#biblenotes

Get out of your boat.

Remember the story of Peter walking on water because Jesus called him to? God wouldn't give you a task that you wouldn't be able to do. This week, keep your eyes on Jesus and get ready to conquer everything that gets thrown your way. What is "walking on water" for you today? Is it a new project, an important meeting, a short deadline, or anything outside of your comfort zone? Whatever it may be - remember that you're not going through it alone, He has gone before and after you, the journey is yours to own.

This is not an end all be all list, but just some things I’m learning to do in my journey with Christ.  

1. Bad things will happen, but you need to have the spiritual maturity to trust God no matter what. Everything is working for your benefit.  

Christ died on the cross to save you from sin and to help give you a connection with God, so that you can have joy on earth and in everlasting life after death.  Not so that nothing bad would ever happen to you. God will do two things with your problems. He will take you through them or remove them. Trust, that if He takes you through it, that it was for your benefit and that He will give you the tools to overcome. Pray to develop spiritual maturity so that it doesn’t matter which way God chooses to deal with your battles, you still find joy in your circumstances and can trust God through it all.  God will be with you through everything. Guiding you to make better decisions and helping  to dust you off when you go down the wrong path.  Don’t expect for life to be easy. Blessings and Rain are sent on the Just and Unjust. Trust God and be not afraid! 

2. You have to educate yourself and submerge yourself in God’s word in order to reap ALL the benefits of your relationship with God. 

You reap what you sow. If you are in the word and chasing after God earnestly then your spiritual life will grow. If you attend church but  barely touch your bible your life may not be as spiritually fulfilling as it could be, and you probably won’t  even  realize this because you have no way to discern the enemies attacks or discern the truth because you don’t know God. You reap what you sow. Sow good spiritual things and you WILLL  reap the benefits. Half-a** it and you will also reap what comes of that. 

Joyce Meyer once said, “When we get saved, our mind doesn’t get saved too. We have to work on our minds.” The mind is a battlefield and you need to be equipped with The Word, in order to find joy and peace. You cannot focus on fleshy things and expect to have a spiritual life.  Otherwise you will be running in circles until death. Also, only doing devotionals with little scriptures don’t count. You have to be in the word, in order to learn about Christ and gain the tools needed to get rid of mental strongholds in your life. You wouldn’t expect a surgeon to do surgery without getting an education first, so why do you expect to be a powerhouse Christian without reading your bible? Prayer alone is not enough (I’ve learned the hard way.) You need to be in The Word,  at the church, fellowshipping with other christians, (even friends who are christians who can help you and you can bounce ideas off of each other, we weren’t meant to do this journey alone.)  and praising God. This is the only way to remove mental strongholds that the enemy placed in you and to live in peace while on earth. Otherwise you wont be getting your peace until you die and go to heaven. God didn’t say live in strife until death and only then will you get  peace. He said come to me and you Will Find REST, right here, right now. If you have doubt, pray for God to remove it! If you don’t want to read, pray to God for the motivation to read  and for a heart, hungry for the Lord’s words.” Be in the word constantly, and I mean reading the word, listening to the word, singing praise to God. Listening to sermons in the morning, listing to gospel centered podcast, attending small groups, listing to gospel centered music. EVERY SINGLE DAY! The only way to get your spirit right is to know your identify in Christ and the only way to do that is  to learn about  God so that the enemy will not be able to fool you anymore. GET YOUR CHRIST EARNED PEACE, while you are still living!!!! 

3. Be Patient with yourself and with God. NEVER GIVE UP!!!!!

God is more concerned about the motive behind your change rather than you actually changing and how long it takes. He smiles down on us trying to improve ourself the same way he smiles down on those who have reached spiritual maturity. Don’t Worry, his love is everlasting for you. Your spiritual growth can take 40 years like the Israelites in Deuteronomy , or it may come faster for you. This mostly depends on God’s timing and how much you are submerging yourself in the word. You may get annoyed with yourself, but know that God has your lifetime covered in patience. Learn to enjoy the process.   Don’t give up on God because He will NEVER give up on you. It’s a process and the middle takes a bit longer than most of us would like but that’s okay it takes time. You will not do everything right and that’s fine, Jesus died on the cross for a reason and there is no condemnation in Christ.  Learn to love your self through your imperfections like God does with us. You don’t have to give up or quit you can enjoy your imperfect self. Lastly the growth/learning never stops and won’t stop until Jesus comes again. You may gain peace, but that doesn’t mean you put down the bible, there is always more to learn from Christ. 

3. Be Positive

Stop being bitter and living in the past. Questioning: “Why me, God?” and “I wish I could go back in time and change...” or  “What if..” 

Yes, you have been hurt by the world around you. Yes, it sucked and was painful. But know this: IT HAD TO HAPPEN FOR A REASON and you need to  believe this in order to move forward. Trust in God’s wisdom and lean on him. You don’t need to understand why it happened, but pray that your past will somehow will make your future 10x better than if you hadn’t gone through it in the first place. Pray that your trauma will not only benefit you in the future but it will  benefit others around you.  You may not see the benefits now or even in 20 years or ever, but trust in God. It happened for a reason. Also know, that no one else is responsible for your happiness. Bad stuff happened and it wasn’t all your fault, but what happens from here on is your fault and your responsibility. Are you going to take charge of your life and chase after your Christ-Earned peace? Or are you going to let the enemies’s strongholds stay rooted in your spirit.  Also know that in the waiting stage, you also have to be positive, waiting is also a test and trial that one needs to overcome. Have joy no matter what stage you are at. 

4. When God taps you to Change, Change. 

Don’t be like the Israelites, who took 40 years get to the promise land when it was only a 11 day journey. God knew they could’ve  complete the journey in 11 days, but they didn’t and they lost the faith, didn’t read The Word and gave in to sin.  But if you do end up like the Israelites and fall, DON’T GIVE UP!!!! Know that God still loves the same way as if you had completed the journey in 11 days like it was planned. It’s your motive he cares about, not how long it takes. Even if you never get your Christ-Earned peace , here on earth, know that God isn’t angry at you and that He loves you still. Some strongholds are harder to break than others.  But being in The Word will help you find your peace in God a WHOLLEEEE lot sooner. 

Know that God wouldn’t tap you to face your inner demons if he wasn’t going to make you able to get through to your victory. Trust Him.  You can do this!  God is with you! The Holy Spirit is with you! Jesus is with you! And if God is for you, who can be against you? Believe that God has your best interest at heart and is trying to change you for he better. Cast your Cares onto Him because He cares.  Believe that God will defeat your enemies. Believe that you are worth it, because God said so.