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How Do We Maintain Our Freedom In Christ?

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 05:49 PST

serenityjoy posted:

Why are Christians so defeated? Why do they struggle day after day with the same sins and failures? Our Heavenly Father promises us in John 8:36, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” Once a person is set free by Jesus Christ, they are free. Period. It’s a great victory. But the problem comes when we must maintain that freedom. When I talk of maintaining our freedom in Christ, I am NOT talking about working to keep our salvation! Galatians 3:3 makes it clear that our salvation (initial freedom) AND the rest of our lives on earth are works of the Spirit in us. “Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” I have noticed that born again Christians are not experiencing the abundant, joy filled life that Jesus died to give us. Many are...

How Do We Get Treasures In Heaven?

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 14:54 PST

serenityjoy posted:

What does it mean to have treasures building up in heaven? Sometimes it is easier to begin with earthly things so that we can understand heavenly things. To build up treasures on earth, we think of our belongings: our homes, cars, clothes, computers and whatever else money can buy. We work jobs to pay for all of this stuff some necessary and some not. Some people think that having as much stuff as possible shows that they are successful in life. Jesus had a different idea.Luke 12:1621 And he (Jesus) spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits...

Suffering For The Will Of God Is Not So Bad

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 09:32 PST

serenityjoy posted:

Mark 14:36 And he (Jesus) said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. When I pray, I know all things are possible for God. He could answer my prayer just as I asked Him to, because He can do anything and everything. But He is the One who knows the whole picture and what is best. I trust that God is good, and that He does only good, even if it means that I must suffer while I live on earth for this short, momentary time. It may be good to suffer for several reasons.1. I might need purging from more of my sins.2. Others might need to witness my faith in God and my patience in suffering so that they will want what I have.3. My suffering for well doing might bring conviction...

A Sad Lesson From Isaiah 30

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 04:01 PST

serenityjoy posted:

The Lord is so good and patient with us. Why do we reject Him?Isaiah 30:15 For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not. The Lord says that in returning and rest we will be saved. But we would rather run our own way and work hard for our own salvation. He says in quietness and in confidence we will have strength. But instead, we fill our lives with noise, busyness, and distraction. Instead of confidence, most of our strength is motivated by fear or anger. We trust in our own strength and other people before we put our confidence in God.Isaiah 30:18 And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you. Because we refuse to return to the Lord and rest in...

The Lions Roar Never Killed Anyone

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 02:33 PST

serenityjoy posted:

I have been learning a lot about waiting on the Lord, depending on Him to lead me and keep me from being moved from walking in His Spirit, and listening to His voice to tell me what to do, think or say next. I recognize the works of the flesh (Gal. 5:1921) as a signal that I have moved from the straight and narrow path. And I realize that I have no power in myself to protect myself from the devil or to do anything good. I know that all my power comes from God alone, and it is by His grace that I have strength and wisdom to do His will. God alone can keep me from failing God alone can give me victory over the flesh and the devil. It is humbling to realize how powerless we are to do right on our own and how vulnerable we...

Why Codependency Steals Our Peace And Joy

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 08:04 PST

serenityjoy posted:

Codependents focus on people, whether they are trying to fix people, serve people, change people, please people, or control people. We do this because If people would just act right, I would be happy and content. We don t think that consciously, but selfishness is the underlying motivation for codependency.When codependents try to fix people, we get frustrated and have no peace because usually the people we are trying to fix do not cooperate with our efforts. Fixing people involves giving advice and counsel, which especially becomes a problem when we aren t being asked to give it. People stop sharing their struggles with us because they just need someone to listen, not try to fix them.When we serve people, we get defeated because people may not even appreciate or notice our service. We feel taken advantage of and used. We might convince ourselves that we are sacrificing ourselves for...

Gardens Teach Us How Jesus Makes Us Beautiful

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 09:15 PST

serenityjoy posted:

Lord, all of the flower gardens are pruned and cleaned up now. I enjoyed doing the work in the early morning and late evening hours, and now the plants look fresh and healthy except the lilies, which I completely chopped off because I know theyll grow back again next spring. As I was cutting off brown leaves, bug eaten leaves and dead leaves, I thought about You and me. You are the gardener, and I am the plants. In my past, there have been times at least 2 that I have been completely chopped to the roots; the summer of 1997 with my husbands final battle with drinking and last fall with the battle for our marriage. They were both times of trauma and fresh starts. Then there were times that individual leaves of sin and vanity were trimmed off to cause me to be clean and fresh. I would...

Slaying The Giant Of Food Addiction

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 09:23 PST

serenityjoy posted:

A David and Goliath way of looking at addictions in our lives this one particularly deals with Food addiction, but the lesson can be applied to anything in a Christians life that keeps him (or her) from living an abundant life that glorifies God. Five Smooth StonesThe Giant of food addictions is too strong for me, but I have 5 smooth stones in my bag to sling at him when he tempts and mocks me. I do not need to be afraid or intimidated by him. This Giant looks so large, he is impossible to overlook. He is everywhere, and waiting for battle every morning, and taunting me throughout the whole day. He thinks no one can defeat him, because most people melt and give in to him, dismayed at their lack of courage and hope. This particular Giant has set himself up in every home, church, school, Christian fellowship...

This Is The Beginning

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 20:05 PST

serenityjoy posted:

I have never had a blog before, but I enjoy writing so I thought Id give it a try. Keeping a journal has become almost a daily habit for me, but Im not sure yet if I am ready to switch totally from my handwritten journal to a cyber journal. This may be more of a sporadic type of journal for me. Maybe Ill write here when the Lord shows me something really cool, so Im not the only one blessed by it.Like tonight, Im trying to sleep, but a headache is keeping me from sleeping, so I just finally took some medicine but it hasnt kicked in yet. And while Im laying there, Im thinking about how walking in the Spirit is like walking around in a body sized bubble. As I walk through each day, people and circumstances are outside of my bubble, and dont have to affect...

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