My Hope

Tonight as I sat at home thinking about all that has transpired in my day in my week a song popped in my head and I wanted to share it with you. When all else seems so far away and you may feel all alone, remember that Jesus is with us always, just rest in Him.

"My Hope is Built on Nothing Less"

1. My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

2. When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

3. His oath, His covenant, and blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When every earthly prop gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

4. When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found,
Clothed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne!
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

Hymn #370
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: 1 Timothy 1:1
Author: Edward Mote, c. 1834, cento

Planning

Last night I had an appointment with a financial planner. He explained how people every day take advantage of that fact that we do not know how to use money. He explained how it can really harm us if we don't know about things.

How true that is in life, we say we are Christians, but what does it mean to you? Who do you run to for help? I have spoken to my number of people with the idea that they knew what to do when trouble hits, but do we do it?

I started thinking about things in my own life. In my thoughts, I have found that when I have problems, it is so much easier saying they are my problems, instead of asking for help, then I fight to solve them on my own. Do you know how hard it is to ask for help? I hate admitting that, because even me admitting my faults opens me up for hurt, but I wonder how many other people hate admitting that they need help, they need prayer, that they need something.

My fear is about being let down, and so by not asking, I can't be hurt. But doesn't that actually hurt me in the long run. It is a repeating cycle and that is why I am being honest, because the time for it to stop is now.  I realize where the scars came from is from past hurts, but God wants to heal the past and allow us to walk in freedom today, by being willing to ask for help, by being willing to admit my struggles, God continues to heal the past and works in making a fuller completer life.

Healing from the past can not be accomplished without allowing God to work in my life. I am continuing to learn, to grow and to change, not my way but yours God.

Intentionality

in·ten·tion·al·i·ty

inˌtenCHəˈnalitē/

noun

1. the fact of being deliberate or purposive.

   • PHILOSOPHY

     the quality of mental states (e.g., thoughts, beliefs, desires, hopes) that consists in their being directed toward some object or state of affairs.

When I woke up I was singing a song this morning, as I drove in I was thinking about that song and praying about what He would have for me today, praying for those on my list and just seeking Him. The more I thought about my life, the more I realized that through intentional living that I am able to seek Him more. It is when I just allow my flesh to be my flesh that I lose. See in the struggles I face it is when I allow my to think for myself, I allow my flesh and its desires to get in the way of what God is doing. Through living intentionally I set my thoughts on God, I set my thoughts on loving Him more and even though my flesh is not satisfied in a human sense, it becomes more satisfied in Him, because I start searching after God.

I found it easy to become a person that is alive, that walks, breaths, thinks how everyone thinks, loves by feeling and so on and so forth. But when we want to live according to God's word we need to actually living intentionally. In 2 Chronicles 7:14 "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." What does it say seek My face, humble myself and pray all of which is an action, not just about living, it is about doing something changing my thoughts seeking God. 

It is easy to become so caught up in life that we forget that it through intentional living that we are able to seek God. It is through intentional prayer. If we do it when it feels right, guess what we will not do it, because sometimes our days are so busy, that there is no time. Well, isn't it time, to make time? I was speaking to my Mom and she told me a story about a woman that asked for prayer because she felt so far from God. My Mom asked how much time she spends a day with Him and the woman answered there isn't enough time in the day.

The same way goes with loving, we can love because it feels good, or we can love because we make a choice. Isn't it time to make a choice, to love not just because it feels good, but because that is what God calls us to. 

Yes, I share this not because it comes easy, but because I also need to live through being intentional about my thoughts, my actions, loving and more. Freedom isn't just given, it is sought after. We are slaves to our flesh and when we die to the flesh and live for Christ we need to be intentional about doing this. Romans 8:13 "For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live."

A New Era

My life continues to change and on this road I find myself being called to a higher standard. I have shared most of my struggles with you, but one struggle I have not is smoking. Maybe I mentioned it it way earlier, but I have struggled with that addiction. In the last month, God has been dealing with me in regards to ridding my life of all the things that are holding me back from what He has for me. And yes, smoking was one of those things for me.

See God tells us that our bodies is the temple of the holy spirit and we should take care of it. By me smoking, I am not taking care of it, I am only destroying myself. God calls us to a higher standard then others. If I preach words that people can be free from other addictions, how much more true would it be if I walked in the very thing that I speak of. God continues to remind me it is about not just saying the right thing, but doing it. 

Quitting has taken on a whole new line of faith, because of the cravings. Yes they come and go, yes they only last a few minutes, but the habit is still a habit. I still crave times in my day to just escape and enjoy freedom and I found that in a cigarette. 

In order to quit anything that we need to be free from we must change our focus. The more we focus on the problem, the more we see it and the more we want it. If I want to be free from smoking, I must change my focus from a cigarette to something else. Yes, you are right I could look at food, but it is just another addiction, we must change our focus to God. He is the only answer, in Him we will find freedom and rest, in Him He is the only way.

So today I am focusing on the word of God. What has He and what does He continue to promise. Freedom in the blood of Jesus Christ. He continues to show me truth and wholeness. I am 4 days into quitting. It isn't easy, but it is all God. Trust in Him, He is the only way out of a life of addiction.

Have a wonderful Monday.