
Don’t ignore the signs you asked God to show you.

Don’t ignore the signs you asked God to show you.

Are you lying to yourself?
We all have bad days. Days that we’d rather forget because we are unsatisfied or even ashamed of our own behavior. Sometimes our emotions, actions and reactions shame us. Our bad mood causes us to lash out at people, or our rushing causes us to put someone else, or ourselves in danger, or our own insecurities cause us to be blind to the love that surrounds us. Whatever the case may be, our feelings are so strong they can no longer be silenced. We tell ourselves that we cannot hold them in, we’d be lying to ourselves. We cannot treat someone kindly when we are so obviously distressed or be considerate of other drivers when we’re in such a terrible rush.
The problem with these thoughts is that they are in-fact, the lie. The Word of God tells us what we are, who we are, how we react, how we treat others. Those inspired words are the TRUTH. When it says “love is kind” there is no side-note stating that as long as you’re having a good day, love is kind. When it says love is not self-seeking, there is no parenthetical that tells us (if you feel you’re entitled to more, go ahead and ignore this trait of love).
We have to start relying on the Word of God as the truth that we adhere to. Romans 3:4 “Let God be true and every man a liar.” This is such a strong verse and goes along perfectly with this topic. Our feelings are the liar, our habits are the liar, the Word of God is true.

Hug the hurt, kiss the broken, befriend the lost, love the lonely.

How do we pray so that we are guaranteed results?
We pray for the Lord’s will to be done. It’s that simple…and complex. So we leave aside those prayers for fame and fortune, ease and peace, and pray instead with our mind set on what the Lord wants for us. Does He want us to grow in love? Let us pray that we are given the opportunity to develop that fruit of the spirit. This may mean being unjustly persecuted by loved ones or strangers, this may mean admitting we’re wrong countless times, this may mean watching someone we love struggle, it may mean sacrificing time or money to those who may need it more than we. These are the things we not only accept when we pray to have the Lord develop love in us, these are the things we will cherish once He has accomplished His work in us.
When we pray with our mind and desire on God’s will for us, our prayers will be answered every time.

What does it mean to be a “believer”?
Is belief in God to be saved? “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.” Jas 2:19
Demons, of course believe in God, they knew Him, served Him, and ultimately rebelled against Him. Their belief in God is as real as their own existence. No one would argue, however, that demons are saved by this knowledge.
So what’s the difference between a true believer and a demon who “believes” in God?
ACCEPTANCE.
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Rom 10:9
The act of surrender to the one you believe in is the ticket to salvation. Believing there is a God and continuing to live for yourself, is no different then what the demons have done. True salvation comes from utter surrender, a true declaration that Jesus is Lord. Lord of you, Lord of me, Lord of the world, and He is whom you serve.
In contrast, a demon believes in the existence of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and even with that knowledge, refuses to serve, and has instead, determined to be his own god.
Belief AND surrender make for a true believer.

FACING GIANTS
Everyone of us face small giants every day, we perhaps handle these moments with clipped words, pained smiles, clenched teeth and deep breaths. How do we handle the giants that are larger than we can imagine? Giants so large we can’t even see the top of their heads, much less fathom the full extent of the damage they are about to do, or are doing, to our lives.