Finding Patience

James 1:19-20 (NLT) ¹⁹ Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. ²⁰ Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.

I will be the first to tell you that I have not always been the most patient person; in fact I know I still have a ways to go.  Whether it’s in my home or on the job, with my family, friends or even perfect strangers; I sometimes forget to be patient.  Sometimes I am just so consumed with what is going on around me or within me that I just simple lose my patience’s and my peace.  I can’t see straight because I am allowing whatever is going on at the time to take over all thought and rationality.

 

When the impatience is shown towards me however, I’m wondering what in the world that other person’s problem is.  I mean, don’t they understand that sometimes I’m just not having a good day or I’m in a rush?  Can’t they see what I’m going through or that just maybe they need to lighten up and show a little compassion.  All things, that while the shoe is on the other foot, I need to remember myself.

 

I’m very happy to say that over the last six to nine months God has increased my patience.  I’m not as stressed or running through life as I used to be.  The things that would cause me to be in an uproar don’t affect me in a way or as much as they once did.  I’m learning to walk through life with my spiritual eyes opened to God and realize that not everything needs to be as hard as I make it out to be.  Not everything has to be done in such a rush and not everything is the end of the world when it’s not handled right or as I think it should be. Trust me, there are a few things in my life going on that are the hardest I have ever had to deal with and have been going on for quite some time, but in and through it all, my God is still in control. 

You know, when I lose my patience I sometimes speak harshly, out of turn and sometimes even when I should just simply shut my mouth.  Now in my mind I already know this, but it is now truly starting to resonate within my spirit and take root in my heart.  This is not what God wants from me, this is not how I am supposed to walk through life and it certainly does not show the love of Christ through me.  Often times my lack of patience only causes a situation or emotion to become magnified.  Sometimes it’s better to just be quite for the moment, think on the Lord and ask Him to give me a peace and the proper way to respond or act. 

I am human, so I am a work in progress…still acting out or on my emotions sometimes, but I can thankfully say that the more I take Christ in the more peace and patience He restores within me.  I shudder to think of where I would be if God lost His patience with me as I have in the past with others. 

“The times we find ourselves having to wait on others may be the perfect opportunities to train ourselves to wait on the Lord.” ~ Joni Eareckson Tada

There is always a way out

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV) ¹³ No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

How often do we succumb to the sins of the world because we were tempted and gave in to that temptation?  How often do we fall because we just can’t see our way out or because it’s too much trouble to take the road less traveled?  How often do we give into sin simply because to walk the other direction or turn the other cheek is just too hard?  We don’t want to endure what we would have to go through if we tried to take the right course.  And…if we’re being totally honest, sometimes the sins feeds the desires of the flesh and we just don’t want to turn from it. 

In some of my recent studies I have come across this verse and it is sticking with me to the point that I have read it at least once a day for the last week or so.  This verse starts out by telling me that there is no sin, no temptation that someone before me has not already faced.  Some have failed while others have not.  However, those that have overcome did so because they trusted God.  The verse goes on to say that God is a faithful God, which means that He will not leave us to face our daily lives by ourselves.  There is no issue or situation too big or too small that He will not help us through.    He is always there watching and waiting on us to just call on Him. 

The next part to the verse is meant to encourage us, in that God will never put more on us than we can bear.  Now, if you’re anything like me…I’ve asked myself on more than one occasion; I wonder if He has me confused with someone else??  I have been through some things that looking back on them even now, I’m not sure I can give you a step by step answer as to how I made it through…except to say that I know it was God.  He knows my strength and weaknesses better than I do. He knew what He could/can place in my path and how much I will try to hold onto myself until I realize that I can’t do anything in or of myself except through Him! 

The last part of this verse is the part that sticks with me the most….But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.  Let’s think about this…there is no new sin or temptation under the sun.  It’s all been done, thought of and endured by someone in the past, the question is; did they trust God in it or not?  Did they seek the right path or give into the desires of the flesh?  For every wrong decision there is a right one, for every sinful way, thought or attitude there is a righteous path waiting to be taken.  

Trust me; I’m not foolish enough to believe that it’s as easy as said…even though scripture is TRUTH!  I know our flesh is weak, I know sometimes it’s easier to just go along with the crowd and take the easy way out.  I know sometimes it’s just fun and we don’t want to give that up, but there will come a time when we have to make a choice.  I know it’s a struggle, I fail God daily, but I am doing my best to seek His guidance and turn from those sinful ways.   Living in the flesh causes us to walk in sin and sin is death.  Death is not what God has or wants for us and because He loves us so much, He provides a way out of every sin. 

The answer may not always be an easy one; sometimes it will go against everything our flesh wants because it requires us to stand on our faith in God and away from the crowd.  However, the more we seek God and His path for us the closer we are to Him.  The closer we are to Him, the more our desire is to please Him and we will want to step out of the crowd and into our faith. 

Continual Praise

Psalm 34:1 (NKJV) I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

How often do we offer up a conditional praise to God?  A praise or thank you based off of how we feel or what emotion is running through us at the time?  There are times when we are praising and thanking Him, that is until something happens or we end up having a bad day. Too often we only sing blessings to Him when things are good and we feel blessed instead of realizing His greatness and doing it at all times and through all circumstances?

Recently, through observation of others and specifically myself, I have seen that too often we offer up only a conditional praise to our God.  Some days just aren’t good, so I become silent and even distant.  Whether it’s of my own doing or something I have had no control over, possibly something or someone may have hurt or even angered me and my lips will become tight.  I may be walking around sulking or running my mouth, but what’s coming out isn’t pleasing to God.  Don’t get me wrong I don’t curse, but is that any different if I’m not thanking God in spite of my circumstances? 

I do realize that we will have good and bad days, but if we let the bad days stifle our praise then surely they will soon stifle our blessings.  Sometimes I don’t think we understand just how important our praise really is or can be.  There are so many reasons we need to praise Him continually. 

1 Samuel 2:2 (NKJV) ² “No one is holy like the Lord, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God

~ First and foremost He so is worthy of all our praise, there is no one like Him!

Hebrews 13:8 (NLT) 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

~ God is not like man…He doesn’t lie or change His mind to fit the circumstance.  He is constant and always standing there with His outstretched Hand, ready to take you in!

Isaiah 26:3 (NLT) ³ You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

~We know that sometimes the devil is the reason for our problems/situations, but we can’t give him so much of our time and attention. That’s how we get stuck in our mess for so long or why we keep repeating it.  Even if he can’t get us to praise him, he takes great pleasure is keeping us from praising God.  Our praise defeats the enemy; by keeping our mind stayed on the things of God and His greatness we chase him out of our hearts and minds!

It’s hard not to praise God when you read His word and allow it to fill your hearts and minds.  I know we will have our ups and downs, but the winning comes when we don’t dwell and stay there.  Some days I like to go into what I call my “Thank you fits”.  I just run through my mind and say with my lips all the things that He has, is and will do for me.  Thanking Him for loving me and saving me.  Thanking Him for seeing everything from the beginning to the end and ordering my steps even when I don’t understand and can’t see my way.  Thanking Him for simply being who He is…The Lord of all, Holy and righteous!!

What are our real motives?

Matthew 6:1-4 (NLT) 6 “Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. 2 When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. 3 But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. 4 Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

     Have you ever asked yourself what is the real…deep down reasoning for why you’re doing something? I mean, sure it may be the right thing to do, but what is really your drive for doing it? Is it because of the spot light or attention it may bring you or is it because it’s pleasing to God? Possibly it’s the right thing to do and may even be pleasing to God, but are our real motives selfish or self-serving?

     Through my growth and deepening relationship with God, I’m learning to be completely honest with Him and myself. I mean, let’s be real…it’s not like He doesn’t know everything anyway, right? I’m also learning that my honesty is helping me to change and see who I really am and who I am becoming in Christ. I won’t lie and say that I always do the right thing, in fact I’m sure I fail more often than I even realize, but I’m striving to do what is right in every area of my life.

     Because of this I am also realizing that in the past, and sometimes maybe even currently, some of my true motives for doing things haven’t always been the most pure even when it felt like my heart was in the right place. Somewhere in there, was thrown in a desire to have someone notice that I was or am doing the right thing. Maybe a need for someone to tell me that I am a good person or that I am going above and beyond what they may do (I’m just keeping it real here!). Not in any particular situation or area, but in general, I guess maybe just wanting to be seen for my sincerity. I will say that I am thankful to God that even when I may not have had the purest of motives, prayerfully some people were still blessed.

     However, now, through prayer and gaining a more personal relationship with God, my desires are changing. My true heart’s desire is to please God and to do what I do for Him and His glory. Praying that I touch and impact any and all lives that I come in contact with, weather directly or indirectly. My love for God has seriously grown and I want to glorify Him in everything I do and if I’m blessed to be an inspiration to someone else…then that is just an added bonus, but I never want to seek the approval or applause of the world anymore.

     I realize there will be days where I am weak and stumble on wanting to be seen, but I honestly pray with all my heart that when I do I am honest with God and ask Him to purge me of that fleshly desire. Our goal here on earth is not to please man, not to seek approval or applause from people, but instead to walk a pure and motivated life for God. He is the one who holds our lives in His hands and who deserves our sincere actions and thoughts towards His kingdom and family!

Family Growth 6: Journals

     Recently God has blessed me with another idea for my children, to help them stay focused on Him and to grow closer to Him. I have to admit, this is one I am so very excited about! We have started something I like to call their Jesus Journals. My first thought was to have them begin to keep journals about their walk with God and things they do; then it came to me not just to have them write freely, but to probe them with questions. Then, while talking about it with a friend she also suggested incorporating the stories of the Bible along with it. With all of these ideas together, I was thrilled to see how this would turn out.

     So, I went shopping for the perfect journals and found some really cute ones with scripture and encouraging words on the cover. I wrote a letter to each of them on the first page; telling them what these journals were all about. I told them that as we took this journey together we would pray that they continue to develop a close relationship with God through knowing His word and seeking Him together. I also told them that it is my prayer that they will each grow into the man/woman that God has created them to be and to not only be blessed, but to be blessings to anyone they encounter.

     I also bought a "Stories of the Bible" book. This book is a bit geared toward my younger two, but also has some "going deeper" points for my oldest to read and study as well. So, what I do is put the book out twice a week. The first of the week is with a question of my own and the second part of the week is with the story book. I have them read a particular story and set up a couple question about the story and ask them to tell me what the story teaches them.

     We're coming up on our third week and they really seem to enjoy them; in fact apparently they expected them on specific days instead of random ones and when they woke one morning and they weren't there, they came hunting me down. One story that I have given them to read was when Adam and Eve encountered the snake in the garden and while my oldest knew the story all too well, she told me that she never really realized that there was a lesson in it for her…that surely made me feel good!

     You know, each time God gives me an idea I have to admit that sometimes it is a struggle to keep them all focused and going. Some of the ideas catch on like wild fire and the kids need no probing from me at all, some they need some pushing from me and yet even others, I let fall by the way side. I read back through the Family Growth blogs and realized that one of them I have let slip altogether. Now I'm not condemning myself, but I do realize the importance of what I have started with my children and what I am praying God uses me to teach them.

     My prayer is that God will help me to manage my time and efforts better. My children are a gift to me, but they are God's children and it is my job and honor to raise them to be God fearing people. This is not only tough at times and a challenge, but it is so much a blessing that I have a hard time even trying to describe it. I'm grateful to God for allowing me to be their mother and for the way He uses me to raise them!!

Disappointment

     Some days it seems too easy to be disappointed by people, especially when it’s someone you love and are close to. Most times it causes us to act or lash out and harbor ill feelings for a certain period of time because we are hurt and sometimes even angry. It can also, at times, cause us to just shut down all together…all of which I’m pretty sure are not what God wants from us.

     You see, I think the reason we allow certain things and people to have such an effect on us, like with our emotions and attitudes, is because of the way that we look at the things that were done to hurt us. We focus on the person and the action, as an act they committed directly towards us…and to an extent this is true. However, ultimately the one that the hardship is being committed against is God and I think if we can learn to look at it this way, it will start to allow us to let go of it easier and quicker.
  
     I realize this may sound a bit off the wall or maybe even confusing, but let’s think about it. Anytime someone does something that they shouldn’t have it is a sin and our sins are committed against God, not man. While we, in the physical, may be at the receiving end of the act, it is ultimately committed against God. Now, of course this does not always make it easier to get over; especially when we may even feel hurt for God over it. But, God is God and He doesn’t need us to carry our ill feelings or attitudes around to the point that they cause us to act in a way that is not pleasing to Him.

Psalm 55:22 (NKJV) 22 Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

     Carrying around the hurt and pain of disappointment can cause a hard heart and a hard heart can cause us to not hear God or His guidance for our lives. It can even sometimes make us believe that we need to take matters into our own hands instead of trusting God to take care of it for us. Too often, we think we can do something to change the person that hurt us or at least get them to see what they are doing wrong, but the truth of the matter is…more often than not, we can’t! That’s why we have to trust God and go to Him in prayer and He will change the situation or change us to be better able to deal with what is going on.

Romans 8:28 (NLT) 28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

     What He would really want from us is to forgive, let go and walk in His love and light through our lives. By doing this we are showing God that we trust Him to change/fix the situation at hand. That means everything from the hurt and anger that it has caused us to the way that we handle it when it arises. He doesn’t promise us this life will always be easy, but He does promise us that if we seek Him, He will remain faithful to us. He is a God that knows exactly what we are going through and how we feel, which means He is beyond equipped to heal our hurts and change any situation.

You’re never too far away

     Sometimes we get so far from God that we just can’t seem to find our way back. We keep occupying or busying ourselves to drown out what is really bothering us, which only causes us to fall further and further away and deeper and deeper in misery. Then one day we realize we’ve let go of God altogether. We have become lost, feel alone and find ourselves seeking this or that to fill a void that only God Himself can fill.   

     Now we want to find our way back, but have no idea where to start and every time we try we just can’t seem to stay focused or on track. Instead of seeking Him, we are reminding ourselves about how we can’t do it…how far from God we are or how unworthy we are. We allow so much time to pass from when we last spoke to God, from a sincere heart, that we find it that much harder to speak to Him now. So we allow guilt and no self-forgiveness to overwhelm us and keep pushing us in the wrong direction.

     God is never too far from anyone…He promises to never leave nor forsake us, but we just have to ask Him in and remain faithful to Him. I realize that sometimes this can be very difficult to do, especially when we think back to the things we have done or are still doing. However, there is a way back…He hasn’t cast us off simply because we ourselves don’t think we are good enough. We have to start somewhere so sometimes; we just have to learn to create a routine for ourselves, even when we don’t want to.

     We can start with a prayer first thing in the morning; it’s too easy to roll right out of bed and onto our knees before we even start into our day. We can tell God that we know we can’t make it through anything without Him and ask Him to watch over and guide us through the day. It’s also very important to ask Him to transform our hearts and minds to His will and way for our lives. If we can start there and do it faithfully every day we will begin to feel closer and closer to Him.

     However, we can’t stop there because that is reaching out to Him and expecting Him to do something for us without showing Him our faithfulness to Him. Next, we can start by reading His word…even if for only fifteen to twenty minutes a day. I think sometimes where we make the mistake is when we make up our mind to follow God; we just expect things to magically get better. But, if we’re still not taking any of His word in then we’re not chasing out the lies.

John 10:9-11 (NLT) 9 Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. 10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

     I’m not delusional in thinking that this is easy, but we have to start somewhere. We have to make a choice and stick to it if we really want to see a change in our lives. There are a lot of things in this life that we may not feel like doing, but we do them because we have to….so why do we think our walk or reaching out to God should be any different?

     The enemy uses everyday life and choices to deceive us and make us turn from God, but if we fill ourselves with prayer and God’s word His light will fill us and chase away the darkness. If we keep taking in God, soon our minds will begin to transform because we are binding His word to our hearts. Our whole demeanor and outlook will be different too. Through continued prayer and seeking God we will find the desires of our heart have changed altogether and we will become closer and closer to God with each day.

What are you doing for God?

     There are times in our lives where we seem to keep running into the same problem or situation over and over again or maybe it’s a different problem, but still they just keep coming.  We are never really sure what to do or how to fix it; we’ve tried this or that with no real success.  Then, as a last resort, we go running to God.  Now mind us, when things seem to be running smoothly we aren’t really seeking God or His will.  Yet and still we want and almost expect Him to deliver us from this heartache, situation or pain.
 
     Now we may say a prayer here or there; read a word here or there, but what really are we doing to show God our faithfulness to Him?  Too often we go through life with blinders on; we can only see ourselves and what is going on within or around us, but don’t make the effort to seek God and what He wants us to do.  Sometimes we offer up the occasional thank you Father because things are going nicely.  But, too often we become complacent with everything that is going on so we feel no need to further our Christian knowledge or deepen our relationship with Christ.  That is, until something happens and we go running to Him as if we have been talking to and following Him all along.
   
Psalm 24:5-6 (NIV) 5 They will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God their Savior. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, God of Jacob

     God is always there for us; in everything we may experience or go through, but how can we expect Him to deliver, help or heal us when we are never truly seeking Him or doing anything to further His kingdom?  I think we sometimes get clouded because of who we think God is.  Yes, He is merciful, forgiving and loving, but He requires more from us than a Thank you Jesus or small prayer now and then.  We have to learn to help ourselves; and the best way to do that is to seek and know God on a personal and daily basis.  By doing this we learn His ways and become closer to Him and His leading.
 
     I sometimes think of it like with our children; if they’ve done something to put themselves in a bind we want to, and often do, help them out.  However, if they repeatedly get caught up or in binds, then we aren’t helping or teaching them anything if we just keep bailing them out.  Our relationship with God is much the same; He loves us unconditionally just as we do our own children, but if He just keeps bailing us out or fixing the problem then what good is it doing us.  We aren’t learning anything and we certainly aren’t showing God that we love and appreciate all that He has and does do for us.
 
     There is so much more to life than just us, our everyday lives and what we can obtain.  We must seek God with our whole hearts; wanting His will for our lives and telling everyone of His goodness.  God never promised us things would be easy, but He does promise to always be there for His faithful followers.  We have to learn to seek and praise Him at all times, through the good and the bad.  That is when He is close to us and we can make it through anything with peace and God offered assurance. 

Proverbs 4:25-27 (AMP) 25 Let your eyes look right on [with fixed purpose], and let your gaze be straight before you. 26 Consider well the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established and ordered aright. 27 Turn not aside to the right hand or to the left; remove your foot from evil.