Live Free For Jesus
WELCOME TO MY BLOG (PREVIOUSLY Called To Be Free) WHICH IS ONE OF A FEW CHRISTIAN BLOGS I RUN. THERE ARE 60+ POSTS HERE. MANY OF YOU HAVE BEEN REGULAR READERS (2-3k Views Monthly) AND THE BLOG CAME TO A HALT BECAUSE THE WEBHOSTING COMPANY HAD PLANS TO CHANGE SITE BUILDERS. SO NOW WE ARE BACK ON TRACK WITH LIVE FREE FOR JESUS (PREVIOUSLY Called To Be Free) I have a different website with that name now HERE
INVITE THE LORD TO SPEAK TO YOU AS YOU READ.
Janet's Blog
Janet's Blog
Blog
Keeping the Joy in our Christian Walk
| Posted on 24 June, 2015 at 22:36 |
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We are not living in the best environment with the world around us and stressful situations. Then there is our inner-environment to consider. How are you faring? Are you feeling steady or fretful for some reason? How often do you sense the Presence of God, that brings Joy, Love and Peace? Sometimes when
we pray and we don’t sense The Lord’s presence, it is because of negativity –
He is not located there, He is Light. So when you are praying, turn your face
to the sun instead of the shadows. We do this with thoughts of
cheerfulness, meditating on His Goodness and Loving Kindness. Yes, He is a
Benevolent God, and sometimes negative things in life can affect our image of
His Nature. It is helpful to think of good things He has done for us, and
scriptures that speak of Him that way. Sometimes
when we are not sensing Him in our day or our lives, it can be for the same
reason – negative thoughts are in our mind, and He does not dwell there, He
dwells in Light. So let your thoughts be drawn to the light and you will find
Him there – His presence will be with you as you focus on things pertaining to
His Goodness; His Joy in Creation; His Benevolence; His Loving Kindness. Try
not to limit this to times of prayer but through the day and evening as well.
This is cultivating His Presence. And when this becomes your lifestyle, His
blessings start to flow. Yes, don’t let the negative thoughts fill your mind –
that is to give them permission. Over time, it can affect the way you think
about Him. In our walk
on this earth, it is important to remember there is a difference between Conviction
and Condemnation. One is positive, the other is negative. One is God given, the
other is imposed by the enemy. So one is real and beneficial and the other is
false and it is destructive. Conviction means ‘awareness that comes to you’ it
actually brings release. If you have conviction from the Spirit of God, it will
cause you to live at a deeper level of holiness. If you have condemnation, you will be
frustrated and hide from Him or yearn for His presence…… you may even think
that following God is too hard (under the weight of it). It is designed to
affect us like that. But true conviction from the Holy Spirit lifts when
awareness is brought to you. Condemnation sticks and won’t give you Peace. It
also brings confusion and distorts your image of His True Nature and
intentions. Conviction will cause you to ‘rise to the occasion’ (depending
on how well you respond to Him). Condemnation gets us no-where! Your heavenly
Father does not want that – it’s counter-productive to His purposes for your
life. So conviction is spiritually, mentally and emotionally productive –
condemnation is not. Over time, it can actually drive you from the Presence of
God, saying “it’s too hard” and Jesus said “all you who labor and are heavy
laden, come to Me and I will give you Rest". Condemnation also comes with a
religious mindset and it will cause you to labor your walk in God. That’s why
Jesus went on to say “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” like a small
bundle of clothing on an oxen’s back compared to a heavy sack. So remember that
Conviction always has Hope but condemnation takes it away from you. He is the
God of Hope who is interested in bringing out the best in us – ALWAYS – He desires
the Best. The Hope of
the righteous brings Gladness of heart and soul (Proverbs 10:28) and the way of
the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until
the full light of day (Proverbs 4:18) This is The Lord’s Will and Desire for
us. “For the JOY that was set before Him – seeing us the other side – He endured
the Cross”……..and He is a Joy Maker, not a Joy Breaker. Rejoice in The Lord
always, again I say REJOICE – this is Our Victory!!! So whatever
is lovely, true, of a good report and praiseworthy – think of these things and
the God of Peace will be with you. Rejoice always and the God of Gladness shall
be with you – you can put on Joy, Love and Peace by choice. Yes, you can switch
on your happy mode just like faith. This is a simple Act of Will – and watch
the difference. I do this quite often. Start today and He will bless. I WELCOME YOUR INPUT ON THIS POST. WHAT HELPS YOU WITH NEGATIVE EMOTIONS AND EXPERIENCES? IS THERE SOMETHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SAY? |