Today I spent 4 hours uninterrupted (except by rain - moving mat and Bible and journal from grass to car to grass to car) with my Bible. There were no other stipulations to this challenge offered to me by a GREAT sermon
http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/sermons/he-will-send-his-angel-before-you#.Ti4HsiA4jSY.facebook
I filled a few pages of a neat handmade journal with verses and thoughts and things that jumped out at me... and I came away feeling victory and STARVED (sadly - literally :c) )
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
KS- The Jordan River analogy
Ken came home from a day long men's seminar and one of the things that stood out to him was something that has grown in my mind and that I find myself sharing at every opportunity. I think God has filled extra understanding into what I heard and it has such meaning to me right now.
The Jordan River in Israel flows through the whole country. It feeds two seas. One sea it feeds is the Kinerret (the Sea of Galilee) and the other is the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea has NO outlets. What flows into it sits and dies. There is NO life in the Dead Sea. The Sea of Galilee conversely has many outlets. It is fed and it keeps flowing out. It is never lacking, is teeming with life, and keeps pouring out - a wonderful cycle in nature, but these two seas make a perfect analogy for the Christian who wants to grow. A healthy and productive Christian is continually being filled with Jesus and the Spirit of God. But they are to spill it out, all over the place, to everyone they can find. If I am going to be most perfectly living a full Christian life, the more God fills me, the more I need to spill it out. The more I spill out, the MORE God will fill me. Think of gushing out the life and the love and the knowledge and the wonder of God. Your immediate family will benefit, YOU will benefit, the people you meet each day will benefit, and the whole world will benefit. And the best part is, God keeps flowing in.... never ending :c)
The Jordan River in Israel flows through the whole country. It feeds two seas. One sea it feeds is the Kinerret (the Sea of Galilee) and the other is the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea has NO outlets. What flows into it sits and dies. There is NO life in the Dead Sea. The Sea of Galilee conversely has many outlets. It is fed and it keeps flowing out. It is never lacking, is teeming with life, and keeps pouring out - a wonderful cycle in nature, but these two seas make a perfect analogy for the Christian who wants to grow. A healthy and productive Christian is continually being filled with Jesus and the Spirit of God. But they are to spill it out, all over the place, to everyone they can find. If I am going to be most perfectly living a full Christian life, the more God fills me, the more I need to spill it out. The more I spill out, the MORE God will fill me. Think of gushing out the life and the love and the knowledge and the wonder of God. Your immediate family will benefit, YOU will benefit, the people you meet each day will benefit, and the whole world will benefit. And the best part is, God keeps flowing in.... never ending :c)
KS- Unlimiting God book questions
The last 3 things God has said to me, app. dates, and my response to them
"Who died and made you king of anything?" Give up Farmville, stop spending so much time on things that don't honor me or make you grow in me... (Feb. March 2011)
My response was to feel convicted, try to spend a bit more time with God, but say "It's too hard to give up my computer things..." and feel more guilt...
"you are fearfully and wonderfully made" (June 2011) - research what that really meant and soak in the words and that God woke me to tell me that, because He needed me to know how He felt so I could grow... this I took to heart and I'm being thankful for lots more about myself than I ever was. If God can tell me so clearly that He took special care in making me me, then WOW I am amazingly made
"He is jealous for me" (June 2011) Again, He wants my time and my affection and He wants to be more important to me than my computer activities... this time, well, I ignored it again. I didn't ACT on it but I soaked in the thoughts more and more often. Still felt such guilt for ignoring it, but spent almost all of the time I was wasting playing on my computer things listening to good teachings and great music
****
Am I enjoying my time alone with God? What should I adjust to enjoy it more?
Honestly, I'm not enjoying quiet time much. I don't sit still and think and do serious things well. At all... I think so much of it is personality, but the deal breaker is all of the things I'd RATHER be doing. Again with the computer and games....
Yesterday if you asked me what I could do to enjoy my time with God more, I'd say No Clue, because I saw no way out of stopping the things I loved more. But last night, with my BSC challenge of the day, I set in my head how today would go, and it included LOTS of discipline. My expectations were that God would show me that what I was "giving up" today to spend time with Him was so worth it that I would long for more of it.
It will take a lot more discipline to keep up with this, because today, I saw the end in sight. But to continue takes more discipline cause I'm going on and on with it. But I want to! So let's see :c)
****
Would I say I'm feeding on the milk or the meat of God currently? What would it take to get there?
Milk, absolutely! I need to be hand fed and pushed and prodded, but I'm actively LOOKING to be pushed along! And I'm looking forward to the day I am on to the meat, and able to share and push and prod and help others along... It's been prophesied over me that I will be the nurturer one day, and that I will be off the desert path and into green pastures, and in to the Joy of the Lord, and I'm going to keep poking along until I get there...
So I guess it will just take not quitting and pushing myself a bit further at every opportunity. I know where I want to be and I'm going to try as hard as I can stand at every chance.
****
If I'm a Bible teacher or one who shares counsel and encouragement with others, how do I see the depth at which I do this? How are people responding?
Funny question, because how I see it and how people respond are totally different. I FEEL as if the things I'm sharing and trying to encourage people in are really from MY opinions. This was covered in the book and I was convicted - people aren't getting anything worthwhile if I'm expressing my opinions. I should be expressing words from God. I don't feel wise enough or far enough along in my journey to be expressing words from God. While I FEEL like they are my opinions, I also know that I'm not letting myself say things that I feel are WRONG or anti God's teachings... I try to express love and forgiveness and joy and seek out God and....
I need to immerse myself more in God's word so that His thoughts come through me to others who need it.
I have been told since I've been reaching out to others that what I am saying and doing and encouraging is really helping them find more of God
"Who died and made you king of anything?" Give up Farmville, stop spending so much time on things that don't honor me or make you grow in me... (Feb. March 2011)
My response was to feel convicted, try to spend a bit more time with God, but say "It's too hard to give up my computer things..." and feel more guilt...
"you are fearfully and wonderfully made" (June 2011) - research what that really meant and soak in the words and that God woke me to tell me that, because He needed me to know how He felt so I could grow... this I took to heart and I'm being thankful for lots more about myself than I ever was. If God can tell me so clearly that He took special care in making me me, then WOW I am amazingly made
"He is jealous for me" (June 2011) Again, He wants my time and my affection and He wants to be more important to me than my computer activities... this time, well, I ignored it again. I didn't ACT on it but I soaked in the thoughts more and more often. Still felt such guilt for ignoring it, but spent almost all of the time I was wasting playing on my computer things listening to good teachings and great music
****
Am I enjoying my time alone with God? What should I adjust to enjoy it more?
Honestly, I'm not enjoying quiet time much. I don't sit still and think and do serious things well. At all... I think so much of it is personality, but the deal breaker is all of the things I'd RATHER be doing. Again with the computer and games....
Yesterday if you asked me what I could do to enjoy my time with God more, I'd say No Clue, because I saw no way out of stopping the things I loved more. But last night, with my BSC challenge of the day, I set in my head how today would go, and it included LOTS of discipline. My expectations were that God would show me that what I was "giving up" today to spend time with Him was so worth it that I would long for more of it.
It will take a lot more discipline to keep up with this, because today, I saw the end in sight. But to continue takes more discipline cause I'm going on and on with it. But I want to! So let's see :c)
****
Would I say I'm feeding on the milk or the meat of God currently? What would it take to get there?
Milk, absolutely! I need to be hand fed and pushed and prodded, but I'm actively LOOKING to be pushed along! And I'm looking forward to the day I am on to the meat, and able to share and push and prod and help others along... It's been prophesied over me that I will be the nurturer one day, and that I will be off the desert path and into green pastures, and in to the Joy of the Lord, and I'm going to keep poking along until I get there...
So I guess it will just take not quitting and pushing myself a bit further at every opportunity. I know where I want to be and I'm going to try as hard as I can stand at every chance.
****
If I'm a Bible teacher or one who shares counsel and encouragement with others, how do I see the depth at which I do this? How are people responding?
Funny question, because how I see it and how people respond are totally different. I FEEL as if the things I'm sharing and trying to encourage people in are really from MY opinions. This was covered in the book and I was convicted - people aren't getting anything worthwhile if I'm expressing my opinions. I should be expressing words from God. I don't feel wise enough or far enough along in my journey to be expressing words from God. While I FEEL like they are my opinions, I also know that I'm not letting myself say things that I feel are WRONG or anti God's teachings... I try to express love and forgiveness and joy and seek out God and....
I need to immerse myself more in God's word so that His thoughts come through me to others who need it.
I have been told since I've been reaching out to others that what I am saying and doing and encouraging is really helping them find more of God
Sunday, July 3, 2011
KS- He is jealous for me
God has been speaking to me this weekend. It's something I'm fighting tooth and nail. Cause actually, He's been telling me, for months now, that He is jealous of me, and He is jealous of the time I spend away from Him.
Attributing it to being weak, and ignoring the little jabs that seem to be getting stronger, and knowing it will be sooooo hard and sometimes painful to let go of the things that fill my time, I've made no changes. But last night, the guest speaker at WRC spoke a few amazing words. One was that you are able to hear God's voice, His prodding. But if you ignore it, it will become significantly quieter until you no longer hear God. I've spent a life not really able to hear God, and now that He's talking to me, I don't want to lose it. I want it to be MORE than what I have now. I want it to be ALL of the time. So I must not ignore what I hear, right?? *sigh*
I woke up this morning singing "You're all I want, you're all I've ever needed" and then "Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace". Somehow, this morning, it was much easier, and even appealing, to NOT go to my usual vices. I know I have heard God's voice, and I listened immediately without fighting or "pretending" I hadn't. I expect blessings. And better, I expect to hear His voice more often, and more clearly.
These addictions I have are very strong, and it will be so hard not to slip back in, but while I am able, I am letting go!! I hope to find more things to fill my time with that are more God honoring... and I hope that if I slip back, that He will be giving me the words and the strength to let go again.
Attributing it to being weak, and ignoring the little jabs that seem to be getting stronger, and knowing it will be sooooo hard and sometimes painful to let go of the things that fill my time, I've made no changes. But last night, the guest speaker at WRC spoke a few amazing words. One was that you are able to hear God's voice, His prodding. But if you ignore it, it will become significantly quieter until you no longer hear God. I've spent a life not really able to hear God, and now that He's talking to me, I don't want to lose it. I want it to be MORE than what I have now. I want it to be ALL of the time. So I must not ignore what I hear, right?? *sigh*
I woke up this morning singing "You're all I want, you're all I've ever needed" and then "Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace". Somehow, this morning, it was much easier, and even appealing, to NOT go to my usual vices. I know I have heard God's voice, and I listened immediately without fighting or "pretending" I hadn't. I expect blessings. And better, I expect to hear His voice more often, and more clearly.
These addictions I have are very strong, and it will be so hard not to slip back in, but while I am able, I am letting go!! I hope to find more things to fill my time with that are more God honoring... and I hope that if I slip back, that He will be giving me the words and the strength to let go again.
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