"It has to be JUST SO.."

It has to be "just so" or "it" won't be right. So goes my thinking. "If things don't go just as I have imagined it, surly it must be wrong then."
Thus goes the thinking of a self proclaimed control freak such as myself.
Anyone else ever had similar thoughts/thinking???
I assume I am not alone.
But is this thinking good? Is this thinking biblical?
I think not.
Let me tell you why I think so.
Expectation in and of themselves are not bad, but I, like many people have HIGH expectations, and if for some reason things don't go according to MY plan, (and things as they are, usually do not) then I rendered mad and of course, disgruntled....
Neither of which are characteristics that I would like to have attached to my person.
I once had someone tell me as I went into marriage, "Have great expectations.." And at the time I nodded my head and began to plan out my wonderful new life in my head. Only to find, only a fraction of what I had planned really came into fruition. And why is this?
Perhaps I was planning according to my will. My desires. Not perhaps, of course I was! I had my greatest wishes at the forefront of my thinking and I began to build my empire of hopes upon these wishes.
Well friends, wishes never got a person anywhere. Whoever came up with "wishing on a star" may have done so because they refused to believe that God was bigger than their wishes.
I wrote down my dreams, (which dreams and goals are good) and I prayed for them, I did my best to manipulate and squish my circumstances to fit  into the mold which I  hoped were also what God's plans for me would be.  All the while never considering that I should first ask the LORD what He would like to do with His creation's life.
Ever think about your life like this?
Our lives are God's. Really. They are. He is God, and what happens to us in our lives is allowed by God. This was usually a hard concept for me to settle with because I did not trust God.
But as I have fallen more in love with my Creator, and began to recognize His sovereign hand in all of life's comings and goings, I see why I ought to not only give Him control (that is already His) in my actions, but also in my THINKING. The power of the mind is undeniable. People can convince themselves of the craziest things simply by spending even small amounts of time focusing on any given thing.
A woman can convince herself she has reason to fear, simply by letting her imagination run wild with her, and do you know who is usually behind misguided thinking? The enemy.
Yes, He fights the battle in our minds. Where do unrealistic planning and expectations usually begin? Our minds.
I am not suggesting that every bad thought we have is the devil's fault, for we humans are sinful all on our own, but I am saying that the enemy can trap us in our thinking, causing us to become confused, frustrated and eventually discouraged enough that we turn away from God's amazing plans for us.
The Lord may have something so amazing but different from what I have planned for myself, but if I allow bad thinking to poison my mind, then I am rendered useless for any amount of time, until I get my thinking back in line with the word of God.
SO what's so bad about having great expectations? Nothing, and everything.
It completely depends upon and in whom you are basing your foundations of planning.
Do my plans begin with God's desires, and end with His desires? Or are my plans built upon some human thought I've had for myself and then propelled that plan with loaded human ambition.
Human ambition can be deadly, and usually ends us no where good.
Godly ambition on the other hand says this: "God, I trust you. I have confidence in your ways, your plans and what you say is best for me. I will go where you lead."
What a better, peace filled being I have when I do things God's way. He had NEVER steered my wrong, and even when I am in uncharted territory and new things that feel uncomfortable, I close my eyes, I rest myself in His hands and free-fall into the peace of Christ. Nothing is better than that.
Nothing.
Even though I cannot see, I know the one who sees.
Even though I cannot fathom, I know the one who lives on into eternity.
Even though I cannot comprehend, I know the one who brought the world into existence.

You see, our starting point of where the expectations begin, is essential.
If I start with God's word, His truth and His purpose, and I wait upon the Lord to make certain my calling, then what I get excited about, is a sure thing. For what He plans, is a done deal.
So even though I don't know the details, I know God.

"But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations."
Psalm 33:11

"And the most High Himself will establish her.." Psalm 87:5

"They will have no fear of bad news, their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord." Psalm 112:7

"The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress." Psalm 46:7

"For dominion belongs to the Lord and He rules over the nations." Psalm 22:28

"Lord, I will not take a step without you. I will not plan a thing without you. And the peace that surpasses all understanding will guard my heart through Christ Jesus."
Amen

Be Real

Being authentic is difficult these days isn't it? We all want to impress each other. Being real is not about digging deep down inside of yourself and striving hard to find the depth of who you really are. That is not what is real. That sort of thinking only glorifies self once we reach the "depths of who we are."

    Every time I notice in myself that I am starting to behave in a way that I know is not really giving glory to God, I do a heart check. If I am recognizing within myself a desire to act differently than who I know God wants me to be, I pray.
I do a stop, check and pray sort of routine.
I line my thinking up with the word of God. I mentally check my speech and my behavior.
Is my thinking glorifying God by authentically playing on who I desire to be for the Lord? Are my thoughts, attitudes and actions lining up with His? (Jesus') and am I looking like Him in what I am doing at that moment? If I cannot answer yes to those questions I posed to myself, than I need to stop, and silently ask the Lord for the ability to rest in Him, and respond in His strength, not my own.
Usually it's not blatant desire to act differently, sometimes it's nerves, sometimes it's fear, and sometimes it's a deep desire to make a good impression. All of which have human origin. Checking my behavior is good. But behavior modification is not what the Lord desires. He does like it when we change from dark to light, but He wants me to do it in His strength, propelled by the desire to bring Him as much glory as I can with my life. My life, my actions and my words, ought to be song of praise to my King of Kings.

This is where authenticity takes root. It's a life that is rooted, and built up on the foundation of Jesus Christ. It's the heart and mind that are constantly set on His desires, His ways and His responses.
It's not getting caught up in human ambition, but rather keeping the interests of Christ in mind at all times.
It's not relying upon myself for the right answer to reach a desired end. Instead, it is asking God for the words, the strength and the desire to behave, and exist in any given situation as He would want me to.
I do this why?
I don't know, what would you say? Which is better? Masks? Are masks warm, comforting and do they give you a feeling of real authentic relationships? Or does just the word "mask" imply that there is something that is being covered up??
I think so.
I don't want my life to be a mask. I don't want to mask up a life that COULD and SHOULD give GOD glory with all it's coming and goings. I do have the day in and day out opportunity to bring my Creator glory with who I AM.
So who am I?
I want to be pleasing to the Father, but not to put myself in better standing with Him, but rather to create real relationships on earth that encourage others. That build's others up, and that
 points with massive applause to the one I worship heavenward.
If my life is masked, so is my ability to bring Him glory.
Authenticity is only authentic when Christ is there.
You can be sincere in who you THINK you are, (or you can be someone different to everyone) but if I am not displaying who Christ is in me, I am not really living real.
I can find common ground with many different people, but I should be who I am regardless of who I am with.
SO here is who I am.
A child of God.
He made me unique, and He made me to be here on earth, right now so I can display His character (hopefully) to whomever I am with. In season and out of season. For His glory. For His kingdom. Until He calls me home.
It's a life long walk of adventure, loving on people as I get the privilege to, and it's about being obedient to Him when He calls, speaks and shows me His will for me.
That is authentic living.
That is real life.
It's not perfect, (but then no one but Christ is)....but it's fulfilling, and joy filled. It's an adventure. That's the real deal.

Heavenly Motivation (Ladies)

"I'm not a very motivated person." I've said this. "I'd rather do anything in the world but vacuum or fold laundry." I've said that too.
Why are my daily tasks in my home so challenging?
My home is my workplace! But, my home is also my rest place. So I think sometimes I mix the two up in how they are proportioned, and if the balance gets thrown off, it begins to show quite literally.
I used to wrestle every day on "how I would get my daily tasks done..." And there are days I still do, but the battle begins in my heart you know.
I want to have a life filled with rest, and feeling of being on vacation all the time. I want to have fun all the time. I want to be completely rested, and enjoying everything I'm doing. (while drinking a Starbucks.)
Some of expectations are unreasonable, and some of them are attainable, they are attainable however not in my own power, but rather through Jesus.
"Pray about how I can get my laundry done?!" Weird.
No, it's not weird. It's amazing how it works.
Since I have realized that HOME is where the Lord wants me full time, I have learned to excel THROUGH HIM in my home. To accomplish the tasks He wants me to. To do them with excellence, and with even a bit of joy in my heart. (amazing huh?!)
I truly do not know when the change happened exactly, except that it was inspired by Him alone. I do not gravitate towards holiness, and excellence all on my own. He must propel me or little to no real change will ever actually take place.
For a long time I hovered in the realm of "survival" and this is completely understandable if you say, just had a baby, or your experiencing physical sickness, or your in the process of big family change, (home building, moving ect...) but, if you are simply living in normal every day grind, asking the Lord to expand your desire, ability and attitudes is totally attainable through JESUS.
I will never be better all on my own. I cannot grow myself. I cannot make myself be more. Only Jesus can turn me into the best version of myself.
Why is it that we as women aspire to have excellence? Because it brings life to our bones to know that we are living a way that glorifies our Creator! We truly do want to do our best I think, but our best is just a drop in the bucket compared to what Christ can do with our meager offerings.
Look at how He expanded five small fish and loaves of bread...do you not also believe that He can do this with our time as mothers and home care takers?
Our homes may not be spotless, and I don't think that this is what He wants either, He is also reasonable. But I do think He knows when we are attaining excellence for Him. Order, and peace in our home. Peace and patience in our hearts, joy and thankfulness rest here too.
These are things that bring Him glory.
He sees our hearts you know, and He knows what we need. He knows how to fill us and what to fill us with.
For a long time I wrestled with my natural calling and desires. I thought I would find more satisfaction in more rest time. And, resting can be nice. "I work so hard!" I would exclaim. I usually would say this when someone would comment on how the laundry had piled up, or how messy my dwelling space was. I was consumed with clutter, and disorganization defined me.
Slowly, God has taken me from this place, and put my feet on my solid ground. He has grace with me so that on days I cannot physically accomplish the tasks for whatever reason I know my Father is not pointing and shaking His finger at me. I do know though that on any normal day, through the power of the Holy Spirit I can accomplish all my home hands me and more if I call upon His name.
Some days this requires just digging in when I'd rather not, but again, I don't dig in or even lift a finger without first praying.
Any one is welcome to steal my heavenly motivation prayer.
Here it is.
"Lord, will you motivate me and propel me to do when you want me to do? You know Father what you want me to accomplish today. Hi-light for me what YOU Father think is important for me to do today, and give me the strength to get it done. " Amen

Isn't that a nice, simple, inspiring prayer? He laid that on my heart one day to utter those words and I accomplished more with His help that I would of had I consumed forty five cups of coffee. :)
(I also slept better that night knowing I had done things His way, and had not drank that much coffee) :)

He only wants our best you know. He knows our limits. He knows our ability. And then He expands both. Human limitations are overshadowed by His divine inspiration. And every day has the possibility of being divinely inspired if only we tap into His unlimited resources. I'm not suggesting He will turn you into superwoman (although this would be nice he hee...) but I am saying that through Christ you and I can accomplish much more than we ever thought possible.

We desire to live this way for a few reasons. One is because it's gratifying to live this way, to live for excellence, but also because it blesses those we live with. Our husbands  and children can arise and call us blessed,  (as Proverbs 31) states and we will see peace arise in our home.
Pray and ask God to help you check your balance, are in you in the home enough to keep the balance? Are you ministering to your family before you minister to others? Keep the order right, commit your ways to Him and watch as your little "olive shoots" around your table blossom and your home is a place of peace.

"Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table." Psalm 128:3

If home is where the heart is, then woman, lets guard our homes with our lives! (And He will direct us!!!)
Women, enjoy your homes today, arise in the blessing and the strength of the Lord, and watch as God takes what you could never do, and turns it into a feast before your eyes.
He is your provision!
Amen!!

Do You Trust Me?--- (The enemies Lies)

"The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer, my God is my rock in whom I take refuge. He is my shield." Psalm 18:2

I wish I had this lesson learned completely. I wish I could say, "There, done with that one, moving on!" But with fear, I just cannot do that. Why is that?
Why is fear always present?
There is much to fear in this world it seems.
Clearly fear was something people have always dealt with because the in the Bible there is much to say about it, inadvertently it's written between lines when verse upon verse speaks of the Lord's protection. Clearly, there is much fear in this world. Right?

Which of course explains why the enemy uses fear so often to cripple believers. Whether it be fear of the assurance of salvation, where he takes us down ludicrous bunny trails such as infant baptism saving , and questions such as, "can you lose your salvation?"  Which the Lord clearly addresses when He tells us only  are we not known by the Father if we blaspheme the Holy Spirit, (not just deny but REJECT Him) (Peter denied but was saved, Judas rejected and died in his sin) To clarify, the only way you are not saved is if you do not accept Him as your way to salvation. You reject His salvation.

The other trail of fear the enemy walks us down is the subtle ways he sets traps for us...(1 Timothy 3:7) And I believe many of these traps are traps of our thinking. We get paralyzed by fear that is trapped in our thinking, and we shut up, close up and quit our moving with and towards Christ because we believe the lie and allow ourselves to be completely chained by fear.
That is why life with Christ is called Freedom! Christ sets us free from our captivity of sin, and fear. ( Fear of death) Hebrews 2
The other lie we believe from the enemy about fear is that "we can control situations." What do I mean by this?
God says, trust Him, fear God, and enjoy safe pasture. (Psalms)
Satan says, "You can have control! And this is where you are safe, when your always in control." Do you know where my trying to be in control left me? Up all night, scared to death at every noise, anticipating danger on every corner. My trying to be in control, left me PARANOID. Anyone else ever felt this way?
You thought that doing things YOUR way would be freeing, but coming to find out, it's really a prison? A prison of trying to fight for safety, fight for peace, striving for rest and anxiously hoping for some relief, some day.
This is NOT how Christ intended us to live.
HE died so we could hand HIM our fears, are cares, and our Need to be in CONTROL. He took our fears to the grave with Him so we could live in His freedom, and enjoy HIS safe pasture.
Remember when you were a kid, providing you had a safe home, and you knew that your parents were taking care of you needs, and you could go outside, play and enjoy? You could rest, because you were not in control.
SO it is with Jesus. When I try to control, manipulate and construct my circumstances to fit just how I want them to, do you know where I end up? Nowhere. And not only do I end up nowhere, I also end up fatigued.
I am so fatigued, and then the enemy can have a hay day in my mind. I am too tired to even begin to fight the enemy, and the enemy knows it.
Jesus fights for us. He is not just our victor, He is our shield, (Psalm 18:2)  and my advocate.

 "It is better to take refuge  in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes." Psalm 118:8,9

The trust in the Lord clearly outweighs whatever "benefit" the enemy tries to cleverly wrap in the package of deceit labeled "control." I do not know best.
I did not form the earth, the skies and the heart of man. I do NOT know what is best. SO why O why do I consider even for a moment to trust myself, or anyone else but God?
I shall not. I will not. I refuse.
My trust is in the Lord. So I confess my SIN of staying, living and focusing in on my fears (meditating on them) and lay down my desires to be in control. The opposite of fear is trust, and if I am focusing on my fears I am essentially telling the Lord, "I do not trust you." Really? I am going to tell all sufficient God that I do not trust Him? This is what I repent of Lord!

"I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone O Lord make me dwell in safety." Psalm 4:8

"He brought me out into a spacious place, He rescued me because He delighted in me." Psalm 18:19

It would make sense that Satan would tempt us with what our flesh in its fleshly sinful state desires. In our flesh we want to refuse the exclusive way that says "only one way to God and God given life, abundant life. (i.e..safe life, peace and thriving existence)." This takes us laying down our pride, our control. We strive and long to be in control, but we are not. Even when we think we are, and this is the real lie. The enemy temps us with something that doesn't really exist. The enemy temps us with a proposed (fake)  life of peace brought on by human control. Such a state does not even exist. The only REAL peace is the peace we find as we give UP control, and render ourselves to the gracious, GRACE-filled hands of the Lord. Never have I been more at peace, then when I placed myself under His control. In His safe pasture, Under His care.
I can run outside, enjoy creation, raise my children and be comforted even in sorrow because I know there will be a time when the tempter will be no more, and sadness will disappear like snow in the spring. The tears I've cried will never again fall, and the sadness that plagues the heart of man because of sin will be gone.
That is why I can rejoice and sing, for even while I know there are trials, sadness and frustration in this world, the ONE who saves me and walks me through those difficulties now, is also clearing the way for the future where those things no longer even exist. Joy for today, hope for tomorrow, peace EVEN in sadness and life with out end. ( Eternity) That is what I get when I hand Jesus my fear, and I give up control. That is what I get when I tell the Lord that Yes, I do indeed trust Him. That I will NOT lean on my own understanding and that I will take Him at His world. He will not leave me nor forsake me. I guess I found my niche'. :)
Control is not a prize for us to win. It's an idea we lay down at the foot of the cross. All you get when you live for man's control, is death. (not to mention fear until you die) No more false reality my friends. Live today, surrender now, and enjoy His safe pasture.

Thank you Jesus for the cross. For grace, and for taking care of me. Amen.

The Truth About Submission

"I love submission." Said no one ever.
I am learning something however that life without submission to God is a road that leads to nowhere.
If I desire my life to have purpose, meaning, and something that resembles more than just "barely getting by" then I must submit to His ultimate authority.
I like to know where I am headed. (daily speaking)
I like to be leading the charge so to speak. And yes, I like to be in control.
That was the power struggle we faced from the beginning. Eve wanted control. She wanted to be able to decide what tree she ate from, and the tempting reality of "knowing good and evil" felt like a step in the right direction to Eve.
I my friends, am no different.
I like to feel like I am the one who calling the shots. I decide when I go and when I stay, I decide who I help and who I avoid. I decide. It's my choice.
O the rebellion of my heart.
Something that lies deep inside of the need to be in control is pride. Fear also rests there.
Pride is predominant though because when I call the shots, and good results, I can take the glory. My will. My way. Thank me!
Not exactly the humble heart that God desires, or considers usable.
There is no pride in submission. Because submission at it's core says, "I don't know best." Submission says through no words at all that we do not know best, and we do not have what it takes to lead the charge and do it well. (with the best success for all people involved)
It's not just us we are needing to be concerned about. When we take matters into our own hands we affect others. We affect lives of people who are all around us. When we make bad choices because "we know best" it's affecting other people as well. Eve's choice affected Adam.
My choices affect my family.
If I refuse to submit to the Lord, I develop bad habits that affect my family. I am walking around in fear, which in turn models fear based thinking to my children.
If I refuse to submit my pride can be evident to others, and it can push others away from Christ. Neither of those are good things in terms of Kingdom speaking, or otherwise for that matter.
Last night as I was contemplating all that I am writing now, I made note of this:
God does have amazing plans, perfect plans for all man kind. But man will rarely surrender to that plan. Why? There are many reasons I suppose. One being, it's scary to not know. But that is where trust comes in.
But there is such arrogance in my needing to be in control. I call the shots. I make the deals. There is no submission in this way of thinking. There is no consideration for the Makers desires in this. It's all about me. And then, as I said above, when something goes well, (nothing happens without His permission) I take the glory.
God is sovereign friends. He does allow things to go well for us to bless us.
This is something I want you NOT to miss though. Listen in.

We do receive blessing from the Lord. We are called "blessed" because we trust or fear the Lord many times in Psalms. Tell me this: Is there self sufficiency in trust? Not when your trusting in the Lord. No. He asks me to lay aside me self-trust based thinking, and take up the trust that submissively follows the Lord because we know what about the Lord? HE is faithful. He is ALL powerful. He is completely sufficient in meeting ALL our needs. He conquers. He wins.
And yet, I think somehow I can do better than Him? I can pull one over on Him and control any given situation? Do I think I can manipulate God by my careful planning? Far be it from me my friends. But my actions do speak otherwise! I have tried to just this in many situations. And Lord Jesus, I repent!  Blessing comes when we trust Him because the life lived in complete faith in Jesus is a blessed life! Peace floods in and joy. Regardless of the outward circumstances. And this, is a blessing!

No works will last, or truly prosper in the Kingdom sense except for those that are done by the Spirit, for the Spirit, and IN the Spirit.
Life without the Spirit is really just a fake, cheap imitation of what life really can and should be.
My life should be so wrapped up in Christ you cannot even see me.
My days are His.
My times are His.
My words are His.
My thoughts are His.
My hopes and dreams rest submissively in His all sufficient ability.

I ought to be like Abraham, who offered His son to the Lord, not because the Lord needed it, because Abraham was supposed to obey. And Abraham did obey. He obeyed because He reasoned that God, in His all sufficiency could not only provide, but also raise the dead. (Hebrews 11:18,19) (Noting also that God never asks us to do difficult things without our ultimate good at hand. He is always working FOR us. Not against us.)

Is that how my life speaks to others? Is that how I feel my response is? I submit.
Reminding myself there is no pride in submitting. SO I can take no pride in the fact that I submit to the Lord, because the sheer act of submission says, "I have nothing to offer."
I bring nothing to the table but my sin.
God's grace covers all.
God's sufficiency works for me on my behalf.
I willingly accept this grace, and I humbly place myself under His control and reign because I want for myself, what He wants for me.
No pride or control in this.
It's all His. The first breath. The last breath. And everything in between.
Blessed are you who fear the Lord  because in your trust and fear you rest secure. Your present, your future, and your sins of old forgotten.
There can be no pride in what you did not do. I do nothing on my own. I can do nothing of value on my own. This is not self demoting, it's a complete and total recognition of my need for the ALL sufficiency of God. It's total acceptance of what my life ought to be with Christ.
Excitement ensues. I am excited now for what the Lord will do with me, for me and if I am so blessed, through me.
Who I was is gone. Who I am in Christ, by Christ, for Christ, through Christ is what matters.

Fear and Ignorance

Some days, I get afraid.

Some days I choose to avoid things, places and people because I get afraid of those circumstances, and  what could happen in those places. Those are the days I have taken my eyes off of Jesus.

"You did not receive a Spirit that makes you a slave to fear.." Romans 8:15

I have Jesus so I don't have to be afraid. I don't have to be afraid because He is bigger than he who is in the world, (the devil and all his demons) and those whom the devil influences to do horrible things.

If I stare at the circumstances and situations that this world has to offer, I will be paralyzed by fear. "What could happen?" "What might someone do?" These are the things that plagues almost every mothers mind after she hears of another school shooting, or some other tragic hit on humanity. 

Fear paralyzes us. 

Ignorance also paralyzes us. Not in the same as fear though. Ignorance allows us only to go so far in our thinking. It allows us to live in a world of lies. It also allows us to be afraid of everything. 

Those who are in Christ, are told, we do not have to fear, because the One we serve, is bigger than all we fear. But what about those who do not serve the One who is bigger than all we fear? What of them? (my mind wonders..) What do they do when their afraid?

They probably do something nice for themselves that helps them to take their minds off the fear of the darkness and things that they can't explain or rationalize.  

Those who do not fear the ONE an only One who can demolish every fear and stronghold, are in fear of the very One who keeps us out of fear.

Ignorance is bliss. Right?

It's easy to slip into a place of ignorance, and ignorance can appear or feel like bliss, but at the point of death, ignorance goes from bliss, to deadly. If we are not sure of what we are sure of, then we are not sure of anything at all. 

So you know not what you think for sure about where you go when you die? Do you think you will care when your' dying? I cared. I cared when things got scary. I cared when answers were no where to be found, and fear arose on every side. In the blackness of the questions that could not be answered, I cared.

I cared when people I cared for died. That's when I cared.

OKAY. Now the hope.

Hope in Jesus cancels out fear. He is bigger than my fears. He's bigger than what I fear, and whom I fear. He  starts by calming my fears, which creates the ability to see more clearly, He shows me His strength, which creates trust, and He shows me that He is in control, which helps me trust the plan, even when I don't understand.

Accepting His death, validity of it, is hand in hand with accepting our need for it, and the need is called sin. Sin creates need. Sin also breeds more sin. Which breeds more of what we fear.

It's a vicious cycle, but most of us will remain ignorant until it's too late.

What will it take for our nation to wake up from the slumber...( a statement not a question) 

"I tell you my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear, (revere, respect) : Fear Him who after the killing of the body has the power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him. Are Not five sparrows sold for 5 pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs on your head ARE NUMBERED. Don't be afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows."  Luke 12:4-7

It is amazing to me how we run from the One who can save us. Someone has a lifeboat, and our ship is sinking, but we refuse to admit that the ship is sinking, or that we have need for a lifeboat. What will it take for us to admit we need the lifeboat? Will we ignore the water pouring into our nostrils? Will we look away or try to focus on other things as our lungs take in water? Will we say, "I got the last word" when we lay on the ocean floor dead? 

What's it going to take for us to see we need Him. What this world needs is Jesus. 

      

It's Not Our Job To Change People (even bombers)

We all have difficult relationships don't we? How do I know this? It's simple. Relationships are difficult! All people everywhere, are different, and unless you are completely like minded with all people, there will be a day, you and I will cross paths with someone we will find difficult to get along with at all times.
So what about the people you don't really know, but they for lack of better terms, "drive you crazy?!" What about those people? People that are in leadership, or people who get their name in the news because of the bad things they've done to other people? How do you respond when those people hit a raw nerve in you and send your anger flaring? Do you act like a traveler who lugs his heavy bags around with him, a scavenger who collects things in bags? Do you sling the bag titled "anger" or "resentment" over your should and lug it around until you decide what to do with it?
Might I suggest a solution?

I know a guy, One who offers to carry our burdens for us. This offer is on the table any day, any time.

I have been know to lug around things that I am not proud of carrying. I have the habit of releasing burdens, but then picking them back up again because I forgot I already gave them up to the Lord.

If it's out of my control to make change, (other than spreading around joy and a positive attitude) then I need not try and carry around the struggle. I give the struggle over to the One who conquers sin and death, and offers me a better way of life. Jesus.

Jesus tells me that He will not only carry my burdens, He will give me rest.

So the next time I feel anger, resentment, frustration or fear even creep up inside of me, the second I realize I have uncovered old feelings towards a person or a situation, I need to once again, hand them over to He who is greater than this whole world.

Bottom line friends: It's not our job to change people. That is HIS job. We pray. We give people over to the Lord in our prayers and we live there until He says something different.

Hate breads hate. Prayer is a good antidote for hate. Loving those who hate us is impossible in our power. Praying for those who hate is only possible through Jesus. Praying for those who set bombs off, or abort babies or take your "hard earned money away in taxes," or make choices for your country that are contrary to the convictions the country was first founded on....yes, praying for these types of things are EXACTLY what we are to do. Prayer is our best offends, and defense. It clothes us with strength, and it arms us with responses that are pleasing to the Father.
Prayer calms and soothes our anger. I cannot stay mad when I pray, Jesus simply calms me like no other person can or ever could.

There will be people who adamantly oppose you. Pray for them. There will be people who are rude, or ridicule you. Pray for them. There will be people who make you feel crazy. Pray for them. There will be people who you wish you could change. YOU can't. But, HE can. So pray for them. Pray HIS will be done in their lives. And then let God take of the rest.

The other antidote for frustrations is asking God to help you see what He needs to change in YOU. Focusing  on others can actually breed more frustration. Focusing on the work God is doing in our own hearts and lives causes us to realize we are ALL sinners in need of Savior. ALL of us is sinful. There is NOT one of us who is perfect. None of us have "arrived" in our sanctification process.

God's work is to work on us. Lets ask Him how He wants to use us, grow us up, change us and make us into better versions of ourselves. This comes with more and more dependence on Him. And less and less focus on others, and how they "bug" us.

If we want to stop the cycle of frustration, we should stop pointing out other's flaws. Ask God to gently shape and direct you so you can be a better witness. Be a better friend. A more loving, honest, truthful friend. A better mother, a more patient wife. It's not our job to worry about trying to be someone else's "Holy Spirit." Let the Holy Spirit do His job, and we can follow His direction.

If the Holy Spirit wants to use us, He will show us how He wants to use us. There will not be a doubt in this. If the Lord has a job for us, He will tell us what it is, and we will know that it's from Him. Our job is to believe on the One He sent. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Love God. And love others.

AND PRAY!!!!

Pray for abortion doctors. Pray for your foes on Facebook. Pray for your countries leaders. Pray for your family. Pray for those you struggle with. And pray for your own personal growth. Prayer is the answer for all things. And HE WILL answer those prayers in His perfect, flawless timing and sovereignty. God is good. All the time. Always.