What Is Your Will In Christ?

Part 2 Beholding the Bud Some of the most hurtful things in my past seemed hurtful because I lacked the ability to understand why they happened. I couldn't understand the motives and presumed they were against me and meant for my harm. Having been taught that our God is omnipotent and powerful to rule over everything that exists, I had a tendency to ultimately "blame" Him. But I struggled with this. After all, why would the God who claims that He loves me allow me to be hurt? I didn't dare to challenge Him - I believed that He meant what He said, but things didn't add up. It only stood to reason that He had to have allowed it, so confusion prevailed ... until He crushed all of my previous incomplete perceptions. At times we may make presumptions in order to reason or "understand" things that aren't clear to us and we measure the motives for these things with worldly perspective. It's what we're taught by the powers that exist in this w

Part 1 The Emerging  Tender  Bud I believe that one has to be willing to invest time and interaction with another in order to truly know them to any degree. I also believe that it will be some who claim to know and to follow our Lord and yet fail to make the investment who will come to the horrific realization of their ultimate failure too late one day soon.  Jesus' words in Matthew 7:22-23 (NLT):  22   On judgment day many will tell me, 'Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.'   2 3 "But I will reply, I never knew you.Go away. The things you did were not authorized." The awesome power of His name is one thing - truthfully incontestable in the universe, the intimate and knowing relationship with the Lord Himself is yet another ... To truly understand another person and to begin to recognize what it is that inspires them in any event can require a great deal of investment. Truly u

Lord, You are the judge of all that is ... nothing escapes you. So what you declare to be right is righteous ... and what you declare to be sin, no man can overrule What you declare true ... stands unshaken for all eternity and what you call good is truly good without right to question. There is no other word that shapes my existence beyond what you speak and no other judge that determines my fate in eternity but you. These things in mind, I pray Lord, make your declarations clear to my understanding - not only in statute, but in completeness of spirit that I may be found pleasing in your sight and a joy to the heart of my Lord Let me speak with your heart ... guard my tongue to speak only in pure love Let me think with your heart ... guard my mind to produce only holy thoughts Let me hear with your ears ... guard my perception to hear with discernment Let me love with your love ... guard my motives that they may to be true to your spirit Let me act in your sp