Stand firm

On more than one occasion in my life, I've thought how I wish I could take that back; if I had my time again, I'd do it differently...

 

One of the biggest ways that Satan tries to get at us is with regret. He enjoys throwing our wrongdoings and mistakes back in our face; he enjoys seeing us stew in disappointment and shame.

God warns us against this, as we read in the Bible from 1 Peter 5:8 to

             'be sober-minded; be watchful.  Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.'

 

The truth is we aren't perfect, in fact far from it. 'We all stumble in many ways' James 3:2. We have made and will continue to make mistakes and fall short. Satan loves it.
      '...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...' Romans 3:23

What does it mean to fall short? It means that we come up short. We, in our imperfect human state are deficient, destitute and lacking in giving God glory; giving Him the honour, praise, worship, eminence and acclamation in and through our lives, that He deserves and is rightfully due.

Through His deep love, He opened up a way for us to be able to praise and glorify Him now, and forever in eternity when our short life here on earth fades away. He did this by giving us Jesus - a little bundle of joy destined for such despair and agony in suffering the most harrowing death, for us, so that we may have the opportunity to choose, and do so, to trust and follow Him, and thus be restored to give God glory, and ultimately spared from indescribable suffering in eternity.

But when we do 'fall' and make a mistake, it is assuring to know that 'if we confess our sins, He [God] is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness' 1 John 1:9. 

'Righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe' ~Romans 3:22.

Righteousness is equity of character; that which is established through a renewed heart, by seeking to follow and implicitly trust God with all things in your life. Knowing that He is in control and that your life just isn't floating by the way side, doesn't go with the tide and buffeted by the wind brings reassurance and peace.

'The fruit [or product] of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever' ~Isaiah 32:17. Confidence in being sure that God is sovereign, He is in control and '"...know[s] the plans [He has] for you... plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future"' ~Jeremiah 29:11.

Yes, there will be times when anxiety, doubt and fear creep in. We need to 'cast all your anxiety on him for he cares for you' ~1 Peter 5:7.

It is during these times of anxiety that our guard in down, and we are more susceptible to believe and buy into the lies the devil.

     'Be sober-minded; be watchful.  Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.' (5:8)

The passage continues, and encourages us to 'resist him [the adversary], (by) standing firm in the faith...' v9. In faith we 'submit [ourselves] to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you' ~James 4:7

'Standing firm' means rather than attempting to resist in our own strength (in which will ultimately fail in the end); remain solid, strong, steadfast and sure in the power and sovereignty of God to bring us through and grow in our hearts to do what is right, according to His Word (the Bible).
 

      Praise be to God that He is great, He is awesome; He is loving, forgiving, merciful and full of grace. This fills me with abounding joy and immeasurable love and thankfulness.

      'Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory because of your love and faithfulness' Psalm 115:1.

 

With God, when you trust in Him, he doesn't keep score of past wrongdoings, like the adversary does; he writes truth on our hearts, loves us unconditionally, fills us with abounding joy, and a peace that cannot be explained.

In life, you cannot recover:

a STONE after it's thrown,
TRUST after it's betrayed,
the WORD after it’s said,

the MOMENT after it’s missed and

the TIME after it’s gone...

 

~ Unknown

 

Oh Lord, 'teach us to number our days aright, that we may harvest a heart of wisdom. Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days' ~Psalm 90:12-13.

 

Amen.

You are our hope

 

Father in Heaven,

 

Father your love, your grace and your mercy are unconditional and unchanging.

In my imperfect human form, I am not capable of loving you in the capacity that I so desperately desire to.

My heart is simply not big enough to love you like I want to.

You gave everything that you had - your most precious and only Son.

Precious Lord I thank thee.

 

Life is like a camera!

'Life is like a camera -
just focus on what's important
and capture the good times,
develop from the negatives,
and if things don't work out,
take another shot'

 

~ Unknown

 

 

An Opportunity for Growth

The pain you feel today is the strength you feel tomorrow.
For every challenge encountered,
there is opportunity for growth.
~Unknown

Challenges are what make life interesting and

overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.

~Joshua J. Marine
 

 

Adjust your sails!

'We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust our sails' ~Yiddish Proverb

 

 

'The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails'  ~William Arthur Ward, one of America's most quoted writers of inspirational maxims.

Be still...

'Be still and know that I am God...' ~Psalm 46:10

The language of the Bible is one of beauty, cadence, and poetry. The structure and selection of words produce an abundance of richness.

'Be still and know that I am God.' What does it mean to 'be still' and to 'know' God?

To 'be still' in this context, I think refers to the disposition of the heart and mind of a person. What I mean by that is not allowing oneself to get so caught up in the busyness of life, that one forgets to take moments out of each day to 'stop and smell the roses'. It's about ensuring that you 'slow down' and spend time with God throughout the day... and be enriched by it.

I find it amazing and bewildering to think that the God who made this universe and holds the world in His hand, the one and only Almighty God that there is, wants to spend time with me.

You might ask - how do I spend time with God?
   *By praying - Praising, Thanking and Confiding in Him: telling God what is on our heart, acknowledging that He is there and that you trust Him. (A post on Prayer to come soon).

   *Reading His Word, the Bible.  When we go on a journey in the car to somewhere we haven't been before or are unsure where to go and which way to turn, we take and use a map. Life is a journey full of twists and turns, and the Bible is the map for life.

    *Singing songs of praise

   *Being amongst His creation - for example walking along the beach, bushwalking or hiking, watching a sunset, standing at the top of a ski run and looking at snow-capped mountain views, standing under a canopy of stars... just being surrounded by His beauty.

I tend to combine ways of spending time with God; for example I'll walk along the beach and pray; I like to pray before and after I read any passage out of the Bible...

In today's society, where life just seems to get more and more busy, it isn't easy to 'be still' - life's realities are a distraction. Being 'still' is something that God expects and encourages us to do throughout our day; it is an inherent quality that God wants us to develop. Why? When we close the door on the world and open the windows to heaven, by way of setting aside time to just 'be', we allow our minds to 'take a break' from the stresses of life, change and re-direct our focus, and thus enrich our hearts and minds with God's love.

By spending time with God, you get to 'know' God - know Who He is, What He is capable of, What He has done, What He will continue to do for you and just how much HE LOVES YOU!

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
forever in the next.

Amen.
~Reinhold Niebuhr

'Precious in His sight'

Valentine's Day...

Relationships and the joy of being in love - a fitting topic for the day I would say!

 

Last year, it is estimated that the number of roses produced for Valentine's Day was 233 million... (I assume the majority of them red). Wow!

I once heard of an analogy between a red rose and moral purity.

It's a story of a thought-provoking message given at a youth group. The leader stands up in front of the group and holds up a single red rose - one that they had bought from a florist on their way to that evening. They ask each person to pass it around and hold it for a moment. Take the time to look at it from all angles, smell it, rub a petal in between their fingers and feel its texture, and if they liked, take a petal from the flower to keep for themselves.

Each person handed it around and did just that - enjoyed its beauty, and then the last person handed it back to the leader. The leader looked at the rose, in its now damaged and handled state and held it up again in front of the group. At the same time, the leader also held up another red rose, one that was bought at the same time as the other, but left on the table while the other was passed around.

He asked the group, which one do you want?
The group unanimously stated the one that was untouched...


A wise woman explained the same concept from a different perspective, using a different analogy.

'If I bought a car and wanted to know how to have it last and run at its very best, I would need to consult the makers of that car, or the owner’s manual, to find out what the instructions are for proper care and use. Likewise, we have a Creator who knows what is best for us. He knows what will bring us the most joy, and Him the most glory. He has left us a manual, as well, the Bible. We encourage all of our children to follow God’s plan for their lives. Living outside of God’s plan will only bring temporary happiness at best, and it will most definitely end in heartache and despair. God’s Word is very clear to us on this subject. His will is one man and one woman - for life! To someone who might not know the Lord, His restrictions might seem harsh and unloving. Quite the contrary is experienced by those who know and love Him. His ways are best for us, even if we don’t understand. A two year old might cry because his parents buckle him in a car seat, limiting his freedom. The loving parent knows, however, that the car seat will protect him from calamity.' ~Kelly Bates


'...you are precious and honoured in my sight... because I love you' ~Isaiah 43:3

Purity in relationships in today's society is often regarded as elusive and old fashioned; seldom understand the preciousness of that gift; the fact that it can only be given once, to one person. Society has differing views, expectations and stereotypes for women and men regarding this topic; but purity is just as much for guys as it is for girls.

It can be hard to pursue and hard to maintain, because we live in a world that promotes all things impure.

I think it is important to recognise what is personally tempting and set boundaries for protection. And of course, pray! Stay close to God.

Please, dear Lord, guard my heart and my mind from things impure, and for the one you have for me. Give me the strength to withstand temptation.

When temptation presents itself - it offers the opportunity to do the right thing, just as much as it offers the opportunity to do the wrong thing. It is a choice. Life is all about choices.

We all make mistakes, yes that is true. And for some, they may feel like it's too late - but it is not! One can choose to pursue a second purity.

'...Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things' ~Philippians 4:8