I Refuse

"I Refuse"

By Josh Wilson

Sometimes I, I just wanna close my eyes
And act like everyone's alright
well no they're not
This world needs God, but it's easier to stand and watch
I could say a prayer and just move on
like nothin's wrong
But I refuse
cause I don't wanna live like I don't care
I don't wanna say another empty prayer
Oh I refuse, to sit around and wait for someone else
To do what God has called me to do myself
Oh I could choose not to move
but I refuse
I can hear the least of these
cryin' out so desperately
and I know we are the hands and feet of You oh God
So if You say move
it's time for me to follow through
and do what I was made to do
and show them who You are
Cause I don't wanna live like I don't care
I don't wanna say another empty prayer
Oh I refuse to sit around
and wait for someone else
to do what God has called me to do myself
Oh I could choose
not to move
but I refuse
to stand and watch the weary and lost
cry out for help
I refuse
to turn my back
and try and act like all is well
I refuse
to stay and change
to wait another day
to die to myself
I refuse
to make one more excuse
cause I don't wanna live like I don't care
I don't wanna say another empty prayer
Oh I refuse
to sit around and wait for someone else
to do what God has called me to do myself
oh I could choose
not to move
but I refuse
I refuse
I refuse
yeah

Goliath

We all have Goliath's in our lives. Something so big that we do not think we can win, we fear the very thought of even confronting it, because what if it is beats us again. Well, I guess it already has won, it has caused us so much fear that we act like it is not there.

I ran from the things about myself that scared me, they were Goliath's in my life. I thought if I hid from them that they would not affect me, would not haunt me, but what I didn't realize was if I didn't confront them they would continue to torment me, they caused me to be hidden, full of secrets and in that I was lost in the fear of them.

I have recently been challenged to think about those Goliath's in my life. It has caused me to look at them differently. They are not battles that can't be won, they are battles that I have been afraid to fight. I have been afraid of those things and by my fear I have allowed them to win over me. God says we should not be afraid, that He is with us, that He is our Rock and place of refuge, whom shall I fear. I was afraid and let those things take hold of who God wants me to be, instead of letting God take hold of them. We can be defeated, or we can be as conquerors in Chris Jesus. He has fought all the battles for us, He is victorious and we are to be too.

I have been shown that I can win the battle, that if I do not fight it, that I will surely lose, but if I take hold and claim victory, the battle has been won already. For those of you with Goliath's in your life, what is God saying to you. One of my Goliath's is smoking, I have used it as a crutch, as an escape instead of seeing that God has granted me freedom. Yes it will be a struggle to let it completely go, but God has claimed victory over death, He has won. Are we going to win, or are we going to allow the Goliath's in our lives to win, to cause us to run and hide?

It comes down to our choice, to our allowing God's healing power in our lives. David killed Goliath with one stone. God had promised David a kingdom, but God promises us eternal life. I want to be as David was and run at the Goliath one stone in a sling ready to defeat the Goliath in my life. One stone, that was all it took, because God had the victory over sin and death. We too have it, because we are the children of God. Isn't it time to thank Him for the victory, to take hold and to allow Him to heal us?

Have a happy Friday and a Happy Valentines day.

Learning

I have been learning a lot over the past week. This is one of the many things and I am happy to share it with you.

It says in the bible "we all are sinners." There isn't anyone better then another. It doesn't matter what we have done, we all have sinned, we were born into a sinning nature, but Jesus was sent to save us from who? He was sent to save us from ourselves. Jesus said go into the world and preach the what kind of news of the gospel? He said preach the good news of the gospel. What is the good news?

He loves you. We have all fallen short of His glory,  but He loves us anyhow. We are not better then anyone else and we have no right judging others, but what we should do is not preach hell fire and damnation, but the love of Jesus Christ to others. What better way then through our actions, through how we speak to others.

We are to live in the fruits of the spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, self control. When someone gives you an attitude, what does that mean? A kind word turns away wrath.

We have been given a tool, but we say it does not apply to us, it is from many many years ago. But Jesus came to this world to show us that we are not to judge the evil, for that is not our job, our job is to love them just as Jesus does. God wants us to be more like Jesus and that means living for Him, not living in the past.

Today is a new day and Jesus loves you, God loves you, what have I done to deserve it? Nothing, but He does, He loves me right where I am, I am a sinner. I have fallen short, far short of His glory, but He loves me still. I am so thankful to see that, to hear that.

Just the same as God loves me, He loves you too.

Moving Forward

I can listen to the few around me that say, you have to embrace your past to see who you are, because that just makes you, you. You have to except the things that you can't change and just love them.

The bible says something different, it says the old ways have passed away and we are made new in Jesus Christ. We can hold onto the past, or we can hold onto Jesus. We let the past go, we let our troubles that we had go and we hold onto our salvation. We hold onto that what God has given us and that is freedom from the way we use to be.

Have you ever noticed if you focus on something, it grows and grows and soon it seems to big to beat? I have and I have been lost in the man I once was and Jesus says that I am free from that. That the more I focus on Him, the less I focus on the problems I have, the less I focus on my past. 

Isn't it time we change our focus, we change our perspective? Well, it is time that I continue to do that. Don't say Geoff it is to hard, because it isn't. It is a moment by moment choice. What will your choice be? I am letting go of the past that anchors me to the negative and I am making a choice each moment to focus on what God has for me.

Have a wonderful Thursday and it is your choice. What choice will you make today?

The past is the past

Philippians 4:8
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Where we focus is where we will remain. If we focus on our old selves, we will be stuck in the old ways. We need to focus on where God wants us to be. The lovely things, the admirable things is where God wants us to focus on. 

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

It is time to let the old go. The past is the past, what we are is New in Christ Jesus. Are you holding onto anything old? I sure was, but in freedom I seek the new, Gods way, not mine. He is the only way, the only truth and the only life. 

It is not about judging others, but loving them right where they are at. We look at the outward appearance, we base our thoughts on that, but God looks at the heart.

The devil will remind you of the past, but God will remind you of the beautiful creation you are, He will love you for the person you are becoming. You are a new creation, the old is gone. It is time that we focus on the real us, the new us and let the past go.

Casual Christian

Degarmo And Key - Casual Christian Lyrics

It's more than a wish, more than a daydream
More than just a passing whim
Yes, I've said this all before
A thousand times or more
I don't wanna waste my life in chains of sin

CHORUS

I don't wanna be, I don't wanna be a casual Christian
I don't wanna live, I don't wanna live a lukewarm life
But I wanna light up the night
With an everlasting light
I don't wanna live the casual Christian life

This life is filled with strong distractions
With pulls from the left one from the right
I've already made up my mind
Gonna leave this world behind
Gonna live my life a living sacrifice.

What is God calling you too? I know where He is calling me, it is time I walk it. 

All or Nothing

Revelation 3:16
16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

We have to chose, light or dark, we can't chose the middle road. The middle road leads to the same place of the cold, it is a battle, it is a choice and this day I make the choice to live not the lukewarm road, but choosing to live not as others live, but as I am being called to live. It is a choice where we put God first, He has to come first in all our choices, then comes the hard part it is dying to self. Saying I will not serve the gods that so many people serve, but I will serve the God that is greater then all. I will lay down my life, my wants for what He desires of me.

This is a daily choice, moment by moment and someday's maybe harder then others. Sometimes we want what we want and no one can tell us different, but even then it is a choice our choice.

Joshua 24:15
15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

I want to serve the Lord, not myself. My ways lead to destruction, but God's ways lead to life, hope, peace and so much more. What do you chose?

Have a good day.

The River Will Flow

Whiteheart - The River Will Flow Lyrics

There inside my dream
I heard the river roar
I stumbled through the darkened mist
But I couldn't find the shore
Then a voice within the mist said,
"Tell me what do you seek?"
I said, "I have a mighty thirst,
but I feel so tired and weak"
He said, "I am the river
full of power and truth
you've been looking outside yourself
when it's there inside of you"

Chorus:

And the river will flow
The river will flow
Through all of the times of your life
The river will flow
And the river is love
The river is peace
And the river will flow through the hearts
of those who believe

So put your hands in mine
Oh, put your hands in mine
And let us all go down
And kneel by the river's side
we'll cry our tears of joy
Cry our tears of pain
We'll let them fall down from our eyes
to be washed in the sacred stream
Even the secret tears
buried in our memories
Let them all be swept away
to the depths of the endless sea


It starts with a choice and that choice is yours. Are you going to let the river flow or are you going to be afraid to make the choice? What will it be?

Belief

This morning on my way to work, I focusing completely on the road and the cars and trucks passing me as I followed the road along to get to my destination. As I was driving I have was also thinking about how what we believe really can make us or break us.

For example: If I were to believe that I was a failure, you want to know what I am probably, I am a failure. The beliefs we have directly impact who we are, they impact us in ways we have no idea. If I think I am a failure, I do nothing to get myself out of the current state I am in, I do nothing to change the outlook on life and so I continue down this spiral.

Lets change this up a little bit are you ready? OK, what if I realize that I have potential to be someone, but I have all the garbage of the past what do I need to do? That would be a very good question if that wasn't me with the garbage of the past, but I do. I have to say the past is behind me and the person with potential is before me. It comes down to a belief a choice to let go of the past and to move into today. Now I am single so I don't have a second person to convince, but I do have many things to believe in. I have God and He will help me along the way, He will give me the wisdom when the old enemy comes into do what? That is rob, steal and destroy, God is there to set me free. See the devil will remind us of our past, how we were liars, cheaters, stealers and more, he will remind us of where we have been and how faithful we were not, but God says He has washed that sin away, He has taken it from us, so is the past there to hold us back anymore? No because according to God we have no past, we only have a future with Him.

So today maybe it is time to change your belief from looking at the past and seeing how it has destroyed you and seeing today for the day that God has given you. It is a gift of the present and what it holds I do not know, but God knows. He has gone before you and Jesus is walking with you. Trust God to show you away from the past and show you new future in the hear and now. He will be with you, all you have to do is ask. It says believe in me and you will be saved. It also says He is the only way to the Father, Him alone and that is the only way to God. Can you imagine how free His love is for you today? Take hold and know that He loves you, that He loves you so much He died on the cross to bear our sins. He alone is the only one that can save you from yourself. We can't save ourselves, only God can save us.

Today it is about what you believe. Are you willing to say Lord you are the way, let me walk in your ways so that I may be free from the past? Your choice and only yours.

A song to add to this:

Whom Shall I Fear (God Of Angel Armies)

You hear me when I call

You are my morning song

Though darkness fills the night

It cannot hide the light

Whom shall I fear

You crush the enemy

Underneath my feet

You are my sword and shield

Though troubles linger still

Whom shall I fear

I know who goes before me

I know who stands behind

The God of angel armies

Is always by my side

The one who reigns forever

He is a friend of mine

The God of angel armies

Is always by my side

My strength is in Your name

For You alone can save

You will deliver me

Yours is the victory

Whom shall I fear

Whom shall I fear

I know who goes before me

I know who stands behind

The God of angel armies

Is always by my side

The one who reigns forever

He is a friend of mine

The God of angel armies

Is always by my side

And nothing formed against me shall stand

You hold the whole world in Your hands

I'm holding on to Your promises

You are faithful

You are faithful

And nothing formed against me shall stand

You hold the whole world in Your hands

I'm holding on to Your promises

You are faithful

You are faithful

You are faithful

I know who goes before me

I know who stands behind

The God of angel armies

Is always by my side

The one who reigns forever

He is a friend of mine

The God of angel armies

Is always by my side

I know who goes before me

I know who stands behind

The God of angel armies

Is always by my side

The one who reigns forever

He is a friend of mine

The God of angel armies

Is always by my side

The God of angel armies

Is always by my side