the past few days those are the two words that have been on my mind & heart...FRESHNESS & FOCUS...prayin for a renewed focus & in that renewal will come a freshness. although we try so often to allow God to remain our focus at all times, we somtimes without knowin it, do not succeed. mostly because we are human, but also because we believe the feelin of freshness dies. we always want the newest thing, the most exciting thing, & wen we dont have that feelin in wot we are doin for God...we allow it to slip out of our thoughts. yes, we pray..we go to church..but we do not let it live in our thoughts throughout each moment of our day!! i'm a deep thinker..somtimes that's a bad thing, cause i can so often, without realizin it, allow my thoughts to comsume me. another thing God is dealin with me about...someone told us he other day and i think it was a good way of puttin it...we get caught up in the drudgery (those meanial, small, everyday, routine things) of everday and begin to trully question wot God is really doin. but it's in those times that our character trully shines through!! "live each moments as if it's ur defining moment"...good statement...i think so!! yeah i don't really know where i'm goin with this or wot i'm tryin to say...all i know is God is really remindin me that athough at times i feel like nothing is happening..He is still there & this trully is part of a bigger picture i can not see right now...yupyup...feelin encouraged & just believe i've finally come to realise how important my thoughts trully are in directin my focus to God!!...
just checked the Oswald Chambers site today for the first time in ages and this was wot was there...kinda ironic!!...but good stuff...in a way along the same lines as wot i've been thinkin bout..so enjoy..
Are You Fresh for Everything?
Jesus answered and said to him, ’Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God’ —John 3:3
Sometimes we are fresh and eager to attend a prayer meeting, but do we feel that same freshness for such mundane tasks as polishing shoes?
Being born again by the Spirit is an unmistakable work of God, as mysterious as the wind, and as surprising as God Himself. We don’t know where it begins—it is hidden away in the depths of our soul. Being born again from above is an enduring, perpetual, and eternal beginning. It provides a freshness all the time in thinking, talking, and living—a continual surprise of the life of God. Staleness is an indication that something in our lives is out of step with God. We say to ourselves, "I have to do this thing or it will never get done." That is the first sign of staleness. Do we feel fresh this very moment or are we stale, frantically searching our minds for something to do? Freshness is not the result of obedience; it comes from the Holy Spirit. Obedience keeps us "in the light as He is in the light . . ." ( 1 John 1:7 ).
Jealously guard your relationship with God. Jesus prayed "that they may be one just as We are one"-with nothing in between ( John 17:22 ). Keep your whole life continually open to Jesus Christ. Don’t pretend to be open with Him. Are you drawing your life from any source other than God Himself? If you are depending on something else as your source of freshness and strength, you will not realize when His power is gone.
Being born of the Spirit means much more than we usually think. It gives us new vision and keeps us absolutely fresh for everything through the never-ending supply of the life of God.
love you guys!!..missin u all back home...stay encouraged..sorry for the lack of e-mails, just been goin through and dealin with lots lately, but i'll get on the ball i promise!!!....<3nay
