To say God is amazing is an understatement! He has proved Himself to me over and over again, even answering the small things. What amazes me even to the fullest is the answers He gives before I pray. All I have to do is just think about it. These gentle responses are a constant reminder of His loving watchful eyes fixed on His child.
The first day of this week as I was getting ready to head out to AA, I had a knock at my door. As I opened the door, it was a friend that was giving me a ride to the station. In her hands she had a pair of red flat summer shoes. As she walked in, she said, “these are for you. I was planning to wait in the car, but I thought I would bring them to you.” What she did not know is that about a week earlier I had thought to myself that I should buy shoes similar to what she had in her hands. I had not even prayed for it, let alone mentioned it to anyone. She thought she was just giving it to me as an exchange to shoes I had given to her daughter. Her daughter had really wanted my shoes so I told her she could have it… God answered before I called! Many more to share soon…
“Nothing can b…
“Nothing can be called a gospel unless it professes to give salvation…” Profound! When Jesus said “I am the way and the truth and the life” He was promising and professing to give salvation. Jesus is the gospel.
Remain faithful to the Lord!
“Many seem to think that if they are only ‘members in good standing’ in this or that church, they are secure. But the only thing worth considering is, am I joined to the Lord and walking in His truth? If one is joined to the Lord, he will very soon find his place among God’s people; for those who are not His people will not tolerate a zealous follower of God among them very long. When Barnabas went to Antioch, he exhorted the brethren that with purpose of heart they should ‘remain faithful to the Lord.’ Acts 11:22-23. That was all that was necessary. If we do that, we shall certainly find the Lord’s own people very soon.” E.J. Waggoner
It is still true in our days. Let us remain faithful NO MATTER who opposes us. Pray that it is not God who opposes you.
Hindrance to prayer – cheap words
In preparation to lead out a Muslim sisters’ discussion yesterday I was reading EGW and her comments about our words and the things we talk about… by the way at the Muslim discussion, I was able to share a comment from EGW and it was well favored and it stirred up some good discussions.
How does our word impact us and others around us, most importantly what how does it impact our relationship with God. If I heard this comment 3 years ago or maybe even 2 years go my reaction would have been this is ridiculous. What is even crazier is the concept of us driving away the Spirit of God with our selfish thoughts and feelings, and foolish trifling talk. We are entertaining these foolishness because the grace of God is not planted in our hearts. So this means every time we are acting selfishly the Spirit of God is not with us because we just made a conscious choice to drive Him away. Because we are choosing to be selfish we are also choosing to ask God to leave us.
On the contrary, if the grace of God is planted in our hearts we “would bear fruit of an altogether different character.” The power of God to convert is powerful in establishing pure principles in the heart. In this sense we are inviting the Spirit of God to dwell in our hearts. Once we do that satan will not find anything to assail. It becomes impossible for satan because the heart is now occupied with pure thoughts and intentions. This habit and courtesy should be practiced constantly.
The account of every word…
“How many words are spoken in lightness and foolishness, in jesting and joking! This would not be so did the followers of Christ realize the truth of the words, ‘Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’”–4BC 1141.
If every Christian was fully aware of this great foolishness that takes place in this world and how serious it is to God our attitudes and our speeches would change drastically. I think we would all be super radical. We will be justified in the day of judgment.
What does EGW say about our unsanctified words? “The soul will never free itself to come into the clear, deep knowledge of the love of God until the speech is converted. The counter working power of unsanctified, faithless, cheap words is the great hindrance to our prayers. God will draw nigh to every soul that will draw nigh to Him. But the Spirit of God will depart from those who leave the presence of God, and enter into vain conversation, speaking many words that are of no weight or purpose. The spiritual experience of such will stop abruptly.”–Ms 74, 1897.
Second Chance
The day flies by especially when you are being challenged with thought provoking questions. Today’s class was based on the question “why are you a Seventh Day Adventist?” Although I have heard this question before, giving an answer that is satisfactory to the questioner today was not easy. It made me think a lot, but I still had a hard time to answer with confidence. Why is that? It is my weakness! It is definitely not because I do not have the resources to get an answer. Although I had been an SDA all my life, often times I think I remained in the faith because of what I had learned when I was younger. This is not to give an excuse or an answer as to why it is hard, but to help me with my thought process.
Another question the instructor asked was, if you cannot give an answer and especially if you do not have an answer ready why do you want to teach others to accept what you believe. This question was an eye opener. Why would I want others to listen to me and accept if I cannot present my experience with God in a manner it will touch lives and offer them something to think about.
This approach made me think a lot about how and why I should be ready to give an answer at all times and not have to rely on having the bible in hand at all times. This is a second chance from God. I have learned that this year is the year God is showing me His mercy. I hear Him saying this is your second chance Eskedar, please ‘hearken now unto my voice’. Ex 18:19 I dare not take it for granted.
It just clicked
It is so amazing to me how I can get caught up in many things to the point I often forget about what matters the most. This applies to my ministry and personal life. Here I am thinking about what to write on my blog for several weeks now, but have not managed to do so because I wanted it to be perfect. The problem with it is that I have managed to do one entry only within a month. So far I have managed to plan about how I will make my blog better and more appealing, but the simple truth is with no entry on a blog it is worse than having something ridiculous posted and also less appealing. As I was thinking about this, not being able to sleep after a weekend of retreat “the power of one”, it clicked. Simplicity is the way to succeed. I have neglected the CAMPUS methodology “Your success is in your simplicity. As soon as you depart from this… your power is gone.” Why have I not realized this sooner? The only explanation I have for now is that I have closed my ears to what the Lord was trying to tell me. When I learn more about my refusal to listen I will make sure to let my friends know. I have planned for more than 30 days now, which does not equate to anything Nehemiah did. At least Nehemiah built the wall of Jerusalem, what have I built?
1 Thes 5:25
Begins with 3lbs of tomatoes
Eleven uniquely created beings will be trained in the heart of MI, city of Ann Arbor, to be missionaries to change the world! For now it is only 8 of us, three to join at a later time. The world will never be the same because of the dedicated souls that have left everything behind to serve God for one year.
On Sunday August 31, 2009 we went out to do some outreach activities at the U of M. Part of our outreach activity was canvassing, we split in two’s… This activity helped me realized that I no longer thing canvassing is dreadful, but rather something that is enjoyable and a work that must be done. After canvassing for 10 weeks during the summer I thought my mentality would change, but I think it is ingrained in me for life.
While canvassing John and I came across an individual that was, to say the least, very interesting. He claimed to know everyone in his neighborhood and was telling me about famous people that used to live across from him and about a famous dentist that worked on his teeth, I will not comment on how his teeth looked. Anyways, he invited us inside and showed us every tool he has ever invented and had put together, the basement was filled with tools for cars and such. It looked like some type of warehouse for a company. He was also eager to share with us few tips as to how to purchase a home and make money off of it. He gave us a phone number to a Realtor that is a good friend of his if we had any interest in making money. He then invited us to his garden to pick tomatoes and basil to take. He gave us a bag so we may fill it with as much as we wanted to. We left his house with more than 3lbs of tomatoes. We were able to leave him Happiness Digest, which he said he would read.
Lesson I took from this experience: This man was so passionate about his tools, his business, and his garden that he was willing to share it with two strangers that showed up at his door step. He did this because he wanted to. He invited us to his garden and allowed us to pick because he desired to share his ‘fruit’ with us. This is something he gained from his labor and was proud of. This act of kindness from a stranger taught me to be the same way with the word of God. I should be eager to give, willing to share and ready to show to anyone the word of God that I come across. This man was proud and ready because he worked in due season. I need to be proud of the word of God and prepare my heart to be ready at all times. Since what is before me is beyond my control my job for now is to spend much time with God and share Christ, the infinite love that is beyond all measures.
