Going Deeper - It's basic, yet essential!

We say we want to go deep in the Lord, but do we stay consistent with our devotional/prayer-Word time with Him? It's much more than asking God to bless our day & read a verse...It's pouring your heart out of your trials, tribulations, and sins...and asking Him for help, forgiveness, and direction. By staying consistent with this one thing...we go deeper in the Lord because HE takes us there.

I think we want something so much more complicated...but it's so simple...time alone w/ the Lord...full transparency & dependency. And we have to stay there...shallow waters are lukewarm...God is so good and wants to use us in others' lives. He needs us to report in daily with our mindset to live for Him and do what He asks. That's when we find ourselves in the middle of God's will.

 

Shallow waters are lukewarm....hmmm. This is true. We cannot stay in shallow waters for long.

 

Listen to what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:2, 3: I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly.....

 

I take it as: We cannot receive the solid (deeper) things of God when we are walking in the flesh...When we're lead by the flesh...we can't receive the truth. Our hearts are hardened, our minds are focused on things of this world...and we don't let what God has to say rule in our lives.

 

1 Peter 2:2 says: Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.

 

Malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander...it's safe to say these are deeds of the flesh.

 

If you're driving the car in the wrong direction, when you realize you're going the wrong way, what do you do? You HIT THE BRAKES & TURN AROUND, right?

 

So, if you see these deeds of flesh in your life...worldliness in your life - what should you do? HIT THE BRAKES & TURN AROUND.

 

How? LONG FOR THE PURE MILK OF THE WORD.  We've got to go back to basics always. These 'basics' are essentials! Essential to our walks with God, essential to our lives, essential to our kids' salvation. When we get off track, we just need to stop & start over.

 

How? Long for the Word. Long for God.

 

I wholeheartedly believe that anyone who has truly experienced God's kindness and goodness can NEVER truly turn away. They may try to ease the pain of their conviction and pain from sin. But they can never walk away from our amazing, good God if they have truly tasted the kindness of the Lord.

 

So in the event you blow it. Just stop. Repent. Ask God to remove the sins from your life, and ask Him to help you start over. And then daily, go to Him for strength to avoid the traps of sin. Ask Him to put the fear of the Lord in you.

 

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Psalm 111:10

 

Stay transparent with Him, and dependent on Him. Realize what it says in John 15 - Apart from Him, we can do nothing. Here is where the deepness begins. When He is set as Lord over all in your life.

 

God bless!

Got fruit?

I was out in our garden last night and was inspired for today's post. I was looking at my squash plants and evaluating how some have squash already growing on them, and others are little, undernourished, scrawny plants. Yet they sit side by side with the healthy ones...it made me think of 'us'.

As a believer, the Bible calls us to 'bear much fruit', but are we? Are you?

Looking at these different plants, which one are you? You may be a little scrawny one because you just found the truth & have began your journey of following Christ and you have began the growing process.

You may be a larger one with a healthy fruit, growing and swelling in size with flavor. However, are you one who has been 'following the Lord' for many years, but remain fruitless? What is the fruit that God would have you bear?

According to Galatians 5:22, the fruit of the Spirit is:

• Love
• Joy
• Peace
• Patience
• Kindness
• Goodness
• Faithfulness
• Gentleness
• Self-Control

On a scale of 1-10, 1 being worst, 10 being your best, how would you rate yourself on each of these? Have you had a lot of joy and peace lately? Or have you been filled with anxiety? Have you been frustrated with everyone around you? Or are you patient (and gracious) towards others, i.e. family members, coworkers, employer, employees, spouse, kids, other drivers on the road?

How are your relationships? Do you have any broken ones? Dysfunctional, resentment torn ones? Or are you being kind, and loving (and forgiving) toward others who have wronged you?

And where is your self-control at? Are you having self-control in your eating, drinking (sugary and/or alcohol drinks), your finances/spending, your argumentative conversations, your anger, your_______________(fill in the blank).

Here is the great thing about these fruits of the Spirit...they are NOT intended for you to muster up all on your own. They are the results of your soul being watered by the Word of God (Bible), fertilized by doses of church, consistent care and maintenance by the presence of the Lord in your life ushered in by prayer and worship!

Do you have these things in your life: the Word, prayer, worship, and church? They are the glue that keep your lives held together!!!

In Matthew 12:33, Jesus says, "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit".

"No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the fruit of peace and righteousness to those who have been trained by it". - Hebrew 12:11

My garden will only survive when I ACTIVELY participate in its growth. I have to be disciplined to water it, fertilize it and pluck out the weeds. I have to be disciplined to take care of it. Just like our lives, we must be disciplined to say no to the things that spoil our fruit: the wreckless behaviors, the interfering relationships, the careless church absences, the obsessive overcommitments, the continual divisive conversations, and the complete negligence of God.

We want fruitful lives. We want to lead people down the path to eternal life with our actions of love, gentleness, kindness, and peace. The only way that others will enjoy our fruit is if we enjoy time with the LORD! We have to discipline ourselves to show up and let God speak to our hearts and submit to His guidance. We have to let Him nourish our souls to bear the fruit.

I want to be like this healthy rich-colored vine on my pumpkin plant. This thing is the healthiest one in the patch. I want to be the one that stands out next to the rest and shine for the Lord. I want people to see Christ in my life.

Are you willing to let God into your heart daily? Are you willing to turn on the music that sings of God and edifies your soul? Are you willing to rid your life of the unhealthy relationships that tear you out of God's will and presence? Are you willing to make it to church to hear the Word preached in a way that inspires you to change? Are you willing to make Jesus Lord of your life above all else so that you can bear the fruit of love, joy, peace, gentleness, kindness, etc?

Choose this day to let Christ in your garden, your heart? Take out that dusty Bible and ask God to speak to you. Ask God to become real to you in your everyday life. Talk to Him about everything. Depend on Him for everything...but most importantly....love Him completely!