the concept of witnessing has always been just out of my grasp. it honestly has never been something that i have been passionate about. i am passionate about many many things, but witnessing? it's always been one of those things that if i'm in the right moment, with the right person, and they bring up my faith, then sure i'm more than happy to talk about Jesus with them. but as far as just going out and talking to random people on the street about believing in God? i mean, come on now, i don't want to be a radical, right? so i thought.
God has really been working with my heart on this topic and i feel like everytime i turn around i'm hearing about how important it is to witness to others. first of all, i am very fortunate to have come from a christian family background. i was raised in church, my mom was the sunday school teacher and we were literally in the church every time the doors were open. i mean literally...my mom cleaned the church during the week too, so sometimes she was the one to open those doors herself. i remember when i was little and my mom would be at the church cleaning, sometimes, i would go into the sanctuary and just sit in the front pew. you know nobody ever sat in the front pew....baptists like to see how far away from the front they can get. so the front pew was always a mystery. i felt a little rebellious i guess. haha. but i would just sit there, and listen to how quiet it was. and sometimes i would grab a hymnal (another thing that was cool about the front pew was that the hymnals were hidden UNDER the pew. HA! how cool was that?!) and i would go up to the pulpit and ask my imaginary congregation to turn to page so and so. and i would sing one of my favorite hymns, leading my devoted followers with the arms a waving and everything. i can still picture that little free will baptist sanctuary. i can still close my eyes and walk through every square inch of that entire building. the lobby, the office, the hallway, the sunday school room with the felt board that my mom told the Bible story on, the nursery, up my favorite little ramp to the fellowship hall, which had another beloved stage of mine. the back lobby where i watched our pastor kill a snake one night. the kitchen that had the cool swinging door, more sunday school rooms, the stairs to the mysterious upstairs apartment that for some reason i never went into, and then the steps going down outside leading to the playground. and the huge tree right in front of those steps. the parking lot that my brother drove me in circles in when he was learning how to drive. the front lawn where i rode my first pony on some kind of family fun day or something. the neighborhood behind the church that for some reason i swore tim mcgraw lived in...i have no idea where that came from. anyway.....back to my point....i spent so much time in that church. and i learned so many Bible stories and i'm so glad that i learned so many hymns there. so many of my friends don't know any of the old hymns we used to sing and i consider some of those my favorite worship songs. i learned how we are supposed to go and make disciples of all nations. and not only at franklin free will baptist did i learn that, but i also learned it many many more times throughout the years. at our new home church, grassland heights, at church camp, at youth group. but just like so many other things about the Bible, i knew it, but it just never clicked.
even now, as we've been searching for just the right church, i think about all the criteria that i look for in a church. do they sing the way i want them to sing, does the preacher speak about things that i think are relevant, do they have the kind of kids program i'm looking for? i wanted sermons that made me feel good, that gave me the warm fuzzies, that made me cry. that made me think about my life and how i could make it better and gave me more ways that i could live for God more. which are all good, valid things to look for. but i was missing the most important part. does the church care about reaching the least of those. are they focused on reaching out to the people that aren't like us, to the people that have never heard of Jesus. are they passionate about equipping their members with the knowledge and the faith to go OUTSIDE of the church building and lead others to God.
because you see, church is not about me! i shouldn't go to church so that i can get my God fix for the week. i should be doing that everyday on my own. i shouldn't go to church so that the pastor can make me feel good after a hard week. i need to go to church, and look around me, and ask, "how can i give back? who can i minister this week? who needs encouragement? who needs to be lifted up in prayer?" we go to church to have fellowhip with other believers, to learn how to reach others through the word of God. to equip each other with the courage to talk to someone we don't know, or someone that we do know. sometimes that's harder. Christianity is not about me. Christianity is first about God, giving back to God what He deserves for being so mighty and powerful and infinitely gracious. second, Christianity is about others. serving others. and lastly, Christianity is about me.
you see, i've always felt like i wasn't "ready" to witness. i felt like i had too much baggage, too many things wrong with me. i needed to get my heart in the right place before i could witness to others. but the truth is, i am human. i am a sinner, deserving death but saved through grace from a merciful God. and i will never have it right. i will never be in a position deserving of leading someone else to Christ. but that doesn't matter. God tells us to go. When God tells us something, he's not just giving us a recommendation. When your mom walks by and says, "my, your room sure is dirty." she's not just giving you information. she's telling you, you have one last chance to clean it up before she starts throwing everything in there away. when God "mentions" something in the Bible, he's not just giving us a suggestion on how to live, or his opinion on what we should do. He is giving us a command. and we are called to be obedient. in acts 18, paul is ministering to the Jews, and he's facing opposition from them. finally, he gets angry and throws up his hands and kind of throws a little fit. in our terms, he says, "fine. i'm done. i tried to tell you, but if you dont want to listen that's your fault. i've done my part, and if you want to ignore it, i can't help you." and God comes to him in a dream and reassure him. he tells him not to be afraid and reminds him to keep on speaking and not to be silent. because God is with him, and he's got paul's back. then paul is taken to trial by the jews. they are charging him with disrupting the community by trying to get them to believe in things against their law. and before paul even opens his mouth to defend himself, the judge stops the jews and tells them that he is not even going to listen to their charges because paul has not commited any kind of crime. so many times we are scared to talk to people about Jesus because we are afraid of what people will think, what they will do to us. will they make fun of us? worse, will they completely reject us and not be our friends anymore? but this passage in acts reminds us that if we are just obedient to God and do what he asks us, he will provide us with the words, and he will provide us with the allies when we need them. he will bring us the support. we just have to be obedient. i was lucky to have grown up knowing about God. but i try to put myself in someone else's shoes. if i had not been raised the way i was, and i had never heard about Jesus, and i had a life filled with so many bad and awful things, and someone took their time to step out of their comfort zone to tell me about a God who can save me from my past and heal me of my wounds. i would be so thankful for that person. i would be so grateful that that person stepped out of their nice clean church building and came and found me on the street and told me about the good news. how could i then sit in that nice clean church week after week, without trying to find someone i could help.
there are people dying out in the world, everyday. there are people that will never ever know of the saving grace that God provides. and we are sitting still, doing nothing to help those people. all because we want to come to church so that we can feel good and go home with warm fuzzies because God loves us. how selfish is that?! our bodies and our spirits are exactly where Jesus abides. our lives are where Jesus lives. i bet you anything, if i had the queen of england staying at my house while she was visiting america, i would be out telling every last person i saw that she was at my house. God is at my house!! i should be proud to share that. i should want everybody i meet to know that God lives with me and if you want, you can come see for yourself! most of us are lucky to have learned about Jesus at a young age. but for those of you that didn't. those of you that had a hard life, and you didn't find God until after you had been through so much heartache and pain and you were headed down a path of destruction. and you know what...really, all of us. we were all headed down a road of destruction. we were all going straight to hell in a handbasket. it doesnt matter if you had a hard life or not, we are all sinners and we were all dead in our sins. so, aren't you glad that whoever it was that led you to Christ, was there for you. why should we hold that back from anyone else?
the best example that i have seen in my life lately is my own husband. justin absolutely blows me away sometimes. he comes home almost everyday and tells me about who he talked to about Jesus today. he is surrounded with men that either don't have a clue about God, or who have pushed God so far out of their lives. either they've been hurt, or something tragic has happened in their life, or their parents pushed God down their throats so hard that they are totally against any kind of religion now. and he finds a way to talk to at least one person, seriously almost every single day. and he will be the first to tell you that he doesnt have all the answers. he is so humble in his faith, yet, he takes the step out there. people that he works with, that he has to face everyday. there is a chance that they would never speak to him again because they know he's a christian. but he doesn't care. he wants them to know the truth. and more often than not, those men are receptive. they respect him and they want to know why he believes what he believes. and a few have even come back to him and asked questions and brought the subject up on their own. my husband teaches me so much, because witnessing is an area in which i really struggle. i am the kind of person that wants everybody to like me, i don't like confrontation and i dont like answering hard questions. but i'm learning that God will provide the words when I dont know what to say. if i'm truly sharing with the right reasons, and i'm relying on God to get me through it, he will! the pastor at church was telling a story about a time when he was in an airport, and he was talking to a lady about kids and she had said somethings that struck him because they were not the same things that the Bible says. and the whole time he was sitting there talking to her, he was asking God how he could turn their conversation around and bring Jesus up. and it blew me away. not one time in my life have i been having a normal conversation and tried to think of how i could bring up Jesus. not once. if Jesus is brought up, i could talk all day. but to take a normal conversation and use it to share the gospel? that thought was unreal to me. but really, that's what we should be doing.
what on earth could be more important to talk about than where and with whom we will spend eternity. i am so glad that someone cared enough to take me to church when i was a week old. i'm so glad that someone cared enough to take me to church, even when i didn't want to go. and i'm so glad that so many people in my life cared enough to be obedient to the call, and share what they knew about Jesus with me. And i'm glad that they care enough to still teach me and hold me accountable. why wouldn't a friend, or someone i know, or even a stranger deserve that same care from me? who am i to be so selfish, as to worry about my comfort level and not just talk to them. it's just talking. if they reject me, that's ok. it's not going to matter in the end how many friends i have. what is going to matter, is did i do my job? because after all, Christianity is not about me.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
i thought i was supposed to be blessed?
I want to share with you all that I am following a series of sermons right now from the pastor of Brentwood Baptist Church. They have a midweek service through the church called Kairos. They meet on Tuesday night at 7 for anyone in the area that would like to check it out. I highly recommend it to anyone I know, and I can't wait to be back in the area so I can attend in person again. But, for now, the sermons are on podcasts through itunes. Right now I am going through a series he did last year about Revelation. It is a fabulous series, done in a way that I've never experienced a study on Revelation before. I remember when my dear friend, Nikki, first invited me to go with her and she said they were studying Revelation, I kind of went, 'eh.' But I can tell you that it really is unbelievable the way he turns it around and explains it to people like me. I started attending right in the middle of the series, so now I am going back and listening from the beginning. So, this is where most of the inspiration comes from with my posts. Anybody that wants to listen to the sermons yourself, you can find the podcasts for free on itunes HERE. There is a video version, but there is only about 7 of the sermons through video. But there is also an audio version that has all of the sermons in the series. you can download those to your ipod and listen to them in the car. it's great. most of the sermons are between 30 and 50 minutes though, so make sure you have some quiet time set aside to sit down and listen.
ok, plug over.
I wrote yesterday about putting God first in your life, and blessings will come your way. Which is a wonderful aspect of God. I love how he blesses us so much with not just huge miracles that are obvious, but also with little, tiny everyday miracles. but with those blessings, also comes many trials. "To whom much has been given, of him much will be required in return."
So many times when bad things in our lives happen, we cry out, "O God! Why me? I thought you loved me. I thought you said if i did everything I was supposed to do, that you would bless me. Why is this happening? Why now?"
But we so desperately need to understand that being a Christian doesn't mean things are always going to be great for us. Why do we think that because we have Jesus on our side that we get a 'get out of jail free' card? Look to our example, Jesus. He came to set before us an example of how to live. our ways are supposed to match up with his ways. our behavior is supposed to reflect that of Christ. Jesus was perfect. absolutely perfect, in every possible way. even more perfect than Mary Poppins, and that's a pretty tough act to follow, right? just kidding. But look at Jesus' life! Was his life full of puppies and rainbows? The purest, most perfect creature to walk the face of this Earth, you'd think he would be held in a little higher of esteem. but he wasn't. he was beaten and tortured to the point that he wasn't even recognizable as a man! If the King of the Universe was treated like that, if that's how the world chose to 'cherish' the Shepherd, what on earth makes us think that we, as his sheep, are going to be treated any differently???
The moment that we hand over control of our life to God, we become the arch enemy of satan. We thought life was bad before we became a Christian, just wait. since he can't defeat God, then he's going to try to attack and destroy everything that God loves the most. And in the beginning, satan might attack your weaknesses. but as we grow and learn, we realize that we have to protect those weaknesses. and his plan doesn't work anymore, so he moves on to our strengths. the area that we think we have a hold of. we are so confident in these areas that we don't guard them. Pastor Mike is always talking about oreos. he knows that oreos are his weakness, so he's got that covered. he doesn't even go down the cookie aisle. if he doesn't go down the aisle, he's not going to be tempted. but satan grabs him in the ice cream aisle. he didn't know there was oreo ice cream! he was in the area to get a frozen pizza, and boom. his strong point has been attacked. we are so busy guarding our ears and our eyes. we focus on watching nothing but touched by an angel and left behind and facing the giants, and listening to christian music. we don't even have the other stations as presets anymore. but then satan attacks your heart. you forgot to guard it while you were trying so hard to put good things into your mind. you pour so much energy into your family, protecting your children, and raising them the way you know God wants you to raise them, but then satan swoops in and attacks your marriage. you thought you were strong in your marriage. you thought nothing could touch that area in your life, so you didn't protect it. on and on and on. satan will not give up. if you don't think that there is a power out there to attack and destroy you, than you aren't paying attention.
that's why in ephesians 6, paul emphasizes the whole part about putting on the armor of God. every day. we always have to be prepared for a battle, every second of our day. even as i sit here and type this, satan is begging me to do something else. when i sit down to pray or write or read, my mind is all of a sudden FULL of everything that i need to get done. all of the things that i've been wanting or needing to do suddenly become of absolute importance. right now, there is a show that i've been dying to watch from last week and i haven't had the chance to watch it. and satan is trying to get me to stop writing and go watch that show. and it probably wouldn't hurt, i can type the same things an hour from now that i can type right now, but i'm not going to give in. that's exactly what he wants. and i'm stubborn like that. just because i know he wants it, i'm not going to do it.
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for each other." Ephesians 6:10-18
Stay in the word. Read the Bible. When Jesus fought satan, he retaliated with scripture. that is the most powerful tool we have. hide those words in your heart so that when a questions comes up, you will know the answer. never stop praying. have fellowship with other christians. "the first person we lie to is ourselves." we need accountability from each other. when we read a scripture outloud, we might think to ourselves that oh, that doesn't apply to me. but our friends around us say, oh yes it does. they see the fruit in our lives. be honest with each other. don't put up fronts. don't pretend to be something you're not. it's ok to be vulnerable. it's ok to show others the deepest, darkest parts of your heart. that is something that i really struggle with and something that God is working on me with. hence, why you are reading this blog. it's ok to be raw and to be real with not only yourself, but with the people that you love. we get stronger by lifting more weight. we gain endurance by running longer. we gain knowledge as a christian by studying and listening more.
i learned how lions hunt today. they don't hunt in the herds of their prey. but they chase the herd. they chase the herd until they get scared enough to separate. and then, the weak get tired. and they get slower. they aren't strong enough to keep up with the others. and they fall behind, until they are caught up with. and they die, alone, and are eaten.
satan works in the same way. he pushes and tempts until the weak finally give way. he pulls us away from the truth. gives us any excuse whatsoever not to get up and go to church. gives us a million things that would be time better spent than sitting still and reading the bible. and slowly, little by little, we grow apart from our brothers and sisters in Christ. and we get weaker, and we get slower, and eventually we die. and satan wins. he has captured his prey.
but i also learned today, that sometimes, the bad things that happen to us, aren't always persecution. sometimes, it's just life. there is a country song that i absolutely hate. it's about this man who is down and out. he's broke, he's having problems with his wife, his kids are out of control, and he comes to a friend and is telling him about his problems. and his friend pats him on the shoulder and says, "well, that sounds like life to me." i HATE it!! when i'm telling somebody about my problems, i would be so so SO angry if they did that to me. i want them to hug me and tell me it's going to be ok and encourage me. but, you know it's the truth. sometimes we cry out to God and ask him 'why oh why' and he tells us, it's just life, child. we wash our car and it rains and we ask, why does God hate us? it's just life! people we love get sick, we lose jobs, and our kids grow up to hate us. it doesn't mean that God hates us! it's just part of the pleasure we get have of living on this great earth.
bad things are going to happen to us. life is going to be down right crappy at times. sometimes it's the persecution of the daily battle raging within us caused by the dark powers of satan. while sometimes, it's just the way that life happens. and NO, it's not fair!! it's not fair when we've worked so hard for something, and we don't get the result we want. it's not fair when we've prayed endless prayers, and they don't get answered. it's not fair when bad things happen to good people. but, why do we expect to be treated like royalty? we think our lives are bad now, but we don't really know the half of it. most of us have never had to experience persecution like we've seen happen throughout history. and it's only going to get worse. but are we willing to fight? what do we do when the worst thing possible we can think of happens? can we still keep the faith? when life doesn't turn out like we thought it was going to, can we hang on? when your spouse, or someone you loves gets ill, will we stay? when someone dies, can we look past our own grief and praise God anyway? when your loved one is old, and they don't even remember who you are anymore, will you still go visit? when God lets bad things happen around us, when we are persecuted, when we are tested, are we strong enough to hold on and not let go.
i'm working on it everyday.
ok, plug over.
I wrote yesterday about putting God first in your life, and blessings will come your way. Which is a wonderful aspect of God. I love how he blesses us so much with not just huge miracles that are obvious, but also with little, tiny everyday miracles. but with those blessings, also comes many trials. "To whom much has been given, of him much will be required in return."
So many times when bad things in our lives happen, we cry out, "O God! Why me? I thought you loved me. I thought you said if i did everything I was supposed to do, that you would bless me. Why is this happening? Why now?"
But we so desperately need to understand that being a Christian doesn't mean things are always going to be great for us. Why do we think that because we have Jesus on our side that we get a 'get out of jail free' card? Look to our example, Jesus. He came to set before us an example of how to live. our ways are supposed to match up with his ways. our behavior is supposed to reflect that of Christ. Jesus was perfect. absolutely perfect, in every possible way. even more perfect than Mary Poppins, and that's a pretty tough act to follow, right? just kidding. But look at Jesus' life! Was his life full of puppies and rainbows? The purest, most perfect creature to walk the face of this Earth, you'd think he would be held in a little higher of esteem. but he wasn't. he was beaten and tortured to the point that he wasn't even recognizable as a man! If the King of the Universe was treated like that, if that's how the world chose to 'cherish' the Shepherd, what on earth makes us think that we, as his sheep, are going to be treated any differently???
The moment that we hand over control of our life to God, we become the arch enemy of satan. We thought life was bad before we became a Christian, just wait. since he can't defeat God, then he's going to try to attack and destroy everything that God loves the most. And in the beginning, satan might attack your weaknesses. but as we grow and learn, we realize that we have to protect those weaknesses. and his plan doesn't work anymore, so he moves on to our strengths. the area that we think we have a hold of. we are so confident in these areas that we don't guard them. Pastor Mike is always talking about oreos. he knows that oreos are his weakness, so he's got that covered. he doesn't even go down the cookie aisle. if he doesn't go down the aisle, he's not going to be tempted. but satan grabs him in the ice cream aisle. he didn't know there was oreo ice cream! he was in the area to get a frozen pizza, and boom. his strong point has been attacked. we are so busy guarding our ears and our eyes. we focus on watching nothing but touched by an angel and left behind and facing the giants, and listening to christian music. we don't even have the other stations as presets anymore. but then satan attacks your heart. you forgot to guard it while you were trying so hard to put good things into your mind. you pour so much energy into your family, protecting your children, and raising them the way you know God wants you to raise them, but then satan swoops in and attacks your marriage. you thought you were strong in your marriage. you thought nothing could touch that area in your life, so you didn't protect it. on and on and on. satan will not give up. if you don't think that there is a power out there to attack and destroy you, than you aren't paying attention.
that's why in ephesians 6, paul emphasizes the whole part about putting on the armor of God. every day. we always have to be prepared for a battle, every second of our day. even as i sit here and type this, satan is begging me to do something else. when i sit down to pray or write or read, my mind is all of a sudden FULL of everything that i need to get done. all of the things that i've been wanting or needing to do suddenly become of absolute importance. right now, there is a show that i've been dying to watch from last week and i haven't had the chance to watch it. and satan is trying to get me to stop writing and go watch that show. and it probably wouldn't hurt, i can type the same things an hour from now that i can type right now, but i'm not going to give in. that's exactly what he wants. and i'm stubborn like that. just because i know he wants it, i'm not going to do it.
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for each other." Ephesians 6:10-18
Stay in the word. Read the Bible. When Jesus fought satan, he retaliated with scripture. that is the most powerful tool we have. hide those words in your heart so that when a questions comes up, you will know the answer. never stop praying. have fellowship with other christians. "the first person we lie to is ourselves." we need accountability from each other. when we read a scripture outloud, we might think to ourselves that oh, that doesn't apply to me. but our friends around us say, oh yes it does. they see the fruit in our lives. be honest with each other. don't put up fronts. don't pretend to be something you're not. it's ok to be vulnerable. it's ok to show others the deepest, darkest parts of your heart. that is something that i really struggle with and something that God is working on me with. hence, why you are reading this blog. it's ok to be raw and to be real with not only yourself, but with the people that you love. we get stronger by lifting more weight. we gain endurance by running longer. we gain knowledge as a christian by studying and listening more.
i learned how lions hunt today. they don't hunt in the herds of their prey. but they chase the herd. they chase the herd until they get scared enough to separate. and then, the weak get tired. and they get slower. they aren't strong enough to keep up with the others. and they fall behind, until they are caught up with. and they die, alone, and are eaten.
satan works in the same way. he pushes and tempts until the weak finally give way. he pulls us away from the truth. gives us any excuse whatsoever not to get up and go to church. gives us a million things that would be time better spent than sitting still and reading the bible. and slowly, little by little, we grow apart from our brothers and sisters in Christ. and we get weaker, and we get slower, and eventually we die. and satan wins. he has captured his prey.
but i also learned today, that sometimes, the bad things that happen to us, aren't always persecution. sometimes, it's just life. there is a country song that i absolutely hate. it's about this man who is down and out. he's broke, he's having problems with his wife, his kids are out of control, and he comes to a friend and is telling him about his problems. and his friend pats him on the shoulder and says, "well, that sounds like life to me." i HATE it!! when i'm telling somebody about my problems, i would be so so SO angry if they did that to me. i want them to hug me and tell me it's going to be ok and encourage me. but, you know it's the truth. sometimes we cry out to God and ask him 'why oh why' and he tells us, it's just life, child. we wash our car and it rains and we ask, why does God hate us? it's just life! people we love get sick, we lose jobs, and our kids grow up to hate us. it doesn't mean that God hates us! it's just part of the pleasure we get have of living on this great earth.
bad things are going to happen to us. life is going to be down right crappy at times. sometimes it's the persecution of the daily battle raging within us caused by the dark powers of satan. while sometimes, it's just the way that life happens. and NO, it's not fair!! it's not fair when we've worked so hard for something, and we don't get the result we want. it's not fair when we've prayed endless prayers, and they don't get answered. it's not fair when bad things happen to good people. but, why do we expect to be treated like royalty? we think our lives are bad now, but we don't really know the half of it. most of us have never had to experience persecution like we've seen happen throughout history. and it's only going to get worse. but are we willing to fight? what do we do when the worst thing possible we can think of happens? can we still keep the faith? when life doesn't turn out like we thought it was going to, can we hang on? when your spouse, or someone you loves gets ill, will we stay? when someone dies, can we look past our own grief and praise God anyway? when your loved one is old, and they don't even remember who you are anymore, will you still go visit? when God lets bad things happen around us, when we are persecuted, when we are tested, are we strong enough to hold on and not let go.
i'm working on it everyday.
Friday, February 26, 2010
how do we get so lost?
i'm not sure why, but clicking the "new post" button on this blog is a little bit of a daunting task for me. i have been thinking all day about what i wanted to write. i thought i knew last night after i published the first post, and then when i woke up this morning, i had a new idea. and then on the way to the grocery store, i heard a song, and it sent me whirling in another direction. and then during my Bible study time, (nap time for stephen, no longer equals naptime for mommy....) the topic of discussion opened a new window. and finally, as i sat here, staring at the "new post" button for about 10 minutes, i made the decision to do what i always do when i don't know what to say. i just have to say something. if i can get started, i can usually find my way through my thoughts. i might venture down a few paths, and then change my mind, delete and start over. but i just have to get started. i have to make myself available, right? so as i sat there, i realized that i was just staring at the screen and i wondered to myself, why am i sitting here. then i moved the mouse to the "new post" button and paused for a minute, and finally hit the mouse button as hard as i could.
last night, i talked a little about my wilderness. how do we get to that point where we can look at ourselves in the mirror and not even recognize the face looking back at us? how do we get to the point when our lives are so different than they used to be? in revelation 2, God tells us that we have forsaken our first love. we have come to a place where God is not our first priority. we put our marriages first, we put our children first, we put our jobs first, and we put ourselves first. if God is not first in our lives, than something else is. it's not something that happens fast. the world doesn't ask us not to believe in Jesus at all, it just asks us for a little bit of our time. your Bible will be there, but this tv show is only on once. you need to watch it so that you know what everybody else is talking about tomorrow morning. you don't have to go to church every sunday. God will understand that you need the rest today. just this one time won't hurt anything. that christian radio station is getting boring, they play the same songs over and over. try listening to one of the main stream stations for a while. you can always switch back. oh, that movie isn't that bad. it's just a movie, you don't have to be a prude. go see it. see what all the fuss is about. the world didn't come to an end when you missed church last time, one more time isn't going to hurt. you know what, there is so much that we could do on sunday if we didn't have to go church. you don't have to go to church to be a good Christian right? i can worship God in my own way. it's boring anyway, i don't ever get anything out of church anymore. i don't need anybody else. this isn't that hard. i can follow God on my own. all these other people's advice really isn't that outstanding. there are too many hypocrites at church, anyway. why would i want to listen to somebody that can't even keep their own life in order.
that is how it happens. the world takes away, moment by moment, one tiny little sin after another. and satan convinces us that just this one time won't hurt. "what nobody else knows won't hurt" little by little, we are drawn away, and we don't even realize the direction our life is going, until it's too late. God throws up stop signs, but we ignore them. we hear a convicting message at church, but the pastor wasn't talking about me. there are people who are way worse off than i am. i've got everything under control. we follow this path until our lives are spinning carelessly out of control and we can't possibly get a grip. and it gets to the point where it's just not worth it to try anymore, so we just keep going. we say, 'well i've gone this far. nothing can help me now. it would be pointless to try and change.' so we keep spiraling downward. and then suddenly everything is taken away from you. those people and things that you had put first in your life, it turns out they didn't put you first in their life. so you get hurt, you get let down. that job that valued you so much, that you put so much time into, has to let you go because they've run out of money. that relationship that you poured everything into crumbles. and before we know it we are left by ourselves, in the wilderness. everything is stripped away from you. your husband is halfway around the world fighting a war and you have no access to him. the people who you trusted, who you thought were your friends, really aren't the people you thought they were after all. people die, things are taken away, things change, and all you're left with is yourself. and by this time, you are so beat up and bruised, that you aren't worth anything to yourself at all. there is nothing you can possibly do to pick yourself up and keep moving. and finally, we are able to look up and as clear as day we can hear God say, "do i have your attention, yet?"
then what do we do? how do we carry on?
the Bible talks about repenting over and over and over again. but most of us take that as apologizing. saying i'm sorry and promising to never do it again. but the Bible never once mentions the word apologize. it says repent. my favorite description of repentance is about the interstate. I-40 west goes to memphis. everytime, all day, every day, it goes to memphis. when you're driving down I-40 west, and you end up in memphis, how can you throw your hands up and say 'how did i get in memphis??' the only way NOT to go to memphis, is to get off the interstate, turn around and start again in the other direction. that is how you repent. you pick yourself up, and turn around. and you don't look back. there is no i'm sorry in repentance. guilt is a part of it, most definitely, but unless you make a radical change, like physically getting off of the interstate and turning around, you are still going to go to memphis. everytime. you can't just say 'oops, i missed the exit for 65-S, i'm sorry' and hope that you still end up in huntsville.
but, i've done something too bad, there's no way that i can change. yes you can. there is nothing that God can't forgive, and there's nothing that he hasn't already forgiven. when Jesus died on the cross, he forgave every sin, for every person, for all the times. he died for that very moment that you have fallen to your knees and can't possibly get back up. you just have to show up. just like me with writing, you just have to get started. take that first step, repent, change your direction, and God will lead you through the rest. but we have to be available, and we have to be present.
In Matthew 6:33, God tells us to seek Him and His kingdom first, above all else. not top 10, or even top 5, but first. if we don't get that part right, everything else is going to be in disorder. if God isn't first, something or someone else will be. and it may be fine for a while, but eventually that something or someone is going to fail you. and when all of those things or ones are gone, and God is not first, you have nothing to hold onto. when you love God with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your essence, there's simply not room for anything else.
i'm going to go ahead and throw in that song that i heard today. i think it fits in well. funny how God can do that. :)
last night, i talked a little about my wilderness. how do we get to that point where we can look at ourselves in the mirror and not even recognize the face looking back at us? how do we get to the point when our lives are so different than they used to be? in revelation 2, God tells us that we have forsaken our first love. we have come to a place where God is not our first priority. we put our marriages first, we put our children first, we put our jobs first, and we put ourselves first. if God is not first in our lives, than something else is. it's not something that happens fast. the world doesn't ask us not to believe in Jesus at all, it just asks us for a little bit of our time. your Bible will be there, but this tv show is only on once. you need to watch it so that you know what everybody else is talking about tomorrow morning. you don't have to go to church every sunday. God will understand that you need the rest today. just this one time won't hurt anything. that christian radio station is getting boring, they play the same songs over and over. try listening to one of the main stream stations for a while. you can always switch back. oh, that movie isn't that bad. it's just a movie, you don't have to be a prude. go see it. see what all the fuss is about. the world didn't come to an end when you missed church last time, one more time isn't going to hurt. you know what, there is so much that we could do on sunday if we didn't have to go church. you don't have to go to church to be a good Christian right? i can worship God in my own way. it's boring anyway, i don't ever get anything out of church anymore. i don't need anybody else. this isn't that hard. i can follow God on my own. all these other people's advice really isn't that outstanding. there are too many hypocrites at church, anyway. why would i want to listen to somebody that can't even keep their own life in order.
that is how it happens. the world takes away, moment by moment, one tiny little sin after another. and satan convinces us that just this one time won't hurt. "what nobody else knows won't hurt" little by little, we are drawn away, and we don't even realize the direction our life is going, until it's too late. God throws up stop signs, but we ignore them. we hear a convicting message at church, but the pastor wasn't talking about me. there are people who are way worse off than i am. i've got everything under control. we follow this path until our lives are spinning carelessly out of control and we can't possibly get a grip. and it gets to the point where it's just not worth it to try anymore, so we just keep going. we say, 'well i've gone this far. nothing can help me now. it would be pointless to try and change.' so we keep spiraling downward. and then suddenly everything is taken away from you. those people and things that you had put first in your life, it turns out they didn't put you first in their life. so you get hurt, you get let down. that job that valued you so much, that you put so much time into, has to let you go because they've run out of money. that relationship that you poured everything into crumbles. and before we know it we are left by ourselves, in the wilderness. everything is stripped away from you. your husband is halfway around the world fighting a war and you have no access to him. the people who you trusted, who you thought were your friends, really aren't the people you thought they were after all. people die, things are taken away, things change, and all you're left with is yourself. and by this time, you are so beat up and bruised, that you aren't worth anything to yourself at all. there is nothing you can possibly do to pick yourself up and keep moving. and finally, we are able to look up and as clear as day we can hear God say, "do i have your attention, yet?"
then what do we do? how do we carry on?
the Bible talks about repenting over and over and over again. but most of us take that as apologizing. saying i'm sorry and promising to never do it again. but the Bible never once mentions the word apologize. it says repent. my favorite description of repentance is about the interstate. I-40 west goes to memphis. everytime, all day, every day, it goes to memphis. when you're driving down I-40 west, and you end up in memphis, how can you throw your hands up and say 'how did i get in memphis??' the only way NOT to go to memphis, is to get off the interstate, turn around and start again in the other direction. that is how you repent. you pick yourself up, and turn around. and you don't look back. there is no i'm sorry in repentance. guilt is a part of it, most definitely, but unless you make a radical change, like physically getting off of the interstate and turning around, you are still going to go to memphis. everytime. you can't just say 'oops, i missed the exit for 65-S, i'm sorry' and hope that you still end up in huntsville.
but, i've done something too bad, there's no way that i can change. yes you can. there is nothing that God can't forgive, and there's nothing that he hasn't already forgiven. when Jesus died on the cross, he forgave every sin, for every person, for all the times. he died for that very moment that you have fallen to your knees and can't possibly get back up. you just have to show up. just like me with writing, you just have to get started. take that first step, repent, change your direction, and God will lead you through the rest. but we have to be available, and we have to be present.
In Matthew 6:33, God tells us to seek Him and His kingdom first, above all else. not top 10, or even top 5, but first. if we don't get that part right, everything else is going to be in disorder. if God isn't first, something or someone else will be. and it may be fine for a while, but eventually that something or someone is going to fail you. and when all of those things or ones are gone, and God is not first, you have nothing to hold onto. when you love God with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your essence, there's simply not room for anything else.
i'm going to go ahead and throw in that song that i heard today. i think it fits in well. funny how God can do that. :)
Thursday, February 25, 2010
why this blog is here
over the course of the past year, my heart has grown and changed in so many ways. as someone who has been in the church since i was a week old, it's a little embarrassing to admit that i have never experienced God in the way that i have in the recent year. i have been through the motions, i have sung the songs, said the prayers, read the words, and at times thought i'd "gotten" it. but looking back from where i stand today, i can honestly say that i had no clue back then.
there have been times in my life when i've felt close to God. there were times that i talked to him on a regular basis. there were times that i had it all together, so i thought. and who knows, maybe i did, but somehow i have never been at the point where my relationship with God was a constant, day to day, minute to minute, second to second communion with the Almighty. sure, i got church camp "highs" for about a week, maybe 2, hey, maybe even for a month. i'd be on top of the world as soon as we got back from camp, and ready to tell everybody i knew about what i had learned, but it didn't take long for that to fade into the past and linger as memories of mere good times. that's the problem when we let our christianity ride on the waves of emotion. then when that emotion isn't there, and daily life is pressing on us, we don't even recall that time when we were overflowing in joy. as i grew older, i continued to talk the talk, but my walk began to swerve farther and farther in both directions from the narrow. i have always known the truth in my head, but as far as the heart matters go, i'm not sure that i had ever fully understood the depths of what it means to be a follower of Christ.
i think the cause of that is because i had never been humble enough to accept the truth about my life. my pride always got in the way and i thought because i "knew" it all, that i could get by just fine by myself. but no matter how much we fight it, or push it away, or try to stand under the weight of it, God WILL get our attention. in some way or another. and it's very unfortunate that sometimes we have to blow through so many stop signs and so many warnings, all of which could have saved us an infinite amount of heartache, in order to reach the point where we can truly face ourselves for what we are. sometimes God has to literally grab us by the shoulders and shake us to the core to get our attention. to the point where we can't stand on our own two feet. we fall to our knees in a state of pure brokenness, sheer pain, and agonizing loneliness that only God can heal. but during those times, if we are able to humble ourselves before him and actually open our hearts to His will, he will bless us with so much peace, grace and mercy.
Many times in the Bible, we find these very same moments called exile. Every important moment in Biblical history begins with a period of exile, a time in the wilderness. Even Jesus himself, before he ever began his ministry, was thrown into the wilderness to be tested by satan. the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for years, before they received the blessings that God had promised them, and that was only when they humbled themselves before God and submitted their will to his. paul and silas were thrown into prison, but because of their faith, they used that time to praise God and worship him. the power of God's presence in that prison was so strong because of their willingness to praise Him, that the doors fell down. John, when writing the book of Revelation, was sent to exile on a deserted island. While the government thought they were punishing him, they didn't realize they were throwing him at the very feet of God. God brings us into exile when he wants to get our full attention. in a day when we are surrounded by cell phones, emails, internet, tv, all the time...how many times to we actually sit in SILENCE and give God our full undivided attention?
i am learning that it is in these times of exile, where we are lost in the wilderness, with no connection to what we consider as normal, that God speaks to us most clearly. if we use those times to throw ourselves before him and worship him, no matter what, he blesses us with a sweet surrender, showers of forgiveness, and ultimately a blissful awareness that we serve a Most High, Sovereign and Awesome God! people change, circumstances change, jobs change, money comes and go, people let us down, we let other people down, but the one thing that will never change is that Jesus is on the throne and everything revolves around him. we will never face anything more powerful, stronger or more fierce than God himself. so we have no reason to fear the unknown. solitude can be a wonderful thing, and brokenness is absolutely a beautiful thing, if you take your broken heart to the King, the only person that can heal it.
it's not the actual acts of praise that make a difference. when joshua fought the battle of jericho, it wasn't the acts of him and his army walking around the walls and blowing horns. it was their faithfulness, to do something so utterly absurd, because God told them to. because they knew that God would follow through with his promises. and sometimes God's promises don't line up with our plans. sometimes things happen that we don't understand. we pray so hard for something in particular, and then it doesn't happen. what about then? we have to understand that God is still in control. and believe it or not, he sees the bigger picture. he can see things and he knows things that are beyond our comprehension. and sometimes, it's just not our place to know. we wouldn't be able to understand it anyway, so it's just better that we just trust him. that's all he asks anyway.
woody allen said, "success is 90% showing up." you have to make yourself available to hear what God wants to tell you. if you aren't there, you can't see. if you aren't listening, of course you're not going to hear him. we can talk and pray to God all we want to, but if we don't listen in return, we can't get upset when we don't get the answers we want. because sometimes the answers we get aren't the ones we're expecting. so we always have to be listening. we have to be present.
this is where i am. this is why i'm here. a lot has changed me over the last year. i've learned so much, and i am still learning way more than i thought was possible for me to learn, every day. i still struggle. a lot. but, i want to make sure i'm present. i want to make sure i show up for the plans that God has to share with me. He has so many blessings to pour out to us, but we stay so busy, and so occupied with our own lives that we don't even take time to accept those blessings. we miss out on so much because of our selfishness. we decide to lay in bed longer than we should, and we could be missing an amazing blessing right outside our window. we have to spend a few extra minutes on facebook, refreshing the page, just to make sure that no one has updated anything since the last time we refreshed it 1.5 seconds ago. we'd rather hurry up and get our kids in bed, so we can sit up and watch that show we recorded from the other night, instead of reading that book "just one more time" and giving a few extra kisses. (i am so guilty of all of those!!!) God has so many things in store for us, but we have to show up to receive them. and sometimes, all we have to do is ask.
sometimes, when i learn something new or am reminded of something that i've always known, just never taken to heart, i just want to share it with everybody i know. and sometimes, writing things down helps me to comprehend what God's trying to teach me. I tried journaling, and as you can see, i write a lot. and i got one tired hand. so typing is my next best thing. and if i'm typing anyway, i might as well share the wonderful things that God shows me with those that i love the most. some of my posts might be complete ramblings, and you might read a post and have no idea what i'm talking about. and that's ok. i'm not asking anybody to follow my posts really, i just want to open up my heart to those around me. and if you want to follow me on my journey, you are more than welcome. i would love to have you along for the ride. and if not, please just pray for me. pray that i continue to be faithful, and that i make the most of every single moment that i have. pray that as my kid(s) grow, that my patience grows with them. that i can get myself out of the picture long enough to notice what their needs are and find out what they are really trying to say to me. that i will always do what's best for them, and not necessarily for me. pray that i continue to grow as a wife, that we continue to put God at the head of our marriage. I spent so many years thinking i can do things on my own, i don't need to let other people into my life. but i've learned that really, i do. i need the support of my family and friends. i need to be honest with not only myself, but also with those that i love about what's going on in my heart and my mind. only then can i be brave enough to face the storm that rages in my heart all the time and fight the enemy that tries so hard to come in and sweep me away from the most precious moments of my life.
so, if you've made it this far, i thank you. i will try not to let all of my posts get this long, and if i do, i apologize in advance. i can't wait to share my heart with you. even if it's just a computer screen. even if nobody reads this, i'm still excited. i'm excited because God is great. and i know that he is going to do amazing things in the lives of my family. my prayer right now, is that i will look back at these posts several years from now and say, man, i thought i had it together back then, but i had no idea! i hope God continues to carry me and sweep me away to unimaginable places!! and i pray that he does the same for you.
love,
miranda
When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious riches he will strengthen you with the power through his Spirit in your innermost being, so that Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. I pray your roots will grow deep down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power, together with all God's people, to grasp how wide, how long, how high, and how deep is His love for us. May you fully experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish immeasurably more than than all we might ask or imagine. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:14-21 (NLT&NIV, emphasis mine)
there have been times in my life when i've felt close to God. there were times that i talked to him on a regular basis. there were times that i had it all together, so i thought. and who knows, maybe i did, but somehow i have never been at the point where my relationship with God was a constant, day to day, minute to minute, second to second communion with the Almighty. sure, i got church camp "highs" for about a week, maybe 2, hey, maybe even for a month. i'd be on top of the world as soon as we got back from camp, and ready to tell everybody i knew about what i had learned, but it didn't take long for that to fade into the past and linger as memories of mere good times. that's the problem when we let our christianity ride on the waves of emotion. then when that emotion isn't there, and daily life is pressing on us, we don't even recall that time when we were overflowing in joy. as i grew older, i continued to talk the talk, but my walk began to swerve farther and farther in both directions from the narrow. i have always known the truth in my head, but as far as the heart matters go, i'm not sure that i had ever fully understood the depths of what it means to be a follower of Christ.
i think the cause of that is because i had never been humble enough to accept the truth about my life. my pride always got in the way and i thought because i "knew" it all, that i could get by just fine by myself. but no matter how much we fight it, or push it away, or try to stand under the weight of it, God WILL get our attention. in some way or another. and it's very unfortunate that sometimes we have to blow through so many stop signs and so many warnings, all of which could have saved us an infinite amount of heartache, in order to reach the point where we can truly face ourselves for what we are. sometimes God has to literally grab us by the shoulders and shake us to the core to get our attention. to the point where we can't stand on our own two feet. we fall to our knees in a state of pure brokenness, sheer pain, and agonizing loneliness that only God can heal. but during those times, if we are able to humble ourselves before him and actually open our hearts to His will, he will bless us with so much peace, grace and mercy.
Many times in the Bible, we find these very same moments called exile. Every important moment in Biblical history begins with a period of exile, a time in the wilderness. Even Jesus himself, before he ever began his ministry, was thrown into the wilderness to be tested by satan. the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for years, before they received the blessings that God had promised them, and that was only when they humbled themselves before God and submitted their will to his. paul and silas were thrown into prison, but because of their faith, they used that time to praise God and worship him. the power of God's presence in that prison was so strong because of their willingness to praise Him, that the doors fell down. John, when writing the book of Revelation, was sent to exile on a deserted island. While the government thought they were punishing him, they didn't realize they were throwing him at the very feet of God. God brings us into exile when he wants to get our full attention. in a day when we are surrounded by cell phones, emails, internet, tv, all the time...how many times to we actually sit in SILENCE and give God our full undivided attention?
i am learning that it is in these times of exile, where we are lost in the wilderness, with no connection to what we consider as normal, that God speaks to us most clearly. if we use those times to throw ourselves before him and worship him, no matter what, he blesses us with a sweet surrender, showers of forgiveness, and ultimately a blissful awareness that we serve a Most High, Sovereign and Awesome God! people change, circumstances change, jobs change, money comes and go, people let us down, we let other people down, but the one thing that will never change is that Jesus is on the throne and everything revolves around him. we will never face anything more powerful, stronger or more fierce than God himself. so we have no reason to fear the unknown. solitude can be a wonderful thing, and brokenness is absolutely a beautiful thing, if you take your broken heart to the King, the only person that can heal it.
it's not the actual acts of praise that make a difference. when joshua fought the battle of jericho, it wasn't the acts of him and his army walking around the walls and blowing horns. it was their faithfulness, to do something so utterly absurd, because God told them to. because they knew that God would follow through with his promises. and sometimes God's promises don't line up with our plans. sometimes things happen that we don't understand. we pray so hard for something in particular, and then it doesn't happen. what about then? we have to understand that God is still in control. and believe it or not, he sees the bigger picture. he can see things and he knows things that are beyond our comprehension. and sometimes, it's just not our place to know. we wouldn't be able to understand it anyway, so it's just better that we just trust him. that's all he asks anyway.
woody allen said, "success is 90% showing up." you have to make yourself available to hear what God wants to tell you. if you aren't there, you can't see. if you aren't listening, of course you're not going to hear him. we can talk and pray to God all we want to, but if we don't listen in return, we can't get upset when we don't get the answers we want. because sometimes the answers we get aren't the ones we're expecting. so we always have to be listening. we have to be present.
this is where i am. this is why i'm here. a lot has changed me over the last year. i've learned so much, and i am still learning way more than i thought was possible for me to learn, every day. i still struggle. a lot. but, i want to make sure i'm present. i want to make sure i show up for the plans that God has to share with me. He has so many blessings to pour out to us, but we stay so busy, and so occupied with our own lives that we don't even take time to accept those blessings. we miss out on so much because of our selfishness. we decide to lay in bed longer than we should, and we could be missing an amazing blessing right outside our window. we have to spend a few extra minutes on facebook, refreshing the page, just to make sure that no one has updated anything since the last time we refreshed it 1.5 seconds ago. we'd rather hurry up and get our kids in bed, so we can sit up and watch that show we recorded from the other night, instead of reading that book "just one more time" and giving a few extra kisses. (i am so guilty of all of those!!!) God has so many things in store for us, but we have to show up to receive them. and sometimes, all we have to do is ask.
sometimes, when i learn something new or am reminded of something that i've always known, just never taken to heart, i just want to share it with everybody i know. and sometimes, writing things down helps me to comprehend what God's trying to teach me. I tried journaling, and as you can see, i write a lot. and i got one tired hand. so typing is my next best thing. and if i'm typing anyway, i might as well share the wonderful things that God shows me with those that i love the most. some of my posts might be complete ramblings, and you might read a post and have no idea what i'm talking about. and that's ok. i'm not asking anybody to follow my posts really, i just want to open up my heart to those around me. and if you want to follow me on my journey, you are more than welcome. i would love to have you along for the ride. and if not, please just pray for me. pray that i continue to be faithful, and that i make the most of every single moment that i have. pray that as my kid(s) grow, that my patience grows with them. that i can get myself out of the picture long enough to notice what their needs are and find out what they are really trying to say to me. that i will always do what's best for them, and not necessarily for me. pray that i continue to grow as a wife, that we continue to put God at the head of our marriage. I spent so many years thinking i can do things on my own, i don't need to let other people into my life. but i've learned that really, i do. i need the support of my family and friends. i need to be honest with not only myself, but also with those that i love about what's going on in my heart and my mind. only then can i be brave enough to face the storm that rages in my heart all the time and fight the enemy that tries so hard to come in and sweep me away from the most precious moments of my life.
so, if you've made it this far, i thank you. i will try not to let all of my posts get this long, and if i do, i apologize in advance. i can't wait to share my heart with you. even if it's just a computer screen. even if nobody reads this, i'm still excited. i'm excited because God is great. and i know that he is going to do amazing things in the lives of my family. my prayer right now, is that i will look back at these posts several years from now and say, man, i thought i had it together back then, but i had no idea! i hope God continues to carry me and sweep me away to unimaginable places!! and i pray that he does the same for you.
love,
miranda
When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious riches he will strengthen you with the power through his Spirit in your innermost being, so that Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. I pray your roots will grow deep down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power, together with all God's people, to grasp how wide, how long, how high, and how deep is His love for us. May you fully experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish immeasurably more than than all we might ask or imagine. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:14-21 (NLT&NIV, emphasis mine)
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