Category: More of Him less of me

Time Out

And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest awhile.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. (Mark 6:31)

Jesus knows first hand the need for getting away to a quiet place to pray and re-energize. It is Saturday night right now and I have had an eventful week to say the least. I actually just changed into my night clothes and decided to unwind here and this is the scripture I was drawn to. The picture is my little kitty from days gone by, after she helped herself to some treats. I thought it was rather fitting for how I am feeling tonight. Just spent the afternoon with some really awesome people, fellowshipping with LOT’s of much needed laughter, bbq’n, playing cornhole, etc. this is how I ended this more than overwhelming/eventful week. Thank God tomorrow is Sunday; a day of rest. I have a tendency to do more things than most people would, I’m just not real good with the word “NO” especially if it’s something I am passionate about and I am passionate about a LOT of things. I am not complaining about the things I do, I just think I should probably be a little better at discerning what and how much I am doing. More than that I need to take a timeout sometimes, more than just Sundays because even Sundays can be hectic and not very quiet. In Exodus 20:8-10 the commandment to observe the Sabbath says, setting aside one day a week for rest and refocusing on God. I was taught that Sundays was that day, but that doesn’t always work out for me, sometimes it may be a Tuesday or another day of the week. It’s not against the law to make another day of the week your Sabbath. The real importance here is making the effort to set a day aside and rest, God did. Jesus tells us to come to him, all who labor and are heavy laden, and he will give us rest. That is contentment, that is where we find rest for our souls. He takes the load off of us and carries it Himself, if we will give it to him. Summer is here and things are already really going strong. Yard work that is never ending, just more than usual and more often, like daily, you might be going through that one yourself. More outdoor ministries are going on. Festivities that we enjoy and want to partake in, 4-wheeling and hiking is something I like year-round, but I seem to do more of that in the warmer months these days and then along with trying to help people with different things, yet still find time to just chill, rest, take a time-out. The gathering I was at this afternoon was at a friends home in the country and they have cows, I live in the country but I don’t have cows, just dogs these days and a few cats. I was watching the cows just laying in the pasture resting as we were all doing our thing nothing bothering them just resting. Nature has a way of revealing things to us. The cows had no worries, the birds they’re not worried about what their going to eat, the trees they don’t seem to be concerned with the hard winter they just went through, they still bloom fresh new leaves every spring. I believe it’s because they all rest, they take a time-out. I don’t know that for certain but it sure seems possible in my thinking. It’s as if nature just knows God is their creator and He’s got them, so just rest. Now that I have settled that in my spirit, I can stop for the night and slip off to bed and get a head start on tomorrows time-out. My prayer for everyone reading this; if you are on the verge of burnout or feeling like giving up, I hope you would take a little timeout to find peace and rest for your soul. Jesus is closer than you realize, rest in Him.

Huh …I Did Not Know That

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee” (Hosea 4:6)

Talking active rejection here, not ignorance. The passage says, “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you…” (Hosea 4:6). The people of Israel chose to forget God’s law and ignored His teachings, leading to their own destruction. When we reject God’s laws He has the right and ability to keep us from His blessings and protection over us, allowing us to face the consequences of our actions, just as he did with Israel. Good news y’all, if we will enter into an intimate relationship with Him, “Know Him,” that’s knowledge, then we can understand His commandments. We have to put forth effort, we are held responsible for our actions or lack of, so make the effort to learn. Don’t deliberately ignore God’s ways, He gives us commands/rules if you may, to protect us because He loves us and wants good things for us. I have been observing the world around me a lot lately and this is going to sound like something I heard my grandparents say when I was younger, but it is what I am seeing and hearing. Modern society is morally declining. I have been more diligent than ever before in sharing the Gospel message with ALL people. Warning guys!!! the end is only getting closer. Don’t let the lack of knowledge destroy you. Here are three scripture references in the old testament I want to share:(1) “Therefore My people will go into exile for their lack of understanding; their dignitaries are starving and their masses are parched with thirst.” (Isaiah 5:13). (2) “Because they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the LORD…” (Proverbs 1:29) (3) “For my people are foolish; they know me not; they are stupid children; they have no understanding. They are ‘wise’-in doing evil! But how to do good they know not.” (Jeremiah 4:22) In summary of Hosea 4:6 is a warning that spiritual ignorance-specifically the active rejection of God’s Word-leads to destruction. Words of Encouragement, I’ve got Good News. You can have life; a good life, one with God’s blessings and protection for you and your family, it all begins with a right relationship with Jesus. Being righteous is simply being in right standing in Him. Maybe you like my past self have been uneducated in the things of God and please, like a Pastor I once sat under would say, “don’t hear what I’m not saying;” because I am still a work in progress. Maybe you don’t know what the Bible has to say regarding how you show act, talk, or live your life. You can ask God to help you with that and the other Good News is; “If any lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to EVERYONE generously without rebuke, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). Did you catch that? Wisdom is available to ANYONE. This is the kind wisdom used for navigating through life’s trials and making godly decisions, rather than relying on your thinking and understanding. You matter and the kind of life you live matters. God wants only the BEST for you. Don’t self-destruct.

Obstacles

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10)

God views obstacles as opportunities to strengthen our faith, build character, and to show us signs of His power so that we do not quit. He promises that His grace is sufficient to overcome challenges, encouraging us believers to trust Him completely rather than relying on our own understanding and He will often times use trials to prepare us for our calling. The last two days the Lord has been revealing things to me regarding my calling. The what, why’s, how long it’s been in the works and the reasons why it has taken so long for him to reveal this to me. One of the reasons is my faith wasn’t where it needed to be in order to believe for certain things. I had to endure some things in order to come to a place where I was so weak that I would get out of God’s way so that He could show me His strength and perfect my weakness, build that faith in Him. These obstacles we go through and not always signs to turn back, or give in, it can actually be meant to overcome something through prayer, fasting and trust. Again building our faith. I had and still have things to overcome, God has done some pruning in my life, cut away a lot of dead limbs so to speak, but there’s still more to be done. Through all this I know He is purifying my purpose, asuring the ultimate goal aligns with His will versus my personal comfort, because none of this has been comfortable, yet His will is being done. This year through my walk of intentionality, I have learned to trust God in ways I never have. I have quit trying to figure things out in my own mind and went right to the Word or prayer for answers. I have been able to release much of my anxieties simply be standing in agreement with the Word of God, not only that, but I have actually been faithful in taking steps forward, all the while keeping my focus on God’s power rather than the size of my obstacle. Growing in faith! As for the revelation of why it took so long, one reason was the path needed to be prepared ahead of time. #2, God’s plan was to use my own personal experiences, my background if you will as well as, #3 educating me in order to do what I was called to do. I had to learn how to submit and surrender, I had to learn obedience and how to walk in my gifts. I had to learn to keep my heart aligned with God and continue pursuing His purpose for me. I had to learn to lean in and lean on Him. Find all the right tools, like fasting and prayer. How to allow the Holy Spirit to guide, direct and help me when I needed it, instead me trying to play Holy Ghost Jr. with God myself. I’ve had a lot of obstacles getting in the way of my calling for quite some time now. I began understanding partly what my calling was a few years back and God has been revealing more and more of it all the time, but only to the point I am able to walk in it. Bottom line, God did not allow these obstacles to prevent me from my calling, all along He was preparing me for it.

Words of encouragement; Patience is a virtue. Endure the wait or difficult situations, keep your composure, and trust God. Continue working toward what you hear the Lord calling you to. Don’t give up.

Less is MORE

He must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30)

I chose this photo today because as you can see there isn’t much in this room. There really isn’t anything here to distract you from focusing on one particular thing. Which is the object lesson in decreasing our self and allowing more of God in our life. We have to get rid of things that are in our way, distracting us from having clarity, 20/20 vision and excellent hearing. We need to be resting in Him, not allowing our minds to wander focusing on everything around us. We should be wanting to go deeper in our relationship with God and allowing Him to go deeper within us. Ridding us from the things that don’t serve a purpose in our life and that are keeping us from receiving all that He would have for us. I think about when I’m out on the trails hiking or riding my 4-wheeler and I come across a leaf or a flower, my focus is not on the tree or the larger group of flowers clustered together, instead I look exclusively at the individual leaf or flower and I am able to see much deeper. Looking at the leaf I can see intricate little lines, sometimes small particles of fuzz on them, the actual shape of the leaf and the lighter verse’s darker parts of it. When looking at the flower I may feel a softness in the peddle or a little insect looking for some nectar and like the leaf the colors seem more vibrant when looking up close versus afar off. That is how it is when we get rid of the clutter in our minds and sight we are able to see and hear the much deeper things of God. His voice becomes clear and our vision is no longer clouded. Sometimes it’s as if we are shouting things at God as if He can’t hear us when in reality we are trying to speak to him over all the chaos. Once we let go of some things we can quiet ourselves and come to God in a calmer quieter voice, just as the Holy Spirit is a gentleman He does not yell, He has a still quiet voice and we can too. There are other areas of less is more in our lives we need to be aware of. Things like allowing materialistic things to overtake us …more, more, MORE. We never seem to be satisfied with what we have and that’s because stuff is not what satisfies us, our relationship with Jesus is. Pride; we are some of the most prideful people, let that go! Self-sufficiency; how about more of trusting God instead of ourselves? That’s where we will find peace, when we depend on Him. He knows everything we need before we ever need it. If we will just decrease in ourselves and allow God to increase in us we will be making more room for God’s grace and power in our lives. Better is a little with the Lord than great treasure and turmoil with it (Proverbs 15:16).

What are you willing to let go of in this world to allow for gaining more with God?

Mind Your Own Biscuits and Life will be Gravy

“…aspire to live quietly, and mind your own affairs, and work with your hands, as we instructed you.” (1 Thess. 4:11)

Paul was writing to the Thessalonians to encourage them to live quietly and work hard, partly to avoid meddling and to set a good example for nonbelievers. I have been in the oven on this one for awhile. You know that refining fire kind of oven, removing the dross, working on becoming pure. In the process of it all, I have learned to be quiet and listen very carefully to the Holy Spirit regarding many things. One of those things was to quit allowing myself to be in the midst of another person’s affairs. Sometimes that can be hard if you find yourself there because some else put you there, thergo; free will comes into play. You have the option how you will react or respond to any given situation, in this particular case I chose silence. The old rule of thumb, silence is golden. Like pure gold once refined. Dross-free that is what I want to be. Silence is not the only thing I have taken away from the intense heat of the fire. I realize that it is my responsibility to search my own heart. I have been delving deep into my innermost being, allowing God to bring out the impure thoughts, feelings, things that do not edify or glorify Him, or others for that matter, but mainly Him. Rummaging through my heart and mind, investigating my thoughts and reasonings. Asking the Lord to reveal anything and everything so that I may be able to learn better habits in order to set better examples. It is going to take a whole LOT of “God’s gravy.” I’m the biscuit and God is the gravy. What I have found by doing this, God will pour extra blessings, joy and spiritual nourishment on me, the “GOOD STUFF.” This is called divine grace. It is an abundance of “God’s Great lake of Gravy,” salvation and love that covers all, “total gift” freely poured out. Most days it is little reminders of God’s love for me, extra little things to be joyous about. Just going along minding my biscuits, I mean business, while He pours the gravy, I mean grace, and love over me. Are you in need of some gravy for your biscuits? Go on and get’cha some, a BIG heaping helping, it’s free for the asking.

Romans 10:9-13

Let’s Get Real

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Believers are NOT to be anxious, instead we are to entrust ourselves and concerns into the hands of our loving heavenly Father. He is the God of peace and it is His peace that guards us in Christ Jesus. Because God is sovereign and in control we Christians can trust Him with ALL of our difficulties. He rules over ALL creation and He is wise and loving in all of His ways. So that we can have an inward peace, along with a heart of thanksgiving.

I spent a lot of my early years as a Christian, worrying and fretting over darn near everything. I’d close my eyes and pray, sometimes with tears running down my face and then open my eyes and my mouth and cancel out everything I just turned over to him in prayer. I was taking it all back with my words of worry. I felt defeated. I felt as though I just wasted His time and mine. Have you ever been there? I wanted so bad to believe but for some reason the struggle was real. I believe I found the answer to the struggle. God tells us in scripture, “if any lacks wisdom, let him ask and He will give liberally”, so I did. I asked, “why can’t I believe for what I am asking for?” The answer was pretty simple. I had created a habit of worrying, and complaining about things, people, the past, etc. I needed to create a new habit. So everytime anxiety or worry would return, I would pray again. Consistency started paying off. Little by little I began leaving things there with God in prayer, I quit taking them back, and if I spoke anything of that thing it was the Word of God over it. I was now creating a new habit, one that clearly was to my benefit. If you can worry, you can pray. It’s a process of trading one for the other. Anxiety for Peace, the kind that surpasses all understanding. We are told to meditate on things that are pure and lovely and of good report. Worrying is meditating on the wrong things. I started giving my worries to God when I finally realized I couldn’t do anything about them, but He could. All I was told to do was what I could and what I couldn’t He would. Worry paralyzes, prayer activates faith. Faith and fear do not co-exist. Bottom line; why pray if your going to worry and fret?

In My Element

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)

When you see a smile like that on my face, you know I’m living my best life right here, right now, in the moment. Jesus’ promise of abundant life, begins right here and now. He wants us to live a rich, full, joyful life, one overflowing with meaningful activities, in fellowship with his people, all the while having His personal favor upon us. What a satisfying life when we are living in the abundance. The abundance of His grace, mercy and love. God even encourages us in Ecclesiastes (3:12-13,7:14) to enjoy our food, drink, and work as a gift from God. When I am in my element/ nature, near the water, under the sun along with a few puffy clouds in the sky, gentle wind blowing through the trees, I feel so close to God. I can sense His presence everywhere, if you could see inside of me, my heart would be one BIG smile. There is just something about being in His presence that makes life good and brings a purposeful feeling to me. Even though as you can well see I’m not even doing anything purposeful, I’m laying on a rock. Oh my gosh! Revelation …He is the ROCK! Whenever I am leaning on Him; the Rock, that is where my peaceful easy feeling comes from. When I am sitting here typing God is speaking to me the entire time. If you know the Father intimately, you will understand what I’m saying, if not it may sound a little crazy to you, but I am being as real and honest as I can be. I’m not relying on materialist things to find my contentment instead I’m just resting in Him, now back to being in my element/nature. I begin thinking things like God created all of this for me. He created the sound of the water flowing downstream over the rocks just for me to hear. The clouds that I’m laying there watching move through the sky and using my imagination seeing a bear, or a rabbit, or whatever it may be, is all for me. In the silence of stillness, He reminds me that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. He loves me, and cares for me and blesses me more than I can even receive. My cup truly runneth over. I’m living in abundance. I don’t want to sound ungrateful when I say, “I don’t have these same feelings in other places like I do here.” I think maybe it could be the mountains, yes I live in the mountains and the water and wildlife, and all the beauty around me keeps me in a sense of awe reminding me of our Creator’s limitless power, His creativity, He is an artist! I admire the work of an artist. I love photography and I know a woman that is an amazing photographer, I am in absolute awe of her work. But that does not even compare to God’s artistry. He created such a peaceful space for me to feel His presence, away from everywhere else. ABUNDANCE! To Him Be ALL the glory!