Instead of going to prayer-meetings to get into a 'good frame,' we should live in a good frame from morning till night, from night till morning, and prayer and praise would be only another form for expressing the love and faith and obedience we had been exercising amid the pressure of business.
Elizabeth Prentiss, Stepping Heavenward
Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction
~2 Timothy 4:2
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
~Ephesians 6:12
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous, do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
~Joshua 1:9
You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
~1 John 4:4
To battle!!
Lately, I’ve learned that sometimes you have to consciously decide on something before it happens. I know that sounds obvious but how many times have we let our circumstances dictate our actions and thoughts? Sometimes choosing to respond a certain way can make all the difference.
About two weeks ago, I started getting really stressed about ballet. All the
what ifs and how am I… and there’s no way… started bombarding my thoughts. Consequently, they became manifest in my dancing; I began to get tense. Then, of course, I got even more frustrated because that’s one of the things I’ve been working on for the past two years.
Then I realized that all my worrying and anxiousness was a result of relying on myself. By getting all worked up, I was squishing God down to a size way smaller than He deserves. I lost sight of how big and huge my God really is and had to remind myself that He knows what He is doing.
Then I decided to just rest in the fact that He has it under control. I chose not to worry about what may happen because whatever it may be, He’s got it under control. And because He’s got it under control, I don’t have to get all tense; I don’t have to carry the weight of having it all together. And I don’t have to worry about what my future holds. I just have to relax and be ready for whatever He brings my way. All this is just part of the process of learning to surrender and choosing each day to dance in His freedom.
Sometimes I try too hard. I try to make everything perfect at once and in an effort to do everything right, I hold myself back from progress. That’s one of the things I’ve been working on this year—relaxing. Mainly, I’ve been told in ballet “don’t get so tense, just feel the movement” but this concept also applies to everyday life. We try so hard to make everything just so; we make plans and set goals to put ourselves on the right track, we try to make the right connections, and arrange our schedules for maximum efficiency.
Yet sometimes trying too hard can be counterproductive. Sometimes we just need to let go. When we put pressure on ourselves to fix everything, we basically tell God, “I’ve got it taken care of. I don’t need you.” But nothing could be farther from the truth; we do need Him, more than we think. In our moments of being overwhelmed we can either continue to rely on our own strength, or let go of the reins (that were always in His hands anyway).
When we start to feel the pressure of life bog us down we need to refocus. We should ask ourselves,
We need to learn to live in His grace. In letting go, we’ll find more freedom than we ever imagined. I think it’s kind of like being a bird in a cage. Sometimes we think we might like to stay in the cage. It’s safe, we wouldn’t have to take any risks, we wouldn’t have to be uncomfortable. But we would never be free; we could never fly, we could never explore the world around us; we would never know the feeling of soaring. When we choose to live in the freedom of Christ’s strength and His grace, we have the potential to do more than we ever could on our own.
I’m not saying we should be lazy. Just because we’re not relying on our own strength doesn’t mean we can lie around and expect God to work for us (though He could if He chose). No, in surrendering to Him, we are allowing Him to work through us. Sometimes, we just need to stop trying to micromanage every aspect of our lives and remind ourselves to live in the moment. For through His strength and grace, more progress will be made than we could ever accomplish on our own.
The more I lose, the more I gain
The more I empty myself, the more I am filled
The more I let go, the freer I feel
Shouldn't it be harder?
Shouldn't I feel like I'm missing out on something?
Don't these realities go against the chatter of the world?
I'm not saying it's easy
Sometimes it's painful
But worth it in the end
Each day…
Less of me…more of Him
Daddy sent this out as his webletter a few weeks ago and I thought it was worth sharing. I have so many things I want to blog but not enough time. This season will pass and I'm just trying to enjoy it for what it is now. Enjoy the post. Oh, BTW, Daddy would be thrilled if you "liked" him on Facebook.
… may be the last thing you want.
How would you like to have your name forever enshrined inside the Word of God?
How would you like to have been fastened there by John the Apostle – the disciple Jesus loved?
Before you read any further, answer these questions.
Now, imagine what that might be like.
People would know your name for all eternity. Your children, your grandchildren and generations not yet born would peer into God's Word and find – YOU!
Sound exciting?
Not if your name is Diotrephes.
We know this man's name because the Apostle John called him out. (3 John 9) And because God's Word lasts forever, creation will forever witness the rebuke.
We know nothing of Diotrephes save for what John tells us and John tells us enough to distinguish this man from others.
"Diotrephes… loves to be first…"
The good news of salvation was hindered because a man wanted to be first.
Does this strike a chord?
Why do we men insist on being first?
What is it that compels us?
Recognition?
Are we trying to prove to ourselves that we are lovable? Didn't Jesus prove that for us?
The desire to be first leads us to dangerous turf.
Satan wanted to be first and he thrust for God's throne. He then slandered his Creator when he whispered in Eden to Eve.
He's been whispering against God and his people ever since.
Diotrephes, James tells us, gossiped maliciously and slandered the saints.
When the desire to be first consumes us, we align ourselves with Satan – we destroy reputations and block the gospel's advance.
Think you are immune?
How did you first answer the question at the top of this column?
-Daniel C. Diaddigo
Caleb posted this on his blog yesterday and I thought it was so beautiful that you should read it. He graciously agreed. Here it is…
You are climbing a ladder. The top comes into view and you surge forward at an even greater pace. You have been here before. You strive for the reward at the top, whatever it may be. Higher and higher you climb, rung after rung you haul yourself nearer and nearer to the end: A place where you will rest and revive yourself, where you will find peace. As you grasp the final rung, you hear a rumble. The ladder begins to wobble. “No! I’m so close! Not now!” These are the words flowing through your mind. However, despite your outcry, the rungs beneath you begin to bow, and then snap. You fall down and down. Never, it seems, will you be able to grasp the highest rung that was once held with your palm. Never will you be able to ascend so high again. You land with a thud at the bottom; the beginning. A sudden fear sweeps over you. You are alone, and you are defeated.
Too often do there come times when we tend to take matters into our own hands. This is nothing surprising, really; it is simply the nature of man. We try to compensate for our losses and failures by using it as a motive to climb even higher on the ladder, only to fall short and tumble to the bottom crushed and defeated. Some days we may feel up to strength, and we may attempt the climb again, while other days we lay hopelessly at the bottom. It is at this point when we must open our eyes to the bigger picture. There is more to the story than what we see. What may look like a monstrous ladder towering above, may really only be a small bump in the road of life.
After failing time after time, eventually, it would seem, would we see that it is not by our strength that we will be able to surmount the ladder. Instead, we need One Who will grasp our hand for the full stretch, assisting us the entire climb. The Lord Almighty has made this possible for us in this fallen world. When we fall, not only does He help us up, but He embraces us in His arms like a father to a son. His love for us is unending; it stretches beyond the ends of the earth to the galaxies next door. Never, has a picture been painted in all of history, that is more beautiful than the picture of His love that He so wondrously illustrated by His Son’s death on the cross.
-Caleb Diaddigo
As Christians we’re called to be different. We’re called to be lights, we’re called to be salt, and we’re called to be cities on hills (Matt. 5:13-16). All of these things don’t blend in to the world around them, salt has a flavor distinct from the food it is added to, light is the opposite of dark where it is most commonly found, and a city on a hill sticks out of the landscape. Obviously, God wants us to be different from our surroundings. He wants to use us to glorify Him and make His name great. We are called to be in the world not of it. But how do we radically live out our faith when it’s not popular? How do we be in a worldly environment without letting it effect us? How do we grow in the Lord without isolating ourselves in a “holy huddle” yet still be active lights in the darkness? I really don't know the answers to these questions but I've made this list to help in my own life.
Love–genuinely, unconditionally, without judgment, even when it’s hard. We don’t have to be romantically in love with everyone we meet nor do we have to feel inclined to like someone. Love toward those around us is an attitude; it’s a mindset, a conscious decision to serve. 1 John 3:18 says, “let us not love with word or tongue, but in deed and truth.” 1 Corinthians 16:14 says, “let all that you do be done in love.” Our actions toward those around us should reflect the love God has toward us; love when we don’t deserve it with no strings attached. This is something I’m still trying to grasp and I think it’s going to take a while.
Build relationships
–we don’t have to be best friends with everyone we meet but getting to know someone builds trust. When trust is established influence results.
Uphold our standards
–when we’re surrounded by people who make unwise choices everyday, it’s easy to let down our guard. We easily become desensitized to the sin surrounding us and little by little our standards suffer. We need to stand firm in our convictions and though our decisions may make us unpopular, our actions are what set us apart.
Stay in the Word
–Romans 12:2 says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable, and perfect” Studying the scriptures helps us to renew our mind, it helps to keep the junk out that competes for our thoughts.
Know that it will be hard and never go away
–Ephesians 6:12 says, “for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Realizing that we are in a spiritual war takes our struggles to an entirely different level and will make us aware of things we never knew. Also know that we will be unpopular. John 15:19 “If you were not of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you”
Remember when you were a kid and your parents would tell you, “You need to apologize to so and so and ask for forgiveness?” Or maybe on the other side, your friend would say (after being prompted), “I’m sorry for not sharing, will you please forgive me?” Of course, you would each say “yes” and the whole squabble would be forgotten.
But as we get older, the squabbles get more serious and it seems to get harder and harder to forgive. Maybe, a friend spread nasty rumors about you and hurt your reputation; or maybe a teacher gave you a grade lower than you deserved; or maybe you got overlooked for a role. How do we forgive when the situation really hurts?
According to dictionary.com the definition of forgiveness is, to grant pardon to OR to cease to feel resentment against. When I was little, I remember telling myself “Yes, I forgive so and so, I really do.” Yet, somehow, the twinge of hurt wouldn’t go away even if I decided to forgive. Even if my brain said I was forgiving someone, my heart wasn’t responding.
Recently, I’ve learned that forgiveness isn’t something that we do but something that God does in us. Try as we may, no matter how many times our brain tell us we are forgiving someone, until the seed of bitterness is rooted out of our hearts, we are not truly forgiving.
Acknowledging that we cannot forgive on our own strength is another aspect of surrendering to God. It’s recognizing our weakness; admitting that only because He forgave us, can we forgive others. It’s opening our hearts to God and allowing Him to do the work.
Forgiveness is a process, a heart issue that needs fixing; something we initiate and God finishes. It’s more than just a decision or an apology and until we open our hearts and allow Him to work, we can’t truly forgive. Eventually, that twinge of bitterness will be replaced with the peace of God and our brains and hearts will be on the same page.
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. ~Eph. 1:7-8a
We all have role models; we want to be like someone. We all want to grow up (even if culture says we already are) to be the ideal person. When we find someone who we think embodies our ideal we scrutinize them. We notice their nuances and try to implement them in our own behavior. We start to talk like them, dress like them, and act like them.
It’s great to look up to people but the downfall comes when we actually try to be them. When we make decisions based on what they would do (or did) instead of the wise choice and forget that we are different. In trying to follow their footsteps, we lose ourselves.
When we try to rewrite someone else’s story over our own, we are rejecting who God made us to be. We lose sight of who we truly are and put on a mask of someone else. But we each are unique. God has a story planned for every one of His people; we just need to follow His lead. Francis Chan writes, “Be careful not to turn others’ lives into the mold for your own. Allow God to be as creative with you as He is with each of us.”
God has given us each unique gifts and we are called to use those gifts to His glory. If we happen to have similar gifts as someone else, we can ask them to be our mentor. But we need to be careful not to blindly follow in their footsteps. It’s easy to take a path that’s already been made but it takes faith to make your own. God wants us to trust Him, follow His lead, and allow Him to write a story as unique and original as ourselves. Sure, we can look to others for advice and ideas, and it’s easy to copy someone else, but only we can live our own story so why would we waste our time infringing the copyright of someone else‘s?
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. ~1 Corinthians 12:4-7
Rebekah Diaddigo 