Have I wasted my life?

One of my biggest fears is that I will waste my life. The wasted life to me is not living for the Glory of God and the benefit of others. But so often I begin to feel like I am just going through the motions and not at all useful for anything. I think it may point to a deeper heart issue like feeling like I need the applause of man, or even finding my significance in others needing me. Either way the Lord really lifted up my head on my bday last night. I realize you really need mutual bldg up for the rest of your life, God says it but do we really make it a point to show the people in our lives we care, regularly. You never know what they could be going through. Sin is so deceitful in all our hearts and will harden our hearts quickly. True we need to rest in Jesus and depend on him, but we are one body and interdependent on each other. I am so motivated to encourage ppl more, now but also let others know when I need it and not just expect them to do it off principle. Let us then consider how we can stir up one another to love and good deeds.

Get lowww!

The only bases for real fellowship with God and man is to live out in the open with both." Roy Hessin. 
I just want to share this morning I have been thinking more highly of myself than I ought. I use the walls I have put up in my life to keep people from seeing the "real me" and I know it has discouraged and hurt people. "Therefore putting away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor; for we are members one of another". Ephesians 4:25 

God really wants us to experience intimate fellowship with him and others . The only hiding place we need is in God our refuge and our strength. Not our personality, which is actually flawed and tainted with sin. The father of lies is selling wolf tickets and we buyin the lies, covering up truth and destroying our relationships. Honesty is a refreshing means from God to wash and purify our hypocritical lives. 

I am praying that I will be humble and honest for the rest of my life. 
This is true freedom. #abundant living

walk in the light

Man! Sin is so deceitful! To think that after God has stated in his word it is wrong and his spirit is clearly red flagging us, we still try and defend our position and claim to be innocent! 1 John 1: 5-9 speaks of the self revealing nature of a holy God who is blazin light and absolutely no darkness can exist in light. There are so many contrasts of light and dark in the Bible. Dark symbolizes often the way we r apart from Christ. "Men love darkness rather then light bcuz there deeds are dark". john 3:19) Ephesians 5:8-9 we once were darkness but now light in the Lord, walk as children of the light (the fruit consists of all that is good and true and right) . We cannot claim to know God and yet walk in darkness. That would make God a liar in character. We must practice the truth by the way we live. The truth of the gospel is that we are dead in sin and only Jesus can make is alive and cleanse out filthy nature to be able to walk with God. And he is so faithful and just to forgive us if we just agree with him about who he says we are.

Honesty

Just thinking about the reality that our sin is laid bare and open before a just and holy God is is very sobering. But to also know that our position in him is already though not yet, holy and blameless is even more humbling and it is a motivator to make war against the sin in my life for real. God is so hott!!! Today my devo was on Psalm 32 and how David talks of the blessing of being forgiven and the torture of sin not confessed but concealed. What really encouraged me was when the author shared that the passage indicates "God is willing to cover, with the blood of Christ, every sin that we are willing to uncover before him." This seems to be a consistent theme in the sermons so far as well. Gods goodness truly leads us to repentance. I am thankful for daily reminders. Praying for the courage to walk in truth daily. "Personal revival begins when the believer faces his sin honestly. Though painful, only honesty with God and others will enable the CHristian to walk in purity and power." Jim Elliff

Surprised by love!

"I'd rather have bad times with you, than good times with someone else. I'd rather be beside you in a storm then safe and warm by myself. I'd rather have hard times together than to have it easy apart. I'd rather have the one who holds my heart". Luther Vandross ) This song speaks volumes of our inner longing to be loved and to love deeply. "Lord this is how you want us to feel about you!" When you are truly in love you do whatever you can to please the object of your affection. We only know and understand love in the meager ways that we do becuz it was initiated first by God. He loved us first. I have often withheld love from others based on fear. I allowed the feeling to control the fact of my faith. But Jesus demonstrated to us what love does, and fought past the feeling by denying himself and doing what was the greatest good for those he loved. Ny love can be so immature during the difficult times in relationships but in the long term how much more sweet is the fruit. There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for a friend . I am so thankful to be a friend of Jesus!

Thankful for a loving Father

I was thinking this morning how I hate to be in large groups. What was exposed was just my fear wrapped in self protection. I began to think about my walls I have built throughout the years and I felt justified by my reason why. I thought well no one else is going to protect me so I have to fend for myself. But I am so thankful that the Lord never sleeps or slumbers becuz at 4am the Holy Spirit reminded me THAT WAS A LIE! My issue was if my father had been around certain things would not have happened when I was young. A loving father would protect his child, be there for them, and fight for them. God reminded me that he is the PERFECT example of a loving father and he was there and has always protected me and fights for me daily! My context for good or loving was misaligned. Apart from GOD I do not know good or love, he defines it. What a reason to be grateful today. Bcuz of Jesus I have a perfect father forever that I can go to and call on. He will never stop loving me, nor will he ever leave me or forsake me. I am thankful to Holy Spirit for guiding us into all truth.

Happy New Year

Happy new year!!! Ok, so I have been challenged to blog my daily text of what the Lord has been teaching me. Yeah I am lazy and did not want to even take the first step but again I want to try until I truly attack this lack of discipline that is a sin...the next few posts will be a backlog of former texts I have sent out to ppl. I hope it produces a hunger in you to know God more and gives u just a glimpse of my life and the need for the gospel to transform my heart daily.