Is God in Control

Is God in control? We all know the story of Joseph being sold to Potiphar an officer of Pharaoh. Can you imagine what joseph thought as he set in prison being accused of raping Potiphar's wife. I have done everything asked of you Lord and this is what I get? I am sure it never crossed his mind that the Lord was preparing him to be able to rule later in life. Today, we go through the same thing. Something hard is happening in our lives something we do not understand, something not going our way. We like to place blame, why? Because it is easier to place blame on someone else than to look at yourself in the mirror.

So here is my question for you? Who are you blaming for the circumstances that you are in?

We focus on the impossibility of the circumstances instead of the greatness of our Lord. As a result we are discouraged and need to blame someone, so we look for the one we feel responsible for our despair. When we face the fact that God could have prevented our whole mess – and didn't –we often blame him excerpt from the "Bait of Satan".

The whole point of this story is to show that Joseph never took up an offense…. He stayed in the will of God. He had many opportunities to pick up an offense, but he chose not to.

Nothing can come against us without the Lord's knowledge.

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man, and God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bare, but if you are tempted He will always provide a way out so that you can stand against it

1 Cor. 10:13

The cup

Every day this week I wake to John 17. I have read it every day but yesterday, but I am not sure what I am seeing 14-15-16-17 are some of my favorite books of the bible. The one thing I feel I am getting from this is in verse 26 I have made your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them. Do I love people as much as He loves me? Can I tell you that right now there are people that I know I don't love as much as He loves me? There is the rub. I don't want to pose in this area. I want to be real and genuine. So after I read chapter 17 I went on to 18 and stopped right here
So Jesus said to Peter, "Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?" So now as I ponder I wonder if the cup I don't want to drink from is loving others as much as He loves me. Keep in mind that cup could be anything.

Has the Lord given me/you something do and you have chosen not to drink?

 

Kee

 

 

 

 

    

Get out of the way

My devotion this morning took me to 2 Thessalonians 1, but it was verses 11 and 12 that got my attention. Then when I read it in the Message it spoke even more. I believe that once again it centers on trust. Will I trust myself to get out of His way to do what He needs to do so that my life will honor Jesus? I want to be honored. I want Jesus to be glorified in me. I want to be the person that when he walks in the room the spirit in the room changes for the better not worse.

Have a Blessed day!

Kevin

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
Because we know that this extraordinary day is just ahead, we pray for you all the time—pray that our God will make you fit for what he's called you to be, pray that he'll fill your good ideas and acts of faith with his own energy so that it all amounts to something. If your life honors the name of Jesus, he will honor you. Grace is behind and through all of this, our God giving himself freely, the Master, Jesus Christ, giving himself freely.The Message

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.NASB95

Trust

I woke this morning asking …. What do you want me to read? I hear John 17. So I get up and pray for the Lord to reveal himself to me in His word. Sometimes I just have to be reminded of what Jesus did. It is so easy to take for granted if you are not careful. I decided this morning that I would give the Lord my first time and not the leftovers. I got up and read and did not check my email or read the news. I spent time with Him. That is been my biggest problem as of late…. Finding time too fir Jesus in my day. You make time for what is important in your life. IF JESUS IS IMORTANT THEN YOU WILL MAKE TIME FOR HIM. So I read John 17 and then I read one of my devos and it took me to Psalm 37. Now let's back up for a moment to Church Sunday. During the worship I asked the Lord what is 2012 about and before I could finish the thought I heard the word "Trust" I immediately told Kelly that, and she said isn't that kind of generic? I thought for a moment and then I said "is it generic when the Lord speaks? She said no and then the Lord gave her a word and she begins to write. Now fast forward to today. As I am reading, several scriptures jump out at me Psalm 37:3 Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.NASB95 Psalm 37:5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.NASB95 Psalm 37:9 For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.NASB95 Psalm 37:34 Wait for the Lord and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.NASB95. The whole Psalms 37 was a huge read this morning but theses scriptures really stuck out to me.

Trust and wait for 2012

The message Sunday was basically about how hard it is to fall when you are doing battle. David did not fall until he went home and stopped fighting. He sent Uriah the Hittite to fight for him. That is when he saw Bathsheba and then he made a decision and the rest is history. How many times do you think he saw Bathsheba before he made the decision that he did? We have to take the fight to the enemy. We can't sit around and send someone to fight for us.

So the question is this. Are you fighting? Are you Trusting and are you waiting?

Luke 17.4

Luke 17: 4 And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, "I repent," forgive him.

Question, do you have someone in your life that you are holding unforgiveness towards that has asked you for forgiveness but you have placed yourself above the Lord and not forgiven that person even though the Lord has? Better yet … said you forgave them but did not?

If you walk in unforgiveness you will be turned over to the tormentors, how is that working for you?

Christ died for you to be free, walk as He does

Stop right now and ask "Lord is there anyone that I have not forgave?"

The little dog pt. 2

The Little Dog this is the link to the story I posted on my blog June 26th. The question I posed at the end of my story was this "So here is my question to you. If my little dog lived in your home for a while would you have pee stains on your carpet?" I failed my own question. The dog whose name is Penny has gone to the bathroom all over my home for 5 ½ months. Why? Because I did not change. The quote that just sticks in my mind is this, "if you don't change …. Then nothing changes" it is that simple. I was in a meeting with a group of men Tuesday night last week. As we went around the room taking prayer request I said to myself "I'm good" I hear Holy Spirit say "What about your dog?" I say whatever! A few more men talk and I again hear "What about your dog? Now I have an attitude so I said fine I will bring it up! You see, I abused my dog that I day. I slung her out into the garage because she went to the bathroom all over the blanket again. I had this little 20lb dog so scared of me that she rolled on her side and crapped. Never in my life had I seen that before and never will I forget it. It broke my heart and I could not believe what I had caused. Now for my confession with the men. One of the men said "I feel like the Lord has a scripture for you" (something along those lines) Proverbs 12.10 A righteous man has regard for his animal ………………. Well I had an E. F. Hutton moment. The Lord spoke, I listened, and I changed. Here is what the Lord showed me in a span of about five minutes while I was being prayed over.

•    I was mad because the dog Penny had rejected me

•    I was Jealous because the dog was not mine anymore but my daughters

•    I passed judgment on Penny

I changed and so……… I changed. Wednesday morning I laid hands on my dog and prayed for her, confessed and asked for forgiveness. 9 if we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Penny has noticed the change in me and does not hide any more. She comes to me and stays with me.

 

I am just amazed! 25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him.

Glory

Romans 5

¹ Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³ And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; ⁴ and perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

 

As I read this I have a question for everyone to ask themselves. Do you have Glory in your tribulation or are you blaming someone or something or circumstances. Are you doing the pour me? If you are, then are you taking away God's glory from shinning?

God’s seat

I put myself in God's seat again. I became the judge. You would think after finding out 18 months ago how judgmental I was I would be better and I am to a degree. Judgment reared its ugly head yesterday. Without going into detail I judge my son. He called me and asked me a question and I assumed he was asking for this reason and when he came over I found out that what I thought was not the truth, but my judgment that I had place on him. In turn by the time he got to my house I was pissed and had gotten myself all worked up over nothing. You see, I decided why he called. I decided why he needed the money. I decided why he did not ask his boss for money. I could have stopped all of the pain by simply telling myself, I will wait until I get his sided of the story before I make a decision. Therefore eliminating any pain caused by my judgment. A quote from chpt 2 on "how to stop the Pain" "The heart is desperately wicked: who can know it?" Jeremiah 17:9 God is the only one who can truly know the heart. When people assume to know why, then their reactions are not based on reality; they are based on judgment. That judgment causes confusion, pain, and loss.

Matthew 7:1 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

I attached significance to the situation; I attached a "why" to what he was doing. The moment I attached the "why" to the situation I then gave it all of the power and then I caused all of my own pain

Question? Who has judged someone lately; you decided why they did what they did without talking to them. You did the negative self-talk and got yourself all worked up over nothing. Then when you did talk to them, you were completely wrong and felt like dumb #$%

 

If you don’t change ……. Then nothing changes!

If you don't change ……… then nothing changes. I have written about this before, so I am writing again about it. I am 50 lbs. over weight. I have chosen not to do anything about it! My eating habits are horrible and I have no discipline in these areas of my life. I am not complaining, because that will not accomplish anything, it is really about the first line in this paragraph. I just need to get off my butt! I guess it is just not bad enough yet. If I don't change………. Then nothing changes. That goes for every area of my life. Scripture says your body is a temple, 1 Corinthians 6:19 Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own, 20 You were bought with a price [purchased with preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body. This is my Goliath! Sometimes I feel this is how my life is supposed to be. Well that is a lie strait from the enemy and I refuse to believe that. If I don't do something then in a couple of months I will weigh more.

If you don't change ……… then nothing changes I have ran into several people over the last couple of weeks who have had the attitude that if this is all there is then just take me home now …… I'm done. This attitude pains me; if you don't do anything to change your circumstances then you circumstances will never change. It is not God's job to change you it is your job. Just like me I can gripe about my situation or do something about it! God does not say anywhere in the bible that this life on earth would be easy. In fact He says to welcome the trials. Look it up! 1 Cor. 10:13, James 1:2-4, James 1:12 just to name a few.

I heard a speaker yesterday and he is a very anointed man. Here a couple things that he said that really struck me.

• If you really have made Jesus the Lord of your life then you will have trouble every day! Realistically I do have some type of trouble every day when I go back and think about it
  
• There is no exit strategy in your life except Jesus. What is your exit strategy?
  
• What would happen if you went back to your Egypt? If I go back to the Old Man or my Egypt, everything goes awry!
  
• God is not going to bless a retreat of rebellion. This one really got me!
  
• The children of Israel were fed miraculously because they were following the Lord. Are you been fed?
  
• If you choose to go back to your Egypt, where would you get your water? The fresh manna? How would you cross the Red Sea? Do you think the Lord is going to part the Red Sea for you?
  

These statements and questions are for me as much as they are for anyone else. I leave you with this scripture from
2 Corinthians 4:8 we are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 10 Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. 11 Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. 12 So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.

.

1 Corinthians 3:7-9

1 Corinthians 3:7-9

7 it's not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What's important is that God makes the seed grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. 9 For we are both God's workers. And you are God's field. You are God's building.

So I am reading this morning and my devo took me to 1 Corinthians 2 but the nugget came in three, I had actually taken a little break and then got back in the word when I got this. This is something I am guilty of occasionally. I am good at planting and I am good at watering the seeds. I have to tell you that there are times that I think I can do a better job at making the seed grow ……. better than the Lord. Basically what I am doing is getting in the Lords way and then I turn into a growth inhibiter or I kill the seed all together. Like spraying a little roundup. The sad thing is sometimes I don't even realize I am doing it. I am a man and it is my nature to want you to succeed, but I want you to get it on my time not God's time. (Because I know better). Hear me on this, I don't make this a habit in fact it doesn't happen very often, but if it happens once then it is too much. Sometimes you just have to keep your mouth shut and trust the Lord in what you are seeing and hearing for someone.

I know it has been a while since I have written and it is because if you don't draw near to Him He want draw near to you. You may wonder why you are not hearing the Lord and it is because you are not spending time with Him and that is where I have been. I have not been in a bad place. Kinda just out there if you know what I mean. Not off in Nah Nah Land. I have been reading a devotion every day, but it is just not enough. So yesterday I purposed myself to read and today and look what happens I write … go figure. Thank you Lord!

Switching gears for a moment

I have been reading a book off and on called the 10 second rule that my friend Chuck Koll in Michigan gave me. What a great book. Essentially, what the rule is about is this ….. When you hear the Lord tell you to do something then you have to do it in the next ten seconds or most likely you won't do it. What a missed opportunity if you do not obey. Click the link 10 second rule It means for me that if I hear the Lord tell me to do something it doesn't mean pray about it and see if that was really the lord. It means just do it.

(Nugget from book pg. 107-108 our goal should be nothing less than becoming so familiar with the "mind of Christ" that we can anticipate what Jesus might do in almost any given situation so we can respond immediately.)

Which means no more WWJD it means listen and obey not ask? Kevin

Do you believe this?

John 11:25-26
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"NKJV the last four words made me pause.

"DO YOU BELIEVE THIS"?

It is my opinion that to offer your body as a living sacrifice Holy and pleasing to God, (Romans 12:1) you have to believe this or how could you? As of late I have been really struggling with this. Offering my body as a living sacrifice is not something I do well every day, but I am getting better. It is not something I beat myself up with either.

So I guess the big question is this……. Has something come up in your life lately that Jesus has said? "Do you believe this"? Do you trust me in this area or not, are you going to handle this yourself or let me?

For me it has to be the issue with the man that dropped the f- bombs on me. I know what I need to do and I will. This is one of those areas where you see God work all the time, but there is that part of you that wonders … Will you this time?

Have you ever wondered that before?

Will you this time?

Persecution

My devotion took me to Matthew 5 this morning. A chapter I am very familiar with. Last week I had someone that I do not know send me an email and he made comments to me that were not nice to say the least. He had actually dropped some F Bombs on me. I did not do anything wrong, he is just responding out of his wound. It still hurt though never the less. Okay … let's be honest … for a moment it made me so mad I wanted to go to his work and whip his ASS! (Just for a moment) It took me a couple of hours to get over this, and I did. I had to continue to tell myself that it was not personal. I had two different people tell me "It is not you Kevin but the Jesus in you that he is mad at." This morning as I am reading I come across this.

Matthew 5:11-12
"Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
"Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. NASB95

Matthew 5:44-46 "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
"For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? NASB95

So my question is this. Have you been persecuted lately and if you have ….. How did you react?

 

1 Cor 6.15-20

I came so last tonight to getting on the computer and looking at something evil.  I was one click away ….. I sat there and thought about the post I sent out wednesday.  I did what I am supposed to do … I got in the word … I fought it, but I knew that is what I had to do.

For me,   the most pressure I feel is when I am alone at home when no one can see what I am doing.  Often times that is when I have my biggest victories.  That is when I have no one to rely on except Holy Spirit …. This is what Jesus says for those who feel alone.

¹⁵ "If you love me, obey^* my commandments. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,^*
who will never leave you. ¹⁷ He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn't looking for him and doesn't recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you^[1]

So what is the deal … why am I having this thought process?    I am tired that is what  … what else?   My step daughter is here  from college for a few days and the jealousy is creeping in.    Read James lately ? 

James 3:16
For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. NLT

So I get out my bible and open right to 1 Corinthians 6.    God is so good.  So I am reading along when I get to verse 15 and I am floored.  Thank you Jesus. 

1 Corinthians 6:15-20
Don't you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! And don't you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, "The two are united into one." But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him. Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. NLT
So here is what I say about that "In Your Face satan!!!"

"Something is changing …….. so it is changing"

James 1:2

I am reading this morning's devo and I had to just pause a moment.  Thinking about the line that says you know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.  It made me think about the time I was late getting to church a couple of years ago ( I hate being late to church so I put this pressure on myself) So I am tailgating this car so they would get out of my way,  when I can finally got past them I floored it to make a statement.  So imagine how I felt when I got to church and he and his family pulled up next to me and got out of their car.  What a great witness I was.  It is so easy to hide in our car because we don't think we will see that person anymore, but the Lord sees us.  He sees the text message we leave or hears the message we leave on someone else's phone, He hears what we say in our cars when we are alone, which is what we wouldn't say if someone else was in the car with us.  .  For me,   the most pressure I feel is when I am alone at home when no one can see what I am doing.  Often times that is when I have my biggest victories.  That is when I have no one to rely on except Holy Spirit …. This is what Jesus says for those who feel alone. 

¹⁵ "If you love me, obey^* my commandments. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,^*
who will never leave you. ¹⁷ He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn't looking for him and doesn't recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you ^[1]

James1: 2 MSG " Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.^[2]

James 1:4 NIV ² Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. ⁴ Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.^[3]

 
 

I don't know about you, but if we are being honest here I really don't like the trials that I have to go through.  Last year December I had surgery, February 5^th I was released to go back to work.  February 9^th I broke my leg in my drive way and was down almost three months.  Nothing like relying on other people to get you to places or to help you or to fix you dinner.  At the time I did not see, but I did do some growing during that time and maturing, but I am still lacking,   but I am getting there.    I have a long ways to go.

James 4.17

 

 

Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin. James 4.17

Proverbs 21.21

He who pursues righteousness and loyalty finds life, righteousness and honor. Proverbs 21.21

Radical obedience always precedes the miraculous.

I am reading in a book called the 10 Second rule. One of the quotes in the book really struck me this morning. It says "It dawned on my me why I wasn't making more progress in obedience. When I would fell a prompting of the Holy Spirit to do something I was reasonable certain Jesus wanted me to do ----- and then choose not to do it --- I was actually rewarding myself for being disobedient. I chose disobedience because I knew perfectly well that obedience would cost me something, at least in the short run – time, money, embarrassment, inconvenience. Or pleasure differed – you name it. If I chose not to obey Jesus, I can avoid all that grief and keep what is mine" I really do not like the thought that I am rewarding myself for being disobedient. My reward is in Heaven "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5.12
So I wonder if the prophets were persecuted for walking in obedience. So I wonder what was the last thing that you felt certain that Jesus wanted you to do and you waiting long enough for the feeling to go away so you didn't do it? The Lord didn't call us to easy, but he did call us to obedience. Obedience today …. Let tomorrow worry about itself. It is easy to walk in obedience when it does not interfere with anything. I returned one piece of door hardware to Home Depot the other day because it had been dropped and scratched. I was dishonest in the fact that I knew they would take it back. As soon as the lady gave me my money back I heard Holy Spirit say "What are you doing?" I fought it long enough to walk out of the store, Knowing that I was going to have to go back and re purchase the damaged knob. The point is … what if the cashier needed to see some brutal honesty that day and I walked in disobedience. The one thing she needed I denied her. I am not sure if that is the case but you get the point.

99 percent obedience is 100 percent disobedience …. Which one are you? Today?

Amazing Love

Amazing Love:

This is short and right to the point. I cannot explain it. I can only say that the Lord spoke to my wife through a movie. Through an act of love from her I am walking in complete freedom…. The desire today has been taking away and I am free. When I say the desire has been taking away that is what I mean. Just lifted …. "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

1 Corinthians 9

1 Corinthians 9:1-2
Am I not as free as anyone else? Am I not an apostle? Haven't I seen Jesus our Lord with my own eyes? Isn't it because of my work that you belong to the Lord? Even if others think I am not an apostle, I certainly am to you. You yourselves are proof that I am the Lord's apostle.NLT

Apostle (uh-pahsʹuhl), the English transliteration of a Greek word meaning 'one who is sent out.' An apostle is a personal messenger or envoy, commissioned to transmit the message or otherwise carry out the instructions of the commissioning agent.

So I am reading in my OC this morning which takes me to 1 Corinthians 9. Sometimes I like to believe I am not as free as everyone else. THAT IS A LIE! I am as free, I am an Apostle, and I have seen Jesus! After I have read the definition or the transliteration it makes perfect sense. The chapter really spoke to me this morning. There is so much in it. The chapter finishes off very well with 24-27.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27
don't you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.
NLT

 

I leave you with questions?

• Are you as free as everyone else?
  
• Are you an apostle
  
• Have you seen Jesus
  
• Do you trust Jesus
  
• Are you disciplined
  
• Do you run with purpose
  

 

 

You are not disqualified!

 

 

Surrender

Spending time with Oswald Chambers this morning and his devotion came out of Hebrews 4 so I read Hebrews 4. The whole chapter spoke to me but these two verses especially. Hebrews 4.10 For all who have entered into God's rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. ¹¹ So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall. Obliviously the passage is talking about taking a Sabbath. A day off from work and just resting. We can't even do that most of the time. I will put another spin on it, How about just resting in His arms for 10 minutes. For me that is a hard thing to do. That is surrender
……. That is total surrender. How many of us will just flat not take the time to stop and rest? Get quiet? Be still? We are so stinking busy that we rationalize our time with the Lord. How many of you keep a daily planner? You schedule everything … from picking up the kids to school to your daily meeting with the manager of your work to your 10.00 conference call that you have every day with the owner. Maybe even your daily planner has your weekly appointment with your pastor, but nowhere on your planner does it have time with the Lord, why is that? I think for most of us, we just believe that we are going to spend time with Him and rest. The truth is that we just wave good bye in the morning on our way out the door and say I will catch you tomorrow and He just sits and rest and waits for us. Now I am not saying that everyone does this … what I am saying is that it is a common thing. I have done this myself. The flipside is if you do the very same thing every day then does it become religion? I don't think so if you are doing it because you love the Lord.

Here is what François Fenelon the Archbishop of Cambria said in the 17^th century.  He was the spiritual advisor to Louie the 14^th.  He said this in a letter to the King about surrender.  There is more in the letter but this is the main point. Let me tell you what real surrender is.  It is simply resting in the love of the Lord, as a little baby rests in his mother arms.  A perfect surrender must even be willing to quit surrendering, if that is what the Lord wants.  We renounce ourselves, and yet, God never lets us know when it is complete.  If we knew, it would no longer BE complete, for there is nothing that bolsters the ego quiet so much as knowing that it is fully surrendered.
Surrender consist, not in doing great, heroic deeds about which self can brag, but simply in accepting whatever God sends, and not seeking to change it.   Full surrender is full peace. If we are restless and concerned about things that are formally renounced, we have not genuinely surrendered. Surrender is the source of true peace. If we are not at peace. It is because our surrender is not complete.

 

Psalm 139

139:23-24 which says

    Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me and know my anxious thoughts;

And see if there be any hurtful way in me,

and lead me in the everlasting way.

 

The lie I like to believe is looking at porn is okay occasionally. ( I came up with a new term … Porn Binging.  Like an alcoholic that goes on a drinking binge) I know that is not true, but I want to believe it.  This is what my confessional project centers on.    I struggle with discipline in all areas of my life and it starts with the lack of discipline in my life and it has a trickledown effect in every other area of my life.  I have confessed and repented more times than I can count to the point of sometimes thinking  "What is the point?".  I sometimes feel like I am destined to be like this.  I have my good moments when I can go months without looking at anything.  I know the Holy Spirit showed me a couple years ago that my  biggest issue is it is my choice.  I have given you all of the tools to defeat this.  (Okay I just got my world rocked just now, what comes next is from Holy Spirit,  I have never heard this from Him before,  I am in tears)   but you choose not use everything I have given you  So really the choice is not the fact that I choose not to go there it means that I don't choose what He has given me to beat this thing. Now I can say PRIDE  He showed me that as well.  Sheer determination not to do something is like white knuckling it.  when it comes to not snorting cocaine after using for 5 years,  White knuckling will only take you so far…. I know this for a fact.  I have been there.  I have not touched cocaine since May 12^th 1988 but it was not because I white knuckled it.  Hear is another lie that was just revealed to me.  I did not rely on Jesus to save me from cocaine addiction, it was the fear of losing everything … namely my wife and kids.  It had nothing to do with God.  I am not saying god did not have anything to do with that.  In my mind it was sheer determination and going to the hospital that saved me.  I believe that is the root  ………………………………………………  Holy Spirit says yes that is the root!

The lie was I did it!   I beat the cocaine addiction (that was when there was only one set of foot prints in the sand) and now I feel I can still do it with the lust.  That is a LIE!

Galatians 6:7-9  As I have been mediating on this Wise words from Holy Spirit the last two weeks.  I have come to a couple of conclusions. 

• If I am not sowing to please the Spirit, then there is only one thing left that I am doing and that is sowing to please my sinful nature.  NOT PRETTY!
  
• I will reap a harvest if I don't give up!  I can tell you right now……. When It comes to ME fighting this battle I am weary.
  

Jesus says ….. comes to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest for your soul.  I am truly not sure if I have ever allowed rest for my soul.   I am going to say that I DID NOT WANT TO DO THE CONFESSIONAL PROJECT AND I WAS NOT GOING TO DO IT.  It was either be obedient or not… I chose the latter. 

 

Thank you Jesus