I Don’t Understand – Good!

There will be times in your walk with Jesus when you’ll say, “I don’t understand. Why are you asking me to do this?”
Simple answer. Good! Long answer. The very fact that we don’t understand something means we’re not God, which is a good thing.
We are told to walk by faith, not by sight for at least two reasons. One, the process of figuring it out can fry our brains; thus, losing the peace of God that Jesus brings. Two, by having to figure it out before we obey, we reduce God to our level, which means He is no longer a God worthy of following. If we can figure Him out, He must be small enough to fit inside our brain. Again, why follow a tiny god?
We need a God who is greater than our challenges so He can solve them. This means it is okay to not understand everything He asks. Yet, we keep walking by faith in it anyway. This transfer of trust keeps Him God and our peace knowing that all things will work out in the end – our transformed lives.
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Hope in a Hope Given

During one very difficult period in his life, Martin Luther “was carrying many burdens and fighting many battles. Usually jolly and smiling, he was instead depressed and worried. Katherine, his wife, endured this for days. One day she met him at the door wearing a black mourning dress.
“Who died?” the professor asked.
“God,” said Katherine.
“You foolish thing!” said Luther. “Why this foolishness!”
“It is true,” she persisted. “God must have died or Doctor Luther would not be so sorrowful.”
Yes, life will be tough, more at some times than at others. Yet, isn’t our hope for victory each day found in Jesus, our God? Isn’t our hope for a better tomorrow found in the Father, our God? Isn’t our hope that one day we will arrive home from this long arduous journey by the Spirit, our God?
Let your belief in God shine through to your face. We have hope. We live in hope. And we hope in a hope given to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. Smile, the best is yet to come for those who love and follow The Savior!
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Practice

A famous baseball player once said, “Baseball is something that carries a lot of sacrifice, a lot of preparation, and there is a reason why we train the entire year to play it, practice every day, especially during the season, because it is a sport of consistency.”
Having a healthy faith carries a lot of sacrifice…your will. With each choice to surrender your way of thinking and living to listen to and follow Jesus, you’re preparing yourself for the next choice, which eventual leads to becoming like Jesus.
Philippians 4:9 states, “Whatever you have learned or received or head from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Practicing Jesus choices brings greater peace. So don’t give up, even when you make mistakes. Keep practicing!
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Step Up Not Down

People love to tear others down in order to build themselves up. Believers are not immune to this challenge, which can carry over to their view of God.
There are times when what the Spirit is asking the secure child of God to do is hard to understand. The believer has two options at this point. They can lower God to their way of thinking in order to understand Him or they can rise to God’s way of thinking.
Jeremiah 2:5 states by lowering God to yourself, you’re now following a worthless idol and will become worthless yourself. Anything other than Jesus is an idol, no matter how we dress up that idol, even with Christian language.
A God defined by you, however good your intentions may be, is one controlled by you; thus, making you god. There is no other way to say it – are you god or is Jesus? Yet, there will be times you won’t understand what Jesus asking you do. Will you trust Him and step toward Him or trust yourself and step away from Him?
At those hard to understand times, it’s time to exercise the truth by faith Spirit empowered and take a step up. You’ll be glad you did.
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Life Made Easy

carefreeI’ve been studying Jesus’ statements, “It is finished” and “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Two truths the Spirit has given me thus far are: Jesus is both God and Savior. This might not sound earth shattering to you, but think about it for a second.
As God, He took all the world’s burdens and cares, which includes ours, upon His shoulders. Why do we give them so much head time? As Savior, He took the responsibility to make humanity whole (i.e. save). Why are we sweating the process?
Based on those truths, we can relax and simply listen and follow Him throughout our day. He’s got everything else under complete control.
Choose to let Jesus be God and Savior today by downloading all the stuff that rattles around in your head onto His shoulders. Then go out and enjoy His presence, no matter where you go. He made life that easy!
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