God's Promise: Spiritual Stability

 

"How happy is the one who does not walk in the advice of the wicked or stand in the pathway with sinners or sit in the company of mockers!  Instead, his delight i in the Lord's instruction, and he meditates on it day and night.  He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bears its fruit in its season and whose leaf does not wither.  Whatever he does prospers."  Psalm 1:1-3

    This is a conditional promise.  It is a promised made by God about the quality of life you can have.  He allows you to make it your choice to be blessed or cursed.  You will be blessed if you do not allow evil people into your inner circle.  If you choose wise counsel, then you will become wise.  If you choose the influence of wicked people, then you will become wicked.

    The condition of this promise is if you reject the ways of the world to focus on your relationship with God, then you will have spiritual stability.  Your faith will grow and become bold and strong.  You will follow God's path for your life, so you will succeed in your endeavors. 

    To have the blessing of being spiritually stable you need to avoid bad influences that want to divide or destroy your focus from your relationship with God.  You want to find people that will give wise counsel and point you to God's Word to support what they tell you.  These people love you enough not to lie to you or just tell you what you want to hear.

    You want to spend time in God's Word to understand His character better.  He knows you can't read His Word 24/7, but you can think about it and pray over it when you are not in it.  When you put your relationship with God first, then He will place people in your life that will help you grow.  

    God will help you become more resilient in life.  Your faith will give you strength to face what life throws at you.  God does not promise prospering financially, but He does promise that you will succeed.  That means you may prosper spiritually, relationally, in work, in your gifts, financially, and more.  You may prosper in many or every area in the right seasons.  The point is not to think you are not doing well if you are not rich.  What God values becomes what you value and find joy in doing.

    God will allow you to prosper for many reasons, but this particular promise and blessing is based on your choices.  Your conduct is based on your choices.  You chose to have a relationship with Him or not.  It is your choice to have spiritual and emotional joy that comes from the contentment of having a relationship with God.  He is where you find your blessings.  He has laid them out for the taking.  You need to know what they are and who He is to be able to have them.  Loving God leads to obedience which produces blessings and stability.

Genesis 39:3-4, Joshua 1:8, Psalm 1:1-3, 26:4-5, 119:35, 128:2, Proverbs 4:13-19, Isaiah 3:10, Jeremiah 15:17, 17:8, & Ezekiel 47:12

God's Promise: To Hear

 

"The if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sins and restore their land."  2 Chronicles 7:14

    The promise to be heard by God comes with some regulations. The way I imagine it in my head is a child wanting something from their parent.  The child is acting like a complete entitled brat.  God being the good parent hears the child, but ignores the child until the child can behave with respect.  It is a teaching moment.  God is teaching His people how to approach Him.

    God's people forgot all He had done for them.  It did not take long at all.  They turned to all the wicked things that they vowed never to do.  They they are surprised with everything falls apart and want God to fix it.  God has every intention on fixing things, but He is telling them what they have to do first.  He wanted them to have their promised land.  He never wanted to take it away, but the relationship with Him is more important than the things in this world.

    Christians today are no different.  Your forget everything God has brought you out of until you need Him.  You may remember and be grateful, but in the good times you forget all the little things.  You start neglecting the relationship.  You may not turn to evil things, but you are not pursuing God like you did when you felt like your life depended on it.  How God responds to you depend on your attitude and willingness to repent when you have sinned. 

    God is asking you to not forget.  Humble your heart to pursue God in the good times too.  Pray over every aspect in life so not to neglect your relationship with Him.  Go to His Word seeking to know Him better.  You are able to see it differently in the good times and have the ability to grow in a new way as a Christian.  If you have fallen into sinful habits, then repent and turn away from them before He has to correct you.  

    God wants to bless you.  He wants to hear all you have to say.  He wants to be close to you.  It is your call on what kind of relationship you will have with God.  Will you approach Him with respect, humility, and love?  Or will you act entitled, spoiled, and over in an unworthy manner?  He will respond according to how you approach Him.  Follow His regulations and He will hear you from Heaven.  He will forgive your sins.  He will heal the wounds caused by your sin.  You know this is true because He promised that He would.

2 Chronicles 6:27-30, 7:14, James 4:10

God's Promise: Forever Love

    "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!  His faithful love endures forever."  1 Chronicles 16:34

    The promise of God's love that last forever is a promise made from His character.  He is good.  He is the source of all that is true and good in the world.  His love is not conditional.  It is eternal.  No matter what you do He will love you.  

    Since God's love is true it means that He provided boundaries to give you the structure you need in life.  If you reject Him, then you will face eternal consequences.  That does not mean that He chose that for you.  It does not mean that He does not love you.  He loved you enough to give you free will.  He allows you to make all your life decisions, but they are your decisions.  

    If your decisions go against Him, then you can't blame Him for upholding the consequences that He laid out for you.  Your eternity is your choice.  You have to accept responsibility for your choice.  The day you face God a tantrum will not change anything.  Your time is now.  His time is eternal.  His love is eternal.  If you reject Him, then you will be separated from Him forever.  

    If you accept God's love in faith that is provided through Jesus, then you get to spend eternity with God.  There is no better what to imagine eternity.  It will be freedom from all temptation, sin, corruption, and anything else that messes up God's perfection.  You will never doubt love and what is good again.  All the bad you ever experienced will disappear.  This is why you give thanks now.  No matter how bad life can get you still have hope because you know God does not lie.

    This promise from God is to give you hope.  It is meant to give you comfort when life is hard.  It is a reminder that you are loved when you feel alone or unloved.  It is a reminder that you are not facing life alone.  It enables you to hold onto inner joy even when life is falling apart.  He will never stop giving you comfort.  All you have to do is accept it.  

    

1 Chronicles 16:34, Psalm 106:1, 107:1, 118:1, 136:1

God's Promise: Wherever You Go

 

    The promise to be wherever you go comes with a command.  It is a command on how to utilize your faith and put it into action.  God commands that you be strong and courageous.  If you trust Him, then you do not doubt or have fear when the unknown comes, feel unprepared, or an obstacle that you can't defeat on your own.  

    God's promise was made after Moses died and his apprentice Joshua was taking over the leadership role of the Israelite nation.  It was Joshua's job to help each tribe get their portion of the promised land.  He understood that they were not going to walk in and the people just give it to them.  They had to conquer what was rightfully theirs from God.  

    This was a big and intimating task, but Joshua had the faith to make it happen.  He never did waver in all the time in the wilderness and he was not going to waver now that he was in charge.  His faith was stronger than intimidation, fear, or anxiety.  He appeared self-reliant because he leaned heavily on God.  He was not perfect, but his faith made him the right leader for this place in history.  

    This command and promise still stand today.  Giving God the authority in your life is not a suggestion.  It is a command that comes with the power of having God's presence in your life.  This power enables you to over any fear.  It will help you become bold as you conquer any negativity in your life like dismay, depression, discouragement, dread, or doubt.  As you become bold your panic will disappear.  

    If you reject God, then you will not have His presence, protection, or comfort in life.  He will give you over to the life you chose and allow you to face the consequences alone.  Your life is your testimony.  Once day you will face God even if you do not believe in Him now.  What will your life say about you?  Will it declare that God was with you or you did life on your own?  Is God your salvation or your condemner?

    If you trust God enough not to fear the future, unknown, or unexpected, then you will become strong and courageous.  When you embrace this faith you understand that God is with you.  He prepares the way.  He watches your back.  He protects you when you sleep.  He is there even when you can't feel His presence.  The promise He made to you is to be actively present in the good times and with every challenge you face.  He is your reassurance in life that makes you brave.

Deuteronomy 31:7-23, Joshua 1:9, Psalm 27:1, & Jeremiah 1:8

God's Promise: Never Forsake

 

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:6-8

    The promise of God to never forsake His people was the last promise that Moses gave the Israelites before Joshua succeeded him and they entered the promised land.  This promise is meant to encourage God's people.  If you hold onto this promise, then you should never feel alone.  People come and go. Leadership changes.  The world may feel uncertain or even isolating, but God is with you no matter what happens from day to day.

    The Israelites would enter the promised land and it would become their land, but first they had to remove all the people who had settled in their land.  They had to fight and do their part to have the promise that God had given them.  It was intimidating.  They had been slaves for generations, then wonderers in the desert.  They had never fought in a battle or any significant way.  They had to rely on this promise to believe that they would be victorous.

    Like many of God's promises, this one has some stipulations.  God does the heavy lifting and the hardest parts, but He expects His people to do what He commands.  Here He commands His people to be strong, courageous, not afraid, discouraged, or panic.  Not afraid is to have confidence in God to protect you without doubt.  In return God would go ahead of His people.  He promised never to abandon, be with you, and never forsake you.  

    When life feels hopeless, depressing, or forsaken then you can hold onto this promise.  It will help you be bold and courageous to face whatever in life you need to face.  The blessing comes from being steadfast and faithful when things are not certain.   The Israelites got the land that they had been promised hundreds of years before.  You get eternity in Heaven.  Trust God to protect you now without doubt.  

    You may feel unequipped, unqualified, or intimated.  That is okay.  Trust God more than your feelings to be there doing His part to make sure your calling comes has a path.  There is not room for doubt.  Doubt kills the momentum that faith builds.  You are in this world for a purpose.  Do not deny yourself that and the blessings that come with obedience by allowing doubt or fear into your heart.  He will be with you every step of the way for you to complete your calling in life.

Deuteronomy 1:29, 31:6-8, Joshua 1:5-6, 10:25, 1 Chronicles 22:13, 28:20, & Hebrews 13:5

God's Promise: Seek & Find

 

    The promise God mad with Moses was that if His people sought Him, then they would find Him.  When you want to know God with all your heart and soul, then He is going to build a relationship with you.  The kind of relationship you have with God has always been up to you.

    Moses provided this promise to God's people before he died and they entered the promised land.  He wanted them prepared to accept the blessings of God and be able to keep them.  It is a promise, but Moses also warned them about idol worship and disobedience.  Moses concludes that if you want God in your life, then you will have Him.  

    The key to this promise is sincerity.  You have to want God with all your heart and soul to obtain His mercy and hold onto His hope.  This is a promised based on devotion.  You get what you really want.  The closer you want to be to God, the more He will draw you in.  The more you lean on Him in trust, the stronger you become in your faith.

    The promise of seeking and finding God comes down to you recognizing that you need Him.  You can't use, manipulate, or change God.  You go to Him willing to meet Him at His standards.  He meets you where you are and helps you to become the person you were created to become.  It starts with you acknowledge sin as sin.  You see the sin in your life and you want to be rid of it.  This is how you come to God on His terms.  In return He forgives you and equips you with what you need to sin no more.  

Leviticus 26:39-40, Deuteronomy 4:29, 30:1-3, 2 Chronicles 15:4, Nehemiah 1:9, Isaiah 55:6-7, Jeremiah 29:12-14

God's Promise: Be Present

 

" I will put my dwelling place among you and I will not reject (despise) you.  I will walk among you and be your God and you will be my people"  Leviticus 26:11-12

    This is the promise God made to swell among His people.  It is a promise to be present and not abandon them.  He had them create a physical space for Him that they took from camp to camp until David was eventually able to make a temple for God.  Today the church building is a representation of God's home, but in reality the Holy Spirit lives in everyone that belongs to God.  He made this promised from the beginning to the end of the Bible to encourage you to follow Him faithfully.

    If you choose to believe in Jesus, declare God your savior, and walk in faith following Jesus for the rest of your life, then you are a true Christian. That means you have the Holy Spirit living within your soul as the seal that you belong to God.  He is your intercessor to God explaining your heart to God and giving you wisdom from God.  He prays on your behalf when you don't have words.  He is your insurance of your eternal inheritance.

    This is the first promise that God will have a real relationship with His people where they can feel safe.  It was made once the Israelites had been freed from Egypt for a little while.  They had time to get used to their new reality, but they were still like children wondering about needing direction and instruction.  He was giving them security to stand tall with dignity to follow Him.

    The biggest part of this promise is that God promised never to abandon or reject them.  Once you are a part of God's family you will never be rejected.  However, you can't just call yourself a Christian and be done with it.  It is choosing to follow Jesus anywhere He directs you.  You may not understand your instructions.  The instructions could actually scare you, but you have to trust Jesus enough to listen to the Holy Spirit.  To tune out the Holy Spirit is to reject instruction.  Faith is the key, but obedience is the action that makes faith real.

    The strength behind this promise is having a close relationship with God.  They did not physically see God, but they knew He was there.  He had shown up enough where they did not doubt that He was with them.  Salvation provides you with a healthy family bond that comes with boundaries, endless love, protection, education, wisdom, and more.  Being a part of God's family gives you a since of belonging.  Being chosen by God should make you feel many things, but especially thankful and special.  It is a powerful promise to hold onto.  

Exodus 6:7, 25:8, 29:45, Leviticus 26:11-12, Joshua 22:19, Psalm 76:2, Jeremiah 7:23, 11:4, 30:22, Ezekiel 11:19-20, 36:28, 2 Corinthians 6:16, & Revelations 21:3

God's Promise: Long Life

 

Honor your father and mother, so that you may live long full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you. Exodus 20:12

    The fifth commandment is also a promise.  The first four commandments focus on your relationship with God.  This is the first of his commandments about relationships with other people and setting boundaries.  It is first because of how the family dynamic is a representation to the world your relationship with God.  It is the first commandment with a promise.

    To honor your parents is to honor God.  Later in the new testament it does go into how the parents are responsible in raising their children to be able to honor them and other people.  If the parent's don't do their part, then it can make it harder to understand what it means to honor God and other authority figures.  However, your relationship with God is up to you.  It is your choice to honor your parents even when you don't feel like it.

    Honoring your parents leads to a happier and healthier family unit.  That means less stress.  Less stress typically means a healthier body and mind.  That means you are more likely to live longer, healthier, and productive life.  A healthy family is a unit like a small version of the church.  When life gets hard you have support.  You are not facing it alone.  Failure makes life unnecessarily harder.  You are more likely to make life decisions that will shorten your life span.  

    Another part of the promise is blessed to enjoy the land God has given.  He promised His people specific land.  Today, it is the land that is yours and the lifestyle that you live.  If you live a holy lifestyle, then it will be fruitful in different ways.  You get to enjoy life in a pure way that is healthier and more vibrant.  It could be the ability to travel, own a lot of land, or enjoy the environmental elements of the area you do live.

    This is a commandment and a promise because any boundary that God lays out for you is for your benefit.  If you honor your parents and your parents raise you in the teachings of God, then you are more likely to follow the boundaries that God laid out for you.  If you do not have that structure, then teach yourself how to follow God and love your parents in the way that honors God.  

    Only the stubborn refuse discipline and correction.  Those people set themselves up for their own fate.  Do not let that be you.  Seek wise counsel.  Find elders that you can respect to help you in your journey.  Lean into God if you don't feel safe with your family.  

    God knows that living in this world that things are not perfect.  Trust Him to protect you and do right by you even if your family does not.  As long as you try to honor Him and live a life that is respectful in a way that it shows Him you are trying to obey His commandment, then He will provide a way of protection, love, and structure for you.  He knows the heart that loves and tries to obey.  He will bless you if you decide to do your part even if your family never does try.  Remember your eternal family is in Heaven.  You may not have the loving or caring family now, but follow Jesus and you will.

Exodus 20:12, 23:26, Leviticus 19:3, Deuteronomy 5:16, Jeremiah 35:7-19, Matthew 15:4, 19:19, Mark 7:10, 10:19, Luke 18:20, & Ephesians 6:2

God's Promise: Fight for You

 

"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still"  Exodus 14:14

    God promised his people he would fight for them.  He had just rescued them from decades of slavery and abuse.  The didn't know how to have true hope.  They did not understand freedom and the responsibility it held.  They knew what it was to be given the basics to survive and hardship.  

    They were not all together ready to handle the freedom that God had given them.  He was still holding their hand leading them to safety.  He understood that they needed a little more insurance and He gave it gladly.  He knew that they needed a little extra peace.  They got to see God fight the Egyptians on their behalf.  

    God showed them power that He had never revealed to any other group.  He had shown power in creation.  He shows power in nature or natural disasters.  He never did such a variety of different things.  He never did layer on top of layer of incredible and impossible things before or since.  He did it because it is what had to happen for everyone to trust and rely on Him.  We don't need that today because the world has His Word.  You trust it or you don't. The next time the world see a series of impossible events anywhere close to this will be when the world ends.

    When you are in spiritual warfare, been abused, coming off of addiction, or something else that has oppressed you a long time if not your entire life, you need a little more insurance.  You may not have grown up knowing you were loved.  If you allow God, then He will show you what love really is.  If you are insecure, then He will give you security.  If you need healing, then He will heal you.  

    God meets you where you are.  It is when you give Him everything that has been hurting you that you discover freedom.  You may not be ready for it right away.  You have a couple of options.  First, cling to the promises of God, lean into Him, and pray through it.  Or you could stumble around and get a little bruised up before you give it to God.  Either way, He is there.  He is fighting for you.  He will help you build your confidence to stand bold and fight for what is righteous and true.  You do not have to be afraid because God is victorious.

    Take responsibility for your role in some events in your life.  You are not perfect.  You never deserve to be abused, hurt, or have evil done to you.  However, you sin too.  Take responsibility for your personal sin and repent.  Pray that you can see how God is fighting for you.  He will open your eyes if you want to see to aspects.  You will never have the full scale of how much He does for you, but He will give you enough for you to know how loved you are by Him.  He will give your heart and mind peace.  Hold onto that truth while you let Him quiet your mind.

Exodus 14:14, Deuteronomy 1:30, 3:22, 20:4, Joshua 10:14, 23:3, 2 Chronicles 20:29-30, Nehemiah 4:20, & Isaiah 30:15, 31:4 

God's Promise: Abraham's Covenant

 

2"I will make you a great nation.  I will bless you and make your name great, and you will be a blessing.  3 I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse.  All people on earth will be blessed through you."

    Abraham had an open heart to God.  He listened and obeyed revealing His love and respect for God.  I don't know if that is why God chose Abraham to bless unlike anyone else on earth.  Maybe Abraham was created for this blessing, but even then it would not have happened if Abraham did not choose to listen and obey.  

    This promise is a blessing that carries on to every generation after Him.  God formed his nation through Abraham.  Abraham did become famous.  Here hundreds of years later you still know who Abraham is.  Abraham was a blessing unto other people.  He did many things for many people.  He avoided conflict that could negatively affect relationships.  If he could not avoid it, then he found the best solution.  

    Anyone who went against Abraham did not fare well.  Anyone who went against God nation was eventually destroyed.  Anyone who goes against God's people today will be dealt with by God.  You know it does not end well for them.  To live without Jesus is a cursed life.  It will not end well.

    You need to forgive those people now and try to introduce them to Jesus through your lifestyle.  This is how you can carry out the Abraham Covenant today in blessing other people.  Do good where you can do good.  Do not be a push over, but do not go out of your way to make life worse or harder for anyone.  Give what you have to give to those in need.  Trust God to take care of you like He did Abraham and watch the blessings happen.

    God set Abraham for his promise of blessings before Abraham even left his home country.  God knew He would be obedient.  Maybe Abraham needed to have hope before he left everything and everyone he knew other than his wife and nephew, Lot.  Either way God commanded and Abraham obeyed without hesitation.  God know you.  He knows the best way to communicate with you.  You only have to listen and obey like Abraham.  

    This promise that God made to Abraham covers progeny, prominence, and protection.  God never promised wealth, but Abraham got that too.  God only gave him one son, but through Isaac the nation of Israel came about over time.  It was through God's nation came Jesus.  It was Jesus that opened the door for salvation for every person of every nation.  The promised was one based on righteousness and faith not law.  You can see the significance of this promise made by God to one person that affects all people over time.  

Genesis 12:2-3, 17:6-8, 22:16-18, 26:3-4, 28:13-14, Acts 7:2, Romans 4:13, Galatians 3:8-29, & Ephesians 2:12

God's Promise: Redemption after Fall

 

"And I will cause hostility between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring.  He will strike his heel." Genesis 3:15

    This is a loaded promise.  A lot is happening here.  There is a promise and a curse happening here.  Curses feel harsh, but they serve a purpose.  God created perfection knowing man would allow evil into the world.  He knew, but He gave them the opportunity to do what was right.  In their desire for more they did as God knew they would giving Satan a place in the world.  

    God had set a clear boundary that Adam and Eve ignored.  They had different roles, but they are equally guilty.  God is good, so He had to enforce the consequences for breaking His boundary.  He only had one back then.  Once evil entered the world He had to create more for the benefit of all people.  Adam and Eve being removed and forbidden to return to Eden was the fall.  It was the fall of mankind to having evil in our lives and hearts.

    This promise starts with a curse, but He always gives His people hope.  When you sin, you will have to face the consequences.  It will make your life more difficult, but you also have a way out.  You have eternal hope.  You may battle temptation, bit if you follow Jesus, then it doesn't control you like it did before your encounter with him.

    This is God's first written promise.  He cast Adam and Eve out of perfection to keep them from corrupting it, but He also promised redemption.  It was not know then, but He was promising Jesus.  Jesus is the one that will strike Satan and remove evil from the world for good.  It is a promise of victory for Jesus.  You do not need to doubt that Jesus will defeat Satan.  You can look at it as if it has already happened because it is that certain.      

    This promise is the first good news that the world received.  Up until this point they did not need it.  Life was perfect.  There was no stress, laborious work, or a broken relationship with God.  This was a gift that they did not know that they would need.  Like most people they probably focused on the punishment until they needed the promise.  

    When Satan and temptation is gone you will have complete redemption.  Until then, you can rely on God to fight on your behalf.  You can trust Jesus' love to become the opportunity to have a relationship with God.  You have the Holy Spirit to guide you and help you in the hard time.  If you work with God, then you will have redemption now where you can break sinful habits, strongholds, and find freedom from the power of death.

Genesis 3:15, Micah 5:3, Matthew 1:23-25, Luke 1:31-35, Romans 16:20, Galatians 4:4-5, Colossian 2:15, Hebrews 2:14, 1 John 5:5, & Revelations 12:7-9 

Promises of God

 

    I am starting a series on the promises of God.  You may hear or read to hold onto the promises of God in hard times, but people rarely tell you what the promises are.  The truth is you have to get into God's Word to really know what they are and how they are given.  It did get me interested though.  I wanted to know how many there were and how many I read over without realizing that they are actually promises of God.  I found out that there are 2,403 promises of God.  It would take years to cover them all, so I am going to hit the highlights, but basically anything that God says will be is a promise.

    Promises are declarations of things you will do and will not do.  Promises of God are done deals.  You never have to worry about Him changing his mind or manipulating the deal.  They are forever.  Some promises are for your benefit now.  Some are eternal.  His promises cover eternal life, unfailing love, provision, and His presence.  The teach you about how to prepare, be loved, forgiveness, strength, and hope.  They are meant to provide comfort, peace, or guidance in your daily life.  He is providing everything you need.

    You have promises from the beginning to the end of the Bible.  It is in God's promises that you really learn His character.  It gives you security in life and hope for the eternal life.  This is a deeper topic than some may think.  You are digging in to really get to know God. 

    If you are struggling with anxiety, spiritual warfare, or something else that is stealing your peace, then come along with me in this journey to understand God better.  If I do this right, then you should be able to see God in His glory, experience His faithfulness, and be empowered to follow Him.  I will always encourage you to read the scriptures I provide, but go deeper.  Never take my perspective over what comes directly from God's Word.  Reading it for yourself may allow God to speak to you directly in a different way.

2 Corinthians 1:17-20 & 2 Peter 1:3-4

Christianity isn't Convenient

 

    Christianity is citizenship in Heaven.  It is stepping out in faith believing in something that could not happen unless God did it.  Jesus is real.  His life was real.  He still lives.  That is the root of faith and salvation.  When you believe and start declaring the truth you are claiming your salvation and the citizenship in Heaven.  

    Salvation is a free gift offered to every single person that has ever lived.  To accept the gift puts you in a position of compliance to God that gives you authority in the world.  You have a the title Child of God to live up to.  That means you die to your earthly desires every day to submit to God's authority over your life.  You are committing to an eternal relationship that makes you an ambassador for God.  You become a disciple that follows Jesus throughout your life.  That is not convenient, but it is an honor.

    Christianity is not convenient because you deny yourself for a life of service.  Living out your faith is sacrificial.  You sacrifice your comfort and an easy going life to honor God.  You do this because you love God and appreciate being His adopted child.  By embracing this life you learn to develop righteous character through trials, tribulation, perseverance, steadfastness, and self-control.  

    A Christian life is not always easy.  You face challenges, trials, suffering, persecution, and opposition that you would not face otherwise, but it develops your faith making you more like Jesus.  It is not convenient or easy sometimes, but it is worth it.  Your eyes are opened to the truth.  You are no longer easily decieved.

    If you expect life to get easy, comfortable, and entitled when you become a Christian, then reality will hit you hard.  It is an honor.  It is something that gives so much more than it takes, but it is not something that can be explained on paper.  Faith is not something that can be identified in this world.  It is something you have to do to be able to understand.

    A relationship with God requires effort and energy.  You have to prioritize Him in your everyday life.  It may sound like a big ask or something hard to do, but in reality God has met you over half-way.  He is just asking to have a relationship with you in return.  

    God gives you more than you can ever give back.  You should not feel entitled, but you should feel loved, special, and unique to be loved by God in that way.  The only way you can is to accept it and give back what you have.  The more you listen to the Holy Spirit and lean on God the more you have the capability to give back.  Learn to be patient and you will be able to see and experience more than you could ever imagine.  It all starts with a faith commitment and grows into an intimate relationship full of holy and righteous love.

Judges 8:27-35, Mark 8:34-38, Luke 9:23-27, 14:33, John 16:31-33, Romans 5:3-5, 12:1-2, Philippians 1:27-30, 3:12-21, & 2 Timothy 3:10-13

Am I the Problem?

 

    When your life is going badly ask yourself "am I the problem?".  Sometimes God will let things go wrong in your life to redirect your.  You insisted going your way, but His path for you is better.  Sometimes times you are living life for God and Satan attacks you to silence you.  Take it as a compliment.  It means Satan sees you as a threat.  Sometimes things happen because you live in the fallen world and God allows it for a purpose, possibly for someone else other than yourself.

    When Satan attacks you this is when you need to lean into God more.  If you try to do it on your own, you will have a really hard time and you will eventually fail.  There will be long term consequences like burn out.  It can take two to three years to recover from burn out.  It is better to avoid that route if possible.  God will lead you down the safest path even if it may look like the scariest path.  He will protect you and meet most of Satan's attacks on your behalf.

    Reality is you are your own worst enemy.  You cause more struggles in your own life than you think.  Most of it is in your head and you allow it to lead to conflict when no conflict was ever needed.  You are self-destructing when you choose sin over trusting God.  This is when you have to stop being the victim and start taking responsibility.  

    When life is not as you expected, wanted, or just bad take a look in the mirror.  Get into God's Word and ask yourself some uncomfortable questions.  Some questions are am I the problem in this situation?  Do I steal God's credit?  Do I give God the recognition He deserves?  What do I value and why?  Am I passionate for God?  How easily or often do I fall for temptation?  Do I even fight against temptation?  Am I willing to put in the work to have a close relationship with God?

    Take the time to self-reflect and if you find sin in your life repent so you can receive God's grace.  That is important step.  To stop doing what you can't stop doing alone you have to accept the grace and love from God.  You may know it, but that does not mean you have allowed it into your heart, mind, and life.  

    If you hold onto your shame, then you are not allowing God to heal you from your path.  Allow God to do what He is trying to do in your life and you will find true freedom from the strongholds.  It may take time for some people, but never stop pursuing what you know is right.  Seek God for wisdom in this journey.

    It takes courage to really dig deep and admit you are the problem in your life.  It take boldness to face it and decide you will change.  It takes self-discipline to change how you think and allow God to change perspectives that don't reflect His perfection.  It takes humility to see yourself the way God sees you.  You are loved by God, but when you choose the world over Him, you are also His enemy.  It takes humility to face the truth and want to change.  It take love to redirect your life.    

Judges 8:21-32, 1 Samuel 7:5-6, Psalm 37:23-24, 115:1-8, 139:23-24, Proverbs 28:13, John 1:16-18, Romans 8:1-4, James 1:5-21, & 1 John 4:11-12

Feelings

 

    Feelings are indicators that read when things are good, bad, unsafe, exciting, and more.  They don't know the truth.  You need to use your rational brain to control your feelings, but listen to your feelings to look for the truth.  Feelings are powerful and special, but your brain is in charge of them.

    Feelings are influenced by chemistry, hormones, events, and more.  They point you in a direction, but your thought process is what needs to be driving your actions.  When you are a Christian, you have the distinct advantage of the Holy Spirit helping you distinguish between feelings and rational thought.  He can help you follow your passions in life without ever sinning.  If it is not a passion that honors God, then he will redirect your passion in a better way.

    If you leave your feelings unchecked, then they will lead you astray from God.  Anger can turn into hate, rage, or actions like murder.  Lovey dovey feelings can lead to sexual sin.  Hurt feelings can sever relationships and lead to isolation, loneliness, and a hard heart.  The need to feel liked or accepted may lead to people pleasing instead of pleasing God.  There are other feelings that can lead to self-destruction like jealousy, fear, worry, and more.  The only thing that can really replace the negative feelings is God's love and truth.

    Feelings that you never learn to control will become a wedge between you and God.  Unintentionally they will drive you to other gods that only make the feelings run deeper and cause more chaos in your life.  A life led by feelings will lead to impatience, prideful, entitlement, indifferent to other people's needs, depressed, anxious, and other disorders.  All it means is that you found a crutch instead of true healing.

    When you allow happiness and an easy life drive your feelings, then you will make rash decisions that will cost you down the road.  When it comes to love find someone who believes like you and that you can suffer with.  Trying to avoid or hide from bad times will not keep them from coming.  Find someone that you can lean on and can lean on you to support each other through them.  That is true love, not the lusty feelings.  Love is an action.  Feelings are what draw you to a person to find out if it can be love or not.

    Feelings can be good or bad.  They are not assigned as evil or holy.  It is what you do with feelings that will drive you to honor God or away from God.  Feelings will not fill the void in your heart and soul.  Loving and committing yourself to God is the only thing that can do that.  You have to mature your feelings as you mature your faith or it will always be a hinderance holding you back.  

    It may sound simple to learn to control your feelings, but it is not.  The longer you wait the more work you will have.  The good thing is that you are not alone.  God is there to help, guide, and show you what real love is.  He teaches you in the Bible about emotions and how to use them and what to avoid.  You only need to face your feelings to learn how to identify them.  

    Ask yourself how they are affecting your life currently and how you can use them to have the life that you want or to serve God better.  Are you willing to wait on the Holy Spirit's guidance or will you allow impatience to drive your decisions?  Pinpoint your habits that are led by feelings, restructure them according to how the Holy Spirit leads, and make new habits that are healthy.

Genesis 27:11-13, Deuteronomy 17:14-20, Judges 8:19-21, Psalms 25:1-3, 26:1-8, Luke 12:29-31, Acts 17:27-29, Ephesians 4:17-19, Colossians 3:1-4, & Hebrew 4:14-16

Sin Spiral

 

    The sin spiral is when life is good and you let your guard down that you fall for temptation.  You do one small sin.  It takes the good life and makes it bad.  Then you continue to sin and your life continues to get morally worse and worse.  You may not see the consequences until it has piled high, but there will be consequences.  

    The sin spiral is the sin progression from giving into one small temptation and making it an action.  It all starts in your mind.  What you think about and meditate on is what you will eventually speak or act upon.  The sin spiral will even have you use the gifts that God has given you use for evil.  It can be one good truth twisted to feed your pride or ego turning it into sin.  Satan just needs to get your attention, from there you either run or self destruct.

    The spiral is when you have taken one step, then two, and before you know it you are completely off of the path that God designed for you.  You may wonder so far that you can't see it and feel completely lost.  The good news is if you are willing to put in the work and repent to God, then He will direct you back to your path.  

    Temptation and desire is your own evil desires.  They come naturally as part of living in the fallen world.  When you give into temptation you are sinning.  When you sin your abandon your relationship with God and defile yourself for something temporary.  It always leads to consequences that you will not like.  It will always cost you more than you are willing to pay.

    Once you give in to temptation it becomes normal very quickly.  You silence the Holy Spirit to normalize and tell yourself that what you are doing is okay.  It is the lie you feed yourself.  You don't need Satan for that.  You will fight relentlessly to defend the sin lifestyle that you are creating and you try to make other people be okay with it too.  If they are not, then you reject them because in your mind they are the problem.  It could not possibly be you.  This is how you rob yourself of the life you were always meant to have.  It is the path that leads to eternal death.

    The only way to break the sin spiral is to face yourself and your sinful nature.  Admit that you have gone down a path of sin.  You have to desire to be close to God again or for the first time.  Then you repent and start to hate the sin that caused you to get so far from God.  You have to destroy your idols to put God where He belongs: on the throne.  

    Faith and your relationship with God is the only way out of the sin spiral.  You will never be able to do it on your own.   You have to trust and rely on God.  You have to start listening to the Holy Spirit who will reveal what habits must be broken.  Follow Jesus and listen to the Holy Spirit is where you find restoration and forgiveness.  Then you are mentally able to stand guard again evil of all kinds.  Be patient and wait for the promises of God.  They are coming.

Exodus 32:1-5, Judges 6:25-26, 8:22, Romans 1:24-27, 6:20-23, 1 Corinthians 10:12-13, Colossians 3:5-11, James 1:12-15, & 1 John 1:8-10

Only God Part 2

 

    The first commandment is to have no other gods.  That commandment means to put God first.  He comes before your spouse, children, job, church, friends, activities, enemies, and everything else.  To be honest it takes work to put God first.  Life is full of distractions and that is not an accident.  Human nature is to embrace making yourself the god of your life.  Then you have Satan.  If he can't make you sin, then he will make you busy where you don't put God first.  

    You have to be intentional to keep God first in your life.  You have to prioritize time with Him.  You have to prioritize prayer in the good times and not leave it to when it is hard.  You have to invest into the relationship or it will become stagnant.  If you allow the relationship to become stagnant, then you have broken the first commandment.  

    God's commandments are not a list of rules.  They are boundaries for you lifestyle.  They reveal how much you really need God.  Jesus came into this world to teach you how to apply them to your life.  How they all set you up for a Christian lifestyle because to sum them up everything you do you do in love.  It is your love for God that allows you to live like Jesus.

    Take inventory of your life.  What do you occasionally or constantly put before your relationship with God?  Do you put desires, habits, people, activities, or needs before God.  You are in your head 100 percent of the time.  It is hard to push your inner thoughts to the side to listen to the Holy Spirit unless you are practicing listening and obeying.  

    It takes intentional practice to silent your thoughts and the distractions of life to hear the Holy Spirit directing you in your decisions and keep you on God's path.  It is your choice to destroy or remove permanently any distraction that the Holy Spirit convicts you of putting before God.

    Your relationship with God is personal.  Your path is personalized according to that relationship, but it always starts the same way.  You have to believe in Jesus, declare your faith, and decide to follow him no matter what.  Your discipleship training will be according to what you need to work on, surrender to God, and learn.  God will place people in your life that will walk through it with you and help you in your journey, but it is your journey.  

Deuteronomy 4:35-38, 6:4-9, Judges 6:25-26, 8:22, Isaiah 44:6-8, 45:1-7, Mark 12:29-31, Romans 1:21-23, 1 Corinthians 8:4-6, Ephesians 4:5-6, 1 Timothy 2:1-7, & James 2:19-20

Faith Momentum

 

   Faith Momentum comes from preparation.  You spend time in God's Word, you pray, you meditate, and you put your faith into action.  As you start seeing God work and your part in it, it makes you want to be fully invested.  Your faith in action is your ministry.  It may not be what you expected, but it is where God is using you now.  It could be in a blog, being a parent, teacher, boss, cafe owner, dog walker, and so many other avenues.  

    You allow God to build you up through scripture and trails.  You become strong enough to show other people the way through because you did not give up on your faith.  When you get through your trial or tribulation you will probably need a rest.  After a rest you should be energized and this is when God places responsibility upon your faith to press forward showing people the way.  The momentum helps you persevere while your focus is on Him .  This is a season of blessings.

    You build momentum in your faith in the preparation.  You follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit to put your faith into action.  It is in the small things you do daily.  All this prepares you for something big in your life.  Think about a wedding.  A couple will spend months doing things that no one ever sees for several month.  The wedding only happens for a moment, but it took months to prepare.  Your faith momentum is the same thing.  You spend months preparing, enduring, persevering for something that you may not even be aware of until it is over.

    Once the ball gets rolling everything happens very quickly, but you are okay because you prepared.  When it is all over you can take a step back and see how God worked through you.  If you do not prepare with the Holy Spirit the experience could be very different.  For an example if you don't study in school, then you will not be prepared for the test.  You very well may fail the test.  The same thing happens with your faith.  If you do not spend time in prayer, God's Word, or reflection then you will not be ready for spiritual attacks.  You are not as likely to endure to see the benefits.

    If you do not build momentum to succeed in your faith, then Satan will build momentum to make you fail and probably publicly.  His goal is to kill, steal, and destroy.  He would love to destroy your testimony, steal your blessings from you, and kill your passion for Jesus.  What he leaves behind is a shell of a person.  Even if you find yourself here, it is not too late.  You can turn to Jesus, confess where you went wrong, and allow Him to help build yourself back up.  As long as you live you have the opportunity to build a relationship with God.  

    The faith momentum for God looks like this.  You are going through something and you turn to God.  You allow Him to comfort you and get you through it.  Your faith grows as you see God come through for you.  As your faith becomes stronger your sinful nature starts to burn away.  By the end you have become a stronger version of yourself that looks more like Jesus.  

    The faith spiral is where you do not lean on God.  You go through something and you get mad at God or ignore Him.  You get weary and worn through.  You can't handle it on your own, but you become more isolated.  Your attitude becomes angry, bitter, or entitled.  You become more worldly and further away from God every day.  Slowly you are making yourself your own god by saying I got through this on my own or something that puts you in the place that belongs to God.  Even at your worst, you are not alone.  God is there with you and He can change your story.  He is the missing link in your battles.  He can renew or change your path.

Judges 8:13-19, Proverbs 3:5-6, Isaiah 40:26-31, Zechariah 4:6-7, Mark 1:35-39, Galatians 6:7-10, Philippians 3:12-14, Hebrews 12:1-4

Getting Weary

 

    Christians get tired and weary.  You are facing the world head on everyday.  You are dealing with reality of life and fighting spiritual warfare.  You are not ignoring it, but you are trusting God to fight all the unseen things in your life.  

    You grow weary and need a break.  You know this because fear, anxiety, stress, and other factors are starting to get to you.  He is where you trust God on when and where to rest and when to keep pushing to grow endurance.  You will never overcome fear, anger, anxiety, worry, or other things that pull you away from God unless you learn to lean on Him and push through it.  You have to get through issues instead of avoiding or redirecting or you will never find the rest you need.  You will not find the victory.

    God understands that you are human and that you have limits.  He ask you to trust Him, listen, obey, and let go of anything you don't need to try to control.  He will take care of you.  He will bring you comfort, renew your spirit, calm your mind, and give your body rest.  Ignoring God will lead to burn out and self-destruction.

    When you are getting weary trust that the rest you need is just around the corner.  It is always darkest before dawn.  The same goes for you.  When you feel like you can't go another step the victory is just a couple steps ahead.  When you feel frail the strength is about to come.  Get through it.  Allow the pain to work through your body.  The spiritual shower is going to be ready when the enduring faith gets you through the hardest part.  

    Do not feel guilty when you get tired.  Do not beat yourself up if you can't go on.  God will meet you where you are.  He will give you what you need to finish this trial, tribulation, or season well.  You won't do it perfectly, but your faith will get stronger if you don't give up completely.  

    There is physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual fatigue.  You can probably handle one of them on your own, but you don't need to.  If you are fatigued in more than one area or all then you are at risk of complete burnout.  This is dangerous because it can take a long time to get strong.  This is where you try to do too much on your own and do not give God control.  He ask little of you.  He wants you to give Him the heaviest load.   He never grows weary.  He can handle whatever the load is that you give Him.

    It is okay not to always be in motion.  It is good to be still.  It may just take a little work and discomfort for a while.  Once you learn this, then understanding your role in your spiritual life becomes a lot easier.  Being still with God enables you to hear His voice more clearly and you learn self-control.  It helps you see your life more clearly and gives you a better opportunity to be grateful.  It helps you hold onto your passion for God to keep pushing through your weariness because you know that God will tell you when to rest.  

Judges 8:4-12, Isaiah 6:8-10, 40:28-31, 41:8-10, Jeremiah 31:23-25, Matthew 11:28-30, Galatians 6:1-3, Philippians 3:12-14, & Hebrews 12:1-4