Interactive Faith Builder

What keeps you from believing that God can restore the parts of your life that feel dead or broken? What is the “something more” that God may be calling you to?


Why is it that every question lately brings me back to myself? I can answer questions that don't have anything to do with me better.

In order to answer the first question, I had to look into my life and decided what exactly feels dead or broken. There are some parts inside of me that I would qualify as dead. I talked a couple of days ago about finding myself. As I sit back and think and look into things I don't think that it isn't that I don't BELIEVE that God can restore me. It is more like WANTING him to. I commented on my weight loss blog that part of my block in weight loss was that if I lost the weight I wouldn't know how to act, would everybody expect something different from me. So I guess the issue for me is -- If I change through this process, how will I act? Will that affect the way the people think of me? Will it be harder?

God is calling me past the easy. He wants me to know myself. He wants me to BE myself.

Interactive Faith Builders

Discussion: How awesome would it be if today, in our daily life, our entire city could hear our from rejoicing far away! In what areas of your own life do you recognize lack of joy and thanksgiving? Is your heart joyful in the everyday mundane stuff?

Oh this is a hard hitting question. Especially since I am typing this at bed time. Earlier in my life I would have immediately said mornings were stressful and least joyful. However, since returning to work the Lord has given me Psalm 118:24 which has made my mornings so much brighter and easier. Many days getting out of bed is so easy, I am still working on getting out of the house joyfully but we are getting there.

However, bedtimes are definitely one of the most stressful times in our house. You see I have children that are just like me -- night owls. We all would rather stay up late and sleep late in the morning. But as we must get up early in the morning, we must go to bed early at night. My 8 year old understands the concept, she doesn't like it but she does understand it. My 4 year old is beginning to get the idea, he doesn't like it any better than his sister, however. The 2 year old just doesn't understand the concept at ALL. He wants to do everything his way and going to bed early doesn't fit into his plans. He lets everyone else in the house know that as well. It is these nights that really lack joy and thanksgiving.

As I sit and type this, however, I realize that many times they are just feeding off of my own lack of joy and dislike at stopping the evenings activities in order to get to bed. However as I look at that verse closely I see a couple of things that speak to me about my evening attitudes.

The verse says "This is the DAY the Lord hath made" First of all it doesn't specify a specific part of the day. it just says day, that means the WHOLE day, morning, noon, afternoon and night. Secondly the Jewish day begins at Sundown, just before we prepare for bed. The original audience for this text were the Jews and that is the way they interpreted the Psalm -- day beginning in the evening. Not only does it not let me off the hook by saying morning, but even if we slide off into concentrating on the early parts of the day that still coincides with the evening times.

I believe this verse just became my whole day verse......

Interactive Faith Builders

How do you display the joy and peace that Christ has filled you with? How do you use the gifts that He has trusted you with to heap joy on those around you?

I admit I haven't done well with this in the last few weeks and months, especially Saturday night through Sunday afternoon/evening. I get so so SO bogged down in listening to the enemy and not remembering the promises and lessons of my Savior. So I am going to change up the question somewhat to fit where I am now and what I am learning and to challenge myself to do it.

How can you display the joy and peace that Christ has filled you with? How can you use the gifts that He has trusted you with to heap joy on those around you?

From the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. These were Jesus' words, in teaching his disciples and in turn us. And therein lies the key for me. Not only will my mouth speak but my whole countenance will portray what is inner most in my heart.

Case in point, this morning I was in a foul mood. It all boiled down to one point; I didn't want to be in church. I don't really have an explanation or reason why, I just didn't. Oh I know that that the deeper reason was the fact that the enemy didn't want me there. He wanted me to miss a blessing, an opportunity to serve, or an opportunity to be a blessing or some sort of combination of the three. I didn't say a word about it the fact that I didn't want to be there. I even tried to work and act as if it were any other Sunday. However, what I was really concentrating on was how I didn't want to be there, what a crummy Sunday morning I had had and where I really wanted to be, home in bed. I was even allowing my mind to wander into some unwholesome areas. Yet I tried to maintain somewhat of a 'cover' and sing the words, participate in the service, teach my class. After the service, we were all getting ready to leave, I thought I had made it. Yet, Mrs. Minnie a dear soldier of our corps came over to me and gave me a hug and asked how I was doing. She said I seemed "down in the dumps" I didn't have anyone fooled and I knew it. But I really didn't care.

So to answer the question. How can I display the joy and peace that Christ has filled me with? By saying "No!" to these negative thoughts and concentrate on the joy and peace that God has given me. Yes, it will be hard, especially in the beginning. However, I know from practice that the more I do it the easier it gets.

The second part of the question is a bit tougher. In order to use the gifts I have to be sure of them myself. Which is what I am working on in the first section. However, I can NOT just sit by and concentrate on only myself. To do that would not be growing and stretching myself. Nor would it be obeying the instruction to our gifts to serve others. So I need to decide on practical ways to use these gifts that God has bestowed on me.

Stay tuned.....