Monday, October 31, 2011

Beating Your Head Against A Brick Wall

Have you heard that saying before? "I feel like I am beating my head against a brick wall". Did you ever wonder who started that saying? Well, I believe God did. While at church Sunday, Pastor was reading a scripture out of Jeremiah and it may me think of that saying.

Jeremiah 23 v 29...."Is not My word like a fire?" says the Lord, "and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?".....

I sort of giggled to myself when I read this, because I thought God is saying, "Do I have to beat my head against a brick wall, do you not get what I am trying to tell you?" In other words some of us sometimes are like a brick wall where God's word is concerned. We just don't get it!

What does He have to do to get our attention? What does He have to do so that we will believe and trust what He is telling us? Do we need fire in the form of a burning bush like He did with Moses? Do we need Him to split one of the oceans so that we can walk through to the other side like He did with the Red Sea for the children of Israel?

The longer we ignore the Word of truth, the word of God, the harder our hearts become like a brick wall. God will and can get through to you. But here is the deal. He is a gentleman and He is not going to force His way through. No, He is going to wait for you to ask Him to help you knock down your brick wall and replace it with a swinging door. A door that is open to Him at any time. A door that is never closed. He is waiting to have a relationship with you where the door opens both ways. Where He is always welcomed and you are always welcomed. There will never be a 'Do Not Disturb' sign hanging from His door.

So when God says in His word "You were healed by His stripes", You are blessed with the Blessing of Abraham on your life, "He leaves you with His peace", "He gives you a sound mind", whatever it is that you need. When His Word says it, it is the same as Him saying it to you personally. You have His promise. And God cannot lie.

Don't cause Him to butt His head against a brick wall because of lack of faith in what He says. Just believe with your heart and let Him show you His love.

Let's quit giving God a headache with all of our brick walls that we build. AMEN!

How can we tear down those brick walls where we have doubt?

STAY IN THE WORD!

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Let Your Light Shine, Not Blind

Have you ever been driving at night and someone shines their high beam lights in your eyes. It totally blinds you until they pass on by and that light is moved out of your eyes. I am sure you have heard the saying "like a deer caught in the headlights". When a deer is trying to cross the road and a car comes around the corner and their head lights hit him in the face, he is blinded and can not move.

Sometimes we blind people with our light instead of letting our light shine on the path for them to see which way to go. We cause them to not be able to move because they feel they can't make a move without messing up. When we bring the Word to people filled with condemnation instead of love, we are blinding them with the light instead of using His Word to give them clear directions on which path to take. We need to have our lights adjusted, so to speak.

PS 119 v 105... Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.....
John 1 v 1....In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.....
John 1 v 4....In Him was life, and the life was the light of men......

We do not make our own light. The light comes from the Word of God shed abroad in our hearts. When Jesus left us, God sent us the Holy Spirit to dwell within us. His light is in each of us. How we let it shine or not is up to us.

Luke 11 v 33.....No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light.....

Jesus did not intend for us to keep the light unto ourselves but to use it to help others to find the Truth. The Truth being who He is and what He did for us all. The Truth being His unearned, undeserved, favor, love, and grace for us all.

The light was meant to shine for all to see the way.

Jesus never intended for us to walk around with our lights shining up in others faces to illuminate their faults or their problems. He wants us to use our light, (the love of Jesus) in us to illuminate His love for them. Then their paths will be made bright and easy to follow.

Remember the little song you learned as a child in Sunday School, "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine".

That is what Jesus told us to do with our light. Let it Shine! AMEN! Not Blind!

How do we find out more about this Light and how to let it shine?

STAY IN THE WORD!

Monday, October 17, 2011

Religion Or Relationship

Have you ever tried to tell someone about the Lord and what He has done for you and how good He is, only to have them say something like, "I don't want to talk about it".

Yesterday at church Pastor was teaching on the Holy Spirit and being Spirit led. He made this comment about sometimes people say, "I don't want to talk about it". My heart broke into a million pieces hearing this because probably at some time in my life before I became a Christian I myself might have used those same words.

Pastor said it like this, first of all, The Holy Spirit is not an it. WOW! That hits you right in the gut. I immediately thought Oh my Lord forgive me if I have ever called you an it.

He is a person just like God the Father, and the Son. He is the Helper Jesus promised to those who followed Him and believes in Him. He is the Spirit of Truth. He is our Counselor, our Guide, our Protector. He is that still small voice that we listen to when we seek God for advice, for direction, for peace. He is our connection here on earth to God the Father and Jesus our Lord and Saviour. He speaks to us through our Father God in heaven.

John 14 v 16...."And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you".......

John 14 v 26...."but the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you"......

John 15 v 26...."But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me"......

John 16 v 12-15...."I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore, I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you".......

I have personally tried to share Christ with others and have been told, things like "I don't like to discuss religion" or "I would rather not talk about it", or something like "discussing religion makes me uncomfortable".

Here is the thing, discussing religion makes me uncomfortable as well. That is why I try not to talk religion and instead talk about the Lord and what He has done for me and what He wants to do for everyone. I would much rather talk about the love Jesus has for us all and what He did to prove that love. I would much rather tell someone how much God loves them and not what some religous doctrine says. I would much rather point out the scriptures in His word about who He says we are to Him and what we are worth to Him, instead of what the world tells us we are worth.

I would love to talk about the Holy Spirit and how He has helped me through many situations.

Next time someone asks you about the Holy Spirit or wants to talk about the Lord with you, don't be too quick to dismiss them thinking they are wanting to talk religion. It might just be that they are wanting to know more about your relationship with Jesus and His Father and the Holy Spirit. They may have questions of their own. They may be seeking something more for themselves like a relationship and not just a religion.

As sad as it is, there are many people out there who have put their faith in a religion instead of a relationship. Remember religion is an it, but a relationship with the Holy Spirit is Person to person.

How can we know more about having a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit?

STAY IN THE WORD!

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

We Win

I have been watching alot of old TV shows lately like Rawhide, Gunsmoke, Big Valley, Bonanza. Yes, I like old westerns. You know all the old shows start and end the same way. The good guy starts out in some kind of predicament, but he always comes out the winner. The good guy never dies.

I got to thinking about something my Pastor said about how we know what the ending of our story as born again believers will be. We win. Just like the good guys in the old shows, we never die. We win the ultimate prize, spending eternity with our Father God and Jesus in heaven. What a great ending.

The thing is we don't have to wait to win when we die. We win everyday. God tells us in His word how Jesus died on the cross not only for our salvation but for our health, our prosperity, our peace. We just need to accept His love and His free gift of Grace.

PS 91 v 1....He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty....

God loves us so much. When we spend time with Him, when we get close to Him, nothing can touch us. Read the rest of PS 91 and see how you are protected when you abide in Him.

Let me use this analogy. Mothers especially will relate to this story....

I remember once when I was pregnant with my youngest son, and my older son was 5 years old. I found him crying in his room, and when I asked him what was wrong? He told me that he didn't want to go to another family. I said, what do you mean? He said, my friends told me that when you have a new baby, you give the old kid away to someone else. My heart broke into a million pieces, still to this day when I think of that moment I get very choked up. My heart broke to think that my child whom I loved so much would even think in his little heart that I could give him away.

That is how God's heart breaks when we believe the enemy over Him. When we believe the lies of the enemy telling us we have to be poor, or we have to be sick or we are condemned, when He tells us in His word (not only tells us, but promises us) that we are his beloved children, that we have health, happiness, hope, salvation, peace, prosperity. That we have the blessing of Abraham on our lives. Yet, we listen to others.

Sometimes it is hard for new Christians to believe when there is so much negativity in the world. Sometimes they are like the 5 year old with broken hearts thinking God does not love them. Let your heavenly Father reassure you with His word how much He loves you and wants to care for you.

Just like I did with my small son, I hugged him and reassured him that I would never leave him. What a happy child he was, and what a big weight taken off such small shoulders. God wants to do the same for you. He wants you to cast those cares onto His shoulders and let Him wrap you in His arms and love you. He wants you to know without a doubt, whatever the battle, the outcome is you WIN. You will always belong to Him, He is not going to give you away.

John 10 v 27-29....My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.....

Where can you find this love so amazing?

STAY IN THE WORD!