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Lazy Faith

Jeremiah 29:11 (AMP) For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

I believe this is one of the most quoted verses in the Bible, next to John 3:16. You see it everywhere. You see it on pillows, shirts, wall decor, etc. It is the focus verse for many ministries and organizations. It is a wonderful verse of hope. However, it can be an excuse for the lazy person to put their life on pause. Yikes! I used the word lazy to describe some people. I like lazy days that I don’t have to get out of my pajamas. That is my favorite outfit to wear. However, if I do not get out of my house, and my comfort, how can I fulfill this verse in context.

Jeremiah 29:5-10 (AMP) ‘Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there and do not decrease [in number]. Seek peace and well-being for the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its peace (well-being) you will have peace.’ For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Do not let your [false] prophets who are among you and your diviners deceive you; pay no attention and attach no significance to the dreams which they dream or to yours, for they prophesy falsely to you in My Name. I have not sent them,’ says the Lord. “For thus says the Lord, ‘When seventy years [of exile] have been completed for Babylon, I will visit (inspect) you and keep My good promise to you, to bring you back to this place. 

Everything must be judged against the Word of the Lord. Jeremiah was a prophet, but he was not the only prophet among the people. The Bible even calls them out as false prophets. He said a true prophet, “prophesies of peace, when that prophet’s word comes to pass, [only] then will it be known that the Lord has truly sent him” (Jeremiah 28:9). Was it through war or through God that they were going to be brought back to Israel. God moved on the heart of King Cyrus, his name was prophesied long before they were brought out of exile (Isaiah 44:28). We want God to move quickly, but we forget that He still gave us a job to do. What if the Israelites did not go on with their lives while in captivity? What if they did not seek peace with the city they were exiled to? We want so back to live for self and fight for our rights that we often hurt the ones that God has called us to reach. We are told to be a blessing where ever we go.

John 15:17 (AMP) This [is what] I command you: that you love and unselfishly seek the best for one another.

Galatians 5:14 (AMP) For the whole Law [concerning human relationships] is fulfilled in one precept, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, you shall have an unselfish concern for others and do things for their benefit].”

Remember, the promise in Jeremiah 29:11 was given to a nation, a group. We have personalized it so much that we have rationalized not doing this commandment to love unselfishly. Collectively know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Do not forget what comes after the verse.

Jeremiah 29:12-14 (AMP) Then you will call on Me and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear [your voice] and I will listen to you. Then [with a deep longing] you will seek Me and require Me [as a vital necessity] and [you will] find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ says the Lord, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and I will [free you and] gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ says the Lord, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’

God has a plan. Do you want some keys to help ward off depression and discouragement in your life? Acknowledge that God has a plan and bloom where you are planted. Do not stop growing just because your circumstances are not what you expected. Keep God’s promises close to your heart. His precepts are true. His Word is true. Do something useful. There has never not been an excuse not to serve. If a dream that you believe He has given you does not bring you to love others unselfishly, or tells you not to yet, then I need to question that dream. He will not contradict His Word.

God asked me this question: What does your heart have to do with your faith? It has everything to do with it. I can be heard-hearted and go through the motions, but my faith does not align with His. I can have all the head knowledge of His Word, but not believe it, because faith without works (application of agape love) is dead. I have heard, “my heart is not in it anymore.” Why? What have your aligned your heart with? Is it the circumstance or our God? I have no idea how long our church is going to be renting a one thirty in the afternoon spot from another house of worship. That does not mean we do not bloom where we are planted. We continue to serve the city and people of our community. It is not making the name Connect Church famous, it is about glorifying and honoring His Name. We have a vision and a promise. We keep going! The promise does not give me permission to pause and become lazy in my faith. That is an abuse of the sovereignty of God. I should still desire to seek Him and to unselfishly love His people.

Jehovah Nissi, Abba Father, we honor You with our worship. Your Presence is enough for us. Your Presence is desired because we desire to honor You. Thank You for sending Your Son to be the Prince of Peace. Thank You for the Holy Spirit that empowers us to bloom where we are planted. The Holy Spirit indwelling us empowers us to love as You have loved, unselfishly. We repent for the times that we have been selfish and lazy in our faith. We repent for taking advantage and abused Your Sovereignty. We know the plans and thoughts You have for us, plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give us a future and a hope. We thank You for the commission to Go. We thank You for Your restoration plan. We are called ministers of reconciliation. We will never stop glorifying and proclaiming Your Name. We choose forgiveness today. We choose joy today. We choose love today. We choose hope today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Treasured Moments

My oldest, Ari

Luke 2:19 (AMP) But Mary treasured all these things, giving careful thought to them and pondering them in her heart.

According to my countdown to Christmas ornament, there are 4 days, 17 hours, 12 minutes and 20 seconds until Christmas at the moment I started writing today. As I was reading Luke, on day two I was drawn to these scriptures about Mary.

Luke 2:34-35 (AMP)  Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Listen carefully: this Child is appointed and destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign that is to be opposed—  and a sword [of deep sorrow] will pierce through your own soul—so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Luke 2:51 (AMP) He went down to Nazareth with them, and was continually submissive and obedient to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

Christmas can be a time of a roller coaster of emotions. We often put so much pressure on ourselves to make sure everything is perfect (myself included). I have to remind myself to slow down and enjoy the moments. Stop busying myself with the tasks and enjoy the moment. I believe Mary was a hands on mother. She took the time to nurture and teach Jesus, even though He was destined for something she had never experienced before.

What if we did just that this Christmas? Experience something new, something different. What if we did not plan things so much (talking about myself) and treasured where we were in the moment. You might say, “If I do not plan anything, than nothing will get done!” I am the same way. What I am saying is that when the shoulders start to tighten, the back starts to ache and all those other physical signs of anxiety starts to happen and your brain looses the ability to form the right words, take a breath and let it go. Remember to treasure the moments.

My oldest is a senior this year. He was nearly a year old, ten months old exactly, when we celebrated his first Christmas. He was the first grand baby on my side of the family. Every one was over to see this little boy enjoy Christmas. He was not old enough to open the gits, but just old enough to be a ball full of energy and participate in the day. He had (an still does) have this goofy sense of humor. The go to gifts were toys he could sit on and play. The best part about it was his smile. He has a beautiful smile. His laughter is unique. I have no idea what he future holds for him.

We are treasuring every moment with our boys. Our boys serve where ever we serve. They long to give and it brings joy to them. Wherever you are I pray that there are treasured moments that you can share with someone this Christmas. No one is meant to be alone and if you are alone, it may take a step of faith for you to walk into the doors of a church this Christmas Eve and feel welcomed. This is not the time to build walls of isolation. He is our shield and fortress. Praying for you this Christmas.

Praying you all have a Merry Christmas!

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Closet Clean Out

Psalms 139:23-24 (AMP) Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.

Our hearts are the most important muscle in our bodies. We often focus on our outward appearance and our outward change that we lose focus on the most important things that need t be dealt with…our issues of the heart. The personal things we hide deep in our hearts.

Ephesians 4:22-25 (AMP) That, regarding your previous way of life, you put off your old self [completely discard your former nature], which is being corrupted through deceitful desires, and be continually renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh, untarnished mental and spiritual attitude], and put on the new self [the regenerated and renewed nature], created in God’s image, [godlike] in the righteousness and holiness of the truth [living in a way that expresses to God your gratitude for your salvation]. Therefore, rejecting all falsehood [whether lying, defrauding, telling half-truths, spreading rumors, any such as these], speak truth each one with his neighbor, for we are all parts of one another [and we are all parts of the body of Christ].

So many of us put our faith in Christ as our Savior…but fail to allow Him to be redeemer, our healer, our restorer. Christ has done everything He needs to be done to be One with us. God lives in me, He sees me, He hears, me, He loves me and He understands me. People may not always understand you, but Jesus will always understand you.

When the children of Israel were delivered from Egypt, there were promised a new land, a new life…the land of mile and honey! But along the way it was evident that even though they were physically delivered from the bondage of slavery…their hearts were still being held captive! Almost every time that things did not go the way they thought it should have they reverted back to Egypt, “we would have been better off back there.”

One of the enemies best weapons to stop your spiritual growth is to get you “back there.” Back to the place of regret, back to the place of hurt, back to the place where sins of the flesh ruled you. We will never live in a land of promise wishing you were “back there.”

This sounds a lot like the closets we keep in our homes. I have a size ten dress that I am very much trying to get back into. I succeeded a few years ago, then put the pounds on again. I did not get back to the size twenty I started with, but I did creep up a bit. That does not mean I have let that dress go. The closet, attic, garage are usually the places we hold everything from our past. We keep it there just in case. What are we holding onto that needs to go?

Realize this, we are in a process of progress! Daily we have to allow God to come in and deal with the issues we have in our heart.

Philippians 3:12-13 (AMP) Not that I have already obtained it [this goal of being Christ like] or have already been made perfect, but I actively press on so that I may take hold of that [perfection] for which Christ Jesus took hold of me and made me His own. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead… Paul is saying that he has not “arrived” yet. He has more to work on, there are areas he needs to decrease in so that God can increase. One thing he says for sure the he had to get a hold on…Forgetting the Past! You cannot live in the past and have a future. Stay focused on what lies ahead, and leave what was behind. Verses 14-16 (AMP),  I press on toward the goal to win the [heavenly] prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature [pursuing spiritual perfection] should have this attitude. And if in any respect you have a different attitude, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us stay true to what we have already attained.

Keep on keeping on! You may have been put down. You may have been counted out. You may have been bruised. You may have been falsely accused. You may have been let down, trampled on, talked about and left to fend for yourself…but remember that you have been made a new creation. Old things have been passed away, behold all things have been made NEW!!! Each day you put on the renewed mind set, clean up the intimate areas we allow God to reside in, take out the trash and keep on going!!

The things that have been hidden away… the hurts and the let down that we try to keep to ourselves, the beat down that my mind tries to do to me daily… NO LONGER will I put up with it! That is not who I am any more. I am a child of God, made in His image, for HIS purpose. Get into our closets, get rid of the junk and live a new life in Christ!

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Quality Time

Philippians 1:6 (AMP)  I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return].

God is not going to ask me to do something and then not give me the power to complete it. A few weeks ago I did a post called, “Where is your spot?” I wrote about the importance of having a spot that you can go to throughout the day and spend time with God. My spot just so happens to be in my living room. It is a room that I spend quality time fellowshipping with God. It is also the room (in our house) that holds what influences our lives, if we let it, a television. I remember the days when we did not have televisions in every room like we do now. Now we walk and have the ability to watch whatever we want with our phones!

The things we meditate on, spend time with, is what we will become. The more we spend time with it…the more we allow it to become a part of our thoughts, attitude and behavior. We are all doing to do two things: 1) we are either going to influence or 2) we are going to be influenced. Influence defined is “the power to change or affect someone or something; it is the power to cause changes without directly forcing them to happen. The capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself.“

God wants to have an open door to come into “Living Room” and remodel what we are allowing to influence our lives. Our success in life is dependent on what we meditate on and observe. The Word of God tells us to think on good things, things that build us up and not tear us down. The things we meditate on and observe will influence our thoughts, our thoughts affect our words, our words precede our actions and our actions define our life.

Philippians 4:8-9 (AMP)  Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart].  The things which you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things [in daily life], and the God [who is the source] of peace and well-being will be with you.

Guard the gate to your heart. Gates allow or stop things coming in and our of our hearts of our home. There are two very important gates: 1) the eye gate, and 2) the ear gate. The things we allow in these gates will either help build or destroy our house. A city can have great walls around it, but if the gates are not guarded (no matter how great the walls are) the enemy has free access to enter.

This was a needed reminder for me as I like to binge watch shows on Netflix. When we are at a restaurant, how many times do I pick up my phone to look at Instagram? This was just came to my mind this morning to help me get back on focus. Getting back to my living room as a place of fellowship. I pray this blesses you as well!