Work on Me, Lord!

When I think about life, I often begin to wonder "why life here on earth when eternity with Him is the ultimate goal". This is not a thought intending to question God, but rather just my purpose and what made me so special that he chose to create me. When I begin to ponder this way, all the chaos in my mind begins to settle down and try to rationalize. Sometimes these thoughts, I believe, are just a trick of the enemy to get me away from what He truly wants for me. Some of these thoughts can be downright embarassing. These thoughts, fortunately, cause a stirring and hunger within me for the answers which ultimately takes me to the word for guidance. I am not there yet, but I have to admit that I am drawn closer to Him during these moments and these are the happy feelings that I long for. Lord, I pray that you have your way with me and that my surrender to You and Your promises continue to work together for my good and those around me. I want You in my life, I need You in my life and I place great value on Your ultimate plans for me. Work on me, Lord!

I Pray This Prayer This Day

Jesus, our material accumulation brings temporary pleasure that fades with each passing day. When we strive to hold onto that which is fleeting it deters us from that which has eternal significance. Lord, You promise to give us all things that we have need of as we seek You and Your Kingdom above all. May Your light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the glory of God in the face of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Crossings: Bible Reference Books)

"The Short End of the Stick"

"I always seem to get the short end of the stick". How many times have you heard that phrase reverberated almost daily? But, what is this "short end of the stick" and what makes me so special that I should never feel it's effects in my life? Didn't Jesus seem to almost always get this short stick? Yet, he kept it moving, knowing the truth! I am often, okay most times, guilty of the "why me?" syndrome. I am learning to remind myself, "why not me" and "it's not about me", but I would be lying if I said that it is not a difficult notion to accept. I have to admit that in seeking Him, the journey seems to get harder and harder. Thank God that the enemy is always being exposed as we continue to seek Him. When you are feeling anxious about your situation, be patient. Patience is the ability to wait on God because of what you know. Through patience we ultimately gain peace. Meditate on this: Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (2)Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (3)More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, (4)and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, (5)and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Thank you!

Lord, help me to surrender to your will. I understand that I am a work in progress and hunger for your truths. I take great comfort in knowing that you are a kind, forgiving and patient God. Thank you, Jesus for your grace and mercy. I thank you for your order and I thank you for Bean Counter, who has truly been a blessing to me in a short period of time! Community, please continue to post as I and you continue to grow in Christ.

Temptation

"When tempted, no one should say "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed" (James 1:13-14).

I Want to Know

Question: Does my purpose determine my destiny, my destiny determine my purpose or are the two completely unrelated? I believe that both are predetermined, but are they one in the same? Can your lifes turn of events alter your destiny if you are not walking in purpose? I ask these questions because I want the answers. Community, let me know.

What a Soothing Truth

..."If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31).

Should I Keep it Real?

Tonight as I spoke to a friend, I found myself "keeping it real". She assured me that this was okay and that it is a good thing to expose the enemy by revealing the areas of our lives that we have allowed him to control for so long (not her exact words, but basically). Unfortunately, after ending the phone call, I began to second guess whether or not my honesty was a smart move. Another trick of the devil? I believe so. How does he or why do we allow him to exercise so much control over our lives. It would seem that it would be so simple to just deny him access, ignore his attempts and move on. But, why isn't it? Why do we know the truth, yet continue to be tempted to do that which is against all things of God. Perhaps it is because we do have a choice and making the right choice is a true sign of obedience to God. Meditate on this: 1 Cor 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. Does this mean that we are consciously making a decision to allow the devil access into our thoughts and ultimately our lives? Because the devil is cunning by nature, his attempts to tempt us are often very subtle. This makes it imperative that we study and meditate on the word of God daily so that we can recognize and expose the enemy for the destroyer that he is.

I Want To Be Me

Sometimes, well most times, I just want to be me. Is it the people around me or the circumstances that shape and mold me? Today I passed a church with a message outside declaring that it is character and not circumstances that make the person. But, how does one develop character and is character negative, positive or both? Is it hereditary, spiritual, environmental or all three rolled into one? When I state that "I just want to be me", who is this "me" that I am speaking of? Could this declaration be merely a cop out for my unwillingness to adapt to my "situation" or is there really something to this "me" person that I speak of? Is this a person that I have dreamed up and imagined or the "me" that God's grace and mercy will have me be? Meditate on this: Galatians 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. So, according to this verse, when we walk in the spirit, there should be no question about who we are because we are being led by Him. What an awesome God we serve!

Stop and Wait

When life throws you a curve ball, do you stop and wait or do you panic? If you're like most, you panic and immediately get to the business of solving the perceived "problem". Have you ever heard the saying "if you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans"? Well, when you look at it that way, He must really be busting a gut when it comes to us, His sons and daughters. But, why do we continue to do this when we know His intentions for us? Meditate on this: Jer 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Is it fair to say that we don't trust Him as we should? Do we think that we are greater than He that is in us? "What an awful thought", you must be thinking. You may even be thinking that it's not fair to reduce it to such a simple explanation for our actions. It is a subject, however that is worthy of our attention. We must figure it out if we intend to live our lives according to His purpose for us. So, when confronted with a "problem", don't panic, stop and wait.