Monday, July 10, 2006
Just some things the Lord is showing me...
Sooo....this morning I was just reflecting on how the Lord used me in Savannah and how I was encouraged by the Lord by other people in Savannah. If you haven't heard my Savannah story, give me a call, I would love to tell you about it. As I was reflecting, I was in the book of Daniel. This is the book I am in right now and I am totally excited! The Lord has been speaking to me in dreams and visions and reading this book has been sooo encouraging to me in my life where I am right now. Wow!! I would need more than a blog to discuss what is going on in my life right now. Some of the things I cannot even utter because they are just now forming in my heart. Well, anyway, back to Daniel.
So, today I read the first 7 chapters of Daniel (I really just couldn't put the book down). As I was reading, I began to see a pattern in Daniel's life...faith and obedience. I know it seems like everywhere we go we need it has been said that we need to have more faith and we need to walk in obedience...we all know this...in fact I am probably one of the ones that has been preaching this...but since this whole Savannah thing and reading about Daniel...it is more clear what walking in obedience and having faith in the Lord my God really means. It's huge!!
Faith and obedience allows other people to see the sovereignty of the Lord.
When Daniel obediently followed the Lord and continued to pray 3 times a day even though he knew he would be thrown into the lion's den, he had faith that the Lord, his God would save him. With Daniel's obedience and faith, the Lord shut the mouth of the lions and there was not a scratch to be found on Daniel the next morning. Because of Daniel's faith and obedience, the king that ordered Daniel to be thrown into the lion's den saw that the Lord is the Almighty-mighty to save. Our actions--meaning being doers of the Word effects those around us. When we obey in faithfulness, others will be drawn to the Light that is in us.
Just like when I obediently went to Savannah, a seventeen year old high school kid was able to be drawn to me. I had been a light because of my faith and my obedience. People are drawn to that light inside of us. By grace we can have faith. By grace we can be obedient. By grace we are given the light. By grace we are given the love we need to share with others. If we love Him, we shall accept His grace so we can have faith, so we can be obedient, so we can be the light, so we can love others. If we would just humble ourselves we can receive all these things. If we would just humble ourselves, we can give all these things. What is true humility? I do not know what it is for you, but for me it is striving to be complete in Him. When there is any fault in me, there is still pride. What is a struggle in your life? lust? lying? cheating? stealing? gossip? Yes, we do these things...I will be the first to admit I still do all of them, but I acknowledge those things and some of those things I am okay to let go because they are not as big as a struggle for me, but others, I can feel the Lord pressing me to give up. It hurts to give them up because it means I am a prideful person. My pride is being hurt to say I need to give up these things. To give these things up means I want to live in TRUTH...no matter the circumstance or situation. There are people I can almost be without blemish around, but it still means I am blemished. There are people in my life I cannot tell the full truth to. That means I am still lying and stealing. Yes, stealing. I am stealing their trust. I am probably cheating them too. Do you see how ugly sin is?? Do you see how much it breaks the Lord's heart?? It breaks His heart just as much to see me lie to my mother as it is to see David to commit murder or adultery. All sin leads to death...just some more quickly to others. If there is a struggle in your life, don't ignore it. Also, if it is a struggle in your life, it is probably a struggle in your brothers', sisters', or neighbors' life, so keep that in mind too. I am not saying to keep your struggles secret...I am saying let go of them. Give them to God. Allow Him to help you work through them. He is faithful to do it. It is His will to help you get rid of your struggles...your sin. You can count that this is His will.
Please be encouraged by this. Thanks!
So, today I read the first 7 chapters of Daniel (I really just couldn't put the book down). As I was reading, I began to see a pattern in Daniel's life...faith and obedience. I know it seems like everywhere we go we need it has been said that we need to have more faith and we need to walk in obedience...we all know this...in fact I am probably one of the ones that has been preaching this...but since this whole Savannah thing and reading about Daniel...it is more clear what walking in obedience and having faith in the Lord my God really means. It's huge!!
Faith and obedience allows other people to see the sovereignty of the Lord.
When Daniel obediently followed the Lord and continued to pray 3 times a day even though he knew he would be thrown into the lion's den, he had faith that the Lord, his God would save him. With Daniel's obedience and faith, the Lord shut the mouth of the lions and there was not a scratch to be found on Daniel the next morning. Because of Daniel's faith and obedience, the king that ordered Daniel to be thrown into the lion's den saw that the Lord is the Almighty-mighty to save. Our actions--meaning being doers of the Word effects those around us. When we obey in faithfulness, others will be drawn to the Light that is in us.
Just like when I obediently went to Savannah, a seventeen year old high school kid was able to be drawn to me. I had been a light because of my faith and my obedience. People are drawn to that light inside of us. By grace we can have faith. By grace we can be obedient. By grace we are given the light. By grace we are given the love we need to share with others. If we love Him, we shall accept His grace so we can have faith, so we can be obedient, so we can be the light, so we can love others. If we would just humble ourselves we can receive all these things. If we would just humble ourselves, we can give all these things. What is true humility? I do not know what it is for you, but for me it is striving to be complete in Him. When there is any fault in me, there is still pride. What is a struggle in your life? lust? lying? cheating? stealing? gossip? Yes, we do these things...I will be the first to admit I still do all of them, but I acknowledge those things and some of those things I am okay to let go because they are not as big as a struggle for me, but others, I can feel the Lord pressing me to give up. It hurts to give them up because it means I am a prideful person. My pride is being hurt to say I need to give up these things. To give these things up means I want to live in TRUTH...no matter the circumstance or situation. There are people I can almost be without blemish around, but it still means I am blemished. There are people in my life I cannot tell the full truth to. That means I am still lying and stealing. Yes, stealing. I am stealing their trust. I am probably cheating them too. Do you see how ugly sin is?? Do you see how much it breaks the Lord's heart?? It breaks His heart just as much to see me lie to my mother as it is to see David to commit murder or adultery. All sin leads to death...just some more quickly to others. If there is a struggle in your life, don't ignore it. Also, if it is a struggle in your life, it is probably a struggle in your brothers', sisters', or neighbors' life, so keep that in mind too. I am not saying to keep your struggles secret...I am saying let go of them. Give them to God. Allow Him to help you work through them. He is faithful to do it. It is His will to help you get rid of your struggles...your sin. You can count that this is His will.
Please be encouraged by this. Thanks!
