In Christ we are required to let go of much! And like in many relationships of love we think we can do that easily. Let me be the first to tell you....it's not always so easy.
In Christ we are told to consider others as more important than ourselves...it's not so easy either!
In Christ we're not to cling to the things of this world, but to lay up treasures in heaven....yep, not so easy either(small note here, some people have no issue with this, or any of it for that matter, I can only share from my own experience)
I am a sentimental "collector" and have many things that are filled with memories. I remember where I was and how I felt with those things, kind of like a song or fragrance can stir memories. Letting go of those things is like ripping away those memories...like having part of my past(or myself) sliced away.
As you go through life you are forced to let go of many things, the first I remember that I was forced to let go of was a kitten~killed by a dog...the next was a purse(and trust)~stolen from me...then relationships, dreams, homes, cars~ I'm not talking about things you let go of yourself, because you wanted to, but things that life's circumstances and other people have forced you to let go.
The experiences are scattered through the years and you don't have to let go of everything all at once; so it can sneak up on you until all of a sudden you feel quite naked standing there having let go of everything!
Yesterday I had one of those "naked" experiences. God has taken me through a lot of experiences lately of letting go of things, showing me that it's ALL His~ I don't mean just the things that we already know... the sky, the mountains, the sunset, the sunrise~ He has shown me that it is ALL His...the man He lets me live with as my husband is really "His man", the sons I gave birth to, are His men also...the house we live in, the clothes I wear, the very skin I wear is His~ in the kitchen is a cutting board with my name burnt into it, but it's His too! The hair on my head is His! (Let that soak in and quit complaining about your body, your features and your hair, they are all His! and you can also apply that to your spouse! Should you really criticize the things of God?).
When God was showing me all of this, I easily agreed, "Yes Lord! It's all Yours!". It's a lot easier to do things when you're in a conversation with your Heavenly Father, than when life just hits you in the cold daylight.~
~As I've walked through life in my own human wisdom, I have let go of much! Somethings by choice, somethings not by choice at all. My parents moved quite a lot during my childhood, and I let go of friends, homes, schools, teachers, stability~ from there I went through a difficult marriage, I let go of more, the hardest and most regretted is innocence and belief, I let go of my hometown, friends, family, trust, security, as I let go of hope the marriage ended~
I walked through life with little hope for several years(I was not walking with Jesus then, I don't recommend this!), I was looking for a place to be, a little, quiet corner of the world, left alone to live my life, to heal and not deal with so many things taken by force or to have to let go.
Find a place to heal I did! I found a life of peace and soul's contentment, for many years I lived in "peace and happiness", I loved my cocoon! But as life always does, change happens and you have to let go of things again. My cocoon crumbled around me and there was the hard world again, ready to take things from me ...my elderly father, my husband, my spiritual father, my marriage, my home, my family, my world~
Picking up the pieces that were left I gathered the things that I could, things that had been part of my "peace and happiness" and moved on again, looking for another corner of the world where there could be a new "peace and happiness". The search can be tricky and treacherous! Sometimes we think we've found it when actually we've found something worse than we left. (Now I know to search in God). I have come to learn that peace and happiness are not in things or places, but in God.
With going through my recent lessons from God, that it's ALL His, I thought I'd learned that "peace and happiness" can only be found in Him! But yesterday I was shown that I'm still holding on to things(it was a little Piggy Bank that could transport me back to the "cocoon of peace and happiness"), that even in clinging to memories I'm preventing myself from walking where He intends for me to go. How can I cling to things, to sentimentality, to memories, to "peace and happiness" and still be able to pick up my cross daily and follow Him?
This is my current lesson! The first step is to choose to let go, recognize that it is truly ALL His, then ask Him to help you with the rest. So Lord, please help me to let go of the desire to create a cocoon, help me grow into the "peace and happiness" of Your presence and it alone! I surrender all~
These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Christ In You
Christ In You~
What a concept!
There are a few things that you need to do on your side of this before you can make this claim or even try to grasp it yourself.
You need to believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God, that He was born to a virgin, that He did die on the cross for your sins(a whole 'nother study! but you probably get the idea?) and that He was resurrected(He was alive again!) and that He is now at the right hand of God speaking in our behalf.
Okay then, can we move on? If you are a believer and follower of Jesus, or otherwise a "Christian", then you need to come to understand and live with the knowledge that Jesus is living within you. If you fully grasp it, it will change your life, it will make a radical change in you!
Galatians 2:20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. New Living Translation
What a concept!
There are a few things that you need to do on your side of this before you can make this claim or even try to grasp it yourself.
You need to believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God, that He was born to a virgin, that He did die on the cross for your sins(a whole 'nother study! but you probably get the idea?) and that He was resurrected(He was alive again!) and that He is now at the right hand of God speaking in our behalf.
Okay then, can we move on? If you are a believer and follower of Jesus, or otherwise a "Christian", then you need to come to understand and live with the knowledge that Jesus is living within you. If you fully grasp it, it will change your life, it will make a radical change in you!
Galatians 2:20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. New Living Translation
If you are still living only for yourself and of yourself, don't you have to wonder if you truly are a believer and follower of Jesus, maybe you're a "knower"? Maybe you "just" know that Jesus is the Son of God, but you have not actually received Him as your Saviour? Head knowledge, being a "knower" and heart knowledge, being a "believer" are two different things. If you just "know" that Jesus is the Son of God, it doesn't necessarily change you or your actions, but when you truly "believe" it, you'll do everything you can to follow Him!
When you are a "believer" you can move on to accepting that Jesus is living in you! When you accept that Jesus is living in you, you can start grappling with what that means!
Romans 6:11 In the same way, you should see yourselves as being dead to the power of sin and alive with God through Christ Jesus.
Romans 6:11 In the same way, you should see yourselves as being dead to the power of sin and alive with God through Christ Jesus.
New Century Version
Luke 9:23 Jesus said to all of them, “If people want to follow me, they must give up the things they want. They must be willing to give up their lives daily to follow me. New Century Version
Luke 9:23 Jesus said to all of them, “If people want to follow me, they must give up the things they want. They must be willing to give up their lives daily to follow me. New Century Version
It should mean that you no longer live for yourself, you are now a servant of the Most High! You no longer have to stumble around in darkness trying to find what will make you happy! Your focus should become what will please your Saviour and King! After all, He is living in you! What pleases Him will ultimately please you.
Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. New American Standard
Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. New American Standard
Sunday, September 7, 2014
For You So Love God That You Give......?
Good morning Holy Spirit! Good morning Abba! Good morning Jesus!
It's all about You! All that I am I lay at Your feet, the good and the bad, the strengths and the weaknesses~ You alone can take it all and make me into what I should be. If I try by myself I fall so very short! If I ignore it, I wonder around never accomplishing the callings and work You have for me.
So Lord, I pray You bind my heart to You and complete the good work that You have started. Please forgive me for sins of neglect, selfishness and ignorance. I fall so short of the woman You have created me to be, even as Your word says, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Please strengthen my spirit with Yours and help me to subject my flesh to Your perfect will.
Growing up always believing in You I have had such a selfish, self-centered life! If I believed in You, why has my focus always been on myself? Why in the world would I not have focused on You! the Great I AM, the Creative Genius of all things? I have been so obtuse! Here is little me, weak, helpless..oblivious! and there is You! strong, all powerful....omniscient! And I focus on me! How ridiculous!
I can't take credit for all of my mistake, many Christians, leaders and followers focus on the "people" side of the "God and His children" equation. It makes no sense actually!
As a woman I have learned to focus on many other people before myself, growing up I focused on my parents, I learned their requirements, their likes and dislikes and I learned to walk within those guidelines, trying to please them. As I grew older and became a "girlfriend" I took great pleasure in learning what was pleasing to my "boyfriend", I learned his likes and dislikes and tried to incorporate them into my own patterns. As a young wife, I really tried to do the things that I thought was fitting for a married woman, I tried to please my husband, the way we spent our time, the things I cooked, the way I dressed, the things I did, were focused outside of myself. Then when I became a mother I really kicked it into high gear, I had a little person I was responsible for, to keep happy and healthy and to please! No crying for my baby!
I see the pattern here that I was dedicated to pleasing the people in my life. And I applied the same thinking to You! I tried to dress like I thought You would want, I did the work I thought You would want. In all of my doing though, I didn't actually do the one thing You would want, I didn't spend time with You, fellowshipping with You, praising You, praying to You. I was too busy trying to do the material things I thought You would want me to do.
Our relationship was still focused on me, not You! People tend to make things about themselves Lord, we are a selfish bunch! If we could learn to take our eyes off of ourselves and focus on You, You would be free to make us into the people You want us to be...the better part of ourselves. The world changing people that You have called us to be!
Every person that has heard any scripture seems to have heard John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. But have they ever heard of Your attributes, of the things that please or displease You? They know that they're loved and that's all that matters? Lord please forgive us!
Please reveal the reality of Who You are! Please help us to focus on You and not ourselves! You are the Great I AM! The Alpha and Omega, the Genius Creator of all things! You are the "Father that ran"~ how blessed are we? Amazing Lord, You are mindful that we are but dust, but that is no excuse for ourselves that we should not bow down, pick up our cross and devote ourselves to pleasing You instead of ourselves!
I have observed that people in need are so grateful when something is done for them, then they grow into expecting it to be done repeatedly....then demanding it! I had not equated it into their behaviour to You Lord, until now. People are thankful that You so loved them that You sent Your only Son~ but they want You to keep giving! They don't want to see that they might need to take some actions also! They might need to give their best back to You! No, they limit themselves to receiving, with little thought of giving. And they don't want to see that if they don't grow into a loving walk with You their life may have consequences that reflect their selfish attitude of taking and demanding!
So instead of focusing on "For God so loved the world that He gave" ~ Shouldn't we start asking "For the world so loved God that it gave"! What will you give? Your best? Your worst? Something you don't want or need anymore? If you will give your best, what is it that you value the most? Your time, your money, your attention, entertainment, energy.....will you give that?
For you so love God that you give.....what?
It's all about You! All that I am I lay at Your feet, the good and the bad, the strengths and the weaknesses~ You alone can take it all and make me into what I should be. If I try by myself I fall so very short! If I ignore it, I wonder around never accomplishing the callings and work You have for me.
So Lord, I pray You bind my heart to You and complete the good work that You have started. Please forgive me for sins of neglect, selfishness and ignorance. I fall so short of the woman You have created me to be, even as Your word says, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Please strengthen my spirit with Yours and help me to subject my flesh to Your perfect will.
Growing up always believing in You I have had such a selfish, self-centered life! If I believed in You, why has my focus always been on myself? Why in the world would I not have focused on You! the Great I AM, the Creative Genius of all things? I have been so obtuse! Here is little me, weak, helpless..oblivious! and there is You! strong, all powerful....omniscient! And I focus on me! How ridiculous!
I can't take credit for all of my mistake, many Christians, leaders and followers focus on the "people" side of the "God and His children" equation. It makes no sense actually!
As a woman I have learned to focus on many other people before myself, growing up I focused on my parents, I learned their requirements, their likes and dislikes and I learned to walk within those guidelines, trying to please them. As I grew older and became a "girlfriend" I took great pleasure in learning what was pleasing to my "boyfriend", I learned his likes and dislikes and tried to incorporate them into my own patterns. As a young wife, I really tried to do the things that I thought was fitting for a married woman, I tried to please my husband, the way we spent our time, the things I cooked, the way I dressed, the things I did, were focused outside of myself. Then when I became a mother I really kicked it into high gear, I had a little person I was responsible for, to keep happy and healthy and to please! No crying for my baby!
I see the pattern here that I was dedicated to pleasing the people in my life. And I applied the same thinking to You! I tried to dress like I thought You would want, I did the work I thought You would want. In all of my doing though, I didn't actually do the one thing You would want, I didn't spend time with You, fellowshipping with You, praising You, praying to You. I was too busy trying to do the material things I thought You would want me to do.
Our relationship was still focused on me, not You! People tend to make things about themselves Lord, we are a selfish bunch! If we could learn to take our eyes off of ourselves and focus on You, You would be free to make us into the people You want us to be...the better part of ourselves. The world changing people that You have called us to be!
Every person that has heard any scripture seems to have heard John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. But have they ever heard of Your attributes, of the things that please or displease You? They know that they're loved and that's all that matters? Lord please forgive us!
Please reveal the reality of Who You are! Please help us to focus on You and not ourselves! You are the Great I AM! The Alpha and Omega, the Genius Creator of all things! You are the "Father that ran"~ how blessed are we? Amazing Lord, You are mindful that we are but dust, but that is no excuse for ourselves that we should not bow down, pick up our cross and devote ourselves to pleasing You instead of ourselves!
I have observed that people in need are so grateful when something is done for them, then they grow into expecting it to be done repeatedly....then demanding it! I had not equated it into their behaviour to You Lord, until now. People are thankful that You so loved them that You sent Your only Son~ but they want You to keep giving! They don't want to see that they might need to take some actions also! They might need to give their best back to You! No, they limit themselves to receiving, with little thought of giving. And they don't want to see that if they don't grow into a loving walk with You their life may have consequences that reflect their selfish attitude of taking and demanding!
So instead of focusing on "For God so loved the world that He gave" ~ Shouldn't we start asking "For the world so loved God that it gave"! What will you give? Your best? Your worst? Something you don't want or need anymore? If you will give your best, what is it that you value the most? Your time, your money, your attention, entertainment, energy.....will you give that?
For you so love God that you give.....what?
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Far Better Things~
There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.
Quote from C. S. Lewis
Amen! Streets of gold, no illness or tears not to mention being in God's presence! I truly believe that people that take drugs CAN NOT get high enough to feel the euphoria of being in God's presence, but their spirit knows what it's missing and is trying to get a fix anyway it can...either by drugs or alcohol or whatever addiction makes them have a rush of highness for a short time. Give up on man made highs and seek the euphoria that accompanies God's presence!!~
Quote from C. S. Lewis
Amen! Streets of gold, no illness or tears not to mention being in God's presence! I truly believe that people that take drugs CAN NOT get high enough to feel the euphoria of being in God's presence, but their spirit knows what it's missing and is trying to get a fix anyway it can...either by drugs or alcohol or whatever addiction makes them have a rush of highness for a short time. Give up on man made highs and seek the euphoria that accompanies God's presence!!~
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