The Pursuit of Potential: Lie #3

"I am weak and have no self control;

God won't use me because I keep repeating the same sin."

Many, many Christians struggle with this lie. We want to be different in some area of our life, but no matter how hard we try, we fall back and do that same thing we have asked God to forgive us for, time and time again.

I have heard people refer to Galatians 6:7 when it comes to this topic of discussion, which says "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows."

Some people interpret this verse to mean that if we continue to sin, especially the same sin, then God will not love us, because He sees right through us and eventually becomes frustrated at our failed attempts to act right.

But in actuality, I believe this verse simply means we cannot fool God in any way, so just be honest with Him regarding our struggles.

Obviously God can see when we are continually repeating a sin, so if we have asked forgiveness for that sin many times, we may secretly wonder if He will continue to forgive us, over and over. Or even if should we just throw in the towel and assume that we are beyond help?

Praise God, that the blood of Jesus is powerful enough to wash away all of our sin, big and small, and even repeated sins. His Word reassures us that we are never beyond the scope of His forgiveness. If we ask, it will be granted.

The trick is, whether or not we are truly repentful, and if we are sincerely repenting of that sin or just going through the prayer motions of forgiveness.

God can see right through falsehood, and that is what Galatians 6:7 means. Sometimes habitual sin, could possibly mean that the person has not truly repented, and that would be a stumbling block in one's efforts to achieve victory over that temptation in their life.

If you struggle with this lie, take comfort in knowing that we all repeatedly sin, every day. We all have a weakness to something, whether it be anger, jealousy, unforgiveness, impatience, or some type of addictive behavior.

The harder we struggle against a certain stronghold in our life, the more apparent it should become that we need to pray fervently about it, repent sincerely about it, and then believe that we are forgiven and loved. God cannot use us to glorify Him, serve Him, or share His gospel, if we seek His forgiveness, but then struggle to believe that He really has forgiven us.

Psalm 130:3 reminds us that once we seek God's forgiveness, and truly repent, that He has washed us clean. "If you, LORD, kept a record of sins,Lord, who could stand?" It is us who keeps track of our sins, not our heavenly Father.

The Apostle Paul struggled with this lie too, and he is our great example of God's mercy and forgiveness, so that we can be encouraged. 1 Timothy 1:16 But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they too can believe in Him and have eternal life."

Let us commit to not listen to the lie that we are too sinful to be forgiven, and that our sins cause us to be unusable by God. It is our victory over those exact sins that allow God to really shine through.

Today's Prayer:
Lord, I sincerely, genuinely seek your forgiveness for my sin. I repent of these sins, and admit my wrongdoing. I place my struggle with a particular sin in my life in your hands, and I desperately seek Your strength and intervention in helping to overcome the temptation to continue to do something that I despise, and that I know is not pleasing to You. Help me to have self control over my behaviors, decisions, and actions.

Permeate my soul with the understanding that no matter what I do, or have done, You still love me and see me as a precious vessel to glorify You. Help me use my mistakes and redemption to help others who struggle, and find You. If I fall back into this sin, Lord, please continue to forgive me, be patient with me, and help me to persevere, while trusting that You are more powerful than anything I struggle with here on earth. Amen.

Pursuit of Potential: Lie #2, Continued

For all of my childhood, and a big part of my adult life, I never quite understood the word "testimony".

But what I did know, was that it sounded scary, and official, and raw, and intimidating. Then when I began to see people share their testimony at church, it seemed tears were always involved, and the mere thought of sharing my own testimony brought not only tears, but paralyzing fears, into my heart.

So I decided to steer clear of it, with a ten foot pole.....that is, until God called me to get real, and share.

Suddenly, the word "testimony" took on a whole new meaning, and I worried and fretted for months, at the thought of public ridicule and shame.

I prayed and asked God to take that thorn away from me, because I did not understand His purpose or His reasoning. Why would we want me to share something painful that happened in my life? How could my life be an example of His mighty work?

Why would shedding tears be good? Why would He want me to feel ashamed? Could He really turn my mess, into my message?

It has been a long journey, but I have finally learned what it means when the Bible says God's ways are not our ways. God was at work in me, and through walking with Him, He has cleansed my heart of the shame that once gripped my soul.

As a result, I have been able to get a glimpse of how God uses our tears for His purpose, and that by being transparent and real with others, God can do His best work.

You see, people may not respond to scripture verses or lectures or Bible beating - but they will respond to human emotion, realness, and a personal connection with someones heart. When we are transparent for God, hearts are opened.

I eventually learned that sharing a testimony does not have to be drudgery, but a blessing. All it really means is faithfully sharing what Christ means to us and what He has done in our life. And friends, He has prepared us for such a time as this.

The definition of testimony is "a solemn declaration or affirmation made for the purpose of establishing or proving some fact."

Our calling as Christians is not to feel obligated or pressured or shamed into sharing Christ, but to be so passionate about our faith, that we long to share Him with others, and prove that He is alive and active in our life.

Today I want to share with you some tips for developing your own testimony. If you have been gripped with fear over sharing your story, of if you have simply never organized it in such a way that it can be easily shared, this is a great tool.

As I have mentioned this week, the more prepared we are to share, the more willing we will be when the time comes. And God will take care of the rest.

FIVE EASY PROMPTS FOR PREPARING YOUR TESTIMONY

A. Before I received Christ, I lived and thought this way:
1. my attitudes were such that…
2. my needs revolved around….
3. my problems were…..
4. I gained happiness from…..

B. Due to all of the things I mentioned above, I was:
1. disappointed because ….
2. unfulfilled because..
3. struggling with my life because….

C. When and how I first heard about Christ:

D. When I received Christ, many things happened to me:
1. my attitude changed in that…
2. the things that were important before, were no longer important, such as…
3. I began to be concerned about new things, like….

E. My life has changed in many ways:
1. I stopped doing things that were bringing me down, such as…
2. I stopped having a negative attitude about….
3. I began to care about….
4. I noticed God working in my life and answering prayers, for example….


Some helpful do's and dont's in writing a powerful testimony:

DO:
 Always begin with an attention-getting sentence or incident.
 Be positive, accurate, specific – details arouse interest.
 Write in such a way that others can relate to your experiences, include real life experiences.
 Use one or two bible verses directly related to your experience, but just paraphrase them rather them quoting references and specific word.
 Write things just as you would say them if you were having a conversation.
 Have someone else look it over and provide some constructive feedback.
 Show that being a Christian is a day to day relationship.
 Keep it around 3 to 7 minutes long.

DON'T:

 Don’t use Christian jargon, which do not communicate truth to the average non-Christian, and are often misunderstood: saved, convicted, converted, born again, sin, repentance.
 Don’t be too wordy, beat around the bush, or emphasize just how bad you used to be. People feel uncomfortable if you dwell on unfortunate personal issues.
 Don’t exaggerate how bad your life used to be.
 Don’t speak with glitter language: ‘wonderful’, ‘glorious’, ‘outstanding’.
 Don’t give the impression that life is a bed of roses since you accepted Christ as your savior.
 Don’t preach to people. Make it a testimony, not a “preachimony”.
 Don’t assume that the person knows the basic truths of God.

Sweet Jesus, I know You have been working in my life. I know you were always with me, even when I did not feel You, or was not looking for You. I ask you with my whole heart, to give me the strength to face the past, the wisdom to know when You were at work, the transparency to admit my need for You, and the courage to seek Your will in how You want me to use my story to glorify You. As You see fit, and when I am ready, bless me with opportunities to share Your transforming power with someone in need of You. Amen.

Pursuit of Potential: Lie #2 Continued

Have you given some thought this week to overcoming any fears related to sharing Christ? I pray that you are releasing any shame or hesitation, and that God is making you stronger and braver by the minute!

Today I want to share some more questions with you that may help you strike up conversations about faith. Consider printing them out and hanging them on the fridge, or at your desk at work, or beside your bed, so that they will become familiar and comfortable.

Read over the list, then tuck them into your heart and mind, and be willing and prepared to pull them out whenever the opportunity presents itselt.

The first time God pricks your heart to share Christ with someone, you may still have all those ugly questions popping into mind that we covered on Monday. But the more prepared you are to share, the more comfortable you will be when that time comes.

QUESTIONS TO STRIKE UP A CONVERSATION ABOUT FAITH:

1. Do you think much about spiritual things? (This usually leads to a conversation about what “spiritual” means – religion vs relationship).
2. We’ve never had a chance to talk about your religious background. Tell me about it.
3. What traditions did you follow in your house when you were growing up?
4. What do you think about God? Do you view him positively or negatively?
5. Have you ever come to a point in your life where you trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, or do you think that is something you’re still moving toward? Can I share with you how I came to that point?
6. Do you find that faith and spiritual values play a role at your work/marriage/perspective on life/child rearing, etc. ?
7. If you could be sure there was a God, would you want to know Him?
8. If you could know God personally and intimately, would you want to?
9. Bring a friend to church or a Christian event, and afterwards ask:
a. What did you think of it?
b. Did everything make sense to you?
c. Have you made the wonderful discovery of knowing God personally?
10. What church do you go to? If they say they don’t go to church, ask why.
11. We’ve been friends for a long time now, and I have never really talked to you about the most important thing in my life. Can I share that with you now?
12. How do you think someone becomes a Christian?
13. Can I share with you the thing I have found to be a most important as a mom/dad/boss?
14. If you were to die tonight, are you sure would go to heaven? Has anyone ever explained to you how you can know for sure?
15. People invest time and energy into developing their career, their bodies and relationships, but often neglect the spiritual dimension of their lives. How do you actively pursue spiritual growth?

"Lord, you know my heart, and you know I love you, however, you also know my fears when it comes to sharing my faith, and opening myself up for judgement or ridicule. I ask that you infuse your Spirit so deeply into my heart, that the desire to share my faith with others will be busting at the seams. Use me Lord as you see fit, and give me the confidence to be bold for You."

Pursuit of Potential: Lie #2

"I am ashamed that I am afraid to share Christ with others."

I would venture to say that most of us, if not all of us, have felt the sting of shame as a result of hesitancy to share Christ with others.

There is just something about sharing our faith that causes feelings of fear and anxiety to bubble up to the surface. The world we live in today is not one that could be described as Christ-friendly.

In fact, even America is becoming pro-tolerant and anti-Christ, more and more every year. This gradual, slow change from a God-fearing country, to an anything-goes-if-it-feels-good country, has caused many Christians to think twice before sharing their faith.

As a result, when we are confronted with a possible opportunity to share our faith, our mind may start to race, and we immediately begin playing out a scene in our heads that is not pretty. We may even struggle with upspoken fears like.....

-what if I share my faith, and they reject me?
-what if I share my faith, and they get mad or defensive?
what if I share my faith, but they believe in another religion, and become argumentative?
-what if I share my faith, and they criticize me, saying my actions are not that of a Christian?
-what if I share my faith, and they start asking questions about the Bible that I cannot answer?
- what if I share my faith, and they actually want to accept Christ?

Friend, I have great news.... despite what we may think, we do not have to be a Bible scholar, or ready for a battle, in order to be qualified or equipped to share Christ with others.

We can push past intimidation and fear, and have confidence and boldness if we trly want it. And we can drown out those lies that we are not good enough, smart enough or brave enough to share Christ - and that is exactly what it is - another lie from the one who wants to keep us silent.

Shame and fear has no place in a heart filled with faith, because Jesus knows our inhibitions, yet He still loves.

Jesus knows our fears, yet He offers strength. He knows our struggles, yet He walks with us. And Jesus knows the pain of rejection and the sting of betrayal.

So instead of shaming us, He comforts and provides. His goal is to equip us to be bold, not shame us into silence through fear. That is the devils job, and he is good at it.

If Jesus puts us in a place where we feel led to share our faith with someone, then a quick prayer can equip us with exactly the words that we need.

Just believe that He is bigger than our fears, He is steering the ship, we are simply the vessel.

This week, I want to give today's "lie" the attention it deserves. So today I want to share with you a brief acrostic, which is easy to remember, but powerful in meaning. This little acrostic is something we can use to strike up a conversation about faith anywhere, with anyone. Without fear.

After all, faith sharing is simply a conversation, with a purpose.

A great word to remember when talking to strangers, unsaved friends, co-workers, or acquaintances, is 'FORM'.

F Family … “Tell me about your family”
O Occupation… “What do you do for a living?”
R Religion… “What church do you go to?”
M Message… Share your spiritual journey.

Just four little questions which could gently pry open even the hardest heart. We merely have to be willing, and prepared, to give it a try.

Sharing our faith does not have be so overwhelming that we allow Satan to use that fear against us, and make us feel ashamed.

God convicts our hearts, but Satan condemns - so be sure you are listening to the right voice.

On Wednesday, I'll share with you some questions that you can print and carry around in your purse or wallet, or hang on the fridge, to help you be prepared to "share your spiritual journey".

Then on Friday, we will put this lie to rest with some tips on learning to share your testimony, or God-story, with others.

Lord, will you give me a faith and a passion for sharing You with boldness? Help me recognize those people who are lost, or who are hurting and don't even know they need a Savior. Give me the words to share, and the strength to push past any hesitations to share Your love and hope with others. Help me to tuck these questions into my mind, so that when you offer the opportunity and the blessing of using me, that I will feel confident enough to step out in faith and trust You. Help me not get discouraged if it takes me some time to find a comfort level with sharing, but help me to persevere for Your sake. Amen.

The Pursuit of Potential: Lie #1 (and book giveaway winner!)

The winner of the free copy of my book is LyonsLady. Congrats! Please send me your mailing address to tracie@traciewmiles.com , and I'll get it right in the mail to you! If anyone is interesting purchasing a copy, click here to get to the P31 Shop.

John 8:32 says "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

So what is this truth that Jesus is talking about? What is freedom, really?

If I were to ask you if you thought you were free, you would probably say yes.

But it is possible, that many people who think they are free, really are not.

We tend to equate being "free" as a physical thing, but the freedom I am referring to, is spiritually free.

You see, we may think we are free, until our eyes are opened to see the captivity that we have actually been in. As Beth Moore put it in her book Breaking Free, she was a "prisoner unaware. The kind of prisoner most vulnerable to her captors. The easiest prey there is."

For many years, I was imprisoned by the lies of Satan, but just like Beth, I did not even realize it - until - the day that I was set free.

And I remember every detail about that life changing day, including the weather, the sounds, the smells and all the surroundings. I vividly remember releasing my shame, guilt and the damaging lies, and embracing a sense of peace like never before.

Looking back, I can relate my experience to how a prisoner must feel when he is granted freedom after spending years behind cold, metal bars; that unforgettable moment when he feels the overwhelming, almost numbing feeling of freedom, as he puts his toes in the cold, wet grass, and is allowed to leave the prison gates for the very first time, and experience the feeling of an absolute lack of restriction.

Even when we are physically free, we are often spiritually imprisoned, by big and small things that prevent us from seeing ourselves through God's eyes.

Imprisoned - by mistakes of the past, circumstances of the present, and lies.

As I stated on Wednesday, we are embarking on a journey to freedom, starting today..... a journey to expose the lies in our hearts, and replace them with truth which leads to real freedom.

Unrestricted, unbridled, and unimaginable freedom.

The first lie that I want to expose today, taken word-for-word, straight from a handwritten notecard, which written by a woman who had been unknowingly imprisoned by a lie, is this:

"I am unworthy of the spirit's indwelling, so therefore, I seem 'less than'; I am not worthy of being Spirit filled; I am not a true Christian capable of a relationship with God."

Of all the categories of lies that I have formulated based on the responses received so far, it seems the largest category is a feeling of unworthiness.

God is up there. We are down here. So how could we possibly be worthy of a relationship with Him? Why in the world would He want to be a part of us?

Those types of thoughts signify that unworthiness has a stronghold on a desperate and fragile heart.

John 3:16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." NIV

If God truly thought we were unworthy to receive His gift of abundant life, and eternal life, why would He have sent His Son to die on the cross for us?

Isaiah 44:2a says "I am your Creator. You were in my care even before you were born." CEV

John 3:16 portrays the immensity of God's love for us, but Isaiah 44:2 states that He has loved us for all time - before we were even born.

And I can relate to that. When my husband and I first married, my heart longed for children. I was not really ready to be a mother, and we waited four years after marrying before having our first child. But before I even became pregnant, I dreamed what my children would one day look like, and I loved them deeply.

That might sound a little silly, but a mother's love it not always explainable. Before I saw my daughter Morgan's face for the first time, I loved her. I did not look for flaws, and would not have cared if I had found any. I did not wonder if she would ever let me down, or disappoint me, or make mistakes - yet I knew she probably would one day.

However, nothing could affect my love for her. She deserved my love, simply because I was her mother, and I feel the same way about my other two precious children.

As any mother would do, I would give my life to protect them. Not because they have done something to deserve it, but because they are worthy of my love, simply because they are mine.

God loves us, simply because we are His....because we belong to Him....because He created us... and because He made us worthy of His Spirit's indwelling.

We are worthy of His love, because of who He is, not because of who we are.

If we have repented of our sin, and asked the Holy Spirit to dwell within us, we are not only loved and accepted, but made worthy. The only thing that can hold us back from a true relationship with God, is listening to the lies of the enemy.

Sweet friends, never underestimate your own worthiness. Take joy, and be proud, in knowing that Jesus died on the cross for you. He takes great delight in you. He does not keep a record of our wrongs, but has made us white as snow. In fact, He created us, to take joy in His indwelling within us.

“Instead it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” 1 Peter 3:4 (NIV)

You ARE worthy - because He said so.

Lord, please strip my heart of the feeling that I do not deserve you. Please help me surrender this lie, and embrace Your truth. Thank you for sending your Son to die for me, even though I am a sinner. I praise You, for being You. And I ask that you help me gradually embrace that I am Your child, and that I am worthy of Your love. Help me to drown out the lies of the enemy over the next few weeks, and learn to see myself through the eyes of the One who sees me as beautiful. Set me free from believing the lie that I do not deserve to have You living within me. I want to be free.

Out With The Lies, In With The Victory

Welcome friends! I am so thrilled you stopped by my blog today! I want to extend a special welcome if you have linked over from my devotion today, Hidden Potential, which is posted at Proverbs 31 Encouragement For Today.

If you would like to enter to win a copy of my book as offered in the devo, just post a comment, including one of the two things below:

1. State what hidden potential God has helped you to discover, so we can celebrate with you and so you can be an encouragement to others.
OR
2. State the misconception or lie you have been believing, that may have kept you from embracing God's love and forgiveness, and from believing that He has a special plan for your life.

(If you are posting as 'anonymous', just leave your first initial and last name in your comment. The winner will be announced on Friday morning.)

This spring I had the privilege of speaking at several women's events, and have met so many sweet friends and new sisters in Christ.

At several of these events, after an evening worship session which was focused on discovering our value in Christ and allowing His voice to be louder than the enemy's, I encouraged the women do so something out of the ordinary.

Each woman had been given a notecard, and was asked to write down the lie from the devil that she had been believing. The lie that has kept her from believing in her worth, her value in God's eyes, and that God loved her unconditionally.

The lie that has kept her feeling useless, and worthless, and maybe even unforgivable. The women were then asked to surrender the lies that had held their hearts captive for years.

The response was overwhelming each time, and as I watched women lay those lies down at the 'alter', and surrender their pain to the Lord, my heart swelled with gratitude for the work of the Holy Spirit, and the blessing of seeing Him at work.

In the weeks following, as I read and prayed over all the notecards which exposed hundreds of damaging lies that the devil has been spreading, my heart just broke.

As the reality hit that the deceiver and destroyer of life is so hard at work to keep us down, the tears flowed.

And I was amazed at how many of us struggle with the same insecurities, pain, shame, regrets and guilt. We all think we are the only ones struggling, but if the truth be known, we share many of the same struggles.

Struggles that have evolved out of broken homes, childhood experiences, abandonment, betrayal, abortion, sexual sin, drugs, alcohol, divorce, parenting, marriage, and even ministry.

Struggles that cause us to walk down a path that leads straight to the dark state of feeling unworthy, inferior, unforgivable, unloved, and unusable by a soveriegn God.

So God has laid it heavily on my heart to take all of those hand written lies that I have collected over the past few months, and relace them with God's amazing truths.

I cannot claim to be a Bible expert, but I can promise that I will be praying for God's wisdom and guidance as I search for victorious truths to disprove the enemy's lies.

Sisters, I know how hard it is to see the potential that God sees in us - especially when life has been hard, when we have shame and regrets, when we are filled with insecurities, and when we feel anything but special, loved and beautiful.

I want to equip and encourage you to tap into your own hidden potential, by tossing out those lies once and for all through the journey to discovery of God's truths.

That journey can begin today, by acknowledging the lies we have been believing, and surrending them to Christ. Once we are emptied of the lies and deception of Satan, then God can fill us with the love, confidence and spiritual vision to see our own hidden potential and value. Will you join me in this journey?

On Friday, I will kick off a new blog series, called The Pursuit of Potential.

Potential is defined as the "inherent ability or capacity for development, growth or coming into being". Each one of us has the capacity to be who God called us to be if we pursue the truth above all else.

This is a series to help build a community of sisters in Christ which will support and encourage each other, as we seek victory in Christ, and learn how to grant Him full dominion over our hearts, and our life.

I am excited about embarking on this journey of hope and restoration with you! My prayer is that you will personally relate to many of the lies that will be addressed, and that you will discover a feeling of freedom and peace like never before.

Note: Consider subscribing to my blog (on the right hand side bar) by entering your email address, so you dont miss a single day of our journey to complete regeneration and freedom! You can also subscribe to my quarterly newsletter.

If you post a comment about a lie or struggle you face, trust that I will make special note of it, pray about it, and search for God's truth to address it.

How Do You Treat The Bible? (con,t.)

5 WAYS WE TREAT THE BIBLE (continued from yesterday)

4. Some people treat the Bible like Algebra.

I figured out many years ago, that math is not one of my spiritual gifts. In fact, sometimes I think God skipped right over the mathematical brain cells when He was forming me in my mother's womb!

I always thought Algebra, with all its equations and x's and y's, was surely a waste of time, and it was definately not my friend. After all, who really uses that stuff once you get out of school? Rubbish, I tell you. Pure rubbish.

But deep down, the real reason that I hated math, was not that I thought it was an unnecessary part of life, but because I just could not understand it. All those formulas and numbers looked like Greek to me. My talents seem to lie in the areas of creativity, writing and artsy type things, and not in the areas of analytical logistics or number crunching, so the subject of math consistently felt overwhelming and frustrating.

Sometimes the Bible can seem so overwhelming and confusing, that we begin to feel that we may not need it either. Or we just assume that it will be confusing, so we steer clear of it.

We want to avoid those feelings of frustration and lack of understanding, so we make the secret choice to avoid the Bible altogether. We still sit hungrily under the teaching of ministers and others, but when it comes to sitting down with the Good Book on our own ... not going to happen.

But God's Word is not an algebra equation. It is necessary for our every day living, and if we ask, God will grant us the desire to read it, and the wisdom to understand it and apply it to our lives.

5. Some people treat the Bible like a hobby.

When I was a teenager, I loved to cross stitch. I spent years building up my inventory of stitching fabrics, embroidery hoops and countless bands of colored thread. I even created several large pieces of art, some of which were framed and treasured. But as I grew older, I lost interest, I lost the time, and I lost the passion to keep it up.

When my children were younger, I thought scrapbooking seemed like a great idea. I bought all the supplies, and for a period of a few months, worked diligently to turn all of my precious photographs into books of special keepsakes and memories. But after a while, I lost interest, I lost the time, and I lost the passion to keep it up.

When we first accept Christ, or during times when we feel close to Him and see Him intervening in our lives, we are excited - just like when we take on a new hobby.

We are passionate about pursuing Him and growing in our faith. We get involved in Bible studies, commit to daily quiet time, and focus on prayer.

But then time passes, life happens, busyness runs rampant, and problems require our attention... and we lose interest, we lose time, and we lose our passion for the pursuit of an intimate friendship and relationship with Jesus.

If we aren't careful, we can view our faith as a hobby, rather than a journey, and the result is that our passion for Christ becomes a phase, instead of a lifestyle.

God is not a passing hobby - He is a lifelong commitment. He was, is and is to come.



So how have you been treating the Bible lately? Like an hors d'ouerve tray, car rental insurance, a seatbelt, an algebra equation, or maybe a hobby?

If we treat God's Word like anything other than the life-saving, life-giving, life-sustaining treasure that it is, then it might just be time to make a change.

How we treat the Bible is an indication of how important God is in our life.

Tomorrow, I will be kicking off a blog series focused on the lies that keep us from making God a priority in our life, and from seeing our own value and hidden potential.

I look forward to having you along for the ride, and committing together to put God, and the truths found in His Word, as the key authority over our life.

How Do You Treat The Bible?

Whew, the month of March was a big wonderful whirlwind of speaking and traveling, but unfortunately that left no time for blogging! The good news is, that God has been at work big time in the lives of so many women that I have encountered over the past two months, and that has blessed me with lots to write about in the coming weeks!

On Thursday, I will be kicking off a new blog series, and I'll tell you about that soon enough, but in the meantime, I heard something so meaningful on the radio the other day, that I just felt compelled to share it with my bloggy friends. :)

This ministry radio show was focused on the importance of God's Word, and how we often do not place the Bible in a place of priority in our life. It was so interesting, that I pulled out my little notepad and began jotting down some notes. It was a fresh and incredible reminder about the importance of God's Word, that I did not want to forget it.

After listening to the sermon, I had to admit to myself, that although I love my Jesus dearly, I am sometimes guilty of not giving His Word the attention it deserves, and therefore minimizing God's authority over my life. So today and tomorrow, I want to share this insight with you, and hope that God pricks your heart too, leaving you with a fresh desire to delve into scripture with a new perspective, and a new passion to make God's Word a priority in your own life.

5 WAYS THAT PEOPLE TREAT THE BIBLE:

1. Some people treat the Bible like an hors d'oeuvre tray.

Whether at a fancy party, where servers are walking around with trays of food to munch on, or at a friends house where a few snacks are being served, we do the same thing. We look at the tray, and handpick the things that seem most appealing to our taste buds, while leaving the least liked items on the tray for someone else.

It is all too easy to embrace the parts of the Bible that we like, while leaving the parts that do not seem as appealing for someone else. For example, we love Romans 8:28, where we can embrace the promise that God uses all things to His glory - but we feel angry at God for allowing bad things to happen.

And all Christians love Jeremiah 29:11, where God promises a bright future and a plan for us - but what about Matthew 18:22, where Jesus tells us not to forgive someone just once, but seventy times seven - and we dont think someone in our life deserves forgiveness once, much less over and over?

What about Romans 12:2, where God tells us not to conform to the patterns of this world, but to instead set ourselves apart - but we like watching those funny, popular television shows, full of bad language and crude behavior?

And what about Mark 12:31, where we are commanded to love our neigbor as much as we love ourself - but we dont like our neighbor at all because his dog keeps getting in our trash cans every week?

The Truth is, that God's Word is meant to be an instruction guide for our entire life, not just the parts we are willing to surrender to Him. Those parts that come easy to us, promise goodness, and do not require any personal sacrifice.

The Bible is not an hors d'oeuvre tray - God meant it to be consumed in its entirety.

2. Some people treat the Bible like car rental insurance.

A few weeks ago I traveled to Cape May, New Jersey to speak at a women's retreat. Due to the location being on the Jersey shore, I had to rent a car at the airport and drive an hour and a half to get to the hotel. The clerk at the rental car office suggested that I purchase several different benefits, all of which I felt were unnecessary expenses, and one of them was rental car insurance.

I have not had a wreck in at least twenty years. The likelihood of my having a wreck over the following three days seemed highly unlikely, so why would I want to risk wasting money on car rental insurance?

Sometimes we treat God's Word just like that car rental insurance. We know it is there, and maybe we will need to refer to it, but since we have been strolling through life just fine without making it a priority, do we need to make it a priority now? We know our Bible is available, sitting proudly on the bookshelf, but the likelihood of having a crisis today is probably slim, so we just keep in tucked away for an unexpected emergency.

We always assume that our day will go fine, even if we do not sit down and spend time in His word.

But the Bible is not rental insurance - we desperately need it, whether we think we do or not.

3. Some people treat the Bible like a seatbelt.

It is only in last several years, that the importance of seat belts has become top news, and even required by law. Even though we know that seatbelts can save our life, sometimes we just dont "feel like" putting it on.

I have to constantly remind my kids to put their seatbelts on, practically every time we get in the car, and although I continually tell them the importance of wearing a seatbelt, they still either "forget", or just dont want the inconvenience or physical restriction.

In the same way, we know we need the Bible to direct us in our paths, decisions and behaviors every day, but many times we dont "put it on" because it is inconvenient, or we are too busy. Maybe we do not want to feel guilty for sin we are committing. Or maybe, we just do not feel like reading it.

But God's Word is not a seatbelt - it not only saves lives, but gives life.

Any chance you have been treating the Bible like an hors d'oeuvre tray, a car rental insurance policy, or a seatbelt? Think about it.

Tomorrow I will share two more ways we often treat the Bible, so stay tuned.


(Reference: James McDonald, Walk In The Word)