KEEP ON KEEPING ON

Dunrobin Castle, Scotland

Christian life is one of progressive spiritual awareness.

 

What in your life needs God’s help ? 

Prayer and planning are powerful tools that help us. We ask for God to guide us as we heal, strengthen, and restore. Maybe we need to release something or someone to His care. Movement forward takes a willingness on our part.

Change what is in your ability to change. Invite God to help you and to go through it with you. Healing of hurts or whatever the issue when addressed through God’s loving intervention prevents you from being filled with resentful bitterness and keeps you from remaining in a wounded state.

I think it’s much like carrying a burden that weighs you down but is unseen by others. Most don’t know what wounds you bear, but God does. He knows your internal suffering and your worries and fears.

One of the nice thing about a relationship with God is He knows us through and through. He knows our concerns and what we bear. When God goes before us He enters the battle to help us overcome and to set us free.

 

The battle belongs to the Lord.

We may not like the imagery but for me it is like a fortress that protects a castle. God is our protector and helper. God never leaves us or forsakes us. We may not be aware of His presence all the time but that’s intentional. He wants us to grow strong in our faith.

We learn to trust through our faith, not by our sight. I’ve had some scary situations where I was in need and I called on God. I was all alone and afraid. I made it out okay. He got me through the difficulty by providing what I needed at just the right time. It was in answer to my prayers.

Deep growth comes according to God’s timetable and our willingness to deal with our struggles. I wouldn’t want you to think it’s easy to move forward for it’s not. Healing and change come in layers. I encourage you to trust God in every situation. Call on Him and He will be found.

Keep moving forward and never stop.
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Photo by Colin Horn, Unsplash

Be Of Good Cheer

Much in life takes a great deal of courage to get through. We have to dig deep to push through to the other side of our trouble. One thing we know for sure, the sun will rise again. There is always hope. Christ said, "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." He is the ultimate overcomer.

We can overcome even the most difficult of circumstances. But you may also be of good cheer. You will overcome. God will make a way for you and your family. I am asking God to make a way for you.

Keep a smile in your heart.
     Be kind to yourself.
          Be grateful.
               Be patient.
                    This too shall pass.
                          You will be stronger for it.

Look to God to help you. Seek God for understanding and direction. Trust Him to make a way. Be blessed.

I am praying for you. Leave a request in a comment or email if you have a specific prayer need.
God bless you.

Love 💓 Joy 💓 Peace 💓 Hope

Seek the best things.

Your Place in the Cosmos

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,

 “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, 

plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 7:11

You Have a Unique Part to Play

YOU ARE IN THE STORY. You are. You are an active participant, not as an observer but as a living, breathing, genuine, God-designed being. You have a gift that only you can give. You have a song that only you can sing. You have a message that only you can impart. 

This is your destiny. You are defined by your unique, God-given purpose. 

Before we were formed in our mother’s womb, God had a plan for each one of us. He put eternity in our hearts. God has a plan and a future for you, and he has a separate plan and future for me. God’s plan for us is our personal and spiritual destiny, combined into one. Our destiny is our number one purpose for living. Discover your purpose and you will know why you are here in the cosmos.

Be who you are meant to be. It is a waste of time and energy to build a false persona.

Find out who you are and then center yourself in this knowledge, your destiny. Stop trying to be someone you aren't and never will be, and stop trying to be like other people or like that other person you idolize. You never were meant to be those other people or like that other person. Be you.

God gave you your identity. Ask him to guide and direct in your pursuit of knowing him.  

The more you know God, the more you will know yourself (and your purpose). God has answers to our questions. When we begin to listen, when we pursue a living spirituality, when we make sacrifices of any personal, self-made ambitions, then we are able to come a little closer in understanding our own unique purpose. Let God in to help and guide you. Allow him access to your real self.

Your life will take on greater meaning and substance. You won't be sorry. Come alive.

Spiritual Cleansing: Forgiveness, Sorrow and Repentance

Looking in the Mirror

  Godly grief produces a repentance 

that leads to salvation without regret.

2 Corinthians 7:10

Forgiving others may lead to an awareness of missteps on our own part. 

FORGIVENESS comes when a right attitude is present. Saying the words. I forgive you, may mean little or a lot. It all depends. Are they heart-felt or unfelt, meant as truth or to appease, true words or false?

Forgiving has everything to do with
-the heart’s motivation,
     -the mind’s attitude,
           -the soul’s condition.

Unfair, unkind, or unloving treatment is quite difficult to release, let alone, to forgive! Harbored bitterness and resentments are a catalyst. They create unhealthy bonds to the person or said event where one was wronged, which resulted in an inability to live free. What to do?

True forgiveness takes a willingness to surrender the offense combined with an act of God’s mercy. In addition, we must ask God to reveal the truth about our own-self, where there is unforgiveness, ungratefulness, and bitterness in us.

Not only does one forgive the offender for their offense, but one should also acknowledge their own offenses.. They look to the past as they acknowledge any acts of unkindness or where they intentionally or unintentionally withheld acceptance, approval, and support. God uses his mirror of truth to reflect his image and to reveal any duplicit behavior in us. He desires us to be pure vessels for His service.

Sorrow for pain we have caused is another step toward true healing. It happened to me. God purified me through a process.

I was in a world of pain after my my mate left and our marriage disintegrated. It was easy to cast blame, but I was blind to my own actions. God began to reveal my part through the Spirit's bringing it to my awareness. It was as if God brought to the forefront the ways I had caused pain to my ex-mate, albeit unknowingly.

This caused a deep sorrow within me. I remembered those times I did not speak words of appreciation for gifts or deeds, which caused my tears to flow in unstoppable streams. I knew that I must speak words of apology and seek forgiveness.

A rich cleansing took place as godly sorrow which leads to repentance purified my inner person. It changed me. An amazing peace entered. I was free.

Dear Father God, you are so good to us. You redeem the past to set us free.

He will Give You Rest: Intervention 17

His Rest becomes Your Rest

Finding God in the Daily

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden 
 and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28

Spiritual rest gives hope and peace in God.

EVER WATCH SOMEONE ASLEEP, napping, snoozing—a baby, a child, a mate? Your heart is moved as you watch them. You identify with your caring for that person. It is calm.

God wants us to find our rest in Him,
-not in circumstances,
     -not in temporary fixes,
          -not in things,
               -not in money,
                     -not in fame,
                           -not in pursuits,
                                -not in people.

At times, we get on a treadmill of busyness rather than resting in Him. A person may not understand their rest in Him and wonder what this means. Maybe they don’t know how to implement it or rest in it. The thought of rest is elusive or not on their radar.

Some in the Christian community give up trying to find God. They find substitutes. Some get enmeshed in addictive alternatives as a way to remediate the inner deadness rather than realizing the solution is in God.

 I think this is common when discouragement or depression looks for something that makes one feel better. This is the path of least resistance, the natural, untreated path that self-medicates rather than looks for a better solution. Spiritual rest is also not found in substitutes, including friendships, no matter how fulfilling and strong they may be.

Spiritual rest is cultivated and is a result of the Spirit's peaceful state. Jesus' rest is internal in us and eternal in God. Spiritual rest is peaceful, knowing, certain. It faces adversity and knows all will be well. All is well when anchored fast in Christ. He is our rest.

True nurturing rest is found in God and God alone.

God is a God of tranquility and peace. He offers us soul-rest. It is a supernatural rest only found in God’s presence after His healing grace has touched the inner places. 

This type of rest is in answer to the weariness of
-our souls,
     -our burdens,
           - our hearts.

The more we seek God the more we experience access true restfulness. It is a form of trust mixed with love that has found itself joined in a trusting relationship with Father God.

Once you know this centered rest in the Divine,
-life takes on a new flavor,
     -a spiritually alive direction,
          -a greater sense of harmony with God.

Peaceful presence is connected to its Source, His presence in you and with you. This happens as you open the door to your heart all the way. God floods its interior, enters every room and takes up residence. You no longer withhold or erect barriers in the relationship. You and your soul enter into full fellowship, caring connection, and friendship with each member of the God-Head.This is life, and this is rest.

To God be the Glory

† † †

Controversy's Arc -- Inspiration 32

 Christians and Controversy

Finding God in the Daily

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 1:5-8

 
"If you are drawn into controversy, use very hard arguments and very soft words. Frequently you cannot convince a man by tugging at his reason, but you can persuade him by winning his affections.” - C.H. Spurgeon

CONSTANT CONTROVERSY SWIRLS around us. People are entrenched in their way of thinking as are others of the opposite opinion. Such debates are like ugly fests to see who can top the other in their accusations. Controversy surfaces in the form of members of society fighting a war of words in an open-ended tug-of-war over controversial matters. For representatives of Christ, a standard of acceptable behavior is the expectation. Beyond the ethical disparity of differing beliefs in any given group, believers should represent the values God set forth and Jesus lived. A disconnect between belief and behavior would suggest something is off. Here is an amazing thing, I never once saw my Christian grandparents voice anger at each other or at others. All four were of the brethren church tradition. Their behavior was well intentioned. They purposed to live a quiet but strong quality in their lifestyles. It can be done. A self-respecting individual maintains presence and respects the dignity of others even when they are not respected back. Hot topics spark controversy and some should be challenged and debated. Strong and dignified gets the job done. A caution is in order. Be slow to enter the fray unless 1) you can keep your cool when you are verbally attacked, 2) you can say the truth in love when you are confronted, 3) you can dial back your emotions when you need to reclaim reason, and 4) when your content is well-thought out. Let your life speak loudly and if you have to, use words. "Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words," is a phrase attributed to St. Francis of Assisi. 

Dear God, may we speak truth at all times. May we speak love at all times. May the two intertwine in times of controversy and dismay. Amen

To God be the Glory   

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⧫ I INVITE YOU to read my weekly post at my formal blog, N. L. Brumbaugh, A Transformed Life. You can view the blog here. I post it on Wednesdays. Have a great day.

Unconventional Christianity -- Inspiration 30

Go For It!  

  You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual 

house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual 

sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:5

Our gifts and talents mixed with the Holy Spirit's promptings make for an interesting life. Sensitivity to the Spirit's quiet voice and active listening and then acting on the promptings means you're becoming real. The focus changes from self to others.
 
THE UNCONVENTIONAL CHRISTIAN doesn't do Christianity the traditional way. They walk the walk according to the Spirit's compelling. Once they realize it is God giving these thoughts to them, they begin to be responsive. The thought comes in. Immediately or as soon as possible they go into action, no matter what it is. Every day meets with surprises.

Go here, go there. *Talk to that man over there, he's having a hard time. *Remember the announcement in church? Send $60 to the Smith family. *You need to go visit your auntie in the hospital. Right now. Drop everything and go. *See that woman over there, help her with her groceries. *You know, Mike? Send him an encouragement card. He needs to know he's appreciated. *And Pastor So and So, he would sure be tickled to get a home-baked strawberry pie, especially because it means you care. *Fast for a week for greater sensitivity in your ministry. *Commit to volunteering at the soup kitchen every week. *See over there on the park bench, give that homeless person your lunch. He's not eaten today. *Smile at people--because you love me. *Sing because you are my light to others. *Love on everyone you meet, the cashier, people at work, the little ones, your difficult relative, boss, co-worker. *Take a meal to your new neighbors, welcome them. *Call your sister. Pray with her, she's going through a rough patch. *Invite the young mother you met at church to your house for coffee; she's struggling and frazzled. It would mean a lot to her. *Time to get involved with the city park cleanup. *Share Christ with your grandpa. He's ready to listen now. *You really should make that call. *Mop the floor, clean toilets, wash dishes for Me and with a cheerful attitude. *Give thanks for My provision. *You need to forgive her, it's robbing your joy. *Stop complaining, it's finding fault with what I have made. *Pray for one hour every day for the needs in your family, country, world. And so the unconventional Christian life goes.

Want to have an unconventional spiritual life? Start listening to the Holy Spirit and follow the prompts. You'll be blessed (and surprised).

Dearest Father in heaven, it is joy to serve You. You receive the glory in all. Praise You. May Your love flow freely in all we do. Amen

To God be the Glory

In Failure's Wake -- Inspiration 23

When You Fail

How we hate to fail. Failures are like calamities that come unexpectedly and consequentially. But all is not lost. God is present and able to help when we fail.

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified 
because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; 
he will never leave you nor forsake you.

Deuteronomy 31:6  NIV

FAILURE CAN DEVASTATE. No one plans or wants to fail. People work toward a predetermined outcome though it may not turn out quite the way they planned. Christians are known to walk by faith. The way of faith is to first discern the will of the Father before making concrete plans. But failures still happen. A failure's devastating effects requires the person become active in their own recovery. This means there will be a mix of some or all of the following processes: Grieve the loss, deal with the aftermath; acknowledge the person's part in the failure, also the parts they could not control; look to the future; take steps forward; access recovery in part and in whole; and pray for help and wisdom. God is a helping partner in life's negative, troubling, experiences. These are set-backs but not defeats. God is able to teach to strengths and encourage to weaknesses. Trust placed in God matures the person in their spiritual life. Another benefit is the humbling of self. This gentles the spirit. Credit is given to God when He has helped them in their situation. Others notice their hope is placed and then actualized. Never give up. Most victories are hard won. God is with you all the time even when He seems absent and it may not seem like He cares. He does care and promises to never leave you. You can take that to the bank. Trust Him.

Father God, You know the reason for everything even those things that hurt us. You heal broken people and fix shattered lives. You carry us through the difficulty and strengthen our lives. Blessed be the Name of the Lord. Amen

To God be the Glory

Authentic Christians -- Daily Inspiration 22

The Life of an Authentic Christian

 A follower of Christ is known by their love for others. They are unselfish in their real self and give from the heart. This means they receive from the Source of all love, Jesus Christ.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

John 13:35  NIV

AUTHENTICITY in a Christian is a must-have. If this is true, then what must a Christian have to be authentic? According to scripture, a real, true, authentic Christian will be known by their love. They will have love and that love will be known for how it acts towards others. It will love the unlovely. Because of their love, they will be unselfish and kind to others. Christ will speak His love through them and they will act as His hands and feet. They don't hoard their gifts, resources, and possessions. They give without a need for others' praise, honor, or notice. Christ is at the heart of genuine Christianity. He is given access in a life following Him. This individual is centered in the core of their being. They follow the prompts and impressions God gives them in their spirit life. Like clay, they are molded according to the Sculptor's shaping, active according to the purpose for which they have been shaped. Spiritual people are not exactly alike, but they should be alike in function and purpose. An authentic Christian is to give glory to God. This is the way to live an authentic Christian life. Embrace Christ. Love one another as Christ first loved you.

Gracious Father, thankful are we for Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who loved us and gave His life for us. May we become the people You want us to be and known by love that flows from us. Amen

To God be the Glory

Your Spiritual Reality -- Inspiration 21

  Your Reality and God

Your reality is linked to your spiritual life. The influence of God in your life is commiserate with your view of belief, whether it is lifeless and dead or life-giving and real.

Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, 

for out of it flow the springs of life. 

Proverbs 4:23 NIV

REALITY of what matters in life is directly related to God. Life is a mystery. God is a mystery. People are a mystery. How it all works together is the quintessential mystery. God can be known in part but not in whole by finite creatures. Those who seek God to know Him will find riches, blessings, and truth. This takes active imploring, scripture knowledge, praying, asking, loving, and consecration plus a willingness to learn and apply, listen and meditate, contemplate and consider. Spiritual truth is a reality that spills over in all areas of existence. The physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual overlap and influence the whole. The person who believes God exists and has an individual plan for their life will seek to honor God with their attitudes, pleasures, and purpose. Rather than live to please self, they live to please God. Their reality is bound to the Source with eternity in view. Heavenly minded, their earthly concerns are of less importance. What a person values most is where their 'reality' lies. Pursue what matters most, Father, Son, and Spirit, and therein you will find living reality.

Dear Father in Heaven, Thank you for everlasting life. You give living truth to us in Your Word and in Your Holy Being. We are in awe of Your presence and appreciate the interest You place in Your spiritual children. We praise You, thank You, and adore You. Amen

For your listening pleasure: Holy, Holy, Holy  

To God be the Glory

Be Kind -- Inspiration 16

Be Kind to One Another

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, 
as God in Christ forgave you.

Ephesians 4:32

BE KIND to one another, scripture says. Why do we need to be told to be kind? Maybe it is like a strong way of directing attention with softness to it. Kindness is a virtue. A virtue has a moral quality in its essence. A child is told to be kind to their sibling, a student to their peer. In this case, the Christian to another Christian. The saying of it stresses the importance of it. Be kind, tender hearted, forgiving, like Christ has forgiven you. Christ is the ultimate example. That is the best reason of them all. Unselfish, other-focused, the very act in itself, being kind, blesses the other person. To be kind effects goodness. Goodness, in turn, enriches. This benefits those in the relationship. Directed to the Christian, it is meant to impact their interactions with each other personally and in the assembly. Healthy actions are cultivated and they are the expectation. God would have us to be kind to one another to kindle right attitudes that promote regard and respect. To be kind is a practice and a purposed action. God asks this of us. Mixed with tenderhearted forgiveness, it's a winning combination to promote harmony,  unity, and peace.

Father God, sometimes I fail. Help me to be like Christ. May I be kind in word and deed. Help me to rein it in when self-centerdness gets the upper hand.  Take charge of my mouth. Rewire my way of thinking into being a little tool in Your hand by being kind to those I meet on my everyday path.

 

To God be the Glory

Heart Belief -- Inspiration 11

Belief Takes Many Shapes

That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Romans 10:9-10. NIV

YOU believe a chair will support your weight when you sit in it. You believe this because it is a known fact. The chair is sturdy and in good repair. It gets the job done. In that case, belief is based on what is known, tested, tried. Besides the known facts, much of belief is based on what a person has been taught, their familial beliefs, cultural beliefs, national beliefs and even spiritual beliefs. Many beliefs go through changes as more is discovered about the 'why' in life. In the spiritual, God draws the individual to Himself.  His Word draws them. His teachings illumine them. His Spirit strives with them. God persists but doesn't force. Belief based in the knowledge of God and His ways may contribute to their understanding of spiritual truth. But a leap of faith is taken as the person knows in their heart that this is true, that God is real, that God is interested in their soul and being. Genuine heart belief is a 'knowing,' through and through. Like C.S. Lewis said, he knew it was true (not fanciful imaginations). The first step is to by faith believe there is a God. Second is to believe God loves in a personal way. Third, is to by faith believe and trust God. Heart belief is genuine.  

Dear Father God, I believe in You. You are real. We sense Your divine presence here with us. How pleased we are that You are with us throughout every day. Praises! Amen

To God be the Glory

The Truth -- Inspiration 5

Jesus Is The True Truth 

If I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.  --1 Timothy 3:15

TRUTH under-girds reasoning. Over the centuries the elements that make up truth have been debated among scholars, the religious, scientists, philosophers, intellectuals, skeptics, theists, atheists, Nones, astrologers and so forth. When the truth presented is divested of critical thinking, it falls flat with little or no value. But truth is immensely important to all. The view one takes regarding truth guides values, morals, and purpose. Jesus says He is Truth. As the Truth, He is the ultimate standard for how life should be lived. Jesus was love personified. He had no use for Pharisaical pride, rules, and regulations that choked truth and prohibited it from freely flowing in love, righteousness, and redemptive holiness. Their religiosity was form without purity of motive. The heart of the Word, God's message to humankind, was woefully distorted and wrongly twisted by these religious hypocrites, so much so that it no longer resembled a genuine faith. Jesus showed a new way as He demonstrated how to live justly, righteously, and humbly. He walked His faith in the daily circumstances of living and breathing while wearing human frailty in keeping with His divine majesty. True unfailing truth is remarkable in its satiety, saltiness, and succinct supernatural spiritually-motivated wholesome life-giving reality. Conduct yourselves in light of the truth.The Truth sets people free.

Dear Father God, You have given to us the gift of Your Son as the Truth for all life. He amazes, purifies, redeems, and sets free all who trust in Him. Blessed we are. Amen

To God be the Glory