Time is Not a Disappointing Factor

I remember back to those warm Staff Hunt nights at camp, where Caroline and I would sit endless hours, waiting for the campers to find us.

We loved those moments...an hour or two to sit and talk about our week and catch up with each other. One particular night, we were discussing guys and relationships. Or maybe that was every night. ;)

“I don’t know if the timing is right. And I just feel like the only factor holding this relationship back is time.”

“But. If you really think about it, Time is not a disappointing factor.”

When it comes to entering a relationship, there are many different factors that come into play when deciding whether he/she is the “one.”

Time happens to be one of those factors we can’t choose. It’s something that God throws at us. He and He alone can decide when the time is right. Of course, we can try and force things to happen before their destined time, but as I have heard from a very wise man at camp – “The right thing at the wrong time is the wrong thing.”

“Time is not a disappointing factor.” This quote goes quite in parallel with the previous saying. Sometimes time seems like a forever and a day. How much longer will I be single? Why do I have to wait? When will I know what my future holds? When can I make a move? The appointed time never seems to come. And yet, it is when an amount of time is cherished and appreciated, that the best things in life come. Time will never disappoint us. Yeah, sometimes it seems a heck of a lot longer than we want it to be, but in the end it does NOT disappoint us.

This is harder to understand than said! When I begin to wonder about waiting and waiting and waiting and WAITING for things to happen in my life...I look to a verse in 1 Corinthians 7:17. Paul is speaking about the topic of Marriage, and lays down some standards to live by. Not necessarily rules (he says that we should pray about what is best for our lives) but just standards.

1 Cor 7:17

Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him.

I love this! We are commanded to retain the place of life (here and now!) that God has assigned us to. He knows our lives, He knows our plans—now we just need to trust that where we are at now, is where He WANTS us.

Time is not a disappointing factor.

I’ll admit. I’m SICK of being single. I loved being single before...it was beautiful and I lived my life to the fullest. But then I realized how beautiful it was to NOT be single. How beautiful a love relationship is. And I’m just yearning to be there again.

But I don’t think this is the right time. Or maybe not the right person yet. Or maybe the right person is a part of my life, but we both still need time to learn.

I’m willing to accept that. As hard as it is most days!!!

Well, I guess that’s it for now. I wanted to do at least one blog on a topic like this. Cuz I’m usually thinking about this everyday.

And him. Whoever he is. Whether I know him, whether I don’t....

So I'll be holding my own breath, right up 'til the end
Until that moment when, I find the one that I'll spend forever with
Cause nobody wants to be the last one there
'Cause everyone wants to feel like someone cares
Someone to love with my life in their hands
There's gotta be somebody for me like that
'Cause nobody wants to do it on their own
And everyone wants to know they're not alone
There's somebody else that feels the same somewhere
There's gotta be somebody for me out there

Meant To Live

"It's hard to live, when you know you were never meant to exist."

I often like to quote people. I get my best ideas from quoting people. So if you're ever quoted on my blog--(I'll keep you anonymous) You should feel pretty honored. Cuz that means you just gave me a really good idea for something.

Anywho's back to the point.

I read this quote off a profile on Facebook. That little white box yunno? The one that says "Write something about yourself". And everyone changes it, but nobody really knows what purpose it serves?

"It's hard to live, when you know you were never meant to exist."

Wow.

Someone who says something like this isn't just saying it. They've thought it through.

I can guarantee that almost half of America thinks this way. I know that if I didn't have a hope of a future because of my awesome God, I would probably feel the same way.
Cuz right now I'm beginning to wonder what I'm here for. Obviously I know my life is for bringing glory to God, but some days I wonder the EXACT REASON why I exist...

I don't know how to approach this person. I mean, most of us know the biblical answer of how God knew us before we were born and He knit us together in our mother's womb (Psalm 139:13)--but sometimes a biblical answer does not suffice for a deep thought like that. [By NO means am I saying that God's Word is NOT powerful to overcome such a thought ( I know it can!) But sometimes it takes some prying when Satan has hardened a heart.]

I think for now I'm going to post some Psalms. I think I need to think on this thought more.

Ps 139:1-18
1 O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.
5 You hem me in-- behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,"
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.

Wow. All I can even say here, is that a God who thinks that many thoughts about me, (ME!) must really have a reason for my existence. God. He thinks about me. A sinner. I'm not even presentable before a king of this world. But God thinks such intimate thoughts about my life. :)

Ps 138:8
8 The LORD will fulfill [his purpose] for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever-- do not abandon the works of your hands.
(NIV)

Dare To Be a Daniel

Today was a church day, and I got to go to Highland again (it's been over a month since I've last been there!) It was great to be in a place of worship again, with over 400 people praising God with their smiles, handshakes, voices, instruments, and God-given talents. The Worship Pastor had picked out an excellent arrangement of songs...and I know that 4 of the 7 I will be using together as a worship service this summer:

We Want to See Jesus Lifted High
Arise
Everlasting God
Your Love, O Lord

The four of these songs just felt like we were lifting God up...literally raising our praises to him! He lifts us up, and we get the opportunity to lift Him up. Not that He NEEDS to be lifted up by us, (He's greater than any of our human hands) but God is pleased with our worship. (If of course, it is worship of our hearts!)

The sermon was very intriguing this morning, and encouraged me to do a quick blog/summary of what Pastor Jeff said this morning. We've been working on the book of Daniel for about 3 months now. (maybe more...) And today we reached Daniel 10.

Let me quick summarize Chapter 10, and maybe through a few verses in. Daniel is in his late 80's now. His country has been taken captive by Babylonians, and now the Persians-Medes, and his people (the Israelites of Jerusalem) have been away from their traditional Jewish customs/laws for about 70 years!
But here is Daniel. After 70 years, he hasn't given in to the gods of their captivity. He hasn't turned away from God, and he has not chosen to follow the gods of the Persians...He is an upright man. After SEVENTY years of being away from God's chosen city and laws, He is still willing to follow them. This is pretty awesome. I know that if I was away from Christians for even ONE year, I would fall into the hands of sin--most likely conforming to the world.

But anywho's. Daniel decides to have a little quiet time with God for 3 weeks. He wants to pray for his people, because their 70 years of captivity is almost up, and he wants to make sure his people return to the land God gave them, and that they will desire to follow God with all of their hearts when they are released.
--So here's Daniel, praying for His people! Amazing!

For 3 weeks, he cries out to God, hoping for a revelation or dream, like in his many other cases. (If you read the earlier part of Daniel, you find that God is always giving him the answers to people's situations, etc.) But for 3 weeks, he hears nothing! But then an angel comes to him in a vision:

He said, "Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you." And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling.
Then he continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.
But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia.
Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come." (Daniel 10:11-14)

Wow. Did you see that? Daniel is praying for an answer, his voice has been heard--but Satan has detained this response to prayer for 21 days! And Michael (whom we commonly see as an archangel) had to come along and help out!

Do you know, or realize that Satan is trying to destroy God's Kingdom? God's plan? He fights. It's almost scary to think about. People literally PRAY to Satan, asking him to destroy the most powerful spiritual leaders in this country! In this world! People who are like Daniel--the ones who deliver God's messages, the ones who preach God's word, the ones who hold true and are leaders---these are the people Satan wants to bring down!

We need to be praying for our leaders more than we realize. We need to be praying for our church. We need to be praying for the people around us.

And more than anything: We should NEVER underestimate the power of the enemy. Because when we do that, we will fall. We need to stand up and fight. But why? and How?

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Eph 6:11-12)

Right there. We need to take stand against the devil's schemes. And how? Put on the full armor of God. If you follow the rest of Ephesians, we can see what an armor of God looks like.

Remember how the Armor of God has the "Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God"? Swords are pretty important in battle. Of course the ENTIRE armor of God is essential to fight, but the sword is the piece that brings down the enemy. Listen to this:

I Jn 2:14
....because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

How can we overcome the evil one? The word of God lives in us. The Sword of the spirit.

Pray. Do not underestimate the power of the enemy. Never give up. "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith..." (1 Pet 5:8-9)

Stand firm, don't lose hope. Wait on the Lord...sometimes the answer is detained because of Satan. Keep praying for those in leadership, who may be brought down under the devil's schemes. Dare to be like Daniel.

Scripture and sermon ideas taken from Pastor Jeff Hinds, Highland Community Church. You can find the sermon on their website www.highlandcommunitychurch.com.

Ever So Faithful

"If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it."

I was encouraged by this quote today. So many things seem to be going on in my life, and lately I have been struggling with faith. Faith to know and believe that "God [Himself!] is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." 1 Corinthians 10:13.

Days go by and I find myself wondering about my day-to-day life. It is hard to understand that what I'm going through right now is a part of God's plan for my life. BUT it is!!! If He brings me into a situation, then He will be faithful to bring me through it. But where does my faith play a part in this?

He is Faithful. I am reminded of a story where Jesus is walking on water, and he walks out to His disciples. And they were kinda freaked out about it!

---But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."
---"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."

So....here's Peter. He's got enough faith to believe that Jesus is directing this whole "walking on water" thing. And He has faith to believe that He Himself can do what His Master is doing--What the Master is directing. What the Master has planned!

---"Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"
--- Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"
(Matt 14:27-31)

Who does Peter lose faith in?

Not Jesus. Jesus is doing fine.

He loses faith in himself---He becomes afraid--thinking that He can't do what God has asked Him to do. He forgets that when it comes to believing in Christ, Peter can walk on water. He can do what Jesus is doing. He can do what God is directing.

We need to have faith that when God says-- "Come." or "Go." or "Stay." We will have confidence and faith that God is directing our ways. God is never going be less faithful, He will always be there--and He does not disappoint us. But when we begin to lose faith in ourselves, thinking: "I can't do that!", not only do we lose faith in ourselves, but we are just saying that God is not sovereign in His character. We aren't trusting His character, design, and plan!

We need to recognize....I need to recognize--That when God brings me to it, He will most definitely bring me through it! Faith

Something More....

"Did you find anything of interest?"
---'Nope'
"Well, Makes sense, I'm only interesting superficially...."
---'Not even that.'

Too often we become superficial. Superficial in the way we present ourselves, superficial with relationships, superficial with looks, and even possibly superficial with our relationship with God.

I've been seeing this, and pondering it.

Am I superficial?

I know there are areas in my life that need to be continually built up. And that's the purpose of my blog. Or at least one purpose. I want to begin to see God's goodness everyday!!! I remember journaling at camp, and I always had something amazing to say about something I learned from God. and lately, I haven't been thinking or talking about his mighty power! So here it is. The blog that is More Than Superficial.