So I was getting ready to go to bed and relax, watch my current favorite show on Netflix and drift off to sleep. I heard the Lord say, "Why don't you spend a little time with me?"

I have to be honest and tell you that I wasn't immediately jumping up and down with excitement, I have had a long day and I just wanted to relax. But, of course, I said 'sure' and grabbed my Bible and headed to the bedroom. (I love that God totally understands my fleshiness and is not offended by my lack of enthusiasm but rather is glad for my obedience despite my fleshiness)

He led me to 1 Corinthians 7: 29-31

²⁹ I mean, brethren, the appointed time has been ^[a]winding down and it has grown very short. From now on, let even those who have wives be as if they had none,

³⁰ And those who weep and mourn as though they were not weeping and mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they did not possess anything,

³¹ And those who deal with this world [^[b]overusing the enjoyments of this life] as though they were not absorbed by it and as if they had no dealings with it. For the outward form of this world (the present world order) is passing away.

Lately, I have been caught up with the things of this life. As if there isn't a greater purpose out there, God's great commission still needing fulfillment! I have been worrying about things that I cannot change, and focusing my energy on myself and what I want. He so lovingly reminded me tonight that time is short and I should be acting like my life means nothing and His purpose means everything.

It is so easy to forget that He sacrificed everything so that I could have the opportunity to not only live with Him in Heaven but also bring others with me. Everyday is one day closer to His coming back for His children and I tend to act like I am the only one!

This may have seemed like an odd sort of confession, but I wonder how many more of you out there deal with this same thing. We all need to live in this world and we need to live life to the fullest, but we also need to make every moment count for Christ. We also need to be ever mindful of His still small voice asking us to talk to that person, give money to that shelter, or pick up the tab for that person's groceries. Who knows when the last day will be? No one. Not one of us has the security of tomorrow, but I often act like I do.

I think my encouragement for myself and all of you is to remember that time is ever winding down. Each day is one day closer to the last day we will have to offer Christ's love to this dying world. Take every opportunity! I am going to!

Be blessed and thanks to those of you who read my ramblings...

Shani

Six Questions to Jump Start Your Faith (part 2)

Greetings!

Okay, so I promised that I would be back with the last three of the six questions that make you dig deep into your heart and take an evaluation of your walk with the Lord. If you missed last weeks post you can find it here.

Remember we were in Exodus chapter 33...

¹² Moses said to the Lord, See, You say to me, Bring up this people, but You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You said, I know you by name and you have also found favor in My sight.

¹³ Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You [progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with You, perceiving and recognizing and understanding more strongly and clearly] and that I may find favor in Your sight. And [Lord, do] consider that this nation is Your people.

¹⁴ And the Lord said, My Presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.

¹⁵ And Moses said to the Lord, If Your Presence does not go with me, do not carry us up from here!

¹⁶ For by what shall it be known that I and Your people have found favor in Your sight? Is it not in Your going with us so that we are distinguished, I and Your people, from all the other people upon the face of the earth?

¹⁷ And the Lord said to Moses, I will do this thing also that you have asked, for you have found favor, loving-kindness, and mercy in My sight and I know you personally and by name.

 

 

 

 #4. Will you continue to grow in God's ways and grace?

We have a great opportunity to continue growing. Truly, we can continue to grow in God until He takes us home. There is no ceiling on how close we can become to Him, how sensitive we can become to His voice.

Basically Moses tells God that he had done all God had asked of him to that point and all he wanted was for God to promise him that he would continue to teach Moses His ways. He wanted to know God ever more intimately and have His grace continually working in his life. Think of it! Moses was on a face to face basis with God! Remember from the last post that God talked with Moses as a man talks to his friend?! And yet Moses wanted more of God!

Will you make a choice this year to strive after God, getting closer and closer to Him? Even Paul in Philippians 3:12-14 talks about how he hadn't attained the fullness of God but that he was ever striving to go forward. Never stop striving for more of God!

#5. Will you choose to rest in God and quit running yourself into the ground for all your worldly pursuits?

That's a pretty straight  question isn't it? I mean, how often do we try to figure it out for ourselves and 'make it happen' for ourselves? I find myself trying to find some formula to make everything line up, make God move. Like anyone can force God's hand! He has perfect timing for every plan!

Moses had it right when he told God that if He wasn't willing to lead him then he didn't want God to take them out of the wilderness at all! I must say that I find myself looking hard at what I am wanting and then I ask myself this question... Do I really want this if God does not want it for me? In order to say yes to that question I would have to want to be out of God's perfect will for my life. No matter what it is, that question puts it into perspective for me. It helps me to rest in Him and wait on His timing.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says...

⁵ Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.

⁶ In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.

 

#6. Will you refuse to blend in with the world?

 

Moses tells God in Vs. 16 that he recognizes that God is what makes Israel different than any other people on the face of the earth. We were born (again) to stand out like a sore thumb! When God goes before us we become distinguished from the rest of the world! We become the 'in crowd' that everyone else wants to be a part of!

 

Yes, I am aware that there is an enemy out there that strives to make us look stupid and fake at every turn. However, I fully believe that we can live our lives sincerely before God and the enemy will be the one who looks like the fool in the end.

 

I use to carry this key chain that said, 'I'm not weird, I'm gifted'. Don't be afraid to stand out and to stand up for who God is! Be weird... or gifted! Let the light of God shine through you to impact this decaying world! You were born to stand out at such a time as this!

 

Well that takes us to the end of our 6 questions to jump start our faith! I know going through this message again has fired me up! I hope it has been a blessing to you as well. Thanks again to Mark Keene, associate pastor, for the use of your notes to this faith stirring message!

 

Blessings to all of you!

Shani

Six Questions to Jumpstart Your Faith

Greetings! If you stopped by last week you may have read about my courageous son.
That reminded me of a message I recently heard from our assistant pastor, Mark Keene. It was one of those inspiring, first of the year, new you kind of messages.


The stage is set in Exodus 33...

⁷ Now Moses used to take [his own] tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting [of God with His own people]. And everyone who sought the Lord went out to [that temporary] tent of meeting which was outside the camp.

⁸ When Moses went out to the tent of meeting, all the people rose and stood, every man at his tent door, and looked after Moses until he had gone into the tent.

⁹ When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the door of the tent, and the Lord would talk with Moses.

¹⁰ And all the people saw the pillar of cloud stand at the tent door, and all the people rose up and worshiped, every man at his tent door.

¹¹ And the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Moses returned to the camp, but his minister Joshua son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the [temporary prayer] tent.

 

Along with this message came six thought provoking questions. Not just any old questions. The tough kind. The kind that make you question your motives. The kind that make you look into your own heart for the answer...

So here we go!

#1. What will your practice or habit be in 2013?

If we look back at our scripture reference we see that Moses took a tent away from the camp, away from the people, and away from all the distractions. He set that tent up in a place where he could be alone with God. From this passage of scripture we get the idea that this was a habit for Moses. He didn't just do it one time, he went there often to talk with the Lord. It says that the Lord spoke to Moses as a man speaks to his friend. You don't just meet someone for the first time or even once a month and get to know them as an intimate friend. It takes time to make friends. Moses clearly took time to make a friend in the Lord.

Will you?

#2. When and where will you go to get away from the distractions?

We simply cannot live off yesterdays' revelations. We need to be with God everyday. He desires fellowship with us everyday. Where will you make your 'tent' of meeting with God? When and where will you go to make time for God's presence in your life?

Pastor Mark shared with us that sometimes he has his best time spent with the Lord at the local Arby's restaurant. The reason being that even though there are usually a lot of people in the restaurant, not one of them is going to ask him to do anything while he is there as a customer.

 At home it is often hard to find that quiet place where no one is going to interrupt you. Especially if you are a homeschooling mom with and eight year old who has the same early rising disposition as you do! (yes, I refer to myself) In my house I have claimed the school room that my husband built in our garage as my quiet spot. When I wake early and my son is already up I go to the school room and sometimes I have to politely kick him out, but most often I am free in there to do whatever I feel like.

I encourage you to find that special spot in your home or the local Arby's. Maybe it's a park with a special tree or a lovely deck in the midst of your garden (in the summer, that's my spot!) Make a time and place that fits with your life and include God there! Make a point to seek Him everyday, even if you can only get away for fifteen minutes.

Let's look at the next verses in our passage now...

⁸ When Moses went out to the tent of meeting, all the people rose and stood, every man at his tent door, and looked after Moses until he had gone into the tent.

⁹ When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the door of the tent, and the Lord would talk with Moses.

¹⁰ And all the people saw the pillar of cloud stand at the tent door, and all the people rose up and worshiped, every man at his tent door.

¹¹ And the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Moses returned to the camp, but his minister Joshua son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the [temporary prayer] tent.

 

#3. Will you have the guts and determination to hear from God yourself?

Wow! God spoke to Moses as a man speaks to his friend! This is so amazing to me! I could literally jump from my seat this is so exciting!

Let me calm down a minute while we look at the previous verses leading up to my excitement :0)

It talks about what the Israelites did when Moses went to the tent of meeting to be with God. They stood in their tent doorways and watched and worshipped from a distance. Why?  The answer is found in Exodus 20:19... ¹⁹ And they said to Moses, You speak to us and we will listen, but let not God speak to us, lest we die. Are you serious?! They were scared they would die if God spoke to them! I would be like, Dude! Even if God's glory killed me on the spot, what a way to go! I would rather die in the presence of God Almighty than any other way, let me tell you.

From the previous statements you can gather that what kept me from my quiet time with God for years was not a fear that He would talk to me and I would die. What did scare me into procrastination everyday was a fear that God would NOT talk to me at all. After reading that God talked to Moses like a man talks to his friend nothing else would hack it for me. I wanted to know God as an intimate friend, and I was scared that I would get to my quiet spot and hear nothing from God.

So maybe you are like the Israelites and you are afraid of the presence of God, or perhaps you are like me and you're afraid that God won't take time to speak to you personally and be your intimate friend. Whatever is holding you back, make a gutsy decision to lay it down today and seek God for yourself. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Okay, I know the post title says there are six questions and there are! I have given you the first three to chew on today and if you come back next week I promise to have the other three!
Be blessed everyone and I pray that you will all find your 'sweet spot' this week and meet God there!
Shani



 

 

 

What Challenges Your Faith?

So, my eight year old son challenged me this week...
I have always been a bit shy when it comes to people I don't know. I am the neighbor that no one really knows beyond a smile or polite wave. I usually don't seek out conversations in the grocery store, and I don't know everything about the woman who cuts my hair.
I genuinely care about people and their lives, I am really just not good at showing it. So this is an area that the Lord has been showing me needs a change.
Let's get back to my son.
Like a lot of homeschooling families we have a Bible class each morning. Ours is more like a devotional time and we spend a bit of time on choosing good friends and how to show Jesus to the friends we have that don't know Him yet (yes, I encourage my kids to have friends that don't know Jesus. What better way to teach them discipleship than through their very own relationships!)
Well my son loves skateboarding and rollerblading. He has his favorite skate parks around our area and we are extremely blessed to have on of those skate parks within 10 minutes of our house. Yes, even in winter, if it's at least 30 degrees and not raining we can be found at this skate park.
Recently Caleb met another skater that is probably 14 or 15 and he can do some good tricks. Caleb was impressed. This kid was very nice and showed my son how to stay balanced on his blades and even how to do a small jump called a 'bunny hop'. Caleb was over the moon for a few days, blading in and out of the house (it's winter! and I'm lenient!) talking all the while about his new friends.
One of our morning devotions was once again about friendships and how to be bold because after all, we don't really have all the time in the world. Caleb began to kind of squirm in his chair and it wasn't long before he shared that he was worried that his new friend may not know Jesus. So we prayed for his friend.
Just this week my husband and Caleb went  to the skate park (hubby skates too) and his friend was there. Only this time he was with a group of friends.
Right away Caleb remembered his concern for his friend and told my husband that he was going to go ask if he knew Jesus. He seriously bladed up to this group of teenagers, singled out his friend and asked him point blank, "do you know Jesus?"
The group of boys began to laugh, but not Caleb's friend. He smiled and said, "yes, I do."
Now I can tell you for sure that I wouldn't have the guts to do that! But I need to! We all do! There is a lost and dying world out there and we all need to realize that it is going to take each of us reaching people to get the world reached!
Be blessed today, and share your faith with someone today!
Shani

God's Will vs. Our Desire

Your greatest desire may be God's greatest desire for you, but if you never give your will over to God fully abandoned to His Will then you can never know if you are headed in the direction God has for you.
Proverbs 16:3 says, "Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed."
It says we should 'Roll our works upon the Lord', or commit them to Him wholly and He will cause our thoughts to become agreeable to His will. To me that is amazing! I never have to worry about my motives, I never have to worry if I am headed in the direction God has for me because I give every 'work' that I want to do to Him and then I know that He will show me if I am in the wrong or not headed towards Him.
How easy is that?! Sometimes I just flat out change my routine with no apparent reason and have at times found out that I have avoided serious accidents or other disappointments by those seemingly insignificant decisions.
Romans 8:28 says "We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose."
This assures us that when we love God and are called according to His design and purpose (in other words- we have put our will down to follow His will for our lives) that He will work all things out for our good. The all fit together in a master plan.
I encourage you to read Romans 8:28-32.
When we put ourselves in His care we can be assured of His victory and all things good. Not to say that hard times won't come, for Jesus promised that they would in John 16:33, "I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]"
Jesus promised that He has overcome the world! We can put our confidence in Him because He wins for us!
I want to encourage you today to put your trust in Him. Only He knows the end from the beginning and your plans and desires are completely safe with Him! I have found Him faithful and trustworthy even when I am not. It's never too late to trust Him with your desires. Even if you find yourself today in a spot you never dreamed you would end up; if you are breathing, you still have time to put your desires in His hands!
Be blessed today and every day!
Shani

Faith Goes Deeper Than Salvation Alone

My name is Shannon. I am Shani to family and friends. Hello Friends! :0)
I am a wife of nearly 12 years and a mother of 2 wonderful children ages 10 & 8. I home school my children and it is my privilege and my joy to do so. I love to read, write, and craft!
My goals for 2013?
To become even closer to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to love my husband, to teach my children to the best of my ability, to start and maintain this blog, to lose the 57 lbs that keep hanging on, and to encourage others that it is not impossible to walk by faith in our world today but rather essential to do so.
So let's dig in!
I absolutely love when I am awakened in the wee hours of the morning and the second thing I hear (of course, the first thing I heard was whatever woke me up!) is a sweet gentle voice in my spirit saying, "I want to spend time with you." On these mornings I know that I am going to hear something special. I always try to spend time with the Lord each day but at times it can be quite a struggle to find quiet in my house. Seriously, sometimes I  have to go to the bathroom to get a few quiet moments!
However, on these special mornings I know that I am assured to get at least one whole hour of just me and Him. Even my early rising 8 year old will usually sleep later than usual on these mornings.
Even more special than the quiet is that I know He has something special to "blow my mind" with. These mornings usually change me. They change my thinking, molding me to be more like Him.
This morning was one of those mornings. My Shichon (Shitz-tzu & Bichon mix) Brigette woke me up at 5:03 this morning scratching on the mattress to let me know she had some business to attend to outside.
As soon as my feet touched the floor I heard those special words that thrill me to my toes, "I want to spend time with you."
So I sleepily made my way to the kitchen, let the dog out and turned on the coffee pot.
I started flipping through my notebook of sermon notes and journal writings and came across some notes on a sermon from my pastor, Marion Dalton ( you can check him out here), on the eyes of our faith.
In particular this morning I was drawn to 2 Corinthians 4: 3-4 which says, "But even if our Gospel (the glad tidings) also be hidden (obscured and covered up with a veil that hinders the knowledge of God), it is hidden [only] to those who are perishing and obscured [only] to those who are spiritually dying and veiled [only] to those who are lost. For the god of this world has blinded the unbelievers' minds [that they should not discern the truth], preventing them from seeing the illuminating light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ (the Messiah), who is the Image and Likeness of God." (I love the amplified version of the Bible!)
God's desire for us is to understand and take hold of His Word. He desires for us to have everything written in His Word. 2 Corinthians 4: 3-4 plainly tell us that the truth of the Gospel is only veiled to those who don't believe. We hear the Word and believe solidly that Jesus came to die for our sins but most often we stop there. We don't use our new found faith to go deeper in the things of God. The same power that redeemed us from hell desires to see us live free from worry and fear and addictions. Because we live in this world and Satan rules it we must learn to use our eyes of faith. We don't have to accept defeat because we don't belong to the god of this world anymore. We belong to the Kingdom of God! The God of all the universe! Because we accepted Christ's sacrifice we have the ability to use the same faith that we believed with to have freedom from whatever keeps us bound. And it is accomplished the same way. It's  our simple belief that He came to fulfill His Word. We can believe with our hearts the entire Word and all the bessings that come along with it can be ours. But we must choose to use our faith in God and not our emotions or even what we see in the natural. We don't have to accept the blinding of the god of this world. We can choose to believe what the Word of God says no matter what our natural circumstances show. But it takes what the associate Pastor at my church calls "guts and determination"....
There will be more on that later. I have really enjoyed writing this post, it is something that I have been learning to live out in my daily life and I long to share it with others. We can be free from worry and fear and anxiety if we are willing to use our faith. I welcome your comments but please note that I will not engage in arguments although your opinions are respected here.
Be blessed!
Shani