Monday, October 25, 2010

Learning from the Past

What do we do with our past failures and mistakes? This was somewhat the discussion that I had with Prof. Thomason. I struggle with blaming myself for things in the past. Satan knows my weakness to come down on myself and my tendency to say, "I failed!" It haunts me sometimes, looking back and seeing where I did not achieve and immediately Satan steps in and says, "If you would have done this things would be different" or "You just lack things to ever do this successfully." And those wounds cut deep! But talking with Prof. Thomason again allowed me to see those as lies, to not dwell on the things of the past, but to take them and learn from them. What are the positives that came out of events in the past and how can I use those to grow and work towards the future?
He took me to the quote of Michael Jordan when he said, "I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." We will fail at times in our lives, but failure is not a bad thing. It teaches us valuable lessons and can inspire us to work harder and learn from these mistakes so we do not repeat them. Do mistakes and failures hurt? They can cut deep, deep wounds and are many times very painful, but we do not have to let them haunt us. God is the Great Healer and ultimately He wants us to look to Him in these times and ask Him to teach us and guide us, so that we can learn and grow to become better disciples of Christ.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

The Gain of Wisdom

It is something that we strife for, something we try to gain through the years, and it is something that I have gained a lot of in my time here. For devo's in class the other day, we read Proverbs 1 & 2. In my time here I have poured through the first four chapters of Proverbs reading and re-reading them on the advise of my roommate. It has again reminded me the importance of wisdom and how beneficial it is to our discipleship to Christ. I have been learning so much through this semester and have gained so much insight that it feels like my head is going to explode. The FLI staff has told us we will leave here with more questions than answers. They are not giving us answers to lives biggest questions, but equipping us to discover the answers on our own. We read lots of books to give us insight on topics, but we keep the foundation of the Bible to find the Truth.
Proverbs 2 tells us to search for wisdom as if searching for a hidden treasure. We can go out into the dessert and dig a hole and expect to find treasure. Instead we must prepare, gain a knowledge of the ground we are about to step foot on, be prepared with the right tools, and have a knowledge of what we are looking for and how we are going to find it. This is the same with our faith. So many times I step onto the battlefield ill-equipped and unprepared for what Satan is about to bombard me with. I many times lack the correct equipment or the right knowledge to properly fight the battle that God has placed in front of me.
I must search for wisdom and do the work necessary to gain it. In James chapter 1, James tells us that "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault." God desires for us to gain wisdom, he wants to give us wisdom, but we must search for it. So search for knowledge through the word God has given us. James also tells us that God "chose to give us birth through the word of truth." Use the tools God has given us and prepare yourself for the battle that is at hand.

Monday, October 11, 2010

I Am...

At the end of our first marriage and family class, my professors put the words I Am... on the whiteboard. Every student then put up on the board words that reflected what they were feeling or what God was doing in them at this time. As we looked up on the board it was awesome to see how God was working, moving, and healing in all of our lives. After we finished class I thought it would be cool to put this in a wordle for all of the things that I am feeling.

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Thursday, October 7, 2010

God's Peace!!

Where does that sense of peace come from, when we are in a stressful situation, which strikes fear into many? A time of uncertainty, where something could change our lives and we have no control over the circumstance? Yet God granted me a peace like no other. A sense that no matter what trials I may face, that the lover of my soul would always be there for me. God holds out His arms and Loves me unconditionally!! This is something that we can not even fathom!! We know we will face trials and temptations of many kinds, of what nature we do not know, but we always know that we have the armor and that with God on our side, who could ever stop us!!
There is something different about me since I arrived here just four weeks ago. God has worked on my heart, my selfishness, jealousy, and pride, and has broken me into a humble man, filled with peace and joy!!! What a transformation God has done in me! For He must become greater, I must become less!