Feeding a Hungry Soul: growing in our salvation

Showing posts with label growing in our salvation. Show all posts

Making Room for More of God

In my last post, I invited you to join me in an online community (She Reads Truth) that is reading through 1 Peter, and mentioned that I would be posting my thoughts primarily on the Facebook Fan Page I have set up for Feeding a Hungry Soul.

HOWEVER....

As I was reading the scripture for today, (1 Peter 2: 1-3) I naturally got very excited. Verses 2-3 are the foundation scriptures for why I was inspired to begin writing in the first place (if you missed that story....click here!)

Today though, I was impressed with verse 1 leading into 2-3. It says

"rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind."

My thoughts turned to a conversation I'd had with my daughter the day before as she shared that her baby preferred nursing still over solid food. There are some things he will eat, but most things she said he turns his head away from and even throws them if really not interested. He is healthy and definitely growing BIG...so obviously he is getting the nutrition he needs.

I couldn't help but think about how this is a great picture

of what we are called to do as believers.

NOT ONLY ARE WE TO CRAVE PURE SPIRITUAL MILK,

AS I AM SO FOND OF WRITING ABOUT,

BUT WE ARE TO RID OURSELVES OF ALL THAT IS NOT PURE SPIRITUAL MILK.

Am I like my little grandson? Do I turn my head with great force and intentional disdain from all that this world wants to entice me to eat? Do I 'rid myself of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind' with the same demonstrative nature that my grandson throws his food?

I'll be meditating on this thought today and asking God to show me what I need to RID myself of. Not just be aware of it but actually RID MYSELF OF IT!

I know that this is all because God wants me to make room for More of Him!!

Prayer:
Lord God, I am humbled by Your word today as much as I am blessed by the knowledge that You prepare meals for me daily to strengthen my walk with You. Thank You for making me mindful of the things You still desire for me to be rid of. Thank You that the purging process gives me room for more of Your pure spiritual milk. Thank You for this deep love You have for me.I come before You in the name of my Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Our recipe today is for Spiritual Growth
The ingredients are from 1 Peter 2:1
The directions are to ask God to show us what we need to be 'rid' of so we can repent and receive more of His pure spiritual milk.

{CLICK HERE for a printable version of today's recipe for the soul. Make notes on it of how God is speaking to you today, and carry it with you to feed your soul as needed.}

Other conversations held at His table that may feed your soul today...
Dancing with God
Let God Show You Your Whole Heart
A Long Term Birthright is More Valuable than a Short Term Satisfaction

I'd love to have you at the table each time I pull up a chair.
If you don't already, won't you join us?

Subscribe to Feeding a Hungry Soul by Email

Just click the link above, submit your email address and then

be sure to click the 'verify' link when the email is sent to your inbox.

After that, I'll be saving you a chair at the table!

God Bless and Keep You,

For more time at His table, try visiting these blogs

where I like to link up in fellowship with other followers of Christ.

A word of encouragement? A note to say 'hey'?
Just click comments below...it makes my day!

Prepare to Be Impressed

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This is my third and final publication on the '15 minutes series' that started here a few days ago and continued here yesterday.

Day 1 and 2:
Slow down and make time for the most important meal of the day.

Day 3 and 4:
It's amazing what you hear when you are still and quiet for 15 minutes.

Today...
A look in the mirror...it's all about impressions.

When I was dating, the date was all about time with the one I was getting to know. Sometimes it was dinner, sometimes a concert or a movie, or often just time together at home or walking. No matter the occasion, I was always giddy at the thought of having time with my date. Time to just be with him, learn more about him and tell him more about me.

And I never...and I mean n.e.v.e.r. went on one of those dates without some prep time before hand. Whether dinner out or just dinner in and sitting on the couch together, it was a sure thing you would find me in front of the mirror, making sure I was prepared to impress.

outfit appropriate for the occasion? 'check'
hair just right? 'check'
make up looking good? 'check'

As I began this 5th day of the 15 minute challenge, I took this same approach. Take time to prepare myself for a date with God.

It occurred to me though that while my preparations for dating my spouse involved

putting on layers to impress,

my preparations for my date with God are more about

taking off layers to be impressed

..... by God.

God sees me for who I am. I don't need to make myself look good for Him with actions, rituals or primping preparations.

Instead, preparation for time with God means making sure I'm ready to remove layers I've piled on to impress the world or fool myself. The more layers I am ready to take off, the more prepared I am for God to impress His word upon my heart.

I began to consider what my 'check' list should look like for this kind of date preparation:

Attitude:

humble recognition of who I have the privilege of spending intimate time with?

Heart:

undivided? committed? surrendered? ready to receive instruction?

Mind:

focused? non-defensive? open?

Just as my prep time for those dates {ahem} years ago

required time in front of the mirror,

my prep time for my dates with God

require time of reflection as well.

After my 15 minutes were over, I opened up one of the devotionals I like to read on a daily basis and read this from Oswald Chambers in My Utmost for His Highest:

"....your life will be marked with the lasting imprint of the presence of God"

a mark made by pressure; a mark or figure impressed or printed on something.

any impression or impressed effect:

As I prepare myself daily to be ready to be impressed upon by the word of God,

His impression should and will leave an imprint in my life.

A lasting mark of change in my heart and mind that did not exist before I came into His presence.

God tells us this:

2 Corinthians 3:16-18 ~ nkjv

16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord,

are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Or as presented in the more expanded 'message' version:

16But whenever a person turns [in repentance] to the Lord, the veil is stripped off and taken away.

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is,

there is liberty (emancipation from bondage, freedom).

18 And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God]

as in a mirror the glory of the Lord,

are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor

and from one degree of glory to another;

[for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.

As I giddily prepare my attitude, heart and mind for my 'dates' with God, He has already removed the veil so that I can be changed one 'date' at a time by the impressions He makes in my attitude, heart and mind.

Our recipe today is Prepare to be Impressed

The ingredients are from 2 Corinthians 3:16-18

The directions are to be ready to let God impress His word into your attitude, heart and mind so that His imprint can leave you with lasting change.

CLICK HERE for a printable version of today's recipe for the soul. Make notes on it of how God is speaking to you today, and carry it with you to feed your soul as needed.

Prayer:
Lord, I humbly bow before You, in awe of the gift You give of intimate fellowship. I confess I am tempted to put on layers of good intentions, good deeds, and puffed up self importance to try and impress You. Help me peel off these layers; prepared to be imprinted with Your words for me. Words of encouragement, instruction, discipline and direction. I want to walk away from every date with you changed just a little more. Imprinted with just a little more of Your glory. Impressed just a little more by Your presence. I come before You in the name of my Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

I'd love to have you at the table each time I pull up a chair. If you don't already, won't you join us?

Subscribe to Feeding a Hungry Soul by Email

Just click the link above, submit your email address and then

be sure to click the 'verify' link when the email is sent to your inbox.

After that, I'll be saving you a chair at the table!

God Bless and Keep You,

For more time at His table, try visiting these blogs where I like to link up in fellowship with other followers of Christ. CLICK HERE

A word of encouragement? A note to say 'hey'?
Just click comments below...it makes my day!

15 Minutes of Attention ~ What Do You Hear?

In my last post I shared how my pastor had challenged us to approach our daily quiet time / devotional time with 15 minutes of meditation / reflection / decompression...whatever one might call it, but to take 15 minutes to prepare ourselves for time with God.

For me, day 1 was convicting. (details here if you missed that post)

Day 2?
More conviction. I had an early appointment that day and while I thought I had given myself enough time to add 15 minutes of prep time before reading the 8/21 devotional reading denoted for that day, I hadn't really made it a priority. I ended up rescheduling my 'table for 2' reservation with God to later that day.

Once at the table, my 15 minutes of reflection gave me time to think about how I would have done things differently if this 15 minute requirement had not been part of my thought process. It would have been one of those days where I read the quick devotional, sitting in my quiet place, thanked God for the good word and headed out the door. Hmmmm....this all sounds too familiar. Wasn't it just a day earlier that I was being convicted in a similar way?

Oh God of second chances...here I am again!

Day 3. (yesterday 8/22)
The only things I let come before my reservation for 2 today was
1) coffee {a girl has to be awake to focus!} and
2) feeding the dogs {preemptive move made to avoid high potential of being interrupted by hungry canines}

Today I decided to journal during the 15 minutes. It's what I do when I'm in meetings where I need to pay attention, or when listening to a speaker and I want to stay focused on what is being said. If I write, I stay on track. If I don't...my mind wanders. {ahem...to those that think I'm not listening to you *wink*}

So for this post, I thought I'd share my journal notes with you...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

15 minutes to come into His presence...

Release control. Of what Lord?

financial worries
to do list
employment concerns
people in my life
the future

Surrender. What's the difference Lord?

trust me to provide for you
trust me to order your day
trust me to lead you
trust me to take care of your loved ones
trust me to protect you at all times

This is a time to empty my mind of all of the above and then

let my mind be filled with His words and His thoughts

before they are filled with the thoughts and words of others.

This is a time to remember what allows me to come into His presence

and appreciate the enormity of this gift.

This is a time to grasp the concept of being in the presence of God:

creator
judge
provider
protector
comforter
savior
redeemer

Time to remember it is a gift / a privilege to fellowship with God, not an obligation in His part.

Whoa... let me meditate on that again.

God is not obligated to draw near to me ~ He desires to.

My creator, judge, provider, protector, comforter, savior, redeemer (do I need to keep writing...) desires fellowship with me more than I desire fellowship with Him. How backwards is that!

My actions have actually said to THE ALMIGHTY "I know You desire my focused time and attention today, but I'm a little busy, so I'll get back to you later. Hang in there....I'll be there as soon as I can"

Oh Lord, how many times have I called upon You using scripture that says

"hear me now" and "come quickly"?

And with the same tongue I've asked you to

"wait until I had more time for You".

Forgive me Father. Redeemer.

I want to be so crazy in love with Jesus

that I'm caught talking to Him

like I have an invisible friend.

It starts here...in my time with you. Focused. Purposeful. Attentive. Humble. Surrendered.

15 minute timer sounds off....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I considered taking the thoughts I wrote during my 15 minutes and forming them into a few topical posts to publish here over a course of a few days, but instead chose to just share how powerful those 15 minutes can be when given my full attention.

My journaling went on for 2 more pages after the timer went off as I captured more thoughts about what it means to come into His presence for education vs coming into His presence for edification. Now that is a post for another day {grin}.

Because I was just sharing openly with you today, I don't have a 'lesson' to build a scripture recipe around. However, I did reference and link to a devotional thought I've posted in the past a couple of times in my writings above (missed it? Click Here) It offers a printable scripture recipe card if you'd like one...or just CLICK HERE to get the card directly.

Prayer:
Almighty God, I am convicted by the realization that in spite of my sin, my distracted devotion and my lack of dedication, YOU still DESIRE to draw near to me. YOU still DESIRE my fellowship. YOU still DESIRE me to know You more. And knowing all of this about me from the beginning of time, YOU still DESIRED fellowship with me so much that You sent Your one and only son to the cross for me. Lord I am overcome with thankfulness. I am in awe of Your unending mercy and grace. I am convicted of my inability to show this same mercy and grace to others when I am out of fellowship with You. I want more of You Lord. I come before You in the name of my Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

I'd love to have you at the table each time I pull up a chair. If you don't already, won't you join us?

Subscribe to Feeding a Hungry Soul by Email

Just click the link above, submit your email address and then

be sure to click the 'verify' link when the email is sent to your inbox.

After that, I'll be saving you a chair at the table!

God Bless and Keep You,

A word of encouragement? A note to say 'hey'?
Just click comments below...it makes my day!

Ready to Run

Be still... I've written on it before, soaking in the assurances of His word that He will do the fighting for me and I just need to stand firm in my faith (Exodus 14:13-14), as well as learning how to be still and let God be God (Psalm 46:10).

And so I have ~ been still that is ~ for what seems like an eternity. Looking back, I wasn't as still as He was asking me to be all that time. There was some squirming in there that wasn't necessary but I did it all the same. God still loved me through it though *smile*.

As I stayed as still as my squirming self could, God also asked me to let go. When I finally got still enough to look more deeply into what He was asking me to actually do, I saw that while I was standing (mostly) still, I was doing so with my hands full. Overloaded. Clutching and clinging to things that I needed to surrender. No wonder I was so squirmy! It's hard to stand still when you are carrying so much weight and you aren't equipped with the strength to do so! I wrote about surrender back in October of 2010, and looking back from here to there, I see now that it was just the beginning of a sanctifying road trip God was sending me on. That story of surrender on 10/28 was the first of many things God was going to ask me to let go of.

Most recently, it's been an exercise in surrendering to Him all the things I have clung to for personal identity. The surrender in 2010 was just a warm up. A series of events over the next 18 months would find me being asked to let go of everything I clung to for security and personal identity. And while it sounds like I was the image of spiritually mature obedience, let me quickly clarify that IT. WAS. NOT. PRETTY!

During that time, my squirming entered a phase that more resembled bobbing and weaving!

My feet were firmly planted in God's word, and I was being still in His presence, but I wasn't being still in my walk.

I avoided total surrender like it was a bee chasing me on a warm summer day, bobbing and weaving to keep from being stung, sure that my movement was necessary to keep me safe from harm.

And yet God uses all things for His glory and our good.

Eventually God brings us to a point of surrender one way or another. And so with me, He caused me to be so physically impaired that I was forced to stop 'doing' all the things that were allowing me to bob and weave my way through surrender and submission.

And so, the bobbing and weaving ceased.

And I did not get stung.

And I found peace and strength / joy and hope in this place of full surrender.

My circumstances have not changed. The bees are still swarming around me. But God is my protector, provider and my source of peace.

And then it happened. Release!

For so long I have been learning how to be still and know that He is God. Evidenced by the lack of entries on this blog for the last 8 months, I stopped everything.

And now that I am at peace and content with this place of total surrender and complete stillness ~ RELEASE!

Words and thoughts are bubbling over in my head and heart, so much so I'm not sure where to begin, but I know who does and I'll be following His lead. I'm currently reading through 1 Peter and was impressed by verses 13-14 in the first chapter:

Therefore gird up your minds, be sober, set your hope fully upon the grace that is coming to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance....

The exhortation in this scripture is to prepare our minds for action, action that is directed by God. When this was written, everyone wore long garments that had to be gathered up and fastened in preparation for action. So this figure of speech, chosen by God for this particular scripture, spoke strongly to me as I was feeling released into action for His glory.

The reason they would gird up their loins (bind up the long garments) was to keep from tripping over the flowing cloth. Similarly, there are things we need to let God show us that need to be bound up by Him so that we can be called into action without tripping over those 'issues'.

As I sat there, meditating on this call to action, I realized that I had become entangled over the last few years with many thoughts that did not belong in my mind. Thoughts that were tripping me up and causing me to fall. This long season of being still was God revealing to me those things that needed to be bound up.

And so, I'm ready to take action. I know God is leading and I'll go at His pace. I can't wait to be blogging regularly...and I was inspired to get a web cam for my computer recently, specifically for posting some video spots on this blog. For those that know my propensity for hiding behind the written word ~ this is definitely a God thing!

Our recipe today is Get Ready to Run

The ingredients are from 1 Peter 1:13-14

The directions are be still and let God reveal to you the thoughts of your mind and things in your life that need to be bound up so you can stop tripping and be ready to take action for His glory.

CLICK HERE for a printable version of today's recipe for the soul. Make notes on it of how God is speaking to you today, and carry it with you to feed your soul as needed.

PRAYER:
Heavenly Father, it is good to be still in Your presence. It is in this place that You prepare our hearts and minds to do Your will, to be strong in Your word and to take action for Your glory. I thank You for this gift of Your presence, a gift given at a great cost. You desired fellowship with us so much that You destined Your Son to take our place on the cross. There are not enough words to thank You sufficiently for this sacrificial gift. May I spend my lifetime pouring out my gratitude through service to You. Lord, when I get tripped up by the flowing garments / issues of my heart and mind, give me eyes to see what I need to surrender to allow You to bind them up by the power of Your Holy Spirit. I come to You in the name of my precious Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.

What about you? Are you in a season of stillness or is your mind girded for action? Or maybe you'd just like to say hello! I've missed the community of this blog and can't wait to hear from you. It's easy, just click and type {even if you want to stay anonymous :-) }

The Perfect Meal

1 Peter 2: 2-3 ~Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (niv)

It all starts with good eating habits. Everyday God is sitting at the table, a table He has set just for you. He is in His chair and your chair is pulled out, just waiting for you to come sit down. The table is set with a meal created with you in mind. He knows the events of the day you are about to journey into. He knows exactly what kind of soul nourishing meal you need to face that day and He has prepared JUST FOR YOU.

The Word is opened and on the table, He is sitting there to guide you through it and fill your soul with the ‘food of the Spirit’ you need to be fruitful that day. What fears are you going to need power to overcome today? What distractions are you going to need to be blinded from today? What surprises are coming your way that have the potential to rock your world if you are not prepared? Think of the many days you have set out for the day thinking you knew what to expect and found it was a completely different day altogether. Were you prepared? Did you respond to those days in the flesh or in the spirit? Do you know what this day holds? We cannot know. We may think we know, but we don’t.

But He knows.

And so He sits and waits. A reservation for 2 that never expires.
But the meal cannot be served until the entire party is seated.

How long will I keep my Father waiting?

When I am tempted to skip a meal with God, this visualization helps me readjust my priorities. The thought of God sitting there at a table for 2, all alone breaks my heart. And then I remember that His heart aches for me even more. The thought of not partaking in the meal that was prepared just for me reminds me of what I will be missing. And then I remember that He prepared that meal for me because He loves me so much.
1 Peter 2:2-3 tells us that we should crave His word so that we may ‘grow up’ in our salvation. I can’t help but think of parents here. Our parents begin feeding us from day one with the sole purpose of helping us grow up big and strong. Each meal is prepared with nutrition in mind.

• “Drink your milk so you will grow big and strong”

• “Eat your broccoli, it’s good for you!”

• “Eat the rest of that orange, it will help you fight that cold that’s going around”

The meals that God prepares for us at His table each day are planned according to our nutritional needs. Whether it’s an ‘orange’ to fight off something that is going around, a ‘glass of milk’ to make us stronger for what is coming our way or some ‘broccoli’ just because it is good for us, God knows exactly what meal to plan for us and He delivers it through the reading of His word.
No one can force you to take that first bite. God calls you to the table, God puts the spiritual milk in front of you, but you have to sit down and partake.

I recall a day recently when I kept putting that table time off. I had no intention of skipping the meal, but I kept pushing back the reservation to tend to tasks that morning. Of course, morning became noon, but I still had intentions of sitting down. God called to me many times during that morning and each time my heart responded with ‘just a sec…I need to do this one thing first and then I’ll be able to sit down without distractions’.

And then the phone rang.

It started out innocent enough. A harmless conversation with someone who had good intentions and wanted to give me some advice. At some point though, the advice turned into accusations that wounded me deeply. Accusations based on false information. My hungry soul was weak and under nourished, but my flesh was ready for the fight. You know the rest of the story. My flesh took over and that conversation ended with angry words. Now let me share with you the devotional that was sitting on ‘the table’ waiting for me to consume.

‘…I am with you to deliver you’, says the Lord

(Jeremiah 1:8)
The devotional written for this particular verse went on to talk about how we are to depend on God for our deliverance in situations and avoid the temptation to ‘defend ourselves’ in the flesh. It drew on lessons from the Sermon on the Mount to emphasize this point, showing how Jesus said for us to not seek personal justice because it leads to personal self pity or self righteous thoughts (“how dare you say that to me”).
As soon as that phone call was over, I ran to His table, weeping and wounded. And then I read those words. I was deeply convicted by the truth of those words in 2 ways.

1. Yes, Lord, I need to let go of my need to be right or defend myself from these false accusations.

2. Most importantly though…Yes Lord. I realize You had been calling me to Your table all day because You knew this call was coming and You wanted to prepare me in advance.

Oh Lord, how differently that conversation could have played out if I had responded to Your calling instead of putting You off.

What meal has God prepared for us today? Let’s go to the table daily to find out, for we know it is good!

Our recipe today is Growing up in Our Salvation.

The ingredients are from 1 Peter 2:2-3.

The directions are to pull up a chair and spend time with Him. Let Him feed you and know that the Lord is good!

CLICK HERE for a printable version of today's recipe for the soul. Make notes on it of how God is speaking to you today, and carry it with you to feed your soul as needed.

PRAYER:

Father, make this word fresh in my heart today. Give me a craving for Your word, Your will and Your presence. Forgive me Lord, for the times you have prepared a meal for me and I never showed up to share it with You. Thank you God that my reservation for 2 never expires and the meal is always fresh and prepared just for me. Thank you Lord for first loving me so much so that You desire to prepare a soul satisfying meal just for me. I am amazed and humbled at the thought of this. As I take this time with you today, let me fall deeper in love with You, increasing my craving for Your word , Your will and Your presence. Lord, give me eyes to see the things that keep me from coming to your table daily so that I may confess, repent and be healed of it. Use this scripture, Father, to remind me daily that You desire me to grow strong in my salvation, so that I may walk in Your will, to Your glory.

I come to you in the name of my precious Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Can you recall a time when you realized the time spent with God prepared you for things you had no idea were coming? Or maybe you can recall a time when you faced an issue of the day with an under nourished soul? It would be a blessing to hear from you, even if it's just to say 'hello' or 'amen'! And it's easy ~ click the comment link below and leave us a short word! You can even do it anonymously *grin*.

God Bless and Keep You,