Coffee Break
"Your Journey"
Over the past several weeks I have been sharing this spiritual journey that I have been on with you. I have been very transparent about some attitudes and shortcomings that I have had and allowed to come into my life. It does us all good to be transparent-- especially with the Heavenly Father. He knew what was in my heart. He knew my faults and failures. He knew what He had planned for my life and what was standing in the way of that coming to pass. He loved me enough to point it out to me and give me the opportunity to allow Him to change it.
It's pretty sad when we think we are "all right" when we really aren't. This is why we need to continually pray that the Lord will "search us and see if there is any wicked way in us". Like I have said before, "He isn't making us a better us, but a brand new person, and He loves us to much to leave us like He found us." I am so thankful that this is the case. I am so thankful He loves me enough to show me the truth about myself and, then as I surrender, put His loving hands on my heart to reform and remold it.
My journey of transformation isn't close to being over-- it won't be over until this mortality puts on immortality and this corruptible flesh puts on incorruption. I have not arrived. I only arrive when I stand in eternity and see Him face to face. But, what about your journey? Have you stopped running this race that is set before you? Are you still allowing Him to mold you and make you into who He wants you to be? Have you allowed your heart to become cold, hard or callous? Do you need your fire to be rekindled? Do you need a fresh wind of the Holy Spirit to blow on you? Do you need to get refocused and reprioritized? Are you involved in the works of the Lord, but lacking your relationship with the Lord? Check your journey and see where you are in the process.
Have a great day. How is your spiritual journey going?
Friday, March 13, 2020
Thursday, March 12, 2020
Coffee Break - Surrender Again
Coffee Break
"Surrender Again"
Had I not surrender to the Lord's will concerning surgery that day I was laying on the couch, I would have missed this wonderful, life changing journey I have been on. The key to God doing anything in our lives comes through surrender. Surrender to God is the first step, but if you don't make that first step, you will miss out on everything else He has for you.
I need to also say that it is not a one time event. I didn't surrender that day and that meant I would never have to surrender ever again to His will. No, I have to surrender each day afresh and anew. You do too. Surrender is part of our daily walk with the Lord. I have to surrender to His will concerning many things throughout the day. Some things I surrender to are relativity small things. Some, like the surgery are larger. But, if you will surrender to the bigger things, when the smaller things come it will be easier.
If you are having a hard time surrendering to the Lord in any area of life, tell Him. Admit it to Him (FYI-- He already knows it),but tell Him anyway. Have a willing heart to surrender/obey and ask Him to help you. He will. He will give you the grace and strength to do it. He did me!
Have a great day. Just because you surrendered to God once doesn't mean you don't ever have to again.
"Surrender Again"
Had I not surrender to the Lord's will concerning surgery that day I was laying on the couch, I would have missed this wonderful, life changing journey I have been on. The key to God doing anything in our lives comes through surrender. Surrender to God is the first step, but if you don't make that first step, you will miss out on everything else He has for you.
I need to also say that it is not a one time event. I didn't surrender that day and that meant I would never have to surrender ever again to His will. No, I have to surrender each day afresh and anew. You do too. Surrender is part of our daily walk with the Lord. I have to surrender to His will concerning many things throughout the day. Some things I surrender to are relativity small things. Some, like the surgery are larger. But, if you will surrender to the bigger things, when the smaller things come it will be easier.
If you are having a hard time surrendering to the Lord in any area of life, tell Him. Admit it to Him (FYI-- He already knows it),but tell Him anyway. Have a willing heart to surrender/obey and ask Him to help you. He will. He will give you the grace and strength to do it. He did me!
Have a great day. Just because you surrendered to God once doesn't mean you don't ever have to again.
Wednesday, March 11, 2020
Coffee Break - Like Him - Part 2
Coffee Break
"Like Him - Part 2"
Yesterday I talked about being transformed into Christ-likeness. Do we really know what that means? It means to be like Christ. But what does that mean? Are we suppose to look like Him? Wear our hair like He did? Or dress like He did? Speak the same language He spoke? What are we really saying? After all, the word Christian means-- Christ-like. You see, Jesus isn't just our example to follow-- He is the image into which we are being transformed into.
Most people have a singular view of what it means. They think it means to do the same religious things Jesus did- go to church and pray. But it goes deeper than that. Christ-likeness is not segmented into only certain areas of our lives, but in all areas of our lives.
If you want to know what it means to be Christ-like, look at how Jesus lived. He lived in constant communion with the Father. His prayer time wasn't relegated to times of need only. He was disciplined-- not living according to the lusts and desires of His flesh. He was obedient to the Father's will-- laying aside His own will. He was led by the Spirit-- even into the wilderness. He had compassion on all people. He was humble. He took authority over the devil. He went about doing good. He had ears to hear what the Spirit said to Him. He stayed focused on His whole reason for coming to earth-- to seek and save those who were lost. His words brought life and hope to hurting people. He was bold and didn't tolerate sin. He showed mercy and grace. He forgave even His enemies-- Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. This is just some of how Jesus lived. Are you living the same way?
Have a great day. Are you being transformed into Christ's image in every area of your life?
"Like Him - Part 2"
Yesterday I talked about being transformed into Christ-likeness. Do we really know what that means? It means to be like Christ. But what does that mean? Are we suppose to look like Him? Wear our hair like He did? Or dress like He did? Speak the same language He spoke? What are we really saying? After all, the word Christian means-- Christ-like. You see, Jesus isn't just our example to follow-- He is the image into which we are being transformed into.
Most people have a singular view of what it means. They think it means to do the same religious things Jesus did- go to church and pray. But it goes deeper than that. Christ-likeness is not segmented into only certain areas of our lives, but in all areas of our lives.
If you want to know what it means to be Christ-like, look at how Jesus lived. He lived in constant communion with the Father. His prayer time wasn't relegated to times of need only. He was disciplined-- not living according to the lusts and desires of His flesh. He was obedient to the Father's will-- laying aside His own will. He was led by the Spirit-- even into the wilderness. He had compassion on all people. He was humble. He took authority over the devil. He went about doing good. He had ears to hear what the Spirit said to Him. He stayed focused on His whole reason for coming to earth-- to seek and save those who were lost. His words brought life and hope to hurting people. He was bold and didn't tolerate sin. He showed mercy and grace. He forgave even His enemies-- Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. This is just some of how Jesus lived. Are you living the same way?
Have a great day. Are you being transformed into Christ's image in every area of your life?
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Coffee Break - Like Him
Coffee Break
"Like Him"
This journey that I have been on has been for the purpose of re-forming a greater Christ-likeness in me. We were made in God's image at the beginning of creation, but because of sin that image has been marred. When Jesus died on the cross, He not only died to save us from our sins, but to make us brand new creations. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." This verse literally means a new spies of being that never existed before.
When you gave your life to Christ and was born-again you become a brand new person. At that point the Holy Spirit begins to do a work of transformation in you. He is not making you a better you-- He is making you a brand new you. He washes our sins away and starts doing a work from the inside out-- starting with our hearts.
If you have been saved and there is no change in you-- no change of heart, no change of attitude, no change in your desires, you don't have a desire for the things of God, there no desire to be changed and live your life in a way that is pleasing to God-- then you may need to go back to the altar and truly get right with the Lord. Because anyone who is born-again is different than they were. You can't receive Jesus as Savior and remain the same.
Sometimes during our Christian walk, if we aren't careful, we can stop in the process of transformation. I feel like this is what happened to me. I didn't realize that I had stopped allowing the Holy Spirit to take me to a deeper spiritual level-- one that looked more Christ-like.
Have you stopped allowing the Holy Spirit to continue the transformation process in you? Have you become satisfied with where you are spiritually? Are you letting Him do in your life what He desires to do to make you more like Him? Surrender, and let Him make you into what He desires you to be.
Have a great day. Jesus is not making us a better us, He is making us more like Him.
"Like Him"
This journey that I have been on has been for the purpose of re-forming a greater Christ-likeness in me. We were made in God's image at the beginning of creation, but because of sin that image has been marred. When Jesus died on the cross, He not only died to save us from our sins, but to make us brand new creations. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." This verse literally means a new spies of being that never existed before.
When you gave your life to Christ and was born-again you become a brand new person. At that point the Holy Spirit begins to do a work of transformation in you. He is not making you a better you-- He is making you a brand new you. He washes our sins away and starts doing a work from the inside out-- starting with our hearts.
If you have been saved and there is no change in you-- no change of heart, no change of attitude, no change in your desires, you don't have a desire for the things of God, there no desire to be changed and live your life in a way that is pleasing to God-- then you may need to go back to the altar and truly get right with the Lord. Because anyone who is born-again is different than they were. You can't receive Jesus as Savior and remain the same.
Sometimes during our Christian walk, if we aren't careful, we can stop in the process of transformation. I feel like this is what happened to me. I didn't realize that I had stopped allowing the Holy Spirit to take me to a deeper spiritual level-- one that looked more Christ-like.
Have you stopped allowing the Holy Spirit to continue the transformation process in you? Have you become satisfied with where you are spiritually? Are you letting Him do in your life what He desires to do to make you more like Him? Surrender, and let Him make you into what He desires you to be.
Have a great day. Jesus is not making us a better us, He is making us more like Him.
Monday, March 9, 2020
Coffee Break - Forest Fire- Part 2
Coffee Break
"Forest Fire - Part 2"
Last week we talked about having the fire of the Holy Spirit burning so intensely in our lives that it would jump across all barriers that are in the hearts of man and reach their lives with the love and light of Jesus.
We compared the fire of the Spirit to that of a raging forest fire. One of the things I said was that when the fires are so big, the firefighters will come and try to contain it or put it out. I want to talk about this for a moment.
When we are allowing the Lord to make His fire bigger in us and it starts touching lives for His glory, just like those firefighters who come and try to extinguish the fire, the enemy will come and try to extinguish it in us. Our enemy, the devil, comes to steal, kill and destroy. He is a "firefighter"! (He fights against the fire of God.) He is trying to put out our fire and stop it from spreading.
Firefighters have a strategy to try to extinguish fires. One thing they do is pour water on it. Another thing they do is clear a large path in a big circle around the fire so the blaze is contained in a ring of dirt. They also use a tool called a Pulaski-- it's a combination of an ax and hoe used to dig a fire line.
The devil has a strategy as well. He will try pouring water on your fire. He will stir up people who will discourage or criticize you. He will try through persecution. He also has tools that he uses to dig up your past to keep you from going forward. He will dig at you with accusations, with threats, with guilt from past sins and condemnation. Another one of his devices is to try to contain the fire by drawing a big circle around you. This is for the purpose of isolating you from other believers. He will try to isolate you through misunderstandings, offense and jealousy.
The Bible says we aren't ignorant of satan's devices. So be aware and on guard, that when the fire of the Spirit starts getting bigger in you, he will come to try to put it out. Don't let him!
Have a great day. When the fire of God is burning through you, watch out for the "firefighter".
"Forest Fire - Part 2"
Last week we talked about having the fire of the Holy Spirit burning so intensely in our lives that it would jump across all barriers that are in the hearts of man and reach their lives with the love and light of Jesus.
We compared the fire of the Spirit to that of a raging forest fire. One of the things I said was that when the fires are so big, the firefighters will come and try to contain it or put it out. I want to talk about this for a moment.
When we are allowing the Lord to make His fire bigger in us and it starts touching lives for His glory, just like those firefighters who come and try to extinguish the fire, the enemy will come and try to extinguish it in us. Our enemy, the devil, comes to steal, kill and destroy. He is a "firefighter"! (He fights against the fire of God.) He is trying to put out our fire and stop it from spreading.
Firefighters have a strategy to try to extinguish fires. One thing they do is pour water on it. Another thing they do is clear a large path in a big circle around the fire so the blaze is contained in a ring of dirt. They also use a tool called a Pulaski-- it's a combination of an ax and hoe used to dig a fire line.
The devil has a strategy as well. He will try pouring water on your fire. He will stir up people who will discourage or criticize you. He will try through persecution. He also has tools that he uses to dig up your past to keep you from going forward. He will dig at you with accusations, with threats, with guilt from past sins and condemnation. Another one of his devices is to try to contain the fire by drawing a big circle around you. This is for the purpose of isolating you from other believers. He will try to isolate you through misunderstandings, offense and jealousy.
The Bible says we aren't ignorant of satan's devices. So be aware and on guard, that when the fire of the Spirit starts getting bigger in you, he will come to try to put it out. Don't let him!
Have a great day. When the fire of God is burning through you, watch out for the "firefighter".
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)