What If We Lived Like Every Day Was Christmas?

What if every day you woke up excited and expecting something amazing?

What if every day we cherished our family and gave thanks and glory to God?

Would our outlook on life be different? Would we have more joy? Would we complain less?

What would the world look like if we lived like every day was a special day, like Christmas?

These are questions I have been pondering today. Because it seems to me that we hype up this one day, and when it’s over many of us are left feeling somewhat empty.

It’s time for us, as Christians, to get back to the basics of what Christmas really means.

The four of us, who make up my family, have stopped giving gifts to each other. This year we are going on a mini vacation instead; to spend time together and make precious memories.

Isn’t that what Christmas is about; spending time with those we love, celebrating the birth of our Savior?

Don’t get me wrong, giving gifts is definitely not a bad thing, but it should NOT be our main focus.

So, why do we really celebrate Christmas?

Has Santa become more important than Jesus? Perhaps in today’s society he has.

It seems to me that a lot of the worldly things done during this time of year are meaningless. I definitely understand where Solomon was coming from in Ecclesiastes 1:2.

“Meaningless! Meaningless!”
says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless.”

But what really matters? What counts in this life? What are we to do, as Christians?

I guess I am just thinking out loud, or on paper, rather.

What do I know that’s true?

God came down to earth as a baby, born of a virgin. He grew up and died for my sins to save me.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

He loves me unconditionally.

He will never leave me or forsake me.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

He has called us to tell others about Him and be His hands and feet to a hurting and sinful world.

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

There are a lot more things to be added to this list, but I believe these are some of the main ones. But I would love to hear what other people know to be true in their lives.

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15) We are choosing to put our focus on God and the true meaning of Christmas and not get caught up in the commercialized holiday that it has become.

So I hope that my point came across clearly. Don’t forget that Jesus is the reason for the season. Let’s try to live like every day is Christmas; to enjoy the simple things in life, to give God all the glory, and to wake up each morning expecting something amazing!  

Jesus-Confidence

The other day I was praying in my prayer journal, as I do sometimes, and I wrote the word self-confidence down as a need for myself as well as a friend of mine. But it suddenly hit me that the confidence I want and need is not found in myself, so I quickly marked it out. I began to think about what the word ‘self-confidence’ really means.

According to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary, Self-Confidence is defined as “confidence in oneself and in one's powers and abilities.”

Wow. This is a very worldly term. Not much room for Jesus if we are to have confidence and depend on ourselves in all that we do.

Often, our own confidence denotes pride.  

I do believe there is a healthy amount of confidence that is needed in our lives, but that confidence doesn’t come from self – it comes from Jesus Christ. I often pray that I will be confident in who I am in Jesus, but for some reason seeing the word ‘self-confidence’ really jumped out at me.

So I have decided to now pray for Jesus confidence. It’s not about me, it’s ALL about HIM! I can’t do anything in my own strength.

“I can do all things through CHRIST who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13

 “He must become greater; I must become less.” John 3:30

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Romans 8:37

Romans 8 goes on to say that NOTHING can separate us from God – “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Vs. 38-39

”Such confidence we have through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.” 2 Corinthians 3:4-5

“In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” Ephesians 3:12

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” 2 Peter 1:3

Cross references:

Ephesians 3:12 : Eph 2:18

Ephesians 3:1 : 2Co 3:4; Heb 3:14; 4:16; 10:19, 35Such powerful scriptures! I could just quote scripture after scripture to back up that WE NEED JESUS! We can’t do anything on our own. “Nothing is impossible with God.” Matthew 19:26

One of my favorite authors, Beth Moore in her book So Long Insecurity said, “We're going to have to let truth scream louder to our souls than the lies that have infected us.” As humans we worry way too much about what other people think about us. We have to let go and let God lead, and be the people He created us to be. And not worry what others’ opinions of us are.

So I guess the question is, where does your confidence come from – self or God? And if your confidence is lacking (like mine often is), we need to pray for healing in that area in our lives. Because we are called to stand up and be His hands and feet and shine His light in this dark world. Afterall, we are created in His image – we reflect our Creator.

Lead, guide, and direct our paths, Lord Jesus. Make us whole and confident in who we are in You. All that we need is already in us, so manifest the Jesus confidence in us and use us for Your glory – that in all we do we may glorify You! I want to exude You, Jesus. I want every ounce of my being to honor and praise Your Name. Please don’t just let my words be just words, cultivate the things of You in me and push out the bad. You are the Great Physician; heal us and use us for Your work. We want to be Your hands and feet in this dark world. I want to shine Your light! Take me, break me, mold me, make me – I am Yours! We love you, God! Amen.

Cross references:

Ephesians 3:12 : Eph 2:18

Ephesians 3:12 : 2Co 3:4; Heb 3:14; 4:16; 10:19, 35; 1Jn 2:28; 3:21; 4:17

Guard Your Heart

Guard your heart

 

Or it might break apart

 

Keep it pure

Or you’ll sin for sure

Guard your mind

Or you might go blind

Keep your thoughts clean

Because satan likes to demean

The Bible says in Proverbs 4:23, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

If only we would listen to God’s Word….life would be so much easier. But instead we like to make it more “interesting” and not listen the first five hundred times He tells us something.

Christians, we must guard our hearts, because there is an opposing team roaming around always looking for a weak spot to make his move and pounce at our breaking point. We can’t take this Christian life lightly, we have to put our armor on and be ready for battle.

“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.” Ephesians 6:10-17

It’s all too easy to just read it and talk it up and say how important it is, but I’m speaking to myself in all this too; it’s vital that we actually do stand up and fight against the enemy. We know that ultimately we have the victory in Jesus Christ.   

I know without a doubt we are living in the last days. So we must now more than ever guard our hearts, minds, and bodies from this evil world.

So my challenge for us is that we truly stand up for what’s right under God; that we don’t get caught up in negativity or gossip or unwholesome thoughts or words. And it all starts when we allow God to purify us and to guard our hearts.

“Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:8  

 

Beauty from ashes

I am learning more and more every day that the past is in the past. I don't have to dwell on my past mistakes and failures anymore. It's okay to freely be who I am in Jesus Christ. It's okay to let go and live for today. I will stand firm in my faith. I pray I won't waver anymore. I pray for discernment and wisdom.

I am a firm believer in that things happen for a reason. I know my past has made me a stronger woman in many ways. It has given me a new appreciation for God's unconditional love and grace. It is opening up doors for amazing Godly people to mentor me, and in turn I know it is going to give me opportunities to share my redemption story with others and to show God's love.

God is working so much in my life. Romans 8:28 has become much more real to me; as well as Isaiah 61:3; beauty from ashes. I know without a doubt God has amazing things in store for my life, because satan had such a hold on me for a while. Such a weight is lifted when you are freed from the bondage of sin. No more lying or hiding. The truth really will set you free (John 8:32).

WOW! I am so thankful for the journey God is taking me on. It's not easy, but I know He is always by my side. I thank God for never leaving me or letting me go. He continues to work in my life even when I am disobedient. I praise Him for making me whole again. And wrapping me back up for my future husband.

The church is supposed to be a safe haven to come and be encouraged and built up and never judged; and First Assembly has really been that for me. I am so thankful for my awesome church family and for my amazing God. I truly believe that we should be more real with each other and to talk about the things we struggle with. There are big issues in churches that get kind of brushed under the rug, but these issues need to be addressed.

I am pretty much an open book these days. I've always been an open person, but I am more than willing now to share with others what God has brought me through. Yes some people will judge me, because we are only human, but to those people I would share this verse: "Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged."

Not really meaning to, I had really gotten caught up in judging others. But honestly no one has a right to judge anyone. In turn, I fell into the same sins as the ones I was judging others for. So be very careful if you do start to judge someone else. You never know what they've gone through in the past or what they are currently experiencing. We should just focus on loving others with God's love, not condemning them. Luke 10:27 says, "You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind. And, Love your neighbor as yourself." Also in Matthew 7:12 it says that we should treat others the way we want to be treated.

So today and every day, let's all try to focus on loving others the way Christ loves us. Pray and seek His will, and He will show You what direction to go. We all have trouble really letting go and letting God direct our path, but it is definitely worth it in the long run. Today I ask God for His guidance in sharing Christ's love with others. Pray for His strength and courage in a world full of people who need to be loved.

"And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me." Matthew 25:45

Loving God, means loving people.

Perfectly Imperfect

I really thought you loved me, but it was all a big lie; sometimes at night I still cry.

I believed all the things you said; and followed you where you led.

I was wrong about you, wrong about a lot of things; and even the thought of you now makes my heart sting.

But enough bashing you; I was involved in that sin too.

A facade I led for a while; but lying and hiding just isn't my style.

I couldn't help but finally come back into the light; for the whole time I was in God's sight.

I thank God for saving me from my life of sin; without Him the healing process couldn't begin.

I'm on the road to restoration, living each day as if it were my last; leaving my regrets and pain in the past.

I WILL walk securely in Jesus Christ my Savior; and live each day putting on the armor of God, and throwing off my old sinful behavior.

Each morning Your mercies are made anew; and for Your grace and unconditional love, I thank You.

I love You, God, with all my heart; I know You have called me to be set apart.

Please guard my heart from anything that is not of You; and open my eyes to Your point of view.

Make my life about You, and not of me; so that through my actions it's Jesus they will see.

When I say I'm a Christian, I want to have proof; not just a life of going through the motions and living aloof.

Jesus, my prayer today is to be Your hands and feet; in a world full of darkness, to every one I meet.

Thank You for all You have done, are doing, and will do in my life; I praise You in times of good and of strife.

This journey isn't easy and I'll never be perfect; but knowing Jesus makes it all worth it.