Be All You Can Be

Ain’t it amazing how we allow those things we did, didn’t do and think we did to stop us from being ALL God called us to be. I know in my own life, I see what I was in days gone by and the mistakes I made and deep in my heart I often question why God would want me let alone to actually use me to be a blessing to others. Some things I have done were really bad, others were not so bad and some I think were bad others tell me where not bad at all. When I see all these negatives in me it restrains me from truly letting go so God can totally filly my heart so I can be all He called me to be.

I wonder how many others out there have the same problems?? How many people see what they were or the things they did and allow them to hold back from being all God called them to be. Are you one of them?? If so, please, ask “Father” to allow you to see yourself as He sees you. That you may see the wonderful blessing He has called you to be to those close to you.

God called us all to be a blessing to others. Its about time we all started living that life that He has set aside for us.

Take By Force

Matthew 11:11–15 (ESV)

¹¹ Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. ¹² From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. ¹³ For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, ¹⁴ and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. ¹⁵ He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

What does it mean to take by force when you are dealing with the things of God? Surely he is not talking about taking a gun or a sword and going and taking as He could easily wipe out the entirety of mankind in a single thought. SO what is Jesus talking about here? Me I think we need to go all the way back to Genesis to find out.

Genesis 32:24–26 (ESV)

²⁴ And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. ²⁵ When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. ²⁶ Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

Jacob has the understand what it means to take by force. It is to desire God and to be blessed by God so much that you are not going to let God until He blesses you. To determine, in your heart, that you are going to be all God wants and you want all God has and no matter what happens, no matter how much pain you go through, you are not letting go till God blesses you with His presence and His touch.

In our society today of sitting down and letting the government do for me we do not understand this kind of desire cause we never have to fight for anything with this type of mentality. We think fighting is getting mad and shooting someone or punching them or whatever. “Father” wonders do you want what He has bad enough to truly fight for it? Are you willing to take His blessing regardless of the broken hip and the limp that you will have for the rest of your natural life cause of it? I can honestly say I am and I am seeking Him more and more each and every day. I pray you will come along with me on this wondrous journey of inspiration and blessing.

Sustained life and Godliness

2 Peter 1:3 (ESV)

³ His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,

We are told that God supplies everything we need for life and for Godliness. Having read this, I asked what does that mean?? What does it take to sustain life?? How do you sustain Godliness?? So I set about studying this and this is what I came up with.

What do you need to sustain life?

air, water, food, a temperature that can be tolerated.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_do_you_need_to_sustain_life

This is wiki answer for sustaining life. I wish to add we need other people as well for a couple of reasons. First, if we are alone then eventually the human race will die out so life will no longer exist. Secondly, because God made us into a community just as He lives in community with the Son and the Spirit. With these five things we can have life and some happiness as well.

John 15:1–11 (ESV)

I Am the True Vine

15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. ² Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. ³ Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. ⁴ Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. ⁵ I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. ⁷ If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. ⁹ As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. ¹¹ These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

John 15 clearly defines a relationship between the believers and God and it’s through this relationship that we sustain Godliness. Understanding that a relationship requires time spent with a person, in this case God, and constant work on maintaining it. I am certain there are no people out there who have been married long term that would tell you they never have to work on their marriage as well as there are no friends who been friends for years who never have to work on it. This involves hanging out and talking to the other person and listening to the other person as well as helping to meet the needs of that person. Likewise we must spend time with God and see what He needs from us. Yes, God does NEED things from you because of how He set things up within the guidelines for life.

Listed below is a list of 2 different types of people and the things that come about in their lives. The first one does NOT have a relationship with God. Regardless how many times a week they go to church or read their bible they do not know God.

The second one is a list of things that will come to pass in a person’s life while they are maintaining a true relationship with God. You can know you are sustaining Godliness by these two lists. Whichever one is present in your life shows the state of your relationship!

Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. ²⁴ And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Which one of these best describes you?

Craving is Lust

In Genesis the serpent created a craving in eve for the fruit of the tree of knowledge. This craving in ancient terms was lust.

In Romans 1:24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

It tells us how God responds to this lust and this is exactly what He did to Adam and Eve. He gave them over to the lust of their hearts and removed them from the Garden.  They chose to believe a lie instead of what God had told them. This is the same thing that is going on to this day. We, God's creation, chose to believe a lie instead of the creator. God's word tells us in no uncertain terms the result of this, yet we continue to do it anyway. How foolish we would think someone was whom we told if they let someone hit them with a 2x4 its going to hurt and possibly kill you and some one else came along and told them it was not true that the board would not hurt them and they let the person hit them with it. This is exactly what we do when we do not believe God and His word for our lives.

Wise as Serpents

Matthew 10:16 (ESV)Persecution Will Come16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

Wise as serpents in this instant means be aware of the dangers that surround you. The spiritual attacks as well as the fleshly attacks that come from those around us and those we do not know as well. Do we see the dangers or do we see through rose colored glasses that do not permit us to see reality?

We are instructed to be aware of, or acknowledge the presence of the dangers around us. This being true, would it not be wrong or a sin to refuse to see those dangers and instead chose to only see the good without the negative in a person or a situation?

I think it is as wrong to see nothing but good as it is to see nothing but bad. Both are ways of only seeing part of the picture. Without the whole picture how can we know the right way to respond to someone or a particular situation?

Learn to see the entire picture without allowing the negative to prevent you from loving as Christ loved all of us. Be innocent as doves in this. Do this without judgement and without sin.

Why Do We Hurt Each Other

Why do people intentionally try to hurt other people? I understand that those who are hurt tend to lash out at others, but would it not make more sense to try to get help instead of causing more pain? Why do we make fun of those who are hurting who don’t dress like we think they should or don’t act like we think they should? What gives us the right to laugh at someone we don’t even know?

It has occurred to me that many times we tend to judge people by their dress or their walk or some other thing that is so minor and meaningless that it’s not funny. How do we know the story behind the clothes, or the actions? What do I know about any particular persons circumstances that permits me to be their judge and to ridicule them to others?

Would it not be better to seek out a relationship with that person and find out the real reason for them to behave the way they are? And then try to help them? Is this not what Jesus did and are we not suppose to imitate Jesus?

I wish God’s people would stop being so shallow and start being what they are called to be. I pray God grant each and every one of us the broken and contrite spirit His word speaks of, that we may bring healing to the lost and hopeless instead of judgement.

What’s More Important to You?

What’s more important to you? Your pleasure or someone else’s pain.

Is it more important for you to get that extra 10 minutes of sleep or do you use that 10 minutes to find some way to help someone who is hurting?

Is it more important to you to be able to have leisure time each day so you can do whatever you want or is it more important to you to use ur free time to seek out those who hurt and help?

These questions are questions that all Christians need to ask themselves every day. Sadly, most never ask it at all because we do not wish to see just how selfish we are when scripture calls us to be selfless! I wish I could say I spend as much time trying to help as I do on leisure.

Let’s look at it from another view point. Do I spend as much time getting to know God as I do watching TV? Do I spend my time seeking my pleasure or do I spend it in prayer and serious bible study. Look at the comparison, how much time a day do you spend watching TV?? 1 hr? 2 hrs?? Now, how much time do you devote to God?