Find A Christian Man

Tag: Spiritual Priorities

  • Weeding Out What Isn’t Working for You

    Weeding Out What Isn’t Working for You

    I’m letting you know up front that this is going to be one of those teachings that encourages you to keep on fighting for the life you want, but I’m also aiming to do something else. I’m going to tell you what God says we must do in order to obtain and maintain the blessing we’re praying so fervently to possess. It is a message for those that are single, and they are praying to cross paths with the person God is going to present to them. The emphasis should be placed on the reality that God is the One to make the presentation. He takes care of this part. The believer’s responsibility in the situation is to believe. “To believe what?”, you might ask. We must believe God’s Word. This is critical to securing the marital union you desire. And one of the major reasons why it is so critical may be something you’ve never thought about.

    If you’ve been single for a while, you’ve learned a few things about what works and what doesn’t work. How do you know what doesn’t work? The only way that you and I can judge if something isn’t working is to stack it up against the truth of God’s Word. Our beautiful single and saved sisters will go to classes, seminars, and try several ways to secure what they desire, but the question to ask is whether those things are actually in the Will of God for your life. The world offers many gimmicks for getting what we want most, but problems are not solved by gimmicks; they are band aids. Only the Word of God can solve problems.

    There are times when you feel as though you’re getting close. You may sense that something has shifted in your flow, and you start to feel optimistic about things. Then, after a while, when nothing pans out, it just takes the wind right out of you. In a situation like this, the foundation of hope and optimism slips from beneath your feet, and your heart sinks yet again. But that’s just it, sisters in Christ, these feelings show us the kind of foundation we were building our hope on. In other words, the foundation you thought you had, and the foundation God expects to see in you are sometimes two different things.

    Whether it is firm or shaky, our whole lives are resting on a foundation. The foundation that God expects to see in us is one built on Jesus Christ. He especially wants to see this in us before we get married. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 7:24-25(NIV), “24 Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

    When something is taking a really, really long time to come to pass, this might be a hint that weeding out what isn’t working for you is the best course of action. The critical piece of information that you and I must know is that God cannot reward us if we refuse to make our foundation strong. If our foundation is shaky, it can’t hold the weight of the blessing we seek. This is something most of us never consider. The key to unlocking the door to blessings is following the Will of God for your life. There is absolutely no compromise on this truth. Heavenly Father desires us to grow in the example of Jesus Christ, and God never gives up on His plans. Our desire for marriage is not as important as God’s Will being done.

    Moses told God’s people in Deuteronomy 4:9(NIV), “Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.” Longevity, permanence, and unfailing are Heavenly Father’s trademarks. Eternity is His brand and it is always on His mind. He is interested in preserving His Word so that people will have it in their hearts forever. This is why there must not be a compromise in our minds and hearts when it comes to the perfection of His Word. The world cannot tell us what is right. The standard of God’s Word must be our aim, and when our commitment is unmovable when it comes to what God says, the blessings we desire most are sure to come.

    Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

    Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

    “Weeding Out What Isn’t Working for You” written for findchristianman.wordpress.com. Copyright©2021. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

  • Keep A Watchful Eye

    Keep A Watchful Eye

    Mark 13:33 (NIV)
    “Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.  35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back-whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn.  36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping.  37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”

    We live in a very precarious time now, so much so, that we can never take our basic comforts for granted.  We don’t know the day nor the hour when our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, will return, but it’s our duty and responsibility to be ready, and to stay as alert as possible.  God warns us to keep watch! We should all take this very literal. It’s like reading a road sign that says “Slow Down, Slippery Conditions Ahead!” Seeing this while driving immediately puts the driver on alert. It means extreme caution, eyes glued to the road. Well, Mark 13:33 is our road sign of warning on this Christian journey, alerting us to keep our eyes peeled to what God is doing. Some of us are getting too comfortable, and we may not be ready when the Lord comes back.

    One area in life where many of us aren’t cautious or guarded enough is the area of relationships. We will sometimes allow our desire for love to take centerstage and throw caution to the wind. Keeping it real, we can all relate to the need to be loved. I’m not talking about that surface stuff. I’m referring to the deep yearning of our souls to have our empty space filled with the warmth of genuine affection. We will sometimes equate this feeling to that of physical intimacy. The danger in this is that we allow the need to have this emptiness filled to be our benchmark for feeling loved. We then look to a man to keep us filled up continually.

    It truly isn’t in another person’s ability to fill us up. God created us to seek Him, and through Him we are filled. There’s a level of spiritual intimacy that is beyond anything that can be attained in this world. This intimacy with God is expressed in Ephesians 3:17. It says, “Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.” We become distracted by men that aren’t the right fit for us because we look to plant our roots in shallow soil. God’s desire is that we plant them in Christ, where they will take root in good soil that will keep us strong and prepared for the future.

    Heavenly Father wants us to keep a watchful eye on what we seek and who we seek it from because the very act of seeking determines what fills us and who fills us. Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of our faith. He’s coming back for a church that is ready, without spot or blemish, to receive him. Until he returns, our greatest ambition and heart’s desire must be to seek God and do all we can to please him. Hebrews 10:23(NLT) admonishes us, “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.” God will take care of our every need according to His riches in glory. Hold on to this promise tightly and keep your eyes planted on Him to fulfill it. ■

    Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

    “Keep A Watchful Eye”, written by findingchristianman.com ©2017.  All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!