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- Steady Progression
- A Servant's Prayer
- My Surrender Story On The Surrendered Scribe
- 2009 Year of Change, 2010 Year of Growth
- In The Ring With God
- More Recent Articles
I'm not a big fan of moving, but I finally got my stuff moved to the same city as my fiance. It is a relief to know that all of my stuff is now in one location and that I am one step closer to getting married.
It's so funny looking back at my life and seeing how things have evolved. I'm not talking me starting off as an ape and slowly turning into a man (though some would argue that happened. hehe). I'm talking about how God has transformed my life into something so much different and amazing than what I could have ever expected to receive. I never thought I would have the opportunity to become a married man, and yet God decided to bless me with that opportunity. I never thought I would have a good job, and yet God has blessed me with several along the way.
I'm just thankful today for the progression. I'm thankful for God and His ability to make our wildest dreams come true. I'm thankful for His ability to block those things that we might try to step into that could be harmful and His choice to instead replace those things with things that will bring us joy and life.
Rest in Him this week. He loves you.
Here is my prayer for today. Feel free to pray along as you read if you would like.
God,
Here I am. I am but a tiny creation in your massive universe, and yet you value me highly. So highly in fact, that you came to this Earth to die for me. You paid the price for me. How can I ever repay that Lord? I can't. There is no way that the debt you cleared could ever be reimbursed by anything I do. But I can choose to serve you with my whole heart. I can choose to let my will be bent and broken and replaced with your desires for me. Father, I need you to guide me. I need your footsteps to be my footsteps each and every day. I pray that I will not let my thoughts or perceptions of how my life should be interfere with the grand plan that you have for my life. Every moment of every day I want my lips to speak of the blessings and wonderful things that you are doing and have already done in my life. I want to give thanks for all things big and small. Let me seek you. Let me praise you. Let me love you as much as you have loved me. Forgive me for when I have grumbled and complained. Forgive me for when I have taken you and your works for granted. Let me humble myself. Let me be a servant. Let me heed your commands and do as you say. I ask this in your very precious name.
Amen
Julie Arduini is a FaithWriter friend of mine who is always using her blog to not only feature her own writing but also the writings of others. She was kind enough to post my story of surrender, and I am happy to provide a link to all of you. The post can be read here:
Wrestling With God Eventually Translates Into A Surrender
While you are there, I highly recommend you subscribe and bookmark Julie's blog, because she posts a lot of great writing of her own and has been an encouragement to me numerous times. Thank you Julie for letting me share my story with your readers today.
HAPPY NEW YEAR! I pray that each and every one of my blog readers has an amazing 2010 and that all of them manage to accomplish those new years resolutions that they have set for themselves.
What can I say about 2009? It was a year of change for me. New job, new location, and a new girl. The change continues this year as I switch jobs and locations again. However, I see 2010 being something more than just big changes in my life. At church the pastor is talking about how this is going to be a year of growth, and I see where that is already starting to take place in my life. I am growing spiritually as God reveals new things to me. The people around me are growing in numbers as I get involved in church activities and other social gatherings. My family will be growing as I take my fiance's hand in marriage in March. So much is happening, and I must say that I am excited to see what God does in my life and the lives of other people.
I hope to keep my blog updated with some of these growth experiences as they take place. I am praying for all of you to experience growth as well. I want each and every person to experience God's move in their lives and see themselves stepping out of mundane routines and into fresh things that glorify the Lord and bring honor to His name.
May 2010 bring lots of growth and blessing to each and everyone of you.
As a child, I loved WWF wrestling. I knew it was fake, but for some reason I still enjoyed watching two, steroid filled men toss each other back and forth inside a ring.
This past week, I have felt like I have been in a wrestling match. My opponent? Well I wouldn't say He is my opponent. I would say that He is my God. I haven't intentionally wanted to wrestle with Him, but that's what I have been doing. And this wrestling isn't at all fake. It is very real and filled with lots of emotion and even a bit of pain.
My post yesterday describes part of this battle that I have been debating back and forth with my Heavenly Father. I am much like that man who Jesus spoke to. I really hate giving up my financial security in pursuit of a higher calling. It's nice being able to sit comfortably in my little bubble and just let that monthly paycheck get me by. Having to budget and get strict with the finances is a tough idea to swallow. However, every single excuse I use to try and forward my case gets countered by God. It's as if I'm running at Him in the ring and then I get clotheslined. It's not a bad thing though. It's a much needed, albeit painful process.
Josh: "God, it makes no sense to give up my financial security when I want to be a provider for my future family."
God: "Who is doing the providing here, Josh? Is it you or me?"
Josh: "Why should I have to give up all that I have worked so hard for?"
God: "Why shouldn't you? What makes your duty of sacrifice any less important or needed than anyone elses?"
Josh: "Why are you stripping away everything good that You have given to me God?"
God: "Because it is distracting you and making you rely on yourself and not me. I want to strip away the monetary so that I can increase the spiritual in your life, Josh. Besides, you are gaining a wife and a new life in the process."
Josh: "I feel like Job right now."
God: "Job lost a lot more than you are losing, and everything he lost I returned in a greater amount to him because he chose to serve me regardless of his situation."
As you can see from some of my internal dialogue with God, He is an opponent that you don't want to have to face, because you will lose everytime. Instead of opposing Him, it's much better to team up with Him. Tag teaming with God against the devil and his demons is the way to go.
I still don't have clear answers about what I need to be doing with my job situation and the opportunities that are opening before me, but God came over me this morning while I lay in bed with a bad attitude. The Holy Spirit fell on me, and I began speaking in tongues. This is an experience that hasn't happened to me for a while, so I know that God was speaking to me this morning, and what He showed me is what this blog post is really about. I recently blogged about the sacrifices of Cain and Abel, and how it was Abel's sacrifice done with faith that was pleasing to God. If I am to make this sacrifice, then I must make it with a faith that relies on God to provide. otherwise, I am just going to regret my decision and bring forth an unacceptable offering to my Lord.
Be encouraged today to not wrestle and argue with God, but instead let Him strip away all uneeded things in your life so that He can replenish them with the much needed spiritual things. And if you have the time, please pray for me that I can do the same. I'm not completely out of this struggle yet, but I know it will have a happy ending if I stay the course. Thank you for reading this.
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