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Thursday, November 19, 2009

Struggling

Another thought, last night our pastor said that someone said they would rather be in hell than be in heaven with a bunch of hypocrites. And this morning I felt like the Lord was saying to me...Just because we have asked Jesus to be Lord of our lives doesn't mean that we won't have anger issues, or addictions, or control over our mouth. We are not perfect just because Jesus was, we don't become something we are not, we are changed into what we were designed for. Jesus begins to change those things in us if we are willing, but there is sooooo much more to being a Christ follower that saying I am a Christian. We are all fallen humans we all have sin in our lives. Struggling with the same things, money, addiction, love, children, jobs. Christ followers don't have to go it alone. And neither does anyone else just ask Him to come into your heart and life.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Forever After

This is just a quick note. Just got back from an awesome Wed. night service.
My heart breaks for my family and friends who know God but have no relationship with Him. He is the God of relationship, that is why He put Adam and Eve in the garden. They made choices that led to them leaving the garden. He longs to have relationships with us. It is not easy to follow Jesus. Trust me, it is not a cake walk, but He gives you the strength you need, for every step. He doesn't ask anything of you that you can not do.
Religion and relationship are not the same thing. Just because you go to church every Sun AM, Sun PM, and Wed PM, and every Bible study doesn't mean that you have a relationship.
So as our Pastor ask tonight, what do you do with Jesus at you church, and in your life? Is He just someone who died on the cross for you sins? Did He do that yes He did, but He did so much more. He ROSE from the dead and ascended into heaven. He is not longer attached to a cross, He lives. If you are dry and thirsty ask for more of Him. Ask for His Holy Spirit to come and show you how to have a relationship with Him.
John 11:25-26 (New King James Version)
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Holy Spirit

What does the New Testament really have to say about the Holy Spirit? I am a Spirit filled Christian and I get very tired of people say to me that the New Testament doesn't say anything about how the Holy Spirit works in our lives. I believe that we still live in the New Testament church. We are a continuation of Acts. Just because the book does not continue til today doesn't mean that the Holy Spirit has left the earth. I haven't read anything in the New Testament that stated that the Holy Spirit descended in to the heavens like Jesus did.

So lets take a journey into the Scriptures.

Luke 11:13

If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

John 14:15-18

15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

Luke 12:12

12 For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

John 14:26

26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

John 16:7

7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.




So we lean here God is willing to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask. If He (Holy Spirit) is something that you long for but don't have, ask.

The world doesn't know Him (Holy Spirit) they don't understand Him. He is a mystery to them. Maybe that is why as Christian we don't talk about the Holy Spirit much anymore. He turns the world off. Because He is the guiding factor in our lives, not a God who dwells in the Heavens, but a God who dwells with us and lives in us.

He teaches us what to say. He speaks to us, yes God does speak to us! He is not this all knowing, but not caring God. He longs to have a relationship with you, for you to share with Him what you share with your best friend. He know what is best for you and He is willing to lead you with His Holy Spirit if you ask.

He is our teacher. Because sometimes when we read our Bibles we don't understand everything, but if you ask and bring it to the Lord the Holy Spirit will lead and guide you to the answer.

He is our Helper! Gift, Teacher, Guide. These are just some of the many verse about the Holy Spirit.

If you don't understand pray ask for guidance, read God's word. Then ask for the Holy Spirit. If He doesn't exist then nothing will happen, but...if God's word is truth then by asking you will be filled. And the Holy Spirit will begin to work in your life. Guiding you, teaching you just like Jesus promised.

He is for today. We need Him as much today as they did in biblical times. He desires to be here for us. Step out.

Monday, May 4, 2009

Living in Grace

So last week I finally made it to church on Wednesday night. They have been working on the book Just Walk Across The Room by Bill Hybels. I need to read the book or do the study from the beginning. I would recommend the study just from the one class session that I went to.
Bill was talking about not judging people based on addictions, actions, etc. One of the questions on the study guide was...
"Have you ever thought that being a Christian that you had to become a "Lifestyle referee" to the world around you?"
That brought me back to something that the Lord was teaching me about in my own life. There is no condemnation in Christ. So basically, if the Lord of creation does not condemn me, why should I condemn others.
Now that is not to say that He doesn't correct me, He does. When He does it, it is ALWAYS in love. When He uses a human to help with the correction, which He does do, sometimes we as humans get it wrong. Maybe not the concept but the way of helping the person in need of correction.
If my family member does something that I don't think a Christ follower should do, what is my obligation? Tell them? Or keep quite? I totally think that depends on what the Lord is doing in there lives. I certainly am not going to say "Mom, the Lord told me that you..." I think that comes across harsh, and for those who are "far from God" (as Bill Hybels puts it)it comes across as being judging.
Remember Jesus ate with sinners. He dinned with tax collectors and prostitutes.
There were days not so long ago when I would see my husband doing something that I didn't believe that Christ followers should do, I would feel upset. How could he do that knowing that we have friends from church who may drive by and see him doing _____! But then I am remembered I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE LORD IS SPEAKING TO MY HUSBAND. I don't know where his heart is, or at which stage he is at.
There are a number of things that I did the first year of becoming a Christ follower that the Lord spoke to me about and I then changed with His help. I could not have stopped smoking with out Jesus' help. I tried. Believe me it was not easy, until I gave it to Him. Sometimes I still fight it.
So what I am really trying to say is to love those who can not, or will not love themselves. The Lord as called us to love our neighbors. If you see something in someone you believe to be a Christ follower and you do agree, just remember the Lord is in control. He maybe working with that person right that moment, but really its His job not yours.

1 Peter 1:22 22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,

I also believe that our judgment as a church is what causes the world to not want to enter. Remember love, not judge. You were once on the outside wanting to be loved.

Revelation 22:17 17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

Pray, for them, for yourself, for the church. Just pray!

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Teething

So for the last few day I have been dealing with a very cranky, clingy, teething baby. Last night as I was holding her as she cried I was thinking about how I would like to just be able to take away the pain. She was in so much pain she could not sleep. She would plant her face in to her bed and scream. Every few hours she is awake in pain.

So as I was holding her I was thinking about taking away her pain, and I thought about all the pain that my family and I have gone through over the last few years. I pictured God holding me in his arms while I cried and screamed about how the pain was unbearable. I am not denying that a lot of my/our pain was our fault. We made a lot of choices that caused pain. But here was the thing that I think that I really took away from this picture. If the baby doesn't teeth she will have to gum her food for the rest of her life. Teething is part of the process of growing up, it painful and it hurts. We grow up by getting though the hard and painful times in our lives. We don't need to dwell in/on them, but sometimes we need to go through them so that we can grow up.

If I had never made bad choices about money, I would not have learned to trust God with what little I do have. Its tough. Trusting the pain of teething will go away is easy for babies they don't remember that pain. If I asked my 6yr old if he remembered teething he would say no.

I am praying that some day I will remember the time learning to trust God with my money because I have "teeth" to show for it. Not because there was pain involved.
I have spend a lot of days crying in the arms of the Father, but He was and is always there for me, just like for the rest of my life I will be there for my daughter. I will carry her as much as I can, then I will trust her to my Father. He is big enough.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;

My confession tonight is that I WILL TRUST THE LORD!

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Joy

A few months ago I had an ex-coworker ask me how I could have joy in the midst of financial crisis. I felt at a loss for words. My husband and I have been in “financial ruin” for about 3 years. We live beyond paycheck to paycheck. But I believe that our winter is almost over and our spring is just arriving.
So my friend Amy and her husband are new Christians, and while being mentored by a wonderful couple, they still deal with lots of world views. She had many questions that caught me totally off guard. I wish I would have had time to think about some of my answers better. Amy and her husband had 2 cars, 2.5 children (how is that even possible?) and a house with an adjustable mortgage. Their payments had gone up to a crazy amount and even with two good jobs, things were getting tight.
So back to Amy. “How can you have joy and happiness and never have a cent to your name?”
1. God IS IN CONTROL.
2. God didn’t make me to be depressed. (I am very bad a being depressed. I almost always find a bright spot.)
3. I trust God.
On the days when it felt like my world was going to cave in during the first year I looked to God. Cried out to Him, sometimes feeling like He didn’t care. I joined a women’s Bible study and shared my situation with a few women there. They prayed and encouraged me. One thing that I learned is that the devil cannot take my joy or happiness, but rather it is given away. I would make a choice to hand over what every joy or happiness that the LORD would bring into my life. I really needed the rays of sunshine, no matter how small, so I would cling onto verses, words spoken over my family and me, and words that God would give to me. Not to mention a smile from my children, or an encouraging word from my spouse. So let’s look at some verses.
Psalms 30:5 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.
Ok, the anger part could be left out but I really feel like His favor is for life, is a very important part to having joy. I don’t just have God’s favor for a moment when things are going well, but for life, my whole life. Don’t just look at today and say, my life stinks, I am a loser because... Look to God and say it’s ok that weeping may endure for a night, because joy comes in the morning. I want His future. I may and can weep during my trials, because I know that God is going to take whatever situation it is and not just take care of me but glorify Himself in the process. I live to praise and glorify God every day. On the bad days and on the good.
Luke 12:28 If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?
I knew that no matter how bad things got, God would always be there. He will clothe me, he will feed me. Think about the Jewish tribes in Egypt. He feed them in the wilderness with manna, even when He was frustrated with them.
7Jeremiah 17:7-8 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. 8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.”
This is important to me. Most recently because I feel like I have something that God has put into my heart to share and yet we have one car, and I am home 10 hours a day with my three children. But what does this verse say? Do not fear, do not be anxious in the year of the drought, I will continue to yield fruit? What? God brought people to me, when I couldn't’t go to them.
God will take your situation and work it for the good. Don’t give up; don’t give away your joy. Hold tight to the dream God put in your heart. Don’t look down. Keep your eyes cast up toward God, He will keep you, clothe you, feed you, love you, hug you, understand you, and most of all give you joy every morning. Just look for it! Don’t forget God is our source of joy, our greatest desire, He is our success.

Monday, March 30, 2009

Power of words

I have been praying over which of the two writings I have to put up first. I believe that this is the one that I am suppose to share first, since that I believe this is part of our "aroma". I want to help our "aroma" to this world to be as Christ like a possible. I wrote this to for a work place environment, but someone mentioned the power that it could have with a spouse. So thank you for that insight.

A few years ago, I was having a real hard time with comments that co-workers would make that would just slice right to the core of who I believed that I was. I truly cared for my co-workers, and tried to work in a way that would be pleasing, not just to God, but also my co-workers. I often felt that at any given moment they ganged up just to make comments that would hurt me. I am not a person who naturally has quick comebacks ready, well maybe a curse word or two, but... So there I would be wishing that I could come up with some cutting remark so that they would know that I have had enough of what they were saying, and instead I would walk out of the room frustrated that I had no words.
Turning the other cheek is very hard when it feels like it is day after day. Sometime people know that they are good at cutting people to the core. I had talked to these women about God and I believe that they knew where I stood in my faith. So I felt like I was an easy target. One night I had an idea for the six or so women that I worked with in a very small office. Although I knew they would never agree to something like this, because it really shows us for who we really are.
So here is the idea, if you think that you might even have a small problem with a mouth that seems to have a mind of its own.
Take a notebook with you everywhere you go. Every time you feel like/say something that might be hurtful, write it down. At the end of the week, pull out the notebook and take a look at all the comments in it. Now that you are no longer in the situation, do these comments sound cruel? Would you take them back if you could?
I believe that God wants us to control the part of our thought process that has the quick comebacks.
I don't have the problem of telling people what I am thinking, but I do have to confess that I am more aware of the bad things that I think about people.
How can I love these people if I am harboring anger?

Proverbs 18:21 (NIV) "The tongue has the power of life and death and those who love it with eat its fruit."

God wants us to love our neighbor as ourselves. That means controlling not only our tongue, but also our thoughts. It is easy to say mean things and a lot harder to say I am sorry. Forgiveness is hard too, especially if it was a deep cutting hurt.