Happy Friday everyone! I feel so blessed to be writing again, and I must start by explaining the reasons for my month long hiatus. I know I missed 1-2 updates on here, but I was a bit discouraged by the small increase in visitors I was getting for my last two posts. I figured there was no point in writing if only a couple people were reading, but during this time I found that everything felt different since I wasn't writing. I didn't have that outlet which was even affecting my own closeness with God and the word. Interesting right? Well, everything happens for a reason, I took my pearl from that lesson and I'm back to writing!
So, what's with the topic: "I know what the Bible says, but let's talk reality." As always these things are inspired by personal areas of growth that I've identified, and also by things I hear. The amazing thing about this quote, is that it isn't unbelievers that use it. Its people that we go to church with. In a lot of cases, its even the radical ones who have everything to say if you don't give God a capital G when spelling, don't wear exactly a 3/4 length skirt, or don't hold your Bible in the air while praying. Interesting right?
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." (2 Tim. 3:16)
The scripture passage I pulled this time is pretty short, but gives a whole lot to reflect on. Do we really believe this? That's the main question. It doesn't matter how well you know what the Bible says, what matters is if you believe its true. If you only believe it in part, well the next question is does comfort and convenience affect what you choose to believe and discard? I find that a lot of times, it does.
Case in point. I've had people blatantly tell me that its going to take forever for me to get married because if I choose to be abstinent. These were not just people, but they were Christians, and in some cases people that I've gotten in other debates about Christian topics before. Now why do they say this? Well, generally the reasoning is somewhere along the lines of "Well, you know how men are" or some crafty excuse like "He'll think that you think he's a fool" or even the ever famous "If he isn't getting it from you, where do you think he's getting it from?" The worst part is that when, my response is "God calls us to abstain from that, so I want to do that from now on, and with whoever I choose to date" I get snapped at with "Hey, you're not the only one who knows what the Bible says, I'm just telling you how it is." So man knows how it is more than God? Did He ask us to do anything impossible? The issue here is that for anyone who truly believes what the Bible says, you know that the Bible FIRST calls you not to be unequally yoked, meaning that you find someone who wants to walk with God........for real, not just for 2 hours on Sunday. That means that both people won't be willing to sacrifice their salvation for temporary satisfaction with, or for the other because God is first.
I'll also take some time out to make a brief tangent that just because you've fallen before doesn't mean that you can't get back up and walk in accordance to what God says. It's not about having a perfect past, but about incorporating your understanding of God's will as you grow in him.
That was a more straightforward example of people separating God's will and reality, and really we can take that into almost any topic; drunkenness, adultery, abuse etc. I just chose the above example because its what I've heard the most recently. But to peel back an extra layer, many of us do this by lacking trust in what God asks us to do. "I know the Bible tells me that whatever I ask for, and believe that He will do for me will come to pass, but........." See that word but is pretty dangerous. That's because a lot of times, whatever comes after it is due to a lack of faith. God wants us to walk by faith, but I at least personally find that its hard to do, and sometimes I just want to walk by sight. Referencing the picture I chose for this post, I want to see some sort of fruit before I do anything. Even sometimes after I've gotten instruction from God, its easy to hesitate unless I see some physical evidence that where I'm going is right and will prosper - and that's wrong. That again is relying on man more than God. God alone knows what lies in the future, so we have to learn to rely on God.
There's something that I wanted for a very long time, that I've been praying for, and is an area that I've had quite a few disappointments in the past. So whenever an opportunity comes up, I automatically go into calculating mode, trying to figure out on my own if it'll prosper this time. "Yea, yea, I know that God doesn't see things as man sees them and he may just need me to follow this time, but I just don't know whats over there." "I know about the story where the Jews followed God into what they thought was in barren land after leaving Egypt, but God provided them with manna and even at times with water from unsuspecting rocks,....................but this is risky, and I need to see where I'm going" These are thoughts which have come into my head about the doubts that I had about where God was leading my future - and not only is it wrong, it actually doesn't make sense when you take the time to really acknowledge that God knows everything, including the future and that we have a limited view. It's like someone who's been hanging below the deck of a ship all day and can't see where they are suddenly coming upstairs and telling the captain that they need to change direction. I'm learning more and more to just let go and let God do the leading. I'm learning what trusting Him and His word really means..............and for starters, it doesn't always mean taking the easy way out.
I'm learning to really trust and let go, and want to encourage you to do the same! Let's trust that the word of God is real, not conditional and that it was given to us by someone who knows us, the world and our futures more than we do. That's the first step to progressing towards your destiny. *Feyi takes one step forward* Anyone with me?
So, what's with the topic: "I know what the Bible says, but let's talk reality." As always these things are inspired by personal areas of growth that I've identified, and also by things I hear. The amazing thing about this quote, is that it isn't unbelievers that use it. Its people that we go to church with. In a lot of cases, its even the radical ones who have everything to say if you don't give God a capital G when spelling, don't wear exactly a 3/4 length skirt, or don't hold your Bible in the air while praying. Interesting right?
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." (2 Tim. 3:16)
The scripture passage I pulled this time is pretty short, but gives a whole lot to reflect on. Do we really believe this? That's the main question. It doesn't matter how well you know what the Bible says, what matters is if you believe its true. If you only believe it in part, well the next question is does comfort and convenience affect what you choose to believe and discard? I find that a lot of times, it does.
Case in point. I've had people blatantly tell me that its going to take forever for me to get married because if I choose to be abstinent. These were not just people, but they were Christians, and in some cases people that I've gotten in other debates about Christian topics before. Now why do they say this? Well, generally the reasoning is somewhere along the lines of "Well, you know how men are" or some crafty excuse like "He'll think that you think he's a fool" or even the ever famous "If he isn't getting it from you, where do you think he's getting it from?" The worst part is that when, my response is "God calls us to abstain from that, so I want to do that from now on, and with whoever I choose to date" I get snapped at with "Hey, you're not the only one who knows what the Bible says, I'm just telling you how it is." So man knows how it is more than God? Did He ask us to do anything impossible? The issue here is that for anyone who truly believes what the Bible says, you know that the Bible FIRST calls you not to be unequally yoked, meaning that you find someone who wants to walk with God........for real, not just for 2 hours on Sunday. That means that both people won't be willing to sacrifice their salvation for temporary satisfaction with, or for the other because God is first.
I'll also take some time out to make a brief tangent that just because you've fallen before doesn't mean that you can't get back up and walk in accordance to what God says. It's not about having a perfect past, but about incorporating your understanding of God's will as you grow in him.
That was a more straightforward example of people separating God's will and reality, and really we can take that into almost any topic; drunkenness, adultery, abuse etc. I just chose the above example because its what I've heard the most recently. But to peel back an extra layer, many of us do this by lacking trust in what God asks us to do. "I know the Bible tells me that whatever I ask for, and believe that He will do for me will come to pass, but........." See that word but is pretty dangerous. That's because a lot of times, whatever comes after it is due to a lack of faith. God wants us to walk by faith, but I at least personally find that its hard to do, and sometimes I just want to walk by sight. Referencing the picture I chose for this post, I want to see some sort of fruit before I do anything. Even sometimes after I've gotten instruction from God, its easy to hesitate unless I see some physical evidence that where I'm going is right and will prosper - and that's wrong. That again is relying on man more than God. God alone knows what lies in the future, so we have to learn to rely on God.
There's something that I wanted for a very long time, that I've been praying for, and is an area that I've had quite a few disappointments in the past. So whenever an opportunity comes up, I automatically go into calculating mode, trying to figure out on my own if it'll prosper this time. "Yea, yea, I know that God doesn't see things as man sees them and he may just need me to follow this time, but I just don't know whats over there." "I know about the story where the Jews followed God into what they thought was in barren land after leaving Egypt, but God provided them with manna and even at times with water from unsuspecting rocks,....................but this is risky, and I need to see where I'm going" These are thoughts which have come into my head about the doubts that I had about where God was leading my future - and not only is it wrong, it actually doesn't make sense when you take the time to really acknowledge that God knows everything, including the future and that we have a limited view. It's like someone who's been hanging below the deck of a ship all day and can't see where they are suddenly coming upstairs and telling the captain that they need to change direction. I'm learning more and more to just let go and let God do the leading. I'm learning what trusting Him and His word really means..............and for starters, it doesn't always mean taking the easy way out.
I'm learning to really trust and let go, and want to encourage you to do the same! Let's trust that the word of God is real, not conditional and that it was given to us by someone who knows us, the world and our futures more than we do. That's the first step to progressing towards your destiny. *Feyi takes one step forward* Anyone with me?
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