Life is a daring adventure or nothing. ~ Helen Keller

I was looking for a "God is good" verse, and I randomly found this quote online today. I think it perfectly describes where I have been. I was doing nothing, wallowing in self pity, and generally disgruntled. Now, I have rediscovered the answer, and it is amazing, terrifying, and perfectly wonderful all at the same time. Following God will definitely be an adventure. But God is good. Today is Sunday so I went to church, and I literally saw some of the lies that I had been fostering and cuddling completely crushed. A dear friend asked how I was doing and mentioned that she had missed seeing me and was worried I had left. People that I used to revel in loving on suddenly reappeared in my space so that I could pick up caring for them where I had left off. Students I thought I had neglected and done a disservice took the time to thank me for helping them. IT WAS AMAZING! God has a place for me! He has put people in my life for a reason and I can't ignore that! I am not alone! I have had and can have a positive impact on the lives of others. :)

I was panicking on the way to church and a little last night about all of the changes that need to take place in my life, but then I realized that it will be okay! "God will make a way where their seems to be no way." I can do this if I trust Him! Well, I guess, He can do this! :)

Jeremiah 24:6-7 (NIV) - "My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart."

The Power of Faith; The Power of God

Colossians 3:3-4 For you have died and your life is hidden in Christ. Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed which amounts to idolatry.

The word for consider can be translated as "to make dead, to put to death, slay; worn out (impotent); to deprive of power, destroy the strength of."

(Quote and define appears to be my MO. )

Our sinful nature is dead! We have to believe that everyday, every moment. If we believe that sin has no power. Christ has destroyed, killed death and sin, therefore when we chose sin we are wallowing in rotting flesh. NASTY! Why are we drawn to that corpse when all that is light and good is before us, is wrapped around us in Christ? In my mind I see a small child peeping out from behind the folds of his mother's skirt staring at a fire, or something equally as dangerous, and then choosing to reach out and be burned, to scorch their sweet baby fingers because they have misunderstood the desirableness of the fire and the danger it presents.

If we truly believe that our sinful nature is dead and that we are "being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the one who created [us]" (Col 3:9-10) the deceit of sin should be obvious to us. Sin should not be shiny. It should not be an alternative, but simply a sad oddity that we do not let effect us.

Our sinful nature is DEAD! It has no power! We are being renewed to true knowledge! These are facts. These are accomplished acts of GOD! Let that knowledge free us father.

Quotes from NAS - Strong's

Timing

God's timing is perfect(and here I do mean perfect.) He gives us what we need when we need it. I decided to turn the fire extinguisher on the flaming bowl of crazy about 4 days ago. I started a bible study that is being done in community at my church, and even though I was jumping on the band wagon a couple of days late, each of the passages was exactly what I needed in my vulnerability. The pin was taken out of the extinguisher when I stopped focusing on my own needs and looked at others. That evening I started the study. The words of the first lesson, (written by a dear, sweet friend) spoke directly to my heart and to the stumbling block of my entire situation. She wrote about overcoming our sinful nature and why it is so easy to sin. "After all, our old nature is natural. It's tricky. If something feels right it must be right. So we believe lies...We don't naturally recognize truth, so our only hope is to spend time in God's Word." I had stopped listening and started ignoring God and my friends. I had started to listen to myself and to doubt, fear, disgust, pride. I was feeding myself lies on top of lies about my worth and my situation.

That evening, I emailed a friend bearing my soul and confessing the sin that was part of the crazy. All day the next day I worried about what she would think of me as I waited for her reply. That day the topic of the devotional was trusting the Lord and not in man. The call was to put aside our people pleasing tendencies and trust in God to provide all of the validation and goodness, everything we need. Even if she had rejected me because of my behavior it would not have mattered, because although she is dear to my heart, she is simply a person. She sins just like I do. God will never reject you or me as we live on this earth. He always loves us whether we love Him in return or not. If we ask Him to He will always forgive and forget. He will pull us into his arms and up onto his shoulders to carry us through life.

Perfect?

NAS

James 1:2-3 "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. "

Does perfect mean perfect? The Strong's definition of the word translated here as perfect is "brought to its end, finished", "wanting nothing necessary to completeness", "perfect" "that which is perfect; consummate human integrity and virtue; of men-full grown, adult, of full age, mature."

Complete is defined as "complete in all parts, in no part wanting or unsound, complete, entire, whole; of a body without blemish or defect, whether of a priest or of a victim; free from sin, faultless, complete in all respects, consummate."

I don't think we are talking about perfection here as we imagine it. I think we are talking about being what God wants us to be where he wants us to be. This is about understanding the sovereignty of God. Understanding that God is in control and living in His time. Endurance is defined as "steadfastness, constancy, endurance; not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety... a patient steadfast waiting for; a patient enduring, sustaining, perserverance."

Perfection is not being anything a person can imagine. It is about letting God love you while the flaming bowl of crazy simply becomes a bowl of something satisfying and steady. It is about letting God love you still when the bowl is tipped again. It is about seeing God in those fluctuations and waiting and listening for his reaction instead of trying to right the bowl yourself.

I don't think I am done with this... but I am done for now.

also all Strong's definitions from www.crosswalk.com and of course Strong's

Claiming and Reclaiming

Recently my life has been a flaming bowl of crazy, but it is not necessary that you know the intimate details of said "crazy" at this point of the journey. Suffice it to say I have chosen to forget that God is good, that he "has a plan for me," that I can trust Him, that He is God. You may not believe in God, but He is going to change my life. That is after all what he does. I am claiming the promises that I have not forgotten but have simply ignored because I hurt too much. I am also choosing to reclaim or perhaps reappropriate part of a rap/pop song. This is me jumping in the car. This is me going on a road trip with God and letting him drive. This is me becoming reacquainted with an old friend, a friend that loves me and wants me. One thing "the crazy" has taught me is that if you don't pay attention to God you can't begin to understand Him or yourself. So here's to self discovery and self denial and chasing God.

ESV

Philippians 1:6 "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."

Philippians 3: 12-14 "Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do forgetting what is behind and straining for what is ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

That verb for press is the same verb you would use to describe pursuit, both the good and the bad kind. Think of the intensity the bad guy or the hero always displays in thrillers. They always end up rushing towards something without a care for themselves. They forget themselves in the moment. I want to forget myself, my drama, in my pursuit of Christ.

http://www.hillcountryut.org/