Since the creation of the world, you have loved and cared for us God.Thank you for all that you have provided. Through good times and bad you have always been there and you are with us now. thank you for assuring us that you “will never leave us or forsake us”
Are you seeking to grow in wisdom? If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. (James 1:5 NIV)
I have lots of things going through my mind this evening and all of them related to Bible prophecy and the world we live in today. We all heard about Harold Camping and his prediction of the rapture and how that went. Well, I am not going to be predicting any rapture dates but I do feel that something significant will happen between June 1 and June 15…
Let me explain a bit about my journey first. Read the rest of this entry »
2 Chronicles 7:14
if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
God is calling us to Him. Don’t run from Him, run to Him. The only way our country is going to be blessed is if our people repent and return to God and remain Israel’s ally…
Do this today!
After sharing about my conversation with Blake yesterday and quoting James 4:8, I read the rest of the verses in James 4 and was struck by how the next 2 verses begin to lay out a plan starting to come near to God.
This will be post #1 of 3 dealing with the “all in” lifestyle mentioned in the previous post…
Let’s start with verse 8 again…
1. Change your wrong ways and begin to move toward God through your lifestyle and mindset.
Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. – James 4:8
Right in the second half of verse 8, we see the important first step of turning your life around and following God’s calling for your life. This is called repentance. The idea is not that you turn your head and begin to look toward the direction of God, but it’s “doing a 180″ and moving your whole self in the direction God is calling you.
This requires a commitment on your part. It requires an understanding of and acceptance of the redemption and grace that the God of the Universe has offered to you through Jesus.
He sent His son Jesus (God who came to earth to be with us…) as “the way, the truth, and the life. no one comes to the Father (God) but through him. (John 14:6)”
One of Jesus’ disciples puts it best in his book about the life and teachings of Jesus when he wrote:
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. – John 3:16-18
Along with the acceptance of the gift of redemption and grace that God offers we need to begin to work on our life and things things we do. James 4:8 says “Wash your hands” which I believe calls us to change our actions and the way we live. We need to begin to evaluate our lives and the things we do and if they are not in line with the life the Bible calls us to live then we need to change those things.
But even more importantly, it says “purify your hearts.” For the first century reader (original audience of this letter), the heart was a symbol for the internal being. The mind, attitudes and soul of an individual needed to be purified. It’s these internal thoughts and attitudes that ultimately dictate how we act and what others see in our lives. It’s just as important to ask yourself, “Who am I and how do I act when no one is looking?”
As we begin to move toward a full commitment to God, it requires change…
- Possibly a change in what you believe about God
- a change in the way you live your life, then things you do or don’t do that you should
- a change in the way you think about people even though nobody knows…
- it may mean a change in the music you listen to or the TV/Movies you watch
If you are going to be fully committed to God – You absolutely need to be aware of what you see, hear, and do because it says alot about the God you have chosen to represent. God calls us to be holy – that means set apart from the world around us – Are You set apart?
When God calls there is almost always a tough choice that has to be made in the process. One that involves some sort of risk, challenge, or something. It’s at that point that the struggle begins. In my experience, that is where fear creeps into the picture. What if my needs aren’t met? What if my lifestyle has to change? What if we lose the home?
For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. – Romans 7:19 NIV
This roadblock of fear can bring Gods incredible plans for your life to a screeching halt. Read the rest of this entry »
