Wednesday, September 12, 2012

September 12, 2012

Good morning all-

Obedience is the key to following Jesus.  Why you might ask?  Because there are many times that we don't feel Jesus is with us.  We follow by emotion.  On one hand, that's good because it's far easier to get a women to Christ than a man.  Or at least that has been  my experience.  Men are very logical and they want all their questions answered.  Especially about other worlds.  We don't work like that, we love the emotions of life.  It's fun to laugh and play and we especially love to fall in love.

We were created to love, to nurture and to be somewhat emotional but God clearly calls us not to be led by our feelings.   Feeling are deceiving and they are used sometimes against us.  As my pastor eloquently said on Sunday, "If he walked by feelings, he wouldn't be spending very much time walking with Jesus."  Why?   Because our feelings are fickle and so is our heart.  We are all sinful creatures and when we sin, we often don't want to be anywhere near our Maker.

I know you can relate.  We are our best when we are rehashing old sins, asking for forgiveness for the 50th time and thinking that God is punishing us for them.  We are up and down and all around and when we get weary, we stop, stand still and ask Jesus to calm the storm.  Many of us experience these feelings in our teenage years.  I don't know about you but I was truly a mess.  And when I say mess, you could have said colossal mess.  I was wonderful to the outside world and devilish at home.  Nothing my mom said or did made me happy and often I was grounded for my attitude or my mouth.  I can remember shouting, "Your so unfair."  And like a good mom, I was ignored.  Why?  Because the battle would have been against my feelings and my mom chose to pick those battles and teach me a lesson of courtesy at the same time.  I learned it but it was often the hard way.

Most of us learn things by hitting the wall a hundred times.  I think we like to see how many bumps and bruises we can get before surrendering.  I know that throughout my life; I have hit that wall thousands of times.  I'm surprised I can even walk.  The good news is I learned to obey and I learned to trust, that doesn't mean I don't fight fear or worry.  But in the end, I will die to myself and surrender to my King.  It's really the only way to stay out of the storm.

If your insides feel like they are chaotic and the storm is blowing you into a reef, you might want to sit down, pray about it and surrender.  Obedience teaches us to trust and faith comes from trusting.  God designed our walk with Him perfectly.  He left none of the details out.  We should confess He is our Savior, pray, obey, trust, have faith, and die to ourselves.  Wow!  Sounds like a road map to success, don't you think?  We may never understand His ways or His thoughts but He wants us to understand how to be in relationship to Him.  It's not about a religion, its about Him!  The sooner we get that through our thick skulls the sooner we will obey and trust that He knows what He's doing.

I remember when I thought I knew everything.  I think I had just turned 18.  Do you remember that day?  We are so full of being an adult that we bolt out on our own, only to discover our parents were right after all.  Hard to believe but they do know something.  Now being a parent of my own and trying to guide two very strong willed boys, not sure where they got that from, it's hard to keep them from bruising themselves against the walls of life.  But I have my faithful Father that I go to and ask Him to help His sons to be better men, to be in relationship with Him and to protect and guide them all their days.  They might not be listening to a word I say but they're listening to Jesus.

Don't be afraid to trust in God.  Don't be afraid to be obedient to our Savior and don't be afraid to give your life to Him.  He is the only trustworthy thing in or on this earth.  He will guide you, correct you, love you and make you His own.  All you have to do is surrender and walk by faith not by sight.  It's a hard journey, I'm walking it just like you, but I know that He is near and no matter how many times I hit that wall, He's there to move me.  Thank goodness or I really would be battered and bruised.  Take some time today to ask the Lord where your heart wavers.  He will reveal it to you and when He does, repent and ask Him to help you remain in Him and always walk toward the light.  Jesus won't steer you into the wall, only you can do that.

Have a blessed day and know I am praying for you.  If you need prayer let me know.  And if you live in another country, please send a message on google so I can translate it to English.  I, like most Americans are incompetent when it comes to other languages but I want to be here for you and our King.


2 John 1:6 NKJV:

     And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands.  As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.


My prayer today:

O, Lord, grant the women of this blog the ability to be obedient.  Please calm our feelings and make us steady in our lives.  Give us wisdom to carry Your cross and provide us with sound minds so that we can choose you in all circumstances.  I am praying for the lost today Jesus.  Often, women sin and won't come to You because of their shame.  Cover them Jesus and make them new creatures.  Send women to them that will love them in their imperfections and give us the strength to be there by their sides.  There are so many women and I can only reach the ones You give me.  So, I pray for many warriors to step forward and begin in their ministries.  I pray that they would be obedient to You and hear the call.  I pray that we would trust that You have sanctified us to be Your hands and feet.  And that all our days, we would pursue You and the things that matter to You.  I know You love us all and that You are a merciful God.  Reign Your mercy on our countries and give us an abundance of the Holy Spirit.  We are crying for revival.  Will You bring it Lord?  Help us to raise strong men and women that love You and that desire a relationship with You.  You are all we need today.  In Jesus name, AMEN

Until tomorrow....

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