Exposed

Remember when you were a child and you did something that your parents told you not to do.  Remember dreading that moment when they would find out. Or perhaps it was time for report cards to come home and your grades were not the best. Did you drop your report card in the trash down the street like my oldest sister did?  I never quite figured out why she did that because my mom and dad found out every time, especially since I was running home to show my report card. None of us could hide anything from them. As I drove home today and thought about this, one central theme kept ringing in my ear. That central theme was - "Exposure".  For some reason everything I have read the past few days has been about 'change'.  Why am I so afraid of it?  At my age I am just so comfortable in who I am.  I am set in my ways and for the most part I like who I am.  But then I start to talk to God and as I listen to Him speak to me I realize that everything is not as fine and dandy as I think it is. 

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Hebrews 4:12

The more I become a steward of the Word of God the more it works to expose some things in me that just aren't right.  Things in my heart that causes the ugly to come out at times.  Things that cause me not to see myself the way God sees me.  The truth of the matter is no matter what front I may put up, when in the eyes of others, at the end of the day when it's just me and God, He sees the truth.  He has those moments when He is proud of me and then those moments when He is disappointed in me, but through it all He loves me just the same.  And that is why I decided to go all in and ask God to expose those things in me that are not like Him.  If there is anything in my heart, soul, or spirit, I just don't want it there anymore.  I want to live my life being all that I can with the help of the Lord.  This is a scary thought.  There are just some things that I don't want anyone to know.  And even though God already knows everything about me, it's still scary admitting that those things are inside of me.  The scariest things are my thoughts. I have always been a person to hold things inside thinking that I'm somewhat better than those people who just fly off the handle, saying everything they think.  But what would happen if for one day those same people had an opportunity to read the thoughts in my head.  Have you heard the saying, "If looks could kill..."  Well I know that my thoughts could.   And then there is that negative, complaining spirit. My lack of tolerance for people who continue to do the same thing over and over again. That desire to be in control all the time and control the lives of others.  This is just the start of my list of things I try so hard to hide from others.

But at the end of the day, as much as I love my family and friends, making this change is not about any of them. It really doesn't matter to me what any of them think.  I am not living my life to please them. As my Pastor used to say, "None of them have a heaven or hell to put you in."   I must live my life to please God.  And that is why I must allow Him to come in and cut out those things that are not like Him.  Accepting the pain, realizing the results.  What about you? What are those things that you are trying so hard to hide?  I don't need to know what they are but I challenge you to pull down the shade.  Be proactive.  Ask God to expose those things in you that are not like Him..  Allow Him to come in and help you.  When you give Him total control to make those changes, they turn out to be lasting changes instead of band-aid fixes.  He takes it to the core and replaces them with a loving heart, a forgiving spirit, the mind of Christ.  This is not something you can do on your own but with the help of the Holy Spirit, it is possible.  'Now unto Him that is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all you could ever ask or think..'  That one thing that you have been trying so hard to change, God is able.  Just give it to Him.  Others may have given up on you saying that you are always going to be that way.  From experience, don't try to tell me what God can't do.  He has a proven tract record of turning things around, changing the seemingly unchangeable. 


(I borrowed this prayer from my devotional and thought I would share.),

Lord show me what is in my heart, soul, mind, spirit, and life that shouldn’t be there.  Teach me what I am not understanding.  Convict me where I am missing the mark.  Tear down my arrogance, pride, fear, and insecurities, and help me to see the truth about myself, my life, and my circumstances.  Expose me to myself, Lord.  I can take it.  Enable me to correct the error of my ways.  Help me to replace lies with truth and make changes that last. In Jesus' Precious Name Amen.

Do You Have A Plan?

Have you ever tried to sit down and write a life plan?  Typically people do this when they have reached that point of needing guidance in their life.  They are not sure of which way to go.   Someone had to go and ask that dreaded question "Where do you see yourself in five years"?   I had to do this as my final assignment in my Human Relations in Training and Development course this semester.  It was an interesting assignment.  The object of the assignment was for you to identify those things that you want to improve about yourself and then put together a plan of action to correct those steps.  As I begin to make a list of the things that I needed to improve. The funny thing about this list was that I had made this list before.  So why was I once again in the same place?  Or was I?

The more I sat and thought about it, I realized that I was not in the same place.  I was indeed aware of those things that I did not like about myself.  I recognized those things that I wanted to do better.  This time was different.  It was not by accident that these things were discovered.  It was through my asking the Lord to "search me and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts.  Point out anything in me that offends You and lead me in the way everlasting".  (Psalms 139: 23-24). This discovery was through my reading of the Word that is "quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to dividing asunder of the soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart". (Hebrews 4:12)  You see, in the past this discovery was done by accident.  The process was kind of rough and I went pretty much unwillingly, kicking and screaming the entire way.  The difference now is that I want to know these things.  I trust that God knows what is best for me.  He knows my innermost thoughts.  He sees my sometimes evil ways.  He knows those things about me that hinder my ministry.  And because He knows He can point them out and take me through the necessary steps to remove them.  Now I have come to know that this is not going to be the most pleasant experience but the reward in the end is heavenly.  My encouragement for you today is for you to stop being surprised at the ways God is working in your life.  There is truth behind Romans 8:28.  He is working it all out for your good.  One thing I have learned is that it is not the process but the pain that produces perseverance.  Everything that God is doing in your life is perfect.  It is achieving for you a far greater weight in glory.  I know that it is easy to look at what you see right now in front of you.  No one knows your circumstances better than you.  But I challenge you today to test your faith.  Are you relying in your own ability or in the power of God?  I must admit that my greatest failures have come when I was relying on my own ability.  The knowledge I had accumulated with the brain God gave me.  The experience I had gained through employment opportunities God had blessed with me.  My personality and the ability I have to interview well which came from a heart transplant given to me by God.  All of these things that I thought were "my own" but were truly from God. 

Maybe you feel that you are far from where you thought you should be.  May you feel that there are manmade roadblocks in the way of you getting to where you want to be.  Whatever the case I stopped by to remind you to trust God.  Sometimes it's as simple as that.  Allowing God to make the necessary changes in your life.  Allowing Him to make up the difference.  That's what it is all about.  Remember that He loves you to much to leave you the same way.  Go ahead and try to create steps and strategies to change your life.  Unless God is at the center of that plan, you are setting yourself up to fail.  How much better your life will be if you just trust God!

Most Gracious Heavenly Father,

I thank You for Your Word that directs me and reminds me that I can show you all my flaws, my innermost  thoughts, the very ugliness that I see staring me in the mirror some days, not to be ridiculed but for correction and for change.  My hearts desire is to be more like you.  To walk like you Lord.  To talk like You Lord.  I want the words that I speak to be acceptable in thy sight.  I love you Lord.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name I pray Amen. 

Change

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.  Philippians 2:13

There I go letting myself get upset all over again and for nothing.  When am I going to ever understand that I cannot change people.  As much as I would like to be able to change people, I just can't.  Sitting on my couch frustrated, the Holy Spirit spoke to me.  The words were as plain as if He were sitting right next to me on the couch.  "You cannot change anyone."  Yes, you may be hurt, frustrated, angry and on the verge of giving up but you are just spinning your wheels trying to do something that only God can do. 

We've all done it. Sat there and talked (argued) until we were just plain tired  of talking trying to get someone to see your point of view.  Why can't they see that they need to make a change?  Can't they see that they are hurting me?  I'm not telling them anything that is going to hurt them.  In the end they will be a better person.  But that is not for me to decide.  God is the only one that can bring about lasting change.  Let me say that again.  God is the only one that can bring about lasting change.  You may be able to get someone to change for you temporarily but in the end unless God changes them from the inside out, you may be revisiting the same issue again.  Philippians 2:13 tells us that God works in us to lead us to do His will.  We still must choose to follow His leading.  So what do you do in the meantime when you really want someone to change?  PRAY.  Take your burdens to the Lord and leave them there.  How often as a parent do we see our child slipping down the wrong path?  We can talk to them until we are blue in the face but until He recognizes his need for change and allows the Lord to change his heart, he/she will continue to do the same thing.  That spouse, that friend, that brother, that sister, or even that parent.  They may know what is right but until they choose to listen to God, heed the urgings of the Holy Spirit, allow the Word to 'pierce even to the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit, of the joints and marrow' (Hebrews 4:12), there will be no real change.  If you want to change or you wish someone around you would change, give it to God.  Tell Him what is in your heart and then submit to His will.  God's timing is perfect.  He is always working.  But prepare yourself, the change may not come when you expect it.  While you are praying for Him to work on someone else, He may just be working on you.

Most Gracious Heavenly Father,

I need Your help Lord.  It is very hard to see someone making a mistake and wanting to push them toward change.  It's hard for someone to continue to hurt you simply because they won't change and yet stand beside them during the process.  Help me to place them in Your hands I realize that only You can bring about true change. Please forgive me for my sins of anger and acting out on that anger because of my frustration. Help me to be more like You.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name I pray Amen. 

Put Off...Put On

Basic principle...when you bathe you first take off your dirty clothes and once you finish, you put on clean clothes.  You would not take a bath and then put back on the same dirty clothes.  The same thing holds true for your life as a Christian.  When you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior you become a new creature.  Old things are passed away, behold all things become brand new.  Now we all know that it is not as simple as taking a bath and putting on clean clothes.  Or is it?  What we do know is that because we have now been washed in the blood of the Lamb, we have the necessary tools to 'put to death' some of our old behaviors.  What are those behaviors?  Some of them are listed in Colossians 3.  Things like sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, covetousness. (verse 5) There are also things like anger, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. (verse 8)  I know in my case ridding myself of some of these things was just like death.  For some of them I went through the grieving process.  I didn't necessarily see the wrong in some of them.  Some of the things made me feel too good.  They couldn't be wrong.  Some of the things were used as an outlet for other frustrations.  There were some things that I never thought I would get rid of.  They just kept coming up.

This is where the power of the word comes in.  As we put off the old self  and put on the new self we must continue to be renewed in knowledge.  (verse 10)  Not just any old knowledge but the knowledge that comes from the Word of God.  'For the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword.  Piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart'.  (Hebrews 4:12)  The Word has a way of pointing things out in us that are not of God.  And sometimes it doesn't feel good.  Sometimes we want to continue to hold on.  Let someone mess with a member of my family, my first response is not to show love.  Anger is a more proper response.  It's hard to remember sometimes that this battle is not mine but the Lord's.  It is through this process called sanctification that I am becoming progressively more like Jesus.  So I must 'put on' a compassionate heart, kindness, humility, meekness and patience.  I need be willing to forgive.  'And above all these things put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony' (verse 12,14) We cannot do it on our own.  I know that I cannot love that sister who lied on me and stabbed me in the back without the love of God.  I can't smile at the woman in the church, who I should be looking up to, when she attacks one of my children without the love of God.  The boss who speaks to a co-worker about me.  The wife who is unfaithful.  The driver of the diesel who cuts me off on the highway.  Without the love of God, the old Ramona would come out and it might not be as pretty.  Some of those things that I had previously put to death may be resurrected.  But I realize that this thing is bigger than me.  I must let this mind be in me that was also in Christ Jesus.  I must walk in the spirit and die to the lusts of the flesh.  I must stay in His Word so that the Holy Spirit can continue to point out to me those things that are not like God.  I must always be evolving,  becoming better than I was yesterday.  Sometimes better than I was a few hours ago.  We must have faith and remember 'it is possible'.  We must let the word of Christ dwell within us.  'And whatever we do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him'.  (Colossians 3:17)  I know that in and of myself it just isn't possible for me to love my enemies, bless them that curse me, do good to them that hate me, and pray for them that despitefully use me.  I just couldn't do it.  But as I renew myself daily in the Word, it becomes a little bit easier.  I start to see some victories.  I don't take any credit though, I give all praise to God! One way that Satan tries to trip us up is by attacking our minds.  He wants us to believe that we can't change.  But I encourage you to remember that with God all things are possible.  He can bring about a true change in your life. 

Most Gracious Heavenly Father, 

Praises be to God the Father, the one who is able to make all things new.  I thank you for all that You have already done in my life and today I give to You all those things that I continue to hold on to.  If there be anything in me that is not like You, take it away.  Cut it out.  Help me be the example You would have me to be as a child of God.  And while You are doing this, help me to be an encourager to those around me that may be struggling with some things.  Help me not to criticize or judge, for I too, am in the process of becoming.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name I pray Amen.