Have you ever felt disconnected from God? I have not had the time (or made the time) to study and meditate on God’s word for the last week. And the last couple of days, I have really felt distance between myself and our Lord and Savior. Not that I haven’t prayed, but I just feel empty. I was speaking to a close friend of mine and he had mentioned that; we (as humans) have the tendency to get relaxed, in our relationship with God, when trials and tribulations are no longer upon us. And unfortunately this is true.

Today I sat, studied and meditated. And to tell you the truth I feel rejuvenated. But not quite there.

In my other book I’m reading, by John Piper, it also helped with the way I’m feeling (leave it to God to find a way to tell you what you need to hear). And this is what it said:

“There are times in the lives of the most godly people when spiritual hunger becomes weak, and darkness threatens to consume the light, and everything but the vaguely remembered taste of joy evaporated….Martin Luther wrote to Melanchton from the Wartburg Castle on July 13, 1521, while he was supposedly working feverishly on the translation of the New Testament:
‘I sit here at ease, hardened and unfeeling-alas! Praying little, grieving little for the Church of God, burning rather in the fierce fires of my untamed flesh. It comes to this: I should be afire in the spirit; in reality I am afire in the flesh, with lust, laziness, idleness, sleepiness. It is perhaps because you have all ceased praying for me that God has turned away from me…. For the last eight days I have written nothing, nor prayed nor studied, partly from self-indulgence, partly from another vexatious handicap…. I really cannot stand it any longer….Pray for me, I beg you, for in my seclusion here I am submerged in sin.’ ”

Now, I’m not as far as Luther ( I hope), but I have felt that my spiritual hunger may have weakened. I only write because I hope that you will continue to pray for me, and those around you, that we may always have that strong spiritual hunger for the Lord, His word and His desires. I thank you for all the times you have prayed and thought of me, and the Lord has blessed me from it, but I ask that you continue to pray for my spiritual walk (and for other’s), as we know that we are never out of troubled waters until that great day when we see our Savior’s face.

Thank you,

God bless

Signed a Friend

As he stated “leave it to God to find a way to tell you what you need to hear”, the timing was perfect for me to receive this letter. For I too feel the darkness of the flesh (world) tugging anxiously on me.

Thank you God for giving me this dear friend and may he be encouraged to know that YOU have chosen him to minister to the likes of me.

peace_Out

Which of these two types of people are the radical thinker? The one that holds true selective passages as absolute while ignoring others or the one that wrestles with all of the Lords words while trying to apply them relevantly in their life?

Live your faith out loud!

“Evil people get rich for the moment, but the reward of the godly will last.”

Like any 4 year old, he wants what he wants when he wants it. If I offer him a cookie now, or two…

What does the Jesus of America look like? How does he compare to the Jesus of the bible? Are they the same Jesus?

……..?

A son asked his father, ‘ Dad, will you take part in a marathon with me? ‘ The father who, despite having a heart condition, says ‘ Yes ‘ . They went on to complete the marathon together. Father and son went on to join other marathons, the father always saying ‘ Yes ‘ to his son’ s request of going through the race together. One day, the son asked his father, ‘ Dad, let’ s join the Ironman together.. ‘ To which, his father said ‘ Yes. For those who don’ t know, Ironman is the toughest triathlon ever. The race encompasses three endurance events of a 2.4 mile (3.86kilometer) ocean swim, followed by a 112 mile (180.2 kilometer) bike ride, and ending with a 26.2 mile (42.195 kilometer) marathon along the coast of the Big Island . Father and son went on to complete the race together.

NOW WATCH :

This is one of the best impersonations ever.

I mean foolish worship, no I mean… never mind just keep reading. Do you honestly long to worship the Lord as He would desire? Do you realize what the Lord desires of us as a key ingredient?

First we must understand that worship is a way of life. It was never intended to be a place and time, but a conscious decision to change ones life (lifestyle) in a way that is pleasing to God. Which by-the-way is a lifelong process. In Isaiah 58 we are given a unique look at the character of God and His desire of His children.

Isaiah is writing to an inwardly living community that is seeking only it’s own. One that is ceremonially worshipping (Praying, fasting) with selfish intentions. As you continue reading you see that ceremonious acts are not what the Lord desires. He desires us to live our worship out in such a way that the world sees and even receives from it, making it an outward process.

Starting in verse 6 we are told to stop oppressing, feed the hungry, care for the homeless, clothe the naked and to care for the afflicted in our worship and then the Lord will be pleased and He will pour out His offering to us.

Personally the portion of scripture that stands out to me is verse 12 “And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.”

“You shall raise up the foundations of many generations”, our actions as Christians will either have a positive or negative effect on the generations to come.

In other words serving the communities needs in and outside the congregation is an intricate part of true worship.

I pray that we all would openly seek to worship the Blesser and not the blessings. This will not occur until we teach the people to fish (personal devotions and study) so that they may continue feeding throughout the week (daily).