"Oh gosh, today has been a long day"
That's how I began to start my blog! This made me laugh because of what I was planning to write my blog on! Last night at our evening meeting e-squared, there were 2 main sections that stuck out for me from Philippians 2. These were:
"Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that noone can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people" v 14-15
Thing is, I tend to moan... A LOT... all the time!
I know it's annoying, and I annoy myself! It's my way of dealing with stresses or breaking an awkward silence. And it's something I hate about myself. Although I don't actually hate myself because God loves me for who I am... but that's another story! Just because God accepts me and loves me for who I am does not mean I am faultless or perfect. He still points out things that need to be changed.
The second thing was:
"Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too." v 3-4
Ok, so we all do it. Well maybe not, maybe you're a better person than me, or just have more self control. But speaking generally, we all gossip. One thing I moan about is OTHER PEOPLE. This is awful. It makes me feel absolutely terrible. I shouldn't do it and I trust that God will help me learn more self-control, because trust me, it will do some good.
So last night I prayed God would help me with both of these. Both of which are really self-control.
Anyway, today was stressful, I moaned all day, more than I usually do! And yes, I gossiped. But on the way home I realised, God had prepared these situations for me, for practice with self control, not to moan, not to gossip. It made me actually laugh out loud! It was hilarious! All day I had been thinking how much I had to moan about yet I missed the thing that was blindingly obvious! God was helping me! He gave me those situations to laugh myself out of not moan about. Sure thing though, I need some practice there! I need some central focus and that is Jesus. Next time I go to moan or gossip I hope I remember that... so God, I'll try harder next time!!!!
Monday, 29 March 2010
Friday, 26 March 2010
Life is a rollercoaster... you just gotta ride it!
Psalm 69 is all about David crying out for God's help. It ends with him speaking basically what God is reassuring him of. It says in verses 34-36
Let heaven and earth praise him,
the seas and all that move in them,
for God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
Then people will settle there and possess it;
the children of his servants will inherit it,
and those who love his name will dwell there.
David was one of those men you aspire to be like. He went through so many troubles and hardships, but he got through them. He is easy to relate to. (Like me, he moans ALOT!) He spends his time signing to God, asking for help, accusing God of not helping him, and then having a restoration of faith. His journey is such a rollercoaster, one minute he'll fallen so far down he can't see a way out, and calling out to God. He has to wait a while, but then God brings him flying back up sky high. Okay, so sometimes it chugs back up maybe, this rollercoaster, but there is no denying your patience is tested, but it gets back up! But then again, feeling bad after a massive drop down, flying back up at super speed surely isn't what you need to happen. Or the person behind you, due to the effect it would have! (eww!) What you need is security and gradually being built back up. A lot of the time, once up, you may find you are ready for the next drop, more prepared.
The Lord says to you:
John 14:27 (NIV) - Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
That's some of God's Word I wanted to share with you today :)
God bless :)
Let heaven and earth praise him,
the seas and all that move in them,
for God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
Then people will settle there and possess it;
the children of his servants will inherit it,
and those who love his name will dwell there.
David was one of those men you aspire to be like. He went through so many troubles and hardships, but he got through them. He is easy to relate to. (Like me, he moans ALOT!) He spends his time signing to God, asking for help, accusing God of not helping him, and then having a restoration of faith. His journey is such a rollercoaster, one minute he'll fallen so far down he can't see a way out, and calling out to God. He has to wait a while, but then God brings him flying back up sky high. Okay, so sometimes it chugs back up maybe, this rollercoaster, but there is no denying your patience is tested, but it gets back up! But then again, feeling bad after a massive drop down, flying back up at super speed surely isn't what you need to happen. Or the person behind you, due to the effect it would have! (eww!) What you need is security and gradually being built back up. A lot of the time, once up, you may find you are ready for the next drop, more prepared.
The Lord says to you:
John 14:27 (NIV) - Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
That's some of God's Word I wanted to share with you today :)
God bless :)
Friday, 19 March 2010
Age to age we stand
There are a few things I want to share with you. So here we go...
Job 32:9 - It is not only the old who are wise, not only the aged who understand what is right.
Just because we are young, does not mean we cannot have just as much impact, if not more impact than, people older than we are. Christians, you have God inside you, and He has the most power and impact EVER, so don't ever doubt that He will shine through you clearly at times.
BUT do not think that you don't have to listen to those older than you either.
Job 32:7 - I thought, 'Age should speak; advanced years should teach wisdom.'
God has placed them there to guide you, and help you. They have more years than you, more life experiences, and probably more "God experiences". Not always, but a lot of the time they may be God's key for guiding you where you should be going.
Isaiah 46:4 - Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.
Also, God will be with you all the days of your life, constantly, there to pick you up, hold you, carry you :) He does not change, He is the same yesterday, today and forever.
1 Corinthians 2:6 - [ Wisdom From the Spirit ] We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.
Another thing is that we need to pray for our leaders. Group leaders, church leaders, our countries leaders, our WORLD leaders, because a lot of the time, they need God's guidance. They do not always listen, and please the world instead. But nevertheless, they need prayer more than ever.
Finally I want to share with you one of the saddest things I have ever heard. It is true, and that makes me want to actually cry.
2 Corinthians 4:4 - The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
The world is claiming these people, and blinding them to the amazing relationship and love they can have between them and God. I love the way God never lets me down, and I can always rely on Him when all else fails. These people do not have this. I see this especially in young people, in a lot of my friends, and their friends, etc. I don't even know how to describe how sad this makes me feel. It's not even sad, it's worse than sad, far more extreme, upsetting, but much much stronger. God is the creator of the Heaven and the Earth, and ME, and EVERYONE, and it kills me to imagine what my life would be like without Him.
I thank God that he is the Rock of Ages, and He is timeless.
And I pray every day that those who seek Him will find Him, and that He will find those who do not seek Him.
2 Corinthians 4:13-18
It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken."With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Job 32:9 - It is not only the old who are wise, not only the aged who understand what is right.
Just because we are young, does not mean we cannot have just as much impact, if not more impact than, people older than we are. Christians, you have God inside you, and He has the most power and impact EVER, so don't ever doubt that He will shine through you clearly at times.
BUT do not think that you don't have to listen to those older than you either.
Job 32:7 - I thought, 'Age should speak; advanced years should teach wisdom.'
God has placed them there to guide you, and help you. They have more years than you, more life experiences, and probably more "God experiences". Not always, but a lot of the time they may be God's key for guiding you where you should be going.
Isaiah 46:4 - Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.
Also, God will be with you all the days of your life, constantly, there to pick you up, hold you, carry you :) He does not change, He is the same yesterday, today and forever.
1 Corinthians 2:6 - [ Wisdom From the Spirit ] We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.
Another thing is that we need to pray for our leaders. Group leaders, church leaders, our countries leaders, our WORLD leaders, because a lot of the time, they need God's guidance. They do not always listen, and please the world instead. But nevertheless, they need prayer more than ever.
Finally I want to share with you one of the saddest things I have ever heard. It is true, and that makes me want to actually cry.
2 Corinthians 4:4 - The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
The world is claiming these people, and blinding them to the amazing relationship and love they can have between them and God. I love the way God never lets me down, and I can always rely on Him when all else fails. These people do not have this. I see this especially in young people, in a lot of my friends, and their friends, etc. I don't even know how to describe how sad this makes me feel. It's not even sad, it's worse than sad, far more extreme, upsetting, but much much stronger. God is the creator of the Heaven and the Earth, and ME, and EVERYONE, and it kills me to imagine what my life would be like without Him.
I thank God that he is the Rock of Ages, and He is timeless.
And I pray every day that those who seek Him will find Him, and that He will find those who do not seek Him.
2 Corinthians 4:13-18
It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken."With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Tuesday, 9 March 2010
Gravity
I think I'll let the song do the talking. These are the lyrics to a fairly old song by band Delirious? called Gravity :)
History sits and she tells her stories
Bitter and twisted without power
Sitting watching feeding her jealous mouth
The future looks back to learn her lessons
Memories fade while experience beckons
I'm caught in the middle which way should I go
Gravity's pulling me, but heaven is calling me and
My head's spinning the world's twisted
My head's twisted the world's spinning
This generation is full of religion
Fed up with a diet of nothing
Give me the real thing flowing through my veins
This is the day, this is the hour
Show me the truth cos I want to be blinded
I wanna run, which way should I go
Gravity's pulling me, but heaven is calling me
My head's spinning, the world's twisted
My head's twisted, the world's spinning round, and round
These are the days that we'll look back upon when we're old
Give me tomorrow cos I cannot wait another day
Here's the link to the song too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o72MojROHLE
History sits and she tells her stories
Bitter and twisted without power
Sitting watching feeding her jealous mouth
The future looks back to learn her lessons
Memories fade while experience beckons
I'm caught in the middle which way should I go
Gravity's pulling me, but heaven is calling me and
My head's spinning the world's twisted
My head's twisted the world's spinning
This generation is full of religion
Fed up with a diet of nothing
Give me the real thing flowing through my veins
This is the day, this is the hour
Show me the truth cos I want to be blinded
I wanna run, which way should I go
Gravity's pulling me, but heaven is calling me
My head's spinning, the world's twisted
My head's twisted, the world's spinning round, and round
These are the days that we'll look back upon when we're old
Give me tomorrow cos I cannot wait another day
Here's the link to the song too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o72MojROHLE
Tuesday, 2 March 2010
Pardon my dust
Who am I to judge you?
My last blog was probably a bit harsh. True, I would say, but harsh. It got me thinking, and God saying to me "who are YOU to judge?" I realised of all these misguided and confused people, I knew none of them, none of their situations, none of their struggles, why they wanted advice. Only God knows their deepest thoughts and desires, and confusion. I am nobody to tell them they are wrong to ask advice. God put others there to carry each other's burdens, as it says in Galatians 6:2
Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
I stupidly and blindly forgot that although these people should think about their attitude, I definitely need to think about mine.
I can't say that they should be asking God and reading His Word about it, when I am not in that situation. Maybe they have tried those things, or maybe they have other reasons for not going to God, like they are ashamed. WHO AM I TO JUDGE THEM?! Noone is perfect and I can't even think about what they must be going through - some of these people are so troubled. I am not worthy to condemn them for not doing what I think they should do.
Just as God said to me,
Job 4:3-5 - In the past you have encouraged many people; you have strengthened those who were weak. Your words have supported those who were falling; you encouraged those with shaky knees. But now when trouble strikes, you lose heart. You are terrified when it touches you.
These people don't need my advice, they need God's advice, and instead of moaning at them, maybe I should think about not condemning them at the same time. I am not perfect, far from, infact, but I cannot make obvious what I believe the faults to be in others, without highlighting those in myself.
If you argue your case with a neighbor, do not betray another man's confidence, or he who hears it may shame you and you will never lose your bad reputation ~ Proverbs 25:9-10
Gossip is a big downfall for me, and I'm not afraid to admit it. I'm getting better, I don't tend to stir things up, I just like to know what's going on. To put it plainly, I am a nosey person! But I'm learning with God helping me to only approach those who need help with the hug they need, and not ask questions. After all, like I said, only God knows their true and deepest needs. I don't so there is no point in me knowing. It is teaching me to have better genuine concern for people rather that the situation, and I see the difference already. Last night really refreshed me, and God showed me I was straying from His help. Thank God for those who he has put in place to help me. Mike, this verse is for you :)
2 Timothy 4:2 - Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.
You have done this and God wants to say thanks to His faithful servant, as do I! So thank you!
Proverbs 10:17 - He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.
Back to serve my actual purpose I go, losing myself totally in God. It is not me who I need to keep hold of, it is the one who is always right and that's Jesus.
1 Corinthians 15:10 - But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYrNJuzfPqU :)
My last blog was probably a bit harsh. True, I would say, but harsh. It got me thinking, and God saying to me "who are YOU to judge?" I realised of all these misguided and confused people, I knew none of them, none of their situations, none of their struggles, why they wanted advice. Only God knows their deepest thoughts and desires, and confusion. I am nobody to tell them they are wrong to ask advice. God put others there to carry each other's burdens, as it says in Galatians 6:2
Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
I stupidly and blindly forgot that although these people should think about their attitude, I definitely need to think about mine.
I can't say that they should be asking God and reading His Word about it, when I am not in that situation. Maybe they have tried those things, or maybe they have other reasons for not going to God, like they are ashamed. WHO AM I TO JUDGE THEM?! Noone is perfect and I can't even think about what they must be going through - some of these people are so troubled. I am not worthy to condemn them for not doing what I think they should do.
Just as God said to me,
Job 4:3-5 - In the past you have encouraged many people; you have strengthened those who were weak. Your words have supported those who were falling; you encouraged those with shaky knees. But now when trouble strikes, you lose heart. You are terrified when it touches you.
These people don't need my advice, they need God's advice, and instead of moaning at them, maybe I should think about not condemning them at the same time. I am not perfect, far from, infact, but I cannot make obvious what I believe the faults to be in others, without highlighting those in myself.
If you argue your case with a neighbor, do not betray another man's confidence, or he who hears it may shame you and you will never lose your bad reputation ~ Proverbs 25:9-10
Gossip is a big downfall for me, and I'm not afraid to admit it. I'm getting better, I don't tend to stir things up, I just like to know what's going on. To put it plainly, I am a nosey person! But I'm learning with God helping me to only approach those who need help with the hug they need, and not ask questions. After all, like I said, only God knows their true and deepest needs. I don't so there is no point in me knowing. It is teaching me to have better genuine concern for people rather that the situation, and I see the difference already. Last night really refreshed me, and God showed me I was straying from His help. Thank God for those who he has put in place to help me. Mike, this verse is for you :)
2 Timothy 4:2 - Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.
You have done this and God wants to say thanks to His faithful servant, as do I! So thank you!
Proverbs 10:17 - He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.
Back to serve my actual purpose I go, losing myself totally in God. It is not me who I need to keep hold of, it is the one who is always right and that's Jesus.
1 Corinthians 15:10 - But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYrNJuzfPqU :)
Monday, 1 March 2010
One Way... Jesus!
After visiting a Facebook group with many discussion boards for Christians asking questions and sharing their issues, I have realised just how many people have such an incorrect outlook on life!
Call me harsh, but all these people with "problems" (putting it harshly) have clearly not read the Word of God! The Bible is our handbook, our instruction manual, our guide. It is not to be our "rulebook" but shows us how to build our life, so that it will not fall apart, and it will work to it's full potential - just as you follow the instructions to building something!
The attitude these people have is wrong.
Instead of thinking "How Holy can I be in this situation?" they are asking "How much can I get away with?"
1 Chronicles 28:9 says:
“And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever."
The WHOLE BIBLE speaks of God looking at the heart of people, their "heart-attitude" rather than their outward appearance or even their actions!
Don't you just want to scream it at the world?!!!!!
Examine your heart and purposes, and repent.
Call me harsh, but all these people with "problems" (putting it harshly) have clearly not read the Word of God! The Bible is our handbook, our instruction manual, our guide. It is not to be our "rulebook" but shows us how to build our life, so that it will not fall apart, and it will work to it's full potential - just as you follow the instructions to building something!
The attitude these people have is wrong.
Instead of thinking "How Holy can I be in this situation?" they are asking "How much can I get away with?"
1 Chronicles 28:9 says:
“And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever."
The WHOLE BIBLE speaks of God looking at the heart of people, their "heart-attitude" rather than their outward appearance or even their actions!
Don't you just want to scream it at the world?!!!!!
Examine your heart and purposes, and repent.
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