God at work

Yep, I'm quite sure now that God took his help away from me for awhile to keep me from being prideful. The more I think about it, I actually asked for this. Last week I could feel myself getting prideful about my eating. That I was able to have hate for sin (another thing I prayed and asked for was a hate for sin) He gave that to me, but he gave it to me to use for myself and to make ME a better person. Well last week I started thinking, why doesn't everyone do this? Why does ANYONE over eat who is a Christian? I had the nerve to "check" my husbands sin and forget the plank in my own eye as the bible says. But I caught myself thinking that way about someone at church last week. Thinking why don't they care that they are sinning? Why don't they use their strength in Christ and stop sinning? I asked God, please don't let me think that way. I know I shouldn't judge, and I don't want to be prideful. He answered. He was helping me before. Giving me the strength to resist food when I wasn't hungry. He was helping me to not think about food so much when I'm not supposed to be eating,HE changed my heart to not want to sin, but he quickly took that away from me when I became prideful about it. Because it wasn't me that was able to resist temptation on my own, he was helping. So now I know, when I see other people sinning, worry about myself. They are most likely working on some other issue that I have no idea about. Maybe God is not ready to work on the sin of over eating in there life at this time. Maybe it's not on that person's heart to work on that particular sin, but something else is, it's not for me to worry about and I'm no one to say if I can do this why can't everyone? Because I myself can't, and God just showed me that. He's teaching me. I'm learning slowly but surely. But in all reality, he convicted me when I was having the thoughts, I prayed and asked not to think that way, and he answered! Pretty amazing how he works, and how he's so close in our lives and our thoughts. Now that I'm humbled and my pride is gone, I pray that he will show me his grace once again and help me with my eating. :)

Being humbled?

I could be wrong but I think God is trying to humble me. Maybe I was getting to prideful when it came to my eating and my attitude about other people sinning.

Last Saturday I made a comment during our bible study that if people know they are sinning, why do they continue to do it?

I got upset with my husband this week for eating at night in front of me, and asked him if he was hungry! I also asked him if he didn't' care that he was sinning and why he was eating when he wasn't hungry. I didn't understand. I think that was Sunday night, and Tuesday morning the girl scout cookies arrived. With the good Lords help I was doing really well with my eating. I had done the "radical amputation" of most sweets in my life that would cause me to over eat and were idols to me. I was doing well at only eating when i was actually hungry and must have gotten to proud in thinking that it was ME doing it? Since the girl scout cookies arrived I have given in to temptation. I have lost control that I thought I had on my sin. I am eating something that I had given up. I am eating them when I'm hungry and when I'm not hungry. Is my conscience telling me not to eat them? sort of. Do I feel guilty about it? Not like I should. I don't feel as strong or convicted about sin as I did just days ago. Is God humbling me? I'm not sure. But I'm getting on my knees and asking this be taken from me. I am weak.

Middle school baptisms

My heart is so touched working with the middle schoolers that we have over 40 kids that have decided to get baptized in the coming months. I have to steal this video and share it because it is such an awesome, amazing thing to see these kids tell their stories and be baptized.

Baptisms....

A verse worth repeating

It seems God is trying to get a verse through my head. I'm not really sure why, but there must be a reason. I was doing my homework for my bible study this morning and in the chapter I'm reading she brings up the verse. Then again, reading my email, my Daily devotion had the same exact verse. Here it is...

2 Peter 1:3-4

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

Pretty powerful verses there. I think I have already come to that realization in the last few months, that I already have his power in me to follow Christ and do what he tells me to do.

Maybe there's other things in my life that I am not seeing yet that he wants me to use this power for. Something I will have to pray about.

I have been finding myself feeling frustrated lately that I've been going to church for 5 years and am just now understanding how much God hates sin, how much he loves us, that we are not supposed to go on sinning when we are Christians, and that he gave us the power to do this. Why didn't I know this sooner? I know everyone learns things in their own time, or in God's time, or sometimes our eyes are not open to things the first few times we hear them, I understand that. I also understand that it's our job to read the bible, seek God, pray, and work on our relationship with him, but simple straight forward things like, God HATES sin, and that he gives Christians the power to not sin should be some of the bigger things that we learn at church. (Please note, I am NOT bashing my church, or my pastor. I really enjoy my church!) I wonder how many Christians that attend church know these things? How many people at church are actually following Christ and are living like a new creature after they are saved? How many change their ways? Or just go to church on Sunday but keep living the rest of the week the exact way they did before? I'd say for the past 5 years, for the most part, I didn't change a whole lot about the way I lived my life until the last few months when I really gave my life to Christ. Now I feel the need to be baptized again. Not that I NEED to per say, but because this time I am really giving my life to Christ. I am REALLY a born again Christian and I'd like to share that with other people. I don't know why it upsets me. I am very glad that my eyes have been open to God's truth, and I know the one true God now, but why did it have to take 5 years of going to church to know these things? Now that I've gotten on a soap box here I better step down and go tell God that I am thankful that he is so close to me, and cares so much for me that my eyes are finally open. Blessed be the name of the Lord.