I had someone message me to say, the reason they don’t follow God is because He expects so much and He seems so bossy and controlling. They don’t like being told what to do.
I replied ” Do you have children?”
” Yes.” They answered.
” Do you have rules to keep them safe?” ” Do you tell them what time to go to bed, be home by?”
” Of course, they are children, they haven’t developed common sense yet.”
” Does the bible not call believers the children of God?”
” Well, yes, but.”
“Are we born with spiritual sense?” ” Do we KNOW the future, like God does?”
“No,”
” Enough said.”
We ALL have rules in life, when we drive, at work, school and at home. These rules are meant to train and protect us.
It’s not about the food, candy or the toys. It is about the manger and the birth of a baby boy. It’s not about religion, rituals or even traditions. It is about our relationships and our spiritual condition. It’s not about who goes to church and who sings in the choir. It is about our eternal home and living out what God desires. It’s not about how good we are and our trying to behave. It is about Gods gift of his son, our very souls to save.
This year, I only mailed out 30 Christmas cards. The usual amount was 150 or more! I decided to cut my list. I used to send cards to get cards! But, I didn’t talk to some of the people I sent them too in decades!
It got my to thinking about Religion and Relationships. Religion is steeped in rituals, same as my sending cards to get them.
The Lord spoke to my heart and reminded me in my heart I am a relationship person. I love to reach out to people and build a friendship, a Godship, or simply a blessing.
Talking, or even sending messages back and forth IS more personal than sending a Christmas card. I took a picture of the card I shared here, and sent it in messages to 100 people! I have some 2k or more Facebook friends. But I asked the Lord to show me whom, to send it to. The conversations I have had, the blessings, the power of God, that I was able to share, and hear about, was amazing! I truly feel, I connected to people’s heart and spirit.
God wants the same thing from us! He doesn’t care that you go to church three times a week, or that you lead the worship team or even that you pastor a church, if you don’t have a personalconnection ( relationship) with Him!
It truly is all about relationship not religion or rituals! This Christmas, reach out and connect to your family, friends and those you don’t know! Spread the Lord’s love!
2019 was my toughest year to date! Maybe because it was 6 months of spiritual warfare, and prayer. Maybe because I also went through two surgeries in 2019. But the restoration, healing and spiritual growth was worth it!
If we keep our eyes on the spiritual and not only on the natural, we really would count it all joy! The devil comes to kill, steal and destroy, but God! But God brings us restoration, peace, hope and love.
Last winter was a very long, cold and snow filled one! I was also going through a spiritual battle, and needed to fill my days. I wanted to create something.
I played with knitting, until one of my cats wanted to play too! So, I could only knit when she was asleep in the other room.
I started looking on pinterest and found some really cute animals that said they were wool needle felted. I googled it. I watched a video. I placed an order through Amazon and excitedly waited for a kit to arrive, plus some extra wool.
The day the kit came, I felt like a kid on Christmas morning! It was a red fox and appeared easy enough.
When I was finished, it looked nothing like the picture on the box. I was so bummed. I sat there and started stabbing ( that’s part of the process) my extra wool, all the while turning it. I looked for a picture to copy on pinterest and found several. I work with what I had and it turned out better than the kit!
I ordered more wool and needles. I spent my winter stabbing wool until it formed whatever I was creating. I contacted a local gallery/store that displays local artists. I asked what she thought of my wool felted animals. She loved them and had never heard of it before. I kept creating and by the time I went to meet her at the gallery, in March, I had a good amount to display.
I made a few turtles, as the town near me, does turtle racing every Wednesday all summer long. My turtles where selling quickly, so I made more.
This winter, I am making one hundred turtles so the gallery can keep them in stock.
I also make bears, owls, dogs, cats, trees and more. I started asking a few friends if I could practice by looking at a picture of their pet. I am happy to say, they all loved them and asked to buy them. I had told them, since it was practice, they could just pay shipping.
Share with me something you taught yourself to do.
God brought myself and a strong, spiritual woman together online this past year, just when He knew I needed one.
She has become my Spiritual Warfare Prayer partner, sister in Christ and friend.
We confess our sins, we pray and uplift one another. We rebuke one another’s lack of faith, in situations and we give God the glory of the miracles He has done and continues to do in each of our lives.
Therefore Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:6
Though we have never met (yet), our Spiritual bond is Strong!
I used to go it alone, before God brought this woman into my life. I thank God for her and for what is to come in both her and I’s walk and ministry’s.
I encourage everyone who reads this, to pray for the Lord to send you a Prayer partner. I believe it’s His will for those whose spouse may not be that in your life.
Matthew 18:20 ” For where two or three gather together in My name, there I am with them. “
This is the book, I was blessed to co author, that I mentioned in my previous post. Sometimes when we ask for healing, God says ” No.” He doesn’t say No, to make us suffer…he says “No” to make us stronger or to teach us something.
That’s because, He has a purpose for whatever we are going through. Our lives are to be used to plant seeds in others lives and bring Glory and Honor to God.
I often hear people say ” I have been waiting for God to heal me or deliver me from (whatever) for 5, 15, 30 years.
I cringe inside, because while everything does happen in God’s perfect timing. I myself don’t believe God would have his children suffering for 5, 15, or 30 years. I believe He answers His children rapidly. We need to pursue that answer. And we need to ASK HIM ” Lord, what do you need from me? What should I be DOING?”
We also need to LISTEN, if that answer is “No, or I am doing it this way.” I believe alot ( not all) but alot of people who are *waiting* on God for something, are using that as an excuse to DO NOTHING. While it is important to wait on God for an answer, I don’t believe MY HEAVENLY FATHER would have me sit and wait on something He had different plans for. He would have me USE whatever I was going through to help others.
I was Blessed this past year to have co authored a book where I share my personal story around my mom’s untimely death. The book is called ” When God says No.” God didnt exactly say “No,” when we asked Him to heal my mom. He did indeed heal her. He took her home to Heaven, where she is completely healed.
God often is waiting on us to BE ready or GET ready. He also needs us to ACTIVELY LISTEN to what we need to be doing while we wait. I know far too many suffering Christians who are sitting at home alone, wallowing in their * waiting* instead of listening, learning or growing to BE READY for what God is WAITING to do in their life.
We can’t just Go to church and thinkthat’s enough.
We must be His church, His body and take His message to the streets, the schools, the workplace, everywhere we go, we are called to bring God to the world we live in.
Be prepared to talk about who Jesus is and what He has done for you.
Sara Schroeder 