Prophecy (Spiritual Gift)

I thought I would start a blog series on spiritual gifts. Most of what I write on this blog stems from my walk with Jesus. Jesus died on the cross to save me eternally and He was raised to new life by the Father. My walk with Him is of most significance. He deserves my all! Writing enables to wrestle with whatever I have on my mind, as I learn more about Him and how to live out my life. To know more about God is to learn more about myself. It is impossible to know who I am outside of who God is and His plans and purpose for my life. Today's post is an example of learning about me as I learn about God. This is the first post where I will be looking at different spiritual gifts. Prophecy is one of my favorite gifts to look at. It is also special, because it has a profound impact on who I am and my personality.

 For each believer in Christ, we have spiritual gifts. Believers have different spiritual gifts that given by God alone. Not all have the same spiritual gifts. (What fun would that be?) The body of Christ has many parts, as it states in 1 Corinthians 12:12. In order for the church body to work well, we need diverse spiritual gifts. We all can’t be prophets, because who would be there to love? We can’t all have the spiritual gift of compassion, because who would be there to boldly proclaim God’s Word without worrying about hurting feelings? The church body has diverse spiritual gifts for a purpose! We need to use each one we are given in our lives to glorify God. These spiritual gifts are unique and come only by God's power! It is not something that can bought at a store. Money and practice cannot make us possess these gifts. Only God can bring these gifts into part of our lives!

Prophecy

Prophecy is the first spiritual gift I want to write about in this blog series. Prophecy is the special spiritual gift God gives where we are able to proclaim the Word of God with accuracy and apply it. It is done fearlessly to strengthen believers, comfort, bring encouragement, and helps unbelievers know the truth. The Holy Spirit is working in each step of it: boldly proclaiming the Word, softening others’ hearts to hear the message, and help others to know and grow in Him. 

The main purpose of prophecy is to speak God’s Word to the people. It is to help others reconcile with God, because of Jesus Christ who died on the cross for our sins and rose again on the third day. It is to show the truth to others to challenge them when they fail to know the truth. Also it is to warn them of God’s immediate and coming judgment if there is no repentance. It is through the Holy Spirit that the gift of prophecy is used to speak God’s Word and helping others come to Him and grow in their walk.

 The Experience

God shows me the fingerprints that He has left on my life and personality, as I learn about this spiritual gift. He shows me why I am the way I am. He shows me why I am blunt and boldly speak. He shows me why there is such intensity in my life. He shows me the passion I have for Him and His Word. I love getting the chance to learn about the gift of prophecy. I love that it explains why random verses come into my head and I can't contain my excitement for sharing God's Word. I love how God will give me a reference for a Scripture that I haven't memorized to give to others. He is giving me the words to speak, as I grow more in Him. He gives me the urgency to speak His truth. He speaks through me, and allows His power to be known! Speaking directly and boldly is only for His truth to be known. He brings a scripture to mind that needs to be given to one particular person. He continues to use me to help others know Him. He continues to use this gift to show me who He has made me to be. If I was to ignore it, I would be missing out. Seriously. Missing out. God has so many blessings in store, as I obediently follow Him and His Word. There are still lessons I need to learn about using this gift and using it diligently, but knowing this spiritual gift is such a blessing!

Personality Traits

The spiritual gift of prophecy is one of passion. It is having a great passion for God, His Word, and proclaiming His Word wherever He sends you. I have some characteristics of prophecy in my own personality. The ones that stick out most for me is strong personality, (type "A") lack of mercy and patience, and intensity. For this spiritual gift, these are the personality traits.

1.      They have a strong personality, which can be defined as a type “A” or dominant personality. This believer has to have a strong personality to help them face the adversity that is required of anyone who boldly speaks the Word of God.

2.      They are often intense in the things they do and intent in their relationship with Jesus Christ. They are also tough to do what they need to do, which is highly necessary to go forth and preach the Word of God regardless of what others may say or do in reaction to what has been spoken.

3.      They are more focused on the direct issues rather than those involved. Prophets lack patience and are low in mercy. Regarding mercy, they are much more interested in confronting a person rather than hesitating out of fear of hurting someone’s feelings.

Responsiblity

Prophecy is boldly speaking God's Word and proclaiming it fearlessly. It has to do with boldly speaking even if it hurts someone for a little while. The eternal is much more important than temporary. I can relate to Apostle Paul when he says in 2 Corinthians 7:8-10:

For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

Speaking boldly is a big responsibility. It is requires us to be diligent about declaring God’s Word. On some levels at time, it requires us to take a step back from the situation and remember that God's Word comes first. It comes before people to whom we will proclaim the message. It comes before fear or anxiety that will plague us from wondering what will happen once the message is preached to others. The point is: we must boldly proclaim. We can't allow others things to get in the way. We must speak up and speak God's truth obediently, so others may come to know Him! It is to be boldly proclaimed and without shame or fear.

When the prophet speaks the words given by the Lord, others may be sorrowful for a little while—but it will lead them to repentance and enable them to enter a right relationship with the Lord. This is the focus! It is not on the temporary of what may hurt others, which individuals with the gift of compassion and prophecy may face. It is much more difficult for those with both gifts to proclaim, but it is still necessary. We are called to be good stewards of the gifts we are given. It is important to use them with God’s guidance.

Here are some Scriptures concerning the special spiritual gift of prophesy:

1 Corinthians 12:7-11

Romans 12:6-8

Ephesians 4:11-13

1 Corinthians 12:28-31

Deuteronomy 18:18-22

1 Corinthians 14:1-5

1 Corinthians 14:24-25

1 Corinthians 14:30-33

1 Corinthians 14:37-40

 

Victory in the Battle

Psalm 144:1-2

 1 Praise the LORD! He is my Rock. He prepares me for war. He trains me for battle.

2 He loves me and protects me. He is my safe place high on the mountain. He rescues me. He is my shield. I trust in him. He helps me rule my people.

No matter where we are in life, God is preparing us. God is preparing for a battle of some kind. Sometimes part of the training for battle is a smaller battle. God is preparing and guiding us to fight the good fight. (1 Timothy 6:12) 

This Christian walk is not an easy one. We are constantly in one kind of battle or another. The battle may be a physical affliction (just as Paul was in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10) , a conflict with someone, or overcoming our past. Whatever our battle, God loves us and prepares us. Because He loves us, He does not leave us nor forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:6) Even when we rejected God's own son (Jesus Christ), He did not leave us. It was for our own sake that God does not leave us. (Leviticus 26:44-45) Instead of leaving us, God loves us greatly and prepares us for the battle. 

The battle may seem like it is all downhill and we are failures, but we must remember that as long as we are fighting--we are winning. We are winning as long as we have Jesus Christ by our side giving us the strength to fight. Even when we do not have the strength left to fight, we still have all we need. We have Jesus Christ. When we are weak, He is then made strong (2 Corinthians 12:10) ! He is our strength when we have nothing left. 

God is the reason I can keep on fighting. There are many days of a rough battle when I feel like I have lost the battle. I am reminded that God is my strength, my song, my victory, (Exodus 15:2) my everything!

In this particular Psalm, the Psalmist (David) reflects with thankfulness that God has prepared him to fight the battle. God has given him the ability to fight the battle. I think this battle goes beyond fighting with a bronze bow (2 Samuel 22:35). God gives us the shield of victory (2 Samuel 22:36). It may be preparing us for the battle of a conflicting decision we must face, an illness that makes us feel defeated, or living in a world of busyness that makes us lack peace. Whatever situation we may find ourselves in, we know who brings the victory. 

God sent his son Jesus to give us the victory! We were once sinner and enemies of God, and God give us victory in the biggest way we can imagine. God won the biggest battle of them all. God sent his son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. Jesus was sinless, but paid the price that we could not pay. Many of us face debt every day. We know how demanding and how much it brings hopelessness into our lives, and these are trivial things in comparison of the debt that would leave us without eternal life. God sent his son to pay the great price for our disobedience!

We face battles every day, and if God took care of the biggest battle of all---why wouldn't he take care of the earthly battles we face daily and even hourly? God is preparing us for the battles that we are in right now. Whatever they may be: illness, finances, relationships, dilemmas of all sorts. God is capable of handling them all. We have victory, because of God's redeeming love for us when we are incapable of deserving his great love..

When we choose to follow him and trust in Jesus Christ, we win. We have the victory, because of Him!

My own battle is not all smiles, but at least I know who wins in the end.. It makes it worth the difficulties that must be overcome. I am a child of God. It doesn't mean that life is without battles or pain, but it means that God will continue to prepare me for everything that I must face. The battles still hurt. Suffering still takes place, but it is a different kind of suffering---it is a different kind of battle. God gets all the glory. Even when the battle is rough and I feel inadequate to handle it, I can rely on God to carry me through it. It is about the glory that will be revealed in us (Romans 8: 18) as we are prepared for and overcome the battles of this world!

1 Corinthians 15:57

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 John 5:4

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.

Examining Ourselves

The Bible speaks about the significant importance of examining ourselves. In 2 Corinthians 13:5, Paul says: "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you--unless, of course, you fail the test?" We need to examine ourselves to make sure we are still in the faith. Examining ourselves affirms if we are truly His, by the fruit of the Spirit we are showing. It also shows us where we have slipped up, so we can get back on track---leaning on His everlasting arms and amazing grace to help us to continue to live for Him alone!

In the Bible, there is one place of great significance about examining ourselves. We are instructed to examine ourselves before we take the Lord's Supper. In 1 Corinthians 11:28, it says: "Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup." This is done, because taking the Lord's Supper is pure joy, but also a very serious thing. We do not want to go through the Lord's Supper with our hearts not right. We do not want to abuse the Lord's Supper. We do not want to eat and drink judgment as Paul states in 1 Corinthians 11:29. Paul continues to say that this is why so many have fallen asleep and are weak. Taking the Lord's Supper wrongly, but also not examining ourselves. Examining ourselves is essential to our walk with God! We must continue to examine ourselves. Christ dying on the cross for our sins is something that should cause us to seriously reflect our lives. "Is what we are living for worth Christ dying for?"

Also, Lamentations teaches that we need to examine ourselves. Why examine ourselves? We are able to see where we are in our walk with God, and return to where we once were if we have strayed. We can also be bold to continue in our walk with God, and deepen our walk with God when we are aware of where we are spiritually. In Lamentations 3:40, it says: "Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD."

Finally, Romans teaches that we should think of ourselves with sober judgment. This can only come from examining ourselves. Romans 12:3 says: "For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned."

This is a weekly evaluation worksheet found in "Becoming a Vessel God Can Use" by Donna Partow, and gives us a format to examine ourselves on a weekly basis.

1. Am I listening for and hearing God's voice? What is He saying to me?

2. Am I increasingly manifesting the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? What areas look encouraging? What needs prayer? 

3. What did God teach me in my quiet times? 

4. Which priorities did I live by? 

5. Which priorities did I neglect? 

6. What new thing did I learn--about life, God, my family, and the people around me? 

7. What are my specific priorities (where is God directing me) for the coming week?

Marriage with God

I am writing this as someone who is single, but longing to be reminded of what God designed marriage to be. Also I am yearning to write this in the most respectful way, while emphasizing what many face especially if they are in chronic pain. 

Specifically for individuals with Fibromyalgia, they face an 80% chance of getting a divorce. This could happen for a variety of reasons. Individuals with some kind of chronic illness have a divorce rate of 70-80%. This is ridiculously high, even amist the crazy sometimes hopeless storm of pain, poverty, and frustrations--Marriages are falling apart, which makes things only worse in the lives of these individuals.

I have been thinking about this topic a lot in the past few days. I read many heart breaking stories about people's marriages. Sometimes, things get too hard. And other times, situations or illnesses are given to one person and another doesn't really understand what is going on. I have been privileged enough to be able to pray for these friends and people I meet online, but also to count my blessings on my own single status. I wanted to blog a bit about what God designed marriage to be. It hasn't ever been something to be taken lightly, yet so often when something bad happens to one---the other says "i'm out of here." This is NOT the way God intended marriages or relationships. If it was the way He intended relationships, we would not know His freedom, grace, or salvation!

So, what about the divorce rates if you aren't part of the 50% chronically ill population? What about you? 50% of all marriages fail. It doesn't seem to matter if the couple is part of the Church or not. Many things attribute to it. I am not going to get into the specifics any more than I already have, but I do want to talk specifically about how God intended marriage and the example of our marriage to Him!

What was marriage meant to be like?

How did God design it?

What are our responsibilities?

Does our marriage with God belong in this equation? Most definitely, it does!

We have a spiritual marriage that can give us insight on how to handle our physical marriages. Isaiah 54:5 states: "For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called." How can God impacted our relationship? How does our relationship impact our marriage and relationships with others?

This is what I am wanting to write about tonight. I think it is very important. If we do not look at our marriage with God, how can we know how to appropriately care for our marriage if we have physical marriage with a husband or wife?

What is the marriage to look like?

In Genesis, marriage is the coming together as one. It is no longer him and her, rather it is them--together. Genesis 2:24 says, "That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh." Marriage is about submitting to one another. It is not about who is wrong or who is right, rather it is about submitting and giving yourselves to each other. 

What would a biblical husband look like? What would a biblical wife look like? What should we be like now while we are single?

Ephesians 5:24-33

"Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. 

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband."

Let's talk about the husband's responsibilities according to this passage. He must lead his wife. He is to love his wife, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. It is about following God's will, and nothing else! What a picture this would be. What would happen if men led like this? If I find a man like this, I don't think I would have a trouble with submitting. It is about caring for her and leading her closer to Christ. It is more than just submitting, but the leading in obedience with God's will.

In Titus, it also gives a fuller picture of what these husbands should possibly look like. They are to be self-tempered, worthy of respect, sound in faith, in love, and in endurance. (Titus 2:2) These go well with the characteristics of the Ephesians 5 husband. He is putting his family first showing them what it means to have faith, loving them abundantly, and choosing to devote himself to teach his children and wife, point them towards the Lord, and chooses to disciple them. In the New Living Translation, it states that the husband should live wisely. If husbands want respect, they need to live wisely choosing to give the best example for the family they are responsible for.

Also in Titus, it says more regarding men (relates to husbands too..): 

"Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us." (Titus 2:6-8) Setting an example is a big key. How you are in your family says alot about a person. How you lead your family is a big part of your example and the responsibility God has given you. Since the husband is seen the head, just as Christ is the head of the church, he will give an account to God for how he leads and takes care of his family.

What about the wives? What should wives look like? How do they influence the marriage? What should they bring to the table?

First off, they should be submissive as previously mentioned. I believe if my future husband would live wisely and lead the family as the godly leader God intended, I would not have a problem with being labeled as "submissive". 

What does Titus say that adds to the attributes of the Ephesians 5 woman? In Titus 2:3-5 says a lot about how we should be as women. We may be wives or may be still single. It still has a lot to say to us. We are to be reverent in the way we live, teaching what is good, urging younger women to love their husbands and children, be self controlled, pure, busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to our husbands. So, that no one will malign the word of God.

When we do not hold to these attributes, I think marriages are bound to fall apart. When we do not recognize the greater picture and begin to live biblically, it is easier to look at the world and see what is common. 50-80% of marriages end in divorce in America! Our actions are going to speak on behalf on God's word. When we fail to do what the Bible says, Titus 2:5 says that God's word is being dishonored. We are making a covenant with God and our spouses, and so often it is being dishonored because we are not taking His word or our marriages seriously!

Seriously..

Realizing that I am a singled one, I can begin to pray for my future marriage and husband and begin to desire and work toward these attributes of working at caring for my home, being kind, subjecting to those in authority positions  (as long as they are following God's will), teaching what is good, and choosing to live wisely! Just because it says the woman is to busy at home does not matter that is what she is restricted to---it means giving her marriage one of the first priorities as she seeks to do God's will!

Goal:

The goal of the marriage to be each other's helper and definitely grow each other closer to the Lord. This is the GOAL of marriage, guys! We are missing it. Instead of seeing it as a failure, we need to see it as the opportunity to grow in our marriages and relationships with others. 

How has God acted toward us?

In Hosea, we see what kind of marriage we were in with God before. We were prostituting ourselves, we were in serious debt, and God redeemed us. We can see this through Hosea 1-3. As the church, we are Christ's bride! We are his beautifully fallen bride that He continues to rescue. We have prostituted ourselves just as Gomor has in Hosea 1:2. We ran away from our Beloved, and needed Him to call us back (Think about on the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32). We have a debt that had to be paid, just as Gomer had a debt that must be paid to be free to go back to her husband. Jesus Christ came and paid our debt. When we were the most unlovable--- God freed us from sin, and welcomed us into a marriage! God still loves us even when we have fallen , and demonstrates this in Hosea's life: God instructed Hosea to buy back his wife Gomer for fifteen pieces of silver and five bushels of barley and a measure of wine. (Hosea 3:1-5)

What was the difference between before and after the redemption? It is our actions. We are changed. We aren't going to go back to our past and doing what we used to do. Our marriages are at stake, just as it was at stake for Gomer and Hosea. We are FREE! Our freedom had a great big price though. Our marriage is not to be taken lightly.

Question for you to ask yourselves:

What kind of marriage do we have with Christ? Remember in Isaiah, the Maker is our husband! (Isaiah 54:5)

How has our marriage with Christ influenced our earthly marriage and/or relationships with others?

1. http://www.restministries.org/invisibleillness/statistics.htm

2. http://divorcerate2011.com/divorce-statistics

3. Ephesians 5

4. Titus 2

5. Hosea 1-3

6. Luke 15:11-32

7. Isaiah 54:5

Final Judgment: It's a Lifestyle.

What did Jesus mean when he said we needed to visit the sick? In Matthew 25 when speaking on the last judgment, Jesus said that His people were the ones who visited the sick, clothed those in need of clothes, visited those in prison. 

What does Jesus say about those he calls to eternal life? What does Jesus say his followers will do? What will they be about? In this particular section of Matthew, Jesus is seperating the goats from the sheep. He is separating the true followers of Christ from the rest--including those that may profess to be Christians, but are not following Jesus. This is the final judgment. THIS IS IT!

Let me go ahead and explain just a bit about what that means. What does it mean Jesus separates the true Christians from the rest? How can I be sure of my salvation?

As Christians, we are told to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling." (Philippians 2:12) We should constantly be checking and ensuring where we are in our walk with the Lord. We should constantly be growing in our faith. We can only be growing in our faith if we are praying (and listening to God's voice). We need to be reading His Word (the Bible) on a daily basis! We need to be A. Growing in our knowledge of the Lord. (Reading God's Word, Fellowshiping with other believers who are walking the Christian walk) B. Bearing fruit. In John 15, we are told that we are to be bearing fruit. Jesus is our vine. He is our power source. We need to be growing in different areas of our lives. We need to seeking to live a more obedient life to Christ. We need to be pursuing a relationship with Him. Some of fruits are things like: patience, self-control, gentleness, love, and faithfulness. There are others as well.

Most important is the Holy Spirit. We should know that the Holy Spirit is living and working inside of us. We will feel convicted when we are committing sins. Also the more we grow in the Lord, our faith in Him is going to come out through our actions. We are not saved by doing good works, but our faith will come out as we continue to grow in our Lord Jesus!

James 2:17-19 says:

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

Maybe, you are reading this and are not feeling confident in your salvation. Stop all the distractions right now, and pray. Read and pray. This is a good website to go to if you are still feeling unsure and stuck with questions.

1. First, we must admit to God that we are sinners. We must realize that our sins have definite consequences. My sins have consequences. Your sins have consequences. Each one of us will have to answer for all that we have said and done. Our sins will result in a physical and spiritual death without Christ. We need to recognize this! Our sins have separated us from God, and stopped us from receiving the blessings that He has given us. One of those blessings is Heaven.
2. Second, we must believe that God sent his son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins. Jesus paid the price, so that we would not have to be separated from God.
3. Third, we must confess Christ as our Lord! Jesus died on the cross for our sins! We should honor him with our lives, and choose to have a daily relationship with Jesus!

These are the steps of becoming a Christian. As we learn and grow in Christ, we will live differently. We will seek to live obediently. Philippians 2:12 can also be said this way: "Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear."

Are we seeking to obey God with deep reverence and Godly fear?

Today's scripture is on the Final Judgement. We will either have inheritance of God's Kingdom from the obedience of following Jesus, or reap the punishment from not following God. God sent his son to pay for our sins. It is about seeking justice. God is all about justice. Does that mean we will always be obedient? We all fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23. God seeks our heart. God knows our hearts. He knows our motives. God is not going to let us slide by if He has called us to do more. God is not like a human who will not know if we are giving our all or not. God is our Creator! He knows us better than we know ourselves, as Psalms 139 teaches us.

Matthew 25:31-40 says: 

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

What is happening?

Jesus is on the throne.

There are angels with Him.

All the nations will be there! Meaning, the entire world will be there!

Followers of Jesus on the right; Everyone else on the left.

Jesus, the King, will tell his followers to "COME!"

They have inherited the Kingdom!

It is not just going to church.

It is more than that!

It is a lifestyle of literally "denying ourselves and taking up our cross to follow Jesus". (Luke 9:23)

It is feeding the hungry.

It is giving a drink to the thirsty.

It is clothing the poor.

It is visiting the sick.

It is visiting those in prison.

It is welcoming a stranger.

In Jesus' exact words, whatever we do to the least of these--we are doing to Jesus Christ the King of the world!

What happens if we don't? What if we choose to (A) Not follow Jesus (B) Not give Him our life. Ultimately, they both have the same consequence.

Let's look further in the passage.

Here is Matthew 25:41-46: 

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

We will be told to depart from Jesus!

Put in eternal fire with the devil and his angels.

The punishment is an eternal one.

While the righteous inherit eternal life because of Jesus' sacrifice, those who choose not to follow Jesus with their lives will face eternal punishment. I know why I follow Jesus. I follow Jesus, because He is my friend, my companion, my husband. Jesus gives me strength to carry on through the days! According to Jesus, it is about more than going to church on Sunday mornings. It is about more than giving our tithes. Jesus wants our lives! 

What does Jesus say?

It is feeding the hungry.

It is giving a drink to the thirsty.

It is clothing the poor.

It is visiting the sick.

It is visiting those in prison.

It is welcoming a stranger.

It is a lifestyle!

Following Jesus COSTS.

Many people have given up their lives and died to follow Jesus!

We must count the COST that comes with following Jesus Christ.

It is about living beyond ourselves. It is about more than our feelings or our "wants". It is about choosing to recklessly abandoning our self-contained world, and FOLLOW the One who gave us life! God gave us life, and a way out of the mess we created with our sin! Jesus is the Word. Jesus is God in flesh. He became our sin offering. He paid the price we could NOT pay!

Choosing to follow Jesus means choosing to not follow the world. It means to give up your self interest for your desires to pursue God's desires. This is the easiest way to describe these verses. I know I fail at fulfilling Jesus' commands for my own life, but I am praying that God will continue to refine me and grow me in Him. I want to be more like Jesus and less like Stacey. I want to imitate more of Jesus, and become less like this world.

This world is all about "me, me, and me", while we should not be so self-center--it seems to be the worldly characteristics rubbing off on us. This world teaches us to worry, agonize over money, and do only what we want to do. This is not God's ways, no it is the world's ways.

In God's kingdom, things are much different. We are told to LOVE others. Jesus has shortened the ten commandments and given us two. We are to LOVE God and LOVE our neighbor. God does wants ALL of us! If you had someone who was your passion and desire, would you settle for less? What if they would only give you a hour once a year? Would you settle for this? Or, would you want more? We were SEPARATED from God, because of our sins! And, God gave us sooo much more! But, what did it cost? It cost Him his only son! His sinless son!

So yeah, God wants all your heart, mind, body, and soul! Does He not deserve it? The One who has GIVEN you life. Not only has He given you life, He has rebirthed you and given you aspiritual life!

We are told to give away everything to follow Jesus. Jesus knows the cost. God knows the cost. We too need to realize the cost, and then recklessly abandon ourselves, religion, and society. We need to just fall deeper in LOVE with Jesus, because it is a L-O-V-E relationship!

In visiting the sick, it is not so much the action--it is the heart behind the action. Are you doing it because it is required of you? Or, are you doing it because of your love for God and a compassion to be there and encourage others? Are you giving clothes to others, because you feel it is required of you? Or, are you doing it out of a love for others? Each of these things should be done out of LOVE for God. A kind of love that Jesus has CLEARLY demonstrated for us!

God wants our very best. He wants us to work as though we are serving Him, not our bosses, our teachers, our family members.. Same with how we can love others. Are we doing it with the same kind of motivation as though we were serving Christ?

It is about feeding the hungry.

It is about giving a drink to the thirsty.

It is about clothing the poor.

It is about visiting the sick.

It is about visiting those in prison.

It is about welcoming a stranger.

Jesus was about ALL of these things as He wanted the earth, and lived among us.

We are called to imitate Him (Ephesians 5:1). How can we do better at living this kind of life with the right motivations this week? How can we love others with humility?

Lent

It is that time of year: lent. If you are like me, you have no idea what lent is, or it's significance. Maybe, you have never heard the four letter word before. Maybe, you have seen posts about it on facebook. Maybe, you have heard about it from elsewhere. I am here to basically share my own thoughts on the subject. I am not an expert on lent, but I definitely believe it can be a time of blessings where our relationship with the Lord can be strengthened if our heart and motives are in the right place.

Lent is viewed as a chance to give up certain luxuries and begin to practice some form of self-disciplined. It originally started as a very traditional and religious practice. It is practiced by a variety of Christians. It may mainly be practiced by Catholics. I personally am not a catholic, but I am thankful to be able to enjoy fasting alongside friends. For some, it may be a religious thing. For others like myself, it is the chance to give up something and get closer to the Lord.

There are things that distract each and every one of us, which make our lives a constant battle to maintain self-control in our lives. The practice of lent is a new chance for me to join others and grow in my walk with the Lord and be better disciplined in a particular habit. Like many others, there are numerous things that I could focus my attention on, but I am choosing to stick to one thing that I want to exercise discipline over.

I love what it stands for, as it is a discipline of fasting. It is choosing to give up something, for the One who gave up everything for us. God loves us so much that He sent his only son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins. He became our Passover. He became our sin offering. He paid our debt for our sin, when we could not. We were once enemies of God, and have now been reconciled to God! We must accept His free gift of salvation. Not one of us is righteous or deserves to be in a right relationship with God, but we are--- We are in a right relationship, because of God's great love for us! Through Christ, we can come to know Him and have eternal life! Not only do we have eternal life, but we get the joy of living with God forever. We get to enjoy the promise that: God will never leave us nor forsake us! (Hebrews 13:5) We will never be alone or left to our own invisibly! Jesus is our comforter, savior, friend, shepherd, messiah, and our everlasting hope that never leaves us despaired.

The Bible may not talk directly about lent, but it talks greatly about fasting greatly. It is not a religious regulation, but it should be something that gives us great joy as we grow more in our relationship with God during times of fasting and praying. Praying should always accompany fasting, if we want results... if we want this time to grow us and bear us fruit (John 15:16) in our walk with God.

Before we look at examples of what we could give up for lent, it is important to remember what the Bible has to say about fasting:

Mark 2:18-20- Once when John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, some people came to Jesus and asked, “Why don’t your disciples fast like John’s disciples and the Pharisees do?” Jesus replied, “Do wedding guests fast while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. They can’t fast while the groom is with them. But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. (NLT)

The disciples of Jesus had no reason to fast, for Jesus was still with them. As the Church, we are waiting for the second coming of Christ. While we wait, we should fast. Different denominations hold to different values on fasting, but according to Jesus--His disciples will fast. Whatever your views, fasting is about drawing closer to Him as we await His second coming. It is about choosing to draw nearer to Him during these times we find ourselves in.

Matthew 6:16-18- “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (NLT)

Remember, it is all about the heart. It is not about others, people pleasing, or even the attention we may receive from others. It is about us and the Lord. We need to envision that it is just us and God, because God weighs the motives of our heart. It is should not be about anyone or anything. It should only be about us wanting to grow closer to the Lord. He will see our motivation and our resulting actions, and give us the reward we deserve.

Mark 9:28-29- And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could not we cast him out?" And He said unto them, "This kind can come forth by nothing but by prayer and fasting." (NKJV 21st century)

For the disciples, they were questioning why they could not cast out a demon. The reason was for the lack of prayer and fasting. Fasting draws us closer to God. It gives us the opportunity to do things that we may not ordinarily have the ability to do. It gives us a much deeper connection with God.

Isaiah 58:3-8- They say, “We fast to show honor to you. Why don’t you see us? We starve our bodies to show honor to you. Why don’t you notice us?” But God says, “You do things to please yourselves on those special days of fasting. And you punish your servants, not your own bodies. You are hungry, but not for food. You are hungry for arguing and fighting, not for bread. You are hungry to hit people with your evil hands. This is not the way to fast if you want your prayers to be heard in heaven! Do you think I want to see people punish their bodies on those days of fasting? Do you think I want people to look sad and bow their heads like dead plants? Do you think I want people to wear mourning clothes and sit in ashes to show their sadness? That is what you do on your days of fasting. Do you think that is what the LORD wants?

This is the kind of fasting we do not want to do. It is dishonoring to our Lord where our actions do not match the place in our heart. Instead of observing lent because it may be expected or because others are doing it, we need to check our heart and see where our motives are. God is after our heart, not just our actions. If we fast, but our heart is not in it... what is the point?

Continuing on in verse 6-8.. “I will tell you the kind of day I want—a day to set people free. I want a day that you take the burdens off others. I want a day when you set troubled people free and you take the burdens from their shoulders. I want you to share your food with the hungry. I want you to find the poor who don’t have homes and bring them into your own homes. When you see people who have no clothes, give them your clothes! Don’t hide from your relatives when they need help.” If you do these things, your light will begin to shine like the light of dawn. Then your wounds will heal. Your “Goodness” will walk in front of you, and the Glory of the LORD will come following behind you. (Isaiah 58~NIV)

What kind of actions can we do that honors both where our hearts are at, and honors God? What kind of practice can we choose to do for the next 40 days that honors God? Maybe, it is not giving something up.. Maybe, it means giving something. It can be choosing to pray for someone daily, choosing to call and check on a friend each day of the week, dedicating ourselves to reading God's Word and let Him transform our lives during this time.

There are many other examples, but here are just a few ways to let our lives be impacted as we expectantly prepare for the celebration of Easter.

Some things we can give up: 

A specific meal (time used to pray and read His Word)

Certain foods

Soda

Texting

Using cell phone for purposes that are not a necessity

Games

Television

Movies

Music

Secular reading

Some things we could add into our lives:

Devoted time to spend in His Word

Time of prayer and listening to His voice

Make it a practice to help others (Volunteer at a shelter or food bank)

Praying for others daily

Instead of indulging in some of our regular habits and behaviors, we can choose to make a deliberate effort to be in God's Word more. If we are seeking to rid ourselves of a bad habit or behavior, we need to replace the bad habit with good habits. We need our time in God's Word. It does not matter who you are or what time of year it is. We each need to be spending time in God's Word. None of us spend enough time in God's Word. It is through this time in His presence through praying, listening, and reading His Word that God can speak volumes into our lives. In addition to being in the Word, each of us as God's children need to learn to serve others. Jesus said that the greatest in the Kingdom is the one who is a servant. (Mark 9:35) We need to spur one another toward love and good works! (Hebrews 10:24) Who can we help? How can we become more others-centered (Philippians 2: 4) this season? 

Pray and see where the Lord leads you this season!

Month 1 of Chronological Bible Reading Plan

Month One--January!


It may have taken me a bit more time, but I made it. I just finished reading Genesis. I finished the book of Job a couple weeks ago. I must say it has been an amazing journey, and I am so glad that I chose to do it and continue on even where there are days when it just feels a bit difficult to continue to read. There were many days where the reading did not happen. There are days when I binge read, because I cannot get enough. All in all, I think I am about 3 days off track. I am hoping to catch up this week, and definitely stay caught up. I need to rediscover a routine, as I resume my daily bible reading plan. It is easy for me to get busy or distracted. I need to make a continuous effort to be in the Word more this month!

Some highlight of this journey so far:

• The Life of Job. 
• Nothing is hidden, but all is seen in his struggles. He is seen complaining and arguing with God. He is rebuked for his ways in the end. For me, it has been an asset to see how Job handled his struggles. Many would do much worse. His faith carried him through his struggles, even on the hardest moments. Seeing Job's struggle has helped me with my own struggle. I have not given up. I keep fighting. It is knowing that others have walked the road of hardship that gives me strength. I find strength in reading about Job's struggle.
• The Life of Abraham
• His faith is tested by taking his son to the mountain to possibly sacrifice him. Instead, God removes the need for the sacrificing of his son. It was a test of his faith. The test of our faith brings us to our knees, and makes us realize which we love more: Family or God. There are moments when Abraham was asked to leave his family behind, and he took his nephew with him. What would have happened if he had left Lot at home? Would he have a wife who ended up looking back at the past so to speak, and turn into a grain of salt? Probably not..
• The Life of Jacob
• Jacob is seen stealing his brother's blessing from his father. He ends up on the road to hopefully avoid the sword of his brother Esau. Once he finally comes into contact with Esau after many years apart, his brother embraces him. Our problems may not be so easily solved, but they are solvable. We do not have to run to avoid facing them and risk facing greater dangers.
• The Life of Joseph
• Joseph handled his struggles with grace. His brothers threw him in a well, and he managed to get out. They sold him to Egyptians, and God enabled him to succeed as a servant of his master's house. His master's wife screams rape, and God uses his time in jail to help others' know the meaning of their dreams. The Pharaoh gets his dream interpreted by Joseph, and he is put in a high position of helping others fight againest a world wide famine. He reunites with his brothers and does no harm to them---instead he chooses to bless them continually!

I am looking forward to seeing what Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers  has in store for this month's journey! To read more about what I am reading and learning, click here