What is on your Top Ten?
Light For Life February 2006
Do you have a favourite top ten songs? Some of them might be today’s hits, but you will probably find that they will always include, perhaps with a majority - old songs. Sometimes, the songs that I hear on the radio take me back to a time, a place from my past, they conjure up feelings and emotions, memories which can be good or they can be painful ones. Songs have a way of getting straight into the deepest parts of your being in just one bar.
So, we have our own top ten songs (or more) in our head, songs we like and songs that remind us of a moment in time or season of life. I was walking a long this morning in the fresh air and of course you think as you walk along don't you? All of a sudden I thought of somebody, someone I needed to call as we needed to catch up. And then, out of no where a painful thought came in my head, a memory to do with this person. It is a scenario I have played over and over in my head for far too long, and it was something that I found very difficult to let go of. But, no matter how hard I tried, as it was something that I didn't understand and that didn't make sense, it was very persistent and had remained within my ‘repertoire’ of thought topics!
Well I mustn't have thought this thought for a while, because as it came into my mind, it got caught in the filter of what we are thinking and a message flashed up to me…. ‘Warning, warning, you are now entering a restricted zone, terminate all contact!!! Warning Warning!!” Oh, it occurred to me, I hadn't thought along these lines for at least a few weeks, perhaps even a month. I don't want to start that again, I want to let it go. So right then I decided that I would take that record of the player in my mind and break it.
This happens with songs we hear on the radio too, there are songs we love and are encouraging and there are songs that are detrimental, they lead us to sad thoughts, angry thoughts, broken heart thoughts, and so many other places that we should stay out of if we want to move forward and not be worried, anxious or depressed. Sometimes when one of those songs comes on the radio we change the station, if we have the CD and it is not good for us we may relegate it to the back of the stack, we might give it away, send it off to the ‘op shop’. We might even break it!!
So what about the songs, or thoughts in our head? What is in your ‘Top Ten’ the ‘Top Ten’ best songs and ‘Top Ten’ worst songs? Take note of what is on your play list and take the record out!!!! Some of the worst songs we can play in our mind are about hurts, broken hearts and dreams, love gone wrong, songs that are angry, about revenge and spite, songs of area’s where there needs to be forgiveness, songs of ‘the good old days’, what could have been but what is, ‘woe is me’ songs, of jealousy and envy. The list goes on and on…. songs like ‘That person hurt me’, ‘I missed out again’, and ‘I can't stand it anymore’! Along with these songs little movies are also played on the big screen of our mind – some of these are best sellers too and could have made millions if they were to have had the numbers at box office that they have had in our minds! There are familiar scenarios or fantasies that these thoughts conjure up.
Think about it if you take out the song, you can end the movies’ season and you end contact with the scenario in your mind. And while you are taking them out, replace them with some good stuff, songs that will motivate and inspire you, songs that will equip you and add life, peace and joy. We are responsible for what goes on upstairs in our own heads.
God is holding our future, trust Him instead of the bad memories. How can worrying add even one minute to our lives? Conjuring the memories holds the person you are thinking about from being released and more importantly it keeps you from being released. We all know that quite often this person will not even have any idea of how we are feeling. Don't you want to start this year by moving on from things, thoughts that have held you where you are? We can begin to do it by changing and removing the songs we are playing in our mind.
I encourage you, when you start listening to what is being played without blindly listening to it, you might be surprised. Take stock. What will become the ‘Greatest Hits of 2006’? Songs that will move you on, encourage you, give you good advice? Check over what is on the ‘playlists’ in your head, the 'Top Ten’s of 2005', change some records, hey, why not break some records. Make the greatest hits of 2006 be ones that help you not hurt you.
Love
Cam
Word For Life
Playlist: List of chosen, currently playing songs. A list of musical selections for broadcast or performance.
Often written as playlist (one word), the term has come into use with hard disk recording systems. It refers to a list, or some sort of view of audio items that can be defined to play in a particular order (usually the order shown in the list). Items will play back in order, even though they may have nothing to do with one another. Though the term is used more loosely like that these days, it originates with early disk recording systems that simply showed the sound files in text form in the order they were to be played.
Think of this in terms of your play list in your head and the thoughts that are played there. Very profound.
The Word
Philippians 4:8 - Finally, my brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are right, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, think on these things. (Message Bible)
Philippians 4:8 - Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious--the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. (Modern King James Version Bible)
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Logic
Logic...
Light For Life January 2006
I was talking today with a friend, we were talking about some things that are happening in our lives and in the lives of those around us. We started talking about logic, sometimes the answers to the biggest problems and scenarios in our lives do not come out of logical circumstances – as a matter of fact they can some so far out of left field that it is inconceivable.
So we started thinking about logic…. The things that seem logical to us are not logical to God. So I asked the question, is God logical? I kind of felt there were two answers to that – yes and no! Yes God has to be logical – but so many things that happen around us are not logical are they? Yet by the end result we can see the logic in them; I think it is a bit of an enigma. God's logic makes perfect sense to Him and no sense to us. That is why so many things that happen to us that seem illogical at the time lead to our greatest breakthroughs and to miracles - my life is a testimony to that.
I guess the conclusion we came to is that God’s logic is not our logic. God’s logic stands alone… it is God’s logic, not ours. The two are quite different and are based on different premises. God’s logic is pure, it is based on love, it sees the end from the beginning, and it is already predetermined. Our logic, although it can make sense, is flawed, it is human logic and so it is limited and it is more easily put in a box.
So many things in our life don't seem logical but their outcomes are just what we have been praying for, the things we pray for come through circumstances we could never imagine!!!. I am sure that many of you are like me; there are desires in your hearts, for good things, for miracles in situations, for answers. I have looked over my last two years and I can testify that the biggest miracles and breakthroughs come out of the most illogical situations and circumstances.
When God shows us to do something, what he requires is our obedience not our logic, but in most of our situations it is our logic that dictates to us what to do and when to do it. I cannot begin to tell you all the miracles that I have seen in the last two years and it was all started by a situation that was beyond my comprehension, something that I thought just could not be what God wanted for me, now looking back I can see He was positioning me, but again, not in the way we think of positioning. We think of positioning as an upper hand, in my case positioning was coming to the unknown, to a place of uncertainty, a place of seeing my insecurities, and to look back now and see what it has brought me and my family is truly overwhelming and humbling. It is not logical!
So Van Nguyen, an Australian caught in Singapore for trafficking drugs, was hanged just about a month ago now for his crime. I sat and read some of the letters he has written, his deep innermost thoughts which leave me totally convinced that he had truly come to faith, his words revealed his heart and his level of understanding of God. He believed this was all part of God’s plan for him, he came to a deep awakening of God and it brought him such peace….doesn't make sense does it? He knew this was all to take place for a greater good – and though his act of trafficking drugs blackened his name, his finding of God transformed him and changed him so, that I believe in his death he is a beacon of light and he pointed the way to God. Was this his destiny? It seems so; it seems that is the conclusion he came to. Is that logic? No, there is not logic in that, but will it change people’s lives, will it prevent people’s deaths, will it change someone’s life, will it lead others to faith? I think most definitely. Why was it that we were so profoundly affected by his execution?
Jesus going to the cross was not logic, yet it wrought for humanity its biggest gift, it paid a price that could not be paid for by us, it has brought for those who acknowledge Him, and receive His free gift of salvation, life that although is at times challenging, be a life of peace, love, true wholeness and most of all eternal.
Don't always look for logic in your life? If you are looking for logic, you will probably not find it, you may find confusion, and you may find more questions, even anger. Like those who did not make it to the World Trade Center for some reason or another that fateful day, it defies logic. Don't look for logic in your life when your life has been given over to Him. God's logic + our obedience, trust and following Him = miracles and answers! Just be thankful, trust your life to the One who has written every one of your days in His book, commit your ways to Him, stay close to Him, He has your best interests at heart. After all that is logical!
Love
Cam
P.S Happy New Year - may it be blessed and miraculous. Not just words but my prayer for you all. Trust and see what God can do in your life in 2006. Do yourself a favour and write down some goals for the year then you will see what He has done when it draws to a close next year!
Word For Life
Logic
A science that deals with the principles and criteria of validity of inference and demonstration : the science of the formal principles of reasoning, a particular mode of reasoning viewed as valid or faulty, interrelation or sequence of facts or events when seen as inevitable or predictable, something that forces a decision apart from or in opposition to reason.
Premise
To set forth beforehand as an introduction or a postulate, to offer as a premise in an argument, to base on certain assumptions.
The Word
Isaiah 55:8-9
For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.
Light For Life January 2006
I was talking today with a friend, we were talking about some things that are happening in our lives and in the lives of those around us. We started talking about logic, sometimes the answers to the biggest problems and scenarios in our lives do not come out of logical circumstances – as a matter of fact they can some so far out of left field that it is inconceivable.
So we started thinking about logic…. The things that seem logical to us are not logical to God. So I asked the question, is God logical? I kind of felt there were two answers to that – yes and no! Yes God has to be logical – but so many things that happen around us are not logical are they? Yet by the end result we can see the logic in them; I think it is a bit of an enigma. God's logic makes perfect sense to Him and no sense to us. That is why so many things that happen to us that seem illogical at the time lead to our greatest breakthroughs and to miracles - my life is a testimony to that.
I guess the conclusion we came to is that God’s logic is not our logic. God’s logic stands alone… it is God’s logic, not ours. The two are quite different and are based on different premises. God’s logic is pure, it is based on love, it sees the end from the beginning, and it is already predetermined. Our logic, although it can make sense, is flawed, it is human logic and so it is limited and it is more easily put in a box.
So many things in our life don't seem logical but their outcomes are just what we have been praying for, the things we pray for come through circumstances we could never imagine!!!. I am sure that many of you are like me; there are desires in your hearts, for good things, for miracles in situations, for answers. I have looked over my last two years and I can testify that the biggest miracles and breakthroughs come out of the most illogical situations and circumstances.
When God shows us to do something, what he requires is our obedience not our logic, but in most of our situations it is our logic that dictates to us what to do and when to do it. I cannot begin to tell you all the miracles that I have seen in the last two years and it was all started by a situation that was beyond my comprehension, something that I thought just could not be what God wanted for me, now looking back I can see He was positioning me, but again, not in the way we think of positioning. We think of positioning as an upper hand, in my case positioning was coming to the unknown, to a place of uncertainty, a place of seeing my insecurities, and to look back now and see what it has brought me and my family is truly overwhelming and humbling. It is not logical!
So Van Nguyen, an Australian caught in Singapore for trafficking drugs, was hanged just about a month ago now for his crime. I sat and read some of the letters he has written, his deep innermost thoughts which leave me totally convinced that he had truly come to faith, his words revealed his heart and his level of understanding of God. He believed this was all part of God’s plan for him, he came to a deep awakening of God and it brought him such peace….doesn't make sense does it? He knew this was all to take place for a greater good – and though his act of trafficking drugs blackened his name, his finding of God transformed him and changed him so, that I believe in his death he is a beacon of light and he pointed the way to God. Was this his destiny? It seems so; it seems that is the conclusion he came to. Is that logic? No, there is not logic in that, but will it change people’s lives, will it prevent people’s deaths, will it change someone’s life, will it lead others to faith? I think most definitely. Why was it that we were so profoundly affected by his execution?
Jesus going to the cross was not logic, yet it wrought for humanity its biggest gift, it paid a price that could not be paid for by us, it has brought for those who acknowledge Him, and receive His free gift of salvation, life that although is at times challenging, be a life of peace, love, true wholeness and most of all eternal.
Don't always look for logic in your life? If you are looking for logic, you will probably not find it, you may find confusion, and you may find more questions, even anger. Like those who did not make it to the World Trade Center for some reason or another that fateful day, it defies logic. Don't look for logic in your life when your life has been given over to Him. God's logic + our obedience, trust and following Him = miracles and answers! Just be thankful, trust your life to the One who has written every one of your days in His book, commit your ways to Him, stay close to Him, He has your best interests at heart. After all that is logical!
Love
Cam
P.S Happy New Year - may it be blessed and miraculous. Not just words but my prayer for you all. Trust and see what God can do in your life in 2006. Do yourself a favour and write down some goals for the year then you will see what He has done when it draws to a close next year!
Word For Life
Logic
A science that deals with the principles and criteria of validity of inference and demonstration : the science of the formal principles of reasoning, a particular mode of reasoning viewed as valid or faulty, interrelation or sequence of facts or events when seen as inevitable or predictable, something that forces a decision apart from or in opposition to reason.
Premise
To set forth beforehand as an introduction or a postulate, to offer as a premise in an argument, to base on certain assumptions.
The Word
Isaiah 55:8-9
For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.
Internal Purification
Internal Purification.
Light For Life December 2005
We can have all the skills in the world but God is not just after skills. There are people in so many areas and in so many arenas’ of the corporate world, the church world, the nations that have fantastic skills but skills are only just one aspect aren't they? We can have all the skills we need and God will use us, but then as we grow He will require more of us and bring us to a place of refining – which is the internal purification that we all need, not one person more than others – all sin is sin to God, and whatever it is it can limit us and block His blessings in some way, so we cant allow it to stay there once He has shown it to us.
Recently I was at a meeting where I was listening to a man speak on leadership, his message was very good, one of his points was about excellence in ministry and he talked about 5 essential skills that we need to have as leaders. The skills he spoke of were prayer, vision, communication, administration and people skills – all very important in order to do what He has planned for us to do. As I sat there I looked at this list of skills and said to God ‘Lord, I know I have these skills why have things not worked out the way I thought?' It was then God started to speak to me, and it was quite profound. God said to me in the most beautiful gentle and fatherly way ‘Yes you do have these skills but its not just about the skills its about internal purification’. You can have all these skills in good measure, and God does want to utilize these, but high on His list is making us more like Jesus – purifying us, so we can reflect Him in a purer way to the people we speak to, to use us for His glory even more, to free us, to take us to the next level so He can reveal the next plan that we must undertake and the list goes on. He refines His creation and we are His creation and His workmanship.
I already knew this answer when I asked Him about myself, He had already shown me this along the last 12 months of my journey, but what He was about to show me was something very significant to all of us. It's easy when you tell someone something like this for them to say ‘Well yes, God does want to deal with you!!!!, etc etc blah blah blah…!!!!’ (can your hear my attitude there.. shame shame!) but the thing is that if the cry of our hearts is to be more like Him, to honour Him, to serve Him then this is what is going to happen in our life – no one is exempt, it is part and parcel and somewhere down the track, if it is not already happening in your life, God will slowly get more nitty gritty and show you more and more what needs to come into His order, we are all accountable.
Anyway, when He spoke this to me, it was a confirmation, I felt encouraged because at times I had doubted that I did have what God wanted and I almost cried at the gentle, non condescending way He spoke it to me. Yes, it was about internal purification. If you are on this journey you will know what I am talking about and when God reveals stuff, flaws and weaknesses in your life you will not rebel, you will not run (although you may halt momentarily) but you will gird up yourself, pull yourself together and purposefully keep walking ahead one step at a time and you will get through.
When you are first a Christian, or come to that place of seeing areas in your life that need to change, at first the adjustments are fairly easy to make – things will quite easily get cut out of your life – it might be simple things like ‘little white lies’, or swearing, to something like being convicted of gossiping. But, as you go down the road in your walk the things that are revealed from our hearts and lives are things that have probably been a part of who we are through our whole life now, and it can be quite a surprise when we see the areas for what they are and then through God’s grace begin to seek change.
At the beginning of 2005 God showed me in the bible about His Holy temple and how it says that we are His temple – our bodies are the temple and He lives in us - His home. As in any building we see around us with one thing and another they do get broken, worn and weather beaten, things break, sometimes the foundations are not quite right and cracks might appear and they need work done on them. Well, God as the owner/builder of us, His home, will carry out the necessary work at the right time in us. As well as this, as we are His home, His ‘temple’ we should be Holy and set apart for Him to serve Him. And so it is that if we are close to Him and hearing His voice He will be rebuilding us.
Amazingly enough this is precisely what He showed me. It was that very night that I heard that message at church that He continued to speak to me. I went home and sat down to read my daily bible reading, not something I specifically looked up but what I was meant to read for that day. The heading of the chapter was ‘Abominations in the Temple’ Ezekiel Chapter 8-12. As I read through it this was just what God had spoken to me – in this passage God had taken Ezekiel in a vision and was showing him how all the people from the priests (in the temple) down to the average man on the street secretly had idols in their lives and were going against His laws. On the outside they looked good and were doing all the right things but secretly behind closed doors they all had their idols and He dealt with them severely – beginning at His sanctuary, which if you think about it is in our hearts. Our heart is where things can be hidden and no one really sees, but God sees all, completely loving us all the while and when the time is right He shows us. He doesn't deal with everything at once or we would not cope but at the right time it comes to our attention.
Interestingly in this bible passage, there were people with areas in their lives of sin, but He told the angel that they were to spare the ones who sighed and cried over all the abominations that are done within it. And so it is with us, if we ‘sigh and cry’ over these areas in our lives God’s grace is made available and we work through them. Later it said in Chapter 11 that ‘But as for those whose hearts follow the desire for their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their deeds on their own heads’ says the Lord God’, in our terms it is called consequences. So in this passage God revealed the uncovered sins etc, He sends the angels to deal with the sin, except for the ones whose hearts sighed and cried over the sin, then as this was all dealt with, cleansed and purified, His glory and His presence could fill the temple.
And so it is with us, as our hearts and lives are dealt with His glory can fill us and then spill out of us to the world and those around us. The benefits are not just for us or for God, our lives are cleansed we feel better about ourselves, God is glorified and people can start to see a better picture of Him, we can have a better relationship with Him and those around us are blessed as we may no longer get angry so easily, we aren't gripped by fear, we are more patient and more forgiving and that is just naming a few.So maybe if you relate to what I am saying here then what you are experiencing is internal purification. I encourage you to lean into God, stay close to Him, even if what He is asking seems hard – start by being willing and He will enable you. It may not all be easy but the place God will bring you to will be so freeing, and as you move through it you will understand why He did it. Let His glory fill your temple and spill out to bring the peace you enjoy to the world around you, to your world!
Love
Cam
Word For Life
Internal
Existing or situated within the limits or surface of something, situated near the inside of the body, relating to, or occurring within the confines of an organized structure (as a club, company, or state), relating or belonging to or existing within the mind.Inner, Located, acting, or effective within the body.
Purification
The act or an instance of cleansing or purifying. Cleaning by getting rid of impurities. The act of purging of sin or guilt; "purification through repentance".
Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost :
What an astonishing saying is this! As truly as the living God dwelt in the Mosaic tabernacle, and in the temple of Solomon, so truly does the Holy Ghost dwell in the souls of genuine Christians; and as the temple and all its utensils were holy, separated from all common and profane uses, and dedicated alone to the service of God, so the bodies of genuine Christians are holy, and all their members should be employed in the service of God alone.
The whole man is the temple; the soul is the inmost shrine; the understanding and heart, the holy place; and the body, the porch and exterior of the edifice. Chastity is the guardian of the temple to prevent anything unclean entering which might provoke the indwelling God to abandon it as defiled. None but God can claim a temple; here the Holy Ghost is assigned one; therefore the Holy Ghost is God.
The Word
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own,
You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honour God and bring glory to Him in your body.
Light For Life December 2005
We can have all the skills in the world but God is not just after skills. There are people in so many areas and in so many arenas’ of the corporate world, the church world, the nations that have fantastic skills but skills are only just one aspect aren't they? We can have all the skills we need and God will use us, but then as we grow He will require more of us and bring us to a place of refining – which is the internal purification that we all need, not one person more than others – all sin is sin to God, and whatever it is it can limit us and block His blessings in some way, so we cant allow it to stay there once He has shown it to us.
Recently I was at a meeting where I was listening to a man speak on leadership, his message was very good, one of his points was about excellence in ministry and he talked about 5 essential skills that we need to have as leaders. The skills he spoke of were prayer, vision, communication, administration and people skills – all very important in order to do what He has planned for us to do. As I sat there I looked at this list of skills and said to God ‘Lord, I know I have these skills why have things not worked out the way I thought?' It was then God started to speak to me, and it was quite profound. God said to me in the most beautiful gentle and fatherly way ‘Yes you do have these skills but its not just about the skills its about internal purification’. You can have all these skills in good measure, and God does want to utilize these, but high on His list is making us more like Jesus – purifying us, so we can reflect Him in a purer way to the people we speak to, to use us for His glory even more, to free us, to take us to the next level so He can reveal the next plan that we must undertake and the list goes on. He refines His creation and we are His creation and His workmanship.
I already knew this answer when I asked Him about myself, He had already shown me this along the last 12 months of my journey, but what He was about to show me was something very significant to all of us. It's easy when you tell someone something like this for them to say ‘Well yes, God does want to deal with you!!!!, etc etc blah blah blah…!!!!’ (can your hear my attitude there.. shame shame!) but the thing is that if the cry of our hearts is to be more like Him, to honour Him, to serve Him then this is what is going to happen in our life – no one is exempt, it is part and parcel and somewhere down the track, if it is not already happening in your life, God will slowly get more nitty gritty and show you more and more what needs to come into His order, we are all accountable.
Anyway, when He spoke this to me, it was a confirmation, I felt encouraged because at times I had doubted that I did have what God wanted and I almost cried at the gentle, non condescending way He spoke it to me. Yes, it was about internal purification. If you are on this journey you will know what I am talking about and when God reveals stuff, flaws and weaknesses in your life you will not rebel, you will not run (although you may halt momentarily) but you will gird up yourself, pull yourself together and purposefully keep walking ahead one step at a time and you will get through.
When you are first a Christian, or come to that place of seeing areas in your life that need to change, at first the adjustments are fairly easy to make – things will quite easily get cut out of your life – it might be simple things like ‘little white lies’, or swearing, to something like being convicted of gossiping. But, as you go down the road in your walk the things that are revealed from our hearts and lives are things that have probably been a part of who we are through our whole life now, and it can be quite a surprise when we see the areas for what they are and then through God’s grace begin to seek change.
At the beginning of 2005 God showed me in the bible about His Holy temple and how it says that we are His temple – our bodies are the temple and He lives in us - His home. As in any building we see around us with one thing and another they do get broken, worn and weather beaten, things break, sometimes the foundations are not quite right and cracks might appear and they need work done on them. Well, God as the owner/builder of us, His home, will carry out the necessary work at the right time in us. As well as this, as we are His home, His ‘temple’ we should be Holy and set apart for Him to serve Him. And so it is that if we are close to Him and hearing His voice He will be rebuilding us.
Amazingly enough this is precisely what He showed me. It was that very night that I heard that message at church that He continued to speak to me. I went home and sat down to read my daily bible reading, not something I specifically looked up but what I was meant to read for that day. The heading of the chapter was ‘Abominations in the Temple’ Ezekiel Chapter 8-12. As I read through it this was just what God had spoken to me – in this passage God had taken Ezekiel in a vision and was showing him how all the people from the priests (in the temple) down to the average man on the street secretly had idols in their lives and were going against His laws. On the outside they looked good and were doing all the right things but secretly behind closed doors they all had their idols and He dealt with them severely – beginning at His sanctuary, which if you think about it is in our hearts. Our heart is where things can be hidden and no one really sees, but God sees all, completely loving us all the while and when the time is right He shows us. He doesn't deal with everything at once or we would not cope but at the right time it comes to our attention.
Interestingly in this bible passage, there were people with areas in their lives of sin, but He told the angel that they were to spare the ones who sighed and cried over all the abominations that are done within it. And so it is with us, if we ‘sigh and cry’ over these areas in our lives God’s grace is made available and we work through them. Later it said in Chapter 11 that ‘But as for those whose hearts follow the desire for their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their deeds on their own heads’ says the Lord God’, in our terms it is called consequences. So in this passage God revealed the uncovered sins etc, He sends the angels to deal with the sin, except for the ones whose hearts sighed and cried over the sin, then as this was all dealt with, cleansed and purified, His glory and His presence could fill the temple.
And so it is with us, as our hearts and lives are dealt with His glory can fill us and then spill out of us to the world and those around us. The benefits are not just for us or for God, our lives are cleansed we feel better about ourselves, God is glorified and people can start to see a better picture of Him, we can have a better relationship with Him and those around us are blessed as we may no longer get angry so easily, we aren't gripped by fear, we are more patient and more forgiving and that is just naming a few.So maybe if you relate to what I am saying here then what you are experiencing is internal purification. I encourage you to lean into God, stay close to Him, even if what He is asking seems hard – start by being willing and He will enable you. It may not all be easy but the place God will bring you to will be so freeing, and as you move through it you will understand why He did it. Let His glory fill your temple and spill out to bring the peace you enjoy to the world around you, to your world!
Love
Cam
Word For Life
Internal
Existing or situated within the limits or surface of something, situated near the inside of the body, relating to, or occurring within the confines of an organized structure (as a club, company, or state), relating or belonging to or existing within the mind.Inner, Located, acting, or effective within the body.
Purification
The act or an instance of cleansing or purifying. Cleaning by getting rid of impurities. The act of purging of sin or guilt; "purification through repentance".
Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost :
What an astonishing saying is this! As truly as the living God dwelt in the Mosaic tabernacle, and in the temple of Solomon, so truly does the Holy Ghost dwell in the souls of genuine Christians; and as the temple and all its utensils were holy, separated from all common and profane uses, and dedicated alone to the service of God, so the bodies of genuine Christians are holy, and all their members should be employed in the service of God alone.
The whole man is the temple; the soul is the inmost shrine; the understanding and heart, the holy place; and the body, the porch and exterior of the edifice. Chastity is the guardian of the temple to prevent anything unclean entering which might provoke the indwelling God to abandon it as defiled. None but God can claim a temple; here the Holy Ghost is assigned one; therefore the Holy Ghost is God.
The Word
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own,
You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honour God and bring glory to Him in your body.
In Faith BY Faith
In Faith by Faith!
Light For Life November 2005
All my Christian life I have been taught about faith, it would be safe to say that it is probably one of the most spoken & taught about subjects in Christianity. It is pivotal to our life and our walk in Christ and it is something that we need and want. God has been giving me some understanding on faith in recent weeks; bringing me insight that I have never had before and I am beginning to grasp what it means in a new way.
From the time we are Christians we are encouraged to walk in faith and we try to do this but often we try and then give up too quickly, our human traits being very strong. I guess one of the first things God showed me was that we need to be ‘in faith’, as being ‘in faith’ is what pleases God, how can we expect to receive anything if we are not in faith. I had come to a place of wanting a breakthrough in different and specific areas of my life and first of all I needed to be in faith and not in doubt. I began to see that I was ‘in doubt’ more often than I liked to realise. The lessons of staying ‘in faith’ are ones we can't learn while we're on a high or while we're smooth sailing; they are quite often valley lessons. This is the place for us to practice faith and then overcome.
Since the beginning of this year when God started to make clear to me that He had a different plan for me, He began to reveal what exactly He was trying to teach me through each thing that I experienced. It started off with getting the ‘foundations’ in order which consisted of many of the most important things – like family, identity, priorities, then a revelation about God’s love for me and then how to really love God – by trusting God moment by moment, being obedient and following God. The last several months He began to show me about having hope, about believing for miracles in areas, and that hope is an anchor for the soul. All this has led me to another huge revelation, you guessed it….faith. FAITH was my next major lesson.
One week there was an appointment that I needed to go to, to something that I had been dreading for a long time and in a strong way. Funny, but for weeks ahead of it I still had a peace inside me, and as the time got closer to the appointment the level of peace did not alter one iota – not the week before, the day before or the night before!!! I woke up in the morning with God speaking very clearly to me and showing me something about faith. It was amazing. I realised that going over and over again in my spirit was a sentence – IN faith BY faith, IN faith BY faith, IN faith BY faith. I don't need to be in faith by my own strength – I could be IN faith BY faith. After all if we are not in faith then we are in fear!!!!! I became aware that this was God’s next message to me for that day and beyond. I did not have to struggle to be or stay in faith, God could fill me with faith.
As a part of this new understanding He showed me (or gave me a knowledge of or awareness) that I was not alone in the house (apart from the family) – there were angels here with me and so was He! Then I KNEW I was not alone! He reminded me of the story in the Old Testament of Elisha and his servant. They were in a situation where they thought they were outnumbered and then God opened his eyes and he saw the supernatural army ready to fight for them (the angels and the chariots), that those with them were more than those against them. I knew this was also God’s message to me – spot on. I had a very vivid sense of big strong angels surrounding me, also God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit being there too. The bible says that the angels are ‘ministering spirits sent to do the bidding of His word and to minister to and uphold the heirs of salvation’. I FELT as if I was not alone! This fed my faith level; God was showing me I would be alright.
The bible also says that ‘without faith it is impossible to please God for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him’ and, "the just shall live by faith.
But if he draws back, My soul shall have no pleasure in him." I wanted to please God and I wanted a breakthrough which meant I needed to have hope and to stay in faith.
There is so much in all of this that we can learn from and do, but where do we start? By having hope for our situations and then staying in faith about them, by not giving up when the circumstances don't change quickly, by still believing that God will do what He said He will do. Faith is what pleases God, in the bible in the book of Hebrews 11, it says that some of our great heroes of faith ‘died in faith believing, but did not receive the promise this side of heaven’. Do you think these mighty men and women died miserable? No! They died ‘in faith’! They died still believing! What would we lose by staying in faith? Nothing! Dying in worry and fear would mean that we did lose something… our peace, our stability, our purpose. But ‘in faith’ there is the freedom of joy, of rest, of hope.
Love
Cam
Word For Life
Interesting:
When you don't believe you get what you asked for… nothing! (Camille Richmond)
The Word
Hebrews 10:35-36
Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.
Light For Life November 2005
All my Christian life I have been taught about faith, it would be safe to say that it is probably one of the most spoken & taught about subjects in Christianity. It is pivotal to our life and our walk in Christ and it is something that we need and want. God has been giving me some understanding on faith in recent weeks; bringing me insight that I have never had before and I am beginning to grasp what it means in a new way.
From the time we are Christians we are encouraged to walk in faith and we try to do this but often we try and then give up too quickly, our human traits being very strong. I guess one of the first things God showed me was that we need to be ‘in faith’, as being ‘in faith’ is what pleases God, how can we expect to receive anything if we are not in faith. I had come to a place of wanting a breakthrough in different and specific areas of my life and first of all I needed to be in faith and not in doubt. I began to see that I was ‘in doubt’ more often than I liked to realise. The lessons of staying ‘in faith’ are ones we can't learn while we're on a high or while we're smooth sailing; they are quite often valley lessons. This is the place for us to practice faith and then overcome.
Since the beginning of this year when God started to make clear to me that He had a different plan for me, He began to reveal what exactly He was trying to teach me through each thing that I experienced. It started off with getting the ‘foundations’ in order which consisted of many of the most important things – like family, identity, priorities, then a revelation about God’s love for me and then how to really love God – by trusting God moment by moment, being obedient and following God. The last several months He began to show me about having hope, about believing for miracles in areas, and that hope is an anchor for the soul. All this has led me to another huge revelation, you guessed it….faith. FAITH was my next major lesson.
One week there was an appointment that I needed to go to, to something that I had been dreading for a long time and in a strong way. Funny, but for weeks ahead of it I still had a peace inside me, and as the time got closer to the appointment the level of peace did not alter one iota – not the week before, the day before or the night before!!! I woke up in the morning with God speaking very clearly to me and showing me something about faith. It was amazing. I realised that going over and over again in my spirit was a sentence – IN faith BY faith, IN faith BY faith, IN faith BY faith. I don't need to be in faith by my own strength – I could be IN faith BY faith. After all if we are not in faith then we are in fear!!!!! I became aware that this was God’s next message to me for that day and beyond. I did not have to struggle to be or stay in faith, God could fill me with faith.
As a part of this new understanding He showed me (or gave me a knowledge of or awareness) that I was not alone in the house (apart from the family) – there were angels here with me and so was He! Then I KNEW I was not alone! He reminded me of the story in the Old Testament of Elisha and his servant. They were in a situation where they thought they were outnumbered and then God opened his eyes and he saw the supernatural army ready to fight for them (the angels and the chariots), that those with them were more than those against them. I knew this was also God’s message to me – spot on. I had a very vivid sense of big strong angels surrounding me, also God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit being there too. The bible says that the angels are ‘ministering spirits sent to do the bidding of His word and to minister to and uphold the heirs of salvation’. I FELT as if I was not alone! This fed my faith level; God was showing me I would be alright.
The bible also says that ‘without faith it is impossible to please God for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him’ and, "the just shall live by faith.
But if he draws back, My soul shall have no pleasure in him." I wanted to please God and I wanted a breakthrough which meant I needed to have hope and to stay in faith.
There is so much in all of this that we can learn from and do, but where do we start? By having hope for our situations and then staying in faith about them, by not giving up when the circumstances don't change quickly, by still believing that God will do what He said He will do. Faith is what pleases God, in the bible in the book of Hebrews 11, it says that some of our great heroes of faith ‘died in faith believing, but did not receive the promise this side of heaven’. Do you think these mighty men and women died miserable? No! They died ‘in faith’! They died still believing! What would we lose by staying in faith? Nothing! Dying in worry and fear would mean that we did lose something… our peace, our stability, our purpose. But ‘in faith’ there is the freedom of joy, of rest, of hope.
Love
Cam
Word For Life
Interesting:
When you don't believe you get what you asked for… nothing! (Camille Richmond)
The Word
Hebrews 10:35-36
Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.
Hope Again
Hope Again...
Light For Life October 2005
‘I give up!’ I have tried and tried and tried again, but, as I expected I failed…. Each one of us has an area in our life, maybe it is a big or important area or perhaps it is something relatively insignificant to others, but to us it’s an area that we just can't seem to conquer or to deal with and time and time again we fail. I guess I am really talking here about the areas that cause us grief, frustration, hurt; that lower our self esteem and self image and we have no peace because there is no let up and no breakthrough. These areas have a grip over us in different ways; we just can't seem to get away from them as they eventually come up again. There are moments of freedom but in the end it comes back to hitting this same wall again. It could be anything from fear, anxiety, depression, criticism, gossip or maybe smoking to drinking, too much dieting or not enough; it can be anything that seems to have control over you.
Our life is like a road which goes straight ahead though it may curve around, we will go up and down over mountains and into valleys. We are always at some point along it – on the mountain or in the valley, half way up or half way down. When we are on the mountains we don't so much care about the valleys but inevitably the valleys come around again and again. When we are in the valley and we have no hope for the situation what happens is that we try not to think about it, we just try and get through it as quick as possible because we don't really believe we can get a miracle for this as there is no hope left. Unfortunately this wont be the last we will see of this valley as we have allowed ourselves once again not have hope or believe.
Getting a breakthrough in your toughest area is possible, but the first thing we need to do is have hope! Did you know that hope is not the same as wishing? Biblical hope means something that we are counting on and believe for. When most people say hope they are usually doubtful. When you think about it, what happens is that hope fades; this is because we have been discouraged time after time and have given up. This is not our first intention but when we try and fail and try and fail again eventually hope is eroded and then we relegate this area to the too hard basket, it is out of reach and so we don't even try too hard anymore, and we push it into the background…until the next time it stirs that is. In the bible it says that ‘Hope is an anchor for our souls’. So what happens if we have no hope? We get tossed about; there is nothing from which to gain stability and steadiness.
I am at a place where I really want to believe God for some miracles and breakthroughs in me and my family as well – for example in the area of health. You see what happens is that this ‘area’ is always there, we may not spend too much time thinking about it but it is still hanging there in the background – hanging over our heads if you like. When things around us are good then we can forget about it for a while but when we are a bit low – then it comes back to haunt us and remind us that it is still there.
We can't believe God for a breakthrough and see it in this area if we are in denial, unbelief or even if all is well. We can't believe God for a breakthrough, which involves us walking by faith, when we are not required to walk by faith! We don't always expect a miracle while we are on the ‘mountain tops’ but we should look for our miracle, and keep hoping and believing for one when we are in the valleys!!!! Walking in faith for this area will require determination, focus and discipline –and that is just to stay in faith.
How powerful would it be if we could believe God for a breakthrough in this area and receive a miracle answer? It wouldn't be ‘the sky’s the limit’ – God would be the limit, which is really saying there is not limit to what could happen. So, we need to be anchored by hope, what would we lose? Not much, because if we are in faith and in hope then we are experiencing peace and joy, freedom and rest.
Again today I was listening to a message about hope. Faith is the substance of things HOPED for! So what do you get if you have no hope – nothing? No Hope equals no faith equals no answers. So, I began to hope for things, not just things but for miracles and breakthroughs. I asked God to lead me and to show me the practical steps to receiving them. Hope built up and up until it took root and my soul believed it. It got down on the inside and it began to transform me from the inside out. In one month I have seen the hand of God move in my life and family, if I were to tell you all the things that have happened you would be amazed. Better still I know that the best is yet to come.... I have hope!
What area have you lost hope for? Is it something that you have struggled with all your life? If you look at it you will see that losing hope is the first way where the possible becomes impossible. You need to find hope again, there is always something to hope on and that is the first step and key to our miracle. Find your hope and keep it and see what can happen in your life too.
Love
Cam
Word For Life
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary: The hope here meant, is a sure looking for good things promised, through those promises, with love, desire, and valuing of them. Hope has its degrees, as faith also. These promises of God may safely be depended upon; for here we have two things which cannot change, the counsel and the oath of God, in which it is not possible for God to lie; it would be contrary to his nature as well as to his will. . We are in this world as a ship at sea, tossed up and down, and in danger of being cast away. We need an anchor to keep us sure and steady. Gospel hope is our anchor in the storms of this world. It is sure and steadfast, or it could not keep us so. The free grace of God, the merits and mediation of Christ, and the powerful influences of his Spirit, are the grounds of this hope, and so it is a steadfast hope.
An anchor preserves a ship when the waves beat and the wind blow, and as long as the anchor holds, so long the ship is safe, and the mariner apprehends no danger. The storms of life continue but a short time; the anchor, hope, if fixed by faith in the eternal world, will infallibly prevent all shipwreck; the soul may be strongly tossed by various temptations, but will not drive, because the anchor is in sure ground, and itself is steadfast; it does not drag, and it does not break; faith, like the cable, is the connecting medium between the ship and the anchor, or the soul and its hope of heaven; faith sees the haven, hope desires and anticipates the rest; faith works, and hope holds fast; and, shortly, the soul enters into the haven of eternal repose.
Spirit Filled Life Bible: Hope: Hope, not in the sense of an optimistic outlook or wishful thinking without any foundation, but in the sense of confident expectation based on solid certainty. Biblical hope rests on God’s promises, particularly those pertaining to Christ’s return. So certain is the future of the redeemed that he NT sometimes speaks of the future events in the past tense, as though they were already accomplished. Hope is never inferior of faith, but it is an extension of faith. Faith is the present possession of grace; hope is confidence in the grace’s future accomplishment.
The Word
Hebrews 6:17-19 - Hope is an anchor for our soul – both sure and steadfast.
Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Psalm 42:5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and moan within me? Hope in God; for I shall praise Him for the salvation of His face.
Light For Life October 2005
‘I give up!’ I have tried and tried and tried again, but, as I expected I failed…. Each one of us has an area in our life, maybe it is a big or important area or perhaps it is something relatively insignificant to others, but to us it’s an area that we just can't seem to conquer or to deal with and time and time again we fail. I guess I am really talking here about the areas that cause us grief, frustration, hurt; that lower our self esteem and self image and we have no peace because there is no let up and no breakthrough. These areas have a grip over us in different ways; we just can't seem to get away from them as they eventually come up again. There are moments of freedom but in the end it comes back to hitting this same wall again. It could be anything from fear, anxiety, depression, criticism, gossip or maybe smoking to drinking, too much dieting or not enough; it can be anything that seems to have control over you.
Our life is like a road which goes straight ahead though it may curve around, we will go up and down over mountains and into valleys. We are always at some point along it – on the mountain or in the valley, half way up or half way down. When we are on the mountains we don't so much care about the valleys but inevitably the valleys come around again and again. When we are in the valley and we have no hope for the situation what happens is that we try not to think about it, we just try and get through it as quick as possible because we don't really believe we can get a miracle for this as there is no hope left. Unfortunately this wont be the last we will see of this valley as we have allowed ourselves once again not have hope or believe.
Getting a breakthrough in your toughest area is possible, but the first thing we need to do is have hope! Did you know that hope is not the same as wishing? Biblical hope means something that we are counting on and believe for. When most people say hope they are usually doubtful. When you think about it, what happens is that hope fades; this is because we have been discouraged time after time and have given up. This is not our first intention but when we try and fail and try and fail again eventually hope is eroded and then we relegate this area to the too hard basket, it is out of reach and so we don't even try too hard anymore, and we push it into the background…until the next time it stirs that is. In the bible it says that ‘Hope is an anchor for our souls’. So what happens if we have no hope? We get tossed about; there is nothing from which to gain stability and steadiness.
I am at a place where I really want to believe God for some miracles and breakthroughs in me and my family as well – for example in the area of health. You see what happens is that this ‘area’ is always there, we may not spend too much time thinking about it but it is still hanging there in the background – hanging over our heads if you like. When things around us are good then we can forget about it for a while but when we are a bit low – then it comes back to haunt us and remind us that it is still there.
We can't believe God for a breakthrough and see it in this area if we are in denial, unbelief or even if all is well. We can't believe God for a breakthrough, which involves us walking by faith, when we are not required to walk by faith! We don't always expect a miracle while we are on the ‘mountain tops’ but we should look for our miracle, and keep hoping and believing for one when we are in the valleys!!!! Walking in faith for this area will require determination, focus and discipline –and that is just to stay in faith.
How powerful would it be if we could believe God for a breakthrough in this area and receive a miracle answer? It wouldn't be ‘the sky’s the limit’ – God would be the limit, which is really saying there is not limit to what could happen. So, we need to be anchored by hope, what would we lose? Not much, because if we are in faith and in hope then we are experiencing peace and joy, freedom and rest.
Again today I was listening to a message about hope. Faith is the substance of things HOPED for! So what do you get if you have no hope – nothing? No Hope equals no faith equals no answers. So, I began to hope for things, not just things but for miracles and breakthroughs. I asked God to lead me and to show me the practical steps to receiving them. Hope built up and up until it took root and my soul believed it. It got down on the inside and it began to transform me from the inside out. In one month I have seen the hand of God move in my life and family, if I were to tell you all the things that have happened you would be amazed. Better still I know that the best is yet to come.... I have hope!
What area have you lost hope for? Is it something that you have struggled with all your life? If you look at it you will see that losing hope is the first way where the possible becomes impossible. You need to find hope again, there is always something to hope on and that is the first step and key to our miracle. Find your hope and keep it and see what can happen in your life too.
Love
Cam
Word For Life
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary: The hope here meant, is a sure looking for good things promised, through those promises, with love, desire, and valuing of them. Hope has its degrees, as faith also. These promises of God may safely be depended upon; for here we have two things which cannot change, the counsel and the oath of God, in which it is not possible for God to lie; it would be contrary to his nature as well as to his will. . We are in this world as a ship at sea, tossed up and down, and in danger of being cast away. We need an anchor to keep us sure and steady. Gospel hope is our anchor in the storms of this world. It is sure and steadfast, or it could not keep us so. The free grace of God, the merits and mediation of Christ, and the powerful influences of his Spirit, are the grounds of this hope, and so it is a steadfast hope.
An anchor preserves a ship when the waves beat and the wind blow, and as long as the anchor holds, so long the ship is safe, and the mariner apprehends no danger. The storms of life continue but a short time; the anchor, hope, if fixed by faith in the eternal world, will infallibly prevent all shipwreck; the soul may be strongly tossed by various temptations, but will not drive, because the anchor is in sure ground, and itself is steadfast; it does not drag, and it does not break; faith, like the cable, is the connecting medium between the ship and the anchor, or the soul and its hope of heaven; faith sees the haven, hope desires and anticipates the rest; faith works, and hope holds fast; and, shortly, the soul enters into the haven of eternal repose.
Spirit Filled Life Bible: Hope: Hope, not in the sense of an optimistic outlook or wishful thinking without any foundation, but in the sense of confident expectation based on solid certainty. Biblical hope rests on God’s promises, particularly those pertaining to Christ’s return. So certain is the future of the redeemed that he NT sometimes speaks of the future events in the past tense, as though they were already accomplished. Hope is never inferior of faith, but it is an extension of faith. Faith is the present possession of grace; hope is confidence in the grace’s future accomplishment.
The Word
Hebrews 6:17-19 - Hope is an anchor for our soul – both sure and steadfast.
Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Psalm 42:5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and moan within me? Hope in God; for I shall praise Him for the salvation of His face.
Moment By Moment
Moment by Moment...
Light For Life September 2005
In recent issues of ‘Light For Life’ I have started to use a phrase ‘moment by moment’. Its the procedure where we make moment by moment choices… and this is how we need to choose to live our lives. It is in each moment that we make the decision to trust God for the next. It is so important because each moment of our lives can determine the next.
Lord please give me the strength to make the ‘moment by moment’ choices I need to make. Help me make them one trust at a time. Let the revelation of Your love for me and how I am to love You go deep within me and guide me. Let it remind me that I don't have to prove myself, I am accepted and loved, my worth is not based on what I do, and that if I know You love me then I can trust You, and if I trust You then I am loving You. Let Your word take root within me Lord.
I have been reading about this concept in an amazing book called ‘The Way of Agape’ by Chuck and Nancy Missler and I knew this was the way to go. The ‘moment by moment’ concept was one of those sections on a page that just jumps off at you and you know this is a BIG reveal. As I began to understand it I realised its consequences and implications could be huge because, by my choice to not trust I elect to carry the burden myself. Obviously, I am not God though and so carrying them wouldn't make one iota of difference to me or to anyone else, other than to prolong the agony and pressure and make it worse.
So now to put it into practice… I woke up one morning not wanting ‘to do’ today, with that yucky feeling inside – a bit anxious. Now I rarely, almost never think that, but I felt like having a sickie! So, I just talked to the Lord and loved Him by not following and meditating on those thoughts that were in my head and I chose to not think on those things and instead to refocus my mind. I did this for a little while and was starting to feel better already.
Earlier I had mentioned to my husband my thoughts about taking a ‘sickie’ but after that I continued to give it over to God. A little while later, even though it would make it more complicated for him, he offered to take the kids to school for me (which is quite a distance) so that I didn't have to go all the way. It was so nice of him and I didn't end up rushing, I had a more relaxed morning. I couldn't help but think that this happened after I chose not to think on the anxious thoughts and God made a way for me to not stress and start the day of well. I gave Him room to move for me.
This is where it all starts, with these moment by moment choices. What it means is that I don't have to try and figure out and stress over next year, next month, next week, or even tomorrow. I can take this moment and trust it to God and He can get me through whatever I need. When I get ahead of that then I am not trusting again. This does not mean that we don't plan for the future but there is a difference between that and worrying over it and trying to reason and then start fretting etc.
Even learning to do this, till it comes naturally could seem overwhelming and nigh on impossible but again it goes back to only needing to be a moment by moment choice and then from there on, so I can do it, by His grace! Since I began to learn about this little statement has become the motto of my day. It has been tested in far greater circumstances and it has made the difference. It stops me getting into strife, from fearing and from all sorts of things.
Remember there is a balance between living moment by moment and looking to our future. Where do you draw the line between having vision for your future and living moment by moment and trusting God more completely? I am not saying you can't trust God for more than moment by moment but it certainly gets us through each day more successfully and it is a way of ‘practicing the presence of God’. I believe God showed me something – we can safely look forward to the future when it is based on His promises. When we look forward based on our hopes, our decisions etc then we naturally feel the anxiety and fear that is a part of that. We put ourselves in charge and then our minds go all over the place.
This month – take the ‘moment by moment’ test and see what amazing things will come out of your month. Maybe it is ‘trust by trust’ or ‘faith by faith’ or one of my favourite's, ‘banana by banana’ (I am working on getting healthy – not being a natural fruit eater!) Either way, I firmly believe you will see what a difference it will make and what breakthrough you could receive. I would love to hear your stories when you test this and find it to be true!
Love
Cam
Word For Life
Moment:
A period of time considered to short to measure, point of time, the time for doing something, occasion, the present moment in time, the present time,
The Word
Mathew 6:34
So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own
trouble.
Light For Life September 2005
In recent issues of ‘Light For Life’ I have started to use a phrase ‘moment by moment’. Its the procedure where we make moment by moment choices… and this is how we need to choose to live our lives. It is in each moment that we make the decision to trust God for the next. It is so important because each moment of our lives can determine the next.
Lord please give me the strength to make the ‘moment by moment’ choices I need to make. Help me make them one trust at a time. Let the revelation of Your love for me and how I am to love You go deep within me and guide me. Let it remind me that I don't have to prove myself, I am accepted and loved, my worth is not based on what I do, and that if I know You love me then I can trust You, and if I trust You then I am loving You. Let Your word take root within me Lord.
I have been reading about this concept in an amazing book called ‘The Way of Agape’ by Chuck and Nancy Missler and I knew this was the way to go. The ‘moment by moment’ concept was one of those sections on a page that just jumps off at you and you know this is a BIG reveal. As I began to understand it I realised its consequences and implications could be huge because, by my choice to not trust I elect to carry the burden myself. Obviously, I am not God though and so carrying them wouldn't make one iota of difference to me or to anyone else, other than to prolong the agony and pressure and make it worse.
So now to put it into practice… I woke up one morning not wanting ‘to do’ today, with that yucky feeling inside – a bit anxious. Now I rarely, almost never think that, but I felt like having a sickie! So, I just talked to the Lord and loved Him by not following and meditating on those thoughts that were in my head and I chose to not think on those things and instead to refocus my mind. I did this for a little while and was starting to feel better already.
Earlier I had mentioned to my husband my thoughts about taking a ‘sickie’ but after that I continued to give it over to God. A little while later, even though it would make it more complicated for him, he offered to take the kids to school for me (which is quite a distance) so that I didn't have to go all the way. It was so nice of him and I didn't end up rushing, I had a more relaxed morning. I couldn't help but think that this happened after I chose not to think on the anxious thoughts and God made a way for me to not stress and start the day of well. I gave Him room to move for me.
This is where it all starts, with these moment by moment choices. What it means is that I don't have to try and figure out and stress over next year, next month, next week, or even tomorrow. I can take this moment and trust it to God and He can get me through whatever I need. When I get ahead of that then I am not trusting again. This does not mean that we don't plan for the future but there is a difference between that and worrying over it and trying to reason and then start fretting etc.
Even learning to do this, till it comes naturally could seem overwhelming and nigh on impossible but again it goes back to only needing to be a moment by moment choice and then from there on, so I can do it, by His grace! Since I began to learn about this little statement has become the motto of my day. It has been tested in far greater circumstances and it has made the difference. It stops me getting into strife, from fearing and from all sorts of things.
Remember there is a balance between living moment by moment and looking to our future. Where do you draw the line between having vision for your future and living moment by moment and trusting God more completely? I am not saying you can't trust God for more than moment by moment but it certainly gets us through each day more successfully and it is a way of ‘practicing the presence of God’. I believe God showed me something – we can safely look forward to the future when it is based on His promises. When we look forward based on our hopes, our decisions etc then we naturally feel the anxiety and fear that is a part of that. We put ourselves in charge and then our minds go all over the place.
This month – take the ‘moment by moment’ test and see what amazing things will come out of your month. Maybe it is ‘trust by trust’ or ‘faith by faith’ or one of my favourite's, ‘banana by banana’ (I am working on getting healthy – not being a natural fruit eater!) Either way, I firmly believe you will see what a difference it will make and what breakthrough you could receive. I would love to hear your stories when you test this and find it to be true!
Love
Cam
Word For Life
Moment:
A period of time considered to short to measure, point of time, the time for doing something, occasion, the present moment in time, the present time,
The Word
Mathew 6:34
So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own
trouble.
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