Galatians 1:15-18

“15. But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace,

16. To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:

17. Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.

18. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.”

Most of the time when God is calling you deeper, it is human nature to want to discuss it with someone. However, this is not always the best move.

Taking the example from Paul, we must turn to God. Generally speaking, people mean well and want to offer guidance or good advice. The only problem is they are not the one who called you and they are unable to guide you to where God is taking you. It makes more sense to seek the God who called you.

To walk in this deeper calling, you will need to separate yourself in consecration to hear from God. This is that sacrifice we always talk about. Fasting. To be what God has called always requires a sacrifice on our part. But any sacrifice we make is worth it because the reward is greater. There is no greater feeling than knowing we pleased God. Fulfilling our call pleases God.

Once God reveals himself or his will to you it is then okay to share with people. But doing so prematurely can hinder your progress. Many times people will want to burden you with their lack of faith or what they feel your next step should be. Or they may even doubt your call. This sort of distraction is something we cannot afford. Stay focused and Keep your own secrets. Seek God, trust God.

Enjoy the journey.

Psalms 34:19

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous:

but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. ”

I am so very glad that God is with me.

By definition, affliction is pain or suffering, or something that causes pain or suffering.

I take comfort in that fact that even though I may go through a great deal of things God has promised to deliver me. Not out of some of them, but ALL of them.

My responsibility is to tell God about what I am going through. Not complaining, but informing him. Always speaking the truth in faith. Once I tell him, I then GIVE it to him. Then I must let it go and leave it for God to deal with. This requires faith – trust in God.

Never pick an affliction up again once you have given it to God in faith. This can be challenging but is not impossible. Before you know it, you have been delivered.

Trust God, and stand on his promises. They are sure, and they are true. Be free in Jesus and walk in peace.

Have a blessed day!!

No Work, No Prize

Hebrews 11:6

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

To Diligently seek God means to do so in a way that shows your care and conscientiousness in your responsibilities toward Him.

In our previous post “What Is Faith” we talked about what faith is and what it is not. In this post we are going to discuss how important it is for every believer.

Hebrews tells the we need faith just to be able to please God. Why? Because we MUST believe that God is.

By definition Is, third person singular present of be.

Which basically means an ever present state of to exist or live.

God is ALWAYS here and alive and very real.

In order to come to God, it must be settled in our heart that God Is real, alive, exists, etc. This requires faith. Faith in his word (Bible). Faith in the experiences you have had with God. It is more than moving based on what you have heard others say or do, or more than what you may have seen. Faith is true, deep, and abiding trust in God.

Once you come to this realization, the next step in pleasing him is to understand our walk with God is full of rewards. God rewards those who are willing to do his will (faith without works is dead), by seeking him.

Pleasing God should be the goal of every believer. We should wake up with this desire. We should structure our lives around this goal. As we lay down at night, we should repent if we failed in reaching this goal, and ask for guidance so we don’t make the same mistakes the next day.

To Seek is to attempt to find; to ask for something from someone.

When we diligently seek God, we do so in a way that shows care and conscientiousness in our love and duty towards him. This is an act of worship. We acknowledge God for who he is, we thoughtfully and prayerfully honor him by doing what he has called us to do. This is faith and works in action. This is how we please him.

God is calling us all to a deeper level in him. It will require our full and whole hearted participation to get there. We must diligently seek him, and receive our reward.

You might be feeling that pull of God. Or you might be in the place where there is a void that only God can feel. In either case, the answer is the same – Diligently seek God. Be faithful in doing what God has called you to. Spend time in his word to know him better. Talk with him, ask for what you need, but do not let your wants supersede his will.

Remember, God is a rewarder of those that seek him. He wants to give you what you need. He is just waiting for you to ask. He is waiting for you to seek him.

God is calling you deeper. It is up you to accept the call, and do what is necessary to please him.

By definition faith is complete trust or confidence in someone or something.

Complete is having all the necessary or appropriate parts; to the greatest extent or degree; total.

According to Hebrews 11:1, the Bible defines faith as “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Be definition, substance is the real physical matter of which a person or thing consists and which has a tangible, solid presence.

So then Our complete trust in God is the tangible, solid presence of the things hope for. Our faith is the actual evidence of the things we cannot see.

Faith must move from our head to our hearts and become real. I say this because we can know and understand, and even believe things without them first becoming real to us. A thing is truly real to us it it has moved from our head to our hearts.

The Bible tells us that our mouth will speak what is in our heart (Matthew 12:34) without conscious effort. The thing is so much a part of you that it is spoken without you even realizing it. It is almost like an automatic behavior.

When your faith has made a thing real, it is so easy to speak it daily as an affirmation. But on the flip side of that coin, if you really do not believe a thing it is hard to confidently say it in faith. Rather we cover our doubt with flowery words. But it is doubt none the less.

Faith is bold, it is fearless, and it is unwavering. It has to be bold because we must stand up in the face of the enemy and boldly proclaim the word of God. Faith has to be fearless, because fear has torments. Fear and faith cannot exist at the same time. God’s perfect love casts out fear, and our faith is stronger because of it. Faith must be unwavering because it must stand when tested and withstand the fiery darts of the devil.

No, we are not born with great faith. But we are born with a measure of faith. It is our duty to exercise our faith and allow it to grow into great faith. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Our faith is activated by the Word of God. Faith requires the Word of God to survive.

Those of us wha are in a faith battle need to understand that it IS God’s will that you come out victorious. Yes, he wants to heal you, deliver you, and set you free. No, he does not want to see you fail, fall, or even miss heaven. These are lies told by the enemy over and over again in many different versions. It is the believers duty to take what God says, over the lies of the enemy – every time.

It’s a faith thing.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

“9. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

10. Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

11. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”

By definition, to forgive is stop feeling angry or resentful toward (someone) for an offense, flaw, or mistake. To cancel (a debt).

We all need this from God, others, and ourselves. God freely gives us this desperately needed blessing. We should forgive others as God has forgiven us. Lastly, and sometimes the most challenging, is to forgive ourselves.

Once we repent to God, and ask for his forgiveness from a sincere heart, he does forgive us. He does not even remember it anymore. We, on the other hand, are not always quick to forget. We then torture people who have wronged us, or ourselves with these memories. We bring them up, or a place, thing, smell, song, etc, will trigger the memory, and we being to relive the offense again. If this is you, then you truly have not forgiven.

Just as when God forgives us, he no longer remembers the offense, we must do the same. We must let go of the issue as a whole, especially the details (hurt and pain). As long as we hold on to the memory we cannot truly be free. We continue to bind ourselves and the person who caused it. When we forgive we set ourselves free along with the person(s) who have hurt us.

We all have a past. We cannot continue to hold our past deeds, behaviors, and wrongs against ourselves either. Once God forgives, we must also forgive ourselves. This includes ending the guilt and shame of our past. We cannot allow others to hold us to our past either. Yes, we must accept the blame, yes I did that, said that, caused that, believed that etc. We must have the attitude “But I have repented before God, he has forgiven me. I ask your forgiveness too.” It is up to the other to forgive, or not. Either way, you must forgive yourself.

We all have a past. Even the person you have wronged. You must have an attitude of restoration toward that person. However, you do not have to allow that person to keep you bound to that past because they refuse to forgive. That is between them and God. They may never forgive you, but you can (and should) forgive yourself. Then close the book on that chapter of your life. Move on, but be better than you use to be. Do not repeat those same old behaviors or actions.

We all have a past, but we must let it go to gain the future that God has for us. Freedom is a choice, and it requires strength to receive it by faith, and to maintain it. Not physical strength, but spiritual strength. It is given by God, we receive it by faith through the Holy Spirit, and the word of God. It requires a relationship with God to fully understand and to walk in. But freedom is still ours and is always available to us.

To be bound to the past is also a choice. To do so requires us to refuse what God is trying to do (and give) in our life. Choosing to keep the old, rather then walk in the new. Yes, it is a choice that come with consequences we really do not want. Why not accept forgiveness and all that God has for us?

We all have a past. Even those who would want to hold things against us. We are not perfect, and have done wrong. Even the person(s) who refuse to forgive and forget. We must forgive ourselves and take away the power others would try to exercise over us. We do this by forgetting and letting go of the guilt and shame of our past. Let the blood of Jesus wholly cleanse us, and move on.

Be blessed!