Proof of God's Love - Part 2

 

God absolutely cares about us and the matters, which are important to us (1 Peter 5:7). He has our best interest at heart. God's discipline is a proof of His love for us (Hebrews 12:6).

He helps us to cast down the idols in our soul (2 Corinthians 10:5). I know that I have an idol in my life when my feelings get hurt and when other negative emotions start popping up in my heart.

If something irritates me, angers me or stresses me out, I can be sure there is an idol at the root of the issue, which I need to surrender to God.

Many times the issues, for which I am crusading, are best left as a matter of prayer, rather than trying to influence someone to accept my ideas or to act a certain way.

Another idol of mine is organization and schedules. I keep lists and calendars. I love order and proficiency. I feel secure and they keep me from forgetting appointments. They help me to have what we need, when we need it.

However, other people in my life are more impulsive and extemporaneous. They live a fluid life, and my need for order restricts them.

I had to surrender this idol to God and then learn to be more adaptable, flexible and spontaneous. This helped me to have more fun.

Of course, my ability to keep schedules helps us to stay organized, but I had to learn to be less inhibited and to lay down the idol of my need to attempt to control life.

God is also healing me from codependency. I am learning not to serve others by putting their interests and needs above my own to the point of depriving myself of the peace and joy of walking in God’s Spirit. ( http://www.amazon.com/The-Christian-Codependence-Recovery-Workbook/dp/1936451050 )

God is teaching me to live interdependently with other people and to hear His will for my involvement in their lives. Many times, the discernment He gives me is a matter of prayer rather than action.

Prayer:
Father God, I am learning to trust that You are faithful to restore balance and peace in our life​ in Your own way and time​. T​hank You for reminding me that You love the people I care about more than I do.

You have a perfect plan for each life, and You will work out everything in their life for their good (Romans 8:28). You may use me to help in some situation; but more often than not, You choose to do the work in their lives as I pray for them.

Thank You for the freedom from idols that You provide for us. Help us to walk in Your Spirit, so that we will not fulfill the carnal impulses of our flesh (Galatians 5:15-21).

Thought for the Day:

As we monitor the negative emotions, which disturb the peace of God in our soul, we can rely on God to reveal the issue at the root of them, so that we can lay down these idols at His feet. 

 ( www.theophostic.com )

Don't Do Things the Hard Way

 

The Bible is full of stories of people who had to learn God’s ways through desperate trials and errors. I have never been a fan of suffering, so I usually obtain a multitude of counsel, starting with the Holy Spirit, before I do anything (Proverbs 15:22; John 14:24-26). We can also learn from the mistakes of others. For some people, it takes God longer to break the habit of self-reliance. For others, we quickly recognized the insufficiency of our own efforts and chose to rely on God instead. We are nothing without God. We put on the mind of Christ and follow His Spirit moment by moment throughout the day (Philippians 2:5).

Living in the fleshly, carnal way of life reaps corruption (Galatians 6:8). Living in the eternal, spiritual realm of life brings us a harvest of life and peace (Romans 8:6). We follow the leading of God’s Spirit through every issue we face during each day (Galatians 5:16,25). We do not internalize the negativity in the world around us, or those discouraging words whispered in our ear by Satan or planted in our mind by his emissaries. Instead, we think about whatever is true, holy, wholesome, divine, commendable or admirable (Philippians 4:8). Refuse to allow anything else to enter your thoughts or affect your attitude and mood.

Realize that the corruption going on at work, at home, in the community and maybe even in your church is from the pit of hell. Satan is inspiring the motives and attitudes in the hearts of those to whom you are relating. Rise above the ooze of profanity and degradation around you by keeping your mind on how good God is and that He has a purpose for you in this situation. His reason for you may be simply to earn a paycheck. It may be to live in such a way that the people around you will see God’s light shining within you. It may be to comfort a grieving workmate, family member or even a stranger with the love of God.

Obeying the Spirit is not always easy. We maintain our faith in Him even if He requires us to persist, suffer, make a commitment and give up what we hold dear in this life. He always pays us for each good thing we do, and blesses our faithfulness (Luke 12:32; Malachi 3:10). God created us in His image as a vessel, a branch, a slave, a light and the temple of the Holy Spirit. In Him we live, function and have our existence (Acts 17:28). Our purpose for living is to express God’s nature and character to the world around us.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, prior to knowing You as our Savior, our humanity held no good things. We were corrupt and evil and followed the leading of our father the devil (John 8:44-45). We thank and praise You with our whole hearts for giving Yourself as a ransom for us on Calvary’s cross. You were made sin, so that we may die to sin and live free from its curse and our bondage to it (Galatians 3:13). Now You dwell within the hearts of every Born Again Believer. Remind us that we owe You a debt we can never repay, and to realize that our life on earth is a very short time to serve You in return for what You did for us in eternity.

Thought for the Day:

Jesus was tempted in all the ways that we are without sin, and the fullness of His power to live righteously dwells within us. – Colossians 1:28

Love Your Neighbor AS Yourself

Read: Ephesians 3:16-19

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” – 2 Corinthians 12: 9

Some people are self-centered, myopic, petty, puffed up, thoughtless, wanting more and more and not willing to give to others. Thankfully, they are few and far between. Most of us, however, are hard working, caring, loving and thoughtful. We consider others before we think about our self. If you are like this second group of people, I want to talk to you right now.

Sometimes we fight battles, which God never intended for us to fight, in an attempt to control our circumstances, to get ahead or to impress someone else. In reality, God wants to use our weaknesses, not our strengths, because…His strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12: 9). We try so hard to be “grown up” and responsible, to make our significant others proud of us, to earn that promotion or reward, or to get that second job to make ends meet.

By trying to be strong, however, we often deny attention to the person who we really are inside. We ignore our needs and opt to care for others instead. By not relying on the Lord or being led by His Spirit, we have no energy left to care for our self. We overlook our needs in order to excel according to other people’s standards. This part of our self, which we deny, has many popular names in today’s psychological world: the authentic self, the true self, the inner soul and the inner child. I like to call this part of the soul, the “Inner Child”.

David, the psalmist and king, agrees with me. He said in Psalm 131: 2 “Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me.”

If you ignore your soul, your energy level will go down incrementally, until you are running on pure adrenalin. Hope deferred does make our heart sick (Proverbs 13:12). You may even resort to pills, caffiene or energy drinks to pump up your quantum state. There is a side effect to ignoring your soul, however. I guarantee that it will use everything available to get your attention.

Our inner child speaks to us through dreams, addictions, illnesses, etc. This is a very real issue. It is very important to pay attention to this matter in order to heal from the emotional wounds we receive almost every day of our life. Most people ignore their own needs, because they do not realize that they are a person too, and that they have needs that should be met.

The two most important commandments, according to Jesus, could actually be broken into three mandates: Luke 10: 27…

1.)“‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ …

2.) “And, ‘Love your neighbor …
3.) “as yourself.’”

We can minister to our self in the same way that we minister to the Lord and to everyone else in our life. When I feel my hope weakening, I ask my true inner self - my soul: my mind, will and emotions – “What do you need?” or “What can I do for you today?”

This accomplishes two things. First, I feel like somebody actually cares about me, so that I am no longer stuck inside my body with no hope of getting my needs met. Then, once I meet the my needs, I have more emotional and physical energy to minister to the Lord and to my neighbor. It is absolutely ridiculous to wait around for other people to meet your needs. This is a very unrealistic expectation, and almost impossible for anyone to live up to.

Jesus recognized the need to have personal, quiet time. He often drew aside from the crowd to recuperate. After Jesus' baptism, the Holy Spirit actually sent Him into the wilderness to spend time alone in order to get Him ready for three years of intense ministry. Jesus also spent time in the mountains and on the seas throughout these years, resting in order to meet the needs awaiting Him later that day or the next.

We feed our spirit with Biblical nourishment. We feed our body at least three times a day. Now it’s time to start feeding our soul. I’m not refering to the flesh here, or to the carnal nature of man. I am referring to our human faculties of thought, action, and emotion. Without it, we weaken or possibly even shut off a very vital part of our existence, which God created for us to use.

Go fishing, read a book, draw a picture, take a nap, watch a Christian movie, sew a dress, take or teach a class, write a book, make a new friend, enjoy nature, etc. Do something at some time during every day, which makes you feel alive - not only in your body and spirit, but also in your soul.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, help me to follow Your example to draw aside for times of refreshment for my soul. Help me to obey Your Spirit and to allow myself times of nourishment in my soul, as well as in my body and spirit. Use me as a blessing and bring people into my life to bless me as well.

Thought for the Day:
When I admire the wonders of nature, the melody of music, the intricacies of art or the giggle of a child, my soul glows with worship for our Creator.