Serve the Lord

I was reading in 1Samuel today and discovered a scripture that I find very intriguing. It is 1 Samuel 12:20-21. It states, "Then Samuel said to the people, 'Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. 'And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing.'"

I have seen a mindset in people for years. The mindset that they have committed so much evil and sin that God will not forgive them. I know for some it is an excuse for not following or surrendering to God, but others truly believe that God could not possibly forgive them for their wrongdoings. Their sin in their own eyes is so great that they can not forgive themselves and they are sure God can not and will not forgive them either. To forgive such great sin is mind boggling to some. Why would God forgive such evil? Why?

Well, let me answer that question for you - God is a loving, caring, compassionate God. His desire is to have relationship and communion with his creation. Sin in God's eyes is equal. What I'm saying is that a "little" white lie to God is as great a sin as murder. He does not measure sin the way man measures sin. The Bible tells us that we have all sinned and fallen short of God's glory. When God sent his son Jesus to die for the sins of mankind, He did not categorize which sins would be forgiven and which sins wouldn't. God's word tells us that we are to repent (turn away from our sins) in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of sin. We are to confess Jesus as Lord and we will be saved. Nowhere have I ever read that God only forgives someone if they've committed a "small" sin or if they committed only unknown sin. God forgives our repentant hearts even when we knowingly committed the sins. The key though is that we are repentant. Our hearts are broken with Godly sorrow and we turn from that sin. We must also realize that God's forgiveness never runs dry. As long as we are repentant and our hearts are turned toward God, He is willing to forgive us. He WANTS to forgive us. That's the kind of God He is :)

According to Samuel, regardless of our sins and wickedness, we must still serve the Lord with all our hearts. Yes, we fail. Yes, we fall short. Yes, we do stupid things, but God wants us following Him. We are not perfect and we never will be. We can not save ourselves. Only God is perfect and only God can save.

What does Samuel say will happen if we turn away from the Lord? He says we will go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver. Why not? Because they are NOTHING. Are you wondering what "empty" things Samuel is talking about? Well, I can think of a few. Let's see; a few would be drugs, sex, perversion, money, material items, the opposite gender, and alcohol. When we turn aside from God, from His ways and from His direction, we will look for "things" to fill us. These "things" will only bring us emptiness. Only God can fill us. Only God can make us whole. Only God redeems and only God forgives.

Turn aside to the One who is the giver of life and let Him fill you up.

Emotionally Driven

Good evening everyone :) I'm very much addressing the women with this post, but you men may very well be empowered by it as well.

How is it that we as women can have an issue for 18 years and not ever really address it? I'm talking about an open wound, an emptiness, a lack within ourselves. We deal with so many emotional pains in our lives and I'm wondering to what degree do we allow healing? Have you ever been hurt by someone or something and when you get the courage to talk about it or share it with someone close to you, you're shut up; either by someone's words or by their obvious body language? We women are emotional beings. It's true. We hear with our emotions, we respond with our emotions, we deal with life through our emotions. I've had to tell myself on many occasions in my life to stop being emotional, to think with my head instead of my heart.

This is what I want to speak into you today: allow God to heal you. Seek direction from Him about your healing and He is sure to lead you.

I believe many of you who are reading this right now know exactly what healing needs to take place in your life. I believe there are those of you who have repressed and suppressed for so many years that you don't even realize that who you are today is a reflection of the pain within you. We become angry because of our pain. We become bitter, hateful and ugly because of the pain in our lives that we have never dealt with. Our family members hurt us, our husbands, our friends. Sometimes intentionally, but most of the time unintentionally. But the hurt is the same. We tend to define ourselves by our emotions, by our feelings, or by who has and who hasn't loved us. We place value upon ourselves based on how we've been treated rather than what God's word says about us.

Do you know that it takes 50 positives to cancel out or destroy one negative? It's true. That's why it's so difficult to overcome those painful words and actions brought on us by others. But let me encourage you today to encourage yourself. If others aren't speaking those 50 positives into you. Then do it yourself!!! Do you need some help? Ok, repeat after me.

Say this:

I am an incredible woman.

I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

I am created for greatness.

I am beautiful.

I have gifts and purpose for which I was created.

I have power and authority given to me by Jesus Himself.

I am a child of the Most High God; a daughter of the King, a princess.

I matter. My thoughts matter. My emotions matter.

I deserve to be whole and healed in Jesus name.

I have the right to grow and to go.

I have the power to become all God has created me to be.

WOW. That feels great! And guess what? It's true. Say that a few times a day and you're sure to begin living it.

Be blessed. Be healed!!!