LIWD :: day 3 :: His Blueprints

Another costly aspect of Ruth's choice was the time frame in Israels's history.  It was the age of the judges, a period of time described as "do your own thing"; "Everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21.25b).  Ruth chose not only to break her family cycle, but also to challenge the lifestyle that many in Israel embraced.  She wanted God's will, not hers; His blueprints, not her elementary scribbling; God's assignment, not her foolish plans. 

Whenever a single woman decides to abandon herself completely to Jesus, as Ruth,did, she will find herself out of step with society and, sometimes, even her frineds.  A single woman today needs the boldness to challenge and break the cycle of the "American way" that exalts a relationship with a man as an answer to life.  This "American way" blurs the reality of the ultimate answer to life found in a deep relationship with Jesus Christ.  A modern-day Ruth wrote: "My deep satisfaction from my commitment to Jesus is constantly challenged by other believers.  They treat me like some kind of Neanderthal, definitely out of step with the today's woman."

His blueprints, not her elementary scribbling; God's assignment not her foolish plans

This is something I've struggled with for years. I used to believe there was a time and place for everything...including religion. I thought my religion, my faith, God, belonged at church. He belonged at my wednesday night hi-ba (high school born-againers) group in high school. He belonged in the presence of other believers. He did not belong at school. He did not belong at work. He did not belong when I was out with my non-christian friends. He did not belong in my relationships.

I have since been awakened to how seriously flawed my thinking was. He's not a 'sometimes' god. He's an 'always' God. He's there even if you don't think you want Him to be, and believe me, you want Him there. He is the only one who can deliver you. He's the only one who knows you inside out. He's the only one who can complete you. Letting Him into every aspect of your life will only augment those areas. He created it all, He knows how to get the best out it. He wants whats best for us, if only we'll allow Him in.

Doing Jesus' will may not always be the easiest or most popular road, but where it leads you will be well-worth it.

Deeper Still :: Beth Moore

The last speaker of the weekend, was the highly anticipated Beth Moore. She has a way of hitting you hard while still speaking in such an upbeat manner. She is truly captivating. She'll make you laugh, cry and search your heart. Her teaching style was frank, relateable, comedic--completely enthralling. I was on the edge of my seat throughout her talk. She spoke on discerning the voice of God. On how to, not only know if it is God you are hearing, but on how to discipher what it is He's telling you. Here's what I got from her teachings as well as the passages she referenced.

"If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever -- the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."

Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot), said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?"

Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

"All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

-John 14.15-27

God promised to be with us always. To lead us, to teach us, to show us His will. All we need to do is listen, not to the outside world, but to His voice. We need to not just hear Him, but to truly listen. If you are not living in His word, obeying the laws He has set forth in the bible, you will not hear Him. Follow in the laws He has set for you and His light will shine upon your path. If you spend time daily with Him, spend time in His book, really divulge yourself in His teachings, His words will ring loud and clear for you.

Some of His disciples said to one another, "What does He mean by saying, 'In a little while you will see me no more, and after a little while you will see me,' and 'Because I am going to the Father'?"

-John 16.17

As humans, we're going to have doubts. It's in our nature. It's how you handle these doubts and fears that matters. Will you let them chip away at your faith? Will you turn them to God? Will you go to His word for reassurance?

We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him" Isaiah 64.4 but God has revealed it to us by His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment: "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" Isaiah 40.13 But we have the mind of Christ.

-1st Corinthians 2.6-16

You can have the highest IQ of anyone you know, and still be lacking in spiritual knowledge. Only when you lay your judgement in the bible, will you gain spiritual discernment. By living in His word, you will gain the ability to know what you cannot humanly know.

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God -- having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth -- men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.

You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings -- what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

-2nd Timothy 3.1-13

To follow the ways of men is to turn from God. These evil ways may seem intriguing and may give you earthly pleasure, but indulging in these sinful lifestyles will be in exchange for your eternal life in heaven. Is a moment of pleasure worth sacrificing eternal bliss? All Christians will be persecuted -- in some way. You may not be stoned or hung or beaten, but as a devout Christ-follower you will face opposition.

A mediator, however, does not represent just one party; but God is one.

-Ephesians 3.20

God already knows. He knows your heart. He knows what you've done. He knows what you're thinking. He knows where your devotion lies. He knows what you will do. He knows what will happen to you. He knows all.

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,

-2nd Timothy 3.14

Who are you learning from? Are you taking advice from your neighbor down the street? A co-worker? An old friend? Are you taking heed of what the Lord has said. Of the words He has spoken. Of what He wants out of your life?

Brothers, I could not address you as spirtual but as wordly -- mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?

-1st Corinthians 3.1-3

It's not just about reading through the bible and memorizing key verses. You need to live in His word. Adhere to His laws. Listen to what His will is for you and then follow it.

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ,

-Phillipians 1.9-10

When you love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind, you will take heed to His directions. You will live in His word and you will follow in His ways.

The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, 'Who can bring me down to the ground?'

-Obadiah 1.3

Imposters will multiply as we get closer to the kingdom of heaven. Do not confuse the voices of man with the voice of God. Do not let your pride stop you from hearing the words of the Lord. Do not let your fear take you from the path of God.

"All this I have spoken while still with you."

-John 14.25

God is talking to you. Can you hear Him? Are you listening?

There are two dimensions of spiritual revelation we desperately need. Divine revelation in our human encounters and divine revelation in Christ encounters. How do you differentiate God's voice from satans?

How do you know if you can trust what you're sensing? Ask yourself these questions ::

- am I a critical or suspicious person by nature?

- am I jealous or do I feel threatened?

- do I have anything selfish to gain from the outcome?

- are my emotions clouding my discernment?

If you answered yes to any of these questions,, these are things you need to work through with God before you can gain spiritual discernment.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

-Hebrews 12.1-2

Turn your eyes from earthly temptations and set them upon God. Run to Him with all your heart. Look to Him for everything in your life. Look to Him with everything that is within you. He will show you His way.

When looking for spiritual discernment, judge the situation not the person. Remember that it's not only about obedience, you also need a relationship with God. You need to walk in the Spirit. This is a purposeful choice, you cannot accidentally walk in the Spirit. A godly person will seek Him out. Trust in Him because the Holy Spirit is steady.

Can you put trust in your spiritual gut?

single

Though I've always thought it would be great to have a boyfriend who had a passion for Christ, it was never a deal breaker. It was more of a bonus if they went to church. But, as I grow more in my faith, I find that my priorities have shifted.

I strive to live my life centered around Christ and I need someone who's on the same track as I am. Someone who understands how to get through trials and tribulations by faith. Someone who will encourage me to stay on track and not lead me astray. Someone who will go to church with me, pray with me, do devotions with me. I want a partner in Christ.

I am a Christian because I believe in Jesus. I believe He is the son of God. I believe He died and rose again. I believe He paid for us all. Yes, I know those are lyrics but they state my feeling perfectly. Saying that I am passionate about my faith would be a gross understatement.

When I have kids, I want them to be raised in the church. I want them to be emersed in the faith, taught about Jesus, shown the Christian lifestyle. That's not something that can be accomplished if they only see it on Sundays. It needs to be 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It needs to start at home.

In my minds eye, the purpose of dating is to find a boyfriend. The purpose of having boyfriends is to find a husband. I plan on having children with whoever my husband ends up being. So why date a non-believer? To date someone who doesn't have the same integrities would be against my values and a contradiction to my beliefs.

I believe that somewhere out there is my Godsent. I believe that we will meet when the time is right...when we are both ready for eachother in the eyes of God. Until then, I will be patient. I will not waste my time or his or His with someone I know, in my heart of hearts, is not my soulmate.

domino disposition

Lately I've been noticing that my daily interactions with people tend to set the tone for the rest of that day. Whether it's due to that encounter heightening or lowering my mood is up for discussion...though that's the conclusion I'm reaching towards.

Yesterday was a great day. Nothing extraordinary happened...just a good day. I woke up before the alarm today...always a good thing. Nothing like not being startled awake in the am! Got up took a nice, hot shower...gotta love those...made myself an everything bagel with cream cheese, filled up my water bottle and packed up my backpack. So far a fairly typical day.

My roommates grandmother is in town and she was up. Had a nice convo with her while I was getting ready. This wasn't a grandeur talk...maybe 10 minutes in total...no serious topics were broached...just some simple, good-morning-how-are-you-have-a-good-day small talk that ended with a hug and a see you later. But it was pleasant and so I left the house in a good mood.

I got to work, had 5 clients back-to-back, and just as a grumble was starting to creep up on me, my 3:00 came in. I had worked on him once before and he had come back and asked for me. He is a Christ-follower and I remembered him well because we had had a good talk about Christ and being a Christian. My mood instantly relightened as I awaited what our conversation, if any, might entail. I was not disappointed.

I left work with a smile on my face. I then headed off to home team, which is always good for my mood and spirit. All in all, it was a great day that started off with what may seem to have been an insignificant beginning.

Conversely, today didn't start off as happily. I, again, woke up before the dreaded alarm, grabbed a bagel, packed a lunch and headed off to catch the bus.

My first encounter was with the bus driver. Typically the drivers are quite nice. We exchange pleasantries and I go about my day. Today, however, she was not so pleasant. I told her the bike rack was bent making it difficult to put the bike on correctly and she snapped back that it didn't matter. That's fine. I was just letting her know so she could pass along the information. Her attitude certainly put a damper on my mood.

Isn't it funny how one person can completely change your disposition? It makes me think that maybe, just maybe, I need to depend less on others for happiness and more on myself and God. What if the tone of my day was set by how great of a prayer session I had that morning rather than by the snide remark someone made on the bus?

Follow the Leader

Last night, we started a new curriculum in my bible study. Go Fish by Andy Stanley. It centers around Matthew 4:19. "and He said to them, 'follow me and I will make you fishers of men'. "

God wants us to not only live our lives for Him, but also to bring others into His light. I struggle with this -- not because I disagree with the notion; I wholeheartedly agree -- but because I find myself feeling unworthy of such an important task.

Who am I to tell others how to live their lives? What gives me the right, the fortitude to dictate what others should do? Now don't get me wrong here, I fully believe that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. I ardently believe that it is our jobs, as Christ-followers, to shine His light for others.

My qualm is more in that I struggle with my faith on a daily basis. If I don't feel that I am 100% right with the Lord, how can I tell someone else that they need to be? So the question ensues, do you need to be the perfect follower to lead?

When I take the question out of the context of myself, I think absolutely not. We are human. We all fall short. That should not, cannot, take us out of our faith. If anything, it should bring us closer to God. We need to use our trials and tribulations -- past, present and future -- to show others what we have found in Christ. We need to think outside ourselves, we are not the main objective here. Jesus is.

So while you absolutely have to follow in order to lead, you, in no way, need to be perfect. So long as you are living you're life for Him as best you can, He will help you the rest of the way. So go on, be fishers of men -- and women -- for Him.

revived

Praise the Lord. Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints.
psalms 149.1




So I've been feeling a little out of sorts lately. I mean, it's been a year of great highs and lows for me. My car was repossessed, I was fired from applebees after working there for 7 years and was evicted from my apartment. On the other end of the spectrum, I graduated from SWFC for Massage Therapy, got a job at Zen Massage and passed the national board for massage (i'm still waiting on the Florida board of health to issue me my license though...). Ryan and Joey were nice enough to take me in during this rough time. While it can be a bit cramped and I'm sure I get on their nerves quite a bit...I can't even begin to explain how grateful I am. I don't know what I'd do right now without Ryan's help.


Even with things beginning to look up, I couldn't help but feeling a little lost. Yes, I now had a plan. I knew what I had to do to get my life back together and get back on my feet. It's a daunting task. I've put myself in this position of financial despair, and while I know what I need to do get out of it, it's not going to be an easy task. Nor is it going to happen overnight.


So to combat this feeling of being lost, I knew there was only one place to turn. Jesus. I have always been religious and had a strong faith...though sometimes stronger than others. Since moving to Tampa over 6 years ago, I hadn't found a church that I felt 'at home' in. I honestly hadn't really tried that hard. It had somehow lost it's priority. I still read my bible, listened to my Christian cds and radio stations and prayed regularly...but that's not enough.


I've tried 3 churches in Tampa. The 1st was Idlewild. A girl, Mandy, who worked at Full Moon with me went there. It was a really nice church...but so big!! They actually have shuttles from the main service to sunday schools. It'd be really easy to go unnoticed there. I went a few times...but it was just too big. The 2nd was 1st Baptist of Lutz. I really like it there...but I tried it when I didn't have transportation. So I could only go when Lauren (old room-mate) or Josh (ex-boyfriend) wanted to go. While the congregation was friendly, I felt it may take some time before I made any real friends there or really felt at home.


That brings me to the 3rd church. Church at the Bay. I've only been once so far, but I loved it!! The music was a live band that played very contemporary music...like hillsong...one of my favorites. It was a very relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. Pastor Hal is an awesome speaker. He's down to earth, funny and inspiring. I also met some awesome people. Everyone was so friendly. I went by myself and was a little nervous that I'd feel out of place because I didn't know anyone. Not the case at all. I met 3-4 people before I even got to my seat. It's a non-denominational church, which I love! Annnd it's in walking distance of Ryan's apartment. It literally took me 4 minutes to get there. On my checklist of what I like in a church, Church at the Bay met and surpassed each one! I can't wait to go back! If anyone would like to join me, I'd love to have you!


I finally feel fulfilled. I feel back on track. I want to be a good Christian. I want to better my life. I can do all things through Jesus Christ.




How many times have I turned away
The number is the same as the sand on the shore

But every time You've taken me back

And now I pray You do it once more

Please take from me my life

When I don't have the strength

To give it away to You, Jesus
How many times have I turned away

The number is the same as the stars in the sky

But every time You've taken me back

And now I pray You do it tonight.
-Take My Life by Third Day