I am doing a bible study with a lady in the church. During the summer there isn't usually a bible study at church and I know that if I don't have something like this going on, it is a lot more tempting to just not have a "quiet time" with God every day. So, this is the great accountability that I need.
We are going through the study by Priscilla Shirer called Discerning the Voice of God. I want to say I have talked about things I learned in a blog a while back, so here's another! First of all, you have to genuinely WANT to hear the voice of God. We all know there are things that we are fearful to ask because we don't want the answer to be what we don't want it to be. So, first and foremost, you need to want to hear what He wants to say to you. Be open minded about it. He is God after all....He kinda has what's best for you in mind don't cha think?!
So, the new revelation for the week was what she said in the video of her teaching. She said someone came up to her and they were talking and asked how in the world do you hear the voice of God and discern His voice. She said, honestly, this lady was wanting some deep theological answer and she realized that it was probably the simplest answer ever! "The better you know God, the more clearly you can hear God."
That's the key! Seek to know God better and you will be able to know what He is saying to you! It just the same with family and close friends! You know them so you can predict certain behaviors and certain desires and sometimes can finish each others sentences!
Guys....God wants you to want Him and pursue Him the same way He wants and pursues you! We stress often about finding God's will for our lives and the key is to get to know Him on a deeper level and he will show you the way. Many forget the first part of this verse in Psalms that says Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart....I'm not quoting it cause it's from memory.... Once you get to know Him, He makes what you desire to be what He desires for you! Crazy cool right?!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Me? Selfish?
I am the baby of 3 kids. I know, I know, I'm no baby at 29, but you know what I mean! Shaun is also the baby of 3. The difference I am guessing is that I'm a girl. Growing up (my sister will be more than happy to testify to this!) I seemingly always got my way. I, once older, rarely got punished for things. I was spoiled! Shaun, on the other hand, being a boy, he didn't get his way all the time. He learned to adapt to whatever was around him.
So, can you guess I struggle with being crazy selfish? This is something I've realized about myself since I hit college. I've struggled with it, prayed about it, but it is still a huge downfall of mine. I went the first 18 years of my life always getting my way and what I wanted. Poor Shaun for having to deal with that now! :P
This week is Crockett County's Project Acts. This is a (almost) week long missions event for the teens of the county. The churches that want to participate came together last night and will finish Thursday night. They go around the county doing local missions....pass out empty bags just to swing by later this week to get food to stock the local food pantry, free car washes (not as a fundraiser, just because!), random acts of kindness, etc. We are teaching our teens how to be selfless in such a selfish world.
In the opening Worship service last night, the speaker mentioned John 3:30 in talking about this week. "He must increase; I must decrease." He was emphasizing that this week is not about us, but it is all about God. It is about glorifying His name and spreading His love to others so they may see Christ in us and want what we have.
So, when I find I am being selfish, I remind myself of that verse and it puts things into perspective. How about you?
So, can you guess I struggle with being crazy selfish? This is something I've realized about myself since I hit college. I've struggled with it, prayed about it, but it is still a huge downfall of mine. I went the first 18 years of my life always getting my way and what I wanted. Poor Shaun for having to deal with that now! :P
This week is Crockett County's Project Acts. This is a (almost) week long missions event for the teens of the county. The churches that want to participate came together last night and will finish Thursday night. They go around the county doing local missions....pass out empty bags just to swing by later this week to get food to stock the local food pantry, free car washes (not as a fundraiser, just because!), random acts of kindness, etc. We are teaching our teens how to be selfless in such a selfish world.
In the opening Worship service last night, the speaker mentioned John 3:30 in talking about this week. "He must increase; I must decrease." He was emphasizing that this week is not about us, but it is all about God. It is about glorifying His name and spreading His love to others so they may see Christ in us and want what we have.
So, when I find I am being selfish, I remind myself of that verse and it puts things into perspective. How about you?
Monday, June 13, 2011
Where are you going?
I've heard this saying before, but recently my Pastor says it a lot at the end of church. "It doesn't matter where you've come from, only matters where you're going."
That phrase can be in regards to your physical life but more importantly in regards to your spiritual life. I don't know why, but this idea has been on my mind a lot lately. Working with teenagers, you have to be careful who you let speak to them. It doesn't matter if you've had a crazy sinful background and then you found Jesus or if you really weren't a bad person it is all about how your testimony is presented.
There's two ends of this string.
On the one end you have a person who was heavy into sex, drugs, alcohol and whatnot. Their testimony can be crazy powerful....IF it is used properly. We don't want to give the teens the idea that it is okay to do it now because you can turn your life around later. (That is why we have to be selective in who we get to speak in that if they have that background, we need to know how they present their testimony.) We want the kids to focus on and realize all the greatness of what this said person has currently with Jesus...even considering what they have done in the past. The focus isn't necessarily where they've been, but it's where they are now and where they are going in the future.
The other end is a person, like me, who was a kid when I was saved, so I didn't really have time to do all the bad stuff. So how can my testimony be powerful? Well it is. God saved my sinful, dying and going to hell soul. But how can I relate with a person dealing with or used to deal with sex, drugs and rock n roll and they think God won't save them because of where they've been? What I realized lately though is that I can use God's word to help me relate to that said person. Paul! Tell them the story of Paul. He was a once MURDERER! Not only a murderer, but a murderer of Christians! Yet, God chose him to do all he did and to even author the majority of the New Testament! And if God loved Paul and forgave Paul, don't you think that He can love even us?! Isn't that crazy exciting to think about! It doesn't matter where you've come from! He loves us still! He forgives us still! He died for us still!
It ONLY matters where you are going!
Where are you going?
That phrase can be in regards to your physical life but more importantly in regards to your spiritual life. I don't know why, but this idea has been on my mind a lot lately. Working with teenagers, you have to be careful who you let speak to them. It doesn't matter if you've had a crazy sinful background and then you found Jesus or if you really weren't a bad person it is all about how your testimony is presented.
There's two ends of this string.
On the one end you have a person who was heavy into sex, drugs, alcohol and whatnot. Their testimony can be crazy powerful....IF it is used properly. We don't want to give the teens the idea that it is okay to do it now because you can turn your life around later. (That is why we have to be selective in who we get to speak in that if they have that background, we need to know how they present their testimony.) We want the kids to focus on and realize all the greatness of what this said person has currently with Jesus...even considering what they have done in the past. The focus isn't necessarily where they've been, but it's where they are now and where they are going in the future.
The other end is a person, like me, who was a kid when I was saved, so I didn't really have time to do all the bad stuff. So how can my testimony be powerful? Well it is. God saved my sinful, dying and going to hell soul. But how can I relate with a person dealing with or used to deal with sex, drugs and rock n roll and they think God won't save them because of where they've been? What I realized lately though is that I can use God's word to help me relate to that said person. Paul! Tell them the story of Paul. He was a once MURDERER! Not only a murderer, but a murderer of Christians! Yet, God chose him to do all he did and to even author the majority of the New Testament! And if God loved Paul and forgave Paul, don't you think that He can love even us?! Isn't that crazy exciting to think about! It doesn't matter where you've come from! He loves us still! He forgives us still! He died for us still!
It ONLY matters where you are going!
Where are you going?
Monday, June 6, 2011
Trusting God
I am proudly a Christian. I strive to be a "little Christ." I am not perfect though.
Most people can see all of my obvious imperfections. I nag. I'm persistent (which at times is bad). I can be nosey. Do I need to go on? We can point out our own, and usually other people's faults fairly easy. But what about the non-obvious faults.
Most people can also see that I am a very trusting individual. There are two ways of dealing with trust and others. 1. trust until they hurt you or 2.don't trust until they give you reason TO trust them. I fall in the first category. I trust way more than I should and at times, it ends up hurting me. I will be your great, trusting friend, until you give me reason not to trust you.
So, why do I struggle with trusting God at times? I think it might be because I am a control freak and I am too afraid to hand all my issues fully to God. I, just this past week, started the bible study with a friend called Discerning the Voice of God. Funny, the first couple of days it talked about trusting God. You don't hear an answer because you aren't asking because you don't trust, is what God revealed to me that second day of the study. Ouch. Yes, God you are correct. It is easy for me to ask God the questions that I feel pretty confident on what His answer will be. However, the questions that I need to ask that I am afraid to ask because I don't know his answer and am scared it may be the answer I don't want.
I'm sure it is easier for a parent to understand this more than a non-parent (which is what I am, so it is harder for me), that God has the best in mind for us. Like a parent for the child, they have the best interest of the child in mind when they make the decisions that they make, God is like that. He knows what is best for us....that's why He is God and we are not. So, why are we thinking we know more than God? By us not trusting God, it is like we are telling God to shove off....we know more than you. Wow. Not cool. Yet, that is what I do quite often...unknowingly.
God, I want to trust you. I do trust you now. I'm sorry for not doing so before.
Most people can see all of my obvious imperfections. I nag. I'm persistent (which at times is bad). I can be nosey. Do I need to go on? We can point out our own, and usually other people's faults fairly easy. But what about the non-obvious faults.
Most people can also see that I am a very trusting individual. There are two ways of dealing with trust and others. 1. trust until they hurt you or 2.don't trust until they give you reason TO trust them. I fall in the first category. I trust way more than I should and at times, it ends up hurting me. I will be your great, trusting friend, until you give me reason not to trust you.
So, why do I struggle with trusting God at times? I think it might be because I am a control freak and I am too afraid to hand all my issues fully to God. I, just this past week, started the bible study with a friend called Discerning the Voice of God. Funny, the first couple of days it talked about trusting God. You don't hear an answer because you aren't asking because you don't trust, is what God revealed to me that second day of the study. Ouch. Yes, God you are correct. It is easy for me to ask God the questions that I feel pretty confident on what His answer will be. However, the questions that I need to ask that I am afraid to ask because I don't know his answer and am scared it may be the answer I don't want.
I'm sure it is easier for a parent to understand this more than a non-parent (which is what I am, so it is harder for me), that God has the best in mind for us. Like a parent for the child, they have the best interest of the child in mind when they make the decisions that they make, God is like that. He knows what is best for us....that's why He is God and we are not. So, why are we thinking we know more than God? By us not trusting God, it is like we are telling God to shove off....we know more than you. Wow. Not cool. Yet, that is what I do quite often...unknowingly.
God, I want to trust you. I do trust you now. I'm sorry for not doing so before.
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