Waiting On God

Maybe you have been walking with God and growing in the Lord and you are doing great, you are experiencing for the first time in a long time (or maybe ever) the freedom of not only a newly created life in Christ but the freedom from addiction you have longed for—but now you are waiting for the next steps in your walk with Him. Maybe God has shown you some of the new path you will walk down but the door has not yet been opened, you are waiting on God’s timing and direction.

Sometimes we are waiting on God and something new to happen in our life and it can be a real test to go through especially (as I sometimes say) if you are new to the family of God. We have to learn to trust Him and seek Him and His word during times of waiting. The waiting has purpose.

When you think you know the direction you should be moving in and you haven’t yet been told by God to move you must remember that God has an absolute perfect plan. He isn’t putting us through trials and tests because He likes to see us suffer and He isn’t making us wait simply to see if we can—I mean, of course, if He wants us to wait, wait is what we will do, but there is a perfect and spiritual reason for the waiting process and it isn’t just to develop our patience, it is also to put His plan for us into motion at the right time involving the right people and places. Our plans don’t ever just involve us; they involve the plans of others too.

     

It can be difficult to trust God and sometimes waiting can feel or seem like you are doing “nothing”, but during those times you can seek God and pray and ask Him for His divine guidance. His word tells us in Proverbs 4:2 (NLT), “For I am giving you good guidance. Don’t turn away from my instructions.” Thank God for His wonderful living word (Hebrews 4:12) which gives us the answers we so desperately need while we journey from this strange land to our home in heaven. Remember that “…Our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” Philippians 3:20 (NKJV). His word also tells us in James 1:3-4 (NKJV), “…The testing of your faith produces patience, but let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” Patience, if we let it, will do a “perfect work” in us and that makes the waiting worth it.

“But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV).

Pursue patience (1Timothy 6:11) and know that God hasn’t put you aside or become too busy with someone else and left you to wonder what you should do next. Once again it comes down to knowing just how wide and how deep His love for us actually is and then we can know that He isn’t leaving us to be the God of another.  For our God is omnipotent which means He can save, help, love, guide and correct all of us at the same time and never once lose sight of or heart for any of us. This intense measure of God’s love is described in the following verses from Ephesians 3:18-19 (NIV), “May (you) have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” If this love surpasses knowledge (which is acquired and known in our intellect and our minds) but we can be full with it, then it can only be known spiritually.

 This is what you do while waiting on God—you embrace and soak up His great love and get to know Him.

      Getting to know Him is to understand His nature and it is not to make us suffer, wait, or endure hardship for an unknown or unnecessary reason. Yes, the reason might be unknown to us but I assure you the purpose is not unnecessary. Some people really do have a distorted view of God and why we go through the things we do. It is one of the many things I have been set free from and I finally met my God, the God who would rather love me than watch me suffer— I once believed it was the other way around. Sometimes it takes us realizing that what we might feel is suffering is not necessarily considered suffering in God’s eyes. We have to remember that He knows our big picture, our end result, our finished faith. Trust Him.  

      If we can imagine God sitting on His throne demanding everything go His way just because He is God and He said so—then we can just as easily imagine Him working lovingly on our behalf to make sure all of the pieces to our newly created life in Him fit together just as He planned for them to and just as His word tells us. I know for some this may be hard and because we come from dysfunctional families (all are, to some degree) we can have a hard time seeing God as the loving Father that He is, but let’s imagine and believe that God is the loving and caring Father that He is and know that everything He does He planned before we were ever created and He not only knows what to do, when to do it but He knows what is best for us. It literally tells us this in 2 Timothy 1:9 (NLT), “For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was His plan from before the beginning of time—to show us His grace through Christ Jesus.”

 Isn’t that what we are in this for, to live out God’s great plan for our lives? After all, when we pursued our own plans we fell prey to addiction/sin and the bondage that goes with it, our plans don’t work for our good they work to destroy us. Take God at His word, and He tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV), “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” If the One and Only Living God has plans to give us a future with His prosperity and hope then let’s be patient enough to wait on Him to put these wonderful plans into motion for our benefit and not our harm.

~

God Knows Us So Well

 If you are struggling with addiction but you are ready to give up the struggle and seek the help you need there is available the most powerful help you will ever encounter if you take the help available and use it to your fullest. I am talking about the help of God Almighty and His Son Jesus Christ. If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior and now you want Him to set you free from the bondage of addiction He is more than willing to be the strength you need to, once and for all, end your bondage to addiction, He is the tower of refuge and strength you need and without His help you won’t be able to find the freedom you seek.  But I believe what makes this (freedom from addiction) successful for anyone is that you must want and seek after a deep intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. If you haven’t received Him as your Savior and Lord I share how to do that at the top of the blog page, just be sincere when you pray and I promise your life will change.

     What it means to desire and seek a deep and intimate relationship with Jesus is to want to know Him and to be known by Him in the deepest most meaningful way your spirit, soul and body could ever be known or know another. Simply put, we have a Savior who wants nothing more than to know us and for us to know Him, and for us to have a living, growing relationship with Him.   

     Your relationship with Jesus can only grow stronger as you realize that if He saved you from the judgment of sin and eternity without God He can certainly save you from the horrors of addiction. When you know Jesus well and you let Him know you then you can go to Him with anything and trust Him to give you the strength you need when temptation and the urge to give in or give up comes. Talk to Him like you would a friend, He is one who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24) and tell Him about all that troubles you and tell Him about all that brings you joy. He already knows all about you but He wants you to willingly bring (let) Him into every area of your life; especially, as He creates a new one for you, a new life living for His purpose.   

God knows us so well. Jesus said in Matthew 10:30 (NIV),”…Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” Do we think He knows the number of hairs on our head and that is the extent of not only what He knows but that it is all He wants to know about us? I don’t think so. Sometimes I am astounded at just how much we actually limit God.  He is not a God who sits in heaven counting the hairs on our head because He’s good with numbers and has nothing better to do. There are a lot of references in the Old Testament in which God protected people and it was a sign of that protection if during battle or a trial not a hair on their head fell to the ground (1 Samuel 14:45, 1 Kings 1:52). If God cares about our hair this much just think how much more He cares about and wants to know our heart.

God knows the things about you that you don’t even know and He longs to help you know yourself, the person He meant for you to be and the person He is going to create as you get to know Him and let Him get to know you.  

If you really want to know and be known by Him it will take a strong sense of “knowing” that you have been forgiven for all of your sins (past, present and future), a lot of people struggle because they carry their shame of the past and therefore they also (unknowingly) negate their precious gift of forgiveness and what Jesus did. “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” Romans 8:1 (NKJV), this is a scripture that must be known and deeply not just on the surface, you must know that Jesus did not die for your sins to leave you with the shame of them. When He was nailed to the cross for your sins He also took upon Him your shame and it was also nailed to the cross and it has been conquered and He remembers your sin no more and if there is no (remembrance of) sin there is nothing to carry shame for.

Sometimes while God is healing and mending our brokenness we may still struggle with low self-esteem especially when we are taking the first steps to change the path we were on and now pursue the path God has marked for us. And until we acquire some godly characteristics and get some good deeds under our belt we may have a hard time seeing ourselves as a new creation in Christ, but don’t get discouraged because the enemy likes to play on self-pity and self-image problems—don’t let him use your temporary situation against you. Soon you will see the things God has in store for you and they will not only take the place of the things of the past but they will give you a sense of purpose and it won’t be the meaningless purpose of chasing addictions.  No, it will be purpose in the kingdom of God once you are there (treasures stored up in heaven), and it will also be God’s purpose for your days left here on earth. I can tell you from experience of serving both purposes in my life (no purpose, His purpose) there is NOTHING that compares to living a life that God has laid out for you.  Think about it, if you are obedient to what He wants for you and it is truly His plan for your life there can be nothing short of success for you because God’s plans never fail!  

Remember that we all need God and no one is better than another in God’s eyes and we are fearfully and wonderfully made so when you are struggling with “self” issues study the beautiful verses in the 139^th Psalm which David wrote and he begins this Psalm with “O Lord, You have searched me and known me” and he ends this Psalm in verses 23,24 with “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties…and lead me in the way everlasting” David had a desire to know and be known by God. This is my very favorite Psalm and it has literally helped me heal from “self” issues and doubts about what God’s actual (not perceived) thoughts are towards me. This is a Psalm in which David writes (NIV vs. 17, 18), “How precious are Your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!” When you read this Psalm you can see that we were not just some after thought of God’s we were intentionally created and He knew us from inside the womb.

He is the relationship you have longed for and He is the one who will know you and show you that He knows you. Some people are put off by God knowing them because they think it only refers to Him knowing all that is not good or right about them but that isn’t how or what He wants to know about you, those are the things He has chosen to remember no more! When you have taken something (anything and everything) to Him in prayer and sought Him in joy and His peace and laid it at His throne and trusted Him and then you get your answer, it is then that you understand just how deeply He knows and loves you. When you have been in a crisis and you have had no other choice but to call out and surrender it all to God and He honored that by giving you such peace in your heart and spirit that you had no doubt it was the supernatural power of God, it is then that you become aware that He knows you and He knows exactly what you need and when you need it.

 Our God knows us whether we let Him know us or not (John 2:24,25, Heb.4:13, Matt.10:26) but I encourage you to let the God who created the very being that you are know you and love you and create the creation you were meant to be. Take hold of another verse David wrote in Psalm 40:5 (NKJV) which says, “Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works which You have done; and Your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to You…if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.” If His thoughts toward (about) us are so many they can’t be numbered, He knows and cares about us deeper than we can ever imagine. I don’t know about you but I want to have a relationship with a God whose thoughts about me are so many they cannot be numbered!

 I didn’t know I had things about me that could entertain little more than a few thoughts, but God’s thoughts toward me are so many they can’t be numbered—wow! Yes, even I want to know that me.

~

The Armor of God

       

     I know of some people who would engage in a full-on battle for their addictions and the means to feed them. They will do whatever it takes to get their want satisfied and they don’t care who they hurt while they are getting what they think is satisfied. When you live in the world of addiction you do have to have a sort of warrior mentality in order to live in such a way because otherwise you would see your selfishness and the harm you cause others and you wouldn’t be able to sustain a life so self-pleasing and destructive. You have to have a kill or be killed mindset but people don’t realize so does the enemy and when people who live as addicts think they are living for and serving themselves they need to see they are really serving the enemy and his schemes.

 Trying to live and be content by feeding some all-consuming addiction and believing you are satisfied is nothing more than deception and when you live in that world you are basically a warrior of (for) the enemy. Even if you are unaware of it, if you are not putting on the armor of God and warring in the spirit realm you will not be able to live in the Victory our powerful Savior conquered for us. When you don’t live in the victory of Jesus then you have given the victory over to Satan.

       The only real satisfaction comes from Jesus Christ, knowing Him personally and serving Him as Lord and Savior. Until we come to Him and surrender everything to Him we will never know satisfaction. The world is full of people looking for something they will never find because true joy, peace, contentment and yes that ever elusive state of “happiness” can only be found in a deep and intimate relationship with Jesus.

      

We can live victorious in Christ and we can do it every day if we put on the whole armor of God. God gives us everything we need to not only live in Him but He also wants us to live in the victory Jesus died to give us. A Victory means a battle has taken place and we as Christians know that Jesus has already won the battle for us, all we have to do is abide in Him and live in that victory.

       One of the ways we can live victorious is to put on the whole armor of God and wear it always. God has great plans for His people (Jeremiah 29:11) and because the ultimate climax to His plan has us living triumphantly with Him in heaven our walk with Him here on earth is learning how to walk in the victory He already won for us when He conquered sin on the cross and death by resurrection! We already have the victory because our wonderful and glorious Savior did all that was needed to fight and win the battle. 

       So our responsibility is to suit up with God’s armor which is perfect in every way and remember there is a battle going on—yes, I know I said it has already been won and that is true but the enemy would have us believe that it isn’t and if he is successful we don’t live in the victory that Jesus already won for us. Jesus tells us in John 10:10 (NKJV) that, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…”, another way to say it is the “enemy” wars against us to steal our victory and to ultimately kill and destroy us—don’t let the enemy steal your victory.  

No warrior would go into battle against a formidable enemy without first suiting up and putting on every piece of protection available to them nor would they midway through the intense battle or right there on the battlefield start to take off or put down some of their protection. And so it is with the armor of God, put it on and don’t take it off.  And what a wonderful and GREAT Warrior we serve under who gives us everything we need to stand in the victory of this battle, but it helps us not if we don’t first put it on and then leave on every piece of armor we need to stand, live, and abide in our victory.

       Let’s look at what the bible tells us about God’s Armor and how we are to use it. If you are new to God’s family these instructions about God’s armor will be very important to learn but no more important for new Christians than for those of us who have been with God and serving in His army for awhile—we all need the armor of God or we cannot live in victory over our addictions (sins) of the past or our temptations of the future. 

       The scriptures about God’s armor and how to use it can be found in the book of Ephesians chapter 6 verses 10-18. I am going to paraphrase these verses but when you study them yourself insert your name where I have mine and learn how to put on the armor of God.

 Finally (ultimately), Sarah, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might (not your own). If you put on the whole armor of God you will be able to stand against the wiles/ schemes of the devil. For your war/fight/battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly/supernatural places. Therefore, Sarah, take up the whole/entire/complete armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all (you know to do) to stand—stand therefore, (Therefore stand, don’t retreat or fall) having belted your waist with truth, and put on the breastplate of righteousness (Jesus is your righteousness), shod your feet (everywhere you walk do it) with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all take the shield of faith—you have a shield of faith, Sarah, take it up (hold it high) and use it to quench (stop) all the arrows being fired at you by the wicked one. Take up, put on the helmet of salvation and protect yourself with the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God; and Sarah, pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit. Be watchful and stand (stay) on your guard to this (the) end with all perseverance and supplication for all of God’s chosen people. 

       Note that all of the armor is protective and defensive gear the only actual weapon is the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. God’s word is so powerful that it is the only weapon we need as it tells us in Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV) that “…The word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” We can live in our victory by wielding our sword (of the Spirit—which is the word of God) at the enemy.  

       We don’t have to wander around with no protection from and unaware of the schemes of our enemy because we can suit up with the whole armor of God:

1.  Belt of truth-without truth none of the rest of the armor matters

2. Breastplate of Righteousness-Jesus is our righteousness and He must be in our hearts

3. Feet shod and walking in the gospel of peace-we must walk in peace (violence and discord are the ways of the enemy)

4. Shield of Faith-our faith is how we stop the arrows (attacks) of the enemy

5. Helmet of Salvation-we must be saved and walk in that salvation

6. Sword of the Spirit/the Word of God/the actual weapon-this is the one and only actual weapon, use it

7. Prayer in the Spirit/for all of God’s people-prayer is protection and a way to connect with our Warrior/Savior

8. Stand guard/Be watchful-Never let our guard down

       

So we must understand that we are fighting to stand, walk and live in the victory Jesus already fought and won for us. In her book, A Confident Heart, Renee Swope shares with us the names of God and He is “El ha-Gibbor: The Mighty God, God the Hero (Isa. 9:6)”. Let’s put on the whole armor of God and STAND, therefore, and proclaim that we live and abide in the victory that our Mighty Savior fought and triumphantly won for us!  Our victory is inevitable and certain because of our victorious and Mighty Savior. Hallelujah!!!

~

"Share With Me Your Sadness and I Will Restore Your Joy"

       I have had to really seek God during this past week. Some of you may know about the recent wildfire in Arizona that took the lives of 19 HotShot firefighters and I not only live in Arizona but I live about 22 miles from where the fire burned out of control for days. I have family and friends who were affected by this fire and I was so sad and devastated by the loss of life and homes that I started to be overcome with sadness until I sought God and shared my sadness with Him. 

     We can give everything to God. What a blessing, what a privilege and what a joy to experience a God who not only wants us to give our heartache and all of our sadness to Him but He wants us to know He cares about all of it. He doesn’t just tell us to give it to Him so He can throw it away like it doesn’t matter. But He is a God who wants to know who, what, why and how does something cause us to take our hearts and our minds off of who He is and what He’s done to the point our joy has been overcome by sadness and sorrow?! He is there calling to us and saying “I love you with a love that has power over all your hurt!” He wants us to examine our hearts and hurts and learn why we lost our hope that is in Him.

     

     That doesn’t mean we are never to feel sadness or other emotions; after all, it is God our Creator who created us with our emotions, but He does want us to share with Him our emotions, our feelings, our hurts and our sorrows, and yes, our good and joyous times too—our “everything”. God wants to and should be part of everything we do and all that we are. So, not if, but, when you are experiencing sadness or sorrow in your life you can learn to share it with Him and let His light shine through the darkness of your sorrow.

     We can learn to share our sadness and sorrow with God by learning and living in His word and such scriptures as these beautiful verses in psalms (prayers and songs) which David wrote when he was seeking God during troublesome times. Psalm 34:17-19 (NKJV), “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.” If we understand that God wants to be a part of everything we do and all that we go through we can learn, grow, and even experience our sadness through Jesus and let Him get us through it His way so that we don’t start to succumb to it. Also, we will somehow grow from it because nothing we experience or go through is ever in vain.

     We can feed, grow and live on His word and see that there is help for us when we are hurting and we can let Him get us back to a place of joy and we can grow even in and through our sorrows. One way we can do this is to seek Him (once again) in the form of worship. Honestly, there are so many ways to worship God and there are so many benefits to doing it that you cannot go wrong if you do nothing in a crisis but worship and or praise Him—and if more needs to be done He will show you.  

     Another way we can experience our God is to taste of the Lord’s goodness and remember that we serve a God who can be tasted if we will do it with our spirit and everything that is in us. Psalm 34:8 (NKJV), “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” When I read this scripture it speaks to me that we have to taste Him with our spirit. Let’s look at another scripture and we will look at two versions because they are both important and profound, 1 Peter 2:2-3 (NKJV) “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”  This scripture tells us that not only will we grow if we “feed” on “the pure milk of the word”, but that we will “desire the...Word” if we have tasted the graciousness of the Lord. In the amplified version that scripture is stated like this (and I just love it), “Like newborn babies you should crave (thirst for, earnestly desire) the pure (unadulterated) spiritual milk, that by it you may be nurtured and grow unto [completed] salvation, since you have [already] tasted the goodness and kindness of the Lord.”

     Wow, our Lord can be tasted! That might seem strange to some of you who might be new to the family of God, but the thing is, it is possible to taste our Lord with our spirit if we understand that God is a living God and everything about Him is living and full of life! All living things grow and we should too, we are supposed to grow in Him and how we do that is by doing just what the scripture tells us—by desiring and feeding on “the pure ‘(unadulterated) spiritual’ milk of the word.”

     We can grow and be healed from our pain and sorrow by turning it over and, I like to say, sharing it with Him because I didn’t experience my feelings as a child so I need to learn how to experience my emotions without letting them rule and reign me. I don’t say I just give my “stuff” over to God but that I share my feelings and emotions with my Savior and Creator who knows all about them and wants me to experience and use them for good (His good).

     God and His word are the best, top of the line, never generic, always “name brand”, medicine, therapy and food for whatever sickness, sorrow and famine our life is taking us through and He so wants to be what and who we reach for when we are hurting the most!  

    

     

     The Psalms are songs and prayers which (most of them) were written by King David and although it was during troubled times for David which is evident when he writes “Many are the afflictions of the righteous…” but then he goes on to write “…But the Lord delivers him out of them all.” David also writes as a prayer in Psalm 86:7 (NKJV), “In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, For You will answer me”, David doesn’t deny that affliction and trouble are present but he constantly seeks the help of God as he says in Psalm 54:4 (NKJV), “Behold, God is my helper…”, and also in Psalm 54:6-7 (NKJV),  “…I will praise Your name, O Lord, for it is good. For He has delivered me out of all trouble.” We can follow King David’s example and seek and sing out to God during our sad and hurtful times because He is the one who will help us and He will restore our joy back to us as only He can. Psalm 51:12 (NKJV), “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous spirit.”

     He will restore our joy back to us after we have shared what, why and the things, feelings or emotions that caused us to give up our joy in the first place. He knows about your pain let Him show you how to grow through it and discover just how much He really cares about what troubles you as we can read in Psalm 55:22 (NKJV), “Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” Also, in Psalm 46:1 (NKJV) it tells us that “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.” These scriptures are where to turn when we need comfort and help during sad and sorrowful times and He is our PRESENT help in times of trouble!

     When I was becoming so sad that I had lost my joy in Jesus, I had to get ahold of these scriptures and share my sorrow with Him and let Him show me through His word that not only does He want to know what troubles sadden me, but He wants me to know that He is there going through all of it with me, I am never alone!  And of course, He is there for you in your sad and hurtful times as well, all you have to do is seek Him, taste Him and desire to be fed on His word which will bring peace and healing to your sadness and sorrow.  We don’t have to deny that pain and sorrow exist we just need to share and experience it with Jesus our precious Lord and Savior who is the expert at getting through painful and sorrowful times to stand victorious in everlasting joy!

      Hallelujah, I love Him so much and I am so thankful to Him that I can go to Him with literally everything I am facing in life and He shows me that His joy is my strength as it says in Nehemiah 8:10 (NKJV), “…Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

    

     When you are sad and you spend time talking to Jesus about it, but don’t try to hide how you really feel because God knows your heart and what is going on deep inside of you anyway, then you will begin to experience a peace and a comfort that only He can give to you. And don’t forget to feed on and taste the goodness of the Lord through the pure milk of His word and worship to Him. By doing this you will be sharing your sadness with Him and I promise you He will restore your joy.

~

  

    

      

Turn Worry into Worship

     

Our wonderful Savior did not set us free to have us be consumed with worry especially because worry leads to stress. Stress can make us sick both in our soul and physically. I’m not going to dwell on how sick it can make us because we just need to learn not to worry before it turns into such stress that it makes us sick. I want to look at what Jesus said to us about worrying.

      Jesus told us not to worry, He knew we would be tempted to worry but He doesn’t want us to give into it. “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life…” Matthew 6:25 (NKJV), and “Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” Matthew 6:27 (NLT), this is the teaching Jesus gives us about worrying, He is telling us not to worry from verses 25-34 in chapter 6 of Matthew. This is not a quick little reminder and He isn’t saying to us “Hey if you’re having an exceptionally good day and things are going your way try not to worry”, no Jesus is commanding us not to worry and if we realize that to worry is actually considered sin we would really learn how to stop doing it.

   

      If you are addicted to worrying like I was then you will want to learn how to stop worrying and start worshiping instead because in the eyes of God worrying is sin and not faith and in His word it tells us in Romans 14:23 (AMP), “…For whatever does not originate and proceed from faith is sin….” 

     Worrying is not a form of worship, but you can and should turn worry into worship.

     Worry, it is the sin of unfaithfulness which really does not believe in His faithfulness. God’s faithfulness never fails! The reason Jesus tells us not to worry is because if we are busy worrying then we cannot be busy praising, worshiping and trusting in the faithfulness of our God. He is so faithful that it tells us in Lamentations 3:22-23 (NKJV) “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” Also, the following verses are a perfect reference for what we are about to discover and they are found in Psalm 71:22-23 (NLT), “Then I will praise You with music on the harp, because You are faithful to Your promises, O my God. I will sing praises to You with a lyre, O Holy One of Israel. I will shout for joy and sing Your praises, for You have ransomed me.” These are just a couple of verses but God’s word is full of references to praise and worship. It is how we obtain and sustain a life in Him. It is a very vital part of our walk and relationship with Him and He wants us to do it sincerely and regularly. And God certainly wants us to worship instead of worry, to trust in Him and His answers instead of trust in the world and or live in torment by the enemy which is what can happen if we don’t learn to give our worry up for worship to God.

      Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV), “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” So you see we cannot please God without faith and He wants us to diligently seek Him and some of the ways we do that are to praise and worship Him. Our everyday walk with God is to be a constant giving up of our heart to Him in the form of worship and that can and should include prayer—if the Lord is new to you, praying means talking from your heart through your spirit to God, or talking to God with your heart. We should also include singing unto the Lord a new song, playing music to the Lord, dancing with joy before Him and many other things—even our obedience is a form of worship if what we are being obedient to is done with a loving heart and willing attitude, also our tithe and other offerings are supposed to be given as worship to Him. If we truly love Him and understand just how lost we were without Him then we want our life to reflect that. God’s word says in 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NLT), “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Everything we do should be a form of some kind of worship to Him who deserves all our praise, prayer, worship, honor and complete surrender.

    

      The sad thing is that most people (Christians) are more comfortable with such forms of worship as giving of their material and temporal possessions and although sometimes God will require us to give up something tangible to or for His sake, most of the time what He really wants is us. He wants you in complete abandon to Him and you can only do that by giving yourself completely to Him, that means no holding back when you are worshiping Him, no wondering or even “worrying” what others will think because you need only care what God Almighty thinks and if you are in complete surrender to Him in worship I guarantee He thinks it is great and He wants you to keep doing it, every day and all the time.

      Make worship and praise something you do every day and do it with all of your heart and your walk with God will change for the better. You and Jesus will get to know each other in a very intimate and close way and you will learn that He is the one to trust in troubles and worrisome times. 

     

 Praise and worship is an absolute perfect way to stop worrying, and if you learn how to have regular praise and worship with and to our Lord Jesus you can virtually eliminate worry not only from your vocabulary but your life as well. Seriously, because after all, He is worthy of our praise and worship and it is what He wants from us. Exchange your worry for worship and discover a new freedom, one without worry and stress. And here is another wonderful thing about God, serving Him and worshiping Him are one in the same—when you serve you do it unto Him and when you worship Him, He knows you have a heart to serve.

      I find it easier to just let loose and worship God when I remember, it is what we will be doing in heaven for all of eternity so I want to not only get comfortable worshiping and honoring Jesus from earth but I want to do it with everything that’s in me. Yes, think about that, in heaven we will be praising and worshiping Jesus our Lord and Savior forever and always!

      Until we get there we must learn from this side of heaven and we can always learn from our perfect example, Jesus. I think if anyone would have had the right to worry it would have been Jesus as He knew in advance the kind of burden He would have to carry for us and yet He did not worry and He instructed us not to worry either.

     Let’s take a look at a couple of verses which tell us that during what would have been a time in Jesus’ life He would have wanted to give into worry He did not, but instead He sought the Father and His kingdom. I’m sure when Jesus was in the garden asking (praying) if there was any way that He might not have to be crucified He was probably tempted to give into worry but He didn’t. I believe He was praying instead (in-place) of worrying and even though He was so distressed that He began to sweat drops of blood yet He still did not give into that distress, He looked to the Father for His strength, His help, His hope and we see that the Father sent help for Him, it tells us in  Luke 22:41-44 (NLT), “And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, ‘Father if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will but Your’s be done.’ Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” No matter how much agony we might be in during a trial or troubles the previous verses tell us we can turn to the Father for help and He will give us what we need.

      When I stated that I used to be addicted to worrying maybe you were thinking that seems a little “out there” but, remember, we can literally become addicted to anything. Worrying was just part of the ritual of compulsive behavior I would engage in when the stress of life hit me even though I had Jesus, for a long time I still thought that, yes you pray and give it to God, but I also believed that if I didn’t spend a certain amount of time worrying then I wasn’t doing what was my part to do. I was wrong and I finally started to understand that Jesus doesn’t want us to worry and He also tells us what we can do instead of worrying. We can learn how to seek Him instead of worrying because if what we are doing about issues or needs in our life are anything but going to God with it, casting it upon Him, and then seeking His kingdom it is not what God wants us to do.

       Be set free from the bondage of worry and put on a “new thing” of praise and worship and when you do God will show Himself to you as He never has before.

      You can’t be in the middle of full surrender worship to God and be in a state of worry at the same time, it just isn’t possible! You must be doing one of those things or the other but you CAN’T do both. Choose worship to your Savior instead of worry and you will not regret it. He tells us in Matthew 6:33 (NLT) to “Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.”

     Jesus wants us to seek Him in prayer and worship and especially instead of worrying. When we worry the devil knows that what we are worrying about is a weak area for us but so does our Lord and Wonderful Helper, our Prince of Peace and Jesus wants us to trust in Him and look up to Him and heaven and not trust in the things of this world.

      Jesus wants you to use the energy and effort that you would spend worrying to praise Him, seek Him, and trust in Him—and if you truly release your spirit up to Him and give into worship I promise you there is NOTHING on this planet that could ever cause you to worry. You do have to completely surrender to Jesus your Savior, the One who gave His life for you but what would you rather surrender to—the worries of this world or worship and heaven?

     The way to have real intimacy with our God is to give yourself up to worship and fellowship and let the Holy Spirit lead you into a new dimension with Jesus and you will never be the same, and the best part, the more you do it the better it gets and the more effective it becomes. Yes, do it faithfully and watch yourself be transformed into a “worshiper of God” not just one who serves Him but who knows and worships Him in spirit and truth.

~

    

Friends of God

                                 

     Sometimes when we first start out living this new life in Christ we can tend to feel lonely as we give up the ways and people of our past; especially, if we have not yet made new Christian friends. But God’s word tells us that we have a friend in Jesus, He is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24) and we can count on Him—always. Also God’s word says, “God sets the lonely in families…” Psalm 68:6 (NIV). Even if you are single or living alone you are never really alone because you are now a member of God’s family so you now have many brothers and sisters.

     When studying God’s word remember that all of the accounts and stories in the bible are true and actually happened unless Jesus was speaking in parables which He did to His disciples and the multitudes that followed Him to help explain something they might not otherwise understand. So when we read the story of Abraham and how he trusted and obeyed God we can see in scriptures of the Old and New Testament that God considered and even called Abraham His friend! James 2:23 (NKJV) “And the scripture was fulfilled which says ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ And he was called the friend of God.” Also in Isaiah 41:8 (NIV) it says, “But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend.” The promises and privileges of Abraham are also for us today. Wow! I don’t know about you but if I have God Almighty as my friend then how can I possibly be lonely?

      If God and His family are new to you then you might be thinking how can God be my friend when He is my Creator and my God? Here is the truth—God is many things to us who live for and serve Him and I encourage you to read and study His word and you will discover that for yourself. To those who know God well this is a truth in our life and we understand, embrace and proclaim it to others. God is everything to us!

     He is also our friend and we can turn to Him for friendship and companionship and we can know that He is always going to be there, not like the friends we’ve had in the world and in the past, but a friend who doesn’t skip out when things get rough or are not going just the way they want them to. Isn’t that what true friends do? Don’t they hang in there when everyone else has fled? Aren’t true friends the ones who we call upon during the worse possible times? Friends who are good and close friends don’t abandon us because we have been moody or less than pleasant and they are forgiving when we ask for forgiveness but don’t deserve it. Good friends don’t constantly find and dwell on our faults while never seeing the best in us. We all have some good in us, now that God has put His goodness in us, and a friend will look and FIND our rights not our wrongs and they will let us know that on a regular basis.

 Let me tell you, the only place you are going to find friends like that is God and His family. You will not find them in the world because so called friends in the world have ulterior motives when seeking your friendship and they are always going to want something in return for the friendship they offer you, if that is even what to call it—friendship?! In the darkness of addiction people think sharing in their sin or party supplies is an act of friendship, but is it? It is not. They will act as though they want nothing in return but they will expect you to supply them when their supply runs dry and they will remind you of how much they sacrificed to and for you. They weigh and measure the friendship by deeds done to and for each other, reminding you of things they did for you that you don’t even remember or the actual events didn’t happen the way they see it and it was actually you who did the good deed for them?! Does any of this sound familiar? That is not true friendship either, it is the world’s way of showing and expressing friendship, but it is not true friendship and when we have finally known what a real friend is we can finally understand and see that we never actually had friends in the world of addiction. They are what I consider “drug buddies”, “addiction companions”, and “drinking partners”; some were even “enemies” in the guise of friends.

     I think that might be how or why that old cliche' got started, “with friends like that who needs enemies?” It’s true though, and it is heart wrenching when you think you have a friend and you find out in the middle of a crisis that this person you viewed as such a good and close friend has nothing to offer you. They can’t offer you comfort the way God can, His word says in 2 Corinthians 1:3 (NKJV) He is the ”… God of all comfort.” He can and will comfort you the way you wanted your worldly friends to but they didn’t and couldn’t because they didn’t know Him.

     These so called friends ditched you when you needed them the most and they didn't care that you not only needed them but that you were devastated by their abandonment. Friends of addiction will turn on you when you were so sure they never would and they will also turn the wrong done to you into an infraction against them. Yes, when you needed someone the most they not only fled but also turned others against you. Does any of this sound or seem familiar? If you have lived in the world of addiction I know this is so familiar to you that it probably even brings up some of that old pain and hurt. Only dwell on the pain long enough to remind yourself that you don’t want the friendship that the world of addiction offers because it is not true friendship and there is no sense in missing any of that or those people—it didn’t and won’t last, and now you can say thank God for that!

     It is a matter of letting even the meaning of friendship become newly created in your heart and life.

     God Almighty and our Lord Jesus are your new best friends and they will never leave you, forsake you, abandon you or turn on you. The best part is they don’t have some crazy conditions or purpose for pursuing you as a friend, they are simply and completely your friend with no ulterior motives. Doesn’t that sound great and haven’t you wanted a friend like that all of your life? You have one in Jesus. Embrace this new friendship and call on Him to show you how to have a friendship that is true and real and worth all the effort put into it.

    

     The other really great thing about God’s family is when you begin to pursue friendships in the body of Christ you can know that your friends in Christ will literally be the best friends you have ever had. They are friends who will be there for you, and support you, and help you, and instead of turn on you they will pray for you. Now don’t get me wrong people are people so I am not saying you will never again be hurt by people but what I am saying is that your closest friend Jesus and God the Father will lead you into good, safe and healthy Christian friendships if you ask and are obedient to what and who God directs you to. 

     When you are feeling lonely and you haven’t yet made some good Christian friends just talk to God, thank Him that He was a friend of Abraham and He is also a friend of yours. Thank Him that His word and the promises in His word are for you right now, today. Jesus is your friend, the one who sticks closer than a brother so talk to Him as such and tell Him that you want to make and have new friends in the family of God and I assure you that He will bring them into your life and you can learn how to not only have, but also be, a real true friend because now your best friend is God. There is no better friend in the secular world or the Christian world so trust Him and He will bring many new and “true” friends into your life.  

     Hallelujah, we are friends of God!

~

     

Why Me, Lord?

 

    

     How many times have you asked Him that question? Was it a single question or a string of them rolled into one? What I mean is, were you asking Him why you had to suffer the things you have in life or were you asking Him why you didn’t get or don’t have the things you think you want in life? Were you asking Him because you wanted to receive something from Him or because you wanted Him to take something away from you?

     We seem to always be asking for something and sometimes when we get or receive what we think we wanted we realize as soon as we receive it that we didn’t really want it after all. Why is that I wonder? Is it because when we were in the asking mode we were not seeking the will and the plan of God?

     If we knew all that God had planned for us in His great tapestry of things and if we could see just a little bit of what God has in store for us we might not ever ask for anything again unless God was telling us directly to ask Him. He does tell us to ask in His Son’s name and we will receive (John 16:23), but what God means is that we ask according to His will and purpose (1 John 5:14). Knowing His will and purpose requires that we have a close and intimate relationship with Him.

     When we pursue a close and intimate relationship with Jesus we begin to see and realize that the things we used to think we wanted from the Lord aren’t even legitimate requests or wants because we now see that what we should be asking for are the things which will bring what He wants for our lives.

     This new life in Christ is going to bring new desires and wants, but sometimes it takes us a little while to realize that and at first we may still, even if just emotionally, think we want the things of the past. We might think now that we have healed and been set free that we can handle or have certain things in our life that we couldn’t before and that might cause us to ask the whys—why can’t I do it or have it now, Lord? I am stronger and I can handle it now.

      If we’re not careful we can start to lose track of what God has brought us out of and we can even forget (unimaginable, but true), how bad our life was before we surrendered it to Him and let Him deliver us from the bondage of addiction and all the yuck and consequences that come from living that kind of life. How do I know? Sadly I know from personal experience and it is not something I am proud of, but as I always say there is no waste with God so He will use even our backsliding away from Him for His glory and to teach us a lesson. What is the lesson? We cannot do life on our own and we especially cannot do this newly created life on our own, and as soon as we try we will fall!    

     Let’s begin to ask God what should my desires be and how should I pursue them? What are Your wants, goals and desires for me, Lord? These are the questions which God will answer in His great and glorious way and when we get those answers we need to grab onto them, pursue them just as tenaciously as we did our addictions and that lifestyle and watch God change us from the inside out.

    

     We may be going along and doing very well in our walk with God and this new life He has given us, but if we don’t seek Him and what He wants for us we can get tripped up and deceived (yes, deceived) into thinking we don’t need God anymore or at least not as much as we did at first. We might think I don’t use drugs or alcohol anymore; I don’t look at pornography or engage in lewdness or fornication anymore so why do I still need so much of God in my life?  Maybe I only need Him on Sunday mornings when I go to church or maybe I only need Him when I am in a serious crisis—but not all the time. After all I am better now and I don’t do the things I once did. This is a very dangerous mind and heart-set to get into and it is one I guarantee will lead you right back to a life of destruction if you aren’t careful and recognize it when it comes and get your heart and your mind back where they need to be.

     The world has a different answer than God and His kingdom and it is one that says you must be independent and self-reliant and you must learn to handle everything on your own, that way you can escape the pain of others hurting you (or so we think), and you don’t have to answer to anyone except yourself. But there is nothing in God’s word, ways or kingdom that ever tells us we are to do anything on our own, in fact, God doesn’t like it when we ignore Him and try to do things on our own. He considers that seeking something before Him and it is a form of idolatry and or worshiping or relying on someone or something more than we do Him.

     Our whys to God need to be more in the tone of, why did you save a wretch like me? And why do I get to know the healing power of Jesus Christ while others are still bound in their addiction? Or why are You so merciful and good to me God? And why was I chosen to be used by God Almighty in this special way? And then resolve in our hearts and minds that we don’t deserve any of it, but we are grateful to Him that He has done it for us and brought us to where we are in our life.

     I have said this before, but it bears repeating, you cannot maintain your freedom from addiction and your new life in Christ without Him being the center and the Lord of every area of your life! The whys are a manifestation of our heart condition and our closeness to God. If we are asking why we haven’t reached a new level or season in Him and it is His will that we do, He will answer our whys, but if our whys are asking something like—woe is me, why am I always suffering or not getting what I want in life then He might not answer except to show you that those are not the things or whys He is concerned with answering.

     We may be asking why we have to face the trials and struggles we are facing right now in our life, but everything we go through has a godly purpose and reason and we don’t always need to know the why. Sometimes we just need to know that NOTHING we go through is ever in vain—even if it is a mistake or misstep He will use it for His glory so we should keep our hearts and our minds focused on Him and His whys and wants for us.

     God’s whys are so different from ours—they are as such, why don’t you trust Me with every area of your life, and why don’t you seek only Me for your answers? And why do you think I have left you without answers to your questions? Or why do you think your questions are more important than mine?

     Maybe one way we can begin to change the questions we ask God is to understand and remember that we are now living this new life in Him and He wants only the best for us and He never means us harm. Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) tells us “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” If we really take hold of that scripture and live everyday like we believe it and it is the key to our future, I believe we can stop asking our whys and start asking what. What is our part in His great plans to prosper and not harm us, His great plans to give us the future we didn’t have before we let Him deliver us and set us free?  

     The answer to our question, “Why me, Lord?” can be answered this way—Jesus says to each of us no matter what the actual or underlying question is, “You ask, ‘why me, Lord?’, and I answer you—because I love you, I gave My life for you, I have great plans for you and I know what is best for you—that’s why.”

~