Making the Change

MAKING THE CHANGE!

Do you have a habit you long to get rid of? Is there something in your life you want to see changed?  We all understand we are far from perfect and that there  are a lot of things in us that need fixing. We try so hard not to lie or steal or gossip or whatever it might be and we fail. Then we get discouraged and wonder if we are ever going to change.

There are two things we need to realise.
1. we can't, on our own efforts, change ourselves or get rid of a bad habit. We need God's help. We need the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, he is able to change us. Someone may, by sheer force of will, be able to stop lying for a while, but when they find themselves in a pinch they will fall back to their old ways. I know this from experience. I'm using lying here as an example but the same works for anything that needs to be changed in us. Only the Holy spirit of God working in our lives is able to make permanent changes. We need to cooperate with Him of course, but we can't make the change on our own.  God is willing to help us, we just need to ask him.  It won't happen overnight but it will happen.

2. it's not enough just to stop doing something that we used to do, we need to replace it with something new. It's not enough for me to not tell lies anymore, I need to speak the truth. it's not enough for me to stop gossiping, I have to learn to speak words that encourage and uplift others. It's not enough to stop thinking negative thoughts, we have to start thinking positively.

Jesus told a story that relates to this:

When an evil spirit leaves a person, it travels through the desert, looking for a place to rest. But when the demon doesn't find a place,  it says, “I will go back to the home I left.” When it gets there and finds the place empty, clean, and fixed up, it goes off and finds seven other evil spirits even worse than itself. They all come and make their home there, and the person ends up in worse shape than before.
[Matthew 12:43-45a CEV]

I may deal with the subject of demon possession another day, but I shared this story to make a point. The person was delivered, the problem was gone, but the process of change wasn't fully complete, his house or spirit was empty. If the person had gotten saved then the Holy spirit would be living in him and therefore when the demon came back to check things out, it would know there was no hope of moving back in.

Without progressing to phase two, change will never be fully accomplished.  god will help us with this too if we ask him. He will show us how to replace the bad things in our lives with good things.

We can't just move onto phase two without doing phase one, allowing god to  clean up our lives and get rid of the bad things like lying or stealing or whatever it  may be. Once God has  cleaned up the mess then he will help us replace it with good thoughts and actions.

One more thing I would say about change. Don't expect it to happen instantaneously. sometimes god will deliver us straight away  from some bad habit or other problem in our lives, other times he expects us to go through the process.  Though it's hard, there are several advantages to this, including:

A.  we learn to depend on god more than before, since it is only by his help that we are able to make any progress.
B. we become more grateful and thankful for all that god has done and is doing in our lives. gratitude is important. It is right to thank God for his many blessings  and for all his help.
C. We learn patience and endurance, and these are things that we need in our Christian walk.
D. Having gone through all this to get free of some habit or other we learn to think seriously before we start doing another thing that has the potential of being habit-forming.   A person who has been freed from alcohol addiction will probably think twice before they take up smoking. 

Change is never fun or easy but it is certainly something we all need to do at some point. If we know someone who is trying to make a big change in their life we can help by praying for them and encouraging them. Sometimes we can act as accountability partners, for that  person. Knowing that  I have someone who I will be talking to about how well I did this week might help me not to give into temptation so easily. Of course, we need to have accountability partners who we can trust, who won't tear us down but encourage us and pray with us.

God can free us from the most destructive habits that were holding us back from being the people he meant us to be, and fill our lives with new and beautiful things. Then we are a living testimony to the power of god and we are able to help those who are having the same kind of problems we went through.

 

May God bless you all!

WHEN PRIDE GETS IN THE WAY

when pride gets in the way:

Sis was happy. the pastor was happy. The new music leader was happy. Everyone was happy ... except me. I've been struggling with my bad attitude ever since things changed. Why is it that out of everybody, I've got this horrible attitude that is not only affecting me but will affect the others in the group if I don't get this sorted out? I'm mostly angry at myself because I'm being unreasonable and I know it. Change is a good thing and the new music leader is a guy I know quite well. he is a gifted musician and also knows how to lead.

today we had music practice. O boy, what a disaster! The more it continued, the more angry and stirred up I got and I hate myself for it but I couldn't seem to change it. I mean, after all, how dare this young guy come in, take over and tell me how to play and try to modernise everything? Goodness me, I've been playing piano since well before he was born! grrrrrr! the longer the practice went, the worse my attitude got until the most satisfying thing I could do when I came home was slam my bedroom door. Just grrrr!

This is what happens when pride gets in the way. I'm proud of my musical ability. I shouldn't be, but I am. Ok, I'm no opera singer or concert pianist but I have perfect pitch and I practice my singing and playing nearly every day. The world would say that it's a good thing to be proud of my ability, such as it is, but God says pride is a bad thing.

Pride goes before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.
[Proverbs 16:18]

The gift isn't mine.
It's more of a permanent loan. God gives us these things not to do what we want with them but to glorify him with them and edify or uplift others. God doesn't care how well I sing or play, he cares about my heart attitude. Am I doing this to glorify him or me? If the answer is that I am using it to glorify me than I am misusing it. We will have to give account to the Lord on Judgement day about how we use the gifts and talents he has given us. If I am serving god at church or in any other  way in order to gratify my own ego then I am in the wrong and I am displeasing God.

That doesn't mean we  shouldn't do our  best at whatever we are doing for the Lord, but it does mean we  should examine ourselves and if we  notice wrong attitudes, pride, self-admiration or whatever, we  need to bring these to god and ask his forgiveness. Then, when we find ourselves thinking wrongly again, we need to stop and ask the Lord's help to change the way we are thinking. The Bible tells us to take every thought captive to obey Christ:
For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.  We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
[2 Corinthians 10:4-5]

Now that I've calmed down I feel totally ashamed of my rotten attitude. after all, the music leader didn't exactly tell me how to play, he made suggestions of what he thought would sound good. He encouraged us and advised us. I was in the wrong all the way because instead of taking his suggestions as they were meant, i took them as criticisms and got angry.

We can't let bad attitudes like this fester. The bible tells us:
Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.

[Ephesians 4:27-28]
I can't just ignore this. I need to bring it to God in prayer, tell him exactly how I am feeling and ask him to forgive me and change me. I need his help to deal with my pride, as well as to put things in perspective. It's not all about me, but about serving and pleasing god.

I'm going to go and talk to him about it right now. I know that nothing is impossible with God, so I can trust him to instruct and guide me. You can trust him too. the bible says:
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,
[Ephesians 3:20].

 

I hope I have given you something to think about.

WHEN GOD BRINGS LOVE INTO YOUR LIFE

WHEN GOD BRINGS LOVE INTO YOUR LIFE:

I could write, if not a book at least a long short story, about my relationship disasters - times when I rushed into love because I was lonely or a man seemed to be what I was looking for. I didn't ask God, I just went for it. The longest relationship I ever had lasted for 2.5 years, although I was in love with one man for almost 4 years without him knowing a thing about it. 

Just last Year I told god that  I was feeling lonely and I prayed that I would find a man who loved god and would love and accept me as I am. God said that it would come in time, but first he needed to heal my heart from some of the things that happened in the past. I went through a few difficult weeks dealing with some things, I cried a lot, prayed a lot, wrote a lot and god began to heal me.

Around Christmas time god brought a new friend my way. A kind, caring Christian man who lives in a country called the Solomon Islands, which isn't too far from Australia, I'm not exactly sure where it is though, I'm hopeless at geography. Well I'm sure you can guess the rest of the story but just in case you can't, I'll spell it out.

From the first I trusted him. I would write letters that were pages long, sharing my thoughts and talking about my day. when I began to suspect that I was beginning to care for him I said to God, "Lord, I do want to feel love again but I don't' want to get hurt again. Please don't let this go anywhere if it's not from you." 

I knew that martin was in love with me. he told me he was, but that if I only wanted to be friends he would accept that.

Then one night in February I had just gotten into bed when I felt a real urge to pray for him.  I tried to ignore it but it was so strong that I got up and started pacing the floor and praying. That was when I faced up to the fact that I was in love with this man. I didn't tell him how I felt though, not for a few more weeks. I prayed and fasted and pleaded with God to show me if this was his will for me or not. I was so determined I wouldn't take another step until I was sure. 

Then one night I heard god's still small voice. I can't remember the exact words but he said something like this "this is the man i have given to you. This is from me. don't be afraid."

the next time I talked to Martin I told him that I loved him. I've been happy ever since. I tell him that he is my gift from God, an unexpected blessing in my life. I thank God almost daily for bringing me this happiness when I had begun to doubt if I would ever experience true love.

The bible tells us:
I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
that you not stir up or awaken love
until it pleases.
[Song of Songs 8:4]

This is very good advice. Another scripture that I've taken to heart is this:
Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labour in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.
[Psalm 127:1]

in other words, if God's not in it it isn't going to work.

Being single can be hard, I know it can. We need to remember that whatever god allows to happen in our lives is part of his plan for us, and the scripture says:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
[romans 8:28]

I hope I have given you something to think about. God bless you all!

SEVEN THINGS I AM THANKING GOD FOR TODAY

Hi readers:

It's after midnight and I'm in the mood for writing. O well I guess when the inspiration to write hits, I might as well make use of it.

SEVEN THINGS I AM THANKING GOD FOR TODAY:
1. Holidays.  It's just nice to get away sometimes. My friends and I are staying in a place called Moree for a week, we just got here today. I was feeling exhausted, this weekend has been very busy and sleep has been elusive. I've only been here a few hours and I had a bit of a sleep and I feel good. I praise god for that.
2. Best friends. Where would we be without them? My 2 best friends in the world have stuck with me through thick and thin and I am so grateful to God for them.
3. Laughter. Little things that make me laugh can brighten up my day. the bible says that a joyful heart is good medicine and that's true.
4. animals. we have Maria's guidedog Karly with us. She's a great dog, very affectionate and playful. I don't have a dog of my own at the moment but Maria calls me Karly's auntie. lol.

5. Sleep. It can be such a blessing. we take it for granted until we have a few days when we don't sleep well, then we realise how much we need it! I thank god for sleep.
6. god's peace. The bible says:
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
[Philippians 4:7]
What a blessing this is! to have God's peace in our hearts when we live in such a crazy, troubled world.
7. God's mercy, which is  new every morning. the bible says:
The steadfast love of the
Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
[Lamentations 3:22-23]
Each day can be a fresh start with God. No matter how badly I messed up yesterday, today is brand new and God's mercies are new each morning. I find that a very comforting thought.

And now my challenge to you:
can you find 7 things to thank God for? I'm sure you can if you try. Let's take a moment to thank god today for some of the many many blessings he has given us.

Prayer:

Lord I am so thankful for the many blessings you have brought to my life but most of all I am thankful for Jesus who died for me on the cross. Please teach us all to be grateful, to be people who count our blessings.

Lord I pray you will bless each of the readers of my posts, I pray you will meet their needs and that they will feel your presence today. we give you praise in the name of Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Where Do Our Frustrations Leave us?

Here is something that I wrote last week and forgot to share until now.
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
[Philippians 4:6-7]
WHERE DO OUR FRUSTRATIONS LEAVE US?

well there I was, doing a radio show on
www.powerradio104.us
thinking things were going ok., then, uh o!  My computer started going weird. All i wanted to do was get back to the broadcaster window so I  could at least talk and make sure I had a few songs still queued up, but do you think I could get it to work? I did have  a few songs lined up because they kept playing all the time I was arguing with my computer, trying to get it to behave.. At last, however, the final song stopped and I had dead air. the only thing i could do was restart the computer. grrrrrrr! I told the wretched thing how much I hated it and wanted to throw it in the nearest lake. Even when I restarted the computer it took a couple of attempts before i could take back the station and finish the show. grrrrrr!

which leaves me with a question. Where do my frustrations leave me? I think God brings frustrations into our lives for a reason. I was listening to a message on prayer this morning and one of the things the speaker said was that God puts on our platter everything that will happen to us this day, nothing that does happen to us is outside his control. that seems to me to be a good thing to remember when things go wrong. god knows what he's doing.
WHY DOES GOD ALLOW FRUSTRATIONS?

So, if god has control of everything and he has a perfect plan for my day, why did he allow my computer to go haywire this  morning? Maybe, as simple as it seems, because he wanted me to think about frustration and write this post? We don't know all the reasons why god allows things to happen to us, though if we look back we can sometimes see how god was working through some circumstances or issues in our lives. We just have to accept, as hard as it is, that we don't know all the answers, but God does and he has a purpose for everything we go through or experience. Sometimes the reason is for our benefit, sometimes for the benefit of others. I remember one time I asked my best friend why god allowed me to go through a difficult time I had come out of. Her answer, which I believe came from God, stays with me to this day. She said that perhaps god allowed me to go through it so that I could help others who have been through similar  experiences.

so what does all this have to do with frustration?

When things go wrong our immediate response is quite often "God, why did you allow that to happen?"  or "Why me Lord?" a better response would be "What are you trying to teach me in this?" but I admit that's not the way we usually thinkand of course, that's not the way I reacted today. We have to learn, though it is hard, that God ordains our troubles and trials for his own purposes and he only lets us go through things when he knows there is a need, because this will teach us something important, cause us to depend more fully on himself, or any number of other reasons.

TRUSTING NOT REACTING

God will teach us, no matter if he needs to pound it into our brains, that his way is best. The more we trust him and believe that he has good plans for us, the more we will learn to put situations into perspective. What good did my anger at the computer do me? None at all. How could I have handled it better? by bringing it to God, telling him all about it, then asking him if there is something he is trying to teach or show me.

As the Bible says:
Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

[Philippians 4:6-7 MSG]

I don't say that this sort of response is easy but we will learn to think this way in time. Jesus didn't let the little things frazzle him because he trusted the Father completely and knew that god has a reason for all he does.

FINAL THOUGHT

if our troubles trials and challenges, no matter how big or small they may be, are drawing us away from God and causing us to doubt, then we know we need to get into some serious prayer about it. If, on the other hand, they are drawing us nearer to god, then that just might be the reason why he is allowing them to happen.

Prayer:

Father, sometimes things happen that leave us angry, frustrated, annoyed, stressed or depressed. help us to take a step back and remind ourselves that you have a purpose for everything that happens to us and that this situation is in your control. Help us to accept it when we don't receive an answer about why this is happening to us. thank you that in your love you allow us to face hard things so that we can grow and become more dependent on you. teach me, teach us all, to trust you more and learn from the trials we face. amen.

Poem: One Prayer

 

This is something I just wrote, something I just experienced. I want to share it with you in the hope it might help someone, and also to testify of god’s goodness and faithfulness. If it wasn’t 4:41 am at the moment I think I would be singing right now, I feel so grateful and joyous.

 

I hope you like the poem. god bless you.

 

ONE PRAYER:

 

The darkness was thick around me,
No ray of light to be found.
Deeper I sank into misery,
Despair and shame did abound.

Feeling battered and bloody from battles i faced,
Feeling helpless and hopeless and weak,
I cried out to god with all of my heart ,
"One thing alone do I seek.

"I'm tired of fighting myself and you,
I long for the trouble to cease.
But one thing dear Lord that I desperately need,
Let me again feel your peace."

a soft gentle glow seemed to brighten the darkness;
A loving hand lifted me up
Washed me anew from the sin and the shame
and wrapped me in a blanket of love.

Peace gently fell on my aching heart
As sweet as the morning dew;
I felt free for the first time in a very long time,
And all I could say was "thank you!"

One single cry from the depths of my darkness
Then came my saviour and friend
An  ever-present help in difficult times,
To heal and restore me again.

What gratitude now fills my heart!
O Jesus my words can't express,
When I needed you, you came quickly to me.
When I called, your answer was yes!

why is it we don't think to pray?
We just flounder around on our own;
But god is so willing to help us
So we don't need to struggle alone.

If we ask in the name of Jesus
And believe that our prayer will be heard,
God is faithful, loving and kind,
he will do all he said in his word.

so don't give up believing
that god will answer your prayer,
He may not always act in a moment,
But at the right time his help will be there.

God’s wonderful grace

GOD'S WONDERFUL GRACE

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me

Amazing what?

what is grace anyway?
The bible says:

We have been ransomed through his Son’s blood, and we have forgiveness for our failures based on his overflowing grace, which he poured over us with wisdom and understanding.
[ephesians 1:7-8]

How much would it cost to save a single soul from going to hell?

All of us have failed to meet God's standard of absolute perfection. No matter how good we might be, we can never measure up to that! We all do things we shouldn't do and don't do things we should.

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
[romans 3:23]

Our sins deserve to be punished.

We have broken God's law. Do you think there is anything we could give to god or do for him to pay the price for our sins and save us from going to hell?

Actually, if every person who ever lived gave all that they had and dedicated themselves to serving god all their lives long, they would come far short of being able to ransom even one soul from hell. Our situation was totally hopeless!

Jesus is our saviour.
Jesus came to this earth. He was  fully god and fully man and he gave his life for us when he died on the cross.

  For the wages of sin is death,
but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
[romans 6:24]

he took our place and took the punishment we deserve for our sins. He was raised from death on the third day
and in him we are made  new. We are part of his family now and he has given us a fresh start.

And the life I now live in the flesh
I live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave himself for me.
[galatians 2:20b]

This is grace.

It is God's undeserved gift of forgiveness for our sins and new life, all because Jesus died for us.
No wonder why we sing
amazing grace how sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now I'm found
was blind but now I see.