Words of Encouragement

As the water rushes over the shoreline, the sands began to mold into the shape of the waters as they rush in. Have you ever looked at that and thought that is what God does to our lives? As the "cleansing water" of God rushes over us, it molds us slowing into the shape that the water wants us to be in. Lord continue to flow over us and shape us more into your image.







The LORD your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. You have declared this day that the LORD is your God and that you will walk in his ways, that you will keep his decrees, commands and laws, and that you will obey him. - Deuteronomy 26:16-17



Take My Life. Take My Heart...Mold it (Holiness). The people of God made a commitment that they would follow after God and they would walk in his ways. In order for this to be possible, God commands that the heart observe all that has been given.



You and I are not capable of living holy in ourselves. We need God to come alongside of us and mold our hearts into ones that are able to receive and keep what he requires of us.



I have heard it said by people before, "Oh I can do that, that isn't any problem." I've heard it said I can forgive, that isn't a problem or I can love or something else. I often listen and say to myself, you have yet to be tested in that area. See just as soon as we think we have it under control, God will turn up the requirement. We may start out loving those that are lovable, but what happens when God says love those that are not? We may have been able to forgive those that did us wrong but it wasn't really a big deal. But what happens when we have to forgive those that have done the unthinkable to us?



That is why you and I have to say Lord take my heart and mold it so that I can keep your commandments. I acknowledge that I do not have the strength in myself to forgive or to love your way, without your power helping me to do it. It is the same with living a holy life. We cannot do it by our own power it requires the power of God and his Spirit directing us.



That is why again and again the people of God would fail to keep the commandments of God because they could not keep them in their own ability. Jesus came to help us. He came so that all would be able to live victoriously.

So this week we talked about God taking our lives. In order for our lives to be lived God's way we must first ask him to conform our wills to his ways, for his ways are higher than ours. Then we must ask him to take our minds and transform them so that we can think his thoughts. We must also seek him to take our hearts and mold them into his shape and for his purpose. The one we didn't touch on this week was brokenness. We must ask God to break in us anything that hinders us from coming to seek his ways.

So today I pray for us that we allow God full control of our lives so that we can live with extreme purpose for him. I don't know about you but I am not content simply existing from day to day, I want to live out every day of my life with an extreme purpose for the master.

Words of Encouragement

How many of us have workout equipment in our basements or homes that are just sitting there? We want our bodies changed but we simply keep walking past the equipment as if the change will be made without any effort. We have to take the first step and get on and after the proper discipline, we will begin to see the change. It is the same with our relationship with God. We cannot expect him to change our way of thinking if we do not talk to him or read his word that will help us take the first step.


Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. - Romans 12:1-3



Take My Life. Take My Mind...Transform it. I no longer want to think the same. That is what comes to my mind when I read this scripture as well as what crosses my mind as one that loves the Lord. I no longer want to think the same because I acknowledge within myself that my thoughts are sometimes selfish and self-serving.



I want to have my way all the time and I do not want to sacrifice anything. As a child of God, however, the Spirit of God cautions me when my thoughts are conformed or like this world I live in. He will remind me that in order for my life to be directed by God, I have to also allow him to transform or change what I think and how I think it.

The old Jewel when you hurt me would have moved away from you and never have anymore contact with you. Why? I felt in my way of thinking that if you hurt me I could not trust you and it was easiest for me to cut you out of my life for good. However, God continues to change that thought process in my mind. Instead, what he does is make me go back to those places and those people that have hurt me and continue to love them.



Why does he do that, we wonder? He does it so that he can perfect us and to create in us the ability to understand what his will is. He calls us to be living sacrifices and we are not able to do that unless our minds are changed. He does it so that we will not puff ourselves up and think more about us than we should. That means we allow God's Spirit to change the selfish tendency in us to be more focused on the will and desire of God.



This can only happen with the daily transformation that must take place. These transformations are causes by the situations, circumstances and trials that we face. They gives us the opportunity to live out the will of God as he reveals it to our minds (through his word and by his Spirit).



Today, Lord thank you for transforming our minds by renewing them with the things that are pleasing to you. Thank you for helping us to no longer conform to the things of this world and the things desired by our selfish flesh. Thank you for perfecting us. Thank you for taking our will and transforming us. Thank you for transforming us into righteousness.

Words of Encouragement

The rocks on the shore are beat continually with the waves of the water. Yet as much as the water hits them, they continue to stand in the same place. It must be the same with you and I. The waves of life my try to come and over take us, but we must continue to stand. We must ask God to help us fulfill his will for our lives so that we do not turn around and drift away from the weight of the waves.



Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. "Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." - Mark 13:45



Take My Life. Take My Will...Conform it. Jesus is facing a most difficult time, preparing himself for the cross. To prepare himself for the cross he goes away to pray. As he is praying, he ask God to remove this requirement of sacrifice. It is not because he is disobedient or does not love the Father. It is because his flesh must go through more than you and I can even image. Not his flesh only. His emotions will also have to go through this process. If you recall the scripture Jesus calls out "Father why have you forsaken me?"



This cry out was from the agony Jesus suffered at the separation he felt from the Father because of the sins upon him. He felt isolated. The Father was still there, yet his connection felt broken. It is because of that which he knew was to come that he asked God to remove it. Yet, he says, not my will but yours.



In essence what Jesus was saying is, conform my will to yours. Take my will and shape it into yours. If we are to walk like Jesus, we too will be called to release our wills into the hand of the Father.



Jesus shows us something very important. When we are required to release our will we need to step aside and pray that God would conform us to his will. We will need the strength of the Father for what we are going to face. We will face giving up our lives for His purpose and will. In that time we will even wonder, Father why have you forsaken me? We will face the isolation we feel as if the Father is not speaking and has left us alone.



We will face the agony that will rip our flesh. It may not be the cross, yet the agony of betrayal, hurt, disease, lost of loved ones all rip at our flesh and makes us want to say please remove this cup.



Yet, we submit our wills to God and say, not our will but yours. We can take the encouragement that even in the midst of whatever situation we face, God is still our Father. He has not left us alone to handle our situations. He has only allowed the pressure of it, to mold our wills into his.



Today I pray, Lord take our wills and conform them to yours. Help us love to do your will, even when it calls for us to sacrifice ourselves for the process. Give us the strength and continue to direct our paths. Help us in those times when we feel that you have left us alone. Reassure us of your presence and your love for us. This I ask, in Jesus name.

Words of Encouragement

Serving others is what God requires from us. These individuals decided to serve others by cleaning the beaches and preparing a clean area for them to come. God requires us to serve others so that they too can have a "cleansing" that only comes from him.

"What is it you want?" he asked. She said, "Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom." "You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said to them. "Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?" "We can," they answered. Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father." When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. - Matthew 20:21-28



Take My Life. This Life is not for My Glory. I was listening to a song this morning as I was preparing the web site for the week and asking God what should we study. The song is titled, Take My Life. I hadn't heard the song in a while, but just like the first time I heard it, I began to praise God and seek his Holiness.



In this scripture today, we see two of Jesus' disciples seeking to have a place of honor when Jesus comes into his kingdom. This mother may have thought what she was seeking was a good thing. She wanted her sons to be powerful, influential and mighty. What parent does not want their children to have success in life?



We also see Jesus' other disciples become angry at this request. Now do not think they were angry because of the request being wrong, they were probably angry because each had their own idea of being great in the kingdom of God. Sometimes we become angry at what others ask for, not because we think it's wrong, but we feel we somehow will be left out.



Jesus however being the concerned leader, takes them aside and explains something important to them. He lets them know that whomever wishes to be first can only do so by giving up their lives. Jesus did not come to be served as they thought on a thrown directing subjects to do his bidding. Instead he came to give himself, to pour out his life for the glory of God.



This is the mandate for all believers today. This life is not about your glory. This life is not about what you will accomplish to glorify your name or position. It is not about what power you will have. It is not about what influence you will have nor is about your success. This life is for you and I to give it over into the hands of God so that he can pour us out for his use.



We have become comfortable being served but that is not what this life is about. It is not about us being served and having "subjects" to order around. It is about us allowing God to create in us his perfect will. This search for Holiness is what we need.



Today, I pray for us as seek to do the will of the Father that has sent us, and not our own.