“For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life?“ – Matthew 16:26
In 1 Kings 18:21, Elijah challenged the people to decide who they were going to follow; God or Baal. We need to decide the same thing. There is no doubt in these troubled times something in the spiritual realms is happening.
We must decide whether we are going to live for God, live for the world, or sit on the fence. And when sitting on the fence, we are actually choosing not to follow God. We cannot be wishy-washywavering between two options and not sold out to anything.
Revelation 3:16 says
“So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”
If we believe in God, it can be easy to become a fence sitter if we are not careful. In choosing things that align with the world, we can gradually lose ground and drift farther and farther away from God. Some of the things we choose are not so small, and some of the things can become big obstacles to living wholeheartedly for God.
Culture wants us to be okay with same-sex marriage, abortion, and gender changes. But God is looking for those of us who will follow hard after Him. He doesn’t want us to be sort of in or sort of out. He wants us totally and completely. We need to be continually checking our spiritual temperature to make sure we aren’t growing lukewarm towards Him.
One thing that shows our spiritual condition is what we are willing to stand for and sacrifice for God. Abraham in Genesis was ready to sacrifice Isaac for God.
How much more do you love God, are you willing to give up listening to music or television that glorifies sex, or violence?
I love my ice cream. I could eat an entire quart with no problem. But I need to get to the point where I can love God more than those extra servings of ice cream.
The Bible is clear about many things to stay away from, like being a drunkard, and a glutton. God also warns us of the danger of using witchcraft and mediums and how Satan uses witchcraft to deceive and destroy.
This is not intended to be a debate about alcohol, overeating or sex. It is intended to prompt you and me to check our commitment level. If we truly love Jesus, then nothing else will even come close to being as important to us as following Him and doing His will.
I would like to buy a cabin in the mountains when I retire. I enjoy being in nature it would have to be by a stream for fishing, and enjoying the wildlife.
There is nothing that gets you closer to God than spending time in nature and seeing the beauty He created.
Accountability today is placed in all the wrong places, especially today. Blaming others is easy to do and takes all the stress off us.
If we were such a… I wouldn’t be acting this way
If you would have shown me more respect, I would have given more effort.
It’s your fault I feel this way.
All of the statements reflect someone else being the issue. When we think or say these like this we reflect someone else is the issue. We don’t take responsibility for ourselves or our actions. It’s my dog ate my homework kinda stuff.
Blame holds other people responsible for our pain and frustration. When it’s someone else’s fault for how we feel then we don’t need to own anything.
A blamer expects that other people should change to suit them.
I hate to admit it, but there was a time when I blamed everyone else for how I feeling. Taking responsibility changed my life.
Blame makes us victims which leads to us being depressed and gives the other power over our happiness. The number one rule of not falling into this trap is NEVER!!! blame people for how you act, or feel.
When we blame people we might think we are pressuring people enough they will change to suit our thinking. Whether it’s done in silence or speaking it out loud.
This kind of thinking means people are stuck in the blame trap. This trap doesn’t allow people to see their contribution to the situation or at least the fact that they can own how they are reacting. No one makes us angry -we choose to be angry.
Blaming others is toxic behavior that damages relationships and productivity in life.
One way this happens is by finding fault with another person or group and then transferring responsibility to that person or group, both by using criticism, accusation, punishment, and humiliation. Then uses these behaviors in four ways:
1. Changes someone’s behavior
2. Vents a feeling
3. Escapes personal responsibility and
4. Protect ourselves
Which makes it a zero-sum game -If you win I lose.
By aiming toward the absence of blame and connecting the win/lose attitude. We become more pleasant to be around and makes us more efficient.
Blame thrives in environments where commitment and obligation are crucial. Without ownership of our actions, and feelings there is little resolution that occurs.
It’s far more useful to be aware of shortcomings in ourselves than it is to be aware of a thousand in someone else..
Does it ever feel like there’s a conflict that constantly takes place inside yourself? As if there’s a “war” taking place in your heart between the part of you that wants to do the right thing and another part that wants to do the wrong or selfish thing? Right now there is a constant battle inside over how we are to act, think, and believe. When we have been wronged or even when people have done the right thing to us we have many different thoughts on how to respond. Some thoughts are good, others bad, and sometimes bad thoughts appear good in our own eyes,
The answer to all of these emotions is the Holy Spirit in our lives. When we learn to hear his voice over our own then we can truly have fellowship with Jesus. When we learn to listen and trust his voice then we have the advantage over the war that’s in our hearts,
Where does this whole conflict come from?
In Galatians 5:16-17 Paul shows us the source of this struggle: it’s the war between our flesh, which is our fallen nature, and our spirit, which is part of us that has been made alive through Jesus,
“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other so that you are not to do whatever you want” – Galatians 5:16-17.
We must first understand that we have two realities, so we have two natures within us striving for control. One of these desires to please God and the other one is in constant rebellion against God. The second nature is what is in control without knowing God. Our flesh – our self-focused sinful nature. The nature that only looks out for you, me myself and I are the only thing that matters. It is our physical needs, wants, and desires. It is our physical needs that we require to survive and supercharge them and forces us to go above and beyond to satisfy every desire no matter the cost or consequences.
If you’ve accepted God as your savior you have the Holy Spirit within you. And have been made alive through the resurrection of Jesus and have been adopted into the New Covenant you have both of the above natures fighting for control of your every thought and action. Your spirit is alive and trying to live according to God’s standards while your flesh is trying to lead you back to living according to your own standards.
A heart torn between two masters
One of the best examples of this cuak nature living in us and at work in the believer comes from Paul in Romans 7:14-24. Here Paul lays out one of the greatest struggles faced by believers, which is that although we are saved, redeemed, and made righteous the flesh’s desire to sin and act selfishly does not automatically disappear. We see and know that we still struggle to do the right things at times and at others we have no will to do what we know God wants to do in any given situation,
“I thank God -through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind, I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin” – Romans 7;25
Through Jesus, we can receive forgiveness of sins when we do follow the will of the flesh, with Jesus and the Holy Spirit living inside of us we have hope to prevail, as long as we are aware of the battle between the flesh and the spirit taking place,
That is why prayer and taking moments to stop and wait in God is crucial in many instances. When we don’t stop for a moment and bring God into the picture we are exceedingly more prone to following the will of our flesh because it seeks instant gratification and can’t stand playing the waiting game.b
The secret of winning this war.
In Romans 8:5-6 this is revealed,
“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
What we get our minds on will determine how we act and respond. If we are only concerned about ourselves, our will, and our feelings then we will inevitably turn towards acting in a fleshly way. But id we are mindful of the Holy Spirit and God living on the inside of us and think about His will and feelings first then we walk according to the ways of the Spirit. We begin by making willful choices on how we are to live and interact with others and how we follow God,
The soul is the heart of our being.
Our flesh will try to lead us to sin and the Spirit (Holy Spirit), in us tries to lead us closer to God but there is a third power at work among all this turmoil -the soul.
The soul is the combination if our mind, will, and emotions. It is the center of our being here on earth and it is the one which both the spirit and the flesh are trying to dominate. Our spirit is eternal, it is how we communicate with God and this is the point of contact between the natural and supernatural realms. The flesh represents our bodily needs such as food, drink, sleep, sex, self-preservation, and so on. In its current state, these are the only things that the flesh cares for and it does whatever it can to get as much of these things as it can.
The soul is left in the middle to pick and choose which other parts of our being it will submit to and follow.
Our soul is not just our mind, but it also our desires, memories, and intellect. It’s the captain of our choices and it’s the part of our being that makes the choice to accept Jesus and receive salvation and forgiveness.
Going back to Romans 8:5-6, for those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit…
Here we see the interaction between the spirit, soul. and flesh. Paul lays out how desires and urges begin in one place but are acted out in another.
Whether it’s good thoughts, urges, and desires from the spirit or from the flesh. It is the souk that casts the deciding vote on how and what we act upon.
If we allow our flesh and carnal nature to rule over our lives and thoughts we become hostile toward God and will not allow ourselves to be subjected to the love, power and expectations of God.
Even Jesus eluded to the contrast between the ways of the spirit and the ways of the flesh throughout His ministry when He spoke of the ways of the Kingdom, how He expected His followers to act in nearly every parable He told.
Seeing all of this we must accept that the way of the flesh will never be aligned with how God sees the world and how He wants us to live. If left unchecked our flesh will always choose the exact opposite of what God would have us do or at least corrupt our motives for doing the right thing, because the flesh is focused on itself -it’s true God.
This current situation isn’t hopeless because we have been given an unfair advantage in the war over the control of our hearts. Our spirit is not alone if we are living in communion with God and through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit we have living in our spirit so that it can speak loud and clear to our soul. (Romans 8:9-24; Galatians 2:20).
We must come at this war over our soul from the mindset that our spirit actually has the advantage over the flesh, but only if we allow it. Through patience, we learn the ability to not act impulsively when situations come up, we must always give God the opportunity to speak and intervene within our spirit and soul.
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life had set you free from the law of sin and death” -Romans 8:1-2
Condemnation can be:
1. Through God
2. Inward condemnation
3. Through satan
In the verse above we see the law of sin and death. Sin and the law of sin along with death and the law of death is mentioned, along with the spirit of life. The mind is governed by flesh is death and the mind is governed by the spirit is peace.
Our minds need to be controlled by the Spirit and not flesh, and then we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
Sometimes we find it difficult to retain the spirit as we deal with situations in life but we must make it a point to reach out to God for help and remember that once we are held in His hands nothing is difficult, everything becomes easier.
When we live in the way God wants, a new way of living gets activated.
The earth functions on laws, natural and statutory laws. These laws remain the same. The result of the law of sin is death. Sin directly leads to spiritual death.
It is dangerous for us to spend time wondering what people think of us. What people think about you is inaccurate. No matter whether they think more of us than they should or less of us than they should, they never hit the nail on the head. It’s a common affliction for many is the preoccupation with how other people perceive them.
Are they talking about me?
Do they like me?
Am I attractive?
Am I impressive?
Why can’t I ever please them?
Maybe if I change this about myself they will like me.
This type of self-conversation can be endless and if I’m going to be honest worthless. When it gets boiled down to the basics we conclude that some people either like us or they don’t. Nothing can change that.
I tried to get people to like me most of my life. All it led to was stress and exhaustion. Some people really don’t care much for you and that’s okay.
Ecclesiastes 7:21-22 tells us,
“Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. Your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others.”
God’s Word here commands us not to be overly concerned with how others perceive you. When people speak ill of you, God’s advice is for you to refuse to take it to heart. If you listen long enough, you will eventually be made aware of something said about you that strikes at the heart of who you know yourself to be. In those times we can be offended, hurt, angered, indignant, defensive, or shamed. If we are not careful, we can allow the misguided analysis of others come to define what we believe about ourselves. This is an awful place to arrive if you are a believer in God.
So much of God’s Word seeks to empower us to draw our identity from what He says concerning us. In the Bible, God teaches us to view ourselves through the lens of grace and the completed work of Jesus. Not the hollow, inaccurate opinions of others (or even the opinion of ourselves). We are all a work in progress and we are empowered to live purposefully and fruitfully as we trust that all of our lacks are known by God.
I am not worthy but God is and He will work through me. In church last week there was a guest speaker He was a Christian Trauma Therapist. And that statement hit me like a ton of bricks. We don’t have to toil, despair, or hide when we address what we lack. Yet, when we listen to others and begin to place a premium om what they say of us or expect of us, we can lose sight of who we are in Christ Jesus and also the person who God is making us to be. So God tells us to make an art of tuning people out.
Verse 22 above indicates that we are not only victims of wrong thoughts and words but we are the source of the same thing. How many times have we spoken a thoughtless, hurtful word about someone else? I know I have said some things in anger, defensiveness, and frustration about other people. It’s easy to make quick generalizations of people, sizing them up in an instant, and communicating our dissatisfaction with them. Realizing we didn’t mean to assault anyone with our words but that’s the way they took it.
Proverbs 18:21 tells us, “Life and death are in the power of the tongue.” when we believe what others’ opinions of us we in a sense saying they are wiser that God or have sharper discernment than the Holy Spirit.
It isn’t that you shouldn’t care what others think, it’s that you are not controlled by what others think of you.
We are supposed to love people and we are free to consider what they see and say about us, but we are also free not to give it a second thought. Some people see that they can control you by past responses you’ve given them by offering criticism or approval. These are people who you shouldn’t listen to. Instead, listen to the voice of God and Savior Jesus. That supreme voice that knows when to confirm you and convict you in your journey through life.
The voice of God is never impatient or insulting. He speaks with authority and decisiveness, but His aim is always to help you, not harm you.
Accusation is the work of the enemy and he is an expert at speaking nonsense to you through your words and thoughts as well as through others.
Ask God to empower you with a discerning heart to know the difference between His truth and fruitless input in your life.
This moment I cherished the most are my children being born, with my daughter, I was allowed to see her once after having her because I almost died. I was being kept of a intensive care unit for 2 weeks’s because my complications were servers.
My son being born, holding my son right after she came out with the vernic caseose still on him, will be engrained in my soul for all time.
The bond I have with my children is my favorite moment in my life.
Unconfessed sin can damage your soul. It wraps it’s tentacles around every part of our being and becomes a subtle growth until we are paralyzed. A wall goes to between us and God when sin is left unconfessed. Even if our sinning ceases, unconfessed sin will drag us down and back toward the past that we left behind.
Acts 3:19 tells us,
“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.“
Repentance must go along with confession for it to work. It’s important to know that we do communion in our home. We don’t have to be at church or need a priest. Jesus came so we can have fellowship with Him always.
It can be done with a piece of bread or tortilla and an ounce of wine or grape juice. Jesus body was broken for you and His blood poured out for your sins. The prayer is in Luke22:19-20. First, say a prayer “Father God thank you for your grace that through your son. I eat this bread in remembrance of your body that was broken for me, I drink this wine/juice in remembrance of your blood that was poured out for me. I ask you to forgive my sins -list sins. At the end say Amen. There are many prayers for communion. Just pray from your heart so that they will not be empty words.
Then begin walking, talking, and acting like a forgiven person after confessing your sins. It’s important to away from those sins you’ve confessed. We can do nothing without God. If you mess up (everyone does) and repeat the sin that you were forgiven confess them again and keep working at it. God doesn’t expect us to be perfect but you need to keep on the right path toward forgiveness.
Passion is what gives our lives purpose. Doing something important brings meaningful use to our limited time.
Over my life, I have had different passions. The passion I have at this period of my life is passion for God. This is probably a given if you’ve read many of my posts.
I was a broken, hurting, messed-up woman, and then God got involved and I was restored. He has done so many miracles in my life, from saving my life when I was an inch from killing myself to curing me of cancer. He is worthy of my unending praise. I will never forget what God has done for me,
Have you ever had a conversation with something that held a wild belief? Their entire worldview is built upon this belief. And they interpret everything through it. Every piece of evidence you present against their view somehow always ends up supporting their view. You cannot convince them otherwise. They’re totally convinced and their conviction is removable.
Sometimes we only want information that will reinforce what we already believe. Sometimes we’re so convinced of our view were not willing to openly engage in new information.
The Pharisees, rejected the evidence of Jesus because they were only willing to consider a Messiah that reinforced what they already believed.
In John 5:30-47, Jesus provides support for His own testimony. First, He cites the testimony of John the Baptist, second He cites His miraculous signs and wonders, third, He cites the testimony of Gods the Father, and lastly, He cites the testimony of the Scriptures. Jesus references human testimony, the testimony of miracles, the testimony of God, and the testimony of His Word.
It’s important for us to frame where this passage lies in the gospel of John. Jesus is still defending His equality with God to the Jews. He went into detail about His relationship with The Father. And then refers to various witness testimonies for additional support.
Jesus’s wraps up this argument by saying He can do nothing on His own and that His judgement between those that will inherit eternal life and those that will be condemned will be perfectly justified. And after articulating His status with the Godhead and pointing to it as His source of authority that He then appeals to what I call additional support.
many people like my father-in-law argue the point that Jesus and the Bible are just made-up stories. If you believe archaeologists and scientists there is more and more proof the every thing in the Bible is true. The walls of Jericho were found, they found evidence of Sodom and Gomorrah. The most preserved and intriguing artifacts were the troves of scrolls in the Dead Sea caves and the Jordan Valley. These scrolls are exceedingly rare finds and very fragile.
At all points to the “stories” or accounts I like to call them are true and real. When you boil it all down that things that matters most is are you trusting in Jesus Christ, so that you can be saved?
From Pity to Praise 