With Your Whole Heart

                                                                

 Jeremiah 29:13

And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Have you ever wanted God to be close to you but never understood why you couldn’t feel Him? Why you couldn’t hear him? There are times when we find our selves in difficult situations to which we can see no way out.  We wonder if God sees and hear our cries for help.  Never mind that we have not given God daily the earnest attention He deserves.  We often toss out that we have neglected our daily communion and relationship with Christ.  We don’t stop to think that when we find ourselves in bondage in great troubles that it could be chastisement from the Lord to place us back on track.  

In this scripture, The Lord is reassuring Israel that even though their disobedience and sin has lead them to be held captive by Babylon that He would be there if they searched for Him with their whole hearts.  See Jesus never forsakes us even when we are in the mist of being chastised.  But in our chastisement we have to accept our fault, repent to God and learn.  We learn by seeking after Him with all of our hearts. This does not mean that we say a few fleeting prayers, and read couple of scriptures here in there. But we must search for God like we are searching for lost treasure.   We have to get on our knees and search for Jesus with a heavy heart and tears in our eyes. Dwell in the presence of God until we feel the burden of bondage lift.  If you don’t know how to enter into the presence of God alone, play praise and worship song to help usher you into His presence this always works for me when I am having a difficult time.

 We must understand that our allegiance to Christ must be 24/7. We can’t serve the world, and only serve God when it’s convenient for us.  God wants our whole heart. Isn’t that the first commandment? (Exodus 20:3 and Matt. 22:37)  Remember that God is a spirit, and He wants a people that will worship Him in spirit and in truth John  4:24. This is the only way to truly find God. He knows yours thoughts and the intent of your heart. There is no way to pull the wool of His eyes.  Just surrender fully to Christ and watch Him show up in your spirit, and in your daily life.

Why you should Call on Jesus

Whenever I read Jeremiah 33:3 I always get the sense that I am missing out.  Like  there is this huge security safe that Jesus has, and it's labeled Chandra.  There's no last name needed because Jesus knows exactly who I am.  I get the sense that there are so many things that God wants to share with me but I alone hold the key to unlock my safe. I see Jesus standing there with safe in hands, arms stretched out in my direction holding the safe with the answers for this season in my life. I picture that there are many safes that can be unlocked, but He will only grant  me one at a time, or as needed for my life long journey. Will I come to Him? Will I use my key, which is prayer?  Or will I forsake the treasures that God possess to figure out things on my own. God forbid that I neglect the fellowship between us.  I know that I will do my self a huge injustice if I do not call on the name of Jesus, and go my own way.

 God wants so badly to share with us.  But many of us will sit on the keys we possess to open our own safe. There are so many riches to be shared, so many truths to uncover. Endless discoveries about our lives than can bring us joy and quench the thirst we have in our souls for more. Jesus is standing, waiting, and holding the answers but we must call on Him.  There's so much he has to tell us! Doesn't that make you excited to pray earnestly to God?!   Below is a heartfelt prayer that I prayed this morning when I first read this scripture:

"There are so many things that I don't know. Things that I don't understand. Where are we headed God? What is your plan? I know I can trust you for my future. I know you are taking care of me, and continuing to take care of me.  But, I would really like to know somethings now.  I am calling out to you because I would like to know what is to become of my future on earth, now? What are your plans for me?  I will be still and wait to hear from you. I will look for you. What great things do you know concerning me that you can share? Please, I would love to know. I will call to you daily. I need you, I can't make it without your friendship Lord". 

Go to God and pray your heart. Be open as you can be, worship in His presence, meditate on His promises, and wait to hear what He has to share. You may not get the answer right away, but keep coming back every day.  He will answer you.

~Live Abundantly
Chandra

Be Thankful

In “Everything” Give Thanks

1 Thessalonians 5:18

If we truly believe that God knows what’s best for us, there would be more praising and less complaining.  If we believe when His word says; “the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord” we would recognize the trials in our lives as God’s divine appointments and not as vain interruptions. When all appears well it is easy to sing the praises of our God loud and proud! We want everyone to know how good our God is, and how He is blessing us. But when pain, disappointments, delays, and tragedy arrives we don’t always find it easy to brag about what God is doing. Well, I will be the first to admit, it’s not always easy.  I have asked God plenty of times what in the world is going on, why, and for how long? 

James 1:2 says that we should count it all joy when we fall into divers trials or temptation. On the surface that is a hard pill to swallow. People would probably think you were crazy to go around rejoicing and praising God when your life looks wrecked! But we can remain thankful to God because we know that He is not finished with our story. We can thank God because He continues to give us the grace and strength to stand in the midst of our trials. I don’t believe James expects us to show utter excitement in direct response to hardship. However, we can rejoice and acknowledge God for the opportunity to be used as He reveals His power working in us!  Wether we are prospering, or in dire need, let us remain thankful because our circumstances will never change who God is.  

He's Not Dead!

Happy Resurrection Day! I hope you all enjoyed your holiday as much as I did. This is one of my favorite holidays because I am always so humbled and so grateful for the sacrifice that Jesus gave. To allow himself to suffer so greatly. To allow himself to be nailed  on a cross that he could have easily come down from. Jesus knew that if he would have come down that none of us would have a chance at salvation and eternal life. In that moment that Jesus hung on the cross he became sin for us. He took our punishment and died our death so we would not have to die in sin.  

 But the most wonderful news in the world is that Jesus did not stay in that grave.  Satan thought he had won.  But on day three when Mary, and some of her friends went  down to visit the tomb of Jesus they realized he was no longer there. The tomb was empty. See Matthew 28:6.  Jesus Christ had risen as he promised.  And by Jesus rising from the dead, he conquered death! It was not the end. Death is  not the end for those who die IN Jesus Christ but it is only the beginning.     

By accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior you accept life. Eternal life.  You accept victory over your earthly body and everything that comes with it..sickness, temptations, limitations, the unknown, even death.  St John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever would believe on him should not perish, but have everlasting life!    The Good News is He is NOT dead.. and because of that we can live!   Praise Him, Praise our God forever for his selfless act. Happy Easter everyone!  

How do you know if your Faith is Working? Do you have Dead Faith?

Let’s study together…Let’s talk about Faith and how faith works.

“Faith without works is dead”  How many times have you heard this scripture quoted by believers who say there is something  that you need to do other than “believe” to activate  your faith in God’s promise? Frankly, I feel like I am being told I have to “help God out” on delivering  good on His promises?  

 I must admit some areas can be confusing in how “Faith without works is dead” should be applied.  For example:

First Scenario… If a man says I believe that God is going to bless me to find my dream job, of course you need to apply for the kind of jobs you really want. I would say the work here is you applying for positions that would otherwise be out of reach for you, which shows God that you believe that he can bless you to land the job.    I get it in this Scenario.   The position in most cases would not fall out of the sky, you have to apply for it.

But I don’t get how people’s example of “works” (when they say there’s something you have to do, apply in these following   faith scenarios…

Second Scenario/ Biblical: God says to Abraham and Sarah I am going to bless you with a child about this time next year, in Genesis 18:10).  So they believe God, and waited.    In this scenario, for me, the work is holding on to what God said and believing him despite how bleak and hopeless their situation was.  Sarah was 90 plus!  Was their faith dead because they didn’t go out (at this time) to help God create a baby?  

 As a matter of fact Sarah later on Sarah decides to help God out and gave her handmaid to Abraham in order to get her promise child. This was not the plan of God for Abraham and Sarah. He specifically said “your wife Sarah will conceive”   He didn’t need her help. Because she tried to help God out, she created Ishmael which caused all kinds of problems for the family causing Ishmael and his mother to be sent away, and creating an entire nation of hostiles that hates Israel!

Third Scenario/Biblical:  Job.  He lost everything.  Wealth, children, health, and his wife turned on him. He had faith and believed that God was still worthy of his trust.  But he was still physically in a bad state. What was Jobs works? Did he run from doctor to doctor trying to find the best doctor in the nation to heal him?  Scripture doesn’t say he did. Did he try to will and deal to regain all of his wealth? Or “Make it Happen”. Scripture does not say that he did anything but believe.  So what was his work? I don’t show he did anything but believe God.  So was his faith dead? Or was simply believing the works?   Apparently Job’s faith was not dead, because God restored all to Job.

So how do you know when you should physically do a work to show a display of faith, and when simply standing still and believing should be your work?   And then who is the judge of which is the correct way?  People will constantly speak things in your ear from  the book according to their life.  They will tell you how you should do things according to how it has worked out for them. But what we have to realize is that God has all of us on different “faith assignments.” (Yes I borrowed that phrase  from someone,  can’t remember who, but I Loved it and I’m keeping it! Lol) But isn’t that sort of jolting? We can’t always find comfort or seek direction in the blue print that God has laid out for someone else. How God develops us spiritually and bring us to where he wants us in life is very specific. It is detailed to our individual tests, call, and God’s ultimate plan for our life. God is wise! This should keep us glued to His feet for guidance!   I believe when we stay connected with God in prayer  it keeps us on our correct path in life with Christ. When we stay  plugged in to Jesus, then we know exactly how we should respond and no one will be able to tell you that you should do this or that, because the spirit of God will have dealt with you on whether you should move, or stay still.   If nothing else we can’t lose with staying in belief, and not moving until we are sure we have some kind of approval from God.   The Word of God does suggest  that  when we don’t know what to do we  should stand still and watch Him work!  Ps 46:10 Be still and  know that I am God. This implies to me,  that God doesnt' need my interruption or physical contribution of actions to what he may be trying to do!   Now this doesn't suggest that we should always just stand around like we don’t have a job to do.  But there are many circumstances when it is obvious there is NOTHING you can do but stand still, pray, wait and watch.  

Fourth Scenario/Biblical: In James 2:20  Two models of works are used:  Abraham’s  willingness to give up his son in obedience to God asking him to sacrifice, And Rahab the harlot helping out the   Jewish spies in hopes that her  family would be saved.

 With Abraham his works was direct obedience to what God asked him to do even though he didn’t understand why God would  ask him to kill the only heir God himself had promised him.  How could he be a father without a child?  Yet Abraham trusted God enough to go on with the sacrifice until God had to stop him.   This I understand.  God asked him to do something and he did it. He had faith in God no questions asked.  If Abraham would have said no God I will not do this because you promised Isaac as my heir it would have shown that Abraham’s trust in God was not complete.  His works was how much he trusted God.  And it showed by him going through with the act of sacrificing his son, the knife was in hand! 

With Rahab She heard the testimonies of how God was with the army of Israel and how he had given them victories in every nation.  Rahab didn’t want herself, or her family to be destroyed.  Her works:  she hid Joshua’s spies in hope  that they would spare her and her family. This showed that she believed in their God enough to help them. And it paid off for her.  Rahab and her family were spared because of her act.

In both scenarios used in James 2:20 faith was displayed by an act of obedience, and an act of good faith.   Abraham’s faith would have been dead if he would have decided not to offer up Isaac. And Rahab would not even be mentioned in the bible if she would not have decided to help God’s people.  So it is obvious from these two examples that our faith requires us to do something. 

  

Now, it is also obvious in the scenarios with Job and his restoral, and Abraham waiting to have a son from Sarah, that the works isn’t always us going out to “do” something. But how in the world do we know when our works is just to believe and wait or when it is to believe and do?  My conclusion: We seek God and ask him for specific instructions,  and then we wait to see how that is manifested by God.  So easy,  yet we are masters at complicating it because in most cases we are impatient.   The end. 

Now I am sure this is a study that could have listed many case studies of faith, and I will probably go back and grab some other scenarios just to re familiarize myself with the different ways that God will work.    So what do you think? Is your Faith working, or is it dead? 

I Am Forever Grateful

1 Thess 5:18  In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

I give praise and honor to God for His grace that covers me each day. Above all things I thank God for a mind and a will to obey Him. I know without the power of Christ, which is the Holy Ghost, I would not be able to serve Him on my own. I know that I am saved by the grace of God and not my own doing. When I tried to "do right" it would only last for a short while(and by that I mean only a few hours, if that!) When a situation would arise I would quickly revert back to my fleshly nature, and now I understand because there was no other power working in me, it was impossible for me to operate any other way! The bible says man's righteousness is as filthy rags, (Isaiah 64:6). Our righteousness is nothing but smeared dirt!! But when God wash us and makes us clean we are clean through and through. Our dirt doesn't come off on Him, it is no where to be seen. There is no trace of our sins, because the word says He has thrown them in the debts of the sea never to be remembered, Micah 7:18-19). I am thankful because my righteousness could not save me.    

In August of 1993 the Lord came in and answered my soul's cry for help. It was only a few months prior that I prayed and ask God to please help me live a better life, and by a better life I meant a Godly life. I honestly didn't know how I would be able to do that. I soon found out that it would not be me at all but the power of God working through me.

   I am so grateful that 20 years later the same power that saved me is still keeping me! I am thankful that I have not had to go through these last 20 years of life in my own knowledge and  my own strength.   It is amazing that we think we have it all figured out. We think we are smart enough, strong enough, that we have all of the right connections, education and finances to build the best life any human being would be glad to have. But at the end of the day it all amounts to nothing!  We are nothing without the power of Jesus Christ working in our lives.  Thank you Lord for making me somebody. 

Dedicating God's Temple: It belongs to Him

1 Kings 8:22-30 – “My Name Shall Be There.”

This passage is simply beautiful! Now that King Solomon has completed the building of God’s temple it is time to dedicate it back to God. In  verse 19 we see that Solomon was chosen by God before he was conceived to build this house.  This tells us that whatever task God has called us to; He alone has already made provisions to see it through. In Romans 8:30 Paul writes, those whom he predestined, he also called; those he called he also justified, those whom he justified, he also glorified!  Now please note: God has called us to glory, not so that we can take the credit, but so that we can be glorified in Him!

Solomon was wise indeed. He had completed an amazing task in building this temple for God, but in dedicating it back to God he realize where all of his strength and gifts came from. 

On Sunday our Pastor preached “It’s all in you”, that is, the power of God to accomplish all God has put his stamp on. You, born again child of God have his stamp and He says my name shall be there!

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:19 “Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,” –NLT

As you read through these passages of dedication notice how Solomon asks God to honor the place where His name is.  He said when I and the people pray toward this place hear and answer us, because you live here! 

Holy of Holies

Do you know where God is? As Solomon said not even the heavens of heavens can contain Him, but if you are a born again child of God, He lives inside of you.  What a mighty God we serve!

 Your body is the temple of God, honor your body, dedicate it back for His service and you shall be glorified as God’s works are completed daily in you!