Category: Obedience


Remember and Persevere

Filed under: Obedience — 1 Comment
November 19, 2009

Hebrews 10:32-39 (New International Version)

 32Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. 33Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. 35So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37For in just a very little while,
   ”He who is coming will come and will not delay.
    38But my righteous one[a] will live by faith.
   And if he shrinks back,
      I will not be pleased with him.”[b] 39But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.Today as I read this, I was struck by its truth.  I thought back on how I had fallen away and become a single mom.  With it came many judgemental glares and comments, much suffering and I ultimately learned surrender at the feet of Jesus.  I have been in and out of the workforce, even with years of experience and education behind me; yet I know it is all working for the larger purposes God has for my life.  I now sit in seminary everyday, and am blessed to learn at the feet of Jesus as I surrender at his feet daily.  Verse 38 above says “But my righteous ones will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.”   Having a very strong spiritual gift of faith, this verse speaks volumes to me.  Striving to live by the Spirit of God in every area of my life, I have longed to not let my God down.  Yes, I still sin, and always will, but I desire Holiness, I desire purity in every way, and I desire to live for God alone.  I may not have much, and I am grateful for everything that God has given and taken away.  It has made me rely on him completely in every area of my life, and to trust that he alone will meet every need.  As a single mom, I feel like a walking testimony to so many of his gifts!  Yet, I am constantly striving to keep a check on my humility in it all, because I know that my pride will try and creep in if I am not careful.  So I guess in all of this, what I want to say, is know that as Christians we are going to suffer hardships.  Jesus did, and so will we.  But, we can live in  victory!   Life will be hard, and challenging at times, but he has come to break the yolks of our bondage, he has come to set us free of our fears, he has ascended into heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within us, giving us supernatural power to live a God-centered, Holy life.  We can live in the fullness of Christ, even in  the storms of life.  We must remember to have childlike faith and trust, and walk in obedience and surrender to Him alone.  I know it’s easier said than done, but remember we’re all on a journey, and no one “arrives” until we get home to heaven.  Let us not shrink back! Let us press on in faith, because He paid it all at the cross. Amen!  

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When Harsh Words Are Kind :: Desiring God

Filed under: Obedience — 1 Comment
July 8, 2009

Funny how God lays things on our hearts. I have bee reading through Acts this week and have read the following account of Steven the sorcerer. I know letting go of my own glory and living for glorifying God alone has been a challenge, but I continue to pray that with God strength, this selfish area of my life will become a vapor and I will be set free of it once and for all! I hate my pride, and so I come before God right now; thanking Him for reminding me of it, and asking Him to fill me with His holiness that I may become more like Christ in every area of my life. Amen

When Harsh Words Are Kind :: Desiring God

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6 Characteristics of a fully devoted follower of Christ. Are You Transparent For Christ???

Filed under: Obedience, Surrender — 3 Comments
April 30, 2009

Many times on this blog I have tried to share not only what God is teaching me, but to encourage and help to rise up others to new levels in their walk with Christ.  I’ve become very transparent and placed my heart on the line for the sake of the kingdom of God.  I know that my continued growth has been due to this radical level of commitment and obedience to The Father.  I Googled Transparency b/c I feel that it is truly what God wants us to display for Him.  If we are truly becoming more like Christ, then why wouldn’t we live transparent; having as much light shine out of us as we can!!!  Below are 6 Characteristics of a fully devoted follower of Christ that I got off of the West Evangelical Free Church in Wichita, KS.    I find it so interesting  and love comming  across churches that have a point-on mission statement and a clear vision.  But the questions remain…  How transparent are you?  How much light are you radiating?  I think it’s so important to take questions like these and really sit with them and let them mess with you.  They’re foundational to our growth in Christ, and they need to really grab ahold of us so we would be willing to surrender ourselves to God, so that He would work more deeply in us.  So I hope you will take some time and really ask yourself these questions and how they apply to your life.  Are You Passionate for God? If not why? and what do you need to do to change that?  (Maybe start by praying for God to help you surrender), Is the Living Word of God, living In You? and if not Why? It should be if you are a Christ-follower.  We need the Word of God, it’s our instruction manual and it’s His Love Letter to us; so pray for some thirst of God’s Word, we can never get enough of it.   Are you obeying and surrendering completely to the will of the father?  Are you producing fruit for the kingdom, and do people notice the change in you? Are you committed to a church and/ or a group of people to keep you accountable and feed the truth and knowledge that we need from scripture.  Do you know what your spiritual gifts are and are you using them to serve the body of Christ?  Do you feel for the lost? Is your  heart becoming more like Christ, filled with compassion, humility, and love, to move out among the less fortunate and make a difference in someone elses lives.  If not, I ask again Why? and perhaps you need to pray for God to do some work in these areas.  We need to give God our time if we expect to be changed.  We need to be in His Word and on our knees, on a daily basis.  We owe it to Him for all that He has done for us, but more than that, we should be deperate for Him; running to Him b/c we know we are useless in our own strength.  I Pray you take seriouse the commitment and life you have in Christ.  Don’t date God, Be commited.  Don’t be lukewarm, Be Hot.  Give God your best everyday b/c He gave you His best.  We’re still gonna blow it, I do everyday, but I am also changing and desire more of Him, and so should you.  I am praying for you!

6 Characterictics of a Fully Devoted Follower of Christ

Our mission at West Evangelical Free Church is to “develop fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.” Several years ago, our elders looked through scripture to find the marks of a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ and came up with what has become known as the 6 “c’s”. At the bottom of this page, you can take a spiritual health assessment to see where you are at in your relationship with the God of the universe!

1.  Communion with God

     A passion for God that draws me to Him and motivates me to live for Him.

2.  Competent in the Word

     Informed and transformed by the Word of God.

3.  Consistent in My Walk

     Consistently living out my faith in every area of my life (consistent obedience).

4.  Connected to the Body

     Some deep transparent relationships, plus a genuine commitment to the body of Christ.

5.  Commissioned for Ministry

     Regularly using talents and spiritual gifts in the power of the Spirit to serve the body of Christ.

6.  Committed to the Lost

    A lifestyle that makes both personal and corporate evangelism a high priority.

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Put on the ring of commitmeant

Filed under: Obedience, Surrender — 2 Comments
March 24, 2009

As I grow closer to Jesus in my walk, one thing that is ever pressing on my heart is my sold-out commitmeant to him.  I will be the first one to admit my mistakes;  I’ve fallen away, I’ve put God on the back burner of life, and there were days when I just didn’t care about it all, but I got to a point where I was sick and tired of being lukewarm in my walk.  I knew what it meant to be hot and I was trying to get that passion back, but man did God have to refine me allot and get my attention.  I say this because I want you to know that I don’t discount where you are as a Christian.  I know all too well that it is a challenge, but everything that is worth while is, isn’t it? Right now, I’m in the middle of a very challenging math class to finish my Bachelor’s degree.  I want to get it done and over with, but I know that I have to make a commitmeant of time to study and learn so that I can pass the class and complete my degree requirements.  As hard as it is, I know that I must persevere to get to where I want to go, which is getting my degree.  How much more than should our commitmeant to God who is our life blood be!!  I struggled for years doing devotionals and being in prayer, but that all changed when I began to see my relationship with God as a cherished relationship that is a 2-way street; it’s a give and take.  If I want to get close to God, I’m going to have to make the time and commitmeant to spend time with Him in The Word and prayer.  As I have struggled with this in the past, my desire seemed to grow.  My prayers became more and more of asking for God to draw me closer to Him and to give me the passion and fire inside to naturally want to be with Him.  Over time, (allot of time), this starting re-birthing itself in my heart and my life.  It is now so much a part of who I am, I strive to live each momeant to the will of God.  It’s hard, and I don’t always do what He wants me to, but I strive to with a new level of commitmeant that has become a bigger part of who I am.  Going back to the math class, the same principles apply.  As I struggle with time managemeant and trying to make the concepts stick in my head, I am reminded that I must be committed to this whole-heartily to help change my mindset and gain the results that I desire.  So today I am reminded myself too, as I get ready for my class, to look closer at the things that we commit ourselves and our time to, and the value that we place on those things as well.  One of my favorite quotes from “God Chasers” by Tommy Tenny is ” Don’t date God-put on the ring of commitmeant.  God is looking for a bride, not a girlfriend, one who will stick with Him”.  So today ask yourself:  “What is my level of commitmeant to God?  and how can I make it better?  How can I put on the ring of commitmeant and truly honor Him with my time and with my life?  How can I learn to pray for my relationship with Him to grow, that I would not be satisfied with the status quo, but truly desiring to fellowship with Him in the deepest and closest of ways?  What’s filling up my time that I need to replace with me filling up with more of God?”.   These are just some really basic questions to help all of us to be reminded of where our priorities need to be when it comes to our relationship with God.  He deserves the first fruits of every part of our life, and this includes our time with Him.  The Bible says in James 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  Jesus, thank you for loving us so much that you gave your life for us!  Let us always remember the sacrifice that you gave so that we could be not only saved, but be in relationship with You, the Father, and your Holy Spirit.  Let us take seriously our relationship with you; desiring to spend time with you and desireing to grow closer to you so that we may become more like you, and that your light of love would shine through us to this broken world.  Jesus draw us close to you, even when we forget to draw near to you.  We love you and we want to be used by you for your glory and for your honor.  Amen. 

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