I'm Just a _______________

Do you consider yourself "just" a wife? Just a mother? Just a single woman? Have people referred to you as "just" a co-worker? Just a good friend? Just someone they know? In Mark 6:3, Jesus was described as "... just the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon."

The Jewish people were not willing to accept Jesus as the true Messiah. Messiahs didn't come from small towns or do the kind of humble work that Jesus did. So they dismissed both Him and His Message. But Jesus wasn't discouraged or deterred by their insults and neither should you be.

You are more than "just a __________." Don't believe the lies of the enemy when he whispers in your ear, "You'll never be able to do that, you're just too young, too old, too busy, too boring, too damaged, too afraid, too weak, too insecure, etc. Don't let the fact that you're just a woman, housewife, mother, young adult, new believer, etc. keep you from continuing to fulfill the plans and purposes God has for you. Think what would have happend if Jesus had stopped pursuing His ministry because He was "just a carpenter."

Every time you find yourself thinking, "I'm just a ____________" - stop! Instead, dwell on who you ARE....a precious daughter of the King, a unique workmanship of God (Eph. 2:10), a forgiven, redeemed and bound for heaven child of God, a woman of strength and a God-given dream and so much more!

BLOG COMMENT: Share some other descriptions of who YOU ARE!

It's Not What We Expected!

What is our response when things don't happen or people don't act the way we expect? How do we feel when "what we had in mind", does not turn out the way we envisioned? How do we accept the actions of others who do the total opposite of what we were certain they would do?

The Jewish people in Matthew's day were waiting for their Messiah. They were expecting a warrior king to ride into town and rescue them from Roman oppression and establish a new kingdom - a kingdom as mighty and majestic as their ancestor, King David. They were aware of what the Old Testament prophets' described their savior would be and do and that was what they were longing for.

But unfortunately, they overlooked the prophecies in Isaiah 53 which explained that this king would also be a suffering servant. One who would be rejected and eventually killed. No wonder so many people didn't recognize Jesus as their King. He was not what they had expected. Many Jews were not ready to accept that their king was born in a lowly manger to poor commoners. Others were not willing to believe that Jesus was who He said He was especially when He talked about building His Kingdom in heaven, not on earth. It was not what they had expected!

What the Jews expected was not what they got and they were disappointed and discouraged. What they had dreamed their Messiah would be like, never came true. Many rejected Jesus for who He was, as millions still do today.

How do you respond when things don't happen and people don't act the way you expected? We are really no different than the Jews of Jesus' time. You may be looking for your own savior to come and rescue you from an oppressive situation and when that doesn't work out the way you thought, you are disappointed. You may have dreamed that your relationships and the people in them would act a certain way and when they don't, you are hurt. You may have expected life to turn out differently for you and seeing that it hasn't, you are blaming others and perhaps, even God.

Some things we can expect is that our ways and thoughts are not God's ways and thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8). We cannot control other people's feelings and behaviors - only our own. We must expect and accept that life will have its share of dissapointments. But most importantly, we must trust that God's plans are always for our good (Romans 8:28) and not to harm us (Jeremiah 29:11).

For those who did embrace Jesus as the true Messiah , they saw their lives changed. They were witness to many miracles and messages that would forever impact them and future generations. They set aside their unmet expectations and opened their hearts and minds to all Jesus had to offer them. Are you willing to let go of "what you have in mind" and follow the true King?

BLOG COMMENT: Are you holding on to an expectation that continues to go unmet? Is the continual disappointment and pain worth it?

Do You Read Or Heed God's Word?

Is there a difference between reading the Bible and studying the Bible? Do you consider yourself one who reads the Bible for facts and information or in order to gain wisdom and understanding of God's Word and how you can apply it to your life? As we prepare for our journey through the New Testament, one book at a time, I thought it would be good to recognize what the purpose of studying the Bible really is.

The first step in preparing to study the Bible should always be prayer. Asking the Holy Spirit to guide and guard your heart and mind is essential. Remember, the Enemy will try to distract and disrupt your study time with God every chance he gets.

Based on Psalm 25:4-5, we see three components of what we are to study the Bible for: "Show me your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Guide me in your truths and teach me, for you are God my Savior and my hope is in you all day long."

1) David is asking God to "show me your ways." In order to be shown something, we have to look at it. We have to be willing to see what God's ways are and want to follow them. If we're not studying His Word, we will never know what to look for. Whose ways have you been following? Yours, God's or the Enemy's? Do you know how to tell the difference between the three?

2) David also asks God to "teach me your paths." In order to be taught, we must be willing to learn what God's Word means. This requires some work and effort. This is the part of Bible study that people want to skip over because learning takes too much time. They would rather read or listen to what someone else tells them it means, then to find out for themselves. Are you teachable? Do you desire to learn God's paths or are you content with living your life following your own or better yet, someone elses path?

3) David continues to ask God to "guide me in your truth." In order to be guided, we must be willing to listen to instruction and follow what it says. Are you dependent on a GPS to guide you to your desired destination? Do you listen intently to and faithfully follow the instructions on where to turn, which direction to go and when to re-route your course, if necessary? Then you are willing to be guided. Are you just as willing to listen to God's truth and instructions from His Word and be guided in the direction He wants you to go? Or do you prefer to map out your own course and be your own guide?

4) Finally, David acknowledges God for who He is, "you are God my Savior" and confirms that "my hope is in you all day long." In other words, David is willing to lean on God for all his needs. He's willing to surrender control of his life. Knowing that his hope is in God and His Word, David can continue to grow in wisdom and understanding. In taking this action of surrender, he will be better able to understand God's ways, follow His paths and be guided by His truth.

Where are you today? Are you just interested in learning the facts about the Bible or are you wanting to know, understand and apply what it says to your life personally? Our Know the Bible New Testament study is set to begin next week. Now's as good a time as ever to get into God's Word and allow Him to show you, teach you and guide you! To sign up for our "class" and receive your weekly lessons via email - visit http://www.pathfinderministries.org/NT.html

Have You Lost Your Peace of Mind?

Are there days when you feel like everything is falling apart around you? You find that your life is full of chaos and frustration; worry and anixiety...the total opposite of "peace of mind." Are you desparately trying to change people and situations in your life - but failing terribly? Are you using all your resources and energy to make things happen when it's obviously not the right time? We can lose our peace of mind when we keep trying to do something about something we can't do anything about!

Isaiah 26:3 gives us the formula for keeping our peace of mind. "You (G0d) will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast (focused) because he trusts in you (God)." When we stay focused on God, recognizing His power and watching His plan unfold, what do we have to worry about? What do we need to try to control when we know the Creator of the Universe has everything under His control?

Are you a worrier? Do you feel guilty when you don't have something or someone to worry about? Have you ever experienced peace of mind? The Apostle Paul had plenty of reasons to worry when he wrote the book of Philippians from a Roman prison cell. But instead, he shares several effective steps we can take to find peace of mind in Philippians 4: 4-9:

1) Rejoice - Gratitude is important to our peace of mind because it leads to a change in our attitude. We can't grumble, complain and worry about a person or situation when we're rejoicing!

2) Be anxious for nothing - A mind full of worry and anxiety is the opposite of a mind focused and steadfast on God and His promisies; which leads to a mind filled with peace.

3) Pray about everything - Have you ever thought prayer just wasn't enough? Even after praying, you still felt the need to worry and fret? You still tried to figure out how to change the problem yourself. God wants us to bring all our concerns to Him and leave them with Him.

4) Give thanks for all things - Worry has the tendency to invite all its friends into your life - stress, disappointment, anger, frustration, doubt, etc. When we switch our focus on being thankful for the things He has done for us - big and small - we send worry and its friends packing.

When we put these steps into action in our life, Paul tells us in verse 7, "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus." These first 4 steps help guard our heart. When we are rejoicing, not worrying, giving everything to God in prayer, with thankful hearts - God's peace washes over us.

5) Think about these things - Verse 8 tells us what we must do in order to guard our mind - the place where all worry and anxiety begins. We must think and focus on things that are true, pure, right, holy, friendly, proper, worthwhile and worthy of praise. I don't see worry in that list!

Peace of mind is something God desires for us. Worrying about and trying to control people and situations in our life distract us from where our real focus should be - on God and His goodness!