Are you content in life?

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.

He makes me lies down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.

He restores my soul’ he guides me in the paths of righteousness

for His name’s sake.

Psalm 23:1-3

Contentment comes from the full understanding of God. Knowing He is who He says He is. Knowing He loves us and has our best interests in mind at all times. We come to know Him and understand Him by spending quiet, intimate time with Him.

Just as a good parent should, God tells us “NO” when we want things that are harmful and unhealthy for us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Closed doors may be for our protection, to keep us on the right path.

When you are fully convinced of God’s love for you and remain in His presence long enough for Him to give you deeper understanding on why it needs to be His way, then the more surrendered our hearts are to His will. The more surrendered we are to His sovereignty in our lives - the more contentment we will find with our hearts and attitudes.

 Questions to consider:

What areas of my life am I not content in? Are these areas I have actively tried to improve? Or are they areas I have neglected? Have I told God about my discontentment with complete honesty? Have I asked God to show me what He’s doing in these areas? Have I spent time in prayer over these things?

Concluding thoughts....

Now, there are things that we should be righteously discontent with. Things like being overweight and unhealthy. Things like deep credit card debt, dysfunctional relationships, gossipy sassy attitudes in ourselves and kids. These are areas to submit even further in prayer for God's direction and conquer.

However, there are many areas that we need more contentment in, like the areas that we feel inferior to others, in competition with others, and the areas we are insecure about.

These are the areas to find the Lord and set Him in His rightful place above. We need to fully surrender our wants to His Lordship. Give to God all your hopes, dreams, and desires. And trust Him to give you what He knows you need the most!

Now....How will you handle that discontentment?

Are you bearing fruit of the Lord?

John 15 in the Bible is an amazing chapter. John 15:1-5 are great verses for someone who just started out in their walks with the Lord. And great verses to remind a frustrated believer on why their plans are failing.

Out in my backyard, I have some plants/trees that illustrate where many believers are in their lives.

The Grape Vine - In the right season, this plant was pruned back. The vinedresser came along and pruned the branches. Now the season has come to bear fruit. And since the plant was pruned, there is much fruit. Vines spreading out and taking over, reaching over toward the neighbor's yard. God prunes us back to do just this, bear much fruit and reach over into our neighbor's life to love on them and share the fruit that God has given us.

The Peach Tree - This tree did NOT receive any pruning. It has too many branches on it. It had more, but they were so loaded down w/ imature fruit, they broke off. This can be us if we don't subject ourselves to God's pruning in our lives. Too much going on, trying to do too much. There are too many small peaches competing for the water and nutrients, yet none of them are really growing. Consider how our lives are spread so thin that our fruit is not maturing. Look at our kids, our time is spread so thin with them, too many things competing with our attention. Is our fruit (children) growing in the Lord? Are the ministries we're in growing? Or do we have too many commitments that keep us from being really useful and productive for the Lord? Let God prune your life. Let Him take out that which is competing with what He is truly calling you to do.

The Fruitless Pear Tree - This reminds me of older/hypocritical believers. They talk about how they go to church (most of the time), but they don't really serve, give, pray, read their Word, or spend time God. Look at the tree - FRUITLESS! So are believers who are NOT abiding in the Lord. No fruit. We see them far away at church, not up close and personal. They look 'fine' right? They stay at a distance, because when you get up close and personal - you see just how fruitless their lives are. Their kids are wayward, their spouse is aloof/disrespectful, they're broke, they're ill, they are APART from God. "He who abides in me, bears much fruit"....remember?

The Young Pear Tree - Although small, this tree is bearing some fruit. A couple that which may be edible. I think of young believers. Those that just came to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. They're on fire! They pray, they're always at church, they're plugged in serving, they have their Bible with them everywhere they go, they tell people about the hope they have in Jesus...everywhere they go. They are abiding in the vine, and despite being small/young in the Lord, they have fruit! GOAL: Stay of fire for Christ! (Don't let the fruitless, grumpy old believers tell you 'you're fire will burn out'. That only happens when you are NOT abiding in the vine, abiding in Christ, abiding in His presence.)

The Artichokes - The fruit was never picked. The plant needs a good pruning. We need to allow God to move in our lives. We need to follow His lead and give that which He has given us away. Freely you have received, freely you give (Matthew 10:8). We cannot keep the fruit that has matured in us. The gifts of the Spirit that God has imparted in us, we need to use for His purposes. We need to give more away, more time, money, energy, abilities. The more you give away, the more God will give you. You will have another season of bearing more fruit if you give away that which is ripe. Otherwise, you'll just begin to dry up or begin to decay from the inside out, from the ground up.

The Blueberry Bush - "Apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). This bush is apart from the water source, isolated and alone. Too many people are here. Too many are living apart from Jesus Christ. No Bible reading, no praying, no worshipping, no church, no friends who love God, no experiences of entering into the presence of God. Read up in John 4, Jesus is the Living Water. We need to hook up to the source of living water, Jesus Christ Himself. This little bush, apart from water, apart and alone from any other plants is dead. Dead, dead, dead. It didn't have to be this way. Had some water been provided, it could be bearing fruit. So you too, get to the source of life, Jesus Christ and begin to grow, flourish, and bear fruit. Be fruitful!

Ask God to reveal Himself to you. Get plugged into a Bible teaching church, one that teaches that Jesus Christ is the truth, the life, and the way (John 14:6). Pray and find yourself in the presence of God and let Him take out of your life that which is interfering with your peace, joy...sanity. What needs to go? Who needs to go? Let God remove them so that you can have total access to HIM....and then you will bear much fruit!

Watch the video HERE!!!!

Where I'm headed with this thesis...I think

Thought I would share this morning's summary of where I believe I am headed with this thesis on social media. The entertaining part of this is I'm referring to myself and the lessons I've learned over the last 3 years of being a Facebook user most times (not the double life part tho'). Hey, we got to admit we have a problem in order to change right? And God has clearly pointed out the need to have  more balance with my time and reprioritize where my energy goes, in my life.

Perhaps that is why I am so passionate about this topic. It's impacted my life, positively and negatively. Feel free to email your thoughts or story to ministryresearch@yahoo.com if you'd like to. I am open to all perspectives and takes on this topic!

The Impacts of Social Media on Humanity

Why ‘humanity’? The definition of humanity is: all human beings collectively; the human race; humankind, the quality or condition of being human. (Dictionary.com 6/20/12). This is a powerful term.  Humans are so intertwined in relationships with others. These relationships, our psyches and outward behaviors are greatly impacted by influences and communication on the internet.

The quality or condition of being human, this means you and me. I believe that the quality changes from different levels of good and bad for each individual, depending on whom they are in a household, workplace, or friendship. I do believe there are more negative impacts collectively on our society/culture than good. It will be an accumulative, long-term negative impact that we have already begun to see and will see even more later, as our children are now growing up in competition of Facebook and in the shadow of posts, feeds, and notifications.

We’ll explore all the social media options on the World Wide Web to see what a large scale of distraction it truly is. Social media, like food, can be a tool and useful. However, just as too much food can lead to bad health, I believe social media is robbing us from true friendships, interfering in our marriages, and leaving many distracted and unproductive at work and school. Another important area of our lives that social media is chipping away at is the Christian’s spiritual disciplines. Many know more about other people’s kids’ camp trips than what God is doing in their lives today!

Social media is not only impacting our lives within our homes, but outside the home and in the workplace, our local news, and government (locally to globally). Many who love it call it ‘networking’. Those who are cleaning up the mess of families call it ‘social gluttony’. Do we really need to check in what we’re having for breakfast, lunch, dinner? Think of the safety of people’s family when potential predators have slipped in your friend list and you’ve posted your family is (currently) at a park. Let’s review statistics to see if there is a rise in kidnappings, sexual assaults, and pedophile activity.

After considering the tasks of being a mother to small children and managing a home, my heart is broken for the children of our social media generation. Here is where the passion comes from. I truly believe the very fact that social media is robbing our children. PERIOD. Let’s review everything from the work-at-home mom who uses social media to market her multi-level marketing business to the stay-at-home mom who is bored and lonely posting of her disgust with laundry. In one sense, we all want to belong and feel encouraged and attached to the outside world of our homes. But when we sit at the computer screen longer than we read to our children, help them with their homework, or play ball with them, something is wrong. Our husbands won't buy that we were to busy to clean 'today' when he's seen all our posts on our day. Really, all that time on Facebook or Twitter could've been spent scrubbing tubs and toilets.

Review the recent statistic that 65% of Americans are overweight and obese. They’ve moved from the sofa and television to the internet and social media. Many who battle weight problems conclude they ‘just don’t have enough time to work out’. However, after examining how often they are on Twitter, Pinterest, or Facebook, one would conclude that they really do have the 45-60 minutes a day to work out. Many find any distraction away from taking care of their bodies, and now social media is just one more way. The irony is that social media is a common avenue to use for the network marketers of their nutritional products, yet how many people are using them? People will post they want to lose weight, but they refuse to log off and go run!

Consider the latest trends in divorce. I heard a statistic that 33% of the divorce cases in England were due to Facebook. Why? Is it the hours that a wife or husband spends accessing it instead of spending time together? Is it the past relationships with people of the opposite sex that is luring spouses away from each other?  

Social media is impeding the most important relationships we have: with God first, then our children and spouse. At the end of this life, God is not going to high five us for having witty posts, amazing pictures, or 500+ friends on Facebook. He’s going to look at the fruit of our lives. Are our children saved and serving God? Are we still married? Did we give to the cause of Christ? Did we lead people to the Lord?

Yes, we can encourage people in the Lord through social media (I do it all the time). We can spread a prayer request quickly. We can stay in touch with our best friends across the nations. Yes, there are some positives. However, this is one more thing that can be used for good gone bad. Many have turned into insomniacs from the consistent habit of staying up late ‘networking’. Once the honeymoon is over with their new social media forum, they just can’t get any shut eye. They’ve been reprogrammed to stay up late, so what do they do? Turn to Facebook to update their status of ‘where is sleep?’

It’s a sad shape our society is in. In a pursuit to connect the world, we’ve disconnected families and our true identity from ourselves. Sounds extreme but there are actually people indulging in separate lives from their true reality, out there in cyberspace. What are the implications of this for their family and their psyche?

It is time we reevaluate where we are spending our precious time. It is time to reaffirm our loved ones that they are priority and give them the time and attention they deserve. It is time that we give our employers our best effort and efficiency. It is time we protect ourselves and children from criminal activity. It is time we spend more time with our spouses then posting about them. It is time we exercise and get active. It is time we find balance and stop overindulging in this social media frenzy!

Late night prayer...

Up late reflecting, venting on the page.
Wondering and wandering with my thoughts.

My pen meets the paper and the ink begins to pour,
All of my random thoughts that explain why I'm awake....

And so this becomes my late night prayer to enter into His peace.
Where I can quite my mind enough to go to sleep...

"God, please don't ever leave me -
You alone are all I have...
Who will see me through this life of mine.

Life pulls and tugs,
And beneath the hugs,
Are hidden guilt and continual fear.

Over what I did not manage to do,
Over what I cannot really do.

I try to grin to hide the anxiousness,
Put on a smile and call it happiness.

I'm not ashamed of admitting my weaknesses,
Or being honest about the truth of me.

Because within my soul and heart,
Live two parts.
One part me.
And one part Jesus.

And it is only because of who He is,
That I am able to endure who I am."

- Jennifer Morin 6/14/2012, 10:30 p.m.

G'night....

Sometimes we think that we have arrived....

The day that we think we've arrived, woe to us, as we may easily fall and stumble.

 

Galatians 6:3 in the New American Standard Bible (NASB) says:

For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing,

he deceives himself.

 

He who is filled with pride lives here. He thinks he's arrived, he is best, he has overcome. However, most times, he is comparing himself to the world's standards and not God.

This is why we must remain in the Word daily. When we are examining our hearts compared to God's Word, we see where we are falling short, we see our weaknesses and become even more dependent on God. When we are weak, than He is strong.

I personally want to operate in God's strength because He is mighty, steadfast and constant. Our strength is fleeting. When we are depending only on ourselves and becoming self-sufficient, we fall to temptation a lot easier. And we become deceived. When we walk under the veil of deception, the temptation easily evolves into sin in our bodies, our mind, and are birthed into our lives, where others are greatly impacted!

Read Romans 6:12-13 New American Standard Bible (NASB):

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts,  and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

How do we let sin reign in our bodies? By entertaining the thoughts that do not honor God. Contemplating sin, justifying sin, and acting on those thoughts and temptations, letting sin into our being. Again, we see the need to be in the Word. When we read things like Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death..." - how can continue to walk in sin? If we say we believe in God, how can we not believe His Word. We are deceived if we think that the sin will not bring death to our lives, our relationships, and our spiritual walks with God.

Yes there is grace, for the sincere repentant heart. Look up repentance. Repentance is NOT confession. Confession is telling of the sin...maybe even apologizing. But repentance is: determined to refrain from the committing of the sin, to STOP living out the sin. We've got to get out from under the deception, acknowledge our sin, and completely stop, turn away, and head toward Jesus Christ and the everlasting life He brings.

I always remind myself that eternity begins NOW. The day I accepted Christ, my eternal life began. Why would I want to put myself under the bondage of sin, the lies of the enemy again? I saw what that got me...trust me, it's not worth it. 

But prove youselves doers of the word,

and not merely hearers that delude themselves.

- James 1:22 (NASB)

How can we do what the Word says, if we don't read it? Do we just sit in our churches, nodding our heads that the pastor is right on Sunday, but fail to put into action what we hear? Monday through Saturday, are we forgiving, loving, crucifying the flesh and it's lustful desires? Are we listening to verses such as Romans 6:12?  Are we slaves to sin or to God?

In moments of temptation turn to Romans 6:14-22.

Here's my reminder in the face of temptations of any kind:

If I do things God's way, I get God's results.

And I truly want the life that God has for me. He wants to bless me, provide for me, and be present in my life. How can I forfeit that for sin, momentary pleasure that brings death? (Romans 6:23, remember...)

I am here not to discourage or condemn, but to exhort you to turn to the Lord, be transparent with Him, take responsibility for your sin, sinful nature, ask for His help, forgiveness, and empowerment to overcome 'the sin that so easily entangles you'. And fully repent and turn away from that sin, with God's help!

Keep your sights on Christ, not the world. Compare your life to Scripture, not your friends who are living in the world. What does light have to do with darkness?

We've got to live for God completely! Don't let sin or temptations disqualify you and rob you or your family of God's blessings and presence. So read the Word, study the Word to live the Word!!!

He loves you and wants you to want HIM above all else

- so go for it & do it!

The More You Pray...

The more you pray, the more you will see the need for prayer. It's cyclic. You pray, you get answered prayers, you get more faith, you then pray more, you get more answered prayers, and you get even greater faith. But you've got to start this miraculous cycle by starting a prayer life.

I pray out loud. I pray silently. I journal many prayers.

I use a notebook, any tablet works for me. And in the quiet dark mornings my pen is moving rapidly across the page.

My pen pours out my heart on how I feel about things:

• the things troubling me,
• the things I need,
• the things I want,
• the fears I have,
• the people causing me anguish,
• the people causing my loved ones anguish,
• friends and family dealing with sickness, heartache
• EVERYTHING THAT CONCERNS ME & THE WORLD AROUND ME!

One reason why I love to journal my prayers is that they are recorded. Because many, many times, my prayers come to pass. And journaling them reveals how God changes my original prayers and circumstances the more I pray.

For example, many people pray for a raise, more finances, right? Common prayer. But through days and weeks of prayer, God may start to reveal that you have all the finances you need. You just need greater stewardship over them. So then a person who started praying for more will start to pray for self-control at the mall, insight on how to have a tighter budget, or they may have a greater desire to give to God's causes more so that the door of blessing will be opened and finances are increased as a result.

Prayer journals record this journey. But not having a pen and pad does not stop me from praying. Having a prayer partner for some big stuff is a great way to record requests made and have that extra person in agreement with you. The Bible says when we agree in prayer, prayers are answered. And that's what we want, right?

Then opportunities for solo prayer come all day long as the day unfolds. Challenges come, trials to endure, hardships land in your lap - it's time to pray. You get a bad phone call, you see a car accident, your kids seem impossible - it's time to pray. You wake up grumpy, you feel hurried, anxious, or sad - it's time to pray.

And when great things happen -

it's time to pray and praise God!

Sometimes people feel like prayer has to be this super formal thing that we do alone always. No way! Prayer is simply talking to God. Acknowledging Him.

Often, in the car with my kids when opportunity arises, I say, 'Let's tell God about that'...'Let's pray that God will _______', 'Hey Daniel, why don't you ask God if He can _______?'

Prayer is something we can do anywhere, anytime.

The point is to pray, and then pray more. Through prayer we get to know our Maker more intimately. The same way you get to know your new best friend, your potential spouse - you talk to them endlessly, right? So why not talk to your Creator endlessly about everything that concerns you and your life?

And seriously, don't be shy about your requests. I think sometimes that people think that asking God for little things are unnecessary. NO WAY! This is when you get to see/feel the infinite love from God. When you ask things that seem so insignificant and He still answers that prayer - you get to experience Him in such a deep, personal way.

So my encouragement is to PRAY...

....and then the more you pray...the more you WILL pray!

Let God be God above all. The Bible says that nothing is impossible for God - so ask Him for impossibilities today!