Our Daily Task

Our daily task as believers is allow ourselves to come into harmony with God our creator. Our task is  to believe in, and look to our true source. Our task is to release fear, negative thinking, limitations, and short-supply mindset.

Everything we need shall be provided to us as we seek Him.  "He is the rewarder of those that seek Him" Let this become a natural response to all situations of need whether they are spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, or financial.  We must reject the fear. Fear is what drove Eve into temptation to sin and eat of the forbidden tree. She feared God holding out on her, not providing as the serpent suggested.

Reject the notion that God doesn't care. Then be open to His abundant provision. As simple as that may sound it is strangely difficult for us to maintain this focused attitude. The main reason is fear, and we generally try to control what we fear for self-protection.

However when we learn to cherish and welcome the need, it then becomes a part of our relationship to God that draws us closer to Him. He has planned to meet our every need, and He has created the need within us, so He can supply. No need is to great or too small. If we care and value our need, God will too.

Our task is taking responsibility for owning the need. Our task is giving the need back to God and letting go in faith. Our task is giving God permission to meet our needs by believing we deserve to have our needs and wants met.

Our task is simply to be who we are, and love being the child of a benevolent and caring Heavenly Father.

Authentic Manhood

There is a dream-image of man and manhood today that does not exist. Many men have searched tirelessly in this fantasy world only to find themselves exhausted, empty and suckered into buying a fake ID, stating you are what you do, who you know, and what you own.

Our world is in desperate need for authentic men. The genuine article, the real deal, able to be recognized by anyone, anywhere, at home, on the job, in the gym and at church. In our God-given hearts, deep down men know that whatever they do in their own strength and willpower will be short lived and bear little fruit. If only men could awake from their slumbering spirit to realize, that  God has deposited authentic manhood deep within them, wrapped in a mystery which no logic or computer program can comprise.

Godly mysteries are not intended to be hidden from us but for us. God's mysteries are like time release capsules awaiting the depletion of our supply of self-sufficiency and pride before they release the power and revelation of His spirit. The bible says, "God resists the proud but He draws near to the humble..." and He loves the brokenhearted. Strangely enough most men fearfully avoid facing this spiritual power because it shatters their goal-image and reminds them of their inadequacies. So men typically ignore if not suppress it altogether.

What if, authentic manhood can be approached only in relationship with the Father God, who seeks in every man to fulfill the purpose for which He has created him ? If this is true, manhood is not something to be sought, but to be revealed as man submits to the God who called him into being and in whom his ultimate destiny lies.

Because of sin, and the fragile ego of man we men hide from God.  The first man Adam, modeled this for us in the garden when he hid from God. King David tried to hide from God too but came to this conclusion:
 "Lord , you examined me and you know me. You know everything I do ...Where could I go to escape from you? Where could I get away from your presence ? If I went up to heaven, you would be there; if I lay down in the world of the dead, you would be there. For you formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mothers womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from from You, When I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth..." Psalms 139: 1,7, 8, 12-15




I pray now Father for men. Men that are hurting and tired of hiding. Men who have given up and surrendered their sword to the enemy of their soul. Have mercy Oh Lord and grant us the grace to surrender to you. The  only one who knew us in your Mother's womb, to you Father, who has numbered every hair on our head and longs to hear us cry Abba Father ! I pray Father that your spirit would draw men out of hiding to be healed and revealed as your authentic ambassadors of manhood.  Amen

Love Your Neighbor as Yourself

"Well, how exactly do I love myself ?
    Now that I come to think of it, I have not exactly got a feeling of fondness or affection for myself, and I do not even enjoy my own society. So apparently "love your neighbor" does not mean 'feel fond of him' or 'find him attractive'. I ought to have seen that before, because, of course, you cannot feel fond of a person by trying. Do I think well of myself, think myself a nice chap? Well, I am afraid I sometimes do (and those are, no doubt, my worst moments) but that is not why I love myself. In fact it is the other way round; my self-love makes me think myself nice, but thinking myself nice is not why I love myself. So loving my enemies does not apparently mean thinking them nice either. That is an enormous relief. For a good many people imagine that forgiving your enemies means making out that they are really not such bad fellows after all, when it is quite plain that they are. Go a step further . In my most clear-sighted moments not only do I think myself a nice man, but I know that I am a very nasty one. I can look at some of the things I have done with horror and loathing. So apparently I am allowed to loathe and hate some of the things my enemies do.

CS Lewis ~ from Mere Christianity

Men, Spiritual Maturity and a New Way

Recently during my prayer and study times I have been drawn to the subject of men and masculinity... of course you can't go too far with this subject without running into women, which I may dare to blog  about at a later time. My focus has taken me back to the beginning in book of Genesis, where it all began with man, woman and God in the garden.

It is fascinating, terrifying and mystical all at the same time. It is also grievous to see how much man (myself included) has struggled in his role and mission in life and including his responsibilities & relationships with Father God and family. I believe this matter is close to the heart of God and beckons our urgent attention.

Below are few excerpts from a short article I discovered entitled "Healing the Tear in the Masculine Soul" by Ted Dobson, a Catholic priest. Declaring that men today have excluded themselves from the most important issues of life.

Since these are excerpts and the blog requires a title to post I chose the above mentioned title.This is a huge subject that with many dimensions and facets and I am looking forward to what lies ahead on this journey and receiving further insight from the Lord.

Dobson writes:

"Spiritually, faith is considered by many men at the most to be a personal matter of which they would rarely talk, but more often to be a woman's area of concern, for it implies a lack of independence and self-assurance that does not coincide with their macho self-image...


There is a "tear" in the masculine soul--a gaping hole or wound that leads to a profound insecurity. The German psychologist , Alexander Mitscherlich, has written that society has torn the soul of the male, and into this tear demons have fled--demons of insecurity, selfishness, and despair. Consequently, men do not know who they are as men. Rather, they define themselves by what they do, who they know, or what they own.


As we bring our insecurity, unforgiveness, and immature thought/behavior patterns to the Lord honestly and vulnerably, He can free us from our pain and weakness and both lead and empower us to live a new way."

Controlling or Trusting

" There was a time in my life when I felt so afraid of and overwhelmed by the very act of living that I actually wanted to make out a schedule for each day of my life for the next five years. I wanted to include all chores I had to do, when I would do them, even when I would schedule relaxation. I wanted to get some order into what felt overwhelming. I wanted to feel like I was in control." ~ Anonymous




Controlling is a direct response to our fear, panic and sense of helplessness. It is a direct response to feeling overwhelmed, and to distrust. There are times we don't trust ourselves, we don't trust God or the process of life. Instead of trusting, we revert to control.

We typically try to control the things we fear and we fear the things we can't control.

Fear is a huge subject...but the answer is amazingly simple. We deal with fear by trusting.Trusting--ourselves, God and the process of growth and maturity in life. We can trust that we will get where we need to go, say what we need to say, do what we need to do, know what we need to know, be who we need to be, and become all we can become. When we are intentional to do this we can trust that God will give us all the direction and provision we need as the need to control is surrendered to Him.

We were never intended to carry supplies for the entire journey. The burden would be too heavy. I frequently catch myself praying out of fear and asking for enough bread for the entire journey. I'm learning a easier way, and that is to simply trust and pray the way the way Jesus taught His disciples to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread".

Change

"The key to change...is to let go of fear"


~ Rosanne Cash

Love is Vulnerable

"To Love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even an animal." ~ CS Lewis

No Performance Needed

Performance orientation is one of the most common maladies throughout the world. It consists of a pervasive need to please others and perform up to the expectations of others. This malady is crippling the Church from experiencing God's presence and becoming fruitful and effective in the pure work of the Gospel. Performance orientation means striving to perform with wrong motives--to win love and a sense of belonging when those have already been given to us "in Christ".

The result is compulsive work ethic, preoccupation with doing everything right, an inordinate desire to be liked or approved of, and dissatisfaction with our self for what you have achieved as opposed to who you are as a person. In Christians, it is rooted in an inability to believe God can love us unless we work for it. Those who were not nurtured as children can be especially tempted toward performing for love. 

Read Romans Chapter 8 and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to your spirit the Father's unconditional love and adoption without works. We don't have to perform for His love, because He first loved us and calls us His sons and daughters.


 "Behold what manner of love is this...."

Doors of Opportunity

Have you ever stopped and asked yourself what does the fragrance of Christ smell like? The Apostle Paul states that we are sweet fragrance unto God, the aroma of death to the perishing and aroma of life leading to life.

Be intentional today about diffusing the fragrance of Christ through the doors of opportunity (possibilities due to a favorable combination of circumstances; and a good chance for advancement or progress) that are opened to you.

  

2 Corinthians 2:12-17 (Amplified Bible)

¹²Now when I arrived at Troas [to preach] the good news (the Gospel) of Christ, a door of opportunity was opened for me in the Lord,
    ¹³Yet my spirit could not rest (relax, get relief) because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave from them and departed for Macedonia.
    ¹⁴But thanks be to God, Who in Christ always leads us in triumph [as trophies of Christ's victory] and through us spreads and makes evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere,
    ¹⁵For we are the sweet fragrance of Christ [which exhales] unto God, [discernible alike] among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing:
    ¹⁶To the latter it is an aroma [wafted] from death to death [a fatal odor, the smell of doom]; to the former it is an aroma from life to life [a vital fragrance, living and fresh]. And who is qualified (fit and sufficient) for these things? [Who is able for such a ministry? We?]
    ¹⁷For we are not, like so many, [like hucksters making a trade of] peddling God's Word [shortchanging and adulterating the divine message]; but like [men] of sincerity and the purest motive, as [commissioned and sent] by God, we speak [His message] in Christ (the Messiah), in the [very] sight and presence of God.

Getting To Why

According to author and business consultant Simon Sinek great organizations do what they do well. They are also very clear about how they do what they do. But perhaps more important than that, they know precisely why they do what they do. Indeed, that’s precisely what it is that makes them great, he says. “Only a handful of customers will be inspired by what you do or how you do it. But why you do it is a whole other story. People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”

Money, Jobs, Life & Peace

We cannot afford to allow our focus in life to be money. That will not lead us into the abundance we're seeking. Usually, it will not even lead to financial stability.

Money is important. We deserve to be paid what we're worth. We will be paid what we're worth when we believe we deserve to be. But often our plans fail when our primary consideration is money.

What do you really want to do ? What do you feel led to do? What are your instincts telling you? What do you feel guided to do? Dig deep, ask yourself the hard questions and write down what are you truly are excited about doing? Seek to find a way to do that, without worrying about the money.

Consider the financial aspects. Set boundaries about what you need to be paid. Be reasonable. Expect to start at the bottom, and work up. But if you feel led toward a job, go for it.

Is there something you truly don't want to do, something that goes against your grain, but you are still trying to force yourself into it "for the money"? Usually, that's a behavior that backfires. It doesn't work. We make ourselves miserable, those close to us miserable and the money usually goes wrong too.

We need to learn that when we are true to ourselves about our work, our calling and we place value and responsibility on what God has given us, then usually the money will follow. Sometimes it's not as much as we want; sometimes we're pleasantly surprised, and it's more.  But when we learn to be content, we will have enough.

Money is a consideration, but it cannot be our primary consideration if we are seeking spiritual security and peace of mind.

                                                                                                         

Backsliding & Repentance

According to Jeremiah the Prophet, backsliding can be recognized by a turning back, turning away; defecting, faithlessness, apostasy, disloyalty and reverting.

If Backsliding is a "turning away," Repentance is a "turning around." May God grant us His Mercy to find repentance and be healed of our backslidings and idolatries.

My People Love to Have It So

"An astonishing and horrible thing Has been committed in the land: The prophets prophesy falsely And the priests rule by their own power; And My people love to have it so. But what will you do in the end?....Because from the least of them even to the greatest of them, everyone is covetousness; And from the prophet even to the priest, everyone deals falsely. They have healed my people slightly/superficially, Saying , Peace, peace! When there is no peace"

~ Jeremiah the Prophet

Favorite Prayers

Help.Please.Don't.

Show Me.Guide Me.Change Me.

Are you there?

Why'd you do that?

Oh.

Thank You.