Spiritual Laziness

It is my cry that the Lord will help us in our spiritual laziness.

There are times I find myself spiritually lazy.

I don't feel like reading the word of God, I don't feel like praying, I don't feel like attending or participating in events that spiritually benefit others or myself.

It is in these moments of spiritual laziness that we must learn to press beyond our feelings.

Pressing beyond our feelings is a demonstration of self-control.

We should not allow our feelings to dictate what we do.

Our feelings can change from one moment to the next

from one situation to the next, from one person to the next.

When we learn to not allow our feelings to control us,

 we also demonstrate spiritual maturity.

It is stated in Luke 2:52 "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature..."

This scripture speaks of Jesus growing not only physically but also in maturity.

Jesus had to spiritually mature, becoming more aware of who He truly was, whose He was and what that meant.

The enemy takes great delight and counts on our being spiritually lazy.

Our spiritual laziness helps the enemies plan for us.

The enemy has a plan too and that is to steal, to kill and destroy our lives.

When we are spiritually lazy, we are ignorant to who we truly are, or we easily forget, as it is God's word and Holy Spirit that teaches and remind us who and whose we are and what that means. 

Romans 10:17 "so faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God."

Work and social enjoyment are viewed as, and are beneficial to mankind,

 and man is often dilligent in working and having some type of social outlet,

while the word of God is often viewed and treated as insignificant.

Cares of this world have become priority to many, even Christians.

The busier we become with the cares of this world the more spiritually lazy we grow.



True Love (Agape)

I am so thankful that God is God.

All that He does is excellent.

He loves each of us and all of us excellently.

I think many use the word love very loosely.

We often think it a big thing to love those who love us,

 to treat with kindness those who treats us kindly,

or to forgive those who come seeking our forgiveness.

Than I looked at how God loves.

The Greek term used for God's type of love is (agape.)

This is not speaking of romantic, sexual, friendly or brotherly love but sacrificial love.

We naturally love with expectancy of a return of love, kindness, respect, and or acceptance.

God loves without expectation or return on his investment of love toward us.

We see relationships destroyed because of inability to agape love.

Agape love is true love and is perfectly expressed by the one who is faithful and true.

Our parents, friends, or romantic novels can't teach us agape love without having learned from the one who is (agape) love.

No one out of relationship with God is even able to love in this manner.

Isaiah 55:8,9 " For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither your ways my ways." declares the Lord

9)"As the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Our God thinks and acts grander than we are able to apart from Him.

It is this reason that we think and demonstrate love differently than He.

As I looked at God's definition of love, I realized how much I fail at truly loving.

I Corinthians 13:4 "Love suffers long and is kind, love does not envy, love does not parade itself, is not puffed up, 5) does not behave rudely, does not seek it's own, is not provoked, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth, 7) bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8) Love NEVER fails." 

This is an perfect picture of who God is.

"Lord we need you to perfect our love walk."



Truly Love Him

We confess our love to the Lord God in song, in prayer,

in our words of praise and adoration.
We confess our love in a crowd or maybe in our alone time with him.
It might be with shedding of tears or possibly a warm smile.
It might be in a moment of great joy or in the midst of heart wrenching pain.
Though none of this really matter.
What is most important is that we mean it with our hearts?
For it is He who is able to look beyond where the natural eye can see.
I Samuel 16:7 "...for the Lord does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."
For it is the inner man of the heart which reflects the type of man he truly is. 

We outwardly may appear to be one thing,
while our inner man that cannot be seen with the natural eye
 but only the supernatural eye of God,
may reflect something completely different.
God wants us to truly love Him with our whole heart.
As written in Mark12:30 " Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."
When we love Him with our heart,
that love will also be reflected in our attitude, and actions.
John 14:15" If you love Me keep my commandments."
We are no longer under the law but have law already fulfilled in us through Christ Jesus.
When we allow for Him (the Lord) to live in and through us, we are able to obey His word.
So let us not just love Him in word, but in deed.
 



Abiding In The Secret Place

When we trust God enough to direct our paths,

knowing that He so loves us and wants the very best for us.

Than we will truly allow Him to lead us in paths of righteousness.

We at times put our trust in man above God.

Finding ourselves at times looking to other people, organizations, anything other than God

to put our trust in.

At times it is our mistrust of God that puts us in some dangerous situations,

 situations which could have been avoided had we trust God to direct us.

Proverbs 3:5,6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

6) In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths."

The Lord wants us to allow Him to direct us, that He may keep us safe from unknown dangers ahead.

He has a planned road map for each of our lives.

A road map that will lead us right where he wants us, at the time He wants us there.

The question is, will we trust His plan and let Him lead?

Psalm 91:1 "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."

He is our protection when surrender to His will for our lives instead of our own.

 

Powerless Prayer.

We will hear many times " We need to pray about this or that, or someone will say " I'm praying for you brother/sister."

We look around, or hear about all the tragedies, danger, and wickedness going on around us, and know we need to pray concerning all these matters.

With all the prayer talked about, volunteered to offer on another's behalf and thought about,

why does it seem that our prayer's are not being answered?

I have pondered this thought in my head for a while and have come up with a few possibilities.

The first being that prayer is often thought of as a lengthy one sided dialogue to God,

 often consisting of promises to Him and or request from Him.

Which is pushed aside for a more convenient time.

I Thessalonians 5:17 "pray without ceasing."

Then there is the prayers promised to be offered on behalf of another,

the only problem is that you have so many things going on in your own life and those closest to you, that you simply forget to pray for that someone.

Oh my we cannot forget about not being in the proper place for prayer,

maybe you are in a grocery store, visiting friends, riding the bus, in a courtroom and you feel it not appropriate to offer up prayer in these settings.

There are those who pray out of feelings of spiritual duty,

but lack faith that the Lord hears and answers prayer.

Mark 11:24 " therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray believe that  you receive them and, you will have them."

Let me just take this time to encourage you in your prayer life.

You can pray any time any where.

Your prayers can be short and soft, or lengthy and loud.

You can pray while off to yourself or in a crowd.

You can pray whether you are indoors or out, even while in motion.

There are no rules & regulations for prayer, you need only to pray sincerely from the heart and in faith, knowing that our God hears and answers prayer.

Much prayer much power, little prayer little power, no prayer no power.

Let's be people of prayer.

 



Watchout For The Snare Set

In my time with the Lord today

I reflect on the busyness of our society.

We are so busy focusing on riches, status, and power, that we leave very little if any time to reflect on the one true Almighty God.

We are often placing at the back burner

(Matthews 6:33) "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.

The cares of this life often consume not only our time but energy and those cares become idols in the lives of many.

Cares which are considered as greatly significant and are therefore exalted above God.

(Exodus 20:3) "You shall have no other gods before Me." 

I see busyness frequently used as a snare set by the god of this world.

(Mark 4:19) " and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desire for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful."

We need to take time and see what we are giving most of our time and energy to.

Is it the cares of this life, or is it God who has promised to supply all  your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus?" (Philippians:19)

Don't allow busyness to ensnare you.