I Can Say Anything I Want

In this country we can say just about anything we want to say. And often we are hung up on our rights. The interesting thing is that Jesus gave up His rights. He went totally against seeking His own agenda- and that is a hard concept to get around. He always taught service to God and others. And, choose to live entirely as a servant to His beliefs.

Recently I was at a store where the checker was so slow, I was getting more and more angry.

"What can take so long- will she please hurry up?" I was thinking. I just wanted to scan the stuff myself, and push her out of the way. But, I prayed to God.

"Lord, let me keep in control of my temper- it is boiling now."

When we were finally through I wanted to scream shouts of joy, and was getting ready to pick up my things. The checker leaned forward:

"Thank you so much for being patient. My daughter is 16 and has just been diagnosised with cancer."

My heart feel. What if I had said something cruel, or insensitive to this woman as she checked. Did my extra five ten minutes in line really matter?

There is the difference for the Christain and his/ her walk. We yeild our rights to others and to God. This is not always easy, but it is the way Jesus did things.

So, today, I hope that I am not seeking my will, but "thy will be done, thy kingdom come".

Linda

My Strength

I love Psalm 73! It starts out with the writer admitting he had nearly lost his faith as he looked at the messed-up world around him. But then he went to "the Temple of God"--his local church. God ministered to him there.
The writer (Asaph) goes on to say that even when he was at his worst, God was with him still. In verse 26 he says, "My body and my mind may become weak, but God is my strength. He is mine forever." What a comfort that should be. That the God of eternity should reach down in my darkest hour, and hold my hand. Lord, You are so good! Jazz

No More Mr. Nice Guy

I have been really thinking about the life of Christ recently and how he lived it and what that means to me as a man of God. Taking that deep look I have noticed that Jesus was not just a passive nice guy but he was assertive and spoke how he felt about others and how they were living their lives. Does this mean that I have the right to tell everyone how to live their life. NO. It means to me that I have to stand up for the same things that Christ did not worrying about if I hurt their feelings or if I offend anyone but this should all be done in love and with the best intentions. I want to be more like Jesus; a man of God. I want to stand against injustice. I want to be a man of righteousness. I want to be bold with my faith. I want to be a man that when people look at me they can say there goes a man like Christ making a difference in this world.

The Ultimate Gentleman

I, Jazz, consider myself a Christian feminist. What comes to mind when you think of a feminist? Chances are, I'm not it! I'm in no way "butch" and yet I gladly wear the title of feminist. I used to apologize for it but now I feel God made us all different, and some of us are indeed feminists, as were, I believe, some of the most incredible godly women in the Bible, in their own brave ways. Yet even most feminists can appreciate a good gentleman, myself included. I'm not at all offended by a man who shows me genuine respect and kindness. I certainly wish there were more real gentlemen in the world!
God is the Ultimate Gentleman. He's not "bossy" even though He has every right to be. He made us, after all. Yet He doesn't come into your heart without being invited. He stands outside the door and knocks. He doesn't just walk right in uninvited. And when we let Him in, He makes us better any any areas of our lives we ALLOW Him to.
Yes, Jazz is a feminist. A Christian feminist, who deeply loves the Ultimate Gentleman!

To Live

Philippians 1 verse 21 tells me that, "to live is Christ and to die is gain". How easy would it be for me just to simply die so that I may go to heaven and be with Christ. At least that is what I am looking for in the end with my salvation. My utmost and final desire is to be with Christ in heaven. But to live for me is where the rubber really hits the road. For to live and see Christ glorified to me is much better for now. The reason I say this is that I want more and more people to come to an understanding of who Christ is and that he may become glorified in their lives as well. From Tracy

For The Glory

Since I started doing this forum it has been a labor of love for me because it is a way for me to get the things that are going on in my head out to the world. Primarily it is about how I am amazed at God and his creation every day. Needless to say it is also about how He speaks to me through his word. Today I want to quote from John Pipers book "Don't Waste Your Life". He says, " God's purpose for my life was that I have a passion for God's glory and that I have a passion for my joy in that glory, and that these two are one passion". He goes on to quote 1 Corinthians 10 verse 31 which says, " Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God". This to me says that whether I am cooking dinner for myself or friends, mowing my lawn, or going out for a walk I should be magnifying God. From Tracy

Enlarge My Heart

Once again in my daily reading I have come across another verse that has really spoken to me. Isn't the word great. Today's verse is Psalm 139 verse 32 and it says, "I will run the course of your commandments, for you shall enlarge my heart." In other words I shall desire to follow the bible because God is going to broaden my understanding and my desire because desire springs forth from the heart. I am really looking forward to this because I have been narrow-minded in my understanding and desire for so long. I need the eyes of my heart to have a new revelation as to what God wants to do with my life and I am tired of settling for second best. God only wants the best for me and my life. And this is Tracy signing off for the day.

The War Wages On

Lately, I have been making a lot of life changes because I have been realizing the importance of changing my heart. These last few days I have been going through my house getting rid if anything I may have been holding on to that may not have been appropriate. I am doing this so that I may have a healthy relationship with God. I don't want anything to get in between us. It has been easy for me to rationalize me keeping these things because I always thought that these were important in what my identity is. But, since I began this house cleaning I have been really battling with those spiritual forces that are set against my relationship with God. I have lost sleep, felt depressed, and have become quite irritable. Therefore, I must keep my eyes focused on the goal of my relationship with God. In the end I will have a better relationship with God than I have ever had. Tracy

I Am Loved

Have you ever felt like no one would or ever could love you? I know I have and have struggled with this feeling for a very long time. Ever since my childhood to be fairly precise. I grew up in a home that was not very affirming. What I mean is I rarely heard the words "I love you" or "good job". And since my childhood I have decided to be emotionally unavailable to those who wanted to get close to me. Needless to say I am now 36 years old never married and I also don't have any children. Eventhough I want both to happen in my life. But I wonder how that would work out if I still have problems feeling loved. But today in my daily reading that I do at my local coffee shop I read 1 John 4 verse 7 which says that "love comes from God". So this means that I am loved and with me being loved by the ultimate lover I can now love others for I am loved. From Tracy

Consider the Joy

Last night at my weekly bible study we began a new book of the bible, James. I have always likes this book because it is about applying christian ideas to the way I live my life. From the beginning of the study I got so much out of what was said. This began with verse 2 through 4 which says, "Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed you will be strong in character and ready for anything." It is hard for me to be joyful when I am getting worked over because I have a hard time seeing the end of the tunnel. But this verse tells me that there is an end to the tunnel. That end is going to bring me endurance and a strong character. Tracy

To Know and Be Known

The idea of knowing God to me can seem overwhelming. Being able to fully comprehend all the aspects of Him at an intellectual level seems a little daunting. But doing things at an intellectual level seems to be where I start and also where I end. After my reading today I got a whole new perspective on the idea of knowing God. Knowing God goes much deeper than this for me now. God wants us to know him at an intimate level and for him to know us at that same depth. This needs to happen in the heart I and not in the head. This intimate level deals with emotions and feelings. God wants to have a relationship with me. He wants to know how I am feeling and how I am doing and not just my name. God also wants me to know how he feels about the things I do, the way I feel, and the way I respond to him. Oh, to be intimate with God and to get him into my heart and out of my head.

To Know

The idea of knowing God to me can seem overwhelming. Being able to fully comprehend all the aspects of Him at an intellectual level seems a little daunting. But doing things at an intellectual level seems to be where I start and also where I end. After my reading today I got a whole new perspective on the idea of knowing God. Knowing God goes much deeper than this for me now. God wants us to know him at an intimate level and for him to know us at that same depth. This needs to happen in the heart I and not in the head. This intimate level deals with emotions and feelings. God wants to have a relationship with me. He wants to know how I am feeling and how I am doing and not just my name. God also wants me to know how he feels about the things I do, the way I feel, and the way I respond to him. Oh, to be intimate with God and to get him into my heart and out of my head. Tracy

The Freedom of Confession

I know for a fact that I have done many things in my life that I am not proud of. All of the lying deceit from my past has led me from one thing to another. But when I became a christian 9 years ago a lot of that changed. I changed the way I thought and the way I acted in primarily all areas of my life. But for years I have struggled with few that still haunt me and Satan has enjoyed taking advantage of the fact that I had not committed all areas of my life to Christ. But fortunately there is that option of confession. Through confessing all of my faults and shortcomings I have found a new sense of freedom because I no longer have any skeletons hidden in my closet. All of my faults are now out in the open and I no longer feel the burden of my past weighing me down. And thanks to confession I don't even need a closet to hide my secrets. I can now walk proudly down the street with my head held high because I have nothing to be ashamed of. Tracy

Restless At Heart

I feel as if I have always had a restless heart trying to find peace and serenity in one way or another. Before I became a Christian I had tried drugs, alcohol, intermittent dating never seeking a wife but just some one who may complete me without a commitment. There are so many ways that I have tried to find that serenity that God promises to give through his Holy Spirit. I am getting older and I am still restless not finding that peace that I have sought so long to find on my own. I feel like I am at the end of my rope and am tired of trying it in my own that I am finally ready to let go of my striving for internal peace and am ready to have God take over. This isn't easy though because I am so used to doing things my way that I feel restless once again having to rely on someone else for my peace and serenity. And that person is God. I know in my head that God promises to give me peace and give it abundantly but I feel like I have been let down by so many people in my life that it is hard to trust in God. Now I just need to take this knowledge in my head and let it take root in my heart because that is where the real action is going to take place. Change in my life isn't going to take place is my head but in my heart which is the wellspring of life. Please pray for me and I hope that this is helpful to those of you out there that may read this. From Tracy a son of God

Haunted

The devil really likes to come at me with condemnation for the things I have done in my past. Which I am sure happens to us all. Since I have been struggling with depression as of lately he has really been coming at me hard. Fortunately at church I was given what is called a promise card that really spoke to me. These cards have a scripture and a promise in them. The verse in my card was from Philippians 3 verse 13 to 14 and it says," forgetting what is behind, and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." This reminded me of another verse that says that there is no condemnation for those of us in Christ Jesus. My past has no power over me because I am a new creation made righteous by the sacrifice of Jesus. So when the devil comes at me with some condemnation I just need to remember what I am now and not what I was.

So That I may Be Healed

Last night at one of the groups that I go to I had a really good and meaningful time with the guys that I meet with. Last night I was able to confess to some of the things that I had been struggling with due to my depression. I say this because when I get depressed I try to make myself feel better and not always with things that are healthy for me. It was interesting that this is what I needed because as it ends up our lesson last night was on confession. It was just what I needed. The key verse for our lesson was James 5 verse 16. This verse says," Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." So if you are struggling with something in your life go and find someone you trust and talk to them, confess what you are struggling with, and pray together for that great healing power of prayer. This has really helped me a lot and I hope it will help you to. Let me know how you are doing by sending me a comment.

Getting Better

Well Today I am feeling a little better Because I actually feel like going out and doing something unlike yesterday when all I wanted to do was stay inside and do nothing. But I did some reading which always makes me feel a little better as well as going out for a walk. I really love going out and enjoying God's creation. I also went to my regular bible study which always puts me in a better mood. I usually feel more depressed in the morning but today I was up fairly early feeling a little energetic. This morning I did a word search in my bible for words like depression to see what the bible has to say and I came across John 16 verse 20 which comes in the part when Jesus is talking about leaving soon but coming back. Yet they didn't understand what he was saying to them. The verse that spoke to me says," I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but you grief will turn to joy." To me this says that there are times in my life when I will feel depressed but eventually that grief will turn into joy for me because God has a way of making all things new.

Depressed

Well I am still i n that funk I told you about 2 days ago and still looking for a way out of it. Because of mydepression I have been having to force myself to look into the bible for any uplifting advice to my predicament. The one thing I know I can't do is just sit around and wallow in the way I am feeling. I still have to get on with life. My verse for today that I am using to cheer me up is Romans verse 13 and it says," May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Let me know if you have any good advice or scriptures to see me through this time.

Having A Rough Time

I am sorry about not writing yesterday but for the last few days I have been in a real funk of sorts. The Devil as really been coming at me with reminding me of all the horrible things I had done in my past. And I have been having to fight tooth and nail to keep from falling into temptation. So I figured the best thing I can do is get my struggle out in the open so that it can be dealt with. So today I decided to take a prayer walk around town and get out into some fresh air and breath a little. Fortunately I had some liquid sunshine, rain, today and that always puts me in a good mood so I still went out and walked in the rain and I feel much better after spending that time with God. When I got home I decided to look up the word temptation in my concordance and came across this verse. It is Matthew 26 verse 41 and it says," Watch and pray so you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." So this is going to be my verse for the day to remind me that when I am being overwhelmed with temptation that I should stop what I am doing and pray.

Attitude Check

I love to think of the characteristics of Christ's attitude quite often. Some of these attributes are that he was a servant to all, humble, obedient, he did not consider equality with God as something to be grasped. Yet he was more loving and considerate that anyone I have ever met. Yet in Philippians 2 verse 5 Paul says," Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." Boy do I have a long way to go but at least this gives me a goal for something to strive for in my walk with God.

The Joy of Service

Each and everyone of us has been given gifts to be able to serve one another in our communities. In 1 Peter verses 10 through 12 Peter says," Each one should use whatever gift he has to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things god may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen." And for me this includes writting and all other things I do well. That is one of the reasons that I write on this site because has given me a joy for writting and I want to use that gift to bring him praise.

Acceptance

I love it when scripture is cut and dry and there is no room for misinterpretation. Last night at bible study I came across a verse that really spoke to me and I want to share it with everyone. The verse is Romans 15 verse 7 and it says," Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God." This really speaks to me because I remember the condition that I was in when I became A christian 9 years ago. At that time I was an addict- alcoholic who was living on the streets with no direction in my life and Christ still accepted me. Does this mean my sin was tolerated. No, because Christ was never tolerant of sin but He was still loving, compassionate and caring. In the same way we as believers should accept others as Christ accepted us, even at their lowest of lows, because that's what He would have done.

Don't Forget

Deuteronomy 4 verse 9 teaches me and I hope us an important lesson. It says," Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as ling as you live." How often I forget about the valleys that God has delivered me from or the high places that he has brought me to when the going get tough. I am not the only one though because the Old Testament is filled with stories of the Israelites prospering then forgetting where God brought them from. Then they get involved in some sort of Idolatry then they are cast into captivity. They learn their lesson, return to the Lord and are delivered from captivity. My life seems to be the same pattern because when the going is good I forget about where I was then begin to wordhip myself or something else, go into sin and become captive to that sin. Then I repent and ask for Gods forgiveness. After He forgives me He then brings me up out of the miry clay I got myself into and HE places me once again on that high place. I hope you can relate to this and remember to not forget where God has brought you from.

Hope Requires Patience

Romans 8 verses 24 and 25 say," For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not have yet, we wait for it patiently." I guess what I have been lacking is patience because I have been trying to fulfill my hopes desires in all the wrong ways and outside of Gods timing. I say this because I always end up in some sort of disappointment or heartbreak. Luckily I am learning my lesson for I am beginning to trust God more and have more patience with His timing. My hope is that someone that reads this that has been struggling with Gods timing like myself will gain some hope from this and trust God more with His timing.