Author: marquitabp

What are YOU allowing to Steer your Eternity?

 

"People won't be saying, 'Look! Here it is!' or 'There it is!' because now the kingdom of God is among you."  Luke 17:21

 

Hello everybody, and happy new year!  I had to think long and hard about this one because I want to be sure I have done everything that God wants me to do in His will.  We all have our vices or things that cripple us in life, but don't let them steer you in the wrong direction for eternity.  Salvation is a very important thing, and we are promised to eternity by accepting Christ. (John 3:16) Romans 6:22 says "But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life."  But how can you truly be in Christ if you are in the flesh, allowing fleshly things to run your life?  And by that I do not just refer to the things mentioned in Galatians 5:19-21 or Proverbs 6:16-19, but unforgiveness, bitterness, not caring for your neighbor or brother, etc.  Mainly unforgiveness–because unforgiveness of one minor thing turns into bitterness.  And Jesus says "But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matthew 6:15)  Like pride or greed, unforgiveness in turn causes a lot of problems.  I will never forget the story about the ill man in the hospital.  His pastor came to pray for him.  He asked the man, "Do you want to be healed?"  The man said, "yes."  The pastor replied, "Then forgive."  The ill man said "No, I can't forgive, I can't."  The man died.

 

This particular scripture says that the kingdom of God is within us.  God has blessed us with His presence through the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is here to guide us, to help us through, to intercede for us, and to lead us.  But how can the Holy Spirit do His work if there are road blocks all within us?  Praying to God, staying in the presence of the Lord through prayer, being around mature Christians, and just yielding to and reverencing Him can change things.  You can let others see God shine through you.

 

Good night!

"For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time–to show us his grace through Christ Jesus."  2 Timothy 1:9

Overthrowing Complacency

 

"And not content with these things, she fell down at the king's feet and wept, and speaking to him besought him, that he would give orders that the malice of Aman the Agagite, and his most wicked devices which he had invented against the Jews, should be of no effect. "  Esther 8:3

 

Hi everyone, and happy New Year!  I'm sorry to not have written anything in a while, but quite honestly I have been searching deep within myself to make sure I have the right motives.  To make sure that I am searching for the right things– and I have indeed saw that I am heading in the right direction–through this process of seeking God and His will for my life, I have learned a lot.  And I contend with some advice I was given here: I have sought satisfaction from God, seeking out His plan for my life–because if you ask me, if you are not living in God's will, if you are not fulfilling the calling on your life, if you are not loving others as God does, how can you be content?  This whole process began because I wanted to get closer to God, to learn to love like Him, to love others the way He loves us all.  I wanted to overcome and knock down so many mountains in my life.  And again, I have made so much progress.  But of course you cannot allow yourself to develop in one area and neglect others.  You cannot become complacent in anything. 

 

Above Esther refused to accept the meager answer given to her by the king, and instead pleaded for her people.  Her sacrifice and decision to go where most women were not allowed and fall at the king's feet saved Israel!

 

I said that I had become complacent–complacent in not being happy with where I am and complacent in developing a relationship with God–only temporarily.  And that is where prioritization comes in.  I have never been a person to just settle for things. If I want something, I go for it.  I do everything I can to make sure that I get it and I do not allow anything to stop me.  But above all that, I have learned to pray that if it be God's will–for His will is supreme and means more than everything–for me to have, achieve, etc. whatever it is that I am pursuing, that He give me the tools to make it happen.  I find scriptures that align with whatever it is I am asking for, and I keep asking and thanking Him for it!

 

Now since I have decided to go forward with pursuit of the ministry–because the more I read from the Bible and the more I am fortunate to see the historical connections, the more fascinated I am and the more I want to bring God to the people I love.  I have decided not to just get comfortable with one level of being in God, but to instead allow God to show me the benefits of pursuing knowledge of Him.

 

As for you, don't get complacent with anything because quite frankly change is the only way to grow.  Whether it be through seemingly insurmountable mountains or impenetrable walls God gives us the prodding necessary to keep growing if we so desire.  Yes be content with what you have–but always seek opportunities to grow yourself because you never know where that can elevate you.  Esther allowed herself to grow and become someone she most likely would not have been otherwise–the Queen of the Persian Empire, who is the person responsible for saving all exiled Jews.  Challenge yourself and welcome that change!  Ask yourself, where can you stand to grow a little, be stretched a little more, in what way can you yield to God's direction and simply trust Him?  Following that dream He put in your heart?  Discovering what you have been called to do? Simply knowing and trusting Him? Or the one that hurts, what is it that you are doing right now that you need to stop in order to truly see growth? None of these areas are places to become complacent.  The hardest step is always the first.

 

In fact, to be distressed in a godly way causes people to change the way they think and act and leads them to be saved. No one can regret that. But the distress that the world causes brings only death.  2 Corinthians 7:10

 

…Don't you realize that it is God's kindness that is trying to lead you to him and change the way you think and act? Romans 2:4