The Bible is not only good teaching

Anytime I have ever had any success in life it is because of God.  It is because of the fact that I am trying to do that which He instructs me to in His Word.  Some people say that the Bible is simply good teaching/lessons, and that is it.  This is not true however, because the entire message of the Bible, with all of its teachings, revolve around, and through, Jesus.  Without Jesus being the Son of God, the entire message of the Bible, along with all of its teachings is worthless.  The Bible is clear in teaching that in order for people to change, and adopt the teachings of the Bible, we need to rely on the Holy Spirit living within us to change us.  I have always noticed this in my own life.  Never can I think of a time where I have said, "Okay, by my own will-power, I am going to change in this way or that way".  It has always been, "Okay God, I know that Your Word calls me to change in this way, but I need your help.  As I do my part and put forth my best effort, please change me.  Change my heart so that I can become these ways that you have called me". 

Without Jesus, and the His Holy Spirit, the lessons of the Bible are meaningless to us, because there is no true change without the Lord.

Why many people have a hard time understanding the Holy Spirit

I have often found that it is very hard to explain to others what experiencing a relationship with God is like.  The best analogy I had been able to come up with was that it is much like being in love.  You can describe it all you want, but until you have actually experienced it, you cannot fully comprehend what it is like.

Yesterday I was reading John 14:15-25.  This passage sheds some more light onto this issue.  Jesus says in verse 21, "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.  He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to Him".  And then in verse 23 Jesus continues saying, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching, My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him".  In other words, it is once you choose to trust in God as your Savior and Lord, then the Holy Spirit comes into your life.  And it is the presence of the Holy Spirit which allows you to feel God's presence in your life.  It is therefore no wonder why non-Christians have a hard time understanding, for we cannot fully experience God's presence until we choose to believe in Him and commit to following Him.

God wants to bless us!

Matthew 7:7-11 points out very powerfully that parents always want the best for their children, and will do whatever they can to give them the best things possible.  Therefore, how much more is God willing to bless us!  I find this extremely exciting.  Whenever I worry about what may happen in the future, such as will I be successful at work, or will something bad happen, I need to remind myself of these truths. God wants to bless me.  Good things won't always happen, but God has promised that even in those times, He uses those situations for good, for all those who love Him.  Therefore, when it comes to those things that I am tempted to worry or stress about, I must remember that God is in control, and that He wants to bless me.  He wants what is best for me and He wants to see me successful.  Therefore, I can have confidence that He will do this.  I can hold on to these promises.  And even if bad things happen, I can rejoice in the fact that He will use it for good.  They are promises like these which make me thankful to have a relationship with God.

He's given me a spirit of confidence

If I look back at Jesus' life, He was always confident.  Never was he timid or fearful.  He was wise, bold, confident and without fear.  He calls me to do the same.  And He has given me His Holy Spirit to help me.  I have the Holy Spirit living inside me and so I should never have a spirit of anything but confidence.  In everything I do I must do it as Jesus would, and that means being bold and confident....not arrogant or cocky, just confident as I seek to live righteously.

Caring about what God thinks rather than what people think

If I say that I am a Christian then I must live as one, or else I am a hypocrite.  Too often in my life I have been concerned about what other people think rather than what God thinks.  I never want other people to determine how I live my life, or how I respond in various situations.  God has proven over and over again in my life (through His guidance, direction and love) that following His Word and His ways are always best.  I have never been let down by doing things according to what the Bible says.  People on the other hand do let you down.  It is for these reasons that I do not want to have my actions determined by other people, but rather by God.  At the same time I feel it is very important not to be a person who turns people off by "preaching" at them.  I simply want to be a person who believes the Word of God, lives it out with boldness and confidence and does not allow what other people think of me to keep me from doing this.  Jesus died on the cross so that I may have a personal relationship with Him, and for me to show even the slightest hesitation to obey Him and acknowledge Him before other people is the highest form of ungratefulness.

I was thinking about this fact as well...I would never even consider denying the fact that I love my wife.  I would never be even remotely hesitant to confess in front of others my incredible love for her. Therefore, why would I ever do this for God?  How could I ever do this for the One who guides and directs my life, and who has offered me salvation through His Son's death on the cross?

When we let fear rule us we make it more powerful than God

When we let fear rule us, we make it more powerful than God.  It is amazing how easy it can be to allow fear to determine the actions that you take.  Fear of results, fear of what others will think, and many other circumstantial fears, guide our decisions and life steps.  What a sad reality.  It is scary to think of all that one could accomplish in life if they were to simply trust God and refuse to allow fear to determine their actions.  I must ensure that it is God alone that is guiding my steps.  I must make sure that I am surrendered to what He wants me to do, for His ways have always proven to be the best course of action for my life.  And besides, if He calls me to something, He will always provide the strength and circumstances needed to accomplish the task.  These are God's truths, and I know that I have seen them proven over and over again in my life, so I'm not sure why I struggle with trust and obedience so often.

I want God to rule my life, not fear.  In order for this to happen, I need to continually seek His will and surrender myself to Him, reminding myself that His ways are always best, and that He has never failed to prove this to me over and over again in my life.

God is in Control, Why do I Force Things?

-I don't understand how and that is why I think sometimes I feel like I have to force things, or I fear, but I can always look back and see clearly what He did, how He did it, and often why.  He really does work all out for good, and according to His purposes.  He teaches me time and again that I just need to focus on obeying Him and He will work it all out as He sees fit.  Thank you Lord!