My Thought Process

Where I’m going…I don’t know.  All I know is God, His son Jesus my savior, His Holy Spirit, and God’s word.

Do I understand everything…no.

Do I believe everything out of the word of God…yes.

Do I mess up sometimes…definitely more than I’d like too.

God knows what’s best for me so I put my trust in Him.  I’ve tried making my life my own and all I do is set unrealistic expectations based off my own power and I have only failed. This causes frustration, depression, and hopelessness. God not only sets my focus back on track but sets my focus on Him. Only when my focus is on Him and only when my complete trust is in His abilities do I find pure joy.

I only have one life to live and I’ve lived so much of it in vain. Unhappy and terrible times were part of the everyday. Now, my life is not lived in vain but full of hope that someone, who is smarter than I, knows me better than I know myself, loved me at my worst and has never and will never give up on me. That someone is Jesus Christ.

Always moving forward striving never to look back!

When the going gets tough…

I’m sure everyone, at one time or another, has had moments in their lives when their dreams seem to be especially far away. We do everything we know to do and it seems like nothing is wielding any results. We are learning humility while fighting off despair at the same time.

I am writing this because I am in that place now, but there is one difference…God. When I used to find myself in this place of darkness I would get depressed, close myself in a dark room and cry painful tears.

Now, when I feel this despair on my shoulders I shake it off with faith. I’ve made a decision! God has a plan for me because it says that several times in His Word [Jeremiah 29:11, Prov. 16:9, Eph. 1:11].  So my decision is to believe that with all my heart and watch His plan for me unfold in ways that I never thought were possible!

My dream may not be realized today, nor today do I see encouragement of this happening. But what of tomorrow? Tomorrow is only known when it becomes today. So today I will praise the Lord for the encouragement that may come tomorrow. You may be in the same place as me, but let me encourage you and myself! What you see or don’t see today may not be what you see tomorrow.

So lets keep our thoughts high! Don’t know where to start? That’s ok, we’ll learn! Don’t know where to start learning? That’s ok, a way will be made clear in the right time!

As much as you may need to read this; I needed to write this.

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.  Hebrews 3:13

So when the going gets tough….the tough gets FAITH!!!!

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  Proverbs 3:5

YAY!!

Daily Insight

Me: God, should I do [fill in the blank]?

God: No

Me:  Ok well, I know if I do it anyway it will turn out okay so I’m gonna try and see what happens. You only live once, right?

10 years later…

Me:  God, should I do [fill in the blank]?

God: No

Me: Okie dokie; You know, see, and understand more than I do. “No” works for me!

Self-Worth

Personally, I have always had an issue with my own self-worth.  Being bullied, ignored, and not taken seriously as a child; are all things that can dig a nice trench around your life making it harder for people to cross as you get older.  My personal trench is so deep and wide that only Jesus was able to cross to the middle.  Now the Lord is helping me fill in some places of the trench by helping me see who I am, according to Him, before anything else.  Honestly, my trench has a way to go before I let anyone other than God cross it.  It’s a work in progress, and I’m clinging to God like a child clings to the pant leg of their parent shyly anticipating the coming intrusion.

I used to be overly aware and placed abnormal importance on others thoughts, actions, and expectations of me.  It didn’t matter if they knew me or not.  Living that way was tiring and too stressful.  I used to over meditate on the smallest actions or facial expressions of the people I came in contact with, to the point of depression.  The devil wanted to keep me bound to that way of thinking, but God crossed my trench and proved He loved me for me, and helped me see that the only control the enemy has over me is the control I give him.  That’s why it is extremely important to know what God sees in you [how much He loves you and cares about you], because if you know the real truth then the lies do not, and will not, seem like truth anymore.

I couldn’t sleep last night and I believe the Lord gave me this next thought, because it prompted me to write this particular blog:

You don’t have to prove yourself to others – seek God first and gain wisdom. The rest will follow.

You don’t have to prove yourself to you – when your brain is too busy to let your heart talk, you have the authority to tell your brain to keep quiet.

You don’t have to prove yourself to God – He already knows you better than you [will ever] know yourself anyway.

I pray that you find encouragment with these words, and if you’re like me…please know that:

* No one has the power to tell you what you are and are not; you always have the final say-so.

The Lord God is the only one that can sort the lies and show you the truth.  Some lies are so deeply rooted that it takes more time to uproot them because of the pain caused, but if you allow Jesus to do the uprooting; He will carry you through , soothe your pain, dry your tears, and bring you everlasting joy and peace.

He’s doing that for me….and He’ll do that for you :-D.

Marvelous Happenings

Our Lord, with hearts full of joy we thank you for your marvelous blessings showered on us today and every day.

I am beside you. Follow in all things My Guiding. Marvels beyond all your imaginings are unfolding. I am your Guide. Joy in that thought. Your Guide and your Friend.

Remember that to Me a miracle is only a natural happening. To My disciples, to My chosen, a miracle is only a natural happening. But it is a natural happening operative through spiritual forces, and therefore the man who works and understands through the senses only, regards it as something contrary to nature.

Remember too that the natural man is at enmity with God. Realize fully, and pray to realize more and more fully, that there is no wonder too marvelous to be with you an everyday happening, if you are guided and strengthened by Me.

My children, the children of My Kingdom are a peculiar people, set apart, different hopes, and aspirations, and motives, and sense of reward.

You see a marvelous happening (as that today), happening so easily, so simply, so free from all other agency, and you wonder.

My children, listen, that has not happened easily and simply. It has been achieved by hours, days, months of weariness and heartache battled against and overcome, by a steadfast, unflinching desire to conquer self, and to do My Will and live My teachings.

The frets and the worries and the scorn patiently borne mean spiritual Power acquired, operating marvelously.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Psalm 23:1

* Entirely taken from day July 19th, of the “God Calling” Devotional

Why Aren’t My Prayers Getting Answered?

If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him.  Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting).  For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind.  For truly, let not such a person imagine that he will receive anything [he asks for] from the Lord.  [For being as he is] a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), [he is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything [he thinks, feels, decides].  James 1:5-8

There are many reasons why prayers don’t seem to get answered.

1. Asking for the wrong things with the wrong motives.

2. Asking God without really knowing who He is.

3. Lack of trust in the Word of God

4. Double-mindedness

Number 4 is what I want to single out.  A large percentage of God’s people are admittedly confused. Why? As we have seen, one reason is wondering. Another is reasoning. The dictionary partially defines the word reason in the noun form as an “underlying fact or motive that provides logical sense for a premise or occurence” and in the verb form as “to use the faculty of reason: think logically.”  A simple way to say it is, reasoning occurs when a person tries to figure out the “why” behind something. Reasoning causes the mind to resolve around and around a situation, issue, or event attempting to understand all its intricate component part. We are reasoning when we dissect a statement or teaching to see if it is logical, and disregard it if it is not.  Satan frequently steals the will of God from us due to reasoning. The Lord may direct us to do a certain thing, but if ti does not make sense – if it is not logical – we may be tempted to disregard it. What God leadsa person to do does not always make logical sense to his mind. His spirit may affirm it and his mind may reject it, especially if it would be out of the ordinary or unpleasant or if it would require personal sacrifice or discomfort.  (incerp from “Battlefield of The Mind”, by Joyce Meyer [great book!]

The Lord showed me that a huge issue with me was I tended to overthink everything, analize everything. But in order for God, or anyone, to work or change your life you need trust. Trust is the concrete slab that provides a stable place to build your home. Without that solid foundation your home will crumble and you’ll become frustrated having to seemly always rebuild that house, only to see it fall again.  Without trust there is nothing. The day I decided, [and it is a choice] to trust, it felt like I jumped from a plane with no assurance that I would land safely.  The answer to finding that assurance is study the Word of God! Meditate on every word, take it literally and personally. Stop all negative, unproductive, and depressing thoughts before they enter your mind. It’s hard at first but it does get easier!

Be determined to live the life the Lord desires you to have! Joy, peace, assurance, love, supply are all yours in the name of Jesus! Believe it with NO doubts and you will receive! The crazy thing is once you give your life to Jesus all those things have already been freely given to you. All you have to do is believe and tap into them. It can start and end in your own thoughts. You have more power than you think ;).

Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.  Proverbs 3:5

**Incerp and scripture refrences taken from, “Battlefield of the Mind” by Joyce Meyer.  Bible verses from the Amplified Bible.

Is this Jesus for real?

Is this Jesus for real? That is a question I asked myself one night because I really didn’t know. I was a “Christian” for about 8 years at that point, but the problem was I never really made the decision if it was true, for me.  I went with the flow and never really thought about it.

So that night I laid it all out there. It’s not like God didn’t know what I was thinking anyway. I started saying, “Is Jesus real? With all I believe in, is it worth it? Am I just going to end up being disappointed? What is faith anyway”? That question led me to this verse:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

I knew in my heart that it wasn’t all a lie but my mind was having trouble. So I started reciting this verse over and over because I truly wanted to understand. I looked up substance = tangible, then I looked up evidence = proof.

My thought process was like this: Faith is the substance something tangible…Faith is the evidence the proof for things not seen. Faith is the tangible proof of the things I cannot see. That was it! It’s a choice! Either you believe or you don’t. All these questions became meaningless once I decided to simply believe.

It may sound like an easy answer for some, but for me it was like all my senses had to come together.

My faith, before that night looked like this: A house made out of jello…from far away it looks stable, but you get close and pressure it a little and the whole thing shakes.

My faith after that night was this: The making of a new home made of bricks on a solid foundation. This house is still being built to this day and every brick is precious to me.

You want to know if this Jesus is real. I can tell you with no doubt in my heart, mind, and body, that yes, he is. However, that is and always will be a choice you have to make for yourself.

This verse I leave you with is one of the most popular verses in the bible and for good reason. It sums up why we have the hope that we do and why we can have a relationship with God that we do.

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life”. John 3:16

I sincerely hope you find your answer, like I found mine.

Standing Firm

Standing firm is not just something you sit in a corner tellling yourself, or something you shout at everyone that asks how your doing.  Standing firm requires faith, and faith requires action.

You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete.   James 2:22

So, how do I get faith?

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.  Romans 10:16

Inside your bible is life.  Those scriptures, when read and absorbed, are more powerful than any preacher on Sunday. Those scriptures are more powerful than any friend that will listen to your problems and hug your neck 10 times a day.

The Word is your foundation, Jesus is your cornerstone.  You build a house on that and how can it fall?

I have asked myself many times; I know God can do it, but will he? I realized that is not faith. That is doubt. Doubt can’t move mountians, doubt can’t provide, and doubt can’t stand firm.

Here it is straight: read the Word of God and you will see your increased faith. Pray (prayer is a conversation); seek the Lord’s presence in silence, and you will see your increased faith.  This is a way to put faith into action.

What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?  James 2:14

Standing firm is not convincing others of your faith, and it is not convincing yourself of your faith. Standing firm just knows without the need for convincing.

I can see this faith in front of me and I am running towards it!  Do you want to stand firm like that? So that all you do is smile because you know that God is everything and your problems are nothing for him to solve.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.  Romans 8:28

Love the Lord with all your heart. Love your neighbor as yourself.  Live righteously and holy.  And this is how you live with expectancy!

Stand firm my friends. Stand firm because you know your God!

“Letting It Go” – Forgiveness

Forgiveness is typically defined as the process of concluding resentment, indignation or anger as a result of a perceived offense, difference or mistake, or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution. The Oxford English Dictionary defines forgiveness as ‘to grant free pardon and to give up all claim on account of an offense or debt’.

In my language: If someone hurt you, took advantage of you, stole from you, badmouthed you, etc, etc. – you let the offence go without expectation of having the same kindness returned to you.

When we hear of forgiveness we think “God forgave my sins through Jesus Christ”, and that’s very true. But with the Lord doing all the forgiving, what about us? We have been forgiven so much, but are we forgiving others? Also, lack of forgiveness on our part has it consequences. Pain left unchecked can turn into bitterness, bitterness into revenge, revenge into more pain or even murder. And the cycle goes on…

and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one. Matthew 6:12-13

“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:14-15

But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too. ” Mark 11:25

By accepting the hurt caused by others and not forgiving them of their wrong doings, is that not judgment on our part?

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. Luke 6:37

How many times must I be hurt? How many times must I suffer? How many times must I endure?

“If another believer sins, rebuke that person; then if there is repentance, forgive. Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.” Luke 17:3-4

Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someonewho sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven! Matthew 18:21-22

I was wondering what to write about today and the Holy Spirit led me to write this post because of the forgiveness I had to give to a friend of mine. I wasn’t expecting what the Lord showed me this morning. This friend has been my friend for at least 7 years now. And unknowingly to her, she has hurt me over and over again. But I realized that by God letting her into my life, I have suffered, yes, but I have also seen scripture come alive because that suffering.

By forgiving and really letting go of the pain, you start to see inside yourself and exactly how tightly you hold on to things that are harmful to you. It was only by God’s precious Holy Spirit that I realized I was indeed holding on to the pain she caused and allowed it to hurt me repeatedly. I realized I was bitter toward her and that hindered our relationship.

The enemy will more than likely use those old thoughts to provoke me into the same pattern of bitter living. But I will remind him that through my forgiving I have also been forgiven. And I won’t live that way anymore.

Forgiveness can be very hard sometimes. How one sees or experiences that pain is very different from person to person. As Christian brothers and sisters we must help those who want to forgive, and just need love and understanding from us, to let that pain go.

 

*** a big thank you to Wikipedia for the Forgiveness definition

Rejoice!

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.  Philippians 4:4

Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.  Romans 12:12

Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds. Exult in his holy name; rejoice, you who worship the Lord. Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him.  1 Chronicles 16:8-11

Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.  Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!  He is to be feared above all gods. The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the Lord made the heavens! Honor and majesty surround him; strength and joy fill his dwelling. Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice!  Tell all the nations, “The Lord reigns!” Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy! Let the trees of the forest rustle with praise, for the Lord is coming to judge the earth. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Cry out, “Save us, O God of our salvation! Gather and rescue us from among the nations, so we can thank your holy name and rejoice and praise you.” Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives from everlasting to everlasting!   1 Chronicles 16:23-36

But I trust in your unfailing love.  I will rejoice because you have rescued me.   Pslam 13:5

How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!  Luke 1:47

So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.  Romans 5:11

There are 137 verses that have the term rejoice (NLT). They are used in different context, but the meaning is the same. Rejoice in your God! Your God has rescued you, fed you, supported you, created you, loves you, has not and will never abondon you, and has a urgent desire to be close to you.  Even if you have nothing to your name, rejoice!