by | Faith Lived Out, Life Application
What do your habits look like, both good and bad? Do you make it a point to smile at others when they walk by? Do you bite your fingernails?
Habits contribute to our Godly character. Knowing this, I want to make sure I am developing good character that others around me can expect. This means I have to make changes in the faulty habits. Joyce Meyers says “Habits are formed by discipline or lack of discipline.”
For example, if I am not careful in the way that I choose to eat I can quickly form the habit of eating whatever I want, whenever I want. I have diligently worked on the habit of becoming a healthy eater. Lately, however, I have found myself slipping back into the habit of being “less careful.”
As a woman who has struggled with food addiction all of my life, this is not a habit I want to be known for. It is easy for me to turn one chocolate chip cookie into twelve in an instant. It is easy for me to dart to the refrigerator when my emotions are high. These are the moments I need to run into the arms of God and His Word the most.
Romans 5:3-5 says We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character, and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
God has given each of us exactly what we need to break those bad habits and form Godly habits, which in turn build our character. We have the hope and the perseverance. Now we need to them into action.
What old habits do you need to change? What new habits do you want to form?
by | Faith Lived Out
I’ve been sitting on this devotional I read last week and can’t stop thinking about it. So, why not blog about it?
If someone walked up to you and asked what it means to be a Christian what would you say?
According to Dr. Ed Young, “A Christian is a Christ-follower. He is someone who has said ‘I confess my sins to the Lord, turn from them, and ask Christ to come in and take over my life.'”
That’s simple enough right? I wonder why we make it so hard. Do we make it hard? After reading Merriam Webster’s definition I would have to go with yes. The religion derived from Jesus Christ, based on the Bible as sacred scripture, and professed by Eastern, Roman Catholic, and Protestant bodies.
Several years ago a friend of mine was giving the commencement address at a Kentucky high school. A young man in his congregation was the class valedictorian, and following the ceremony he said to my friend, “Pastor, I want to talk to you. I want you to tell me what it means to be a Christian.” This pastor was surprised at the question, since the young man had attended church all his life. But he agreed to meet with him the next morning so they could talk. You’ve probably guessed by now that meeting never happened. The young man died that night in an automobile accident. His father recounted that his son regained consciousness before he died, and asked his Dad the same question he had asked my friend. His father could not answer.
Chewing on this devotion for a while made me realize that sometimes we add way too much theology to a simple question when a complex answer is not really necessary.
If someone asked you the question, could you give the answer?
by | Faith Lived Out
I’ve been hanging out in the book of Isaiah over the last week and I’m loving it. I want to share what I’m learning with you.
Isaiah 5:18 says Woe to those who draw sin along with cords of deceit, and wickedness as with cart ropes.
Are you carrying a knapsack full of sin on your back? Is the load getting too heavy to bare? Are you tired of carrying it around, yet you’re not sure what you can possibly do with it? Are you refusing to give those sins up out of fear?
I remember being there. The burden of sin weighed on me so heavily that everyone around me could see the effects, but I wouldn’t let go. It was the last thing I had a hold of. If I let go what would I possibly be in control of? I did let go. Finally.
There is one who promises to take away all our burdens. He promises to take away all our sins and replace it with purpose.
Jesus says to the weary and burdened, “Come to me and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
The day I decided to stop hiding my burdens this song was playing at the beginning of my journey. The words are so true.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPj_2L-uRpM]
by | Faith Lived Out
Imagine your favorite dress. You love wearing it. You feel like a completely different woman when wearing it. It brings a smile to your face every time you get the opportunity to wear it. Now imagine that opportunity has come. You’ve been invited to a black tie affair. Oh yes, the dress is coming out!
You step out of the car. Your hair is up and your earrings shine. The dress. There are no words. As you gracefully embrace the walkway to the door all of a sudden you look down to find a stain. Oh no, it’s gets bigger at every glance! The red permanent scarlet dye continues to make a big circle until there is no possible way to hide it any longer. You are well aware that the deep stain is almost impossible to remove from clothing. Your day and the dress is ruined.
The stain of sin is equally mortifying. What if we had to walk around covered in crimson every moment of our lives? Thank God we don’t. Though the stain in that dress may never come out, God can remove the stain of sin in our lives just as He did for the Israelites in Isaiah. We are assured by His Word that if we remain obedient and willing, Jesus Christ removes those stains. Not only does he remove them; He makes them white as snow.
Psalm 51 says that He will blot out our trangressions…He will cleanse us from our sins.
Have you asked Him yet to make you clean?
by | Faith Lived Out
Did you know that? Neither did I, until I attended the Fresh Ground Faith Conference with Jennifer Rothschild in Springfield, Missouri last weekend. One word: AMAZING!
There are many things I learned that I will possibly blog about later, but this particular teaching sticks out to me at the moment. Jesus promises that He will deliver. We are to trust His promises, not our feelings.
THREE P’S IN THE WORD PROMISE:
- PERSEVERE – Three things you must focus on to persevere in holding onto the promises of Christ:
- Turn your feeling into an action. Make your feeling adjust to what is really going on; to what the truth is.
- Affirm your true identity. Remember this: who you are and what you struggle with are NOT the same thing. (Worth repeating out loud.)
- Feed the truth, and starve the lies.
- PLAN – Live strategically. What does that mean? Well, in regards to habits, Jennifer gave some great examples:
- It is much easier to end habits than begin habits.
- So… pick a few habits to end and you’ll soon see that the habits you originally wanted to start will take their place. (This puts a twist on the New Year’s Resolution eh?)
- PRACTICE – Do you have a mentor in your life who practices 1 Corinthians 11:1, following the example of Christ?
- If you don’t have a mentor ask God to put one in your path.
- If you do, imitate them as they imitate Christ so that you can become the best You. (No, this doesn’t mean steal their identity and be exactly who they are. It means imitating the qualities they possess that lets the world know they belong to Jesus.)
by | Faith Lived Out
Let a righteous man strike me – it is a kindness; let him rebuke me – it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it. Psalm 141:5
How do you take criticism, whether good or bad? Do you receive it, believing perhaps the person giving it to you has a point, or do you blow it off, walk away and not give it another thought? I used to do the latter. My pride was too heavy to listen to what others had to say. Then God tipped my boat over until I was at the point of drowning, begging for someone to help me. I was ready to listen.
The Message says, May the Just One set me straight, may the Kind One correct me.
Being corrected or rebuked is a kindness. Of course nobody really likes to be rebuked, but if spoken correctly, is for your benefit. David gives three ways to accept criticism:
- Don’t refuse it (Keep an open mind).
- Remember it’s a kindness (If someone you love is correcting you, they are doing it out of love).
- Shh. (Don’t fight back – yes I know this is the hardest one).
Here’s what I have learned about fighting back, thinking I have to defend myself, or just spouting off words because I didn’t want to humble myself and accept the kindness: the more I open the door of my lips, taking the guard off my mouth, the stupider I look. Either way I wind up the fool.
Just something to consider next time correction comes your way.
