Lamentations for the Storm

Oh Lord, leave me not unto this fate. Let me not buckle under the winds that push my mind, the pain that stabs my heart and the burden which troubles my soul. Leave me not to the dark thoughts that plague from my flesh or the dark desires form the old man. Leave me not to drown in the unsettling sea of the world and the enemies attacks. Lord, let me not break, let me not fall, let me remember all that you spoke to me, taught me, from your word. Let me rely on you, let me worry not. Lord, fill me with peace, the peace of your will. Let me rely on you and not on people, on the creator and not the creation. Teach me patience Lord, teach me trust and faith, teach me to love you even more and to love like you. Lord keep me and have me need all strength form you. Not form my own self, my friends or anything else but from you.

Mark 4: 39-40: ³⁹He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

⁴⁰He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"

An Adults answer to life

Lately I have been antsy and concerned about my future, specifically about my romantic future. This is from seeing the experiences of people around me. Their relationships, interactions, conversations, plans, dreams, wants, desires,etc. Well since God knows who this will be I decided to pay HIm a visit and take it up with him. I yelled, stomped my foot and complained. "It's not fair!", I said. "I need a comforter! Someone to be with because i am lonely and have all of these issues!" God heard my cry and offered his rebuttal. Why was I so concerned with this? Didn't I know he had a plan? A time for everything? Why was I concerning myself so much with what I saw around me and assumed I needed or wanted it when God has a plan, His will for me? All that I see? Its what he has for that person. Everyone is different.

This was one of many doses of reality I have been getting as of late. With everything that has been happening I've been learning. Learning that being an adult means tough decisions, nasty situations, and hardships. Its a part of life but the adult thing to do? Look to God for comfort, for shelter, for His will and strength for we are weak. You can't always get what you want but get what God wants you to get and to have and to need. I suppose we should learn what the meaning of life is. I discovered it in a book. Want to know what it is? Well I will tell you.

Matthew 22:37-39:³⁷Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' ³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

Mountains

Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:19-20

I got mountains. Boy, let me tell you I got mountains. Uncertainty in school, in life, money issues, debt, sickness, worry, lack of faith and so much more. Boy do I got mountains. But, despite that, all of the worries, I always get through it. Maybe you have a mountain? Worry, sickness, family issue. We see the here, and now. But we never look to the tomorrow. Sure, Jesus said not to worry, o course but I am not telling you to worry about tomorrow, or the future. No, I am saying look to the end of the storm. Look to where God leads you, because sure, man may have your back at times, but God always has your back, even when it doesn't seem like it.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:33-34

This is a response from my Brother in Christ George (as I post these on my facebook as well) on this.

Perspective is everything. What lens we are interpreting reality in is very important. I just want to add a few points to your note.

1.) perspective
We all have mountains. Sometimes pretty big ones that seems so impossible to cross over. But how we view these mountains, our perspective, is important. I think of how Paul or Jesus looked at their mountains. Hebrews 12:1-2 talks about the joy set before Jesus. Jesus acknowledged his pain but didn't focus on it. True happiness was set before him, at what his suffering would accomplish. It was not based on momentary circumstances. He kept his focus on God. Paul also did the same. The tell him he's going go die if he goes to Jerusalem but he says he's willing to die for Christ. He wasn't focused on his pain because he knew a greater good would come from it and he knew that it didn't make Jesus' Death on the cross skip over him. The promise of new life was his through faith no matter what pain or suffering he was enduring.

2. They both acknowledged their pain
I think of Paul in 2 Cor 12 with the thorn in his flesh. He prays for God to take it away 3 times. He didn't just sweep it under the rug even though he had a good perspective on it as shown above. Same with Jesus in the garden. He asks God if there is another way. At that time he didn't want to suffer the way he knew he was going to. He brings that to God. Keep a healthy biblical perspective on suffering yes, but dint ignore or sweep the problems under the rug either.

3. Last point. Realize that life is all about the glory of God. ThAts the point of everything. 1 Cor 10:31 and Philippians 2 talks about that. It's all for him. So God is going to do whatever brings him the most glory but also going to work it out for our good as Romans 8 says. So the rest of Jesus' prayer is not my will be done but yours. He understood the two points made in three and was willing to endure what ever would accomplish those.

The Tempter Came to Him

The title of this note is from when Christ is to be tempted by Satan in the gospel of Matthew in chapter 4. How often have you had this (assuming you have read the account of Christ's temptation) happen? To be tempted. Everyone feels it. Consider taking something while no one is looking, cheating off of the person next to you, or any of the other things we struggle with. Now stop for a moment and consider this. Some people may believe that Christ simply swatted away Satan as if he was some annoying peon but consider this: what if he didn't? What if, for a moment his inner self battled with the temptation? What if he yearned for it? I mean, he knew his Father's plan, and who would want to go through with it? He was going to die and yet here was a sort of way out of it, to rule mankind, their kingdoms by force. To have it all. But he didn't. Though he was faced with something for himself, he knew he had to do what he had to do to glorify His Father. He knew how to save mankind, he knew that His kingdom would last eternally as man's crumbled to ruin. He overcame this temptation. We, as humans, are not so lucky. How often are we tempted and commit the sin? Like Christ (in a minor case compared to Him) we have our flesh, and the Holy Spirit do battle in us. Now think about this, who wins? When we look at what is tempting us who do we give into. Sure we aren’t promised the riches of the world but that doesn’t mean we aren't promised what we consider to be RICHES in OUR own world. We are promised what pertains to us. A better grade if we cheat, a better tv if we steal it, so on and so forth. How scary is it that he comes to us and knows us so well? Like he has a plan. So crafty an enemy! Like he knows how to pick us off. I'll admit I more often than not give in. There are those rare moments when I snap out of the want for myself and remember what God would have me do. Christ doesn't give us anything we can't handle. I can overcome this. Though it isn't by MY strength but GOD'S strength. To be honest most times when I sin, I do it willingly. I just don't want to deal with it. The tempting is annoying. So why not just do it right? WRONG! We should rely on Christ's strength. I know I need to fix this and I am trying but it is hard, at least to me. I suppose its one of those things isn't it? Everyone has a struggle, a certain temptation. We need Christ's strength to overcome it. Who am I to try and conquer myself without the strength of the one who made me? Then like in the end we can understand those words.

And Satan departed from Him.

Not only God's strength has been given to us but something else too. Brother's and Sister's. A Pastor, a leader, places of counseling and help. God has placed for us way of leaving the temptation. Feeling tempted? Try God and his word and speaking to a friend. SOmeone to keep you accountable. Seek someone's advice because in those time I always felt alone but I wasn't. And you are not alone either.

Doomed for His friends- it had to be for the pardon
And delivery from misery of kids who speak wickedly
Sinfully, inwardly slick with the iniquity-Shai Linne "Were you there?"

Life: It happens

There are plenty of things that we want and plan in life. How does the usual plan go? We graduate high school, go to college and spend four years working on a degree deciding what we want to do, graduate again and go one to continuation school, then we meet the girl or boy f our dreams, get married, have an awesome job and live happily ever after. Right? Wrong. Four years in college turns into 5 when you fail some classes, you get rejected from that graduate school, and the boy or girl of your dreams breaks your heart. Not quite what you planned huh? So now you're sitting there, head in your hands wondering where you went wrong? Things do not go as planned. They never do. Why? It makes no sense right? It should be going all okay. Well that's true if we were on our own time. But we are on God's. We eventually get there the problem is its not the way WE want it. It was never my intention of failing an entire semester of classes except one and having to spend so much time retaking them but it happened and I didn't like it and its only now that I realize that God is control and he'll get us there to our dreams but in a different way than what we planned. We have to go through the bumpy parts in life, the refining fires that burn us, melt us and shape us as we go through them. Of course as we do we whine because its not going our way and the journey is longer than what we wanted but as we go along we learn things. Life doesn't stop once we finish everything we had planned. Life continues on it doesn't stop. Finished school? Now its time to look for work. What can;t find a job in your field. But hey you're married so that is a happily ever after right? Right up until the bills and crying pooping machines come ( referencing babies). Life isn't a cake walk. But after some tike when we get there through the journey God put us on, we'll look back when we are much more mature and understand everything that happened. It takes time and its hard and doesn't always make sense. Those are the times when we have to be careful or we'll want to give up. I've had my share of times where I have wanted to. Its not fun but in the end are we not always okay? To be honest its hard sometimes even when knowing it'll all be okay in the end. Because they way you feel during those times is never fun, but despite that we have to be strong and not give give up.

Cut off your tongue

"With a tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?" James 3:9-11

Okay. So. That tongue of yours. What has come from it lately? I noticed what came from mine as of late and i had to slap my forehead as i remembered what was just discussed in church. That was only moments ago before writing this note. Okay I was going for something profound but that isn't happening so I am just going to say it now. We should watch what we say. Honestly I don't know how many times I have caught myself now talking about people. Only hours ago praising God. Yeah I am guilty of this and I am not putting anyone in specific on blast cause to be honest we all do or have done it. Seriously though I know I need to make a conscious effort to stop and try at least to think about what I am going to say. Try and tame that tongue because i think there are positive and negative ways of talking about people. Negative is put downs, rumors and such and yes cursing those people though maybe not even in the sense you're thinking of. Positive is talking about a person in a god light or even discussing what may be wrong in their lives BUT praying for them. Let's not tear down with the same tongue that praises God, no matter how much our blood may boil.

Awake and Alive

Life. Its hard. It sucks. To be honest I feel so tired. Tired in a way that no one should feel. Its inside and feels heavy. I want to sleep this life away. Stay inside, so nothing can hurt me. Do what God want me to do from a safe corner. But its not like that. I am so tired. Tired of people, trials, emotions. Despite wanting to, I can't. My spirit will not let me. I am drawn in to God. I am changing. I want to dive in more and more. Because despite everything, God is the only one. No answer anywhere else. Not in a bottle, not in people, not in ANYTHING. BUT. HIM. Life should be easy, not like this. But it is not. Despite that we have his love. He holds us, cradles us, like a Father does. He whispers to us that everything will be alright. I sometimes think the only reason I do these things is for Heaven and not to suffer. But despite that, I feel pulled in by my Spirit. It leads me because it knows. I know he wants me to be the person i need to be. Trust Him, even when all seems lost. If He started it, he will finish it. We know and He will have us believe. I pray for encouragement, for strength, renewing of Spirit and for you to no longer be discouraged. We all may not understand but God is always doing His will in our lives.