ready to stop living in fear. I'm ready to set my eyes on Christ and obey Him, even if what He is telling me seems impossible. Nothing is impossible with Christ. I want to learn to live that, not just know it. If God is telling me this is the way something is going to go, this is my will for you and it seems against all odds, I still want to trust Him and know that's the direction my life is headed - no matter how afraid I am, or how hostile the people might be, or how inadequate I seem to be. This is what I want for my life. Do you want it for yours?

We are to set our eyes on Christ, follow, and obey, no matter what the cost or the seeming impossiblities. Read up in your Bible and you'll see just how God works in these situations. Personally, I think they're His favorite situations (impossible ones) to work with because His glory shines through so much.

Posing a question

As my last post stated, I read the Bible for quite some time this evening. I was reading in Matthew and it left me with many questions, one of which I will pose here. Please let me know what all of your opinions are on this topic. It is of great interest to me.

Why did Jesus tell the people He healed to not speak of what He had done?

Why did He tell His disciples not to tell anyone He was the Christ?

In general, why did Jesus seem to want to be kept such a secret, revealing Himself
to none, yet everyone all at the same time?

Trudging..

So, I heard from a very wise person that when you have nowhere to turn - turn to God's word and you will be amazed at how refreshed and comforted you become.

So, this evening I was having a difficult time but the problem was, I didn't really want to read the Bible. My wise counsel didn't advise what I should do in such a situation.

I chose to make myself (yes make myself) open my Bible and read it. I didn't want to read it at all. I felt unworthy to read it and felt like my mind would never be able to focus because there was so much going on in my head. However, the most amazing thing happened, as I began to read I became enthralled. It was fun and insightful and comforting. I read my Bible for much longer than I had actually anticipated and it was GREAT! God worked. All I did was obey Him and turn to Him (even if my faith was weak) and He comforted me and healed me and guided me. It was awesome. God is awesome.

So, sometimes God is the last thing (or more accuratey "person" I suppose) we want but He is still there, waiting for us when we turn to Him, even if we turn to Him when we're not really sure we want to. He is there to pick us up, hold us, and guide us. Sometimes we must choose to trudgingly turn to Him but He is gracious. All we need to do is turn to Him, even when we absolutely do not feel like doing so. He'll work miracles.

The Storm...

A few nights ago I was outside reading when a storm began to creep up. Living in the flat-lands, I was able to watch the storm slowly approach - I was very intrigued and oddly enough comforted. I could feel God's presence.

I sat there silently watching the storm as it got closer and closer. I saw the lightening in the clouds a short distance north and watched in awe. Eventually the storm was on top of me (not literally, but you get the idea). The wind was incredibly refreshing and it was not yet raining. As I stood there being amazed at the weather phenomenon I felt God saying to me, this is like life. The storm will come but you can stand strong in it with Me by your side. I will protect you and the storm will pass. The rain will allow things to grow again and you will be stronger. Lightening will strike, thunder will roar, winds will rage, and rain will fall but I will protect you from it all.

As I heard this I was amazed and at peace. It was and is so true - God will carry me and is carrying me through the storms of life. I can watch them slowly come (although sometimes we don't see them coming) and then watch as they slowly pass over and we are refreshed by the wind and rain.

Just before the rain began, I could see the sunset peeking through the storm. It was absolutely gorgeous. You know that pinkish-orange color of beautiful sunsets, I could see it shining through the dark luminous clouds in certain places. It was awesome. God was saying, "Look, even in the midst of the storm there is beauty. The beauty may not be there the entire time, as the color did diminish in time, but I will give the hope to persevere." I love sunsets, they are astounding and seeing this through the storm was so amazing!

Sadly, as it began to rain I went inside. It was sad because it was as if I had a lack of faith to trust God and stay in the storm - I chickened out (I didn't want my book to get wet -rolls eyes). I say this because I thought it was going to be a downpour. I stayed outside as it lightly drizzled but at the first sign of the rain getting heavier, I bailed. When I went inside it rained a little harder but not very hard at all and then very shortly after that, the rain stopped. Had I just had enough faith to stand in the storm the rain would have been pleasantly refreshing I'm sure.

This showed me how we often times don't stand with God in the midst of the storms. We don't have enough faith in Him so we chicken out and do it our own way - thinking that it would be better or that we'd get faster results. Instead, all we get is disappointments and missed opportunities. As Jesus says numerous times in the Bible, "Oh, ye of little faith."

I'm tired of having a weak faith. I want to have a strong faith. Is faith just a matter of choice? Choosing God over ourselves? It should be so simple, so why is it often so hard?

Judgment...Resentment

"When we openly or secretly judge another, they will tend to momentarily react in the way that we are judging them to be. If we judge them to be unloving, they may become momentarily unloving; if we judge them to be uncaaring, they may react in an uncaring way, etc."

"The more significant a person is to you, the more you are affected and provoked by their judgements."

"Just as judgments provoke temporary dysfunction, resentments provoke continuous dysfunction."

"Accumulated resentment undermines the growth of love in a relationship."

"You may wish to be loving - you may even try with all your might - but your love will never be pure unless you are free from resentment."

- Men, Women and Relationships By: John Gray

From a book

"When we feel that we are not enough, we begin to feel that what we have or what belongs to us is not enough; i.e., we do not have enough time, money, love, etc. We begin to feel that friends or family are not enough. Negative judgments ruin our relationships."

"When we are able to love, accept, appreciate, and respect others, quite automatically we begin to accept and appreciate ourselves."

"Through loving others we are able to love ourselves, and through loving ourselves we can love others. Our self-esteem and self-worth grow daily when we are creating loving relationships."

"When we stand in negative judgment of others, it is a symptom of our own self-hatred. Most negative judgments are the projections onto others of the opinions we secretly have about ourselves."

- Men, Women, and Relationships by: John Gray

Follow Christ

In Matthew ch. 4 we see true followers of Christ.


Mtthw 4:19-20 ""Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him."

Mtthw 4:21-22 "Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him."


How many of us can say we do or would follow Christ this obediently? That we would give up everything including our family and our jobs to follow Him? We know that the fishermen's bosses probably weren't very happy they left and the others' father was probably furious that they would disobey him and leave to follow this stranger.

What would we do?

What would I do?


Why is it so hard for us to give up everything and take up the Cross to follow Christ?

Temptations

Matthew 4:1-11 portrays a perfect picture of how we are to defeat temptation. Jesus was tempted and this passage shows us how He overcame temptation. According to scripture, the key is to combat the lie of temptation with a scriptural truth. Then, we need to refute satan, tell him to go away and remember and quote the truth of God. If for no other reason than to have a way to fight temptation (which is a really good reason I think) we need to memorize scripture so we can carry it at all times. The only way we defeat temptation is with Christ - we must know His truths and be willing to use them as shields for ourselves - otherwise we fall. Christ is our only way out. Doing it on our own or trying to put other worldly things into our minds to make the temptation go away won't work.

ONLY GOD (JESUS) IS GREATER & STRONGER THAN SATAN & HIS TEMPTATIONS - WE ARE NOT; WE ARE WEAK.

Mtthw 4:10-11 "Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only'." Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him."

Working hard...

"I pray as if all depends on God; I work as if all depends on me."

-Saint Teresa of Avila

Verse to reference: Phil. 2:5 and Phil. 12-13

While God is working within, we must "work out" our salvation with fear and trembling.

Forgiveness...

"We wish hate on others but it stays in our heart."

"We wish for other lives to be ruined but it is ours that is ruined."

Are we "good"

The pastor at the church I attended made this statement this morning. When first hearing (or reading as the case will be on here) this statement many people will be offended and even disagree with the statement. I ask you to please think about it before you make a judgement, however. Personally, I think it's true.

"Good people go to Hell."

We're not good - Christ is the only way that we are "good" - through Him.

"Love is stronger than all things including hate and violence. Love like heat softens the hardest rocks.Love like light illuminates the darkest caves.Love like water fills the deepest holes.Nothing can withstand its intensity and purpose."

Our Sorrows

"Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death."

2 Cor. 8:10

Words of thought...

I just read an article on 7 secrets to a long and healthy marriage. The page is really good and if you want to check it out here is the link: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/19031744/?GT1=10150. The last secret had an intriguing quote by a person married 65 years. I think it applies to us all - from those who are married all the way to those who are single.

"You are the master of your words until they are spoken. Then they become the master of you...so choose your words carefully."

Missing Pages

On the outside all we see is clay
That hides the perfect light
But no one really knows the pain inside

I understand how much it hurts
To be the one who's never seen
The missing pages in a magazine

No one knows you anymore
You're lost inside the walls you've built
No one knows you anymore
A prison deep within your soul
There is One who sees it all
He'll give you life you've never dreamed
He can see the pain underneath your skin

It's hard to see you fading
Nothing that I do can bring you back
I pray to God that you don't fade away
Your addiction is a symptom of a lost and dying soul
Without Jesus there's no hope at all

There's so much more this is not the end
It's all in your hands don't throw it away
A beautiful life with so much to give
The image of God underneath your skin

The beauty of God underneath your skin


The words of "Missing Pages" by Seventh Day Slumber. I think this could maybe cause a person think a little.

A Tall Order...

"Be on your gaurd; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love."

1 Corinthians 16:24

Thinking...

"As

a

Man

Thinks

In

His

Heart

So

He

Is."

Proverbs 23:7

It is almost scary how important our thoughts are - we need to keep a close and Godly reign on them in order to be and become who we want to be & who God wants us to be.

Challenge

"Challenge yourself to fight for what you know is right,

not for what most people find acceptable."