Who are you praying for...who is praying for you?

Ephesians 3:16-19

I pray that HE:

I [Paul, as an example for you] pray [request of my God] that out of HIS glorious riches [what would God consider were His glorious riches: GRACE, FAITH, HUMILITY, COURAGE?] He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being. [which was/is a gift to you in salvation] So that Christ may dwell in your hearts [enrich your life, convict your flesh nurture your soul and increase your knowledge and wisdom] through Faith.

I pray that YOU:

I [Paul, as an example for you] pray that you [the vessle God intends to use] being rooted [grounded, intwined, deeply clung to] and established [belonging to] in love [GOD] may have power together with all the saints [other believers] to grasp [understand] how wide and long and high and deep [vast] is the love of Christ [for you, specifically!] and to know this love that surpassed knowledge [deeper than mentality] that you may be filled [overflowing] to the measure of all fullness of God.

Honestly, how many of us really take Paul's example and make it a priority to pray for those around us? What would it look like? How would our lives be different? And if we were prayed for by those around us, like Paul prayed for the people in Ephesus.

I hope this challenges you like it has me this week!

Perfection vs. Proximity

Ephesians 2: 13

"But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ."

This verse hits an area of how I truly feel about RELIGION. However, it is what I read between the lines. AND what religious forces between the lines.

(Please know, this is MY opinion, and if yours differs, I would love to hear your point of veiw. I in no way think I have it all figured out. I just write what is on my heart.)

Religion, was once a familiar thing in my life, until I discovered a RELATIONSHIP with my God. At that point the blinders came off and I was able to really see for the first time what so many people probably hate about "christianity." THE RELIGION THAT DRIVES IT.

Religion is the list of rules that can burden our relationship with God.
Religion can block our ministry and deteriorates our whitness.
Religion can and typically does form hypocrites and develope failure.

If Christianity is about KNOWING God, and God is about loving us where we are, then where does perfection fit in to that? God loves us in our filth and faults. God desires us no matter the past. God wants our devotion even if that devotion is soaked in our flesh. HE desires to help us change. He wont LEAVE us in our mess. He will be with us every turn of the Anvil! Ever moment of change. He desires to make us better but loves us as we are.

In verse 13, we are told as Christians, we were ONCE far away. But the blood of Christ has brought us near. So faith in Jesus Christ and our acceptance of His sacrifice does NOT mean we are to walk a perfect life. BIBLICALLY it means we walk closer to Him! (v.13) And in walking closer to Him, our thoughts mature, grow and improve until we begin to desire the things He desires for us. We begin to see the life in us that He saw/produced for us. And that desire flourishes into a renewed self.

Christians fail on a regular basis. And we also sin on a regular basis. The separation lies in conviction. Conviction is what gives you the desire for change. You are aware of your faults and make an effort to be better. Conviction is the heart of God with in us. And true conviction is when the things that break the heart of our God breaks ours and strengthens us to do something about it.

Conviction brings us to the feet of Christ with a realization of how lost and hopeless we are. Then conviction molds us to reflect His glory more with each lesson we learn.

The most amazing thing about out conviction, and a reason we should be VERY thankful for it, is that it is a true evidence of the God at work in us.

So...I hope you can ask yourself as I have this week and continue to ...what are my convictions for today? What am I doing that is breaking the heart of my God.

Life will happen, its not a straight away and its definitely a rought road at times, but remember, if you walk with God, He is with you to console you, comfort you and love and teach you every step of the way.

Embrace conviction.
Endure the change.
Enjoy the results of a life that reflects Christ!

Random thoughts on Suffering.

Knowing God in raw realistic form causes us to fall in Awe. Wisdom begins when we stand in humble adoration of a GREAT God, a God that doesnt cause our stuggles but rather offers a strong foundation when we go through them. Our wisdom gained in knowing Him in this form provides an expediated growth in hard times more so than in simple or blessed moments where God is, sadly enough, just a friendly aquaintance rather than the omniscient and sufficient Almighty God. Our God sees room for improvement when we wine and complain about current struggles and puts us in our rightful place, like He did with Job. (Job 42:5-6)

I have always been taught the story of Job from the view of Job as a humble strong man of God, but in true scripture, even Job got to the point where he cried out to God or rather just cried out in justifying himself and questioning the burden his life had amounted to. God's response to Job was harsh. It clearly revealed who GOD was and who JOB was and humbled Job's meek justifications and caused a man who Loved God to realize he was still under God's care and love. God's answer may have been harsh, but in all honesty - it isnt about why we suffer, how we suffer or why the particular time, it is about where our hope rests when we suffer! It is WHO holds us and sustains us.

A measure of glory, perspective of joy.

Picture/Feel this: Your arms held to either side (like a scale). The weight of all your trouble compiled on one side. Do you feel off kilter? Do your feel burdened? Does the though bring hopelessness?

Now picture this: A measure much more exceeding the weight of all life's problems, struggles and heartaches. A weight that makes life seem bearable. A weight that makes standing possible and joy probable!


2 Corinthians 4:17

For our light affliction, which is for but a moment, worketh for us far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

I have read this chapter countless numbers of times, but it was until recent that this particular verse took heavy to my heart! Heavy in the sense of knowledge, understanding and specifically a "light bulb" type of moment.

God saves us, not FROM our sin, but from the result of that sin. It seems as though at times we see people go to the "altar" that We as believers create for them. They go in order to have a burden lifted, or obstacle removed. They believe to be relieved. They accept in order to have a better life. However, after this "moment" the expectation is met with confusion and disappointment because God doesn't lift us out of our current situation when we accept Him as our savior. HE just joins us in our situation lighting the way. Showing us how to stand under it, shining for Him and living in his blessings, even if they are entangled with tough, hard to manage moments.

In 2 Corinthians, we see that God doesn't intend to lift us out of Pain. He just grants us a WEIGHT of Glory that FAR EXCEEDS our troubles! That my friends is where we find our smiles on miserable days, our joy in heartbreak and our thankful spirit when life goes anything BUT our way.

Tough situations are a blessing. Although, at first glance they seem impassable. Unbearable. However, it is in these circumstances "God gives [us] time to consider His glory and to grow stronger faith." (Paul Tripp) In Paul's words: "Waiting is not about what you are hoping for at the end of the wait, [hope] is what you will become as you wait!"

Focusing on the weight of your problems keeps you from experiencing the joy that is produced by the glory that outweighs it. It burdens you with worry, anger and possibly even envy. When you really stop to think WHY...often it is because what we want or what WE think is best is automatically thought to be "Good." But ... just because we are made to endure hard times or if the answer to a desire is no or not yet, that doesn't necessarily mean it is Bad. It means GOD has a time set aside to reveal Himself to you first, and somehow teach and shape you into a clearer reflection of Himself before granting you that desire.

Remember: Spiritual growth while waiting is very much dependent on perspective.

Those things that deteriorate your "spiritual muscles" will open your eyes to the obstacles in your present situation making motivation decrease and your perspective will turn negative.

The life of building faith while waiting will open your eyes to the road God has currently walking. Obstacles will still be present, but perspective is on the road and not the walls blocking "your path." Which in turn helps you to see the Road God intended in the first place. Perspective in this realm is positive.

His measure of Glory offsets the burden, grants you joy to carry you forward and guidance to bring you into His will. The Christian life is not a life of perfection, it is a joyful life splattered with challenges that break our stuburn human nature and makes us more Christlike, if we embrace it.

My question to you, as well as to myself is this: Is the time of burden or waiting a time that strengthens your faith or weakens it??

The WORD

So, as many of you who really know me, I pick a New Years Resolution every year, typically they are broken by mid year...but they always change my heart to some degree. So all is not lost.

This year. Having come through a somewhat difficult end to 2010, I realized I needed help getting my perspective back on the positive. So I was going to wait a month. I found a great christian radio station here in Memphis to listen to called KLove. I decided I was going to listen to NOTHING but Christian music for the month of January. (which for the most part I stuck with)I figured by doing this my outlook would become focused on the positives again and I could figure out my New Years Resolution the end of the month.

SO here we are ... February 1st!

First I would like to point out something really neat about KLove. The whole month of January they challenged the listeners to only listen to christian music to get the New Year off on the right start! It was like having a team of my very own encouragers! :) Made the commitment so much easier to stick with.

Then, second, I must say, I was ill prepared for the impact that it had on my life. All of a sudden I became incredibly convicted and terribly bothered by things in my life that had become "normal." Attitudes, lukewarm faith, self centered living, and lacking areas/actions of service. Among many others as well.

As the month went on, I found myself not just positive, I found myself stirred up! I longed deeply for my relationship with God to grow. And as the desire grew, He met me there and began to teach me areas in my life I needed to "give" Him.

It wasnt a matter of becoming perfect, its a matter of becoming aware. Growth cant happen unless we realize the need for it. So as I listened, I kept hearing the morning show talk about their "ONE WORD" of 2011.

The blog explaining this new concept talks of broken resolutions year after year (guilty) and expectations that cant be met on our terms (guilty again) and about how many of us not necessarily fail, we give up. (Very guilty) The one word concept allows you to simply just live with this WORD on your mind and in your prayers. And at the end of the year see how your year is "painted" by this single word.

I began to think, pray and ask myself what word would I want my life to be "painted" by. And man, I could have come up with a ton of words, but then conviction hit me hard. Its not about what I want. Its how I want to see my life change in order to have a deeper walk with the Lord. So I began to pray about it. (as suggested by the dj's on air.) Afterall I kept hearing amazing stories of people having words on their hearts after praying about it.

Last night, discouraged that I still was not settled with a word, and I really wanted to keep my Feb 1, 2011 deadline. I woke up this morning EARLY, too early in my opinion. However, as I lie there unable to go back to sleep, I figured I was up for a reason. I began my daily devo and throughout continued to desire a WORD. Then as I closed my books and lay on my bed, I FOUND ONE! :)

My word for 2011 is RESPOND!

I am learning so much lately and hope my year is a year full of deeper understanding of the God I serve. BUT what good is learning if I dont RESPOND??

I looked up the definition of Respond:

1. to say or write something in reply
I want to be good about writing out my response to what God lays on my heart. I love writing but my blog is shallow in comparison to the amount of thoughts, convictions and ideas God blesses me with. I hope this year to do better about sharing those things with others around me, and also allowing those lessons to be MUCH more than words on a page.

2. react, act in response, take action, counter, act, act on
In life I have always been a clone of my schedule. I hope to live more in response to the world around me this year. To be flexible to change and open to opportunity to serve.

3. to answer
I hope to be much more gracious to those around me. Colossians 4:6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. (See NAS)

4. to respond to the life God calls me to
I am not sure how often you will hear me utter the words, but ... I am tired of planning! ha. I am ready and willing to be content where I am, open to where God intends to take me, and to act in a way that brings all glory and honor to HIM.

In my devotional this morning I came across a note in the margin of my Bible. It refered to the Moon reflecting the Sun. And how it is seen, but the light that it is known for is a reflection of the Sun. I hope that as my life resounds the affects of the Word: respond, I hope that my response is a reflection of the God I serve.


I just want to challenge all of you to find a word and think of how its affect on your life could be evident on the 31st of December.

If you do, Id love to hear your words and what you are hoping to see this year, feel free to comment! And to see the resounding response to this phenominon, check out the KLove blog and see all the comments of people who are living in the hope of their words for 2011!

http://www.klove.com/blog/post/2011/01/31/My-One-Word-for-2011-.aspx