Day 11: Drawing Closer to God (Hands Need Gloves)

Various things in God's Word, my studies and my counseling of clients have been reminding me over and over again how God provides for our every need. I came across this quote in an article I read today on worry that just struck me with this conviction that I cannot do it on my own: God meets us at the end of our ability and the beginning of our need and he will provide. I am like hands going out into a cold world. I cannot warm myself by my own means. The hands under the arm or blowing hot breath into my hands is only a temporary fix. Ultimately, I need the comfort and protection that gloves can give my hands. God is the gloves and I have to put them on.

God's Not Dead

I watched the movie God’s Not Dead tonight. The intellectual argument part was good but so not might thing as I just can’t process what someone is saying that has so much profound stuff in it without hearing it again and again or reading it so I can really process the words. In any case, it was a very good movie. I looked outside and saw the sun had just set behind the mountains but some sunshine was still coming through the clouds making a beautiful display so I decided I would take a walk with God. Along this walk God brought it to my attention that we are on a journey like a person walking down a path, we are going to encounter people and situations as we go along each day. God is working in us in each and every one of those people and/or situations that happens in each of our days. He is showering love on us, convicting us of our sins, drawing us to come closer to Him, encouraging us, bringing us wisdom, reminding us about Himself and His love, and so much more. Each day in everything we do God is working in and through us. He may be bringing us wisdom and strengthening of our faith as we read His Word or He may be giving you the encouraging words to say to a friend or motivating you to smile to a stranger who looks like they could use a smile from someone. Each day is filled with God’s work. How much more can we grow as believers if on our journey we take a moment with God to stop and reflect on our day, the people we encountered, the situations we were in, the conversations we had or didn’t have. We should be asking ourselves at the end of each day, what work has God done in me today? and what more can I learn and do tomorrow?

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 92

Sometimes during a sermon my thought process sticks to one word said and the rest of it becomes a blur. The word that had me going off in my own thoughts was convicted. It is likely many words we use and hear and understand the meaning but couldn’t put it into a definition. So, I got onto the handy dandy Google site and got the definition of convicted or conviction: a fixed or firmly held belief. Conviction isn’t just about belief but about the groundedness of that belief, the solid foundation of that belief, the belief that doesn’t waver in the sifting sands of this world. I remember an when an earthquake hit in southern California when I was about 16. Usually, the earthquakes always came in the early morning hours and you slept right through them so this was my first experience of the ground beneath me shifting in this jolting rolling motion. I was drying my hair in the bathroom when it hit and immediately tried to get to the doorway where we were always taught you would be safer if the building/house collapsed. The ground was not what it always was. It was all over the place and walking those 4 feet the doorway seemed to take an eternity and be the greatest of challenges. By the time I made it to the doorway, the earthquake has stopped and my emotions bubbled over into a torrential rain of tears. It was hard walking those few feet with the shifting foundation below me which is what is like when our spiritual foundation is not solid. Would you rather walk on a solid surface or in a jungle where there may be quicksand in any step you take or on an icy driveway where you slip and fall? I want my walk to be on solid ground and that solid ground comes from the one and only Jesus and the Word of God. How convicted am I of what I believe? I can honestly say that my convictions have been on shaky ground at times but the more I am in his Word and working on living out the Word within my life the more I feel the foundation getting stronger. I think it will always be a life-long process of working on keeping the foundation strong and building it stronger but that is where the Spirit will help us in giving us patience, perseverance and hope to keep going, keep fighting the fight, keep walking the walk.

Romans 4:18-22 Against hope Abraham believed in hope with the result that he became the father of many nations according to the pronouncement, “so will your descendants be.” Without being weak in faith, he considered his own body as dead (because he was about one hundred years old) and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver in unbelief about the promise of God but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God. He was fully convinced that what God promised he was also able to do. So indeed it was credited to Abraham as righteousness.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 167

Yesterday at my job, I had the challenge of talking to an alarm company that thought they knew the law. The man was pretty adamant that he did not need to be paying just because, in his mind, no other alarm company was paying. I had to lead him to the truth in the kindest but firmest way I knew by simply stating over and over again, it's part of the ordinance. What I really wanted to do was yell at him and say look it's the law so just pay it. However, I need to keep my job... So, I kept on with kindness and firmness and ultimately the guy said can I pay with a credit card. I just chuckle about it now but in the moment, I was sweating it out dealing with this adversity to the truth. It makes me think of how difficult people probably are towards hearing the truth of the gospel. Their walls are up and their life experiences have cemented in their beliefs but we need to be persistent like God is with us. Never give up, never, ever. I think we can take down those walls people build up around themselves brick by brick with our kindness, our example, our conviction and commitment. Do you have someone who doesn't want to believe in Jesus? Doesn't want to hear the truth? Keep at them and let God work through you to take down the wall so they can see the light.
1 Timothy 2: 3-4 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.