Just some pearls I've picked up over the last few months. I write them down and never do anything with them. Take what you want.
It's not the quantity, but the quality.
A soul realm experience with God will feel good but leaves you with no conviction. A spirit encounter with God brings change.
Confidence in your God is good. Pride is stupid.
The dog you feed the most will be the strongest. Physical. Soul. Spirit. Who has the loudest bark?
If you stay in the World, you become a part of the World.
Buy the truth and do not sell it. Proverbs 23:23
When you walk with the World and as part of the World, you lose the Word. THe longer you walk with the World, the easier it is to let that Word go.
Absence is the strongest form of presence.
I'll crown you with my love.
Will you take this wall I've built and tear it down.
If you have a dream or a shadow of a dream, chase it. What do you have to lose?
Oh I've dreamed dreams of majesty as brilliant as a billion stars.
You are infectious, spreading through me.
Water from a broken well will make you thirst again.
Never let your fear decide your fate.
Don't have a religious conversion. Have a conversation. An open dialogue with God.
Without faith it is impossible to please Him.
Where is your hope based?
Love activates faith.
"You bear God within you, poor wretch, and know it not" ~Epictetus
You emotions are the slaves to your thoughts, and you are the slave to your emotions.
Have a backbone, not a wishbone.
Devotion is diligence without assurance.
Faith: I pre-accept the terms of the universe and I embrace in advance what I am presently incapable of understanding.
Faith is walking face first and full speed into the dark.
I want God to play in my bloodstream the way sunlight amuses itself on water.
It shouldn't take hitting rock bottom to diligently seek God.
Reasoning is not necessary for faith. Faith is action without assurance.
Faith won't make sense to anyone. You will have to fully rely on God for any and all support.
What do you want to do? Follow Jesus or follow the World and all of its standards?
I want all that God has for me. Nothing less.
I want to please God not man. You must be less like the community and more like God.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Monday, October 1, 2012
Foolishness to the Perishing
This past Sunday, a verse was mentioned in the morning message. One that wasn't stopped upon and looked into, but read in a group of passages. Upon reading it, this verse spoke truth into my eyes and my mind like it hadn't before. It struck a chord with me.
1 Corinthians 1:18 "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
I love when a verse will jump off of the page and, even if you've read that very verse before (possibly multiple times) takes on a meaning that you had never seen before. Such is the case with this verse. The books of Corinthians are some of my favorites and I've read through these very words multiple times. Now my eyes have been opened to the meaning. This may very well happen because we have not had the experiences necessary to see the wisdom in a verse just yet.
As is common in the world today, not everyone is a believer in Christ. Not everyone wants God and the message that comes with Him. They see Christianity as a set of rules and something that controls their life. They can't understand why anyone would want to give up what freedom they have to follow a book. This is especially true for the younger generation. Teenagers and college students such as myself.
People who are "being saved" however, see the bible and all that comes with Christianity as freedom! God gave us His son to be free from Hell. We are freed from sin. We see what we have been given in the Bible as "the power of God." and love it all the more.
I believe this explains why when I try to have a conversation with unsaved friends about my beliefs or why I won't do something because it clashes with my beliefs, these unsaved people will get that blank look on their face and just truly not understand. Or one of my favorites, try to explain that you only live once (YOLO!) and you should live it to the fullest. To saved people, following Christ is living life to the fullest. I would rather walk through those pearly gates one day and hear God say "Well done, my good and faithful servant." Rather than think back and ponder, "Was all of that really worth it?".
1 Corinthians 1:18 "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
I love when a verse will jump off of the page and, even if you've read that very verse before (possibly multiple times) takes on a meaning that you had never seen before. Such is the case with this verse. The books of Corinthians are some of my favorites and I've read through these very words multiple times. Now my eyes have been opened to the meaning. This may very well happen because we have not had the experiences necessary to see the wisdom in a verse just yet.
As is common in the world today, not everyone is a believer in Christ. Not everyone wants God and the message that comes with Him. They see Christianity as a set of rules and something that controls their life. They can't understand why anyone would want to give up what freedom they have to follow a book. This is especially true for the younger generation. Teenagers and college students such as myself.
People who are "being saved" however, see the bible and all that comes with Christianity as freedom! God gave us His son to be free from Hell. We are freed from sin. We see what we have been given in the Bible as "the power of God." and love it all the more.
I believe this explains why when I try to have a conversation with unsaved friends about my beliefs or why I won't do something because it clashes with my beliefs, these unsaved people will get that blank look on their face and just truly not understand. Or one of my favorites, try to explain that you only live once (YOLO!) and you should live it to the fullest. To saved people, following Christ is living life to the fullest. I would rather walk through those pearly gates one day and hear God say "Well done, my good and faithful servant." Rather than think back and ponder, "Was all of that really worth it?".
Sunday, September 23, 2012
I'm not who I was.
When we become Christians, become saved, and become covered by the blood of Jesus, we are no longer the person we were before. A change takes place, and in time (or shortly thereafter!) you can see such a dramatic change. I've been hearing many songs lately that use the phrase, or a phrase similar to "I'm not who I was." I especially find this to be true for me, and have been seeing biblical proof of this statement, and why it is proof of our walk with Christ. I'm such a different person today than who I was two and a half years ago. My relationship with Christ has changed that. And my relationship with Christ keeps changing.
Today, I read these verses: "This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness." Ephesians 4:17-24. And also, "Therefor be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." Ephesians 5:1-2.
From here, I see that we aren't supposed to be part of the world anymore. After we are saved, we are set apart from the world. We should be different from people who aren't saved. If people can't tell you are a Christian without you telling them, there is something that isn't right. A believer should be obvious enough in his walk with Christ to be noticed as a Christian, but not boastful of that walk. Romans 12:2 says not to be conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewal of our minds!
Probably some of the best verses I've found about being different from non-believers, something that shows we are followers of Christ is in Luke. Luke 6:27-36. I won't write this one out, it's really lengthy, but its the verses that refer to loving your enemy, and turning the other cheek. But also in these verses it speaks about giving to anyone who asks of you, and not expecting things in return. The best phrases in here are from Luke 6:32-34 "But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back." Its so powerful to see that yes, we are supposed to be different. And these things aren't natural to people. It is something to be worked at. Who doesn't expect to gain back when lending something to someone else? And is it not easiest to love someone who already loves you back? We are called to be not of this world.
People don't read the Word, they read Christians.
Today, I read these verses: "This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness." Ephesians 4:17-24. And also, "Therefor be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." Ephesians 5:1-2.
From here, I see that we aren't supposed to be part of the world anymore. After we are saved, we are set apart from the world. We should be different from people who aren't saved. If people can't tell you are a Christian without you telling them, there is something that isn't right. A believer should be obvious enough in his walk with Christ to be noticed as a Christian, but not boastful of that walk. Romans 12:2 says not to be conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewal of our minds!
Probably some of the best verses I've found about being different from non-believers, something that shows we are followers of Christ is in Luke. Luke 6:27-36. I won't write this one out, it's really lengthy, but its the verses that refer to loving your enemy, and turning the other cheek. But also in these verses it speaks about giving to anyone who asks of you, and not expecting things in return. The best phrases in here are from Luke 6:32-34 "But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back." Its so powerful to see that yes, we are supposed to be different. And these things aren't natural to people. It is something to be worked at. Who doesn't expect to gain back when lending something to someone else? And is it not easiest to love someone who already loves you back? We are called to be not of this world.
People don't read the Word, they read Christians.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Revelations 1
I believe that one can sense when they are lacking spiritually. I have mistakenly called it spiritually dead, its more of spiritually starved. This is something I've been experiencing lately, now that I am unable to attend church on Wednesday nights due to work. I have still gone on most Sundays but it just isn't the same. (Not to mention other factors that have distanced me from both the church and in some ways, God as well.) This was the first time I had been to church on a Wednesday since the fourth of July. The excitement I felt all day about going was matched only by the feeling I had afterwards of being full. It was similar to how you feel after a good meal. Not stuffed, as though you could burst, but full and satisfied.
I also had some revelations. I'm not throwing scripture out just yet, this is raw and I'll most likely touch on these in some later writings. First is that, we are truly, truly supposed to focus on pleasing God and looking after His attention and giving Him ours. Not concerning ourselves with how others see us or how they feel about us. That doesn't matter, and shouldn't matter to us. The only thing that matters is what God will say of us. Hopefully it is "Well done, my good and faithful servant."
The second thing is that you can't rely on people. People will fail you and disappoint you more times in your life than you will ever be able to count. And as humans, it seems in our nature to want to rely on each other, to depend on people for something. We want to trust each other. But this just leads to broken trust and broken hearts. God is the only one who will never let us down, and is always there no matter what. He is who we should turn to when things go wrong, when things are going right, and when things are just moving along. We shouldn't call up some person and demand they fix things or give us the answers or ask that they do the praying for us. We should step up to the plate, look to Heaven and have that relationship with God ourselves.
The last thing is, we cannot distance ourselves from THE church or God. Or both! You wither up spiritually and you begin to feel fatigued. It affects your every day and every aspect of who you are, especially when you have dived so far into His Word and His promises and doing His work and ministering. You will feel a not only a spiritual difference, but also a physical and an emotional difference.
I also had some revelations. I'm not throwing scripture out just yet, this is raw and I'll most likely touch on these in some later writings. First is that, we are truly, truly supposed to focus on pleasing God and looking after His attention and giving Him ours. Not concerning ourselves with how others see us or how they feel about us. That doesn't matter, and shouldn't matter to us. The only thing that matters is what God will say of us. Hopefully it is "Well done, my good and faithful servant."
The second thing is that you can't rely on people. People will fail you and disappoint you more times in your life than you will ever be able to count. And as humans, it seems in our nature to want to rely on each other, to depend on people for something. We want to trust each other. But this just leads to broken trust and broken hearts. God is the only one who will never let us down, and is always there no matter what. He is who we should turn to when things go wrong, when things are going right, and when things are just moving along. We shouldn't call up some person and demand they fix things or give us the answers or ask that they do the praying for us. We should step up to the plate, look to Heaven and have that relationship with God ourselves.
The last thing is, we cannot distance ourselves from THE church or God. Or both! You wither up spiritually and you begin to feel fatigued. It affects your every day and every aspect of who you are, especially when you have dived so far into His Word and His promises and doing His work and ministering. You will feel a not only a spiritual difference, but also a physical and an emotional difference.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Ramblings of a Smoldering Believer: Jesus Wins!
I had a moment recently where I had to remind myself that Satan does not win. God triumphs. We have the end to read and when you read it, Jesus wins. It has been as though I've been fighting a battle for the last few weeks, one that I don't feel I have been winning. However, as a child of God; as a born again believer; as a person who is looking forward to an eternity in Heaven, I shouldn't have the concerns I do. Most believers shouldn't.
I'm not saying I'm perfect and that having this revelation means that I'll automatically be able to control the concerns I have and be able to just throw everything to God and press on. I'd love it if it was that easy, but it is something I'll have to work on and that believers everywhere have to work on. We have an amazing Father in Heaven who loves us so very dearly. So much so that He didn't want us to perish in the pits of Hell. He wants us to be able to come home to Heaven one day, so He defeated Satan through His Son. What greater way to show the love He has for us? Do we truly grasp that love? I don't believe we do . I know I don't. Writing this makes me have an awe of that love. I'm known as a loving person and I still don't grasp that love.
Knowing this, I really want to be able to walk in that love. To know the depth of that love and be able to express that love to other people. What a great feat that would be! To show the love of God to other people. People who don't know that love! It blows my mind.
It also blows my mind that people who go to church and are "Christians" can be so unexcited, so 'blah' about this! So unexcited about Christ in general! The believers are sleeping! Now this doesn't apply to EVERY believer. It isn't a catch all. I know there are people who are madly in love with Christ and who are on fire and see and have the passion for Christ, but where are they all hiding? Where are they scattered? They exist and they fight to be able to hold on to that fire in the company of so many lukewarm believers.
The ramblings of a smoldering believer.
I'm not saying I'm perfect and that having this revelation means that I'll automatically be able to control the concerns I have and be able to just throw everything to God and press on. I'd love it if it was that easy, but it is something I'll have to work on and that believers everywhere have to work on. We have an amazing Father in Heaven who loves us so very dearly. So much so that He didn't want us to perish in the pits of Hell. He wants us to be able to come home to Heaven one day, so He defeated Satan through His Son. What greater way to show the love He has for us? Do we truly grasp that love? I don't believe we do . I know I don't. Writing this makes me have an awe of that love. I'm known as a loving person and I still don't grasp that love.
Knowing this, I really want to be able to walk in that love. To know the depth of that love and be able to express that love to other people. What a great feat that would be! To show the love of God to other people. People who don't know that love! It blows my mind.
It also blows my mind that people who go to church and are "Christians" can be so unexcited, so 'blah' about this! So unexcited about Christ in general! The believers are sleeping! Now this doesn't apply to EVERY believer. It isn't a catch all. I know there are people who are madly in love with Christ and who are on fire and see and have the passion for Christ, but where are they all hiding? Where are they scattered? They exist and they fight to be able to hold on to that fire in the company of so many lukewarm believers.
The ramblings of a smoldering believer.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Pressed Faith
I started out writing this, "How do you bounce back when your faith has been pushed past its limits?" I didn't even get to finish this sentence when I remembered the verse people quote about God not giving us more than we can handle, which I had to look up because I can't always quote chapter and verse in scripture. I couldn't find it, and it doesn't seem to be in the Bible. The closest thing I have found is I Corinthians 10:13. But this verse only speaks about temptations, and in that, living righteously. How many things are said in church circles or in religious circles that can't really be backed up by scripture?
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we'll find something in life that GOD can't get us through. Hebrews 13:5 states that ... "He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."" God is always there. I could pull many more scriptures where God makes it plain He wants us to lean on Him in times of despair and doubt and when we just don't think we can go on. He wants to give us His strength, His wisdom, and His love when things go so wrong that we question His very existence and question the point of what we are doing. I'm fighting these very questions lately and have even found it difficult to want to open my Bible or listen to praise music. I fight the urge to give in and give up. No my life isn't exceptionally hard compared to just about every other person walking this planet, but it doesn't mean it's exceptionally easy either.
Leaning on God in the hard times is one of the biggest tests that we have. He wants me. All of me. In the good and the bad. In many ways, our relationship with God is like a marriage, but one that is held together by a covenant made by one party, instead of two. God made the covenant. We just have to walk in it. He cries after us when we turn away from Him, but He never leaves. I'm learning this time and again. When we feel that we are utterly alone and God is nowhere in sight, we have to remember that God won't leave us. He never leaves. We do.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we'll find something in life that GOD can't get us through. Hebrews 13:5 states that ... "He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."" God is always there. I could pull many more scriptures where God makes it plain He wants us to lean on Him in times of despair and doubt and when we just don't think we can go on. He wants to give us His strength, His wisdom, and His love when things go so wrong that we question His very existence and question the point of what we are doing. I'm fighting these very questions lately and have even found it difficult to want to open my Bible or listen to praise music. I fight the urge to give in and give up. No my life isn't exceptionally hard compared to just about every other person walking this planet, but it doesn't mean it's exceptionally easy either.
Leaning on God in the hard times is one of the biggest tests that we have. He wants me. All of me. In the good and the bad. In many ways, our relationship with God is like a marriage, but one that is held together by a covenant made by one party, instead of two. God made the covenant. We just have to walk in it. He cries after us when we turn away from Him, but He never leaves. I'm learning this time and again. When we feel that we are utterly alone and God is nowhere in sight, we have to remember that God won't leave us. He never leaves. We do.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Food for Thought
Sometimes we have such a strong desire not to do something or not to go somewhere and once we give in and go or do that very thing, we can find it was exactly what we needed all along. I came so close to not going to Ichthus, a Christian music festival, last week. I had myself convinced that it would be too stressful, that too many things had happened and I wouldn't enjoy myself but would dwell on all that had happened to hurt me. Less than an hour before I needed to leave I was packing my bag and walking to my car, not really sure if I would actually go or just stay with a friend for a few days. As soon as I pulled onto the grounds I felt such a peace and could truly feel God's presence.
There were Jesus freaks everywhere and throughout the four days I would catch people's conversations around me and they were all talking about God! It was a refreshing experience, to see and hear all of these people who love God. Seeing so many people come together as believers and put aside our differences of denomination or what church we go to or who our pastor is; it was awe inspiring.
We have a tendency to get so caught up in the religious aspect of being a believer and caring so much about where we go or who is preaching the gospel. As long as we are receiving the true gospel and seeking God with our whole hearts, what does it matter who we hear it from? Yes some people find it harder to see God in a Baptist church or a Methodist church or a Pentecostal church, but I believe we should be able to see God everywhere. Even if its when you're driving around in your car without any music on.
In different parts of the Bible, it refers to the church and each member as a part of the church. If we could come together as believers in Christ as THE church, nothing could stop us. I had a thought the other day about denominations. That very word, denominations. It's pretty close to the word denominator. Which, in a math sense, is what divides another number. Denominations are what divide us as believers.
Food for thought.
There were Jesus freaks everywhere and throughout the four days I would catch people's conversations around me and they were all talking about God! It was a refreshing experience, to see and hear all of these people who love God. Seeing so many people come together as believers and put aside our differences of denomination or what church we go to or who our pastor is; it was awe inspiring.
We have a tendency to get so caught up in the religious aspect of being a believer and caring so much about where we go or who is preaching the gospel. As long as we are receiving the true gospel and seeking God with our whole hearts, what does it matter who we hear it from? Yes some people find it harder to see God in a Baptist church or a Methodist church or a Pentecostal church, but I believe we should be able to see God everywhere. Even if its when you're driving around in your car without any music on.
In different parts of the Bible, it refers to the church and each member as a part of the church. If we could come together as believers in Christ as THE church, nothing could stop us. I had a thought the other day about denominations. That very word, denominations. It's pretty close to the word denominator. Which, in a math sense, is what divides another number. Denominations are what divide us as believers.
Food for thought.
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