Christianity – Page 18 – Old Things New

Freedom Friday – When You’re Not Enough

June 12, 2015 by Patti 17 Comments

Do you ever feel like you’re not enough? Not pretty enough, not clever enough, not perky enough, not young enough, not old enough? Believe it or not, there was a time . . . long, long ago . . . when I could hardly wait for the time that I’d be old enough to attain the respect I felt was my due. I’ve overcome that 🙂

Welcome to FREEDOM FRIDAY – A devotional, emotional, spiritual and sometimes hysterical series that I will be sharing on occasional Fridays, in addition to my regular Old Things New posts. Why? Because though once bound in chains Christ has set me free – FREE to live, to love, to dance, to sing, to be who God created me to be!

I was raised by hard working, salt-of-the-earth type parents who instilled values in me that said, “God helps those who help themselves” and, “Do everything you can and leave the rest to God.”

Hmmm . . .

Is a 50-50 proposition between God and me what He really wants?

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Today’s culture tells us that we can become whatever we want to be and that success is ours for the taking. We simply have to strive harder, reach farther, believe in ourselves, and never give up. Good positive thoughts right?

So what if we work and strain and struggle to be the best we can be and fail? And we will all fail eventually. What room does all this striving leave for the miraculous, the extraordinary, the astounding, the incredible, the unbelievable?

Oh . . . that’s what I want! I don’t want to do it on my own power when I can have the power of the living God working in and through me to accomplish things greater than I could ever ask or think.

The following is a list of *STEPS I’ve personally taken to change my feeling of not being enough to being exactly what God wants me to be.

Let go of your perception of being in control (because things will eventually spin out of your control).
Acknowledge that God is God and you are not Him.
Turn your life over to God (if you haven’t already), accepting Jesus as Savior and allowing Him to fill you with His Spirit.
Confess past sin and believe that the shame, guilt and condemnation you’ve carried no longer have power or authority over you (I feel a “how to” post coming on that one).
Forgive those who’ve hurt you (and maybe a “how to” post here as well).
Take responsibility and acknowledge wrong to those you’ve hurt (and here!).
Keep a short record of wrongs . . . or, in other words, take responsibility for your actions as soon as you “mess up” and choose to forgive others quickly when they “mess up”.
Spend time with God – in His Word and in prayer – seeking to know Him intimately as “Papa God”. Don’t rush in and out of this time, making it an empty ritual, but stay . . . wait . . . and listen for Him to speak to you. In this time with Him He will affirm you, comfort you, wrap His arms around you and whisper sweet secrets into your ear. He longs to reveal Himself to you, to tell you who you really are in Him and to open up to you what He can do in and through you! It is in this place alone with Him that He will strengthen you to go out into your daily life so filled with Holy Spirit power that the overflow will spill over onto the lives of those around you.
This is the last step: When you come out of that place of fellowship with God, filled and strengthened by Him, go out and let the overflow of His love spill on to others!

Please know this from one who once felt like she was not enough: As a redeemed child of God, a Christ follower, filled with the Holy Spirit you have everything you need.

You are not too little, you are not too much, you are exactly who God created you to be.

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What a relief!!!

Blessings,

Prayer: Dear Papa God, from the depths of my heart I pray and ask that all who read these words will be touched by You and that they will come to understand that they no longer have to strive in their own power but that real strength can be found in You. You are all we need and You give us all we need at just the right time. Lord, please strengthen, affirm, encourage and do a new thing in the lives of those who need it today. Amen.

Scripture to ponder: Psalm 28:7; Psalm 46:10; Isa. 43:19; Zech. 4:6; Matt. 11:28; John 15:15; I Cor. 2:10; Gal. 3:3; Eph. 2:10; Eph. 3:20; Phil, 4:13; Phil. 4:19; II Pet. 1:3

The *STEPS mentioned above are loosely based on The 12 Steps of AA. Freedom Session teaches a Scriptural basis for all 12 steps in an excellent 9 month healing/discipleship program. As a former Director, along with my hubs, I can’t help but plug this life changing ministry here on my blog! For more information about Freedom Session I’ve included a link to their website.

I have been know to link to the following Inspirational Parties:

3-D Lessons for Life/Thought Provoking Thursdays The Deliberate Mom/Shine Blog Hop I Choose Joy
Fridays A Look at the Book Christian Mommy Blogger Fellowship Fridays Blessing Counters Missional Women Faith Filled Fridays Faith & Fellowship Bloghop Grace & Truth Linkup
Saturdays Still Saturday The Weekend Brew
Sundays Spiritual Sundays Sunday Stillness

Freedom Friday – Expectations That Rob us of God’s Best

April 3, 2015 by Patti 15 Comments

Hope, or a desire for something to happen, can be good. The Bible says that without hope a people perish. Hope in Christ gives us purpose.

Expectations, as my husband is fond of pointing out, are “resentments waiting to happen,” especially since they can be beliefs centered on a future that may not even be realistic.

In recent weeks God has been speaking to me through other people about some of the expectations I’ve placed on Him for my own life. Now, don’t get me wrong. The Bible is full of promises to those who follow Christ and God is faithful to keep His promises. Those are good expectations to have. My problem is getting ahead of God with this busy imagination of mine and working to achieve the things I ~~am sure~~ think God wants for my life!

Have you ever gotten ahead of God, imagining and planning how your life would play out? Have you ever been WRONG?

The problem is, when we start having expectations of how things are going to be without God’s clear direction we can start working toward our own end rather than waiting for what God wants to do in our life . . . and what God wants is always THE BEST THING for us. Sadly, our expectations can become so targeted that we miss God completely!

Let’s not mix hope with expectation.

My inspiration for today’s FF came from two sources, Pastor Roy of Outreach Church and Diane of An Extraordinary Day. Both have recently shared messages that touched on the time leading up to the crucifixion of Christ and the crowds who were streaming after Jesus, expectations running full bore.

One week before Jesus’ crucifixion (now celebrated as Palm Sunday) Jesus rode into the city of Jerusalem on the back of a donkey just as prophesied in Zechariah 9:9. The Jewish people had long anticipated a Messiah who would come and rescue them from the tyrannic Roman Empire, and they became excited at the prospect that this Jesus was the one, their expected deliverer! Palm branches waved wildly and garments were laid down upon the road to carpet the way for Messiah.

“The King who comes in the name of the Eternal One is blessed! Peace in heaven! Glory to God in the highest!,” shouted the crowds (Luke 19:38 The Voice Bible).

As my friend Diane pointed out in her post The Day Jesus Lays it All Down for Us, the people were familiar with the words they were quoting directly from Psalm 118:26 so they should’ve been familiar with the verse that followed in Psalm 118:27:

“Bring the sacrifice, and tie it to the horns of the altar.”

WHOA! Pause and think about THAT!

Tweet this! In their expectation of what their Messiah should be, the people were blinded to the greater thing He would become.

During the triumphal procession into Jerusalem throngs of people followed after Jesus. As the week moved forward Jesus taught in the Temple daily where the ire of the “religious folk” was raised higher with each passing day; He shared a final Passover meal with his disciples where he warned Peter that he would deny him; He was betrayed to the authorities by one of His own disciples; the crowds began to fall away and finally, when He came before Pilate one final time, many who had followed now turned upon Him demanding his death!

Matt. 27:24 tells us that, “Pilate saw that unless he wanted a riot on his hands, he now had to bow to their wishes, so he took a pitcher of water, stood before the crowd, and washed his hands,” saying, “This man’s blood will be upon you and not upon me.

The crowds replied, “Indeed, let His blood be upon us – upon us and our children!”

Still missing who Jesus was, in light of their own expectations, they didn’t even know the significance of their own words. Indeed, Christ’s blood, spilled out on the cross, would be upon them and upon all future generations.

A covering for sin, bringing life to those who believe and accept Him, and death for those who reject Him.

Expectations caused the people to miss who Christ was just as expectations can cause us to miss “the best” that God has in store for us.

Today, Good Friday, this is what I’m thankful for:

The blood of Jesus shed for me.
Robes of righteousness that cover me even when I don’t always get it right.
God teaching me AGAIN that I need to let go my own expectations and turn every part of my life over to Him . . . Yes, He has my heart but does he have my future, my hopes & dreams, my family, my everything, or am I still holding on . . . just a bit?
Knowing that what God has planned for my future is far better than my own plans.
Peace in knowing for certain that He is Sovereign God.
Joy in walking with Him and learning new things daily . . . and an eternity of new truths to learn ahead of me still!

What are you thankful for?

Wishing you and yours an Easter weekend filled with awe as you experience anew, God’s great LOVE for YOU!

Blessings,

Photos taken at Mount Rainier National Park and Long Beach, Washington

I have been know to link to the following Inspirational Parties:

MORE – From Messes to Miracles – Book Giveaway!

March 20, 2015 by Patti 21 Comments

Life can be downright “messy” can’t it? Have you ever felt as if there was something missing in your life, or had a longing for MORE that nothing could satisfy? Have you ever wished for a different version of your life? How about a different version of YOU?

That is what author and speaker Tammie Head was longing for when God met her and rescued her from a life in the sex trade industry, by personally whispering to her heart,

“You were made for more.”

I was thrilled when I was asked to review this book, especially since I relate so personally to the subtitle, “From Messes to Miracles”, in my own life. From the time Tammie Head began her personal walk with Jesus she had a hunger to learn everything she could about the God who had saved her and a passion to share His Word. Though she has been teaching the Bible for years, in this book she steps out in faith for the first time to share her story, and even as she wrote she found herself wondering what people would think of her when the messiness of her life was revealed, how others would respond to hearing of the less than lovely places God had rescued her from. The wondering was stopped with the question,

“Do people know how good your God has been to you?”

In this inspiring story of God’s redemptive power, Tammie shares her past but her focus doesn’t remain there long as she turns our attention to God, the Redeemer, the One who changed her life. She states that,

“Any significant change in our life begins with encountering God first.”

Tammie’s writing inspires us to seek after MORE of God than many of us have ever done before, in our normal routine of going to church, reading a daily Bible passage and saying a prayer. She talks about how our Christian culture has raised us to dress up and put on happy faces no matter what’s going on in our lives because “good performance is highly esteemed.” She stresses the necessity of inviting God into all the messy places of our hearts so that He can bring about healing. Wide open hearts is where our encounter with God begins!

Are we ready for MORE in our lives? It begins with seeking after MORE of God. And, “If we want more of God we must let God do more in us.” This takes surrender.

In this book Tammie will lovingly teach what it means to fully surrender and the steps to walking with God. She will ignite in you an excitement to know God the way she herself has come to know Him. She will inspire, encourage, exhort, convict, and, in the end you will want to jump on board for an exciting life of MORE!

I recommend this book to all believers, new and old in the faith. For new believers, this book will teach you how to experience MORE of the same miracle working God we read about in the Bible, and for more seasoned believers, it just might stir up something new and exciting in your faith as it challenges you to stop doing Christianity in the same old way. For both groups, this is a great book to read and to share with an unbelieving friend!

As BETH MOORE said of Tammie, “This young woman is a gift to the body of Christ. You will love Tammie Head and you will love what God does through her. Above all else, by the time she’s done with you, you will love her God.”

I love Tammie Head and her God. I feel like I’ve come to know her personally after reading her story and I believe you’ll feel the same way too! You can find the link to order the book MORE on my sidebar under “A Few of my Favorite Things” . . .

AND . . .

You can also enter to win a copy as Icon Media has generously offered a FREE copy of the book to one of my readers. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post and I will announce the winner on March 31st. Please don’t forget to share this review with your friends on Facebook and Twitter. You just might change a life!

Blessings,

I have been know to link to the following Inspirational Parties:

Mondays Making Your Home Sing Mondays The Beauty in His Grip What Joy is Mine/Monday Musings A Proverbs 31 Wife Darling Downs Diaries The Art of Homemaking Mom2Mom Linkup
Tuesdays Rich Faith Rising Unite Linky Cornerstone Confessions Titus 2 Tuesday Teaching What is Good Time Warp Wife Solo Deo Gloria Sisterhood More of Him Testimony Tuesday
Wednesdays A Wise Woman Builds Her Home Juana Mikels Woman to Woman Word Filled Wednesdays A Little R & R Whole Hearted Home So Much at Home Mom’s Morning Coffee Women with Intention
Thursdays Serving Joyfully/Thriving Thursdays 3-D Lessons for Life/Thought Provoking Thursdays The Deliberate Mom/Shine Blog Hop I Choose Joy
Fridays A Look at the Book Christian Mommy Blogger Fellowship Fridays Blessing Counters Missional Women Faith Filled Fridays Faith & Fellowship Bloghop Grace & Truth Linkup
Saturdays Still Saturday The Weekend Brew
Sundays Spiritual Sundays Sunday Stillness