Monday, June 1, 2015

Why wait?

Currently our church is seeking a new pastor.  With this search there are be many burdens but also many blessings.  Each week we have a new speaker with a new message and I never know what to expect.  This week I heard God speaking to me.  He kept asking me "what are you waiting for?"

I titled the sermon What does a Christian look like. I should have titled it Things one should do to be a Christian.  The 3 main points were 1. Accepting Christ 2. Building a relationship with him and 3. Obey him.

1. Accept Christ: Why? How?

Romans 3:23-24New International Version (NIV)
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

 Ephesians 2:8-9New International Version (NIV)
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
 
John 14:6New International Version (NIV)
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Romans 5:8New International Version (NIV)
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

2 Peter 3:9New International Version (NIV)
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.


Why? Simply HE LOVES US.  That is something that at times I have a hard time accepting or understanding. But I know and believe in my heart he bleed and died on the cross so that I may have the chance to get to heaven.  Its my choice to accept his gift. But he hung there anyway knowing that people would reject him, refuse him, take his name in vein and he did it anyway. 

2. Build a personal relationship with Him.
This is where I personally struggle the most. This is why I have started this blog. I need to build a relationship with him and I need to do it today. Why am I waiting? Imagine Jesus sitting in a Coffee Shop waiting for you to arrive and spend time with him. Just waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting.  We have 24/7 access to him yet we leave him waiting.  I leave him waiting .  How blessed are we that he will wait for us!

Proverbs 2:1-6New International Version (NIV)

Moral Benefits of Wisdom

My son, if you accept my words
    and store up my commands within you,
turning your ear to wisdom
    and applying your heart to understanding
indeed, if you call out for insight
    and cry aloud for understanding,
and if you look for it as for silver
    and search for it as for hidden treasure,
then you will understand the fear of the Lord
    and find the knowledge of God.
For the Lord gives wisdom;
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
 
Read his word, that's our direct access to him. Spend time with him. Study. Spending time in his word to allow the changes in your life to happen.  Your prospective will change. 
 
Spend time in prayer
James 4:8New International Version (NIV)
8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  What are we waiting for?  Too often we are in the bad habit of only praying when we need something. But how often do we pray and  ask God what he needs from us?
 
Philippians 4:6New International Version (NIV)
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Pray for direction because he has a plan.  More days than not I wonder what I'm supposed to be doing with my life. But I don't talk to God about it.  Often I think my problems and worries aren't big enough to bother him with. rTHAT'S NOT TRUE

Be aware of the people you surround yourself with: Proverbs 27:17New International Version (NIV)
17 As iron sharpens iron,
    so one person sharpens another.
Tonight before I sat down for this post I thanked my bestie for being there for me, for praying for me, and for reminding me to look down when my head and heart are cast down.
 
 
Hebrews 10:24New International Version (NIV)
24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,

3. Obey
Matthew 16:24-26New International Version (NIV)
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?

Sometimes it will take discipline. 

Matthew 6:25-26New International Version (NIV)

Do Not Worry

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

I want to build a faith that is envious. Work towards an attitude of God will take care of it. 

This message convicted me to the point where my heart was pounding.  I knew He was speaking and he was speaking to me.  This week I want to work towards meeting him each day.  Even if that means I simply say thank you for the day he gave me. 

Monday, May 25, 2015

Here we go...

So much is going on and it's all happening in my head. But to keep things simple for tonight I'll explain why I've started this blog.  The other day I read a FaceBook post by Lysa Terkeurst, an amazing women of God who I'm pretty sure can read my mind, she talked about being disconnect from God and how sometimes we simply check things off a good Christian checklist.  You know, things like praying, reading your bible, going to church, that sort of thing. But the truth is I've been so disconnect that I'm not even doing those things.  I attend church but my hearts not in it.  I think about God and Jesus but I don't seek them. And the truth is I am STRUGGLING.  In every area of my life I am struggling.  As a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, and a friend.  So tonight I decided instead of grabbing a random notebook or binder I would start a blog to document my journey as I seek HIM.  

Heavenly Father, I ask you now to forgive me.  For not seeking you, for not putting you first, for simply not trusting in you.  I ask Lord that you start a transformation in my heart. I pray that you will show me all my sin attitudes that are preventing me from connecting with you.  I ask you for wisdom to see your truth in what I read. In Jesus' name I pray Amen