How hard are we really trying...

Listen to the full song: "You are good" by Kari Jobe
"your kindness leads me to repentance
your goodness draws me to your side
your mercy calls me to be like you
your favor is my delight
everyday I've awaken my praise and poured out a song from

my heart

You are good, you are good
you are good and your mercy is forever
You are good, you are good
you are good, and your mercy is forever"

"Your goodness draws me to your side, your mercy calls me to be like you."
How hard are we really trying to be like our God?
Let's reflect together...

For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts.
- 1 Thess 2:4

 "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.  Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.  But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices  and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.  Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
 
 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.  Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.  And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
- Col 3:5-17

 "But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."
-Matthew 6:15

 "Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart" - Col 4:2

"Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone." - Col 4:5-6

Let's put on the full armor of God and persevere together in NOT being of this world.

"Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." - Romans 12:2

Developing your character

Did you know that God is interested in developing your character? Well, it is true. However, the only way that can be possible is through one very important factor. That one factor is mere obedience. We should obey what we already know to be God's will. Disobedience on the other hand, can be very risky and is costly. Obeying God requires stepping out of ourselves and having the faith to just do what we are told even if we don't understand it in the moment. Obedience is even more important than sacrifice. Affirmation comes after the obedience. Obedience indicates your faith in God.

Obedience is so important. It is overlooked, to say the least.
Let's look at the definition of the word obey:

"to comply with or follow the commands, restrictions, wishes, or instructions of"

We are taught to obey our parents, right? Why? Because they just want to have authority over someone and have a say in something? No! It is because your parents are supposed to have the best interest in your being and you are taught to obey them so that you will be safe and do what is best. Don't you think that is why God wants you to obey Him? He isn't trying to be mean or controlling.
He wants the best for you and He wants you to be happy and safe...the same thing any parent would want for their child(ren). 

Keith Green wrote this song and I think it speaks for itself:

"To obey is better than sacrifice

I don't need your money
I want your life
And I hear you say that I'm coming back soon
But you act like I'll never return

Well you speak of grace and my love so sweet
How you thrive on milk, but reject My meat
And I can't help weeping of how it will be
If you keep on ignoring My words
Well you pray to prosper and succeed
But your flesh is something I just can't feed

To obey is better than sacrifice
I want more than Sunday and Wednesday nights
Cause if you can't come to Me every day
Then don't bother coming at all
La,la,la etc.

To obey is better than sacrifice
I want hearts of fire
Not your prayers of ice
And I'm coming quickly
To give back to you
According to what you have done
According to what you have done
According to what you have done"

Obedience is better than sacrifice. Now, that is a pretty big deal! We are going to be judged by what we have done, meaning we are going to be judged according to our obedience!

1 John 5:21 says:

"Dear Children, keep away from ANYTHING that might take God's place in your hearts"

2 John 1:9 states:

"Anyone who wanders away from this teaching has no relationship with God. But anyone who remains in the teaching of Christ has a relationship with both the Father and the Son."

Obedience is following God's Word, completely! Will we fail at that? Yes, we will. But...we are to aspire 100% with our whole heart, mind and body to fulfill God's commandments and His Word. As you read through the Bible we learn that obedience goes beyond just obeying the 12 Commandments. 1 John 2:15-17 tells us:
"Stop loving this evil world and all that it offers you, for when you love the world, you show that you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only the lust for physical pleasure, the lust for everything we see, and pride in our possessions. These are not from the Father. They are from this evil world. And this world is fading away, along with everything it craves. But if you do the will of God, you will live forever"

Our obedience speaks for itself. We are either all in or not in at all.
Two in a half men star Angus Jones spoke on his experience on finding God.
(Click here to watch his testimony)  I love how he says "your either hot or you're cold", "we need to pick our side now", "you need to be 100% or nothing at all", "if you're gonna be for the world be for the world, you're doing so much harm being half in and half out. You're harming yourself and those others, who might actually want to know the truth", "chose you this day whom you will follow"...this is so true! This world is going to be testing you and you will have to chose wisely.

You can't be half in and half out, that equates to being lukewarm.
So, the question that I will leave you with, is this: Are you all in or all out?

What has been the most difficult challenge in your life?

My most difficult challenge has been staying strong in obedience to God. 

The world around me is constantly saying don't obey God, that is dumb and it makes you look dumb and stupid. The world is constantly saying "you can only be happy if you serve yourself and do whatever it takes to make yourself happy no matter the cost".
I have made some major adjustments in my life over the past year and I know for a fact that I need to make some more changes because as I evaluate my lifestyle, I know that I am not doing EVERYTHING I can to obey God.  And when I make "radical" changes in my life my biggest challenge is staying strong and not slipping back and becoming discouraged by the world around me. Breaking from the world and it's traditions is not easy.  

Have you ever seen the movie "Christmas with the Kranks"? The Kranks did not want to celebrate Christmas, they wanted to abandon all the stress that came with following the normal traditions of the holiday. So, they decided to book a trip to take a cruise. The entire town was in an uproar because they were abandoning the "traditions" of Christmas. The Kranks were constantly having to support each other and be strong and not give in even although they were very tempted to give in on several occasions, even on just little things. This is a good example of how I feel a lot of the time. Having to stay strong and not give in, even to the smallest worldly things.

"Stop loving this evil world and all that it offers you, for when you love the world, you show that you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only the lust for physical pleasure, the lust for everything we see, and pride in our possessions. These are not from the Father. They are from this evil world. And this world is fading away, along with everything it craves. But if you do the will of God, you will live forever. " - 1 John 2:15-17

I sometimes feel like "The Little Engine that could", telling myself, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can" be strong and not give in to even the smallest of things. Even the smallest things matter: my attitude, what I read, what I watch, what I listen to, who I hang out with, etc.
I have to admit that even when trying to be strong in my obedience to God, it has also been a struggle because even my Christian peers make it difficult. I find myself "witnessing" to Christians and having to convince even them that I am not crazy for adjusting my life.
This concept seems so backwards to me. 

Can you see the difficulty?

"Jesus replied, 'If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching'. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." - John 14:23

 But, why is obedience to God so important, you ask?

"If you love me, you will obey what I command. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching".  - John 14:15, 24

This is so serious! He says: those who do not love Him will not obey His teachings. Does this challenge you at all? It sure does challenge me!

Here are some very important points that Blackaby & King give from their book Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the will of God:

- Obedience is the outward expression of your love of God

- The reward for obedience and love is that He will reveal Himself to you.

- If you have an obedience problem, you have a love problem.

- God is love. His will is always best.

- God is all knowing. His directions are always right. 

- God is all powerful. He can enable you to do His will. 

- If you love Him, you will obey Him!

In many ways, obedience is your moment of truth. What YOU DO WILL: Reveal what you believe about Him, Determine whether you will experience His mighty work in you and through you, and determine whether you will come to know Him more intimately.

You cannot believe and trust Him, unless you love Him. You cannot love Him, unless you know Him. 

Here are some points the Bible makes about Obedience:

"If you fully obey the LORD your God by keeping all the commands I am giving you today, the LORD your God will exalt you above all the nations of the world.", "The LORD will bless everything you do and will fill your storehouses with grain. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you." - Deut 28:1,8

"But if you refuse to listen to the LORD your God and do not obey all the commands and laws I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overwhelm you: You will be cursed in your towns and in the country.",  "The LORD himself will send against you curses, confusion, and disillusionment in everything you do, until at last you are completely destroyed for doing evil and forsaking me. " - Deut 28:15-16, 20

"This is what I told them: 'Obey me, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. Only do as I say, and all will be well!' " - Jeremiah 7:23

  "So why do you call me 'Lord,' when you won't obey me?  I will show you what it's like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then obeys me.  It is like a person who builds a house on a strong foundation laid upon the underlying rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against the house, it stands firm because it is well built.  But anyone who listens and doesn't obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will crumble into a heap of ruins."  - Luke 6:46-49

"Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Christ did." - 1 John 2:6

Obedience to God will be costly and I am up to that challenge. How about you? Responses are encouraged.

 

Something to think about

It really bothers me that people start setting up for Christmas before Thanksgiving. I think Christmas is idolized WAY TOO MUCH! Frankly,
I want to challenge Christians this year by saying "how many Christians celebrate Christmas any different from a non-believer?"
As Christians are not supposed to be "of this world"

"Dear friends, I warn you as 'temporary residents and foreigners' to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls"
-1 Peter 2:11

Something to think about.

We started celebrating Christmas a little different last year and will follow our new tradition this year. We actually sold our Christmas decor last year, most of it has nothing to do with the REAL meaning of Christmas anyway. Then the money we normally would have spent on buying gifts (STUFF) for our friends and family (who actually aren't in need of such things and are overall well off ) we took that money and purchased food and hygienic items and other such things and gave them to a homeless shelter so that those in actual need had what was necessary to survive. I actually talked to someone in our town who appeared to be homeless one night. He was riding his bike in a heavy snowfall, December night and I asked him if he had a place to stay and if he needed anything. Turns out he was not homeless, he just didn't have much. The part that struck me was that as I conversed with him he told me how he doesn't have much, but still tries to help out others bc he knows several homeless people. He said that several homeless people die every year and he personally knew people who have lost their lives because they couldn't survive the bitter cold in their homeless state.  When I got home that night, I walked in the front door of my home balling my eyes out. My husband was like "what's wrong, what happened?" I narrated the conversation I had with the man on his bike. We decided we would never celebrate Christmas the same way ever again.

The Christmas traditions of this world are not even biblical. Christians are supposed to take care of the widows and the poor, so does that mean homelessness should not exist?
What God are we following?

The Truth of Circumstance

The truth of your circumstance, how are you supposed to know what that means right now?

The truth of circumstance cannot be made until you have heard from God. He has a master plan. We should never, ever determine the truth of any situation by looking at the circumstances. The Holy Spirit takes the Word of God and uses it to reveal God's perspective on the circumstance. Only God's perspective matters, surely that is difficult to swallow at times, but we must fight our flesh and try to see past it. A circumstance could be leading you into some kind of decision-making.The decision you make could make or break the purpose God had set out for you in the end. Perhaps the difficulty in your decision right now isn't choosing between good and bad, but choosing between good and best. You cannot expect any progress or good to be made if your answer to God given direction is "No". God works in sequence to accomplish His purposes.There is no skipping steps or trying to rush things, especially when God reveals things when He is ready for you to take a new step in direction in His activity. It will be in sequence with what He has already been doing in your life.God will give you a spiritual marker that will identify a time of transition, decision, or direction that will be very clear because it will be revealed to you that God is the one guiding you. What you do says so much more about what you believe about God than what you say. "Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him" - Hebrews 11:6 

You may experience a crisis of belief in your circumstance. An encounter with God requires faith. When you encounter God, your encounter will be GOD-SIZED. What you do in response to God's revelation will reveal what you believe about God. True faith REQUIRES action. "If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all" - Isaiah 7:9 

God's assignments are always beyond what people can do, because He wants to demonstrate His nature, His strength, His provision, and His kindness to His people and to a watching world in EVERY circumstance. Our world is missing out on seeing God because we are not attempting anything that only God can do. Is it because we are so caught up in the moment of our current circumstance? He is only going to start a job that He can do. If you or your church are not responding to God and attempting things that only God can accomplish, then there is a lack of exercising faith. God is more interested in you having an experience with Him, than He is interested in getting a job done. You can get a job done and never experience God at all. What have your experiences been lately?


What are your circumstances right now? Are you frustrated, angry, or confused? What things do you think God is trying to accomplish through your situation(s) right now? Go to God right now and ask Him to show you His perspective on your circumstance. Settle in your mind that God has forever demonstrated His absolute love for you on the cross and that His love for you will never change. Do not attempt to try and understand God while being in the middle of your circumstance(s). Be patient and wait on the Holy Spirit. He may take the Word of God to help you understand your circumstances more clearly. Adjust your life to God and what you see Him doing in your circumstances right now. Do all He is telling you to do. Regardless of how it makes you look or feel. He may ask you to march around the walls of Jericho, He may ask you to do something that sounds absolutely like nonsense...do it anyway. The truth of your circumstances are in God's hands. Experience God working in and through you to accomplish His purposes.

Your circumstances may be the recipe that God is using to perform His amazing work.

You cannot allow yourself to be guided by tradition, method or formula's.

Do you hear that? God is speaking. Is He speaking to you?

Maybe God is speaking to you, but you do not hear. Do you know when  God is speaking to you?

Do you know:
1) God speaks uniquely to each individual. This is because He wants your experience with Him and His voice to you to be personal.

2) Biblically, when God spoke, the person was sure God was speaking. This means when God speaks to you, you should know without a doubt that it is God who is speaking to you.


3) Biblically, when God spoke, the person knew what God said. This means that when God speaks to you, you should be clear on what you were told.

4)  Biblically, when God spoke, that was the encounter with God! That means that when God speaks to you do not need to hope that you will be led into an encounter with Him...it means you just had an encounter with Him! Then and there! Only God can cause you to experience His presence.

God's method in how He speaks is different from person to person, but according to scripture what is important to remember is:
1) God uniquely spoke to His people
2) They knew it was God
3) They knew what He said


So, do you hear Him? Have your prayers lately sounded something like this: "Lord, I really want to know your will. Please close the door if _______________ is not your will and bless me if I am right" The main problem with this type of prayer and thought process is that this pattern is not found anywhere in scripture.

God speaks in many different ways. God has spoke through: angels, visions, dreams, symbolic actions, a gentle whisper, miraculous signs, and more!

You cannot allow yourself to be guided by your experiences alone. You also cannot allow yourself to be guided by tradition, method or formula's. He will reveal to you what you need to know to take the first step of obedience. Your job is to wait until He speaks to you with instructions. If you decide to just start "doing" before you have been given direction from God, chances are you will likely be wrong.

The Holy Spirit will give clear directives today! God is personal and He wants to be intimately involved in your life and He will give you clear guidance for living when you faithfully live out your relationship with Him.

Base your understanding of God ONLY on scripture and not on experience! If you do not have clear instructions from God on a matter...PRAY AND WAIT! Learn to be patient.

Depend on God's timing. His timing will always BE RIGHT AND BEST!

Don't be in a hurry. He may be withholding instructions to cause you to seek Him more intently. He wants to draw you in closer so He can share with you more intimately.

Don't try to skip over the relationship to get on with the "doing". God is more interested in having a love relationship with YOU than He is in what YOU can do for Him.

God WILL give you clear guidance for your life. If you are thinking "But that has not been my experience." The answer to that doubt is simply: ONLY base your understanding on God on Scripture and not on experience.

Is God speaking to you? What is He trying to tell you?

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When you love...

When you come to know God by experience, you will be convicted of His Love. When you are convinced of His love you can believe Him and trust Him. When you trust Him you can obey Him. When you love Him, you have no problem obeying Him.


How have you come to know God through experience? 
Please share.