Teach

Psalm 86:11
Teach me your ways, O Lord,    that I may live according to your truth!Grant me purity of heart,    so that I may honor you.

We often times look to others to teach us the ways of the Lord.  While there is a certain amount that we can learn from others, God desires to teach us His ways.  there are things that God wants to teach me that I can only learn from Him because, they are assignments from Him for me.

While I may have a similar call on my life to someone else, God uses my unique personality  and traits to carry out that call.  If I am only allowing others to teach me, I am missing out on God's call for me.

God wants to teach each of us things that will allow us to live according to His truth.  The truth He has for our lives.  When we seek Him to teach us, He sees our pure heart and is honored.

Join

It is hard for me to join in, hard.  I'm okay if I can lead and I am okay if I start at the same time with others, but it is hard to join in to something that is already going.

I see people talking, and even if I want to talk with those people, I won't join.  I don't want to interrupt a conversation, make them feel uncomfortable that I'm listening, or hear something I shouldn't.  I then feel I need an invitation to join an already in progress discussion.

I dislike joining a meeting late. Part of it is a respect thing for the host, the speaker, and the others in the room. Another part is I am not sure what I have missed, and I don't want to ask or say something that was covered before I came into the meeting.

I am thankful that when I join God, I find He has been waiting on me. I never interrupt Him. He doesn't mind me listening in to His conversations with others. In fact He teaches me there. And I will never hear something I shouldn't with Him. He always motions for me to come and join.

With God, I am never late for a meeting.  If I miss something, He gently reminds me.  His patience is so grace field, because He doesnt mind covering the same thing again and again. He loves my questions.

He beckons me to join Him daily, and longs for me to join Him every minute.  He wants you to join Him too.

Say

There is power in the words we speak.

Proverbs 18:21   Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

Our words have the power to tear someone down, or build them up.   When we speak the Word over a situation, we bring God's power and perfect will into a situation.  Some times we are scared to speak, but telling our story, sharing our testimony is what we are called to do.


Today I was reading in the NLT version of the Bible, a familiar passage in Psalms 107 - Let the Redeemed of the Lord Say So (Psalms 107:2).  

The NLT puts it this way: 

 Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out!
    Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.

The passage goes on to twll why it is so important for us to speak our testimony to others and how it causes them to turn. 

1) For those who are lost or need 

Psalms 107: 4-6 

4 Some wandered in the wilderness,
    lost and homeless.
⁵ Hungry and thirsty,
    they nearly died.
⁶ “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
    and he rescued them from their distress.

When we share our testimony of how God has saved us it helps those who are in need.  When I share where God brought me from, others can be encouraged that He can love them too.  They can see He can save them too.  It is not in my current state that people are encouraged, it is in the journey that brought me there and in the One who got me there.

2) For those who are in darkness

 

Psalms 107:10-13
10 Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom,
    imprisoned in iron chains of misery.
¹¹ They rebelled against the words of God,
    scorning the counsel of the Most High.
¹² That is why he broke them with hard labor;
    they fell, and no one was there to help them.
¹³ “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
    and he saved them from their distress.

When we speak our testimony out, it shines light in the darkness.  Our lives bring light, our Word's let them know where that light comes from.  Our testimony and life brings conviction, even when we aren't preaching repent.  Saying "Yes, I was once in misery, but here is my story of the One who saved me."  Plants the seed for the Holy Spirit to work in their life too.

3) For those in rebellion who have lost their way

 Psalms 107:17-19

¹⁷ Some were fools; they rebelled
    and suffered for their sins.
¹⁸ They couldn’t stand the thought of food,
    and they were knocking on death’s door.
¹⁹ “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
    and he saved them from their distress.

It is easy to loose your way int he busyness of life or to get hurt and rebel against those who hurt you.  But God calls them back, He lets them suffer in their sin, but His heart desires for them to come back to Him.  Speaking our testimony lets people see that we have been through times where we wanted to quit to, but God brought us back and through.

4) For those who are in the storms of life

Psalms 107:23-28

23Some went off to sea in ships,
    plying the trade routes of the world.
²⁴ They, too, observed the Lord’s power in action,
    his impressive works on the deepest seas.
²⁵ He spoke, and the winds rose,
    stirring up the waves.
²⁶ Their ships were tossed to the heavens
    and plunged again to the depths;
    the sailors cringed in terror.
²⁷ They reeled and staggered like drunkards
    and were at their wits’ end.
²⁸ “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
    and he saved them from their distress.

 Lastly, sharing our testimony encourages fellow believers who are going through storms of life. They know God is there, but it is hard to see Him through the crashing waves of their circumstances.  Speaking during those times gives hope and encouragement.  It builds  people up in God.  It increases their faith.

So when you have the chance to speak.  remember there is power in your Words.  When you see someone hurting, share your testimony. It may not be the same as what they are going through, but there is power in sharing what God has taken you through, and the journey that you are currently on with Him.
 
 

Go

Matthew 28:19-20   Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen

I often hear this scripture called the Great Commission.  To me commission is a mission for service.  So I read this to say "Go." "Go make disciples of all the nations."  "Go baptize them."  "Go teach them what I have taught you to follow."  "Oh, and by the way, I will Go with you always."

I don't mean to bash fellow believers, but I think that we have had a Great Out of Commission period and it is time that we get back to service.  No where in this message did it say "Go to church", not that we shouldn't we get taught there, encouraged, and find fellowship there.   But the great commission says "Go."  

We need to be going into the world.  We need to be developing relationships to make disciples.  We need to baptize them in the name of the Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit.  Then we need to go and teach them to observe all things that God commanded.

The Great Commission is not a one night event each week, it is a lifestyle.  We have to keep going out.  We have to keep building relationships.  We have to disciple people, this is not a six week thing, Jesus Spent three years with his disciples.  We have to see that people get baptized - not just the ceremonial action, but the surrender of the old life that it represents.  We have to teach them the Word of God, not just the feel good stuff, not just the Thou Shalt Not, but the whole Word and how it is active and living and still works in our life today.  

We have to remember that God is with us always, but he wants is to be on the Go.
 

KNOW

I say I know
You will never leave me..
Yet, I often wonder
Where you are in midst of my struggles.

I say I know
That you forgive me
Yet, I often hold on to
my past failures and sin.

I say I know
That you love me
Yet, there are times
I wonder if it is ture

I say I know
You are for me, and not against me
Yet, I admit
I have blamed you when things went wrong.

I say I know
That you are in control
Yet, I try to
Take control.

I say I know
That your not finished with me
Yet, I just compare myself
To those further along

I say I know
That you have a great plan for me
Yet then, I make
My own plans

I say I know
You want to use me
But then I wonder
How you could ever use someone like me.

Lord, I know I fail you,
I fall short, I question,
I sin,  But thank you
That you are You, and You know.

 

Stuck

I remember the first time I got stuck.  I had went with a friend to a place I had no business being, at a time I should not have been there, doing things that I had no business doing, and with people I had no business being.  I had went with a friend out to a local party hangout called Pebble Beach.  It was a weekend, and I had no cares in the world, no where I had to be in a day before cell phones.  We were drinking and with older people, like ten years older.  Granted I had lied about my age to start with, but at least two of the people there knew the truth.  We had pulled the car down farther onto the beach than we should have, and we literally got stuck.  While I enjoyed the beginning of our time at Pebble Beach, the overall experience was just not good because we got stuck.  Plus the consequences of not making it home, or calling was a big deal.

As a teenager, I found myself in stuck more times than I should have.  With twenty years plus passed since my crazy teenage days, I look back at those times and think what I should have learned from those times, and how even today, times when I feel stuck, play out those same bad choices.  As a Christian, I quickly think how I get stuck, feeling spiritually dry, like I am spinning my wheels, and God is not hearing me (and I am not listening to Him).  I ask myself why, and I am taken back to those crazy teen days.

Sometimes when I am stuck spiritually it is because I have put myself in a situation that I have no business being.  It has been a while since I intentionally went some place I had no business being.  However, sometimes seemingly innocent places become so consuming that I give too much of my time to it.  For example, I love helping people.  Hence I take jobs helping others.  But when I spend too much time at work, my life gets out of balance.  When I am out of balance, I get stuck.  Church is a great place to be, but it should not take the place of me spending time alone with God, my husband, my family and in service.  Am I allowing places to keep me stuck?

Sometimes I am stuck spiritually because of the things I give my time too.  I don't think God has anything against television, the internet, cellphones.  However, if I am spending more time watching television than I am reading the Word, that is not going to help me progress. Even if I am watching Godly programs, that  can not replace the secret place. If I spend more time on my phone than I am spending in prayer, I am out of relationship.  Am I allowing my time to reflect God as a priority in my life, or am I getting stuck in mindless time drains?

Sometimes I get stuck going around the same mountain because I am doing things I have no business doing.  It is easy to get overextended into activities that are not tied to my calling and purpose.  Not that I shouldn't help out when I can, but when I am doing a bunch of things that don't further the kingdom, are not tied to my purpose, and I allowing business of activities to keep me from God?  It is okay to tell people no, to not get involved in doing just because others are. And sometimes I keep doing things because I have always done them, when in reality someone else could be doing them, should be doing them, and wants to be doing them.  Am I holding others back by my unwillingness to stop doing and let someone else? Am I stuck because I am overcommitment, doing things I have no business doing?

Sometimes I get stuck because I am with people I should not be.  I love to help people, but there are people that will suck the life out of you, consume your time, and dump everything on you with nothing to give in return, ever.  All people are worth helping, but not all people are willing to be helped.  There are also those people who are more of a negative influence than you are a positive influence.  I am not recommending that the first time that someone causes you stress that those relationships should be ended, but I believe that healthy boundaries should be established and that some of those boundaries have to be more rigid than with others.  If I am spending all my time with people, and no time with God, I will drain quickly.  If I am spending more time with people who pull from me, and not enough time with people who pour something back in to me, I am going to find myself stuck. I need to ask the Holy Spirit to guide me in those relationships. Are there relationships that I am allowing to make me feel stuck?

Regardless of where I am stuck at, I know that with God there is hope of getting out.  At times where I am stuck, I need to repent for not listening to God and allowing these things to take over in my life.  Then I need to press in to Him, I need to get deeper in the Word, spend more time in prayer and set better boundaries and priorities in those areas that God speaks to me about.  When I stay stuck, it is because I choose to do nothing.  If I really want to get unstuck, I just need to press in.  It may take more time to get unstuck than I like, but ultimately it will take me in to a deeper relationship with Him.

Learn

A lifetime of learning leads to success.  I love reading the old testament stories, because I have so much to learn from them.  

Their walk of faith inspires, they were holding on to something to come.  They had a thousand year old promise, or more to build upon.  Not a resurrected savior, but a promise of a coming savior. Yet they stood in faith, never seeing the greatest promise given fulfilled.  I need this type of faith in my life.  I need to learn faith from the Old Testament saints.

Their testimony in trials encourages me because I can see the other side of their journey.  The Israelites walked around a wilderness for forty years, Joshua and Caleb walked through it and the battle for the Promise Land.  David faced giants, Daniel faced lions,  and Joseph sat in prison.  Noah built a boat when it had never rained and Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son.  So many give up with little trials, but they held on and were faithful.  I need to learn to walk through trials and maintain a God centered attitude like the saints of old.

Their shortcomings and failure I can relate to daily.  Noah was a drunk.  Moses was a murder. Aaron succumbed to peer pressure and worshipped idols.David committed adultery. Sampson was naive and a let his lust rule his life.  Jonah lacked compassion.  Despite these failures, God used them in mighty ways.  I need to learn, that despite my failures God can use me. 

Learning to hold tight to my faith despite what circumstance say week help me grow closer to God.  Learning to be faithful and content during trials will help me get through them better. Learning that God can use me despite my failures will help God to do great things in and through me. As I learn these things, I will really understand that with God all things are possible.