What God Has Been Teaching Me Lately XXIX…
Greetings My Friends~
As a simple pilgrim following Jesus through the rainforests and deserts of this earthly life, I would like to humbly share some of what God has been bubbling up in my mind/heart lately.
I pray that these thoughts are cushions in your shoes, balm to your burns, umbrellas for the rain, and shade to the scorching heat as you too follow the Lord Jesus each day.
(August 2014)
(Please click on the Bible chapter/verses below to read the actual Scriptural text)
- Introducing Others To Jesus
Could this be said about the communities of the churches where we attend/serve?
“Yet you’ve filled Jerusalem with your teaching…” (Acts 5:28).
- Purpose
i dont want to limp i want to soar for You;
i dont want to drip i want to pour for You;
i dont want to whimper i want to roar for You, Jesus…(John 10:10)
- Our Identity, Jesus’ Identity
Peter learned two powerful lessons:
- that Jesus is more than just a human (Matthew 16:15-16), &
- that Peter is only just a human (Acts 10:25-26).
- Prayer
Holy Spirit—I pray that all I say is
what God wants (truth),
how God wants it said (gentleness & respect),
why God wants it said (grace),
when God wants it said (wisdom).
In Jesus’ name I pray, amen…
- Gratitude
Constantly thanking God fills us up with joy,
leaving less room for fear/anxiety,
just as eating lots of fruits & veggies leaves less room for junk food (Philippians 4:6-7).
- Suffering
When we run away from trials we miss some feasts made for us by God
(“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies” Psalm 23:5).
- Words
Talking abusively against others, especially those you disagree with?
You just might be jealous of them (Acts 13:45).
- The Bible
I believe the best things we ever say begin with the words, “As it is written…”
- Faith & Joy
Holy Spirit, please help me to wake up each morning like my 3 year old daughter did today
saying “Papa, today is a GREAT DAY from GOD!”
- Freedom
The freedom Jesus offers isnt to be what we want to be/do what we want to do
but rather to be who He made us to be/do what He made us to do.
For a bird released from a cage, freedom isn’t
ground-walking,
corner-sitting,
or any of another million options that it thinks it wants…
it’s sky-soaring.
- Jesus Understands What We Go Through…
The shortest verse in the Bible (John11:35) is simply “Jesus wept.”
He grieved, He mourned, He endured, He suffered, He understands. Trust Him.
- Intentions
God can bring good out of bad intentions—Felix hoped Paul would bribe him
so he spent much time with Paul who told him about Jesus (Acts 24:24-26).
- Fearing The Truth
Sometimes Jesus’ Truth causes fear:
“Felix sent for Paul & listened as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus…Felix was afraid”
(Acts 24:24-25).
- Prayer
Holy Spirit, help us to be like Paul & say nothing beyond what You’ve inspired in the Bible
(Acts 26:22). In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
- Heaven
Many of us will be surprised at heaven—
not because it’s better than we thought but because it’s exactly what God promised
(1 Corinthians 2:9; Revelation 21:3-5).
Help us trust You, Jesus…
- Faith
My often weak faith
is still often surprised
when God perfectly fulfills
His clear promises in the Bible.
- Accepting Jesus…
“Come clean” to Jesus (admit you need Him to be your Forgiver)
so you can become clean with Jesus (freely forgiven forever).
(Ephesians 5:25-27; Luke 5:12-13; Luke 23:40-43)
- Parenting
I’ve often thought of parenting as a lap pool to be worked thru/accomplished quickly;
it’s often more a hot tub to be soaked in & enjoyed.
- God-Confidence, Not Self-Confidence
The LORD wants us to have God-confidence not self-confidence.
When Pharaoh asked Joseph if he could interpret Pharaoh’s dream, Joseph said,
“No, I can’t…but the LORD can!” (Genesis 41:15-16)
May we too have such an honest appraisal of our own ability & a confident faith in God’s.
- Reliance On Jesus
Jesus—”Apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
This shouldn’t’ discourage but encourage us;
Jesus is saying, “Stop trying to push that wall down—the door is here & I’ve unlocked it!”
- Spiritual Attack
The devil wants to stop us from finding the Truth;
If he fails there he wants to stop us from using the Truth;
If he fails there he wants to stop us from persevering in the Truth.
The devil is equally happy
if we don’t find Jesus,
if we find Jesus but don’t accept/follow Him,
if we find Jesus, accept/follow Him, but don’t continue to follow Him to the end.
The devil understands that all three are important…do we understand this?
.
Humbly,
SoulSpartan