Friday, June 17, 2011
Psalms 31
Where do you place your trust? I know the quick and easy answer is to reply your trust is in God. Is this really the truth? It is so easy to think our trust is fully in God, but yet we watch the stock market daily, follow the actions of our government with critiquing eyes and activism, or place our trust in our boyfriend, spouse, parents, or other family members. I know in my own life something has happened and I've been disappointed and betrayed and one of my first thoughts is "but I trusted you." There is a big difference in trusting someone and trusting IN someone. Only God is worthy of our trust. Only God can save and rescue us from entrapment. Not our government. Not our money. Not a person.
"In You, O LORD, I put my trust; Let me never be ashamed; Deliver me in Your righteousness. Bow down Your ear to me, Deliver me speedily; Be my rock of refuge, A fortress of defense to save me" Psalms 31:1-2
As I read further through this chapter, I see similarities in my life and David's. Yes, I know it is a big step to compare my life to someone as great as David, but in reality, he was just as human as each one of us. It is easy to read the bible and all the amazing stories of the great things the men and women in these stories did and find ourselves in awe. Yet, we have been created for just as great things as each person written about in scripture. The beauty of the Psalms is reading not simply of the acts of an individual, but gaining an insight into the thoughts and emotions of David and others. It is like reading a newspaper article and then having access to the hero or heroine's journal or blog to get the emotional side of the story.
In Psalms 31, David sees his enemies trying to trap him. I see this in my own life. I have seen a glimpse of the vision God has for my life. Satan has seen this also and he is not willing to give up easily. Our enemy knows our weaknesses and sets traps to ensnare us. He knows if he can distract us from the ministry or mission God has given us, then we will not be able to fulfill our potential in Christ.
"Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me, For You are my strength. Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth." Psalms 31:4-5
This is again where we must examine our trust. If we trust in things or people, it becomes easy for the enemy to entrap us. If our trust is in money, he will use money to control us. Mammon is an idol and can easily trap us if we place our trust in it rather than trusting God as our provider. When we pursue God's call and plan for us, He will always make provision. If a relationship is where we put our trust, the enemy will bring unhealthy relationships into our path to pull us away from our relationship with Christ.
Trusting fully in God is something I have to be vigilant about pursuing. In this world, it is easy to become distracted by false idols. We are surrounded by them! However, the reward for trusting only in God is so far beyond anything this world has to offer! Trusting Him brings us peace and contentment. It is a peace and contentment nothing in this world can offer!
"Oh, how great is Your goodness, Which You have laid up for those who fear You, Which You have prepared for those who trust in You In the presence of the sons of men! You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence From the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues." Psalms 31:19-20
Friday, June 10, 2011
Psalm 27
My reading today in Psalm 27 contains a much quoted verse of scripture in the first verse. "The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?" is a verse I've heard used many times by numerous authors and pastors. As I've read through the rest of this chapter, I've seen there is so much more to this chapter than just the first verse. The verse that grabbed my attention and I read several times is verse 4.
"One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple."
"One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple."
David writes here of his one desire. The only desire he has is to dwell in the house of God all the days of his life. He longs to see the beauty of the Lord and to spend time with him. As we continue reading this chapter, we see the results of seeking God above all else in our life. When we are in trouble, God will protect us when we are seeking Him. He sets us in high places of protection. When in battle, the higher ground always has the advantage. You are able to see the enemy approaching from miles away and are able to prepare for battle. The same occurs for us when we are spending time with God and seeking Him above all else. He opens our eyes to see when the enemy is approaching and He prepares us for spiritual battle.
Seeking God above all else allows us to stand tall in the face of our enemies. It is easy to read this and immediately picture the face of someone you consider your enemy. However, we only have one true enemy. A person is never our enemy. Flesh is not our enemy. The lies of satan is our enemy. Satan is who deceives people with his lies and they in turn behave in ways not intended for them by God. They make choices that are ungodly, and in turn can cause us pain and hurt. When we are actively seeking God, we are able to recognize when satan is at work and God helps us to hold our heads high even when people have harmed us. Though the pain of hurt, our closeness to God allows us to continue to praise Him. We not only offer our sacrifice of praise, but we can do so with joy!
When God instructed God to seek His face, David replied not only with his head or his words, but with his heart. It was not out of knowledge that he sought after God, but with all of his heart. He pleaded for God to never forsake him or turn away from him. Even if his parents forsake him, he knows he can survive it all as long as God is still with him. Our world is full of hurting people because so many of us have idols in our lives. An idol is so much more than a statue we offer prayers to. An idol is ANYTHING that is placed in higher position in our lives over God. This can be our children, husband, friends, jobs, money, sports teams, or even our position with our churches. If we are serving in order to simply maintain a title or position of respect within the church, this can become an idol. Are you serving simply to be seen or respected or are you serving out of your love for God. Do you serve only where it's convenient (i.e. short amount of time commitment required) or are you serving where God is calling you? (I feel like I've digressed greatly here, but perhaps there is someone who needed to hear this).
In verse 13, David writes he would have lost heart had he not believed in the goodness of God. He believed in God's goodness because God was all he was seeking. No matter what happened to David, he could praise God because he knew God was his strength. The God of David is the same God who wants a relationship with you. The same strength given to David can be given to you. The same joy of David can invade and take over your heart. The first step is to seek Him. I pray you take time this weekend to seek God. Turn off the television. Drown out the chaos around you, and seek Him. No matter where you currently are in your walk, you can seek Him. If you've never accepted Christ as your Savior, today would be a great day. If you've accepted Him in your life before, but have strayed, it's a great day to come home. If satan has been telling you it's not possible to spend time with God after all you've done, today is the day to stop believing that lie. God loves you no matter what and He's waiting for you to seek Him....above all else.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
That Just Happened
In my life I've been physically, sexually, verbally, and emotionally abused. I've experienced parental divorce. I lived with mom's alcoholic boyfriend and had visits with dad and the "other" woman who later became my step-mom. I've dated men who committed crimes. One even murdered a man during the time we were dating. While at a boyfriends house once I found his work badge and discovered he had been lying to me for six months about what his real name was. There are times I've discovered I was the other woman and times when I came home and found another woman in my house. There is no name, insult, or accusation you could make to me that I have not already heard at some point in my life. Both my children were born without their fathers present. Both men chose not to be there at the time and one has not been seen in five years. My mom died at 54, only 3 months after my first daughter was born. A period of 6 years passed without communicating with my dad. After only two years of working to reconcile with him and my stepmom, my stepmom now has stage 4 liver cancer and I face losing a mom for the second time in 12 years.
By this point you are probably wondering why I am writing about all of these horrible events in my life. I list these things only to say very little in life surprises me anymore. When you have been through everything I have in a relatively short amount of time, you grow to expect the unexpected. You know people are capable of extreme hurt and betrayal. However, something happened to me today that has left me grasping for comprehension.
Near the beginning of this year I began dating someone who I have known for many years. Things were going great, or so I thought. We were spending quality time together, going on dates, and beginning to talk about having a future together. As recently as three weeks ago he was telling me how much he loved me. Yet, I noticed he was pulling away. He explained it was because of various stress factors in his life and that he simply needed to take some time away to regroup. He assured me he still loved me and his feelings had not changed. He simply wanted to resolve his issues before fully committing to me. This was two weeks ago. Today I found out he is now married. He married his daughters mother last week. It does not take a rocket scientist to do the math on this one.
I have been struggling for the last few hours to find the appropriate words to express how I feel about this turn of events. First, I am thankful that God delivered me from a relationship that would have been full of drama. Next, in all honesty, I thought I was going to physically be sick. Yes, literally. The level of disgust I feel is beyond belief. At some point I started laughing. Laughing as I think...wow, I just dodged THAT nightmare of a future! My next thought was "wow, God you must have someone absolutely, unbelievably amazing for me because I have seen mediocre and known it would not have been nearly good enough for me."
I know that in time the shock will fade. It has already begun a little as I look at the situation from the outside and feel sadness for all parties involved. Marriage is a serious thing and should only happen when God joins both parties together and when wise counsel has been sought after on the matter. I wish neither person ill will and pray God will bless their future together.
All of this simply leaves me saying...wow. That. Just. Happened.
By this point you are probably wondering why I am writing about all of these horrible events in my life. I list these things only to say very little in life surprises me anymore. When you have been through everything I have in a relatively short amount of time, you grow to expect the unexpected. You know people are capable of extreme hurt and betrayal. However, something happened to me today that has left me grasping for comprehension.
Near the beginning of this year I began dating someone who I have known for many years. Things were going great, or so I thought. We were spending quality time together, going on dates, and beginning to talk about having a future together. As recently as three weeks ago he was telling me how much he loved me. Yet, I noticed he was pulling away. He explained it was because of various stress factors in his life and that he simply needed to take some time away to regroup. He assured me he still loved me and his feelings had not changed. He simply wanted to resolve his issues before fully committing to me. This was two weeks ago. Today I found out he is now married. He married his daughters mother last week. It does not take a rocket scientist to do the math on this one.
I have been struggling for the last few hours to find the appropriate words to express how I feel about this turn of events. First, I am thankful that God delivered me from a relationship that would have been full of drama. Next, in all honesty, I thought I was going to physically be sick. Yes, literally. The level of disgust I feel is beyond belief. At some point I started laughing. Laughing as I think...wow, I just dodged THAT nightmare of a future! My next thought was "wow, God you must have someone absolutely, unbelievably amazing for me because I have seen mediocre and known it would not have been nearly good enough for me."
I know that in time the shock will fade. It has already begun a little as I look at the situation from the outside and feel sadness for all parties involved. Marriage is a serious thing and should only happen when God joins both parties together and when wise counsel has been sought after on the matter. I wish neither person ill will and pray God will bless their future together.
All of this simply leaves me saying...wow. That. Just. Happened.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Ready To Play Ball
I feel like it has been a while since I've truly written about what has been on my heart. I go through seasons of writing frequently and then a dry spell of not writing anything at all. But like a sickness that never leaves, the thoughts, emotions, and feelings eventually are too much to be contained. The urge to release the scrambled chaos within my brain is too strong to avoid any longer.
Most recently I've been processing my thoughts and feeling towards relationships. More specifically I've been wondering if it is feasible to maintain hope that "the one" is out there somewhere looking for me. I am intentional in stating "looking for me" because I know the scripture says "he who FINDS a wife". I know the order in which the search is supposed to occur. What I have found in my experience with the male species, is most of them expect a female to chase them. Wait. What? Yes. Maybe it has simply been due to my keen sense of attracting men who are not looking for a serious relationship. Or the ones that have a serious relationship and want to talk to me on the side.
I want to clarify I am not trying to bash men in any way here. I am simply sharing the things recently weighing on my mind. I do realize perhaps the lack of any male friendships or interactions has been God's way of protecting me from harmful relationships. For His protection I am truly thankful!
I'll be really honest. I'm fully aware of the picture seen when looking through the window into my life. Being a 30 something, single mom of two narrows down the relationship options tremendously. Especially when you add the 'devoted follower of Christ who is not willing to compromise myself just to have a date' tag to my description. Most of the "good" single Christian men are still in their 20's and definitely not interested in an older woman with bonus blessings in tow. Or maybe I just need to find another church.
To further raise the stakes in my dating scenario, I know God has a big call on my life. Despite, or perhaps because of, the testimony I have lived, the sins I have committed, the lessons I have learned, I know God wants me to be vocal about my past. This includes sharing my testimony in public. Very little of my past reads like a top ten list of qualities in a Godly wife you can be proud to bring home to mama. However, without my past I would not be who I am today. Without the lessons learned the hard way, oftentimes only passing on a retest, I would not have the first-hand knowledge of the God I serve. I would not be able to assure you of His transforming power if I had never lived it myself.
Through all my years of singleness, I have learned what it means to fully rely only on God to be my provider and my husband. I have been able to go through the healing process I so desperately needed. It is called a process because I experience days where the scars become more visible and the area around the wound tender.
So where does this leave me on the relationship playing field? Do you remember playing baseball when you were younger and there was always the kid hanging out the entire game in right field just waiting for a chance to get in on the activity? Occasionally some action happens out there.....a piece of trash blows across the field or a butterfly floats by. The butterfly looks pretty, but is not there to stay. The trash is what was discarded by someone else and has no use being on the field. This is how I feel. I'm at attention, glove ready, on my toes, just waiting for the ball to be hit into my side of the field. When it does, I will be ready and it will be beautiful.
Most recently I've been processing my thoughts and feeling towards relationships. More specifically I've been wondering if it is feasible to maintain hope that "the one" is out there somewhere looking for me. I am intentional in stating "looking for me" because I know the scripture says "he who FINDS a wife". I know the order in which the search is supposed to occur. What I have found in my experience with the male species, is most of them expect a female to chase them. Wait. What? Yes. Maybe it has simply been due to my keen sense of attracting men who are not looking for a serious relationship. Or the ones that have a serious relationship and want to talk to me on the side.
I want to clarify I am not trying to bash men in any way here. I am simply sharing the things recently weighing on my mind. I do realize perhaps the lack of any male friendships or interactions has been God's way of protecting me from harmful relationships. For His protection I am truly thankful!
I'll be really honest. I'm fully aware of the picture seen when looking through the window into my life. Being a 30 something, single mom of two narrows down the relationship options tremendously. Especially when you add the 'devoted follower of Christ who is not willing to compromise myself just to have a date' tag to my description. Most of the "good" single Christian men are still in their 20's and definitely not interested in an older woman with bonus blessings in tow. Or maybe I just need to find another church.
To further raise the stakes in my dating scenario, I know God has a big call on my life. Despite, or perhaps because of, the testimony I have lived, the sins I have committed, the lessons I have learned, I know God wants me to be vocal about my past. This includes sharing my testimony in public. Very little of my past reads like a top ten list of qualities in a Godly wife you can be proud to bring home to mama. However, without my past I would not be who I am today. Without the lessons learned the hard way, oftentimes only passing on a retest, I would not have the first-hand knowledge of the God I serve. I would not be able to assure you of His transforming power if I had never lived it myself.
Through all my years of singleness, I have learned what it means to fully rely only on God to be my provider and my husband. I have been able to go through the healing process I so desperately needed. It is called a process because I experience days where the scars become more visible and the area around the wound tender.
So where does this leave me on the relationship playing field? Do you remember playing baseball when you were younger and there was always the kid hanging out the entire game in right field just waiting for a chance to get in on the activity? Occasionally some action happens out there.....a piece of trash blows across the field or a butterfly floats by. The butterfly looks pretty, but is not there to stay. The trash is what was discarded by someone else and has no use being on the field. This is how I feel. I'm at attention, glove ready, on my toes, just waiting for the ball to be hit into my side of the field. When it does, I will be ready and it will be beautiful.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Doing ALL Things
For reasons I don't care to disclose, I'm having a really hard, emotional day today. When I'm having these times of trying to understand things that can't really be understood, I do the only thing I know how to do...I read my Bible. When nothing else in my world is logical, God's Word never fails to speak to me. Even when I am having a hard time seeing the words through my tears, His voice is almost audible so that I don't miss what He is saying.
I'm no expert in quoting verses by book and chapter. However, like most people who have spent any amount of time in church or around Christians, I do know Philippians 4:13 says "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." It's probably one of the top ten most quoted verses in the Bible. I came across this scripture today. However what spoke the most to me is written directly before this verse. Philippians 4:12 says this: "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
We are always quick to shout out how we can do all things through Christ when we are facing a decision or a tough task. What touched me today in verse 12 are the words "in need", "hungry," and "in want." I know God is with me on not only the days of plenty, but even on my days of hurt and tears. He can help me do all things, including grieve. He can help me process the hurt of this life. He can help me when the wounds of the past open up to fresh pain, disappointment, and anger. Even at the times when the only thing I have to say to Him is "God, why?", He understands and helps me through the things I don't understand. Not only is He here, but He gives me strength through all the emotions. He speaks to me and reminds me it's okay to cry. He tells me I don't always have to keep it all together. He tells me to yell at Him, that He can handle it.
At the end of it all, I realize I can still be content as long as God, who truly is my strength, is with me.
I'm no expert in quoting verses by book and chapter. However, like most people who have spent any amount of time in church or around Christians, I do know Philippians 4:13 says "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." It's probably one of the top ten most quoted verses in the Bible. I came across this scripture today. However what spoke the most to me is written directly before this verse. Philippians 4:12 says this: "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
We are always quick to shout out how we can do all things through Christ when we are facing a decision or a tough task. What touched me today in verse 12 are the words "in need", "hungry," and "in want." I know God is with me on not only the days of plenty, but even on my days of hurt and tears. He can help me do all things, including grieve. He can help me process the hurt of this life. He can help me when the wounds of the past open up to fresh pain, disappointment, and anger. Even at the times when the only thing I have to say to Him is "God, why?", He understands and helps me through the things I don't understand. Not only is He here, but He gives me strength through all the emotions. He speaks to me and reminds me it's okay to cry. He tells me I don't always have to keep it all together. He tells me to yell at Him, that He can handle it.
At the end of it all, I realize I can still be content as long as God, who truly is my strength, is with me.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Destiny Derailers Part 2
Today I will be continuing from what I wrote to you about on Wednesday. This is from the notes I took Tuesday night during our training with Pastor Chip Judd. The topic was Destiny Derailers-What keeps us from reaching our full potential. On Wednesday I shared the first thing that keeps us from reaching our full potential is never fully getting our lives on track. Today I will share the second reason we fail to fulfill the potential God has placed inside of us.
The second reason we fail to realize our potential is because we miss opportunities or we refuse to grow through them. Opportunity is God's gift to you. What you do with the opportunity is your gift to God. There are two types of regrets in our lives. There is the regret of action (something we have said or done) and the regret of inaction (not doing or saying something we should have said or done). I have more than my fair share of regrets of action. I could write for days. However, if I stop and think about my regrets of inaction, I could write for months! How many times have we walked away from a conversation and thought "oh, why didn't I say THAT?" It is not so much what we said that we contemplate, it's what we did not say. There are many times God will prompt us to do something and yet we continue on our way without heeding His voice. A sign of our spiritual maturity is seeing or seizing God-ordained opportunities.
In our lives we go through cycles. There is the journey uphill and often when we reach the peak of an experience we will encounter challenges we had not previously foreseen. It is through these challenges that we grow. However, for many people, these challenges cause us to stumble or derail in life. When things are going well and life is happy, we can sometimes be blindsided by the areas in our lives where we need to grow. If we become too prideful, then God will start to deal with us in this area. If we have anger management issues, He will place us into situations requiring us to maintain our composure. Just when you start to see fruit in your life, there will be a time of pruning! Pastor Judd refers to this as the John 15 principle.
"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples."
These pruning moments become mirrors of our life. It is during our pruning that God requires us to examine ourselves. God loves us enough to show us the things we need to know about ourselves. This also tests our faith walk with Him. Will we continue to abide in Him throughout this process, or will we derail and turn away from the call and plan He has for our lives? Satan would love nothing more for us to fall off track and live a life beneath all God has for us. The difference in maintaining our course or falling away is the size of our "want" What I want on the inside HAS to be big enough for me to work through all the "stuff". I mentioned Wednesday how I want to have a healthy relationship. I know this desire has required (and still requires) me to deal with all the stuff from my past. It has been a tremendously painful process. However, through this pain I have already experienced growth and healing in many areas of my life. I know I still have much more to work on, but at least I'm not where I was two years ago when this journey truly began!
My prayer for each of you today is that you would not get tired during the pruning. I pray as God reveals the mirrors of your life that you will begin to not only see yourself as you truly are, but He would give you a glimpse of the you He has created you to be. If you do not see a great plan for your life, I pray He begins to reveal it to you. I pray you begin to understand we were not created to simply be mediocre or ordinary. He created each one of us with specific gifts, talents, goals, and desires. You can win this battle, but not if you drop out!
The second reason we fail to realize our potential is because we miss opportunities or we refuse to grow through them. Opportunity is God's gift to you. What you do with the opportunity is your gift to God. There are two types of regrets in our lives. There is the regret of action (something we have said or done) and the regret of inaction (not doing or saying something we should have said or done). I have more than my fair share of regrets of action. I could write for days. However, if I stop and think about my regrets of inaction, I could write for months! How many times have we walked away from a conversation and thought "oh, why didn't I say THAT?" It is not so much what we said that we contemplate, it's what we did not say. There are many times God will prompt us to do something and yet we continue on our way without heeding His voice. A sign of our spiritual maturity is seeing or seizing God-ordained opportunities.
In our lives we go through cycles. There is the journey uphill and often when we reach the peak of an experience we will encounter challenges we had not previously foreseen. It is through these challenges that we grow. However, for many people, these challenges cause us to stumble or derail in life. When things are going well and life is happy, we can sometimes be blindsided by the areas in our lives where we need to grow. If we become too prideful, then God will start to deal with us in this area. If we have anger management issues, He will place us into situations requiring us to maintain our composure. Just when you start to see fruit in your life, there will be a time of pruning! Pastor Judd refers to this as the John 15 principle.
"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples."
These pruning moments become mirrors of our life. It is during our pruning that God requires us to examine ourselves. God loves us enough to show us the things we need to know about ourselves. This also tests our faith walk with Him. Will we continue to abide in Him throughout this process, or will we derail and turn away from the call and plan He has for our lives? Satan would love nothing more for us to fall off track and live a life beneath all God has for us. The difference in maintaining our course or falling away is the size of our "want" What I want on the inside HAS to be big enough for me to work through all the "stuff". I mentioned Wednesday how I want to have a healthy relationship. I know this desire has required (and still requires) me to deal with all the stuff from my past. It has been a tremendously painful process. However, through this pain I have already experienced growth and healing in many areas of my life. I know I still have much more to work on, but at least I'm not where I was two years ago when this journey truly began!
My prayer for each of you today is that you would not get tired during the pruning. I pray as God reveals the mirrors of your life that you will begin to not only see yourself as you truly are, but He would give you a glimpse of the you He has created you to be. If you do not see a great plan for your life, I pray He begins to reveal it to you. I pray you begin to understand we were not created to simply be mediocre or ordinary. He created each one of us with specific gifts, talents, goals, and desires. You can win this battle, but not if you drop out!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Destiny Derailers
I am going to digress today from the plan to write from the book of Psalms. Instead I want to share with you from leadership training I attended last night at my church. The guest speaker was Pastor Chip Judd and what he spoke to us was just too amazing to not pass along to all of you! The topic of his message to us was Destiny Derailers-What keeps a leader from reaching their potential. I am sharing this because what he shared does not simply apply to leaders, but to each and every one of us.
I don't know about you, but there have been many times in my life when I have stopped for a self-evaluation and thought "how in the world did my life get HERE?" As I looked at my life situation, I realized nothing about it demonstrated the life I thought I would have or came even remotely close to the life I wanted. When was the last time you seriously took the time to think about what you want out of life?
"Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.” And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road." Mark 10:46-52
As Jesus is walking by, blind Bartimaeus cries out to Him through the crowd. The scripture says there was a great multitude. Imagine how loudly Bartimaeus would have had to cry out in order to be heard by Jesus. When was the last time you wanted something so bad you were willing to make a spectacle of yourself? Notice it mentions many warned him to be quiet. Yet, he cried out even more! The religious people will always tell you to be quiet when you are boldly crying out to God. When Christ hears his pleas for mercy, he commands him to come to Him. Until last night, I missed a vital part of Bartimaeus' actions. We are told he throws aside his garment. In his society, his garment was his business license. This garment verified his disability to those who would pass by as he begged for money. This garment was his IDENTITY. His act of throwing it aside demonstrated his faith that Jesus would heal him and he would no longer need to cling to this as his identity.
It doesn't require a doctrine in biblical studies to determine what Bartimaeus was wanting from Jesus. Yet, when he approached Christ, he is answered with the question, "What do you want Me to do for you?" How often do we look at our situation or circumstances and simply think "well, God knows what I need" and yet we never bother to tell Him. We don't cry out to Him. We are not willing to make a spectacle of ourselves. Maybe Jesus is asking you today WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO FOR YOU?
It takes courage to say you want something. It takes faith to verbalize the innermost desires of our hearts. Our wants and needs may not be as obvious as a blind man requesting his eyes to be healed. Until you admit you want something, you will settle for whatever life gives you. The greatest area this applies in my life is in my relationships. For most of my life, I didn't admit I wanted to have a healthy dating relationship. I was willing to settle for the crumbs from the table that anyone was willing to give me. It was not until I admitted my desire for a God-designed relationship and marriage that I stopped settling for the crumbs of the world. Now, this has meant I've been single for a long time, but I know it is because God has the ONE chosen for me. It takes courage to say "no, I'm not okay with sex before marriage because I know it is NOT God's plan." However, I am willing to make a spectacle of myself because I want the relationship bad enough. I want a man who will honor both me, and more importantly God, enough to be willing to wait.
The first reason people get derailed from their destiny is simply because they never really get on track in the first place. We never reach our destiny because we never get started. I pray you take the time today to reflect on what you really want out of this life. Not what your parents want for you. Not what your siblings want for you. Not what anyone else has ever wanted for you, but what YOU want out of this life. Each and every one of us only get one chance at this journey called life. There are no retakes or do-overs. Don't waste another minute hiding behind the plan of someone else. Step out with courage and tell God what you want Him to do for you so you can reach the full potential He has already placed inside of you!
**My message on Friday will be about the second reason we become derailed. I can't wait to share with you!**
I don't know about you, but there have been many times in my life when I have stopped for a self-evaluation and thought "how in the world did my life get HERE?" As I looked at my life situation, I realized nothing about it demonstrated the life I thought I would have or came even remotely close to the life I wanted. When was the last time you seriously took the time to think about what you want out of life?
"Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.” And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road." Mark 10:46-52
As Jesus is walking by, blind Bartimaeus cries out to Him through the crowd. The scripture says there was a great multitude. Imagine how loudly Bartimaeus would have had to cry out in order to be heard by Jesus. When was the last time you wanted something so bad you were willing to make a spectacle of yourself? Notice it mentions many warned him to be quiet. Yet, he cried out even more! The religious people will always tell you to be quiet when you are boldly crying out to God. When Christ hears his pleas for mercy, he commands him to come to Him. Until last night, I missed a vital part of Bartimaeus' actions. We are told he throws aside his garment. In his society, his garment was his business license. This garment verified his disability to those who would pass by as he begged for money. This garment was his IDENTITY. His act of throwing it aside demonstrated his faith that Jesus would heal him and he would no longer need to cling to this as his identity.
It doesn't require a doctrine in biblical studies to determine what Bartimaeus was wanting from Jesus. Yet, when he approached Christ, he is answered with the question, "What do you want Me to do for you?" How often do we look at our situation or circumstances and simply think "well, God knows what I need" and yet we never bother to tell Him. We don't cry out to Him. We are not willing to make a spectacle of ourselves. Maybe Jesus is asking you today WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO FOR YOU?
It takes courage to say you want something. It takes faith to verbalize the innermost desires of our hearts. Our wants and needs may not be as obvious as a blind man requesting his eyes to be healed. Until you admit you want something, you will settle for whatever life gives you. The greatest area this applies in my life is in my relationships. For most of my life, I didn't admit I wanted to have a healthy dating relationship. I was willing to settle for the crumbs from the table that anyone was willing to give me. It was not until I admitted my desire for a God-designed relationship and marriage that I stopped settling for the crumbs of the world. Now, this has meant I've been single for a long time, but I know it is because God has the ONE chosen for me. It takes courage to say "no, I'm not okay with sex before marriage because I know it is NOT God's plan." However, I am willing to make a spectacle of myself because I want the relationship bad enough. I want a man who will honor both me, and more importantly God, enough to be willing to wait.
The first reason people get derailed from their destiny is simply because they never really get on track in the first place. We never reach our destiny because we never get started. I pray you take the time today to reflect on what you really want out of this life. Not what your parents want for you. Not what your siblings want for you. Not what anyone else has ever wanted for you, but what YOU want out of this life. Each and every one of us only get one chance at this journey called life. There are no retakes or do-overs. Don't waste another minute hiding behind the plan of someone else. Step out with courage and tell God what you want Him to do for you so you can reach the full potential He has already placed inside of you!
**My message on Friday will be about the second reason we become derailed. I can't wait to share with you!**
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