Category: from the heart

The Test that Teaches the Lesson

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” (Ja. 1:2-4)

When we are going through a trial in our life the first thing that comes to mind is not usually joy. Scriptures tells us that “Joy in trials,” are designed to produce spiritual maturity. The testing of our faith, it’s intended to make our faith genuine, which then results in steadfast, a life of faithful endurance while going through the troubles and afflictions. Now verse four says steadfastness leads to perfection. We believers grow in holiness but are not perfected in it, until Jesus returns.

I struggled in school with retaining knowledge that was being taught to me, it seemed very difficult. It always seemed like the teachers were talking some foreign language. If it was a subject that I didn’t get, I really did not get it. My home life was not a place I felt compelled or comfortable about going to for help. Though my dad only had an 9th grade education, he was pretty intelligent and my mom was not educated to the point she could be of any help with homework. My dad was also a perfectionist therefore he expected nothing but the same from me let me just say, he was the last person I wanted help from. Most times when a test was coming up, I was not properly prepared and I would fail or barely make the passing grade. I’m going to share something just to make a point. My parents had very high expectations, all A’s and B’s anything but, was going to be quite costly if you know what I am saying. I feared my parents wrath for not being able to comprehend what was being taught. They did not instruct, instead it was just the opposite. When you have that kind of pressure on you, there is no way you can receive anything good from that. God is not like that, as a matter of fact when He sets test before us, his intention for the test is for a positive outcome. Through our spiritual tests God’s desire is for us to learn. In the above scripture I’ve been referring to is a lesson to learn on unwavering faith, endurance and how to handle the afflictions of life, He/God does not put afflictions on us, unlike the way my parents were teaching me. How many times were you given a test in school to do over? Probably not many, because we were expected to study for the test ahead of time and be prepared to pass it. God gives us instructions to help us pass the tests in life, but when we don’t pass he is gracious enough to give us chance after chance after chance to get it right. His goal and desire for us is to learn, and grow from what we have learned.

In our continual do-overs we learn very valuable lessons in life. Everytime I fail a life test the next time I attempt to take the test, I do it with much more knowledge, understanding and wisdom. I have learned how joy fits into the equation. I have learned patience with myself because my heavenly Father has shown patience with me. It has helped build my character, I no longer feel like a failure, instead I am more than a conqueror, I see myself as my heavenly Father sees me. I now have that unwavering faith God teaches us about through His spirit of kindness and gentleness. We are able to pass the tests, we just need to take instruction from our loving Father. And continue to remind yourself your still working on perfection, but He who started to good work in you is faithful and just to finish it.

My natural father did teach me a very valuable lesson though. Near the ending of my school years he would say to me, “you’ll never learn from school what you’ll learn by experience.” That has definitely proven to be true.

Be A Professional Amateur

“Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch.” (Gen. 6:14)

Never be afraid to try something new. Remember amateurs built the Ark, Professionals built the Titanic.

Noah’s most critical skills for building the ark were his unwavering faith, obedience, and project management. He could not rely solely on what he knew, it required a divine blueprint. The construction of the ark was not a one man job, Noah relied on other men and his family working together. Noah needed practical intelligence, tools, certain type of wood, a construction site. It would take all of this and more to build a vessel this size. There were so many particulars that most people would have given up at the first glance at the bluesprint, but he didn’t.

In (Genesis 6:14-22) we see God’s direct command and instruction, guiding Noah, helping him to perfect what there is no way possible for him to do on his own. Noah didn’t fear what he didn’t know, at least we know he didn’t let it keep him from what he was called to do, instead he relied on the One who gave him the ability to do the task set before him. Verse 14: God commands the construction. Verse 15: God specifies the dimensions. Verse 16: God orders him to put in the window, door and decks. Verse 17: God announces the coming flood. Verse 18: God establishes a covenant with Noah and his family. Verse 19-21: God instructs Noah what to bring into the ark. Verse 22: Noah obeys and completes everything exactly as God commanded.

I have let many opportunities pass me by in my life due to fear of failure. I know for a fact there were things I could have accomplished if I would have taken my eyes off of me and put my trust in God, He would have made a way for me to achieve those things. Age is a funny thing, the older I get the less I rely on myself. I find myself trying new things for the first time, or hearing God speak to me about doing specific things that I wouldn’t have even attempted to do in the past. But, before doing it I am also seeking God for guidance, direction, and instruction, how will this best serve Him and whoever it may involve. I have always been a little OCD and perfectionism has been a bad habit, which is another reason for not trying things in the past, can’t fail, right?! Well you also cannot learn if you do not try. You cannot move in the direction God is leading you if you do not obey. Obedience is the greatest tool if you are being obedient to the One who is Perfect. None of us are or ever will be perfect while on this earth, sorry to those who thought they were. We are all amatures until the day of perfection. When Jesus Christ returns and believers enter heaven.

“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2)

Which Is Easier …Visible or Invisible

Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? (Mark 2:9)

It’s easier to say the words, “Your sins are forgiven,” because that’s something invisible and impossible to disprove. But it’s harder to say, “Take up your bed and walk” because, if the man does not get up, then the one who said the words would look like he didn’t have any power or authority to heal. On a deeper level, it is harder to forgive sins, because only God can forgive sins-at the cost of Christ’s death on the cross. So the logic here is that, since Jesus can do the visible miracle (heal the paralytic), this is evidence that he also has the power to do the invisible miracle (forgive sins).

Mark 2:10-12 goes on to say, But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins-he said to the paralytic- “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” And he rose immediately picked up his bed and went before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

Jesus’ healing of the paralytic verifies that he also has divine authority to forgive sins.

Which is what brings me to this part. The salvation message, the forgiveness of sins, eternal life in heaven, an eternity with Christ Jesus and our Father God. We can’t see Jesus with our natural eye, the Holy Spirit is (the invisible) active force that convicts us of our sin, reveals Jesus, and draws us into salvation. It begins with him convicting us, making us aware of our sin and our need for a Savior, opening our eyes to the reality of Jesus. He gives us understanding, allowing us to comprehend and believe the truth of the Gospel, our hearts become pliable, instead of being hard. Then He seals and secures us the moment we receive salvation. He takes up residence in our lives as a “seal” or guarantee of eternal relationship with God. The Holy Spirit descended from heaven “like a dove” and rested on Jesus when he was baptized by John the baptist. (Matt. 3:16) The Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit was poured out on the followers of Jesus as a rushing wind and tongues of fire. (Acts 2:1-4) Also read (Acts 16:5-15).

If reading this has caused a tugging in your heart knowing there is a need for change in your life, that is evidence of the Holy Spirit speaking directly to you and there is a prayer you can say to assure your eternal relationship with God.

Jesus, I am a sinner in need of a savior. I believe in my heart that you are the Son of God who died on the cross and rose from the dead that I may be forgiven of my sins and have eternal life with you. I turn from my sins and invite you into my life, I confess You as Lord and Savior. Thank you for convicting me, saving me and giving me eternal life, In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Spiritual Maturity

As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. (Colossians 2:6-7)

Milk and meat are referenced in the Bible as metaphors for spiritual maturity. Milk represents the foundational teachings of the faith, while meat represents deeper theological truths. The scriptures encourage new believers to consume milk but warn against remaining on a milk-only diet for to long. Here are a few scriptures referencing milk and solid food: 1 Peter 2:2, Heb. 5:12-14, 1 Cor. 3:1-3

As a mature believer how can we help the new believer in Christ Jesus?

Just as a newborn baby needs milk for nurturing their physical body and to grow so does a new baby Christian need spiritual milk to grow in their faith, the basic truths of the gospel. We would never expect a baby to be able to eat a steak weeks or months into their life, we should not expect a new Christian to be able to obtain more than the basics in the beginning of their walk with Jesus. We need to be gentle with them, protecting and nourishing by instructing them with love and compassion, helping them to know Jesus and to become who God has called them to be.

As they grow in their knowledge, we still show that same compassion by incorporating commitment. Letting them know we are still here, but now we are backing up and allowing God to grow them through conviction. Like a baby that is becoming a toddler they are learning to walk on their own without holding our hand, yet if they fall we are there to help them back up. Staying committed to helping them is so very important because without it, the baby would stay a baby and the new Christian would remain in their current state as well. Don’t leave them to have to fend for themselves when they haven’t even learned to come to the table by themselves. If we say we are there for them and willing to help be sure your actions back your words. Our goal is to get them to the place where they learn to put their trust in God not us. Teaching them to be obedient by living and acting on the Word of God that we have been feeding them, our compassion toward them, as well as our commitment to them. Moving them over to solid food, allowing them to come and sit at the table on their own.

Finally they grow to where they are now on meat, the solid food. This is where their trust has been confirmed and the convictions they are experiencing are moving them in the direction the Spirit of God is speaking to them. They have a real understanding and are surrendering and being obedient to God on their own. This does not mean the Christian will never fall again, nor be in need of being picked up. Life has its challenges for every believer young and old.

Our final goal is to get from just hoping in God to expecting. Expecting that what His Word says is truth. Hope says, “Maybe” being expectant says, “I know.” Expect God’s Word to work, that is what changes results.

We are ALL called to the same thing. Accept, Grow and GO.

Accept …the truth (Jesus Christ) through faith, Grow …in our faith, Go …help other to do the same.

Fill My Cup, Lord

“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.” (John 7:37)

There is a song I really feel fits this topic by Jessy Dixon; Fill My Cup, Lord. The lyrics go like this: Like the woman at the well I was seeking for things that could not satisfy and then I heard my Savior speaking “Draw from My well that never shall run dry” Fill my cup, Lord I lift it up, Lord … Come and quench this thirsting of my soul. Bread of Heaven, feed me ’til I want no more …Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole. There are millions in this world who are craving the pleasures, earthly things of gold, but none can match the wondrous treasure that I find in Jesus Christ my Lord. Fill my cup, Lord I lift it up, Lord …come and quench this thirsting of my soul. Bread of Heaven, feed me ’til i want no more. Fill my cup, Lord fill it up and make me whole. Here’s my cup, fill it up and make me whole.

Sometimes we need to have our cup filled back up. We find ourselves going along day by day pouring out of our cup and then suddenly one day we realize that our cup it empty. Maybe your running on empty or life just hit you with some news that requires a big drink from that cup, but when you reach for it there is nothing left. Have you ever been dehydrated? Completely depleted? You know that feeling? I do. In the summer especially when outdoors working in the heat, if I am not replenishing what I am using I will become dehydrated I will soon have a headache and become weak in my body. When we are spiritually dehydrated we also become weak. Weak in our minds forgetting what the Word of God says, how we are mighty warriors, we are more than conquerors, we are overcomers. We don’t have the ability to continue being those things because we need His strength, we cannot do these things in our own strength, it only comes from being filled with the living water, Jesus Christ.

If you are feeling weak, depleted, thirty and cannot go any further you need to ask, fill my cup, Lord. Jesus said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. He promises that anyone who believes in Him will have “rivers of living water” flowing from within.

Only Jesus can quench your spiritual thirst. If you have been thirsting after something, yet find yourself never satisfied can I suggest to you right now to ask Jesus to give you the life-giving water (Jn.4:10) this is not water for your physical body, this water will cause you to never thirst again, it is life-giving water that will give you eternal life. (Jn. 4:13-14). If you will pray this prayer, you can have this living water.

Romans 10:9-10 tells us if we acknowledge our sins, believing in the resurrection, and surrendering to Jesus by confession of our mouths we will be saved from spiritual death.

Jesus, I am a sinner in need of a savior. I believe in my heart that you are the son of God who died on the cross and rose from the dead that I may be forgiven of my sins and have eternal life with you. I turn from my sins and invite You into my life, I confess You as Lord and Savior. Thank you for saving me and giving me eternal life, In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Be Still

“Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10)

It’s time to release control again, quiet my mind, and find peace. In Hebrew, “be still” is raphah-meaning to let go, relax, and surrender the need to strive. How many of you are striving for one thing or another right now in your life? What’s going on in your mind over and over that you just never really seem to have a real peace? What are you holding on to that needs surrendering? For me I find myself in this place more often than I’d like to admit and more often than I ever should be.

Sitting on a rock at a fresh stream of water reminds me of Jesus my Rock, Living Waters refreshing my soul as I still my mind to the sound of the bubbling brook. I realize at that moment I don’t have to carry the weight of everything myself. This is where I release all the heaviness and I find strength in the resting. Inhaling the words “Be still” and exhaling “and know that I am God.” There is where my peace is.

I have to have these moments alone with God. Being alone in general is not enough, I need deliberate time and away from everything, no phone, all distractions, just focusing on God’s presence.

Sometimes I journal the things that are stressing me out, then I will pray over them and ask God to help me surrender them to Him. I rarely go back to that paper simply because it works. I give it to God, He takes it and it’s finished, time to move on. Knowing He is God allows me to spend my time reflecting on His power, and love for me instead of my problems. It also allows me to see how small my problems are in comparison to how big our God is. I was just praying tonight with a group of people from an outreach ministry I am involved in and that was my prayer, “God these things we are seeking you for are small in comparison to how big you are.” When we can look at it in those terms we can find rest in Him.

My prayer for everyone reading this including myself is this. God help us to stop, to be quiet, to be still, and to remember to know that you are God and that you are all-powerful, You are all-sovereign. Amen

Confession Of A Sinner

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38)

David wrote Psalm 51 for the music leader, when the prophet Nathan came to him, after David had sex with Bathsheba.

Here is the entire Psalm written in simple, modern everyday English:

Have mercy on me, God, because you are so loving. Because you are so merciful, please wipe away all my wrongs. Wash me clean from guilt and make me pure from my sin. I know exactly what I did wrong, and I cannot stop thinking about it. I have done evil, and I only sinned against you. You are perfectly fair to judge me for what I did. I have been a sinner since the day I was born. But you want truth and honesty deep inside my heart, and you teach me wisdom there. Wash me, and I will be cleaner than snow. Make me happy and glad again. Ignore my sins and wipe them all from your memory. Create a pure heart in me, God, and give me a new, faithful spirit. Please do not the throw me away or take your Holy spirit from me. Give me back the joy of your saving grace, and make me eager to obey you. If you do this, I will teach other sinners your ways so they will return to you. God, save me from my guilt, and my tongue will sing loudly about how good and right you are. Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will proudly praise you. You do not really want animal sacrifices, or I would gladly bring them. The true sacrifice God wants is a broken and humble heart. God, you will not look down on a heart that is sorry for its sins.

This is a prayer of forgiveness and repentance written by King David. In it, he asks God to wash away his mistakes, fix his broken heart, and restore his joy.

I know we read here about having the Holy Spirit taken from David, yet Christ had not come yet, therefore the Holy Spirit did not dwell within anyone at this point in time. What we have here is God’s anointing on David. Ps. 32:1 states, Forgiveness of sins anticipates the sacrifice of Christ as the ultimate basis of forgiveness according to, (Romans 4:7-8). Also (Ps. 51:7) Hyssop alludes to cleansing ceremonies that point to the final cleansing from sin through the work of Christ (Heb 9:19-28). Which now takes me to (1 John 1:9), “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse of from all unrighteousness.” Now, thanks to Jesus dying on the cross, rising up from the dead and sending His Holy Spirit to dwell within us, we can have EVERYTHING God promised. One last, but not final scripture I want to share is (Romans 10:9-10), “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved”.

Christ promises us the conqueror’s reward: communion with himself and the white raiment of victory. Our name is secure in his Book of Life, and he will confess our names before the Father, since we have confessed Jesus. (Rev.3:5)

With King David, he found forgiveness from the Father through his confession. With us we to have forgiveness through confession with the Son and eternal life.

If any or all of this resonated within you, you to can confess your sins and be forgiven. There is nothing like letting the past go and getting a fresh new life an everlasting life. Love covers a multitude of sins, and while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. That’s unconditional grace my friends. You cannot earn God’s love by good behavior or human perfection, it had to come one way and one way only, through the ultimate sacrifice of Christ, a sacrificial love. He did it for me, He did it for you.

Discontentment

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. ( Philippians 4:11)

Paul’s been through some stuff and he knows what it’s like from every angle of life, yet he knew and talked about being content more than anyone else.

Okay this is straight talk from myself for a minute. Discontentment is a sneaky enemy. I can get angry about something, it’s just there right now, in the moment and that’s that. Or fear, something happens or doesn’t happen and anxiety starts taking over right away, but discontentment hits when I least expect it, everything is just rocking along. My day will be going great, heck I may even be at church praising God and giving Him all the glory for all the good things He is doing in my life, done in my life and gonna do in my life and then like a thief in the night the enemy has come and stole my joy, got me thinking all kinds of things. Likely because I heard someone else talking about something and suddenly I felt I didn’t have what I thought I should have. Like,”Wouldn’t it be nice if we didn’t have so much to take care of around our home, we could be out doing what so-n-so is doing, wouldn’t that be nice?” Or “We sure didn’t think this whole retirement thing through like we should have had we, we would be doing a lot more than we are.” “Dang we are getting old, if we were young like them we could __________fill in the blank.” See how the enemy snuck that one right in there? I just went from being content and I really am for the most part, until the enemy comes along and gets in my head and I decide to entertain those thoughts and that’s all that is, is thoughts. God blessed us with a nice home, we have lived good healthy lives this far, if we would stop allowing busyness to steal our time we would take vacations, even just more day trips. We aren’t in lack, God has been good to us, so how did I suddenly just become discontent?

The Israelites’ journey in the dessert; despite being freed from slavery, they grew dissatisfied with God’s provision and complained against Him. Discontentment will cause us to start grumbling and complaining just like they did. We start acting like God is withholding good things or he doesn’t know what’s best for us. Paul tells us that contentment is learned. Paul struggled with imprisonment and hardship but wrote in (Philippians 4:11-13) that he learned the secret of being content in (any) situation, relying on the strength Christ provides. There is some true gain from having a relationship with God rather than all this worldly stuff that brings about being discontent, (1 Timothy 6:6) “godliness with contentment is great gain”. We need to set our minds on the things above, not on earthly things”(Colossians 3:2). We also need to protect our minds. I once read a book, “Where the mind goes, the man follows” and that is true. Don’t be a follower of the enemy, be a Christ Follower.

Peace On Earth

If my people who are called by name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

The word that stands out to me more than anything at the moment is: “IF”. If my people will humble themselves, seek, pray, and turn. This requires some heartfelt repentance here. This means there is going to be some deliverance, healing, restoration and going home. Most importantly a right relationship with the Lord.

We have got to be a people that acknowledges our weaknesses and submits to God’s authority. Take time to talk to God asking for his intervention. Desiring His presence and will, not just asking for His blessings. We need to stay in an active place of repentance, we have to consciously make a decision to stop sinning and start being obedient. We as parents don’t just keep blessing our children when they are doing the wrong thing, we make them earn it through respecting our authority over them, God does the same thing. We are trying raise obedient children and so is God.

God’s Promise, (“Then”) That’s when we receive the promise of His grace over judgment “when” His people return to Him. I know this promise was made to the ancient nation of Israel, but the principles apply to believers today to. God’s ultimate desire is restoration and forgiveness rather than permanent punishment. If we can do that we can have peace on earth.

Remember “IF” & “When” two very important words. If and when we will do it His way.

Moving Forward

I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. (Psalm 139:14)

If I am being held back from accomplishing anything, it is because of the battle between fear and faith. I know I have in the past and sometimes still find myself shrinking back in the present just not nearly as much as I use to, limiting my own self by doubting instead of trusting His calling. Because I have always had the people pleasing syndrome, spirit of perfectionism, I have allowed fear and insecurity to hold me back. Fear, failure, judgment, or even the unknown have been reasons for holding me back from stepping into my true identity. I spent a lot of time with the Lord trying to figure out how to move past this. Through much prayer and surrender God blessed me with a new boldness, one that makes me say now “YES I CAN” and “YES I WILL,” I’m not scared. If God called me to it, well he will obviously equip me to achieve the task. I’m moving forward, not backward. I am focused on my future, what’s ahead of me. God has been doing a new thing in me and I am not hiding who the new me is He is creating.

If God is calling you into something new, a new purpose, or bolder version of yourself, He promises He will be your strength. You just need to replace your internal doubts by renewing your mind with what Scripture says about your value and your purpose. Remember we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Eph. 2:10) Let your light shine, people need to see it, this is how we encourage others to move out of their fears and doubts, and move into their call, their purpose in life.

Moving Forward With Purpose and Taking People With me