Listening to God

What are you saying God???

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imagesRomans 12:1-2 – “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.”

How many believers struggle with hearing from God? I did. I struggled for years, three years to be exact. In 2011 my heart was convicted in how I was living my “Christian” life. God was tugging on my heart, whispering my name…I could feel him… but I did nothing.

Time would pass, but the conviction never did. It just continued to grow stronger until I could finally no longer ignore or deny it. I began to write in my journal about this and would ask God to tell me what He wanted. There was no answer – just an empty feeling in my heart with a side of conviction.

For 2 years this pattern continued. I believe this is the definition of Insanity – keep doing the same thing, yet expecting a different result.

Up until this point my prayers to God went something like this “Hey God, I need you to tell me what you want.” “God, why can’t you just tell me what you want me to do.” (IE make it easy on me – don’t make me actually have to do any work in figuring this out!). “Come on God, I’m sick of feeling this way, just tell me what you want and I’ll do it.”

God knew better. I wouldn’t do it because I was not mature enough as a believer. His timing is always perfect. If this happened in the timing I wanted it would have failed for sure.

Finally, one day I had a realization. Maybe it would be a good idea to actually try and LISTENED to God.

I decided to dedicate an hour every morning to getting into God’s word – to understand better who He is, what He wants, How He speaks, and how to understand what He is saying.

It was in this time that SLOWLY my eyes began to see more clearly my real relationship with God. It was mediocre at best. How thankful am I that God never grows weary of his selfish and slow-to-catch-on people.

As I drew closer to God in His word – I GREW closer to Him in my heart, my soul and my mind. He became real to me again. You may ask what I mean by real??? I mean present – A present being, a present Father, a present friend, a present provider, a present protector…PRESENT [spiritually and physically with me].

As my relationship with Christ grew stronger, the desires of this earth had lessened. Everything started feeling so temporal to me, so fleeting. God has captured my heart for the eternal.

Please know this was NOT an overnight transformation – but a three plus year process of yelling, crying, begging, forgetting, sinning, working, sleeping, toiling, and did I say yelling?? Yes, I yelled at God a lot over these three years. I couldn’t understand the calling, the burden He had placed within me and that was frustrating and scary all at once. I was fearful of making any decision because I was scared to make the wrong one. I still didn’t know what He was saying to me. All I knew was that what I was currently doing was not my calling – my gifts were meant for more – and that He had something different for my life.

Romans 12:1-2 is a verse that I wish I read a few years ago. Then maybe I would have understood earlier that in order to hear from God and understand His will – I need to give my life COMPLETELY over to Him, and offer my life as a living sacrifice to Him. That I need to give up the patterns and cares of this world and to live in full obedience to Him.

No one can serve two masters and that is what I was doing. I was serving self, I was serving worldly idols. I was NOT serving God…until now.

Fellow believer, if you are hearing from God but struggling to understand what He is saying, press in to Him deeper. Offer yourself as a living sacrifice for God and put this world behind you…He will guide your steps and will make clear where you should be and you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is for your life – His good, pleasing and perfect will!

 

 

Living a life of Submission

tammyrimer An Early Morning Vitamin, Listening to God, What's in my heart

blessedAn excerpt from the book Follow Me by David Platt

Ch. 4  “When followers of Christ share stories of how they became Christians, they often say something along the lines of, “I decided to make Jesus my personal Lord and Savior.” Initially and ultimately, of course, it’s wonderful to hear brothers and sisters recount the moment when their hearts were opened to the incomprehensibly passionate love of God…. At the same time, when I reflect on that particular statement – “I have decided to make Jesus my personal Lord and Savior” I can’t help but wonder how much this idea represents some subtly yet significantly dangerous trends in contemporary Christianity.

On one level, this statement minimizes the inherent authority of Jesus. Surely none of us can decide to make him Lord. Jesus IS Lord, regardless of what you or I decide….

…The real question is whether you or I will SUBMIT to his lordship, and this is the essence of conversation.

End excerpt.

After reading this section of the chapter I had to pause. It begs the act of self-examination. I know Jesus is Lord of all of us, regardless of whether we all believe it or not. I believe it. But in my life, do I live it? And when I say Live…what I mean is submit?

Understanding and believing that Christ is our Lord and Savior is honestly, one of the easier parts of this relationship. You look out the window and you know there is a creator, who absolutely loves each one of us. He loves us so much that He has designed a beautiful life and path for each of us, that is there if we really want it.

Where it gets hard is the relationship part – the step after believing. Satan does an amazing job of distracting us from what God truly intended for us. It is so easy to fall into the trap of selfish living. Needing more things, more money, more recognition, bigger house, nicer car…the list goes on and on.

Christ calls us to a life of serving others and putting others before ourselves [Matthew 29:40, Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.] Submitting our wants, desires, and selfish ways, and focusing on serving and helping others is the first step to living a life submitted to God.  [John 3:30; He must become greater, I must become less].

It is not sinful or wrong to have desires and to plan life for yourself. God wants to bless us with everything. He wants our lives to be filled with joy, peace, love and happiness. Where the sin comes is wanting the ways of this world more than the ways of God [Exodus 20:3, there shall be no other God before me].

When we live a life of submission to Christ our hearts, desires, wants, needs will align with His and the true blessings of a fulfilled life will be yours.

My prayer today is this: “Lord, help me to live a life that is truly in accordance to your will. Help me to keep you first, before all things in my life. Help me to submit my desires to you, trusting that you know best and have my best interest at heart. I trust you with all that I am and am grateful for all that you have already blessed me with. You know my heart, my desires and my needs. I give them to you and pray that your will in my life be done. Amen.

Grey Living

tammyrimer Listening to God, What's in my heart

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“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord. On His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by the streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” Psalms 1:1-3

These verses speak volumes in today’s time. We live in a world where any opinion and every opinion are taken as truth. Generations are growing up in a world of complete grey – with no absolutes. What a confusing time in which we live.

David (the author of the book of Psalms) shares a warning to us in living in the grey.

Today, there are so many places for us to seek counsel, stand in the way of sinners and sit in the seat of mockers. This world has become a place that loves and accepts and even encourages blurred lines and partial truths. Many sinful ways of living have become accepted as a proper way of life. Drugs are made legal, Playboy is a high quality brand, homosexuality is embraced, divorce is a social norm and so on.

Please know – I am not listing these pieces in judgment but rather in highlighting some of the sinful behaviors, we (even as believers and followers of Christ) have come to accept as normal, natural and right.

It is SO easy to fall into the “grey” way of living and to live among the wicked to a point where truth no longer shows, even among those who proclaim Christ as truth.

David says, in paraphrase, “The righteous man delights in the law of the Lord and on this law he meditates day and night.” I love this verse because what he is saying here is that we know and understand God’s truth and we embrace and believe it for our own good. And when we meditate on God’s word and make it a part of our daily life and memorize it and hold it close to our heart – we are protected from falling into a “grey” lifestyle. The truth of the Lord is clearly seen and understood and we abide by it because we know it is what is GOOD for us.

Just like a parent setting guidelines and rules for their children – God has set guidelines and rules for us – out of love, not control, out of protection, not punishment.

David goes on, “he is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.”  YES. When you come to the word of God and mediate on it day and night, you become rooted in the stream of LIFE. You have a power source, a food source, flowing into you daily, keeping you strong, healthy and fed.

When you stay rooted to God, you will naturally yield fruit. What does that mean you ask??? It means others will see the joy within you, they will want to understand why you are so strong and fearless of life and the stream of life flowing in you will naturally want to flow out onto others and you will become a disciple of Christ – sharing your testimony and good news with those who don’t know.

FRUIT. Others will see the truth in you and will become seedlings blossoming into their own tree, rooted by the stream through your discipleship.

The last statement David makes in this verse really spoke volumes to me. “Whatever he does prospers.” For the past 2 years I really struggled with “What is God’s calling for me?” I felt frustrated because I felt what I was currently doing wasn’t right and that I was missing out on what God had for me. Now, as I have rooted myself in His word and meditated on it day and night (as the Psalms says) it has all been made very clear!

If you are living a life rooted in God then whatever you do prospers, because God is at the center of it. God doesn’t have his will “hidden” from us. He’s not sitting in heaven saying to me “Okay Tammy, good luck finding my will for your life. You’re getting warmer. No now you’re colder….” But rather God calls us to a full life with Him – it is the same calling for me, for you and for your neighbor. Our calling is to live a life right with Christ and to share His love and life with others.

When we die to ourselves and allow Christ to live in us – we are living His calling and anything we do will prosper. Please don’t mistake, “prosper” for becoming rich and everything you do will succeed and turn to gold. J God’s definition of prosper and our worldly definition is a bit different.

Even though we are rooted in Christ, we will still encounter hard times – but now we have a solid life source to keep us strong. I want to encourage you to continue reading beyond Psalms 1:3. David compares the man rooted in God verses the man not rooted.

My prayer for you today is that you will dedicate time daily to meditating on the word of God. Plant your heart and life near God’s life stream (his word – the Bible), allowing Him to flow in you daily, keeping your soul strong and fed. Go out and show others what God has done for you and “yield fruit” showing others the love of Christ through your own salvation.

 

Come with me and I will make you Fishers of Men

tammyrimer Fishers of Men, Listening to God, What's in my heart

Matthew 4:18-22 Jesus makes an “Ask.”

fishermenWill you abandon your other pursuits and follow me? Can you leave behind your previous ambitions and follow me?

If James, John and the other disciples did not “drop their nets” and follow Christ – we, Christians, would not be here today – knowing God. Jesus never intended us to sit idly back and wait for others to reach the lost in His name. He has called each one of us to this work. Jesus wants to stretch us in every aspect of our life and teach us to trust God in every step we are called to take.

Our life with Christ is about a relationship – it is not about what church we attend or what denomination we adhere to. It is not about what neighborhood we live in or what nation in which we reside. It is totally about serving God THROUGH serving others (not ourselves).

Serving self has been a burden on my soul for the past year and a half. I have struggled with the comfortable life I live and the lack of serving I do. I claim Jesus – I have Him inside of me – and that has been where I have kept Him for many years.

When I am in front of God this feeling of “DO SOMETHING” beats at my heart like an iron fist. When am I going to “DROP MY NET AND FOLLOW CHRIST?”

I begged God to make it clear to me and I believe He has. As you go through your day – allow God to speak to you about His calling for your life. Allow Him to show you your purpose. We all have a purpose and what a shame it would be to never find it – and never live it.

Go in peace.

What Is Real?

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I bought a book by Joyce Meyer “How to Hear God’s Voice” but I haven’t finished it and still wonder if it is really so different for everyone that Joyce’s way may not be right for how God speaks to me. I don’t want to do anything the wrong way and miss hearing from Him.

So with all of this writing, I come back to where I started earlier. This beautiful and not so beautiful world, the end of times, and how I and my family participate in this Age. I am filled with such fear. The ways of the world are changing so dramatically and are heading to a place of “no return.” A place where Christians are seen as the enemy, the haters, the liars, the judge and the jury. And not so slowly the Christian beliefs  that this nation was founded on are being stripped away and replaced with subjective beliefs of “anything goes.” YOUR idea of right and wrong is the truth and there is no real standard of one right and wrong – but each persons idea of right is what is right.

If that is true then WHAT is REAL? Your truth or mine? Truth becomes the “Flavor of the Day” rather than a static standard of right and wrong. I fear this place that we, as a nation, are headed. It seems as though we, the Christian believer, have lost our voice. Inside I am screaming – but in reality NOTHING is coming out.

And this is what I am waiting on you, God, to speak to me about. I am trying to hear your voice and understand your will for me – for my family – in these dark days. What would you have us do?

What’s in my heart

tammyrimer Listening to God, What's in my heart ,

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It is about 7:45 AM on Saturday morning. I awoke at 7:15 and knew a snow storm came in the night. I went to the window to peak out at the “damage” and instead was greeted with a beautiful scene of soft lovely snow, covering a peaceful world.

I could not close the window curtain again to hide the light and go back to sleep. Instead I lye here in the darkness with only the light from the early morning sky coming in as I stare out the window from my bed, at this beautiful scene.

How perfect and peaceful everything looks. I hate the fact that soon the world will awake and disturb this beautiful scene of soft stillness.

As I lay here my mind continues to go towards God and the wonder of what is to come. It is silly but in my mind I think God has a special love for me – we have a special relationship and He won’t allow me to be hurt. Then I step back into reality, realizing all of those who have gone before me who were much more faithful to God and I’m sure felt the same way – that somehow they were protected from the pain and fear of death.

I talk to God a lot. He is usually the first one I talk to when I wake and is usually the last one I talk to when I lay to sleep. The problem is, I do all the talking. I have never been properly trained on how to LISTEN to God. Because of this, I feel trapped in a life of guessing, with a great fear of doing anything because I fear what I am doing is listening to myself and not the instruction of God and so I only stand still and then end up (after a time of standing) feeling angry, sad and frustrated.