God's ways are totally different from ours

 1 Samuel 16:7  But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

God's ways are totally different from ours, where we humans value external gain and external good looks, God looks past it all and applauds internal gain and internal good looks.

Our minds are often clouded by internal wrangling we are confronted moment by moment with decisions to be made. quickly we trust our instincts, our ability to discern, our own wisdom. but trust in ourselves alone makes us vulnerable.

Without the Lord as our guide and His word as our compass, we quickly get lost in the marshes of life. Though we often would rather do things our way , depending on the Lord is the best choice to make. He who knows us best and loves us most will guide us through life. seek Him !

Proverbs 3:5-6) 5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6  In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.

Psalms 119:105  Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Romans 12:1-2) 1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2   And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Jeremiah 17:5-10) 5  Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. 6 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. 7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.
8  For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. 9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? 10 I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

Light exposes

The real self will be revealed
Luke 12:2-3) 2 For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. 3 Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.
Your life is an open Book and can be more transparent than you want.

Thoughts and intentions exposed

Hebrews 4:12-13) 12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

God's word exposes our thoughts and intentions, nothing is hidden from God's searching eye, take time to read God's word and allow it to pierce your life and see the Great things God will do for you.

Fruit

the fruit that evidences that you are christian is not your head knowledge or ability to follow the crowd and point out false teachers. here is the fruit on should have and be growing & maturing in spiritually the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
I posted this earlier today --> Our lives should be in such accord with God, that people can look at us and get to know God's love and His ways.
John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another.
the pages of our lives should evidence that God is Holy He is righteous He is merciful He is forgiving , there is nothing to hard for God with Him all things are possible. the pages of our lives should be extending mercy compassion love and forgiveness. we should be slow to speak and quick to listen. the pages of our lives should evidence that we walk by faith not by sight. how can we tell people have faith believe and trust in God if evidence in our lives testify something else in our circumstances ? everyone falls at times and struggles but the true believer doesn't stay down and accept defeat, when they know in Christ they can do all things including walking in victory enduring and overcoming.

Give your all

Don't try and build God into your life, build your life around Him. one can try and fit God into they're life by praying each morning reading the Bible every night listening to sermons attend church weekly and still not have the Lord as the central focus of they're daily life. don't give God a few minutes of scattered attention here and there, slow down make a genuine effort to truly seek Him instead of being consumed with your own ambitions. embark on a journey to truly get to know your creator. the word of God says to us And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

empty self

Something better is found in emptying ourselves, surrendering to HIS lead, letting go of your life and all you hold dear to entrusting God with everything. letting go is not easy for any of us. but Jesus makes it clear that to go where He is going and to be part of His wondrous plan we must deny ourselves pick up our cross daily and follow Him Luke 9:23) . to be more blunt it would be accurate to say if we are truly serious about being a follower of Jesus, then each and every day we need to die to our way of doing things. to discover life Jesus says we have to give ours up. laying our life down is not fun or enjoyable it can be rather painful but it is essential.
Jim Elliott said in a quote He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.
decide whats more important treasures on earth or treasures in Heaven. treasures on earth can be lost treasure in Heaven cannot be lost.

who made you sin ?

The devil can tempt and entice you to sin but he can not make you sin, you choose to take action or walk away. you have the choice to resist or to submit.

James 1:14-16) 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.

James 4:7-8) 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

 1cor.10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

believe

If we truly believe in the power of God and if we truly believe that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us then we will not deny the ability of His power to work in our lives and help us overcome . no stain of sin is too tough for Christ to cleanse , no chain is too hard for the Lord to break , no stronghold is rooted deep enough to where Christ can't tear it down, no past struggle or current struggle is to hard for God to give you victory over. satan is a deceiver and he has lied to so many and so many have believed satans lies. satan says you will never change , he says you will always be how you are , satan tries to make you believe that the situation that your in will continue forever, satan is a liar who denies the power of God. resist the devil and he will flee from you. draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

stay focused

Peter walked on water until He took His eyes off of Jesus , peter's focus turned to what was going on around him and he began to sink then peter cried out to Jesus save me, Jesus saved peter. a lot of us can relate to this situation that Peter found himself in, at times there is so much going on around us that panic and worry steals our focus and our faith begins to sink we begin to sink finding ourselves in distress . And we cry out to Jesus and He saves us. if you find yourself sinking today in life's circumstances cry out to Jesus .

Foundation & structure

Foundation is what you build on structure holds together what has been built. without a strong foundation the structure or walls can crack the floors will sag , the foundation can even crack the roof can sag etc.. Im talking about construction but I am using foundation and structure as a illustration to help see the importance of having the right foundation a strong foundation to build on and having a good strong structure. christ is our foundation that we build a solid structure we build spiritual growth the structure is faith , faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. our structure should have constant connection , communication we should constantly be plugged into the word of God. being teachable will help strengthen structure . reflection and examination is important , we should be examining ourselves to search for anything in our lives that might hinder growth. like weeds in a garden it chokes out the growth of the seed planted. we should be reflecting on trials we have been through or are currently going through and look at how far God has brought us, in reflection we should also be checking our foundation & structure how did we hold together when the storm hit , did it knock us down for awhile and why did it knock us down we should do this with a open teachable heart open to correction

 Matthew 7:24-27) 24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

share this

The Lord Jesus Christ seeks to save the lost, prodical sons and prodical daughters He even seeks to save you and welcome you back with open arms , you may think you have blown it and drifted to far you may think that the Lord wont take you back, He never left you though you chose to wander astray and believe the enemies lies, Jesus is calling you back to Him its not to late so run to Him now, He will break the chains that have bound you and tear down the strongholds & deception that has held you in bondage , Jesus can Heal you and make you whole. He can restore relationships nothing is too hard for Him , call upon Him now pour out your broken heart to Him and surrender to Him.

encouragement

God's Grace is sufficient , His strength is perfected in weakness. when we look to Him and place our faith our hope and our trust in Him, He steps in with sufficient Grace He shows the power of His strength in us and through us when we feel like we cant stand another minute we continue to stand because His strength is perfected in our weakness. when we feel hopeless and helpless we find that God's Grace is a sufficient source of hope to keep us believing to keep us enduring with hope that we will be overcoming the battle knowing that our victory is in Christ alone . there is nothing too hard for God with Him all things are possible. His mercy endures forever and His mercies are new every morning , cast your cares to Him , He cares for you. you are not alone

lyrics

Father Forgive them, they know not what they do, Lord they don't know or just don't get it that nothings hidden from you, thoughts they think things that they do. heart matters whole or shattered in pieces is no excuse to continue in what ya do. God is love and He is a righteous judge , you feel that tug at your heart don't ignore Him stop running from conviction , it's time to get to confessing , respond in repentance call on the Lord right now He is listening, that's right He knew what your were thinking before ya heard this and He knows what your thinking as you hear this. don't get it twisted please don't get it confused it's time to choose , He knows about all the secret things you do like I said in the beginning nothing is hidden from the Lord , the world thinks whats done in the dark stays in the dark , hey yo you it's time to lose the what happens in vegas stays in vegas mindset because it's not true , you want that real talk whats done in the dark is revealed in the Light, stop fighting don't resist when the Hand of God comes knocking at the door of your heart, He is calling you to be set apart in the world but not of it, new creation in Christ walking in the newness of life eyes fixed on the way the truth the life the Lord Jesus Christ , Author and finisher of our faith, it's time to give Him the pen of your life and allow Him to write each chapter.
lyrics from a song I wrote

thinking, reflecting

wrote this the other night. can't take back time, make the most of it living life always growing to your fullest potential, can't take back the wounds we cause , gotta learn to be gentle walk in love it's action more than just words, check it God so loved the world He gave His Only Begotten Son, Here we see love in action, Christ laid down His life for you and for me. so far from perfect we didn't deserve it, Christ set the example how we should love even those who we feel don't deserve it, I know it's hard to love the un-loveable and sometimes we run into trouble but remember it's worth it even when you think they don't deserve it. compassion over pride isn't a easy ride but where Grace resides pride flees. 

 there have been times pride stopped me from showing compassion but my eyes were opened to see my need for Grace to reside and my pride to flee . truth is everyone needs compassion.

Giving God the pen of our life

Giving God the pen of our life and allowing Him to write each chapter, He takes us on a journey of growth into becoming more like Him, He takes us on a journey where step by step He reveals His will His plans as we seek Him with our whole heart and seek to understand His purpose for our lives and as we embrace our Faith in Him and place our trust fully in Him alone, He take the wheel of our life and steers us in the right direction. as we journey we encounter trials , tests, hardships , opposition, many obstacles , but God is always in control and works things together for good and for His Glory. we know God has a plan for our lives but we sometimes forget that satan has a plan also to try and steal kill destroy and devour the Good work that Christ has began in us, we must always be vigilant staying on guard and seek the Lord in all things and ask Him to help us discern , give us wisdom and trust in the Lord with the pen of our lives allowing Him to write every chapter and we must continue on our journey to become more like Him and walk according to His will, His plan and purpose, using the Gifts He has given us to bring Glory to His precious Holy Name.

The sermons that we live are

The sermons that we live are far more compelling than the ones we preach. The life of Jesus Christ is the perfect example. the word of God instructs us to not only be hearers of the word but also doers of the word. when the way we live our lives matches the words that we speak , we shine for the Glory of God , love in action impacts lives.

James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
1 John 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
1 John 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.