Is Your Mind Right?

Sometimes in our prayers we are "me" centered and see God as a genie to be conjured up to fulfill our every wish. Then when we don't get what we want we think He doesn't hear, doesn't care or maybe doesn't exist.
James says, "You do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures." (James 4:3) Selfishness is at the root of many unanswered prayers.

The first petition in the Lord's Prayer is "Hallowed be Your name;" the second, "Your Kingdom come;" and the third, "Your will be done." (Matt. 6:9-10). Note, our first concern in prayer should be what God wants, not what we want. The purpose of prayer is not to conform God to our will, but to conform us to His!

Here are some suggestions for praying with the right mindset:

1) Ask God to slay your sinful nature. As new creatures in Christ we wrestle daily with our old nature. And as long as that nature has the upper hand, our prayers will be hindered.

2) Ask Him to cleanse you with His blood. You can't come to God's presence tainted by sin; (Psalm 66:18) you must confess it and ask Him to forgive you (I John 1:9).

3) Ask Him to fill you with the Holy Spirit. The indwelling of God's Spirit enables you to overcome temptation and live according to His will.

4) Ask Him to guard and guide your steps. God's plan for our lives is always better than anything we could ever devise. (Ephesians 3:20).

5) Ask Him to use you for His glory. Make yourself available as a servant with a willing heart to do whatever He asks.

Bottom line: when you pray with the right mindset you'll get answers you never imagined possible!

*from The Word for You Today Daily Devotional
August, 28, 2012

A BIG Question Often Asked...

How does God speak through the Holy Spirit? What happens if I don't hear and obey? The Bible explains that rejecting the words of the Holy Spirit has consequences. Are you willing to face those?

The following are ways you can be disobedient to what God tells you by His Spirit:

1) Resisting the Holy Spirit. At times, the word may come as a challenge to confront something in your life. It may be a reminder of how you have been wrong in your dealings with others. At times, He will give you clear direction as to what you should do in order to avoid trouble. Proverbs 16:25 reminds us, "There is a way that seems right to man, but in the end it leads to death."  The choice is yours. Resisting God's word is willful disobedience.

2) Grieving the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 4:30, Paul simply states, "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God." Resisting the Spirit focuses on our disobedience; Grieving the Spirit focuses on the results of our disobedience. Every time you willingly sin, God views it as a rejection of Himself. How does that make you feel? It should cause us to be heartbroken over our sin, for we realize that we have not just broken a rule, we have grieved the Holy Spirit.

3) Quenching the Holy Spirit. "Do not quench the Spirit." (I Thess. 5:19) The word quench means to" put an end to, stop, put out. When we allow unconfessed sin to fill us, the Spirit's work is quenched. We cannot be filled with the Spirit and filled with sin at the same time. When you find the Spirit's activity and words to you becoming increasingly rare, you need to examine the condition of your heart.

A BIG question often asked: "What about blaspheming the Holy Spirit? What does that really mean and am I capable of doing it? " The following is taken from the study, When God Speaks by Henry & Richard Blackaby.

"At times people fear thay are not experiencing God speaking to them because they have inadvertantly blashphemend the Holy Spirit. Matthew 12:31-32 tells us, 'And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.'

The Spirit of God had worked mightily to heal a man who was demon-possessed. This was an occasion for the Spirit of God to reveal to the people watching who Jesus was.

However, instead of recognizing and accepting the word from God, the Pharisees declared that Jesus had healed by the power of Satan. This was not an insult to Jesus but to the Spirit of God. They were refusing to accept the testimony from God as valild.

Jesus warned that to reject and scorn the person and work of the Spirit of God could never be forgiven. This is not something a Christian can do. To become a genuine Believer, you must first acknowledge the absolute lordship of God over your life.

To reject a word openly, repeatedly and defiantly from God indicates you have not submitted yourself to Christ's lordship. If you are truly a Christian, you will not have blasphemed the Holy Spirit. However, if you are not experiencing God as you think you could, check to see if you have not resisted, grieved or quenched the Holy Spirit."

You Need a "Word"....

It's not a matter of IF God speaks, it's more, do we hear Him when He does? As we begin our new, 6-week series, When God Speaks: How to Recognize God's Voice and Respond in Obedience by Henry and Richard Blackaby, we'll discover that God indeed is always speaking and we need to be always listening.

It almost seems like listening well is a learned behavior. It requires a concentrated effort on our part. It sometimes requires our undivided attention and most of all, it takes a willingness to want to hear! Do you really want to hear God speak or are you afraid of what He may have to say to you?

Today, I want to share my devotion from The Word for You Today "A 'word' from God can bring you the solution you need. God created the world with a word, so imagine what a word from Him could do for your situation. The Bible says,"Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying 'This is the way, walk in it. Whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.'

Notice the words, 'Your ears shall hear a word.' But if your spiritual ears are not open, trained and attuned to God, you won't hear what He is saying to you. Furthermore, if you filter what He's saying through human intellect in order to harmonize it with your own opinions, you will get nowhere. God gives a 'word' to those who have an open ear and an open heart!

When you pray, what are you looking for? A spiritual high, or a time of intimacy with God in which He speaks and you listen? When you read your Bible, are you seeking confirmation of your own thoughts or are you seeking God's will? Imagine what one of God's ideas could do for your life!

If you dream of doing great things in life, get to know God and His voice. He will reveal Himself to you through His Word. You'll hear a lot of different ideas each day; some will benefit you, others won't. But when you get a 'word' from God, it's like a seed; it has the potential to produce a tree; or better yet, a whole orchid of fruit!"

RESOURCE: Here's a great video/lesson from Charles Stanley: Listening to God - Walking with God

SHARE: As God did in the Old Testament, He continues to speak in a variety of ways. In what ways do you hear His still, small voice? (worship service, Christian books, prayer, while walking, Chrisitan films and conferences, music, nature, tragedy, world events, Bible studies, meditation on Scripture, etc.)

Can God Be Trusted?

Have you ever been at a crossroad - not sure which way to go? Is it all a matter of chance? Do all paths lead to the same place? As we come to the end of our study on trusting God, we see the promise from Proverbs 3:6b - "He will direct our paths."

Can God really be trusted to have our best interest in mind?  Is there anything required on our part? In fact, yes there is. We see in the first part of Proverbs 3:5, we are commanded to 1) Trust God with all our heart. 2) Don't lean on our own understanding of God and situations and 3) Acknowledge and consult with God about everything, THEN He will direct and make our paths straight.

In order for us to know the paths God wants us to follow, we have to be willing to:

1) Be Taught - David asks God to "Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths." (Psalm 25:4)Isaiah 2:3 says "...He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." God will make His paths known to us, we just need to ask and be willing to be taught. Are you teachable?

2) Be Lead - God wants to lead us and He needs us to be willing to follow Him. "I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths" (Prov. 4:11).  Do you trust God to lead you along the best pathway for your life? Are you leadable?

3) Be Guided - Isaiah 42:16a tells us that God "will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them..."  That's where our faith and trust in God comes into play. Our entire life is a "blind and unfamiliar path" and we are in need of a guide. Are you guidable?

David gives us a perfect example of God's trustworthiness when we dedicate ourselves to being taught, lead and guided by Him. "You (God) have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand" (Psalm 16:11).

God can be trusted. God wants us to lean on Him when things don't make sense. God deserves to be acknowledged in all our ways and God desires to lead us along straight paths...paths that take us where He wants us to go! Are you willing to be taught, lead and guided?

Are You Trustworthy?

Can you be trusted with a secret? Are you reliable? Are you willing to complete something you promised you'd do? Week 3's verse - "In all your ways, acknowledge Him..." we see the importance of recognizing God in everything we do in order to fully trust Him.

But what about God's trust for us? Are we trustworthy when it comes to what He's given to us? We never really own anything, it's just a loan. It was God's property before we arrived and He'll lend it to someone else after we're gone.

Our selfish culture says, "If I don't own it, why should I take care of it?" Those who understand God's will and ways live by a higher standard. Because God owns it, we should take even better care of it. God's Word tells us in I Cor. 4:2, "Those who are trusted with something valuable must show they are worthy of that trust."

When we make the most of what God has given us, He promises three rewards: (Matt. 25:21)

1) Commendation - "Well done, good and faithful (and trustworthy) servant."

2) Promotion - "I will put you in charge of many things."

3) Celebration - "Come and share in your master's happiness."

How well are you using what God has loaned you? What about your time - are you using it wisely? What about your talent - are you using it to bring glory to God? What about your treasure - are you using it to benefit others?

There is a direct correlation between how you use your time, talent and treasure and the quality of your life. So the question is: could the way you're handling them be preventing God from trusting you with more blessings?

Worry or Concern ~ Is There a Difference?

What are you depending on to give you direction? Who are you seeking wisdom from? Where is your own understanding leading you? Week 2 of our In God We Trust...Or Do We? study looks at "leaning on our own understanding."  I find that when I try to figure everything out (even God), it can lead me to places I know God doesn't want me to go...how about you?

Worry is one of the by-products of trying to lean on or depend on what we know and understand. When our knowledge of a situation or the future is limited, we feel the need to worry in hopes that we'll gain more insight! Jesus specifically tells us in Matthew 6:25 not to worry about anything in our life; He's got it all under control. He then goes on to ask in v. 27, "Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"

Sometimes in our attempt to not let anyone know that we worry (i.e. disobey God), we disguise it by saying that we're "concerned" about someone or something. Is there a difference between worry and concern? Yes there is! Worry has no benefits whatsoever. Whereas, concern can be very beneficial...Let's look at a few:

Worry immobilzes us emotionally and often, physically.
Concern causes us to take action.

Worry focuses on self and its' fears and anxieties.
Concern focuses on others and their needs.

Worry has a negative effect on our health.
Concern produces a positive effect on our well-being.

Worry ignores relationships by withdrawing from others.
Concern ignites relationships by reaching out to others.

Worry stifles productivity.
Concern stimulates productive action.

Worry is self-serving.
Concern is others serving.

Worry takes our control.
Concern gives control to God.

What are you spending your time and energy on - worry or concern? You can worry or you can trust God; you can't do BOTH!  What's your choice today? The next time you sense the need to worry, ask yourself - "Who am I trusting in? Myself and my limited understanding or God and His infinite understanding?"

COMMENT: Share with us what you have learned about the effects of worry in your own life.

In God We Trust...Or Do We?

We say we trust God, but do our actions show it? We want to trust God with every area of our lives, but what keeps us from actually doing it? Trusting someone we can't see can be a challenge. Trusting in something we can't touch or feel is difficult. But are those good enough reasons not to do it?

I recently took a survey where I asked women to tell me in what area of your life do you struggle most with trusting God? Their responses were not surprising, as they reflect many things I struggle with as well. The results showed that #1was money, followed by future, family, health, relationships and safety. Questioning pain, affliction, misfortune and situations that don't make sense topped the list as well.

What exactly does trust mean? Webster's defines it as: to believe; to have faith in; to have hope in. These are all great things we should be doing and showing God - especially if we say we love and want to obey Him. Our key verses for this study are from Proverbs 3:5-6 - where we're not given a suggestion or helpful hint, but a command! Let's look at part one: Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart (actions).....

What keeps us from trusting (believing, having faith in, having hope in) God with ALL our heart (actions)?

1) Our need to control everything.

In our attempt to try to "fix" other people, situations, circumstances, etc., we are in fact showing God we do not trust Him to fix what needs fixing. (In some cases the person who needs the most fixing is us!) God wants us to live by faith, not head knowledge. In our effort to control everything, we want to know how everything is going to work out - ahead of time. This is not faith. This is not trust. This is not obedience.

2) The choices we make.

In Isaiah 26:3. we're told that God will keep in perfect peace those whose mind is steadfast, because they trust in Him. A steadfast mind is not confused, but confident. It knows the right choices to make. Choices that will please God. Choices that allow our actions to prove our faith in God - regardless if we understand all the facts or not.

3) We put our confidence in the wrong people/places.

Are you putting your trust in the wrong things? Psalm 20:7 says, "Some trust in chariots and horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." We can't say we trust God and at the same time, hold tight to our money and possessions. God can be trusted with all the people and things we value most. We can't trust man to come to our rescue like God can.

Psalm 118:8 is in the exact middle of the Bible. It can be considered the central verse of the entire Word of God. "It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man!" How appropriate!

Here's a great quote to think about - "Don't trust to hold God's hand; let Him hold yours. Let Him do the holding and you do the trusting!"

WHAT DO YOU THINK?  Share with us an area you struggle with when it comes to trusting God. Do you relate with any (or all )of the 3 reasons we looked at?