Today, my day started like most days do for me the daily making coffee, showering, dressing and doing my devotional.  I completed these tasks with the same vigor I normally do, taking steps to not be disturbed during my devotional time, I turn all my alarms to silence on my phone and today waiting for the wash cycle to end to add fabric softener to the washer.  I sat in my chair and read Luke Chapter 16, The Parable of the Shrewd Manager.  I thought I understood what Jesus was teaching and I sincerely prayed about all the blessing I have and praying for friends and family.  My day progressed as any other normal day, start my drive to work, called my dad as I do daily and also spoke with my brother.  I arrived at work, securing a primo parking spot, front row and near the sidewalk…things are going great.  The weather is mildly cold, no brisk wind blowing, skies mostly cloudy and a winter weather storm approaching for tonight’s forecast.  I walk the long trail from the employee parking lot, enjoy drinking my coffee and arrive as usual 30 minutes before my shift if to start, I relax and take in the atmosphere, with an occasional twitter update.  The time arrives for me to clock in and start my day with all good intentions of having a good day.  Less than 5 minutes into my shift, it happened…I completely lost control of myself and I quickly became the person I dislike the most in my life.  I immediately allowed the actions and simple presence of others to unleash this person inside me that is not pleasant or nice, often critical and condescending.  It brings me so much pain and shame to admit these horrible traits that live within me.  I am in no way bragging about this, but I wanted to share my story in hopes that it might help others who might be suffering as I am.  I have heard it said that being and living as a Christian is not an easy road or journey to travel, but I know it leads to so much more than our minds can even begin to comprehend, I believe in God and I want to follow His leading, I am sinful and although it hurts me when I recognize my sin it brings so much more pain to my Heavenly Father, who cannot even look upon me because of my sinfulness.  It is only through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Son of God that I am afforded a relationship with my Creator. I am no way trying to blame my erratic behavior simply on human sinful nature; I am taking the responsibility seriously that I am to always be alert and aware of my actions and the Bible supports this in Ephesians 6:10-18 (NIV) The Armor of God, Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.  Now with that being said, I am reminded that I must and (we) must physically prepare ourselves daily to meet the demands of the day and be ready to face all manner of temptations and distractions that will draw out of us our sinfulness, our humanness.  A lesson I learned today is reading devotionals and reading God’s word are tools we need to rediscover every single day, but not merely to read the words, but to live them and give them life.  Jesus was sent to us over 2000 years ago, he was subjected to the same temptations you and I face daily, He lived a perfect sinless life, gave Himself as a sacrifice for all mankind, a ransom for our sins, He died a horrible death and He defeated death through His resurrections so that you and I can have a relationship with God, Jesus is our bridge to God and the Holy Spirit is a gift to us, we are never alone God is always with us.  Hebrews 9:14 (NIV) How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! Mark 10:45 (NIV) For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.  Lastly, I want to share Psalms 51 with you, it may have been David’s prayer after sinning with Bathsheba but it is also mine and can be yours as well.  God loves you and he loves me, do not be stubborn in asking for forgiveness and daily put on the armor of God. 

~Blessings and Peace~

Psalm 51 (NIV)

For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.

¹ Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. ² Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

³ For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. ⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. ⁵ Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. ⁶ Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. ⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. ⁹ Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.

¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. ¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. ¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

¹³ Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you. ¹⁴ Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. ¹⁵ Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise. ¹⁶ You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. ¹⁷ My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.

¹⁸ May it please you to prosper Zion, to build up the walls of Jerusalem. ¹⁹ Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous, in burnt offerings offered whole; then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Today’s message at my church was, “Peace.”  It was a message I needed to hear and to be reminded that “I” was created uniquely by God.  Try as I may, I will not and cannot become someone else, or even what others may want me to become.  This is because at the end the day, the reflection in the mirror is me!  During the past year I have sincerely tried to manage my personal time more constructively, starting with internal things like my mind, body and soul.  Some changes are subtle while others are much more obvious, I decided to limit my distractions in my home, I sold my 42″ TV because it was consuming too much of my time.  I am in no way saying TV is bad and everyone should give it up!  I still view lots of TV, mostly news as it relates directly to my job.  I merely wanted to de-clutter my personal life.  I also challenged myself to read more books with a goal of at least 1 book per month, I am happy to say I have met that goal with 20 books so far in 2013.  I also started this blog with the encouragement of friends, what a blessing!  I would like to tell you I had a well-defined plan, but I don’t.  I can tell you that when I decided look at my life with its conflicts, disappointments, sadness and emptiness and starting seeking God things started looking brighter.  Doors, I did not even know existed were suddenly opening.  I have found a church to call “home,” a congregation that values individuals not a person’s public prestige and bank accounts, I matter because I am a child of God and I seek to spread and share the love of Jesus Christ with my neighbors, my community and the world.  As I have been looking at my life over the past few years compared to where I am now, it could be easy to regret the choices I have made and sulk about them,  but I am choosing to thank God for all the things I have experienced because they have molded me into the person I am today.  I can say with complete honesty and assurance that I know the feelings of true love, by experiencing the sting and sorrow of losing true love.  I can also say that I truly appreciate and understand the love and sacrifice of parents, and this because of losing a parent.  No matter my age or my life circumstances, I will always be a child wanting the love and approval of my parents.  It really is true that the appreciation of something is not completely known until it is lost.  I wrote “Seasons” over a decade ago, some of the words have changed slightly but the true initial meaning is intact, the reasons I wrote have also changed but it continues to hold sweet memories for me.        

Seasons

The rushes of adrenalin, causing the rapid pounding, will the pressure be contained?   The theory of spontaneous combustion, results of cause and effect, does the end serve the means? January will always follow December, winter will always precede spring, life starts; the end is the beginning.   Action reaps reactions, for every yes, there will be a no or maybe, the skies that hold stars will also have clouds.  Renewal can only be gained after the rain, growth is enhanced by the sun, and sounds of nature will deliver peace.   Endure the rain!   Appreciate the sun!   Accept the nature! 

I had started this out with the intention of sharing my thoughts about “peace” and I quickly got off topic.   What do you think of when you hear the word, “peace?”  I think our answers have a lot to do with who we are and where we have in our life.  If you served in the military, peace might be the resolution to a conflict or war?  If you are a teacher it is a higher state of “quiet time!”  Even songs from country to pop have lyrics talking about peace.  I have been a Christian all my adult life, accepting Christ as my Savior as a teenager.  Peace for me has held different meanings based entirely upon my level of understanding, maturity and circumstances.  During the Christmas season I imagine peace in the stillness of Jesus born in a manger, I can feel the crisp night air and the sounds of animals and the breathing of a newborn baby, I can see peace in Mary’s eyes as she counts fingers and toes and touches Jesus’ soft wrinkly skin.  And, Joseph standing there was proud and honored to be with Mary and the newborn baby. 

I have never experienced war or loss associated with military actions and I am not going to try to explain it either because I could not and would not do it justice.  Peace or peaceful resolutions to war and conflicts cause celebrations for all parties as they brave new fronts for change. 

Another form of peace I have experienced is the calmness after an intense sporting event, medical emergency, natural disasters, emotional distress, or extreme celebration when everything becomes still and quiet…peace settles in. 

Today, I gained insight to a new level of peace that I had never recognized before, peace as a human trait.  I have had three distinct people in my life that shared and communicated peace simply by being who they were, godly and blessed by God.  People who express peace touch lives in very pronounced ways, I know that I am a stronger woman, a more faithful friend and truer to myself because those three individuals cared for me enough to first always speak truth to me, shared their faith with me and were are focused on me as a person, friend, colleague and companion.  The three words…Peace…Acceptance…Growth describe 2013 for me, this is just the beginning! 

~Blessings and Peace~

John 14:27 (NIV) “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” 

This was my devotional today and it is just what I needed to hear. First and foremost, I thank God for His unconditional love, for the forgiveness of sins and for never giving up on me! I experienced an emotional moment as I began my work day. I was overcome with feelings of chaos, at the time I could not really put words together to describe what I was experiencing.  After, reaching out to a friend and seeking prayer I was able to recognize my issue.  I am not in control of the universe!!  For a moment I felt like I was caught in a cartoon from my youth, “Pinky and the Brain!” LOL.  You see, I share an office with 10 other people and today was my Monday, add 108 new emails to the mix and somehow, I gave myself the authority to be controlling over a situation I was not even present for, shame on me! After feeling quite foolish, I apologized for my quick temper and judgments, I work with a great group of individuals who have helped me see the errors of my ways more than once. I have no excuses to offer, only thanks for the opportunity to improve.  Lesson learned, breathe…allow myself to breathe in God’s goodness and to exhale the stress and sadness.  I am truly blessed with God’s amazing love and two very dear friends that care enough to be truthful with me while supporting me at the same time.

~Blessings and Peace~

“Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but by how we react to what happens, not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life. A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and outcomes. It is a catalyst, a spark that creates extraordinary results.” ~Anonymous

Living an extraordinary life truly is a choice. You and I CAN choose how to react, we CAN choose our attitude, and we CAN choose that positive attitude that sparks incredible results. The question is “Do we BELIEVE we can?” Our Creator has given us the will to choose. How exciting to know such possibilities are before us. Choose the best for yourself and others. Treat your challenges tomorrow with a positive frame of mind and watch the possibilities begin.

Reference:

http://jctrois.com/dailyinspiration/quotes/100104

Esther’s Circle is a wonderful group of Christian women that I have the honor of meeting with on a regular basis to share yummy treats at one another’s homes and share the love of Jesus Christ and when time allows, discuss the book we are currently reading.  It is difficult to describe the joy I receive when we are together, it’s like going home…that familiar feeling that you belong, in many ways our lives are distinctively different but we are united in our hearts.  This group is a blessing, an answered prayer and a gift all wrapped up in one!  I have been searching and looking for “something” and God has been leading me to these women and my church to fill the void that has been in my life for many years.  I have tried to fill the void with so many things, nothing seemed to fit, I was trying to put circles into squares…that doesn’t work out so well.  My life is so full, I am overflowing with the goodness of God.  Psalms 23 (NIV)” The Lord if my shepherd, I lack nothing.  He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside the still waters, He refreshes my soul.  He guides me along the right paths for His names’ sake.  Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.  You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.  Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”  I am so thankful that God never gave up on me, I am truly blessed.  This brings me to the book Esther’s Circle is reading, Love Does by Bob Goff.  We just finished a discussion about chapters 13, I would recommend the book and although some of the stories seem unbelievable, God can do the unbelievable so here we go…. In the 13th chapter Bob starts off talking about a game I have never heard of but I trust my friends when they told me it was a real game.  The game is called “Bigger and Better,” the idea is to start out with a relatively small item and the person goes from house to house or person to person asking them if they would trade the item you have for something they have,  this process continues until you have found the ultimate “thing!”  The story starts out with a dime and ends with a truck.  Okay, here’s question one from the study guide, “Bob draws a connection between the dime in the Bigger and Better game and our pride and self-preservation.  What’s an example of a dime you’re holding on to rather than trading up?”  Wow, that’s a big question!  Actually, it’s an easy one for me, FEAR…although I am learning to step forward in faith, I still have a lot of fear.  Fear that who and what I am is not enough, not enough to stand alone and speak truth, to simply be 100% transparent.  That is my pride and self-preservation.  I want to add, with my friends, family and church community I am trying to be authentic, the person God created me to be and to live into the purpose He has for me.  I have just answered the second question, “What specially keeps you holding on to that dime in your life?”  The third question, “What’s the difference between sacrificing something for God and trading up for Him?”  Trading up (for me) means getting something else, not necessarily better and possibly not bigger, only different. Sacrificing is surrendering something, as a Christian I surrender myself to Jesus Christ and that I am not able to save myself, only through the Grace,  Mercy and Unconditional love of God through the sacrifice of His only Son, Jesus are we able to have a personal relationship with God and the opportunity to spend eternity of Heaven.  While, I may say I am sacrificing things, I am human and I will continue to sin as we all are sinful in nature; however, I do challenge myself to be less selfish, to train my actions and reactions to be more loving, more accepting and less judgmental.  Okay, funny story, kind of…I like to play solitaire on my smart phone, if I miss a play I force myself to start a new game, I feel like I’m cheating if I “undo” a play and if I were to win the game it would not mean as much to me because I know that my score could have been better if I had not cheated.  Correcting or at least paying attention to this small act, teaches me good values that will benefit me when I am faced with greater issues in my life.  Another, silly thing I do is, I like to start my day with devotions Monday-Saturday and if for some reason, I am hurried and leave home without doing it, I used to just double up the next day…but I don’t do that anymore, if I miss a day, I will make myself go back to whatever day of the week it was I missed, I believe that I can learn something new that I didn’t get the week before.  I trust God to speak to me and I try to be the person He created me to be.  As Christians, daily we strive to sacrifice/surrender our sinful actions and although we may succeed in many ways, we cannot be perfect and sinless, we need God’s forgiveness and a desire to be sinless.  It is difficult to understand God’s unconditional love because we are surrounded by everything “conditional” in this world.  Trust in God, He will never leave you or forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV)”Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”  I am grateful for having you read my blog entry today and I want to share one of my favorite verses with you, John 14:27 (NIV) “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” ~Blessings and Peace~

As I spoke and prayed with God today I thanked Him for all the blessings I have in my life and the ones I enjoy everyday.  Tonight, I’m in my parents home surrounded by the sights, sounds and smells of my youth.  There’s no turkey basting, rolls baking or noodles being made but I can sense them all the same.  Every corner holds a memory of her, some from her youth while others are simply “mom” my mom.  I should not be sad as she would not approve, but I miss her all the same.  Honestly, daily I thank God for giving me such a wonderful love filled life, I have more than most can claim to in this life, I have food, shelter, clothing, family, friends, job, health insurance…I am not rich in a worldly sense of the meaning but rich I am because I have been saved by Jesus and He’s with me at all times, most especially when I’m feeling very alone.  I would very much like to feel my moms loving arms around me just one more time, to have the opportunity to say I love you one more time.  I didn’t know that my last goodbye would be the “last” goodbye.   I remember it so vividly, the very spot and time of day, the day of the week and watched as she drove away, both of us waving.  Holidays and special days bring floods of memories sometimes too many to contain my emotions, today is one of those days.  I find it easy to cry and the tears easily flow during the simplest thing as watching TV.  I know my tears need a release but I often restrain them.  You are probably wondering if there’s a point to be made from all this, I am going to be honest I started typing because I felt called to do so by God,  I am searching as I type the words that come from my heart. I want to share with you that we celebrate “Thanksgiving” once a year but we as Christian every single day is a day of “Thanksgiving!”  I want to embrace these emotions that are tangled up inside me, join me during this Thanksgiving to embrace all the things you have in your life, God will bless and keep you!  Not my promises but God’s.  Numbers 6:24-26 (NIV) “The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; The Lord turn His face towards you and give you peace.”

May this “Thanksgiving” be filled with memories new and old and most especially the everlasting love of God!

~Blessings and Peace~

I read a devotional yesterday that made me do some serious soul-searching.  It was from an app on my iPhone, (information is listed below).  During the past few years I have experienced a wide variety of emotions that have been from mildly uncomfortable to deep despair wondering when it would all stop.  I lost my mom unexpectedly, a 10 year love ended, started a new life alone and began a pilgrimage for the religion/faith of my youth.  Well, it never stops, emotions are part of each of us, deny as we all have tried but they remain. I used to try to hide my (feelings) emotions, the only person I ever really fooled was myself. We all have a “tell” mine is my posture, expressions and my tone of voice. Pretty much everyone knows mine, in many ways I am thankful but to be honest it has been a pathetic scene at times. With God, no matter what we do or say, He knows our hearts nothing is ever truly hid from God.  And, even then in our messiness of sin, God loves us and wants us to repent and ask for His forgiveness.  Simple “NOTHING” compares to God’s unconditional love. Even if you only know a few stories from the Bible or if you have read it front to back, it is filled with stories of good people doing ridiculous things to not follow God’s will for their lives, running and hiding from God, but in the end they repent and God uses them for amazing purposes and their lives are make rich through their relationship with God. I often need reminded that God never promised only good days, His promise is, “He will never leave us or forsake us…” Hebrews 13:5.  The past few days I have cried, prayed, agonized and stressed over issues that were and are out of my control but being human, doing what (we) humans do…I wanted to help.  The single most important thing I could have done was simply to pray and put the matter in God’s hands; and although I did pray I somehow thought I could still do something more.  At the end of the day, I was able to help due to some “tough love” of two very special people in my life they reminded me that by doing less you can absolutely accomplish more! You see “I” wanted to “be” the help and by doing that I was making the situation about me, not the person who needed help and I was wanting to take credit for something that only happened because of God, because of His great love, mercy and compassion; I did help, I opened a door and God used me and lots of others for the common good of us all collectively.  I am not saying “we” human-beings can’t help and do great things, we do through the might and power of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Today, was not my victory, it was God’s!  I noticed that as soon as I took my eyes off of myself and others, refocused on God trusting in Him I felt a calmness come over me.  As I mentioned earlier, I experienced some highs and lows today, I found myself crying uncontrollably at times and as I reflected I came face to face with a truth…I cannot remember the last time I shed a tear asking for forgiveness from God, I know I am sinful and I am sorry when I mess up but if I cry at things like Hallmark commercials, weddings, funerals, break-ups and make-ups then obviously my priorities are messed up, I am in need of a Savior and doesn’t He deserve more from me than “I’m sorry, I’ll try harder?” I have been blogging about “Faith” during the past month and God is revealing much truth to me and I am not ashamed to be a Christian and can you just imagine what our world would be like if our faith was merely the size of a “mustard seed?”  WOW!  Jesus said, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20 (NIV).  I have a song that have been playing in my head while writing this; Mercy Me’s “I Can Only Imagine” a visionary song filled with lyrics of hope, peace, love and celebration.  I also have a favorite saying and I have it posted on my front door, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you.” John 14:27.

~Blessings and Peace~

“I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!” (NLT) ( Revelation 3:15-16 )

What does it look like to be on fire for Christ? Does God see your faith as hot or cold, or worse, lukewarm? Are you thinking of ways you can impact God’s kingdom? Is your day filled with busyness or is it filled with purposefulness? Maybe it’s time to infuse some passion today.

Insights by Billy Graham from the book, “My Time with God”:

Before I can become wise, I must first realize that I am foolish.  Before I can receive power, I must first confess I am powerless.  I must lament my sins before I can rejoice in a Savior.  Mourning, in God’s sequence, always comes before exultation.  Blessed are those who mourn their unworthiness, their helplessness, and their inadequacy.

Isaiah, the mighty prophet of God, knew by experience that one must bow the knee in mourning before one can lift the voice of jubilation.  When his sin appeared ugly and venomous in the bright light of God’s holiness, he said, “Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” Isaiah 6:5

We cannot be satisfied with our goodness after beholding the holiness of God.  But our mourning over our unworthiness and sinfulness should be of short duration, for God has said: “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” Isaiah 43:25

Isaiah had to experience the mourning of inadequacy before he could realize the joy of forgiveness…

In God’s economy, a person must go down into the valley of grief before he or she can scale the heights of spiritual glory.  One must become tired and weary of living without Christ before he or she can seek and find fellowship.  One must come to the end of “self” before one can really begin to live.

References:

Download this app: http://jctrois.com

http://www.biblegateway.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZ4L91PKYwk&feature=share&list=PLB65ED80C6550077B

When I first began discussing “Faith” I stated I would be covering 3 parts to the series. 

1. To identify and name what keeps us from faith (fear, confidence, inferiority…) whatever is enabling us?
2. To be honest with ourselves and most especially with God.
3. To know where we are, where we want to be and to whom we belong.

Review of Part 1, God does not require us to be at a particular place in life or in our belief or faith to be saved and be in fellowship with God; most importantly because we are incapable of ever reaching Him and saving ourselves.  God wants to meet us exactly where we are in life, the only thing required is for us to admit we are sinful and to recognize that God loved us so much He gave His only Son, Jesus Christ to suffer and die.  We are afforded salvation through the mercy, grace and unconditional love of God…period!  My lack of self-confidence and understanding truth keep me from being in constant relationship with God, my humanness.  God bridged the gap that separates us from Him and His glory because of our sins through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.  Jesus paid the ransom for all sin, by His unselfish act of doing His Father’s will we now have an intercessor on our behalf to reconcile with God the Father. 

I Timothy 2:5-6 (NIV) “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time.”

Hebrews 7:23-25 (NIV) “Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.”

Review of Part 2, I stated that “faith” to me is an “action” word and I also stated, “While it is true, faith in God requires my affirmation (action) in God displayed in my daily life and interactions, the real action of faith is the power, majesty and grace of God.”  Faith is the foundation of Christian life and assurance of a future in Heaven with God. 

Part 3 of Faith is for each of us to individually look at our lives and seek to be more Christ-like and deepen our relationship with God.  There is no better person to tell your life story than you!  Our lives can be anything we want it to be; in many ways we can be our own worst enemy or our biggest fan.  God has given each of us a detailed plan for an amazing life, the Bible.  The Bible can be scary to open and read, but you don’t have to be scared.  Start with stories you’ve heard or watch a movie about a story from the Bible.  The Bible is filled with true accounts of men and women living for God, their stories are about activities that still happen in our lives today, such as betrayal, grief, victory, love, companionship, trials, pain, healing, brotherhood, sacrifice, miracles, prophecy, strength, mercy, forgiveness, agriculture, geography, mathematics, promises kept, promises broken, cultural, traditions, laws, nature, animals, history, health issues, families…anything and everything you can think of can be found within the pages of the Bible.  These are my truths:

1. I believe in Jesus Christ, He came and lived on earth and took upon Himself the sins of the entire human race.  God loves us that much.
2. I believe in Heaven and Hell, I choose Heaven not because it beats the alternative but because Jesus loves me, He created me and He gave me purpose.  I hunger for knowledge about my God and His wondrous works. 
3. I am sinful; it is something I am reminded of daily and thankful for forgiveness.  God meets me each day where I am.
4. I want to share my views and faith with others; I am seeking God’s will for my life.

Things that work for me and help keep me be honest and true:

1. Begin my day with devotions and praying to God, talking with God.  He wants to be in relationship with His children.
2. Ask for God with walk with me throughout my day, reminding myself that I am not alone.  I also where a ring that is engraved, “You’ll never walk alone.” 
3. End my day with a devotional and sharing with God.
4. Attend church, involved in groups and activities within my church and help my community.
5. I read books, share on twitter and I share my faith on my blog.
6. Engage in conversations about my faith with friends.
7. Less TV entertainment, TV became a distraction for me it kept me in my home too much and created less time to be in community with my family and friends.

I had initially stated, that faith for me is an action word; with the focus being “my” actions while I believe that to be true, faith in God requires my affirmation (action) in God displayed in my daily life and interactions, the real action of faith is the power, majesty and grace of God.  Faith is the foundation of Christian life and assurance of spending eternity in Heaven with God because we are incapable of saving ourselves.  Here’s a quote by Charles Spurgeon that rings so true, “When I thought God was hard, I found it easy to sin; but when I found God so kind, so good, so overflowing with compassion, I beat my breast to think I could ever have rebelled against One who loved me so and sought my good.”

Our time together has ended, now our services begin!  I hope this 3 part series has been beneficial to you and your Christian journey.  I will list some references below that may also be helpful:

~Blessings and Peace~

References:

http://jonathanmerritt.religionnews.com/2013/10/02/tullian-tchividjian/

http://www.biblegateway.com

http://www.wikihow.com/Build-Self-Confidence

http://www.wikihow.com/Trust-Your-Own-Abilities

Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

Hebrews 11:6 (NIV) “And 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.”

Romans 10:17 (NIV) “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 (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.”

I recently received news from a friend that she is moving to Hawaii, I was so excited for her but also sad that I may not get to see her for a long time. She and I had once planned for a Hawaiian vacation unfortunately it never can to fruition.  Our friendship has spanned over a decade and we have shared ups and downs, successes and failures as well as love and loss with one another. It’s funny, she used to refer to me as her “hero” a role that fueled my confidence day by day, year after year I tried to be everything for my friend. A difficult lesson I learned through the years was loving someone and providing for someone are wonderful things to do but life and relationship are about the to and fro, the give and take…they must be reciprocal in order to grow individually as well as together.  This lesson was one I learned from NOT doing those things. In any relationship communication is key, doing too much for a partner or friend can actually hurt the one person you are trying to help and love completely, crazy I know but it’s the truth. I learned that sometimes you have to allow freedom and change to happen so love can blossom and grow, to mature.  I wanted to be her “hero” and I thought that could only happen if I did everything, sometimes being the “hero” meaning stepping back and watching the cocoon bloom into a beautiful butterfly…That is exactly what happened with my friend!!! She is independent, smart and beautiful! I wish her much happiness in Hawaii and I know that when I am able to see her again it will be as if no time has passed.  I was unable to recognize the plans that God had for me, until I was able to surrender all to Him, His plan is way cooler than I ever dreamed.  Aloha, my friend traveling mercies for you and much happiness!  Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) “For I know the plans I have for you, ‘declares the Lord,’ plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

References:

http://www.biblegateway.com/