Monday, May 16, 2005

Hold on fast, and seek diligently

I have finished my first week of the summer semester at school. I have a little bit more counselling classes so it will definitely be a bit of a change. I have loved theology so much that it really is all I have been wanting to do. I was thinking about changing my major to theology but I now that way back in August the Lord called me to counselling. So that is what I am going to do.

I do thank the Lord for giving me the desire to want to pick up His Word day in and day out. He has taught me so much in this little bit of time that it only could be accredited to Him. I am an official work in progress and I really can not wait for each day to come so that I can say 'More Lord'.

When I have been counselling people, it has never felt like work but when I am in class I get this overwhelming feeling of doubt. I know it is Satan pushing me back. I know that I have to push forward. Because I've been studying the Word more, I have a little bit better understanding of the spiritual battle that is going on around us and my only defense is the Word. I pray to be grounded in the Word Lord and fight back just as Jesus did in the desert.
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I have noticed a common occurrence that happens to us. We feel the Lord, we are hungry for the Word, we pray diligently and then something seems to happen that we lose the 'feeling', we feel distant from the Lord and we wonder what happened. The first thing that we should ask ourselves is 'Did we stop praying?' and 'Did we stop reading the Word?'. We get so focused on the things that are happening in front of us and we begin to lose sight of the Lord. God never is the one to leave it is always us who turn our eye onto something else. Our relationship with Jesus is an every day journey. It starts when we ask Jesus into our hearts and never finishes, not even when we close our eyes to sleep.

Heavenly Father, I ask that You renew our minds and our hearts for you. That we may walk with You and drown in your Spirit. Lord, I pray that everyone would seek You because when they do they will find you right there waiting. Father I know that Your promises are true and You will never fail us. I ask that everyone would lay down their troubles at Your feet and pick up their cross and follow You. You never promised an easy life, actually you said the opposite. So I pray that we look to heaven and not to the world for our reward. And when we find we are being tempted and in despair that we put our trust in You and diligently seek You. Your Word says "Submit to God, Resist the devil, and He will flee from you". Lord, I pray that you will convict all of us of our sins and draw all of us nearer to you. First we must submit and then we resist the devil. It is not the other way around. We need to lay down our life for You. Help us to see this and not be afraid but rejoice and be glad for even the apostles found joy in their sufferings. I ask that we all pray this "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight O' Lord, my strength and my redeemer". In Jesus' name I pray. Amen

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