When I am faced with a difficult situation, I often find myself on my face throwing a temper tantrum with God, when I should be finding a way to bring Him glory in the midst of my tribulation. My prayers sound more like a whiny 2 year old that didn't get to ride the pony at Wal-Mart than a 23 year old desperate for more Jesus. I know it is the devil telling me I am just not good enough and will always be a screw up, but for some reason I keep buying into it! Self pity is a ploy of the devil. Satan hates you! He wants you to focus on your mistakes and downfalls and not the Love and Mercy and Grace of Jesus. He wants you to hate yourself and resent God.
I have found a very simple yet effective weapon for battling this particular attack from the devil. Make 2 lists. On one, write all of your worries and troubles. On the other, write everything God has blessed you with and promised to bless you with. I guarantee, after writing just a couple of blessing from God, you will feel exponentially better.
My Lists:
Woes
-don’t make nearly enough money
-on the verge of losing my job
-in debt
-don’t get to spend much time with my son
-too much nagging from people around me
-no spouse to help out
Blessings/Promises
-a perfectly healthy, happy son
-a roof over my head
-a nice vehicle
-never worry about going hungry
-awesome friends and mentors
-lots of job prospects
-lots of odd jobs to pay urgent bills
-promise of financial provision
-promise of a father for my son
-promise of deeper revelation of God’s nature
-promise of eternity with Jesus
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." -Jeremiah 29:11
"The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him." -Nahum 1:7
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." -Romans 8:28
"For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning." -Psalm 30:5
Remember!
Jesus loves you more than you even know. When you feel as though you are at the end of your rope, just let go. Jesus will be there to catch you and lift you up. He won't leave you hanging. Just trust Him. Listen to the still, small voice, and let His Spirit guide you through your wilderness!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Fervent Prostration
Fervent- having or displaying a passionate intensity; from the Latin word fervere meaning "to boil"
Words associated- wholehearted, hot, burning, glowing
Antonyms- apathy, lethargy
Prostrate- to lay oneself flat on the ground face downward, especially in reverence or submission; from the Latin word prostratus meaning "thrown down"
Words associated- overcome, weaken, devastate
Antonyms- fresh, righteous
--I prostrate myself before the thrown of the One Who Redeems, pleading with fervor for the freedom to be a slave to His righteousness.
When I come before the Almighty, the glory of His presence is so incredibly powerful that I am thrown down, flat on my face. God tells us to pray and to love with fervor. That means to pray and to love with a hot, burning, glowing, wholehearted, intense passion. This is the means of purifying our hearts. It is well known that one of the best ways to purify something is to boil it. Once we are free from sin and death, we are bound to His life in His righteousness. When we pray and love, we should be exploding, boiling over with passion and intensity.
How much brighter than our sun is the Son of God?! We shield our eyes from the sun and wouldn’t dare go any closer to it than we already are, but we dare to stand in the presence of the Maker of that sun? He created this whole universe. We cannot even fathom the full extent of His power and glory. We should be overcome, weakened, and devastated as we stand in our flesh before Him!
Once we are cleansed, we are made fresh… Prostrate yourself and pray with fervor to become righteous.
Exodus 33:12-23
Luke 22:44
Romans 12:11-12
James 5:16
1 Peter 1:22
2 Peter 3:10
Words associated- wholehearted, hot, burning, glowing
Antonyms- apathy, lethargy
Prostrate- to lay oneself flat on the ground face downward, especially in reverence or submission; from the Latin word prostratus meaning "thrown down"
Words associated- overcome, weaken, devastate
Antonyms- fresh, righteous
--I prostrate myself before the thrown of the One Who Redeems, pleading with fervor for the freedom to be a slave to His righteousness.
When I come before the Almighty, the glory of His presence is so incredibly powerful that I am thrown down, flat on my face. God tells us to pray and to love with fervor. That means to pray and to love with a hot, burning, glowing, wholehearted, intense passion. This is the means of purifying our hearts. It is well known that one of the best ways to purify something is to boil it. Once we are free from sin and death, we are bound to His life in His righteousness. When we pray and love, we should be exploding, boiling over with passion and intensity.
How much brighter than our sun is the Son of God?! We shield our eyes from the sun and wouldn’t dare go any closer to it than we already are, but we dare to stand in the presence of the Maker of that sun? He created this whole universe. We cannot even fathom the full extent of His power and glory. We should be overcome, weakened, and devastated as we stand in our flesh before Him!
Once we are cleansed, we are made fresh… Prostrate yourself and pray with fervor to become righteous.
Exodus 33:12-23
Luke 22:44
Romans 12:11-12
James 5:16
1 Peter 1:22
2 Peter 3:10
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