Tag Archives: Christian

June 26, 2012 · 7:47 AM

Finding Rest

Are you exhausted mentally, physically or spiritually? It’s easy to get that way. We have so much going on in our lives today that exhaustion becomes the norm for our lives. We have work, school, relationships, activities and families that require our attention 24/7. It seems we can never escape the stresses we allow ourselves to acquire.

When we finally break free from everything, our mind continues to try to solve problems, plan what’s coming next or think through our next steps. We never get a break and our bodies, minds, spirit and relationships suffer for it. That is a high price to pay for doing what we do.

God wants you to rest and recharge. He understands the pressures of this life. He set the example Himself for us by resting on the 7th day. There are some things found in scripture to help us find that rest that recharges us.

1. Hear His voice

If you are going to allow Him to lead you, you must first be able to hear His voice. Jesus often referred to himself as a shepherd and to us as sheep. He said that His sheep know His voice. That means that we need to be able to quiet all the voices and thoughts that are fighting for our attention and to listen for Him.

Psalm 95:7 says we are the flock under His care. If only we would listen to His voice. We have that ability to hear him, but we don’t make the availability. That is where we fail. Stop today to listen for his voice. He’s calling out to you to take you to a place of rest.

2. Obey His voice

Once we hear His voice, we must then obey it. It’s a two part process. We often hear God speaking to us, but we choose not to obey it because we either don’t like where He is telling us to go or we don’t think we have time to do what He is asking. We allow our minds to overrule what we heard from Him and that keeps us from the rest He promises.

Hebrews 4 talks about how the disobedience of the Israelites kept them from that rest after they left Egypt. They did not obey and did not find rest. God renews that promise of rest to us, but only if we obey His voice. That promise is contingent on us following through on our part.

3. Let Him lead you to it

In one the most quoted chapters of the Bible we find a scripture we pass over. Psalm 23:2 says that He lets me rest in peaceful meadows and He leads me beside peaceful streams. God wants to lead you to those places. He wants to be the one who takes you there. You cannot find fulfilled rest on your own.

We try to find that place through meditation, exercise or getting away. We often fail though at trying to find that rest, but it eludes us. You can get there if you allow Him to have that control to take you to those peaceful streams and quiet meadows. His desire is for you to find that rest.

If you find yourself in need of rest today, I encourage you to stop and listen to his voice. Once you have heard His voice, obey it and allow Him to lead you to that place of rest in your life. Without that rest, you will burn out and sacrifice things in your life that you hold dear. What will you do today to find that place of rest you desperately need?

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , ,

June 25, 2012 · 7:43 AM

Stepping out of your boat

Have you been in that place where you felt like God wanted you to do something, but were unsure? Maybe you felt the timing was off or the conditions weren’t right. God often calls us to do things in His timing, not ours. If we wait for things to be just right, we will never get them done. He is looking for obedience.

In my life, when I’ve felt that tug, I have stepped out in faith at times and done what was asked. There were other times where I missed the mark and immediately felt the regret of not doing it. I let that opportunity pass me by without acting.

In Matthew 14, Peter had an opportunity to step out in faith. His opportunity shows us three things that we can do when we are asked to step out.

1. Make sure it’s God asking

In the middle of a storm, Jesus came walking to the disciples on the water to comfort them. When they saw him coming, it scared them. Peter said, “Lord, if it’s you, ask me to join you.” When the Lord told him to come, Peter did as he was told.

Life often presents opportunities for us to step out in faith. Many of us recognize them, but won’t act without checking with God first. I’m a firm believer that it is scriptural to ask God to show you if something is His will. Gideon set mats outside his tent to test if he was hearing God. If you are unsure if God is asking you to do something, ask Him to prove it.

2. He stepped out of the boat

If we wait for the right time to step out of the boat, we will never move. When Peter got out of the boat, the waves were crashing against the boat and it was raining hard. Conditions were not ideal for him to step out. God doesn’t wait for things to be perfect to ask us to step out. It’s when we are in a storm or someone else is that we are asked to step out of the familiar and into the unknown.

A minute before Peter stepped out, he wasn’t even sure that it was Jesus who was asking. As a seasoned fisherman, he knew that his survival rate was minimal if he wasn’t able to walk on water. He took the step anyway. If your faith doesn’t defeat your logic, you will never get out of the boat. There were 11 others in the boat who listened to fear and logic. They will never know what it’s like to walk on water.

3. Stepping out doesn’t mean things will go perfectly

After getting completely out of the boat, Peter began to sink. Even in our greatest acts of faith, we still run the risk of failure. It is not one step Jesus asked Peter to make. It was multiple. Getting out of the boat was step one. We have to understand that while taking that first step is important, it’s not the last step of faith you are to make.

When Peter began to sink, he knew what to do. He called out for Jesus to help him. Jesus reached down and lifted him up. If you are sinking on step two wondering what is going on, call out for help. Jesus is there waiting to help you accomplish what He asked you to do.

What is it that God is asking you to do? If you can accomplish it on your own will and strength, it is not an act of faith. What is keeping you in the boat? Don’t let fear and logic keep you in the boat. First, make sure it is what God has asked you to do, then step out in faith.

1 Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

June 22, 2012 · 8:10 AM

Moving forward

Are you in that place where you would rather stay and rest where you are because it’s the easiest thing to do? I know I’ve been there. I didn’t have the strength (mentally, physically or spiritually) to move from where I was. I just wanted to give up and let the world pass me by. I didn’t care what happened. I just didn’t want to move.

That is not God’s purpose for us. Proverbs 24:16 says even though the righteous man falls seven times, he gets back up. We are not to stay down when life knocks us down. We are to get back up through His strength. We are to move forward, not backwards or in the same place.

Hebrews 11 speaks of Moses and the choice he had to make by faith to leave Egypt. It mentions 3 things he did to help him move forward.

1. He left Egypt behind

When the circumstances of your life knock you down, you carry those scars with you for the rest of your journey. They are a reminder of where you have been. You need them so you can see how far you’ve come. Don’t be afraid of the scars from your past. By allowing others to see them, it lets them know they can survive what they are enduring.

While we carry the scars with us, we need to leave the pain behind. If you continue to carry the pain with you, the wound will never heal. I don’t know that the pain fully goes away, but we have to choose not to dwell on it so we can move forward. Moses had to leave the life he lived in Egypt behind to move forward, but he used what he learned from that life to lead others.

2. He held to his purpose

God has a purpose for your life no matter what you have endured. When I lost everything in my life, I felt like I had lost my purpose. I allowed my circumstances to cloud my view of who God made me to be. I couldn’t see how God could use someone who was as broken as I was. It added to the grief that I was going through.

Moses could have lost his purpose as he left the life he knew, but he didn’t. He held to his purpose and led the Israelites out of bondage. It’s only when we’ve endured pain and suffering that we can help free those who are still bound to their pain. God uses the broken to help heal the broken. God still has a purpose for your life even if you can’t see it now.

3. He crossed the Red Sea

At a time when his back was against the wall, the Egyptian armies came to attack. There was no where for him to turn and no where to go. He prayed and asked God for help. At that moment, God parted the sea and allowed him to cross on dry land. When his enemies pursued, it sea swallowed them up.

You may feel there is no way out of your situation. You are surrounded by circumstances and problems in your life with no where to turn. Don’t give up. Ask God to do the impossible for you. He will make a way where there seems to be no way out. When you step out in faith and move forward, the sea will swallow those things that pursue you.

If you are in that place where you’ve been knocked down and don’t know what to do, don’t give up. By faith move forward and leave that place behind, know that God still has a purpose for your life and then pray that God will do the impossible in your life. He will show you which direction is forward.

What can you do today to start the process of moving forward?

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

June 21, 2012 · 8:03 AM

Rebuilding your life

Are you in a season of rebuilding? Are you having to piece your life back together? I’ve been there. I know what it’s like to have to look at the ruins of what was your life (physical or spiritual), to pick up the pieces and to rebuild. It is a difficult task to do no matter how old you are when it happens.

When our life is destroyed by an event or series of circumstances, the easiest thing to do is to live in the ruins. Rebuilding is difficult and requires energy that we don’t have. God’s desire for you is to rebuild your life, not to give up and live in the ruins of what was your life.

Nehemiah was a man of God in the Bible who saw that Jerusalem was in ruins. There were people who were living in the ruins. Their life was difficult and they were without protection. He knew that the city needed to be rebuilt so the people could survive. Our lives are no different.

He did three things to make that happen.

1. He confessed sin

The first thing Nehemiah did in rebuilding Jerusalem was to go to God. He prayed and confessed his sins as well as those of his people. Sin in our lives separates us from God and removes us from the blessing of protection. We become an open target for those that wish to destroy us.

Sin is not the cause of a destroyed life every time (See the life of Job), but when it is, our first rule is to confess our sins to God and to change our ways. Without this step, we will end up right back where we are. I can testify in my own life that this is true.

2. He knew God’s promises

The next thing that he did was to remind God of the promises He made to His people. To know these promises, you will have to study Gods word. It is full of promises that He will keep when we do what He asks. God is faithful to his promises and will do what He said He would do.

There are books that you can buy that tell you what God’s promises are. If you are not good at research or struggle to know where to look in the Bible to find God’s promises, go out and buy one of these books. To claim a promise from God, you need to know what he said.

3. He got help

The next thing he did was to get help. When he looked at the ruins of Jerusalem, he was overwhelmed and knew he needed help. He called together a group of elders and told them what was going on and asked for there help. As they began to help him, so did more people. In time, what was in ruins was rebuilt better than before.

You didn’t build your life on your own and you cannot rebuild it on your own. You will need to be honest with people you can trust. Get wisdom from them to help you rebuild. Allow them to pray over you and to provide friendship and encouragement during the rebuilding. It won’t happen over night. It can take years, but it starts with picking up the first piece.

If your life or spiritual life is in ruins, step back and take an honest look. Are there sins that need to be confessed to God? If so, confess them and seek His help to turn from them. Do you know what God has promised you? If not, go buy a book or search the Internet for God’s promises. You will find He made a lot. Finally, find people you can trust to help you rebuild. Let them provide a covering for you while you pick up the pieces and rebuild.

4 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , ,

June 20, 2012 · 6:13 PM

Trials, tests and temptations

James 1:2 has always challenged me. It says that we should be joyful when we are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations. If you are like me, joy is not your first response to being tried or tempted. I usually take the victim mentality and try to get out of it ASAP.

Trials, tests and temptations make us better and prove our faith. They are what makes us stronger. We don’t like them because there is a probability of failure and that often occurs. Failure is not the end. It provides an opportunity to learn and to grow. Most people quit after failing once because they don’t see the opportunity that has shown itself for them to get back up and learn a new way.

This scripture says that trials, tests and temptations produce 3 things:

1. Endurance

Endurance gives us the strength to continue beyond what we think we can. When we constantly push ourselves, we in erase our endurance. Christianity is not a sprint but a marathon. There will be highs and lows, leaks and valleys that you will go through. There will be times of plenty and times of drought. Being prepared for the valleys and the droughts is what will keep you going.

Paul recognized that he had not yet attained, but he pressed on. That pressing on is what we have to do as Christians. On those days where your prayers seem to fall to the ground, where your faith seems small and when you’re angry at God, you must press on. Don’t allow your dry season to interfere with your relationship with God. Allow it to make it stronger by pressing on.

2. Steadfastness

This is having an unwavering resolution and a fixed direction. You are not easily deterred. Having these qualities in your faith and life are necessary to continuing the course. The world is there to distract you and to keep you from your purpose or calling. It constantly wants to pull you away from the things of God and turn you aside.

Recognize where you are tempted and stay away from those situations. Go the long way around if it means you will avoid temptation that can keep you from your purpose. Take a look at your life, see where you’ve gotten off course in the past, know what caused it and avoid it in the future to the best of your ability. Your fixed direction is heaven. Keep your eyes ahead and keep moving.

3. Patience

This is the quality of being able to have a steady perseverance even in trying situations. A lack of patience causes us to make rash decisions based on emotion which we later regret. We are to think clearly and exercise self control according to I Peter 1:13. We are not to fly off the handle or to make rash decisions.
We’ve all prayed for patience and then faced difficult situations. We faced them because patience is not given, it’s earned. You must go through difficult times to have this fruit produced. The end result is that you can take anything that comes your way with grace and handle it with dignity.

If you are being tried, tested or tempted don’t be upset and take on a victim mentality. Be happy that you are growing and producing endurance, steadfastness and patience. I know it may not be what you think you need right now, but the end result is worth the temporary pain.

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , ,

June 15, 2012 · 8:01 AM

Life in the valley

Are you in a valley right now? Life is full of peaks and valleys. We love to be on the mountain top, but why not the valley? There are lessons to be learned in the valleys. There is fertile soil there to help you grow. We fight the valley and try to get out before we learn why we are there. It is a time to gain the strength and wisdom needed to climb the next mountain.

I’ve had my share of valleys and mountain top experiences. Here are some things I’ve learned in the valley.

1. Growth happens there

You weren’t meant to stay in the valley, but you were meant to learn there. God has always used the valleys of my life to grow me. Some of the greatest crops in the world today are grown in valleys, not on the tops of mountains. If you find yourself in a valley, quit struggling to get out and spend time figuring out how you are to grow from it. There are things taught in the valley that you can’t learn anywhere else.

Spend your time in the valley wisely. You can choose to be upset and think that you are being punished or you can be happy and know that you are being strengthened. God knows what is ahead in your life and gives us seasons in the valley to give us strength to endure what’s ahead. If you leave the valley too soon, you may not have the strength to do what He called you to do in the future.

2. Reconciliation happens there

God will use valleys sometimes to bring reconciliation with Him. Jonah found repentance in the belly of the whale. When David was in the valley he cried out for God to create a new heart in him and to renew a right spirit within him. He knew that even though he was in the valley, God still heard him.

It’s easy to be short sighted in the valley because our view is blocked. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t look for God while we are there. He uses the valley at times to purify us and to remind us of who he is. We are reminded that He is God and we are His people.

3. God speaks there

In the darkest times of my life is where I heard God the most. It’s hard to hear Him in the valley though. We become preoccupied with trying to climb out or asking why we are there. We rarely listen though. God wants to use this time to speak to you and to let you know Him. Don’t push Him away.

The tendency is to blame God for being in the valley rather than to listen to Him. He can use this time to help you hear Him better and to draw you closer to Him. Don’t fight Him in the valley. Submit to His will and listen to what He says. You will find that when you are at your lowest, He is at His closest.

What can you learn from your valley? Is God trying to grow you, reconcile you or speak to you? Take time today to stop fighting with Him and questioning Him. Stop and listen to what He has for you in the valley. It won’t last forever and what you learn from it will shape your future.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , ,