The morning in my devotion the author talked about having hope in God. "Come near to God and God will come near to you" James 4:8. That gives me so much hope that if I just come before the Lord He will be there. It doesn't matter the problem(s) we are having or that we feel unworthy or too broken for God. If we believe that than we are believing lies from the enemy. God didn't say "Go get perfect and then come to me" No, he said "I am with the broken". He has the ability to heal the most broken people in the world. Our toughest challenge is nothing more than bobby pins and rubber bands to God. The issues were dealing with may seem so big in our eyes but in Gods perspective they are nothing worse than lost bobby pins and rubber bands.
The Lord will meet you where ever you are. He will meet you no matter how much sin you are swimming in. Did you know God doesn't look at us with our sin on us? NOPE! He sees the identity He created us to be. We are perfect to Him. We allow the world and Satan to lie to us and tell us we aren't good enough. We allow these lies to fester in our spirits and hearts and break us down until we have no hope anymore. Hoplessness is unbelief in God's power, [ouch]. We cannot partner with the Enemies lies. We are warriors of God and we must act like it. We must know the truth that God has for us. Because that truth will set us free. He wants us to walk out in freedom. He doesn't care what you or the world have to say about your issues. They are not too messy or dirty for God. There is no such thing as a problem too hard for Him. He is not confounded, confused, or discouraged. Recieve his hope, won't you? Receive it because you need it. Receive it so you can share it.
In Christ,
Heather
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Citizens of Heaven
"Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News." Philippians 1:27
I read this passage a couple weeks ago and it has been sitting on my mind for awhile. What does it look like to be citizens of heaven? Just thinking about that takes my breath away. I don't know what it was about seeing it on a page just made it so real. I looked up the word citizen in the dictonary and this is what it said:
An inhabitant of a city or town; especially: one entitled to the rights and privileges of a freeman
Entitled to the rights and privleges, we have privleges of being a citizen of heaven! So what does this mean? It means God is so gracious to give us citizenship to his home, to his kingdom! He doesn't force it upon us, he gently offers us the choice to live in enternity with him. But for one price, our lives. "Then called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Mark 8:34
Its hard to give ourselves completely up to Jesus. We are humans who wish to control everything, to have the power. But wouldn't life be much simpler if we just gave all control to the one above? The one who knows the big picture, the plan. God called us to a life of freedom and joy. If we live our lifes for Him everything becomes more simple. We don't have to worry about what the next step is, we just sit a long for the ride.
How would our lives look differently if we sat in the passenger seat instead of the drivers? How would it look different if we actually acted like citizens of heaven? I challenge you to truly seek Jesus in a deeper way and find out how much freedom you will find. The truth will set you free.
In Christ,
Heather
I read this passage a couple weeks ago and it has been sitting on my mind for awhile. What does it look like to be citizens of heaven? Just thinking about that takes my breath away. I don't know what it was about seeing it on a page just made it so real. I looked up the word citizen in the dictonary and this is what it said:
An inhabitant of a city or town; especially: one entitled to the rights and privileges of a freeman
Entitled to the rights and privleges, we have privleges of being a citizen of heaven! So what does this mean? It means God is so gracious to give us citizenship to his home, to his kingdom! He doesn't force it upon us, he gently offers us the choice to live in enternity with him. But for one price, our lives. "Then called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Mark 8:34
Its hard to give ourselves completely up to Jesus. We are humans who wish to control everything, to have the power. But wouldn't life be much simpler if we just gave all control to the one above? The one who knows the big picture, the plan. God called us to a life of freedom and joy. If we live our lifes for Him everything becomes more simple. We don't have to worry about what the next step is, we just sit a long for the ride.
How would our lives look differently if we sat in the passenger seat instead of the drivers? How would it look different if we actually acted like citizens of heaven? I challenge you to truly seek Jesus in a deeper way and find out how much freedom you will find. The truth will set you free.
In Christ,
Heather
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