What is forgiveness?

I have experienced forgiveness before from God, but sometimes it can make me complacent in my own mind and it becomes more of a distant, watered down gift from God. But indeed it should not be seen that way. Many of us take forgiveness for granted as I have. I continue to pursue thoughts and feelings because they make me feel good about myself when in essence they are destroying my soul and my relationship with God. I need to take time to realize how disappointed God has been with me lately. I have been, once again, running my own life and experiencing those empty sinful pleasures that eat away at my heart. Satan doesn't spend as much time tempting non believers as he does believers because he already has them in his grasp. He places more of his effort into destroying what Christians have been building up since the creation of man. He will take a Christian and tempt them 100 fold than someone who is not a Christian. We as Christians need to be aware of that. It is the difference between following God or disappointing Him. I don't know about you, but when I disappoint God and realize I am doing it I become very ashamed of myself. Today was a day of asking for forgiveness and turning away from the sinful pleasures I have been choosing over God. When you ask for forgiveness you need to use the following steps:

First, God wants a broken heart and a contrite spirit. In other words, be humble and approach God with humility.

Second, tell God the whole story. He already knows what happened, but He wants to hear it from your lips. And you can't lie to God because He already knows the truth.

Thirdly, don't condemn others for God will bring condemnation back to you four fold: in 2 Samuel 12:1-7a David is confronted by Nathan about a story of a rich man who robbed the poor man of his one ewe. David condemned the man to death and stated he should pay back four fold what he took from the poor man. Nathan was talking about David robbing Uriah of Bathsheba and having Uriah killed in battle. David knew he had been discovered. The following verses talk about the deaths of David's four sons: 2 Samuel 12:14; 13:28, 18:14-15; and 1 Kings 2:24-25.

God will truly forgive you when you tell Him what you have done wrong and ask for forgiveness. Be sure to remember the Jesus' plea in Mathew 7:1-5: Don't judge lest you be judged. Do not talk about the speck in your brother's eye until you remove the plank from your own eye.

God's Unconditional Love

After my divorce in 2006, I began living my life the way I wanted to without thinking of the consequences of my actions. I was upset at God for allowing me to go through the pain of marriage to someone I wasn't supposed to be married to in the first place. I felt free as a bird once the divorce was finalized. It wasn't too soon after I began my wild lifestyle, that I realized I wasn't being me. I put on a mask, a facade if you will, of what I thought was my personality. The love of my Heavenly Father shown through my parents and my friends and at point I came to my senses. I began to change how I was approaching divorced life. Since I hadn't discussed my feelings with no one but my family I bottled up everything and it started affecting my work to the point that I could have been placed on probation. I had to seek a counselor through the Employee Assistance Program at Vanderbilt. After talking with a person outside my family, I began to realize I wasn't trusting in God to take away the pain and suffering. I didn't allow Him to wrap His loving arms around me and hold me while I was hurting. I felt that I could never face Him again because of how I know feels about divorce. Once again my friends and family came through for me and helped me take blame off myself and start living my life in a positive manner.

God places individuals in your life for a reason. To give you comfort and assurance that He is in control of everything and wants you to relinquish control of your life over to Him. Trust in the omnipotent and omniscient God to carry you in times of hardship and pain!

Love you all and hope this post is as moving to you as it was to me!

Your Character

I read an email sent to me from a great person who I have come to admire for her love of Christ and willingness to draw closer to Him. It was about an interview with Rick Warren about his life, his wife's battle with cancer, and his book sales. In the interview he mentions that God is not concerned about what we do in life but about our character and how we develop it. He states that we are human beings not human doings. We should strive each and every day to improve our character through each trial and tribulation you face. God will give you tests which will help establish the kind of character you have and to help improve your character to become more Christ like which is what He wants from us in eternity.

Love in Christ,

John

Cliche alert: Life isn't easy!

There are so many people I know who think they have life pegged or figured out if you will. They make the wrong decisions thinking their father, mother, or friends will bail them out. This is perplexing to me. Why be so stubborn? The only answer I have for that question is they don't want to let God take control of their lives. They want to spend all their money, rush into situations with only tunnel vision, or think they know everything and do not need to rely on the omniscient God. I have news for you brothers and sisters: that will only lead to heartache and headache. Heed my warning when I say let God control your life. He made you and knows you better than any human being would ever know. I know it seems impossible to give control to someone you cannot see. That is where faith comes in. You feel the breeze but yet you cannot see it. Why not let the King of the Universe show you the path you need to take. "Be still and know I am God" says Psalm 46:10.

Let me tell you about my struggle with giving up control to God. I have always been an independent individual. I wanted to control my own life. I wouldn't even let my parents tell me what I needed to do for my own benefit. Stubborness was my rebellion against my parents. I still have those tendencies to want to control the outcomes of my life. When I started going to college and hung out with some amazing Christian friends who were great influences to me I realized I needed to change my perspective and relinquish full control of my life over to God. I have met more friends along the road that have inspired me to follow God's path for my life. I love each and every one of them for their compassion they have shown me and being advocates for my spiritual life.

When you give God the reigns of your life He will pour out blessings you cannot even imagine. Remember, this does not mean life will be easy. Life will always be difficult because we live in a sinful world. Giving Him control means you will have a better life, one filled with amazing beauty and splendor.

Warning to a Christian who continues to sin!

Today's blog will be taken from Hebrews 10: 26-39:

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgement and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated an an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay", and again, "The Lord will judge his people". It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while,

"He who is coming will come and will not delay.
But my righteous one will live by faith.
And if he shrinks back,
I will not be pleased with him".

But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.

Encouragement goes a long way!

There is nothing worse than feeling alone and depressed because of a mistake you have made. You feel as though you have disappointed God for the upteenth time. You turn away from Him because of the guilt that has filled your heart and replaced Him.
I am here to tell you that God is in your heart the day you accept Him into it. He will never leave you or forsake you. You may have turned away from Him, but He hasn't turned from you. You are very precious to Him in so many ways. He wants you to turn back around and follow Him and leave your feelings of doubt, self-loathing, and regret behind and start anew with Him.
I know what encouragement is like. It feels good to have someone tell you that you are doing great at something no matter what it is. I am here to encourage you brothers and sisters that you are worth something not only to God, but to me. Everyone of you has a purpose here on this Earth. Give God your entire life. Don't hold on to any of it. He can truly do great wonders with what you have to give Him.
I am going to end this post with the following verse from 1 Thessalonians 5:14,15:

"And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else."

Out of My Comfort Zone

Since I have moved to East Tennessee to pursue my Master of Science in Nursing degree, I have found this place very tranquil. I find myself able to think clearer and process my thoughts quicker. There is something about the mountains that is so relaxing. God has brought me to this place, and I believe for a reason. I know no one but my classmates and some of the LMU staff. He brought me here because of the fact that I can think clearer and process thoughts clearer. He wants me to find Him! What I mean by that is that I am out in His creation learning the fullness of God and how to be obedient to Him. I don't have the distractions of work, knowing everyone, and the city life. I am truly out of my comfort zone, but for a very good reason. True I am here for school and to graduate, but I come to realize there is more to it than that. God will pull you out of your comfort zone for his purpose when you don't want to leave. In those situations you have to obey Him and have faith that there is a greater purpose for you He wants you to discover. It is hard to listen to the still small voice of God when you are amongst what you know and what makes you comfortable. Missionaries in other countries or in dangerous parts of the U.S. are out of their comfort zone. God will always take care of you no matter where you are out of your comfort zone. He won't give you more than you can handle. I will close with another verse from Paul, the ring leader of 'out of comfort zone living':

Paul says to the Philippians in Philippians 1:12-14
"Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brother in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly."