Awaiting

This is one of the hardest things I have ever done.  I am “patiently” waiting on Gods answer.  Its amazing how nonchalant we are with our everyday decisions and say we are letting God be a part of it, then to realize for me I have no patience.  I want an answer to come so fast because I am like “Hey, Lord I am waiting on you.” and because of that the answer should come quicker.  Yeah it doesn’t work like that and as I have been waiting on decisions to make, more options for me arise and it becomes even more truthful for me that I will have to trust God completely in making the right decision.  Who would have ever thought that waiting on an answer from God would cause so much anxiety.  It turns out I am the one causing the anxiety because God already knows the answer, FRUSTRATING.  Then while all of this was going on a close friend of mine sends me a scripture and he says as he was studying, God placed me on his heart and the situation that I am in and gave him this scripture.  Jeremiah 29:11, yes it is a famous scripture that many people know, however, in this moment in my life it has become the most critical piece of scripture that has brought me some peace.  It was God’s way of telling me to chill and live life to the full as I wait to give you the answer that will be best for you, Anthony.  It has been pretty  cool for me in prayers of late that God adds my name as we talk.

Jeremiah 29:11-For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” AMEN to that and to Jesus for always looking out for me when I am most in need.

God’s Promises

I was with some friends last night and one of them mentioned that God’s promises for us are as many as there are stars in the sky.  However, to gain his promises we have to trust him with our Faith.  As we know faith is believing without seeing, that means we must trust that our God has promises for us to guide us and bless us.  I think a lot of us look for the wrong kinds of blessings when we should be looking at the ones we receive everyday.  Every time we get a chance to live for Christ is a blessing, but we must know that the call he has designed us for is undeniable.  You see we may be good or even great at different things in our life, however, his call for us is to Glorify his Kingdom and take those same things we have used for ourselves and in turn use them for God.  We must surrender all of ourselves including the parts we try to keep or think we can control or worse the ones we enjoy.  You see our sin and our flesh are working together to keep us bound in a place where we cannot move, but God told Abraham, look into the sky and the stars you see are the promises I have you.  He challenges us to look to the impossible because nothing is impossible to him.  We cannot even count the amount of stars we can see, and this is his example of the abundant life he speaks of.  For us to share our lives and let him shine through us, so that others can receive him and know that he is ALIVE.  Our world has many dark places, but in each of those places there is a light, there is a fortress and a refuge where those who are there can run too.  It doesn’t mean life wont come at us and try to end us, but what it does mean, that even in a world where evil can reign supreme, the light of Christ can penetrate through any darkness.  His promise is to live in us and guide us, we in turn live in his image and serve him as disciples of Christ.  Our lives should not be easy, we should have to persevere to understand that we can only make it with God being for us.  Remember my friends, as it says in the bible, If Our God is For US, then who can be against us.  We can endure anything that tries to make us stumble, but only through trusting him, listening to the Holy Spirit and surrounding ourselves with friends who are just as broken as we are.  Amen to a God who says, I LOVE YOU, Anthony… You are my Son! Put your name where you see mine and know with No Doubts that He loves you and has Promises to give you and He keeps his promises.

Difficult to swallow

I can tell you that one of the hardest things to do as a Christian is to swallow your pride.  Especially, when there is a situation where someone is continuing to be hurt as those who have done the damage continue to live, as what seems at the time, free of conviction or justice.  This is something that I do not believe we will ever truly grasps as humans, but that’s where Forgiveness comes into play.  You see God wants us to forgive those who have wounded us, whether it be physically, emotionally or financially not to simply forgive and forget, NO! that is not the case… He wants us to forgive so that the power of hurt those people have over us is destroyed.  It gives the victim, the opportunity to live their life and not focus and fall back to the times of the hurt.  This is difficult to swallow because you watch people do things in their life and they knowingly are hurting someone and act as if they do not care.  My heart belongs to Christ and I do not wish bad on any of those who are the predators and initiators of the hurt, however, I do believe our God is a just God and though he loves us unconditionally, he does discipline us.  I believe in the law of the harvest and know that it is not for me to see the outcome, but I know we reap what we sow, and for those who are sowing bitterness, nastiness and a hardened heart, they should not be surprised by what they reap. However, for those of us who are sowing good seeds of love, patience and perseverance, God says we should wait in anticipation for what we shall reap, because it will be OH SO GOOD!  God’s Love transcends all time and every situation, so know that Christ has his hand in your life and will pull you through, regardless of how much it hurts.