Have we surrendered ALL?

What does a life that risks it all for Jesus look like? If we lose our lives, we will find it He says. What are we here for? "Does anyone really know what time it is? Does anyone really care?" (Words by Chicago) Describe the day in the life of someone who has done that.

Yielding to His Understanding

Spiritual understanding. What does this mean? The Spirit of God leads us into all truth. This truth is according to His understanding, and not our own carnal understanding. If we have the  Spirit of God in us, and are growing in grace and truth, His understanding (the real truth) will become ours too, and we will begin to see things as He sees them. The Kingdom of God and it's ways will be seen, so that we will walk in them, making His Kingdom shine brighter and brighter with each step we take. His ways are a mystery to our senses and to the world. The mysteries will become less cloudy as we embrace and replace our thinking with His. The truth that says he will renew our minds is more than just deciding to read the Bible more. If we are interpreting it through our own unrenewed minds and not open to the Spirit's leading and understanding, then we will just have our carnal understanding reinforced, becoming more dogmatic in our false conclusions. The Kingdom of God is a whole new realm of seeing things. "It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom." "Enter into the joys of the Lord." It is joyous because it brings true life and because it is true. Lovers of the truth gladly enter this Kingdom, happy to lay down their former understanding for His. This is but another form of submission, which can only lead to good things.

The Way of the Cross

We might continue on as we are--teaching, preaching, evangelizing, establishing churches, healing the sick, writing books, singing songs--and we could go on and on enumerating the various areas of service that God has committed into the hands of His servants in the House of God--And all this may be bringing joy and blessing and deliverance to many of God's people--BUT BE PREPARED, IF YOU WANT TO BE TOTALLY COMMITTED TO THE WILL AND THE WAY OF GOD--BE PREPARED FOR THE DAY WHEN MEN WILL TAKE DOWN YOUR BANNER OF HONOR, AND NAIL IT ABOVE YOUR HEAD ON YOUR CROSS--Because the truth of God is sterile as long as it remains a teaching or a doctrine; but it becomes offensive to the world about us when we begin to walk in it.

Powerful statement written by George Warnock.

Obtaining the Blessing

     God often uses physical scenarios to try and reveal spiritual truths to me. He did that this morning. Since I had been visiting a friend in another state for about a week, and it had been raining non-stop at my home, when I got back, the grass had taken over my flower beds.
     While having coffee this morning, I was thinking of the water-logged soil, and how easy it would be to weed the garden. So, before breakfast, I got on some garden clothes, and pursued to prove my theory. Sure enough, the deep-rooted grass came out without much effort.
     I felt very blessed that God would use the rain to soften the soil, so that I could weed the garden easily so the grass wouldn't take over my flowers just for my benefit.
      Some may think God doesn't care about us to delight our hearts like that, but I do. Some may see controversy in the situation thinking the rain may have "blessed" me, but it may have caused problems for someone else. Well, I don't have an answer for that, but I can be assured that whatever God decides is just, good and right. Whether He gives or takes away, He is God and He is good. I must believe that for you, but also for me when it seems like I am getting forgotten. I know I am not. I just don't understand at times.
     While I was weeding, I began to understand more fully about harvesting the blessings God sets before us. Here was an opportunity to get something I desired accomplished. God provision would make it easy for me to do, but I had to do it. So, as I set out, I found that I had to perservere to "take the land" so to speak. Then I was reminded about the promised land of plenty and how the Israelites had to do the same. They had to keep on.
     When I got into a fire ant bed, and the enemy was biting me, I had to fight back. I brushed them off of my arms, but kept going to complete the goal. Even though my arms were hurting, I didn't let the pain and itching stop me. Like the Israelites when they followed through and listened to God's leading, they possesed the land, or their inherited blessing.
     It may be a stretch to use this analogy, but aren't the same components present in both cases? There is a blessing to receive, a surrendering to action to obtain, a fighting with an enemy, and a perserverance to keep going.
     God has blessed me, and after going through the process to receive it, I can say, "It is mine." What a satisfying feeling!  Working together with God is awesome and wondrous.
    
       

The Power of His Might

     Our might and strength=forcing, trying repeatedly by "willpower", motivated by meeting our needs due to insecurity, exhausting, negative to relationships, pushes others away, and defeating.

     His might and strength=easiness, touches and blesses others, (even changes them) motivated by love, gives one security, is authoritative and confident because it comes from His heart and will, and is always victorious.