God's Voice and Peace and Making Big Decisions

For the past three weeks at Tacoma Community, we've been talking about hearing God's voice.

The question posed each week was something to the effect of:  How do you know you hear God's voice?  
Week 1:  Go back to the last place you heard God speak to you. Did you do what God asked?
Week 2:  Do you have peace?  That's how you know you are in God's will and doing what God asks of you.
Week 3:  Peace is a result of righteousness. God cares more about our character than these big, stressful decisions that we freak out about.

I used to be a worrier.  Not to say that I don't worry now but it used to be something that you could define about me:  I'm Lindsy, and I worry a lot.  I made myself sick over worry.  I was 17 and just finishing high school and I was physically ill and no doctor could help.  I had just broken up with a boyfriend that I really liked because he wasn't a Christian and everyone was telling me to.  I was applying for colleges and trying to figure out how I was going to pay for it all and which college to choose.  I had a new boyfriend who, in hindsight, was a bit manipulative and controlling and didnt want what was best for me. It was stressful but I didnt feel stressed out.  Instead, my body shut down, my back tensed up, and I couldnt eat.

How did it go away?  I gave it up.  I ran away to college, met the man I would later marry, met some great people who weren't afraid to challenge me, and, most importantly, I learned to give up that worry and stress to my God who is so eager to take it away.

It is so freeing to think that God probably doesn't care what college we choose or if we buy a house.  We focus so much on big decisions while completely ignoring the shortcomings of our character that afflict us daily:  the judgmental thoughts about others, lying, stealing, cheating, anger, control, selfishness, etc.  

For a practical application that so many of us need....  Examine your character daily, ask God for help to fix you instead of help fixing others or fixing your problems.  And also.... Meditate on these verses...

Psalm 85:10
Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.
Romans 14:17
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Hebrews 12:11
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousnessand peace for those who have been trained by it.
James 3:18
Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
Romans 12: 9 - 21 
⁹ Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³ Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. ¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.^[a]Do not be conceited.
¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. ¹⁸ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹ Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”^[b] says the Lord. ²⁰ On the contrary:  “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”^[c] 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

My SOAP

I was feeding the baby tonight so I just finished my soap and thought I'd share...

Scripture: John 15:7 NLT
But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!

Observation:
I should probably memorize more scriptures. Wait... Can I seriously ask for anything I want?

Application:
Life has not been good the past couple of days. For many weeks I was riding high on the arrival of our son. He brought so much joy into my life. But as time wears on and the stress of work, taxes, taking care of a baby, and financial inconveniences start to get to me, I feel haggard. Empty. Nothing to give to those around me who need You. And it is obvious why. I have not been receiving the joy that is promised me because I have not been focusing on the Lord. I have not been "remaining in Him". I have been selfish. The things that I truly want are peace, joy, and energy to give to those who need of me. To be a good friend, wife, and mother.

Prayer:
Lord, I need you. I want more of you. I want to bear fruit. Holy Spirit, convict me. Remind me each day to spend time in the Word and give me the strength and will power to say, "yes." Amen.

Afterward

Mr. Daniel R had great words to share with us! Talking about morals! There was a lot to take home and think about but I'll just share what I've been thinking about, and you can share down in the comments. My thought: Am I educating myself enough to make good moral choices? I have been convicted that I have not spent ample time reading the bible, or anything else, for the purpose of making most of my moral stances make sense! (or changing them if they don't make sense) Oops, I should really do something about that...

Afterward

Thanks for being good listeners and helping me cultivate my soil!  Here is part of the parable and, at the bottom, some of my thoughts on Jesus' thoughts, for your viewing pleasure.


 13And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14The sower sows the word. 15And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them.

 16And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. 17And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. 

18And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.

20But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”

1.       “The sower went out to sow.”   ~Remember that God puts his word out to all, regardless of their present heart/soil condition.

2.     

            The seed is the word of God, not you!   ~Remember that God plants the seed and makes it grow. The fruits of the spirit are from the spirit residing in us.

3.       

      Guard thy soil!     ~

   * Hear the word of God. How do we do this?

   * Is the spirit causing noticeable growth in you? How can you be more accommodating to the     spirit? Do you keep a landscape that impedes his growth in you?

   * Cares of the world and desires for other things besides the Spirit can soil our soil! Don’t let the spirit be choked out! 

Afterward: Doctrine

What is doctrine?  Until last night I thought that doctrine was things that we believe.  (Don't tell my religion and theology professors at Taylor.)  Apparently, doctrine is not only the teachings of our faith but also the practice of our faith.  

Last night we were asked, "What would people around you say that your doctrine is?"  Do you live out a doctrine of love?  Grace?  Judgement?  Last night I wasn't sure how to answer that.  I have so many different facets of life.  My career, my marriage and our new baby, my family, my church-going Christian friends, friends from high-school,  non-Christian friends, bar-hopping acquaintances and so on.  I try not to compartmentalize my life but it's hard not to when I have so many different friend groups.  People might say I'm ambitious, that I throw dorky parties and like introducing these people to those people.  People might say that I'm supportive.  I can get to know people very quickly and I like to celebrate their strengths and passions.  Something I was thinking about after TC last night is that I've had friends tell me they're jealous of our life.  My husband is living his dream, touring the country with his band.  I have a good job.  We get to travel a lot.  And above all, we have joy and contentment, something that's hard to find in this world if you don't know the love of Jesus.

Pastor Lance at PSCC preached a sermon a few weeks ago and he told his congregation to stop being so weird.  To stop speaking "Christianese" and to just be "in the world and not of the world".  To be normal and relatable.  This is something that I have always valued.  My parents are huge believers in public school and that we, even as children, should be "in the world and not of the world".  So this concept of being "normal" was never foreign to me.  But how can I be normal but still show who Christ is in my life?

My task has been to be real, to be authentic about the struggles in my life, and to point these back at God where I find my strength.  I never want to portray a perfect life on my own accord.  If my joys and successes don't point to God then it's all for naught.

I think we need to get back to the mission statement idea.  I haven't written mine yet.  Have you?

If not, here are some questions that may help:

• Are you salty?  If not, why not?
• How do you best represent your faith?  (Through words, testimony, music, art, generosity, service?) 
• Decide who you want to be to your friends and family (Encourager, counselor, exhorter, server, joy-giver, prayer warrior, etc, etc, etc................)

Some Pocahontas ish

This morning the wind is crazy, just blowing bits of stuff around and pressing rain drops flat against everything. I like these times I get to spend watching the wind rage while I can sit watching, safe with my coffee, being warm and still ignorant of the daily worries starting to seep into my mind.  It reminded me of Ecclesiastes; “as you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.” (http://bible.cc/ecclesiastes/11-5.htm ) How powerful is this wind!  . 

You see I was thinking about our community and what Andy said about the purpose of preaching. When the preacher of God speaks, maybe it is like a storm, a storm where God shows up powerfully in a way we cannot understand, but it’s a storm I don’t get into. Not every time.  I come for the coffee, the warm house, the nonjudgmental smiles and also, to check off the wwjd to-do list. I am quite the checker of lists.

But… Maybe the spirit of God rages around that quit room, desperate in its joy at finding us all there, gathered in His name, willing to learn.

In Hebrews; “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

http://niv.scripturetext.com/hebrews/4.htm

It’s not here simply because I want preaching and community; I believe that I need it. Personally, in my life, every day, every day! Whether I listen to the weather enough to know it or not, that’s on me. 

Check out this debate if you like that heavy stuff. Dawkins vs. Lennox.

http://www.fixed-point.org/index.php/video/35-full-length/164-the-dawkins-lennox-debate