I know I haven’t taken time to blog about my spiritual journey in a long time. I can easily blame it on my lack of time do to work and other obligations, but those are just excuses. People, including me, tend to make time for God when they are going through things, but place Him on the back burner when things are going well. We need to always keep Him at the forefront of our hearts and make sure that we are constantly reflecting on our journey to get closer to Him and to build a stronger faith through the ups and downs.

To ensure that we have a strong faith in the Lord, we must ensure that we do not have “Secondhand Faith”. Most people are introduced to religion by their families, but it is our duty to build our own relationship with God. I have always believed in God and knew his power, but it wasn’t until I began building my own relationship with Him when I began to witness His greatness. Below is a excerpt from “Our Daily Bread” to further explain the importance of not having secondhand faith…

When I was growing up in Singapore, I remember that some of my school friends were kicked out of their homes by their non-Christian parents for daring to believe in Jesus Christ. They suffered for their beliefs and emerged with stronger convictions. By contrast, I was born and raised in a Christian family. Though I didn’t suffer persecution, I too had to make my convictions my own.

The Israelites who first entered the Promised Land with Joshua saw the mighty acts of God and believed (Judg. 2:7). But sadly, the very next generation “did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel” (v.10). So it was not long before they turned aside to worship other gods (v.12). They didn’t make their parents’ faith their own.

No generation can live off the faith of the previous generation. Every generation needs a firsthand faith. When faced with trouble of any kind, the faith that is not personalized is likely to drift and falter.

Those who are second, third, or even fourth generation Christians have a wonderful legacy, to be sure. However, there’s no secondhand faith! Find out what God says in His Word and personalize it so that yours is a fresh, firsthand faith (Josh. 1:8).

If your faith is not personalized, it’s not faith.

So take it upon yourself to get closer to God and build upon the foundation previous Christians have built. Make your faith your own and begin to see how God answers your prayers.

HDI

While it is great to have goals and dreams of the future, going through life attempting to seek love, wealth, and other satisfactions are  not allowing God to work fully in your life. Jeremiah 2:13 states,

“My people have committed two sins:
They have forsaken me,
the spring of living water,
and have dug their own cisterns,
broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

The Prophet Jeremiah refers to looking for satisfaction in all the wrong places as digging empty wells that have no water in them.

God has a wonderful plan for our lives and it unfolds progressively. We don’t have to wait until we have the end results to enjoy where we are and be satisfied. We can find our satisfaction in Him while we are on our way to the FULFILLMENT of our hopes and dreams.

It’s that word….FEAR…that causes many of us to be unhappy and discontented. We are afraid that we will not get what we desire. We MUST learn that we don’t have to submit to those fearful feelings. You must learn that you can do the things God want you to do, and you can WAIT on His perfect timing to bring to you those things that He know are best for you….

When you are completly happy and content with your current situation and only seek God and His will, you will be surprised at the blessings that will flow into your life…..don’t seek satisfaction….seek the Lord. 

HDI

It is funny how clearly God can speak to us, if we would just stop and listen. We spend so much time praying and asking God for things, we tend to not listen. We expect God to listen to our prayers and concerns, but we fail to listen to Him. I am guilty of this, and that is why I try to take time each day to just listen to the messages God has for me. I do this by reading scriptures and it is scary how clearly God uses His word to speak to us. 

It seems like every time I am going through something, God comforts me through His word. It can be something as simple as me flipping randomly in the bible and picking a passage to read, or reading the Daily Word message for day. I do not think that it is ironic that my questions, concerns, and troubles seem to be addresses when I just take the time to listen to Him and focus on the word.

The reason I said all of this is because I read a message that spoke directly to me and and issue I have been dealing with. For anyone who knows me, I am the type of person that plans out every aspect of my life and I get upset when things do not go the way I planned. I am really hard on myself anytime there is a detour in my plans. I have battled with this for as long as I remember. No matter how much I tell myself that I want God’s plan for me, I still find myself getting upset when things do not go the way I expect them to go. I have to realize that God is just REDIRECTING me to His will.

Redirected (A message from the Daily Word, January 20, 2010)

The Lord was with Joseph. —Genesis 39:2

At the age of 16, pianist Leon Fleisher made his formal debut at Carnegie Hall with the New York Philharmonic. He went on to win prestigious international competitions and played in the world’s finest concert halls. But at the age of 37, Fleisher was struck with dystonia, a neurological condition that crippled his right hand. After a period of despondency and withdrawal, he turned to teaching and conducting, because, as he said, he loved music more than he loved the piano.

When our dreams are shattered, how do we react? After Joseph, the favored son of Jacob, was sold as a slave by his brothers (Gen. 37:12-36), he could have given in to self-pity and self-indulgence. Instead, Joseph remained true to the Lord. Four times in Genesis 39, we read that “the Lord was with” Joseph (vv.2-3,21,23), and his actions revealed his own faithfulness to God. By his exemplary life, those he served in Egypt recognized God’s presence with him.

Do we love God more than our own dreams? Although Joseph must have grieved the loss of his past and what his life could have been, the Lord led him to a calling he had never imagined. Today, the Lord longs to lead us. Are we willing to be redirected by Him? —David McCasland

My cherished plans may go astray,
My hopes may fade away;
But still I’ll trust my Lord to lead,
For He doth know the way. —Overton

A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. —Proverbs 16:9

No matter what is going on with the world around us, the obstacles placed in our way, or the people that are keeping us from our destiny, we must continue to keep God first. With the many distractions we have each day, it might be hard to keep the Lord at the forefront of your mind, but you must continue to do so to stay on the rightous path. Keeping God first does not mean that everything will go they way YOU planned, but it will ensure that things go the way GOD plans. When things go wrong, as long as you keep God first, you will be able to overcome anything. When things go well, you will be able to give all the honor to God. Having God first allows you to not only follow God’s will, but will make sure that you  are protected from negative situations and people.

I ran across an article that uses FIRST as a acrostic to help Christian keep God first.

How do we put God F.I.R.S.T.?

F stands for Focus. Spend serious time reading Bible verses that talk about who He is and you will be filled with a sense of wonder and trust.

“I” stands for Identify. Identify what purpose God has for you. What spiritual gift(s) has God given you that you are to use to serve in His spiritual kingdom right here and now. Whatever your occupation or career is God’s purpose for you will give you the most satisfaction.

“R” stands for respect. We should respect God’s timetable. He is ultimately in control and He has a plan. As we pray and as we live we are to be mindful that our plans will always be superseded by His plans.

“S”stands for serve others. Serving other people is some capacity is an excellent way of taking our attention off ourselves and placing it on others. Jesus came to the earth to serve and not to be served. In serving others we are living the life he would live.

“T” stands for telling others. When we tell others about what happens when we put God first it encourages others to do the same. As we talk our own belief is affirmed in what God is doing in our lives.

Are you putting God FIRST?

HDI

So the last couple of days have been hard on me mentally and emotionally. It seems as if people are attacking me from every possible angle. It seems like the harder I work or try to live my life right, the harder people fight to get me off my path. The more I do right, the bigger the devil’s target is on me. Satan is busy. Whether it is my job or other aspects of my life, people are trying to hold me back from my victory.  As a child of God, I know that vengence is mine. I just have to continue to stay on my path despite how I am being treated. Overcoming these obsticles will only make me stronger.

The more I vere from the path of the Lord, the easier it is for people to get in and disasembale what I have worked so hard to build. I just have to make sure that my faith is strong and that I completely give God control. If He has total control then there is no way others can break the castle He has built. I have to put my faith in God and realize that God is the ONLY being I can completely put my trust in.

When I vented to a close friend about some of the issues I have been faced with over the last few days, he told me that because I am covered with the blood of Jesus that victory is mine. He went on to suggest that I read Pslams 1. Thanks Dorian

Pslams 1 states:

 ¹Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
 ²But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
 ³And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
 ⁴The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
 ⁵Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
 ⁶For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

This message just drives home the fact that as long as I live by the will of God and trust Him completly that nothing can stop me. I need to make sure that no matter what goes on around me or to me, that I continue to follow God’s path and I can overcome anything. I feel sorry for those going against God’s will.

So those of you trying to bring me down, just understand that haters can’t stop my faith….your only making it stronger! So, thanks ….and God Bless you.

I just want to thank the Lord for allowing me to lean on Him. Allowing me to have a Father I know will never leave me. Allowing me to continue to grow with Him. Allowing me to live by Your will and not get caught up in the negativity around me. Thank you Father.

HDI