Tag: growing

Be Like A Tree

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Be Like A Tree

Are you growing in knowledge of wisdom? Are you growing with God or have you remained stagnant? As you grow have you gained a line in the tree ring of large growth or a tiny insignificant increment? Are you growing in favor of god or have you been walking on your own in the dark?

Are you growing the things Jesus has given you? How are you managing your gifts? Are you growing them or burning them to the ground? We are nothing without God. We can squander what we are given, or as the parable of the talents we can do nothing or use as an opportunity to double. God has given us all something, a talent, a purpose, special gifts, that we all have the choice to use for the purpose of good, or evil.

“Your talent is God’s gift to you. What you do with that ability is your gift to God.” Leo Buscaglia

Are you being your best self? Are you cultivating a life pleasing to God? No matter what it is you do, stocking shelves, cooking burgers, a nurse, lawyer, police, a pastor, a writer, no matter what it is you do, do all for the glory of God. I’m a writer and I’m a Christian man. I was guided by God, through friends to open a door for me to write the word of God. I have grown in the word, grown with the spirit and I have grown in faith. Grow yourself as we are called to always grow.

What have you done with yourself this last year? Have you been a person of action? Have you sat around waiting for God to make you a table, or a canoe, or have you heard God say “I gave you the tree and the talent, have you used it?” God gives you tools to make something great. He expects you to grow cultivating your gifts.

The last few months I’ve watched some pretty significant storms come through. I’ve watched these storms assault trees. The wind would blow and they would sway. The water would saturate the ground and yet the trees would stand tall, and firm.

Jeremiah 17:8 (NKJV)8 “For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not [a]fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.” Are we baring good fruit for the Lord? Have we allowed our roots to dig in deep to hold us firm in the ground? 

Psalm 1:3 (NKJV)3 “He shall be like a tree Planted by the [a]rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.” The rings I have added to my life, I can only hope I am growing stronger and tougher every day. I don’t know how I will be viewed as I get older. I don’t know if I will be viewed as a strong sturdy tree of God, or weak and frail. I don’t know if my roots are deep enough to weather the storms to come, or if I will break and fall under the pressure. All I can do is continue to let my roots grow deep, continue to soak up the eternal water of Christ, and have the Holy Spirit flow through me. 

Letting Go

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Letting Go

Life isn’t always the way we have planned. Sometimes things happen and it hurts us. Friends leave or hurt our feelings, loved ones abandon us, someone insults us, all number of things can do damage to our sometimes-sensitive psyches. The thing is, pain is all part of life. When it happens it isn’t fun at all, and it can leave a lasting mark on our hearts. It can turn to scars and those scars if not careful can harden your heart. We need to remember that for every ounce of pain we endure, there may be something greater coming in the future we are being prepared for. “Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. “You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.” – C.S. Lewis. 1 Peter 5:10 “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” Suffering happens to everyone, but as a Christian we expect to endure great hardships. 1 Peter 4:12-13 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.” Being a Christian isn’t always easy. It often takes great strength and fortitude to manage the trials day in and day out. People can be callused in their heart and they may say and do things that hurt and cut us deeply. We must know this and find ways to manage, and see this from a different perspective. Isaiah 48:10 “Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.”

Set your eyes to the lord

 When we are down and stressed, when we are joyful and blissful, we should always look to the Lord. When our eyes are set on the Lord our lives are closer to being on the right path. Proverbs 4:25-27 “Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.” We must look, but we must see beyond the surface. We must have faith and trust that our trials come with a purpose. When hardships happen are we taking them to the Lord? Colossians 3:2 “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” The only true ways out of the fire is the Lord. When we realize we need the Lord we are one step closer to a healthy relationship with our Father.

Looking forward not back

We must have the strength to take our steps forward. We must always move forward and never go backwards. The horizon isn’t some place to ponder; it’s a place to venture towards. As the days begin with the rising sun remember that every day is a painting. Every day is a new fresh canvas for the Lord to paint our lives. Like a drop in the water, the ripples of our life from the smallest things could always move us into position for great things. Isaiah 43:18 “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.” All things happen for a reason and in those reasons we must have faith. We will be strengthened by our pain, and like a sword in the forged, it takes time, it takes fire, it takes the hammer, and the anvil to shape the beautiful steel sword. When sharpened we can cut through the enemy because we were forged by the Holy Spirit. Philippians 3:13-14 “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” The prize for us is eternal salvation. We mustn’t allow our past to hold us back. We mustn’t get stuck in the pain and force ourselves to relive it daily. While it’s not easy to move past the pain, but if we use the pain, harness it’s raw power and effect, we can believe in our hearts it’s for a purposes. Job 17:9 “The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger.” Kneel in prayer taking only a moment to physically stop moving, but allowing your spirit to fly and thrive in the light of the world. In the darkest of storms when we have the Holy Spirit inside us, we may be going through our own struggles, but as a Godly person remember you may be going through your own storms, and you may be looking for your own light in the darkness, but think about it this way, what if you’re someone else’s light in the darkness? What if how you manage your pain is the strength and inspiration someone else needs? 1 Corinthians 13:12 “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” The reflection we see may not always be what we expect, but as we continue to grow in our faith, that reflection will reveal more of our true image, the image that was created by God to be loved by God, and when we look in the mirror one day we will see God standing with us.

 Don’t Dwell on the past

We can’t get stuck, we must move forward, and if we ever do get caught worrying about our past, we must remember Matthew 6:27 “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?” Worrying about yesterday, and focusing on what we did wrong, or what was done wrong to us doesn’t add a single moment to our life. Now I’m not saying don’t reflect, don’t review the past to make your tomorrow better but don’t worry about it, don’t forget to move past it. When we do that, when we finally figure out how to do an affective After Action Review, we can adjust and overcome, and make tomorrow a better day.

Giving your hurt to God

Every day we have choices to be made. We choose to get out of bed, we choose to go to the bathroom, to eat breakfast, to look at your phone, or to turn on the TV. We make choices about what to wear, where to go, to go to work, to stop at the gas station on the way, or wait till later. So in our every day choices, are we choosing to let God into our hearts? Are we choosing to be mad at someone for what they said to us? Are we choosing to forgive or not? Are we choosing to remain in the fire of our own making? Are we choosing to remain in our own prison? We need to learn to choose to give our pain our suffering, our struggles to God. We need to choose to let God into our hearts, and have the faith to let go of what we cannot control. When we learn to take the hands off the wheel and let God take over, we realize that we weren’t ever in control anyway. Loving God is a choice, and letting go of the pain inside is also a choice. It’s not one that’s easy, and it takes practice, and time, but in those it takes and requires effort. Facing our fears, and our pain is hard, and we need to handle that just like we walk to the refrigerator. It’s one step, one moment at a time, and before we know it we start to feel a little less pain, a little less grief. Philippians 4:6-7 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” The pain may never go away but it won’t define us. The betrayal of close friends, loved ones, may always stay with us, but we can learn to trust again. We can learn to love again. People are fickle creatures, and can be motivated by a million different things in their own life. The pain we have can be the forging fire and we can become stronger if we grow, or if not heat-treated right a sword may become brittle. We don’t want to be the brittle steel broken at the first blow, we want to be strong and dependable. If every moment is more then you can take, and you have troubles and you need strength the one place to find refuge is Matthew 11:28-30 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Remember that the phrase “God will never give you more then you can take.” Is not scriptural at all. When you feel like you can’t take anymore the refuge you seek is Jesus Christ. God may not pull up on the rains to slow things down, but whatever you ‘need’ God will provide to you. You will always have the tools to get through the pain, and the suffering if you just look to God and pray for the help you need.

In every day life we will have friends come and go. We will have days of great joy, and days of great sorrow. It’s okay to not be okay, and it’s okay to just cry some days. Don’t get stuck in the misery, but remember God gave us our feelings for a reason and it’s important to remember some days you just need the sweet release of tears. Some days you need a good belly laugh, and in all these things beauty can be found. No matter what emotion you’re going through, you’re never alone. You may walk in the snow and see only one set of footprints, but that doesn’t mean Jesus is right there with you. The important thing is to find ways to handle those emotions. We cry to the Lord and even if we are crying the Lord is pleased because we are coming to our Savior, but sad that we are in pain. Forward always, and never backwards, because Jesus is always in front of us, hand extended to pull us through the day. Not for one moment in this life are we forsaken and forgotten.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Know when to hold em, know when to fold em.

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Know when to hold um, know when to fold um.

By The Arrow Preacher

As most of us know the song by Kenny Rogers, it’s great advice that old man gave on that lonely train. Though a parable the example of knowing when to fight for something, and knowing when to walk away, and knowing when to run and not look back is good advice we all should follow.

Personally I’ve gone through a very rough divorce and as hard as it’s been at some point you have to learn when to cut ties and run away. As hard as it’s been emotionally I still find myself sitting on the couch crying after a blog, after a song, watching a movie that brings back memories. The worst part is working at the very spot I once proposed. Seeing it every day, thinking about how nervous I was, how upset I was that it was raining, it’s a reminder every day.

Having faith is hard. Knowing that God is always with us, and remembering that in the hardest of times of our lives, but it’s so important for us to keep the faith. 1 John 5:5 “Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” We need to be steadfast in our walk with Christ so when the time comes we can judge if something is better or worse. James 1:6 “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” Let’s remember though, that having faith is also having faith that whatever we need to do is right or wrong. When a relationship turns bad and is no longer healthy, and can no longer be repaired, sometimes it’s best to run away. Figuring out what hand you have and figuring out what cards to play is something that takes patience and a walk close enough to God to know what to do. You should always try your hardest to save a life you’ve built with someone if ever it can be.

Due to the invention by God of free will we cannot change what other people do. People will use you, cheat you, abuse you, and all you can do is figure out how much are you willing to take? Even sitting at a poker table the table can eventually get cold, and it’s time to get up and walk away. Don’t be afraid to say goodbye to something causing you pain. Much like a gangrenous limb, you must sever the limb to save the body. Our souls are very similar. Hate and pain can be a cancer for our very souls, and in order to prevent scar tissue from forming hardening our hearts, we must be willing to let go and push forward to heal. So know when to throw in your cards, pick up your chips win or lose, and walk away. Don’t think of it as failure. Think of it as protecting your very soul. Even Thomas Edison once said once asked about how many times he failed to create the light bulb. “I have not failed. Ive just found 10’000 ways that it won’t work.”