It frustrates me so much to see evidence of the Devil's work in the church. People don't like to talk about Satan much. His name just brings a sense of foreboding to a room. But I think its necessary to talk about him. The devil needs to be just as much a character as God is. We need to understand his tactics and his methods just like we need to understand God's. Why? Then we can understand when we see his work in the world.
Everyone says we need to study God's character so we can see God in the world and understand Him. Same for the devil, but for a different purpose. We need to understand him to avoid him, to point out his influence and rule him out of our lives.
Its worse when its in the church. You see the evil (yes, I said evil) and you are like, "Hello?!?!" You are waving your hands up and down but the Devil's got them good. Because he's smart like that. Yes, he's smart. He's brilliant. That makes him even more dangerous.
Not saying that God isn't all-powerful, but God allows the devil to have influence in the world because He loves the devil just like He loves us. And I believe that. God allows the devil to have free will. Someday, though, God will defeat him. In the mean time, we need to understand when we see the devil's influence and point it out.
I am frustrated...we're not supposed to see the devil's influence at church more than God's.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Still, small voice
Since my last post, much has happened and little has happened.
I'm working full-time now at my old job. It just goes to show that you can never anticipate what is going to happen next in your story. Never would I have guessed! Seriously. Work seems mundane now. I can't go back to it after having that one glorious week of writing. Now, its hardly as exciting as working on my novel every morning and having TIME. Oh, glorious time. Going BACK to work after having had time to do whatever I needed is definitely harder than it was when switching from school to full-time mode. At least that eased me into it. This was like time just got sucked from my life. Boo.
Fall has arrived and I am eagerly enjoying fall fashions and coats and boots and the rain. Fall is definitely the best time to go shopping.
So now, everything seems back to "normal". Sort of like the way I had imagined it would be prior to July. Odd, isn't it?
Last night, I was praying. I have to admit that it is hard for me to pray because I always feel like I'm talking to a wall. Or like I'm talking to someone on the phone that doesn't SAY anything back. Praying has always been about me, until recently I realized that I was praying only for my own benefit. Having ready Crazy Love by Francis Chan, a book which I recommend highly to any Christian, all of the sudden my world has been turned upside down and I feel somewhat uncomfortable in the place that I'm in because its too comfortable. I'm daring to make changes in my mind but fear has kept me only inching along.
Anyway, I was praying last night and I told God, "Please help me with the sermon I have to give on Sunday. I really want it to be Your words, not mine." Then, I thought instantly, "You should go over it tomorrow aloud to see how long it is." And then I thought, "You also probably could compare it to last year's sermon if you're worried about length." The tone of those two sentences were so gentle that it startled me, because I'm normally not very gentle with myself. Then something occurred to me. What if those brilliant ideas weren't mine but God's? What if...that was HIM speaking?!
All of the sudden I was frozen still. I whispered, "God, was that you?" No response. But there was something about the way those sentences had sounded in my head. The way they had gently slid into my conscious and felt like an instant good idea.
Whether it was God or not, I don't think it really matters. What I think is most important is that we often give ourselves credit for something that God has done. What if God has talking to me through good ideas this whole time? I'm worried about something and He gives me a solution, but I think it's mine. Plagiarism! That's what it is. That dreaded word that we all avoid in school. We're doing it with God. Wow. Doesn't that make you feel wonderful?
I'm pretty sure I've plagiarized God's ideas plenty of times after last night. I tried talking to God more last night, hoping to hear that exciting "still, small voice" which is definitely what it felt like, but God alas did not "speak" to me again in that way. I think I was trying too hard? I don't know. I don't understand why God talks or how He talks or what. I just know...I need to stop and listen more.
God does talk to us while in prayer and the concept had always alluded me because I was too wrapped up in my own words, the words that I had to desperately communicate to God. I've always known that prayer is supposed to be a two-way street, but how many of us actually take that to heart?
Pray = listening + speaking. Do it.
I'm working full-time now at my old job. It just goes to show that you can never anticipate what is going to happen next in your story. Never would I have guessed! Seriously. Work seems mundane now. I can't go back to it after having that one glorious week of writing. Now, its hardly as exciting as working on my novel every morning and having TIME. Oh, glorious time. Going BACK to work after having had time to do whatever I needed is definitely harder than it was when switching from school to full-time mode. At least that eased me into it. This was like time just got sucked from my life. Boo.
Fall has arrived and I am eagerly enjoying fall fashions and coats and boots and the rain. Fall is definitely the best time to go shopping.
So now, everything seems back to "normal". Sort of like the way I had imagined it would be prior to July. Odd, isn't it?
Last night, I was praying. I have to admit that it is hard for me to pray because I always feel like I'm talking to a wall. Or like I'm talking to someone on the phone that doesn't SAY anything back. Praying has always been about me, until recently I realized that I was praying only for my own benefit. Having ready Crazy Love by Francis Chan, a book which I recommend highly to any Christian, all of the sudden my world has been turned upside down and I feel somewhat uncomfortable in the place that I'm in because its too comfortable. I'm daring to make changes in my mind but fear has kept me only inching along.
Anyway, I was praying last night and I told God, "Please help me with the sermon I have to give on Sunday. I really want it to be Your words, not mine." Then, I thought instantly, "You should go over it tomorrow aloud to see how long it is." And then I thought, "You also probably could compare it to last year's sermon if you're worried about length." The tone of those two sentences were so gentle that it startled me, because I'm normally not very gentle with myself. Then something occurred to me. What if those brilliant ideas weren't mine but God's? What if...that was HIM speaking?!
All of the sudden I was frozen still. I whispered, "God, was that you?" No response. But there was something about the way those sentences had sounded in my head. The way they had gently slid into my conscious and felt like an instant good idea.
Whether it was God or not, I don't think it really matters. What I think is most important is that we often give ourselves credit for something that God has done. What if God has talking to me through good ideas this whole time? I'm worried about something and He gives me a solution, but I think it's mine. Plagiarism! That's what it is. That dreaded word that we all avoid in school. We're doing it with God. Wow. Doesn't that make you feel wonderful?
I'm pretty sure I've plagiarized God's ideas plenty of times after last night. I tried talking to God more last night, hoping to hear that exciting "still, small voice" which is definitely what it felt like, but God alas did not "speak" to me again in that way. I think I was trying too hard? I don't know. I don't understand why God talks or how He talks or what. I just know...I need to stop and listen more.
God does talk to us while in prayer and the concept had always alluded me because I was too wrapped up in my own words, the words that I had to desperately communicate to God. I've always known that prayer is supposed to be a two-way street, but how many of us actually take that to heart?
Pray = listening + speaking. Do it.
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