Giving Away my Inheritance

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Christian encouragement, christian journey, christian walk, Christianity, devotions, encouragement, fruit of the Spirit, giving away our inheritance, God's inheritance for us, inheritance, living well now, our inheritance from God

Jeremiah 17:4 says, “And you will, even of yourself, let go of your inheritance that I gave you…”

Letting go of your inheritance. Sounds sad. Sounds like me. The people of Judah gave away their inheritance of their own accord. Nothing was forcibly taken from them; they just handed it right over. Yep, sounds just like me. God has given me joy, patience, love, peace, His presence and I just let go of it. No one forces me to. No one holds me at gun point. I just simply act like I’ve never received an inheritance at all.

Galatians 5:22 and 23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law.” That’s our inheritance, but how often do we allow a situation in our lives to dictate whether we live in that inheritance? How often do we give away our peace to a doctor who gives us news we were hoping against? How often do we give away our patience simply because something took a little longer than we wanted? And, self-control? Ha! How often have we (read me) allowed someone else’s cravings for a snack ruin our goals for the day? That’s laying down our inheritance. That’s throwing back in God’s face the abundant life that He has for us today (John 10:10).

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of living like I have not been given an inheritance. I’m tired of wondering how my day is going to be. When we live in our inheritance, we don’t have to wonder. We know. We know that whatever comes our way, we will still have our peace. We know that whatever ruckus comes up in our homes, we will continue to have gentleness. When the going gets tough, we know that we will stay faithful. Why? Because that’s our inheritance and we are not letting go of it.

I think as Christians we often get caught up in the thought of heaven being our inheritance. It most definitely is, but we also have an inheritance as God’s child here on this earth. Psalm 27:13 says, “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.”

God wants us to have His goodness now. God wants us to see Him today, on this earth, in the land of the living. God wants us to not despair and lose hope in this moment, not just in the great beyond. His fullness, His joy, His love flowing through us. That’s our inheritance. That’s our provision. Let’s not give it away.

Seeking Hearts Ministries

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Getting off my High Horse

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arrogance, battles, being smart, Christian encouragement, Christian growth, christian journey, christian walk, Christianity, control, dealing with deceptions, ego, encouragement, helping God, high horse, pride, smartest in the room, vengeance

As a bee searches for pollen, Lord help us to faithfully seek You alone.

I confess. I like for people to think I’m smart. I thought at first it was a stay at home mom thing, but when I think back I’ve wanted to look smart my whole life. I’ve always wanted to be the smartest person in the class and as I grew older it only got worse. In the workplace, I strived hard to be the best in any position I obtained. In every office I worked, I wanted people years down the road to have a tear in their eye as they thought of me, knowing that no other employee could ever measure up. Egotistical, I know, but it’s the plain truth. Today, things haven’t changed that much. When I am in a Bible class and the teacher asks a question, I am usually the annoying one who has all the answers (especially if no one else is quick to answer). I always struggle over whether I’m sharing something from a pure motivation of the Spirit’s prompting, or my own ego wanting to show everyone how much I know. I love Biblical discussions, so it’s hard for me to not engage in every little question.

Unfortunately, this tendency has played out in other areas as well. I especially seem to have an issue in the area of the spiritual correction of others. When you want to be the “smart one”, you must let people know that you aren’t fooled by them. You want them to realize that you are on to their tricks and that you see through their deceptions. You want them to know that you have them figured out. So, over the years, I have said things that I should not have said. I have pushed people in areas that I had no business in and worst of all, I have wanted to be a part of another’s exposure. I have wanted for others to know that I helped God in His punishment (for the glory of God, of course -HA!).

This morning I started reading the story of David and Saul and became engrossed. I started at I Samuel 18:20 and kept reading. I read for several chapters and was reminded of David’s conviction that only God removes His anointed. Only God punishes His people. In First Samuel 24:6, David says, “… ‘Far be it from me because of the LORD that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, since he is the LORD’s anointed.” David didn’t make the choice to not touch Saul because of Saul, because of his great relationship with Saul’s son Jonathan, or even because of himself. He did not touch Saul because of the LORD.

So, I found myself asking God, “What’s the big deal if I help You out a little? What’s the problem if You are going to deal with them anyway? Why can’t I help?” His answer to my spirit was startling. I was reminded that every single time in the Old Testament an enemy of Israel wreaked havoc on God’s people due to their disobedience, later on that same enemy was punished severely for messing with God’s people. Did God use them for a good cause? Yes. Were they being allowed by God to take joy in getting rid of sin among the Israelites by helping them turn back to God? Yes. But, did God reward them for their “help”, or did He judge them for their vengeance? He judged. Harshly. Every. Single. Time.

So, I’ve decided (through the power of the Holy Spirit) to stop trying to be the “know-it-all” in the room. If God wants to run someone through the sifter, I will not be cranking the handle. If God needs to draw someone to repentance, I will trust Him to do it in the way He deems necessary (and I won’t be campaigning for my way of doing it). If I see a deception, I will pray and ask God to remind me that He’s got this handled and not manipulate things behind the scenes. After all, I do not want God to turn toward me after I have “helped” Him meet out the punishment and decide that it’s time for me to learn a lesson as well. I want to be on the sidelines. Every. Single. Time.

Romans 12:19 says, “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the LORD.”

Even though I am not necessarily talking about an enemy, I think the same truth applies to my “know-it-all” status. I must leave any judgment, any punishment, any control of a situation to God and through the power of God’s Spirit in me, that’s just what I’m going to do. No more Ms. Smarty Pants; just a humble believer focused on her God and allowing her trust in Him to shine forth in any way He deems appropriate. A girl who realizes that she is never the smartest person in the room, that’s God job and I’m good with that. I’ve decided to stop travelling this road of life on my “high horse” and travel this road in the arms of my Savior instead.

Seeking Hearts Ministries

Strength Through Weakness

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a way of escape, battles, bearing our burdens, burdens, calling, Christian encouragement, christian journey, christian walk, Christianity, coping, coping in stress, crashing under the load, crushing load, dependence on God, devotional, dieing to self, encouragement, God's plan, life source, loads, more than I can bear, plan, relying on God, relying on self, stress, temptation, too much to carry, too much to handle, true hope, truth, vine and the branches, when I am weak

First Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.”

A few weeks ago I came across an article that talked about how over the years Christians have misinterpreted First Corinthians 10:13. We have superimposed its teaching over every circumstance of our lives, not just in the area of temptation. For instance, how many times have you heard someone say, “God will not give you more than you can bear?” Is that really what this verse says? Does it say that in every area of your life God will make a way of escape? Does it say that I will be able to endure whatever God places in my path?

In actuality, First Corinthians 10 says that God will never give us more temptation than we can handle. This was a huge “Aha!” moment for me. After all, the Lord has been teaching me for some time that I can do nothing through self, but anything though Him. If I believe that God will never give me more than I can handle, what’s the point in being able to do all things through Christ as Philippians 4:13 says? If God never puts on my back a heavier load than I can carry, why does He bother to say in Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest”? So, when people would say, “God will not give you more than you can handle,” things just didn’t connect well for me. My spirit was torn between falling to my knees in full surrender, or “bucking up” and getting the job done. As I realized this verse only addresses temptation, the dots started connecting.

I am actually finding as I walk this journey of the Christian life (or as I crawl depending on the day) that God always gives me more than I can bear. It’s not to prove He can, or make my life miserable, it’s simply to help me realize that I truly can do nothing through self. He gives me more than I can bear to drive me to fellowship with Him. Not the kind of fellowship that’s short little prayers, but the kind of fellowship where I am desperate for His presence in my life. When I die to self and allow Him to live through me, that’s when all things are possible. When I am abiding in Christ, my Source is the vine and has nothing to do with me (the branch). It’s all Him.

Have you ever seen a branch that is able to hold much without its connection to the tree? I haven’t. When a branch is out by its lonesome, all I do is collect it for the burn pile. I would never think to depend on it to hold anything. If I needed to hang something, I would naturally go to a nearby tree where the branch is still attached. In the physical world, we realize that the branch has no strength on its own. We know that it must be attached.

We also need to be remember that sometimes, even when the branch has the appearance of attachment, it can still really not be connected at all. If it’s not linked, it will still have no power to hold anything no matter what it looks like. A strong, living, fully functioning branch is always totally dependent on its life source. It’s not just sitting there. It’s actually drawing its strength from its source. A branch has no strength on its own and neither do we.

Dependence is a full-time job. Can you imagine how strong the branch would be if it only connected to the tree once a week? How about three times a week? How about every day? Its connection to its source is the key to its strength. Its total dependence on its root is the key to its ability to hold any weight.

So it is with us. I’m sorry people, but even if you go to the best church in the whole world, depending on it will not bring automatic dependence on the Lord. Your church will help you stay accountable to that dependence. It will help you remember that God alone is your strength. It will encourage you to worship, but it cannot make you dependent on the Lord. Only you can do that. Only you are able to realize as Paul did in I Corinthians 15:31 that we must die daily. We are not called to stand strong. We are called to die. We are called to be completely and totally dependent on our God.

If you are going through more than you can bear, know that it’s a good thing. God is calling you to be totally and completely dependent on Him. He is reminding you that He wants all of you, all the time. He is calling you to enter into true intimacy with Him and stay there. He is calling you to death so that His resurrection can live through you.

So, let’s remember that in actuality, God always gives us more than we can bear and let’s praise Him for that today. If He didn’t drive us to our knees, we would never get there. I am going to leave you with a verse that sums all this up beautifully. Second Corinthians 12:10 says, “Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

Seeking Hearts Ministries

As a bee searches for pollen, Lord help us to faithfully seek You alone.

Perspectives

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basics, body of Christ, calling, Christian encouragement, christian journey, christian walk, Christianity, church, church body, control, direction for the Body of Christ, edification of others through spiritual gifts, encouragement, gifting, God's plan, God's plan in the Body, God's plan in the church, perspectives, perspectives on spiritual gifts, spiritual gifts

First Corinthians 12 speaks to us about spiritual gifts. We learn in this passage that every believer has a manifestation of the Holy Spirit who resides in them through a gifting that He provides. Sometimes, we might have the gift of teaching, sometimes wisdom, sometimes miracles or sometimes one of the other gifts mentioned throughout the Bible. Whatever God wants us to “specialize” in, the Spirit gives us the gift (or gifts) to do it. Remember though, our gifting is for the edification of others and not for our own fame, or our recognition in any way. First Corinthians 12:7 says, “But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” We must remember that our spiritual gift is for others from God Himself (I Cor. 12:11), so there is no reason to be prideful, just thankful that God placed His gifting in us.

Since our gifting is for others, First Corinthians 12 goes on to describe our gifts in the church working together as a human body. Verses 14-27 say, “So the body is not one part but many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I’m not a hand, I don’t belong to the body,’ in spite of this it still belongs to the body.  And if the ear should say, ‘Because I’m not an eye, I don’t belong to the body,’ in spite of this it still belongs to the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole ⌊body⌋ were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?  But now God has placed each one of the parts in one body just as He wanted. And if they were all the same part, where would the body be? Now there are many parts, yet one body. So the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ Or again, the head can’t say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’ But even more, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are necessary… Instead, God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the less honorable, so that there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same concern for each other. So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it.”

As I was thinking about our gifts the last few days, I realized that due to our gifting, all Christians will see things differently. Not only are we supposed to be working together for God’s glory, but due to our different placements in the Body we will naturally see things differently. This can be a good thing, or a bad thing depending on whether our focus is on God, or ourselves. For example, if my placement in the Body is an eye, I will be able to see things that others cannot. If I am an ear, I will be able to hear God’s voice in a way that others cannot. If I am a foot, I will see the need to go in a way that the ear and the eye will not understand in their own strength; but, the ear and the eye will see and hear about dangers and good opportunities for the feet to go. All of us working together can get the whole Body moving in the right direction at the right time according to God’s will, if we listen to each other’s perspective.

I do realize that all of us working together, listening to each other’s perspectives and trusting that each is hearing from the Lord takes a great deal of faith. I realize that a lot of “what ifs” come in to play. What if the eye is only seeing themselves and not focused on the Lord? What if the ear can only hear what man is saying? What if the feet will not move in the direction God is calling? On and on it can go and does go. The only control we have over the situation is doing our part.

If I am an eye, I must make sure that my vision is clouded with only God’s face. I must, through the enabling of the Holy Spirit, remove the beam and the splinter from my own eye (Matthew 7), so I can see what God wants for the Body as a whole. I need to not give my perspective until I am sure it is what God wants me to see.

If I am an ear, I must be certain that I am hearing God’s voice clearly. I need to know His voice so intimately that I can not only hear His thundering voice, but the quietest whisper as well. Again, I need to not share my viewpoint until I know God is speaking.

If I am a foot, I need to make sure that my feet are shod with the Gospel of Peace (Eph. 6:15) and that I am ready whenever God says to go. I don’t need to run off on my own agenda, but realize that others are following. I need to remember that feet lead and I need to guide others only on God’s paths of righteousness as Psalm 23:3 says.

The other area I can control is my understanding of God’s people. I need to give grace to the eyes that cannot hear as clearly, if I’m an ear. I need to understand that an ear is not going to see things as clearly and quickly if I’m an eye. I also need to be patient with the eyes and ears if I’m a foot. I need to realize that they need to know where they are going before they make the first step. I can pray for understanding of God’s Body and their perspective. God made them and gifted them, so He can help us understand them and love them as He loves them.

Another area of control in this journey of working together as the Body of Christ is that we can be trustworthy. If our churches only see us when we want something, or have “heard from God”, they are naturally not going to be as receptive to us as they would be to someone who has been in the trenches with them praying, learning and growing. We need to be worthy of the Body’s trust. We can only gain and maintain this trust by being in a close relationship with our Father every day. The Enemy is sneaky and he will place things in our sight, our hearing, or our path that will look good, but only having a close relationship with our Lord can alert us to the deception. When others see our relationship with our God, they know we can be trusted to see, hear, or go as God desires.

We also need to be careful with people’s trust once we have it. If we feel like God is speaking to us to edify the Church, we must be sure. God does not mind giving confirmation if it comes from a place of trust and love for His people. When He gets angry is when we are asking for confirmation as an excuse to not obey. I think that’s the difference between Gideon and Moses in the Old Testament. Gideon did not want to go into a battle without the assurance that it was God’s will, but once he had it…WHAM! No going back! Let’s be like Gideon. When we hear God, let’s be sure and then…WHAM! Let’s never turn back!

The Body of Christ is not an easy thing to be involved with and I am so glad that God alone fits us all together. He has called us to work together as one, trust each another and depend solely on Him to make it work. Shew! Aren’t you glad it’s not up to us to figure it all out? Knowing our position, having grace for each other’s perspectives and being trustworthy is in our control. Let’s do our part by being in constant communion with Him and let Him deal with the rest from His perspective!

Seeking Hearts MInistries

Hang Tight

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battles, Christian encouragement, christian journey, christian walk, Christianity, encouragment, family, family blog, family devotional blog, forgiveness, God is able, God resurrects, God's plan, holding on to marriage, making marriage work, marriage, marriage advice, marriage is work, relationships, spouse

Right now, in this moment, at this very minute, my marriage is really good. I’m not predicting what it will be like in an hour, but right now I am totally in love with my husband and I love spending time with him. Why am I telling you this? Well, many times that has not been the case. Throughout the years of our marriage the last person I often wanted to deal with was my man. Even when I became resigned to stay no matter what, the last thing I could have imagined was being happy. So, today, I want to let you know that things are good and I want to encourage you to hang tight. If your marriage is not so great right now, I want to reassure you that it is worth it to stay.*

For whatever reason, I have been remembering lately a lot of what my husband and I have gone through over the years and been in awe that we are still together. We have been married for twenty-three years and seven months. I know it’s not as long as some, but I can at least share what I’ve learned thus far and what I know for sure is that every single month of togetherness is a miracle!  I’m not going to get into the gory details of our past hurts because they are Mark and I’s alone, but just know from the outset that they have been deep and we know for a fact that our God is the Great Physician. It takes a miracle for a marriage to stay put. Hurts in a marriage run deeper than most. When you are vulnerable enough to promise to spend the rest of your life with someone, the harsh reality is that you are open to being wounded. After so many wounds, anything will die, including a marriage. The truly awesome thing is that even death is not impossible to heal for our God. He specializes in resurrections. So, if your marriage has hurts, gaping wounds, or is completely dead, God can soothe, heal and resuscitate. He is able! Hang tight!

So, let’s get to the nitty gritty of some issues that often come up in a marriage. First off, saying your sorry is worth it, I promise. Are you always wrong? Of course not! But, relationships are always worth the apology. Which is more important, you being right all the time, or reaching a better place with your spouse? There is a time and place to stand your ground, but please listen to the Holy Spirit and ask for His guidance (not your grandmother, mom, or friend, God Himself). I know He tells you to cave in when you least want to, but I am promising you it is worth it! I understand wanting to be right all the time. You have no idea how much I understand this, but if we apologize often, when the Holy Spirit is telling us to stand our ground then our spouse will be more apt to listen. They will know that this is serious and not just our pride talking.

Secondly, the physical aspect of marriage is important. We all know this, but let me remind you that small touches throughout the day are super important as well as full on contact. If you are in a bad place in your marriage, sometimes simply having some physical contact can bring you back to realizing that this is the person you married. By touching their arm, holding their hand, giving a hug that lasts more than a brief second, or actually stopping the chaos and looking at them face to face can put you both in a better frame of mind. It helps us remember that we chose them and they chose us. We remember their touch. It’s familiar to our senses and it helps. Holding each other can be a good thing.

Third, (this is for the ladies), when is the last time you cooked for your guy? Before you freak out, or tell me I am crazy, let me remind you that “the way to a man’s heart is his stomach.” I’ve always heard this, but now I know it to be true. I have actually had my guy to tear up when realizing that I was fixing a favorite dish of his. It is not cholesterol free and I thought he was going to think I was trying to kill him, but he was so excited. It’s not just my guy, though. I have been watching a reality show about marriage lately and one couple completely broke up over the wife never cooking a meal. No joke! In this same show, another couple is facing this same dilemma. I can’t tell you why this is so important to guys, but it is. That’s how God wired them, so let’s not ask questions and just go with it. (If you google crockpot recipes, it will blow your mind and not overwhelm your already busy day.)

I know this blog seems like that I think things will be easily mended in your marriage by hugging and cooking, but let me assure you that I know marriage is rough. Sometimes, in our house it’s like two pieces of sand paper living together (loud pieces of sandpaper!). Everything we do seems to rub each other the wrong way. But, through the power of the Holy Spirit and the power of the written Word you can hang tight in your marriage. Galatians 6:9 tells us to not be weary in well doing. If God gives us the command, we know He empowers us to keep that command.

When you think that you can’t go on, remember that Christ in you can. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

When you think nothing can fix your marriage, remember that “Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26).

When you feel nothing for your spouse anymore, ask God to give you a new heart. Ezekiel 36:26 says, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” Often times, we just don’t want to work at our marriages anymore, but God can change our wants. He can resurrect feelings that we thought were dead long ago.

You can’t save your marriage and you can’t make your marriage better, but God can. Hold on to Him. Hold on to each other and hang tight! It’s worth it!

*This blog is not encouraging anyone to stay in an abusive situation. If you are in an abusive situation, do not stay in that relationship. Please contact the local authorities to help you find a place where you can be safe.

http://www.seekinghearts.org