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 | sinaston on Programmer #1 |
 | LeeSoyer on Blinded |
| Blinded | The Distin… on Walk by faith |
Journeys aren’t always about where you’re going, but who you are going on that journey with.
If you’re on a journey with God, you get the added benefit of knowing that by the end of the journey you will be a different person. That’s because if you keep God by your side throughout that journey, He will change you, and make you into a better person.
Walking by faith means you have the courage to stand up for everyone – the hurting, the broken, and the down-trodden – to face death yourself for the good of others.
If you agree to do this you’ll need to be willing to get out of your comfort zone. You must be willing to let God take your world and turn it upside down, and start all over again. You must be willing to let God change how you see Him, and change how you life by letting Him use you the way that He sees fit.
Maybe God will ask you to do something you never dreamed you would ever do like foster or adopt children, leave your job and become a church minister, trade in all your worldly goods for God’s service…
Maybe God will challenge you. For example, how would you respond when life throws some devastating events at you – divorce, addiction, death of a child or sibling – all events that hurt like nothing else.
I don’t know how God may want to use you, but I do know that if you give your all to God, and allow Him to change your life, He will honour your request. He will take you on a journey, your journey by teaching you to walk by faith, and trust you with some of life’s most treasured moments with Him by your side.
Are you a strong person?
I’ve found that it’s usually those who don’t think they are strong that are usually the strongest people. I know I never consider myself to be a strong person, particularly these days, but maybe I’m simply just confirming my own statement that those who are strongest don’t think they are strong!
There’s nothing wrong with loving others, in fact that’s exactly what we should do. But there is something wrong with crying behind closed doors, because we all need love and support. So just as I said yesterday, maybe we all need to show our vulnerabilities so others can see we need their love and support.
Single words have meaning, but don’t necessarily give context or clarity. However when we put words together and utter a prayer to God, that’s when words become more than words because of the power they then have.
When we pray, God hears more than we say, answers more than we ask, gives more than we imagine – in His own time and in His own way. ~ Nicky Gumbel
I don’t know about you, but I often find it difficult to put into words what I want to say, particularly when it comes to prayer. So isn’t it great that even when we can’t vocalise our prayers, God knows and understands what we are wanting to say.
We cannot love people if we are afraid of being hurt or taken advantage of. Perfect love casts out fear! ~ Joyce Meyer
True love however can help us overcome any fears we may have of being hurt again. The purest love is that given to us by God, and therefore His love can help us overcome any of our fears.
We should all love one another – How many times have you been told that?
When someone lets you to do something, how likely are you to do it? If someone demands that you do something, how likely are you to do it then?
In John 15:17 Jesus said
I demand that you love each other, for you get enough hate from the world! (The living bible)
So Jesus didn’t just ask us to love one another, he actually demanded that we love one another, so it must be critical that we love one another.
Crisis! A word that strikes fear and alarm when we hear it.
However as this quote from JFK states, even in a crisis, we need to remember that there is still time for opportunity.
So whenever you face a crisis in your life, be alert, stay safe, but also remember to reach out and grab the opportunity that the crisis presents to you.
Do you ever feel spiritually drained?
Have you ever feel that the “spirit” has just been exhausted in your life?
We all feel this way from time to time; but an energetic Christian knows the cure!
My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. ~ Ephesians 3:14-19 (The Message)
We all have to recharge our spiritual batteries occasionally, so it’s worth reminding ourselves that God will always strengthen and guide us during times when our spiritual strength has gone.
The older I get the more I come to value and recognise the foundational influence of my parents and other Christians.
When we’re growing up, we are all guilty of taking many things for granted, especially the great advice and influence that our family can give/have on us. It’s only as we mature in our Christian experience, that we begin to recognise the people who have taught us about God and help guide us in our Christian journey.
Appreciate those who have influence your Christian experience, and tell them how much they mean to you. Don’t leave it until it’s too late to tell them how much you appreciate them nurturing you.
No the title of this blog post is not a typo, I did mean to type “weak” rather than “week”!
Let me explain…
A week can seem a short time sometimes, but there times it can seem like an eternity. That’s why when I was recently reminded of the following statement:
Seven days without prayer, makes one weak.
When it’s a week without prayer, without God, is a week can seem like an eternity because don’t we need the strength and guidance that God provides us with through prayer to get us through each day?
When life gets tough, don’t turn away from prayer, but immediately turn to prayer as God will give you the strength required to face what lies ahead.
