Ecc. 11-12, "Young people, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do. So refuse to worry, and keep your body healthy. But remember that youth, with a whole life before you, is meaningless.Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, 'Life is not pleasant anymore.'" Ecc 7:1-4, "A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume. And the day you die is better than the day you are born...A wise person thinks a lot about death, while a fool thinks only about having a good time."
Over the past few years, I have been to many funerals. I have given my funeral lots of thought. "What do I want others to say about me? Will I have many people there remembering my life and how I influenced them? How will I be remembered?" I would hate for others to say that I was a fun woman and they had a great time laughing with me, but that is it. My desire is that whomever enters my life can say that their life changed and was better because of me. I want my life to have an impact on others for the better. My desire is that others are better because I was a positive influence and in turn they go out and have the same influence on others that I had on them.
Honestly, have you given your funeral any thought? If you are young, I can almost guarantee that you have not. But if you are a little older, have you? It is good to enjoy this life. It is good to have as many experiences as you can. It is wise to think about how your life influences others around you. Is it going to matter to anyone that you were ever here? We all want our life to matter. We all want to have meaning in our life and purpose. Trust me, you do. What you must ask yourself; what I must ask myself, is "what kind of influence have I made?" Ecclesiastes is a book about meaning and the meaninglessness of life. If we do not think about what our life means and the impact that we have on others, then our life is truly meaningless. What matters is that through our life, others find God, the one who makes our life meaningful. Have you found the meaning in life? Have you found the true joy that only He can bring? To you who are young, are you making your life count? If you were taken away from us now, has your life mattered? There is a reason you are here...Have you found it?
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Hindrance or Ally
Proverbs 31, "A capable, intelligent, and virtuous woman--who is he who can find her? She is far more precious than jewels and her value is far above rubies or pearls. The heart of her husband trusts in her confidently and relies on and believes in her securely, so that he has no lack of [honest] gain or need of [dishonest] spoil. She comforts, encourages, and does him only good as long as there is life within her...She rises while it is yet night and gets [spiritual] food for her household and assigns her maids their tasks...She girds herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task] and makes her arms strong and firm...Her husband is known in the [city's] gates, when he sits among the elders of the land...Strength and dignity are her clothing and her position is strong and secure; she rejoices over the future [the latter day or time to come, knowing that she and her family are in readiness for it]! She opens her mouth in skillful and godly Wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness [giving counsel and instruction]. She looks well to how things go in her household, and the bread of idleness (gossip, discontent, and self-pity) she will not eat. Her children rise up and call her blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied); and her husband boasts of and praises her, [saying], Many daughters have done virtuously, nobly, and well [with the strength of character that is steadfast in goodness], but you excel them all. Charm and grace are deceptive, and beauty is vain [because it is not lasting], but a woman who reverently and worshipfully fears the Lord, she shall be praised! Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates [of the city]!" (Amplified Bible)
Oh, how I want to be this woman. I want so desperately to be the virtuous woman of character and value. I have lived with a reputation that was bad, and because of my husband I have walked into a reputation that was good. How I would hate to tarnish his reputation. How easily I could. I have discovered, it is very easy to ruin a good reputation. It takes many years to build a good reputation, but in one short time of not caring, that reputation could be destroyed (or at least, weakened). I am relating to my husband, but how often do we think this way about Jesus and the reputation that He gave us?
We are all the bride of Christ. We look at this verse and see the roles of a good wife, but do we apply this verse to our marriage with Christ. It does not matter if you are a man or a woman, in your heavenly marriage with Christ, this applies to both. Where ever we go what ever we are doing, we are a reflection of the one who gave us His name. When I moved here my name had been ruined. I had totally destroyed my reputation and others saw me as the adulterous woman. As soon as I married Jason, my named changed and I took on his reputation. Now when I go out into public, I am carrying his reputation with me. It is in my power to preserve the reputation that he has worked so hard to obtain; it is in my power to destroy his reputation with how I act. It is the same with all of us who call ourselves Christians. We have placed His name upon us, and it is His name that gets damaged by how we conduct ourselves. This is why His reputation is in danger, because of how His name has been wronged by how we portray Him to others. Are you being a good representation for your LORD?
Oh, how I want to be this woman. I want so desperately to be the virtuous woman of character and value. I have lived with a reputation that was bad, and because of my husband I have walked into a reputation that was good. How I would hate to tarnish his reputation. How easily I could. I have discovered, it is very easy to ruin a good reputation. It takes many years to build a good reputation, but in one short time of not caring, that reputation could be destroyed (or at least, weakened). I am relating to my husband, but how often do we think this way about Jesus and the reputation that He gave us?
We are all the bride of Christ. We look at this verse and see the roles of a good wife, but do we apply this verse to our marriage with Christ. It does not matter if you are a man or a woman, in your heavenly marriage with Christ, this applies to both. Where ever we go what ever we are doing, we are a reflection of the one who gave us His name. When I moved here my name had been ruined. I had totally destroyed my reputation and others saw me as the adulterous woman. As soon as I married Jason, my named changed and I took on his reputation. Now when I go out into public, I am carrying his reputation with me. It is in my power to preserve the reputation that he has worked so hard to obtain; it is in my power to destroy his reputation with how I act. It is the same with all of us who call ourselves Christians. We have placed His name upon us, and it is His name that gets damaged by how we conduct ourselves. This is why His reputation is in danger, because of how His name has been wronged by how we portray Him to others. Are you being a good representation for your LORD?
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Being a Fool
Proverbs 14:12, "There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death." Of all of the ideas that I have had, there has been one that truly haunts my dreams. If you have surrounded yourself with fools, or if you have isolated yourself where you have no one else to help you with your decisions, then you are setting yourself up for failure. The lowest points in my life have been the times when I have chosen my own destruction, thinking I had come up with a good decision. What a fool we can be, while we are thinking we are so cleaver. So yes, I will share with you the greatest mistake of my life.
My ex husband and I had isolated ourselves. We had chosen to ignore any kind of warning from any of our friends, and we moved away. When we did this, we were left to our own stupidity. Remember that all people think they are wise in their own eyes, for if we thought we were really making a big mistake, we wouldn't do it. So there we were, traveling down the dark path of sexual temptation and physical desires. It came to the point in our life that my ex husband wanted to watch me with another man. The whole reason that I had gotten married was so that I would not have any other sexual partners. So, this was my bright idea. I decided that I could be a stripper. It sounded like a reasonable solution to the problem that faced me. He could watch, I wouldn't have to sleep with anyone, and I would get paid. Now in seeing my choice, you say, "how stupid you were." You are right, I was very stupid in my choice, but to me at the time, it seemed like a very reasonable solution to my problem.
Proverbs 10:21, "The godly give good advice, but fools are destroyed by their lack of common sense." I have shared with you my greatest failure. I have let you see how foolish I was, but that I thought I had made a good decision. I did this to open your eyes to the wisdom of foolish mistakes. We all think we are wise in our own eyes. What is it in your life that you thought you were making a wise choice and it turned into one of the biggest mistakes of your life? If you are seeking the ultimate pleasure; if you are trying to experience all this world can offer; you may be headed down a road that will lead you to utter ruin. What do the wise ones say about others who have made this decision before you? If you are wise you will look at the consequences that others have suffered, learn from them, and choose a different path.
Matthew 11:19, Jesus said, "wisdom is shown to be right by what results from it." A truly wise person will learn from the mistakes of others. A wise person will learn from their own mistakes and not repeat them. Even Solomon in all of his wisdom, ruined his own life because he did not have anyone telling him, he was making a mistake. If you wish to ruin your life, choose to do things "your" way. If you wish to have a life full of joy and less mistakes, surround yourself with others who will tell you the truth. Before you make that choice, pause long enough to consider the consequences that could come afterwards. Proverbs 19:3, "People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the LORD." What have you chosen, that you try and blame someone else for the consequences that came later?
My ex husband and I had isolated ourselves. We had chosen to ignore any kind of warning from any of our friends, and we moved away. When we did this, we were left to our own stupidity. Remember that all people think they are wise in their own eyes, for if we thought we were really making a big mistake, we wouldn't do it. So there we were, traveling down the dark path of sexual temptation and physical desires. It came to the point in our life that my ex husband wanted to watch me with another man. The whole reason that I had gotten married was so that I would not have any other sexual partners. So, this was my bright idea. I decided that I could be a stripper. It sounded like a reasonable solution to the problem that faced me. He could watch, I wouldn't have to sleep with anyone, and I would get paid. Now in seeing my choice, you say, "how stupid you were." You are right, I was very stupid in my choice, but to me at the time, it seemed like a very reasonable solution to my problem.
Proverbs 10:21, "The godly give good advice, but fools are destroyed by their lack of common sense." I have shared with you my greatest failure. I have let you see how foolish I was, but that I thought I had made a good decision. I did this to open your eyes to the wisdom of foolish mistakes. We all think we are wise in our own eyes. What is it in your life that you thought you were making a wise choice and it turned into one of the biggest mistakes of your life? If you are seeking the ultimate pleasure; if you are trying to experience all this world can offer; you may be headed down a road that will lead you to utter ruin. What do the wise ones say about others who have made this decision before you? If you are wise you will look at the consequences that others have suffered, learn from them, and choose a different path.
Matthew 11:19, Jesus said, "wisdom is shown to be right by what results from it." A truly wise person will learn from the mistakes of others. A wise person will learn from their own mistakes and not repeat them. Even Solomon in all of his wisdom, ruined his own life because he did not have anyone telling him, he was making a mistake. If you wish to ruin your life, choose to do things "your" way. If you wish to have a life full of joy and less mistakes, surround yourself with others who will tell you the truth. Before you make that choice, pause long enough to consider the consequences that could come afterwards. Proverbs 19:3, "People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the LORD." What have you chosen, that you try and blame someone else for the consequences that came later?
Friday, June 5, 2009
The Woman named Folly
If you are like most who struggle with sexual addictions, when you first turned on your computer this morning, it was not easy for you. We have taken the woman of Folly from Proverbs, and asked her to live with us in our homes. She is on the TV, she visits us on the computer. Even something as simple as checking our email, she is there. Proverbs 9:13-18, "The woman Folly is loud; she is undisciplined and without knowledge. She sits at the door of her house, on a seat at the highest point of the city, calling out to those who pass by, who go straight on their way. 'Let all who are simple come in here!' she says to those who lack judgment. 'Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!' But little do they know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of the grave." You cannot drive down the road in any big city and not be blasted with billboards. We are being destroyed from within and we act like we don't even notice.
Do you see how the conscience of our young are being taken from them? Our children are being attacked from every angle and most parents welcome it into their homes. Fathers sit back and let their children steel a glance without even knowing it, for they are fooled as well. Mothers have given up their judgment, for they feel defeated and rejected. Our society is pulling our children away from us and we do nothing. Our men are going to war every day, while our women dress to help defeat them.
This is what I see... Men get up every morning with defeat already in their minds. They are blasted with sexual temptation like never before. Then they are told they are just to accept it "for they are men and they cannot help it." Our women are disrespectful toward their husbands, yet loving to everyone else. Their husbands have become these lazy things that come home and sit in front of the TV, because this is what our society has told them to do. The wife is supposed to go out and work, clean the house, and cook dinner, because we all know that the men cannot do it without us. "For they are worthless." There is no expectation placed on them except to turn on the TV or computer and become this worthless pervert. But even in this they are a failure, and we are setting our sons and daughters up for this, while they are still young. We are raising a generation for defeat.
Please wake up! Our men deserve better. Our women need to feel loved from home and not have to compete with an illusion. Our God deserves more. What is happening, right in your own home? What are you turning a blind eye to? I have seen men, I know how strong they can be. I have seen men, I know how defeated they can feel. I am a woman, I know how hard it is for me. We must wake up to what is happening all around us, before we get boiled. I heard a story once about a frog. If you place a frog in boiling water, it will jump out. If you place the frog in water it likes, then bring it to boil slowly, it will gladly kill itself. We never see the fire being turned up, until it is too late. We all need to open our eyes to the truth. We are boiling our children, our families, our once strong men...
Do you see how the conscience of our young are being taken from them? Our children are being attacked from every angle and most parents welcome it into their homes. Fathers sit back and let their children steel a glance without even knowing it, for they are fooled as well. Mothers have given up their judgment, for they feel defeated and rejected. Our society is pulling our children away from us and we do nothing. Our men are going to war every day, while our women dress to help defeat them.
This is what I see... Men get up every morning with defeat already in their minds. They are blasted with sexual temptation like never before. Then they are told they are just to accept it "for they are men and they cannot help it." Our women are disrespectful toward their husbands, yet loving to everyone else. Their husbands have become these lazy things that come home and sit in front of the TV, because this is what our society has told them to do. The wife is supposed to go out and work, clean the house, and cook dinner, because we all know that the men cannot do it without us. "For they are worthless." There is no expectation placed on them except to turn on the TV or computer and become this worthless pervert. But even in this they are a failure, and we are setting our sons and daughters up for this, while they are still young. We are raising a generation for defeat.
Please wake up! Our men deserve better. Our women need to feel loved from home and not have to compete with an illusion. Our God deserves more. What is happening, right in your own home? What are you turning a blind eye to? I have seen men, I know how strong they can be. I have seen men, I know how defeated they can feel. I am a woman, I know how hard it is for me. We must wake up to what is happening all around us, before we get boiled. I heard a story once about a frog. If you place a frog in boiling water, it will jump out. If you place the frog in water it likes, then bring it to boil slowly, it will gladly kill itself. We never see the fire being turned up, until it is too late. We all need to open our eyes to the truth. We are boiling our children, our families, our once strong men...
Thursday, June 4, 2009
False Intimacy
Proverbs 5, "MY SON, be attentive to my Wisdom [godly Wisdom learned by actual and costly experience], and incline your ear to my understanding [of what is becoming and prudent for you],That you may exercise proper discrimination and discretion and your lips may guard and keep knowledge and the wise answer [to temptation]. For the lips of a loose woman (pornography, whom ever entices you) drip honey as a honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil; But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged and devouring sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold of Sheol (Hades, the place of the dead). She loses sight of and walks not in the path of life; her ways wind about aimlessly, and you cannot know them. Now therefore, my sons, listen to me, and depart not from the words of my mouth. Let your way in life be far from her, and come not near the door of her house [avoid the very scenes of temptation], Lest you give your honor to others and your years to those without mercy, Lest strangers [and false teachings] take their fill of your strength and wealth and your labors go to the house of an alien [from God]--And you groan and mourn when your end comes, when your flesh and body are consumed, And you say, How I hated instruction and discipline, and my heart despised reproof! I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers nor submitted and consented to those who instructed me. [The extent and boldness of] my sin involved almost all evil [in the estimation] of the congregation and the community. Drink waters out of your own cistern [of a pure marriage relationship], and fresh running waters out of your own well. Should your offspring be dispersed abroad as water brooks in the streets?[Confine yourself to your own wife] let your children be for you alone, and not the children of strangers with you. Let your fountain [of human life] be blessed [with the rewards of fidelity], and rejoice in the wife of your youth. Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant doe [tender, gentle, attractive]--let her bosom satisfy you at all times, and always be transported with delight in her love. Why should you, my son, be infatuated with a loose woman, embrace the bosom of an outsider, and go astray? For the ways of man are directly before the eyes of the Lord, and He [Who would have us live soberly, chastely, and godly] carefully weighs all man's goings."
This is the first time that I have ever copied the entire chapter of a book, but I think this one is that important. Oh how our society lies to men. "Your a guy, go to the strip club; Your a guy, you cannot help your desires; Your a guy, do what makes you feel good; Your a guy, there is nothing wrong with looking at pornography; Your a guy, you can look as long as you do not touch." How the lies go on and on. These are the lies that our society believes. Some think that just because you cannot see nipple, then it really is not pornography, but I say you men know the truth. You can look at a Victoria's Secret magazine and your imagination runs wild. I know, I made plenty of money with my clothes still on.
Please learn what makes a truly strong man. I have seen these men who try and portray themselves as strong and successful, but because of their weakness with pornography they are destroyed on the inside. Their entire life falls apart, all because they fall for the lies that they are being told. No wife can compete with the illusion. I could not compete with myself, because in the club, I was just an illusion. Please men, learn where true strength is held. Reach out and get someone to help you with the lies of the world. There is true strength in knowing when to say, "I've sinned, please help me, I cannot do this on my own." The strongest men I have ever met, get help when they know they are in over their head. Be a strong man...
This is the first time that I have ever copied the entire chapter of a book, but I think this one is that important. Oh how our society lies to men. "Your a guy, go to the strip club; Your a guy, you cannot help your desires; Your a guy, do what makes you feel good; Your a guy, there is nothing wrong with looking at pornography; Your a guy, you can look as long as you do not touch." How the lies go on and on. These are the lies that our society believes. Some think that just because you cannot see nipple, then it really is not pornography, but I say you men know the truth. You can look at a Victoria's Secret magazine and your imagination runs wild. I know, I made plenty of money with my clothes still on.
Please learn what makes a truly strong man. I have seen these men who try and portray themselves as strong and successful, but because of their weakness with pornography they are destroyed on the inside. Their entire life falls apart, all because they fall for the lies that they are being told. No wife can compete with the illusion. I could not compete with myself, because in the club, I was just an illusion. Please men, learn where true strength is held. Reach out and get someone to help you with the lies of the world. There is true strength in knowing when to say, "I've sinned, please help me, I cannot do this on my own." The strongest men I have ever met, get help when they know they are in over their head. Be a strong man...
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Scociety Lies
Psalm 141, "O Lord, I am calling to You. Please hurry! Listen when I cry to You for help! Accept my prayer as incense offered to You, and my upraised hands as an evening offering. Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips. Don’t let me drift toward evil or take part in acts of wickedness. Don’t let me share in the delicacies of those who do wrong. Let the godly strike me! It will be a kindness! If they correct me, it is soothing medicine. Don’t let me refuse it."
I am getting myself prepared, mentally, for talking in some schools in Kansas, about abstinence. I have been asked to speak and have been asking God to give me wisdom with what I share. Since I have lived the life that I have, I cannot help but think about the problems that we all have with sex. When I first married Jason, I was a broken, bitter woman. I hated men. I thought they were all so disgusting, because of what I had seen in them. How depraved I had seen them become. Then God softened my heart with my first born son. It was through him that I started looking at things differently and began trying to understand the torment that he would face one day.
Our society has given our children an injustice. They are beaten with temptations everywhere their eyes turn. They cannot sit and watch an innocent movie, because there are none. We went to watch the new Star Trek movie and even in that, there were scenes and talk about sex. It is everywhere. What is society telling our young boys, "it is natural; it feels good, so go out and explore; what you do in your bed room is your business; the more you get, the more satisfied you will be." It goes on and on. What are we telling our girls? Look at how they dress. From very early we are sending our young girls out to be seductresses and the parents are approving. The average age for loosing your virginity now is 12. "But it is okay, you should explore your sexuality..." What?? Does no one care about the repercussions these children are going to face?
I have seen handsome, intelligent, successful men, broken because of their addiction to pornography. I have experienced the heartache that is placed upon girls, because of the lure of sex. I have experienced, first hand, the pains of the sex industry. And every day I see children's lives destroyed, now, because of what society is telling them. I have heard school counselors tell 7th grade girls that "they need to determine the boundaries they choose for sex." Are you kidding me! We should not be telling our children, that sex boundaries are just something that needs to thought about and they need to determine their own boundaries. I know, they are the one that have to make the decisions, but they need to be guided. They need to be told to set their boundaries high. Whatever happened to the adults leading the children? Well I guess they are. The question we must ask is, where are we leading them? Why don't we feel free to talk about consequences of our choices? Why are the adults sitting back silently, letting our children suffer with decision that are to hard for even the adults to conquer most of the time? I think it is because most adults are so ashamed of their own evil desires that they cannot talk about their own mistakes and weaknesses with their children. So we sit back and watch helplessly. No parents, help your children. Share your struggles so that your children can hopefully conquer theirs.
I am getting myself prepared, mentally, for talking in some schools in Kansas, about abstinence. I have been asked to speak and have been asking God to give me wisdom with what I share. Since I have lived the life that I have, I cannot help but think about the problems that we all have with sex. When I first married Jason, I was a broken, bitter woman. I hated men. I thought they were all so disgusting, because of what I had seen in them. How depraved I had seen them become. Then God softened my heart with my first born son. It was through him that I started looking at things differently and began trying to understand the torment that he would face one day.
Our society has given our children an injustice. They are beaten with temptations everywhere their eyes turn. They cannot sit and watch an innocent movie, because there are none. We went to watch the new Star Trek movie and even in that, there were scenes and talk about sex. It is everywhere. What is society telling our young boys, "it is natural; it feels good, so go out and explore; what you do in your bed room is your business; the more you get, the more satisfied you will be." It goes on and on. What are we telling our girls? Look at how they dress. From very early we are sending our young girls out to be seductresses and the parents are approving. The average age for loosing your virginity now is 12. "But it is okay, you should explore your sexuality..." What?? Does no one care about the repercussions these children are going to face?
I have seen handsome, intelligent, successful men, broken because of their addiction to pornography. I have experienced the heartache that is placed upon girls, because of the lure of sex. I have experienced, first hand, the pains of the sex industry. And every day I see children's lives destroyed, now, because of what society is telling them. I have heard school counselors tell 7th grade girls that "they need to determine the boundaries they choose for sex." Are you kidding me! We should not be telling our children, that sex boundaries are just something that needs to thought about and they need to determine their own boundaries. I know, they are the one that have to make the decisions, but they need to be guided. They need to be told to set their boundaries high. Whatever happened to the adults leading the children? Well I guess they are. The question we must ask is, where are we leading them? Why don't we feel free to talk about consequences of our choices? Why are the adults sitting back silently, letting our children suffer with decision that are to hard for even the adults to conquer most of the time? I think it is because most adults are so ashamed of their own evil desires that they cannot talk about their own mistakes and weaknesses with their children. So we sit back and watch helplessly. No parents, help your children. Share your struggles so that your children can hopefully conquer theirs.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Choose to be Happy
Psalm 119, "Happy are people with integrity, who follow the Lord's teachings. Happy are those who keep His rules, who try to obey Him with their whole heart. They don't do what is wrong; they follow His ways. Lord, you gave your orders to be obeyed completely. I wish I were more loyal in obeying Your demands. Then I would not be ashamed when I study Your commands. When I learned that Your laws are fair, I praised You with an honest heart. I will obey Your demands, so please don't ever leave me... Open my eyes to see the miracles in Your teachings...I weep with grief; encourage me by Your word. Keep me from lying to myself... This is my happy way of life; obeying Your commandments... How sweet are Your words to my taste; they are sweeter than honey..."
If I would only live my life by obeying my LORD, things would go much smoother for me. Every day I try and begin my day by reading the bible. The days that I listen, are the days that go well for me. It is when I insist on acting for "my rights" that things go terribly wrong for me. Just yesterday I knew a test was coming, for everything that I read said to stay faithful for this is God testing you. It was obvious for I knew exactly what the test was. I blew it. I insisted on letting Jason know exactly how I was feeling and let my emotions dictate exactly where the morning started. We are living on a very tight budget right now. Which I am fully behind, but I felt I was getting the shaft when it came to things that "I" wanted. I felt, "if 'he' feels it is important, then he will find a way to get it." I was wrong, and I knew it. I heard God telling me to settle down and not say what I was feeling, but I did not care. I wanted to vent my frustrations and in doing so, I hurt a very good man in the process.
I started the day with His words telling me, it is going to be a test. But I did not care. My eyes were open to exactly what was happening, and I insisted on doing it anyway. This has been the story of my life. I know what I am doing, then I sit and feel bad about what has happened with my life. It is in these moments that I am choosing, not to listen to God. He speaks to me, but I choose to do things my own way. It is in these situations that I cry. It is in these moments that I wish I had chosen to do things differently, but I had to have 'my' own way. How foolish this is... (Ps:112), "Happy are those who fear the LORD. Yes, happy are those who delight in doing what He commands." He wants us to listen to Him. He is giving us the best pathway for peace and happiness, but so often we choose not to listen. It can be so simple, but we are bent toward selfishness. If I could just lay aside my own selfish desires all of the time, then my life would consistently be wonderful.
Happy are people with integrity, who consistently follow the way of the LORD. He gives us help for every day, in order for us to be happy that day. I wish that I was more consistent. "Oh God, help me this day, so that I might live following Your guidance. For it is in these moments of selflessness that I am most happy. It is in these moments that I can see, You are guiding me."
If I would only live my life by obeying my LORD, things would go much smoother for me. Every day I try and begin my day by reading the bible. The days that I listen, are the days that go well for me. It is when I insist on acting for "my rights" that things go terribly wrong for me. Just yesterday I knew a test was coming, for everything that I read said to stay faithful for this is God testing you. It was obvious for I knew exactly what the test was. I blew it. I insisted on letting Jason know exactly how I was feeling and let my emotions dictate exactly where the morning started. We are living on a very tight budget right now. Which I am fully behind, but I felt I was getting the shaft when it came to things that "I" wanted. I felt, "if 'he' feels it is important, then he will find a way to get it." I was wrong, and I knew it. I heard God telling me to settle down and not say what I was feeling, but I did not care. I wanted to vent my frustrations and in doing so, I hurt a very good man in the process.
I started the day with His words telling me, it is going to be a test. But I did not care. My eyes were open to exactly what was happening, and I insisted on doing it anyway. This has been the story of my life. I know what I am doing, then I sit and feel bad about what has happened with my life. It is in these moments that I am choosing, not to listen to God. He speaks to me, but I choose to do things my own way. It is in these situations that I cry. It is in these moments that I wish I had chosen to do things differently, but I had to have 'my' own way. How foolish this is... (Ps:112), "Happy are those who fear the LORD. Yes, happy are those who delight in doing what He commands." He wants us to listen to Him. He is giving us the best pathway for peace and happiness, but so often we choose not to listen. It can be so simple, but we are bent toward selfishness. If I could just lay aside my own selfish desires all of the time, then my life would consistently be wonderful.
Happy are people with integrity, who consistently follow the way of the LORD. He gives us help for every day, in order for us to be happy that day. I wish that I was more consistent. "Oh God, help me this day, so that I might live following Your guidance. For it is in these moments of selflessness that I am most happy. It is in these moments that I can see, You are guiding me."
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