SPIRITUAL GROWTH--MY DESIRE

IS IT YOUR DESIRE TO GROW SPIRITUALLY?
  It is mine.
There is only one way to grow spiritually, and that is through prayer, study and putting the principles of God in practice in your life.

I Corinthians 13:11-13 is one place to start to understand spiritual growth.  It says:

^{11 "}When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. ¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.* "

We can measure our growth by the following:

OUR DESIRE - hunger for God and His Word increases.  We are eager to be with Him (not just in Spirit, but through study of His Word) and share Him and His Word with others.

UNDERSTANDING - seeing life from God's perspective.  Trials and temptations become opportunity for growth. Service for the Lord becomes an honor, not a burden.

SELFLESSNESS -  being submissive to the Lord, able to wait for the Lord. Higher concern for others, than self.  The greatest evidence of maturity is LOVE.  Having the Lord and other people first in our hearts, is when we are more like Jesus.

FAITH  -  HOPE  -  LOVE  (the greatest)*  

Hungering for God..

I do not have all the answers, but I would like to help you find them.  Do you seek true spiritual worship?  how can we attain it? Reading? Studing Scripture? Going to church? Listening to other peoples experiences?
Although these things are important, they will not bring us any closer to God and true worship of Him.

It is time we sought out {God/Jesus/Holy Spirit} for the spiritual encounter we desire. A close relationship that will fill us with joy and peace. That is, letting HIM into our lives and allowing HIM to guide and direct us in ALL we do and say. In every aspect of our lives, every minute, every hour and every circumstance.
How shall we find HIM? 
By bringing HIM into our lives as the true provider, protector and shepherd that HE is.
I read a quote that I can not give credit to the writter for, as I know not who it is, but it says it all.

Those who joyfully leave everything in God’s hands, will find Gods hand in everything.  Worry ends where faith begins!!!!

Do you wonder how this can work?

First begin each day and end each day, seeking HIM through contemplation and prayer.  Speak with HIM and let HIM not only fill your heart and mind, but let HIM speak back to you.

He tells us in HIS word how to do that.

Matthew 7:7-8

King James Version (KJV)    Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Do you believe Jesus? He is all that He says and more. Through Him only can we enter the heart of HIM who created all and saves all.

  I will try and continue this soon.  I hope you have found it helpful and you too desire to find HIM and let HIM into your life.

Serve the Lord with Gladness and Thanksgiving.

"But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”
Joshua 24:15

Three Temptations

1)  To question God.
2)  To Deny God.
3)  To Doubt God.
These three temptations which turn into sins are destructive.

From the beginning of time, Satan has put in our ears to do these things.
Adam and Eve were the first to experience these temptations, and unfortunately they circummed to them.
Did God really say that (Genesis 3:1).
Denied God ( Genesis 3:4).
Doubt Gods purpose (Genesis 3:5).


So when have you fell into Satan's traps?  he is the great deceiver.
 *My life is too hard, I will go my own way 
 *leave my spouse
 * take myself out of my children's lives (even if it is only for some of the time)
 *stop worshiping God in the company of my fellow believers
 *take another woman/man who will treat me like I want to be treated
 *I can't take the pressures of this life, God isn't helping me

The worst Denial of God is when you let Satan put in your heart that you have sinned and are no longer worthy.

Let's deal with that one:
What does God's word say about your salvation.
Before the fall (Adam and Eve's and yours if you have fallen)

Adam and Eve (and you) lost their (your) sense of significance and felt shame.

Adam and Eve (and you) lost their (your) sense of safety and security and felt fear.

Adam and Eve (and you) lost their (your) sense of belonging and felt emptiness and rejection.

We forget that God sees everything.  That He is standing there waiting for us to turn back to Him. He never turns His back on us.
We need transformation when we fall.
 God desires for us to turn to Him and allow our needs to be met in Jesus Christ alone; not by our job, our spouse, our children or our sinful desire for another lover.
Satan desires for us to attempt to get those needs met in our own way and by our own strength through people, things, and circumstances. But a dead spirit and sinful nature causes darkness and ugliness to rule in our minds, wills and our emotions, but Jesus can remove the darkness and fill us with His light. He is the beautifier, the door is always open, He is always available, and the price has already been paid.

Why do you think Jesus said in :

Matthew 18:21-23

Amplified Bible (AMP)

²¹Then Peter came up to Him and said, Lord, how many times may my brother sin against me and I forgive him and ^[a]let it go? [As many as] up to seven times?
²²Jesus answered him, I tell you, not up to seven times, but seventy times seven!
Do you think He does less?
Be careful how you judge God!
Read the  Parable of the Lost Son from Luke 15: 11-31 and consider yourself the lost son.  Remember this is a picture of God and His children of which you are one.
to be continued...

Walking THE Walk

I have always enjoyed reading Morning and Evening by Charles H Spurgeon, today I want to share with you the morning devotion, I hope you enjoy it:

Walking
"So walk in Him."  Colossians 2:6

If we have received Christ in our hearts, the new life we have will manifest itself in a walk of faith with Him.

Walking is action.  Our religion is not to be confined to the prayer closet.  We must put into practie what we believe.  If we walk in Christ, then we act as Christ would act.  Christ is our hope, our love, our joy, and our life.  We are to be the image of Jesus to a  world that will say,  "You are like your Master;  you live like Jesus Christ."

Walking indicates progress.  "So walk in Him."  Proceed from grace to grace.  Go forward until you reach the uttermost degree of knowledge concerning your Beloved. 

To walk is a sign of continuance. There must be a perpetual abiding in Christ.  Many Chistians have fellowship with Jesus in the morning and evening but give their heart to the world all day. This is poor living.  We should always walk with Him, following His steps and doing His will.

Walking implies habit.  When we speak of our walk, we mean our habits, the tenor of our lives.  If we sometimes enjoy Christ, sometimes call Him ours, but then disown Him, that may be a habit, but it is not walking with Him.  We must have a habit of keeping close to Him, clinging to Him, never letting Him go, "for in Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).  "As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in HIm."  Hold fast to Him.

Jesus Christ is the trust of your faith, the source of your life, the principles of your actions, and the joy of your spirit.  Let Him be this until life's end, when you will enter into the joy and rest of heaven.
O Holy Spirit, enable us to obey this heavenly instruction.

"Thanks for joining me in this devotion, I hope you were blessed."  Sue

Blessings for a Life Time and more....

As I look back on my life I can see so many ways that God has blessed me and my family.. so I have decided to start naming them in Thanks Giving to my God who has done such marvelous works.  This list may be boring to you, but to me it is more than I can list here. May God be Glorified and Praised forever:


two wonderful children who are now grown with children of their own ~ 12 known grandchildren ~ two step daughters who are just as wonderful as my own ~ a wonderful husband that takes care of my every need, is loving, kind and so precious to me ~ a Great Dad and Mom who knew how to raise me right, that I could love and honor my God ~ two sisters and two brothers with families of their own ~ Godly Grandparents ~ a wonderful extended family spread across the world ~ friends to last a lifetime ~ things that are a pleasure:  beautiful sunsets and sun rises ~ warm breezes in cool weather and cool breezes in warm weather ~ so many stars and the milky way ~ bug less evenings ~ the sight and sounds of many birds ~ beautiful flower gardens and trees to please the eye ~ and more than I can recall. ~ and now on to the desires of my life.....These are the material things I always wanted but never asked for, but that God has seen fit to bless me with..a brick home, a big yard, large house with room for all of us, two bathrooms, an attached garage, a nice front porch with room to sit, and large back deck to enjoy in the evenings while watching the horses and the sun set. Central heating and air and a dish washer too. So very many things that I will still have to share.


Good Health ~clothes to wear ~  food a plenty ~ a payed of truck and car. A good lawn tractor and tools to take care of the animals. A paved drive way and fencing to keep things in or out.


The list will continue from now till I part this life to enter eternity with my God and Savior.

Praying for you all today...

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and 

more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be 

able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless 

until the day of Christ,” (Philippians 1:9-10)  

Sometimes it is hard to share what we feel in our hearts about

 other people and their salvation.  

The truth is sometimes the hardest thing for people to 

believe.  They want to believe what makes them feel good

inside, so they don't have to acknowledge the truth. 

To acknowledge the truth means having to adhere to what 

others say, and accept what they don't want to know in their 

hearts.  

The truth from God is always the simple way, too simple for 

people to accept. To acknowledge God and His salvation

through Jesus Christ, means to say, "I am not good, and

what I have done in my life is not all good."

Then this means relying on God and His judgement, and then

"I am condemned".

The truth is, turning to God means freedom, freedom from 

sin and condemnation.  The statement in the Bible that says, 

"and the truth shall set you free."  means just that.

The truth of salvation through the blood of Christ, that

was shed for our redemption, was and is a gift from 

God, meant to reunite us with our Creator.

All things from God, given for our good, are gifts with out

 payment on our part.

To accept these things from God, at face value is the best

we can receive from God.

Food for thought?  What is your response?