Being an Influence

In John 13 Jesus washes his disciples feet. Jesus teaches that to be an influence we have to apply four principles. 1. We have to humble ourselves and become a servant the same way he did when he washed the feet of his disciples. 2. We have to possess AGAPE (unconditional) love for all people. When Jesus was washing their feet he was well award that Judas had already turned him in to the Romans and in a few short hours Peter would deny knowing him; yet, he showed love even to the men who hurt him. 3. We have to know who we are, where we came from, and where we are going. Knowing these things will inspire us to serve even when it is looked down upon by others. Our only concern should be to bring glory to God. 4. We have to be an example. After washing the disciples feet, Jesus said to them you call me teacher and master yet none of you offered to wash my feet first, so since I have done this you also should. Jesus tells us later on to be holy for I am holy. If christians desire to be an influence for God all we have to do is imitate the ultimate influence-Christ.

Beauty for Ashes

How broken should one be over his or her sin? How long should that process take? Does it depend on the sin? I know God can use me after I have sinned but does God ever draw the line and say ok I have had enough? Will he then remove me from the earth when I have brought such shame to his name time and time again? I feel forgiven. I am forgiven. But I feel like I should grieve more over my sin but at the same time I am so ready for God to renew me, meet me again, and continue to use me. I know God makes all things new and his mercies are new every morning but has he really forgotten about what happened last night? Can he really raise me up above that sin? What about the one/ones who witnessed or participated in my sin? My witness surely has been ruined with them but can God still use me to touch their lives? I want him to. I want to have the intimacy and fellowship with God I once knew. Everyday I have to refeul and start over again with God. I know I am growing but everytime I take one step forward I take three steps backwards. God Help me to break through this world. God I cannot fight it off on my own, for when I try to stand up against it alone the world always wins. LORD I need YOUR strength, your wisdom, your power, and most of all your love to make up for where it is missing. God I am sorry for how I have hurt you. God you can find glory even in my despair. Come and make beauty from my ashes and my pain Lord. I am abandoning my sinful ways God (Thank you for your patience with me..) and I want to live an unashamed life ONLY FOR YOU! Empty me of me Lord so I can be filled with you.

Cry for Forgiveness

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;

according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.


Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.


For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.


Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;

so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.


Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.


Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.


Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.


Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.


Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.


Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.


Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will turn back to you.

Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God,
you who are God my Savior,
and my tounge iwll sing of your righteousness.

Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will declare your praise.

You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burn offerings.

My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.

May it please you to prosper Zion,
to build up the walls of Jerusalem.

Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,
in burn offerings offered whole;
then bulls will be offered on your alter.

Psalm 51

This was David's cry for forgiveness after having an affair with Bathsheba and murdering her husband Uriah soon after. David understood to be truely forgiven one has to have a broken heart over sin. David also mentions to renew fellowship with God one must have a clean heart. We should cry out for forgiveness in the same desperate way David does in this Psalm. When we do so God will first break our hearts so that HE can put the pieces back together according to his will.

Fellowship of the Unashamed

This is my creed:
I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed
I have holy spirit power
I've stepped over the line
The decision has been made, I am a disciple of HIs.

I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still
My past redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure.

I'm finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame vision, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need pre-imminence, position, promotion, applause, or popularity.
I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, regarded, or rewarded.

I now live by faith, lean on his prescence, walk by patience.
I am uplifted by prayer, labor empowered.
My face is set, my pace is fast.
My goal is Heaven.
My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my God reliable, my mission is clear.

I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of my adversaries, negotiate at the table of my enemy, or ponder at the pool of popularity.

I won't give up, shut up, let up, until I've stayed up, prayed up, preached up for the cause of Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus and I am unashamed.

--This was found on a scrap of paper near a missionary who had just been martyred in Africa many years ago. It is a powerful message if really applied.

Can you hear me?

God speaks audibly to very few people. More often, God uses his own special ways of getting his children's attentions. God knows the most effective way to speak to each and every person on earth.

1. The most common method God uses to speak to Christians is the Bible.
-the Bible is a love letter from God to his people that provide instructions and encourage-
ment for daily struggles, as well as, historical events that illustrates God's power, love and
mercy for his children
-When a believer desires to hear from God the first place he or she should turn to in the
Bible.
However, when Christians choose to ignore the words of God he uses other measures to capture our hearts.
2.Worship Music is another common way God communicates with believers.
-God inspires Christian song writers (who often derive their lyrics from scripture) to write songs that he later uses to speak to his followers.
-God uses worship music to: shine a light on sins, bring glory to him, offer insight on difficult decisions, and provide comfort to the lonely and hurting.
3. When God subtly wants to speak to his Children he may use other people to convey his message.
-This method requires great discernment. It is very easy to convince oneself God is speaking through a person when in actuality the enemy is using the speaker to draw believers away from Christ in a "pretty" manner.
-More often than not the person God uses to speak to a Christian has no clue the words they are speaking are divinely inspired. Therefore, one should not expect the speaker to reveal that the his or her message is directly from God.

God so desires to be near his Children. He wants to have an intimate relationship with each and every believer. Christians need to learn to listen and listen fast because God is calling out to every one of us: "Can you hear me?"