June 2018 – Biblically Me

Getting What You Want From God

written by Amber

I want to start off by saying that there is absolutely no way that we are able to manipulate God. It’s impossible. He is no respecter of persons and doesn’t play favorites. He loves all of his children equally even though we are all so vastly different. We are alike however in our likeness of him. The Bible says that we were all made in the image of the Lord, we were made in his likeness. But I digress, I just came up with the witty title in hopes that I would be seen as a creative.
(Is it working? lol)

Though we are not able to manipulate God, we are able to position ourselves through sacrifice, prayer, fasting and consecration to connect ourselves with him in a way that we wouldn’t be able to otherwise.

For instance say a person is drowning in sin, unable to stop what they’re doing, unrepentant and ashamed. It may be hard to spend time in Gods presence or to even think of spending time with God in general. There is a chasm between God and that person and we all know that God isn’t the one who enacted the silent treatment.

On the complete opposite side of the spectrum is someone who humbles themselves in prayer and fasting. Someone who is actively repentant and seeking the Lords advice to lead them through life.

I want to be clear that the difference between these two people is not that one is sinless, but repentant and making steps toward change, and by the power of the Holy Spirit is being sanctified.

Matthew 6:33 NLT says, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

This looks like a set of pretty clear cut instructions to get me on track to living in the perfect will that God has for my life. The first part of this verse is an active COMMAND. We are to desire God’s kingdom over everything else that we desire. What is the kingdom of God for those of us living on earth trying to pursue it? One thing that comes to mind is God’s dominion. We are to seek God’s dominion, his rule, his kingdom and kingship above all else in life. Basically we are to seek God’s leadership above all else. The word of God was divinely inspired by him and holds the information that we as Christian’s need to seek his Kingdom. I would consider this book to be the main avenue in which we are to learn about the Lord’s kingdom and how to actively pursue it.

We are living in a fallen world and the only reason that we would want to seek the kingdom of God above all else is so that we know that the Lord’s will and work are being done through us here on earth.

The second part of this command is to live RIGHTEOUSLY. This ties into being repentant and mature in your faith. Seeking help for struggles that seem unending and casting down wicked thoughts that say you will always commit the same sins, thoughts that say you’ll never change. We must die unto our flesh and live righteously. We must have some integrity about ourselves and continue to press towards the mark of a high calling.

The last part of this verse is the best part of this verse. It says that the Lord will give us everything that we NEED. I want to be clear that it says everything that we need, not everything that we want. Though I’ve known God to supply all of my needs and sometimes the things that I want, I want you to see that the promise lies therein the things that we need not the things that we want.

But if we really think about it, the things that we need should be the things that we want. We should desire the things of God and the more time that we spend with him and the more like him that we are, the more we will desire the things in life that he desires for us.

On top of that, the things that we need are what will get us walking in our purpose. The things that we need will get us accomplishing the will of God. The things that we need will get us in right standing with God.

So this week think of ways that you can start seeking the kingdom of God first. Maybe it means taking a break from social media or your Netflix and Amazon Prime accounts. Maybe it means prioritizing and making a conscious effort to show the Lord that you love him and care about his leadership through journaling, prayer or worship. However you decide to tackle this, stay focused and note how you see the Lord making changes in your life.

Love you,

Amber

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June 21, 2018 0 comment

Blog

God’s Preparation

written by Amber

King David’s story is one of great adventure, passion and God’s infinite grace. Reading through first and second Samuel are probably some of my greatest past times. I love reviewing his life from beginning to end, seeing how every step of the way the Lord was preparing him for the things to come.

This can be said about pretty much any man or woman in the Bible, but today’s focus will be on King David and how his life’s story correlates with the rest of our lives.

The most memorable victory in David’s life has got to be when he faces off with a Philistine giant named Goliath. 1 Samuel 17 depicts the battle in its entirety. The portion of the story that stands out to me is David’s confidence in the Lord giving him victory over Goliath.

David reminisces on times during his shepherding that the Lord had allowed for him to protect his father’s flock of sheep saying, “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from his mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death.”

I can’t even imagine my teenage self slaying monstrous animals in the wild, let alone chasing after them to take back what is mine.

But I can attest to having to deal with an extremely difficult boss on the job at the age of seventeen. It was my very first job (at a fast food restaurant) and my boss had made it clear that she did not like me. Every time I saw her car parked outside of the establishment before a shift, this feeling of dread would fill the pit of my stomach and I immediately wanted to go home. Even after we had spoken and settled our differences, I always associated seeing her car parked outside with negativity and would have to remind myself that things had gotten better.

Later in life I would find myself working for much more difficult people who were rude, unkind and unfair toward me, but I was able to serve them confidently. Having experienced difficulty on the job before, interacting with people who seemed 10X’s worst than my entry level job was easier. The Lord had given me confidence to serve those who seemed unservable, promoting me in the process and showing me how valued I was by him.

I imagine that David felt the same confidence that you and I experience when the Lord allows for us to go through certain things to prepare us for something much bigger in the future.

Though I must say that in the process, it rarely feels like you’ve got it all together and sometimes you even find yourself questioning why you’re experiencing hardship. I’ll bet David’s adrenaline was off the charts as he went up against the first lion who crossed his path. I can imagine him running home to tell his father what had happened and praying that it never happened again.

It was in those very moments that God was preparing David to face Goliath.

What are some areas in your life where you feel as though you’re being tested and tried? How can you positively assess the situation to see what the Lord is trying to strengthen in you? I know it’s not easy, and sometimes you can’t even fathom how some things are working out for your good. In those moments I encourage you to continue to stand on the word of God and your integrity. Lean into the Holy Spirit and once you’ve past through the storm you can look back and see the fruit of the spirit and the character that the Lord has built within you.

Love always,