Category: Biblical

Consistency

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Heb.13:8)

Does your life ever feel like this weather report? One extreme to another? No consistency? My life has and still does at times. I can get to many irons in the fire and suddenly feel like I’m going from 90-nothing in seconds flat. I have moments of feeling like wonder woman and then find out her powers were not even real. Or, I get stuck in a rut of allowing my emotions to dictate my day vs allowing my helper; the Holy Spirit to direct me. I go from bad to worse until I look to God, then my life comes back into a constant sense of peace. The only way I can stay constant in my life is to rely on Him. God promises me that through consistent effort, particularly in obedience to Him, it will lead to fruitful results. Galatians 6:9: Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up”. If we will find ourselves imitating Jesus as in the scripture above; stay the same, how much more fruit might we bear? I don’t want to be like the wind, changing directions day to day. I think about the character of Jesus how trustworthy He is: yesterday; active in creation, today; offering salvation, and forever; reigning in heaven. I put my trust in Him fully and if I want others to trust me it’s important that I be consistent, that they may know what to expect from me at any given time. I think about my husband and all the times he has left for work not knowing who he was going to come back home to. Like I mentioned before I have allowed my emotions to be inconsistent, not a good thing. The fruit that was being produced was not even good enough to throw out to the wild animals. Don’t mistake consistency as we are never meant to change anything in our life or in ourself. There are times in life when we are waiting for change, yet we need to remain consistent in what we are doing in order to ensure the results we are aiming for, despite temporary setbacks. I am going through a situation right now that is requiring me to remain the same until the Lord shows me otherwise; I do not change. I am learning self-discipline through the waiting, not allowing my thoughts and my emotions and my timing to interfere with Gods. I am hoping the outcome of my reputation in this and the fact that I can be relied upon will be good fruit that I and all involved will glean from. I also, pray that through all of this that it will help strengthen me to be more consistent in other areas of my life, forming a new habit, making it easier to overcome obstacles in my life compared to being so sporadic. So when I think of change, this would be a good area to practice change. I’m not trying anymore to be perfect, I found that developing consistency is much more effective than perfection and it’s doable. My words will be enough when others see the consistency in them, they will know what to expect from me, (that’s just a note to self). I am tired of being tired mentally. I have found when I make consistency a part of my daily routine it allows me to stay focused on my goal and it reduces the stress. Last thing I have to say regarding this new habit of consistency is, follow through! Stay committed to your belief in your capability to achieve your goal, build that confidence that you can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens you (Philippians 4:13). He is our divine support, we can face any challenge and find contentment in all circumstances, and overcome any obstacle. The power comes from Christ, not from within ourselves.

A Place of Contentment

For I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content. (Phil. 4:11)

I can be content and find peace by accepting situations, material things I have or don’t have as well as current relationships I’m in exactly as they are. Because I am not relying on what or they can or will do for me. Even though while being content with whatever my present situation may be, I am still striving for improvement and personal growth. I am still working on improving in the area of managing my stress, reducing my anxieties, trying to be more positive and calmer in specific situations. I am a work in progress. When I spend some mindful time meditating on being content, what exactly does that require of me? One of the first things that comes to mind is; what am I grateful for right now, this very minute? I have to start in the right now, my current situation. Because it is usually my current situation that has me feeling discontent. I have to avoid comparing myself to others. That is a huge one for me. I always feel like I don’t measure up, I see all my flaws whether anyone else does or not. If I am content, then I will have a quiet sense of peace and satisfaction in knowing I am enough. There is a very spiritual part in this that goes deep, it’s an inner sense of completeness, not relying on my eternal being, but instead who I am on the inside. That is … who I am. That is who God created me to be. I heard many times in life what I was not and what I was incompetent at, people have even shared their value of me. I don’t say that for pity sake, I say that because we need to learn to hear what our creator has to say about us, not others. We cannot be content with what others say, only what our Creator says. The One that gave you life, made you in His image, doesn’t make mistakes. The One that says, I have a plan for you and a hope for your future and it is GOOD. I know you may be thinking, “well yesterday you just spoke of how you were not content in your home here on earth. That contentment to you was your home in heaven.” And that is correct. Because that is truth. God has already explained to me the reason for the discontentment. This is not my home, I’m just traveling through, it’s a journey on my way home. By knowing this I can now be content. Truth allows you a sense of contentment, while wondering and worrying will bring you discontentment. “I give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thess. 5:18). Contentment is learned (Phil. 4:11b) “….for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.” I am making it a goal to set my mind on the things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, virtuous, and praiseworthy (Phil.4:8) and FIND the presence of the God of peace (Phil.4:9) I am learning to be content.

Don’t Look Back

Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold I do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert. (Is. 43:18-19)

Looking back is often associated with turning back to sin, as in the photo above; Lot’s wife turning into a pillar of salt (Gen. 19:26) There was a time when I would look back at my early years in life and say, “those were the good ‘ole days.” A lot of those memories were full of carnal behaviors and my sinful nature. I may have been a bit like Lot’s wife; reluctant to leave. Oh, how I thank you Father for mercy & grace. I can see now, those really weren’t the good ‘ole days. My flesh was being fed, but my spirit man wasn’t. God had way better days in store for me. In (Isaiah 43:18) the Lord commanded the people not to remember the past, it would be of no significance, He was establishing something new. Just as we should no longer look back at our regrets, it can be dangerous in keeping us from our ability to follow Christ. Condemnation is not of God, conviction is. If God is convicting you about something from your past it is likely you simply need to fall to your knees and repent, so that you can receive freedom from that. Don’t keep going back and revisiting that past sin, habit or hurt. Allow God to forgive you, heal you and move on. (Be sure to forgive yourself to.) Paul expresses the need to let go of the past failures and move forward toward the goals in Christ (Philippians 3:13-14) (paraphrased) not to dwell on the past because God is doing a new work in us. If we spend too much time looking back, we can become discouraged and find ourselves right back in that sin or carnal thinking, etc. (2 Cor. 5:17) says, [Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new.”] We as believers are being transformed into the likeness of Christ. Don’t go back digging up dirt, that old man is buried. I know at times I speak of things in my past that are not pretty. They are not pleasant for me to have to remember, but when I do it is only to give glory to God, because He saved me from those things, He set my feet upon the Rock and turned my life around. GLORY to Him! This is Productive Remembering: While negative dwelling is discouraged, the Bible advocates for looking back to remember God’s faithfulness and deeds, which encourages current trust (Psalm 136). Leave the past with God and walk forward in faith. Don’t Look Back!

Come A Little Closer

“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8)

When I have difficulty seeing something, I will often use my magnifying glass to get a closer look. Today I am getting a closer look at God and relationship with Him. In this scripture we have a biblical promise highlighting a reciprocal relationship: as believers move toward God through prayer, repentance, and obedience, He moves toward them. It is a two-way relationship. Have you ever tried being in a relationship with just yourself? What do you have to offer yourself? What can you receive from yourself? At any point in this one way relationship is there anything tangible? What are you building by yourself? When we align our lives with God, we can be assured of His presence, strength, and grace, which helps build character and faith. When we humble ourself before the Lord, He promises to lift us up. How good are you at lifting yourself up? I know I cannot bring about joy to myself, I cannot do anything in my own strength, it requires an act of God, literally, for things to come out right in my life. If you want to get closer to God it is going to require cultivating a deeper, more intentional relationship through daily spiritual disciplines. Some things you can put into practice are; studying scripture, persistent prayer and worship. Surrender is a Big one, give control of your life back to God, especially during the difficult times. Learn to understand the nature of God and the life of Jesus, His teachings and the miracles He did. Approach God with reverence, respect the Divine Holiness, recognizing Him as both a loving parent and a sovereign authority. God is always close, constant and unchanging, how close are you in relationship with yourself? I know at times I have even lied to myself. God is not man, therefore He cannot lie. How surefooted are you? do you ever change? Can you really count on yourself? Can you remove all fear from yourself? God can and will. Why do we pretend to have it all together and think we can do this life on our own? Truth is, we will never succeed at it without God’s help. According to the Bible, God created humans in His image to have intimate fellowship with Him. This relational purpose means humanity was designed to walk with God and with others, rather than to exist in isolation. So, draw near to Him, and He will draw near to you.

A Worshiping Warrior

Are you going through some tough stuff right now, feeling all the pressures of life? Let me let you in on a little secret. If you become a worshiping warrior, you will find yourself thriving under those pressures, it’s called a “holy boldness” praising God even during the trials. Honestly, I never saw myself waring in worship. I thought that worship was just a time of singing praises to the Lord not realizing that I was actually doing warfare right then. Recently I have found myself in a number of situations that I felt the fight or flight coming on. I also have found a better way to fight those battles. Worship is the way; it takes the load off me and right on Him. That whole flight thing is NEVER a win, unless it is removing yourself from the situation temporarily to allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you regarding your circumstance. Also, I should let you know, EVERYTHING happens in God’s time, so be a patient worshipper. First, you are going to need to have a surrendered heart. A true warrior for God is first a worshiper acting out of obedience, humility and submission, something God has been working on in me for the past couple years in a really BIG way. Worship, praise and obedience are our main weapons to achieve victory. Which means we are going to need to stand firm in faith, endure some hardships and trust God to fight the battles on our behalf. After all, God is the ultimate warrior. He’s the One fighting our battles, we simply are worshipping Him in the process. (Exodus 15:3) says, The LORD is a man of war; The LORD is His name. (The battle has been won, and the praise belongs to the Victor.) In verse 6 of chapter 15 of Exodus, we can see God’s active and powerful presence among His people. God is active and He is all powerful and He will fight each of our battles, nothing is too big for our God. That is a God to be WORSHIPPED! If you will practice worshipping God, you can actually get so engrossed in worship you will not even remember what it was that had you upset to begin with. The Holy Spirit is just good like that. (Speaking from experience). Of course, no one gets up and leaves the house before getting fully dressed, well you might, so let me say it this way. When a warrior gets up for battle, he/she puts on their full armor. In the spiritual realm that is called “the whole armor of God.”

I keep this wardrobe list on my refrigerator, so when I get up in the morning and grab that first cup of coffee, I am reminded what I will be wearing for the day. Another side note: remember we are fighting spiritual battles not physical, totally different attire. We are not worshipping ourselves because we are strong and mighty fighters, we are worshipping God the Creator of the universe who fights spiritual beings we cannot see. I want to talk a little more about praise. In the Old Testament the tribe of Judah, meaning “praise,” was instructed to go first into battle, demonstrating that worship precedes victory. And in (Acts 16:25) Paul & Silas exemplified praise being used to break chains and overcome obstacles. If God is fighting our battles and He is victorious in all things, why wouldn’t we worship Him? Why would we want to wear ourselves out physically, mentally, emotionally even spiritually trying to do it any other way? When & where to worship? For me, it’s in the morning before my day even starts. I praise Him for waking me up, breath in my lungs, opportunities that He is placing in my path for the day, etc. etc. Later in the day it may be a phone call from a friend facing something and I simply stop for a moment and thank God in remembrance of one of His many promises to meet that need. At the end of the day, it may be a moment of silence just reflecting on His goodness, even when I didn’t see anything, I know He is on it. Before bed if there is anything else still lingering in my mind, it’s letting go and thanking Him for the rest I am about to receive once my eyes close because every battle is His, He fights for me.

OH! One of Those Days

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. Its the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Colossians 3:23-24)

Today is one of those days. I am having all kinds of computer issues, I feel like screaming. I told y’all I am NOT a techy kind of girl. What I am though is, INTENTIONAL! I may have mentioned a time or two regarding my word for this year …. “INTENTIONAL” Challenge ON! I am NOT going to let the enemy come in and steal my joy, or what the Lord has called me too. Just as in the Bible verse above, I am going to do this thing with all my heart as “working for the Lord” and not for humans. Because in all honesty, He is the reason I am Blogging in the first place. Learning this techy stuff is hard, for me that is. I am 63 years old, not a lot of computer experience, it’s not something I grew up with or even wanted to know for that matter. I mean I’m a little old fashion. Yeah, I can type (keyboarding) per my collaborator, but I still like to write with pen and paper, actually pencil so I can erase as often as needed. I even buy the little erasers to put on top of my pencils for when the original one wears out, per my collaborator (Husband) that is, he thought I should include the extra eraser part, I was going to let that little secret slide by. I still enjoy reading books the old fashion way, though I have three kindles, smart phone and a computer. It’s easy to get discouraged, but you know, God said in one of the first Bible verses about work in (Genesis 2:15), “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” This tells us that we are intended and built to work, and I’m going to be encouraged by that, because that just means God has given me a brain that can figure this out. Hard work and dedication yield results and I am putting everything I’ve got into being intentional in developing a better knowledge of this techy stuff so I can write these blogs as for the Lord. To end this “Mountain Moving Morning”, first let me encourage you with a Word. “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).