I've been reading this book By CJ Hitz Called "Fuel for the soul " 21 days of devotionals and wanted to bring you along on my 21 days of devotionals. You can get a copy of this book from her website.
So lets begin !!
Day 2: Back to the Basics
If you've practiced a sport for any length of time, you know what it means to go through a "slump". Professional athletes go through slumps. Whether you're talking to an NBA basketball player struggling with his jump shot or a PGA golfer struggling with his swing, they'll tell you the same thing when it comes to working out of a slump..."it's time to get back to the basics." The fundamentals. These are the essentials necessary to play the game correctly.
In golf, something as simple as the way you're gripping the club can throw your swing off. We live in an age of gimmicks, fads, and fancy solutions to many problems we face. Churches are no strangers to these "cool, hip, state of the art" methods.There's only one problem...They're not working. Records show the largest protestant denominations in the U.S. have reported 0% new growth over the last couple years. Zero. Even with multi-million dollar building campaigns, the most expensive gadgets, or the hippest youth facility, churches are seeing little impact.
We've been relying on gimmicks over God. Jesus gave his disciples a key "fundamental" to practice after his
resurrection. Are you ready for this?
Here it is... Waiting.
In Acts 1:4, Jesus tells the disciples to "wait in Jerusalem until the Father sends you what he promised." So simple, yet so profound. Many times, we rush to begin a new program in the church and then we ask God to bless our efforts rather than asking for his direction in the first place. When it doesn't get the desired result we hoped for we're left scratching our heads. Ready to come out of your spiritual slump? Get back to the basics.
Hitz, CJ (2011-09-14). Fuel for the Soul: 21 Devotionals That Nourish (Kindle Locations 79-84). Body and Soul Publishing. Kindle Edition.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Fuel for the soul " 21 Days of devotionals
I've been reading this book By CJ Hitz Called "Fuel for the soul " 21 days of devotionals and wanted to bring you along on my 21 days of devotionals. You can get a free copy of this from her website.
So lets begin !!
Day 1: Cloudy Water
Have you ever seen one of those glass bubble-looking things that you shake and it looks like a blizzard inside? Umm...CJ, it's called a snow globe. Eventually, after you set it down, all the little flakes settle on the bottom. You can get a similar effect when you take a glass jar, fill it with river or pond water and shake it up. After several minutes, the sediment settles on the bottom.
At times, our lives resemble these containers when they're shaken up. The waters of our lives become cloudy and stirred up to the point where we lack focus and clarity. During these times it becomes necessary to quiet ourselves so we're able to hear the voice of God again. The only way this really happens is to take a break from the distractions and activity.
Jesus knew the importance of allowing the 'water to clear.' Luke's 5:16 tells us that "Jesus often withdrew to lonely places for prayer." Yes, even Jesus' life became cloudy at times. Jesus was, quite possibly, one of the busiest people to ever live, constantly encountering people who wanted or needed something from him. Of course, he was more than willing to give of Himself sacrificially.
Activity in our lives is a good thing. Let's just remember to allow the to clear from time to time by withdrawing to lonely places.
Hitz, CJ (2011-09-14). Fuel for the Soul: 21 Devotionals That Nourish (Kindle Location 69). Body and Soul Publishing. Kindle Edition.
So lets begin !!
Day 1: Cloudy Water
Have you ever seen one of those glass bubble-looking things that you shake and it looks like a blizzard inside? Umm...CJ, it's called a snow globe. Eventually, after you set it down, all the little flakes settle on the bottom. You can get a similar effect when you take a glass jar, fill it with river or pond water and shake it up. After several minutes, the sediment settles on the bottom.
At times, our lives resemble these containers when they're shaken up. The waters of our lives become cloudy and stirred up to the point where we lack focus and clarity. During these times it becomes necessary to quiet ourselves so we're able to hear the voice of God again. The only way this really happens is to take a break from the distractions and activity.
Jesus knew the importance of allowing the 'water to clear.' Luke's 5:16 tells us that "Jesus often withdrew to lonely places for prayer." Yes, even Jesus' life became cloudy at times. Jesus was, quite possibly, one of the busiest people to ever live, constantly encountering people who wanted or needed something from him. Of course, he was more than willing to give of Himself sacrificially.
Activity in our lives is a good thing. Let's just remember to allow the to clear from time to time by withdrawing to lonely places.
Hitz, CJ (2011-09-14). Fuel for the Soul: 21 Devotionals That Nourish (Kindle Location 69). Body and Soul Publishing. Kindle Edition.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Always feeling never Good Enough?
He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. John 1:11
I'm pretty sure this rejection carried with me through my adult life because I still struggle with the feelings of not being good enough. I still look to find my worth in the people who let me into their “groups” and even through those who still reject me. Often I strive to be accepted by certain people thinking that maybe if they accept me or even acknowledge me then I will finally be good enough. As an adult I have experienced rejection among church, family, and friends. I have also rejected and hurt others in my life. Even though I believe that we need to have boundaries in all relationships, I also believe that even through those boundaries we can still accept and love the other person.
So many years of believing that what I did made me good enough has held me back from the life God had planned for me. Oh how disappointed I was to find out that even if I tried my best - someone or something - would say “You’re not good enough.”. So often when we are rejected by life, or other people, we harbor this lie that we are not good enough. Perfection doesn't mean good enough. When we seek acceptance from others we often put on the actions we must take and the hoops we must jump through in order to please them. But perfection doesn't mean you are good enough. The pursuit of perfection means you are insecure in who you are and what you are capable of doing.
SO often we have been rejected, that we reject our self. We hold back the gifts God has given us. We compare our self to other people. We are ashamed of our mistakes. Guilt says you're not good enough. When we reject our self we reject God because God is alive in our heart through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Are we weak? Yes. Are we perfect? No. Do we have all the answers? No. Do we need to have all the answers to live a life accepted? No. Do we need to BE “a god” in order to encourage others in their walk with Christ? No. God has already accepted us and He will equip us. But in order for us to live a life accepted we must first realize the truth and we must begin to LIVE it out. That truth is we are accepted by God always, and rejection is a lie.
The truth is this: God made you in His image, and that makes you capable. Not by what you can do, not by what you have learned, but by His grace. Grace to shower His love on us, grace for creating us in His image and with a free will, and grace to bless us with the gift of the Holy Spirit.
HB
I'm pretty sure this rejection carried with me through my adult life because I still struggle with the feelings of not being good enough. I still look to find my worth in the people who let me into their “groups” and even through those who still reject me. Often I strive to be accepted by certain people thinking that maybe if they accept me or even acknowledge me then I will finally be good enough. As an adult I have experienced rejection among church, family, and friends. I have also rejected and hurt others in my life. Even though I believe that we need to have boundaries in all relationships, I also believe that even through those boundaries we can still accept and love the other person.
So many years of believing that what I did made me good enough has held me back from the life God had planned for me. Oh how disappointed I was to find out that even if I tried my best - someone or something - would say “You’re not good enough.”. So often when we are rejected by life, or other people, we harbor this lie that we are not good enough. Perfection doesn't mean good enough. When we seek acceptance from others we often put on the actions we must take and the hoops we must jump through in order to please them. But perfection doesn't mean you are good enough. The pursuit of perfection means you are insecure in who you are and what you are capable of doing.
SO often we have been rejected, that we reject our self. We hold back the gifts God has given us. We compare our self to other people. We are ashamed of our mistakes. Guilt says you're not good enough. When we reject our self we reject God because God is alive in our heart through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Are we weak? Yes. Are we perfect? No. Do we have all the answers? No. Do we need to have all the answers to live a life accepted? No. Do we need to BE “a god” in order to encourage others in their walk with Christ? No. God has already accepted us and He will equip us. But in order for us to live a life accepted we must first realize the truth and we must begin to LIVE it out. That truth is we are accepted by God always, and rejection is a lie.
The truth is this: God made you in His image, and that makes you capable. Not by what you can do, not by what you have learned, but by His grace. Grace to shower His love on us, grace for creating us in His image and with a free will, and grace to bless us with the gift of the Holy Spirit.
HB
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