What I am learning in Chicago: Our Dispositions- Something I always knew but didn't fully Understand

We all were born with a disposition. Not one disposition is better than another. However, our disposition affects the way we think which affects the way we act. Everything begins with our thinking, in order to produce growth we must first change our thinking which is a result of our own disposition. We all have different backgrounds and life experiences that have fabricated strongholds in each of our lives. We are called to continuously work on destroying those strongholds, and God gives us the tools to do just that. 

2 Corinthians 10:3-6 

 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. 

We are materialistic people in a materialistic world. Sometimes it is easy to forget depending on our circumstances that we are not just fighting a physical battle but there is a TRUE spiritual battle going on. Our actions are a result of our thinking. Our thinking is clearly not a tangible thing. We try over and over again to fix our behaviors but more often than not we find out we have failed to be transformed, again left asking for forgiveness. The truth is that these behaviors will never change if you don't first change your process of thinking. We are called to take every thought captive in order to be obedient to Christ. This is hard, and we can not do it alone. 

The reality of living in a self-centered world is that we develop a self-centered way of thinking. We are unceasingly fed lies. Eventually these lies are converted to truths within our mind. For example,

LIES

• I am an introvert, I won't be successful.
• My actions won't affect the people around me.
• If I watch just one minute of porn…that won't hurt anything.
• It isn't wrong if I twist the story just a little...

None of these thoughts are God honoring, BUT it is in our nature. God has given us the tools to reverse these false "truths." The living God is a promise keeper, and he promises us that we are capable of achieving far beyond our insecurities, fears, and selfish ambitions. It isn't however, through our own strength but through the grace of God that we are able to do so. He has given us the word of God, the swords of righteousness, and our faith. These three things can defeat any lofty thought that we are not holding captive.

We can not reach our full potential until we realize that God has given us our dispositions so that we can fulfill his purpose for this short life. God has been in control before, during, and after our lives began. We must trust that God has made each and every one of us with the exact personality, both extroverts and introverts, for an ordained reason. We must destroy with God's divine power the downfalls of our dispositions and our way of thinking so that we can complete God's purpose for our lives. We must no longer allow the sin of this world to penetrate our minds any longer. God has instructed us to be radical, be bold, and to be different. 

CHANGE YOUR MIND

I don't want you to LATER say, I wish I would have…

Credit to Pastor James MacDonald, for serving as an amazing instrument in Christ's Kingdom. Never stop pursuing kingdom work. 

Crashing Waves

Many are the plans in the mind of a man,

But it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

Proverbs19:21

This verse found in Proverbs is a good reminder that God is in control. No matter how many times we try to plan out our lives. The Lord's purpose for our lives will always prevail. I am the type of person who likes to have everything planned out; not only do I plan everything out but I will have two or three  alternative plans to my plans just incase my first plan doesn't work. 

I am learning that I need to be cautious with my planning. Many times I trick myself into believing that I have control, due to my obsessive habits of planning. I can't forget to mention that the majority of times, my plans don't work as planned. This results in a mass amount of anxiety often caused by worry or fear. But when I recite Proverbs 19:21, I find a sense of peace. No matter how many times we try to control and plan our lives the Lord's purpose will stand. We do not have the ultimate control over our lives, the Lord who knit us beautifully and wonderfully inside our mother's womb has the control.

Currently I am struggling with a control issue. This past year I have been faced with many trials. Some of them I stood firm in the word of the Lord, and others I failed miserably. I am writing these blogs in order that you will not make the same mistakes that I have made, and that you will respond in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ with confidence that His way is the one and only way that will bring you true success. 

I am here telling you: when life gets hard, when you loose your job, your car isn't reliable, you don't have money to pay for the bills, when you have lost a family member, when friends fail you, when your family hurts you, when you are filled with anxiety and fear, when you can't stop to think because you are so worried, when you get bad grades, when you have been abused, when you feel like you have no more energy to go on…GOD IS ALWAYS THERE. These are all experiences that I have had.

I honestly have no idea where I would be without a loving relationship with Christ. These trials are not easy to get through. The only way I got through was by restringing in the fact that I had an unfailing Savior who loved me beyond comprehension. Even though I did not understand why I had to go through certain trials, I new that I was learning through the tough reality of my circumstances. The world we live in is not perfect, we are not perfect. Without the trials I have endured I would not have been able to learn how much the Lord has done for me.  My prayer is that all who read this blog are either experiencing this relationship with the Lord, or will dedicate their lives to Christ and your faith will not just be an emotion but will be an action. God does love you and he wants you in his arms. He is an ever chasing God, and He has been calling your name. Take time to stop and listen. You won't regret it.

Jesus spoke these words:

"Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like; he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against the house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great."

Luke 6: 48-49

DO NOT LET THE CRASHING WAVES OF THIS LIFE PUSH YOU DOWN. STAND FIRM IN THE LORD.

When All Else Seems Lost

       

 At times the world around us will begin to shake. I know from experience the only way to stop the trembling is to trust in God that He will make my foundation strong. When circumstances go wrong it is our natural inhibition to blame God, or lose sight of His control. Even though it is against my natural grain, today I am consciously deciding to choose God.

I can only start off by iterating that I am 100% a sinner, beyond no doubt.

Gossip is on the tip of my lips. Anger is stirring in my heart.

I am anxious and hurt.

There is a quick fix…

I can hurt those I love and talk behind their backs. I can allow anger to control my decisions and behaviors. I can allow my anxiety and pain to control my thoughts. But this is not a person I want to be. ONLY an all powerful, all knowing, all just God can give me the strength to fight these urges, and He can help you too.

No matter the sin you may be struggling with GOD can free you. Whether it is sexual immorality, alcoholism, lying, cheating…Not one human is perfect. Lets challenge each other to be strong in the name of the Lord, to glorify His name. 

James 4:11 (ESV)

Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law. You are not a doer of the law but a judge.

Ephesians 4:29 (ESV)

Let no corrupting talk come out of your moths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Watching my tung is only one of the many things I need to daily work on. I found myself in a car crying hurt from the sin of the world and the sin inside of me, when I caught myself asking "Who Am I?" Who am I really? I didn't need to be dwelling on my pain. I had a Holy Creator holding me safe in His arms. His outstretched arms that will always find me as far as the east is from the west, no matter how far I run. WOAH MIND BLOWN. In the middle of my self-pity, I was reminded by an ever chasing God that He loves me. He has a love that is far beyond my understanding. I felt ashamed that I was  tangled in my own worries and hurt that I was distracted from being obedient. Obedience far out ways my emotions. 

My prayer for you is that God will reveal to you his unchanging love for you. This love will change the course of your life. Instead of going with the grains of this world you will have a father who will give you the strength to persevere and endure the unfathomable. 

A Heavy Heart

     This morning I woke up with a heavy heart. I got out of bed and avoided the turmoil stirring in my heart. After I had accomplished my morning routines, I realized my heart was still heavy. I decided to slow down and try to figure out why it was I was struggling. My heart was yearning for the restoration of all the poor children around the world. I decided to lay myself before Christ.

Dear heavenly father,

I come before you today because my heart is hurting. In this very moment

there are children suffering from male nourishment, unclean water, AID's,ect..

People my age are starving on the streets. Today I woke up in a 

comfortable bed, slipped on my slippers, walked to the kitchen, started brewing

coffee, and ate a banana. God, for that I am grateful. I am a selfish human.

I am aware of my blessings and am grateful for them, but what am I doing

for your other daughters that have nothing? For 19 years I have been thinking

of my own wants and desires, when just like you promised, you have already

provided me with everything that I need. God please forgive me.

                                                       Sobbing, I continued my prayer.

     This past January I went on a trip to Guatemala and worked with many different orphaned children. Today their faces were imprinted on my heart. More often than I would like to admit, anxiety and worry have become rulers of my heart. Unfortunately, I become anxious and worried about things that have menial meaning in the eyes of the Lord. Seeking others acceptance, how I am going to have money to buy a new dress, how I am going to do on next weeks test, are all real examples of situations that cause me to sin. Selfish me.

      You know those times when you are trying to feed your kid freshly picked and washed cucumbers? You gently place the well cut cucumbers down on the table in front of your child, and they stair at the plate and look up at you with a sassy look. "Mom, I am not going to eat these unless you give me ranch, or at least salt." The ungratefulness of this child upsets you to the point that you blurt out, "I don't care if you do not have ranch or salt, there are starving kids around the world and they would kill to have these cucumbers. You will eat these cucumbers if it is the last thing you eat." I know that is a cliché response, but in reality the verbal response is true. I am not saying the blurt of anger is justifiable. I just think we need to teach our kids about the harsh realities that are in our world.

      One way that Christ loves his children is through undeserving blessings. For some God ordained reason, many of us American's have been outstandingly blessed. However, our society somehow disillusions our thinking. Statistics show that many American's, more than ever, are feeling more lonely and in need of consuming more and more than ever before in order to fill a void. If we were to stop buying into society and social media's lies, I believe our culture would look much different.

      I call myself a Christian, yet I go through life a lot of the time with a selfish heart instead of a grateful heart. There are boys and girls younger and older than me that can't even fathom having their own bed, let alone their own room. Today we have our own bed's, our own room, or own televisions, our own bathrooms, or own blankets, or own closets, or own clothes, or own desks. What would the world look like if we gave up our desire of excess and helped those around the world, and in our own communities, to have the basic needs of life? 

     We complain about the injustice in this world. We sit back and watch our government officials having 1.4 million dollar budget parties, while they watch the homeless starve. We hardly do anything, however, to change the injustice.

                Philippians 2:14-15 tells us to "Do everything without complaining 

                     or arguing, so that you  may become blameless and pure, children of

                           God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation.

     My goal is to do less complaining and more "doing."  I know as I stress this to be more of an importance in my life, I will be tested. Please pray that God will give not just me, but also you to endure and persevere. Kingdom work is the best kind of work.

The Power of Prayer

      Today, God graciously revealed to me that He is listening. As I write this I am beginning to realize how incredibly awing it is that the God of the universe heard a little 19 year-old girl sitting in one country, in one state, in one county, in one neighborhood, in one apartment, in one room.  God did not only hear my voice, but he answered it. Christ always answers prayers, whether it is yes, no, or be patient. He answers. Always.This morning I prayed that I would have courage and be a light to this world. After handing in two large papers and finishing a long test, my brain felt fried. I wanted to just sit in a corner and lose myself in a book, and that is exactly what I did.

      "Oh, gosh what are you reading now?" While grabbing my book, an acquaintance from work plopped himself beside me. "It is one of those religious books again isn't it? Yup." Flipping through the pages he smirked "pshh I already see things this book doesn't like about me." 

                 "Like what?"

    

      "Oh you know sexual flirtatious stuff…I am a flirt. I flirt all the time. So what is it with you and all this religious stuff? You are really into it." His one eye brow raised as the other lowered. He looked curious or perhaps he was thinking "oh boy this will be interesting."

    

     I told him that "the book may not approve of particular behaviors but that doesn't mean that the people that believe those things won't accept you. We are all sinners. I am a sinner. I lie, manipulate, and I am selfish. No one is perfect."

     

    "Yea, that's for sure. I am a sinner too. I used to believe all that religious stuff. The more I have thought about things though, I felt like there are way to many things left unanswered that the bible doesn't tell us. Plus how do you explain when in American Christians were the one's who were promoting slavery. And to make matters even better they would support their efforts with the bible. That doesn't sound too Christian like to me."

      

    "You know it hurts me to hear when Christians in the past, and in the present, take the bible out of context and use it for their one selfish pleasure. You are right. In American history people who claimed to be Christians would not only own slaves but sometimes be unjust toward them. However, we all are sinners. Just like you admitted. God loves us for who we are. He knows we are imperfect people living in a broken world. It saddens Him to know that His sons and daughters are capable of treating other people in such a controlling and demeaning manner. What truly separates one person from another is, whether they realize their sin and are convicted about it enough to make a change and repent. God will always forgive. Do you know the story of Mosses?" 

            

               "Yea."

      "Yea. Well he was a murderer. Yet God chose him to free the Jewish people from bondage. God worked profound miracles through a sinner. A broken man."

      "That is a good point. I still am not sure though…"

      This is the the second conversation I have had with this man. However, I can see God stirring his heart. God is good. If you could, I beg you to pray for his salvation. Our brother in Christ is spiritually dead. Let's make a part in heaven and help make this man spiritually alive. What is life worth if we are not sharing the gospel? I have complete faith that God will work miracles in this guys life. Aren't we told in Matthew chapter 7 that if we "Ask, it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks reveives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened." If you believe this I kindly ask you to pray.

     GOD IS LISTENING!