As we end this week on goodness, this song is one of the first things that popped into my head. It's so easy to forget how everlasting boundless the Lord's goodness is. No matter where you go, how far gone you are, or how long you've been away, His goodness will always be forever.
I hope y'all are having a great week, and I pray that God is speaking to you each day as we post what He has placed on our hearts!
This week as we reflect on goodness, I have constantly had the song, How Great is Our God, in my head. Not only is the Lord the definition of goodness, He is also our GREAT God! So, as Christians what are we called to do in order to honor our great God?
Worship!
We have been made to worship God in every aspect of our lives. When you hear the word worship you most likely think of singing a song, closing your eyes, and holding up your hands. However, worship is more than just singing. Worship is a lifestyle that includes everything we think, say and do. For me, that was huge. Worship isn't just something I do on Sunday mornings. It is something that should occur in my life daily. Wow.
When I came across this definition of worship, I sat still for a few minutes and let it sink in. I thought, "So, in order to worship my Great God, I must live it out all the time by the things I think, say and do?" That changes things, friends. How many times a day do you find yourself thinking things that you would never say out loud? Or how many times have you made a comment to a friend about what someone is wearing? In all of these situations, we are not worshiping our great God like we were made to do.
Another thought I had...don't we all worship something? Many of us worship a relationship we have in our life or a significant other. Some worship money, clothes, food, and there are many other things. How can you find out if there is something in your life that you worship? What is the one thing in your life that you are constantly thinking about? Ouch. Yep, that's probably something in your life that you worship. However, as children of God we are called to only worship Him! We need to change our focus and we need to make sure that He is who we are worshiping and nothing else.
My next thought...how can I do a better job of encompassing worship in my life every single day and making it a lifestyle? I decided to take some steps that would remind me each day that I was made to worship my great King and nothing else.
1. I decided to type this verse up and put it in a place where I would see it each morning...
“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” Revelation 4:11
2. When you wake up each morning, pray that God will remind you constantly to worship Him in your actions, your words to others, and also your thoughts. Spend time with Him and allow Him to fill you up with His Spirit. This will change your day and will also change your life. By doing what we are all called to do, God is able to use us in so many ways and we will be blessed!
I encourage you to also put this verse somewhere that you will see it daily and have it as a reminder to change your lifestyle to one of worshiping our GREAT God in every moment of every day!
We all face dark days and want to give up when we can no longer see the light, but if you are
fighting the good fight you do not give up even when the “going gets tough”, you push on! We all are broken sinners, which makes it difficult to stand firm in your faith without God's constant support and mercy he freely gives us. We must always find the goodness in every situation, even in the midst of suffering and pain, it took me awhile to learn how to do so.
Caught In SIN
There was a time in my life when I was in a very bad place because I was in constant sin, which was naturally followed with a lot of discontentment. I was
living for myself, and I did not really even know what my purpose in life because
I felt very empty inside. I was entangled to my sin, and I was constantly searching for fulfillment. I sought satisfaction to my discontentment through a lot of heavy drinking while partying along with unhealthy relationships with guys. I was striving to be happy but only plunging deeper into sinful misery. I could
have chose to let go of my negative entanglement of sin; however, I chose not
to see the good in anything because I felt bogged down by my mistakes, regrets,
which gave me no hope for anything good in my life. I was completely blinded. We find in
Hebrews 12:1 exactly what we should do when we feel trapped, “let us throw off
everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run
with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
Blinded by Sin
I was in desperate need of a savior, but surrendering was
not easy, change is never easy. I could not see any goodness coming from believing that God wanted to pour out his grace to me because I did not feel worthy of it, but grace is receiving something that you do not deserve. I just did not want to accept something that I did not feel worthy of. Pretty dumb. However, God made it clear to me that I did not have to continue
living in the dark, he worked on my heart by pushing me to accept his grace. He also made it clear that I needed to take responsibility
for my life. I could no longer blame other people or my “misfortunate luck” as
causing factors of my failure and suffering. I realized I could either chose to get it together
and move forward, seeing all the good that I could see at the time or I could
continue driving myself further into the darkness of my miserable life that I
was living.
Connections to Job
In the Old Testament we find Job in the middle of a bad place in his own life, “I am disgusted with my life. Let me complain freely" (10:1). Job's story is much different from my on story because I was in the midst of suffering because it was self-inflicted; however, Job's suffering was not his own fault. Job had lost his wealth, children, and health. He was very upset and expressed his emotions like any human would normally do, likewise I finally expressed my suffering to God even though I had caused it. I was in at similar boat as Job because my emotions were very in line with his emotions of pain and suffering. No matter the cause of suffering it will eventually lead to death if it is not handled correctly, you will become so absorbed in self-pity you will become very unhealthy in your choices and actions.
I chose to move forward, and I started pulling myself from
all of the negative influences and surrounding myself with more positive
influences. During this changing process, I moved backwards and forwards in my faith for awhile, I was not grounded. As we look back to the story of Job we find him asking why me and he constantly was pleading his innocence to his friends. His friends were convinced that there was some great sin that was causing his suffering. His friends tried to point out to Job that he did need to repent of sin, and that his view of God was very narrow-minded. One of his friend's, Eliphaz, tells Job the following which is truth, "submit to God, and you will have peace; then things will go well for you. Listen to his instructions and store them in your heart. If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored--so clean up your life (22:21-23 NLT)." In another encounter, Job's friend Elihu speaks truth, "He (GOD) gets their attention and commands that they turn from evil. If they listen and obey God, they will be blessed with prosperity throughout their lives" (36:10-11 NLT).
Finally, God answers Job in a whirlwind with a series of questions. . .
"Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words?
Brace yourself like a man, because I have questions for you, and you
must answer them.
Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell me, if you know so much.
Who determined the dimensions and stretched out the surveying line?
What supports the foundations and who laid the cornerstone as the
morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?
Who kept the sea inside its boundaries as it burst from the womb,
and as I clothed it would clouds and wrapped it in thick darkness?" (38:2-9 NLT).
God is Good
How powerful is that? Changes your perspective on the greatness of God, just a bit does it not ?! God's view of suffering is that it causes us to trust him for who he is, not what he does or does not do. Job finally repented, but not for hidden sin that his friend's were insisting that he repent of, instead he repented for questioning God's sovereignty and goodness. In conclusion, God points out that Job's friends were wrong for judging him without knowing what God was doing. However, God did bless Job with a fruitful life after his confession.
Likewise, I asked for forgiveness for not trusting God and believing that he was Almighty in power to save me; however, I also repented of all my known sin that I caused because I was living for myself and my desires. Since that point, I strived to be obedient and see good and positive aspects
of my life. I started making new friends who are still are
strong influencers on my life right now, and I started seeing life with a
totally new perspective. I am able to love others in a way that I
have never be able to love. When before I was very closed up and I did not know
how to show affection to others; however, since then I have noticed that I have
compassionate heart ready to pour out into my family, friends, students, and
even strangers. I am able to love in this way because God points out the good
in so many people, things, and situations in my life because, he has removed
the “blinders” and I am no longer narrow-minded to a negative outlook on life.
While
I still struggle, sin, and face suffering, I direct my motives and questions to “what is this doing to
help me grow in my faith’ and I keep in mind that God is GOOD and cares a great deal for me. While sometimes we do not understand his reasoning he must endure suffering whether we bring it on by our sin or it comes unwanted. Just know that he reigns ALMIGHTY in power and he is GOOD all the time !! He will bring good things out of your suffering if you choose to see the good and keep hope for the future, HE has made a promise to you, "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope" (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT).
God’s goodness is easy to see when fun, exciting, happy things are going on in life.
marriage
the birth of a baby
new friendships
financial security
What happens to God’s goodness when bad things happen?
divorce
infertility
loneliness
debt
God’s goodness stays the same.
Even in the midst of all of life’s struggles, pains, and disappointments God’s goodness is still there for us to embrace. If there is anything that I have learned through my walk with Christ it is that my walk shouldn’t be based on my current circumstances. Life is a rollercoaster; there are good days, bad days, sad days, and happy days. But, our days would be much more consistent if we chose to keep our eyes on the only one who DOESN’T change. If we only look at our present surroundings, we are sure to get discouraged and become obsessed with looking at the bad. But, if we focus on God and the goodness of his nature, we will understand that he LOVES us and that is actively working everything out by HIS plan.
“Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.”
Romans 8:26-28
While you may be in a time in your life where you are asking God “Why”, remember how much he loves you and how he wants GOOD for you. Jeremiah 29:11 says that he wants to bring good, not harm to us. We are his ultimate treasure. He sent his Son to die on a tree… just for us. His plans for us are more than we can comprehend, so we just have to keep our hearts fixed on him and not allow our circumstances to change what we know is true.
Welcome back, friends! I hope y'all had a great weekend.. I know I sure did {even though the Dawgs lost in the SEC championship game!!}
The MAIN reason I had such a wonderful weekend is because of an amazing event we had at our church on Sunday called United.
United is an event where we celebrate, through baptism, the spiritual birth of middle and high schoolers. It was a time for those who were ready to publicly profess that Jesus Christ is their Lord and Savior. We had 28 students get baptized. It was an AMAZING night full of amazing stories of just how GOOD GOD IS!
Our topic this week is goodness.. and today is all about how God IS good.
You see, as I sat down to start writing this post I prayed and I asked God to tell me what to write about. The only thing on my mind was United and these students that got baptized. To me, that is a PERFECT example of just how good God is. He is at work in all of their hearts and they just want to tell the world about God's goodness. So, instead of having a discussion today I just want y'all to watch this video of one of me and Jessica's 6th grade girls. Listen to her story and watch as she symbolically associates and identifies herself and her life with Jesus. I hope this paints a picture for you of the goodness that is Christ.
He IS good. He will always be good.
"You cannot have goodness without God, just as you cannot have God without goodness. God alone is good."
When you keep your emotions and hurt feelings locked inside it does nothing but cut you deeper. Withholding feelings and not pouring out truth will only build up anger and frustration, which gives the devil a great opportunity to attack. Has someone has said or done something to you that got under your skin and really bothered you, but you did not take any action because you thought you could just "sweep it under the rug"? However, you find that you are constantly shoveling junk under the rug, and you do your best to carry on being KIND! Out of the goodness of your heart you sincerely try your best to keep your mind off the negativity of the situation with that person; however, you realize that the more you avoid the thoughts and feelings the more often they come up. Eventually, your emotions get strung out to shreds and you reach a breaking point ?!
The Devil Will Take a Hit, Will You Withstand ?!
We all fall into traps and God knows this will happen and he shows grace every time, "Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that GOD will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will." 2 Timothy 2:25-26. You have to decide how you are going to handle yourself when you reach your breaking point. Either you can act out in anger or find it within you to humble yourself and express your feelings with the person in a rational and kind way. We find in Ephesians, "in your anger do not sin" so there you have it, a direct route to take, God is telling you not to let your anger defeat you and be wise with your actions!!! Do not listen to another lie that the devil is feeding you because it likes to magnify things and your anger to get the best of you if you do not get it under control.
Communication Carries You Far
So what do you do with all those conflicting feelings that are eating at you ? You may not think it is impossible to sort through the complexity your situation; however, God is not going to push you harder than you can withstand. Personally, I cannot stand confrontation and I will avoid a situation that bothers me until it starts completely consuming me. I will try to convince myself that I can handle the situation, and I am great at pulling out the idea of, oh I just do not need to worry about it because time will just mend things. However, that is SO wrong the bible tell us, "do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold" (Ephesians 4:26-27). I have learned that if something bothers me then it is more than likely not going to just disappear. Quit waiting around and start communicating. Life is not easy by any means, we all face troubles and hardships; however, you can either live in bitter discontentment or in peace through faith in God. In Matthew 18:15-17 we find valuable and wise action steps to follow, "If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him—work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you've made a friend. If he won't listen, take one or two others along so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest, and try again. If he still won't listen, tell the church. If he won't listen to the church, you'll have to start over from scratch, confront him with the need for repentance, and offer again God's forgiving love."
Confidence in Yourself and Trust in God
Taking the first step is always scary because you are moving into the unknown, but rest assured that you are moving with God and remember this, "For the LordGod is our sun and our shield.
He gives us grace and glory.The Lordwill withhold no good thing from those who do what is right." Psalm 84:11. Be truthful with your words and speak on what is pressing on your heart, and all of those negative and lingering emotions that hang heavy on your heart will no longer exist. You are making yourself whole by resolving the conflict that you are battling with the feelings that you are holding onto and you will feel peace once you let it all go. In Epehsians 4:31-32 we are told to, "get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be KIND and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."
Action Steps
Pray for guidance and wisdom.
Abandon the lies that the devil has been feeding you.
Speak truth and remember God is near every heart.
Forgive and move on with kindness uniting you as one through your faith.
Positive thoughts will lead to positive outcomes.
You need the Lord all of time, and I promise that the more that you seek him the closer he will draw to you. He is willing to help you through anything.
This week we are talking about KINDNESS and how it applies to our lives. Today I (Savannah) am going to be talking about how ADOPTION is one way you can do that.
Adoption is a huge part of my
entire family, and it has impacted my life in many different ways. Recently, I attended a church that dedicated the entire Sunday to their
Orphan Care Ministry. My SIL is part of this ministry, and she has
helped it grow into a wonderful thing! It was truly an amazing service,
and I think many hearts were impacted from it. The pastor of ministries
spoke, and he did a wonderful job speaking about adoption. The title of
the sermon was "Adoption Is the Heart of the Gospel."
He began by talking about how there are two types of adoption...vertical adoption and horizontal adoption.
Horizontal adoption is what comes to most peoples' minds when hearing
the word adoption...giving an orphan a forever family and a forever
home. However, vertical adoption is something that every child of God
experiences. We are adopted into His forever family when we believe that
He is the one and only Lord and savior. It was amazing to connect the
word adoption to the very thing that we are all created for. Adoption is
truly the heart of the gospel.
We are all called to care for orphans in our lifetime...
"Real
religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this:
Reach out to orphans, the homeless and loveless in their plight..."
James 1:27
Here are some ways you can do it...
- Discover adoption and impact an orphans life forever...go to one-27.org
- Head over to this blog...http://everythingbeautifulshay.blogspot.com...and check out the right sidebar. Here, my mom has posted many opportunities to reach out to those that are going through the process of adoption.
- Pray for the needs of more than 160 million orphans in this world...
If that doesn't move you to care for orphans in some way, maybe these precious faces will.
These
are five faces of once orphans who now have forever families. Only by the
amazing gift of adoption did they receive this amazing and wonderful
thing. A thing that you and I take for granted every day...
My sister EllaKate...given a forever family at 11 months old...
...now she is a beautiful and healthy 6 year old...
My sister ShayleeJoy...given a forever family just over 1 year ago...
...now she is healed from a heart defect and is healthier than ever...
My baby brother Will Perry...given his forever family just a couple weeks ago, read his story HERE...
My nephew William...given a forever family at 5 years old...
...now a handsome and healthy 8 year old...
My nephew Daniel...given a forever family at 5 years old...
...now a happy and healthy 6 year old...
Please act now because adoption is our mission and a way that KINDNESS can become apart of our lives each and every day.
If it's on God's heart, it should be on our hearts too!
"In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must
help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.' " Acts 20:35
We are so glad that you found us here at Fearless. We are just four girls in our twenties who met through the wonderful world of blogging and have formed a connection we didn't know was possible. We have grown to love Jesus and love others through our relationships with one another. Our goal here at Fearless is to love God and love people. Stick around and see what it is all about!
"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7
