Discipleship – Page 5 – Chad Stutzman

December 9, 2013December 9, 2013

Unexpected Words From God

Last week I attended a Night of Worship at the Dover campus of NewPointe Community Church. I am a pastor at one of the other campuses, so it was nice for me to just be a regular guy attending and worshiping. I have to admit I went to see if I could get some ideas on how to make our worship event better the following week. As I got there and walked in I connected with a few people I know, but was pretty anonymous and slipped into a seat about a third of the way up. As the music started I sang, prayed and even raised my hands throughout the evening. I was also critiquing some of what was happening, making note of things I would do differently and things that I liked.

Then God did something unexpected. I don’t remember the exact time during the service or what song we were singing, but I heard God say “Don’t Eat!” I have to admit I was a little startled and confused. I asked God if that was from Him and if I heard him right. I heard it again “Don’t Eat!” That same morning in the church service I sat in on at my campus our senior pastor had mentioned the idea of Fasting as a spiritual discipline. I have fasted before with other people and by myself. I have given up TV, sports, coffee, food, meat and movies. Yet this time was different because God was telling me not to eat.

So I didn’t eat any food for the next three days. Each day I talked to God and when I asked if I could eat I heard “not yet”. During those three days, I was hungry and even felt some hunger pains. Yet each time I thought about being hungry I immediately connected with God and talked to Him. I felt such an inner peace and strength that seemed to get stronger each day. This three day fast reminded me how much I take food for granted. I don’t have to wonder where or when my next meal will come from. I can eat anytime I want and eat anything I want. Yet I am not all that grateful for what I have.

It’s the same way spiritually. God is with us all the time, we can talk to him anytime and ask for anything. Yet too often we take that for granted and only turn to him when things go wrong or we need something. Those three days of eating reminded me that I need God 24/7. That when I am connected to him the temptations are less powerful, the way I respond to things is much better and I make better decisions.

Psalm 63:1 says “God you are my God. I search for you. I thirst for you like someone in a dry, empty land where there is no water.” When I read that I had to admit that I do not pursue God like I would pursue water if I had none. Am I really hungry for God, desperate to know him more and more?

Jesus said this in Mathew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

When push comes to shove, what is most important to me? What takes priority?

God doesn’t need people to evangelize the earth, do missions projects or give away millions of dollars. He looks for people who will worship him in spirit and truth. Not just on Sunday mornings or whenever our day of rest is. God wants people who will worship him in the way they live. God made us to worship and every day we worship something.

When I hunger and thirst for God and seek him with all my heart, I get a glimpse of how much he loves me. As I grow, I understand a little bit better the depth of that love. God’s love for me never changes, yet as I change and grow, I get a clearer perspective of God, the world around me and the people in it.

That all came as a result of hearing two words from God and then obeying him. What would happen if we would listen to God all the time and really trust him with everything? What would happen if we did what he told us to do? What if we would follow his commands and live our lives fully surrendered to him?

On Thursday morning I woke up and knew I could eat again. The granola with Almond milk tasted better than ever before. I was grateful for the food I had in the house and once again my mind turned to God and his provision and care for me. I had a good day with my wife and got some time to rest and relax.

Then on Saturday something happened that I almost missed. It’s easy to just write things off as weird or a coincidence. I was bored and was flipping through the television, looking to escape into a movie or something entertaining before the Buckeyes came on that evening. We all know that there are lots of unwholesome things on television and I can get drawn into movies or shows that have too much sex, violence and bad language in them them. As I was searching, the smoke detector in the room beside be would beep from time to time. I thought that was odd, but dismissed it because I figured it just needed new batteries. I ended up watching a movie that was not the best choice.

I told my wife afterward about the smoke detector and as I was telling her I realized the smoke detector is hard wired and does not use batteries. It has not beeped since then. Then it hit me, was God warning me, trying to get my attention and help me avoid temptations. Then this verse came to my mind in 1 Corinthians 10:13: “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

I wish I had that power I felt when I was fasting all the time. If only I had paid closer attention to that warning, I could have fed my mind with something much better. I don’t always turn to God even when he is right in front of me. I guess that is the human side of us, yet God’s love never changes and he sees me as his beloved son even when I miss the way he gives me to escape temptations.

I am excited about what God is doing in me and who he wants me to become. The more I seek him and hunger after him the more he can use me to impact and influence other people. The more I listen and pay attention and then obey what he is telling me the more fruitful my life will become. We are all in process and when we allow God to drive and we trust him amazing things can happen.

November 6, 2013

Feeling Stuck in Your Faith?

One of the promises in the Bible is found in Joshua 1:5 “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Author Graham Cooke talks about this promise in his booklet called Drawing Close: See God’s Face and be Changed Forever. He says this:

“God likes to hide-in fact He invented the game Hide & Seek. In certain seasons, He will reveal Himself to us; in others, He will hide from us. God only hides because He wants to teach us to look for Him. We all want Him to be manifest in our lives, all the time, but God sometimes wants to hide and draw us deeper into his presence. If God is hiding from us-but He also promised never to leave nor forsake us-we can extrapolate one thing: God is hiding in plain sight, teaching us to look for Him in a different way. God is unpredictable but completely consistent. We always know where we are with God because He never changes, but we seldom know what He’s going to do next. Go will push us into places where we are not equipped to be. To survive and flourish there, we have but one choice: Seek God in a place of rest. Let Him carry us forward. God hasn’t called us to do the reasonable, the possible or the attainable. He has called us to do the outrageously impossible.”

That challenged me in a fresh way today as I read it. When God feels distant and we feel alone, we aren’t. He is right there in plain site patiently waiting for us to discover Him in a different way. He is constantly active in our lives, whether He is pushing us into a place we are not equipped to be or patiently waiting for us to open our eyes.

I love the thought that God hides so that we can seek Him and find Him in a fresh way. To me this speaks of being active in my faith. Not staying comfortably inside my box but pushing forward through barriers and obstacles. I love that last line about God not calling us to the reasonable, the possible or the attainable but the outrageously impossible. It’s only then that we can say Only God could have made that happen. Those are the times that we grow the most and our faith is increased.

If you are feeling stuck in your faith maybe it’s time to look for God in a different way. Start praying and asking God to show you that new way and then pay attention and be ready to get out of your box.

July 13, 2012

Why Church?

Most people have had a negative experience at a church at some point in their lives. Maybe it was frustration, confusion, rejection, boredom or just irrelevant. The word church can bring up some bad memories for many people. For others the church is a mystery because they did not grow up going to church. It can actually be intimidating and confusing. Yet the church exists and has for thousands of years.

The purpose of the church is an extension of the purpose of Jesus Christ. So what is the church? In order to accurately look at the church, we need to discover what it is not.

The church is not a physical building – The building is simply a place for the church to meet. It is a place to gather, but the building does not make the church.
The church is not an institution or organization – The church is not a denomination or an affiliation. Often times people say they go to a Baptist church or a Methodist church. That may help to describe the over arching beliefs of the people that make up the church, but it is not the church.
The church is not a set of services or activities – The activities we do are simply the vehicle that takes us to a prescribed result.
The church is not just a congregation – A congregation is simply a group of people who gather together.

In the New Testament the word church refers to the universal church, which is all believers on earth. It also refers to a particular location and the actual gathering of believers in any place for worship. The word church also refers to the body of Christ, which is an analogy for how the church should function. So why does the church exist?

Evangelism – That’s a church word that means to tell people about Jesus. Through the church is how people hear the good news of what Jesus did.
Discipleship – This is simply the process of becoming more like Christ. It is growing or maturing in faith and spiritual matters. It is exploring God’s ways and following him as best you can.
Worship – Worship brings the church to life and life to the church. It is exalting God’s worth and acknowledging him as Lord. Worship is expressed through singing, music, praying, reading Scripture, baptism, preaching, having healthy relationships, and the way in which you live your life. It is keeping God first in all you do.
Fellowship – The church must be a place that embraces a culture of encouragement. People need healthy human relationships. This is often accomplished through environments like small groups, mentoring, mission trips, social events, and healthy friendships.
Ministry – Everywhere Jesus went, he extended grace and mercy to those who needed it most. When people serve unselfishly, they become extensions of Jesus. Ministering to a messed up, broken and bruised world should characterize the life of every followers of Jesus Christ.

The church is made up of people that all are working together to do those 5 things. When a church creates environments where people can experience those things it allows them to mature as a Christian. These environments should be designed to help people connect with God and give the Holy Spirit the opportunity to transform the person. Environments are worship services, youth events, children’s classrooms, adult classrooms and training, mission trips locally and internationally, small group or home group, accountability groups, one-on-one mentoring, and many more.

The local church is the hope of the world.

June 15, 2012

Dealing With Your Past

As I have interacted with people and worked at understanding them it has become more clear to me that the past is an important part of the actions of today and how people are preparing for the future. I have heard many people say that you need to forget the past and move on. That is a dangerous way to approach life. Whether you like it or not, your past affects your decisions and actions today, and these, in turn, affect the future. If you do not learn from your past mistakes and hurts, you will most likely repeat them. There are also lies that you have believed and that have shaped you and what you believe. Those lies steal your joy and cause you to be afraid.

The junk from your past causes you to react to conflict or difficulties in a certain way. Everyone has buttons, that when pushed will take them back to those historical moments that feel similar. When stirred up those lies and fears cause you to react or respond in unhealthy ways. This behavior is often learned from your parents and other influential people in your life. Many of the unhealthy responses like withdrawing, defending, attacking, and deflection were ways you could protect yourself when you were little. Now that you have grown up you are still responding in those ways and it leads to death not life.

So what can you do about the junk from the past, the fears that lurk inside you and pop out when touched? Major changes begin on the inside where these fears, hurts and hangups live. Change starts as God works on your attitudes, beliefs, and desires. When your attitudes, beliefs and desires start to change and line up with what is true, your outward behavior changes and the transformation takes shape. Philippians 2:13 says “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” This is telling you that God helps you to want to obey him and then gives you the power to do what he wants. The secret to a changed life is to submit to God and allow him to do the inside work needed to transform the person you are.

So to unload the junk from your past means taking the first step of being reconciled to God. If you have not taken that step, God will not start the transformation process. God is at work on every person alive, drawing you to himself, but he never forces the issue, he just keeps it in front of you. Once you take the step of believing that Jesus Christ was God and man, that he lived a perfect life, that he took all your sin on himself and died for you, that he overcame death and sin by coming back to life in three days and that he is alive today, then you can ask for forgiveness of your sins and be reconciled with God. Doing that brings the gift of living forever with God in heaven. It also begins the process of spiritual maturity.

If you have done that and are continuing to live with fears that are controlling your behavior, then start asking God to change you on the inside. He will continue the process of change on the inside if you ask him. The way in which to do that is to take in God’s word on a regular basis and communicate with God on a regular basis. Remove the distractions around you and listen to God, then ask for courage to follow through on what he is telling you to do. One of the best exercises to help get that started is the Steps to Freedom in Christ by Neil Anderson. Going through those steps is like cleaning up your house. It brings your focus on God and shines a light on your past and your inside attitudes, beliefs and desires. Remember that you don’t clean up your house just one time, it is an ongoing discipline. The good news is that God is doing most of the cleaning when you let him inside and ask for help.

Once you have dealt with the past in the right way you can move on and never have to bring it up again. These are the words that Moses used to encourage Joshua “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.” That is your message today.

July 9, 2011

Amazing Lessons From Peter

As a leader, I must constantly be working on myself. Leader’s that stop growing, quickly start declining and losing influence. A great example of someone growing as a leader is Peter, one of the 12 disciples that followed Jesus. Focus and self-discipline provide the foundation for solid leadership. Peter learned this lesson the hard way. Over a three and a half year period, God transformed Peter from a cocky, loud influence to a thoughtful, humble leader. As I read in 1 Peter, one of his letter to the Christian Jews, he gives three directives in this area of focus and self-discipline:

Guard Your Mind – Peter reminds us to put boundaries around what we allow into our minds. What we allow in will influence us and deceive us. Filling our minds with truth helps us to guard it from the lies that are all around us. Peter tells us to remain focused and sober.
Guard Your Hearts – He also reminds us that we need to prevent old patterns from penetrating our hearts. He warns us about the former lusts, which can not only distract us, but can destroy us.
Guard Your Lifestyle – Peter tells us to pursue holiness. The only way to do that is to follow and embrace the model Christ gave. Since God is holy, we should copy what we see Him doing.

Peter also talks a good bit about sacrifice and submission. He tells us to respect and submit to authorities, regardless of how the authorities might treat those they are over. He reminds us that God places all people in authority for His plans and His purpose. Peter reminds us in chapter two about the sacrifice that Jesus made for all of us. He suffered greatly and died for us. Here is how Jesus responded to the insults, mockery, physical beatings, false accusations and carrying all our sin:

Did not retaliate, but kept silent
Made no threats
No deceit came from his mouth
Fully entrusted himself to the Father (God)

Peter also does a nice job of addressing husbands and wives. No home can thrive without functioning according to sound spiritual leadership principles:

First he challenged wives to submit to their husbands, even those who do not submit to Christ.
When the wife submits even though she opposes her husbands decision, she gives a powerful witness to Christ and brings a special honor to Him.
Husbands are called to live with their wives in an understanding way.
Husbands are to honor their wives and model submission and service.
Husbands are to initiate blessing, rather than retaliate when things go wrong.
Husbands and wives need to assume responsibility for the health of their relationships, which means setting the tone. To set the tone, they should initiate what they want others to do.
- Get respect by showing respect
- Get understanding by being understanding
- Listen well, trying to understand instead of being understood.
- Get quality time by giving quality time
- Hears words of affirmation by giving words of affirmation
- Get served by first serving
- Receive unconditional love by first giving unconditional loving

He then talks about spiritual gifts. Peter encourages us to make five observations about our spiritual gifts:

Every believer has at least one spiritual gift. (1 Peter 4:10)
Spiritual gifts are intended to serve people, not bolster our reputations. (v.10)
We use our gifts as stewards or managers, not owners. (v.10)
God is the source and the sustainer of every gift. (v. 11)
We are to employ our gifts as though we were serving the Lord. (v. 11)

When we fail to use our gifts properly, we are disobedient, the body of Christ (Church) suffers and God is not glorified.

Peter closes his letter by addressing church leaders and encouraging them to lead well. He calls church leaders to:

Be a minister to the people by serving them before being served.
Be a mentor of the people by eagerly investing in people and being a good example.
Be a manager of the people by exercising oversight over those entrusted to your care.
Be a model for the people by demonstrating how to live and love.

Peter encourages us to humble ourselves by casting all our cares on God. Only then does God promise to exalt us.

I hope these thoughts from Peters letter are helpful in your spiritual growth. I encourage you to go and read 1 Peter for yourself. I am sure there are other nuggets of gold that may be just what you need.

July 4, 2011

Nuggets from James

This morning I spent about a half hour reading through the book of James. What amazing truth and incredible wisdom. It was such a refreshing and challenging time that I thought I would share a few nuggets that really brought some renewed focus to my faith.

Compassionate Service – What a Christian does really matters – A good bit of James has to do with our actions. How we treat other people, the way in which we listen and speak to other people, the way in which we serve other people. The idea of compassionate service can only happen with a transformed heart. On our own we tend to do the selfish thing, but when we are plugged into God and filled with His Spirit, we can love people unconditionally. James reminds us that we are called to serve others. The measuring stick of our commitment is not our lip service, but our life. Here are a few principles James teaches us:

Selfish motives prevent a servant’s ministry

Following rules cannot save us, but following Jesus can

A lifestyle that costs nothing is worth nothing

A faith that is only in my head is dead

A worthless past is resolved by a present that works

Careful Speech – What a Christian says matters. The way in which we speak and the words we use reflect what is inside of us. The words we use have great power. James calls it the tongue, and it can dispense both blessing and cursing. Here are some things James shares with us on this idea of taming the tongue:

The tongue is a spiritual meter. If we can bridle it, we can bridle the whole body. It becomes the gauge for our maturity. Our faith will never register higher than our words.

The tongue is like a horse’s bit, a ship’s rudder, or kindling wood. It starts things in motion. If we control it, we can guide our lives, just as a bit directs a horse and a rudder steers a ship.

The tongue is powerful. Like a huge fire, it can ruin or bless our entire lives. This power was meant to send us down the rigfht path, not to kill us.

The tongue can reveal what sort of wisdom we harbor inside. A good tongue protects our integrity. James asks: Is yours a good guard or a bad one? Does it create peace or reveal hypocrisy

Consistent Growth – How a Christian changes matters. James calls us to be patient, just like a farmer who patiently waits for his harvest. The farmer knows that if he picks the corn too early, he will miss out on some of the grain. It’s the same way with us. Spiritual growth is a process, not an event. We grow daily, not in one day. We are either growing or declining. Our goal as followers of Christ should be to grow in our faith, in our character development and in our influence with others. Here are some thoughts about growth:

Growth takes work and effort

Growth means you have to stretch out of your comfort zone

Growth means learning something new or developing a deeper understanding.

Growth takes focus, you can’t drift or get distracted.

Growth takes accountability, it accelerates when someone is watching.

Growth means learning from the past.

Growth takes action, practicing what you now know.

Growths means gratitude for past blessings from God.

June 27, 2011

What’s You’re Vineyard?

I was speaking to a group of about 30 men Saturday night. My talk was about Christian men and being a Real Servant. One of the points I made was from Mathew 21:28-31. This is the story of the two sons Jesus shared with some of the religious people of his day. Here is the Message version of that story:

“Tell me what you think of this story: A man had two sons. He went up to the first and said, ‘Son, go out for the day and work in the vineyard.’ “The son answered, ‘I don’t want to.’ Later on he thought better of it and went. “The father gave the same command to the second son. He answered, ‘Sure, glad to.’ But he never went. “Which of the two sons did what the father asked?” They said, “The first.”

This is a simple story about talking and doing. It’s about listening and being obedient. The first son was honest and said he did not want to go work, but later felt conviction and changed his mind. The second son was probably not being honest. Maybe he just wanted to look better than his brother. However he never followed through on his promise to go and do the work.

Our vineyard is whatever God is calling us to do. No matter how good your intentions, if you don’t do it or go, it’s all wasted. Just because I feel good when I hear or see a story of someone making a difference doesn’t make me a servant with compassion. Just because my heart breaks for the starving homeless children and families in this world doesn’t make me a person with compassion. I can think about giving more, going on a mission trip, leading a small group, praying more for the people in my life, shining brighter in my workplace, helping a friend that is hurting, but just thinking about it or even saying I want to do something is not enough. I need to actually do it. I need to make that step and go to the vineyard to do the work God is calling me to do.

We don’t have to go and do some huge, great thing for God. We just need to go do our work in the vineyard. There will always be more people willing to do great things for God than there are people willing to do little things. But those little things can help God accomplish great things. Instead of waiting to do something big, be faithful in the little everyday things He is calling you to do. The small meaningless things you are doing everyday is preparing you for the plan God has for you. Loving God means obeying God by doing what He says.

Which son are you?

April 4, 2011

Listen, Can You Hear?

Every day God calls us by name and asks us to follow Him. He offers all of Himself to us and is ready to give us everything we need to succeed that day. Yet for most of us, we do not hear His voice. We hear many voices everyday, they are calling for our attention. The noise inside of us keeps us from hearing the one voice that can change everything. Our minds can handle a lot of data, images and messages. It’s like a supercomputer on steroids. However, our minds can also stay so busy thinking about problems, fears, what if’s, ourselves and other people that we have no time for God.

Most people live pretty busy, hectic lives. We try to balance Family and work and then squeeze God in when we can. What if our mindset would change tomorrow morning, to waking up expecting to hear God’s voice. What if we could quiet our minds and instead just focus on being with God to listen to His instruction and His guidance. At first this may feel awkward and we may not hear anything and be easily distracted by all the stuff of the coming day. But over time as we practice being silent and listening, God’s voice will start to come through clearer and more often. His voice will begin to be louder than all the others that are trying to get and keep our attention.

Here are some practical ways we can listen and hear what God is telling us each day:

Start filling your mind with Scripture. The more truth you fill your mind with the louder God’s voice becomes. Several things we can do include:

Devotional Reading – daily readings on practical application of Scripture.
Study – Reading to discover what the words meant when they were written. A good study Bible helps a lot.
Memorization – This helps us to take to heart God’s word and these verses come back to us at important times. We can all do this if we set our minds to it. It helps to do it with someone. I do this with a group of guys every month. We have memorized 16 Verses over the last 8 months!
Meditation – This is simply turning a Scripture over and over again in our minds. This can be part of our memorization process. The idea is to take God’s word and think about it and roll it around for a while, really letting it soak into every part of us.
Hear the Word – Hopefully this happens at Church every Sunday, but we can also look for other ways of hearing the Word, through online messages, CD’s and radio.
Doing the Word – Living out God’s word is one of the most powerful things we can do. It can also be the hardest. It’s one thing to hear it, memorize and think about it, it’s another to go do it every day.

Start planning times when you can slow down and switch gears. Finding time for quiet reflection can be hard, but worth it. When you get that time, ask God to speak and promise to listen. This won’t happen unless you schedule it.
Trust God and Obey Him – When our minds start racing and we start worrying or being fearful, tell God you trust Him and will obey Him. Trusting God starts with complete surrender and giving Him control of everything.
Get involved with a community of believers – We all need some people close enough to us to speak truth into our lives and to share at a deeper level. God often speaks through other people, but we have to be careful what people we listen to. Start praying now for God to bring the right people into your life.
Pray a lot – The more we talk with God the closer we get to Him. Having conversations with God helps us to hear from Him. Don’t do all the talking though. Praise Him, Thank Him, Confess to Him, Ask Him and Intercede for others, but then stop and listen for what or who He brings to your mind.
Finally, when you ask God to speak and you have a thought, ask God if that is from Him or not. As we put more of God’s Word into our minds we get much better at filtering what is from God and what is from ourselves or the world. We may even need to talk with someone else about what you think God is telling you.

Listening well means that your attention and focus is completely on that person. It means that when someone speaks to you, you can repeat back what was said. Listening well to God means that we are paying attention and can ask questions to clarify what we think He is saying. It means that we are pursuing truth to the best of our ability and obeying what we hear by doing it.

March 21, 2011

Blessed, Satisfied & Successful

Those are words that most people would want to say about their lives. When we are feeling blessed, satisfied and successful, we are most likely going to be happy and content. However in order to achieve those things in our lives there needs to be some other qualities in our lives. Here are three thoughts about how to be blessed, satisfied and successful:

You must be broken in order to be blessed. In order to receive God’s blessing in our lives, we often must go through a period of brokenness. When we go through difficult times, it often brings us to our knees and our pride is stripped away. This is when we remove the distractions and desperately seek God for help. When we allow God to break us, we can experience breakthroughs in our life. When we stop pretending and get real with God by admitting our weakness and our dependence on Him, we can experience blessing on the other side. Brokenness is painful yet that pain can bring about a transformation that leads to blessing if we stay on the path God has for us.
You must Surrender in order to be satisfied. Satisfaction comes when we surrender to God and allow Him to have control. When we can stop trusting in ourselves and start trusting in Him, our level of peace and satisfaction will increase. Without surrender, we remain in control and we will continue to struggle, hurt and mess up if we are trying to control the world around us. Surrender involves a decision to turn everything over to God. Everything includes our finances, our marriages, our friendships, our children, our work, our free time, our ministry, our relationships, our hobbies, our possessions, our attitudes, our emotions and our minds.
You need to sacrifice in order to succeed. John Maxwell has a saying that you have to give up in order to go up. Sacrifice is necessary to succeed in any area of life. In marriage, it takes sacrifice in order to love and serve your spouse. Selfishness will destroy any relationship, so the person that is willing to sacrifice can find success and healthy relationships as a result. To succeed in any area of life it takes sacrifice and hard work. When we bring God into the picture, He can give us the strength we need to sacrifice and humble ourselves in order to bring success. Success is not about performing better, it’s about being willing to sacrifice in the short-term in order to be successful in the long-term.

God desires to have a personal, growing relationship with all people. He is the one that can bring blessing into our lives. He is the one that can bring satisfaction and success. Having a relationship with God does not mean we will have no problems, there will be problems and pain in our lives. A relationship with God means that we have an all powerful, all knowing, loving heavenly father that will always be with us through every trial and triumph in our lives. He equips us to make it through the storms of life and emerge blessed, satisfied and successful despite those storms.

January 6, 2011

Journal Entries from 2002

Today I was reading through some of my old journal entries from 2002. It was fun to read some of things I wrote, the prayers I wrote down, the Scriptures I was reading and the struggles I was going through. I also was reminded of some of the prayers that God has answered in my life. I thought I would share a few of the entries:

November 8, 2002:

Our time here on earth is very short. That is why each day must be lived to the fullest. Each day we must strive to serve God the best that we can. It may be only small insignificant things like writing letters, studying, moving chairs and tables, making copies, talking to a friend. All of these are important in God’s eyes. Each task we do, each thought we think, each word we say is important to God. We only have a short time to impact this world we live in and we must start with ourselves, our own hearts and minds. When we can do that others will see the results and be changed as well. That is why self-leadership is so important. You cannot change someone else if you cannot change yourself, and that is only possible with the help of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

November 17, 2002:

When I am afraid I trust in You. When I am weak I trust in You. When I am stressed I trust in You. When I am hurting I trust in You. When I am down I trust in You. When I am angry I trust in You. When I am lonely I trust in You. No matter what the circumstances of life, I need to trust in God for He is my light and my refuge, my strength and my motivation, my companion and my friend, my counselor and my father. Praise be to God – Thank you Lord for saving my soul – for loving me as much as you do. I love you Lord.

December 16, 2002:

Praise be to God! You are awesome, O God, whose power and might are beyond comprehension. You are worthy of all praise and adoration. You are the King of the universe the Mighty One. You reign on high – You reign in my life. Father I am reminded again today of your power and might. I adore you and love you. I thank you for leading me and directing my path. Help me to be obedient to your will. Grant me wisdom and discernment to know Your ways and to follow You every day. Give me the strength I need this day to serve You.

I am starting a new journal today. It may only be a few sentences or some days an entire page. For me this practice of writing my thoughts and prayers helps to keep me focused and is a great way to connect with God. I know this is not for everyone, but I believe I need to start this again. Find what works for you to connect with God and start doing that today.