The Journey part 2

I wanted to write about this journey that all who believe take with the Lord. I don’t have it planned, I just write and I don’t have any idea how many devotional’s it will be, that will be the beauty of it. Most of the awesome stuff God has done in my life sure wasn’t planned by any means. That’s the whole thing about the journey with the Lord, it’s not planned and you just don’t know and it takes faith. Think about it, all the things the Lord has done in your life was it you that did it or thought of it and our great planning?  He wants us to have deep intimacy with him in the relationship and rely on him. What a beautiful gift and journey why would we want anything different?  Hebrews 11:6 ‘And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him’.  I’m not saying not to get equipped, change, grow, and learn. I’m just saying we might want to watch the control meter and constantly check or have accountability in this area from other believers. Especially people who lead others, they can be very vulnerable in this area and need others behind to support and help and watch out for them. We all need each others that is why the Lord made the whole body and God intends to use the whole body. My life before the Lord was all about performance, control, planning, success, everything had to be done at a certain time and jobs had to be done in a certain time or I was shorted money or replaced with another contractor. Almost all that happened was out of my control but I was still responsible. Most of the relationships I had especially with family sure could have been better.  I was filled with fear, pressure, stress and all kind of weird stuff; it was kind of like Ground Hog Day. My marriage kids and family was very important to me so when I came to the Lord a lot of my focus and prayers was on the family.  I was enslaved in the world like God’s chosen people in Egypt and he freed me just like he did them. Why would I want to change this journey or what the Lord has for me to go back to anything that even looks like that. I would rather go on this journey or road the Lord has given me then sit and wonder what would have happened even though it is hard and I’m not sure what will happen. When I finally came to the end of myself and called on Him,  I was saved through Jesus and he freed me like he does all of us who believe in Jesus and accept him. We know from God’s word that when we accept Jesus we have eternal life Revelation 3:5, ‘He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.’ Our Inheritance or eternal life is given to us from God because of our belief and faith in Jesus and his death and sacrifice he made for us. 1 Peter 1:4-5, “and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.  And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.’  That is the most important thing we need to know and focus on is where we are going. But I want to try to write about the journey we all take after we accept Jesus to be with the Lord that is way different for all of us. I’m not saying to create your own journey and quite your job and make changes on your own for your own reasons or happiness or selfishness. What I’m talking about is surrendering to the Lord and asking him to be your Lord and what he wants that will glorify him and please him. Ask the Lord to take you to place of complete surrender and allow him to lead and create the journey. Giving him all your life and the mess and say, “what ever you want Lord”.  2 Corinthians 5:15, ‘He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them’. I find this to be both easy and hard at the same time. His sovereignty, strength, and power does it for us but we fight against it and if we actually want to do this and set our mind, heart and soul on doing this there are many things that will come against us. I have had many people even close to me in my own camp try to offer advice to me about how I need to get off of this beautiful journey the Lord has put me on. It’s simple for me like Perry Stone says, “some people are in my Holy place but only a few are in my most Holy place”.  But that is the beautiful part of the journey letting Jesus be our master and learning to trust him for where he wants to take us and do through us. If God wants me off the path I’m on it will be him doing it not man and I will gladly surrender to my Master because I know that is what he wants and he has something better me to glorify and please him, it’s that simple. Pleasing man over your Master is huge snare for all who believe. Galatians 1:10, ‘For do I now seek the favor of men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ’. I have been reading this book by John Foxe called the Voice of Martyrs and it is about a lot of people who were martyred for their faith. It talks about how all the first disciples were martyred, most were crucified, beheaded, stoned, and some by sword. But I will list others, Andrew was crucified on an ‘X’ shaped cross, Mark was dragged by rope and hooks on cobblestone streets twice, Bartholomew was flayed till most of his skin was removed, Thomas was baked in an oven, Simon the Zealot was sawed in half. The apostle John was the only one who was not martyred and died of old age although he had three different attempts at his life. One was he was scheduled to be dipped in a pot of boiling oil but escaped by divine intervention. Second, was he was exiled to Patmos Island till death where later he was released. Third, they tried to kill him by making him drink poison and it didn’t harm him. There are many more up till present time, these are people who to me have completely surrendered and suffered greatly but will be greatly rewarded in the next life, wow!  I know he has a plan for all of us but that makes me feel like not doing more and getting busy but trying to give myself to the Lord and attempting to do this and His will for my life and not get in the way, which I struggle with in many ways. I will end with a scripture and a quote. I think for me is to understand that on this journey who is taking me on this journey. The Lord is sovereign and he is our everything and has the plan for our life and is in control. He has us and won’t let go and is going to take us on this journey but I need to let him in my heart and intimately walk close and let him control me and trust him.  Psalm 16:1-8 “Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge.” I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing. I say of the holy people who are in the land, “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight. Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more. I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods or take up their names on my lips. LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken’. We will end and start with this verse next time.  I like another quote from John Foxe, “It is not where we go and what happens to us that matters all that much. What does matter is how we respond when Jesus comes to us and says, Follow me”.  I thought this was a great quote. It’s more important who we become on the journey then what we do. God’s love and the way he values us is not tied to our performance. Becoming Christ like and who he wants us to be for him is what’s important. After reading this a few times I just want to say that this is not meant in a rebellious way, I have four great leaders in my life that God has put there and many other people that have helped me and I listen to. I am very humble and serious in this area, I need others that’s a fact. But the point I’m trying to make is to be respectful and submissive to elders, leaders, and others in my life but I have to listen to the Lord to find out what he wants to do in my life and follow through and finish the race. I will stand before him one day and have made many mistakes, even after coming to the Lord but I would like to give this faith journey I have been on a whole hearted effort, not just go through the motions to please others. I would like to stay in the hot range and not become lukewarm.