Different or the Same

I was thinking about what sets me apart from the world, what makes me different. When I asked Jesus into my life, I said that I would do what He calls me to do, that makes me different, but as time goes by, am I doing what I promised Him I would do? It says in Ecclesiastes 5:4-6 "When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands?" Do not delay in paying it, wow, did you read the same thing I just read, when we say Lord I give you my life, that is a vow, Your will be done, that is saying no longer is it about self, but about what God wants, isn't that a promise? Do you think that God views our giving our life to His, like a marriage vow? Or in Deuteronomy 23:21-23 "“If you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin. But if you refrain from vowing, you will not be guilty of sin. You shall be careful to do what has passed your lips, for you have voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God what you have promised with your mouth."

We take things so superficially now, we only do it if it is easy, but what does God say about our hearts? Do we have a heart to serve Him or to serve self? Our actions define what is most important to us. If we are not doing it like God has defined to live, then who are we serving? God has called us to walk differently then the world, but when we are defining ourselves by what the world defines ourselves by, then we are no different than anyone else, we in fact could be just like the world. When our actions are just like the world, then we are not living the way God has called us to live. Serving ourselves is a sin, it is a sin against God because we are saying that I love myself more than I love God. When I am not following what He has said to do, I am saying I am the most important and what God says well it must just be a suggestion. God doesn't make suggestions, they are commands. In our personal life commands, in our relationship with our parents commands, in our marriages commands, not just do this if it feels good, He says do it all the time, because we love Him more than our own rights.

God knows that we are in a mind field, He knows where we need to walk and where we need to avoid. He has written the Bible to help us through the mind field of life, but when we do not read the Bible, learn from it and others that have gone before us, we are saying God I know better than You. He wants us to follow His footsteps, but are we willing to do that or is it about what we think is right? He says Geoff going that way is deadly and if I do it, who is to blame for what happens? I was warned, I was corrected, but I did it my own way and in the process yes I learned, but if I had just listened, I would have learned too. I was stubborn and wanting to be prideful and doing it all by myself, instead of relying on God. Are you doing life your way or are you following His footsteps?

Matthew 7:21-23 "21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"

James 1:22-23 "22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror."

Do I allow my faith to wain or waver, because I just don't want to do what He calls me to do? Yes, we are saved by grace, the grace of Jesus Christ and He has said that once we believe that we are destined to be with Him in eternity. Grace is not a license to do wrong, but a gift that Jesus Christ gave to us to do what honors Him. When we get our drivers license does that mean I can speed, break the law? No, it means that the laws are put there for my protection, for the protection of others too. Just the same as the Law of God, it is defined for me to follow, not to defined for me to break and break God's heart in the process.

As the year comes to a close, ask yourself, am I doing what God calls me to do in His Bible? Am I following His teachings or am I doing what I want, because it is easier? He wants a people of integrity, a people who will stand up for Him no matter what comes our way. 

Giving All to God

It is easy to say God is at the center of my life, but the question is He really? If I am living my own life, making my own choices and doing nothing to put Him and keep Him at the center of my focus, He is NOT the center of my life. I can be so quick to say I love the Lord my God with all my heart, my soul, my mind, but do I? My life will be a living example of what Jesus has depicted for me to follow in the Bible. If my life is all about me, then Jesus is not at the center of my life, I am. When I am the center, chaos happens, I want what I want and I want it now. God has illustrated it in the Bible, He calls us to be set apart from the world, different, but when I make life about me, I am no different then the world. I am saying that I know better than God.

Jesus will change me, but it takes work for me to keep Him at the center, it takes me doing, it just doesn't happen. When I focus on all the outward things of myself, then I am not worried about Him at the center. God has depicted what life with Him at the center looks like, it is honoring to Him when we put Him at the center, it creates in us a pure heart, because know what I am more worried about what God says, than what others think, or at least what I think they think. When I am more worried about self, I am not worried about God at all, I know what He says, but knowing and doing are two different things. Do you know what God says about knowing and not doing? James 4:17 says "If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them." or James 1:22 "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." It is easy to hear it, but ignore the truth, but God calls us to do what we hear, not just to hear it. John 14:23 "Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them." Anyone that loves Me, will obey my teachings, because I love God more than myself, because that is the first and greatest commandment and when I do that, I want to bring honor to Him, it is no longer about I, but Christ in me. Galatians 2:20 says "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." When I start living not as I want to, but as Jesus Christ has set forth in me, it changes how I am, but I have to be willing to continue to crucify the flesh, my wants, my will, my thoughts and live as Jesus has defined in the Bible.

When I am able to allow Jesus Christ to be my strength and no longer is it about self, then I am able to stand tall, knowing it doesn't matter what others think of me, it is more important what Jesus thinks of me. That is the crutch of it all, if I am so caught up in self, I will not care what Jesus think, nor will I do what He calls me to do, because I am more worried about myself than about Him.

If you are married, look at your marriage, are you more concerned with your feelings than how God views your marriage? If I am more concerned about pleasing self, than I will not care what God says about marriage.

If you are a son or daughter, God defines how we are to be to our parents, but if you are more concerned about self and your rights, then it doesn't matter how you treat your parents, it just matters what you feel is right for you.

The list goes on, but the bottom line is, do you care more about what happens to you or what God thinks? If you care more about what God thinks, then it will be demonstrated in how you live for Him in your marriage, in your life across the board.

Challenge

I have a challenge for you, are you willing to except this challenge? Are you ready to see what God has for you today? This message will self destruct in 5 minutes. OK, not really, but it sounded good.

God is creating Himself a people that will obey His words, His call on our lives. He wants us to do, not just to be. He wants us to put what we know to work in our lives today, not just to put it off till tomorrow. It says in  James 4:14 is says "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." Or in Proverbs 27:1 "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring."

We do not know what tomorrow holds for us, but we know what He is calling us to today. Matthew 6:33-34 "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." And there are more: Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." 1 Peter 5:6-7 "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you."

Those are not my words, those are God's words. He calls us to serve Him, not because it is easy, but because it is His honors and pleases Him. We were created, we were called to please Him. There are things we do that grieves Him and when we do not follow what the Bible tells us, can you imagine how that grieves Him? In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

My challenge today and the rest of the time is... Are you ready? In everything give thanks to God. He knows what you are going through, He knew you would go through it and it doesn't say only in the good do we give Him thanks, but in ALL circumstances. So no matter what you are going through, instead of questioning why, start thanking God for what you are going through, because in all things it will work out for His glory, not our own. We may not understand it, but He sure does. So in everything that you are going through, stop asking why and start saying Thank You Lord for ______ and thank you Lord for giving us Patience, Peace, Love, Joy, because He gave it to us so that we could walk in them and He will continue to pour it out on us, but we must walk in it. It is no longer about "I", I says why me, "I" don't want to, "I" don't like it. God calls us to stop with the "I's" and start walking in thanksgiving.

Thank You Lord__________________. God will change you, but you have to be willing to change and this is one change, but God will use it for His glory.

1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 "(Final Instructions)
12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you.13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances;for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil.

23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

25 Brothers and sisters, pray for us. 26 Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss. 27 I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters.

28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you."

Action

I have heard it said, if we say but do not do, we are not willing to put action to our words. We can say a lot and do nothing and each time we do that, we remove the power behind the words we say. If I say I love you to someone, that love is not just a word, but an action, a promise to do what I can to show the person what that word means. To love someone isn't just when it feels good, but to love unconditionally all the time. When we say I love you Lord, that means that we are wanting to do what He calls us to do, because that is the true meaning of love. Love without action is just a word, to say Love means I am willing to do what it takes to represent my love.

To say I am a Christian, a Christ follower, means that I need to be willing to do what He calls me to do, to do it not out of obligation, but to do it because I want to follow Jesus Christ. He may call us to walk difficult area's in our lives, but we do it not to say I did it or because it is easy, but because it brings glory to God. We may be called to a certain thing, but we grumble and complain every chance we get, that isn't serving God, that is doing the opposite. If God has placed us there, He has a reason and we need to give Him thanks in every situation, in everything, that means the difficult position.

When you put action into each area that you are struggling in, it changes your view on things. I will explain. In marriage, you want to deepen your love with your spouse, the more you represent love, show love, the more you will begin to rekindle that spark, but it takes action. It isn't just saying I love you, it is backed with actually doing what that word means.

If I am constantly looking at life negatively and just say how bad things are. Am I actually giving thanks to God for everything that He has given me? No, I am not, I am actually doing the opposite, every critical thing I say, I am saying God I know better, that I know more than You and in doing so, I am not bringing God glory, I am not being a Christ follower, I am being a self follower. I am telling God that I know better than He knows. God says in Ephesians 5:20 "always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." I have to put it to action, because no longer is it about "I", but Christ in me.

We have to be willing to put action into everything we do and say, if we are not doing it, we are just a clanging gong and ruin the very example that Jesus has called us to be.

How many words a day are said without action? How many times do we say something and do not follow through? Isn't it time to make every word we say count? Isn't it time to be who Jesus calls us to be?

Selfishness

I was thinking today about selfishness. Selfishness is defined as devoted to or caring only for oneself; concerned primarily with one's own interests, benefits, welfare, etc., regardless of others.

We are called to love the Lord our God the most, that is putting Him first in our lives, being first we are called to do what He calls us to do, but if I am doing what I want to do, because that is what I feel like, then am I putting God first? No, I am being selfish, saying my way is greater than God's way, it isn't honoring to God at all. The Bible, God's word is very clear about how I am to be, if I am a child, I am to honor, respect my parents above myself. If I am a single adult, I am to honor God's word in how to be to my parents still, or to my boss or to other people. If I am married, God is clear about how I am to be to my spouse. There isn't any questions on it, because the Word of God clearly defines our roles, if I chose to do it my way, I am placing myself above God, I am saying I know better than the creator of the universe, because I am more important than Him. I am being selfish.

The Word of God is clear, it isn't not to be about self. When we make life about self, than life seems to fall apart, we have a lack of joy, peace, patience, self control, we worry more about what others think, than what God thinks. James 3:16 "For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice." Because we are making it about how I feel, what I want and how others view me, not what God wants. When we make it about what God wants, we put aside our childish ways of say my will, my toys, my things and we start looking at what God calls us to do and that is to walk humbly and growing in who God calls us to be. 1 Corinthians 13:11 "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me."

In marriages if selfishness is there, it will have a hard time surviving. God calls us to serve our spouse, but in the growing culture, we want what we want and that is it. It doesn't matter how our spouse feels or thinks, but can you imagine if both spouses are wanting to serve God the most? That changes everything, because no longer is it about my will, but God's will. That is such a change, such a different than what the world says, the world says do it for self, but God says do it to honor Him. Maybe if we change our thinking of why we are here, it isn't that God serves us, but we are here to bring God glory. Are we doing that when we worry more about self than Him?

With Eve, the serpent tempted her about herself, it was selfish desires and ambition, not about what God wanted. Today the Devil is using the same game, he is saying it is all about self, but God says make it about Him. The devil wants us to make it all about self, so when we are being selfish, when we are doing things that only bring me glory and only because I want to or do not want to, I am not bringing God glory, I am glorifying the devil, I am doing it the devils way, not God's way. Do you see how Eve sinned in the garden? Are we following in her footsteps or are we really serving God? It says in Matthew 6:24 ""No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." When we are trying to serve both God and ourselves it will not work, we must chose to serve only one. Who are you going to chose?

Here are additional scriptures that talk about selfishness and self-seeking.

Romans 2:8 "But for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury."

2 Corinthians 5:15 "And he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised."

Luke 9:23 "And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."

Proverbs 26:12 "Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him."

1 Corinthians 10:24 "Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor."

Philippians 2:3-4 "Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others."

1 Corinthians 13:4-6 "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth."

Romans 15:1-3 "We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”"

James 3:16 "For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice."


Luke 21:8-9 "And he said, “See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them. And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.”

Proverbs 21:15 "When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers."

Romans 6:16 "Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?"

Ephesians 5:21 "Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ."

Romans 12:1 "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."

1 John 2:15-16 "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world."

2 Timothy 3:1-17 "But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. ..."

Luke 17:33 "Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it."

Matthew 20:16 "So the last will be first, and the first last.”"

Romans 8:5 "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit."

Matthew 24:12 "And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold."

Revelation 3:15-17 "“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked."

Romans 16:17-18 "I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive."

Romans 12:1-21 "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. ..."

Prayer

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

I believe that prayer isn't just saying our morning prayers, meal prayer, bed prayers, but it is so much more. I will try to explain. How often do you think you pray in a day? The Bible says to pray without ceasing, to keep a mind set of Christ. When we keep Christ at the center of our lives it isn't about what I want or do not want, but what He wants in me. Matthew 6:33 says "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Can you imagine if when hard or easy times came that instead of focusing on the struggles at hand, we change the way we think, we start thinking of how Jesus would handle the situation, it changes our thought process. Proverbs 3:5-6 says it the best way "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."

When we become Christ followers, we need to be willing to change how we are, instead of being like the world who is quick to react, quick to anger, quick to expressing, we need to be James 1:19 "This you know, my beloved brethren But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;" or in Proverbs 19:11 "A man's discretion makes him slow to anger, And it is his glory to overlook a transgression." These things were not written in the Bible just for a reading pleasure, they are written so that we may learn and follow them. There are examples from every aspect of our lives, but we must be willing to look. When we place Jesus at the center of our lives, it is no longer about "me". And then I am able to have a mind set of prayer and my heart has to be right with God. 

When I am selfish I think only of myself, I think of what I can get out of things. I will offer help, but hope that they do not take me up on it, because I only offer out of selfishness, not out of being willing to do what it is God is calling me to do. When I am selfish, I am not filled with the Joy of my Savior, because it isn't about Jesus, it is all about me. Selfishness is the opposite of being a Christ follower, because walking as a Christian it can't be about me, but about my Lord and Savior. He wants me to place Him at the center, to have a heart of worship to Him and for Him. When I stop doing things for myself and start living for Him, I start to see the change that will occur in me, because no longer is it about "I", but you Lord. When you are able to make it about living for Jesus, about making it that our actions are a representation of who He is in us, we start realizing that our lives are a living example of Him. It changes us, because He is changing us. Our actions are no longer about what I get from it, but what Jesus gets from it. 

We need to be willing to look at life through Jesus's eyes and in doing that, our hearts will be transformed from the "I" role into the "You Jesus". Our hearts need to be in an attitude of what brings Jesus glory instead of what I do for me. When I ask Jesus to change my heart, I have to be willing to do what He calls me to do, regardless of how I feel. That is laying down my self, my wants, because it is no longer about if I have time, it is what Jesus wants is more important than self. If you are unable to do this, the issue is not if you have time, it is a HEART issue, isn't it time to get your heart right with God. He needs to be the center and when you allow Him to be, then praying isn't about what time it is, it is about honoring God. It is saying praise you Lord and I love you Lord throughout the day, you don't have to say it out loud (if you do, people may look at you strange)... But it is keeping Jesus at the center of your thoughts. A hard situation comes up, cry out to God first. Someone curses the name of Jesus, pray that God bless them. Someone cuts you off in traffic, pray that God watch over them. 

When we change how we are, not because it is easy, but because of God. When it is no longer about what I want, but what He wants, He will begin to transform you into what He wants. This process is not easy, because He will be working out the selfish desires in you, He will turn up the heat, to purify you and your thinking. You can give up or you can press into Him more and more, because He is doing a work in you. 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."

Isn't it time to live as Christ and stop living as the selfish, self-centered people that we are. Isn't it time to live as Christ calls us to? 

The Lies (Updated) (Revised)

I am going to start this blog differently, do you want to see through the lies of the devil and see the truth that God wants you to see? If so, please pray with me.

"Dear Lord, I love you and I thank you for your continued unconditional love for me. Thank you for being the alpha and omega. Ephesians 6:12-18 "(The Armor of God) For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people." I pray that you will open my eyes to the lies of the devil, I know I do not see the truth the way you want me to see it and I want to see it. Please remove the blinders from my eyes, so that I may walk in the truth that you have for me. I want to see and hear you, please let the truth of Your word, Your voice and everything you have for me. Thank you for loving me and for helping me in each area of my life. Lord I pray that you will give me wisdom and that I may see what You have for me. I pray this in your precious Holy Name. Amen."

I believe we are blind to the truth, because the devil has come to steal the truth from us, so that we may walk in blindness. God is clear about the truth in the Bible, but for some reason we think we know better than what the Bible says. I believe the devil is filling our minds with lies and we need to be vigilant and watchful of these things, we need to press into the Word of God to weigh out our choices that we are making. John 10:10 "The thief (The Devil) comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." And in 2 Corinthians 11:3 "But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ." and 2 Corinthians 11:14 "No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light." We need to be vigilant and watchful. Ephesians 6:11 "Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil."

The devil is cheapening things in our life’s. God intended many things for the growth of who we are, but the devil is working on breaking down the foundation of everything. We open ourselves up to the devils attacks when we expose ourselves to certain things, I believe each person it is different, because we are made differently. 

The devil wants us to see ourselves as not perfect and God wants us to see ourselves as His creations, when we compare ourselves to the world we lose the very thing that God has given us, He has made us different and unique each of us are different in ways, no one is the same, just like the snowflakes, no two are the same. The Devil wants us to compare ourselves to the world,  We need to start comparing ourselves to our Father in Heaven. He is Holy and He defines us, not the world. Romans 12:2 "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." The world doesn't see beauty as God sees beauty; we need to start looking through God's eyes, stop looking at things through the worlds eyes. I believe the devil is winning in this area, what are your thoughts?

Think about things that lead to marriage, God has defined the very essence of how He wants marriage to be. No sex outside of marriage, sex is so much more than just sex. The world says just do it if it feels good, the devil has cheapened sex to be an action, nothing more, but God says it is so much greater than just an action, it is a form of connection and it honors God when done for His glory the right way it can be more than just what the world says. When we think of it as the devil thinks about it, we are cheapening how God has defined it to be. We are being like the world and the devil is winning. We are not to be like the world, to think of it less than what it is. God has many purposes for making love, but the devil says it is all about self, but God says it is an unselfish act, that means it isn't about what I get, but what I give. It is so much greater than the devil has portrayed it. 

What about looking at men or women, when we look at the lustfully, that creates issues, but one of the growing issues in the church today is pornography, yes you read that correctly. The devil has cheapened what it means to look at a woman. You hear men say it doesn't hurt there wives, but it does, it breaks down the very thing that God has demonstrated in the Bible. Do we believe the word of God or do we look at ourselves and just want to please self. 

Another example, the break down of families. God has defined how our children are to be, how we are suppose to be to our children and even how we are suppose to be to our spouses. The devil has infiltrated our homes and is destroying the very essence of what it truly means to be a family. We are self focused, we are losing in the very place that God has defined as our first mission. We are to represent God in our homes, in our relationships, in who we are. 

Isn't it time that the blinders of self come off, that we start looking at life through God's eyes. Life is not about self, it must be about God. The first and greatest commandment is Matthew 22:37 "Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’" When we are doing things out of self interest, what feels good to me, what honors me, what I want, it is no longer about God, but ME. Are you honoring yourself or are you honoring God? Are you listening to the lies of the Devil or are you seeking the truth in God's word?

As I have been sitting here pondering what I have written and praying about it. I sensed God saying write more about the lies. We need to see them as such.

Other lies, we have no time for God, but God says when we put Him first He will order our steps, but we must put Him first. If we can't carve time out for God are we putting Him first?

No time to pray or I just don't feel like it. God says pray without ceasing, that means we should have an attitude of prayer, we need to commit each moment to God in prayer, not just when it is good, but all the time.

The devil wants us to focus on the bad, the negative, the things that will drain us of what we are. God however wants us to see things through His eyes. He says give thanks in every circumstance, not just the good, but every. By doing this, we change our perspective from cursing to rejoicing.

God wants us to put Him first, but our culture says our time and money is made by work, God says everything is His, so are we working for ourselves or are we working for God in our jobs? When we work for God, we are committed to doing the very best because we want to honor God. That is His call on our lives.

The devil says we can't change, that the way we were born is the way we will always be, but God says we can change. He says that if we love Him all things are possible, not just all things are possible, we must place Him first, love Him most and trust Him, He can change us, but we have to be willing to work at being changed. Change doesn't just happen, it takes work. We will not feel like doing it, but God will show us what needs to change and with His help we can change, it just doesn't happen, it takes work, it takes doing. Things just don't happen, we have to do, to allow God to move in our lives. To many people say if God wants He will do it, yes this is true in a way, but it takes us being willing and able, trusting and committing our lives to Him and moving in the way He wants us to go. We can't just sit and hope we will change, we have to be willing to change, not because of others, but because it pleases God. The devil says just sit and wait, God says move. Walk by Faith. Are you walking in the area's God has shown that you need to change?

The devil wants us to focus on ourselves in our marriages. God says that we focus on Him and then we make our spouse our priority. We are to be married, because it honors God. When we focus on self and make it about self, we are not honoring God, but honoring Satan, who is stealing the very meaning of what God intended. We are listening to the devils lies.

The devil says break our vows, it is OK. If we don't feel like it, we have a choice. Do you know what God says about taking a vow before Him? I would get into the word, before breaking any vow that you took to God. I don't want to stand before God knowing what I know today and say I broke the vow or it wasn't important to me, because I wanted to do what ever I wanted to do. We will all stand before God. Did you take a vow before God? Maybe it is time to recommit to them and stop making it about self.

The devil says it is alright to only think of self, to focus just on what I want. To treat anyone the way I want to and who cares what they think. God says no, we treat others the way we want to be treated. We love our neighbors, we honor those and those who persacute us we honor, not because it is easy, but because God calls us to do His will. It is His way not ours that matters.

Isn't it time that we get back into the word and start doing, instead of following what the devil says is OK. Who do we want to honor God or the devil? The devil comes to destroy, but God comes to set us free from ourselves. Because no longer is it about "I", but You Lord.

The devil wants us to do it ourselves. The devils lies are that we can do things all alone, that we don't need anyone else. This is harmful in a church, in a marriage and even in our personal lives. When we think that I can do marriage alone, I will not ask for help, I will not use the help that God has provided. I am saying that I am right and He is not. It is a dangerous place to be. When I am saying I know more than God knows, I am my own God. God has given people wisdom to help me in my life, I just have to be willing to take the help, learn from other people, glean from them and allow God to change me, but if I am not willing to change, then I will stand still.

Thought

You don't get somewhere by staying still, you have to put action into the moving. Just the same way in our Christian walks, we need to put to action what God has told us or shown us. We must be willing to move, if we will not move, then are we walking in faith or just standing there hoping that we will move?

We can say we want a closer walk with Jesus Christ, but if we do not follow what He has put into the Bible, we will not be any closer to having that closer walk with Him. We must do what it takes to have a closer walk with Him. Have you heard anyone say, that they want a closer walk with God, but then they say they have no time to have it? It takes work, everything that is worth having takes work. Having a marriage takes work, you must be willing to put the work into it. Having kids takes work and the Bible talks about investing into our kids. We need to be willing to invest. What you put into each thing is what you will get out, if you put nothing into it, then nothing will come out of it, but if you invest then you will get that out and maybe more, but it takes work, it takes time.

Do you want to get something out of your relationships? If so, then you have to invest. It is like putting money into the stock market. If I say that I want to get money out, I have to be willing to put money in. If I put nothing in, then I will most defiantly get nothing out. Sometimes we put money into it and lose, but at least we tried, just like in our relationships, we can put in and have nothing to show for it in the end, but our reward will be out of this world, but our relationship with Jesus Christ, we will always get something out of that, but we must be willing to put into it. If we put nothing in, we will get nothing out of it. In our relationships, if both people are investing into each other, just think of the reward. "Do unto others as you would have them do to you." Don't base it how they are to you, base it on how God is to you. He will never give up on us.

To accomplish something we must be willing to do the work. To move we must be willing to walk. To grow we must be willing to invest our time. God talks about how we need to invest in Him, in our marriages, in our kids, in our jobs. If nothing is coming out of it, are you investing into it?

Leaky Faucet

A problem can't fix itself, it doesn't go away, it will always be a problem unless it is fixed, but fixing takes work and sometimes it takes hard work.

For example: I have a sink that leaks, the puddle is forming under the sink. Now it is a really little puddle and seems to be causing no stress to anything, but it is there. I can ignore the puddle and figure it will just be a little puddle for the rest of time and not think about how that puddle is affecting the structure under my sink, how that is damaging the wood and everything else. That is easy to do, I wipe it away when I notice it, but for the most part ignore the issue. The problem is by me ignoring the problem, I am doing nothing to fix it, I waiting for a real problem to form. If whatever is causing the puddle, becomes a much worse problem, it is an issue that I did nothing to fix the problem to begin with, that is a failure do fix the issue. Now I have a much bigger problem, because I allowed that water to pool under my sink and in doing so, it caused the wood to rot and now when the pipe leaks more, I am not just fixing the pipe, but the hole kitchen cupboard.

It is easy to not want to look at the little problem in our lives, we see them as a leaky faucet, we don't see them as a problem, we see them as a pain to deal with, we wipe them away.. We ignore them in hopes they will go away, we sweep them under the carpet or wipe them up and soon the problems are so big we can't seem to fix them, because not only have they warn a hole under the carpet or sink, but they have grown to big for us to deal with. This is a huge issue at this point.

Problems just don't go away, they tend to grow when they are not dealt with. If you have areas in your life that you have not dealt with, they will not go away, they will only grow. It is time to deal with them, before the pipe blows.

How many of us have leaky faucets in our lives? How many problems do we just hope will go away on their own without any interaction, without any work to fix them? Do we just hope things get better on their own? How many of us Christians want a deeper walk with God, but are not willing to put the work into it? It takes work to go deeper, it just doesn't happen because I say I am ready, it is by getting into the word, praying, seeking God, putting Him at the center of your life.

Our Christian walk is an action, are we just words or are we doing so that God can change us? It all comes down to choices. It is much like love, love is just a word, but put action into it and it becomes so much more. If I tell someone I love them, but do nothing to express it, it is just a word. Love takes action, are we doing the actions that it takes or are we just being?

I have noticed a growing number of people blaming life on other people, instead of taking responsibility for their actions. Isn't it time that we take the responsibility for our actions, instead of blaming others for how we are? If we have a leak, it isn't someone else's fault, we must be willing to look at it, instead of hoping it will fix itself.

Breaking

I was thinking this morning about all I have gone through in my life. God didn't break me, until it was His time. When I was first born, it is like I was a jar, in the process of growing up, that jar got cracked and warn out, all my thoughts, my thinking was about me. I went through many years of my life thinking that it was all about me and God couldn't know what was best for me, because I knew what was best for me. He couldn't tell me what to do, because I wanted to do it my way, because my way was always right. People would tell me I was doing it wrong, or walking the wrong path, but I was stubborn, I still wanted to do it my way. The more people told me, the more I turned my back, because I thought I was right and how could they know what was best for me. No one knew me better than I knew myself. The Bible has a verse about this in Romans 8:27 "And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God." God knows me better than I know myself. That jar that I was, by the time I reached adulthood, had so many cracks so many holes in it, that it could not hold anything. The word of God is like water, but I couldn't hold it because I was cracked, chipped away.

At that point in my life, all my choices, all my thoughts came crashing down around me. I thought I knew best, but God said He knows my inner thoughts, my needs. He took the jar that I was and smashed me into pieces. God wasn't done yet with me, in fact that was just the beginning, because He wanted to remake me, He wanted to purify me in order to remake me His own. I was in pieces, but that He began to grind those pieces saying, Geoff let Me work in you. Still my stubborn nature, I tried to fight and resist what He was doing in my life. Each piece of clay jar that I was needed to be ground to dust. It was the hardest time in my life as He worked the way I once thought out of me, when He taught me the choices I once made, I needed to make based on Him and not what I thought. This breaking process was not easy, I fought to hold onto things, I tried to tell God that I knew better than Him and I fought to keep area's in my life that I thought were OK, but God said they were not. In my brokenness I had to surrender and that was the hardest thing to do. I had to say Lord, it can't be about me, but has to be about You. I had to stop fighting Him, because He knows me better and it is in His timing that I broke.

Through the devastation of my life, through the ruin. He took the dust that I became and added water. The water was revelation, it was understanding about choice and how choices impact me every moment of the day. The water was so much more, but it was His living water and in the water, He started to reshape me, to make me who He desired me to be. Still it isn't easy, because my old will creeps in and raises its ugly head. I have to continue to say Lord I give it to You, I give You my life, because You know better than me. It is called complete surrender and when I am able to surrender to Him, to die to myself, to my wants and all and to replace them with His, He starts to reform me into a something else. He is still making me, He is not done with me yet, He is changing me from glory to glory. I by far am not perfect, but God is the Lord of my life and I continue to surrender to Him. I fail, but in my failures I learn and I grow. I want to do life His way, to do it how He has designed it to be done and in doing so, what I once was to what I am not has like night and day, but it was through His glory and faithfulness that I am who I am today.

Through the writing of this blog, you have seen what God is doing in my life. Thank you for reading and taking the time to see what God is saying to me.

If you experience the breaking process, although it hurts, what God is doing is incredible. He is making you more like Him every day. What I have learned, I continue to share, but God has placed people in my life for a reason, His plans are far greater than my plans, His timing is perfect. Who am I to think otherwise? He knows, I need to place all my trust in Him, not the world, not people, but in God, the creator of the universe, my Heavenly Father. He knows all, He designed all, His way is for the best and He has a plan. Do you trust Him? You can, He knows!!!

Hearers and doers

Can you imagine walking in the bathroom, sitting there looking into the mirror, you see yourself, you see every line, crease, scar, dimple, you see your nose, you see your eyes, you notice they are brown like mine, you see you have brown eye lashes and eye lids. When you walk away from the mirror you think to yourself now what color eyes do I have, what color is my hair? Can you imagine doing that? You walk in the bathroom and restudy your face every time, but as soon as you stop looking you forget. That would be very frustrating, to continue to forget what I look like

In James 1:22-25, he talks about that very thing. it says in verse 22-24 "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. " He is making the comparison, how often do we hear a great teaching, but since we are so busy thinking about our problems or our struggles we miss the very word that was given to us. Or we read the Bible, but we aren't reading it to learn, but reading it like a chore, like something we have to do to be a Christian. But God calls us to something deeper with Him, He calls us to hear Him and follow His teaching, not just to hear the word of God, but to do it. In James 1:25 he says "But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do." James is bringing it all in a full circle, he is saying this is what you are not to do, because and now this is what you are to do. James is clear that this honors God. We are suppose to not just be hearers, hearing is good, but doing what we have heard is what God wants us to do, He wants us to learn from Him, not learn from the world. Satan is teaching us things every day, who are we listening to the Satan or to God?

James warns us about our tongues how we need to desire above any other to want to honor God. When we desire to honor self more than God, we are not hearing what God has said in His word. God talks about how we need to be lovers of God and not lovers of self, Timothy wrote about this in 2 Timothy 3:1-9 "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be 

• lovers of themselves, = Selfish, self centered, all they care about is themselves
  
• lovers of money, = They care more about making money then about God
  
• boastful, = Excessive self pride, of achievements even struggles, all about self.
  
•  proud,= feeling deep pleasure or satisfaction as a result of one's own achievements
• abusive, = extremely offensive and insulting. name calling, belittling, disrespectful
• disobedient to their parents, = with no honor, no respect, doesn't listen, does own thing
• ungrateful, = not feeling or showing gratitude.
•  unholy = sinful; wicked, not caring about sinning, no remorse
• without love, = having no feelings of love, no action or passion, cold, icy, caring only about self
• unforgiving = not willing to forgive or excuse people's faults or wrongdoings.
• slanderous = false and malicious, abusive, insulting
• without self-control = inability to manage your actions, feelings and emotions
• brutal = savagely violent, cruel, vicious, ferocious
• not lovers of the good = doesn't care what is right to do, does what feels good
• treacherous = guilty of or involving betrayal or deception.
• rash = displaying or proceeding from a lack of careful consideration of the possible consequences of an action.
• conceited = excessively proud of oneself; vain
• lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God  = cares more about pleasure than pleasing God
• having a form of godliness but denying its power = Going to church, but not hearing the word, not doing it.

Have nothing to do with such people. 6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9 But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone."

Isn't it time to take a hard look at ourselves to see what area's that God is calling us to change. Are we more worried about what others think about us then God? God created us, we need to fear Him, to reverence Him, we need to want to Honor Him above all else, if we are more worried about self than about God, what does that say about our walk with Him? In our marriages, if we are not following what God says to do, because it is to hard, or we just do not feel like it, we are grieving the Holy Spirit, Ephesians 4:30-31 "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice." or in 1 Thessalonians 5:19 "Do not quench the Spirit;". Isn't it time to get down on our knees and pray, beg forgiveness and turn from our wicked ways? Isn't it time for a change? We must be willing to allow God to change us and take the steps necessary to change, if we are idle we are not wanting change, we are wanting only what we want and that is selfishness and selfishness is a sin.

Tree Parasites

Have you ever chopped down a tree? I have, sometimes the tree is solid all the way through and that is a sturdy tree, but the ones you have to watch out for are the trees that are hollow in the center, that means they are structurally weak, they could fall differently than you had planned when cutting them down. The tree rotted from the inside out, how does it do that? That tree got soft from all the wear and tear of life, bugs and worms ate at its flesh the bark that protected it. Wood peckers came along on devoured bugs, but in doing so, tapped holes in the tree allowing for insects to get in. Then the rain came and the storms came and the tree got soft with the wetness. Soon the outside of the tree was still looking tough, but the holes had made way for parasites, animals, birds to get inside and eat the middle of the tree away. The tree looks good on the outside, but is broken on the inside

We again are much like that tree, when we let the world peck at us, destroy us and wear holes in us, we allow the parasites to eat at us. Soon we are rotting on the inside, because we look at the outside, we compare it to the world, we compare it to what the world says and we start dislike who we are. We begin to rot, maybe the outside looks a little tattered, but our insides are a mess, our heart is full of anger, dislike, hatred, selfishness, all of which God has told us how to walk away from, but unlike the tree, we can make a choice. The tree can't just say I want to change, but God has given us the freedom to make the change and He has said He will help us, but we must be willing to change, we must do what He calls us to do.

Have you ever seen a child say I want to do this or that? If we do it for the child, the child will never learn how to do it for themselves, God is doing that for us. He has provided a path for us to walk, but He says now walk in that path. If He did it for us, we would never learn how to walk, we would not learn the hard lessons and we would not learn. God wants us to learn, but it isn't by Him climbing the mountain for us, but us climbing the mountain with Him along side us. We must be willing to say, I am willing Lord to be taught, but we must do the steps necessary.

An alcoholic doesn't get sober and clean by saying I want to be clean, he must do the steps necessary to get clean. Look at the 12 steps, it is a battle, but talk to anyone that is recovering from it, they had to make a choice to do it and it took great work, but now that they are clean they don't want to go back. They put work into it, they did it and look they are changed, just the same as we can be changed when we finally say, NOT my will Lord, but Yours. Give up control to God, surrender, but keep doing what God has instructed us to do in His word, do the steps, put Him first, love Him the most, follow Him and be willing to follow what the Bible says, because that is the Word Of God.

Are you willing to start climbing? Are you willing to do the work? If so, then there is no time like the present to start, for tomorrow is not guaranteed, but you have today.

Trees

I am back thinking about a tree, the roots, the leaves where it is planted is just what it is. It is a tree, you can tell it is a tree by all of that, there are no arguments that it is just that a tree. It can not change what it is, because that is what it was designed to be. The tree can bring us shade on sunny days, but it can also bring us shelter from hard rains. It provides so many resources to us when it is living, but it is only a tree.

We however are not just a tree, we are people, we are human beings designed by the creator of the universe. God designed us, He made us. He provides trees for us, so that we can have oxygen to breath, even shade or even food. God did that for us, have you ever thought about how we would not be here without God, but yet we take Him for granted, we take His name in vain, we are quick to blame Him for the worst and then praise Him only when we feel like it. We show Him reverence on Sunday mornings at Church, but what about the rest of the time through the week, are we showing Him the respect, the fear that He deserves? Do we think this is just the way I am? My question is, if you say that, are you a tree or a complex being created for so much more than just to be. God created us to worship Him, to honor Him, to share His name with the world, not to only do it on Sunday's. He has created helpful instructions to live by in the Bible, are we living by them?

Proverbs 1:7 says "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction." That is just the beginning, just think if I continue to reverance Him as the great creator of all things, do you think that I will continue to learn, to change to grow? Matthew 22:37 "Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'" Jesus calls us to put Him first in all things, not just when it feels right, but all times, these two verses go hand in hand, because when we fear the Lord, we will want to honor Him, to follow His instructions. But when we don't care about how God views things all we want is to please ourselves, to do only the things that we want to do, but we do not care about what God says.

Are we trees that can't change or are we Christ followers that need to change to deepen our walk not just on Sundays, but every moment of everyday? Yes, it takes work, but everything that is worth doing takes work. If you want something to last you build it right, you take time, you ensure it will last, our Christian walk is no different than that. Just like in marriages, if we want it to last, we need to put the work into every part of the house.

Isn't it time to say I am not a tree, but I am created to praise God, just as the trees do by reaching their branches towards heaven. We need to reach our hands towards heaven, to turn from our wicked ways, and to confess our sins, because it is time to be a people of putting God first in all things. He needs to be at the center of our lives, to fear how He sees our actions, because He sees and knows our hearts. What is He seeing in your heart today? Is He pleased? Do you care how He feels? Ephesians 4:30 "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." Are you grieving the Holy Spirit? Be who God is calling you to be, do the work, it is worth it, He will change you, but first you have to take the steps to want to be changed.

Marriage Vows

I write this blog, I speak to people about their daily walk and I share mine as well. I put myself out there, but if I am not living up to the standards I set for others, then I am just a clanging symbol and I will not be heard. Just the same as this, I am calling myself out on my failings to live up to the very thing I vowed to God to do. I need to be more worried about honoring God then myself and in honoring God I will honor others. Taking a vow is not just words, it is so much more and when I fail to honor my vows, I have failed to honor God. I am not pointing fingers, because their would be 3 more pointing back at me.

When people get married they take marriage vows, in a Christian ceremony, they take those vows before God. Those vows have a lot of things in them. Do you know the vows that you took before God on your wedding day?

Mine went something like this:
I, Geoff, take you Heidi to be my wife, my constant friend, my faithful partner and my one true love from this day forward. In the presence of God and our family, I vow to trust you and respect you, loving you faithfully through the good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles that we may face together. I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you as long as we both shall live, knowing that apart from The Holy Spirit’s leading none of the above mentioned is possible.

Have you ever really thought about each part:

• Constant Friend, what is a constant friend, it is one that sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 17:17 says "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity." And Proverbs 27:9 says "Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice."
• Faithful partner, one that is faithful no matter what may come, putting my spouses needs before my own, I think that Luke 6:31 "Do to others as you would have them do to you." Not putting any person before my spouse. That follows with what it says in Ephesians 5:21-33. And we also see it in Ephesians 4:2-3 "2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." and Ephesians 4:32 "32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."
• My one true love, that means there is no other human love that is more important than your spouses. One true love, that I will love how God calls me to love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.
• It then says from the day you say that forward, there is no end to that commitment, because that is a commitment that you hold above all others. 
• Then it says in the presence of God and our family, not my family and your family, it becomes our family at the moment of these statements. 

What does the Bible say about a Vow: In Ephesians 5:4-6 "When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands?" This verse is twice in the Bible, have you ever noticed that things written twice are to be payed attention to? It is in Deuteronomy 23:21-23 "“If you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin. But if you refrain from vowing, you will not be guilty of sin. You shall be careful to do what has passed your lips, for you have voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God what you have promised with your mouth." Do not delay in paying it. A vow is not taken lightly, it is not just words, it is a covenant to be upheld, no matter what, because in God's eyes it is sacred. How many times do we just think it is words?

• To trust
• respect
• loving you faithfully
• And for all of this no matter what we me face, in the good, bad, hard, easy, I will do this because I want to, I yearn to honor God above myself. That is what it comes down too, when we do not do these things, we are putting our-self first before God. 
• I promise to love unconditionally, that is a huge one, because unconditional love is very difficult, but it is to be strived for each day, because that is what God calls us to.
• To support you in your goals
• To laugh with you and to cry with you
• To cherish you. Cherish means to: protect and care for (someone) lovingly, to encourage, to support, to put the other persons needs before your own. 

These are high calling and not easy to do, but it takes work. Are you following them? Are you honoring God or are you honoring yourself?

And before the Vow that we take, we say I will to several statements, do you remember what your statements were? Mine were:

• Geoff, do you take Heidi, whom you hold by the right and to be your wife; to live happily together according to the will of God?
• Geoff – I do
• Will you love her, comfort her, support her, honor her and be loyal to her in all circumstances of life?
• Geoff- I will

All of these things were said before God, God the maker of the universe, the one that has defined all things, the one that has made all things and if I take what I have said lightly, who am I honoring? What does God call me to? To honor, to respect and to love no matter what. If I am not doing what I have vowed, I am walking in SIN, that is sin against God and sin against my wife, that is wrong and I need to confess my sins and turn from them and walk the way God calls me to walk. That is the higher calling, it is putting to death the old nature and being born to what God wants. 

The Choice

We were driving back from Virginia yesterday, it was such a beautiful drive. Along the way, there were cows throughout the ride. The cows were grazing in the fields, not trying to escape, just eating the grass. It came up in conversation do you ever wonder if a cow thinks of being something different or complains about the weather. When you think a cow is just a cow, it has a purpose and that is all it does. A tree, can't be anything other than a tree until it dies. Same with so many other things. Plants can only be plants, but once it dies, it becomes something else.

We are so much like those things, we can't be anything else until we are willing to die (not literally), but until we are willing to stop fighting God. He has a plan for our lives, but if we just think this is all I am going to be, that is all we will be. If we say we can't do something and never try to do it, we will only be what we are. God says we can do anything, but we have to put all our faith and love into Him. That means in order to do something, we have to first intentionally do it, we must make the effort to say Lord your will be done. If we are not willing to say Lord it is not my will anymore, but Yours, than nothing will change.

Do you feel that you can't do something, but God is calling you to do it? Maybe it is time to stop fighting God and start surrendering our will for His will. If God says it can be done, who are we to fight with God? To climb a mountain, we can look at the mountain and say it is to big and give up or we can say it is huge, but know what I am going to try and then I have to start working at it, but the mountain will not climb itself.

If you are experiencing the thought that it can't happen or I will never do what God wants because I can't, maybe it is time to die to what I want and live for what Jesus Christ wants in me. Isn't it time for a change? It comes down to choices, am I willing to say not my will but Your will be done? God says it so I believe it and that settles it for me.

What sets us apart from non Christians? What makes us different? Are we different than the world or are we just the same, but we go to Church on Sunday? I say if we are going to call ourselves Christians it is time to live according to what Jesus Christ calls us to, not my will, but Your will Jesus.

Paul and James

I was on my way to work this morning and listening to Chuck Swindoll. He was doing a teaching on James. I don't know if I can get the right wording, but I will take what he was saying and put it into my own words.

He was saying how Paul's writes about salvation and walking our new lives with Christ. Then he was saying how James writes about our walk as Christians and how in one sense it sounds different, but when we look at it like this. Paul's writings are to see if there is a fire in the fire place, where James writes about if there is smoke coming out the chimney. Our Christian lives are not just about the fire, but the smoke too. How we need to have fruit and the evidence of our faith. We need to be careful that we are not just saying that there is a fire, but no one else can see that we have a fire in our fireplace, because there is no evidence of it, that isn't enough. We need to have evidence of our walk with Jesus Christ. So in other words, do people know you are a Christian or do they think you are just like the unsaved? What sets us apart from other people?

When we read James with that in mind, we can have a different attitude about what he has written. In James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." I think it is easy to think man another trial, ugh, I have to do this again, but can you see how changing our perspective from seeing the trial is not meant to destroy us, but to make us have more perseverance. God has a plan for every trail we face, He knew what it will do for our Christian walk and I believe that is why in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 it says "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." God has a plan and when we start surrendering our will for what He wants, we stop fighting with Him and we start allowing Him to lead. James 1:12 says "Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him." 

Trials will come in our lives, not to break us, but to make us more like Christ. To teach us how to be patient, to love unconditionally, to walk as Jesus calls us to walk. When we stop wanting life to be about self and allow life to be about our walk with Jesus Christ, we will see smoke start to pour out of the chimney. Life is not about self, it is about our love of the Father. When our fire is not producing smoke, we are not living as Jesus has called us to walk. Our lives, our marriages, our talk should be that which displays our walk with Jesus Christ. Paul went blind, Jonah was swallowed by a whale, there are many illustrations of God driving force to get us to follow Him, but we must make a choice to do it, we must start making the climb, it just doesn't happen, it takes work. 

I will leave you with this verse to ponder James 2:14 "What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?"

The Devil and his Lies

I was thinking about the devil today and really was thinking about how blind we are to his affect on us, because we think that it is normal or that we think that it is just the way of life. God has warned us about the devil, in 1 Peter 5:8 “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” The devil is out here looking for ways to destroy us, do you know he does not want us to proclaim the name of Jesus Christ; the devil does not want marriages to work, families to stay together. God has been clear about how things should be, but when we go against what the Bible says, we are going against what God has said, what He has instructed us to.

We need to stand tall and it says in James 4:7 “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” There is a process, it isn’t just resist the devil, first we must submit to God. Yes, we must surrender, because if it is about our will, it is not about what God wants. So first it must be Lord I surrender, I submit to you and the resist the devil, say devil you have no place in my life, in my home in my marriage. My home is God’s, my marriage is God’s and most importantly my will is God’s, it is not yours to mess with. In doing so, you are saying God Your will be done, it is no longer about myself, it is about You God.

See when we make life about ourselves, we are not surrendering to God. We are not doing it God’s way, we are doing it our own way. It has to be about God, not about self. That must be the hardest thing to understand. God is greater than our problems, do you know that God wants us to follow His teaching; He wants us to follow Him, not ourselves. We have direct instructions to follow, are we doing it or are we following are own selves?

The devil is very active and the more we draw into Christ the more the devil will try to destroy us, I am sorry to tell you this, because the devil does not want us to be close to God, because the closer we are to God, the closer we are to understanding the ways of the devil. If you research how the Bible talks about the devil, you will see that he is sly, he is cunning and very smart, we think that the devil is dumb and that we can trick him, but the truth of the matter is the devil is always looking for ways to rob, steal and destroy. John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

Don’t forget that Jesus has already won the battle, but we must submit, turn from the wicked ways and surrender ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, resist the devil and he will flee. I believe that people get confused, they think that since Jesus Christ defeated the devil that we do not have to deal with him, but that is the farthest thing from the truth, he wants to do anything it will take to take us away from Jesus Christ, so look at your life, who are you focusing on? What are you focusing on? Is there something you do that takes you away from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? Because know what the devil will use anything to destroy your relationship with our Father, if you are not focusing on God and keeping Him in the center of your life, of your marriage, of your relationships, what is causing you not to?

God calls us to complete surrender, isn’t it time to do that? There is no time like the present to say "Lord I am not following You like You have called me to, that is a sin, I have placed others things first and I confess my sins to You, I want You to be first and not my things, because I want You to rule my life and not my wants, because I want what You want. Lord forgive me."

He will forgive you, but you also must turn from the sin, that is true repentance. Jesus has promised to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, but we first must confess our sins to Him 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.". We must do what it takes, it just doesn’t happen. We as Christians still sin, when we asked Jesus to forgive us of our past, it didn't mean that we are free to do whatever now because we are saved, it means that we must live a life that represents Christ. Are we representing Christ by doing the very things that He has instructed us not to do?

Unforgiveness and the Burden We Carry

I was thinking about unforgiveness this morning and just thinking about what a hold it can have on us. Do you know that it isn't just forgiving others for what they have done in the past, it is forgiving ourselves as well. We ask other people to forgive us of our wrongs and we ask God to forgive us of our sins, but have you ever looked at your own life and been unable to let go of your past mistakes/sins?

I know for me, there was a time when I had walked on the dark side of life. I repented of those things, I asked others to forgive me of the wrongs I did against them, but until I forgive myself; those things are always present on can weigh me down. God talks about forgiveness in the Bible a lot. He talks about how it is better to forgive then to hold a grudge. I have to wonder, if we do not forgive ourselves of the very thing that we are forgiven for, if we can cause isolation from the presents of God.

Repentance is making 180 degree turn from them and leaving the sins at the cross. If I continue to carry the burden of my sins with me, I am not trusting God to take them and I will carry them until the day I finally realize that I do not have to anymore. God sent His son Jesus to take the burdens from us, when we repent and confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleans us from all unrighteousness. But am I still carrying the burden of my sins? I need to leave them at the cross, to leave them at the feet of Jesus, because He wants me to be free from my past, so that I can live in His presence, in the present and His future plan for me. He says

1. Psalm 55:22 says "Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken." God is glad to carry your burdens and give you the daily strength you need.
2. Isaiah 58:6 "“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?" It’s not God’s will that you should be crushed down with excessive burdens; let Him free you today.
3. Matthew 11:28-30 "28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”" Jesus will remove your heavy burden of guilt and hopelessness and give you true rest in Him.
4. Isaiah 41:13 "For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you." God promises to support and help you through every trial.
5. 1 Peter 5:6-7 "6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." Just knowing your heavenly Father cares about you personally can make any load seem lighter.
6. Isaiah 46:4 "Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you." The Lord desires to constantly support you throughout your life, with the intention of saving you eternally.
7. Isaiah 40:11 "He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young." The Good Shepherd will gladly bear you in His gentle arms right now. We are His flock.
8. Psalm 34:17 "The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles." If you belong to Him, God will always listen when you call to Him for help.
9. Isaiah 41:10 "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Through faith His strength becomes yours, and He reaches out to keep you from falling.
10. Galatians 6:2 "Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." When God has lightened your burdens, He asks you to do the same for others.

Last Days

2 Timothy 3 "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. 6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds,who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9 But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone."

This scripture has been playing in my mind over the last few days. I think when we look around at the world what is happening, we can be blinded because we have it so easy, but the signs of the time are here. I don't know when Jesus is going to return, but this verse makes it very clear what we are going to see.

Look at verse 2 "People will be lovers of themselves," I think most people may look at this verse and say, I don't love myself, I actually dislike myself, I don't like who I am, I don't like my job, I don't like... If God called you from the foundations of the earth, He formed you in your mothers womb, He knew what you would go through and how you would look, because He made you. For those that say these things and more, can you imagine if you started saying Lord you created me, I want to honor you with who I am, instead of seeing all the wrong that you see with yourself, start praising God that He chose you. It starts changing your perspective on yourself, because no longer is it about "I", but You Lord.

God calls us to love Him most of all (Matthew 22:37), there is no buts or saying when times are good or tough, that we can stop putting Him first. He calls us to a higher standing than other people, because He wants us to not be like the world, but to be like Him. Look around to see how the world handles things, they get angry, because they feel it as an attack on themselves, but when we are able to say it is not my will Lord (Matthew 6:10), but Yours, it changes our view. I have used this example many times, when someone cuts you off in traffic, do you curse them or bless them? The world curses them, but God says bless them. You say Geoff that is impossible and I tell you this, that all things are possible with those that love the Lord with all their heart, soul and mind, because no longer is it about self, but about God. We need to stop being a people that holds onto our rights and start dying to the rights of ourselves and look at what the Bible says, what God says.

Example husbands and wives, have you ever read what the God calls us to in the Bible? He calls us to honor, respect, love, not just in the good times, but all the times. It isn't easy, but when we change why we are doing those things, we change ourselves. We do those things, not because it is easy or because they deserve it, we do it because God, the creator of heaven and earth, the creator of ourselves calls us to do it. It is because He has said do it, we shouldn't be asking how long or why, we should be doing it because He is our God and we love Him and long to serve Him.

This is the same as how we are to our parents, to our kids. God says it and I believe it and that settles it for me. Isn't it time we stop saying my rights and putting our rights aside and saying Lord I want to serve you more than myself?

The rest of the verse is the same, when we make life about self, it is not longer about God. When we start wanting to please self. People are getting divorced, because it no longer works for themselves. They made marriage about self. Then you look at the people that aren't getting married, but having sex outside of marriage, they say it is what makes them happy, because they took God out of it. When you take God out of the center of your life, it is somehow alright to do the very thing that God has warned us not to do. Put God in the center and follow what He says, isn't it time to do it His way?

Grace (revised)

I have a heavy burden on my heart and it gets heavier by the day, I can only share with you what it is, because that is all I can do.

God has given us freedom of choice, we can either chose to be more like Christ or we can live each day worried, depressed, in fear everything. God says in John 16:33 "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." We can either live in the fact that God has overcome the world or we can live worried about everything. He never said it would be easy to walk tall, to be a Christian and to be different then everyone else, He says you will have tribulation, trouble, adversity and more. He says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." How am I to do that? That is the question, but if God overcame the world, He knew we would have struggles, tribulation, storms, but He says give Him thanks for all of it, because He has already won.

Today are you struggling with adversity, are you worried, full of doubt? Give thanks to God, for He is good, His mercy is never ending.

God knows what changes us, He created us, He knows what troubles we will face and for us to be angry at God for them does us no good. He says give Him thanks, because I believe He knows that by us having a thankful heart, it changes our perspective from the negative to the positive, but all of this is a choice that we have to make. We are not wired to be thankful or glad, our heart is full of junk, it says it in Matthew 15:18-20 "But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”" God knows that we have all that junk in our hearts, but He overcame it all, so that we could live not in the negative as the world lives, but in the positive allowing Jesus to rule our hearts. The world lives looking at the negative, focused on all the junk, but God calls us to look at Him, focus on Him and to lead our hearts, not just let them do what feels good. Isn't it time we start walking How Jesus calls us to walk? Isn't it time for a change?

We are saved by God's grace, but that grace is not a licenses to live as the world lives, but to live according to how God has called us to walk. Grace is amazing, but God calls us to a deeper walk with Him, to follow Him, to allow Him to lead, no longer is it about I, but You. The times will get increasingly difficult and the world will grow increasingly cold to the truth. It talks about the end times in 2 Timothy 3 "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive,disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. 6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds,who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9 But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone." The one other thing on this 2 Timothy 3 verse that we need to be watchful of is verse 5 "having a form of godliness but denying its power." The people will have godliness, but they will not do what the Bible says, they will only use it better themselves, not for God's glory. They will not want to do what the Bible says, because it is to hard or to difficult, they will be lukewarm and not doing anything to grow their faith. They will not listen to wise counsel and will actually avoid it and say it isn't for them. The Bible talks about wisdom and how we need to be open to it, in Proverbs 12:15 "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice." They will avoid hearing the truth, even though the truth is right in front of their face, because they want only what they want and not what God calls them too. Are you hearing God or are you shutting God out, because it is to hard?

As I was thinking about what I have said here, I also thought about a verse in Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus said "“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’" What is lawlessness, it is acting without care for the rules that God has put in place and God is very clear to what they are, He has written them in the Bible, are you in the word seeing how it talks to walk? Are you following it or merely just reading it, because you feel you have to?

God's grace is here so that we can live in freedom from this. It is written in Romans 12:2 "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." or in 1 John 2:15 "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them."

What is God saying to you today?

Impressions

I read a quote today it said: We need to be more concerned about what God thinks about us than others.

How many of us worry about what others think of us more than what God thinks? I think it is easy to think about people am I doing my job the way that the boss wants me to, or am I slacking off, but maybe it is how I look at it. Do I not need to be so caught up in the fleshly desires to please people rather than doing my job to please God. See people are fickle, they change and what we do one minute may not be the right thing to do the next minute. Look at fashions, they are always changing, if I was so worried about what I was wearing to please others, than I would be lost in the idol of living up to what other peoples standards are.

God says do things in order to please Him, to bring Him honor. Can you imagine if we change our view point from pleasing others to pleasing God. In pleasing God we will change how we think, it will no longer be about what Joe (fictitious person) thinks of me, but what God thinks of me. I wont worry if I say something right or wrong, because my wording will be that which will bring glory to my Father in Heaven.

This can be applied to every aspect of life, it isn't that I am doing what is right, that I am doing it to bring glory to God. Just think about marriage for a minute, in Ephesians 5:21 "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." We don't do it because it comes easy, we do it to bring honor to Christ, because we love Jesus Christ so much, we want to bring Him honor. We can read through the Bible to see other area's this applies to as well and we will see that it comes down to who we want to please more, others, self or God.

God's grace is not a license for me to commit wrong, it is a license saying that yes He loves me so much that He sent His son Jesus to die on the cross so that I can live in forgiveness and live it fully and that by doing it fully I am honoring Jesus Christ with my actions, with my words and my thoughts. His grace is sufficient for me, but when I spit in His face by doing the very thing He has directed me not to do, it breaks His heart. Just think when someone does something that hurts you, how do you feel? That is how Jesus feels every time we go against His teachings, in Ephesians 4:30 it says "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." Do you think that when I want to please others more than I want to please God that it grieves the Holy Spirit who resides in me? I do, I believe that the Holy Spirits voice will grow fainter and harder to hear every time I grieve Him. It is when I humble myself and pray for forgiveness and turn from my wicked ways, that the voice becomes louder, but I must turn, not do a 360, but do a 180 and run from the wickedness that I have asked for Jesus to forgive me from. Asking forgiveness is not a one time thing, but an every time I sin thing. I must be willing to repent, to turn and to except His forgiveness.

We are called to love Him more than anything else, but when I do things to please others, I am not doing it to please God, I am saying what others think is more important than what God thinks. Today are you doing things to bring God honor? Are you more worried about what others think or what God thinks?