Wednesday, September 29, 2010

All I need is you

"Left my fear by the side of the road, hear you speak and won't let go, drawn to the voice of my savior once again". The chorus cries out "All I need is You, All I need is you Lord, is you Lord". In Christ we have received every we need for life and godliness.- Paraphrase 2 Peter 1:3.

To allow Christ to fill our needs, what a thought. We have been created anew in Christ through his sacrifice. Just as it is natural for our bodies to breathe oxygen, it is now a natural thing for us to desire God to fill us and be our source.

There is a calming when we find ourselves in the presence of God, "Shhhh...my child...shhhhh, it's okay, I'm here". Another part of the song says "you hold the universe, you hold everyone on earth." The one who holds the universe, holds us, and says. "My peace I give unto you, I will never leave you, you are the apple of my eye, I delight in you". The Lord is above our ways and thoughts, just as a child runs to there father when they are in need, so must we. Its who we are.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvL6evyRFgY

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Healing

Healing, physical, emotional, spiritual, mental? At what point do we or I justify for it to be ok for me to not express pain? The thought of "if I am a good christian I would feel this way". Many of us may know God by some of his traits, Awesome Lord, King of Kings, Savior, mighty God. All of which are huge! He also wants to throw into that mix that He is a King of Kings who heals and restors, He is a Savior who heals, He is concerned with your heart, hurts and pain.

I find myself wrestling with not feeling that I can go to the only safe place I know. Jesus says, "Come to me ALL who are weary and heavy burdened and I will give you REST." Notice I highlighted two words. A walk with Christ is not how great we behave or sacrifice, it is how we respond to his love and out of obedience to what he calls us to. There is no, none, nada condemnation in Christ. Fear is not a motivation, He unending Love that pardons, heals, and restores is the motivation. What does God think about you? The world. - John 3:16

Friday, September 24, 2010

Prayer of St Francis

"Lord make me an instrument of your peace,
where there is hatred let me sow love,
Where there is injury, pardon,
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is dispair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
And when there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, but to console
to be understood as to understand.
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned.
And its in dying that we are born into eternal life, Amen.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiXz3QI0SMM

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Our footing

Yesterday brought an unexpected event, while walking down the stairs at my sisters I quickly realized my footing was not "sure". Wearing dress socks and walking down carpeted stairs in the dark was a recipe for disaster.

I managed to cover almost every square inch of each stair with some part of my body as I came sliding, bopping, bouncing down. My response?.... ouch.

Having sure footing was crucial, especially when navigating in the dark. For us as believers having the understanding of sure footing is crucial. As the song goes, "On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand."

Here is the great part of the idea of footing with Christ, HE enables us to have the footing we so desperately need. I can't put on my boots to climb the stairs of life by myself, if I try, I end up at the bottom of the stairs, ouch. Stay with me here but we have been given heavenly gear, armor, call it what you will. God doesn't call us anywhere that he doesn't equip us.

There are times that we dont know which way is up or down, but we do know who created up and down. I once heard this quote and it has stuck with me. We dont need greater faith, but rather a greater understanding of who we put our faith in. To conclude, we fall, we get back up, God teaches us, always always always teaches us, it is always for our good when He teaches us.

Maybe, just maybe, God still has a suprise or two up his sleeve, He's not finished with me yet.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

What's the Point?

The point, what is it? Why do we or I strive each day. What are we striving for? Do we believe God will come through for us? Our brokenness is no mystery to God, He is fully aware of what we have and will go through, but the question is, what is the point? The point is this.... "He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds." The point is to experience Him.

Some point we believe the lie that life is about just going through the motions. The only thing that truly moves us is the life of Christ. "Heal my heart and make me clean, open up my eyes to the things unseen, show me how to love like you have loved me".

What the world needs, is the Redemptive Story communicated to them. The Gospel my friends. Let us experience that daily. The Gospel.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Stuck

Do you ever feel stuck? Stuck in your habits, thoughts, way of life? We can get caught into the net of normalcy. When stress, anxiety, frustrations, lifes events come knocking on our door, what is our answer?

We can throw a habit of ours at it, maybe a thought, and even a way of life. I am convinced that we experience stress, anxiety and frustrations because of what we throw back at lifes dilemas. I have been listening to a song lately by Chris Sligh, "Only you can save". Jesus is supernatural, his love and direction are unending. When it comes down to it, our only true and real response is to fall into the arms of the Lord.

My blog is called spiritual journey, when I really reflect upon that, there is only one destination, it is not to a far away place, some far away land, but rather, into the arms of a loving powerful Savior and Father. My journey starts, continues and ends with me being carried by a God who will never leave nor forsake me. Allow Christ access to your life, all of it, because what we think is our own life, is nothing at all. Only true life flows from Christ, and that my friends is what he brings with Him everywhere he goes.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Whats next?

The question of Whats next can be a familiar one. The idea that we are living for something that is yet to come is very prevelant in our society. What about when we stumble and fall? Do we look to what is to come of that? What we would say is yes, there is a consequence for each thing we do, while I agree with that, I think we miss the point if we just see it as consequence.

When a father disciplines his son, it is out of love and for growth for him. As believers in Jesus Christ we are not given a license to sin by any means, but rather the freedom to obey out of our love response to Christ. Jesus never ever ever, condems us, rather we receive from him correction, discipline, love, hope, healing, restoration. The next time you stumble and fall, remember that God has something in it for you, you can learn from it, grow from it, not walk in defeat.

As you watch this video, remember "For God so loved the world (all mankind) that he gave his one and only son.... We needed someone to run to us, to fix us, to walk with us.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqZtsLfHUM4

Monday, September 13, 2010

Contentment

Godliness with Contentment is great gain. There is a burning desire within each of us to be content, to be enough, to have enough. I recently heard it said that we long for something more because this isn't inteded to be our end result here on earth, while I agree with that, I believe there is that Hunger that can only be satisfied by God and what He provides, and that can happen here on earth.

The Lord is in the business of Restoring and healing. That my friends is the Kingdom, we do have an amazing future to look forward to, but too many of us have bought into the lie that the desire to be known and to know are really not worth seeking out because we will be let down. Paul had learned to be content in all things, because His true hearts desires were met, all through Jesus Christ.

Have you ever experienced an event or relationship that was so amazing that everything else pailed in comparison? God Loves you because He loves you, because he loves you, because he loves you, because he loves you. When we say I'm not worth love, we haven't understood the loud and proud statement God made to us through Christ, "you are worth dying and living for". Is this a settled issue in your heart? It can only be settled by He that calms the raging sea. Today ask your father to begin to settle this in you.

Friday, September 10, 2010

No turning back

The world behind me, the cross before me. - What an amazing verse, the cross covers us, it is our focus, beyond the cross is our continued eternal life with Christ. To many of us stop at the cross, we dont see the call of Christ beyond it. Christ didn't stay at the cross, He rose again to new life!

He has come to give us life abundantly, listen, he has given you needs and desires, dont push them down, but allow him to fill those. When we deny our God given needs we deny our need for God. Walk in peace today my friends, He loves you and wants to walk with you.