Entangling Relationships

This week in our Beth Moore study When Godly People do Ungodly Things we talked about entangling relationships. I think it really hits home - especially in today's society. Unhealthy relationships are rampant. We are wise to ask God if we are in an entangling relationship with anyone. Entangling relationships can be costly. When we are desperate for someone else's approval, we are in an entangling relationship. When we are looking to someone else to fill needs in our life that only Christ can meet, we are in an entangling relationship. To untangle unhealthy relationships is hard work, but it is not without benefits. As we begin to untangle our relationships, we will find freedom and peace. We must do our part to make sure all our relationships are balanced and healthy. Even if the other person in the relationship never changes, we can change. Remember that the most important relationship we have is horizontal - the relationship between us and Christ. Once that relationship is right, the vertical relationships in our life will begin to work correctly.

Thank You!

Dear Ladies,

I am still overwhelmed by your kindness and generosity to me at Christmas! I am blessed by each of you all year long, not just at Christmas. I love my new Bible! I have already started making it mine. The pages are so fresh and new that it made writing in it a little hard, but I got over it. I will treasure this Bible forever because it came from you. I can’t wait to use the manicure/pedicure certificate and the Hallmark card. You really went over the top, and I am very grateful.
The generous soul will be made rich, and she who waters will also herself be watered. Proverbs 11:25
I look forward to serving God with you this year. My prayer for our ladies comes from Ephesians 1:15 – 19 which says,
“For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.”

You are greatly loved,
Nancy

The Abandoned Life is a Fruitful Life

So, my brothers (and sisters), you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. Romans 7:14
Paul says it so well. When we abandon our lives to God, then they no longer belong to us. Sounds simple, doesn't it? But do our lives really belong to God or are we holding on to parts of it? Every area of my life where I am putting my will above His is like a branch that bears no fruit. Jesus says in John 15 that if we will remain in Him and allow Him to remain in us then we will bear fruit. Remaining in Him is the goal of the abandoned life - surrendering myself to Him. Jesus goes on to say in John 15 that every tree that bears fruit, He will prune so that it will bear more fruit. You may find yourself in a pruning season right now. God may be doing some cutting, but it is all for your good and His glory. He wants to produce much fruit in our lives and He can only do that when we allow Him to prune us. Now, I'm not much of a gardener, but I have talked to women who are and they shared some very important purposes of pruning. One purpose of pruning is to make the tree fuller. Another purpose is to make the tree grow in a certain direction. Still another purpose is to make the tree stronger. If we apply all of those reasons to our lives on a spiritual level, can you see what God hopes to accomplish when He prunes us? His purposes are the same - to keep us growing in the right direction, to make us stronger, and to make our tree bear more fruit. I know we are right in the middle of the Christmas season, but I encourage to take some time during this busy season to do some soul inventory. Are you producing much fruit for Him? Are there areas where your will is still dominating? Jesus gave everything He had to follow the will of His father. Are we willing to do the same. If so, then we will be like a tree planted by rivers of water and our leaf shall never wither and everything we do will prosper. (Psalms 1 paraphrased)

The Abandoned Life IV - The Faith Factor

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I took a little break myself and that's why I didn't update last week. I pray that our study of The Abandoned Life is speaking to your heart. The last time we met together, we talked about how faith plays an important part in our Christian walk and how it is a key weapon in our fight against fear. Hebrews 11:1 says that faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. Faith requires that I believe even when I don't see the answer. Isn't that where our worries and fears overtake us? When we can't see the path clearly in front of us, we begin to worry about what might happen. If we are not really trusting and believing God in an area of our life, no matter how many Scriptures we quote or how much praying we do, nothing will change. Ultimately, we will not abandon our lives to God if we don't fully believe that He knows best and that He can be trusted. Unbelief then becomes the battleground. Every place where we allow unbelief to reign is a place ripe for taking by the enemy of our souls. Oswald Chambers says it like this, "Have you ever noticed what Jesus said would choke the Word He puts in us? Is it the devil? No, it is the cares of this world (Matthew 13:22). It is always our little worries. We say, 'I will not trust when I cannot see' - and that is where unbelief begins. The only cure for unbelief is obedience to the Spirit. The greatest word of Jesus to His disciples is abandon." When we truly follow Christ with our WHOLE HEART, we will be free to trust Him and obey Him in all circumstances. We will no longer be ruled by fear, but we will be ruled by love (I John 4:18). How do I know if I have truly placed my faith in God? Well, here's a short little test.
F - Am I FOLLOWING God wholeheartedly?
A - Am I AWARE of God's purpose for me?
I - Am I INVESTING in God's Kingdom?
T- Am I THANKFUL in all circumstances?
H - Am I HONORING God with my actions, thoughts, and attitudes?
I encourage you to take some time and answer these questions honestly. A life that is 100% abandoned to God is a life lived by faith, and a life lived by faith is a life God rewards (Hebrews 11:6).

The Abandoned Life III - Putting off Fear

As we continue to look at what it means to abandon our lives to God, we have found that there are certain things of the flesh we must give up in our goal of total surrender to the Spirit of God. One thing that must go is fear. Now, I'm not talking about fear of God. Scripture tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The original language calls this type of fear eulabeia and it means having the utmost respect for someone or something. That's healthy fear that recognizes the holiness of God and His awesome power. There is another kind of fear, and it is unhealthy in every way. Webster's defines fear as an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger. It is this type of fear that Satan uses to keep us paralyzed and ineffective in our Christian walk. God's Word is very clear in Psalms 27:1 when it says, The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? In Romans 8:15 we read, For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry, Abba, Father. Satan wants to keep us in bondage to our fears while God wants us to walk in freedom - freedom from fear. We live in uncertain times and it would be easy to give in to all kinds of fear, but God has called us to walk in truth not fear. The truth is that God has given us armor to help us in our fight with the enemy of this world - the helmet of salvation, the belt of truth, shoes of peace, a breastplate of righteousness and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. One of the most powerful tools we have as Christians to combat fear is God's Word. When we quote Scripture we are taking the sword of the Spirit and slaying the spirit of fear. I encourage you to take some time this week to research the word fear in Scripture. Write down the verses that speak to you and keep them with you as a constant reminder. Remember Satan would like nothing better than to paralyze you with fear and keep you from fulfilling God's purpose in your life. Don't let fear have the last word. Keep your eyes on Jesus and reject the spirit of fear!

Putting off the Spirit of Fear

Well, the week is almost over and I am just getting to our weekly devotional. I wasn't in Sunday School on Sunday, but I heard it was a great lesson on hospitality. Thank you to Cassandra King for teaching the class and blessing the ladies. This week, we will pick back up with our series on The Abandoned Life. Here's a thought as we prepare for Sunday's lesson. Do we have more faith in our fear than we have faith in our God? I had to reflect on that myself when I first read it. When I entertain fear in my life I am actually putting my faith in the thing I fear. Fear is a crippling, paralyzing emotion. It can keep us so entangled that we cannot move forward with God. If we are going to fulfill the purpose and plan God has for us, we must put off the spirit of fear. Our God is bigger than our fear and when we put our complete and total faith in Him, fear begins to lose its grip on us. We are going to look at the spirit of fear more in-depth on Sunday. Until then, meditate on this verse and note the personalization, "God has not given ME a spirit of fear but of peace, and of love, and of a sound mind." II Timothy 1:7

The Abandoned Life II - Embracing Forgiveness

As we continue to learn about abandoning our lives to God, we come to realize that there are certain things we will have to abandon in our pursuit of Him. Hebrews 12:1 reminds us that we must “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.” One of the most entangling sins I know of is unforgiveness. It can literally grab hold of a heart and wrap it up tight with bitterness and resentment. Colossians 3:13 says, “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” God’s Word is clear that to forgive is to walk in obedience to Him and to harbor unforgiveness is to walk in disobedience to Him. If we are to reach our goal of 100% surrender to Christ, we must choose to obey His Word in all areas. While it seems almost impossible at times to forgive others for cruel and careless behavior, forgiveness is always God’s perfect plan for us. Choosing to forgive is the only way to free ourselves from bitterness, resentment, and hatred. Christ gave us the ultimate example when he asked the Lord to forgive those who crucified Him, for “they know not what they do.” How can we do any less? No matter how deeply we have been hurt, we must choose forgiveness. Choosing to forgive does not absolve another for their wrongdoing, not at all; however, it does allow me to leave the consequences with the Lord. I no longer have to be judge and jury in another’s life because I am free to let God do His work in the situation. If the body of Christ is ever going to reach its maximum potential, we must begin to let go of old (or new) grievances and begin to reach out to each other with love and forgiveness. Remember we don’t forgive for the sake of someone else, we forgive for the sake of Christ. When we come to the place where we are truly willing to let Him forgive others through us, then we are moving in the right direction on this path to living an abandoned life.