As I sit here staring at a blank screen, I wonder who will even read what I write. It's been so long since I've blogged that I'm not sure who my audience is anymore so I'll just write and see where that goes....
My heart is burdened for things and people that God has placed on my heart. People that are hurting, people that are lost, people that KNOW God and claim to follow Him but trust their own feelings to lead them through decisions in life. So I have been praying a LOT more than usual for the last couple of weeks and while some things have come to light, some things are still about as clear as mud.
I do know one thing though, when we trust Him, and his timing, we can't go wrong... but the mistake we CAN so easily make is acting on our 'feelings" and thinking that must be what He wants. Feelings are so misleading, they are the heat of the moment, what "I" want right now, self-satisfying, it "feels" right, so it must be where God is leading me, "Right?" Umm, no... WRONG. Jeremiah 10:23 says I know, O Lord, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps. I wonder why we try so hard to figure things out on our own then? God gives us discernment through prayer, he gives us direction through His Word, he leads us down a path that our "feelings" often get us very quickly off of. I wonder how many opportunities God has given me, that I have jumped right off that path because something else "felt" like it would be fun, or right, or romantic, or exciting or just that the grass appeared to be greener on the other side? Don't get me wrong, I don't regret the choices I've made in the past (there are some I could definitely have skipped that don't seem to have taught me anything or led me to where I am today), because I have an amazing life right where I am. But I don't want to live outside of God's will for my life and I don't want to veer off of that path again. Someone recently said to me "I don't want to miss the one shot at an opportunity that God has given me to be ..." I won't finish that quote because it was pretty specific to one situation and I want to keep this pretty broad... I wonder though, how many shots we have missed because we let our feelings take over instead of listening to God? Anything from fear of the unknown, of being hurt, of hurting someone else, of not being able to do the job well, of taking a risk that would be putting our family's stability up for grabs to truly follow God's path for us. And I also know that God works for the good of those who love Him even when we make the wrong choices (Romans 8:28). But I don't want to live with the best God can make out of the wrong choices anymore, I want to be in the right place at the right time so I can be exactly where he wants me to be!!
So, the question of the decade is how do we stay there, in God's Will for us, without losing sight of that and trusting our feelings and thinking that is what He wants for us? God has shown me that to be able to truly follow Him and to be open to hearing what he has for me, I have to be content with exactly where I am in my current circumstances; "But godliness with contentment is great gain." 1 Timothy 6:6. We need to know WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST ALONE, not as a mom, dad, husband, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, son, daughter, co-worker, boss, employee, but who we are in Him alone and where He has us in life today. We need to make time for him and be in The Word daily so that we can be prepared for each day by being filled with Him, you've heard the phrase, "You can't pour out into others, if you haven't filled your daily cup!" or "if you are running on empty, what do you have to pour from?" or something to that effect... Your day just goes smoother when you are able to pull from what He has given you for that day. Reflect on the truth of His Word throughout the day and don't get caught up in your emotions and stray from that truth. It's so easy to do, and we are all guilty of it!! Why settle for good when you can have God's best? Seek his truth so you can have His best for you!!
My heart is burdened for things and people that God has placed on my heart. People that are hurting, people that are lost, people that KNOW God and claim to follow Him but trust their own feelings to lead them through decisions in life. So I have been praying a LOT more than usual for the last couple of weeks and while some things have come to light, some things are still about as clear as mud.
I do know one thing though, when we trust Him, and his timing, we can't go wrong... but the mistake we CAN so easily make is acting on our 'feelings" and thinking that must be what He wants. Feelings are so misleading, they are the heat of the moment, what "I" want right now, self-satisfying, it "feels" right, so it must be where God is leading me, "Right?" Umm, no... WRONG. Jeremiah 10:23 says I know, O Lord, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps. I wonder why we try so hard to figure things out on our own then? God gives us discernment through prayer, he gives us direction through His Word, he leads us down a path that our "feelings" often get us very quickly off of. I wonder how many opportunities God has given me, that I have jumped right off that path because something else "felt" like it would be fun, or right, or romantic, or exciting or just that the grass appeared to be greener on the other side? Don't get me wrong, I don't regret the choices I've made in the past (there are some I could definitely have skipped that don't seem to have taught me anything or led me to where I am today), because I have an amazing life right where I am. But I don't want to live outside of God's will for my life and I don't want to veer off of that path again. Someone recently said to me "I don't want to miss the one shot at an opportunity that God has given me to be ..." I won't finish that quote because it was pretty specific to one situation and I want to keep this pretty broad... I wonder though, how many shots we have missed because we let our feelings take over instead of listening to God? Anything from fear of the unknown, of being hurt, of hurting someone else, of not being able to do the job well, of taking a risk that would be putting our family's stability up for grabs to truly follow God's path for us. And I also know that God works for the good of those who love Him even when we make the wrong choices (Romans 8:28). But I don't want to live with the best God can make out of the wrong choices anymore, I want to be in the right place at the right time so I can be exactly where he wants me to be!!
So, the question of the decade is how do we stay there, in God's Will for us, without losing sight of that and trusting our feelings and thinking that is what He wants for us? God has shown me that to be able to truly follow Him and to be open to hearing what he has for me, I have to be content with exactly where I am in my current circumstances; "But godliness with contentment is great gain." 1 Timothy 6:6. We need to know WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST ALONE, not as a mom, dad, husband, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, son, daughter, co-worker, boss, employee, but who we are in Him alone and where He has us in life today. We need to make time for him and be in The Word daily so that we can be prepared for each day by being filled with Him, you've heard the phrase, "You can't pour out into others, if you haven't filled your daily cup!" or "if you are running on empty, what do you have to pour from?" or something to that effect... Your day just goes smoother when you are able to pull from what He has given you for that day. Reflect on the truth of His Word throughout the day and don't get caught up in your emotions and stray from that truth. It's so easy to do, and we are all guilty of it!! Why settle for good when you can have God's best? Seek his truth so you can have His best for you!!
