POWER

"I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord."
-Psalm 40:1-3


This verse is conveying God's power. He can do anything. He can save you from anything. 


Waiting. It's really hard to wait, but God comes when the time is best. You might find now the best, but sometimes that's not the case. When you wait patiently, you will see God. He can hear your cries and prayers.


You might think you're in a hole far too deep to get out of, but God can get you out. He can lift you out, "of the pit of despair, out of the mud and mire." All that dirty sin you've found yourself in, yeah, God can get you out of that.

Once he has lifted you out of that pit, he will set your, "feet on solid ground." He'll put you back in a good place. He won't just set you there on that solid ground, but he will steady you as you walk along. He will guide you until he feels you're ready to go along. 


After this pit you've been through is gone, God will give you joy. You made it out of this thing you never thought you could get out of. You will rejoice because he has saved you (probably for the 1000th time). You will be overjoyed that God has saved you despite what you have done. You are forgiven and you now have a new start.


If you tell others about this thing God has done to save you, they will be amazed. This could also help you share Christ. It could give others hope. 


The Lord can get you through anything. He is powerful and all mighty. You might find something impossible to get out of, but God can get you through it. It may take some waiting, but He will be there.

“One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.” 

― Paulo Coelho

humble yourselves

"He must become greater; I must become less."

-John 3:30

This verse gets me every time. It encompasses the selflessness we must have. We always give ourselves the credit. We want to be recognized. We want people to compliment us. We want to be noticed. We want people to like us.

Well, that's not how it works.

Everything we do should be for God's glory. HIS GLORY not ours. It's so hard to be okay without being noticed or complimented. Sure, we can accept the compliments, but we must realize that it's credit for God. He made us. He made the world. Creator of the universe, all that cool stuff. He deserves the credit. He deserves everything.

It's so easy to be prideful and strive for self-gratification because that's what the world tells us to do. Well, that's not what God tells us to do. We're not of this world (Romans 12:2). We're supposed to be different. That's tough, but eternal glory is way better than having people on Earth think we're cool. 

Becoming less is tough. It's giving up a lot of things. Giving up selfishness, striving to be perfect, trying to get credit, etc. It's about humbling yourself before God. It's about knowing that he is in control. That he ultimately deserves glory. He uses us. We owe him everything because he gave up everything to him. Once we live for him, we get to live with him. How cool is that?

"If thou desire the love of God and man, be humble; for the proud heart, as it loves none but itself, so it is believed of none but by itself; the voice of humility is God's music, and the silence of humility is God's rhetoric. Humility enforces where neither virtue nor strength can prevail nor reason."

— Francis Quarles

"Humility is royalty without a crown."

— Spencer W. Kimball 

Everything.

Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.
’ -Matthew 22:37-39


Whoa.This verse is packed full of commitments. They're all tough ones too. This is what God requires of us.

 It requires everything.

First, we must love the Lord with ALL of our heart. Not the good parts, or half of it, but ALL OF IT. Does that sound easy? Here's the definition of heart (not the actual organ):  The repository of one's deepest and sincerest feelings and beliefs. It has to be sincere. It has to be with the deepest part of your heart. Every single part of it. That's just the first step.


Second, we must love Him with all of our soul. The soul contains thoughts, emotions, and actions. So everything we do, say, and feel should reflect our love for God. Wow. That too also requires EVERYTHING of us. You may feel what God wants you to, but it means nothing if not put into action. We must essentially live for Him. Our daily goal should be striving to be more Christ-like. Living as he lived. Thinking as he thought. Feeling as he felt. 


Third, we must love Him with all our mind. The definition of mind is: The collective conscious and unconscious processes in a sentient organism that direct and influence mental and physical behavior. He requires mental and physical love. He wants ALL of it. God wants complete and total commitment. Following Him is not easy. We must carve out time for him (technically He should be the one carving out time for us. Fitting GOD into OUR schedule is not the right way to be seeing things). We have to fight for it. It's not easy.


Lastly, we should do the most important thing. We should love our [friends] as much as we love ourselves. How well we take care of ourselves, we should also do for our friends. Friends meaning everyone whether you like them or not. You should be willing to give them the best you've got. God did the absolute same thing for us. The things we acquire are not our own. We don't own them. God does. Don't hold on to something, it's not your's to begin with. It's God's because he provided you with it. It's a tough way to think this way.

Following God is not easy. It's the toughest thing you'll ever do. But it's the best thing you could ever do. He will give you such an adventurous life. He will show himself in so many ways if you let him. Let him take control of your life. Talk to him. He's been waiting far too long for you. He's called your name so many times. Don't you think it's time you answer?




“When you find your path, you must not be afraid. You need to have sufficient courage to make mistakes. Disappointment, defeat, and despair are the tools God uses to show us the way.” 
― Paulo Coelho