Let Go and Let God

Let Go and Let God
Day 3, 24 June 2009

We're still learning to "let go". In our world where control, goals, competition is rampant it is so difficult to just step back, be humble and let life happen. We want it now, we want what we want, we want to complain, we want to manipulate, we want to predict the outcome. But this is not what God's Word says:

Practice Love

5:13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; ²¹ only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, ²² but through love serve one another. ²³ 5:14 For the whole law can be summed up in a single commandment, ²⁴ namely, “You must love your neighbor as yourself.” ²⁵ 5:15 However, if you continually bite and devour one another, ²⁶ beware that you are not consumed ²⁷ by one another. 5:16 But I say, live ²⁸ by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. ²⁹ 5:17 For the flesh has desires that are opposed to the Spirit, and the Spirit has desires ³⁰ that are opposed to the flesh, for these are in opposition to ³¹ each other, so that you cannot do what you want. 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 5:19 Now the works of the flesh ³² are obvious: ³³ sexual immorality, impurity, depravity, 5:20 idolatry, sorcery, ³⁴ hostilities, ³⁵ strife, ³⁶ jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish rivalries, dissensions, ³⁷ factions, 5:21 envying, ³⁸ murder, ³⁹ drunkenness, carousing, ⁴⁰ and similar things. I am warning you, as I had warned you before: Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God!

5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit ⁴¹ is love, ⁴² joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ⁴³ 5:23 gentleness, and ⁴⁴ self-control. Against such things there is no law. 5:24 Now those who belong to Christ ⁴⁵ have crucified the flesh ⁴⁶ with its passions ⁴⁷ and desires. 5:25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also behave in accordance with ⁴⁸ the Spirit. 5:26 Let us not become conceited, ⁴⁹ provoking ⁵⁰ one another, being jealous ⁵¹ of one another.

We must let go of the flesh and its earthly desires and walk in the Spirit!

QUESTIONS:

1. What does God say about those who do not put away the pursuit of fleshly things?

2. What is the great commandment that God has given to us?

3. Can we love another if we do not love ourselves?

4. Can we love ourselves if we are slaves to sin? How can we overcome sin?

5. What power does God say we have to overcome the flesh and works of the devil?

6. Are you using that power now?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, I do not walk worthy at all times but I do claim progress and not perfection. I put on the perfection of Christ and His perfect gift of grace, I walk in the Spirit but at times I do fall. I do put on this world, do strive to achieve those things that "man" says are important measures of success.

I look back on many wasted opportunities where I could have chosen love over winning, encouragement over competition, gentleness over glee, kindness over self-promotion. Then I look forward and know that my Redeemer has forgiven me those times and that I have His power to "let go" of the world and walk in the gentleness and goodness of the Spirit. I can right many of those wrongs, in humbleness, if I truly care to "let God". He will give an opportunity to make it right with those who weren't treated with love.

I urge you brethren to take that opportunity to open your heart and ask for healing and forgiveness from God, but also from the people you have wronged. What better testimony than to humble yourself and ask for forgiveness and nothing else? God gave us the ultimate sacrifice, us making amends is a small service to Jesus for all He did for us. God bless you all, Sister Lisa

Let Go and Let God

Let Go and Let God Day 2

Sometimes the beauty that surrounds us is blocked out by the day-to-day struggles in life. Boredom, frustration, tiredness, depression - these things are all ways of the world to get us to take the focus off of God and onto ourselves.

Letting go is letting life...believing that God has a Master Plan for us and for the world. He sent Jesus to save the world, to save us from the wickedness that envelops us at times. We put one foot in front of the other and it doesn't seem to be enough but God has other plans.

Putting one foot in front of the other works, if you are on the right path. How do we know? How can we be certain? What happens if we look back and pine for the good old days? That is not what God wants for us. He wants confidence, belief, faith that with each step we are moving closer to Him.

He doesn't test us, He trusts us! Wow, what a different perspective that gives me in my walk with Him. Nothing happens by chance, nothing happens that is not of His Holy Pursposeful Plan.

The Lord is Incomparable

40:12 Who has measured out the waters ²³ in the hollow of his hand,

or carefully ²⁴ measured the sky, ²⁵

or carefully weighed ²⁶ the soil of the earth,

or weighed the mountains in a balance,

or the hills on scales? ²⁷

40:13 Who comprehends ²⁸ the mind ²⁹ of the Lord,

or gives him instruction as his counselor? ³⁰

40:14 From whom does he receive directions? ³¹

Who ³² teaches him the correct way to do things, ³³

or imparts knowledge to him,

or instructs him in skillful design? ³⁴

40:15 Look, the nations are like a drop in a bucket;

they are regarded as dust on the scales.

He lifts ³⁵ the coastlands ³⁶ as if they were dust.

40:16 Not even Lebanon could supply enough firewood for a sacrifice; ³⁷

its wild animals would not provide enough burnt offerings. ³⁸

40:17 All the nations are insignificant before him;

they are regarded as absolutely nothing. ³⁹

40:18 To whom can you compare God?

To what image can you liken him?

40:19 A craftsman casts ⁴⁰ an idol;

a metalsmith overlays it with gold

and forges silver chains for it.

40:20 To make a contribution one selects wood that will not rot; ⁴¹

he then seeks a skilled craftsman

to make ⁴² an idol that will not fall over.

40:21 Do you not know?

Do you not hear?

Has it not been told to you since the very beginning?

Have you not understood from the time the earth’s foundations were made?

40:22 He is the one who sits on the earth’s horizon; ⁴³

its inhabitants are like grasshoppers before him. ⁴⁴

He is the one who stretches out the sky like a thin curtain, ⁴⁵

and spreads it out ⁴⁶ like a pitched tent. ⁴⁷

40:23 He is the one who reduces rulers to nothing;

he makes the earth’s leaders insignificant.

40:24 Indeed, they are barely planted;

yes, they are barely sown;

yes, they barely take root in the earth,

and then he blows on them, causing them to dry up,

and the wind carries them away like straw.

40:25 “To whom can you compare me? Whom do I resemble?”

says the Holy One. ⁴⁸

40:26 Look up at the sky! ⁴⁹

Who created all these heavenly lights? ⁵⁰

He is the one who leads out their ranks; ⁵¹

he calls them all by name.

Because of his absolute power and awesome strength,

not one of them is missing.

40:27 Why do you say, Jacob,

Why do you say, Israel,

“The Lord is not aware of what is happening to me, ⁵²

My God is not concerned with my vindication”? ⁵³

40:28 Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

The Lord is an eternal God,

the creator of the whole earth. ⁵⁴

He does not get tired or weary;

there is no limit to his wisdom. ⁵⁵

40:29 He gives strength to those who are tired;

to the ones who lack power, he gives renewed energy.

40:30 Even youths get tired and weary;

even strong young men clumsily stumble. ⁵⁶

40:31 But those who wait for the Lord’s help ⁵⁷ find renewed strength;

they rise up as if they had eagles’ wings, ⁵⁸

they run without growing weary,

they walk without getting tired.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

QUESTIONS

1. After meditating on the scriptures above, does God provide everything?

2. Is there anything in your life, any struggle that you walk through, which God is not aware?

3. What provisions does God make for us when we are weary and worn?

4. Does God want us bored, frustrated, tired? What does He want us to do?

5. Does "letting go" mean we just sit back and kick up our feet, waiting on God to "do something"?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meditate on those scriptures again and then close your eyes, imagine the majestic eagle in her nest edging her eaglets to the end of the nest and pushing them over. Now image the faith, the trust, the reassurance she must have to trust a God that will not let her little ones fall, fail or die. She looks up to the heavens and trusts her Master and as she looks upward, she sees her eaglets soaring toward heaven and gives thanks.

She knows, she rests in the faith, that all is right with God's plan. She slumbers and wakes in the morning and soars with her family, as brothers and sisters, into the wind high above the chaos of the world--held in the air miraculously by Our Heavenly Father's Hand and Plan. Have peace my sisters and brothers in Christ--soar with the eagles and the wind for He will provide safety, Sister Lisa

Let Go and Let God

June 21, 2009

Let Go and Let God! Today is Father's Day. What better gift to give our Heavenly Father than to trust totally in His provision and Word? I've been doing other things for a while and am back to study His Word with you all. Thank you for your patience and dedication to Him.

Day 1 - How Do We Let Go?

Letting go has so many different meanings and aspects in each person's life. It could mean letting go of a past hurt, resentment, favorite past time, worry, frustration, or love. It may mean standing in the shadow, being still or quiet, letting someone we love fall, or letting ourselves fail. Whatever you need to let go of today, let's explore in God's Word how we do that with peace of mind.

What should we let go of? God's Word says in Genesis that He spoke and said, "Let there be..." and He formed the universe, the world, the earth, the inhabitants, the animals, plants, seas and all that there is, was and is to be. Read Genesis Chapter 1 and reflect on what He made and what we should "let go" of!

James 1
1:13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted by evil, ¹⁵ and he himself tempts no one. 1:14 But each one is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires. 1:15 Then when desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is full grown, it gives birth to death. 1:16 Do not be led astray, my dear brothers and sisters. ¹⁶ 1:17 All generous giving and every perfect gift ¹⁷ is from above, coming down ¹⁸ from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change. ¹⁹ 1:18 By his sovereign plan he gave us birth ²⁰ through the message of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

So let us meditate on what God created, how He created it and for Whom He created the heavens and the earth. We were created in His image and righteousness and therefore, we cannot be tempted by God. Let us "let go" of that notion--that God is testing us or tempting us or trying to "trick" us! He is not, we are His Holy Workmanship and He, through His Word has provided a way out for us.

Questions:

1. What do you need to let go of? Think about your walk, your talk, your thoughts, your worries, your relationships, your habits, your likes, your desires...what do you need to give over to the Spirit of the Living God?

2. Pray about James 1. Examine your heart and ask yourself, do I blame God for any misgiving or wickedness in my life or the lives of those I love? If so, ask yourself, is this Godly?

3. Are you holding something, anything, back from God? Is your pride rearing up against the will of God by saying "this one thing I'll handle myself, this is just a little something that I can do all by myself". If so, it may be the one "little" thing that is separating you from joy and peace. Pray about it and lay it at the altar now.

4. Examine your style of worship, prayer, praise and study of His Word. Do you have one? If not, time to develop a focus on your faith that includes follow-through and discipline. Commit to it today--ten minutes, fifteen minutes of prayer, meditation, study and reflection on all God has done for you each day. YOU CAN DO IT!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We're learning and growing together Saints. Letting go is not easy, it is comfortable to stay where we are and not grow. With growth comes rain, sun, wind, weeding, plucking, stretching, learning, losing, and lack of control! With God all things are possible...until tomorrow sweet blessings on your heart, mind and soul. Sister Lisa