In Your Head

I love the prayer that begins, “God be in my head.” When I first heard it, admittedly I thought it sounded a little weird. But then I got to thinking how unfortunate it is if in our efforts to get closer to Jesus we focus on our emotional experience of Him and check our brains at the door. Without His truth ringing in our heads, we’re bound to get off track.

Just look at the early Christians. False teachers filled their heads with misinformation, saying that salvation and spiritual growth could be attained only through keeping the requirements of the law. When Paul heard of it, he was astonished at how quickly they had gotten off track: “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ” (Gal. 1:6).

It’s not just false teachers who lead us astray. Our world is full of twisted thinking like, “If it feels good, do it,” or “The one with the most toys wins.” Let’s face it, you and I can’t afford to check our brains at the door. In fact, intimacy with Jesus begins with getting to know Him, and it’s the facts about Him that make us want to get close to Him.

So, strange as it may sound, if you want to stay on track with Jesus, start each day by asking Him to be in your head! — Joe Stowell

God be in my head, and in my understanding;
God be in my eyes, and in my looking;
God be in my mouth, and in my speaking;
God be in my heart, and in my thinking. —Sarum Primer

To stay on track, let God guide your thinking.

October 28, 2008

http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/our-daily-bread/2008/10/28/devotion.aspx

How do you hear God's Voice?

How do you hear God's Voice? How do you know when God is telling you to do something? These are great questions that many people struggle with. I know that many times I hear people say, "I would obey God if I just knew what He wanted me to do." There is some truth to it but the problem doesn't lie with God not communicating to us it is with us listening to Him.

I love taking my students to Look-up Lodge Christian Retreat in SC because the speaker Greg does an amazing job in communicating Who God is to the students. We took our High School students there last week and one of the things he talked about what what is one of the greatest characteristics of God. People mention God's Love, His Grace, His Mercy, His Patience, His Faithfulness and many others. Greg stops and points out that all those are absolutely amazing but he feels that the greatest characteristic is that God is a Great Communicator. How could we know about all those things about God unless He communicated them to us. This is where hearing God's voice comes to play.

I usually tell people that there are several factors in hearing God's voice. The first thing we have to remember is that God is soveriegn enough and cares enough to tell us what we need to know. It would be sort of silly for us to sit back and think that God would want us to know something but would struggle with figuring out how to communicate that to us. So our first step is to realize that God can and does want to show us His Will.

Greg also asked the questions to the students, "Does anyone want to know God's will for their life?" Of course hands went up all over. Greg pointed to someone and said, "Do you really want to know?" He then went on to tell them, "If you really want to know God's will, then your in it. The first step to doing God's will is to want it." (paraphrased) He then continued to say that God's will is simply Him saying, "Follow me!" In order to be in God's will we must want it and be willing to follow Him wherever he takes us.

So now you want God's will, your willing to follow Him you just don't know where, what, how, why and when! This is the part that is so great about God. He desires to communicate Himself to us. He has given us His Word, the Bible, to show us more of Who He is, and guide us in the way we should follow Him. You see the whole word of God is to point us to this Holy and Righteous God. As we seek to know this God and love Him we will find that we remain in His Will (John 15).

But Kevin...what about the specifics of my life? Well great question there reader of this blog! I have in the years of being a Christian realize that Christ Lives in me and His Holy Spirit is in me to guide me. I have to trust that God is powerful enough and cares enough to guide me exactly where He wants me. I know that He asks me to be willing to do whatever He desires, where ever He desires, whenever He desires. I must now trust that He will clearly guide me there. The question you have to ask is when He has shown you specifics of His will for you how did He speak to you? If you can learn to hear how God speaks to you then you can really learn to hear His voice. John 10:4, "When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice." Do you know How God has spoken to you? Do you know God's voice? If you struggle with this answer then I encourage you to go back and spend time getting to know this God. Take His Word and get out into His creation and pray and ask Him to teach you who He is.

There are many ways that God speaks to people. Most people hear His voice through a small still voice in their heart, through peace, through open doors and closed doors, through His word. Other times God may speak through dreams or visions or miracles in your life. I would say sometimes God speaks through people as well, but be cautious with this one. I have seen many Christians go to people for counsel and only seek the counsel of people who they think will say what they want. Make sure it is God directing them and not just their thoughts on your situation.

Keep Seeking God with Passion. Know Him, I mean really Get to Know Jesus and don't settle for anything less!!

In Christ,
Kevin Deming

http://ymhelper.blogspot.com/2007/06/how-do-you-hear-gods-voice.html

Discovering God's Will

God’s plan ensures that every believer reaches his or her maximum potential. He desires that His children live a certain way and make right decisions, so He accepts full responsibility for guiding them. In fact, He promises, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go” (Psalm 32:8). However, our lifetime is not mapped out in a primer that we read the day we are saved. Discovering God’s will is a daily process of trust.

We learn God’s will by reading His Word. Scripture provides a comprehensive guide for any situation. There we find rules and commands that will lead to our success, as well as principles for daily application. The Bible doesn’t detail every possible situation we might face, but its principles equip us to make decisions with regard to any and every circumstance we encounter. Studying God’s Word is the only way for a believer to recognize His will. We discover God’s will through circumstances.

The Lord is actively guiding every incident of our lives in order to stitch the incongruent “threads” together for our good. (Romans 8:28) For example, when I was young, I had no money for seminary, even though I’d felt God’s call to preach. As I discussed the situation one evening with a friend named Julian, my pastor walked by. Julian called him over and then asked if he could help. The pastor told me to come see him. I did, and out of that meeting came a four-year scholarship. Believers must be alert for the moment God reveals His will. Pray every day that He will make you sensitive to His ways.

READ 2 Timothy 3:14-17
http://www.intouch.org/

Letting Go of Our Procrastinating Ways

We like to think that our delaying tactics are no big deal. After all, we tell ourselves, no one is really hurt by the things we put off. Over time, however, our choices to postpone action can develop into a lifelong pattern of procrastination. The ruler Felix delayed making a decision about Christ and eventually turned away completely.

To get on track, we must change our attitude about procrastination, admitting it is a serious problem and noticing where we consistently put off action. It’s important to identify feelings of doubt and discomfort we may have, confess that procrastination has a hold on us, and then decide in our hearts to turn away from it. Tell God, “I want to live by Your schedule and please You by my obedience.”

Repentance should be joined by a commitment to actively embrace new ways of decisive living. Use God’s Word to fight against feelings of doubt and discomfort whenever they arise. Who we are in Christ and who He is to us are the truths needed to overcome bad habits. The Bible says that we are new creations,indwelt by God’s Holy Spirit, and we are no longer slaves to sin. (Galatians 5:1) Jesus, our Savior, is also our Lord. He provides all we need through His resurrection power. (2 Peter 1:3) His grace turns our weakness into strength. (2 Corinthians 12:9). Victory is ours through Him. (Romans 8:37)

READ Acts 24:24-27

http://www.intouch.org/

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How To Stop

Procrastinating (In general)

• Recognize that procrastination stems from habit. New habits will be needed, and these take time and commitment to develop.
• Understand the cause for procrastination, then develop strategies to fix it.
• Recognize the difference between an appropriate decision to delay, and an irrational postponement without justification.
• Fix procrastination by working on a) tasks and b) your environment:

TASK STRATEGIES

• Complete unpleasant tasks first. Schedule them for early in the day. Give yourself a reward for doing them.
• Break large jobs into smaller, more manageable tasks. Plan and complete a start-up task, no matter how small.
• Develop a clear mental picture of the completed task and how you will feel at that time. Maintain a focus on the end result, not just the process. Remind yourself how good you'll feel when you're finished.
• Schedule the task for when you will be at your peak.
• Maintain your high standards, but recognize that sometimes 80% for you may well be 100% for someone else. Don't spend hours conducting a detailed cost breakdown when a rough estimate would suffice.

ENVIRONMENT STRATEGIES

• Tailor your environment for work. Close your door, clean up the clutter on your desk.
• Remove distractions such as water coolers, snacks, in-boxes, coffee machines and magazine racks.
• If you work at home, treat your office as an office. Don't go out to lunch before lunchtime or watch television before the end of the day.
• Tell your family that you are not to be disturbed in your home office.

http://www.getmoredone.com/tips2.html

Learning to be Content

“For I have learned how to be content (satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am.” Philippians 4:11 (Amp)

Contentment in all situations is the goal. Learning how to be content is the challenge. And that only happens when we realize that “we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.” Philippians 4:12. It is a constant yielding and accepting that the Lord is Sovereign over and in all things. Someone said, “If He is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all.”

When bad things happen to us we desperately want to change them. It is hard to accept with contentment a loved one who is sick and dying, a child who has decided to walk from the Lord, an estranged relationship, a loss of a career you love, financial hardships, and the aches and pains of an aging body and the fact that younger people aren’t interested in learning from your experiences.

However, as we walk through the pain of these experiences—when we lean hard on Jesus’ grace and sufficiency, we become more content, until finally we accept them. We become quiet – we are no longer disturbed. We rest in Him. We can say with confidence, “The Lord will accomplish what concerns me.” Psalm 138:8

By Katherine Kehler
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2008/08/27/kk_to-be-content/