Listening to Pastor Edward speak from Jonah Chapter 2 before I go hear him speak from Jonah Chapter 3.
This hit me... this life, our flesh, this world tells us that "discipline, pain, bad times" etc are punishment YET in my own life I can see that those times were keys in me turning to God fully and completely. Everything I've thought I've lost, all the trials, all the hard times are nothing in comparison to the peace I have found.
Running hard and fast from God, in the middle of uncertainty and confused, in the calm of life and things are going well... go listen to the series.
What if it changed your life?
Jonah Series
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Saturday, January 26, 2013
"Let my people go!"
So reading about the plague's in Egypt and Moses keeps saying "Let my people go!" and God keeps hardening Pharaoh's heart. And Moses keeps saying something like "So that you will know the Lord is God."
Kept thinking as I read it that for years God was sometimes yelling, sometimes whispering to me "Let the shame, guilt, fear of your sin go!" and I kept hardening my heart. I might have softened it a bit and let some of it go only to turn around and cling to it tighter. I knew Christ as my Savior but he wasn't Lord of my life, the shame, guilt and fear had that position filled. And I knew Christ forgave me of my sins, well all except that one and this one. See even typing this now in the freedom of Christ's forgiveness I don't want to say out loud what those sins were.
(Insert deep breathe... pause in the typing)
I held on to for years shame and guilt related to adultery. Let's just call it what it is. No beating around the bush, no justifying it, sin is sin. The facts (no justification because I am responsible for my own actions): at age 13 I was sexually abused and eventually raped by a classmate. I knew the Bible said that intimacy was between one man and one woman and I'd lost the opportunity to share that so I with shame and guilt gave myself away outside of marriage. I wasn't promiscuous or easy per say, but if I dated a boy for any length of time I committed adultery. I even at one point, blah blah blah, moved in with one of them.
So for years, and years, did I say years? I mean YEARS satan held the shame and guilt and fear of those decisions over my head. God was calling "Let your sin go!" and I was hardening my heart.
So fast forward to age 33 and a little rental house dining room. I found my self in a marriage with confirmed adultery committed by my spouse and realized the sin I so tightly held on to was now "the speck in my brother's eye" and the rest of that verse is something about "the huge log in my own eye" (That's for you Grandma Clements... used to mess that up and she'd correct me... I miss you :).
So thankfully, by God's grace He was still pursuing me and I heard Him FINALLY. I feel on my knees (literally on my knees sobbing) and confessed with repentance and sincerity the sinful nature of my old self and prayed that God would be Lord of my life. He gave me that day freedom from that shame, oh satan tries to work his way back in with it sometimes but I can tell you there is true freedom in forgiveness. I am sinner and I am saved.
So I'm not sure if this makes any sense to anyone but me. I blog by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I just sit down and type. I don't even re-read it, just check the little red squiggle lines for spelling errors :)
If you are holding on to something God is hopefully still pursuing you and you here Him say (or maybe He is yelling) "Let your sin go!" I dare you to let it go. I double dog dare you.
What if it changed your life?
And the answer from me is always, HE has changed mine!
Kept thinking as I read it that for years God was sometimes yelling, sometimes whispering to me "Let the shame, guilt, fear of your sin go!" and I kept hardening my heart. I might have softened it a bit and let some of it go only to turn around and cling to it tighter. I knew Christ as my Savior but he wasn't Lord of my life, the shame, guilt and fear had that position filled. And I knew Christ forgave me of my sins, well all except that one and this one. See even typing this now in the freedom of Christ's forgiveness I don't want to say out loud what those sins were.
(Insert deep breathe... pause in the typing)
I held on to for years shame and guilt related to adultery. Let's just call it what it is. No beating around the bush, no justifying it, sin is sin. The facts (no justification because I am responsible for my own actions): at age 13 I was sexually abused and eventually raped by a classmate. I knew the Bible said that intimacy was between one man and one woman and I'd lost the opportunity to share that so I with shame and guilt gave myself away outside of marriage. I wasn't promiscuous or easy per say, but if I dated a boy for any length of time I committed adultery. I even at one point, blah blah blah, moved in with one of them.
So for years, and years, did I say years? I mean YEARS satan held the shame and guilt and fear of those decisions over my head. God was calling "Let your sin go!" and I was hardening my heart.
So fast forward to age 33 and a little rental house dining room. I found my self in a marriage with confirmed adultery committed by my spouse and realized the sin I so tightly held on to was now "the speck in my brother's eye" and the rest of that verse is something about "the huge log in my own eye" (That's for you Grandma Clements... used to mess that up and she'd correct me... I miss you :).
So thankfully, by God's grace He was still pursuing me and I heard Him FINALLY. I feel on my knees (literally on my knees sobbing) and confessed with repentance and sincerity the sinful nature of my old self and prayed that God would be Lord of my life. He gave me that day freedom from that shame, oh satan tries to work his way back in with it sometimes but I can tell you there is true freedom in forgiveness. I am sinner and I am saved.
So I'm not sure if this makes any sense to anyone but me. I blog by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I just sit down and type. I don't even re-read it, just check the little red squiggle lines for spelling errors :)
If you are holding on to something God is hopefully still pursuing you and you here Him say (or maybe He is yelling) "Let your sin go!" I dare you to let it go. I double dog dare you.
What if it changed your life?
And the answer from me is always, HE has changed mine!
Friday, January 18, 2013
What if we knew the number of our days?
How would you live today different if you knew the end date? What if you knew how many years, months, days or breathes you had left? Would this whole life seem to vanish as you began to focus on the reality of eternity? I think I would. I know I would. So what if I just live like I do know the number? What if the end is just hours from now? Would I be more like Him? Would it be easier to live the fruits of the spirit... love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self control?
So what are you waiting for? What if it changed your life?
So there you go. What if it changed your life? An extra hug for the kiddos, no lame good bye kisses with your husband, spending 20 minutes to play with joy with your kids, turning off FB, cellphone games, etc. It starts today because the reality is we are all dying and we should live like that.
So what are you waiting for? What if it changed your life?
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Fearful and Wonderful
So it's been a while. Today I ask
What if you believed you were fearfully and wonderfully made?"
The world lies (period). Satan lies (period).
What if you believed you were fearfully and wonderfully made?"
The world lies (period). Satan lies (period).
Often in my life when I start to believe the small voice of self, I forget that the GREATER voice of God has spoken grace and truth to me. This forgetfulness leads me to seek self and to prove the world wrong. This desire to "show them" can lead me to anger, frustration and guilt.
I am fearfully and wonderfully made (period). Spoken by God himself.
Standing on this truth daily, often moment by moment really does bring peace, John 14:27 PEACE. Not a false sense or feeling of satisfaction or happiness but peace in Christ.
Standing on this truth daily, often moment by moment really does bring peace, John 14:27 PEACE. Not a false sense or feeling of satisfaction or happiness but peace in Christ.
What if we believed we were born for this? We were fearfully and wonderfully made? And that God is sovereign and man is responsible?
What if IT changed your life?
What if IT changed your life?
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