Where is my desire placed?

This post is going to be a bit of a confession...


So yesterday I read a sentence in My Utmost for His Highest and it completely blew me away, here it is: Christian workers fail because they place their desire for their own holiness above their desire to know God. It blew me away because that has been me! I realized that, lately maybe even for awhile I have been desiring my own holiness/godliness more the I desired God. 


God revealing this to me was not a fun thing to realize. I mean of all the things I thought I was doing, of course desiring God was one of them! I mean you can't "do" all the christian things and be a part of different ministries and not desire God...right? Don't get me wrong it wasn't like I haven't cared for God at all or that he wasn't a part of anything I am doing. I am just saying for me, my focus was on my ability for godliness. That I cared more for my own holiness then to truly know and desire my God.


I am still working this out and getting to know the core of where this started. But these are a few questions i've asked myself to understand the difference of: Desiring God and desiring to be godly? (Now I know the one follows the other when actually living it out but just hear me out of the other side of things)


 What are my intentions on being godly?
 -is it for my own selfishness to be made known?
 -am I trying to be godly by my own doing, by the "what" I can do?
 -do I really desire to make God be known? (by my godliness)


What I have been seeing is that I have been doing it backwards...working on my godliness then trying to put God within that. On a bigger picture, its like starting a church based on what the culture is like, on what the people are attracted to, what will make the majority happy, what the building should look like, etc... with out first looking to God and asking him "What kind of church does this city need?" They have enough of "play" churches, they need Me(God)! 


People don't need Nicole, they need Jesus.




-Nicole B
Please feel free to comment and give insight. Would appreciate your prayers as I continue to work this out in my life! :)

Encouragement from the Psalms

                           There is something about the Psalms...

The way the writers pour out their hearts to God in such sincerity is very encouraging to me. Whether its in complaint, fear, weariness, victory, praise... they were honest. They weren't afraid to be real with God, they didn't hide their frustration from him, they brought it to him. 


In my walk with God there have been times where I didn't allow myself to be open with God, even though I knew he knew everything about me and what I was going through. I was just to frustrated to bring it to him and allow myself to be completely honest with how I was feeling towards him or my situation. I would always try and sort it out on my own and by doing that it got worse and my mind and heart would grow even more with negativity and weariness. It was like a was putting a distance between God and myself. 


What I also love and learn about the Psalms is that when David is pouring out his complaint or fear, it always turns into a praise to God. It always ends with him exalting God and proclaiming who he is. He knew who his God was. Even though David was facing many adversities he knew his God was faithful and would deliver him out of it. Psalm 13 is one that portrays this so clearly:


       How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I take counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
Consider and answer me, O LORD my God;
light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.
But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the LORD,
because he has dealt bountifully with me.
(Psalm 13 ESV)


I don't know what you are going through; whether it be a time of victory and joy or a time of pain and struggle, what I do know is that God wants our honesty, he wants us to come to him with our hurt, anger, bitterness, doubt, triumph, praise, joy...whatever it may be go to him. Don't hide yourself from him.
      
       I love you, O LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold,
I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.
(Psalm 18:1-3 ESV)

Changes

New year, new resolutions!

It never fails, every year the same question is asked, "what is your new years resolution?"

 Some may not make any because they don't want to be disappointed if they don't keep it, some do it for a challenge, others do it because they know SOMETHING needs to be different.

No matter what you're circumstance is, one area in your life needs a little readjusting or a boost!

This year is a little different for me as I have gone through the various areas in my life and thought through what needs to happen in each of them. I don't have an exhaustive list or beaten myself up over what I didn't do last year. But what I did do, is look back over the last year and assessed the areas in which I need to focus more attention on and work harder in. 

One thing we have to remember is that changes take time and perseverance. We can't expect it to happen within a week or even a month. And the changes we want to take place should be ones that are a lifestyle change. Making the decision is only the first step, choosing to do it and to follow through are the rest. It is going to be daily choice of the will to choose to change.

Whatever you have decided to work on, let it be for the glory of God and not the glory of ourselves.  Also know that no change can take place on your own no matter what it is, you will need to rely on God for the discipline, self-control, perseverance, patience, strength, courage, boldness...etc.

Learn to:

1. Find beauty in your weaknesses, that is where God likes to work, let his power be shown! 

2 Corinthians 12:9

"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. Get your supply from the supply giver!

3.Don't try and do it by yourself.

I pray each of you is reminded of the greatness and power of God this new year, to know nothing is to big for our Him, he is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow! He is still looking for the men and women who will stand and be bold for His name and I pray we are that! I pray this year that we would grow more and more in our faith and rely more on our Savior and less on ourselves.

May this be our main goal:

I am determined to be absolutely and entirely for Him and Him alone. -Oswald Chambers

Satisfied in the Father?

Are you loving the created things more than the creator?

What is getting your attention more than God- what is so appealing it is taking you from the very thing that made you? And in the end will destroy you? 

 Let's learn from Adam and Eve and choose not to follow their mistake; they chose the created thing over the creator, they chose what they thought would bring  satisfaction, delight, & joy but in fact took them in the complete opposite direction. They had everything! They walked in the presence of God, pure & holy without default, without sin! And then in a flash, everything was taken away. In a flash a serpent deceived them into believing they had to have this one thing, & he made them aware of what they thought they were "missing"- when they were given EVERYTHING- they immediately became dissatisfied with all they had because of this ONE thing. At this point God was not sufficient to them, all that God had done and given them wasn't enough. 

Does this sound familiar in your life?

Have you let satan whisper in your ear the lies of needing something more than God?

 Do you realize you've been given everything by God, and that one thing that is in front of you, telling you that "this is all your missing" is a lie from satan and his goal is to take your focus off the Father. Satan wants nothing good for you!!! 

We must have our eyes open to the truth; the truth of who God is & what God says. 

He in himself is all we need, and if we are not in that place I pray that God would reveal himself to us constantly and we would experience the fullness of who he is!

Isaiah 58:11 And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

Psalm 107:9 For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.

May this be our prayer and declaration! Psalm 73:25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.

Remembering the End Goal

This is more of an encouragement post for those ministering the gospel.

Hebrews 4:1 "Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it."

I read this verse this morning and the first part reminded me that, in the end, as we diligently persevere we will enter his rest! As I sat on that for awhile, it encouraged me and renewed my heart and mind to know that all that I/we do that is it not in vain and our goal is heaven! Oh how I often think about that, I get so caught up in the now and the doing that I forget what all that is for. That as I strive and move forward, I am getting closer to being with my God, at his feet! Where no more tears, sickness, hate, sin, separation- it all is gone! I will be eternally praising the name of Jesus.

So as you are ministering the gospel as God has entrusted to you, remember that in Heaven waits the spot for you as his loved child. You shall soon enter into his rest. Keep persevering in obedience to His Word!

Adopting the way

Jeremiah 10:1-2

"Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel, Thus says the Lord:
Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them, for the customs of the peoples are vanity."

How much has the church adopted the ways of this world? 

In Jeremiah God is calling them out because of their continual sin with idolatry, and here in these verses God is warning the Israelites not to fall under the same sin. He warns them not to live the way they are living, but to recognize that God is the ONLY true God and he alone is to be worshiped, not these idols made of wood and metal!


We as the church have become accustomed to the way of the world, in its pleasures, thinking, acting...We gradually have adopted the way of the world! I don't know how many times God has sent out a prophet to warn the people to return back to Him, to rid themselves of their sin and walk in his ways. God is calling us back to himself!! We have become weak and turned to idols that have trapped us and are keeping us from truly worshiping God the way we are suppose to. Lets not allow this world and culture to determine and change our way of living. God has specifically called us to be living a holy lifestyle- that is in ALL we do! Everything we do must be fed through the Word of God- that is our only authority. God has set us apart, he has made us HIS own! Church we must wake up and awaken our hearts to the living God and everlasting King!


Jeremiah 10:23 "I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not man who walks to direct his steps. CORRECT ME, O Lord, but in justice; not in your anger, lest you bring me to nothing."

People notice

Was talking to a girl today whom she is a tattoo artist and we were discussing "religion" and how the south is known as the bible belt. She herself does not claim to be a Christian, but more so believes in a higher power and believes there is a God. She was saying how everyone is always wanting crosses and scripture tattooed on them, but what they are inking on their body they aren't living it out. She said, "When I am sitting there tattooing a cross and scripture on someones body and they throw out racial jokes, it makes me question and throws me off a bit."  This just gets me thinking of how much we as "Christians" make such a bad name for God, and how much we deny him in our actions and words. Whether we are praying before a meal in a restaurant, then later snapping at the waiter because our orders wrong or whatever! We are not constantly carrying the name of Jesus, and that's where the problem is. We are choosing where Jesus goes and where we bring him.

There was so much more to this conversation, but that was a glimpse and it got my heart turning and just even more determined to redirect what our culture has made "following Jesus" to be. <--(Next post)