Like a warning light the things you say indicate the condition of the heart and if the wound is not addressed and dealt with it will continue to speak for you. Things will come across your own lips that astound even you and you will wonder why you are so easily frustrated. It is so easy to down play things that hurt our hearts, “it’s no big deal” or “she has issues” or maybe “he’s being a jerk”. We know these things shouldn’t bother us so we act like it doesn’t and maybe it’s possible for some not to be bothered by them, though I suspect by means of self-preservation they disconnect from their feeling so that seemingly trivial things simply shed off “like water on a duck’s back” but for those who find it difficult to separate themselves from the barrage to the heart the longer these things are not addressed the more sensitive you become, until one day you look in the mirror and realize your life is defined by the frustration you have allowed to control your actions.
I love my wife dearly and would do anything for her but many times I have foresight (often through prayer) about a situation and I ask her to do something differently before it becomes an issue, she’ll appear to listen then go about doing whatever she was doing before as if I said nothing at all. Of course some ill comes of it that not only impacts other people but bad circumstances compound causing the hole to be deeper than before, confirming what I previously felt and the wound is set. If this happened once or twice no big deal, I would assume I didn’t make myself clear or she was distracted or maybe didn’t understand the weight of what I was saying but when it is a regular occurrence and I don’t address the issue of her not listening when I speak to her from my heart strange things start to come out of my mouth – that is the wound speaking!
I don’t want the wound to speak for me any longer I want to lead her as Christ leads me. This is but one example of how the heart is wounded. Wounds can come from work, friendships, church, basically anytime other people are involved the heart is vulnerable. Though it sounds like God may have made a mistake, what we fail to see is that this is by design. Through relationships with others we have the opportunity to mimic Christ’s example, in a small way we are able to give away freely what was given to us and it is by this means we are brought through the fire and refined. Will we trust God to protect our hearts while we go about doing the work He has given us to do or will we withdraw in a frail attempt to protect our own human hearts?
Most who know me know I love to ride my motorcycle, secretly sometimes I just need to get away from everything which explains the chopper style Victory Vegas, it was good for a passenger only if you were going a couple blocks but what if I allowed God to take the wound and cause strength to grow in its place? Recently God has placed a few people in my life that brought some of these things to light in my life and from unexpected places such as work and family who live in another state and some from a church that I don’t go to but many years ago worked for. As each person spoke to me it confirmed what God has been saying for a long time. Yes I have been brought to a place where change is staring me in the eye. Things have been unbelievably difficult and I’ve come close to losing a great many things God has provided but one thing has remained – His love for me and His strength to grow instead of wither and die! It’s amazing how well you can hear God’s small still voice when everything else is stripped away. There is a song that talks about choking on the gifts the world gives and I realize these “gifts” of the world is like being in a very large crowd, wanting to get to someone you can see on the other side but unable to get there because of all the people going the other direction. Likewise I’ve been able to see God and my spirit wants to get closer but stuff I’ve surrounded myself with has become a strong current that leads my flesh in the opposite direction and my spirit has been weak and unable to make progress.
As I wrote yesterday I now feel I am in a time of God’s favor, the decision has been made to let go of certain things and cling to others and I am at rest. No doubt God is preparing me for the work ahead but I have learned something of great value – the importance of listening and somehow I need to win the heart of my wife so we can continue to learning this lesson together. God’s blessings are great and what He has been doing inside of me is amazing! There are even outward tokens of the inward change – one being I have a good career that could have been jeopardized but God said, “No” and the enemy had to flee. I now pray that I will be a blessing to my employer and to those I work with, as to be an ambassador of God’s great love and so that I may continue to bless and lead my family. God is also healing old wounds as I recently addressed them with someone very special to me – my daughter and I see a green shoot sprouting up in our relationship, a place that was once barren and dry. There are many more wounds that need to be addressed and as God leads I pray that I am faithful to follow and reveal my still sensitive heart. Oh, one more thing the Vegas is gone and in its place is a bike that’s made for two and Gloria is excited about riding with me! God is good, may my heart and mind remember all that He has done and may my spirit continue to find His strength so that I may keep Him first in all things, effectively rowing up stream. The battle will not be won all at once and sometimes growth will be slow to come but the key is keeping my eyes on the One who makes all things possible.
(Galatians 6:9 TNIV) Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
God's favor
(2 Corinthians 6:2 TNIV) For he says, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.
I believe regardless of what you are going through this very moment we (mankind) are in a time of God’s favor, for there is nothing that has been withheld from us, no not even salvation even though we could not afford it. God gave to Adam rule over all the earth and the creatures there in and today we exploit the earth and every living thing on it for our own benefit but we have forgotten the One who gave it to us and though He has shown us mercy and grace we do not follow His example. One day God will take back what we have mismanaged and sin and death will be no more, for it is not the fault of the good God that bad things happen but the sinful, selfish decisions of man. But those who chose to follow Him with their lives He will make new, to those who have been faithful, to those who have not forgot the Creator and the Giver of these things we call ours, to them will He give all that He has been preparing, for these will be the ones who He welcomes into that holy city and they will worship the Father in a new place never seen before by human eye and they will be called His beloved, yes then we will know the full extent of His favor, for the Father’s heart cries out for His children and his children will run to Him never to be separated again. So if you don’t know the Creator as Abba Father… now is the day of salvation.
(Psalms 12:7-8 TNIV) You, LORD, will keep the needy safe and will protect us forever from the wicked, who freely strut about while depravity is honored by the human race.
I believe regardless of what you are going through this very moment we (mankind) are in a time of God’s favor, for there is nothing that has been withheld from us, no not even salvation even though we could not afford it. God gave to Adam rule over all the earth and the creatures there in and today we exploit the earth and every living thing on it for our own benefit but we have forgotten the One who gave it to us and though He has shown us mercy and grace we do not follow His example. One day God will take back what we have mismanaged and sin and death will be no more, for it is not the fault of the good God that bad things happen but the sinful, selfish decisions of man. But those who chose to follow Him with their lives He will make new, to those who have been faithful, to those who have not forgot the Creator and the Giver of these things we call ours, to them will He give all that He has been preparing, for these will be the ones who He welcomes into that holy city and they will worship the Father in a new place never seen before by human eye and they will be called His beloved, yes then we will know the full extent of His favor, for the Father’s heart cries out for His children and his children will run to Him never to be separated again. So if you don’t know the Creator as Abba Father… now is the day of salvation.
(Psalms 12:7-8 TNIV) You, LORD, will keep the needy safe and will protect us forever from the wicked, who freely strut about while depravity is honored by the human race.
Monday, October 14, 2013
To be reconciled
(2 Corinthians 5:18-21 TNIV) All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
We are all messengers of Christ Jesus, for there is nothing more important than the message of what Christ has done for us and in us. Through the sin of mankind we were separated from God, not just physically but spiritually. We simply did not have the currency to pay the debt that was owed but Christ Jesus reconciled us with the Father so that we once more could walk with Him as Adam and Eve did in the garden. Our highest calling is to be instruments the Master may use so others might know the work that was done because of the Father’s great love for all of us. To not answer the call as an ambassador of God is to disregard the work Christ did, in affect setting it aside for lesser things that would fill our lives. We cannot know what that does to God our Father and so we strive to live as His Word directs, to love Him with all of our heart, soul, and strength, and to love others as we love ourselves, even those who have seemingly set themselves against us. For we know it is not us that they come against but if we are living the life Christ has shown us then they are coming against Him who lives in us and when we are not living as we should those who come against us are not of God but are being used by the enemy; either way the enemy that we fight is not of flesh, bone, and blood but of the spirit. Even still we cannot lose sight of what we have been called to do – show the world the reconciliation power of our Lord Jesus Christ by loving God and His people.
(Psalms 11:7 TNIV) For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; the upright will see his face.
We are all messengers of Christ Jesus, for there is nothing more important than the message of what Christ has done for us and in us. Through the sin of mankind we were separated from God, not just physically but spiritually. We simply did not have the currency to pay the debt that was owed but Christ Jesus reconciled us with the Father so that we once more could walk with Him as Adam and Eve did in the garden. Our highest calling is to be instruments the Master may use so others might know the work that was done because of the Father’s great love for all of us. To not answer the call as an ambassador of God is to disregard the work Christ did, in affect setting it aside for lesser things that would fill our lives. We cannot know what that does to God our Father and so we strive to live as His Word directs, to love Him with all of our heart, soul, and strength, and to love others as we love ourselves, even those who have seemingly set themselves against us. For we know it is not us that they come against but if we are living the life Christ has shown us then they are coming against Him who lives in us and when we are not living as we should those who come against us are not of God but are being used by the enemy; either way the enemy that we fight is not of flesh, bone, and blood but of the spirit. Even still we cannot lose sight of what we have been called to do – show the world the reconciliation power of our Lord Jesus Christ by loving God and His people.
(Psalms 11:7 TNIV) For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; the upright will see his face.
Friday, October 11, 2013
Only the Overcomers
We want to be overcomers but if God gave us what we hoped for (the easy life) we would live out our days with nothing to overcome! Without adversity no one can say he or she is victorious, for victory comes by facing the enemy and we know that our God reigns and the enemy is already defeated because of the work Jesus has done. Yet you too shall be required to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, even though the work has already been completed. The victory is now but not yet, you are an overcomer but still you must pass the test. It’s all about faith; do you trust God to provide? Do you trust Him with your heart? Do not be easily satisfied with things of this world but choose to set be apart, separated for the Master’s purpose.
(Romans 8:37 TNIV) No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
(Revelation 2:11 MKJV) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.
(Revelation 3:5 NIrV) Those who overcome will also be dressed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life. I will speak of them by name to my Father and his angels.
(Revelation 3:21 MSG) Conquerors will sit alongside me at the head table, just as I, having conquered, took the place of honor at the side of my Father. That's my gift to the conquerors!
(Revelation 21:7 GNB) Those who win the victory will receive this from me: I will be their God, and they will be my children.
OVERCOME, (Webster)
1. To conquer; to vanquish; to subdue; as, to overcome enemies in battle.
2. To surmount; to get the better of; as, to overcome difficulties or obstacles.
OVERCOME, v.i. To gain the superiority; to be victorious.
To those who say being a Christian is for the weak and are for those in need of a crutch, I say what are you afraid of? Do you fear being led by the unseen or like the rich young ruler do you fear what will be asked of you? For he worked hard to obtain the position he enjoyed among men but in the kingdom of God he was poor and had not the currency to enter into true riches. To those who choose to bow before the Lord now, of their own free will, you not surpass hardships, no instead things will become more difficult in this life so that you may be called “overcomer”. If the Master faced these things why would not His disciples? I would not ask for difficulties, for they find me on their own but when difficulties come I know that I am being prepared for His purpose and one day this race will be ran. I want to finish strong, without stumbling or hesitation I will run into the loving arms of my Savior.
(Matthew 10:25 MKJV) It is enough for the disciple that he is like his master, and the servant like his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more those of his household?
(Romans 8:37 TNIV) No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
(Revelation 2:11 MKJV) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.
(Revelation 3:5 NIrV) Those who overcome will also be dressed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life. I will speak of them by name to my Father and his angels.
(Revelation 3:21 MSG) Conquerors will sit alongside me at the head table, just as I, having conquered, took the place of honor at the side of my Father. That's my gift to the conquerors!
(Revelation 21:7 GNB) Those who win the victory will receive this from me: I will be their God, and they will be my children.
OVERCOME, (Webster)
1. To conquer; to vanquish; to subdue; as, to overcome enemies in battle.
2. To surmount; to get the better of; as, to overcome difficulties or obstacles.
OVERCOME, v.i. To gain the superiority; to be victorious.
To those who say being a Christian is for the weak and are for those in need of a crutch, I say what are you afraid of? Do you fear being led by the unseen or like the rich young ruler do you fear what will be asked of you? For he worked hard to obtain the position he enjoyed among men but in the kingdom of God he was poor and had not the currency to enter into true riches. To those who choose to bow before the Lord now, of their own free will, you not surpass hardships, no instead things will become more difficult in this life so that you may be called “overcomer”. If the Master faced these things why would not His disciples? I would not ask for difficulties, for they find me on their own but when difficulties come I know that I am being prepared for His purpose and one day this race will be ran. I want to finish strong, without stumbling or hesitation I will run into the loving arms of my Savior.
(Matthew 10:25 MKJV) It is enough for the disciple that he is like his master, and the servant like his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more those of his household?
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Pressed but not crushed
(2 Corinthians 4:7-9 NLT) We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.
Our purpose in this life and the one to come is to bring glory to our Lord and Savior. We do that through the way we live and this life of Christ living in us will naturally bring other believers to Him and not us, pointing the way for more and more to see and know the Truth. For those who do not yet know Jesus the truth has been hidden by an enemy they are unaware of. In the end God will raise us, as Jesus was risen and a great multitude will praise Him for all that He has done and for who He is. So do not despair, do not fear, for God is with you, as you remain in Him. Press on towards the mark for that which awaits us far out shines the darkness we now face. The day will come when the One we believe in will wipe the tears from our faces and we will take His hand as we are led into our final destination, which is not the end but the beginning for we cannot even imagine what is in store for those who decided to follow the One who guides our spirits in this short time we like to call ours.
(2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NLT) That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
(Psalms 9:1-4 MSG) A David psalm. I'm thanking you, GOD, from a full heart, I'm writing the book on your wonders. I'm whistling, laughing, and jumping for joy; I'm singing your song, High God. The day my enemies turned tail and ran, they stumbled on you and fell on their faces. You took over and set everything right; when I needed you, you were there, taking charge.
Our purpose in this life and the one to come is to bring glory to our Lord and Savior. We do that through the way we live and this life of Christ living in us will naturally bring other believers to Him and not us, pointing the way for more and more to see and know the Truth. For those who do not yet know Jesus the truth has been hidden by an enemy they are unaware of. In the end God will raise us, as Jesus was risen and a great multitude will praise Him for all that He has done and for who He is. So do not despair, do not fear, for God is with you, as you remain in Him. Press on towards the mark for that which awaits us far out shines the darkness we now face. The day will come when the One we believe in will wipe the tears from our faces and we will take His hand as we are led into our final destination, which is not the end but the beginning for we cannot even imagine what is in store for those who decided to follow the One who guides our spirits in this short time we like to call ours.
(2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NLT) That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
(Psalms 9:1-4 MSG) A David psalm. I'm thanking you, GOD, from a full heart, I'm writing the book on your wonders. I'm whistling, laughing, and jumping for joy; I'm singing your song, High God. The day my enemies turned tail and ran, they stumbled on you and fell on their faces. You took over and set everything right; when I needed you, you were there, taking charge.
Monday, October 7, 2013
Who I was made to be
(2 Corinthians 2:6-8 GNB) It is enough that this person has been punished in this way by most of you. Now, however, you should forgive him and encourage him, in order to keep him from becoming so sad as to give up completely. And so I beg you to let him know that you really do love him.
What’s our purpose when we punish those who have wronged us? Is it for revenge, is it because of unforgiveness? How often do we stop what we are doing and think what is God’s purpose in this situation? Throughout God’s Word He makes it very clear that the law was given so that people would know their own sin, their own short comings, and ultimately their need for a savior. God prepared man’s heart for a savior by giving them the law through Moses first, likewise we are to stand up for what is right and true and make God’s Word known, we are not to join the wicked or even a brother of sister who makes bad choices and sometimes that requires tough decisions from us, especially if they are someone who we hold close. The goal is to keep this person from falling any further than they already have, hold them by God’s love, and point them back to Jesus. However, to try and get even for the pain they have caused and to make sure they hurt as bad as we did that attitude is not of God and quite possibly even worse and the punishment from God even more severe, read Matthew chapter 18. You see being called Christ’s is not so easy after all. Belonging to Christ Jesus means taking up our cross, forsaking what comes natural to our flesh and following in His footsteps. This requires us keeping our eyes on Him and our ears open to the moving of His Holy Spirit by what other means do we expect to walk a path unseen, by what other means do we expect to do in the spirit what is impossible in the flesh?
(Psalms 8:3-6 NIV) When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet:
Lord, because you have placed us in a place of authority therefore, You also require of us great responsibility. Help us to not forget nor take for granted this place You have given unto us. We know that You are faithful to forgive, help us to do the same with reckless abandonment. In your Son’s name, I pray amen.
What’s our purpose when we punish those who have wronged us? Is it for revenge, is it because of unforgiveness? How often do we stop what we are doing and think what is God’s purpose in this situation? Throughout God’s Word He makes it very clear that the law was given so that people would know their own sin, their own short comings, and ultimately their need for a savior. God prepared man’s heart for a savior by giving them the law through Moses first, likewise we are to stand up for what is right and true and make God’s Word known, we are not to join the wicked or even a brother of sister who makes bad choices and sometimes that requires tough decisions from us, especially if they are someone who we hold close. The goal is to keep this person from falling any further than they already have, hold them by God’s love, and point them back to Jesus. However, to try and get even for the pain they have caused and to make sure they hurt as bad as we did that attitude is not of God and quite possibly even worse and the punishment from God even more severe, read Matthew chapter 18. You see being called Christ’s is not so easy after all. Belonging to Christ Jesus means taking up our cross, forsaking what comes natural to our flesh and following in His footsteps. This requires us keeping our eyes on Him and our ears open to the moving of His Holy Spirit by what other means do we expect to walk a path unseen, by what other means do we expect to do in the spirit what is impossible in the flesh?
(Psalms 8:3-6 NIV) When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet:
Lord, because you have placed us in a place of authority therefore, You also require of us great responsibility. Help us to not forget nor take for granted this place You have given unto us. We know that You are faithful to forgive, help us to do the same with reckless abandonment. In your Son’s name, I pray amen.
Friday, October 4, 2013
What will it take
Son: How many times must I forgive?
Father: Have you sweated unto blood? Have you carried a cross that was not yours up a hill to a place you did not belong? Why do you ask me such things, when you know what was required for your forgiveness?
Son: But Father my heart is heavy and filled with pain.
Father: I know son, won’t you give those things to me instead of carrying them yourself?
Son: But Father if I do who will make sure justice is served?
Father: Am I not just? Am I not holy? There is yet another reason you cling to unforgiveness.
Son: I am mad that this wrong was brought down upon me and I want the person who wronged me to know what it is like. Father how could you let this happen to me, I trusted you!
Father: So you willingly forsake my ways so that you may hold onto unforgiveness and anger? Is it not enough that I walk with you and before you guarding you from the enemy? Do you not believe I will keep you until the end of this journey? You know I cannot let you stay like this, yet disobedience remains. Have you not seen with your own eyes the slave set free, the broken made whole, and the weak made strong? Did they change on their own, through their own strength or was it because they realized their own hopelessness and believed in me? If change does not come then you will miss all that I have planned for you.
Son: Don’t I have a right to be mad? I know you love me but I am just not ready to forgive.
Father: Son there are things you must learn and you will start with the trying of your faith not for punishment sake but so you may grow, yet it is not I that brings you to this place but your own choices but even still I will remain with you and though you must go through this it will be I who delivers you.
What is it about us that causes this self-reliance? There certainly have been enough times that things haven’t worked out as evidence that we don’t know the way but unfortunately there have been just enough times when things did work out that keeps us looking for something in ourselves that does not exist. For those who are determined to find the answer within themselves beware for your very lives hang in the balance. God is all about growing us through Christ Jesus and if we chose not to acknowledge Him in times of blessing then by our own choices we will face hardship but not all who go through hardship do so because of their own bad choices but all will change. Those who trust God grow and those who don’t will fall away, saying God is unfair, opening the possibility to do what they always wanted and follow their own blind eyes.
(2 Corinthians 1:9-10 NLT) In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And He did rescue us from mortal danger, and He will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in Him, and He will continue to rescue us.
Father: Have you sweated unto blood? Have you carried a cross that was not yours up a hill to a place you did not belong? Why do you ask me such things, when you know what was required for your forgiveness?
Son: But Father my heart is heavy and filled with pain.
Father: I know son, won’t you give those things to me instead of carrying them yourself?
Son: But Father if I do who will make sure justice is served?
Father: Am I not just? Am I not holy? There is yet another reason you cling to unforgiveness.
Son: I am mad that this wrong was brought down upon me and I want the person who wronged me to know what it is like. Father how could you let this happen to me, I trusted you!
Father: So you willingly forsake my ways so that you may hold onto unforgiveness and anger? Is it not enough that I walk with you and before you guarding you from the enemy? Do you not believe I will keep you until the end of this journey? You know I cannot let you stay like this, yet disobedience remains. Have you not seen with your own eyes the slave set free, the broken made whole, and the weak made strong? Did they change on their own, through their own strength or was it because they realized their own hopelessness and believed in me? If change does not come then you will miss all that I have planned for you.
Son: Don’t I have a right to be mad? I know you love me but I am just not ready to forgive.
Father: Son there are things you must learn and you will start with the trying of your faith not for punishment sake but so you may grow, yet it is not I that brings you to this place but your own choices but even still I will remain with you and though you must go through this it will be I who delivers you.
What is it about us that causes this self-reliance? There certainly have been enough times that things haven’t worked out as evidence that we don’t know the way but unfortunately there have been just enough times when things did work out that keeps us looking for something in ourselves that does not exist. For those who are determined to find the answer within themselves beware for your very lives hang in the balance. God is all about growing us through Christ Jesus and if we chose not to acknowledge Him in times of blessing then by our own choices we will face hardship but not all who go through hardship do so because of their own bad choices but all will change. Those who trust God grow and those who don’t will fall away, saying God is unfair, opening the possibility to do what they always wanted and follow their own blind eyes.
(2 Corinthians 1:9-10 NLT) In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And He did rescue us from mortal danger, and He will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in Him, and He will continue to rescue us.
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