Edifying, encouraging and building up

I watched a married couple during worship on Sunday and in my mind was "man they are struggling in thier marriage" I thought about that for a few minutes, then continued worshipping. Then God spoke to my heart and said "You see things and either judge or don't do a thing. It is my heart for you to take what you see and minister to that person". Wow. I stood back and relized that I have been using my gift to judge and curse other people when God accually wants me to minister to them. This may seem elementary, but for me this is crutial. I love God, he is so wonderful to share his heart with us. I am going to test this out and try to act on what he puts on my heart.

It's all about.....him

I have been struggling a lot lately. Struggling with who I am, where I am going and why I am who I am. My job has been stressful. It shouldn't be, it is the same job, with the same responsibilities. There has been a nagging feeling deep within. I have been questioning my place in my church, not that I have one. Questioning why I do the things I do there. Are they for a purpose? Is there a vision leading me? I was out with a great friend tonight and I began to realize that my discontent has been out of God trying to woo me back to his heart. I have not had coffee with God for months. That is a huge part of my relationship with God. It gives me a chance for him to speak t my heart. As I have said before, my desire is thatI see the bigger picture in life. (Elisha) So that was neat.

Having a a reason for my hope

......But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.....

I just got home from a conference with my co workers in Regina. On the way home I was talking with a girl that was sitting in the front with me. She was talking about how I really encourage her by the way that I talk about my family and live my life. I was sharing with her some of the desires that I have for a future home. She told me that she felt that I would get the things that I desired as she has watched my life the past couple of years. (she is not a Christian)It was so cool. I thought about the above verse and went for it. I told her that my contentment was due to my relationship with God. I told her that I believed that God owns everything anyway, so the fact that he chooses to bless me with a newer vehicle or a house in the inner city or whatever, then I will be thankful and say "Thanks God for this wonderful blessing". It was so cool, I looked over at her and she had tears in her eyes. I was so excited that I stepped out in faith and went for it. You see my co workers know that I have no debt, so that gives me an open door to share the faith that I have and some reasons why I stay out of debt. I had opportunities in the past but chose the easy road and stayted quiet. It was neat because the Holy Spirit empowered me to speak and I felt him comfirming it in my heart. That was worth the entire trip.

Relationship is key to authority

I am realizing that true authority can only be present in a real relationship. I have had the honor of building a very close relationship with a great guy in Calgary and it has taught me much about relationships and authority. He can tell me anything and as hard as it may be to accept I would hear him out and respond positively because I know that he has my heart in mind when he speaks the truth in love. My relationship with my pastor is a great testimony of that also. When I first started attending my church I had a lot of distrust. I didn't trust many people back then. I had been burnt in a charismatic setting and so I turned myself away from things of the Spirit and started to seek the truth in all things. This caused me to judge harshly and when I saw leadership swaying in opinion I resisted and rebelled against it. Justifying it all the way. Then a year and a half ago my pastor approached me and said that he wanted to start meeting with me on a regular basis. ( I was leading a small group at that time) Over the last year and a half he has poured his heart and time into my life. This has made a significant impact on my view of church authority. I don't submit myself to my pastors authority because he is lording it over me, I am submitting to his authority because I love him and have given him the authority to speak into my life. I see him as a spiritual father. (He is a true spiritual father) So authority is not meant to be lorded over someone, it is to be given out of the relationship that we have with others. The authority to speak truth. Even if it hurts because you know that they have your best interest in mind. A true friend will not let you stay where you are, and will lead you closer to the foot of the cross. It is my personal Desire that the church would stop using authority in the wrong way and begin building strong, close, and personal relationships.