What Are You Sacrificing
February 15, 2005
Hi there! How are you doing? How is life? Please tell me what the Lord is doing in your life, how is He working in you? What are you doing to walk with Him daily? Do you have any thoughts or concerns about where are you in your fellowship with God, that maybe I could discuss with you? Or any situation that you need prayer about, so that I can include it in my prayer time? I am interested in knowing what is going on in your life.
Today I have been doing a lot of soul searching and meditating on the words of God. I have come to a few conclusions or maybe a better way of expressing it would be I have had a few breakthroughs. I have really been struggling in my walk with God and diving into what makes me who I am and what I really don’t like about myself. I have also been asking the Lord to help me understand loving Him and how I can do that and truly glorify Him. It is hard to love someone you can’t touch or fellowship with as we can as humans. So, I was not sure if I loved Him the way He wanted me to. Was I doing it right? I have also been consumed with the flesh ruling and not the Holy Spirit that is inside me. So, yea I have my daily struggles and my life struggles with court and my daughter.
Sometimes I feel the devil whispering to me to give up the fight with Samantha and walk away. Yes, that is a big temptation for me when I am feeling down and depressed. It seems like such an easy thing to do… just walk away when I am weary of the fight. But then the Holy Spirit starts ministering to me inside and start thinking then these 3 years would have been for nothing. Then I must not have much faith that the Lord can do anything. Then my prayers and tears that I wept at Jesus’ feet night after night never meant anything to me. I never believed that God would answer them if I walked away. I know that none of that is true.
“If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” – Luke 17:6 help you rese any thoughts or concerns about where are you in your fellowship with God, that maThe Bible clearing talks about having the faith of a Mustard seed those are the smallest seeds that you can plant in the ground. Jesus says: “It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all the herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.” – Mark 4:30-31. So, we are no different yes our faith may be small at first but when we truly work hard, obey the commandments of God, seek Jesus daily through prayer and Bible study we too can become strong in our faith.
I am truly learning this lesson everyday. I will start getting out of the Word of God and into my life and what I want to do, which is not what God would have me doing and I fall flat on my face. But I am learning to pick myself up, not beat myself up about it, and ask the Lord to truly help me repent of these sinful ways.
Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so though one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. – Romans 5: 18-19. The flesh was born into sin because of Adam and Eve sinning in the garden. We have to keep that in mind. It is only through the grace and mercy of God that we can overcome these desires and we have to truthfully take an honest look at our heart and make sure that we have really accepted Jesus into it and not just going through the motions. When we are going through the motions there is nothing real in all that we do. It looks good, but where do our motives lie? Are we doing what we should just because we know we ought to do it? Or are we obeying because that is where our heart lies and we want to serve and glorify God? I know for me I can be extremely selfish. But I am trying my best to change all these comfortable learned behaviors that I have been doing all my life into honestly looking at what would the Lord have me do instead of what I want to do. That is hard to do and it takes time and effort it is not an overnight change, believe me. That would make things so much easier if we could somehow fast track to God. But, the Christian walk doesn’t work that way. That is why they said it is a WALK not a Sprint. And as a young child we have to crawl first, and then stand on our feet and fall a lot, then we feebly begin to take baby steps, and eventually yes we start to walk. As we become more and more focused and have our mind set on the Lord, also known as, Abiding in Him. We then can take bigger strides because He is leading us. But we must then remember to keep our eyes on Jesus and not on what we are doing, and all of our surrounding circumstances. Once our eyes are off of the Lord and on something else that is when we have a great tendency to sink like Peter did on the sea. We can learn so much about ourselves just by reading the Bible.
Being a Christian is hard work. And I love the poem by Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken it is one of my favorites. When we chose to serve and love Jesus it is not an easy lifestyle. It is really hard and we can expect lots of struggles and if we are not struggling then we need to analyze what is going on with us. There is a book that I really want to read called I Don’t Trust Christian’s That Don’t Walk With A Limp, but isn’t that really true. Christian’s are meant struggle but through it we find Joy, Peace and Happiness because we are trusting God to get us through. I just want to encourage you if you are riding the fence and you have not fully submitted your life to Jesus the way you know you should that please get on your knees and discuss this with Jesus. If you have questions ask Him and He will show you the way. Don’t give up no matter what. Be persistent in your walk and talking with the Lord. Luke 11:9 – “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened unto you.”
But what does that really mean. I know we read Scriptures a lot and say yea I know the Bible says that, but honestly what does that mean for me. ASK simply implies that you are requesting assistance. You know you have a need and have acknowledged it and you are asking for help. It is a humble request for help. SEEK is asking but it also implies an action. Seeking requires effort. Oh yes, most of us dislike that word Effort. I know that I do at times. Seeking is when we invest time and effort into our prayers and petitions and actively seek out others to help us and stand with us to pray for this need. Then finally, KNOCK it includes asking, acting and persevering. (Luke 11:5-8) This when you are desperately seeking help from the Lord, you are passionate and fervent and not polite about it. You just pour your heart out to God and tell Him your needs. You pounding at the door begging Him to intercede and answer your prayers.
This has really helped me understand more and more as to what God expects of me and what my prayer life should be like when struggles assail in my life, which happens often to me. But we are to also Praise God when those things come up. To Rejoice in the Lord always… not sometimes or only when I feel like it. I mean when you are sick with the flu or have financial demands that overwhelm or something more serious do we honestly Praise and Rejoice in God? I know that I don’t do it enough, but that is when we are being selfish. We must keep in mind: That it is not about me but All about God.
One last thing I want to touch on since this month is the month of Valentine’s Day is Love. I guess for me, Love is a peculiar emotion for me. I had a friend recently tell me that is one thing that really scared him about me is the lack of importance I have given to love and being emotional about it. I have men tell me all the time that they Love me or are in love with me. I guess deep down I chuckle, because I am like what in the world is wrong with you. Can’t you see me for me? What I see is not someone that is deserving of love. Yes, I want to find a man that I love and that loves me in return but I have had to figure out what Love is exactly. The Bible clearly states: “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? – Jeremiah 17:9. Of course only the Lord can know our heart. But our heart is made up of emotions and feelings, and honestly how many times have we done really stupid things based on Emotions and Feelings? I can attest that I have done PLENTY of really retarded things. But on a whole I am not an emotional woman I am more reality based and logical.
I have asked God on many occasions what is Love… How should I love Him? Am I doing it right? To be completely honest I was clueless on the subject. But this week the Lord has provided some clarity on this matter. Thank you God for Your wisdom and guidance You know how far I need to go to become right standing in Your eyes. In my book study, Stepping Heavenward, I came across this verse: Jesus is said, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself in him.” – John 14:21. So that right there really hit home. Okay, I am trying very hard to obey the Lord, to understand His commandments and keep them. So, that really comforted me. I never had a problem knowing the Lord loved me. I didn’t really understand why or how He could since I am a wicked creature. But I have never doubted His love for me. My insecurities were in my own love for Him. I mean I do love Him but is it as much as I should or is it enough. I had lots of uncertainties. I know He is my Savior and have no questions about my being Saved. It was more about my intimate relationship with my Father up in heaven.
Then I read, John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. But I decided to read further. We tend to stop at John 3:16. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” – John 3:17-21
I came to realize that real love means SACRIFICE. God sacrificed His only Son, and Jesus sacrificed His life for us because He loved us. So, my question really to you is this. Do you really love God, if so WHAT ARE YOU SACRIFICING?
Hi there! How are you doing? How is life? Please tell me what the Lord is doing in your life, how is He working in you? What are you doing to walk with Him daily? Do you have any thoughts or concerns about where are you in your fellowship with God, that maybe I could discuss with you? Or any situation that you need prayer about, so that I can include it in my prayer time? I am interested in knowing what is going on in your life.
Today I have been doing a lot of soul searching and meditating on the words of God. I have come to a few conclusions or maybe a better way of expressing it would be I have had a few breakthroughs. I have really been struggling in my walk with God and diving into what makes me who I am and what I really don’t like about myself. I have also been asking the Lord to help me understand loving Him and how I can do that and truly glorify Him. It is hard to love someone you can’t touch or fellowship with as we can as humans. So, I was not sure if I loved Him the way He wanted me to. Was I doing it right? I have also been consumed with the flesh ruling and not the Holy Spirit that is inside me. So, yea I have my daily struggles and my life struggles with court and my daughter.
Sometimes I feel the devil whispering to me to give up the fight with Samantha and walk away. Yes, that is a big temptation for me when I am feeling down and depressed. It seems like such an easy thing to do… just walk away when I am weary of the fight. But then the Holy Spirit starts ministering to me inside and start thinking then these 3 years would have been for nothing. Then I must not have much faith that the Lord can do anything. Then my prayers and tears that I wept at Jesus’ feet night after night never meant anything to me. I never believed that God would answer them if I walked away. I know that none of that is true.
“If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” – Luke 17:6 help you rese any thoughts or concerns about where are you in your fellowship with God, that maThe Bible clearing talks about having the faith of a Mustard seed those are the smallest seeds that you can plant in the ground. Jesus says: “It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all the herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.” – Mark 4:30-31. So, we are no different yes our faith may be small at first but when we truly work hard, obey the commandments of God, seek Jesus daily through prayer and Bible study we too can become strong in our faith.
I am truly learning this lesson everyday. I will start getting out of the Word of God and into my life and what I want to do, which is not what God would have me doing and I fall flat on my face. But I am learning to pick myself up, not beat myself up about it, and ask the Lord to truly help me repent of these sinful ways.
Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so though one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. – Romans 5: 18-19. The flesh was born into sin because of Adam and Eve sinning in the garden. We have to keep that in mind. It is only through the grace and mercy of God that we can overcome these desires and we have to truthfully take an honest look at our heart and make sure that we have really accepted Jesus into it and not just going through the motions. When we are going through the motions there is nothing real in all that we do. It looks good, but where do our motives lie? Are we doing what we should just because we know we ought to do it? Or are we obeying because that is where our heart lies and we want to serve and glorify God? I know for me I can be extremely selfish. But I am trying my best to change all these comfortable learned behaviors that I have been doing all my life into honestly looking at what would the Lord have me do instead of what I want to do. That is hard to do and it takes time and effort it is not an overnight change, believe me. That would make things so much easier if we could somehow fast track to God. But, the Christian walk doesn’t work that way. That is why they said it is a WALK not a Sprint. And as a young child we have to crawl first, and then stand on our feet and fall a lot, then we feebly begin to take baby steps, and eventually yes we start to walk. As we become more and more focused and have our mind set on the Lord, also known as, Abiding in Him. We then can take bigger strides because He is leading us. But we must then remember to keep our eyes on Jesus and not on what we are doing, and all of our surrounding circumstances. Once our eyes are off of the Lord and on something else that is when we have a great tendency to sink like Peter did on the sea. We can learn so much about ourselves just by reading the Bible.
Being a Christian is hard work. And I love the poem by Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken it is one of my favorites. When we chose to serve and love Jesus it is not an easy lifestyle. It is really hard and we can expect lots of struggles and if we are not struggling then we need to analyze what is going on with us. There is a book that I really want to read called I Don’t Trust Christian’s That Don’t Walk With A Limp, but isn’t that really true. Christian’s are meant struggle but through it we find Joy, Peace and Happiness because we are trusting God to get us through. I just want to encourage you if you are riding the fence and you have not fully submitted your life to Jesus the way you know you should that please get on your knees and discuss this with Jesus. If you have questions ask Him and He will show you the way. Don’t give up no matter what. Be persistent in your walk and talking with the Lord. Luke 11:9 – “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened unto you.”
But what does that really mean. I know we read Scriptures a lot and say yea I know the Bible says that, but honestly what does that mean for me. ASK simply implies that you are requesting assistance. You know you have a need and have acknowledged it and you are asking for help. It is a humble request for help. SEEK is asking but it also implies an action. Seeking requires effort. Oh yes, most of us dislike that word Effort. I know that I do at times. Seeking is when we invest time and effort into our prayers and petitions and actively seek out others to help us and stand with us to pray for this need. Then finally, KNOCK it includes asking, acting and persevering. (Luke 11:5-8) This when you are desperately seeking help from the Lord, you are passionate and fervent and not polite about it. You just pour your heart out to God and tell Him your needs. You pounding at the door begging Him to intercede and answer your prayers.
This has really helped me understand more and more as to what God expects of me and what my prayer life should be like when struggles assail in my life, which happens often to me. But we are to also Praise God when those things come up. To Rejoice in the Lord always… not sometimes or only when I feel like it. I mean when you are sick with the flu or have financial demands that overwhelm or something more serious do we honestly Praise and Rejoice in God? I know that I don’t do it enough, but that is when we are being selfish. We must keep in mind: That it is not about me but All about God.
One last thing I want to touch on since this month is the month of Valentine’s Day is Love. I guess for me, Love is a peculiar emotion for me. I had a friend recently tell me that is one thing that really scared him about me is the lack of importance I have given to love and being emotional about it. I have men tell me all the time that they Love me or are in love with me. I guess deep down I chuckle, because I am like what in the world is wrong with you. Can’t you see me for me? What I see is not someone that is deserving of love. Yes, I want to find a man that I love and that loves me in return but I have had to figure out what Love is exactly. The Bible clearly states: “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? – Jeremiah 17:9. Of course only the Lord can know our heart. But our heart is made up of emotions and feelings, and honestly how many times have we done really stupid things based on Emotions and Feelings? I can attest that I have done PLENTY of really retarded things. But on a whole I am not an emotional woman I am more reality based and logical.
I have asked God on many occasions what is Love… How should I love Him? Am I doing it right? To be completely honest I was clueless on the subject. But this week the Lord has provided some clarity on this matter. Thank you God for Your wisdom and guidance You know how far I need to go to become right standing in Your eyes. In my book study, Stepping Heavenward, I came across this verse: Jesus is said, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself in him.” – John 14:21. So that right there really hit home. Okay, I am trying very hard to obey the Lord, to understand His commandments and keep them. So, that really comforted me. I never had a problem knowing the Lord loved me. I didn’t really understand why or how He could since I am a wicked creature. But I have never doubted His love for me. My insecurities were in my own love for Him. I mean I do love Him but is it as much as I should or is it enough. I had lots of uncertainties. I know He is my Savior and have no questions about my being Saved. It was more about my intimate relationship with my Father up in heaven.
Then I read, John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. But I decided to read further. We tend to stop at John 3:16. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” – John 3:17-21
I came to realize that real love means SACRIFICE. God sacrificed His only Son, and Jesus sacrificed His life for us because He loved us. So, my question really to you is this. Do you really love God, if so WHAT ARE YOU SACRIFICING?
posted by Faith at 2:45 PM
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