Blessings and Curses

Have you ever noticed that we as human's look for the biggest blessings or maybe our brains jump to the worst possible cases. I have heard it said time and time again, well that is just the way our brains work, it is human nature. Or is it something that we have grown to except and to look for in everything.

When our kids, our spouses or whom ever else does something wrong it is easy to point it out, but what if God did that to all of us, what if we were always reminded of our past, how we were liars, cheaters, manipulators and more? But God doesn't do that, He loves us despite the things we have done wrong and do wrong. He points us to a new way to do it, He gives us hope, He gives us joy. Isn't it time to start asking God to change our thoughts, ask Him to help us think before we react, think before we say something stupid. Jesus came to teach us how to love, He came to teach us how to be and in Him we can find the hope we need to do this the right way.

Yesterday I was brought up short. I failed this very thing. I got an e-mail with a question in it and I reacted to the question. My brain jumped to the worst possible thing. I reacted because of my past, but this isn't my past this is now. God dealt with me and showed me that true love is so much greater then reacting, it is taking the time to see God working in everything. I had to go back to my girlfriend and confess my sin and ask for forgiveness, because I failed to react the right way.

I have also heard it said, but Geoff it is to hard to change, to hard to look at the positive, to hard to change my perspective. You are right it is hard, but things that are easy aren't worth it. Things that you want to last take work and if you want to change it is possible, because what isn't possible with God? He is in us to will and to do His good pleasure, why are we so quick to say we can't change, but God is wanting us to change. He is with us, He never leaves us or forsakes us, He never gives us a task to big that we can't do it. Why then do we say it is impossible to change our thinking then?

What has God been calling you to do? What mountain have you been around over and over again while God teaches you the lesson again. I have been around many mountains over and over again and God has been faithful through them all. He will be faithful to you too.

My pray today:

Lord I lay down my life for you, I am weak and you are strong, you have gone before me every single moment of my day. You continue to teach me, to help me and to love me and I thank you for another day to walk with you. May I continue to surrender my own wants to you so that I may see the small blessings and praise you in everything, even the storms. May my life be an example of your love, your patience in every single way. May you touch me and show me the area's in which you want me to change. I thank you and I praise you for going before me and teaching me. Lord help me to love without boundaries and as you have called me to. I thank you for your unchanging love, your example that you set for me and I thank you for teaching me who I need to be and being patient with me even as I fail. Thank you for all you do. Help me to change my perspective and to see it through your eyes. Thank you Lord for the storms to remind me that staying grounded in you the solid Rock. I pray this in your mighty name Amen.

The Never

I have learned many things in the few years I have been alive, but one of the things that I learn is that the word "never", unless talking about something that has not happened to you, should not be used. Let me explain.
nev·er
adverb

1. At no time in the past or future; on no occasion; not ever.
   "they had never been camping in their lives"
   synonyms: not ever, at no time, not at any time, not once; 
2. Not at all.
   "he never turned up"
   synonyms: not at all, certainly not, not for a moment, under no circumstances, on no account, nevermore

When we use the word to say I will never do something, that is like opening that says test me, because in and of myself I can't fight that battle. See I took the step that say I am open to the testing. See there are so many things that I have said I would never do that I have done. I will not make a list, because I fell, but by the grace of God, He continues to set me free. 

When we try and do things in and of ourselves we are apt to fail, but when we acknowledge that we are weak and He is strong, we acknowledge Him. By the grace of God I will not do these things and remove the point of "I" and we change it to what God has done for me. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 "9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." Using the word never boasts in the fact that I will not give in to what I am saying, but by admitting that I am weak and powerless to resist the temptations that surround me, I take the burden from me and say Lord it is not by my strength or my power, but yours, Zechariah 4:6 "So he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty."

It is when we acknowledge our weakness is when we put all our faith in God. This is not a one time choice, this is a moment by moment choice. It isn't a one time deal, it is a constant battle. And I praise God that He is the one that has gone before me, that He continues to teach me and I am blessed that it is not by my strength, but His. For I am weak and He is strong. Matthew 19:26 " Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Jesus is the God of the impossible, for impossible = I AM Possible and what is Jesus called? He is call the Great I Am. Exodus 3:14 "I am the eternal God. So tell them that the Lord,[a] whose name is “I Am,” has sent you. This is my name forever, and it is the name that people must use from now on."

Prayer:

Lord today I come before you, I know that I am weak and can not live the right way for you. I am fallen time and time again, but by the grace of God you have forgiven me. I want to walk according to how You call me to walk, let me not look for myself and my own power, but in each way let me allow you to be my strength. Let me allow the people that you have brought into my life to help me and allow them to be a tool that you have given me. Thank you for your love and thank you for all you do in me and through me. In your Great name. Amen.

Our Love

God has demonstrated how we are to be by what He teach us. See the more we focus on ourselves we see what we are lacking, or how people have upset us, because of how they treat us, or by things they say or don't say. If we are married, we focus on what our spouse does not do for us, we focus on their mistakes and so on. The list grows. Our kids let us down, but we love them still, but still they let us down, we start focusing on all the things they do wrong and we lose sight of what they do right. The more we focus on the externals, we miss so much.

God calls us to do what? What is the greatest commandment of all? Luke 10:27 "He answered, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself." Are you wondering how this applies to what we think about ourselves? Let me explain, the more I focus on myself, the more I lose sight of what is important, the more I lose sight of who is important. In Matthew 6:33 "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." If I seek my own wants, I miss the very important thing of putting God first.

God's instructions are pretty simple, it is us who makes them complicated. We strive to go after the things of the world, instead of focusing our thoughts on God. The more we put God first, the more He pours out Himself on us.

How does this apply to you? Well are you struggling in your marriage, relationship, family, kids? What are you focused on? What are you looking for? If we focus on the issue that we are dealing with, we miss the very point of why that issue is. Change your focus from the issue to putting it on God. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." Really give Him praise that... or I had a really bad day and I have to thank Him for that... it's raining out again, I have to thank Him for that? Yes, in all things we must thank God.

Changing our focus allows to love the Lord our God with all of who we are and in return we can love the one we are with more, we can love our kids more, because our focus is no longer on what they did not do, but what God is doing in them through us. We become a tool and we are no longer focused on what we do not have, but focused on what God has given us.

God's Plan

This morning I was reflecting on my weekend, although a full weekend God paved the way. In Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." I look back over the last several years and I realize just how God had His hand in my life. I see Him allowing me to walk the roads I have walked, not to hurt me, but to teach me how important it is just to be patient, just to wait on Him, for the plans He has for me are greater then what I can fathom, even if it is just working it is doing it for Him. It is walking each day for Him and allowing Him to work.

I lost everything not to break me, but to bring me to the end of myself and my focus could have been lost on whoa is me or it could allow me to see God's hand in it. I focused on me for awhile, before I saw God. In the midst of the waiting, I focused on me, I had days, weeks where my focus was on myself, what I did not have, what I wanted. It came down to the realization that I needed to allow God, not easy to surrender all, but in doing so He has been faithful: Philippians 1:6 "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." 

Today if you are struggling, where is your focus at, what are you focusing most on? Ask yourself those questions, if you are focusing on yourself, it is time to change your focus and see what God has for you. This is not just a one day thing, it must be done moment by moment and allow Him to show you His will. If He calls you to wait, become grounded in God. Psalm 18:2 "The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." In Him you will find rest and safety. Take yourself out of the world of noise, rushing from one place to another and take a moment and seek God, for He is the only Hope, Peace you will find and His is lasting.

Prayer for today:

Lord, I come before you today. Thank you for the promises that You have given me in the Bible. Thank You for going before me today. Thank you for the abundance of Peace and Hope that You have promised me, not just one day, but moment by moment. In You I find all these things and I find the fortress in which to rest. Lord help me to make time to rest in You, in Your presence and let me seek Your face Matthew 6:33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Let me seek You today in all I do. In Your Holy wonderful Name I pray these things. Amen