Delay is not Denial [pt.2]

This is part 2 in conjunction to “Difference is not Deficit”. If you haven’t read that one, I would encourage you to do so. While you’re here, I’d love for you to read and share this blog with friends, family and even people you don’t like. Now to the nitty gritty…

Let me start with this phrase: “God is faithful to His promise.”

God has promised us the things we desire if only we seek Him first, “Seek first the kingdom of God and everything will be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33) I know you’re saying, “Well I’ve been praying forever for [insert want here], and I haven’t heard a thing from God. I’m waiting but He isn’t answering my prayers,” and so on. To that I have to sing, He may not come when you want Him, but He’ll be there on time.

This past Sunday I was sitting in church listening to the Word when God spoke to me and told me that this message is for someone you know. I love when He sends confirmation about things. I was looking for a verse to complete this blog and God sends it to me hand wrapped, signed, sealed and delivered.

The story of Sarah, Abraham’s wife, fits to illustrate God keeping His promise.

Genesis 18:9-12

⁹ “Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him. “There, in the tent,” he said.  ¹⁰ Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. ¹¹ Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. ¹² So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?”

God’s Promise to Abraham and his wife was that they will have a son. This story actually starts earlier in Genesis (12:2-3) when God told Abraham that He will make Abraham into a great nation, his name will be great. Between chapter 12 and chapter 18, Abraham and his wife grew tired of waiting for God’s promise to come. Being tired of waiting for God, Sarah took it in her own hands. She told Abraham that since God hasn’t let her have children he could sleep with their maid (Hagar) so that he could have his children that God promised. Abraham agreed and with that, the servant became pregnant with a child. Sarah became jealous and mistreated Hagar to the point she ran away. As she ran away, an angel found her and told her that her son will live in hostility toward all his brothers. We eventually get to chapter 18, where God says that Sarah will have a son.

We skip over to chapter 21:1-7.

¹ Now the LORD was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what he had promised. ² Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. ³ Abraham gave the name Isaac^[a] to the son Sarah bore him. ⁴ When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him. ⁵ Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. ⁶ Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” ⁷ And she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

His promise was kept. Even in her old age, God blessed Sarah and Abraham with their own child.

Sometimes we try to rush what God has promised us and we get into situations that we wouldn’t have been in the first place. Sarah didn’t want to wait for God because she thought she was getting too old and God couldn’t possibly let her conceive at such an old age. With her putting things in her own hands, she cursed an entire people. We read that in Genesis 16:11-12, that “he [Hagar’s son] will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” If not for Sarah telling Abraham to sleep with the maid, there would not have been a need for Hagar to run away with her unborn child with this curse placed on him.

Think back to a time you asked God for something and instead of waiting for what He has already promised, you stop waiting and try to make a way for yourself. What was the outcome of your impatience? If God says that He will do something for you, you have to have faith in Him to know that it will be done. God is faithful to His promise.

I will leave you with this thought and I will be on my way:

If you could see everything that God has planned for you, there would be no reason for faith, and if you can’t believe in the unseen, you will be stuck with what you can see.

I don’t know about you, but I have faith for God to do just what He says…exceedingly, abundantly above all that I can ask for according to the power that works in me. I pray that you have found some peace in this today. God is faithful to His promise; you just have to put in the faith to believe it to be so.

Amen!

Difference is NOT Deficit

I know it has been a long while since I've blogged but I'm back! This is part 1 of a 2 part blog. I want to start off with a little prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, I want to start off by thanking you for the opportunity to reach people and spread Your word. I ask that it comes out the way that it is intended to do so. I thank you for the readers and ask a special blessing on their lives that whatever they are going through, they know that You and You alone can work it out. You have been a blessing to my life and I ask that I can be one to theirs. For these things I ask in Jesus name. Amen.

Today I think I will get straight to the point.

There are people all across the world that have different things, that look different from us, were raised differently than we were, or something else. I want you to know that your difference is not a deficiency. An easy way to put this is in working with spiritual gifts.

When you see the word deficit, what does it mean? According to dictionary.com deficit has the following meanings:

1. The amount by which expenditures or liabilities exceed income or assets.

2. A lack or shortage; deficiency.              

3. A disadvantage, impairment, or handicap

Lord knows if I could have picked a talent, it would have been to sing. I love music, but I’m not that great when it comes to singing. Don’t get me wrong, I can hold a note, but singing is just not my forte. Does this mean that I am useless to God because I can sing to him? I’m hoping you know the answer to that; the answer is no!

Many of you know the passage in 1 Corinthians 12:12-14 which states: “ ¹² Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. ¹⁴ Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.”

Even though I am unable to sing the way that I wish God had intended on me to do, I am still a part of this spiritual body. God has blessed me with other gifts. My difference is not my deficit in the body of Christ.

This body of Christ was mentioned before in the Bible in Romans 12:4-6a where it reads: “⁴ For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.”

The reading continues on to tell us about our placements in the body. Just because you were not given the gift of preaching, teaching, singing, prophesying or even leading does not mean that you are not welcomed in the House of God. The hardest part to finding your spiritual gift is when your gift isn’t prominent of visible at first glance. In my journey to finding out who I am and what my purpose is, I have learned that it’s okay if I’m not a teacher (I don’t always have the patience) or a preacher (I get nervous talking in front of people). I know that I am not where God has placed my purpose, but I take it day by day to get to where I’m going.

God has put us where He needs us most. It would be impossible for a body to function if all parts were legs; you would be able to walk but without sight to see where you are walking and without sound to hear what God is telling you to do next…not to mention very oddly built.

Just because one person is able to do something you are not does not mean that you have a deficiency and are useless. When you learn what your gift is and begin working in that gift, there is nothing and no one that will be able to stop you from what God has created you to do. Have you ever wondered why every time you hear “that song” you want to cry, shout, scream or lay prostrate? It’s because that artist has been blessed with the gift of music and in that gift it is ministry to others. The same can go for preachers. Knowing what your gift is and working in it doesn’t always means someone is going to start running, screaming, crying or falling out. You may have been given a gift of service and serving others doesn’t “give them the holy ghost”, but a way to show the God in you is by helping. Jesus did more than teach to the masses, he served people. Remember him feeding those people with just two fish and five loaves of bread? My point is that there is more than just what you can see as gifts.

Here are a few sites you can go to that may help you figure out your spiritual gifts:

http://www.kodachrome.org/spiritgift/index.htm

http://www.churchgrowth.org/analysis/index.html

http://mintools.com/spiritual-gifts-test.htm

I have been through all of the sites above and then some, but I felt that these three would be beneficial to you. I hope and pray that you are able to figure out your gift with the help and guidance of Christ, and if you know what you are meant to be doing, I hope and pray that you grow within your gifts and help others to find theirs. We all were created to do one thing, and that is minister.

I will leave you with this verse and be on my way, but before I go…look out for Part 2 on its way soon!

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20

So go and make disciples, knowing that the Lord is with you in all you do!

God bless

A New Season...

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding,” Proverb 3:5.

To see someone you truly care for (friend, family, or a love) growing away from you is one of the hardest things to see. In life we know that there are seasonal friends: here on day, gone another. Sometimes we just KNOW that letting this person out of our life is the best thing for all that are involved, but what happens when this person that you have to let go is a genuinely great person?

Time for another personal story:

The majority of people that I let close to me are great people; they help me to be better. I have been hurt by people that I have called “friends” enough to learn who and who not to let into my personal life. I have friends I that I may not talk to for months at a time and when we get together, it seems like we never spent that time apart.

So where does this story start? I’m glad you asked. Just recently I ran into a friend of mine. I know that it had been some time since we’ve seen each other, but that is how it is sometime with two busy college students. When I went to talk to him, he looked at me as if it were the first time we’d ever met. I could feel and see the distance between us and it felt bigger than the Grand Canyon. When I speak of him to my other friends, he was always my knight in shining armor, but now, I feel he barely knows me.

I didn’t want him to be my seasonal friend. So what do I do?

Proverb 18:24 states, “One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” It’s sad to say, but when making friends there are few that are unreliable friend with no firm foundation to stand on. A friendship, well any relationship, can be correlated to a house: if a house does not have a firm foundation, it will crumble and come to ruin.

Unless you live in Indiana, once a season is gone…it’s gone. Winter is leaving and spring is around the corner and like a bear from hibernation, it’s time to wake up.

Isaiah 43:18-19 says, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

Letting go is hard, but it must be done. I can’t grow a garden in the winter…it’s time for spring!

I want to leave you with this prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you thanking You for another day and another chance to do Your will. It is my will to surrender to you everything that I am and everything that I’m striving to be. I open the deepest parts of my heart to You and invite Your Holy Spirit to dwell inside of me. I offer you my life, heart, mind, body, soul, spirit, all my hopes, plans and dreams. I surrender to You my past, present and future problems, habits, character flaws, attitudes, livelihood, and all my relationships. I know that You and You alone are able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that I can ever ask for. I pray that I am doing what is Your will and not my own agenda. I release everything into your compassionate care. Please speak to me clearly, Lord. Open my ears to hear your voice. Open my heart to commune with you more deeply. I desperately need to feel your loving embrace. Shut the doors that need to be shut and open the doors that need to be opened. Set my feet upon the straight and narrow road that leads to everlasting life. In Jesus name I pray these things, amen!

Let Go and Let God

In order to make this message not only minister to those of you that read it, I had to take into consideration my own life and actions that I show towards others. I pray that this message ministers to you as well as to myself.

Matthew 6:14-15 (NIV) "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

One of the hardest things to do is to forgive. Take a moment to think about it...how long have you been mad at someone for something they may or may not have done on purpose? Don't worry, I'll wait. It's human nature to hold grudges, to be mad and not to forgive.

Mark 11:25 (NIV) "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins"

If I could reach out to the world to read this blog today, that would be great. Do you know how smoothly the world would run if we decided to truly forgive people. I took it upon myself to think of the people that I know and that I am mad at and have come up with a few questions that are good to ask.

1. Who am I mad at?
2. Why am I mad at them?
3. What am I going to do next?

I am going to be the first to say that I keep grudges. It's not healthy and it's not helping in any way. My freshman year, I had a friend that did me really wrong. For the longest time I would intentionally be rude to her, say things behind her back, and be very hateful to her. Thanks be to God for coming to my life and putting it on my heart to change my ways. Even though being mad at her was valid, I should not have treated her they way that she treated me. "Two wrongs don't make a right." This I know and I began to feel convicted for the way I was treating her. Conviction from the Lord is a hard thing to go through.

Knowing that I was doing wrong, I did what God told me to do. I not only apologized for my actions, I forgave her for the things that she did to me. Never had I felt a burden lift from my spirit that way before. God gave me a chance to make amends for my wrong and try to fix the problem. What resulted from my forgiving her, is another story in itself. Even though we were both in the wrong, I stepped up to apologize. She got even more mad because she thought I was trying to be "holier than thou" on her. When the Lord says move, you move, and that is what I did.

Well what is next?

I'm glad you asked! Even though I could not mend the friendship between her and me, I did as God told me. The next step is to let go, and let God. I know that God has told me to forgive but that doesn't mean that it will be reciprocated. Not everyone one is living in God's will and not everyone is as willing to let go and give it to a Higher power.

Some people in your life are not to be in your life. God will pluck them out like weeds in a garden. The deeper that root is in the garden, the harder it is to take that weed out.

Why should you forgive?

Again, I'm glad you ask! Some of the last words that Jesus said on the cross before he said, "it is finished", was, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." If Jesus can ask for forgiveness of others while they are beating Him, chastising Him, and hanging Him on the cross, it's a no brainer why we should forgive people. Not all people are as willing to admit their wrong doings but you still have to forgive them and let God deal with them. It is not your duty to tell people what they are doing wrong. Just pray for them and let it to God.

I hope that this blog was portrayed the way that it was meant to do. God bless you and keep you.

I will end with this quote and will be on my way: "The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." - Gandhi

Let go, let God.

Practice What You Preach...

It has come to my attention many times and often that people say one thing but do another thing. Why is this? Well I am not one to speak on behalf of others, so I do not know. I've been contemplating how to handle this topic for a while now and this blog has been sitting in my drafts for a few weeks. I pray that I what has been on my heart does justice to this topic and can be put into words that you can understand.

"Preach the gospel at all times, and when necessary use words."

In all honesty, it is easy to say that you are a Christian. Well...what is a Christian? I'm glad you asked: a Christian is a person who has professed their belief in Jesus as Christ and follows the religion ased on the life and teachings of Jesus. This means that you must admit that you are a sinner and are truly sorry for your sins, believe that Jesus came and died for your sins, and confess Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life. After you have confessed these things in front of you new brothers and sisters in Christ, a change must occur. I'm not saying that this change will happen over night, because it doesn't. It take time...and a lot of it.

This blog is not for those who have just given their lives to Christ but for those who have been in Christ for a while, for those using their spiritual gifts to benefit God's people and His kingdom.

As the quote stated above, we must preach the gospel at all times and when necessary we should use our words. For those who do not understand: ministry is most effective with the life that we live.

Imagine that I am new to the church scene and I live my life how I want to live. If I see you doing the same things that I do, and you are trying to get me to give my life to Christ, it would make no sense for me to listen to you. You were at the club last night and you showed up to church late and in the same thing you had on last night, now you're shouting in church how God changed you? You are getting in bed with the whole choir, and you are trying to tell me right from wrong? You are constantly bad mouthing people behind their back and have the audacity to smile in their face? I can't take you serious. Why would I listen to one word that came out of your mouth? Even if you are speaking the word of God to me, all I can think about is the life that you are showing me.

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisess, you hypocrites! you are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outsid but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything enclean. In the samy way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous jbut on the inside you are full of hypocracy and wickedness. (Matthew 23:27-28 NIV)

Not only are you hindering the worship of others, but you are hindering the worship and possible relationship that you can have with the Lord. We must serve God with a pure heart. It says in Matthew 5:8, "Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God."

When they say that actions speak louder than words, they weren't lying. Before you can open your mouth to say that another person, "God is good," they have already seen how you act and what you do. Be careful in what you do, what you say, and how you act, especially if you are putting God's name out there for people to see. You are making it easy for non-believers to just throw in the towel and give up on God. He never gave up on you so show people why you call Him your Father, you way maker, you delieverer, you Savior.

I am going to end with this scripture and let you ponder on the life you are showing to others. In Peter 1:15-16 it states, "But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."

The Worried Christian?

I want to start this blog off a little differently that the others, with a prayer.

Dear Lord, I come to you praising and blessing Your Name. You are the One who created everything in this world and beyond and you still took time out to create me as the unique being that I am. I thank you for life more abundantly, for the people that you have blessed me with, and for everything that you have done for me. I ask that you use me as the vessel that I was created for, that I let go of me and catch a strong hold to You, and for forgiveness of my sins, known and unknown. May the words of this blog be pleasing to You and bless all that are able to read it. I thank You in advance for the blessing that You have placed in our lives. You are awesome and able to do exceedingly, abundantly and above all that we could ask for. I love You Lord. In Jesus name I pray. ~Amen

For me and many of my friends, we are close to the end of this semester, and this semester has been...well, it's been all over the place. Getting prepared for the future can be a lot, and I mean it really is a lot. One of the most quoted passages in the Bible about worrying is found in Philippians.
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Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV) "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

A "worried Christian" should be an oxymoron. These words contradict the very being of the other. A question was posed in Matthew 6:27, "Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to you life?" There is a simple answer to that question: no! If anything, worrying takes away time that you could be productive in what you are worrying about. Think about how much time you spent worrying about a test that you thought you couldn't pass...if you took that time to study instead, then worrying would be pointless.

Worrying isn't healthy to you either. Proverbs 12:25 states, "Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up." This anxiety and worry that you are holding on to is weighing your heart down. With a heavy heart you become depressed, miserable and alone. Not only is worrying something God told us to not do, but it affects us physically. This distress can lead to physical symptoms including headaches, upset stomach, elevated blood pressure, chest pain, and problems sleeping. These effects are very real and not good for your body. You can't praise the Lord with your whole self when there is something wrong with your body.

If God is able to cause nature like the flowers, trees and even the grass to grow, what makes us any different that He will not take care of us? Matthew 6:28-30 explains that God has caused the grass to grow. Grass does nothing to grow but be grass. We can't worry about the things in our lives when nature is growing all around us.

There was a lot to say about worry in the 6th chapter of Matthew. It continues to say in verses 31-34 (with an emphasis on 34), "So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." So why worry? We shouldn't. I had to find a place to state my favorite Bible verse, Philippians 4:13, "I can do ALL things through Christ which strengthens me." God did not give us the spirit of fear, nor worry, nor anxiety.

So there it is in a nutshell. Worrying is pointless and takes up time that we could use more productively. I may not have the answer to how you can get rid of your worries, but I can say that it is IMPOSSIBLE to pray and worry. If you are praying and worried you're not only wasting your time, but you're wasting God's time. He can't help you if you are not willing to be helped in the first place.

I will end with this Bible verse, and I will be on my way: 1 Peter 5:7 (KJV) "Casting all your care upon Him; for He cares for you."

Love and Relations

Love...love is a topic with so much depth to it and yet it is compromised of only four letters. L-O-V-E... What about these four letters put together make people go crazy? Now to that I do not have an immediate answer for, but these letters placed together make one of the strongest words in the English vocabulary.

To love someone is to give your all to them.

We know the scripture John 3:16, "for God so LOVED the world that He gave His only begotten Son..." God loved us so much that He gave His Son to save our lives. So this love thing is something serious. It is not to be taken lightly, especially when you decide that you are in love with someone else.

In love, you give a power to that other person. When you give your all to them because of love, there is no going back. This love doesn't have to be the physical love that you may be thinking of, but also your mind and soul. Giving this love to another person and sharing your world with each other is an experience that is deep within itself.

It's question time!
1. In your relationship, is there an even amount of give and take?
2. When you say, "I love you," can they look you in your eyes and say, "I love you" back?
3. When the two of you get together, are you able to be together without physical contact as an end result?
4. Are you able to just be with each other, not saying a word, and it be comfortable?


If you said no to one or more of these questions, it looks like there is some needed evaluation in your current relationship.

If you are putting in more work than your partner, ask yourself why. Love needs an equal balance because without that equality in it, you're just in love alone and they may be in "like" with you. That person liking you is completely different from you loving them. It has always been easy to tell if someone means what they are saying by their eyes. Next time you say that you love them, look to see the way it is being said back to you.

Sometimes love doesn't need words. That doesn't always mean to go ahead and get it on because you love each other. Sometimes it is nice to just be with that person you love. Get together with them and do homework together, cook dinner, go on a walk, or something! There are many ways to share your love with each other. I did mention that love was mind, body, AND soul, didn't I? Not mind OR body OR soul... Well if you missed it...love is mind, body and soul!

It says in 2 Corinthians 6:14 (NIV), "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness."

With that scripture we learn, in a relationship standpoint, that we need to find someone that is equally yoked as us. If you are unaware of what a yoke is, it is a frame fitting the neck and shoulders of a person, for carrying a pair of buckets, one at each end. If one side has more water in the bucket, it makes it impossible for the person carrying it to walk. Think of it this way, you and your partner are buckets. If you are full but your partner is only half full, then the relationship [or person carrying the yoke] will have a hard time trying to walk, thus making instability in the relationship.


This is the part when you check not only your partner, but yourself. Don't worry, I'll wait...


Your love should include three people: you, your partner, and God. That is it! No more and no less than that. Simple? Why yes it is. God should be in the center of all you do; this includes relationships as well. A relationship without God is just two people trying to make something happen. If it is in God's will, then it is going to happen; if it's not His will, it won't work. It's important to not let others into your relationship as well. Your love and the love you share with your partner is not for anyone but you, your partner and God.


Well, I feel that I have said enough for now about this subject. I will leave you with this one thing, and I will be on my way: "Today I caught myself smiling for no reason...and then I realized I was thinking about you." [I know it's cheesy, but it's cute! :)]