Writeous Living http://writeousliving.posterous.com Most recent posts at Writeous Living posterous.com Thu, 03 Mar 2011 19:14:48 -0800 Get Your Hands Off My Stuff http://writeousliving.posterous.com/get-your-hands-off-my-stuff http://writeousliving.posterous.com/get-your-hands-off-my-stuff Wow. That's all I can really say... Have you ever believed something to be true, but then when you actually experience it - it completely knocks the wind out of you...you're stunned. This just happened to me...I just received a divine message from the Lord - "get your hands off My stuff." Lately, I've been experiencing a series of P&G (Patience & Grace) tests...I've failed most of them. :-) I'm not discouraged though because I know that God will work my impatient nature out of me eventually...There isn't enough room for it if He's going to stay in my life. Anyway...the more I learn about relationships, the more tests (I feel) have been set in front of me. Have you ever had a friendship in which you feel a little neglected at times? Your friend seems to be extremely busy at some points (or all of the time in some cases) and you feel as if you don't measure up on the importance scale. I've been the busy friend and I've been the neglected friend. In either situation, it is really easy to want to call up the other friend and tell them your feelings and how their actions are affecting you. Don't do it. Seriously - don't. You'll only exacerbate the hurt feelings. Last night, God stunned me. I was praying about a friendship in which I felt as if I'd been temporarily placed on the back burner. It was frustrating for me and I really wanted to take matters into my own hands. But I felt God saying, "get your hands off My stuff"...so I surrendered in the moment...giving the situation to Him. He got an earful from me about my feelings - not complaining...just informing. After sharing, I asked Him to take care of the situation for me because anything I would say (in my emotional state) to the friend would probably frustrate and perpetuate the problem. I asked Him if I could express my feelings at whatever point He saw as appropriate. Not even 30 seconds later, my friend called and said that s/he had been sleeping but woke up and thought of me...knowing that s/he should call me. I was able to share my feelings and we worked through finding a balance together. Stunned. Tell me there is no God and I'll know you're a fool (Psalm 14:1). Tell me God doesn't want to hear about your feelings and troubles and I'll reassure you that He cares. "Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you." 1 Peter 5:7  

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Wed, 16 Feb 2011 08:48:36 -0800 Is God a "sore loser"? http://writeousliving.posterous.com/is-god-a-sore-loser http://writeousliving.posterous.com/is-god-a-sore-loser Sore loser: Someone who believes s/he is better than his/her competition, entitled to first place and will not succumb to anything but the best or highest position/honor. (That is my own creative definition...it's not dictionarial...and probably less than accurate...it's a working street definition.) I'm sure we all know someone who fits this definition. If you don't, it might be you. I've been a sore loser at some points in my life...no one really enjoys losing - that's not ever our goal when we set out to compete in something...but someone has to lose. So, if we insert God into this definition...does He qualify as a sore loser? Let's see... Someone (God) believes He is better than His competition, entitled to first place and will not succumb to anything but the best or highest position/honor. I do believe the shoe fits his (probably gigantic) foot...but consider the following with me, if you will. Given the definition above, these verses (NLT version) support the argument that God could be considered a sore loser: He says there is no other god but Him:
  • Exodus 20:3/Deut 5:7 “You must not have any other god but me.”
  • Isaiah 44:6 "This is what the Lord says - Israel's King and Redeemer, the Lord of Heaven's Armies: 'I am the First and the Last; there is no other god.'"
  • Psalm 96:4 "Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods."
  • Deuteronomy 6:4-5/Mark 12:29-30 “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.”
  • Matthew 6:33 "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need."
God comes before anyone else, it is Him or the other - not both:
  • Psalm 118:8 "It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people."
  • Acts 5:29 “...'we must obey God rather than any human authority.'”
  • Romans 6:16 "Don't you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living."
  • Matthew 6:24/Luke 16:13 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money."
  • Galatians 4:7-9 "Now you are no longer a slave but God's own child. And since you are his child, God has made you His heir. Before you Gentiles knew God, you were slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist. So now that you know God (or should I say, now that God knows you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual principles of this world?"
  • Romans 1:25 "They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator Himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen."
I chose the term "sore loser" because the definition fits what God has said about Himself...however, "sore loser" implies that it is possible to be beaten by someone better. The fact of the matter is...there is no one like our God.
  • Exodus 15:11 "Who is like You among the gods, O Lord - glorious in holiness, awesome in splendor, performing great wonders?"
  • Psalm 113:5 "Who can be compared with the Lord our God, who is enthroned on high?
  • Deuteronomy 33:26 "There is no one like the God of Israel. He rides across the heavens to help you, across the skies in majestic splendor."
  • 2 Samuel 7:22 "How great You are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like You. We have never even heard of another god like You!"
  • Jeremiah 10:6 "Lord, there is no one like You! For You are great, and Your name is full of power."
So no, God is not a sore loser - because He can't be beat. I'm sure there are plenty more verses to support each of these sections, but I'm hoping you get the point. If not, I'll tell you exactly what it is.

God is first - before everything and everyone. If you tend to your relationship with Him as the special thing that it is, everything else will fall into place.

Please understand that if you choose to follow God, you will struggle everyday of your life to put Him first. Following Christ requires endurance...it is not for the faint of heart. Distractions will bombard you and temptation will try to bust down your door day in and day out. But our testing and trials are not in vain (Galatians 6:9, James 1:2-3, Hebrews 10:36) and we will be blessed for remaining steadfast.

What would the world look like if Christians really allowed God to sit on His rightful throne in their life?

What would [insert your name here] look like?

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Sun, 06 Feb 2011 01:25:08 -0800 Fighting God http://writeousliving.posterous.com/fighting-god http://writeousliving.posterous.com/fighting-god From a heart that has shed many tears, I can tell you that going through "the fire" isn't easy. There are times in life when God draws us into an uncomfortable place...whether for a moment or a season. Imagine a fiery wall built up all around you. Your vision is blurred, your senses play tricks on you and nothing makes sense. It seems as if no one is around and you are left to fend for yourself. Abandonment. Your heart is affected most severely...it breaks and wants nothing more than to escape. You long to find some kind of relief - even if it's temporary. All the while, you have voices surrounding you on every side - "give up," or "move on"...some say, "hang in there" and "keep fighting." There is a saying that is said in may different ways, but the essence of it is - "Anything worth having is worth fighting for." After listening to many different voices and opinions of how to get yourself out of the fire, this phrase seems empowering. It seemingly offers hope and strength when all that you've previously known seems to have disintegrated into ashes. But I want to pose this as somewhat of a counter-question...When we're in the uncomfortable place of refinement - where God strips us of ungodly things and makes us more like Him...What are we fighting for? To take it a step further...who are we fighting? Are we fighting back the tears that don't seem to end? The tears that flood from your heart when your eyes dry up.  Are we fighting to be strong for the voices surrounding us and the eyes recording our every move? Or...are we fighting against God for what we feel has been taken away from us? I would argue that, more often than not...we pick the wrong battles. I'm learning that the fight is against ourselves. We must fight the desire to hold onto what God is trying to free us from. Fight the inclination to entertain any voice other an God's. Most importantly, we must fight -daily- to nurture our connection with God. He is our Source of life...He promised to "guide [us] along the best path for [our] life. [He] will advise [us] and watch over [us]." (Psalm 32:8) If the best path for my life is through testing and trials to make me more like (and closer to) Him...I surrender, knowing full well that it won't be easy and it'll be the furthest thing from comfortable...But so was the cross. Lord, make us better. Send Your refining fire.

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Sun, 23 Jan 2011 23:52:52 -0800 23 Reasons I've Been Ruined By God http://writeousliving.posterous.com/23-reasons-ive-been-ruined-by-god http://writeousliving.posterous.com/23-reasons-ive-been-ruined-by-god In my post, “9 Reasons Why I Used to Be a Christian” I listed reasons that motivated me to become a Christian. But those reasons were not enough to convince me that there was any significance or merit to the title, “Christian.” We can all think of people who call themselves Christians but are the biggest hypocrites we know. I’m sure we can also think of times where we ourselves have been hypocrites and the finger should’ve been or was pointed at us. We all mess up – but being a Christian isn’t about us. It’s about Christ – and His awesomeness (…what an inadequately inefficient and grammatically incorrect way to describe God. Apologies.) Today I give you reasons why I can’t follow anyone but Christ…how God has ruined me for anyone but Himself… whether or not that makes me a Christian is up to you…
  1. God loved me first and He’s never stopped (Isaiah 46:3).
  2. He gave me the choice instead of forcing me to love Him in return (Ephesians 2:4-5) (1 John 4:9-10, 19-20).
  3. He doesn’t determine His love for me based on how I treat Him (Psalm 130:7) (Isaiah 54:10).
  4. God is patient (1 Timothy 1:16)…a complete gentleman that never forces His way but always waits for my response.
  5. He doesn’t flip out on me when I mess up (Exodus 34:6) (Psalm 86:15) (Psalm 103:8) (Nahum 1:3).
  6. He forgives every mistake I’ve ever made – regardless of what it is (Numbers 14:18).
  7. His standards are perfection and yet (because of Jesus) He accepts progression instead. No matter how many times I fail Him, He still accepts me with open arms (2 Timothy 2:13) (Titus 3:4-5).
  8. He sees everything I do (Job 34:21) (Psalm 11:4) (Psalm 139:2-4) (Proverbs 15:3) (Hebrews 4:13) but…
  9. He also sees everything I go through (Psalm 10:14)… He doesn’t miss anything (Psalm 56:8).
  10. He knows me intimately…every single detail... (Psalm 139: 1) He even knows my name (Isaiah 43:1).
  11. He knows what I need (Matthew 6:8).
  12. He knows what’s coming up for me…He helps me prepare for it (Proverbs 3:5-6) (Jeremiah 29:11).
  13. He wants me to spend time with Him (James 4:8)…to come looking for Him so that He can show me who He is (Jeremiah 29:13-14).
  14. He doesn’t leave me when others seem to disappear (Hebrews 13:5) (Psalm 27:10).
  15. He hears me…He listens to what I say… (Psalm 6:8-9) (Psalm 116:1-2).
  16. He never has a weak moment (Isaiah 40:28) (Ephesians 1:19-20).
  17. He rescued me from a dead-end life (Ephesians 2:4-5) that caused me heartache, confusion and disappointment (Psalm 18:16-19).
  18. He fixes what I’ve ruined (Joel 2:25). Not because He has to…simply because He wants to.
  19. He took my place because He considers me a friend (John 15:12-15) (Revelation 3:20).
  20. He is the only Man who has always kept His word (Joshua 23:14b) (Psalm 33:4) (Psalm 146:6).
  21. He has never ever lied (Numbers 23:19) (Titus 1:2) (Hebrews 6:18).
  22. He’s not indecisive (1 Samuel 15:29).
  23. He doesn’t change…I can always count on who He says He is (Malachi 3:6).
I don’t need another obligation for my calendar. What I need is a Friend who is committed to me regardless of how I act because I am so wishy-washy. All of the reasons in the other post for being a Christian are very common – but the problem is that they are all me-focused rather than God-focused. Those are all reasons that I benefit from or that have to do with me receiving credit or recognition for doing something. But, it’s not about me – it’s never been about me. And that my friends, is the mistake we’ve made as the Body of Jesus Christ. We’ve misrepresented Him because we each want to be seen/heard. It’s not about us…not then, not now, not ever. The message of the cross is essential, but it is just a demonstration of the love that God has been consistently showing for generations. Eternal life isn’t just being spared from hell…it’s about getting to know the One who sacrificed it all to be with us. Unwarranted love. So romantic! God has ruined me by revealing Himself to me. How could I settle for being a “Christian” (as in my other post) when I have the opportunity to know Christ personally?

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Thu, 20 Jan 2011 05:53:00 -0800 Sometimes We Don't Know What We're Doing http://writeousliving.posterous.com/sometimes-we-dont-know-what-were-doing http://writeousliving.posterous.com/sometimes-we-dont-know-what-were-doing This is a long one - think of it as a call to persevere... :-) A few days ago I began writing ideas that came to me while reading Joseph’s story (Genesis 37-50). One thing led to another and eventually I just had a jumbled mess of great ideas that I couldn’t seem to link to one another in a way that I’d be satisfied with.  Then, I decided I would write a series. After writing the first two posts, I decided I would write a mini e-book. Hopefully this will help me to clarify my thoughts and it will be logical and easy to understand for those who read it. So, I said all of that to say – that I will not be sharing my ideas with Joseph at this time. However, I will share how I even came across Joseph’s story. Monday I received a bit of news that could mean I’m about to walk through a few transitions. Since I don’t know what they look like – it’s a little frightening. Instead of letting me become disheartened, I felt the Lord enticing me into His presence. When I came home, all I wanted to do was read the Word or pray…I didn’t know what I’d read or what I’d really say – but it was that nagging feeling inside of me saying that nothing was more important at that time. Since the Psalms are encouraging, I opened my bible to the middle and landed on Psalm 105:17-22 where I read a brief snippet of Joseph’s life. This had me thinking about Joseph and I decided to read his story in its entirety. God lifted my spirit and covered me with His joy. He really is a good Dad…He knows what I need – even when I don’t. So, I said all of THAT to testify that He’s faithful and to tell you He’s back at it again. Tonight I came home and started cleaning/organizing to unwind from a long day at work. Most people’s idea of relaxing has to do with minimal movement…I’m probably a freak or something. Anyway, I was cleaning and felt the need to spend time with God. Once again, I didn’t know what I’d pray or where I should start reading. When I started praying, I was so distracted. I muttered two or three sentences about something, paused for about three minutes and then mumbled a few words about something completely different. Nice. As you can probably guess, praying lasted all of about 8 distracted minutes. So I went to the Word. I wanted to read one of Jesus’ parables for some reason…and wouldn’t you know – I flipped to a page in my NLT study bible (that I didn’t even know it had) which contained a list of all of Jesus’ parables. Get outta here! Now, to pick one…I felt the need to read about prayer (since I was so distracted). My options were: “The Unjust Judge” (Luke 18:1-8) and “The Friend at Midnight” (Luke 11:5-8). Right away I recalled what the first was about so I went to read the second thinking that it might tell me something about my inability to pray “efficiently.” Turns out, the friend at midnight is very similar to the unjust judge. Both teach us to pray again and again until we receive what we ask for. There are some stipulations to this (seeking the Kingdom first - Matthew 6:33, Luke 12:31), but I’ll save that for another post and another day. I didn’t have some extreme revelation descend on me from heaven while I was laying on my bedroom floor reading the passage. It was semi-encouraging but it wasn’t anything I was jumping up and down over (hence the laying on the floor). But, I started reading a book on intercession (praying or pleading on behalf of someone else) that a dear friend of mine gifted me for my birthday last year. It outlines and describes the different types of intercessors. The very first one was an issue intercessor…praying about issues that make you weep and pound the table because they aren’t right and they aren’t fair. If I really interceded for half of the issues that weigh on my heart, my fists would be bruised and my wrists might be broken. I’ve been lazy. God reminded me, through this book, that there are brothers and sisters risking their lives all over the world in order for others to know the Joy they’ve received. And what am I doing? Laying on my floor thinking about Humpty Dumpty and making a snack. Not really, but you know what I mean. Anyway, injustice is also another post for another day. My point is that, if you are discouraged from spending time with God because you don’t know what to say or where to start reading…do it anyway. Just try it. Keep going – because He will show up. This weekend, my pastor said he usually reads until he gets something that jumps out at him or gives him an “a-ha” type of feeling. Little by little, God is increasing the intimacy in our relationship – I can’t stay away from Him. Most of the time I come into His presence not knowing what to say or what to do. But He is loving and He’s always waiting for me. How I love Him.

Seek the Lord while you can find Him. Call on Him now while He is near. - Isaiah 55:6

No one loves you like He does. Go talk to Him. He’s waiting for you.

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