Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Fear Not...




Practice makes perfect right? If at first you don't succeed, try and try again! I have to remind myself that this applies in my spiritual walk as well. Most of the time I may not 'feel' God but I 'know' He's there because His word says so and He is not a liar! 

            Continuing with the theme of Obedience, I’m coming to realize that two things are at the root of being disobedient; fear or rebellion. That’s it. All the excuses we can come up with for not doing as we know we should falls under these two categories UNLESS you really don’t know any better and grace and mercy have got that covered.

I’d like to go even as far as saying that rebellion falls under fear too. No matter the circumstance(s), I really believe that being afraid of what it may mean for there to be a ‘Higher Power’ that is in control as opposed to you being in control of your life is scary to most people… even for some declared Christians.  

            But thanks be to God’s because in His presence is fullness of joy (Psa. 16:11), and the joy of the Lord is our strength (Neh. 8:10) because He is our refuge and fortress (Psa. 91:2). All He asks is for us to trust Him with all our hearts (Prov. 3:5) and He can AND will help us overcome our fears!

Simply meditate on His simple request and promise to:Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness” Isaiah 41:10.


Then take a stand and declare that: “I will fear NOTHING because NOTHING is greater than my God. #30WordsBook” (by Jarrid Wilson)



Monday, January 14, 2013

Vulnerabilities


                I have a hard time being vulnerable with just anyone. With my sisters, biological and not, I can pretty much lay my heart out in the open but not with/to a stranger or a mere acquaintance. How many agree with that? But see, therein lies the problem: the Word says that we overcome “by the blood of the Lamb and the word of [our] testimony” Rev. 12:11.  I got the “blood of the Lamb” part down pat (with the help of the Holy Ghost off course)! I have believed and received the Lord Jesus Christ into my life as my personal Savior but umm… do I REALLY have to share what You’ve brought me out of Lord? Are You sure???
              
                True story: so I’m doing my daily devotional just a few minutes ago using Jarrid Wilson’s book 30 Words: A Devotional for the Rest of Us (only $3.99 on Amazon.com and sooooooooooo worth it). The challenge of the day was to HONESTLY list three sins that I am currently struggling with AND… this is the clincher right here, AND share it with someone close with whom we can pray together about gaining freedom in these areas. Can we say instant PANIC ATTACK! So what you’re saying is I have to be open with someone else while I can barely be open with myself? Hmm….

                Oh, but that’s not it!!! What was my first post on? OBEDIENCE!!!!  Doing what God says WHEN He says it. Yup, I’m right there between ‘Rock Street’ and ‘Hard Place’; I had to do it come rain or high water. But then who am I really calling at this hour? No one! The Lord sent me here. Yup, to more than one person… God got jokes!

 My close circle already, to an extent, know my testimony and therefore do not need it. It is those people who do not know about Jesus; those who are going through EXACTLY what God brought me AND you out of that need to hear about the victory we have in Jesus Christ, that can also become their reality! It is also for those who know Jesus but STILL they struggle in a particular area of their Christian journey. I had to ask myself why I feel I’m too good to talk about my dirt that I wasn’t too good to do in the first place. #RealityCheck.

 Isn’t it sad that we are more ashamed of what people will think of us than what God will think? No I won’t go into the whole “He has a hell to put you in but man doesn’t” shpiel because we already know that and yet here we still stand in this predicament.

So what does this mean for you and me? Simply put, we need to start talking… being open with one another. You don’t have to force it to happen, but don’t shy away from the opportunity to share a vulnerable piece of you when it arises. You never know whom it may bless. And if we can’t be open with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ then who can we be open with? We have to put the mantra “be the change you want to see in this world” to work, especially in our churches.

“Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now He is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne” Heb. 12:2. Jesus saw the bigger picture. Did it hurt Him? YES (You try wearing a crown of thorns and see how it feels - Mark 15:17). Did he want to avoid it? Yes (Luke 22:42). But the end was greater than the means; our salvation was worth His suffering and pain. And in this day and age, His lost sheep’s salvation is worth OUR brief suffering too. Since to be like Christ is to suffer like Him, let me start us off then:
1.       Impure thoughts
2.       Lying
3.       Procrastination

What are your big three? (No you don’t have to list them so breathe easy).

Automatically I wanted to justify my sins and you may too but don’t fall for that trick of the enemy! Simply acknowledge them, confess them, repent and FORGET!!! God will too… just as soon as you say amen!

For “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Monday, January 7, 2013

Count your Blessings…



Name them one by one. I really love that phrase! I’ve used it countless times in conversation, on Facebook statuses, etc. But I think I failed to grasp the significance of exactly what I was saying. Picture it. How long would it take you to LITERALLY count and name your blessings? One hour? One day? One month? One year? Five? Ten? Even longer?

It’s a new year and new years signify new beginnings! I try not to come up with resolutions per say but a theme or two that can carry me through the next twelve months. One of them is Gratitude. If you’re like me, then you can relate to being able to make petitions in prayer 24/7 for everyone and everything around you. But I can’t say the same for praise and thanksgiving.

The Bible sates: “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1 Thes. 5:18 (NLT).

Soooooo... in trying to practice being grateful, I started a “memory/ thank-You box.” A jar can work too, but each and every day I have to write something I am grateful for that took place or that I thought of that day and drop it in the box. Big or small, I MUST write something. By small I mean “thank you Lord for that last seat on the bus cuz I was wearing stilettos… AMEN!” I know you are laughing but imagine the agony I would’ve been in standing for 45 minutes; possibly longer in traffic, and still having the rest of the day to endure!! Nothing is too big or small for God, He did say “…ALL circumstance,” right?

Anyway, I’m only a week in and I am finding myself appreciating so many more little things and struggling over which to write down and which to skip… Yes, I still thank God in prayer for the skipped ones (just in case you were wondering). I can’t wait to see how full the box gets by the end of the year. Maybe I’ll have two boxes… or more! (Check back in December :P)

How many boxes/jars will YOU have?

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Delayed Obedience



“Delayed obedience still equals disobedience.”

            That’s the best way to describe what I have been doing lately with regard to starting this blog; being disobedient by procrastinating. I have been searching; Youtube, Blog after blog, Google-ing, Bing-ing, Yahoo-ing… for a Christian inspirational channel or blog that I connected with. Yet I never took the time to listen to that still little voice telling me to start my own… hmm.

So, now I’m listening. Not only that, now I’m obeying. For to love God is to obey His commands (John 14:15). I have no clue how to proceed but I know He shall direct my path. “For God has not given [ME] a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7). Therefore I will embark on this journey and follow Him as He leads me throughout this year and beyond.

Follow me as I follow Him.