On saturday my husband and I were discussing witnessing and how hard it is. My idea of the perfect witnessing opportunity is someone who comes up to you and asks about it, honestly wanting to hear....
When has that ever happened?
I told him that I would hate to try and talk to someone and they start yelling and getting mad. I just really dont want that. My husband agreed. The conversation ended.
Later I was watching Dr. Charles Stanley preach. Its funny how you can be listening to a sermon about one thing and BAM!! God hits you upside the head with something totally different!!
I dont even remember now what he was preaching on, but he said the verse Romans 12:1 ...present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice... right then God said to me, WHAT DO YOU THINK A LIVING SACRIFICE IS? you think taking 2 or 3 minutes to explain the gospel to someone who WANTS to know is SACRIFICE??? what have you given up for that except a few minutes??
I was like WOOW! I felt so dumb...
If im to be a living sacrifice I must forsake myself, and put myself out there. Who cares what other people think, or what they say.
I thought wow, God spoke to me, I cant wait to tell my mom! Lol!! so the next morning I was going to tell her. I was thinking all about it and suddenly God SMACKED me again( I like to think of it that way. cuz thats how it feels. your thinking about something, then you feel like you have been hit upside the head with a total new thought) He said, NOW THAT YOUVE "GOT IT" WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH IT...
Oh MAN!! I actually have to put it to use??? I felt so high and mighty that God spoke to me and I actually "got" what He was saying to me. I had it, and I couldnt wait tell everyone. but then He brings me back to earth by asking when am I going to use it. ME?? I have to do it??
I know it sounds silly, but thinking about doing it, just picturing people laugh at you and make fun of you, its not really a great encouragement. I know those thoughts are from the devil, so then you have to remember this verse...
Matthew 5:11-12 "Blessed are you when people insult you, and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great..."
also
1Peter 3:14-15 " But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, alwasy being ready to make a defense to everyone that asks you to give account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence"
So lets get out there and reach people!!!
I know that God will test me in this soon, and I am praying and preparing to be ready!!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
My desire is to have faith like Job!!
Oh to have the faith of Job. Can you even imagine?
Job had been blessed by God, he had a great wife, 10 kids, he was known all across the land, and had a very prosperous job! He was living the high life. He made sure to thank God for it. The bible says he was a blameless, upright, God fearing kind of man. One that turned from sin.
Then, out of nowhere, his job is destroyed and all 10 of his kids die, in the same day!! I cant imagine losing one of my kids, much less all of them on the same day!!
Do you know what was the very first thing he did?
Fell to the ground and WORSHIPPED GOD, then says, "the Lord gives and the Lord takes away"!!
WHAT?!? WOW!!! I cannot even imagine what I would do.
Job doesnt understand why all this is happening. He doesnt know about the talk between God and satan. All he knows is he has been living for God without sin. Then the bottom falls out of his life!! But he doesnt blame God like most of us would do- he worships Him!
Then sometime later, the devil is allowed to come after him again, it says the devil smot him and he was terribly sick! The bible says that his pain was great. They didnt have pain pills back then, he had to SUFFER through all this! It was TERRIBLE!!
First he loses his job, then all 10 kids, now he is terribly sick- he had to feel that God had turned his back on him. It was so bad that his own wife came to him and said, "just curse God and die"! She was saying, just curse him and let him end your miserable life, it would be better than this!!. But Job refused. Job says "Shall we accept blessings from God but not accept adversity?"
WOW again!!! How true is that? We are selfish today to think that God HAS to bless us or we get mad at him!?! What!?? Who do we think we are?? We are not God, we cant tell God what to do!! Is He not in control?? Sometimes the adversity we face may not have a thing to do with us or our sins, but may be on a spiritual level as we see with Job.
God spoke to Job but never told him why these things happened. He said He was God and He was in control, who was he to question God. Job repented for questioning God and the Lord restored all he had lost 2 fold!! God blessed him for the rest of his days!
Oh I want to be like Job- Trusting God, knowing God is in control. When adversity comes against us- lets worship God, not because of things we have or any of that- just worship Him because He is GOD, He is WORTHY!! We dont have to have a reason to worship him, we just should!
Why should we accept blessings from God, but not accept adversity? I pray that when adversity comes to my door, I will fall down and worship God, knowing He is with me!!
Job had been blessed by God, he had a great wife, 10 kids, he was known all across the land, and had a very prosperous job! He was living the high life. He made sure to thank God for it. The bible says he was a blameless, upright, God fearing kind of man. One that turned from sin.
Then, out of nowhere, his job is destroyed and all 10 of his kids die, in the same day!! I cant imagine losing one of my kids, much less all of them on the same day!!
Do you know what was the very first thing he did?
Fell to the ground and WORSHIPPED GOD, then says, "the Lord gives and the Lord takes away"!!
WHAT?!? WOW!!! I cannot even imagine what I would do.
Job doesnt understand why all this is happening. He doesnt know about the talk between God and satan. All he knows is he has been living for God without sin. Then the bottom falls out of his life!! But he doesnt blame God like most of us would do- he worships Him!
Then sometime later, the devil is allowed to come after him again, it says the devil smot him and he was terribly sick! The bible says that his pain was great. They didnt have pain pills back then, he had to SUFFER through all this! It was TERRIBLE!!
First he loses his job, then all 10 kids, now he is terribly sick- he had to feel that God had turned his back on him. It was so bad that his own wife came to him and said, "just curse God and die"! She was saying, just curse him and let him end your miserable life, it would be better than this!!. But Job refused. Job says "Shall we accept blessings from God but not accept adversity?"
WOW again!!! How true is that? We are selfish today to think that God HAS to bless us or we get mad at him!?! What!?? Who do we think we are?? We are not God, we cant tell God what to do!! Is He not in control?? Sometimes the adversity we face may not have a thing to do with us or our sins, but may be on a spiritual level as we see with Job.
God spoke to Job but never told him why these things happened. He said He was God and He was in control, who was he to question God. Job repented for questioning God and the Lord restored all he had lost 2 fold!! God blessed him for the rest of his days!
Oh I want to be like Job- Trusting God, knowing God is in control. When adversity comes against us- lets worship God, not because of things we have or any of that- just worship Him because He is GOD, He is WORTHY!! We dont have to have a reason to worship him, we just should!
Why should we accept blessings from God, but not accept adversity? I pray that when adversity comes to my door, I will fall down and worship God, knowing He is with me!!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
If Im saved, its ok to continue sinning, God will forgive me, right??
This one wont be as easy as the ones before but I feel God is leading me to say these things, please continue reading....
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins He is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Does This verse mean we have the right to continue in sin just because we know God can forgive us for it??
That's a big question. And for that lets look at what the bible says. because if your a christian then you believe the bible and will trust and do what it says. Here we go...
Romans 6:1-2 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God Forbid! How shall we, that are dead to sin, continue in it any longer?
WOW! That's tough. It pretty much says it all. if we have accepted Christ's Grace then we should be dead to sin, which is just a fancy way of saying that we are no longer controlled by it, or wanting to get rid of it because it is wrong. Really we should HATE it because it only brings strife and frustration, and distance between you and God.
Here's another
V. 11-14 consider yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God. Therefore do not let sin reign in you mortal body so that you obey its lusts and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness
...pretty plain there also...
Another...
2 Cor 5:17 If anyone be in Christ he is a new creation, old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new!
Old things have passed away- If you have truly repented and turned from your sin to God and believed on Jesus for your salvation, then old things are gone. you no longer want the old things, you have a new perspective on the things you use to do, the view you had of sin is different, you see it now for what it is-evil against God!
Last thing-
The answer is yes, He will forgive-but only out of true repentance-if your continuing to sin with no guilt then maybe you should think about that...
Are you continuing to do sinful things without feeling bad about them?
Think about this for a moment- Could it be that you never TRULY repented and accepted Christ? Maybe you just did it because it felt good at the time, but you never really felt bad about your sins or you never gave it all to God. whatever it might have been, don't wait any longer- run to Him now! Confess your sins before God and ask for the forgiveness provided by Jesus Christ, turn from the sin, and ask God to become Lord of your life!!- That's all you have to do!
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins He is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Does This verse mean we have the right to continue in sin just because we know God can forgive us for it??
That's a big question. And for that lets look at what the bible says. because if your a christian then you believe the bible and will trust and do what it says. Here we go...
Romans 6:1-2 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God Forbid! How shall we, that are dead to sin, continue in it any longer?
WOW! That's tough. It pretty much says it all. if we have accepted Christ's Grace then we should be dead to sin, which is just a fancy way of saying that we are no longer controlled by it, or wanting to get rid of it because it is wrong. Really we should HATE it because it only brings strife and frustration, and distance between you and God.
Here's another
V. 11-14 consider yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God. Therefore do not let sin reign in you mortal body so that you obey its lusts and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness
...pretty plain there also...
Another...
2 Cor 5:17 If anyone be in Christ he is a new creation, old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new!
Old things have passed away- If you have truly repented and turned from your sin to God and believed on Jesus for your salvation, then old things are gone. you no longer want the old things, you have a new perspective on the things you use to do, the view you had of sin is different, you see it now for what it is-evil against God!
Last thing-
The answer is yes, He will forgive-but only out of true repentance-if your continuing to sin with no guilt then maybe you should think about that...
Are you continuing to do sinful things without feeling bad about them?
Think about this for a moment- Could it be that you never TRULY repented and accepted Christ? Maybe you just did it because it felt good at the time, but you never really felt bad about your sins or you never gave it all to God. whatever it might have been, don't wait any longer- run to Him now! Confess your sins before God and ask for the forgiveness provided by Jesus Christ, turn from the sin, and ask God to become Lord of your life!!- That's all you have to do!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
My eyes are open. So whats in my sight??
Its been a couple weeks since my first blog because I had to study and find God more closely so that I might write what He wants me to write. I have been studying and this is what I have found...
There are many things I see everyday, things such as my kids and husband, my house that needs cleaning, bills that need to be paid, the money that's in the bank-or lack there of, even that pool that I want. I don't have to physically SEE it, but its always on my mind, so spiritually its whats in my view. I also try to see Jesus and God everyday in the bible or through teaching of some kind. And THAT'S where its at! Seeing Jesus!! When I look at all the other things going on, my view of Jesus gets blurry and it gets hard to find Him, but if I wake up thinking about Him and the things of heaven, He is there, right there!! The bible says "set your affection on things above, not on things of the earth" Col 3:15 Don't you think if God says not to dwell on earthly things, ITS FOR A REASON??? I believe its because He knows we cant handle them alone, He knows that the devil is GOOD at what he does!
Of course I'm not saying that we should ignore the other things, because we cant, our bills wont get paid if we don't remember to pay them. My point is if I put my focus on them and obsess on them, that's when I get overwhelmed and depressed and confused. We all know who the author of confusion is, don't we? The DEVIL!! So we know he is just trying to get us AGAIN!! That's the way it seems to be, one thing after another, everyday! Its tiring!! And that's his purpose!! He knows that if we let just a little of the world in, it will eventually consume us! I know it does me! Seems like every time the kids get me irritated, then my husband will do something and then I drop something and before I know it I'm so mad I cant see straight, I'm yelling and fussing and in a REALLY BAD mood! I'm learning that when that first thing happens, just let it go, breathe in and out, count backwards from 10- whatever works for you, and then PRAY!! Get your eyes back on God and the next few things wont be so bad!
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2
There are many things I see everyday, things such as my kids and husband, my house that needs cleaning, bills that need to be paid, the money that's in the bank-or lack there of, even that pool that I want. I don't have to physically SEE it, but its always on my mind, so spiritually its whats in my view. I also try to see Jesus and God everyday in the bible or through teaching of some kind. And THAT'S where its at! Seeing Jesus!! When I look at all the other things going on, my view of Jesus gets blurry and it gets hard to find Him, but if I wake up thinking about Him and the things of heaven, He is there, right there!! The bible says "set your affection on things above, not on things of the earth" Col 3:15 Don't you think if God says not to dwell on earthly things, ITS FOR A REASON??? I believe its because He knows we cant handle them alone, He knows that the devil is GOOD at what he does!
Of course I'm not saying that we should ignore the other things, because we cant, our bills wont get paid if we don't remember to pay them. My point is if I put my focus on them and obsess on them, that's when I get overwhelmed and depressed and confused. We all know who the author of confusion is, don't we? The DEVIL!! So we know he is just trying to get us AGAIN!! That's the way it seems to be, one thing after another, everyday! Its tiring!! And that's his purpose!! He knows that if we let just a little of the world in, it will eventually consume us! I know it does me! Seems like every time the kids get me irritated, then my husband will do something and then I drop something and before I know it I'm so mad I cant see straight, I'm yelling and fussing and in a REALLY BAD mood! I'm learning that when that first thing happens, just let it go, breathe in and out, count backwards from 10- whatever works for you, and then PRAY!! Get your eyes back on God and the next few things wont be so bad!
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2
6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the PEACE OF GOD, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:6-9
Did you read that??? That's important!! That peace is what I want! It says don't be anxious-don't worry about things going on! but PRAY about it, petition God about it, be thankful about it, and that PEACE He will give to you!!! He is in control!! 1Thes 5:16-19 says "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in ALL circumstances, for this is Gods will for you. Do not put out the Spirits fire" PRAY, be thankful in every situation, because if you begin to doubt and worry you will quench the Spirit! And the Spirit is who is working in your life, the one that will bring you that peace!! You don't want to quench him!!
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