Questioning God??

Job 38:1-3 "Then the Lord speaks to Job out of the storm He said: "Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me." 

The book of Job is often our "go to" book when we fall on hard times. We say "If God did it for Job He can do it for me"  which is correct; however, we often forget that Job was a righteous man and did no wrong in the sight of God. Even still, God had a plan for Job to prove to the devil that Job would remain faithful even when things were going badly in his life. Prior to the chapter mentioned here Job had began to question God's motives in which God follows with the ULTIMATE READ. Basically telling Job who are you to question me and my plans without the knowledge AND power that I posess, I ask the questions and you provide the answers! This was right on time for me because I had begun quesitoning God about some things in my life and why He was not doing certain things that I would expect at this point in time. What we don't realize is that when we ask questions like this doubt is usually the underlying cause. We're doubting God's power, so God reminds us that He is in control of ALL things. 1 Peter 5:6-7 says "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you". Instead of thinking you're big enough to question God think of yourself as small enough to hand everything over to Him showing your need for Him and your trust in the power of His mighty hand. Notice the scripture says "hand" which is singular, God is so powerful that the work of one of His hands is sufficient for things that we don't have the power to take care of. Stop questioning God and trust His plan we will never know all the things that He has planned for us, but rest assured that He knows (Jeremiah 29:11) and that He cares enough to handle it in due time. 

 

Dead to self

Galatians 5:24 "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts."

When accepting Jesus in our hearts, it did not mean temptation was over. Salvation is confessing and believing. Sanctification is living out what you profess and believe. Our salvation means nothing if like Kim said, there is no visible fruit from God. The writer encourages us, the church, to basically be more like God. He talks about the fruit of The Spirit so that we know what characteristics we should have being born again in which Kim has previously discussed. Now after the writer stated what The Fruit were, he then concluded that if we are apart of Christ we WILL crucify our flesh. What is crucifying our flesh? Well, it is to me not feeding it. If I am feeding my spiritual man by planting God's Word on good soil(Luke 8:5-15) His Word will then take root and His Fruit will produce in my life. However, if I choose not to allow God to plant His Word and feed my flesh I will reap my harvest( Galatians 6:8). Crucifying our flesh is hard for us, but easy for our God. God will never tell us to do something without equipping us to do so. The verse says that if we belong to Jesus we WILL crucify our flesh WITH the affections and lusts. Now, we are home. So, for clarity let me just go ahead and say no one is perfect because people use that time and time again in the wrong context. Yes, no one is perfect, BUT God is and HE is able to perfect our imperfections not us. So saying we are unable to seriously live holy as God commanded is false. There are plenty couples abstaining until they marry, plenty of young people choosing not to get drunk, smoke, go to wild parties, lie, cheat, and the list goes on. This is an important scripture because not only will someone know us by our love that we are God's, but by us having self control. Which is what? One of the Fruit we should bear. I believe it is temperance in The Bible. So it states our flesh with its lusts and affections, something we ALL have. I do not care how sanctified you are we all share this struggle. Your struggle may not be my struggle as far as certain lusts or affections, but we all have to crucify some things. I have to crucify sexual lusts, you may have to crucify lusts for things. Sally may have to crucify lusts for food. Yeah, gluttony is a sin. Some may have ungodly affections that needs to be crucified. Whatever the case may be we all have that to deal with daily. So, how do we crucify our flesh with the lusts and affections it carries? We starve it! Just as The Bible states to give no place to the devil we should not feed our fleshly desires. If mom said do not eat the cookie because it will spoil our appetite, we listened and if we disobeyed we got our punishment. Same for God, He warns us about sin and when we do not listen it will spoil our spiritual appetite and our fellowship with God and we will receive our punishment. Even naturally, we rather our parents to be proud than disappointed and always punishing us and that is the same outlook we should have towards our Heavenly Father. We should strive to please Him and with doing so our flesh will die more and more each day. No, it does not stop temptation, but God will ALWAYS provide an escape(1 Cor. 10:13) so there is absolutely no excuse for us. We make things hard when it really isn't and if we have the mindset and heart to do right than we will, but if we go in thinking it is impossible to live right then we will not. Again, people will know that we are saved by us living like we are saved and not according to our flesh. I'm going to end with this scripture. It is essential to crucifying our flesh. Romans 12:2 "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

100 Days of Favor

I'm in search of a deeper more intimate relationship with God. Please join me in this challenge of "100 Days of Favor" by Joseph Prince.

God's Judgment

Amos 2:4 This is what the LORD says: "The people of Judah have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They have rejected the instruction of the LORD, refusing to obey his decrees. They have been led astray by the same lies that deceived their ancestors."

We all have this awesome view of God. In knowing God we should not forget His Holiness, Righteousness, and His Judgment. It is very serious because God commanded us to be Holy for He is Holy. How can we represent God without living a life God is pleased with? How can we witness when we choose to say and do the wrong things? The simplest thing to us can make a big difference to someone else. It could be the deciding factor if they believe in Christ or not by how we choose to act. We can not act on every impulse. I know because as a woman I tend to react irrationally not realizing the harm it can do and God does not like that. Yes, we are more emotional than men but God wants us to use that emotion for good not evil. Put it towards caring and loving and not hostility and anger. In the leading verse God is angry with Isarel. Here is a people who God has provided for, delivered from enemies, love continuously and what do they do? They choose to disobey God. It says they went back to the lies that their ancestors believed and worshipped other gods. Now, we read that and think man they were stupid. How could they be so ungrateful? Well, look at us. Many of us have lies our grandmothers and grandfathers believed and don't know it. By us not knowing we may be living in some areas of our lives the way our ancestors lived. Grandmother thought nothing was wrong with numerous dating before marriage. So, fast forward you date numerous people. Grandfather thought nothing was wrong with being a workaholic. So now you are a workaholic. It talks about believing lies and going back to their fathers gods. Just because we are not worshipping a statue does not mean we are not worshipping idol gods. Anything we put before God is idol worship. It's useless. We may worship relationships, work, ourselves, food, money, clothes, cars, and the list continues. We MUST be careful because God will only be merciful for so long until He gets fed up with us. Rightfully so, He created us, breathes into us and sent His Son as a sacrifice for us! And what do we do? Put MORE energy and time into people and things that can do NONE OF THE ABOVE and we continue to ask God for stuff and to listen to me and my problems yet don't listen and obey Him. God was frustrated and disappointed. Wouldn't we be? Have we not been with others who have wronged us and we gave them our all? So, the damage control is to simply love God. If we love Him we will strive to do more in our relationship. Do more not meaning doing good deeds, because we are NOT saved by works. Do more meaning the things any relationship needs to be healthy and productive. You know, the things that are not always seen. Talk to God more, get to know Him each day, and the more we get to know Him the more we will love Him and the deeper the love gets the stronger our witness and the less likely we are to revert back to a path of destruction. Not trying to scare anyone, but causing awareness to a serious issue. Just as Kim posted yesterday we must stay spiritually alert. Being spiritually alert is nurturing your relationship with Christ. Nurturing your relationship with Christ, will keep you from going back to old ways and worshipping things and people instead of The Creator of those things and people.

Are you SPIRITUALLY Alert?

Deuteromony 31:8 "And the LORD, he is it that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed" 

I can remember when I first gave my life to Christ, I was on a spiritual high and nobody could tell me anything about MY God and what He could and would do for me. I prayed constantly, I listened to gospel (not crossover..."lead me to the cross" GOSPEL) constantly, I studied the Word constantly, and all that comes with new salvation. Then I eventually came down from my high and things got real! My faith was tested which made it a little more difficult to be in the Word as I had been before, without doubt and worry, I was tempted to listen to secular music (which there's nothing wrong with if you can handle it). Ultimately God had brought me to the point where it was time for me to grow spiritually...I had gotten the goodnes of God down to the T but there's more to Him than that and to know God you must know the fullness of Him. 

That's when I learned that there would be several stages in my spiritual journey and the beginning was the "honeymoon" stage, for lack of a better term. I was SO So so in love with my newly restored relationship. I was showing Him all kinds of affection, I was attentive to the things He required of me, and I just wanted to be with Him all the time. I like to think of my tempting and testing stage as the "commitment stage" because that is what I think was being tested. How commited to Christ are you? If you don't have any money, are you still committed? If you're sick, are you still committed? If you lose your job, are you still committed? If your bf/gf/spouse leaves you, are you still committed? If everything that could go wrong DOES go wrong, are you still committed? As I'm writing this I'm beginning to think there aren't stages there is a cycle because I'm been at this "commitment" stage several times.

It is important that we do not zone out spiritually during times when we don't clearly see God moving in our lives. Our darkest moments are when we should be most spiritually alert. Meaning we should be on the look out for God in EVERY situation. I love the quote "There is a blessing in every lesson" I can confidently say that this is true especially when my spirtual alertness is on 10. The Word says that the Lord goes before us and will be with us so if something happens to me or in my life I know that God allowed it and because He does nothing without reason I look for that which is GOoD in the situation (even small situations). I'm so glad Marissa wrote about progression versus perfection yesterday because it is a perfect way to describe how our spiritual journey is. Perfection is achieved in Heaven progression is achieved on earth. Stay spritually alert! 

#FearlessFAITH

Progression versus perfection

2 Cor. 13:9 For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection.

In the concluding of the chapter the writer leaves the church of Corinth with some wise words. The perfection in that sentence just as well with other perfection verses in The Bible is not talking about our worldly view of perfection, but progressing. He warns them to not be reprobate earlier in the chapter and to make sure the church and us are basically moving towards good and not bad. So, is perfection better than progression? As humans we tend to inadvertently seek perfection with almost everything we do neglecting that there will be hiccups along the way. Brides want the perfect wedding. We want the perfect family, job, house, friends, spouse, kids which leads to added frustration when that "perfect" picture has a flaw. Just as off guard pics usually make better film than perfected ones life is the same way. Having a "perfect" life is fanciful and works against the life God has for us. In this life there will be imperfections in everything we do because of what we have done from the beginning which was sin against God. True perfection is in Heaven. So, having the perspective of progression is the more realistic approach when evaluating your life. I feel that life is ALL about progression than perfection. Just last night my boyfriend and I were talking about how we have progressed as a couple during our relationship. We have our disagreements, but we now compromise quicker than when we first started dating. I witnessed progression yesterday in celebration of Kim's mother received a special recognition for a great accomplishment. On the way home Kim and I talked about her progression in pursuing further education. That is what life is all about. We must look at certain aspects of our life to see if we are taking strong strides in the right or wrong direction versus expecting things to be 100 percent perfect. People will fail you. The real question is are they helping you towards your progression in life? Are they making you regress? Are they keeping you tepid? Ask these same questions for every aspect of your life. It relates to Kim's post on your talent. Perfecting your talent is the progression of it. How far have you come with what God has given you? Being saved is not about us trying to be perfect because like it states in The Bible God WILL finish the work He has begun in us. He knows ALL about being perfect and we know nothing. So, it is best to let Him clean us up daily so He can perfect His Will, His Likeness, His Fruit and once that happens we should and shall see progression. A Christian is not perfect. We are not superior to anyone. Christians should be and are humble people who love Jesus and realize we need His Help in order to survive and be better. Get it? Better not perfect. Perfected in progression. Lastly, looking at our progression enables us to be thankful versus complaining. The door of complaining is usually unlocked with a key of wanting perfection. If things don't go our way we complain and most times we are the reason things do not pan through. However if we REALLY listen and obey God that "perfection" mindset will go out the window and we can REALLY live our life HAPPILY. You will hear me say this time and time again, but life is meant to be enjoyed with everything we experience because it all shapes who we are suppose to be. So if there be any perfecting going on let God do it and watch the progression in your life. Count your wins and be thankful. Acknowledge your losses and work towards making those victories. Remember life is a process of progress. Whether it is good or bad progression is totally up to us. Enjoy your weekend!

Got Talent?

Matthew 25: 21 "His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord"

What are you doing with your God-given talents? This is another one of my favorite parables in the Gospels (I guess I love them all) and it holds true to the "Faith without Works" scripture as well. Don't be afraid to showcase your talent -- whatever it may be! Many of us have talents that we either aren't aware of or that we don't believe in. For others to believe and invest in you you must first believe and invest in yourself. God is not wasteful; therefore, He does not give you anything without an expectation for you to use it. We sing the lyrics "I give myself away so you can use me" with tears rolling down our face; yet, we often don't use the tools He gives us that allows Him to use us! Then; on the otherhand, we pray to God for INCREASE when we haven't even used the one, two, or three things that He has already given us.

You have a purpose and if you haven't figured it out yet look at your talents; surprisingly enough that's where you'll find your purpose. Now, just because you can sing doesn't mean you'll be the next big thing....God has equipped you with what He knows you can handle plus any small thing to us is BIG in and for the kingdom. You have to maximize the talents you have in the place that God has rooted you no matter how small you may think it to be. That's what the servants did in this parable! One was given 5 talents in which he maximized into 10, one was given 2 talents in which he maximized into 4, the other was given 1 talent and did nothing with it. The master was so pleased with the two that had maximized what he had given that he called them "good and faithful servants" making them ruler over MANY things.

Faithfulness! Did you see what faithfulness did for these servants? They were given an increase without having to ask for it. When you're faithful to God in doing what He has called you to do with what little you have He will most certainly reward you with an increase. We fall short in that we ask God for more before we even start, not realizing that what we have is enough. Ultimately this is a test to see if we can handle more and even deserve more. Generally, the more THINGS you have the less you desire God and He doesn't want that that's why He's very careful in what He gives us and how much He gives us. He's a jealous God (and rightfully so) He doesn't want anything to distract us from Him. Also, don't be like the servant that hid his talent! Don't sit on your talent thinking so little of it that you don't see how showcasing/using it would make a difference. Don't be afraid to be creative and think outside the box. It's okay to have reservations, but don't fear! Pray and ask God for guidance then LISTEN. Don't forget to listen for God's response! My pastor said "We cover up God's voice with our plans" and I couldn't agree with him more on this. Let go and let God!

#FearlessFAITH