Come Into The Deep End... with ImHisServant (2)

[Savedsis]

Yes we must trust and rely on Him..Study the life of Christ..We must really know Him, read His words, memorize His deeds.
When Jesus walked on water, Peter jumped out of the boat to join him..We are like Peter...Realize that we are called to be one of those who jumped out of the boat.
All of us can not be like Peter, but I know I was called for it..
Have you ever fallen in the water and had to have Jesus walk you back to the boat?
I am sure we all have all the time.., but we can learn so much during those times of getting out of the boat, that the moments of humility, when we realize we can't do it on our own, are sweet and so very needed...
We have to know God before we can trust Him...
We can not trust God, have faith in him, or find joy in him without knowing him...intimately and personally...We need to know his personality..We need to know what his passions are..We need to know what he wants for us as individuals..

 

[Sennaria]

I'm sorry Sennaria...I totally overlooked you. ~Hugs~ How was your Saturday?

Hi IHH , sorry not to reply sooner, my youngest daughter and my two grandkids were down this weekend, so time on here has been very erratic. Plus I have truly been going through a spiritual battle in very bad timing, (of course, the enemy always wants us unprepared for battle). But its better now! Praise God.

Hello and Good morning Everyone!

 

[~InHisHands~]

Welcome back Gina!!!!!!!!!!!! ~Huge hug~

I step out in obedience every day when I walk out the house. I go to a job I hate and I have to behave at and I'm 16 days into being an ex-smoker. This is day 2 without my patches. I don't necessarily enjoy obeying right now but, he's asked me to do it so I'm doing it. But, if I take my focus off of him and give in to my desires, I'm doomed.

 

[Sennaria]

Welcome Back Gina!!
Congratulations IHH!!!!! I'm still praying for you!!

This morning, I think its a bit relevant here...I had this thought: Luk 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

And its funny how its been relevant in a few of my threads I post in.

How often, do we go through our daily lives, and not make room for Him in our inns, ourselves? I so don't want to do that.......by the tv, keeping us from hearing Him, or other distractions. Or saying to ourselves, Yes Lord, I shall do that.....LATER? Not praying when He urges us because we are doing something else.

It truly is wonderful, when we give Him His worthy station as Head of our Table, 24 hours a day.......

Sennaria

 

[HisBelovedMelody]

WOW, ladies, what you have shared here is PROFOUND for me. Let me share a bit...when I was like...18 I think it was...or 19 in that age...my grandfather died...now he was my world. But anyway, on the way of me taking him to the hospital, he died while driving me to work....I prayed like crazy for him..in tongues..the whole thing..I KNEW God would deliever him from death. Well he didn't. He died instantly. What the Lord has shown me the last couple of days is that is when I stopped trusting Him. When I believed that my prayers don't matter..cause after all...He didn't heal my grandfather...and I KNEW God could. This has hit me hard..cause I obviously have been just going through the motions of Christianity! I despise myself right now. I have SO let HIm down. I love Him, I know His voice..I have done things in His name...BUT I don't trust Him...I hold Him at arms length. I HATE that in me. I really do. I wonder if this can be worked through. I want that intimacy with Him...but I don't trust Him. SO what you have shared here has spoken to my heart. Thank you

 

[~InHisHands~]

Mel...if there is one individual on the face of this earth that could ever be trusted, it is Jesus. Not one single human being could ever be trusted so completely as the Lord. ~Hugs~

 

[HisBelovedMelody]

Mel...if there is one individual on the face of this earth that could ever be trusted, it is Jesus. Not one single human being could ever be trusted so completely as the Lord. ~Hugs~

see in my head I know that. I just realized that was the time I stopped trusting Him. Maybe trusting isn't the right word..believing? I dunno. I just know, that is when the chasm in our relationship happened.

 

[Savedsis]

WOW, ladies, what you have shared here is PROFOUND for me. Let me share a bit...when I was like...18 I think it was...or 19 in that age...my grandfather died...now he was my world. But anyway, on the way of me taking him to the hospital, he died while driving me to work....I prayed like crazy for him..in tongues..the whole thing..I KNEW God would deliever him from death. Well he didn't. He died instantly. What the Lord has shown me the last couple of days is that is when I stopped trusting Him. When I believed that my prayers don't matter..cause after all...He didn't heal my grandfather...and I KNEW God could. This has hit me hard..cause I obviously have been just going through the motions of Christianity! I despise myself right now. I have SO let HIm down. I love Him, I know His voice..I have done things in His name...BUT I don't trust Him...I hold Him at arms length. I HATE that in me. I really do. I wonder if this can be worked through. I want that intimacy with Him...but I don't trust Him. SO what you have shared here has spoken to my heart. Thank you

Your testimony was so touching, so open and honest, so humble....God bless you for this....You are human and we all need to trust God more..Yield to Him...Rely on Him...He is God Almighty..
God takes Ordinary people and gives us examples..
Even though early on in his life Moses was codependent and lacked confidence, God made him an individual who eventually relied fully on his power. When Esther first learned what she had to do to save her people, she was scared. But God took an ordianary woman and did extraordinary things in her life because she was willing to be an individual. Jesus was often exasperated with Peter. But despite Peter's unbelief in the early stages of his faith, God made him an individual who unltimately spoke at Pentecost and witnessed the miracle of three thousand people coming to know faith in Jesus. Despite their fears, foolishness, and unbelief, God took ordianry people and made them individuals reliant upon provocative faith in Jesus...Provocative faith sometimes requires us to stand alone. God uses these instances as times of growth in the life of his followers. We aren't truly living unless he is pushing us outside of our comfort zones. That's why we're here...to help live out his kingdom here on earth. If we remain where it is safe and comfortable, we don't truly experience JESUS...Every man or woman of God in Scripture faced situations or circumstances where they had to be individuals, where they had to stand alone on the promise that God would not leave them or forsake them. Every one of us has God-responsibilities we must surrender to. Being an individual is not about what you wear or drink or have, but it is about what you do and who you are..And if we let Jesus take our humanity....all our mistakes and stupidity and talents...he'll take it and make it something worthy of changing the world...

 

[LivingLifeHisWay]

Hi Ladies!

Sorry I haven't been around lately. Life has been hectic with 2 under 3.

I love this thread. You ladies challenge me, inspire me and give me a great deal to think about. Thank you!

Gina: Welcome back!

InHisHands~ I try to spend as much time thanking the Lord as I do praying to Him. I learned that from a close friend. I also know that God uses others to answer prayer and help me in down times so I try to thank everyone I can with notes, cards or an act of kindness as a way of giving back.


Gina: I think to know in our heads that we can trust the Lord is easier then believing it in our hearts. I know I can trust Him, I know He will always be there for me but do I really have the guts to jump out of the boat? I haven't been faced with anything that big YET.....but I feel like I will one day face that and I pray that I will jump out of the boat!!!!!!!!!

TTYS
Christina

 

[J21]

Good to see you back Gina.
With regard to doing what the Lord has asked us to do..
He knows that it is hard to do what He sometimes asks of us.That's one of the reasons He has given us prayer-
to ask for His strength to do His will.
Jesus knows firsthand how hard it can be...He trusted and believed [ naturally, given who He is] in the Father, yet even He, knowing what was asked of Him , sweated blood over it and turned to prayer, asking for a moment that the "cup be taken" from Him...but then acknowledging that His Father's will would be done.

He knows we are human and in that moment, Jesus the man exampled what it is like for us. But as we know, He went on to obey the Father, stepping out in total faith and doing what the Father required of Him...and we all gained beyond belief [belief harder for some] from His human/Divine obedience.

 

[ImHisServant]

Wednesday 11/29/06​

When Forgetting is not Enough​

http://www.sharonjaynes.com/​

Today's Truth
“I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten…you will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed” (Joel 2:25, 26 NIV).

Friend to Friend
Yesterday we looked at the life of Joseph. Today, let’s take one more look at his crooked family tree. By his thirty-seventh birthday, Joseph had two sons. One he named Manasseh which means “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” The second son he named Ephraim, which means “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”

Many years after his sons had been born; Joseph learned that his father, Jacob, was ill. So he took his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim and traveled for one last visit. When they arrived, Jacob said, “Bring the boys to me so I may bless them.”

Joseph brought his sons to his father’s bedside. He placed Ephraim on his right toward Jacob’s left hand and Manasseh, his first born, on his left toward Jacob’s right hand. But instead of giving the blessing to Joseph’s firstborn, Jacob reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, though he was the younger and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head. Joseph tried to stop his father from giving the blessing to the second born rather than the first born, but his father refused.

“I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations.”…So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.

What a beautiful picture. Yes, Joseph had a life of trouble and suffering at the hands of those who abused, neglected and betrayed him. But God didn’t want him to merely forget his suffering as the name Manasseh implied; He wanted him to be fruitful in his suffering.

It is the same with you and with me. God does not want us to simply forget the pain of the past. He wants us to be fruitful in the land of our suffering! Use it for good. Minister to others. Plant seeds of hope.

Let's Pray
Dear Lord, I thank You that nothing is ever wasted in our life experiences. The world says to “just forget about it” when it comes to our past struggles. You say, “Just use it” or rather, “Be fruitful.” Show me ways that I can use what I have gone through to help other people. Give me the courage to look ahead. Make me fruitful today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Now it's Your Turn
Have you simply tried to forget the past or be fruitful because of your past?

What have you gone through in your life that you could now use to help someone else?

Make a list of ways you could use what you’ve gone through to help someone else?

 

[Sennaria]

Oh my gosh Gina, has this one hit the heart. I think I do a combination. I, for the most part, try to forget the past, which now I see is not the right thing to do and move on. But at times, 'specially on here, if I see someone who has gone through something similar, I try to take what I have gone through to do a couple of things: 1) show that I truly can relate to them so that 2)I can then share what I learned by going through it, in hopes that God can use it to give them strength to get through their time of trouble.

But....while I have used it......I've never purposely, in my heart, said to myself. "Ok, self, we are going to take all the hurt and pain I have gone through and do something useful with it". I would have to say that for the most part I have said to self: "Ok, self, we are going to take all the hurt and pain I have gone through and forget about it as if it never happened, because it still hurts and brings back bad memories."

I never really considered the option of taking all the negative and with thought and prayer giving it to God to use. I've asked for healing over it, but never made an attempt, or thought to make an attempt for it to be used on purpose.

I hope this makes sense. It is something I shall have to think about for it would be a wise thing to do.

Sennaria

 

[ImHisServant]

I hope you don't think I am totally ignoring CF... since coming home I've been really busy... so I haven't been on as much as I was before I left... but I am getting on to do this each day. We have several things we need to get done to make moving to AR a reality... so that is going on... then the 2nd is that we found out my niece's baby girl was taken away and put in foster care... we are the family's only hope of keeping this child in the family... so we've been making calls and figuring out all we need to do to try and make this happen. That is my update... I'll post the topic in my next post.

 

[ImHisServant]

Thursday 11/30/06
Letting Go
​

What happens when I physically hold on tightly to something? I turn my head away. I squeeze my eyes shut. My knuckles ache as my fists clench. Fingernails bite into my palms. I exhaust myself. I hurt!

On the other hand, when I trust God to give me what I need, I let go. I face forward. My hands are free for healthy, loving, and enjoyable activities. I find unexpected reserves of energy. My eyes open to see fresh opportunities, many of which have been there all along.

Before I complain about my suffering, I might do well to examine myself. I may be surprised by the amount of pain I can release by somply letting go.

Today's Reminder:

How much can God give me if I am not open to receive? When I hold onto a problem, a fear or a resentment, I shut myself off to the help that is available to me. I will loosen my grip on something today. I will Let go and let God.

"All I had to do was become the least bit willing to open my clutched fist a tiny, grudging bit and miracles happened. That's God as I understand Him today." --- As We Understood​

 

[Sennaria]

Gina,
This is so true......and another thing we do...how often do we let go to let God...but then.....we take it back. We leave it at the altar for Him to cover with His blood, then not a day later, we snatch it right back from Him? I know I do, He is sooooo working on me about this.

Sennaria

 

[J21]

Hi girls. Poping in as I gulp down brekky before heading out with hubby to get his heart monitor put on at the hospital. - just keeping tabs on his racing and eratic heart beat. God's looking after him as he has no debilitating symptoms with it at this stage.

Now, to 'letting go and lettting God'...I'm in the process of learning to apply it in one area of my life at the moment. I need to learn to hand the rope that I have been grasping and which gets tugged at times by the person attached to the other end, over to God.
Not easy when the rope is almost a part of your anatomy after being held for so long...it's a bit frightening to hand it over, to relese it totally. Kind of worrying like letting go of a marionette doll's strings. They will more than likely fall down in a heap on the floor and then what? Lots of things could happen but I just have to rely on God to help sort out the strings...not me. If I let go I need to leave it let go of.
Easy?...No. It's going to be a learning process...not done and completed in one lessson. Life isn't like that...I'm not like that. Possible?... Yes, but only with God's strength to do it. And in this I am leaning heavily on Him.

I'm off out the door. Have a blessed day and may God grant you all inner peace which only He can give.

 

[~InHisHands~]

I tend to shut myself off and shut myself out a lot. It's the only way I can cope with things anymore. This is one area that God hasn't been able to earn any trust from me because each time I let go and try to let God...I get hurt. I don't know what to do anymore to fix this. So...I basically become reclusive.

 

[ImHisServant]

Friday 12/1/06
Common Areas of Procrastination​

When I found this devo it really hit me square in the eyes... I have to admit that I have a problem with procrastination - with consistantly doing all the things listed to grow and develop into what God is requiring of me. Not only am I a procrastinator... life's issues aid in crowding out the spiritual things I should be doing each day. Once I am doing these things and doing well... something always comes along to interrupt it... then when the interruption is over... procrastination sets in and it's hard to implement it back into my daily schedule.

Romans 12:1-2


[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]God has prepared work He wants us to do, and our delays in carrying out His plan constitute disobedience. That makes habitual procrastination a serious problem.
As Christians,we not only put off daily Bible reading and tithing, but we also delay . . .
Serving in the church. We promise to be available to work, but when the call comes, we say no. If asked, we might reply it is the length of service that doesn’t suit us. At other times we say the position itself is disagreeable to us. In both cases, if we examine our feelings, we will find we are dodging what we do not like or feel inadequate to do.
Sharing our faith. We can get very anxious about how to express ourselves, what reaction we’ll get, and whether we’ll be able to answer questions adequately. When insecurity threatens us, we often choose silence and inactivity.
Surrendering our will to the Lord’s. Just thinking about giving God control in certain areas makes many of us feel fearful. So we cling to our way and avoid His. True submission says, “Lord, I am willing to do whatever You want in this situation. I will obey Your Word.”
After a while, because of our procrastinating ways, our spiritual growth becomes inhibited. Then our usefulness to the Lord and our sense of joy in Him diminish. The Lord has asked us to be His ambassadors, who represent Him to a hurting world according to His plan and timetable. (2 Corinthians 5:20) Therefore, procrastination has no place in the believer’s life. Which areas of your life does this bring to mind? [/SIZE][/FONT]

 

[nicholzac]

Okay well crown me cause im the queen of procrastination..always have been..its part of my anxiety..if something i need to do is a big job or i dont want to do it to begin with i become completely overwhelmed and shut down..instead of getting it done..its one of the things i cant stand about myself.

 

[J21]

I'm going to post on this...
.........................................
...yes, I am one too!