A new look at the phrase “rock bottom”. Many people use this to say they’ve reached their lowest in life. When I hear that reference, I think about how when we reach our “bottom” in life, that’s where we find the Rock. He never leaves, its just that sometimes it takes us reaching the bottom to find Him. We can go to the depths and He is there. Though we walk through the valleys… He is there. When we reach “rock bottom”, He, the Rock himself, is there.
Walk while you have the light
Beware of not acting upon what you see in your moments on the mountaintop with God. If you do not obey the light, it will turn into darkness. “If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:23).
The moment you forsake the matter of sanctification or neglect anything else on which God has given you His light, your spiritual life begins to disintegrate within you. Continually bring the truth out into your real life, working it out into every area, or else even the light that you possess will itself prove to be a curse.
The most difficult person to deal with is the one who has the prideful self-satisfaction of a past experience, but is not working it out in his everyday life. If you say you are sanctified, show it. The experience must be so genuine that it shows in your life. Beware of any belief that makes you self-indulgent or self-gratifying; that belief came from the pit of hell itself, regardless of how beautiful it may sound. Your theology must work itself out, exhibiting itself in your most common everyday relationships. Our Lord said, “. . . unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20).In other words, you must be more moral than the most moral person you know. You may know all about the doctrine of sanctification, but are you working it out in the everyday issues of your life? Every detail of your life, whether physical, moral, or spiritual, is to be judged and measured by the standard of the atonement by the Cross of Christ. -My Utmost For His Highest
Never Give Up
3 words, never.give.up. This life that we live is a fight to the finish. I was watching the Olympics the other night and they flashed back to 2008 where one of the female runners who was doing hurdles stopped almost toward the end of the race, fell to her knees and cried. She didn’t even finish. I said, “Wow, that is horrible. She didn’t even finish and now she is being ‘glorified’ as a strong runner?” I heard a voice inside. How many times have I fell down during the race to my knees and sobbed? Poor me, I did so horribly, I failed, I didn’t have the victory. And I stop right there in the middle of it all. But God… He encourages us as His children to get back in the race. To train harder for the next go around. To face forward with our eyes on the prize. To be determined. To realize the fullness we have when we are running as opposed to when we are not. Sometimes it takes a coach, an encouraging peer whom God will place in our lives to get us on track. But many times, as I have found in my own life, it is God Himself. He knows it all, He knows us through and through better than we know ourselves. And when we are straining and agonizing as we feel pain and pressure in our race we have to remember the victory in order to press on. The other side of the line. Never.Give.Up.
While you were asleep
Psalm 121:4 says that our God neither slumbers nor sleeps. I don’t know about you, but when I was a kid, it was always easier to fall asleep knowing my dad was awake and sitting out in the living room with the light on. Even more so, your heavenly father is ALWAYS awake, so you can go ahead and rest peacefully knowing that He is not only awake, but He loves you and is watching over you. Can you trust Him to handle things while you’re sleeping? He holds every single day of your life in His hands and NOTHING can snatch you from the Father’s hands!(John 10:29). Next time you can’t sleep, remind yourself that God holds your life in His hands; He has you engraved on His palms (Isaiah 49:16).
When its just God and me
One of my favorite things to do is sit in a park and reflect on life. I watch families play together, fish or picnic. I see sweathearts walk hand in hand or read on a blanket and it all makes me smile as I think about the love they may be experiencing… what joy they must feel. Many probably aren’t even recognizing the rare and precious happiness or comfort their hearts may be in. I watch for what seems like minutes but is more like hours. I imagine flying in the wind to grip a receiving Frisbee or basking in the sunlight with someone’s hand caressing my arm.
This is what I thank God for-the joy I find through daydreams and others. I pray for the family I hope one day to help make, the wife God is forming me into, the husband who may stand beside me and the children I may one day love.
Name of all names
In the Old Testament, the tribe of Judah was always to march out first in front of all of the other tribes into battle. Judah means “praise.” Praise needs to go first in the battle! The Lord taught me that to be more effective in spiritual battle, I need to spend more time praising Him.
During a horrible time in my life, I remember I could hardly praise God. I went through the motions of praying to Him all the time, begging Him for help. I read the Word, went to church, spent time with Christians, etc., but I didn’t spend much time praising Him.
You can praise Him by singing along with worship music, which I love to do, but I also like to declare who He is out loud. Just say something like: You are awesome, God. You are Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides; Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals; You are the Alpha and the Omega, You are the great I AM, You are the Ancient of Days, You are the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace!
Like facets on a diamond, He has many different names, and each one reveals an insight into His character. Just as our Heavenly Father calls us by name, get to know His and experience the power found in each one.
If He is for us
What I’m learning now is that what my eyes see as a winding highway to ‘my destination’, God laid out as a straight path there. What I think are several pit stops along the way to the “job of my dreams” are actually the paths around enemy territory, and sometimes the tools I need, like learning experiences I need developed by the time I get ‘there’. God doesn’t divert from His promises. It’s when we take our eyes off Him that we sidetrack ourselves. So my strategy is to just stay focused on Him and not let the ‘little stuff’ get in my line of sight or worry me or distract my thoughts with negativity.
The truth we can all cling to is… He is good and He is for us and that’s all I need to remember.
Patience = Provision
I’ve been pursuing a career of my dreams with Dave Ramsey. Helping others help themselves… that’s one of my passions in life. God directed me to leave my home and follow this dream, my perception was that the job would fall right in my lap. I realized after 4 weeks, God had other plans as I tried to push myself through the doors. That’s one of the great mysteries in Gods work, it rarely happens how you think. Reminding myself His way is always best, I gave up trying so hard and gave in to wholeheartedly pursuing God first.
Theres a statistic that reads “Hiring rate is 1% at Dave Ramsey; Harvard’s acceptance rate is 6.9%”. I suddenly felt so small in such a large sea of applicants. But I reminded myself, God is so much bigger than all of this… and He surely can handle a meager 1% statistic. About a month later, while sitting on my porch on a hot day in deep reflection, I got a call from Dave’s office, out of the blue. “We’d like to talk to you,” they said. Tears flowed down my face as the first and only thing on my mind was to get on my knees and thank God for the opportunity.
He provides
I’m on a journey. Following the promptings of God in pursuit of the place He has set aside for my hands to work. With most of my belongings in storage, I traveled with just my car, a few outfits, books and a computer. A friend and her roommate graciously allowed me to stay on an air mattress for a couple weeks. Things have taken longer than expected as the third week is coming to a close and I am still empty-handed.
Last night I received a voice message. The place I was scheduled to move into today, is no longer vacant. My heart sank. I’ve been feeling the weight I’ve placed on my friend by allowing me to stay this long. So I crawled to my knees with a hurting heart in need of His healing and provision. I cried out for His mercy and wept in praise as I felt His arms holding me. As I left the floor to shower up for the day, I heard a chime from my phone. An email said “We’ve found a match for you” from a roommate search website. Confused as to how they found me, I opened it. A woman my age is looking for a roommate to move in today. I responded and tonight I hold the keys to a room I can call my own 🙂
Ten Commandments For Crisis Control
I stumbled upon an article containing tips to control a crisis with a brand. As I read the list, it became evident these tips are relevant to more than just a job; this is a good list for anyone enduring and trying to survive a relational crisis as well.
1) Disclose Disclose Disclose
Everything that can come out will come out. All to often its not the “crime” but the “coverup” that causes most of the lasting damage.
2) Give ’em The Full Monty
Original actions may seem insignificant compared to mistakes made after the fact. Seize the moment to put out the entire story.
3) Stop Digging When You’re In A Hole
Its human nature to succumb to the pressures of the moment that invariably push you into making the situation worse. Resist the pull.
4) Know Your Audience
Identify the most important person you’re trying to reach and pitch your message to them. Every successful stand-up comedian knows this cold.
5) Repeat Repeat Repeat
Determine the key points to get across and stay focused on them. Reiterate your message at every opportunity. Discipline is crucial.
6) Think On Your Seat, Not On Your Feet
Be prepared with detailed answers to some tough questions. The smallest discrepancy can get magnified into the biggest problem.
7) Be Straight About What You Know
And about what you don’t know. Your credibility is at stake–and others can easily discern hedged answers and half-truths.