God Moments

God Moments

          You know how you will just be going about your business through your day, and you will feel this little urge, or little thought, or sometimes even more – like a gigantic push to do something? That happened to me today.

          I got up and went to take the trash out. Immediately, I was aggravated. Both trash cans were overflowing with garbage. I walked off for a moment, collected my thoughts – which were anger and aggravation; went back, said to my wife, “There is something that I need to talk to you about.” Then I began to tell her: “There has to be something else we can do here.” Instead of letting the trash overflow if I do not get to it, take the bag out and place another one in. Then when I go in there, I will carry the bag outside.”

          She said, “Ok, but it was me that done that to try and get you to take it out.” I said, “You know that has the complete opposite effect.” When I go in there and see the trash overflowing like that, it usually aggravates me. So, we resolved the problem without any anger, argument, or other mixed feelings.

          Usually, I would have handled it a lot different. I would have said something out of anger that would have led to her and I getting into an argument. But this time it happened differently. I had one of those urges; and impulse that I usually would not have had. I believe that is because I have been praying for patience and wisdom and every other Godly blessing that will come my way.

          Anyways, long story short – God taught me a lesson out of all that trash! As I began to get a bag and start loading it down with garbage, I felt God saying, “That is exactly how you got where you were.” You see, I let a little sin enter my life, and little by little it became more than I could handle. We cannot handle a little sin in our life. It will weigh us down. We will say, “Ahh! That is not nothing. I can handle that. I am just going to do it once.” That is really, dangerous thinking, and we are ultimately convincing ourselves of our own lies!

          But I realized that is how easily I was separated from God. Little by little I let sin into my life, and before long it was overflowing and just too much to handle. Just like that trash can could not hold anymore garbage – my life was unmanageable! That is when I decided to take the 1^st step and admit it. It was then that God could actually start working in my life. Start emptying the trash little by little from my life.

          I really hope that this story touches you in some sort of way. If you are experiencing these same exact things in your life, today is the day. Admit it! Your life has become unmanageable. That is the 1^st step to getting your life back!

Be Encouraged, Chris

Are You Proud?

Are You Proud?

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you” (James 4:10).

Prayer

          God, thank you for another morning with your Word. I ask that you open my heart to your Word this morning. Help me to understand what it truly means to be humble. Show me how I can humble myself before you in every situation. In your name I pray – Amen!

Reflections

          I was reading an article about humility, and this guy delivered a point that describes me completely. You would think that he knows me personally. He states, “When trials come, will we bow up with pride, or bow down in humility” (David Mathis, 2020).

          This really made me think about my life and how I react to situations. I am a very prideful person and that is not a good thing at all. The world may tell us it is, but it is not. “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (Proverbs 3:34). I cannot trust God in one area of my life and not the rest. I cannot give up alcohol, porn, cussing, and yet continue lying etc. I get it but why do I continue to do it? I am trying so ridiculously hard to receive God’s grace in this area. I cannot submit to God on my right hand and give in to Satan with my left. That is why I continue to struggle. It seems my left hand takes control more often than my right!

          This is challenging for me because I like to be the center of attention. I am narcissistic like that. It must be all about me – in every situation. Even the wrong ones. But if I continue this way, it can never be about Him. I cannot handle stressful situations very well, so I do not understand why I even try to. That makes even more sense for me to humbly trust God in my life.

          That is easier said than done for me though. Especially when I am caught in the middle of any situation that life throws at me. God is giving me the opportunities to humble myself before Him. I just hope that I do not miss them because I am so self-centered and swollen up with pride!

          I am encouraged because God tells me that His grace is sufficient for me. His grace is better than my anger and better than any self-help technique that I would try. He has shown me that His Word proves true over my life. And that alone is encouraging to me to push forward and be humble in every situation.

          “We do not teach ourselves to be humble. There is no five-step plan for becoming humbler in the next week or month. But the main test and opportunity comes when we are confronted and unsettled, in the moments when our control vanish and we are taken off guard by life in a fallen world – and the question comes” (David Mathis, 2020). So, are we going to humble ourselves before God, or are we going to continue to be proud and prideful missing the opportunity?

Application

1.     I am going to continue to get in the Word every day, pray every day (and in every situation, hopefully), and continue to fast for God. These are the things that are going to help me be humble in every area of my life! I can feel my right hand getting a little stronger : )

Prayer

          Jesus, thank you so much for what you do for me. Thank you for being there for me when I need you the most. I am sorry that I try to take matters into my own hands after I have promised to trust in you. This is probably my main challenge with trying to apply these principles to my everyday life. I am confident that you will help me more and more if my heart sincerely desires to follow you.

In Jesus Name I Pray

Chris Stringer May 30^th, 2020

Reference

David Mathis: “How Do I Humble Myself?” https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/how-do-i-humble-myself

The Right Kind of Faith

The Right Kind of Faith

“For truly I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20).

Prayer

          Jesus, thank you so much for your Word. I ask that you speak to me this morning and help me understand what you are teaching me. Help me to open my heart and my mind to your Word. Also, I ask that you help me apply this Scripture to my life. I do not want to just receive knowledge of you – I want to live like you. In your name I pray – Amen!

Reflections

          I fell as if I am sitting right there amongst them and Jesus is speaking directly to me. There have been so many times in my life that I have felt completely helpless. That must be how these guys feel at this very moment. I think to myself sometimes: “I must not have enough faith in God.” Or, “My faith is so small that it is pretty much nonexistent.” A lot of the problem is that the faith that these people had and the faith that we have is focused on the material realm. Does that make sense to you? It sure does to me.

          I honestly believe that the people really did not see Jesus for who he was. I think that is one of my major problems too. I try to use Him more than anything else. Most all the people throughout the pages of Scripture try to use Jesus for their own interests. I mean it is understandable. I would want to see if I could not see. I would want to walk if I could not walk. I am not trying to sound negative here at all, but it was always, “Jesus, do this for me and then if you do not care do that for me to, and oh, while you are at it Jesus do this, and that, and this, and that!

          You remember in Scripture Jesus says, “If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. For it is better to enter heaven without these things than to be cast into hell.” Think about that one for just a moment. As you read through the Bible, you see only a handful that gave up everything and followed Jesus. And they struggled the whole time! And Jesus was right there with them, in the flesh! Do you not think it would be easier to follow him if he were here with you? If you could see him with your own eyes. If you could touch him with your very own hands. If you could experience things with him face to face. Laughing together, crying together! Person to person. These guys had that, and they struggled just as much with their faith as we do today. They struggled with the right kind of faith – just like we do!

          This challenges me so much. I still get lost and ask for all the wrong things most of the time. I do not want it to be about me, me, me. I want it to be about Him, Him, Him! I am learning that our faith must line up with God’s will. It cannot line up with our wants and our wills, or it is a counterfeit faith – is it not?

          I am encouraged by this because I needed to learn this today. I think this is something that we all need to hear. Especially me – Chris Stringer. I am learning to pray according to God’s will. I am asking for things that will grow me closer to Him; make me more like Him; and advance the Kingdom of God – not the kingdom of Chris! I still ask for things that I want sometimes – we all do this! And honestly, that is why we do not see those prayers answered. Are your prayers driven by biblical faith, or by faith in something else? Maybe your desires, your wants, or your needs! I had to ask myself this question. What is your answer? How do you feel about your faith now after reading my response?

Application

1.     I am going to pray for a faith like this. A faith that is completely Biblical and a faith that lines up completely with the will and wants of God!

2.     I am going to memorize “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us” (1 John 5:14). I believe that Jesus is making this point in Matthew 17 verse 20.

Prayer

          Jesus thank you so much for what you have shown me from your Word. I am thankful that you love me and want a relationship with me. I am even more thankful that you are changing my life from the inside out. I am going to have days where I fail at these principles miserably. I will still pray based on my own personal interests rather than yours. I will still try to use you for my own self interests and wants rather than your perfect will and want for my life. I ask that you help me with this. Help me to be focused on You, Your Kingdom, and Your will for my life.

In Jesus Name I Pray – Amen!

Chris Stringer May 29^th, 2020

         

 

How Important is Love

How Important is Love

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).

Prayer

          Jesus, thank you so much for your Word. I am having a hard time concentrating this morning. My mind is drifting everywhere, and I just cannot focus on anything that I am trying to do. I still desperately desire to hear from you this morning and I want to draw close to you. But it seems that the enemy is trying ridiculously hard to pull me away today. We are not going to let that happen. I am going to keep fighting through it. In your name I pray – Amen!

Reflections

          One of my 1^st thoughts when I read this verse was; “Why does Jesus call this new? I thought we were always supposed to show love to others.” That is true, but as you read on, Jesus says, “Love one another: just as I have loved you.” Whoa! Jesus! Are you telling us that we must love each other in the same way that you have loved us? That is not humanly possible. I fail at this every single day. I fail at loving anyone like that – even myself. Last night at work, I definitely did not show a great Christian example of love to Sherry. I am not even capable of showing this kind of love to you Lord. I do not know if I will ever be able to do this.

          Jesus goes on to tell us in verse 35 that “By this (love), all people will know that you are my disciples.” Do you know how important this is Chris? Oh my gosh! I am deeply reminded of the importance of this. My anger and actions from work last night are reminding me now! Its as important as cutting the stove off when you are done cooking or turning the faucet to the tub off when it is full – except way more important than those two things. This is more important that burning your house down or getting water damage in your floors – trust me on this one!

          God allows the world to judge whether I am a disciple of Jesus by the way I behave toward other people. That is true! How many times have you looked at a Christian in a restaurant on a Sunday evening and said, “That is the rudest person I have ever saw.” Do you know how many of my friends in fast food have said that to me? They say, “I dread the Sunday church rush because those are some of the most hateful and rude people that we have to deal with!” That is so sad people. What is that saying to the world about God’s church? No wonder the gospel has struggled for the last 2,000 years and is still struggling today! We need to take Jesus seriously at his Words on this verse. Are we doing that? Apparently not! I know I have not been. There are many people that would say, “There is no way Chris is a disciple of Jesus Christ!” I have made a lot of mistakes, but thank goodness that Jesus loves me like he says he does! Can we love others like that?

          This passage challenges me because I cannot love like Jesus. I am usually only worried about myself and how I feel rather than others. But the closer I get to Jesus, and the more I understand His love, I can try to love better! The object of my affection at least shifts in that direction. I will still fall short, but the more I allow the love of God to change my life, the more I will allow that life changing love to shine on others.

          I am encouraged because Jesus loves me. He really loves me, and he loves you. He loves you so much that he died a horrible death, one that we could not even imagine going through – and we probably would not go through it for anyone at that! Especially someone that mistreated us as we have mistreated him. I can see the love of Jesus changing my life. I mean, I still mess up, but I am making progress. He is working on my heart. My actions do not completely line up yet because I still got a lot of garbage in my mind, but He is helping me with that as well. He loves us! If you are having a bad day today, remember that – He loves you! Let that love change your life, and you will change the lives of others!

Application

          Your application can be totally different than mine. This is what I felt like I needed to do through this Scripture. God may lead you in a totally different direction – and that is ok.

1.     I am going to go out of my way today for someone other than myself.

2.     You never know what someone else is going through. I am going to make it a point to say kind gestures to at least five people today. And hopefully make that a daily habit.

Prayer

          Jesus thank you so much for your Word. Thank you for opening my eyes and my heart to your Word, despite the enemy trying to distract me this morning. I want nothing more than to know you. That is what I long for. I have tried to replace you with drugs, alcohol, and sex, but that never worked. The part of my heart that has been empty was missing you. You are the only one that can fill that space. I am going to struggle with my applications, but I ask that you remind me when I do of your great love. You loved me when I was a complete jerk and treated you horribly. And you still do! Help me respond to everyone in love and not anger. By this, all people will know that I am your disciple and maybe they will want to know you to!

In Jesus Name – Amen!

Christ Stringer May 28^th, 2020