GROWING

GROWING

In the “No Matter What” post  I talked about fully committing to my Faith journey. You can rest assured, I came to Faith with an abundant amount of questions, ungodly habits, problems and life issues. I was in my second marriage which was in trouble. I think it must be human nature to stumble along in life until we are in a place of desperation and THEN we turn to God. Oh God, I need you now! Help me and take my pain away. We want Him to take us out of the problem, to remove it or do something to fix the situation and make everything better. Sometimes He does. I have heard testimonies from people, who upon coming to Faith, had a craving or addiction completely healed, never to suffer from that problem again. It certainly is a miracle when God chooses to act in such a profound way. I am convinced He does so in love and mercy when it is for the good of the person. Generally there will be another area of their life God will use to grow their faith. I believe every thought and desire God has for me, and for you, are for our good. I have found, usually, God does not provide a quick fix. He chooses instead to give me just enough strength, enough encouragement, wisdom, insight and other tools I need to work my way through the life crisis. He knows we need to build our faith and learn to trust Him and his plan for us. He is the Master Potter molding us into his masterpiece. He knows how hot the fire needs to be, and how long to allow us to stay in life’s oven, to achieve the change and perfection he desires for our life. The Master Gardner nurturing us into a healthy and vibrant plant.

I was a smoker when I came to Faith. God did not zap me to remove my desire to smoke. Gradually I began to realize my habit did not please God, and I very much wanted to please him. Then I read in the Word that my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. I wanted to quit smoking. Still God did not remove my addiction to nicotine. I struggled along and eventually I quit. I recognized God had enabled me to stop. He received the recognition and Glory for what He had done in me, enabling me to overcome my habit. It built my Faith and trust in Him. There were numerous other pruning exercises God undertook in my life. I still need pruning from time to time.  This is the kind of scenario typical in my walk of Faith.

In my experience, there has not been any instance where God has left me to flounder on my own. He has walked through life’s situations with me. I have not encountered one experience where God’s dealings in my life were not for my good and well-being. He Loves me and is for me. He Loves you and is for you as well!  Psalm 57 NLT and AMP

IT’S A LIFELONG JOURNEY

IT’S A LIFELONG JOURNEY

 

The journey begins when we accept Christ as savior. The Holy Spirit comes to life within us and we gain more understanding of scripture. (1)  Our desire to learn more, a Spiritual hunger of sorts, becomes evident. We each are unique, and while the process normally has similarities, it usually is different for each person who chooses a Faith journey. For me, about a year after I became a Christian, I undertook a comprehensive Bible study. The wife of a good friend, and fellow insurance agent, was teaching the Bethel Bible Series. Developed by the Institute of Lutheran Theology, the course is an overview of the Bible from Genesis through Revelation. I have found the more I study God’s Word, the clearer my understanding of Jesus becomes. In turn the more desire I have to grow closer to Him. A healthy relationship is like a living organism. Getting the right food, in appropriate amounts, results in healthy growth. As in the natural, so in the Spiritual. (2) Reading God’s Word and listening to worship music are two ways I nourish myself Spiritually. I like to explain the relationship I have with Jesus as a life change for a lifetime. It’s not a weekend outing! Romans 12:2 NIV Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. The Holy Spirit works in our lives to transform us into the likeness of Jesus. The fruit of the Spirit should become evident in our lives, as we grow and mature Spiritually. (3) The more I study God’s Word, the more I realize there is so much I don’t know. I have but scratched the surface of knowing God. An activity I find beneficial is spending time alone, quietly, in the presence of God. In this atmosphere I am able to think on His goodness, His faithfulness, His provision, His majesty. I continue to be amazed at how the Holy Spirit connects with my spirit, and I am able to sense His presence. He desires our pure and heartfelt worship and devotion. Our busy lives can make it difficult to slow down and quiet ourselves as we should. It takes determination, at least for me, to achieve some success. I like to go out on our patio where I can shut out life’s numerous distractions and spend time in His presence. Your desire to grow in your relationship with Jesus will increase as you experience His presence. My journey has been worthwhile and filled with His blessings. I pray and believe you will find the same will be true for you.

(1) 1 John 4:4, 2 Timothy 1:14  NLT                                                                                                                                                                                                                   (2) 1 Corinthians 12:12, John 3:6 NLT                                                                                                                                                                                                             (3) Galatians 5:22-26 AMP

 

 

NO MATTER WHAT

NO MATTER WHAT

 

Anyone who has experienced divorce, the loss of a loved one or some other traumatic event in life, will understand the wide range of emotions a person experiences during these times. A sense of helplessness, hopelessness, anger and disappointment only touch the surface.  I was experiencing all of these, plus others, in the place I found myself. I think the most poignant was the utter sense of failure.

If you have not read the narrative on “About” at the top of the blog, I encourage you to do so. It provides more insight.

The “valley of the shadow of death” found in Psalm 23 pretty well describes how I was feeling. As you read further in the Psalm however, you encounter comfort, hope and provision. What I experienced was a crossroads of sorts. What would I do about God if he didn’t come through in what was, at the time, my greatest need and desire. After all Psalm 37:4-5 NIV says “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this.” I was beginning to realize what committing my way to the Lord meant. Matthew 6:33 NIV “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you as well”. Revelation 3:16 NIV “So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth”. What I believe the Lord was showing me in the midst of my pain was that he wanted all of me. He wanted a total commitment.  More of a commitment than I had made thus far in life.

I remember very well the evening, when during a time of prayer, I arrived at the intersection of the crossroads. The time was at hand for me to decide where I stood in this struggle. As I remember, it was with great fear and trembling that I said to God, “No matter what, whether you restore my marriage or not, I am going to serve and follow you”. An overwhelming sense of Peace swept over me at that moment. I had decided the path I would follow.

I believe someone reading this, has accepted Jesus but has not arrived at their crossroad. Or they have arrived, but refused for whatever reason, to go further. The Word is clear in this regard. God’s desire is for you to go deeper in your relationship with him. He wants all of you. Life and my walk of Faith have taught me, a deep, meaningful, successful relationship requires total commitment. Jesus understood and instructed us in John 15:13 NIV “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”. He freely gave His life for you and me! After choosing to follow Him, how can I do less than serve him with my whole heart? Today He is asking you “Will you commit to me, walk with me, serve me, no matter what”?

It’s your decision to make. In the same way you are free to choose to accept His free gift of salvation or not, God will not force you to go deeper than you want to go with him. I pray you will choose to deepen your relationship with Him.

After 41 years I am thankful I said “no matter what” to Him. He has been faithful, and I have no regrets.

Launch

Launch

Welcome to walkingwithjesussrs. I am going to talk about my life in a bit of depth to give some insight and provide you with background for better understanding of future posts. I have and often will, mention the faithfulness of God in my life these past 41 years. I was a few years into my second marriage when I became a Christian. I had made a decision to allow my first wife and her husband to adopt the son she and I had adopted., and I had adopted my second wife’s two children. My doctors advised me I would be unable to have children. I was all in, so to speak, with the marriage and it was not going well. I had seen a poster for the Dave Wilkerson Crusade. As the date approached I felt compelled to attend. My wife and children did not wish to go, so I went alone. The crusade was being held at my old high school. I was late because I had to pick up a piece of rental equipment I was needing for the next day. I went into the auditorium and was seated on the upper level, off by myself. It proved to be a good thing as the night wore on. I cannot recall the message, but as Dave Wilkerson spoke I was sitting with tears streaming down and when it came time to go forward, I don’t believe anything could have prevented me from responding. I believe God knew I would need the exact experience I had that evening, to cement the reality of what was happening to me. On the path I would be walking, He knew I would need to know my experience with him was real. It is just as real now as I write this, as the night I went forward.  Not everyone has the type of experience I had. Most of you will not need to be thumped as hard as I did. God is a personal God. Your experience will be what you need, tailor made for you. My experience speaks to me of the personal nature of God in my life and how he is faithful to meet me right where I am at any given moment.

I wish I could tell you my marriage began to improve and life became better after that night. As the weeks and months passed, unfortunately the opposite was true. I was thriving Spiritually, but my marriage was not.  As the spiritual hunger grew in me, I started attending a full gospel church and also Full Gospel Businessmen meetings. I was literally like a dry sponge soaking up everything I could. I was reading book after book. Two which still resonate with me were In His Steps and From Prison to Praise.

I was believing God for healing and restoration of my marriage. As time went on and the marriage continued to deteriorate I was faced with what I would do if my marriage didn’t survive. If that was the final outcome, would I continue on this journey. Even during this difficult time, when everything seemed to be falling apart, God was faithful to bring people into my life to encourage and strengthen me. Once  again, a testament of His faithfulness.

The decision I was facing would prove to be an important cornerstone on my journey of Faith.

Prone to Wander

Prone to Wander

Guest Post: Steve Mickel – stevemickel.com
I don’t know about you, but I am prone to wander. For various reasons I sometimes follow my inclinations to sin, to be constantly self-focused, and to be less intentional about fulfilling the goals I have for my life. It’s easier, in the short-term, to wander then to live within boundaries.
Ken Johnson recently tweeted, “Be wise. Set boundaries. Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.” I need to hear that today. Most of the time my fences are broken down and full of gaps. So how do we set boundaries for our lives so we, as the Apostle Paul writes, “don’t fulfill the desires of our flesh”?
It happens through habits. Most of the time we don’t realize our lives are made up of the habits we practice. If you took a moment and though about all the different things you do in a day: get up and brush your teeth, go to bed at a certain time, eat certain kinds of food, watch certain television shows, etc. All of these are habits. For instance, when I get up in the morning I go downstairs and sit in the same chair, with a cup of coffee, read my Bible and pray, and then watch Bob Shaw tell me the weather. It’s a little freaky when you realize what we do without even thinking about it. This is how we sometimes get into trouble and how wandering begins. We stop thinking about the ruts we’ve created in our lives that lead towards a lack of health (I’m not saying watching Bob in the morning is unhealthy, you know what I mean).
What if we intentionally created other habits in our lives, boundaries, that don’t limit our lives but produce more life. For instance, I wasn’t drinking enough water during my day. So I intentionally made an agreement with my flesh: no cup of coffee in the morning until I drink 20 ounces of water. You can be sure I drink 20 ounces faster than any other time of day. I found that if I start my day by drinking water, before coffee, I am prone to drink more water throughout the day then I would have otherwise. Does it happen every day? No. So is it a habit? Yes. It is consistent and I don’t bail on my overall health because I missed a day. I just go over to that part of my fence and strengthen it a bit more.
Hope this is helpful for those who are reading my blog. It’s helping me.