Recieving From God.

It's your birthday. You get a gift. You have a choice to accept that gift or not.

You get flowers. You have a choice to accept those flowers or not.

You are offered a tuna sandwich or a slice of your favorite type of pizza. You have a choice.

The woman/or man of your dreams leans forward to give you a kiss. You have a choice to receive that kiss or not.

Did you know the same is true with "receiving" from God? It's a choice to receive from God or not.

In the past/ or even right now you might not have wanted to receive from God because you were afraid and even fearful that if God took an active role in your life- you would no longer enjoy life but the fact is that you are already receiving from God.... And life is more satisfying when God is your friend in this life.

You got air in your lungs? He made that air. He created those lungs. They go together.

You like that sunshine? How about that nice bath or shower?

It says in Matthew 5:45 God makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

If that scripture didn't make sense... think about it... it will come.

Wouldn't you like to know there is more then just "existing" in this life? That God has a real purpose in your life and he wants you to receive all that he has to give to you.

So... "What can I receive from God?"

Well the obvious (the first)..... Salvation/eternity in heaven made possible by His Son Jesus Christ.

Second... how about receiving a real sense of God in your life? How about ability just not to receive but to give mercy, grace, love, forgiveness, peace, physical healing, spiritual healing to others. Even to give others that you presently or once thought didn't deserve your mercy, grace, love, and forgiveness. How about that love and patience to speak peace and wisdom into a situation? How about receiving information from God to tell someone who is waiting to hear from God? How about speaking in another language you have never studied before or speak the language of angels?

Third... how about receiving and learning in God's wisdom and understanding via the Holy Spirit. To have the ability to not just feel the presence and nearness of God in your life (which is pretty awesome) but to move in God's directives to touch others supernaturally so they might come to know and have a relationship with God.

Fourth... how about the ability to give up sin, addictions and withstand the negatives tendencies that want to influence our Christian walk. How about receiving the ability to walk in the cleansing blood and Spirit of Christ knowing he is working within us everyday.

Fifth... To learn. To Step. To See.... that your purpose in life doesn't just end like an earthly position but grows as you mature in Christ.

There is more and I know I am not mentioning all the possibilities God wants you to receive but the most important thing God wants you to receive from him is an intimate relationship with him.

You may say, "Well I know there is a God. I have received Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I have received the Holy Spirit. I have some of the gifts you spoke of given by the Holy Spirit... Yet I feel I haven't received from God lately and I am feeling a little tired, dry and discouraged."

I have been there... My question to you is this: "Have you placed yourself in a place to receive?"

Are there things in life that God has put in your path but because of:
-your worries of tomorrow,
-your lack of ability, (feeling your are not qualified enough)
-your assumption of others,
-your uncertainty about the situation,
-your unwillingness,
-your cares
-your lack of interest,
- You feeling pushed into the situation... we just haven't "done" it.

If so God has good reason for that "something" to sit before you. It is not there to strike you down, make a fool of you but to build you up and encourage you.

Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."

Ask God what exactly he wants you to do with that "something" and how far he wants you to assist him in that "something".

God maybe encouraging you to do something in your church (a much more active roll or an outreach) but you haven't been receptive or willing to walk it out. There maybe a family/friend situation that he wants you to assist with. Maybe God is telling you to do something simple like raise you hands during praise and worship but you have been resistant because you don't want to look silly. Maybe God has given you a word to share with the church but because you feel self-conscious you say nothing.

And because you haven't been receptive or willing to walk it out - you haven't received what God wants to give you and bless you with. God wants to strengthen, encourage you, build you up but he can't do that unless you are willing to receive what he puts in front of you.

I have felt this way about mission trips and taking youth to camp but when I did finally take the step I received more then I could possibly imagine.

It seems God wants us to climb this beautiful mountain were there is this path of views and experiences but this path "isn't" to burden us but to bring us closer to him. These views and experiences may look very "uncertain" at times but as you go in humble "willingness" - you see past the uncertainty and God makes your purpose clear for that venture. He tells you when to go, stop, turn right or left.

Sometimes we put ourselves in the way of receiving from God. In God there is no useless vessel, no retirement, or age limit to receive from God.

Fate and Destiny

Most people believe in fate or destiny in some form or fashion.

We all have to discover however if we are believing and/ following a false fate and destiny.

God wants to invest in our lives but we must be willing to resist the temptation of following something that isn't based on God's fate and destiny for us.

He doesn't want us to get confused by a false fate and destiny.

Here are some examples that confuse an individual in a false fate and destiny situation:

1. Popularity (Popular/ Unpopular) (What others think of you.)
2. Fortune (The amount of money you have.)
3. Circumstances (Good/Bad)
4. Superstitions (such star alignments/horoscopes/ reports from false prophets, mediums, 1-800 call a (you know what), fortune tellers, etc)
5. Yourself (Your thoughts, feelings, outlook or perception of yourself, comparisons to others.)

Your fate and destiny have very little/ if nothing to do with these things.

In fact some of these are faith killers and are despised by God.

That is why the word says we walk by faith not by sight.

Remember Job, Moses, Joseph, teenage Mary, tax collector Matthew, Lazarus, the apostle Paul once known as Saul, the seemly nobody apostle James the son of Alphaeus?

We can not base our fate and destiny on our circumstances or our feelings on our life.

We can't say I must be going to heaven because I haven't killed anybody or murdered anyone. Have you lied? Have you cheated? Have you wanted something someone else had? Then you have sinned just like everyone else and have broken God's commandments.

Our Fate and Destiny is trusting in God, coming to God, and becoming one of God's children through Jesus Christ. For Christ paid the price for our sins.

It is only by faith we can walk through all the variety and even difficult experiences in this life. Fires, deserts, calm shores, cloudy days, and sun filled days of pure bliss. It is only by faith can we endure and see pass all the things that want to claim they are our destiny and fate. Vessels of Christ are poured into and out of, they are tested as gold is purified to become pure to reflect Christ.

For a false fate and destiny is easy to believe but if it's not your destiny or fate then you are just following and believing in something that is false. You follow something that is false -leaves an individual having an eternity in hell stead of heaven.

"So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him."- Hebrew 11:6

God holds our fate and destiny in his hand.

Job: 23:14 "So he will do for me all he has planned. He controls my destiny."

Ecclesiastes 6:10 "Everything has already been decided. It was known long ago what each person would be. So there's no use arguing with God about your destiny."

Psalm 73:24 "You will keep on guiding me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny."

God wants to invest in our lives but he wants us to be aware of what is a false fate and destiny and keep our hearts and minds on Him regardless at what screams and says is obvious because the obvious can sometimes not be so obvious and changes without notice.

Investing in Others as God Directs

There are times in our lives where we seem to be at the end of this ramp that seems to lead out over nothingness. Nothing really makes us satisfied or we know that nothing in this life really makes us feel very satisfied for very long. It seems we really have no purpose and reason for being and in fact we can seem a bit lost.

Here is a suggestion:
Ask God about investing in others as He directs.

"Those" Times

There will be times you'll stop running and it will just be a struggle to just put one step in front of the other.

There will be times where you'll wonder why all the strange "happenings" come all at once.

There will be times that everything will fail like a sand castle in a rising tide. No matter how hard you work it all falls apart.

You trust God and asked God to prepare the way, things just don't happen.

And like always, people won't understand where you are coming from even though they might have a lot of observational wisdom. And oh how their words seem like a knife even though they mean well.

People will tell you to pray over your house and family and I will say "strive" to pray for your family and your home but if can't know God knows your "temporary" weakness.

There will be times where you want to know where God is and if he is so powerful why did he let these things happen.

There will be times where you will want to blame God and be angry with God.

I will say this, no matter how hard it gets always turn to God even if your words are bitter.

I will say lament to God and lay it all out.

It's easy to keep the anger and let all the hurts burden us BUT something happens when we lay our deeply troubling matters out before God even with tears in your eyes and an ache in your stomach and anger in our cries.

I don't understand why we go through hard times and I won't pretend there are any easy answers.

I won't tell you why the reasons we go through these hard times because there is sometimes no really good answer I can really give.

I will say even if it seems God is against you and you feel you are all by yourself, know he's listening.

Know that tomorrow is a new day.

Know this is all temporary even though it may all seem stuck and even going backward.

Life is hard at times.

Hugs to you who are going through rough times.

God Bless