God Will Break Your Heart

Ever wonder why we continue to cherish sin even though we know the eternal consequences that come with it? God makes it clear why we sin: It’s a matter of our heart. Our hearts have desired to sin from the time we were born. It’s easy to fall into the routine of forgetting and forsaking God, but we can still choose whether or not to continue to sin. We can work on a specific temptation, or we can ask God to help us resist temptation when it comes by allowing him to break our hearts. In Jeremiah 17:9, God says that “the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure” and that no one can understand it. Our hearts are fixated so deeply on our tendency to sin that only God’s redemption can break our hearts and deliver us from its entrapment.

God sometimes has to break a person in order to bring them to true repentance. People need new attitudes, but they won’t change until God breaks their hearts with humiliation, pain, suffering, or even defeat. It’s during these times that we feel God is furthest away and hates us, but it’s actually the times that he draws us closest to him because he loves us. When God breaks your heart, he breaks away anger, frustration, stress, hate, lust, revenge, and every other sin that holds you down. The ONLY reason he breaks our hearts is so that he can restore them to an unimaginable state of peace, freedom, and love. When your boyfriend/girlfriend breaks your heart, they take away your trust, love, and devotion; but when God breaks your heart, he takes away your hurt, pain, and sin. God breaks our hearts so that he can mend them with everything needed to defeat sin.

Does your heart have no desire to change the areas in your life that he can’t stand to see you struggle with? The only way to feel free, truly loved, and complete is to allow God to break your heart.

Sexual Temptation

Sexual immorality is a temptation that is always in front of us. In movies, in magazines, and on television, sex outside of marriage is treated as a normal, desirable part of life, while sex inside of marriage is shown as joyless and restraining. We can even be looked down on by others if we are suspected of being pure. There are times when we will choose to not watch a movie because there’s nudity in it, and then get laughed at for being lame. But sexual sin is a serious deal! God doesn’t forbid sexual sin just to be difficult. He knows its power to destroy us physically and spiritually. No one should underestimate the power of sexual immorality. It has devastated countless lives and destroyed families, churches, and communities. God wants to protect us from damaging ourselves and others by offering to fill our desires with himself.

In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul is teaching about this topic to a church was being drawn to the temple employing over 1,000 prostitutes for sexual worship rituals. Paul clearly stated that Christians are to have no part in sexual immorality, even if it is acceptable or popular in culture. Christians are free to be all they can be for God, but they are not free from God. God created sex to be beautiful and essential in marriage, but sex outside of marriage always hurts someone. It hurts God because it shows that we prefer following our own desires instead of the leading of the Holy Spirit. It hurts others because it violates the commitment of a relationship. And it deeply affects our personalities, which respond in grief when we harm ourselves physically and spiritually. Many people say they have the right to do whatever they want with their own bodies. Even though they think it is freedom, they are really enslaved to their own desires.

When we become Christians, the Holy Spirit fills and lives in us. Therefore, we no longer own our bodies. Christ’s death freed us from sin, but also obligates us to his service. If you live in a building owned by someone else, you try not to violate the building’s rules. Because your body belongs to God, you must not violate his standards for living. Be careful that what God has allowed you to enjoy doesn’t grow into a bad habit that controls you.

Honest Reputation

Honestly, how much time do we spend being honest with others? We will tell even the smallest lie, thinking it won’t have any consequences, but it ends up causing more damage than the truth ever would have. Swearing by what is false means telling lies under oath, but God values honesty! Dishonesty comes easily, especially when complete truthfulness could cost us something, make us uncomfortable, or ruin our reputation. Dishonest communication hinders relationships. Without honesty, a relationship with God is impossible. When we lie to others, we may get away with it, but we deceive ourselves. When we lie to God, he knows it, and we deceive him.

So what are you gonna do…will you risk your reputation to be honest, or will you play it safe and lie to save your reputation? You have to choose to have a reputation of being honest in order to see true blessings in your life. A reputation for honesty is worth way more than the money you save by compromising it.

Always Been There

Have you ever driven past a road that you have passed by all the time, but you see a house there that you never noticed before? Or one day you are driving and you look over and you say, “Since when has that business been there?” Even though you’ve seen it thousands of times, for some reason you haven’t realized it until that day that it’s there. It’s crazy that we could pass by something every single day and be so familiar with it, but never notice what’s truly there until one day it becomes apparent. The same goes for how God reveals his presence in everything we go through. We know something is true, but we tend to ignore it actually is true until one day God grabs our attention and makes it apparent.

It’s so weird that we would deny God’s ability to provide for us, when he has never failed to before. Yet just like that house we never noticed before, we treat God as if he’s not there until something comes up and then it becomes apparent that he has always been there. Although we don’t always recognize his work, his hand is in everything. It’s not coincidence that everything that has happened today is keeping you from going to that meeting after work. It’s not coincidence that you talk to someone on facebook about an issue and then run into them that same day. It’s not coincidence that you need $100 by Thursday for a doctor’s appointment and then you get a check in the mail for $100 from an unexpected source on Wednesday. God is involved in billions of lives every moment…working out his perfect plan with his perfect timing. It’s an amazing comfort to know Jesus is so interested in and involved in our lives…even when we pass by him and don’t notice him.

God has been there all along, just like that house that you never saw before until recently. God isn’t trying to hide his plan from us. He wants to involve you in his plan because he is able to make apparent all the things in your life that you didn’t know were there, but have been there all along.

Grow Up!

Jesus tells us so many times in the Bible to grow up by daily transforming our hearts and minds to reflect his. In 2 Peter, Peter lowers the boom on the church with a challenge to continue to grow and transform in Jesus daily. He describes how Jesus has given every follower of Christ his own holy and blameless nature through the Holy Spirit. Having received a part of God, they have to strive to avoid the desires and behaviors that the flesh and the world say are significant to having a good time. Instead, they are to grow in knowledge of Jesus and daily transform so that they can learn to have perseverance and self-control over temptations. But they can’t do that unless they grow up. Anyone who claims to be a follower of Jesus who doesn’t grow up in their faith has basically forgotten who Jesus is, what Jesus has done, and how Jesus transformed them. Jesus isnt’ calling you to stay where you are…he’s calling you to grow up.

In order to grow up we need to transform our lives daily into the image of Jesus. He provided us with the Holy Spirit and a model after which we are to live our lives. But, none of this can be accomplished if we don’t develop an intimate relationship with Jesus. The only way you can develop a relationship with anyone is to spend quality time with them. Without spending quality time with Jesus and learning to hear the Holy Spirit’s voice, you will know of Jesus but you will not know Jesus.

It’s time to put away your opinions and grow up so that Jesus can transform your life into something you never even thought possible.

Marriage At War

Conflict will occur in marriage when we place expectations on our spouse to meet needs only Jesus can meet. We can’t insist that our spouse fill emotional, physical, or spiritual needs that only God can fill. Until Jesus fills our needs, we will find it difficult to place our expectations on our spouse in proper perspective. We will always feel empty and unsatisfied when it’s all about our wants instead of what God desires for us. These feelings cause conflict in marriage and if they’re not dealt with, could lead to a break in marriage.

If the husband and wife are both looking to Jesus to fill them up, then they are able to serve each other more effectively. When we focus on our relationship with Jesus as the most important thing in our life, he will supply what we need (Phil. 4:9). We can trust that God will always meet our needs. We have to remember, however, the difference between our wants and our needs. Most people want to feel good and avoid discomfort or pain. Most people want to believe that they have the perfect marriage. But, most people need Jesus in order to fix their marriage. We may not get everything we want, but by trusting in Jesus, our attitudes can change from wanting everything to needing him.

God is able to meet your needs and your spouse’s needs so that you do not look to each other to provide what you don’t have. Your spouse can’t always be there, can’t make you happy all the time, and can’t be the one you love more than anything else. The only way to get rid of emptiness in a marriage is to find fullness that comes from being satisfied in Jesus. It’s an amazing feeling to meet each other’s needs and serve each other, but it’s not healthy to expect your spouse to be Jesus. The only way to conquer conflict in marriage is to keep Jesus at the center of it. The moment he is taken out is the moment war breaks out. Only Jesus can meet your needs.

Ignoring Second Chances

Have you ever ignored doing something you knew you were supposed to do? It sounds crazy that we would see actions we are supposed to take, but then ignore them but we do it all the time. We see a stop light turn yellow 30 ft ahead, but we speed to catch it before it turns red; or how about when we see someone on the streets begging for food who truly needs it, but we pass them without a thought; or even seeing someone drop everything they are holding, but we act like we don’t see anything. The troubling thing is that we do the same thing with what God commands us to do. You may be able to duck and hide from his calling, but he will not reveal what is next until you have obeyed him right now.

Have you ever had a burning feeling in your heart to see someone close to you experience true life and abundance in Jesus? It KILLS you doesn’t it? They even present questions to you that speak loud and clear that they are seeking truth, but we ignore them by thinking that someone else will get to them. When God lays someone on your heart, you are responsible for following through with that person…not the pastor, not your Bible study, not even your other friends. God has established that relationship so that you could be the most effective at presenting the gospel to them. However, you are not responsible for their reaction, only your obedience.

So many people quit on their lost friends because they consistently reject their invitations, but that is not on you. God is calling you to consistently ask and answer uncomfortable questions no matter what you’re your preference is. Giving them a second chance is more important than your preference. A second chance is not continuing to live in sin, which is why God is calling you to show them how grace gives followers the opportunity to fight sin and accept that we will make mistakes. Talking about it is not living it. Saying things to sound spiritual is not obedience, and they can tell when you are trying to impress them with “Christianese”. It is tempting to quit when things get difficult, but quitting is not the same thing as surrender. Imagine if someone had quit on you…you may not have ever accepted Christ if they had quit. This means giving up what you want in exchange for what he wants you to do in order to give that person a second chance at an abundant life.

God places us in specific situations for a reason. We shouldn’t put off the responsibilities God calls us to by being lazy, condemning others, waiting for others to handle it, and making up spiritual words. It’s time to stop ignoring what God is calling you to do, and continue to strive to provide the people God has laid on your heart a second chance.

No Doubt

Faith takes EVERYTHING we’ve got every single day to keep it strong. Unfortunately, doubt causes a big stir in this connection we have with trusting God. The Bible says in James chapter 6 that when we ask God to move in our lives, but don’t really believe he can do it, that we are like a wave tossed by the wind. We are completely unstable when we say we believe, but we doubt God can actually deliver.

Have you ever believed that God could actually save your marriage, but you doubt that it could ever happen? How about believing that one day God will answer your prayer to save a relative, but you doubt they would ever even consider following Jesus because they are so far from him. There are countless situations, but the fact remains that God wants our entire faith, not just parts that we can trust and parts that we doubt. To believe and not doubt means not only believing in the existence of God, but also believing in his loving care. It includes relying on God and expecting that he will hear and answer when we pray. We have to put away our critical attitude when we come to him. God doesn’t grant every thoughtless or selfish request. We have to have confidence that God will align our desires with his purposes because a mind that wavers is not completely convinced that God’s way is best. It treats God’s word like any human advice, and it retains the option to disobey. It waver s between allegiance to subjective feelings, the world’s ideas, and God’s commands.

If your faith is new, weak, or struggling, remember that you can trust God. Then be loyal to him no matter the situation. To stabilize your wavering or doubtful mind, commit yourself completely to God.

Jesus is…

If God never does anything else for you, he has still been good to you. Everything that happens in your life is STILL better than you deserve. His past faithfulness helps you see his future ability for your life no matter how bad your situations seem. In Exodus 3:13-14 Moses asks God what to tell people when they ask what God’s name is and God says, “I AM WHO I AM.” God is who he says he is…he is the provider, healer, strengthener, fixer, saver, etc. God has been made known to us through Jesus.

Jesus is the bread of life, door, good shepherd, resurrection and the life, true vine, light of the world, only way to God. He is the restorer of marriages, the healer of hearts ruined from church people who only want to have power by hurting others, the creator of ALL THINGS, the addiction you can’t get enough of, and the savior. Jesus is the most famous person in the world that many don’t even really know. Jesus is God. Jesus is the only one that can fill that void in your life.

What has Jesus been to you lately? Your rescue? Your enemy? Your savior? Your friend? Your creator? Your help? Your heartache? Your everything? How would you finish this sentence: Jesus is…

Weak Spot

Have you ever felt really weak…and you were ok with it? You even delighted in being weak? Probably not, mainly because weaknesses suck, and they tend to bring on a lot of difficulties and insults. But the crazy thing is that even the weakest spot on our body is the strongest part of God’s ability to use you. The cool thing is that our weakness not only helps develop our character; it also deepens our worship, because admitting our weaknesses affirms God’s strength.

When you workout in a gym, most of the time, if you’re a guy, you scope the free-weight area to see if there is anybody bigger than you there. Then, one of three things happen: you get excited because you are the biggest guy there, you get bummed because you are nowhere near the size of the guys there, or you get motivated to workout harder because you realize you are the weakest there. The same goes with our attitude toward Jesus. When we are weak and we have no one to turn to, the last person we want to admit our faults to is Jesus. Why? Because he’s a lot bigger and stronger than us. But some people find this time of weakness a great opportunity to get motivated to develop strength where you are weak because Jesus’ forgiveness, mercy, and power is inspiring to you. So, what moves you?

When we are strong in abilities or resources, we think we can do what God wants to do without him, and that is where pride will bite you in the butt. When we are weak, we allow God to fill us with his power, and that is when we are stronger than we could ever be on our own. God doesn’t want us to seek to be weak, passive, or ineffective; he wants us to depend on him for the strength to be effective for him.

Do you have a weak spot? It’s actually the strongest point on your body because Jesus can do more with that than any part of you that you think is strong.