Breath of God

“…I have here two portions of the nature of God.  The first is the very cloth of his nature.  When wrapped about you, it clothes you with the breath of God.  As water surrounds a person in the sea, so will his very breath envelop you.  With this, the divine breath, you will have his power–to subdue armies, shame the enemies of God, and accomplish his work on the earth.  Here is the power of God as a gift. Here is the immersion into the spirit.”

                                         -Gene Edwards, A Tale of Three Kings

I picked up this book and began reading it, and even in the prologue, this portion caught my attention.  How often do we forget the power we have in Jesus? Not only is God by our side, his favor, his mercy, his power, and his blessing is wrapped around us.  If we just take hold of what he’s already given us, how can we not come out victorious?  Everyday we make a choice: we either take off the power of God that has been wrapped around you, by our arrogant, self-righteous attitudes.  Or we can accept the amazing Gift God’s given to each one of us, “the cloth of his nature.”  It’s foolishness to go into battle unprepared, with no armor, or swords.  Why then, do we dare go about our daily lives, a spiritual battle, without the breath of God enveloping us?  Even when we are weak, and confused, and broken, you can find power and strength in God.

…He is mine Forever…

Psalm 73:21-26

“Then I realized that my heart was bitter, and i was all torn up inside.  I was so foolish and ignorant–I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.  Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand.  You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny.  Who have I in heaven but you?  I desire you more than anything on earth.  My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.”

This scripture stood out to me this morning as I was reading.  I, like everyone else, have done a lot of stupid things.  We’ve all been bitter, and ignorant, and foolish at times.  And it’s easy when we are doing what’s right to know that we belong to God, and rely on Him as our strength. But it’s hard to fathom that even when we seem so far away at times, and when we don’t deserve any of His love, we still belong to him.  All those times we made the wrong choices and weren’t living the way we should, it’s true we must look so foolish in the eyes of God, and yet, we’re never too far away to say we belong to Him.  His grace is enough.  No matter what comes your way, or no matter how weak you feel,  letGod remains the strength your heart, He is yours Forever.

Seasons of Life

This past weekend we had our lovely intern retreat, where buckets are used to break us, Thomas is there to make our bodies hurt, and well the rest of it is just random and questionable. Friday night, however, the 2nd year interns had an opportunity to share some of what was on our hearts. It may not have come out as eloquently as we would have liked, but i hope the point got across. I know it’s something God’s been teaching me over the past couple months, but little did I know it was anything other people around me had on their minds as well. It was interesting, the way Pastor Mark had us speak, but, regardless of how well we did or did not do talking to the group, the subject matter makes more and more sense the more time i spend thinking about it.

Season in life…there are soooo many different seasons and times you go through. Some you go through for a long time, others, a short while. Some times in life are good, and some down right suck. But no matter what things are thrown your way, are you getting everything out of that season and time that you can? I believe its not only in the “every thing’s perfect, lovin’ life seasons,” but moreso the points in time that seem hopeless and confusing that you learn so much from. In EVERY season, there are lessons to be learned, opportunities to take advantage of, and maybe even a laugh or two to share. The thing people seem to learn a little too late, including myself, is how we embrace all that we can from everything we go through.

1. The first thing we have to do is realize and identify what season you are in right now. How are you going to grab ahold of all that God has planned for you and all that is coming your way, if you don’t even know where you are or what you’re doing? Are you in a period of grieving, labor, harvest, planting, time of waiting? What is your season? And I emphasize the “your” because we all go through things individually, there is no way to change that. The person next to you may be going through something totally different, but still, identify where you are at.  Anyone can look back and realize where they were, and have regrets about the things they didn’t know then…but can you identify where you are presently, and save yourself from lost time and regrets?

2. Second, are you prepared for life’s unexpected plot twists?  are you grounded enough in God to handle both the good opportunities that you will be given, and the unavoidable, unwanted problems thrown in your face?  Do you know your Bible enough, and is your ear sensitive to the Holy Spirit enough to know who needs encouragement, or give the right answers to witness to someone at a crucial point?  And are you strong enough to stand firm and have faith, trusting in God, when situations seem impossible and hopeless?  Prepare yourself for any situation that is presented to you, so that you don’t miss out.

3. Have perpective in knowing that no matter what season of life you are in, It will come to an end. Nothing lasts forever, and whatever you’re going through will end, and something new will come your way. If its a time in your life that seems hopeless, hold on to the promise that you will get through it, and although it seems like things will never end, i promise you, or rather, God promises you, that You will make it through, and things will end. And if you’re in a season in life that is going great, and you don’t want to end, you can never be too cautious, because it too will end my friend. So be wise in knowing that it will end, and maybe you can use your harvest to prepare for a famine.

And even when the trees have just surrendered
To the harvest time
Forfeiting their leaves in late September
And sending us inside
Still I notice You when change begins
And I am braced for colder winds
I will offer thanks for what has been and was to come
You are autumn 

                                -Nichole Nordeman

 

I love, love, love the fall time. It’s my favorite season of the year without a doubt.  If i had more free time on my hands, I would be your regular grandma:  baking pumpkin bread, apple bread, zucchini bread, apple pie, pumpkin pie, homemade chili, homemade soup, warm apple cider, hot chocolate…i could go on, but i’ll stop.  It all just tastes better in the fall time.  It’s refreshing to feel a bit of a cool breeze blow across your face after a hot summer.  Just seeing all the leaves change colors, and seeing the beauty of it all amazes me. Even the smell of the air is different. It makes me appreciate the little things in life. 

Positive Perspective

So, I have a 6 hour lab class, and on day one, i met possibly one of the most miserable human beings on the face of the earth.  There’s another girl i met in class, we get along well, and within the first couple hours of that first class, one of our goals for the semester was to get this “happy gentleman” to smile by the end of the semester.  Seems simple, right?  Well – it’s been 3 weeks, with him in class twice a week, and still nothing! It was a joke at first, but I honestly feel really bad for this kid.  He talks quite a bit, but the only things I hear from his mouth, are how much he hates the class, and how terrible the instructor is, and how the semester is gonna be long, and everyone is stupid, and people are annoying….i just wanna slap him in the mouth.  But instead of slapping his pessimistic, annoying, self-pitying mouth, every class I just smile, and joke, and laugh, and try to say anything more positive than what’s going through his mind.

I got to thinking–what kind of life is that to live?  It must be pretty miserable, waking up thinking the worst about every day.  To be completely honest, our instructor isn’t one of the best, and it’s really boring, and i count down the hours and minutes in my head as soon as I walk in the room.  But, I HAVE to be there, so why not try to enjoy it in the slightest bit, right?

I mean, you are where you are.  It’s not profound, I know. But still, you have to go to the job and work the shift your scheduled for, you have to go to the classes you signed up for, you have to go to small group meetings when you don’t want to, you have to smile sometimes, when you want to cry…it’s life. You’re always going to be places you don’t want to do, doing things that aren’t always pleasant, but you gotta go through unenjoyable things, and “waste” your precious time that you have sooo little of as a young adult, in order to get to the good stuff. That’s the bottom line.

And since life is all about perspective, I’ve made it a priority to start trying to look at everything in a new way. Its not easy at first, i find myself thinking negative still all the time.  But, at least I’m noticing it now.  like everything else, it’s a process.  But already, it makes life so much more enjoyable.  Not only do you look at situations, classes, hard work, etc., in a new, positive way, I’ve started to see the good things in other people in a new way.  In the end, it changes your self-perspective as well, which in turn, can change your life around, in theory…

I

Keep doing what you’re doing

Psalm 37:5-7  Commit everything you do to the Lord.  Trust him, and he will help you.  He will make your innocence as clear as the dawn, and the Justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.  Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.

I’ve been reading through the book of Psalm over and over recently.  Today, I came across this verse that I’ve read so many times.  Its so easy to forget why you’re doing what you’re doing.  Why are you keeping yourself pure? Why are you giving up things that seem so enticing? Why are you getting up early to pray and read your Bible? And the list goes on… Sometimes you get in such a routine of life and doing the things you know you’re supposed to do, and doing the things your heart desires, without seeing result for lengths of time.  It can be discouraging, and it makes it so easy to forget the real reason why we’re in this race. 

But reading this verse just encourages me and reminds me that even though, at some points it feels like all of your efforts are in vain, and nothing is ever going to come of it, God sees it all.  He sees the tears you’re crying for your family and friends, and sees the time you sacrifice, and the things you give up, and the way your keeping pure -  and It will be rewarded.  As long as everything you do is committed to the Lord, and your trusting him…wait patiently, and You’ll see miracles happen.  You’ll see dreams come to pass.  You’ll see prayers answered, and blessings come your way. 

Stay in the presence of the Lord, waiting for His perfect timing, and you won’t be dissapointed. Keep doing what you’re doing.

Failure

Failure. Such a negative word, that can bring about such positive results. Failing is inevitable. At some point and time in your life, its bound to happen. It’s how you react to it that really matters.

Growing up, failing wasn’t just something I didn’t do, It was something I really never even understood. Now, i don’t say any of this to applaud myself, in fact, just the opposite. But having never experienced any sort of real failure growing up, I never learned how to deal with it. I never had to try for good grades, it was easy for me. In fact, my parents would always offer my brother outrageous amounts of money if he could get one A on his report card, knowing it was nearly impossible. But for me, I would come home every semester with nothing but A’s and only get a small amount of cash or prize for my “hard work.” I see now that it was only to try and get him to do better, and they were in fact proud of me (although i never did put much effort into it). I played sports, was the captain of the teams, never sat the bench, etc. Failure wasn’t something i was familiar with.

I had done everything perfectly fine on my own up to this point, and so on I went with MY plans. I had plans of my own, a well mapped out future, that nothing was going to distract me from. I had my own dreams, my own way of working things out, and my own life.

But, I failed. It still hurts to say it. My plans didn’t pan out as I had previously hoped, and I had no idea what to do. For a while, I was in denial, i was ashamed of myself, because i knew I was so much better than I was letting myself be. I made the fatal mistake of buying into the lie that told me that my past mistakes and failures defined who I was, and what my future could be. My failures began to define me. Things that I was so sure of about myself, i began to question. Doubt began to consume my thoughts. I felt aimless, powerless to change the state I was in. I didn’t only begin questioning what I was doing i life, I began questioning who I was. Before long these thoughts of doubt and uncertainty, and depression, turned to fear. But not the scream out loud, chatter your teeth, fears. The type of fear that influences your every decision, without you even knowing it. You begin to fear trying new things, fear taking opportunities, fear people, because your so deathly afraid that you might fail again. At this point, I didn’t realize how much I was settling. My mind was so warped, that I began settling in every area, subconsciously believing I wasn’t good enough, or didn’t deserve more. How did I let such hopelessness and doubt creep into my spirit, without me even knowing? I was so deceived, that I let my failures, define me, and let them shape my future.

Failure can be a good thing, its necessary for growth, and learning, and wisdom. Its such a negative word, yet has the ability to bring such positive results–but only If YOU decide to let it. I like to think that I’ve grown up a bit in the last couple years. And now, I know beyond anything else, that I’m defined by who I am in Jesus. What Defines You?

Encouragement

Ephesians 4:29 - “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

Hebrews 10:24 – “…let us consider how to encourage one another to love and good deeds.”

I was having a conversation with a friend the other night.  We were catching up, discussing careers and college majors, or rather, how we wish we knew what we wanted to do. This person told me something i never expected from them: Since her freshman year in highschool, a teacher made a simple statement, that is still affecting her today.  Its held her back from going after a career she may have been wildly succesful in, made her think less of herself, and this is my opinion, but i think it has subconciously made her settle for less than what she could do.  As time went on, she began to supress some of the dreams and  the vision she had.  I bet this teacher probaby wouldn’t even remember saying this to her, but she’ll never forget it.

 I’ve heard stories like this before, but it broke my heart knowing how it affected someone i cared about.  Now, if you know me at all, you know i have the terrible gift of sarcasm.  Its easy for me to be cutting, and joke, and lash back…at any one.  I don’t want to admit it-i don’t think its something to be proud of.  Sure, people say i’m funny and witty, but that’s not what i want to be.  I wonder how many comments i’ve made “in a fun or joking” way, that have affected people’s lives.  What cutting, degrading, thoughtless words have i spoke that have worked their way into the mind and spirit of others, changing them, lowering their self-esteem, speaking failure, or worthlessness over them?  It honestly makes me sick to think about. That’s not the type of thing i ever want to be remembered for or labeled by. What type of example would that make me? What type of leader or christian would that make me? If there’s one thing i hate, its hypocrytes. Yet how hypocrytcal is it to proclaim the love of Jesus, and not speak words of ecouragement to people.  This issue is something i’ve been working on for a while now, and i like to think that i’ve gotten better.  I’ve definately become much more aware of what comes out of my mouth–But i’m not where i want to be, or should be in this area.  

Every day we, as examples of Christ need to be looking for opportunities to speak positive things to people.  It may be as simple as telling someone they look nice.  You may think your words don’t matter, but you never know when your words might be the thing that makes a difference in someones life.  These last few months, God’s really been making it a priority in my life to be someone that speaks life over people. As ridiculous as it sounds, I’ll be honest:  It’s work at first, but the more you do it, the more natural it comes.

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