Moving on conviction

“...and everything that is not from a conviction is sin.” 

—Romans 14:23

This verse paired with Isaiah 30:21 that says, “and whenever you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: "This is the way. Walk in it." has been my guiding light the past two days.  

It’s funny how fine I feel until the Bible tells me what sin is and I see it in me.  Then I’m guilty, but when I feel fine and don’t know or see the sin in me I don’t feel guilty (even if it’s there).  But in life I want to live in the truth because even though feeling fine (and ignorant) might be more comfortable on my life for a while, it’s so bland compared to what God has for us when we let the truth set us free!  So I’ve been thinking about how anything and everything that is not from a conviction is sin!  Are you convicted to eat?  Good! Am I convicted to fold the laundry?  Good.  Am I convicted to text this person, to take a nap, all of it has to flow from conviction otherwise I’m sinning against the God I love!  

I hope we can consider today as constant convictions at every turn and for everything we do.  Right step, Let’s hear the Spirit say “this is the way, walk in it.”  Left step, right step, step by step moving only by conviction.  

It’s so good!  It’s not something you do perfectly but willingly.  :)

Jmegrey

The treasures we bring on Christmas

The gifts of the magi represented intensifiers of desire FOR CHRIST Himself.  Baby Jesus didn’t need gold, frankincense or myrrh!  He already owned all of that in Heaven, but the gifts were gifts that gave back.  

The magi offered the most expensive and precious possessions they had as a way of honoring and worshipping Jesus Himself!  These gifts were meant to say that they knew Jesus was worth more than these expensive or nice things.  Jesus didn’t need their gifts, but they needed to give them to Jesus to get the greater treasure in return.  In their giving they were receiving in themselves a true knowledge of who they stood before.  They were receiving love for Jesus! 

“When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 

After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. 

Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. —Matthew 2:10–11 

God is not served by human hands as though he needed anything (Acts 17:25).  Their treasures that they laid down at the feet of Jesus was their worship.  Because they found the more valuable treasure before them!  

What’s your treasure?  

I’ve been reading and writing Romans 12 almost everyday and it always reminds me that the greatest offering of worship I can give to God is my greatest treasure: my body.  

I want Jesus more, but to desire Jesus is one thing, to do something in order to get it is another.  Here the magi remind us how to move toward getting more of Jesus.  It is in the act of worship.  To lay down our treasures in this life for the gift of getting back the real treasure: a love for Jesus. 

Piper echoes that “This desire I now intensify and demonstrate by giving up things, in the hope of enjoying you more, not things.” 

Our hearts love to worship, whether that be at the altar of beauty, fame, power, or comfort.  We are worshippers by design, and every time we worship at these altars we grow our desire for more of whatever we worship.  So to lay down our treasures at the altar of Christ is to receive a greater enjoyment of Christ!  To lay down our treasures at the altar of comfort is to get back an even greater desire for comfort, and the more we desire other things the less room we have in our lives to enjoy Christ.  

Comfort, beauty, security, and fame are not bad things, but compared to Jesus they are wretched things!  They offer temporary everything.  Temporary peace, temporary enjoyment, and temporary existence.  They all have an expiration date!  These temporary pleasures distract us from an everlasting pleasure!  They distract us from worshipping our true love.  And we miss it, we miss the main point of enjoying our God-breathed lives! 

We find ourselves stuck in a roller coaster cycle of high highs and low lows then long periods of boredom because temporary fixes always need to be repaired or replaced.  

We are left disappointed, lost, hopeless and without any enjoyment left in us for the life we’ve been given TO ENJOY! 

So back to the magi:

“When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 

After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. 

Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. —Matthew 2:10–11 

What if this Christmas we celebrated like the magi?  That instead of expecting good gifts or thank you comments from the people we bought gifts for we laid our treasures down at the feet of Jesus.  

What if we offered our bodies as a living sacrifice, Holy and pleasing to God, as our spiritual worship?  

Whatever your body usually fancies (recognition, comfort, individuality, etc) can be offered on the altar of Christ in return for an even greater gift in return: an intensified desire for Christ Himself!  

The gift that never runs out of giving.  Christ’s love never expires.  Therefore our enjoyment of Him will also never stop being satiated.  We will enjoy Him now and for all eternity when we worship Him.  Worshippers everywhere, let us worship the only One worthy of worship!  Jesus Messiah! 

Take time to consider what treasures you want to bring to Jesus today as your worship.  And I pray you receive that great joy shared on Christmas night with the magi.  

Jmegrey

I follow Jesus

Habitual + Consequential whole person 

“Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, 

but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.”

Proverbs 21:5 

“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, 

but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.”

Proverbs 21:5 

“Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run; 

hurry and scurry puts you further behind.”

Proverbs 21:5 

“The plans of the diligent certainly lead to profit, 

but anyone who is reckless certainly becomes poor.”

Proverbs 21:5 

Good planning

Hard work

Diligent planning 

Careful planning 

Vs.

Hasty 

Shortcuts

Hurry 

Reckless 

What do all these verses point to essentially?  

One leads to the abundant-full life, while the other leads to the limited-scarce life. 

It's more than about your bank account, it's about the overall quality of your life.  To have good food, good relationships, good skin, good body, good job, good income, good habits, and good character all takes good planning, hard work, diligence, and carefulness.  

I am reminded YET AGAIN, that nothing in life is easy, and those words seem to get heavier and heavier the more I try to be hard-working.  

For so long I've created habits of haste, instant gratification, and finding shortcuts or being reckless with my life--because I simply didn't care enough to try.  I had money, I had popularity and lots of friends, I had a loving family and I was even confident that I was pretty.  I got above average grades without even studying, took trips around the world and boys liked me.  You would think that I was living the so-called "good life," but one look at my habits of haste would tell you I didn't care about any of it enough to really care about myself.  Money couldn't buy me happiness, my friends were more like cardboard facades rather than deep and meaningful relationships, my family only saw a fraction of the real me because I chose to hide the truth from them, and vanity drove me to a 7 year eating disorder.  I didn't use my degree for anything, and I don't remember much from any of my many trips to Europe, Asia or anywhere else for that matter.  None of the boys I liked lasted very long because I was not a whole person. 

I didn't have a worthy purpose in life until I met God for real in 2014.  Up until then I was reckless about simply doing or feeling whatever felt good or right to me at any given moment.  I only focused on a small part of my life, the part that was easy, didn't require much patience, endurance, or deep contemplation.  But gradually the other part of me-- the stifled part I had suppressed and neglected for so long would begin leaking from the seams of my so-called "good life."  The part of me I might call the consequential part of me.  

The part of me that was full of pain, anguish, depression, hurt, and disappointment from all the shortcuts, reckless behaviors, hasty actions, and lack of careful planning. 

I hit a low point in my life while I was in my bed one night.  No tears came, only numbness and inner depravity.  It was a mental hell.  I knew if this continued my consequential self would end up destroying me altogether, leaving my parents hurt in the process.  I couldn't just hurt myself, as much as I wanted that to be the case, it simply wasn't-- and knowing that compelled me to seek help.  

It's been a crazy emotional, painful, heart-wrenching 5 year journey since then.  

(2012) Year one was the awakening process, 365 days of more and more awareness of the consequential me.  

(2013) Year 2 was the hunt for what I really believed to be true about God since at that point He was my only hope of help.  365 days of asking myself and God the hard questions like "are You made at me?" "Am I one of Yours or one of Satan's children?"  "Are You even real?"  "Are You even there?"  "Are You really good?"  "Do You really love me?"

(2014) Year 3 was when the gospel was driven into the darkest part of my heart.  365 days of sitting with God in the swamps of my sin and getting to know Him there.  This was probably the most painful and most best year for me.  It was a time of so much weeping and so much cutting off of my old ways, yet also the most intimate moments I had with God. 

(2015) Year 4 was a time of falling more in love with God.  Some might call it unceasing prayer, but it was simply me talking to God all the time.  This was my second year at Talbot School of Theology at Biola University.  I was soaking in His Word, spending hours with Him, all the while still holding His hand through the many more swamps of my sin.  However, it got better because I knew His love was for sure.  I waded through painful reality with a little more freedom and a lot of courage.  

(2016) Year 5 was all about taking action.  I had soaked up so much knowledge of God in the previous year that now it was getting put to the test.  I began dating my now husband on August 16, 2016, but up to that point I had been practicing walking in what God showed me was love with family members, friends, and of course myself.  Things got really real, though, when I started dating because I had no intention of getting married, but remained open to whatever God lead me into.  When I met Ben (my now husband) I was a completely different person than I was just a year ago.  I was going through so many character changes that I had no idea what I was in for.  The honesty, the clarity in communicating, and bringing up all the petty differences mattered, and mattered deeply to my soul.  All the while my old self was more determined than ever to make a comeback since this was an area of deep rooted bad habits.  I pressed into God so much in this year.  I listened to my mom for so much guidance!  Most of the time I was unaware of how to be in a Christ-centered relationship, so I just took action to find out what that was (mess ups lead me to right ups.). I was also leading the youth group and continually finding myself at a loss for ability to do so.  I simply "showed up" and hoped for God to use my presence in ministry since I lacked everything else.  And He did, apparently. 

(2017). This year I got married on August 16, 2017.  I couldn't really tell you much about what this year has been because I'm still in it, but looking back it felt like a year of walking by faith.  There were many times of spiritual confusion, mental boredom, and physical restlessness.  What my eyes saw my spirit had to speak into because I couldn't rely on my circumstances or my feelings to guide me.  Youth group felt like it was dying, my friends seemed to grow distant, and sharing my heart with another man took getting used to for me because I had previously only bared my whole heart to God.  I was in new challenging situations.  And I got pregnant in September!  I was blessed, but I wanted more than the blessings...I wanted Year 3 intimacy feelings with God.  But God had different plans for me, He had Year 6 intimacy plans for us.  So here I am, reading proverbs 21:6 on Dec 5, 2017. 

“Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, 

but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.”

Proverbs 21:5 

This time those words breathe life into my bones.  It's times when things get difficult that we must plan for what we know is good: intimacy with the Father is more than just getting everything He has (blessings), it's getting Him.  The relationship that sustains us and fills us with a fullness that makes us whole and wholly good.  

In the past it would have been easy for me to make haste and find the quickest way to distract myself from difficulty or pain, to lock up consequential me in the basement of my heart, but not today.  

Nothing in life is easy, shortcuts start easy but end in difficulty, while carful planning starts with difficulty but ends in abundance.  

If "Structure breeds freedom" then "Haste breeds slavery" 

My story is a testimony of losing myself and gaining Christ.  He took the road that led Him to the cross, where He now sits in eternal glory with the Father.  

I follow Jesus,

Jmegrey 

Keep choosing God (by Henri Nouwen)

Keep Choosing God

You are constantly facing choices.
The question is whether you choose for God or for your own doubting self. You know what the right choice is, but your emotions, passions, and feelings keep suggesting you choose the self-rejecting way.

The root choice is to trust at all times that God is with you and will give you what you most need. Your self-rejecting emotions might say, “It isn’t going to work. I’m still suffering the same anguish I did six months ago. I will probably fall back into the old depressive patterns of acting and reacting. I haven’t really changed.” And on and on. It is hard not to listen to these voices. Still, you know that these are not God’s voice.

God says to you, “I love you, I am with you, I want to see you come closer to me and experience the joy and peace of my presence. I want to give you a new heart and a new spirit. I want you to speak with my mouth, see with my eyes, hear with my ears, touch with my hands. All that is mine is yours. Just trust me and let me be your God.”
This is the voice to listen to.

And that listening requires a real choice, not just once in a while but every moment of each day and night. It is you who decides what you think, say, and do. You can think yourself into a depression, you can talk yourself into low self-esteem, you can act in a self-rejecting way. But you always have a choice to think, speak, and act in the name of God and so move toward the Light, the Truth, and the Life.

As you conclude this period of spiritual renewal, you are faced once again with a choice. You can choose to remember this time as a failed attempt to be completely reborn, or you can also choose to remember it as the precious time when God began new things in you that need to be brought to completion. Your future depends on how you decide to remember your past. Choose for the truth of what you know.
Do not let your still anxious emotions distract you.

As you keep choosing God, your emotions will gradually give up their rebellion and be converted to the truth in you. You are facing a real spiritual battle. But do not be afraid. You are not alone. Those who have guided you during this period are not leaving you. Their prayers and support will be with you wherever you go. Keep them close to your heart so that they can guide you as you make your choices.

Remember, you are held safe.
You are loved.
You are protected.
You are in communion with God and with those whom God has sent you. What is of God will last. It belongs to the eternal life.
Choose it, and it will be yours.

-Henri Nouwen "The inner voice of Love"

Little blinking light

What's the little blinking light?
Focusing on 1 goal

Focus: noun.
- A central point.  The main thing.
- the focal point of a lens.

What is the focal point of your worldview right now?

I had such a cranky day.  But I felt very comfortable in being mad or irritated.  It was almost too easy I didn't think I needed to battle anything, nor did I have a desire to.  Because my feelings of anger or irritation were strong, so it would be harder to fight against those feelings and easier to just ride them.  But of course, I knew somewhere deep within me that I was not walking in the Spirit of God.  That little bit of truth in me was like the smoke detector light that blinks on your ceiling at night.  It's there but it's not very bothersome or loud.  But if you stare at it long enough, you'll begin focusing on it.

So I started to focus my eyes on that light of truth while I was feeling very comfortable just remaining as I was.  And it lead me to Philippians 2:3-4

Focus is to:
“Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:3‬ ‭

Focus is to:
“...look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:4‬ ‭

Focus helps us achieve a goal, right?
My focus was me...yet God was reminding me that my focus was OFF.  In order to recalibrate my focus on my main goal, I needed to consider others as more important than myself.  And to be concerned about my interests as well as the interests of others.  That's when I could more clearly see that my bad attitude came from a focus on me, myself, and I.

“The Lord said to Samuel,
"How long are you going to...
(mourn for Saul),
since I have rejected him as king over Israel?
Fill your horn with oil and go.
I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem because I have selected a king from his sons.”
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭16:1‬

I read this for sermon prep (cuz we are studying 1 Samuel) and this first verse just hit me.  How long am I gonna remain unhappy about something that happened?

This morning a ton of things just didn't go as planned, and happened differently, and I was stuck there.  And God asked me, like He asked Samuel, "how long are you gonna dwell on that?"

Basically, showing me that I had forgotten I live to do His will, and God is always having His way.  He's in every detail.  My response revealed my heart, and I was basically telling God I could do a better plan.  I'm just humbled and thankful that the small light kept blinking and led me back to an attitude that produces life instead of death in me.

Thanks for letting me share as a way of processing and solidifying what happened to me today.  I pray everyone gets back on track, focusing on our 1 goal:  glorifying God in being satisfied in  Him no matter what happens circumstantially or emotionally.

Love,
Jmegrey

Let those with ears HEAR!

Good morning spiritual family,
Listen carefully:

And He told this parable:
"A man had a fig tree that was planted in his vineyard. He came looking for fruit on it and found none.
He told the vineyard worker,
'Listen, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any.
Cut it down!
Why should it even waste the soil? ’
‭‭
But he replied to him,
'Sir, leave it this year also,
until I dig around it and fertilize it.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭13:6-8‬ ‭

This is our year.  Right now.  We have received fertilization in our hearts because we believed in Jesus.
When the fig tree wasn't producing fruit a mediator stepped in and said let me do something with it (fertilize it) and if it still does not produce fruit then by natural reasoning let it be cut down (what's the point of a fig tree that does not produce figs?  Answer: no point at all.)

How many of us have received the fertilization of the Spirit of God in our hearts and are cooperating with Christ in us to produce the fruits of the Spirit?  (Galatians 5:22-23: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control.)
We, like the fig tree, were made to image our God.  That is our point in life, to point to God.  Without our point we become...yes...pointless.

God is always doing something in us and around us for the purpose of helping us bear this good fruit.  To be fertile is not the same thing as producing fruit.  If fertilized soil never implants a seed or receives water then it had an opportunity to produce fruit yet did not.  Yet without being fertilized no seed or water received could ever grow.  So Christ has died to give us the fertilization in our hearts, and it is our job to do with that what we can.  Now what can we do?  Or what are we supposed to do?  This is also an important question.

“Then the manager said to himself, ‘What should I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I’m not strong enough to dig; I’m ashamed to beg.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭16:3‬ ‭

The parable of the shrewd steward reminds us to think realistically.  What CAN WE do?!  Well, it has less to do with doing things, and more to do with having a heart of desperation.  The answer is, DO WHATEVER IT TAKES.

This is a matter of life and death.  If we waste what Jesus died to give us, we only waste our own lives.  There is life for those who know how precious the blood of Jesus truly is because we were all once on our way to death, and Jesus stepped in and gave us a new opportunity.  Now we may not feel strong enough or bold enough, but there is always something available for those who desperately seek to lay hold of what Jesus has given them!

Let those who have ears hear!
Love you guys.

The room of Longing

Looking out the window wondering what need do I have that I could focus on as a means of finding my passionate need for God?  I want to be real and relatable. 

But I realized I had no urgent needs. 

I felt so settled.  So well.  So peaceful. 

But within all of that, my circumstances, my feelings, I could sense the reality deep within me that I had this longing.  

A longing for something that nothing in this life could give me, because as I sat there thinking about what need I could speak on to encourage you guys, a need I myself also needed so that I wasn't just saying things but also feeling and living them...I found only a quiet longing.  

At first it felt like a problem. 

Longing is usually associated with lack: 

I long to be loved! 

I long for that new dress! 

I long to be married! 

I long for my child to succeed in life!

I long to be liked by others!

I long to not lose any good thing I have! 

I long to be skinny! 

I long to be wealthy!

I long long long for what I lack lack lack! 

Immediate Or ASAP Change is wanted to get rid of our longing in these areas.  

But I want to re-model our minds for a room where longing can stay until Christ comes.  A room where when we step in, we don't ask for immediate or ASAP change, but we sit in the longing remembering that this longing in us is producing our ever deepening loving.  Because in this room of longing we long for Christ's return, to make all things new, and to restore everything that sin sought to destroy.  In this room we are like peasants who, having been adopted by the King, are waiting to be shown our inheritance.  This longing is anticipation.  This longing is confident hope already received.  Here in the room of longing is also a well of love from which we can draw water for our thirsty souls. 

1. Re-mind, re-new, re-start, re-boot, re-calibrate, re-fresh,  re-gain, re-pair, re-take, re-ceive you! 
2. Godly confidence 
3. The Longing 

--------—--------—--------—--------—-------

Point 1:  Re-call, re-mind, and  re-new you! 

Don't throw away what Jesus died to give you! 

Recall the former days when, 

after you were enlightened, 

you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, 

sometimes being publicly exposed 

to reproach and affliction, 

and sometimes being partners 

with those so treated. 

For you had compassion 

on those in prison, 

and you joyfully accepted 

the plundering of your property, 

since you knew 

that you yourselves 

had a better possession 

and an abiding one. 

Therefore do not throw away 

your confidence, 

which has a great reward. 

(Hebrews 10:32–35)

--------—--------—--------—--------—------

Point 2:  What's godly confidence? 

Confidence is to be mostly sure, convinced, persuaded of what is correct! 

We all want to try and get people to think we are confident, we try to convince ourselves the most.  Everyone here is trying to be right, because being right is right and being wrong is wrong.  

Now their right could be wrong and your wrong could be right, but the point is that when it comes to God right is right and wrong is wrong regardless of opinions and preferences. 

The opposite of being right is what?  

Being wrong.  

Who loves being wrong? 

Being corrected? 

Being viewed as problematic? 

To throw away this godly confidence is to throw away what's right in exchange for what is wrong in the eyes of the one true Judge. 

Fear of God is knowing He is the true Judge. 

That what the Judge says, no matter what any other convincing sight or feeling may try to persuade you otherwise, is.  That God--above any other powerful factor is--still more powerful. 

Examples:  Saul and Jonathan.  (1 Sam. 13-14)

It's not just knowing, it's believing 

and believing naturally produces feeling. 

Satan knows all the right facts about God, but he feels all the wrong feelings for God because he doesn't believe God is right. 

Our confidence is that God is right.

Our confidence is that God is wiser!

Our confidence is that God is better!

Our confidence is that God is good! 

Our confidence is that God loves us!

Our confidence is that God is in control!

That's correct!  That's right!  

Confidence comes from knowing God through His Word, and believing Him by the evidence of our feelings.  

So to throw away your confidence is to look at anything or anyone other than God for the feeling of being safe from what is wrong.  

Looking at your friend's loyalty.  

Looking at your spouses attitude.

Looking at your bank account.

Looking in the mirror at yourself.

Looking at snubs, lack of invitations, or even your awards and high levels of comfort. 

If these are what give you your confidence (feeling) then you are throwing away your God-given confidence! 

And when the day arrives that you feel hopeless or so low, it will only serve to humbly remind you that right is right and wrong is wrong.  And hopefully you will turn to reclaim your true confidence by letting go of your idea of right and wrong and taking up God's Word for it. 

Denying your self. 

Crucifying the flesh. 

Taking off the old and putting on the new. 

You were once wrong, but now you have an opportunity to receive mercy and forgiveness because of Christ and be given all rightness, all His righteousness.  The righteousness of God! The rightness of God!

That God is right and you are wrong.  

How do we access or open our hearts for God to fill us with this confidence? 

Preparing your minds for action

The loins of your mind need to FIRST be girded! 

They wore longer flowing robes, so to help them move more quickly without clutter or hindrance they would gird their loins by lifting up their robes and making it easier to run!   

1. gird (up) one's loins, to prepare oneself for something requiring readiness, strength, or endurance: He girded his loins to face his competitor.

Gird the loins of your mind!

Declutter! To make ready! 

Which means a cluttered mind is unfit for a godly confidence. 

Some of us have cluttered minds, worries take up residence in our minds and like the philistine garrisons they lead our lives into fear and cowardice.  Until someone like Jonathan with the fear of God goes into those garrisons and takes them down with just  his arms bearer! 

You got a brain, use it for what it's made for: HOPE fully in God. 

“Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be serious and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

1 Peter 1:13 

The mind is given for the sake of the heart.

The mind is given to you to serve your emotions! 

Life is indeed about our emotions.  The pursuit of happiness. 

What then is the brain for? 

According to God who made our brains it's purpose and function for being girded up, and being sober, so that we would hope. 

What is the brain supposed to do?

Study 1 Peter with all your might, dig into it, chew on it, wrestle with its meaning, and rehearse it day and night until the mind is now ready for action to lead your emotions.

The volume of your inner thoughts are what drive your feelings.  What are you harboring within yourself that is producing in you a feeling of anxiety, stress, worry, or apathy??  Or what are you taking into the inner room that is speaking words producing life, peace, love and inexpressible joy? 

What music and lyrics is on replay in your mind? 

What visuals keep taking up space in front of you? 

What words or thoughts are you letting occupy the land of your mind? 

When we declutter and gird the loins of our mind for godly confidence...

Then comes the experience of longing. 

--

Point 3:  Longing

Now that your confidence is no longer in anything but God, you find yourself in the room of longing.  Where once your confidence was in beauty you found yourself at the gym, in front of the mirror, at the mall, or at the dermatologist--but now you find yourself most present in the room of longing.

Where once your confidence was in your manhood you found yourself at work, at the bank, at being respected--but now you find yourself most settled in the room of longing. 

“You love Him, 

though you have not seen Him. 

And though not seeing Him now, 

you believe in Him and rejoice 

with inexpressible and glorious joy,”

1 Peter 1:8 

----------------------------------

Opening exercise:  only works if you're honest. 

1. Write down a list of everything you have, but don't deserve.
2. And all you deserve, but don't have. 

...now show your neighbor, what do you think they think of your perspective?  

Jmegrey

Fear of God vs. fear of anything else

“May they (our destroyers) know that You alone — whose name is Yahweh — are the Most High over all the earth.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭83:18‬ ‭

“How can someone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭12:29‬ ‭

Who or what is stronger in your life?  When is your peace most depleted?  Is it when your finances are low?  Is it when someone rejects you?  Is it when you wake up with a huge zit on your face?  Who or what most threatens your peace?  The stronger man will always win.  Whatever is most strong in us will win over our fear.

Good morning spiritual and eternal family!

Last Sunday we talked about what the fear of God is.  King Saul feared the people more than he feared God, and that's why he couldn't wait much longer for God's timing and often took matters into his own hands (1 Sam 13:11-12).

“and Samuel asked, “What have you done? ” Saul answered, “When I saw that the troops were deserting me and you didn’t come within the appointed days and the Philistines were gathering at Michmash, I thought: The Philistines will now descend on me at Gilgal, and I haven’t sought the Lord’s favor.
So I forced myself to offer the burnt offering.”
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭13:11-12‬ ‭

He was a self-preserver.
He couldn't wait on God's timing to handle his dire situation, because his fear of losing to the philistines was greater than his fear of God.

Saul's fear of man moved his will to act disobediently to God, because fear always dictates actions. The stronger fear will be your master.  If you fear God then your fear will be one of deep awe as you take refuge in Him amidst the craziness and watch God fight all your battles in victory.  But if you fear anything else more than God you will be like one trying to grasp oil in their hands...always on the move to survive and never finding rest.

Jonathan however, did not fear people, but asked that God would give him the red or green light when attacking the philistine garrisons with just his armor bearer.

“Jonathan said to the attendant who carried his weapons, “Come on, let’s cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised men.
Perhaps the Lord will help us.
Nothing can keep the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.”
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭14:6‬ ‭

"Perhaps the Lord will help us!"
What a heart!  To not even be sure, but to go anyway with hope!  That's the kind of deep awe of God Jonathan had to even think to do such a crazy thing!  To put himself at risk!
Two people against a whole garrison is crazy (not to mention they had to climb down and up a steep and rocky cliff!) unless you fear God more than your odds or chances based on what you see.  King Saul failed where Jonathan succeeded in the area of having a fear of God.

That same fear of God is why Jonathan could give up his inheritance as the next King to David and become one of David's biggest supporters!  Only someone who had a deep and registered awe of God could relinquish so much of what might have been his in the HOPES of doing what God wanted more.

When we consider Saul and Jonathan and their fears (Saul fearing man, Jonathan fearing God) we can see that these two men lived very different kinds of lives.  Even though they were father and son, they were nothing alike.  The fear they each had made the difference for the way they made decisions.  Appearance wise they were the same family, but inwardly they were two completely different kinds of people.

People look at appearances, but God examines the heart.  Do a quick heart check today and consider who or what you fear most?

If you don't know then let your emotions, actions and thoughts reveal it to you as you observe them throughout the day.  And continually renew and realign your heart to fear God.

Jmegrey

Return to your one thing today: knowing God

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? Yahweh is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the whole earth.

He never grows faint or weary;
there is no limit to His understanding.

He gives strength to the weary and strengthens the powerless.

Youths may faint and grow weary,
and young men stumble and fall,
but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength;
they will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary;
they will walk and not faint.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭40:28-31‬ ‭

“Do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be afraid, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you; I will help you;
I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭41:10‬ ‭

Needing to remember that God is my life, and what I see now both good and bad are more or less temporary illusions.
One thing is for sure, God is with us.
If He's with us what could dare come up against us?  (Romans 8:31)

When I fail or ruin something (which I do frequently), I'm still with God.
When someone fails or ruins me, I'm still with God.
When money fails, I'm still with God.
When relationships fail, I'm still with God.
When my emotions bring me low, I'm still with God.
Even in the pit of my mistakes, I'm still with God.

In sickness and in health, I'm still with God.
In life or in death, I'm still with God.
In loss of this or wreck of that, I'm still with God.

We lose and we gain, we feel great and we feel terrible, it's our fault or it's not our fault...doesn't really matter.

What matters most is that today we are all being given opportunities to know God more deeply.
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Blog I read today:
One Thing I Ask
Psalm 27:4
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.

▪️David was called “a man after God’s own heart.” Although David could have wanted many things (victory over his enemies, the crown on his head), we see him relentlessly return his focus to God. David sought God more than any earthly treasure.

One Thing You Lack
Mark 10:21
And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

▪️The rich young ruler claimed to be righteous, but he is unwilling to give Jesus the one thing He asked for: himself. The rich young ruler was willing to impress Jesus with his track record, but he was unwilling to surrender his status.

One Thing is Necessary
Luke 10:41-42
But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

▪️One day Martha had an unexpected houseguest—the Son of God. While she toils over a meal for Jesus and twelve other men, Mary sits at Jesus’ feet. Jesus responds to her complaint by saying, “You are anxious and troubled with much serving.” Martha was so focused on doing a good thing that she missed out on the best thing.

One Thing I Know
John 9:25
He answered, “Whether He is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”

▪️A man born blind is healed by Jesus. When interrogated by the religious leaders, he doesn’t present a well-prepared speech or get intimidated. He simply tells his story: He was blind, but now he sees. In response, Jesus declares the blind man seeing and the religious leaders blind.

One Thing I Do
Philippians 3:13-14
Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

▪️The apostle Paul didn’t let the baggage of his past dictate his goal. He was focused. He knew his goal, and he wasn’t going to waver. This Pharisee of Pharisees, who had everything going for him, laid down his life to follow Jesus.

5 Verses, 1 Lesson
These five verses highlight five different people from five different walks of life, yet each point to the same lesson:
* David: Knowing God is at the heart of prayer.
* Rich young ruler: Knowing God is at the heart of surrender.
* Martha: Knowing God is at the heart of service.
* Blind man: Knowing God is at the heart of witness.
* Paul: Knowing God is at the heart of ambition.

In summary, the lesson is this: Our lives are to be singularly focused on Jesus.
Each story is about not being distracted—by aims or money or serving or fear or our past—but being completely centered on Jesus. When we strain to follow Him, our hearts are filled with joy and purpose and love. When we fix our eyes on Him, we receive the one thing our souls truly long for: Himself. (By Camden McAfee)