Sunflower Faith

” Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. “-2Timothy 2:15

Sunday Praise and Worship is a weekly meme that I had started but due to well…life, was unable to keep up with.

As I find myself refocusing and repriortizing the things in my life, the biggest thing was finding the much needed time, to spend with our Father in Heaven and His word.

There were and have been many things that have come up, of a personal reflection, that reminded me so much that of all the things we shouldn’t neglect in our lives, living and studying His word is one of them along with taking care of our family.

I’ve taken the time to create the following bookmark, that I pray and hope, I can have prepared to offer to you, Gentle Readers, as well, so that you can find time to spend in His word.

Something that I have used and discovered through another website, has been the,”Life Journal” which is a very insightful method of reading God’s word and encouraging the habit of spending time, each day with His word.

I highly suggested looking into incorporating the “Life Journal” in your scriptural reading, to help encourage yourself, to read God’s word each day.

If you, like me, have felt a “Spiritual Famine” in your life, this is one of many ways to bring life back into studying’ God’s word.

It is with prayer and hope that this simple bookmark can help encourage you to start reading your bible, or if you have thought of reading the bible as a whole, to be one of many ways that are out there to encourage you to start today.

Bookmark

To participate in Sunday’s Praise and Worship just add the Sunday Praise and Worship logo on your post using the following:

<br /><a href=”http://sunflowerfaith.com” mce_href=”http://sunflowerfaith.com” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii186/sunflowerfaith/worshipslide242.jpg” mce_src=”http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii186/sunflowerfaith/worshipslide242.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”Photobucket” /></a><br /><br>Come to Sunflower Faith to join in with Sunday Praise and Worship.

Please don’t forget to link back here to Sunflower Faith and add your post link to the “Mr. Linky” that will be up Sunday Morning so others can come by your site and share in your “Sunday Praise and Worship”.

Hope to see you Sunday!

“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

The most dangerous thing to be is a perfectionist.

Being a perfectionist it’s easy to fall in the trap of giving up too soon, because hey, what you’re doing is going to fail anyway or it’s because of “fill in the reason” you can’t get something to work or go your way or you’re wrong anyway.

Allowing this to overwhelm your thought process, endangers your spiritual growth because it’s easy to feel like, “Well you fail, it’s not worth trying” or “If this happens and that happens, THEN I will go to church or read my bible or…..”

The trouble is that it’s because we allow ourselves to be imperfect,to make mistakes, to be wrong, can we really grow and part that also includes being honest with ourselves about how we really are and that often times, what causes a distance between us and our Heavenly Father…is well…us.

People who fail-well..truth is..they are usually the ones who learn the most and what defines them from failing is that they use their failures to keep moving forward.

They figure out where they went wrong, learn from it and move forward. The same with our walk.

No one is stopping us from having a relationship with our Heavenly Father and our imperfections doesn’t stop our Heavenly Father from wanting to have a relationship with us…so don’t just give up and accept that there is no hope or time.

Get up.

Read your bible.

Find a bible-believing church and don’t just hide behind a remote and think that is enough. Our Heavenly Father WANTS you to succeed in building a relationship with Him. He’s given you the tools to win the prize…use it.

Everybody fails. It’s part of the process that leads us to maturity and success. Most successful entrepreneurs have been through a number of failures in life, but they usually don’t think of their failures as defeats. They think of them as lessons.

My failures have served to help many people who are also experiencing failure in their lives. God will always have a redeeming value in our failures if we let Him reveal His life through them.

If you hope to succeed, learn everything you can from your failures.-OS Hillman for TGIF devotionals

“

“Isaiah 55:8. “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord.”.

I want to but I can’t.

I want to but what will people think.

I want to but I don’t want to lose my friends.

I want to…..

I want to….

I want to….

How often do you feel this way about your faith and just even sharing your faith with others?

How often do you find yourself either second guessing yourself or censoring yourself because you are more afraid of what people will think if you talk about your faith then you are afraid of what our Heavenly Father would think.

Being a Christian in modern times, is a challenge because we find ourselves under pressure to conform to the world and what the world wants and a struggle with living for and with and by what our Heavenly Father wants which unfortunately in many times, translates to unpopular opinion.

I chuckled as I read this passage from a devotional,

”

As Christians, we also wish to discover God’s will for our lives. Surely He is already laying the groundwork for our lofty aspirations in life. Then, when things don’t quite meet our expectations, we are perturbed. And if they take a dire turn into disaster, we are perplexed. What went wrong? We missed the point.

The thing is, God’s will is just that – God’s will. He tends to do thing His way, in His time, according to His own plan, and with His own purposes in mind. God often ignores our agenda! Over and over the Scriptures bring up an important theme: “My ways are not like your ways!” Sometimes we need a gentle reminder that He’s not like us”

Trouble is that many times, we try to box God in a way that makes us comfortable or feel in control, instead of just GIVING Him that control that is His not ours and having faith that no matter what, all things work out to His glory and is to be for His glory,not ours.

The thing is that we have to learn to step down and remember that even if we are at work, we don’t go into the bosses’ office and run things, we let our boss do his job and the same with our Heavenly Father.

He knows our hearts better than we know our hearts, but when we find ourselves willfully hiding His work or our walk from Him, is that not a display a lack of faith in well…Him and if we go..okay,”I’m going to pray to You, but I’m going to be in control”, isn’t that kinda trying to tell Him what to do.

Human nature is that inevitable we try to take care of ourselve, but we have to remember that once we accept God’s grace, it’s ALL Him and not just part of the time or on Sunday, but ALL of the time and a lot of time, it’s not going to be a comfy feeling.

It’s going to be a ride on a roller coaster but we can’t forget that He has HIS hands on the control and HE is not going to let go.

Just because sometimes things don’t work out the way, WE want it to, doesn’t mean God has failed us or hasn’t heard us…We have to remember that He has already seen the end of the line before we do and HE does know what is better for us.

Like children, it’s easy to want to pout and throw a tantrum and rebel, but that’s how we got here in the first place and if we are going to say, “God,I’m going to let You do what YOU need to do,”  we have to hold our end of the bargain,take a deep breath, grab His hand and just trust Him.

Heavenly Father, I ask that you give us more strength and discernment to trust You and Your word and instead of trying to compromise Your word to fit our lives that we compromise our lives to fit YOUR word.

Lord, give us maturity and strength that if we are going to walk the walk, that we are going to do more than just talk the walk, but show it in our lives and in our trust in You.

Gentle Friend, if you are finding yourself on the balance beam, ask yourself, what are ways you can live a life that reflects God more and less about making compromises just because you want to keep friends, live in the world or to be in control.

God doesn’t want you to be a hermit, but He also doesn’t want you to feel like you are falling either.

What are ways you can share on how to strive to grow and mature as a Christian?

Be not discouraged because of your soul's enemies. Are ye troubled with
thoughts, fears, doubts, imaginations, reasonings? Yea, do ye see, yet,
much in you unsubdued to the power of life? Oh! Do not fear it; do not
look at it, as to be discouraged by it; but look to Him! Look up to the
power which is over all their strength; wait for the descendings of the
power upon you; abide in faith of the Lord's help, and wait in patience
till the Lord arise; and see if His arm do not scatter what yours could
not. So, be still before Him, and in stillness, believe in His name;
yea, enter not into the hurryings of the enemy, though they fill the
soul; for, there is yet somewhat to which they cannot enter, from whence
patience, faith, and hope, will spring up in you, even in the midst of
all they can do.-Isaac Penington
qhpress.org/texts/penington/

Sounds like something we can all use in these days and time.

We live in times of uncertainity and questions; our economy is in turmoil, we don’t know if we want to know what will happen tomorrow, but through it all, though the storm is raging high waves around us, Our Heavenly Father is in the center of it all and saying, “Be still”.

It seems easy sometimes to go, God can’t solve this but the reality is that He has and He will.

He has seen far worse and far better than we ever can, so what seems a storm to us, is but a raindrop to Him.

In the midst of lifes turmoil and an uncertain times, share how or if you feel this draws you closer to our Heavenly Father and His word and if not, what ways do you think, you can do for yourself and your relationship with Jesus Christ, to “Be Still” and grow closer to Him rather than feel as if there is a rush of worry, pushing you along?

“Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you.”
–John 6:27

When I came across this via my email, I thought this would be a fantastic thing to share for Sunday’s “Praise and Worship”.

When I say… “I am a Christian”
I’m not shouting “I’m clean living’”
I’m whispering “I was lost”,
Now I’m found and forgiven.

When I say …”I am a Christian”
I don’t speak of this with pride.

I’m confessing that I stumble and need CHRIST to be my guide.

When I say… “I am a Christian”
I’m not trying to be strong.
I’m professing that I’m weak
and need HIS strength to carry on.

When I say… “I am a Christian”
I’m not bragging of success.
I’m admitting I have failed
and need God to clean my mess.

When I say… “I am a Christian”
I’m not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
but, God believes I am worth it.

When I say… “I am a Christian”
I still feel the sting of pain,

I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.

When I say… “I am a Christian”
I’m not holier than thou, I’m just a simple sinner
who received God’s good grace, somehow.

(Share this with somebody who already has this understanding, as reinforcement. But more importantly, share this with those who do not have a clear understanding of what it means to be a Christian, so that the myth   that Christians think they are “perfect” or “better than others” can be dispelled.)

““The devil is aware that one hour of close fellowship, hearty converse with God in prayer, is able to pull down what he hath been contriving and building many a year.-John Flavel

. .

What comes to mind when you read that?

The enemy is always on the outlook to find ways to pull ourselves away from Our Heavenly Father; In the form of earthly tempation, influences by others who are not of the faith, maybe just internal influences of ourselves.

Notice how when you spend time in the bible, go to church for worship or have fellowship,that along with the uplifting feeling, “things” seem to happen to keep us from continuing.

Maybe it’s coming from ourselves, or we much rather go shopping or watch t.v. because there is something just too good to pull ourselves away.

The trouble is that anything that keeps us from going to church, from reading God’s word, from spending time in prayer with Him, is a win for the enemy and a loss to us and our Heavenly Father.

When it really boils down to it…there is no excuse than are we going to perserve and continue to pursue our Heavenly Father as He continues to pursue us, or are we going to give in to the enemy’s attempts to convince us we don’t have time, a place or a way?

Unfortunately watching church on a t.v. is no true subsitute to the actual prescence of a fellowship of believers and the only one who is winning when we find reasons we can’t do this, or go there, is well…the enemy.

We live in times where there is too many tempations and too little reasons NOT to go to church or read God’s word.

“ Psalm 19:35, “You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great.”

Isn’t it comforting to know that our Heavenly Father is there, yearns to be there for us, and calls to us, to let Him be our strength, our source of hope and faith.

How many times when we say, we can do it on our own, and rather than fly,we often find ourselves, wondering where did we go wrong?

The first step often, is by realizing, that it is not us who can guide us, but well, Him.

Without our Heavenly Father, often we risked being lost, prideful or..well just a mess, but when we really let Him into our lives and be the guiding light…notice how things seem to open up.

Share your thoughts about this verse and more than anything, ways you remind yourself, that your not in control, but He is.

““Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew: 7:24-27 (NIV)

I reflected on this verse and the words from this devotional that I had read that went,

“Just because we’re Christians living out God’s principles for life, does not mean we won’t face difficult circumstances. The difference being a Christian makes is how the difficulties affect us. If we are hearing and heeding God through our prayer time and reading His Word, then we will be able to stand strong in the storms of life. Our faith will not be shaken and our identity will not be rattled.”

I have known people in my life and, yes, I have even done it myself, that face with a difficult situation, rather than pick myself up and face it, I instead just curl up in a ball and go, “Why bother, I’m only going to fail.”

The moment I say that and do that, I have already failed myself and let my Heavenly Father down, by first not trusting in Him enough that He has seen me through so many tough times that I shouldn’t have made it but did, but that He kept through with His promise and yet at the slightest touch of the wind, I’m already ready to just give up.

How often are we like ourselves?

When times are great, oh we are on fire, but when life gets us down, wow, it just gets us down; We talk the talk,but when it comes time to walk it, a snail would have made it to the finish line before us.

The hardest part, but the reality about the Christian life, isn’t when the storm is hitting us the hardest, but in the moments before it that really defines how strong we are in our faith and how weak we really are.

If we trust Him as we say we do, rather than sit around and think, “Why try”, we go,”I don’t care how hard this wind is blowing, my Heavenly Father has already seen me through the worse and this is nothing,” and we put on our rain boots and we trudge forward not downward.

Maybe it’s not a bad day.

Maybe we’re just bored.

Maybe we just can’t handle the quiet.

Instead of making the most of the moment and saying,”Perfect smooth sails,” instead we complain and instead of lifting everyone else up, become so focus inward that we don’t see that, though the boat is sturdy and there are no waves, we are slowly sinking the boat and everyone around us, with it.

The trouble is that in the moment, people become a biggest judges of who and what being a Christian is about.

What makes a difference between a Christian who is making the most of it and a Christian who allows life to make the most of them?

One sees the life for the reality of what it is, yes there are going to be moments of difficult or stillness, but we already know of the hope and the promise after it, so whatever happens right now doesn’t matter and we push forward, rather than lay around and feel sorry for us.

The other, is never happy no matter what and in the process fails to see the blessing that our Heavenly Father bestows.

Having a boring, everyday is not a curse nor meant to be.

Having a boring,everyday is just as exciting and powerful as a busy day, because it’s God’s way of answering our prayers to help us get the rest that we say we crave and He knows we need.

When we have true faith in the promise and hope that our Heavenly Father has for us, there really isn’t a bad day.

It’s next to impossible to have a bad day and the amazing thing is that it’s not hard to attain.

No special tricks.

No special place in society.

Life isn’t always going to be exciting but when we are truly honest with ourselves and with our relationship with Jesus Christ, we look forward to those storms and quiet days, like they are the most exciting gifts from our Heavenly Father.

It is then that in the litmus of the Christian Faith, we can truly find out how strong or weak we are.

People who are looking at us as testaments to the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ isn’t going to look and see how we handle ourselves when life is exciting and grand, but when life is boring and mundane and difficult.

That will make and break our testament about our Heavenly Father.

As much as we may yearn that life is as exciting as a Hollywood movie, the reality is that life can sometimes be as simple as going to work,coming home and nothing else happens.

How we handle those days and just any day, tells not only others, but when we are honest with ourselves, what our true relationship with our Heavenly Father is.

So instead of grumbling…be thankful and give praise. Be surprised how much a simple act of enjoying the blessing God has thrown your way can turn a day with no winds, into a day of perfect and smooth sailing.

Heavenly Father, help me appreciate each day you give me, exciting, bad, happy or sad and treat each day as the blessing that it is; Not only remind me that it bears testament to others about our walk but our relationship to You.

Remind me that you don’t give us a boring, everyday, just because You are trying to bore us, but that maybe our bodies or our minds just needed that much needed rest, and You, in Your divine wisdom and state, sought to give us the relief that we so desperately needed.

Share some ways you make the most of days when it seems so average, there is nothing better to do.

How can you use those days to draw closer to our Heavenly Father?

He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven (Ps 107:29-30).

Often times when we feel that lost of energy that is so often associated with the Christian faith, we immediately may think that God has forgotten us or not listening,but maybe for a change, have we ever stop to thought that isn’t the case?

Maybe it’s not the case of God forgetting us or not listening, but rather, He IS listening to us and just given us a chance to reflect on what He has done so that WE would learn what He is trying to teach us and He WANTS t listen to us so HE is keeping still to give us a chance to talk.

The next time we feel like there is a lull, don’t panic. God never leaves us or walks away; He is always still there; He is more than likely giving us a breather to go over what He is wanting to teach us and instead of panicking…relax…and use that lull to talk to Him.

He is listening.

Share how you can use those “quiet times” to grow closer to our Heavenly Father.